IKIGAI

"The reason to be."

.

Page XII

.

"…When we were told about a youkai who had a garden of medicinal herbs, we never believed we'd meet someone like Jinenji…"

"Jinenji!" Our daughter shouts, her hands up in the air as if she were trying to show us how big it was the individual we are reading about.

"That's right! Jinenji is quite big." You agree with her, as you gently sway her little arms.

Both of you are in front of me, by one side of the hearth. You are resting your back against the wall, with Moroha leaning against your chest, rubbing her eyes with a hand, clearly on her way to falling asleep.

"Should I continue?" I seek an answer with a look, and you nod.

My gaze goes back to reading.

"… It didn't take us long to know Jinenji wasn't a youkai, but a hanyou just like InuYasha, something I found fascinating because of discovering there were more beings like him. Jinenji wouldn't be the only case we'd run into, but I'll leave that for another story. The villagers we came upon ended up being intolerant and even violent, so we decided to help Jinenji and his mother."

To read this, made me immediately recall your natural ability to connect with those others would consider strange, like Jinenji at a first glance. I can't help thinking how easy it is to you to see beyond what it seems, just like you did with me. I take a deep breath next, keeping my gaze on the book as I resume my reading.

"… As we were waiting for InuYasha to find out what was really happening in the outskirts of the village, Jinenji showed me his work on his garden, and opened up to me. The solitude of the life of a hanyou like him was thick in the timid words he shared… " I usually hide my own shyness with my bad temper, just like Jinenji does with his garden and plants. "Once night fell, however, we had to defend ourselves from the attack of the villagers, who came to us as if they were in pursuit of a Prometheus of the Sengoku era." Before this reference I stop, then look at you, to which I receive a gentle smile.

"I'll explain later." You whisper. "Keep going, it's almost done." You gesture towards Moroha, whose eyes are not but two narrow slits, beaten by sopor.

I nod. Like many times before, I have a hard time ignoring the weight my heart suddenly carries before a past event when you were in danger, and I wasn't there to protect you.

"… the fire burnt the cabin down, yet we had no time to mourn before we were attacked by a snake youkai who Jinenji finally faced, pushed forward by the words of his mother." I remember that moment perfectly; Anxiety filled me before the uncertain fate of the shy and kind hanyou that was Jinenji, yet I also knew he himself had to measure his own worth and strength. "On our way back to Kaede's village, InuYasha opened up to me, one of the first occasions it happened. I remember the joy I felt before him being willing to trust me, even if a little… " I smile, recalling the moment. "He spoke to me about his own circumstances in that world, a world of youkais and humans, and of how a hanyou like him never had a place in it." In that moment I stop reading; it's incredible how mere memories can arouse such powerful feelings, I can't but tell you about them. "… in that moment, you said I wasn't alone, and I understood something that only became clearer and stronger with time. You had become my hearth."

My gaze settles on you, yearning for that light your eyes gift me when we are bound together by moments such as this. However, I find them closed, your breathing in the tranquil sway of a dream. I can't help sighing before the sight of both of you sleeping, and I once again realize that, that loneliness that was, is now but a speck when compared to the feeling of belonging you awoke in me that day, and that you've only swelled with every passing breath.

I get close with a blanket, and I sit by your side, pulling you and Moroha to me, before covering us from the cold. There, amidst the spreading warmth, I leave a kiss on your forehead, hoping such a warmth of another kind, sends you my next thought:

Kagome, you are still my hearth.

.

A/N

I love to revisit the moments the manga has left us, and to see them turned memories for them to sail through while living a peaceful life.

Kisses, and thank you for reading and commenting!

Anyara.

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart