"They're not very subtle, are they?"
Inukimi smirked, not bothering to look up from her meal. "Not in the slightest. Though it pains me that my own son is in such denial."
Kagura snorted. "He's probably used to people throwing themselves at his feet and declaring their intentions outright. Kagome won't do that." She gazed in the direction the other two had disappeared between the trees. "Not anymore, anyway."
The inuyoukai licked her claws, somehow keeping her kimono in pristine condition and blood-free. "You are referring to her tryst with the hanyou."
A sharp breeze blew through the meadow, and Kagura glanced over her shoulder, idly wondering if Bokuseno had an issue with the term. "I don't think there ever was one," she said, leaning back on her hands. "Not to that extent, anyway. Sure, he always threw a fit when Kagome was attacked, but so did everyone."
If she was being honest with herself, Kagura had always been jealous of the ragtag group of misfits. They'd bonded so quickly, and we're always willing to lay down their lives for each other's safety. None of Naraku's incarnations had done that. It was always survival of the fittest or scrambling to find as many shards as possible to prolong their lives.
Usually at the hands of their own master.
Her death, although sooner than she'd wanted, had meant freedom. No more blackmail, no more kidnapping, no more bloodshed. She'd found it ironic that Sesshoumaru had been there, but he was so indifferent about everything, she supposed it was a fitting end.
Most of Kagome's pack would've thought it was a ploy. And Kagome… Kagome would've felt guilty and done something stupid to try and reverse it. All while crying and spouting off sentiments about wishing she'd been there sooner.
With Sesshoumaru, it had been quiet. Peaceful. And less jarring when she'd reverted to her true form and been nothing but air.
She really needed to thank him for that.
"I had assumed there had been a falling out," Inukimi mused. "The miko seems intent on being a wandering vagabond, so I had thought it an avoidance technique."
Kagura grinned at that. "Wouldn't you be after being weighed down with the responsibility of saving the world from Naraku?"
Silver hair was flipped over Inukimi's shoulder. "I would never allow someone as vile as him to ensnare me so."
"Some of us didn't have a choice."
That seemed to give Inukimi pause, Kagura continuing to ignore her probing gaze until she felt her claws snag a lock of her hair. She'd kept it down for the most part, no longer feeling the need to tie it up like before. Everything about her felt different now; she was no longer bursting at the seams.
She often wondered if this was what it would've felt like to be born free. To not be at the beckoned call of a master who would sooner use you as a human shield if it suited his greater purpose.
Inukimi's grip was light, but Kagura turned her head anyway, refusing to back down. The youkai princess, or whatever she was, had spent her days secluded and safe in her castle in the sky while the rest of the world lived in terror, wondering if they'd live to see the next sunrise.
Yet, when their gazes met, there was no judgment. There wasn't even pity, which Kagura had been ready for, only mild curiosity—and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"I can see why he was so eager to be rid of you," she mused, hair still caught between her claws. "You were likely getting in the way of his plans with your wavering loyalty."
Kagura's brow furrowed. While that may have been true, the tone of Inukimi's statement leaned more towards amusement than scrutiny. "Are you saying I'm not the type to remain loyal?" She hadn't done anything to prove otherwise since she'd taken corporeal form, and Kagome seemed to—
"Your loyalty lies with those you care about," Inukimi said, interrupting her downward spiral. "It only wavered with the spider because he forced ties between you. For his own benefit." Gold bore into ruby, and Kagura was unable to look away. She'd never thought about it that way.
As accurate as it was.
It was why the pull of Kagome's pack had been so strong. Kagura was part of Naraku's 'family' even though he never referred to them as such, but she'd only done his bidding out of blackmail and survival. Kagome's group had done it to survive, and their bond seemed to grow stronger the more Naraku tried to rip them apart.
Kagura had wanted that.
She'd wanted that from the start.
She'd tried to create it with Kanna, and even the slayer brat, but Naraku had seen it as a weakness, constantly using it as a means of questioning her loyalty.
Was being able to relax around someone so much to ask?
"I am curious, little wind, what it is you truly crave in life," Inukimi asked, still inspecting the dark hair between her fingers. "Especially now that no one has tethers on you."
"You do," Kagura countered, suddenly remembering why they were in the glade in the first place.
"Indeed."
She groaned, leaning back on her hands. "And you wonder why your son is so emotionally constipated when it comes to communication." Inukimi wasn't perturbed, and Bokuseno's branches swayed as if to join in on some inside joke. Maybe this was why Kagura had latched onto Kagome in the first place; the woman had never seen the point in hiding her emotions.
There was no pretense or hidden agenda with her. She simply was, holding out her hand to create bonds of friendship whenever she could, uncaring of their past and the baggage that came with it.
Did she have any friends who hadn't tried to kill her first?
Hanging out with her, and maybe playing a little matchmaker while she was at it, seemed like the best course of action.
"Once I've regained my strength, I'll figure out exactly how this separation works," she said. "Then you can go back to your castle and be free of the burden."
It was only a slight movement, but Kagura straightened as Inukimi leaned toward her, pale eyebrow raised. "Have I ever claimed being bonded to you as a burden?"
Kagura stared at her, apprehension, confusion, and something much more potent swirling in the pit of her stomach. "Isn't it?"
The daiyoukai only leaned closer. "The spider's words seem to be long-lasting with you, little wind." She placed her hand on Kagura's, intertwining their fingers. "You have never been a burden." The air became charged, and Kagura swallowed slowly.
Maybe Inukimi was more open with her signals than her son.
The demoness chuckled, their breath mingling. "You are overthinking things."
Kagura flushed. "How am I not supposed to when you're—" Soft lips brushed against hers, as if asking permission, but she was too shocked to respond.
Inukimi's beauty had captured her from the moment she'd taken solid form, her lack of animosity to supporting her existence being an added bonus. But she'd assumed that she'd come along for the sole purpose of breaking it off.
"Why didn't you say so before?" she asked.
Inukimi smirked. "And miss the chance to revel in my son's awkwardness around the only female I have seen him interested in in centuries? I think not." She seemed more invested in interfering with her son's life than necessary, but she clearly held some station within youkai aristocracy, so Kagura didn't argue it. Maybe this was how all daiyoukai acted.
The few full-blooded youkai she'd come in contact with during her time with Naraku were either being scouted for their power so he could absorb them or being killed to serve a greater purpose.
There was always a greater purpose.
Her senses weren't as good as a daiyoukai's—hell, they probably weren't as good as Kagome's—but Inukimi's scent was free of deceit, so Kagura decided to return the favour. The kiss was light, leaving both of them the option to pull away before Kagura slanted her head, wanting a better taste.
"This is your answer, then?" Inukimi asked, voice muffled against her lips.
Kagura chuckled. "You're overthinking things." Delicate claws made their way into her hair, and she hummed in delight.
"Perhaps," Inukimi lamented, pressing their chests together, "it is better if neither of us think for a moment."
Kagura couldn't agree more, revelling in the soft touches, idly hoping the hunt took Kagome and Sesshoumaru far away from Bokuseno's glade.