𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜;; 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐮

𝟒

Was Kamijo Sayuri dead?

It was a complicated question with a surprisingly simple answer:

No.

After all, only the living could bask in the sunshine like a cat; only the living could breathe in the sweet smell of flowers; and only the living could experience the warmth of a beating heart locked behind a ribcage, a miracle so wonderous and so commonplace that it was forgotten by everyone. 

Sayuri walked along the path along with Kaede and a group of children, a gentle smile on her face. The soft fragrance of flowers wafted through the air, and she sniffed towards the skies until one of the kids laughingly pointed out that she looked like a dog. She took this in a stride, armed with only a sheepish smile as all the children laughed, and chided Kaede softly when she scolded them for being rude to her after she'd just come out of her coma.

Still, the children had found a place for the violet-haired doctor in their hearts, and worried about her health the moment the elderly priestess brought it up. "How are you feeling now, Sayuri-sama?" Emiko asked, large eyes blinking up at Sayuri with concern.

Sayuri alleviated her worries with one of her signature smiles. "I'm all right, Emiko. I was just feeling a little sick, is all."

"You passed out for a whole day, Sayuri-sama!" Koji protested. "That's not just 'a little sick' at all!"

Sayuri giggled behind her hand. "Ah, did I make you worry? I apologize for that. I'll admit, I wasn't at my best... but do you know how to make it better?"

"How?" the children all asked as one.

"Stop being so formal! Sayuri-sama this, Sayuri-sama that... all those formalities make me feel embarrassed, and too much embarrassment and shame can increase cytokine activity to a dangerous level, which really isn't good for you."

Koji blinked, clearly not understanding what cytokines were, but quickly moved on. "So... should we call you Sayuri-onee-chan?"

Sayuri's eyes crinkled with her smile, partially because the irony of this children calling her "big sister" when they were so many generations apart was too amusing to bear. "If you want."

"Sayuri-onee-chan!" Emiko cheered.

"But... it's because of the jewel shards that this happened in the first place, right?" Little Yumi pouted, an expression whose cuteness Sayuri refrained from commenting on since she was clearly upset. "I hope they're all found soon."

"Ah, well..." She wasn't wrong, so Sayuri glanced to Kaede for help, who sighed.

"You children need not worry about it. The jewel shards will be found before you know it. Though, it would be nice if Inuyasha and Kagome could get along more."

Emiko giggled and pointed in the opposite direction. "They're getting along fine!"

Sayuri followed her line of sight and gasped, covering Emiko and Yumi's eyes and instructing Koji to do the same.