Zoo Keeping and Paper Cranes

Yuko saw him again, the boy with the white hair, he seemed to hang around the zoo and enjoy it a lot. He usually carried a sketchbook with him happily scribbling away with crayons. And on most days a man would arrive to pick him up, at first she thought they were father and son. But she quickly recognized that the man that picked him up was an investigator by the suit case he carried on most days.

She was curious and wanted to speak with him for a while but could never bring herself to do it, he just looked too happy. But lately, for the past few days he just looked sad and lost something that didn't suit him. Adjusting her school bag on her back she approached him.

"Mind if I sit with you?" she asked him, he didn't respond still staring sadly down at an empty page in his sketch book, his worn down crayons laying abandoned at his side. She sat down next to him glancing up at the giraffes, those always seemed to be his favourites.

He began to draw never looking up from the pad, Yuko secretly wanted to see what was on the page but couldn't since the white haired boy was hunched over the page. He growled then in frustration snatching his red crayon and angrily slashing across the page crossing out his drawing.

Yuko gently rested a hand on his back, she felt him tremble, "Hey… if it hurts, it makes it better to let it out." She said, "I don't really know what has you down but I can listen."

"Go away." He ordered.

Yuko removed her hand from his back, "I think I'll stay right here, I like giraffes and you always sit in the best spot to watch them." She answered kicking her feet out in front of her.

The boy was quiet for several moments and she let him be quiet knowing he needed some time to think but remained knowing he needed a companion, "Why do you even care?"

"Well, when I was really little and something really bad happened to me this very nice stranger made me feel better about it just by sitting next to me on a park bench and hearing me out. That day changed my life and I don't think I'll ever forget it. I saw you and thought to myself it was time to pay it forward you know?" she answered him happily.

"You wouldn't understand what I'm feeling." He answered her bitterly.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, Yuko decided to break it, "The reason I was feeling down… both my parents had been died the night before. I'm not certain but when I saw you I got this vibe that you had lost someone too."

The boy sniffled next to her, "How'd you know?" he asked her.

She shrugged, "I've got a sixth sense you know." She answered him and he glanced at her quizzically and then shook her head out, "No, it's just I've seen you around here before and you looked so down and upset and it doesn't seem like you."

They were silent again for several moments, "You want to talk about it?" she asked him pulling her knees up under her chin, he shook his head out, "I didn't want to either." With that she sprung up onto her feet reaching her hand out to him, "C'mon let's have some fun. I heard there's penguins!" she exclaimed happily.

The white haired boy glanced up at her quizzically, she tipped her head in the direction of the penguin exhibit, "I have an amazing penguin impression, I kid you not." She informed him with a smile and leaned in her eyes darting from side to side as she placed her hand to one side of her mouth as if whispering a secret, "Truth is they think I'm one of them."

She jumped back from him flapping her arms by her side while shuffling her feet around, "Meep Meep Meep Meep!" she called out as she flapped her arms around wobbling around in circles. She paused seeing him watching her, "Told you I'm a penguin."

She could see him in indecision about whether to smile or go back to moping, "Wait, wait watch me be a giraffe." She said lifting her one hand up next to her nose and her hand making a shadow puppet head, "I'm a giraffe and I eat leaves. I'm a giraffe and I have a blue tongue. I'm a giraffe and I have spots." She sang and then looked back at him shrugging her shoulders, "Well I'm still working on that one." She stated with a smile.

She approached him offering her hand again, she brushed the hair getting into her face away with her free hand, "Look, you're a naturally happy person so I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that whoever it is that died they want you to be happy again."

He sniffled tears filling his eyes, "He-he isn't dead. I mean at least not yet."

Yuko smiled, "Hey that's good, you've got a shot to see them again." She flung herself down next to him rooting through her bag, the white haired boy watching her. She withdrew a piece of paper and began folding it.

Yuko was aware of him watching her, "What are you doing?" he asked her curiously.

"Wait for it." She answered him, "Almost there… and done!" she exclaimed presenting him with a paper crane, she gently tugged on it causing its' wings to flap, "A paper crane for you friend."

"Paper crane?" he responded confused.

She nodded her head as he took it from her, "You make a thousand of them and a wish will be granted, that's the first one down for your friend." She answered him.

He lit up immediately with excitement "You mean if I make a thousand of these things and Shinohara'll get better?" he asked her excited.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Can't say for sure but that's what they say after all." She withdrew two more sheets of paper, "C'mon we'll work on it together and you can tell me all about that friend of yours."

…

Yuko glanced up, the sun had begun to set it was coloured orange, "Well I guess that's all we can get done for today, the zoo is going to be closing soon. I can come back tomorrow if you'd like." She offered to the white haired boy as she stood up brushing off her skirt, "Eh that's right I never introduced myself!" she exclaimed, "My name's Yuko, and it was a lot of fun to meet you."

He stared up at her with his wide eyes, "My name's Juuzou." He answered her.

Yuko smiled down at him, "Well then Juuzou guess I'll be seeing you around tomorrow right?"

Day Two

"Yuko?" Juuzou asked as he once again failed at making a paper crane tossing it to his side with the growing pile of failed attempts, "I was just wondering how did your parents die?" he sked her.

She shrugged, "It was a ghoul, they were out that night and I was at home. I'm not quite sure what happened, I just know I was awakened by an investigator at the door of my house to tell me they were both dead."

"Do you hate ghouls then?" Juuzou asked her.

She shook her head, "Nope."

He jumped and looked at her confused, "What do you mean they killed your parents!"

"It was one ghoul, I can't punish all of them for the actions of one of them. The investigators killed it anyways. And I mean they can't help it either can they?" Yuko started, she stared off distantly, "I look at it like this, humans are animals right? Well cows, pigs and chickens are animals. When we get hungry-which is something that we can't help we eat those animals right? Well if we're animals too it just means that when there's a predator, they have to eat us."

"I mean I'm not saying we should take it laying down, all animals fight to survive but at the same time I think they have a right to live-they're just doing what nature asked them to do." She finished.

"I don't think I can see it that way." Juuzou answere dthinkign back to what had happened last than a week ago.

"That's alright." Yuko answered, "I didn't want you to think my way, I wasn't trying to force you to think that way. I was just saying how I thought about it… and another thing, you know how I told you about a person helping me get over my parents' death?" Yuko asked him.

Juuzou nodded not seeing what she was hinting, "They were a ghoul, it was a mother who had lost her daughter." She stated, she smiled sadly trying to hold back the tears, "We both saw eye to eye because we had lost something. She was the nicest person I had ever met in my entire life, she was the only person to really try and comfort me. Comfort me in the way that I needed to be comforted."

Yuko patted off her skirt and smiled, "Well I have to be going now. It's was really great to meet you Juuzou! I'll see you tomorrow and we can make the rest of our one thousand cranes."

Juuzou smiled and nodded, "I'd like that." He answered her watching her trot off into the distance while he gathered up the few cranes that they had made that day.