"Diversity doesn't mean black and white only."
— Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Kohaku had gradually come to consciousness, finding herself lying on her stomach on a soft handwoven beige blanket. Her vision was slightly blurry but she could see the chief sitting against the far wall resting while Sesshomaru was sitting next to her wide awake. He was staring out a window, pondering about who knows what. Right then and there, as the sunlight filtered in and radiated on his calm face, Kohaku felt something inside of her longing for the demon lord.
"Beautiful."she breathlessly remarked. He turned his golden gaze to her, his eyes wandering over her modest figure, taking in how even impaired she was fighting the pain to make her way towards him. The Lord allowed her to crawl into his outstretched legs, her still on her belly as she splayed herself over his firm thighs like a human-sized kitten.
"What was that?" Sesshomaru whispered as he ran his clawed hand through the girl's hair that had come undone when he carried her to the medical hut. She nuzzled into his hand, relishing the feeling of her hair being combed through. "The first word of my native tongue that I will teach you isbeautiful. With the way the sun was shining on you, you looked so ethereal. So beautiful.Beautiful,it means pretty, very pleasant to look at, " the teen defined as she tried to roll onto her side but winced from the sudden discomfort she felt.
The demon lord tried pronouncing the word himself, the word feels so strange on his tongue. As Kohaku observed him correctly pronounce the word with a slight accent, she felt proud witnessing him easily replicate how she spoke with little to no error. "So...how bad was the damage? Will it leave a wicked scar?" she asked.
"The woman said it would take weeks for you to recover. But, she wasn't aware that you're half demon, so I'm confident you will heal in less time than that, " Sesshomaru conveyed his theory. But from her knowledge, wasn't her demonic energy sealed off? How would she heal so fast? "You are not even aware of the reality that slowly your demon half has been returning. Your canines have gotten sharper, and your nails becoming more claw-like. Even your ears, after you were injured, have gradually started to revert to their pointed form. It seems you are unknowingly breaking the seal," he told her when he noticed her bafflement.
Not entirely believing (though she knew deep down he would never lie to her), she first inspected her nails, noticing they were thicker, a little more curved, and sharp. Next, she used her fingers to probe around in her mouth and indeed as he said, all four of her canines had elongated a bit and were sharper. Then she felt up both ears, feeling how they were no longer rounded but instead softly pointed. "Well damn. That's awesome! Now it's going to be easier when you train me!"
She flashed him a toothy smile, the demon lord almost envisioning her with a wagging tail. From the other side of the room, the chief cleared his throat to get the two's attention, sweating a bit as the lord glared at him while the girl tilted her head curiously. "Sorry to interrupt, truly am. Kohaku, I would like to apologize. We wrongfully took you from your husband. You even tried to caution and protect us from him, but we- no I- didn't listen. My deepest apologies, please forgive me," the man begged as he had repositioned from the wall to kneel before them.
"No! It's okay, I understand. You and your village, and almost every human there is have had bad experiences with demons. You guys were scared and didn't comprehend, and that's fine, that's life. As upset as I was that you didn't listen and I got harmed, I understand. And I forgive you," she told him. The teen painfully compelled her body to sit up and crawled over to the kneeling man, lifting his head to look at her. Her amber eyes held no hatred in them, just acceptance of what happened and the friendship she wished to give in return.
Small tears welled up in the chief's brown eyes, never before in his time of living has he met anyone so considerate and compassionate. Nodding his head to accept her forgiveness, the man got up and bowed one last time before bidding her a get well soon and left to return to his awaiting children. Kohaku let out a sigh and flopped down on her stomach in exhaustion.
"Why did you easily forgive that man?" Sesshomaru asked as he proceeded to bring the girl back over to his lap. He gently arranged her back to laying on her belly over his legs and resumed pawing at her hair. She sighed again, "As much as he fucked up, he's only just a man who believed what he was doing was right. He can't help that that was what was taught to him, that demons are evil and want to harm all humans. I'm mature enough though to understand that sometimes not everything you know is right and that everything you don't is wrong." She had discovered that from experience numerous times.
Two years after her return from her first apparent time in the warring era, she had relearned enough basic knowledge to be able to go out in public independently, but only outside her home or to the store and playground that was down the road. It was one day in summer when she was allowed to go to the park by herself without the aid of her little brother. She had walked there just fine, enjoying herself as she swung on the swings and climbed on the monkey bars. There were also other children, younger than her physically but mentally she saw herself as like them.
For reasons unbeknownst to her, one of the children's mothers didn't like that she was a much older kid playing with those younger than her. The woman (at the time it didn't matter to her, but she was a very skinny Caucasian woman)had come over irate and shouting, intimidating young Kohaku, who had no idea what she had done. She had tried to speak and ask the woman what was wrong but the lady mistook it as her being disrespectful. It was after the woman dared to slap her that something inside of her had snapped. That day she had unknowingly tapped into her half-demon power and attacked the woman furiously, leaving the lady covered in deep bites and scratches.
