AN: To try to clarify any confusion, this is a Modern/Fantasy AU in that it takes place in "modern times" but is in a fictional land based on Japan. More should become apparent this chapter. Enjoy!

Prompt: Memories and Dreams

Chapter 1: Councilor Shiori's Dream

It rises now before me,
A dark and silent barrier between
All I am
And all that I would ever want to be.
It's just a travesty,
Towering,
Marking off the boundaries
My spirit would erase.

— Kansas, "The Wall," verse 2

One year ago

Towa took a deep breath and raised her sword, Kikujuumonji, in her starting stance as she squared off against the enormous, hairy bull demon in the arena. He was three times her height, and his chest alone was the size of a boulder. But for all his size and strength, he had the demonic energy of a gnat. She would have to use that—and his size—to her advantage. Especially since she had watched his other matches, and he seemed to have a hide made of steel.

Not to mention…the axe he carried was as wide as she was tall. It would chop her clean in half if she wasn't careful. And despite the fact that the tournament rules indicated a fight ended at the first draw of blood, she didn't think this demon would care whether he nicked her finger or took her head off.

"Kodoku Tournament finalists, are you ready? …Begin!" the referee called out.

The bull demon immediately swung his axe at her, and she jumped up, easily avoiding its arc. As soon as she landed, she charged with a roar. The bull brought a meaty hand down at her, trying to squash her like an ant, but she ducked out of the way. She leapt, aiming for his bent knee as a jumping point, but faster than she would have expected, he pulled his arm back up, catching her right in the back and knocking the wind out of her as she slammed into his unforgiving chest.

Dazed, she latched onto his thick fur. He looked down, as if trying to figure out whether or not she had fallen to the ground, and she used the opportunity to take her sword and stab it into the demon's chest.

Except when the tip of her sword lodged in his hide, she didn't smell any blood. Just how thick was his hide that even trying to impale him wouldn't work?

Dang it.

"Ow!" the demon yelped, as if he had been pricked by a thorn. He went to grab her, but Towa dropped from his chest, landing between his legs. He began stomping around, trying to flatten her, but she slipped underneath and behind him. She needed to stay out of sight.

Sight. Eyes. That's it.

She knew where to strike him.

"Behind you! Behind you!" the crowd shouted at the bull demon, and she cursed, hating once again that her opponent was the clear favorite.

Anyone she faced was the clear favorite.

"Come on, Towa, you can do it! Don't let that overgrown beef steak push you around!" her cousin Moroha called out from the sidelines. She was so loud, her cheer pierced the tide of demon voices.

"Yeah, bigger doesn't mean better!" their little friend, Takechiyo, called out.

Towa smiled. She was so lucky to have them in her life.

The bull demon started turning around then, and she jumped up and grabbed onto the hair of his tail. He must have felt her latch on, gravity pulling his tail down, and as she had suspected, he snapped it up to try overcompensate and counter it.

The launch tossed her well above the demon's head, where he wasn't looking.

But it was only when she was coming down that she remembered his horns. He whipped his head around, looking for her, and putting the tip of her horn directly in her path.

Crap, crap, crap! She wanted to scream, but she couldn't, because that would show weakness.

No, wait. She could scream. But she had to use words.

"Hey ugly! Up here!" she bellowed.

The bull demon turned up his head just in time for Towa to land right on his snout. The bull demon reared back, shocked that she now took up most of his vision, and with him floundering, she pulled back her arm, ready to stab him in the eye.

But then she hesitated.

Can I really maim someone…just for a tournament?

Her father wouldn't hesitate.

Her grandmother wouldn't hesitate.

So why did she?

Her indecision cost her.

The bull demon crossed his eyes to look at her, then reached over and plucked the blade of the sword.

"No!" Towa exclaimed, clinging onto it by the hilt.

"I grow tired of this little needle," the bull demon growled.

And then with a pinch of his talons, he snapped the blade in two.

Towa could only gasp as she fell back to the ground, a broken sword in her hand. She landed and stared at the remains of her precious treasure—the sword her father had gifted to her when she grew old enough to move on from using practice wooden swords.

It had been a coming-of-age present. From her father. And now it was ruined.

Her blood seethed.

She felt her demonic energy rising up within her, begging to be let out. She knew how to let it out in two-headed attack from sword point, but how could she use that power without a sword?

She was so distracted by the loss that she missed the demon's hand swipe over. She tried to leap up and dodge, but he caught her in his grip. Her arms remained free, but a lot of good that did her as he squeezed her body like a grape, preparing to pop it.

"I win," he said.

Towa gripped her sword tighter, even as she struggled to breath.

Power. I need power!

Suddenly, her blue-white demonic energy flashed around her sword, almost blinding her, and created a blade of light. She smiled and sucked in a breath—or tried, because her ribcage was too constricted. She lifted her sword to the demon's face, and he stared it down point-blank.

