Title: Stray
Characters: Ochi Tsukimitsu, Mouri Jusaburou
It was another exhausting work day in the city that never really sleeps. The sound of cars honking and pedestrians hurriedly walking around was deafening. Though it was almost midsummer, the city felt cold and devoid of any warmth that was once there. Ochi Tsukimitsu was walking back home from his soul-sucking corporate office job, unsure of what to make of anything. His trip home took him through a local park, where a lot of the neighbourhood stray cats would gather. He would always walk through this area with a few cans of fish and spend some time decompressing by feeding and petting them before heading home.
Today was no different from the rest when he showed up with canned salmon and a cheap convenient store meal to eat alongside his furry companions. He sat down at his usual bench and the cats would crowd around him to wait for their one meal that day. There was a new face amongst the four-legged crowd today, which seemed to pique Ochi's interests. The cat's ginger-coloured fur was highly unusual, but there was something about the shape and colour of his chestnut brown eyes that seemed to captivate him. Rather than gravitate towards the smell of the metallic fish meat, the cat jumped into Ochi's lap and started clawing at his plastic bag with his dinner instead.
The tall man gently scratched the cat behind its ears. "Did you want my oyakodon instead?"
The cat purred as it nuzzled itself into a more comfortable position. Ochi opened up his rice bowl and split the disposable chopsticks using his teeth. He picked out a piece of chicken and fed it to the strange cat in his lap, who happily ate it. The gentle smile caused Ochi's head to swirl around.
"Tsuki-san!"
When the world stopped spinning around him, he found his meal for the night turned over on the ground with the same cat poking away at it. He looked in all directions around him to figure out who was calling out to him, but he couldn't see another sign of human life within earshot. It was the third time that week he had heard someone call out to him like that, yet he wasn't sure why it made his heart skip a beat. He also wasn't able to figure out who exactly was calling him either.
Sighing, Ochi bent down and picked up the plastic bowl off of the ground and shoved it in the bag. He collected the now-empty cans of fish and added them into his garbage pile. He gave the cats another headpat or scratch on the back before standing back up to head home. On his way back, he picked up some sandwiches to make up for his lost meal.
His tiny, run down apartment was just as cold as the day. The rickety floorboards and patchy drywall added the wrong kind of character to the place, but it was what this man called home. It was only big enough for one person and he never had intentions of letting anyone else into his abode. His makeshift living and bedroom was surprisingly neat with everything in its place; a testament to his methodical habits.
As per routine, he entered the small unit, slipped off his shoes, undid his tie and headed towards the bathroom to take a bath. Once he finished, he would go to the kitchen and pour himself a cold glass of water, swallow a fistful of pills and retire to his futon for the night. When he woke up, he would swallow another fistful of medication, dress himself up for his job and leave the claustrophobic box.
Thursdays were different for him. Rather than going to work, he had to spend a considerable amount of his day at the hospital instead. His first appointment upon arrival was to the radiology department to take some x-rays and CT scans of his legs and right shoulder. Afterwards, it was off to physical therapy to check the movement of the same areas. Finally, his long day would take him to psychiatry, where he met with his therapist.
"Good afternoon, Ochi-san," the therapist greeted with a warm smile. "How are we doing today?"
He would only nod or shake his head, rather than say anything. He could never find it in him to answer the therapist's questions. He just didn't remember. His thoughts were hazy and whatever memories he had during his high school days were missing. Despite the missing time, he still retained all of the information he had studied in school during that time. It was a strange case of retrograde amnesia all around and his doctors were nowhere near close to determining the underlying cause.
"Ochi-san, do you wish to discuss what happened during the accident?"
He furiously shook his head when they uttered the word 'accident', but he could never figure out why his reaction was to instinctively do that.
"That's alright. We can discuss it when you are ready to."
