The day went on as usual for the family of half-demons, but an air of tense uncertainty followed Kanga through every task she undertook. As a precaution against the strangers in the forest, Kanga commanded that either she or Sey had to be on guard duty on the roof while the other did one of their normal everyday tasks. In the usual order: Kanga trained Star in some fighting, Sey cut wood, Kanga packed away the day's batch of forging, and Sey taught Chico and Ren a few more things about survival as they did every day.
As the day started to settle into night, Kanga was visibly tense and anxious that the group of strangers had failed and the demons would come to blame them for the attack. As the sun move halfway below the horizon, Sey drew everyone inside and everyone did some small task to contribute to dinner. Chico and Ren started a fire in the stone box built into the floor, Star made rice, Kiki stripped herbs, Kiko prepared a dish of mixed vegetables, and Sey cooked fish. Slowly everything was put together and then transferred to the long table set for only seven. Only Kanga remained outside to watch for the appearance of the demons of the group.
The house was a strange design with only two doors that both led outside. Everything inside was just a doorway with cloth draping down only over the ones to the individual bedrooms. The main sliding door toward the front opened into the front room that served as a living and dining area for the family. It was a spacious area with a table that could hold twenty people, though there weren't that many half-demons currently living there. The kitchen was just as spacious with wooden tables set up to serve as counters and a fire pit closer to the front wall, out of the way of unaware feet. Everyone in the house was cautious of it and no one was ever to leave a fire burning there unattended, in case someone wasn't paying attention and was coming close to tripping into it. Because of Kanga's rules, no one had ever fallen in. Near the opposite wall was another sliding door that led outside. In the true middle of the room was a trap door that led to an underground cellar. It was sturdily built by the woman that had rescued them all and was always cold no matter what the temperature outside was. Everything down there was kept in metal and wooden chests to prevent spoilage and any animals or bugs getting into it. Near the back of the house was a pump that connected to a water reservoir that needed to be filled every once in a while.
The bedrooms were the only things that weren't spacious. Each room was only big enough to hold two bed rolls and nothing more. Because of this, everyone mostly had their own room as well as small chest for personal objects such as clothes and trinkets. Only six rooms existed currently with more slowly being built in the back whenever Sey and Kanga had the time. Out of the six, one room remained empty as a reminder of lost members who were possibly gone forever.
As Kanga sat on the roof, her hand tightly gripping a bow, she searched the tree tops for any of the demons. Her grip didn't lessen when she saw the mixed group exit the forest, battered and a little dirty, but perfectly fine. In a few lethal movements, Kanga got up from her position and jumped down as they approached the house.
"You don't have to worry about those demons anymore," Inuyasha said confidently. Kanga looked each person up and down before speaking.
"I cannot deny you what Sey has promised then," She said and, in one move, she turned and jumped onto the platform behind her. Inuyasha followed her, but everyone else decided to take the stairs when they saw where she was headed. After one last look at the forest behind her, Kanga opened the sliding door and entered. Star and Sey were still bringing in steaming dishes while the younger ones sat in their designated seats around the table. All four of them looked at Kanga as they entered with Inuyasha behind her. With wide eyes, Chico darted under the table, but Ren just looked at them with a pale face as the mixed group filed into the room.
"Kiki, Kiko, set up more places and help Sey prepare more food if necessary," Kanga said without moving from her position by the door as the group bypassed her and spread out by the wall beside it.
"We made extra don't worry," Sey said as he entered with two more dishes balanced in his hands. Already there were four separate ones on the table, more than enough if it was just the seven of them. Sey looked at Kanga, they locked eyes for a moment, and with a mutual understanding, Kanga pushed out the door and silently disappeared into the night.
The twins scrambled out of their seats and into the kitchen just as Sey moved all the already placed cushions to the side of the table across from the door. Ren helped a little but he didn't more far from his seat. "I'm sorry that we did not have the table ready. I didn't get that far yet," Sey said as he shifted cushions around, moving them from place to place.
"It's alright," Kagome assured him, but even though she felt unsure of being here. She had eyes, and she saw the reactions from the younger children. All of the expressions held fear, and she could see that Kanga was wary of them. Only Sey looked completely okay with it, even though he really wasn't anymore.
"Where did she disappear to?" Inuyasha asked pointing back to the door.
"Kiki and Kiko are half-bat demons and require blood as well as food to survive. Kanga handles the hunting for them since I'm not so good with that," Sey said with a tight smile as his eyes wandered around elsewhere. Soon Star came in balancing a dish and four cushions in her hands. Sey took the cushions from her and arranged them as the twins brought in the rest. All three of the half-demons immediately went to their seats once Sey took their items. Once everything was arranged, he took a seat at the head opposite from the kitchen.
