kushimitama

clearly kagome would be conflicted, more of the nuance group and so would miroku. just bc of their natures and upbringings i think.

the hard no’s would absolutely be inuyasha and sango. not bc of their natures and upbringings but their morality is imo more black and white than miroku and kagome’s. (is morality nature or upbringing? idk im just talking)

but falling for miroku and the hope of a future after naraku changes it all.

it’s incremental the way it shifts. she still wants to save kohaku, she still wants to avenge her fellow slayers killed through naraku’s orders, but dying from it doesn’t stay as steadfast. because if she lives, if she can also save miroku, then she can have hope again for happiness.

She’s been quiet the entire time, looking over her friend’s shoulder with rapt attention. She isn’t one to interrupt another’s work, not if it can be helped and while traveling moments such as these were far and few in between. Sango had been keeping much of her questions about Kagome’s world to herself - more or less, and much much less than if they’d met under circumstances less like a ticking bomb. 

In the lulls such as these, she can almost forget the suffocation that had become her drive, her true will to continue forward through the darkness that nipped at her heels. In these pockets of tranquility where the highest disturbance was the rustle of their cloth, it almost felt like normalcy. That’s what allows her voice to reach out, cautious as her eyes remain wide with shock.

Looking out into the stream, Sango took in a deep breath, letting her weight sink into the ground. Both a calming exercise for her mind and an anchor for her body, she found that she was far more tense than anticipated. Her shoulders rolled back, breath expelling in a soft and measured sigh, and with the final drop of air so did her posture. Foolish, perhaps to others, given the presence clearly trailing behind her, but the slayer held no nerves. 

Her hands remained lax along her sides, even as her gaze stayed firm. There is no cruelty, no anger, no reason to flee within her expression - and as difficult as it might be, her eyes soften yet nothing much changes. Sango turns fully towards the other, arms crossing with another inhale. This one is shorter - it’s sharper even, although everything else about her was showing that she wasn’t a danger. 

                                    Now the scarlet miko looked back. Her sepia eyes surveying                                     the taijiya as she stood rigid, as if ready to leap  into  a  battle                                     at any given moment. Sad. She hadn’t really  been  expecting                                     anyone, and in truth did not know she was so close to the Inu-                                     gumi. She did now however. “The stream  is  free  to  use  for                                     anyone, Taijiya-san. It is large enough after all.” She told  her                                     realizing that the slayer hadn’t known she was here either.                                          “Sorry if I startled you.  I  wasn’t  expecting  anyone  to  be                                     nearby…” She explained then, turning back to face the water.

                      She didn’t  mean  any harm,  mostly due to  the fact that  she’d                       come  upon  the priestess  unexpectedly.  Her stiff  stance was                       not one  prepared  for  battle, even  as  her  grip  on  Hiraikotsu                       shifted,  but one of surprise.  They weren’t but less than fifteen                       minutes from camp, and yet Inuyasha hadn’t come after Kikyo.

Sango was right. Things had not been easy since all them started traveling together. They had victories sure, but they had terrible loses. Kagome couldn’t count how many times they almost all died at the hands of their foes, and couldn’t count the amount of times she thought one of them had died. It wasn’t easy for anyone to handle, especially not a teenager from the modern era.

“A specific event…?” There was one moment that easily stood out in her mind, and it was one that happened just before they met Sango, actually. The day that broke her heart in two. The day…she first made her move. “Well…you know Kikyo, right? And…how her and Inuyasha had a…past relationship? She…She..

Getting this out was what would be for the best. However, even just thinking about the memory caused the girl to curl up under her blankets. The images were forever burned into her mind, and describing them was going to not be easy.

“Forced me to watch….as she tried to…drag Inuyasha down to Hell with her…without his consent….and watching him just…act so…soft and peaceful around her before that it just…It just…” Oh gosh, tears were coming. She knew this would potentially happen. Sniffles and murmurs were hidden underneath the cloth, Kagome making sure to quickly dry her tears so the smell of salt water would be minimized. Inuyasha’s sense of smell is strong, and gosh she did not need him coming in here right now. 

Sango whispered, “Kagome,” before bringing an arm out to cup the younger’s cheek. While the tears had been stopped before slipping, that still didn’t make the sight of her watery eyes any easier. She gently stroked her cheek, letting a comforting silence pass and collecting her own thoughts. She didn’t want to push her too much, but she also knew this wasn’t a topic that should be pushed aside.

She brought her hand rest on the space between them. It was an unspoken offering for her to take if needed, for Sango wouldn’t force any affection unwarranted. Of course, should Kagome dissolve into tears, all bets were off. Should affection only hasten her emotional spiral, one that Sango was basically counting on as it was, that wouldn’t be helpful to unload her mind. The whole point of this late talk was to ease her thoughts.