𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 | | 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐱 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐡𝐚 | | 𝐊𝐍𝐘

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞

Nothing about each other wasn't special, not one aspect of each other failed to make their hearts flutter, they didn't fall in love with just one things of each other, but they fell in love with everything -- even their beautiful imperfections.  The time Kotoha spent with Douma as they roamed the crowded streets of the festival was majestic -- his warm hand that held hers, his smiling face as she would occasionally look up at him, his blonde hair that looked golden as the lights from the festival lanterns, and his rainbow eyes that sparkled with radiance as he looked at her.  

And for the first time, Douma actually enjoyed something -- that wasn't killing or hunting humans or Hashiras and it was only possible because Kotoha was with him, there was no doubt about that.  With her, the lights looked more bright, the sights seemed more amazing, the food looked more delicious, the games were more fun when he would win a prize for her and watched as she face gleamed with joy, and the fireworks that lit up the sky as he would glance at Kotoha -- how beautiful she looked.  

Kotoha was holding about 5 stuffed toys that Douma had won for her, and each time, that number kept increasing as Douma kept playing at booths.  Since he would always win, the number of toys Kotoha had was now 10 -- meaning he had won 5 more games, as expected of a demon with enhanced abilities.  However, as Kotoha would steal a glance at Douma, his arms looked empty and lonely as he would never keep the gifts he won, so she was determined to win a game for him.  Douma was waiting in line for deep fried fish balls when Kotoha noticed a Japanese Black Bear stuff toy, that was as big and long as the top of her head down to her waist.

'It looks so cute and fierce at the same time...maybe Douma might like it', she thought to herself.  She walked closer to the game booth and realized it was an archery game where you had to hit a precise point for different types of prizes.  She talked to the guy and learned that since she wanted a big surprise, she would have to hit the middle -- right on the yellow X.  Once she payed, the guy let her 4 chances to hit the mark, even though people watching yelled saying they only had 3 chances.  There was no doubt that he wasn't charmed by her beauty that he gave her an extra chance.  Kotoha realized this too, but decided to ignore it as she walked into the booth and had the target 7 feet in front of her ( the booth is long on the inside for the shooter to shoot in so they won't be disturbed).  Kotoha held the bow with her left hand at the front -- holding her index finger out, then placed the arrow on the opposite side.  She pulled the string back as her right hand held both the string and the back of the arrow.  She pulled the string to her cheek, a few inches away from her mouth, and began to straighten her bow -- staring at the yellow X in the target above her as the arrows head trembled towards it.  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second to only open them again, then released her grip on the arrow as it shot straight out -- piercing the air with it's sharp front and stabbed the target, right on the X, and on her first try.  

Everyone was in shock that a woman like her had hit the mark on her first try -- some of them were former players who had only got small prizes because they couldn't hit it right in the middle.  This was no shock to Kotoha though, for her father had taught her when she was a teenage girl.  Her and her father would go hunting often, quietly stalking moving deer through the forests and stood feets away from their prey as they raised their bow and arrow and hit it dead for dinner.  Ever since she was of age to hold a weapon, she had never missed, even when she had aimed at a moving bird.  But her amazing talents were looked down upon by her husband and mother-in-law because it wasn't a woman's sport and very unladylike.  But this time was different.

She breathed in ease as she kept a rather straight and serious face as she stared at her accomplishment.  She took the exact same position after picking up her second arrow, aimed for the X and it sliced right through the previous arrow she had shot, hitting it right in the middle again -- and this continued till she ran out of arrows.  Everyone stared at the target with 3 bows sliced in the middle stabbing the X mark and one bow still complete.  Douma had watched her since the time she hit the mark with her first bow, and also stared at amazement of his significant other.  She almost looked like a different person -- her eyes were focused and dead cold as she looked at the target in front her, her smile had vanished and left a rather dull look, her body looked stiff as her hand was gripping on the bow.  But no matter what she looked like -- dirty, sad, lonely, smiling, or even cold, his heart would beat for her.