Chapter 112 - Interlude 1 - Kaori, The Half-Demon, Part 1

Note: This is the first of a few non-canon chapters. Basically, the premise of these is just exploring the characters in other timelines, universes, and contexts. The point being, you don't have to read these, you can just skip straight to Vol. 3 if you aren't interested, but I thought they'd be fun to do.

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Kaori

The first day of a new university semester was not something Kaori ever really looked forward to, but this one was different. Mainly, because it was Kaori's last semester. As Kaori slipped on her shoes, she sighed. I'm almost done.  Nodding to herself, Kaori tried her hardest to force some excitement into her system. 

She walked over to where a mirror was and looked at herself for a second or two. She was wearing a long-sleeved black scholar's ji that contrasted with the white hair that came from... the other side of her genetics. Saddened a little, Kaori looked into her own violet eyes and pushed back a strand of hair past her horns. 

You'll see...  Kaori told herself. Everything's going to be awesome! Just trust... trust in Lumina! 

Nodding, Kaori walked out of the room. The smell of coffee quickly slipped into her nostrils and Kaori was drawn towards it, finding her mother filling a few ceramic mugs. 

Unnoticed, Kaori walked up behind her and wrapped her up in a hug. Her mom was startled, but she soon chuckled and eased up. 

"You came out of there a bit late," her mother noted. "Butterflies getting the better of you?" 

"... A bit. Nothing some coffee can't help out though." 

"Coffee does tend to make everything about 20% better. Here you go," she handed Kaori the cup, and the white-haired girl half-bowed. 

"Thanks, mom. Dad already left for work?" Kaori asked. 

"Yes," her mother replied. "You did take a long time to come down, after all." 

"Aw... Well," taking quick sips, Kaori finished the coffee and placed the mug back down on the counter. "I'm off." 

Her mother briefly let go of what she had in her hands and walked over to Kaori, hugging her tightly. 

"Good luck out there." 

---

By now, one would think that Kaori would have gotten used to the strange, dirty looks that she often received, but she hadn't. She looked to her right, just because she felt a pair of eyes on her and she saw two girls whispering to each other, as they stared straight at her. 

Well, they were whispering, but Kaori could still hear them. 

"Oh, shit, it's her," one said and Kaori sighed. "The demon..." 

"I heard she goes out at night and attacks people, like, sucking their blood, you know?" 

"Holy shit..." 

Yeah? I don't think blood tastes good if I'm being honest.

How did she know that? Because of one specific event that happened in her life, just four years ago, when she was 14. See, usually, Kaori was good at avoiding interactions that were overly negative. Sure, people would occasionally spit at her or try to trip her as she passed, but that was normally the extent of the public's distaste for her. 

One night though, as she had been walking home from university, some thugs went way too far. 

She could still remember that night. It had left, no pun intended, a bitter taste in her mouth. 

The sky was as black as ever with two twin purple-ish moons hovering at the center. Kaori's legs were a bit tired but she had enough energy to get back home without having to drag herself. The half-demon kept her head low, her hands in her pockets. The air was colder than usual, entering her lungs like icy daggers every time she breathed in. 

She snuck a quick glance at her surroundings and realized that there were barely any people around. Not even any guards. No, instead, there were just three grown men standing under the torchposts that cast a dim light over the streets. 

Kaori took a nervous breath and hurried her pace, moving to pass them by. However, one noticed her. 

"Ey, get a load of this..." She heard someone whisper as she was about to walk by the small group. 

"Hey, demon," someone called out to her and Kaori closed her eyes. 

"Just keep walking," she told herself. "Just keep..." 

She heard some footsteps coming closer. Kaori was about to turn to look back. 

And then, the world briefly went white. She felt stone pressing against her cheek. Everything was sideways and blurry. It took her a moment to realize someone had just hit her, and that she was now on the ground. 

"Look at it," one of them said. "Just walking through the city like it doesn't have two horns on its cursed fucking head." 

Kaori tried to stand up, but someone put a foot on her back and pressed her back to the stone sidewalk. 

"W-Wait..." Kaori said. "Please..." 

"Oh, it can beg," another one said. "Must have gotten pretty good at pretending to be human. It's honestly a little scary." 

"Yeah... Make no mistake though, lads," the first who had talked said, "this is the same monster that took my wife from me." 

"Look at those horns," she was kicked in the gut and Kaori spat out, coughing. "Nothing human about 'er." 

"... How about we give the world some justice?" One asked the other two. 

