AN: I've been wanting to do a Sesshoumaru/Kagura story for a long time; they are, after all, my favorite InuYasha couple. But because of that, I've hesitated to write a story about them, because I want to do them justice but ain't sure I can. I find it really hard to keep Sesshy-sama in character, and I've never even TRIED writing Kagura, so I have my doubts about my ability to keep her in character as well…but, oh well, I finally decided to try.

I finished the manga, so everything should be canon or almost so, except that I changed the Wish Kagome made…

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to break any copyrights and I'm not earning any money…this is just for fun…Forgive me, oh great and mighty Takahashi, for the way I tragically mutilate your characters! It isn't intentional!

Lol…

He stood on a hill far above the human village, eyeing it hesitantly. He made a point of frequently forcing himself to visit, lest Rin think he had forgotten her completely. He hated going there; hated being around so many humans, hated having everyone else's happiness rubbed in his face.

At first, he'd taken a sort of satisfaction in the fact that InuYasha was left alone, the clay miko and the future miko both finally departed to where they belonged; one to the afterlife and one into a far away time. But as three years passed he found that seeing InuYasha's loneliness and pain did not ease the ache within his own heart. He had actually been almost happy for his younger brother when the future miko returned, and they were wed. The wedding had been just two days ago. He had, grudgingly, gone to the wedding. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased to see him…but he had not forced himself to endure their romantic nonsense and giddiness for long before departing.

Rin was growing up, he'd noted absently. She no longer squirmed and jumped for joy at the sight of him. She was more mature, calmer, and her form had begun to mature…and he found it saddened him oddly. She had been as close to his heart as if she were his own pup. And the day when the pup realized that life was not all a game; that playing and rolling on the ground had a place, but it was not the focus of life, was a sort of bittersweet day. He was pleased that Rin had finally readjusted to her own people; realizing that not all humans were like the bandits who had murdered her family. Yet he missed the days when she ran to him with handfuls of flowers and made up little songs to sing in her sweet, innocent voice. Her clothing at the wedding had sent pangs through his heart…a material in a pattern all too familiar…all too similar to…

The wind picked up and whipped lightly at his hair. He gritted his teeth against the rush of emotion. Why must she haunt him so? Over three years…and still every time the wind blew, his heart felt as if some huge hand gripped it tightly…an ironic thought, he supposed, considering that that was exactly the way she had lived her brief life. He heard her whisper to him on the breeze; saw her form in the dust that rose on a dry day in a fierce wind; felt her spirit in the movement of the air.

He sighed and turned away from the village. No. He would not go there again yet. It had only been two days since the wedding. He had seen everyone then. He would not subject himself to the sorrow that came from watching them all in their happiness; the houshi and the exterminator with their children; InuYasha and the futuristic miko in their newlywed bliss…It hurt too much.

He found himself returning again to the meadow. As much as he worked to deny and resist the feelings that pained him so, it was always to this place he returned when it hurt most. The soft pink flowers never seemed to fade or die, and he often wondered if there was magic in this place, something that gave it lasting life. He knew exactly where he had last seen her; the traces of poison had killed the ground in that one place, leaving one empty place in the center of the meadow. He stood there, images flashing before his mind's eye in quick succession: the look on her face when she saw him; the surprise and joy when he told her he had come to her knowingly, intentionally. The small smile on her bloodstained lips as she faded.

He dug his claws into his palms, ignoring the pain and the scent of blood. There must have been something; something he could have done to prevent what had happened. Perhaps, had he taken the Jewel shards the time she'd offered them, rather than coolly rejecting her, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he managed to kill Naraku during the confrontation at the castle, rather than letting him escape in order to save Rin, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he kept her with him the time she had been injured and fallen into the river, rather than letting her go risk her life again, she would be alive. Perhaps, had he found some way to force Tenseiga to his will, she would be alive. But she was not alive. Any opportunity he may have had to save her was long gone, and Kagura was dead.

Suddenly the wind blew hard, and so many pink petals were whisked into the air that he was momentarily blinded by them. When the wind faded, he looked up. She really was haunting him, wasn't she? Any time his thoughts turned to her, the wind blew. He turned to leave, to remove himself from this place of sorrow. As he did, something caught his eye. He turned and saw a lone figure walking among the trees on the other side of the meadow. He scented the air but his nose was affected by the heavy scent of the windblown flowers.

He laid his hand upon the hilt of Bakusaiga, annoyed that he could not scent anything about the person. Quickly, he leapt the distance of the grove and cut down two of the trees the interloper hid behind. White and magenta flashed before his eyes and the scent filled his nostrils. He gasped as she came down before him, looking just as shocked as he knew he must appear.

Before him, staring at him with wide crimson eyes, was Kagura the Wind User; a woman three years dead.

"Sess…Sesshoumaru? You can see me?"

He just stared at her, trying to pull together his composure and not look like a gaping idiot.

"You are dead, are you not? How is that you are here?"

Kagura laid a hand to her chest and looked up at him, eyes wide.

"I…I don't know…Though the last few days I was feeling different."

"What do you mean? You speak as though you have been alive."

"I have been…in a way. I was the wind, Sesshoumaru. It was wonderful. I went so many places…I don't know why my spirit didn't leave the earth. Maybe there was no place it belonged…maybe I was not fit for either Heaven or Hell. I've been in this meadow, mostly, since Naraku died. Though…I have been with you a great deal, following you…"

He was actually speechless, staring at her. Finally, he mustered up his voice.

