Lost In Japan

Chapter 9

“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 is beautiful. 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.