"T-Twin Azure Dragon Wave!" she gasped. A ball of her energy coalesced on the end of the energy sword, and then it erupted into a two-headed dragon that tore across the bull demon's gaping head.

As the attack cleared, Towa held her breath (not that she could do anything else, being so deprived of oxygen), waiting to scent blood.

She smelled charred fur, charred meat, and….

Yes. The metallic tang of blood.

The last of her energy vanished in a trickle of lightning, and blood dripped out of the bull demon's fleshy, pink mouth. His eyes were closed. His hand relaxed just enough to let Towa breathe.

Then he pitched forward, and Towa couldn't help the scream that escaped her as the ground came rushing up to her face. She braced herself, but every bone in her body shook as the demon's fist landed on the arena floor. It opened, and Towa rolled out, groaning.

The arena was silent.

Towa sat up and looked around the arena. She found her father and grandmother sitting high in the stands. She smiled at them.

Her father's head dipped slightly in approval.

Yes!

Then she looked down and locked eyes with her cousin, Moroha, who stood next to their teacher, Yawaragi.

"Towa, you won!" Moroha exclaimed, breaking all sorts of public decorum and rushing the stage to hug her.

Towa laughed as she bounced up and down with her cousin and best friend. She couldn't believe it. Finally, after years of being looked down upon by these demon snobs, she had won the Kodoku Tournament! Now they would have to acknowledge her.

"The winner is Ushio of the Bull Demon Tribe!" the referee announced.

"WHAT?" Towa exclaimed.

"Hey, have you got dung for eyes? The big guy is clearly bleeding—not to mention down and out!" Moroha yelled at the referee.

The referee smirked at them. "The rules clearly state that only one weapon is allowed per contestant."

"Yeah, and?" Moroha asked.

"Towa of the Dog Demon Tribe clearly used a new sword to make her final attack. Therefore, she is disqualified."

"That makes no sense! It's the same exact sword!" Towa protested, holding up the hilt so he could see it. "All I did was use my energy to create a blade for it!"

"Precisely. The sword is no longer the same, because it has now been crafted of two different parts: the steel and your energy. Therefore, it is classified as a new weapon and disallowed."

"That…that can't be," Towa murmured, her arms falling limply to her sides. She glanced back up at the stands again, looking for her father and grandmother.

The two of them both stood up and walked calmly for the exit.

So it was over. And they knew it.

Pressure built behind Towa's eyes, and she widened them, trying to keep the tears at bay. But Moroha must have smelled them coming, because she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Towa's shoulder. "Hey…don't be sad. You still got second place."

"Second place isn't good enough." Not for her father. Not for her grandmother. Members of their family were meant to be the best.

No exceptions.

"Tch, this is why I don't participate in these tournaments. At the end of the day, it's all just a bunch of meaningless titles, yeah? Who cares what place you got? Everyone who was here saw you kick butt."

Her words might have cheered her up had Towa not known them to be a lie. Moroha loved fighting, and she would have jumped at the chance to join a tournament.

But the demon tournaments had long since banned her from participating, claiming she was too human. They had tried the same with Towa, but given the fact that she was truly half and half, they hadn't been able to get away with it.

But now they had gotten her out of the tournament, just like they had always wanted.

Towa then trudged towards her sensei, who looked at her with a modicum of pity when she approached.

"I, for one, am proud of you," Yawaragi said. "I could not have asked for a better demonstration of your skills."

Towa should be rejoicing that she was hearing such words of praise from her usually stern teacher. But she just couldn't bring herself to care.

Still, she had to be polite. "Thank you, sensei," she murmured, heading for the exit where her family was waiting.

When she reached them, they did not say a word to her. So she quietly climbed onto A-Un's saddle, and they flew back to the palace. When they arrived, she veered away from her father and grandmother, heading for the stables. She led A-Un to his stall, then removed his tack and grabbed a rag, wetting it in his water trough and running it over his scales to wash off the dust. Focusing on A-Un helped keep her thoughts off the tournament.

When she came around to his front to wipe off his snouts, A and Un nickered at her, both heads reaching out and snuffling against her hair. She couldn't help but smile as they tickled her with their smoky breath. "A-Un, stop! You're going to singe my hair—and I don't have any extra to hack off!" Granted, her hair did grow incredibly fast, but that was neither here nor there. She scratched them under their chins, and both their heads lolled to the sides in contentment, saving her from going bald for a month.

Familiar footsteps padded onto the dirt and hay, and Towa turned around to find her father come to a stop outside the stable, watching her. Immediately, her smile faded and she turned her back to him. She couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment on his face.

