An Education by UnknownRandomness

I Disgust Myself

Prompt: Ablution - The washing of the body or some part of it.

Word Count: 407

Kagome felt the sympathetic tears well up under her eyelids, but refused to let them fall, knowing that it would be an insult to her friend if she showed such a feeling when Sango did not feel it herself. 

Slowly raising the chesnut-haired woman's left arm, the miko gently scrubbed her companion's armpit and ribcage, trying to be as gentle as possible and taking quite a long time as a result.

"Kagome- I can't feel it anyway so just get this over with! You're taking for ever!"

Blinking, the young woman did as she was asked, a few tears escaping as a result of Sango's words. If only they hadn't gotten into a fight with that demon half a year ago, the demon slayer would still be able to walk, do things for herself and just function as she always had.

But they had gotten into a fight, and as a result, the kind and strong woman had been paralysed from the neck down, now unable to do everything that had come as a second nature to her six months before.

Finishing up the ablutions that she did every morning for Sango since she could no longer perform them for herself, Kagome smiled at her friend, before dressing her and carrying her frail body back to Kaede's hut, where the others were waiting for their return.

After Sango had once more settled down, the shard hunters prepared to leave with heavy hearts, their guilt always hanging over them like a poisonous fog; as they once again left their dear companion for weeks on end, to stew in ignominy and bitter thoughts.

The worst thing about this situation however, was not Sango's diminished state, nor the guilt they felt, but the fact that revenge had not been brought down on the head of the demon who had ruined her. The neko-youkai had escaped, barely scratched even with all of their combined efforts. 

Sango didn't blame any of them though, no. Who she blamed was herself; for not being good enough, for not being more aware of her surroundings, for failing when it mattered most. 

It wasn't true though- she had done nothing wrong, and yet still blamed herself for this fate. It was painful to witness, but there was nothing they could say or do to convince her otherwise. So they watched her self-loathing with forced smiles, desperately trying not to break in the face of such injustice.