If you haven't noticed I've been switching from Soma's view, Protagonist's view, and narrator's view. You can tell when I split off from the dotted lines.

Chapter 6

For days all the Den talked about was 'the wild girl the First unit brought in.' She seemed to have taken a liking to Dr. Sakaki, following him around like a puppy, listening to his lessons with excitement and wonder. She was given a room of her own, but temporarily stayed in the left backroom in Dr. Sakaki's lab to make the lessons more convenient.

Dr. Sakaki tried to get her to interact with other humans and slowly get accustomed to them by having her eat at the Mesh Hall. Since she was familiar with us he dumped her on us, telling us to talk normally to her even if she didn't understand so she'd get familiar with it as second hand learning.

The first day was bad; everyone was staring at her and our table. Sakuya had to help her get her rations, with a guiding hand as she lead her through the cafeteria. The girl ate like an animal, getting most of the food on the table instead of her mouth. Sakuya had to show her how to use her utensils before she made a mess of herself. Some people whispered, the braver ones approached her. She was as tense as a brick and looked ready to strike at any moment, with her hand clinched on her butter knife. Lindow was being too care-free and Sakuya too nice to get the message across to the gawkers. I had to slam my fist on the table and growl out 'back off' before they got the picture. It was a pain in the butt.

The next time around went smoother. Although we talked to her, mostly Lindow and Sakuya, she didn't talk back. But you could see the understanding in her eyes. It wasn't until the fourth day when Sakuya randomly asked 'how was the food?' that we got the surprise of the week.

"It was… good." We jumped in shock and looked at her, did she just speak. "It was good." She said again, so she can finally talk. What idiotic first words.

"Oh, you can finally talk! This is exciting!" Sakuya said with glee, causing other tables to look at us. "Ah, quick! What's your name?"

"Name?"

"Yes, my name is Sakuya Tachibana." Sakuya said pointing at herself, and then she pointed at her. "What's your name?"

"Your name-"

"'My name." I said correcting her.

"My name is…" she paused pointing at herself, "Okami. She called me Okami."

"She?" Lindow questioned.

"Mother." We all looked at her in surprise. Did she remember her mother? We thought she lost her parents as an infant.

"So you have a mother?" Sakuya asked.

"Everyone have a mother." She…Okami answered her, misinterpreting her question.

"No, I mean, do you remember your mother?"

"Yes, strong, proud, beautiful… gone." She saddened at the last word.

"I'm sorry, how did she pass away?"

"Great Beast King came, she died protecting."

"Oh I'm so sorry." Sakuya replied, most likely feeling bad for bringing it up.

"What's 'sorry?'"

"Sorry is when you feel bad for something you did or said and you want to make the other person feel better." Would she understand that?

"Sorry… Then I'm sorry too."

Sakuya was caught off guard by this. "Why are you sorry?"

Okami gently tapped Sakuya's stomach. "I'm sorry for hurting you long ago."

Sakuya smiled at her and patted her head. "Don't worry about it."

She smiled back and then turned to Lindow across the table from me. "I'm sorry for hurting you too."

He grinned reaching over the table to rub her head. "Don't worry about it kid, and it's Lindow by the way."

"Lindow…" she tested on her lips. He rubbed her head harder to tell her 'good job' causing her to giggle and playfully fail to swat his hand away. Her laughter made me feel… warm.

When he was done I waited a second, when nothing happened I asked. "Well?" She tilted her head at me in confusion. "Aren't you going to say sorry to me?"

"No." She didn't say it with malice, but almost like she was saying no to more pie. This pissed me off a little.

"Tst. What do you mean no? Why not?" My voice raising a little.

"It'd be a lie." She said looking at me with those green eyes. "I'm not sorry, I was angry, you hurt my brother. Wanted you to feel his pain too."

"Your brother? Do you mean the Vajratail?!" Sakuya asked in surprise to which Okami answered with a nod.

"His name is Kage." This is getting crazy; it was bad enough that she treated those monsters with fondness, but to go as far as to see them as family was madness.

"Then does that mean the other one was…" Sakuya asked unable to finish her question.

"My little brother Shiro," she said with a smile. "He likes hugs."

"Then does this mean your mother was an Orgetail too?" Lindow asked.

She then pulled out her mask strapped to her waist and held it up with affection. "My mother…" the emotion in her face as she looked down upon the mask was suffocating. "I got parts from dead Great Beast, like the one the blue furred male fought." She said pointing at me then looked back down at the mask. "Make weapons, gotten stronger. Fight along with brothers, but caught off guard by Great Beast King. Mother died protecting. She say to me take her face scale so she always be with me protecting me, took her fang as a memory of her too. Gave her fangs to my brothers too."

"Then what's with the smaller fangs?" Sakuya pointed at her hair ornaments.

"They my brothers. When they were smaller, growing into big teeth." She said attaching the mask back to her waist. "Broke my heart taking these from mother, eyes leaked through the whole thing."

Trying to distract her from her sadness Sakuya tried to change the subject. "By the way, I was wondering what your clothes are made of? I've never seen any fabric like that before."

"My fur?" She said gripping her rags. "Mother say it was the wings of a dead Great Beast King."

"A Great Beast King?"

"Like a Great Beast. But stronger, deadly, darker. It kept me warm, not getting in way in fights, good thing. Not get in my brothers way."

"You do realize that your brothers most likely ate humans." I said drawing her attention back to me. I can't explain it but I wanted her eyes on me.

"No, you be the first time we meet humans."

"Soma." Why call Sakuya and Lindow by name and not me? "I'm Soma."

"So…ma…" she tested on her lips then smiled. "Soma!"

I got embarrassed as the last one caused more people to look at us. I tried to focus on the subject at hand. "But that doesn't explain your mother."

"I don't understand, Soma." She tilted her head at this. My heart sped up as she said my name.

"Your mother must have eaten your human parents in order to have you." That or her parent abandoned her before they were eaten.

"Soma." Lindow said warningly. I was crossing a line, I know, but I couldn't stand hearing her talk so fondly of Aragami.

"That I am here proves she did not." Even with her bad English she burned my accusation, damn.

I was going to say a comeback but Lindow cut in. "A while ago you said your mother 'told' you to do it, does this mean Aragami can talk too?"

"Aragami?" She tested the word. "Is that what you call us? Yes we speak. Lindow not understand like I did not understand Lindow, Sakuya, Soma when first meet."

Ignoring the can of beans I could open when she said 'us,' this would be interesting information to have. We were going to ask her more about it when she looked up at the clock and got up.

"Time to go, Saki lesson time!" Okami started to walk away but smiled and waved. "Bye, see you again soon."

At least Dr. Sakaki taught her how to properly greet.