Ties That Bind: Bring on the Fluff
Episode 3
The girls are taking shifts watching Kohaku. It�s night, Kagome has gone home, and Sango is sleeping. Kagura and Kohaku are sitting next to each other. Kagura asks, �Do you remember when you cared for me; when Naraku was torturing me?� �Yes, I do.� he says. �I�m sorry.� �What are you apologizing for?� she asks. �I didn�t stop him.� he says. �I tried, but I was never able to stop him, not once.� Kagura takes his face in her hands, �Look at me Kohaku. Never apologize for those days. I have never been as happy as I was there, with you.� They stare deep into each others eyes. They draw close; their noses touch. Then they turn away. Neither one is ready for what almost happened. �Come here.� she says. She draws him into her arms and holds him. She begins to sing. It is the only song she knows. It is the same song Sango had hummed earlier. It is the song Kohaku had sung when he held her in Naraku�s pit. He now knows that it was the lullaby his mother use to sing. She sings off key: she has never tried before. But as she holds him, he begins to feel at peace for the first time since his ordeal began. When she reaches the end of the song they stay there. At length she says, �Kohaku�I think I love you.� He stares up at her. She says, �I don�t know how else to describe what I�m feeling. I�ve never talked about my feelings. I�ve never felt anything but pain and hate. But you changed that. Your sister, she calls what she feels for you love; and that has to be something like what I�m feeling. But it�s different; I think. I just don�t know what I�m feeling. I�m sorry.� �Kagura�� Kohaku says. He puts his palm against her cheek. �I�m not sure either, but I don�t want you to leave. If you did, you�d be all alone. I want you to stay here with us�with me.� �Then I�ll stay.� she says.