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The sunset was beautiful. Golds, reds, and oranges mixed and merged together, swirling into one. The sun shone between pale clouds, with the moon barely visible against the other's bright glow.
It was beautiful. And Bai He was not.
Specifically, her hair was not.
She frowned at the streaks of white. She hated them, hated how they reminded her of her time being imprisoned by the Lady Bone Demon, hated how they reminded her of how much it hurt.
She didn't remember much from that time. Sometimes, she got flashes of battles, short clips of people yelling, but for the most part it was just pain.
Bai He pulled her knees to her chest, leaning against the tree she had sat herself near as she watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon. The grass was soft; she considered just sleeping here instead of heading home. She didn't really want to hear her parents yelling right now.
She wondered if she could dye her hair, but that idea was quickly thrown out the window. She would have to ask her parents to go out and buy the dye, and she knew what the fall out of that would be. Useless child, isn't it enough we feed and clothe you? Dye wouldn't happen.
Unless she asked Pigsy? But he had done more than enough for her already, with the free noodles for life. She didn't want to take anymore from him.
She sighed, pushing the loose strands of hair back behind her ear. Out of sight, out of mind. She watched the sunset again, until the last beams of sunlight left, and night began, stars beginning to speckle the sky. She spent a few minutes in blissful silence.
A gust of wind blew through the air, catching a few white strands and blowing them into her face.
Bai He stared at them. Tears began to form in her eyes.
She wished she could get a pair of scissors and cut it all off. Rid herself of the burden of it. Get rid of anything connecting her to the Bone Demon.
Bai He sobbed. Why her? What did she do to deserve this?
"What's with the tears, kid?"
Bai He squeaked, looking at the source of the sudden voice behind her.
Macaque was squatted next to her. He tilted his head, then maneuvered so he was sitting criss-cross.
She stared at him in surprise. "I didn't hear you coming." She quickly tried to wipe her tears away.
"You weren't supposed to." He moved her hands, staring at her slightly damp face. "What's got you so upset?"
Bai He looked away. "It's stupid."
Macaque sighed, letting go of her hands. He looked at the sky. By now, all the stars were visible.
"The moon is awfully pretty tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Bai He followed his gaze.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just staring at the sky, the only noise being the rustling of the leaves and Bai He's sniffling.
"It's late," Macaque finally said. "You should head home."
Bai He shook her head. "I don't wanna. Can't I sleep out here?"
The monkey scoffed. "You can't sleep outside."
"I have before."
"...You shouldn't have to."
Macaque stood, dusting himself off. He hesitated a moment, staring down at the child, before holding out a hand.
"C'mon. You can come to my place."
Bai He lit up. "Really?"
Macaque nodded. "Yeah."
The child took it, allowing the monkey to pull her up. She continued to hold it after, as the older individual led her away from the outskirts of the city and back to the main part.
He smiled at her, and for a moment, he seemed to become slightly blurry. Then, suddenly, he looked completely different. His right eye was scarred, he had six colorful ears, and his black fur… it held silvery white streaks, exactly like hers.
"For the record," Macaque said, as he led her to his dojo. "I think your hair looks nice. It suits you."
Bai He stared in shock.
Macaque was like her, too.
She grinned. Her previous grief, though still lingering, was nearly gone. She wiped a few remaining tears from her face.
"Yours too," she nearly whispered.
Maybe her hair wasn't terrible. Maybe, she could learn to love it.
Maybe.