"Towa, look at me." Towa winced and glanced over her shoulder. Her father frowned at her. "Have I upset you?"

Immediately, Towa shook her head. "No, of course not. If anything, I'm the one who upset you, Papa."

Her father's brows furrowed. "How so?"

She left A-Un's stable and latched the door, tears brimming in her eyes once again. She tried not to let them fall; her grandmother had instilled in her at a young age that crying was not acceptable for a demon. But she just couldn't help it.

She wasn't a full demon after all, was she?

Her vision blurred. "I did not win."

"Because you hesitated."

Towa flinched. So he had seen that.

"You would have won in everyone's eyes had you but stabbed the bull's. Why did you not?"

Towa bit her lip. "I just…couldn't do it. It was a tournament, Papa. It's not worth maiming someone."

He frowned. "I had thought Yawaragi would be able to purge this softness from you, Towa. It seems I was mistaken."

Something within Towa snapped, and her tears finally broke through the dam. "I'm trying, Papa, I really am!" she gasped, her voice cracking. "But I don't know how much more of this I can take. No matter how much I try to fit in, I just can't seem to. Yes, I have the strength of a demon—but not the heart." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "You've always taught me that actions speak louder than words, so I've shown them that I'm not the weak half-demon they think me to be. …But what happens when actions aren't enough? If I haven't convinced them by now that I can stand on their level, what more can I do? I'm just one person, Papa!"

She then threw herself at his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing into his cold armor. Because of his disappointment, she didn't expect it, but her father's hand automatically came down to rest on her head, smoothing back her short, slightly-curling silver locks.

They stood there for a few moments as she bawled and he silently comforted her. And even though she knew he was still disappointed in her, she also knew that he loved her, and she was luckier than most demon children to have a father who cared so much.

After she had used up her well of tears, she sniffed and took a few deep breaths. Then her father finally said, "Come. I have had the servants draw you a bath. You have earned your rest." She nodded miserably, but her heart warmed at his words.

After Sesshoumaru left Towa to her bath, he walked through the halls of his vast palace towards his study, troubled.

While he would never call his daughter soft, he had wondered if her inherent kindness would simply be a childhood phase. But by now he had to acknowledge that it was simply an inherent part of her disposition—an inheritance from Rin. Sesshoumaru had pitted nature versus nurture, hoping the latter came out on top, only to find that they were at an eternal stalemate.

As he was passing through the main hall to get to the other side of the palace, he barely paid any attention to the messenger at the front door who was handing over a stack of scrolls, bamboo letters, and paper pamphlets to a rat demon in their employ. But what made him do a double-take was the flash of bleached paper passed from the messenger's hand to the rat demon's.

It was an envelope. Only humans used envelopes. Which human could possibly send him a message—and why?

He hurried to his office, anxious for once to receive his daily stack of mail. He knelt at his desk and waited. Within moments, the rat demon begged entry.

"Here are your messages, Lord Sesshoumaru," he chattered, laying the paper pamphlets and bamboo letters down first before stacking the scrolls on top of them. The rat demon bowed to take his leave.

Sesshoumaru looked over the pile and frowned. "Where is it?"

"W-Where is what, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"The envelope. Hand it over."

The rat demon swallowed audibly. "E-Envelope?"

Sesshoumaru bared his teeth. "Do not make me eviscerate you."

"O-Oh, this envelope!" the rat demon squeaked, pulling it out from the sleeve of his kimono and handing it over with trembling claws.

Sesshoumaru took it and looked at the return address.

Councilor Shiori. Shiori. What did that name sound familiar?

When the rat demon tried to leave again, Sesshoumaru barked, "Stay." As he did, he tore open the envelope with his talons and pulled out the crisply folded paper that only humans could make. Then he read:

Dear Lord Sesshoumaru,

I hope this letter finds you well. As I have yet to hear back from you, I wished to reach out once again in the hopes that I can persuade you to join my cause. If you but allow the area on the other side of the Dog Gate to be used for my proposed half-demon camp, I believe we can work to eventually bring our two worlds together in peace, or at the very least allow half-demons the opportunity to congregate and realize that they are not alone. Despite the nearly thirteen years that have passed, your wife continues to have faith in you. I implore you do take the first step towards reconciliation today.

Sincerely,

Councilor Shiori

Sesshoumaru stared at the letter in puzzlement. 'As I have yet to hear back from you….' He looked up at the rat demon. "Where are the others?"

"O-Others?"

"Play dumb once more, and your head will adorn the front gates. The writer states she has written to me before. Why did I never receive her correspondence?"

The rat demon fell prostrate before him. "Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru! It was at the behest of Lady Inukimi. She told me to deliver all such envelopes to her!"

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. "Bring her to me."

The rat demon squeaked as he scampered away.