The woman's screams were loud enough to draw her parent's attention from a block away. They had come running, scared that it was her screaming, but were shocked to see her tearing into the mean lady. They had yanked her off and were able to soothe her down enough to ask her what happened. The lady was screeching and trying to accuse Kohaku of starting the altercation, claiming the little girl was beating on her son (a lie seeing as the little boy was more concerned about Kohaku than his mother) and that she was going to have the girl charged for assault. It was the insistence of other parents though that pointed out the falsehoods the woman was spewing.
And when her mother caught a glimpse of the large bruise that was forming on her daughter's face, well, the authorities once they showed up, had to restrain her mother as well. Turns out the woman was raised to assume that all people with a skin tone distinct from hers were criminals and up to no good. And that included children too. It wasn't the first time the woman had done something like that, and it was a wonder her son didn't turn out like her yet.
Kohaku's father had to explain that some people were taught to view the world differently. That what some people considered to be right was wrong. And that sometimes wrong things are right. She shouldn't fault someone for what they were taught, but at least see from their point of view and try to understand them. She doesn't have to think the same as them, but as long as she can empathize, she would never have to allow hatred to control her life. She told him to his face that was a dumb ideology and he just laughed and ruffled her hair.
After that, anytime she had to experience anything similar, say bullying when she finally went to school with those her age, or when she would go on outings with her family and people stared, she would just remember they couldn't help themselves. That was what they were taught. But she could at least learn and even educate them so everyone could understand each other.
Kohaku yawned, her wound making her tired. She curled up as best as she could on Sesshomaru and closed her eyes for a nap as his claws running through her hair lulled her to sleep.
Three days it took for her to heal. Three days where all she did was rest or observe as the world kept on moving forward. The first day saw Sango and her little brother Kohaku visiting and apologizing to her. She told them she already forgave them and the two kids ended up hugging her while crying. They were lucky Sesshomaru wasn't there at the moment, instead out patrolling and getting some fresh air.
She spent the rest of that day chitchatting with Sango (who was only a year younger than her) and teaching the two kids how to correctly pronounce Amberso it wouldn't be as confusing to call two people in the same room with the same name. It reminded the teen a lot of her brief time in middle school, where in one of her classes there were three boys all sharing the name Brian. Confusing times for everyone that year, especially if one Brian got in trouble but no one would know if you're talking about Brian, Brian. M or Bryan with a Y.
Yoru had also joined her, crying at seeing her friend bedridden and hurt. But what was funny was watching as she freaked out at seeing the girls torn clothes, trying to shame her for only being dressed in her dirty sweatpants and bandaged upper body. Watching as the spider angrily clicked her mandibles and waved around her front legs at her was cute. She had to pick up and cradle the demon spider to calm her down enough to ask her if she was able to fix her stuff. She was and had taken what scraps were left before bolting out of the hut and going gods knows where.
The second day came and started like the first. She had woken up to her face buried into Sesshomaru's fluff, and the demon lord staring at her intently. Not long after Mayumi, one of the village's best healers, would come in check her back, and slather a medicinal herbs paste on her wound. The middle-aged woman was startled the first time she took the bandages off and saw that the teen's back was a quarter of the way healed.
Kohaku had reluctantly disclosed to the middle-aged woman that not only was she a foreigner, she was a half-demon, and that her demonic energy was sealed off. She told the woman that with her power sealed, she didn't think she was going to heal so fast but that maybe the plants she was using were lessening the process. The woman had laughed, her dark gray eyes crinkling with mirth at the notion that the regular plants she'd been using for years were a super drug that could heal wounds in less time than normal. Mayumi had to sadly inform the teen that no it was not the herbs full doing, but maybe her seal easing up a bit.
The older healer reassured the girl she was fine and was glad she was half demon. With her superior healing, it means she'll be back on her feet quicker. And the quicker back on her feet she was, the more the chief and his daughter could stop moping, even after she had personally told them they were forgiven.
When the woman was done reapplying the bandages and left, the teen and the demon lord sat together closely as she taught him more of her first native language. He had even brought her sketchbook to help, watching and memorizing the words she wrote and spoke. His pronunciation of some words made her giggle, the R's and L's of certain words getting mixed around. But he was quickly able to grasp the new language, making the girl feel proud and many different feelings for him.
The third and final day started the same as the previous two. Wake up, change bandages, and talk to whoever was in the hut with her. Kohaku was informed that the next day her wraps could come off, her back having mended up nicely even if it did leave an oversized vertical jagged scar from her left shoulder blade down and across to right above her right buttock. She had again reassured Sango that she was okay, that she didn't blame her for the scar, and that no, she didn't hate her.