"Take a seat anywhere you like," He said and they did so. Just after everyone was settled, Kanga came back in. Chico darted out from under the table and clasped onto one of her legs with tears glistening in his eyes. With a sad face, she unlatched the boy and picked him up before taking her seat at the head of the table, with an empty seat and Inuyasha on either side. Starting from Kanga and going clockwise, it went as it has always went: Kanga, (Chico), Star, Ren, Kiko, Kiki, Sey, Miruko, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Kagome, Inuyasha. Silence filled the air as food went untouched and fear written across all the children's faces.
"I think we should all introduce ourselves since you have done us a great favor, and we are giving you this meal and a bed for the night," Sey suggested warmly but Kanga saw the regret in his eyes. "My lady, would you like to go first?" he offered to Kagome.
"Yes. I'm Kagome," She started with a small smile.
"You're a priestess," Kiki said quietly though it cut through the silence.
"Yes," Kagome responded a little unsettled.
"Kiki has the ability to pick out spiritual presences among people. Those with great spiritual powers have unique presences compared to others," Sey explained. Kiki stared at Kagome with shadowed eyes and Kagome looked back but with a warmed face. Kiki shifted her face to her twin and the two looked down at the small space between them in unison. Sey looked at Inuyasha and waited for him to say something.
"What?" He asked.
"Could you tell the younger ones who you are?" Sey said patiently.
"Inuyasha," he responded.
"What is your demon half?" Kanga asked without looking. Her attention was fixed on coxing Chico to eat something. So far he was content to nibble on a piece of bread dipped in fish juice. His eyes were still watery with slightly shed tears but he was slowly calming down.
For a moment Inuyasha looked confused before he finally understood what she was asking. "Dog," He responded. Chico stopped his nibbling but then continued again when Kanga patted his head gently. Sey looked to Miruko. There appeared to be no order to his picking and choosing of people, but nothing ever appeared to be in order when Sey did it.
"I'm an exorcist, Miruko," He said with a smile. No one reacted negatively to it, but no one was positive either. Only angry villagers or demons had tried to kill them, never a spiritual agent. That didn't mean that any of them like him because of his ability to kill demons.
"I'm Sango, and I'm a demon slayer," She said right after. Sey didn't need to force it on now so he let it unfold. Still no one reacted, but Star looked at her with a curious gaze. Star loved learning to fight, but it was always a game to her. She wanted to be like her sister and protect their family here. After two years, she was still looked down on by Sey and Kanga since her fighting skills weren't as good as theirs. So far, she wasn't allowed to do guard duties and was not allowed to take the younger kids into the forest unless one of the two was with her.
"I'm Shippo and this is Kirara," The little fox demon said happily before picking up a dish and putting some fish on his and Kirara's plates. He was the first to visibly pick up a dish of food, and afterwards everyone continued. Kanga didn't go for any of the food until everyone had taken some, and her family was polite and didn't talk with their mouths full of food.
"I am Kanga, and I am in charge here. My demon part is panther," She stated with a high head before looking down to the scared child in her arms. "This is Chico. His demon half is dog," She said for him. He finished his piece of bread and hid his face into her loose shirt to hide from the gazes as the group looked at him. One hand wrapped around the child while the other lightly tapped her sister's shoulder.
"I am Kanga's sister, Star," She stated and looked down at the food before her. After a few moments of silence she looked to Ren and spoke for him. "This is Ren, and he's half wolf," She said and placed a reassuring hand on his back before reaching for food to put on both of their plates.
"I'm Kiko," He said his gaze directed at Kanga, but held no fear, "I am half bat."
"And I'm Kiki his twin," his sister added and looked at Sey who looked a little easier about this since the children weren't looking so scared now that they knew the groups' names and a little more about who they were.
"And I am Sey, half bird," He said lastly. Slowly, food was consumed and conversations were stared among and between the groups. Inuyasha and Kanga conversed about the settlement with Kagome intervening at times. Star questioned Sango about being a demon slayer and if it was something she herself could be trained to become. Through all this, Ren warmed up and was soon laughing at whatever tricks that Shippo performed on an empty space of table. On normal days, Kanga would sharply say some harsh words and take the toys away, but today she let it go on as she saw Ren smile like a child should. Miruko was having conversations about presences with Kiki and Kiko, since he also shared some of that ability, and there were a lot of non-technical words used by the two children who barely understood the ability themselves.
"How did this all start?" Kagome asked and everyone else's conversations stopped. Many of the half-demon children looked a little disturbed by the questions, almost like their own pasts were being asked about. Star wrapped an arm around Ren, the twins pressed their foreheads together in search of comfort, and Sey just stared at Kanga who was expected to answer. Kanga just stared down at Chico, unable to start.
"Kanga and Star were the first," Sey said and gestured for Kanga to elaborate.
"A woman rescued us. Our mother died of illness and we were blamed by the villagers. Our father wanted nothing to do with us by then, so we had no hope of living with either kind. We traveled with her for years and soon others came," Kanga said and ended the story.
"Kisa came next and then it was me and Bird," Sey said remembering, his voice wavering a bit at the mention of his missing sister. Kanga nodded as silent grief over took the family.