"How is this possible? You do not look like a spirit. You look real, and your scent is real. What has happened?"

"I don't know…just the last few days, as I've walked, I started to feel different…more alive…more physical…and now…" She laid her hand to her chest again. "My heart is beating."

Suddenly she looked up at him again, her red eyes alight, and before he could comprehend what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed happily; something he was not sure he had every heard her do before. He was still in shock, still unable to believe that this was possible. She was warm and alive. He could hear her heartbeat. He must have gone mad. He must be dreaming. He allowed the embrace, but, of course, did not return it. She stood away from him quickly, but kept her hands on his shoulders.

"I see you haven't changed much. Except…there's something different." She eyed him up and down, then her eyes widened slightly and she slid her hands from his shoulders down his arms. "You…have two arms now." She smiled and finally released him. "Sesshoumaru…you remembered me. You fought for my memory…you did everything in your power to make sure I didn't die in vain…I saw it all, you know."

He turned from her, not wanting her see the shock and the joy in his eyes.

"It was only fitting, as you had so often sought to aid me. You were an ally of sorts, and one does not let one's allies be killed without avenging them."

She was silent, and he turned, curious, to find her shuffling around with her clothing, totally ignoring his excuses and pretended indifference. She stuck a hand down the front of her kimono, and he raised an eyebrow, finding himself amused for the first time in far too long. She took her hand back out and reached up her sleeve as he continued to watch her, puzzled.

"Ah! Here it is!"

She pulled her fan from her sleeve and opened and closed it twice, seeming to be reassuring herself that it was in working order. Now that the shock was fading, though he still could not understand how this had come to be, he began to notice her appearance. Her hair was partially down, laying in a tailed style over one shoulder, the way it had been the day she fell into the river so badly wounded. He thought she was beautiful with her hair like that. He shoved that thought aside. Her white, butterfly patterned kimono…the pattern that Rin's clothing had recently, painfully reminded him of…hugged her in all the right places, just loose enough and just tight enough. He blinked. What was he thinking? The shock of having her return had obviously gone to his head. Why was that? He'd seen more than his share of the dead returning to life. Even Rin was a testament to that; twice over, in fact.

He continued to watch her. She no longer seemed aware of him, more interested in examining herself. She stuffed her fan back into her sleeve…it was a mystery to him how she kept it up there, there must be some sort of holder for it…she tied and retied her sash, and then she reached up to her hair and cursed rather strongly. He lifted a brow again.

"Is something out of place?"

"My feathers are gone! That's just great! How the heck am I supposed to get around without one?"

He was rather puzzled by the fact that everything else seemed to have returned to its rightful place along with her, but not the feathers. It wouldn't matter, except that it put him in a position of doing something he'd rather not. He sighed and forced himself to do it, even if it meant basically admitting a certain attachment to her.

"Would this do?" He pulled the feather from where he wore it in a tiny silk pouch around his neck. She took it, her warm, living fingers brushing his briefly.

"Hey, this is one of them…" Her bright ruby eyes suddenly met his. "Sesshoumaru…you…you kept this?"

He fought to keep his nonchalant front in place.

"When you…passed on, the wind carried one of the feathers away. But the other one came to me on the breeze. I kept it…as a reminder of my duty to you."

He nearly winced at the weakness of his excuse. Duty…huh. Not hardly. He'd never have bothered even thinking of her if he hadn't felt something for her. Growling internally, he silenced that inner voice that so constantly whispered annoying truths.

In practiced movements, she pulled a green ribbon from her sleeve…now he was wondering what else she might have stored up there…took it between her teeth, whipped her hair into its familiar bun, and tied it back with the ribbon, tucking the feather into it. She pulled her fan out again and turned to face the trees.

"Let's see if this still works. Fujin no mai!"

He watched the wind blades spin outward and take down several trees. She smirked.

"Good, I can still kick butt."

He found he had a hard time resisting the small twitch at the corners of his mouth, the unfamiliar urge to smile sincerely. She turned to him. This whole time, she had seemed almost ecstatic. Now, she seemed somehow sad.

"It's odd…all that time I wanted freedom. Then when I had it, it was so short. And then…it's been a couple of years, hasn't it?"

"Over three years."

"Wow…I've been dead longer than I was alive. Anyway…I've been the wind for three years, Sesshoumaru. It was this strange state of being. I could see and feel and hear everything…but in a different way than I do now. I can't even describe it. I was an element, not a person…yet there was so much of my consciousness left. And now…now I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know where to go…"

"I believe my brother and his companions would be pleased to see you again. They seemed saddened by your passing. And Kohaku would be relieved to see you as well."

"That's right; you had Kohaku with you for a while. You looked after him….Thank you."

"You had risked your life for him…I sought to fulfill your wishes in keeping him alive."

She smiled.

"I'm glad to be back, Sesshoumaru, however it happened. And…I'm glad you were the first person I saw… I think I will go see your brother now. See you!"

Then she was gone, into the sky, with that brief, casual farewell. Just like old times. He turned and watched as the entire field of flowers, the meadow that had seemed trapped in the moment of her death, faded away into a simple grassy plain. And he finally allowed himself to smile.