Yoru, the little spider, had finally come back with the girl's shirt and hoodie repaired. The little arachnid had told her human how she weaved and stitched her clothes back together with her demon spider silk. This means now the garments would be stronger and self-repairing since they would feed off of the teen's demonic energy or other demons. Kohaku happily hugged her spider for doing that for her, Yoru enjoying the appreciation and affection from her human.
The next day saw her running out of the hut and startling the nearby villagers as the amber-eyed teen was whooping in joy from being released from the confining space of the hut. "Hello fresh air and freedom!" she cried into the air. Mayumi and Sesshomaru both watched the girl run around like she was wild as they vacated the medical hut.
"Now that she's better, will you guys be departing?" the healer asked the Lord. He regarded the smaller woman and told her that even though Kohaku was recovered and able to move around, he would wait before leaving. There was something he wanted to do before they began their journey again.
"Kohaku, come here," he called out. Said girl had heard him as she was running by and had halted herself, backpedaling to stand in front of the demon. "Yes?" she questioned. Soon Sango - who was carrying Kilala-, her brother, and the chief (he had told them eventually that his name is Masato)had came over after hearing the cheerful calls of the girl.
"Good morningAmber, Gladto see you up again. And morning to you as well Lord Sesshomaru. Are you preparing to go soon?" the chief greeted and questioned the two. She was about to respond when the demon lord beat her to it. "No, not yet. You and your kin slay demons for a living, yes?"
"We do. What are you trying to get at?" the chief asked. Sesshomaru told the man that he had planned to stay for at least two weeks, no more or less, to use the village grounds to train Amber how to fight and possibly wield a weapon. He wasn't asking if it was okay for them to occupy themselves here longer, he was requesting if there was a suitable choice of weaponry the girl could use. Said girl was in both shock and excitement, for it meant that she would not have to be a damsel in distress.
"Really! Oh, what's first?" the girl excitedly asked, hopping around the lord with rampant energy. "Dodging," he said as he wasted no time, and flicked her forehead. She was sent flying back, crashing harshly into the soil face first. The teen lifted her head, spitting out dirt angrily, and pushed herself off of the ground. "Was that necessary my lord?" the chief chimed. His kids watched fascinated as their father was ignored, looking on as Amber lowered herself onto all fours and rolled from another attack from Sesshomaru. This was a type of training they had never seen before, and Sango wanted to join.
"Father, may I participate as well?" the young demon slayer pleaded. He didn't want to, but as he witnessed how the demon wasn't being too forceful and how the dark-skinned teenager was quickly learning how to adjust her footing, the father agreed to let his oldest go. Determined to catch up, the young girl ran home to change into her demon slayer uniform while the rest of the humans decided to stay and observe the session.
Amber was a little tuckered out from constantly jumping away from Sesshomaru's attacks, and her just finishing recovering from her back injury was making it no better. But she wanted to show the lord that she was not weak, that she could be reliable. She was aware and had discussed it a few times with the lord, that being a half-demon during this time was frowned upon, and downright dangerous too. Other demons and humans would be out to kill her for just existing. The notion of that was ridiculous, especially if she and any other half-demons were not doing any harm to demons or humans.
Right. Left. Down. Left. Left. Up. Amber just kept hoping, rolling, and dodging, occasionally getting a hit in as well, but her attacks were not as strong yet. Suddenly a boomerang the size of a fully grown person came flying between the two, stopping the demon from almost taking a swipe at the girl. Coming to join the fun was Sango dressed in clothes similar to her father's and the other slayers.
Gone was the younger girls' usual attire, which wasa magenta and pink traditional kimono covered by a green mo-bakama, with a pair of straw sandals. Now instead she was sporting a black skin-tight jumpsuit with red outlines and a kanjisymbol written on the left shoulder that was not present on the other slayers. Her outfit further consisted of pink armor plates, black arm guards, and pink shin guards along with black boots, and a red sash wrapped around her waist that was occupied with a wakizashi in a burgundy sheath. All in all, it looked very feminine, and made it easier to identify her as female, which Amber thought was stupid as it meant that enemies would target the girl first.
"Hey, what are you doing Sango? I thought we already established Sesshomaru wasn't that bad of a demon," the amber-eyed teen said to the other teen as she carried her weapon back to her. The girl explained how she wanted to train with her, to practice being faster and a better slayer. "You know, you're lucking I find you cute, and that we're not back in my country. I would have totally made you my wife or something. Well let's get to it, he's about to come at us hard now," Amber said just as the demon lord rushed forward with his claws outstretched.
He took a swipe at the flustered female slayer, who was quick enough to roll away and run in the direction the flirtatious teen went. Hours went by like that, the two girls defending themselves and each other while the lord was on the move. The little training session ended when both girls fell over in a heap from exhaustion.