"All that matters is the group got too big to travel, so she put us here to fend for ourselves," Kanga said and immediately the grief was gone from everyone. Star started at her plate with a very breakable stone face, and silently she got up with Ren. Together they gathered up the dirty plates and took them to the kitchen.
"Tell us how did such a diverse group as yours get together?" Sey asked Kagome with a warm smile, trying to break away from the saddening topics of the past. She told them of how they traveled around looking for pieces of the jewel. Sey slowly nodded his head, but stated they knew nothing about it even though they did from their friend Kisa in the mountains. As the conversation went on, Star appeared in the doorway and waited for a break in it. After the story, Sey gestured his head up, and Kanga turned around to face her sister.
"There's no water left in the reservoir," Star said quickly, like a child who had just interrupted an important conversation. Kanga nodded her head and turned back around. Slowly she tried to shift the now sleeping Chico off her without waking him; so far it wasn't working since his tiny hands still gripped her shirt. Gracefully, Sey got up and kneeled down next to his mate.
"It's my turn," Kanga stated as she shifted Chico to him.
"I know," Sey said and arose with the child. Kanga silently arose and was out the door without a sound. With her gone, Sey moved back to his seat and awkwardly sat down, unused to having a child in his arms. The uneasy rustle awoke Chico. Sey stiffened, ready for the crying and bolting of the child, but surprisingly the shy child did nothing. Instead he looked at Inuyasha and smiled. The next moment, Ren appeared from the shadows behind the dog demon and jumped onto his back, clutching his plushy ears. Chico giggled as he watched Ren jerk around happily as Inuyasha tried to get him off.
"Ah!" Inuyasha cried his hand flying to get the boy off him with clench teeth. Sey quickly abandoned Chico on the floor and rushed to stop Ren from hurting Inuyasha. After much tugging, angry yelling, and pain, Ren was clasped in Sey's arms and trying to escape back to the ears. Despite Sey's thin, tall form, he was pretty strong. Kanga was stronger though.
"I'm sorry about him. He's likes to play with the ears on half-demons' heads. We think it's because unlike Star, Kanga, and Chico, he doesn't have any," Sey said and resumed his seat.
"It's alright," Kagome responded with a little laugh as she watched Inuyasha massage his crumpled ears.
"We thought that we had fixed this with him, but apparently not," Sey sighed.
"Sey, Chico's under the table," Kiki said in a small voice. She was still sitting upright, but her twin was flattened on the ground with his eyes looking under the table.
"Are you going to be good?" Sey asked Ren. By now he had stopped struggling and was looking guilty at the floor. Slowly he nodded his head and Sey released him. Ren scrambled to his seat and peeked under the table to his friend. Sey looked under the table.
"Come out Chico," Sey beckoned. Chico shrank farther away from all the peering faces of the half-demons and unknowingly to the other group. Sey sighed and left it alone.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly as she now looked under the table to the young boy very near her. His eyes widened with fear and scrambled to edge by Kanga's seat.
"He won't come to you. Strangers and loud noises scare him," Sey said tiredly. All of Kagome's team looked under the table, each one trying to call Chico out. The boy's gaze shifted around at each voice and started shaking greatly. Only when his gaze rested on Inuyasha did the shaking stop.
"Stop," Inuyasha said quietly. Slowly he went over to Kanga's side and watched at the boy shrink away. Everyone stopped talking and watched with wonderment. "Come out," Inuyasha said softly and offered a hand. Hesitantly Chico took the hand and crawled out from under the table while shaking a little. Once out, he bolted at Inuyasha and clung to his robes. Inuyasha sat back into Kanga's seat and put a reassuring arm around the scared child.
"He's never done that to anyone except Kanga," Sey muttered surprised. The door slid open and Kanga came inside.
"There's water now," she announced and unseeingly, Star snuck behind her and outside. Kanga looked around, her gaze freezing on Inuyasha and Chico.
"That is impossible," Kanga said amazed.
"Why?" Kagome asked, not understanding the situation.
"Chico is afraid of strangers," Kanga stated and her gaze moved on. It stopped again, this time on the guilty looking Ren. "What did he do?" She asked her eyes narrowing.
Sey pursed his lips. "He tugged on our new friend's ears," He responded gesturing to Inuyasha. Kanga closed her eyes for a few seconds, not saying anything.
"Ren, did you say you were sorry?" She asked opening her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Ren said in a small voice.
"It's okay," Inuyasha responded and nodded to the boy. Ren didn't look so guilty anymore, but now looked a little ashamed.
"It must be strange for Chico to meet someone like him," Kanga said and gestured for the twins to leave. Both of them got up and left outside just as Star was coming inside with a box of clean dishes. Easily the three avoided collision as they went their separate ways.
"I wish I could meet someone like me at some point," Sey said jokingly and got to his feet, "Do any of you mind sharing rooms for the night?" he asked as he moved to stand by an unlit doorway. Everyone shook their heads no.
"We will make the rooms up then. If you need anything, see Star," Kanga said and they disappeared into the darkness.