Forgotten Harmony of Germane Errant
Chapter Eight: "Questioning"
Being surrounded by multiple bunny girls would have been a dream come true for some men. However, it was my present nightmare.
Having been lifted up over their rabbit-eared heads, multiple hands easily held me high as I was carried quickly towards the Oriental Mansion. Struggling, I let out a shout of genuine fear, no longer remaining subtle about the ordeal. My cry only seemed to entertain my captors, being met with a chorus of giggling. Before I knew it, we had already entered the building and reached a small room that would have seemed cozy in any other occasion, except for abduction by youkai.
"Let go of me!" I yelled out in desperation.
"Sure thing! Ready girls?" was the reply I received before feeling all hands supporting me suddenly vanish. In a split-second of shock and panic, I flailed my arms like a madman as gravity ran its course. Another desperate yell escaping my lips, my descent was broken abruptly by a hard cushion. Almost at the verge of what felt like a heart attack, I groped the surface I had landed on almost frantically, discovering that it was a sort of medical bed.
After obtaining an awareness of what I was on, I looked up to see that the mob of rabbits had gone and left just as suddenly as they had appeared, save the girl who had dragged me through the gate in the first place. The fact that she was a youkai remained fresh in my mind. Scrambling backwards on the bed, I did not stop until my back was pressed firmly against the wooden wall.
I was at her mercy, the mercy of a supernatural creature. Staring into her seemingly innocent eyes, I feared of what she had planned for me, and whether or not I would live to see the night. The girl's silence did not help to reassure me at all. She just quietly observed me, the amusement plain on her mischievous face. Never would I have ever imagined that such a cute-looking face would strike so much terror in me. I will admit, I may have been overreacting a bit at the time.
Then again, not many people can say that they were lifted through the air by a girl with rabbit ears. Not that many people could even imagine that.
For a long minute, nothing happened, besides an involuntary staring contest. She must've been enjoying the sheer horror that I so blatantly displayed through my expression. Once the rabbit girl's mouth slowly began to open, I grew rigid. Figuring it was my death sentence, I braced myself for a cruel and agonizing end.
What she said, however, threw me completely off-guard.
"Want a meat bun, mister human?"
I stared blankly at the girl with the carrot pendant, my mind registering what she had asked. The question was so random that it almost begged for a very overused response.
"What?"
"Want a me-…"
"I heard you. It's just... what?"
"Reisen was cooking some meat buns a little bit before you and your friends got here. She spent all morning making them, but I'm sure she won't miss a couple of them." The girl grinned in an impish, if not sadistic, smile, making her way towards the only doorway in the room.
"Uh… um… Sure. I'll take one." I was lost at that point.
"Great! I'll be back in a second!"
With that, she ran out, leaving me confused and alone. For some odd reason that I would later come to realize, I felt sincerely sorry for the person the girl had talked about, that Reisen fellow. Hopefully they were not inconvenienced by the offer…
I stopped myself. Moments ago, I had been imagining all of the worse possible tortures those youkai had in store for me. Yet with the offering of a mere meat bun, I had relaxed tremendously, though I remained cautious of my surroundings. Taking a deep breath in, I rested my head against the wall behind me. Thanks to this and the ordeal back in the Bamboo Forest, I was spent.
Regaining some composure, I took the opportunity to check myself over, searching for any injuries that may have appeared while I was being transferred roughly into the room. Besides my chest wound staining my bandages with crimson again, I seemed to be relatively unharmed. Grateful for the now-dampen bindings, I arose from the bed, and took the opportunity to inspect the room I was left in. I searched for anything useful; be it fresh bandages or a weapon to defend with.
Eyeing the cabinet case in the corner, I gazed at the spotless wooden shelves to find a variety of what appeared to be medicine bottles placed neatly in pre-assigned rows. It was when I began to read some of the labels that I was crudely reminded in what world I was in. As if I had forgotten at all.
"What the…" was all I could say in the face of 'Curse Distiller' and 'Leap Enhancer'. Moving closer to examine the unique concoctions further, I reached forward and took hold of the nearest one. Reading the medicine's name, I found myself contemplating over what the effects could be.
