Summer Waves

Adulthood was hard. It required working and making money and making schedules. Even during summer which was now quickly ending. Sara had been busy training others and doing tattoos that she barely had time for her wife anymore. Of course, she made a way. She wasn’t one to put her duties to her beloved to the side. After all they had been friends since childhood and honestly, Sara couldn’t see herself enjoying life without her sweet bunny partner at her side. Kokomi was peaceful, she lived a good life under Sara’s protection. She enjoyed baking and sharing things with Sara. Meanwhile, Sara was a retired slayer, now working as a fighter part time in fight rings and a personal trainer at other times. But truthfully her passion was in tattoos. She had a couple herself that went up and down her arms and across her back. As a kid she always found her parent’s tattoos fascinating. But that was what Sara was now. Not exactly what she thought she was going to be growing up. For a long time, she firmly believed that she was a yokari too. But in the end, it turned out that she only inherited the cat genes from her parents and nothing else. Sara wasn’t upset about this. Not at all. But she did still like to think that maybe she was just a super late bloomer and one day she would have wings too. She smiled at such thoughts. Even if it was just her having high hopes.

“Do you remember how we met, Koi?” Sara asked absentmindedly as they laid back on the roof together. It was nearing the end of summer and the weather was cooling off enough for Sara to convince Kokomi to come outside and watch the stars with her. Whenever the pair could have a date night together they would, even if it meant being really tired the next day. It was hard enough for Sara to get off days as is, but whatever Kokomi wanted she would do it. Kokomi pulled the blanket tighter around them.

“Of course I do! You threw such a tantrum during the class meet up. I remember you knocking over a bunch of sand castles”

“Did not! I was being cool!” Sara scoffed, tossing her hair out of her face, “Had to show off for the pretty ladies,,, Also I sucked at talking to people back then. I’m amazed I even went up to you guys. ”

“I don’t think you were thinking about pretty ladies back then” Kokomi giggled moving to lay on top of her wife’s chest, “We were cute kids.”

“We were.” Sara agreed playing with the edges of her wife’s hair. She closed her eyes humming to herself as she thought back on those warm summer days on the beach. 

~~~~~

The end of summer was nearing and the new kinder class was having a get together before school started. There was still a week before summer ended and Sara was already upset about having to go to school. School was boring! But her parents had to work abroad doing their guardian stuff. Sara didn’t really understand it but she missed being able to see her dads every day. She huffed as she watched the other kids play around her. Boring. She bet that working out in the field and fighting other ashuri was so much more fun! But she had only heard stories never done it herself. After all, she was only five, and her curse mark had yet to develop. But he parents really hyped it up about how cool it was to get your curse mark! And how cool it was to have specialized kabuki! Sara didn’t care much about that. She was excited for when her wings would come in! Which would be any day now! Hopefully… After all, she had mixed parents. Yokari and Shiri. And while there was nothing wrong with being a shiri or an anri she really really wanted bat wings like one of her dads. Or crow wings like her other dad! Any wings! Sara just wanted wings. So then she could soar above her classmates and never have to go to school again! That’s how it worked right? But right now, Sara was just Sara and she was on a beach.

Sara had been brought by her temporary guardian. A shrine maiden called Yuki. She didn’t mind Yuki but he was so old fashioned and all the kids stared at him. Sara quickly separated herself from her caretaker running off through the sand to find something better to do. She marched right up to a group of kids making sandcastles. They were bickering amongst themselves on who had the best castle and why. Perhaps it was just nap time for poor Sara as she decided none of them were good and promptly kicked the closest one over. The group silenced their bickering and stared up at her. “I’m the sandcastle judge! And all your castles are terrible!” That was just Sara for you, never really thinking about other people’s feelings. A pink haired girl across from her stood and stomped her foot down in the sand.

“But who appointed you judge! This is a democracy, we all have to vote for that” She huffed crossing her arms across her chest.

“Demo…Demo…Democracky?” Sara asked tilting her head.  “I don’t know what that means so I don’t have to listen to you!”

The pink haired ashuri huffed again and shook her head, “What’s your name? I’m going to tell your Mom.” 

“Jokes on you! I don’t have a mom!” Sara responded back not seeming put off by that at all.

 

“O-oh…Well, I’m going to tell your dad then!” The other said quickly rebounding.

“My dad isn’t here either” Sara sassed back. “…My name is Sara. Who are you huh? I’m gonna tell your mom!”

“What are you going to tell my mom? I’m not the one in the wrong here!”

“Because you used a big word Demo…Democracky! And it’s probably a bad word!” 

“Democracy. And it’s not a bad word. It’s a type of government. My name is Kokomi. It’s nice to meet you Sara!” Kokomi said with a happy little bounce, “Come on then, I’ll take you to my mom and she’ll tell you what democracy means” 

“She’s gonna tell me it’s a bad word” Sara said back as her hand was grabbed and she was dragged away. “…Why are we going to the water…” Sara mumbled glancing back to where most of the parents were chatting. Even Yuki was talking to one of the parents. 

“To get the sand off of our feet and hands!”

Sara huffed. This girl has way too much energy.  Sara carefully stepped into the water behind Kokomi, “It’s cold. Plus I don’t want to get my wings wet!”

“You’re just a baby” Kokomi said sweetly splashing water over in her direction, “What wings?”

“My future wings! I have two parents with wings and therefore I’m going to have wings!”

Kokomi was silent as if trying to decide if this girl was lying or not, “Oh! I see! So they haven’t grown in yet? That’s so cool! Are your parents yokari? My mom was talking about legends about them”

“Yeah! My parents are part yokari! My older brother got the yokari stuff so I’m going to too! But…his kid is an anri so maybe not…but I hope I get my wings someday! Then I’ll take you flying!”

“Wow! Flying? Where would we go?” Kokomi asked sitting in the shallow water and lightly hitting her hands against the water. Sara sat across from her trying to catch fish in her hands.

“Uh…well my dad always tells me about this castle in the sky! Where only yokari can go, but since you’re my friend I’ll make an exception for you!”

“That sounds so amazing! I can’t wait for you to grow your wings” Kokomi caught a minnow in her hands and held it over to Sara, “I caught a fish!”

“Cool! What are you naming it?” Sara asked holding it in her hands watching it swim around in the water. Kokomi quickly ran back to shore grabbing a water bottle to put the fish in. While her parents were sure to make her return it to the ocean later, the fish seemed content to swim around in the temporary container.

“What about KokoSara! Both of our names! It’s a fish to commemorate our new friendship!”

“Com…commemorat?”

“Celebrate.”

“You know a lot of big words! That’s so cool” Sara laughed looking at their newly caught fish. 

~~~~~

Perhaps being dragged to the beach wasn’t too bad in the end. It let Sara meet her future wife, her literal soulmate. She fondly remembered when their curse marks first appeared and the pair of them realizing how similar they were. Exactly the same just different colours. Not to mention as their weapons specialized they ended up matching up together. Sara only had to thank her parents for being out of town during the summer meet up or else she doubted she would’ve gone to meet her new classmates beforehand. And if she never destroyed those sand castles maybe she would have never had a friend. Sara patted her now wife’s head before taking her hands and placing a kiss on both of them.

“Hey Koko? We should go to the beach again sometime.” Sara whispered not wanting to disturb the peace too much.

“That sounds like fun, Sara. I can’t wait to go on another adventure with you”