Life
Airian Reesu
Summary: In which Kagura is advised that life only begins with one's freedom. To truly live, you must make something of yourself. Kagura. Sess. Drabble, one-shot.
A/N: A drabble, kinda. Sess/Kagura. (Or should I say, Kagura contemplating Sess?) Been in the back of my mind for a while now. Makes no sense…. But I've been in the mood to write weirdly written things this week…
Yes, I know that the next manga chapter will probably have them in it. And it will never be like this. But I wrote this anyway. Please forget canon for about two minutes...or however long it takes you to read this… (Before you ask, Naraku is dead in this. Like I said, not canon)
The sound echoed in her ears, through her soul. It pounded a living rhythm. Something others took for granted, she embraced with all she could.
A heart.
So much had happened in a short span of time. She hadn't been able to appreciate it before. Really appreciate it, not bemoan it.
Fingers splayed on her chest, she looked up.
He was standing there, dirty and bloodstained with his head held high. The one who would bow to no one. Not even if he was dead.
The one who was always there, but not truly.
White stained red fluttered in the air as he gazed into the distance. Silence, his trademark. Say nothing as life slipped by.
Life that she had now. All her own.
She was free.
She heard voices, shouting in the distance. The shard hunters.
She did not care for them. Naraku was dead. She was free. That's all that mattered.
She glanced back. Why was he here at all?
That eternal creature.
He did not look at her. He did not acknowledge her. He simply stood, unmoving.
The long-lasting statue.
She couldn't take it a second longer.
"Why are you still here?"
"Why are you?"
He vexed her. To the very core.
But she was quite pleased when her wind played with that hair. It was beautiful.
"This is where I ended up. I'm starting out from here."
"Are you?" So concise and impersonal.
Is that how he lived so long?
She snarled at him. "Oh course! I wanted this. Don't think I won't take it."
"Your freedom, yes." He said it as if it was a simple thing. A trite thing.
Worth nothing at all.
Eyes blazing, she was a storm across that field, landing at his side in a fury. "What the hell does that mean?" No answer and her anger grew. "You're being nothing but a pompous ass!"
Still he did not look at her. He ignored her. As if she did not matter now. Now that she was not a tie to Naraku.
As if she really was nothing.
"I'm going to be the wind!" she claimed, clenching her fan in her fist. It bit into her, gave her pain. She didn't care. "I'm gong to have a life! Be free!" She did not care if she sounded childlike. It was a new beginning. "So you can just take your overbearing scorn and shove--"
He took her by surprise. Not an odd thing, with him. "What will you do with it? With this life of yours?"
He looked at her then, and she faltered. Those eyes always unnerved her. Hard and cold, yet deep with age. With experience. With a life, a past.
"What am I going to do with it? Live it, of course."
"Hn. Simple words."
She stared at him. Simply stared.
"What use is a life if you do nothing with it?"
What was this? He was becoming philosophical? Waxing poetic?
"A chance to live. Freedom. That's what it is; I thought you could tell."
He closed those ageless eyes. Stood like the radiant sculpture he was. A piece of art created long ago and set to live throughout the ages. Well favored and never having to worry about being tossed down, forced to live years in the dark.
Unlike her.
What right did he have to say these things to her? He was left to wander as he saw fit. Had the luxury of having no undefeatable enemies. Of owning himself forever.
She was the one who knew what it was to be without. And now knew what it was like to have it.
He had no right to hold her down here any longer. She should just leave, let him eat his own useless words.
But she didn't move.
And so he continued. "You are free, as you say. Yet, that is only the beginning."
She scoffed. "Of course. I still have things to do. I'm not that stupid."
"So rash." He turned his face to the wind, and she felt somewhat jealous. "You have a life. It is useless if it does not lead to something." His eyes found her again and she didn't move. "Anyone can have a life. How many actually live?"
She wanted to speak. Her lips moved. But she said nothing. Just gazed at the ageless face and wondered. Why was he saying this to her?
"You wanted this. Now you must do something with it. Make something of it. Or it will all be a waste."
Nothing was said after that. He gave her a last knowing look and turned away. She watched him go, watched the wind around him. Felt a pang in her new heart.
She should be angry. She should have raved at him for those words. She should have done many things.
But for once in her new life, Kagura remained silent.
And he was gone, and she soon realized, seeing that empty clearing, that the plan she'd formed for this life long before, the plan he told her to make, now had a tear in it.
A piece was now missing. One that she hadn't even realized was there before.
She looked down at the fan in her grasp. Here was her freedom. Here was her life.
Now it was hers.
But she couldn't help but to long for that missing piece. That certain thing.
"Damn you, Sesshoumaru."