It was called 'Butterfly Dream Pill". A rather elaborate name for a drug.
The bottle still in my hand, I tore my gaze away to observe the papers hanging on the wall next to an Eastern-looking circle window. Among the array of pinned notes were different recipes with strange ingredients, simple to-do lists, random reminders, and a few inspirational sayings.
A large wooden desk resided directly beneath the circle window and hung papers. Like the wall, it too had several small documents lounging on it, but with the difference being a number of vials lining the edge of the surface touching the wall. Sitting in a small black pot was a long pallid feather, adding a sense of antiquity to the entire room. Subconsciously I ran my finger on the strands of the improvised writing utensil, relaxing further in the calming sensation that the white 'pen' inflicted upon my hand. This room, despite the medicines and outdated utilities, seemed so normal; a welcomed sight in a bizarre world. Withdrawing my hand, I looked out the circle window and stared blankly at the bamboo scenery visible through the opening.
I wanted to go back. Back to a world where everything made sense. It did not matter if it was a world that did not care for me. It did not matter if it was a melancholic world filled with sadness and hate. It was a world I knew. A world I would be left alone in. A world wher-
Hold on.
I was missing something.
The cellphone.
Where was the cellphone I had found in the Bamboo Forest?
At once noticing the lack of weight on the small sash around my waist, I reached into the cloth holding my kimono together with my free hand; the other still grasped onto the pill bottle. Feeling no device, I undid the sash and held it before me, as if hoping that action would make the cellphone turn up. By consequence, my kimono came undone, allowing my bare body to become visible to the world.
Or rather, regrettably, just one person.
"My, my. I was not aware that you were seeking THAT type of examination."
At that moment, my heart stopped cold and then fell down to my heel, shattering upon impact. Slowly looking up, I locked eyes with a smirking white-haired woman holding a simple wooden clipboard. No, I must correct myself. I was the only one making eye contact. She was, in a mockingly shocked manner, glanced at something else entirely.
I will forever be grateful to the Villagers for not removing my boxers where they changed my clothes.
"AHHHH! I'm sorry!"
In the split second I blurted out those words, my arms went into action, plastering the two loose folds of my robe back to their rightful places at my sides. Once again decent, I continued to eye the sudden newcomer while the room abruptly increased 100 degrees in temperature.
The woman donned a cap that resembled that of a nurse's with a blouse decorated with what appeared to be constellations; complete with a skirt that matched the other two articles of clothing by their blue and red color scheme. She did not seem disturbed or even affected by the whole display. In fact, she even walked closer.
"Now, now. It is completely fine. Why did you cover up?" the woman reassured casually as the distance between us became less and less; her eyes, the same shade of grey as mine if not lighter, finally meeting my own.
"W-What?" I stuttered, backing away by instinct (and unfortunately trauma from past experiences involving certain hot-blooded samurai and devil goddesses).
"Do not worry. I just want to have a little look." The blue-red nurse cooed as she drew within arm's reach of me.
"W-W-What?! W-Wait!" My entire person was burning up. Feeling dizzy, I placed a hand on the cushioned bench to steady myself, and to lean back as the woman stopped inches in front of me. My robe remained in place thanks to my other hand, which held the Butterfly Dream Pills, but it did loosen up regardless.
"Hold still now. I will try not to hurt you." With that, she lightly touched one of the loose seams of my kimono. Disoriented and now frozen, I could only stare and brace myself for what she had in store for me, no matter how wrong it could be.
The woes of having a young teen mind.
"Hmmm... Oh my. This wound... How are you still alive?"
Hearing those words, I immediately sobered up, a new gravity setting in as I took a moment to comprehend the question.
"How am I... what?"
The blue-red woman drew back slightly, although still holding my kimono open where my bandage was. Lost was her initial teasing approach, replaced instead by a concerned stare.
"This wound is infected with the venom of a Tsuchinoko. Any human would have perished within hours of exposure. Yet..."
Letting go of my clothing, the woman reached up and gently placed her hands on my face, cradling it carefully as she veered into me. Despite the close proximity, I stayed unusually calm; and remained so, even after I felt the complete weight of the woman's next question for me.
"Are you truly human?"