A/N ;; This is the second of two one-shots that I'm posting today! This one, I think, is much better than the other one. It's a little weird, but give me a break, 'kay? I'm sick, and when I'm sick, I mean I'm like sick. The writing might be a little iffy around the end, but that's because I heard my cousin come home for lunch, and I was hiding.
(Actually, I'm still hiding.)
She stood at the end of a large walkway, staring at two partially destroyed chairs. Her eyes ran over them and the first thing she noticed was the colours that marked them. They seemed to have dulled over a period of time, but she could still see the remains of a vibrant red and purple. And the second thing that she saw was the Royal Crest, carved in deeply at the top, a hint prodding Kaguya to widen her eyes.
She continued to stare at the two thrones, not exactly sure what compelled her to not look away. A sudden feeling of longing ran through her and she cautiously reached one of her hands forward, just barely trailing her small fingers over the Royal Crest of the chair, feeling the dust beginning to collect on her skin. She sighed and drew her hand back from the chair, letting it hang back at her side.
Just above her, a bright light caught her eye and she looked up, noticing that the wall behind the chairs was the only one left standing. The thing that caught her eye, however, was a large golden picture frame, hung near the middle, a little bit above the chairs. Unfortunately, to her disappointment, only the corner was noticeable, the rest of the wall shrouded in shadows.
As she looked around the remnants of the palace, she couldn't help but wonder:
What happened to this place?
In the background, the sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon, shedding its light on the old palace. And the young woman standing at the end began to feel the warmth on her back. She turned around and blinked at the bright light that now seemed to swallow everything. All around her, broken pillars and shattered glass glowed within the light, and she held up her arm in a feeble attempt to protect her eyes from the intruding light.
Perhaps Amaterasu's doing? she thought, carefully lowering her arm. The sun rose so suddenly. . . and just when I needed it to. A small smile made its way onto her face and she turned around, looking up at the frame that now shone in the light. Oh. . . she realized. It's a painting.
The painting itself revealed three different figures: two adults and a young child. The three people were clothed in pink, Royal Crests sewed onto all of their chests. The two adults held gentle smiles and she mirrored their expression as she looked up at them, one of her hands clutching the fabric of her kimono near her heart. She bent onto her knees and bit her lip. "I'm sorry. . ." she apologized, somehow feeling the need to. "And. . . I thank you. . . Thank you so much."
"You helped me so much," she continued. "Because of you. . . I found a family that raised me well. However, I'm sorry. . . I wasn't here. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
She felt the tears begin to form in her eyes and she held her breath for a moment to compose herself. This is what they wanted, she told herself. They sent me away to protect me. Their goal was achieved. I lived a good life. Mr. Bamboo and his wife raised me well.
Thank you, she thought again. For everything.