And suddenly, Kaori was being taken to a pitch-black alley. Here, she was kicked again, only this time the hit was followed up on by a few more. And then, a lot more. Until Kaori was covering up her head in an effort to just stay alive.

They didn't stop. Even as one of their kicks produced an audible crack in Kaori's left arm, even as blood started to roll down her forehead. 

Even as a violet aura began to encapsulate Kaori's body. 

What happened next is the only part of this that is actually a blur in Kaori's mind. One moment, she was being beaten, the next, she had pinned one of them to the ground, holding him by the shoulders. 

Then, she bit down on his neck and ripped out as much of it as she could. 

Kaori felt like there was meat and blood in her teeth for weeks after that.

Walking past golden gates, Kaori entered her university. This was normally the hardest part of her day-to-day routine, as more eyes were on her here than at any other point. 

Just keep moving, just keep moving, just... 

"Uwah!" Kaori ran into someone. 

She fell on top of the person she'd smashed into. Whoever they were yelped and Kaori quickly sat up. 

"S-Sorry! Sor..." 

But, when her eyes fell on the person under her, the words she'd wanted to say failed to come out. 

Oh. She's gorgeous. 

The girl had long, almost spiky black hair, a slender face, and crystalline blue eyes that were aimed up at her in a glare. 

"..." Their eyes locked and Kaori remained frozen. 

Right up until the woman said:

"You mind getting the fuck off of me?" 

"U-Uh, YES, YOU'RE HOT, I MEAN, S-SORRY!"

The way Kaori scrambled away could only be compared to how a cockroach skitters off at blinding speed after one fails to hit it. The girl stood up, dusted herself off, and as Kaori did the same, she realized how tall she was. She almost stood a full head taller. 

The girl walked up to Kaori and the half-demon fully expected to get slapped. 

Instead, she dusted off Kaori's left shoulder. Then, she leaned in close and said:

"Watch. Where. You're. Going." 

"Y-Yes, ma'am..." Kaori said, assuming she was just a really young teacher of some sort. 

With that, the black-haired beauty walked away and Kaori let out a relieved sigh. 

Not the best start... 

Later, Kaori walked through the halls of the university and went straight to her first classroom. Here, she'd wait until the professor, the students arrived, and then she'd lower her head, plant it against her chair's desk, and nap until the class was over. 

Other students weren't allowed to do that, but no one ever bothered to tell her not to. Most people seemed content to keep away from her at all times. 

You know what... Maybe I should just get started on that nap right away. 

A small part of her was concerned that someone would steal her bag, but overall she was confident no one would. After all, many of the students were afraid to simply get too close for fear that they would be "corrupted" somehow.

So, Kaori closed her eyes and let herself drift away. 

She only got around ten minutes of napping in when someone tapped her right shoulder. 

"Awaha... What?" Kaori said, snapping up. 

When she opened her eyes, she saw the same girl from before, standing in front of her with her arms crossed. 

"So, you actually were asleep?" The girl asked. Kaori noted how unique her voice was. It was like a mixture between the authoritative tone of someone who had been teaching for the last twenty years and was tired of it, and the "can't be asked" attitude of a teenage brat. 

"Um... Sorry... I... Uh..." 

"Whatever, listen," she said, "we're working on a group project together. We have to figure that shit out." 

"What?" Kaori asked and then, she looked around. All of the other students were paired up, with their chairs huddled closer together. "You..." 

She was about to ask "you wanted to work with me?" but, she then quickly realized that it had probably been a teacher that assigned them to work together. 

Right. Like anyone would want to. 

The girl dragged a chair over, its legs scratching against the ground, and then she sat down in front of Kaori, leaning back. 

"Wait," Kaori said, "so... You aren't a teacher?" 

At that, the girl raised a brow. 

"No. Now, listen sweetheart," the girl said, kicking her legs up and putting her feet on a chair nearby. 

Wow... She has long legs. 

"We can talk about this project here, but honestly, I wanted to catch some sleep too, so I thought maybe we can talk about this outside." 

"... Outside?" Kaori asked. "As in, outside of the academy?" 

"What other outside is there, genius?" The girl asked with a roll of her eyes. 

"R-Right... Sorry..." 

"Anyway, listen. Name's Ash," the girl said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna knock myself out for a few seconds."

And then, she reached into her bag, pulled out some shirt, and draped it over her head. 

Kaori couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight. 

Uh... Okay... What the heck is going on?