"Hey, you're pretty good with that throwing weapons of yours." Amber breathlessly complimented Sango. "You're not too bad at dodging yourself," said girl remarked. Both had simply sat down back to back, clothes and bodies covered in layers of dirt and sweat. Sesshomaru stood nearby looking on passively, somehow not a speck of dirt on him. And though his face did not portray it, he was somewhat satisfied with Amber's reflexes and response time, even more, he was a little impressed with the experience of the female slayer. He will even admit he did misjudge her because of her gender, having been raised in a male-dominated world. At times he is glad the amber-eyed teen is there to remind him that even women can out-match a man.
"You two did well. The coordination and ease of working together you two showed out there was a spectacular sight to see. Sango, my daughter, I'm so proud at how far you have come," the chief complimented the two tired teens. The man's daughter groaned out a small thanks, her eyes slowly closing shut as she allowed sleep to overtake her. The proud and amused father chuckled as he went over and picked up his little girl and her weapon gently, bidding everyone farewell as he walked off home with his two children
Amber weakly waved goodbye as she too was picked up gently, making sure to thank the healer Mayumi one last time as the girl was carried away to where ever they were now residing. Sesshoamru had cradled the girl as he walked towards a modest-sized hut near the edge of the walled village. The home used to belong to the chief's family, but as time had passed it had lay uninhabited until now. To try and facilitate a truce of sorts between the demon and the slayers, the chief had offered the home and had some villagers fix it up within two days.
The front door slid open as Jaken came toddling out to stand before his lord, who ignored him as he went inside to lay the girl down on a pile ofblankets that was graciously given to them. From an open window nearby, one of the heads of the dragon stuck its head in, and sitting on top was the spider demon Yoru, who was using her front legs to groom the dragon's mane.
"Welcome home," the spider and imp both greeted, the imp having returned inside and taken a seat by the fire pit in the middle of the room. "Lord Sesshomaru, I do not wish to bother you, but why are we staying among these humans? Do you not hate humans, especially those who slay demons?" inquired the little imp. The lord, who had taken a seat against the wall as the teen decided that the best place to lay was on him instead of the blankets.
Sesshomaru replied to Jaken, informing him that as much as he detests humans, they have their uses and that right now their only use was to supply whatever Kohaku needed. These villagers may think he's harmless and friendly, but he isn't, just ignoring their presence unless he needs to acknowledge them. The lord wanted to leave as soon as possible but he promised the girl he would train her, and help her get stronger. He was not going back on his word to her.
Said girl was half asleep and she cuddled close to the demon lord, the side of her face pressed firmly against the man's chestplate. Underneath the armor, she could faintly hear his heartbeat, the steady thumping filling her with a sense of calm. She matched her breathing to his, feeling her breaths soon match his and her heart beating in tune with his.
Kohaku wanted to fall asleep, she really did. But she wanted to just bask in the lord's warmth for a while longer, listen to his monotonous voice for just a bit more. She was unsure why, but as soon as training had ended her mind had wandered to unsavory thoughts. She had caught the eyes of a few of the village eyeing the demon lord up. It had kind of irked her how their eyes held such lust in them when they gazed at him.
She was always aware of his looks, at times complimenting him herself, but she always thought what she was doing was what friends do. And when the chief had mistakenly called Sesshomaru her husband, yes she corrected him that said demon was not her husband, but it did make her heart hurt to say it. She's never felt such feelings like she has before until now. It confused her and made her feel bad but good at the same time.
"Stop grumbling Kohaku. Sleep. You will need all of your energy tomorrow," the demon lord whispered to her. And there it was again. The unmistakable feelings swirling in her stomach with the way he just spoke to her. She let out a small little whine, burying her face further into his chest and fur as she felt her face start to heat up. "Qué me estás haciendo?" she grumbled pitifully. Luckily she hadn't started teaching him Spanish yet, though she knew he would soon ask her about the third language she knew.
Though he didn't understand, he could feel that she was upset about something. Wanting to resolve whatever was ailing the teen, the demon lord began to softly growl, and the girl soon after did the same. He held her as her body became less tense and eventually soft snores left her mouth. The lord tangled his clawed fingers into her curly hair as he rested his chin upon her crown.
Sesshomaru was becoming less cold, more soft, and calmer. Just like when he was younger. When it was only him, Kohaku, Yoru, his father, and occasionally his mother, were the only people he needed in his life. Losing the girl the first time was hard. He made sure no one else knew how much it affected him. This time would be different though. This time he will protect her like he was supposed to. This time he will ensure that she can fight for herself properly. This time he will make sure to not lose her again. And for the first time, he hoped his wishes would be heard.
But life never goes the way we want it to.