Saving me.
Saving us. Appearing from nowhere. Coming up with a new plan.
Considering all the things you do at the last minute, I should have been ready for this. But even I thought we had more time.
I was prepared for the kazaana. I had even tricked myself into believing that I was prepared for Someone Else. And after all these years, in the very back of my mind, I was prepared for this. Call it 'habitual thought'. But I'd never ever acknowledged it.
'Thank heavens you weren't saving me…'I don't even know how it got under your guard – you're so much better than that. I know, I fought you. Do you remember? I didn't hold back (not that I could have if I wanted to) and you still bested me. So how did this happen? It's dead now – you can thank Inuyasha for that. He and Kagome are getting Kaede, please wait until they get back. He wants to yell at you for being stupid. Quite frankly, so do I. There's blood everywhere – not all of it belongs to the demon.
'We were supposed to have years.'
You keep pushing me away – another thing I should be used to. You've done it enough. Trying to keep me away from death incarnate. But even you had to give in to this, didn't you? You said you'd never forget. I won't. You should know by now there's no keeping me away. If it takes you, then it takes me as well. I know that you won't be able to hold it back. Don't worry about everyone else – Kaede's hut is far from here.
'They won't be here in time.'
A hand – your hand – grabs me. I'm not kneeling next to you anymore. Do you remember the last time we were like this? You were playing, then. Can't you be playing now? Reach out and grope me. I'll still slap you, that way we can both know everything's all right. But you've got your arm around my waist, and your hand isn't slipping. Stop looking at me with those eyes. I don't want to see that color fade away. I don't want to watch the spark die, and those marvelous eyes go shallow. Stop brushing off my delusions, stop binding me to reality. Stop scaring me.I'm bracing myself on your damp chest – you shifted too quickly. I wonder why blood is so sticky…
Beads click, I feel your fingers running through my hair. I hate that. I've never liked people playing with my hair. Even as a little girl, I'd swat at anyone who tried it. But you don't know that. How can you? You never had time to learn. That same beaded hand slides through my hair – why isn't it tangled? – and grabs the back of my neck.
It doesn't feel like a kiss. Not that I would know. It's more like an affirmation. The thorny flower setting barbs deeper into my heart.
stab. You really are done this time.
stab. You really do care.
stab. You won't ever see twenty children playing in the grass.
Maybe I knew that all along. I don't want to know. I can't taste anything but blood. The bitter taste suits me well.
"You always leave everything to the last minute, don't you, Houshi-sama?"
I make no apologies. I really don't think it's that bad. It's not a tearjerker (in my opinion). I don't even know if it makes sense. It's another shortfic. I wrote it really late the other night, because I had this image burning into my mind of a rather bloody Miroku kissing Sango hard and fast, then pushing her away so that she wouldn't be consumed by the kazaana. Hachi flying her out of there was part of it, too. And then the last minute thing was just…I don't know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
…I'm getting really tired of saying that.