His mother made him wait half an hour before she deigned to show up. The moment she walked into his study, he demanded, "Why have you been diverting my mail?"

She glanced down her nose at him. "Because nothing good can come of you corresponding with humans."

"She is a half-demon," he said, tapping against the letter on his desk.

"There is no difference."

Sesshoumaru growled. "Your granddaughter is a half-demon."

"Exactly, Sesshoumaru. Somewhere along the way, your priorities became skewed. Do you think I don't know that your vision of ending the war between demons and humans isn't through domination but rather peaceful coexistence?" She chortled as if it was the funniest joke she had ever heard. "It was honestly pure happenstance that I received the first letter from this…councilor. You were away at the time, and I saw to the messages, as I always do when you are gone. When I saw what she requested, I asked that any future letters come straight to me instead of you, since I knew it would give you…ideas."

"How long?"

She thought about it. "About two years, I think."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. Two years? For two years, the chance to reunite his family had been in his grasp, and his mother had kept him from it?

"Bring them to me," he snarled.

She sniffed. "You assume I kept them."

"If you cared at all about the wellbeing of your son and granddaughter, you would have."

His mother's jaw tensed, and she turned her head away. Then she looked back at him out of the corner of her eye. "Do you think your 'wife' is still waiting for you? Thirteen years is a long time for a human, Sesshoumaru. She could have moved on."

"She hasn't." He did not even need the reassurance from Councilor Shiori to know that. Rin would never be disloyal to him—just as he would never be untrue to her.

Inukimi paused for a beat before reaching into her sleeve and pulling out a packet of envelopes tied with a thin rope. She tossed it onto his desk. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sesshoumaru." With that, she left.

Sesshoumaru took the stack and noticed that the earliest letter was on the bottom. He tore into it first.

My name is Shiori. You may have known my father, Tsukuyomaru, or perhaps you know my grandfather, Taigokumaru.

Ah, that explained why the name sounded familiar. He had heard rumors about the son of the bat demon general eloping with a human woman and siring a child.

I am acquainted with your wife, Rin, and your brother, Inuyasha….

So they had found each other.

He opened another letter.

I've had the pleasure of meeting your daughter, Setsuna. Such a lovely girl….

Setsuna. The name gouged his heart. He wished she had said more about her. Did she? He tore open another letter.

I have reached out to every demon leader whose territory borders the Wall, but all of them have rejected me. You remain my sole hope. Without you, this project cannot be.

Her project—the camp for half-demons. Somewhere that half-demons from both sides of the wall could come together to find community and learn how to use their talents to their utmost.

Towa's concerns from that afternoon about not fitting in rolled back to the forefront of his mind.

"Jaken!" he called out. The imp arroved in record time.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Grind some ink."

"O-Of course!"

Sesshoumaru lay out a piece of his finest paper, and when Jaken had finished grinding the ink, he wrote:

To Councilor Shiori,

You have permission to use the neutral lands bordering Dog Demon territory as you see fit. Whatever assistance you need, name it.

He paused, wondering whether to leave it there. But when he remembered the joy even her brief sentences about Rin and Setsuna had brought him, he decided to add more, in the hopes that he could return the favor to his wife. So he wrote:

Should you have the opportunity to speak with my wife, reassure her that we are well.

Lord Sesshoumaru of the Dog Demon Clan

Present day

When Setsuna woke up, it took her a moment to remember what day it was.

Her birthday.

She snuggled into Mokomoko, the name she had bestowed as a child on the bit of fluff her father had supposedly gifted to her when they were separated on Closing Day. For as long as she could remember, she had never slept a night without it. She took a deep sniff, smelling more herself than she did him, but there was still a hint there, even after almost fourteen years.

Finally, she sat up in bed and pulled a scrapbook album from the bottom of her nightstand. She flipped open the cover to reveal a hastily-scrawled letter and a single photograph tacked beside it. Reading it had become a yearly ritual for her on her birthday, ever since her mother had given it to her prodigy daughter at four years old:

Dearest Setsuna,
In all my centuries of living, the minutes have never seemed to go so quickly as now, when I stand here watching you sleep in your crib, wondering when next I might see you. So I leave you with these words, that you may demonstrate to me your strength and courage when next we meet.

When you face the gales of life, cut the wind. When the waters of sorrow seek to drown you, cut the water.

Remember always that you are this Sesshoumaru's daughter. The only limits you have are the fears that hold you back.

With love,

Your father

The photograph beside the letter was a stoic portrait of her father cradling her in his arms as a baby. Setsuna would never have believed such a fair-skinned and –haired demon could be her father had her mother not sworn it. She looked nothing like him—her plain, brunette hair and indigo eyes were a far cry from his silver locks and golden gaze.

