Warnings: This fic will be taking place in limbo, so no surprise it'll have death and the different forms it takes. Therefore there will eventually be implied suicide and some dark themes hinted at. If you're sensitive to this please don't read on. Overall despite this, this fic has got a mix of fluff, humor and other aspects so I hope you enjoy.
o.O.o
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." - Mark Twain
o.O.o
Her lungs were on fire.
Frantic hands clawed around for dear life, searching for something, anything to grab onto.
Nothing met her outstretched fingers. Suspended in pitch black darkness, panic started to overwhelm her fractured senses.
But everything felt so heavy, she couldn't find it in her to keep fighting. The strength left her tired body as thoughts became nothing more than abstract concepts. There was no Grandpa, Mother, or even Souta anymore.
Please, help me, was her last coherent thought.
-
The sensation of being knocked roughly to the side jolted her awake. The young woman blinked and instantly frowned, rubbing her sore shoulder.
"Hey! Watch where you're going next time!" She called after a random woman.
The problem with this, was that it could have been someone else who had bumped her. There were so many people walking past, it would have been impossible to pick out her 'assailant,' because they were probably long gone. Some people were speed walking, like they were late for a meeting but wanted to keep up appearances by not running. Others were jogging easily, while others shuffled their feet slowly, dragging themselves on with evident effort.
The girl watched them pass, jostled every now and then as they pushed or brushed by. She tried to move out the way, but her feet felt like were glued to the ground beneath her. She glanced down
She was standing on planks of light brown wood. From in between the gaps, she spied the shimmer of water gently lapping against support beams. It finally registered that she was on a bridge.
"Where am I?" She squeaked, alarmed and not knowing why. No one else seemed worried. They were all walking like they had a plan, a destination, so why didn't she?
Maybe I'll find the answer if I just follow these guys. She figured that sounded sensible, after all she wasn't getting anywhere by just standing around, and she was tired of getting bumped into by the moving crowd.
She started forward hesitantly, feeling her legs shake. Her hand quickly latched onto the nearby railing, and she steadied herself, breathing out slowly. T-this is weird, am I taking my first steps again or something? Come on, you know how to walk. One foot in front of the other.
Her legs continued to shake like jelly, heart slamming in her chest. W-whats wrong with me?
"Move aside, Missy. If you ain't walking then you got no business hogging the railing." Came a grating voice.
The girl turned to see an older woman, with grey hair and faded green eyes.
"Oh, sorry, my bad." She felt too vulnerable to bite back, and leaned away from the side rail to let the old lady pass. She did so, grumbling and holding onto the railing as she walked on with quivering steps.
"Do you need some help?" The girl called, her shaking forgotten as she took a few solid steps forward.
The old lady turned slowly, craning her neck to hear. "Hm? Oh. Tch, I guess so. Wish I had my damn walking stick with me." She muttered.
The girl's hand was on her arm a second later, taking her weight by putting another arm around her shoulders. The woman muttered her thanks.
"No problem, I'm-" her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Startled, she wet her lips and tried again, this time trying to piece the letters together in her mind.
No matter how hard she tried, the letters K-A-G-O-M-E, would not make sense to her.
"It's nice to meet you," she said instead.
A grunt signaled that her companion felt likewise.
"Any idea where we're headed?" She asked, undaunted.
"Don't much care to question it."
She rose a brow, noting the dazed look in the woman's green eyes. Glancing around, a slight tremor of unease rocked her as she noticed the same vacant expression on each persons face in the crowd. She began to notice the mix of ages around her, as both incredibly old, and incredibly young walked or ran past. Some wore pajamas, others regular clothes. She spotted one man who was naked, and rose a brow, averting her eyes.
Not one person glanced around, all eyes were faced forward. Expressions varied from worried, to peaceful, happy to stressed. But every one of them seemed lost in their own little world.
The girl turned her sights forward, eyes tracing the pure, cloudless blue sky above. An absence of something blinding made her frown, wondering why it bothered her. Wasnt a sun supposed to be up there?
The crowd began to thin, and only then did she catch a glimpse of just what everyone was heading towards.
In the distance, a large rectangle of light beckoned them closer. She only caught sight of it for a second, but it's warm glow tugged at her senses. A rush of emotion swept through her violently, like a punch to the gut. It stole her breath and chocked fire into her throat. It felt as if something had wrapped around her neck in a steel grip. Tears pricked her eyes, and she stopped dead.
"Eh? What's wrong with you?" The old woman asked, squinting at her.
Torn, ragged sobs burst from her mouth, and she squeezed her eyes shut so tight she saw stars. When she opened her eyes again, the woman had shuffled on without her, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. She silently listened to the crowd's footsteps, the creak of wood, and the sound of water gently lapping beneath the bridge.
"My name is Kagome." She breathed.
The surface under her feet disappeared, and she plunged into the waiting depths below.
ooo
AN: New Sesskag fic ahoy! If you previously read The Otome Game, then welcome back guys! If not, then hello new readers ^^ Ahem, I'll try not to share too much personal stuff this time, but I appreciate the support from my last fic so much. The subject matter in this one might seem a little strange because of um 'life circumstances' and writing about death and such is never easy, but I feel a need to get this written. I don't hold any strong beliefs about the afterlife so this is just a romp in imagination limbo land. Depressing subjects mixed with humor and fluff is my jam apparently.