How Long

I remember the first time I saw your face. Anger flashed in your eyes and you yelled back at me. No one had ever done that before. They had always been afraid of me, but not you, never you. You stood by my side proudly, fought beside me, defended me, and refused to hear anything bad about me. Only Mother had ever been as staunch a defender of me. You saw past the gruff arrogance I show the world. How did you do that? How did you know that my greatest wish was not to become a youkai but to be accepted for what I am, a hanyou? How much longer must I deny what we both want? How long until the world will accept me as you did and do? However long, it will be too long.