AN: Yet another one of my Sess/Kag oneshots after "Ochaken"! For those who know me from writing in the RK fandom, sorry for having gone on such a long period of hiatus. I'm really caught up with college stuff and things happening around me now (like dating! –grins-), but I will try to write as much as possible in my free time.
This story, instead of being based on cartoon character like Ochaken, is based on a song by Morning Musume Sakura gumi, "Sakura Mankai". The title means "cherry blossoms in full bloom". Kagome, held captive at Sesshoumaru's palace, is secretly drawn to him, but cannot bring herself to tell him that. She doesn't know that he's always listening to her sing. The lyrics are translated by me, and please correct me if you spot any mistake.
Please pay attention to the lyrics, because how the story turns out in the end is linked to it. Check out the song for greater effect! Enjoy!
Title: Sakura Mankai
The hauntingly beautiful melody of the Japanese koto started, vibrating in the breeze of the cherry blossom garden, enhancing the scent of spring. Petals of pink swirled in the wind, before floating gently to land on the ground to form a soft pink collage. The girl sitting behind the koto was staring straight ahead, her fingers flying gracefully over the strings of the instrument, and it wasn't before long when she opened her mouth.
Sakura iro…kataomoi no hito
Sakura iro...me ga aeba hoho some
(The color of cherry blossoms...the person I secretly admire
The color of cherry blossoms…when our eyes meet, I blush)
A wistful smile flitted across her lips, somewhat crossed between helplessness and self-mockery, as she bent forward a little to pluck the strings with a little more force.
Sukoshi zutsu…otona ni chikazuku
Demo dame ne…kaiwa ni naranai no
(I'm gradually approaching adulthood
But it's no use...I can't strike up a conversation with him)
Why couldn't she be a bit more courageous? Maybe if she could look at him without turning away from his piercing gaze, they could exchange more than stiff greetings. She never used to be so afraid of him; she even called him baka once…until the feelings of love grew in her heart. Only then did she become nervous at even saying a simple greeting.
Hatred died, only to have love replace it. She used to be angry at him for taking away so much from her, but she noticed how he never hurt her despite all her ridiculous ranting and tantrums.
He was so kind to Rin, a little girl who proved his hatred of the human race to be a façade. He just needed the love, and she was willing to offer all she had. Perhaps she was just lovesick, but even it were really so, she wished she would never recover.
Aa Sakura mankai…Ne Sakura mankai
Mune no naka
Mou...kotoba ni naranai kurai
Koi no hana ga mankai
(Aa the cherry blossoms are in full bloom
Oh the cherry blossoms are in full bloom
The flowers of love are in full bloom in my heart
To the extend of being indescribable)
He stopped dead in his tracks, before making his way silently to the cherry blossom garden, where the beautiful voice, tinged with melancholy, was coming from. She was singing again, like how she always did when she first came. He had initially been disgusted by the things she sang...never in his entire life had he heard songs in which girls express their love for men so blatantly in the lyrics. It appeared vulgar, a nasty contrast to the captivating music, and it only made him feel all the more repulsed towards humans, especially this girl who was from a different time.
But as time went by, he gradually grew used to hearing her sing in the garden, listening to every word she expressed with emotion. He didn't understand why, but after hearing each song, he felt oddly empty instead. He knew she was singing for Inuyasha, not for him. How could she ever bring herself to sing for the person who captured her? If he were to tell the truth, he would want her to sing something for him, to smile up at him tenderly.
He would not, should not and could not expect. There was never a point in expecting things that wouldn't come.
Sa uchiakeru toki...Aa chiisana mune ga
Harisakesou
Dakara ne...kokuhaku shitara dakishimete
Yasashiku.
(As I come clean with my feelings for you,
My small heart feels like it's tearing apart
And hence, when I tell you how I feel, please hold me
Gently.)
There she goes again, dreaming of her dearest Inuyasha, he thought spitefully. Her voice, as she sang, was thick with emotion and truthfulness, as if she was wishing to convey the feelings in her heart with her song. She gave him a whole new reason to hate Inuyasha.
Yes, he was jealous. He never thought he could get jealous over an ordinary woman like her.