Setsuna had learned early in life not to ask her mother about her father. When she had, her mother had never held back speaking about him, and she sounded so proud. But doing so also quickly robbed her face of her smile and left her morose for the rest of the day.

One of the things Setsuna had learned from her was that her father had been a general for the demon armies. When Setsuna had gotten older and the internet had exploded with information, she looked him up in secret. Not all of the country's newspapers were digitized online yet, especially from that long ago, but there were a few archived that spoke of his battles. Some even had black-and-white photographs. She printed out every article and made this scrapbook out of them.

Her birthday morning ritual done, she got ready for the day and then went to the kitchen. Sweet and savory scents emanated from it: batter, strawberries, eggs. Her mother started murmuring something, but the click of a lighter cut off the beginning. "—wa. Happy birthday, my dear girl."

Setsuna walked into the open living room/kitchen combo of the split-level apartment they shared with her aunt and uncle that sat over her mother's little flower shop. She watched her mother light the traditional "birthday candle"—a tall, decorative, apple-scented one that she always lit on Setsuna's birthday, like one would light memorial incense for the deceased in a home shrine.

"Good morning, Mother," Setsuna said.

Her mother popped up with a smile. "There she is! Good morning, birthday girl!" She came over and enveloped Setsuna in a tight hug, kissing her head. "Fourteen years old—I can't believe it! Where did my little baby go?"

"I'm still here," Setsuna muttered, ducking her head in embarrassment and hugging her back lightly. Her mother always did like to make a fuss about her. She could handle it at home, but in public, she rarely returned those hugs. She was fourteen now, after all. It was embarrassing in front of her classmates and friends.

"Here, I've made you those American pancakes you like so much as well as an omelet. I even looked up how to make this strawberry sauce to drizzle on the pancakes. …But here's a bowl of plain strawberries with some melon to balance out all this sugar intake," Rin said, setting the bowl of fruit next to her plate.

Setsuna smiled softly as she sat at the table. "Thank you, Mother."

"Did somebody say pancakes?" Uncle Inuyasha boomed as he opened the front door, pulling off his cap and hanging it on the hook next to the door. He sniffed and broke out into a grin. "Oh yeah, I smell 'em alright."

"I made enough for everybody!" Rin exclaimed with a cheery smile, already loading a plate for her brother-in-law.

"Hey, happy birthday, kiddo," Setsuna's uncle said, rubbing her head and consequently mussing up her ponytail as he took a seat next to her.

Setsuna narrowed her eyes at him. "Thank you…for messing up my hair."

He just grinned back. "You're welcome."

"Good morning, Inuyasha! How was work?" Aunt Kagome asked, coming down from their half of the apartment upstairs. She bounced over and kissed her husband.

"Meh, same as always. I move shit in and out of the warehouse. It's not even that difficult when I get to use the forklift," he said, rolling his shoulders.

"And happy birthday, my dear niece!" Aunt Kagome added, bending down to hug her.

"Thank you," Setsuna answered before tucking back into her pancakes.

"And here's your gift," her aunt continued, placing a hand-sized, rectangular box on the table.

Setsuna's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to open any gifts until after school. "May I?" she asked.

"Of course! I thought you might want to show your friends at school today."

Setsuna tore through the paper…to reveal a cellphone.

She sucked in a breath. "Is this…really for me?"

"Happy birthday!" Aunt Kagome exclaimed again.

"Oh my!" Rin cried out, looking at it. She turned an accusatory look on her in-laws. "Guys, you're really spoiling her! I thought we talked about this."

"Hey, it's the kid's birthday. She can be spoiled today," Uncle Inuyasha answered.

It was true, and Setsuna knew it: her aunt and uncle did spoil her rotten. Uncle Inuyasha was the father she never got to have, and Aunt Kagome was a second mother. They had lost their own newborn in the havoc of Closing Day, so Setsuna had a suspicion the two spoiled her in place of her long-lost cousin.

Inuyasha nodded to the phone. "The SIM card's in, and everything's already been booted and set up, so you just have to turn it on and go. Kagome wrote the phone number on a sticky-note inside."

"T-Thank you." Setsuna still couldn't believe it. She had been wanting a phone for a couple years now, watching as her friends started getting them one by one until she was the only girl in class without one. As if being a half-demon didn't already make her feel set-apart, but being the girl without a phone certainly did.

"But don't get so distracted playing with it today that you neglect your studies!" her mother admonished, waving a baking spoon at her.

Aunt Kagome then looked over at the clock. "Hey, Rin, isn't the interview supposed to be on now?"

"You're right! Shiori told us to make sure to watch it," Rin answered. She switched on the little kitchen TV they had used for years as their main one before Inuyasha had finally gotten fed up with being outnumbered by three women wanting to watch romantic dramas and splurged on a huge flatscreen TV for the living room so he could watch sports while the women hung out in the kitchen cooing over hot actors. Rin turned it onto a news channel, where an anchor was just changing over to a morning show host.

