I had a thought, dear
However scary
About that night
The bugs and the dirt
Why were you digging?
What did you bury
Before those hands pulled me
From the earth?
If being trapped on the ground was hell for a wind demon, being buried underground is far worse.
So when she bursts from the rain-sodden earth, vomiting dirt and decay, Kagura is overcome with relief.
There's a storm breaking overhead. Humid night air curls around her shoulders, as though to pull her up itself; renewed demonic energy warms the tips of her pointed ears and her frozen corpse-fingers. It gives her the strength to drag herself the rest of the way out of the grave. Luckily, the topmost layer of soil has already been peeled away.
What a delight, to be alive. To be free.
She's still wiping mud from her eyes when Sesshomaru's figure cuts through the rain. (Later, she tells herself that there must be a perfectly innocent explanation for the mix of blood and mud under his nails, and that his facial marks only seem fainter due to the lack of moonlight.)
He stands over her, taking only a mere moment to inspect the empty grave. Kagura watches him in wonder and confusion. Is he the reason she is no longer in Hell, or simply a witness?
Why is he shaking?
"Can you walk," he says finally.
"Yes," she replies, despite having not tried to do so yet. Stormwater drips down the planes of his face, and Kagura has the bizarre desire to cup her hands together to collect it all.
Her fan, stained and ragged at the edges but otherwise intact, lands in her lap.
"Come, then."
He only makes it a few steps before stumbling. Kagura doesn't register it at first; too busy searching the dirt for her feathers, crying out in frustration as she only finds worms.
When he sinks into a crouch, hissing painfully, she is so startled she rises to her feet. Luckily, they seem to remember how to hold her weight - for someone who just rose from the dead, she actually feels just fine.
"Oi, Sesshomaru! What's wrong with you?"
She crafts a blade of wind to hover above their heads, giving them some reprieve from the rain. Sesshomaru glares darkly at her as she kneels in front of him, but Kagura doesn't see the point in still being afraid.
Up this close, she considers two things. First, her initial opinion was right - he really is quite handsome. Second, that something between them feels very strange. Not in a romantic way this time; although if Fate stopped trying to kill her for a few minutes then she would be able to make some headway in that respect...
No, this is something that moves beneath her skin, gnawing at every sense. Sesshomaru's gaze flickers over her face, and Kagura wonders how visibly she wears this discomfort that can't be named...
Seriously, what's wrong with you? is what she means to say. But the words that leave her lips instead are "Were you the one to resurrect me?"
Sesshomaru frowns and sinks another inch towards the ground. Lightning lights up his expression for an instant.
"Yes."
"Well, you don't have to sound so morose about it - " A clap of thunder shatters her words, and Kagura feels its echo in her chest and the ground beneath them.
In the dirt...
"What did you do," she says, glancing back at the ruined grave, "to achieve that?"
Her heart is beating. Her heart is here. Her heart...
As if he can see the terrible thought that strikes her, Sesshomaru sighs. Before anything else can pass his lips, she's scrambled closer to slip both hands beneath his robes. He flinches sharply, both in scandal and at the chill of her palms, but does not stop her.
"No," she spits into the air, feeling rough, torn skin tissue beneath her fingers and nothing more. "No - Where did you put it?"
"You must leave things as they are," he says, more gently than she's ever thought was possible for him. "The consequences are acceptable enough."
There is no point. Only Kagura could understand such consequences; thus, only she could be so horrified.
"Damn fool, why would you do that?!" She screams, gripping his robes with both hands and making the best effort to shake him. "No heart belongs in the ground - "
"Leave things as they are," he says again, pushing her hands away. "You made the choice for yourself once. Do not disrespect mine."
Rain pounds in her ears; not even the tender wisps of her element tugging at the folds in her fan can draw her attention. Kagura swallows, and it still tastes like death.
After some time, Sesshomaru finds the strength to stand. Kagura watches him walk into the storm, grief and fury roiling in her stomach.
She doesn't want to follow him, to have to witness such a proud creature suffer the same humiliation she once did. Even if in his case it was self-inflicted.
But she's not a corpse anymore, nor the free wind long-rid of her mortal body. There's no point staying here, when she can walk and breathe and live.
So Kagura stands, fan in hand, and picks the new direction in which she'll go.
The lovely artwork in the header was created by the incredibly talented @sweepingtree.
We are pleased to announce that SessKagu Week will be taking place again this year. The week is scheduled to run from Monday the 20th until Friday the 24th in June, and will have a special emphasis on genres and tropes this time. (Remember that these are only suggestions in case you are stuck for ideas, so feel free to do your own thing if you would prefer to do so.)
This year’s prompts are:
Day One ☾ Romance (Enemies to Lovers)
Day Two ☾ Royalty (Arranged Marriage)
Day Three ☾ Sci-Fi (Forbidden Love)
Day Four ☾ College (Childhood Friends to Lovers)
Day Five ☾ Comedy (Fake Dating)
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave an ask in our inbox. Don’t forget to tag your creations with #sesskaguweek2022 and let’s all have some fun celebrating our favourite cringy edgelord Sesshoumaru and resident bad bitch Kagura. 🐩💅
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