Standing behind a statue in the garden, he stared at her back, noting how flawlessly she fitted into the breathtaking picture that the flying sakura petals painted. Her slender frame moved with the music, sensually moving forward occasionally to pluck the strings of the koto harder, while her raven hair was swept back with each passing breeze.
She started singing again, oblivious to his presence, but it didn't stop her heart from silently wishing that somehow he could hear all of this.
Sakura iro…hatsukoi no iro ne
Sakura iro...konna no hajimete yo
(The color of cherry blossoms...the color of first love
The color of cherry blossoms…It's the first time I'm feeling like that)
She took a quivering breath, before her fingers started working their magic on the koto again. This overwhelming feeling, when compared to what she considered to be 'love' in the past, was threatening to drown her. It only made what she and Inuyasha shared seem like a platonic friendship.
sukoshizutsu nakayoku nareru no?
nanbyakunen kakete mo naritai no
(Can we grow closer to each other gradually?
I wish for it to happen…no matter how many hundreds of years it may take)
Her voice was so sincere; it felt as if his heart was being squeezed gently by the warmth she radiated. Her hauntingly sweet voice somewhat caused the air around them to come to a standstill, before her fingertips came into contact with the koto strings a second later.
But since when did she matter to him?
Aa Sakura mankai…Ne Sakura mankai
Suki sugiru wa
Mou...anata igai no hito wa
Me ni mo utsuranai mitai
(Aa the cherry blossoms are in full bloom
Oh the cherry blossoms are in full bloom
It's as if I don't have eyes for anyone other than you)
She felt as if she could almost see him right with her, standing in the same garden, his stunning appearance giving the whole mental picture an ethereal feeling. It could never happen in real life…he would never reciprocate her feelings. Knowing that he's just somewhere in the palace makes it all the more painful…so near, yet so far.
Saa anata ga iru wa
Aa me no mae ni anata tatteiru wa
Kono koi...kesshin wa mou katai no yo
Tsuiteku…
(Oh you are right here
Aa standing just right in front of my eyes
I'm determined to make this love work out
I'll stay by your side)
He didn't know if he could go on listening to her sing, especially when the song is not for him. It made him fear all the more that after she ends the song; he wouldn't be able to face her again. Her person belonged to him, but what about her heart?
He suddenly noticed something different about her. Her shoulders were shaking, in what he recognized as the unmistakable sign of her trying to hold her tears back. He felt a bit ashamed of himself…it was her crying look that he knew best. Ever since she came to his place, she had never been really happy. Initially, he just wanted to spite Inuyasha, and couldn't care less about her happiness, but as the days went by, he changed.
Inuyasha got out of the picture, and his desire to see her smile became even greater than that of Rin's smile.
Her fingers continued gracefully, but the involuntary shaking was even more obvious to him now. What is going on? Why is she crying all of a sudden? He clenched his fist…he needed to find out what was the cause of her misery. Almost going insane with the inner turmoil, his eyes widened when he heard the reason with his very own ears.
"Se…Sesshoumaru…"
Sa uchiakeru toki...Aa chiisana mune ga
Harisakesou
Dakara ne...kokuhaku shitara dakishimete
Yasashiku.
(As I come clean with my feelings for you,
My small heart feels like it's tearing apart
And hence, when I tell you how I feel, please hold me
Gently.)
As the words left her mouth to fly off on the spring breeze, her breath hitched in her throat when she felt a strong arm encircle her waist from behind to hold her closer to whoever it belonged to. Followed by the soft whisper of her name in her ear.
"Kagome."
Her tears fell from her eyes as she leaned forward to finish the song, dripping onto the polished wood of the koto, before she sang her reply. Her voice was quivering slightly, but it couldn't mask the joy beneath it.
kesshin wa mou katai no yo
Tsuiteku…
(I'm determined to make this love work out
I'll stay by your side)
The song ended, only to spell the start of a beautiful love. The two, joined in an embrace, painted a better picture against the backdrop of flying sakura petals, much better than what they ever dared to imagine.
How was that? I just love Sess/Kag fluff, especially when it's more subtle. Thanks for reading! Please review if you liked it!