"Welcome back to Morning Happy Hour, viewers. Today, we have a very special guest joining us to talk about a new initiative that could spell great changes on the horizon for our country. Please welcome Councilor Shiori."

Councilor Shiori strode onto the stage in a smart, dark business dress and blazer that set off her silver hair and tanned skin. The camera zoomed in on her face, catching her vivid lilac eyes.

Whereas other girls her age wanted to grow up to be idols or social media influencers, Setsuna wanted to grow up to be like Miss Shiori. The half-bat-demon was only around her mother's age, and yet she had been instrumental in growing half-demon rights across the human side of the border over the last fourteen years.

Her foray into activism began with the Border Relocation Project, where she brought national attention to the plight of the families that had been forced out of their homes along the border on Closing Day. She spearheaded charity drives and work programs to help the displaced families from the rural border adjust to new lives in the big cities to the south, which had been largely untouched by war. Of course, half-demons made up a significant portion of those displaced families, and Shiori got to know them personally, working to bring down discrimination barriers against them. That was how she had gotten to know their family.

But despite her tireless fighting, Miss Shiori maintained her sweet and polite demeanor, which, coupled with her exotic looks, charmed enough humans to help get her elected as the nation's first-ever half-demon councilor. She used her new position to further half-demon causes even more.

Miss Shiori and the morning show host chatted for a few minutes about her life, and then the host switched topics. "Now, I hear you've developed an astounding initiative. Stay tuned, viewers—the councilor's plans signal change not just for half-demons but perhaps for all of us."

"Indeed. I'm proud to announce that after five years of planning and getting all the necessary permissions in order, this summer, I am hosting a camp specifically for half-demons."

"Oh!" Rin cried out in excitement, turning up the volume.

"The camp will be open to all half-demons, no matter the age. Of course, for half-demons of a certain age, we also offer—and absolutely welcome—the opportunity to sign up as camp counselors. The camp will run for six weeks during the summer and be in every spirit like a normal summer camp. But we will also focus on activities to help half-demons understand both their human and demon sides."

"Inuyasha, you should sign up to be a camp counselor!" Kagome said.

"Feh, no way. Why would I want to try to keep track of a bunch of rowdy half-demons?" he replied, returning to his food.

"And why is this information of interest to humans and half-demons alike?" the host continued.

"Well you see, the camp will take place in the Zone of Neutrality." Gasps filled the audience, and even Inuyasha stopped eating, his eyes glued to the TV. Miss Shiori just smiled. "Yes, you heard correctly. After securing permission from our leaders to use land on our half of the Zone, I petitioned the demon leaders who control the various gates for permission to use their side as well. I want to make sure this camp happens safely, and I do not want any accidental trespassing to ignite the war again."

"Can you tell us which demon lord actually allowed you to use his land?"

Miss Shiori nodded. "It was none other than General Sesshoumaru of the Dog Demon Clan."

Rin's spoon dropped from her hands, flipping off the table and onto the floor, flinging batter in an arc across the kitchen. But she didn't seem to notice as she just clasped her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes. Setsuna scented the salt of rising tears.

"Well, it's about damn time," Uncle Inuyasha said, folding his arms. "How long has Shiori been sending letters to the bastard?"

"Inuyasha," Aunt Kagome hissed. "I'm sure he had his reasons."

Meanwhile, the interview was still ongoing.

"Councilor, does this mean that half-demons from the North will be attending the camp as well?"

"That is my hope, although I do not expect as much attendance from that side as from this one. The primary barrier is, of course, getting the word out. With the use of the internet, we can have news at our fingertips in seconds; demons, I understand, still rely on old-fashioned methods of communication, so news is slow to spread."

"Still, that's an incredible achievement. Not only will those attending your camp step foot on ground that none but the military and our political leaders have tread in fourteen years, but your camp could very well become the first meeting between those of the South and the North in that length of time too!"

"Indeed, and I cannot thank enough the members of our government and army as well as General Sesshoumaru for helping to make this extraordinary event happen. I sincerely hope this is the first step we take towards normalizing relations between humans and demons."

"Thank you, Councilor. It's been a pleasure having you." The host turned to the screen, and then an information card appeared on it. "If you are interested in learning more or signing up for Camp Half-Demon, visit .org. We'll be back after these messages."

Setsuna's mother was still staring at the table in shock, so Aunt Kagome reached out and muted the TV. "Rin, are you okay?" she asked.

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'm fine. It's just…this is the first time I've heard anything about him since…since he left. It was so sudden that I still…can't quite believe it."

Aunt Kagome turned to Setsuna. "Setsuna, are you going to go?"

