Chapter 10: A Future For A Hanyō
The next day, Reina's pack and the village women finally arrived at the village. When the villagers saw the women enter the village, they all ran towards them and embraced them with everything they had along with alot of happy tears. The villagers were eternally grateful towards Reina and her friends. Unfortunately they had a hard time accepting Iwao and Michiko. but after the women told everyone that the two tengus helped them escape, they slowly started to trust them. Four days later, Kuri's belly started to get bigger and that's when her secret was exposed. Shion, Kuri's older brother and headman of the village, was given the unexpected news and he didn't seem too happy about it.
"You're carrying a hanyō, Kuri?!" Shion asked, angrily.
"I am, Shion." Kuri said, clenching her kimono sleeves. The whole village gasped at the news. They never expected that Kuri would mate with a tengu. Especially the one who served Kaira. Reina's pack wanted to help, but Tomoe suggested that they don't interfere. When they asked her why, she said that Iwao and Kuri had to do this on their own. But they'll interfere if needed.
"I will not accept this tengu as your husband, Kuri." Shion said.
"But I love him, Shion!" Kuri said.
"What?!" Shion asked, disbelieved.
"He was the only tengu who was kind to me. He was a gentleman. Iwao made sure that none of the women would get hurt while we were there." Kuri said.
"It's true!" A woman said.
"Whenever one of us was suppose to serve one of Kaira's men, Iwao gave us a drug that would put them to sleep and made them think that they rutted us." Another woman said.
"Is this true, Iwao?" Shion asked, looking towards Iwao.
"Yes. I couldn't let Kaira and his followers hurt innocent women for their own enjoyment. So I gave them the drugs that would fool them." Iwao said, "I also hated Kaira for torturing my older sister."
Shion was silent at that moment. He didn't know that the tengu next to Kuri had suffered as well when both of their sisters were held prisoner by an evil, twisted minded tengu.
"I see." Shion said. He started to feel guilty. When he saw how Iwao was being protective of Kuri, he could see that Kuri wanted him as her husband.
"I promise I will take responsibility for my actions, Shion." Iwao said and then he looked towards Michiko,"I promised myself that I would take care of Kuri and our unborn child, Michiko. I plan on following it through." He pulled Kuri close to him. He wasn't going to let her go. She and his unborn child were very precious to him. Kuri was thinking the same concept as Iwao.
"I see." Michiko said, "Shion."
"Hai?" Shion asked, gazing at Michiko.
"My brother is a man of his word. He will protect Kuri and his unborn child." Michiko said, "But where will the child live here, Iwao?"
"Huh?" Iwao asked.
"Whether the child stays in this village or a demon village, the child will only be treated cruelly by the villagers. Do you really want Kuri and your child go through with that?" Michiko asked. There was a long moment of silence between the villagers, Shion, Michiko, Kuri, and Iwao. Reina's pack was nervous as well. Not many villages accepted hanyōs. The village where they met Tomoe was a perfect example of the humans' fear and hatred of demons.
"We'll accept them." A woman said as she stepped forward. Another woman stepped up and then another. Soon enough, all the young women stood behind the first woman who stepped forward. Then all the men stepped forward as well. Reina and her pack stepped forward.
"All of you will accept the presence of a hanyō?" Shion asked, staring at everyone.
"If Kuri accepts the child, then we'll accept the child as well." A woman said.
"If the women accept the child, we'll accept it, too." A man said as he stood next the woman who first stepped forward.
"Alright then. Since everybody agrees about the child, the child shall live here and be treated equally among us." Shion said. The whole village cheered at the wonderful news. Iwao and Kuri cried happy tears. Then Kuri rushed forward and hugged her brother. She was so happy right now. Reina and her pack felt the same way for Iwao and Kuri's happiness.
"Tomoe." Akinobu said.
"Hai?" Tomoe asked.
"How did you know that they would accept Iwao and Kuri's relationship?" Akinobu asked. He was a little bit confused at the moment. He'd never expected that everything would turn out great for Iwao and Kuri. It was almost like Tomoe knew that it turn out like that.
"Call it a girl's intuition." Tomoe said as she watched Iwao and Kuri embrace each other. She knew that even though her parents were not accepted in her father's clan, she was happy that Iwao and Kuri were accepted in Kuri's village. She had a feeling that the couple in front of her will be happy as well.
