"Don't you wanna come in, sis?"
"I have to train," Sango said, slicing the log repeatedly. "I have to get better."
"But it's getting late."
True, she had been in the training field since midday, and the sun was beginning to set over the trees in the distance. Still, she kept going, hacking at the log with all her might and ignoring her brother.
"C'mon," Kohaku begged. "Dinner is all ready, and I don't want to eat by myself."
She could hear it in his voice; he was getting upset. She felt bad, but she had to perfect this maneuver. She was so close, she could feel it. Just a few hours more, and she would have it down perfectly.
"Sorry, Kohaku," she said, shaking her head. "I have to get better."
"You're already one of the best!" Kohaku burst out. "You can take a break already!"
"No," Sango said, suddenly throwing her sword aside. "No, I can't. I have to be better than the best. I have to keep going."
Kohaku looked quite anxious, and Sango suddenly realized that she was frightening her brother. Her demeanor was usually serious, and she had developed a killer glare that often slipped onto her face when she was training without her notice. Arranging her face in what she hoped was a more pleasant expression, she reached down and picked up her sword. "Actually, I think you're right," she said, sheathing her sword, "I really should stop."
This sudden change in attitude was clearly not what Kohaku was expecting, and he looked even more anxious, as though he thought she was annoyed at him. Sango sighed and sat down, patting the grass beside her. Kohaku dutifully trotted over and sat down carefully.
"Listen, Kohaku," Sango paused, looking for the exact words to explain herself with, "I know I train a lot. But I really need to."
He still looked confused, so she elaborated.
"You know Yasuji?"
"Yeah, of course," Kohaku said, laughing uncertainly. "I'm still training with him!"
"Right. And you know he trained me too." Sango hesitated, then took the plunge. "When I trained with him, he was so mean to me. He always corrected me, even when the boys fell all over themselves. He singled me out. He told me that just because I was the master's daughter, I shouldn't expect to be treated any differently from the rest of the kids.
"But I was. He was harder on me than anyone else. But even when I got good, so good I could beat him in fights, he still treated me worse than the boys. Even the smallest mistake made me worth less than the boys, even when they made bigger mistakes. And then I realized that it wasn't just that the master was my father; it was that I was his daughter.
"I would beat someone in a fight, and they would say they hadn't given it their all. I would do a move better, they'd say they hadn't been trying. No matter what I did, they would always discredit me. Even when they failed, they'd find a way to turn it so I was the weak one.
"And when I fail, it's even worse. No matter if they've made the same mistake a thousand times; for me, it's proof that I can't handle it, that I shouldn't be a taijiya. A small offense on a man's behalf is an unpardonable offense on mine. I was always held to a higher standard, and I always will be. No matter if I succeed or fail, they will always say I failed.
"So I have to be the best. I have to be so good that no one can say that it's only because of Father or that I'll never be good enough because I'm a woman. I have to be unequivocally, undisputedly, the best."
She finished her rant and looked up to see her brother watching her with wide eyes. She realized she was fiddling with a piece of grass but kept going, twirling it over and over with her fingers.
"I never knew…." Kohaku stared at her with what seemed like growing respect as what she had said sank in.
"So, yeah. That's why," Sango said, giving him a small smile. She cast aside the blade of grass she had been twirling and saw that the field around her was a shredded mess. She must have been ripping up the grass as she spoke.
"For what it's worth," Kohaku said shyly, "I think you're already the best."
Sango smiled and quickly ruffled his hair, ignoring his indignant squawk. "Thanks, Kohaku."
He grinned at her. "Always, sis."
AN: Awww, I just love it when things come full circle! This chapter ties back to two previous ones (hope you can spot where)! This takes place about a year before the canon starts, and it will be the last chapter that occurs before that time. The next one will be a year after canon, as a sort of epilogue, but still very much a part of the story. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)