Setsuna had never been to camp before. She had never even been away from her family for more than a weekend, spending the night at friends' houses. Could she go six weeks without seeing them, all the while living with a bunch of strangers?

The thought made her uncomfortable, and she was inclined to say she didn't want to go as a result. However, a part of her felt obligated to go because her father had helped to make it happen. Her mother had always said he was working on a way to reunite their family. Surely this was the first step.

Still, she was frightened.

But as if thoughts of her father and conjured up the memories, his words came back to mind: When you face the gales of life, cut the wind. When the waters of sorrow seek to drown you, cut the water. Remember always that you are this Sesshoumaru's daughter. The only limits you have are the fears that hold you back.

Suddenly, the words made sense. She had long since memorized what they said, but she hadn't really ever understood what they meant.

She swallowed and then nodded. "Yes, I'd like to go."

Aunt Kagome clapped. "This will be so exciting! I'm sure you'll meet all sorts of new friends. Inuyasha, are you sure you won't sign up?"

She would find it much easier to go if her uncle came with her. But pleading was so…weak. She needed to look strong in front of her family.

Still, she couldn't help but glance at her uncle out of the corner of her eyes. His gold eyes met hers, and after a couple seconds of staring, his tight posture softened, and he relaxed his crossed arms. "…I'll think about it."

Demons did not celebrate birthdays. Living as long as they did, it became cumbersome—and for the especially long-lived ones, they could pass years before even remembering so many birthdays had passed.

However, Towa's father was different. Every year on her birthday, the chefs miraculously made her favorite meals, and she was freed of any daily obligations. And at night, he would quietly come to her room and give her a present.

This year, it was a new sword to replace the broken Kikojuumonji, for she had not found a suitable replacement in the last year.

"It's beautiful, Papa! And it feels perfect! Does it have a name?" she asked, running her fingers over the curling designs of the hilt.

"Zanseiken," he answered.

Caught you. Towa peered closely at him. Normally, a new owner bestowed a name upon the sword; there were only two circumstances where one didn't. "Did Totosai forge it and name it…or did you take someone else's sword as a trophy?"

Her father frowned. "I would not take a sword unfit to be wielded by you."

Towa peered even closer at him. "That doesn't answer my question." Even though the war between the human and demon lands had ended almost fourteen years ago, the demons now squabbled amongst themselves, unable to curb their bloodlust. Weapons often changed hands, and her father spent much of his time defending his territory's borders.

As usual, when her father was trying to deflect, he changed the topic. "There is something else."

Curiosity piqued, she took the bait and let the issue pass. "What?"

"A camp for half-demons will run for six weeks this summer in the Zone of Neutrality. I have allowed it to use the lands on the other side of our part of the wall. Would you like to attend?"

Towa frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? Like…a war camp?"

"My understanding is that this camp is about…fostering camaraderie. And learning about your unique…traits as half-demons."

Towa's eyes widened. "And you've sponsored this camp?"

"I only gave permission to use the land. A half-demon politician on the human side is running it. She has extended the invitation to all half-demons in the demon lands to attend as well. That assumes, of course, that they will learn about it."

"Papa…that's amazing! I mean, this is absolutely huge! You can count on me to spread the word," Towa exclaimed. "I can start with Moroha—she knows everybody. And…and…." Towa suddenly realized that she really only knew one other half-demon. "Do you think Lord Kirinmaru would allow Rion to participate?"

The lord of the east kept his half-demon daughter practically locked away in his seaside palace on the other side of the island. The only reason Towa even knew she existed was from the time her father had brought her as a child to Lord Kirinmaru's palace for a war meeting. Even though she knew she was supposed to be taking in lessons about strategy, she had gotten bored listening to the adults yammer on and decided to go exploring. That was how she stumbled across Rion, and the two became fast friends that day.

But Rion's father did not allow her to go out, so Towa was restricted to only writing her letters or seeing her when she visited the East.

"You would likely have to plead her case," her father answered.

Excitement rose like a bubbling volcano in Towa's chest. Even if it was only for a few weeks, she was going to leave the demon nation! More than that, she was going to meet other half-demons.

A sudden thought occurred to her.

Will he finally tell me?

She swallowed, remembering the last time she had broached this topic with her father.

"So I guess this means…we'll be meeting people from the South too?" He nodded. Towa clenched her hands and spit it out. "Do you think…my twin will be there?"

She peeked up from under her bangs, frightened to know her father's reaction. The last time she had dared mention their missing family—specifically, her mother—she had been four years old. He snapped at her like she was an enemy, not a daughter wanting to learn about her family. His anger brought her to tears, because she didn't understand what she had said to upset him.

She understood now, of course. Her father missed her mother so much, the wound of separation was still fresh. He lashed out like a wounded animal. She did not fault him for it. Nevertheless, the incident hard scarred her so much, she had never dared ask him for information about her again.

Her father's eyes widened ever so slightly—a tell that it was indeed the truth. She did have a twin, as she had long suspected. But he didn't answer her.

"Papa, please tell me. I need to know."

"…How did you find out?"

Towa ducked her head. "Remember that day about ten years ago when I asked you about my mother? You stormed off to your bedroom, and after a minute, I ran after you, wanting to apologize for whatever I had done to make you angry. But I was still scared you would lash out, so I crept up to your door as quietly as I could. There was a tear in the rice paper of the door that hadn't gotten fixed yet. I peered through it to see if you were still angry, but I found you looking at a strange book. Later, when you left, I went in and found it in your trunk."

Even at that age, she had known not to leave an imprint of her scent on the book, so she had covered her hands in her father's clothes to open the trunk and dig through his things. "When I opened it…I saw paintings so realistic, I wondered how they could be. But they clearly showed you. I was in the arms of a woman I could only assume to be my mother…but you were holding another child. Even so, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, because…you never even hinted I might have a sibling, let alone a twin."

Her father was silent for several seconds before he sighed in resignation. "It seems I failed to spare you this knowledge and pain, as I had intended."

Towa's heart throbbed. I knew it. He didn't withhold that information to be cruel. "So will you tell me now, Papa?"

After a moment, he asked, "Did you ever look at the album again?" She shook her head. "Then come with me."

Towa followed him to his bedroom, her heart rate accelerating with every step. He cleared the entire wing of servants before shutting his doors. She sat at his desk while he went to his trunk and fetched the album. Then he sat down next to his daughter and opened it. Towa's heart danced in her chest as she laid eyes on the beautiful paintings.

"They are called photographs," her father explained, as if he could read her mind. "Humans use a tool called a camera to capture the image of a moment."

"Amazing," Towa breathed.

"This is your mother, Rin." He pointed to the lovely woman with black hair in the photo. She tried to memorize her mother's face, which she hadn't been able to do as a child. She wanted to be able to compare the woman's features to her own when she lost her powers during the new moon and her hair changed to black.

Her father then pointed to the brunette baby he held. "And this is your younger twin sister, Setsuna."

"Setsuna," Towa breathed, and it felt like she had found the key to a chest she had been trying to open for years.

"You must keep her a secret, Towa. Even your grandmother does not know you are a twin."

Towa frowned. "But why?"

Her father mirror her expression. "When I brought you home, I saw no need for her to know."

"Can I at least tell Moroha? I mean…Setsuna is her cousin too, after all."

His scowl deepened. "Moroha is like her father. She cannot keep a secret."

Well, he was right about that.

"Besides, how would you take responsibility for getting her hopes up in meeting this long-lost cousin, if she does not show at camp?" her father asked.

"But…if Setsuna knows you helped to make this camp happen, wouldn't she go?"

"I do not know. I am not sure what information the politician has shared on her side of the Wall."

Towa nodded. "I understand. I'll try not to get my hopes up…but I feel in my heart that Setsuna will come." She beamed at him. "I can't wait to meet her!"

Her father regarded her for several seconds. "You have your mother's smile."

Towa gasped and put her hands to her cheeks. "Really? Will you tell me more about her?"

Her father turned back to the album and brushed his finger lovingly across the photographic cheek of his wife. "She loved you with all her heart. I nearly had to pry you from her arms the night the Wall went up."

The wave of Towa's emotions that had crested high came crashing right back down. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have to give up her baby.

Her father continued, unaware of her inner turmoil. "She also loved plants. She kept a little garden outside her farmhouse."

And for the rest of the night, her father told her stories about her mother—how she, as a child, had saved him by bringing him human medicine when he was left alone on the outskirts of a bloody battlefield, wounded and trying to recover. How he had found out she was a war orphan, her family killed for being suspected demon sympathizers. How he had brought her to a village under his control and placed her in the care of the village elder, Kaede. How she wrote letters to him afterwards, and how he would go back to check on her to make sure no one mistreated the girl who had helped him.

And how it seemed in the blink of an eye, the little girl had grown into a beautiful young woman who told him she loved him.

She was the woman who had taught him to love.

And after listening to their story, Towa finally understood why she had hesitated on maiming that bull demon in the Kodoku Tournament last year. I'm my mother's daughter.

Hopefully Setsuna can tell me more.

AN: Perhaps not the most exciting chapter, but I needed to continue setting up the story. Things will get rolling with the next chapter though, I promise! However, just to give you a heads up, tomorrow's chapter may be late or delayed. I'm travelling tomorrow, and I don't know how much time I'll have to write. But I should make up for it during the week, because I'm taking it off specifically to do a personal writing retreat! So yay for writing all day during that!