This same meeting would happen every week without fail. It had been over half a year since he started this weekly routine, and yet, no progress was ever made. Ochi wondered if it was even worth it to continue this miserable cycle if he was making no progress on recovering his lost years.
After wasting his time, he would make his daily visit to the stray cats once again. The cats reminded him of a cat he used to have when he was still living with his parents. He would adopt one if he could, but his lease did not allow for pets. Instead, he chose to care for the ones that were abandoned on the streets. Today, he decided to buy canned sardines for them and a tray of tuna sashimi for himself. The same cats were waiting for him again at his little spot without fail, including the new cat from yesterday. He cracked open the cans and placed them on the ground, allowing the felines to swarm around and eat. He petted each one of them before sitting down on the bench to observe them and eat his meal.
The same ginger cat jumped into his lap and began to nuzzle against him. Ochi slipped the creature a piece of his sashimi before he started eating it himself. When everyone was done, he collected the garbage into a plastic bag and sat down again to bask in the moment. This time, the ginger cat climbed up and perched itself on Ochi's right shoulder. Suddenly, a searing headache began to form, causing him to fall over on the bench and hold his head in pain.
"Ochi-kun, starting today, he will be your doubles partner. He has a tendency to skip practices, so I expect you to be able to keep him in line."
He couldn't make out the faces of who was talking to him or who the voice was referring to. He remembered the feeling of a tennis racket in his hand. He remembered travelling the world at some point to play that game. Did he always play doubles? He vaguely remembered playing by himself, but most of his enjoyment from the sport was with someone else. Who was it?
"Tsuki-san!"
That name again. Who always called him that? It had to be someone close to him.
"I don't want to die..."
"No! You won't die! Stay with me!" he screamed.
When he opened his eyes, the same cat was pawing at his face, as if trying to soothe him. He was sweating all around and disoriented. He sat back up and buried his face into his hands as he tried to process what just happened to him.
Later that night, before he took his cocktail of pills, Ochi heard a scratching sound at his front door. Curious, he walked over to open it. Waiting for him at the door was the same ginger cat with the strange eyes that drew him in.
"It's late," he said to the cat as he picked it up and brought it inside his tiny abode.
He walked over to his futon and placed the creature down and sat down beside it. He dished out the pills he had to take for the night out into a small cup for easier delivery. The cat seemed to notice the colourful things and hopped on top of the table. It walked over and stopped him from dispensing the sleep aide he normally took.
He smiled at the cat. "I need that to sleep."
The cat hissed when he tried to open the bottle again.
"You don't want me to take it?" He scratched the cat behind its ears and gave it a light kiss. "Alright."
He swallowed his pills and chased it down with water before turning off the lights and crawling under his futon for the night. The cat decided to curl up close to his face to sleep beside him.
The pill the cat didn't want Ochi to take that night controlled his night terrors. He had never gone a single night without taking it because he was scared. He wasn't sure what he was scared of, but the thought of having to experience those fears was enough to keep him ignorant. His body could physically remember the horrors despite his mind suppressing all of that information behind a wall of trauma that he wasn't aware of.
He could see a fire before him. The screams of agony echoed into the night. His body was being crushed under searing hot metallic debris. Ochi was holding onto someone's hand for dear life. Whose hand was it? He could not remember.
"Tsuki-san, I don't want to die."
"No! You won't die! Stay with me!"
"It's so cold tonight, Tsuki-san... It's so, so cold..."
He woke up in a panic, hyperventilating and terrified. The cat that was beside him jumped up on its hind legs and gently clawed at his chest, meowing and crying for the man to stop. Ochi started to pet the animal, which slowly brought him back down. Its presence calmed him enough to lull him back into a more peaceful slumber.
He was trapped in an endless nightmare to recover his past memories. The forgotten high school years that he had lost were slowly reoccupying his mind. He was Ochi Tsukimitsu; captain of Hyoutei's tennis team and Number 9 All Japan Representative. He was a good tennis player through and through. How could he forget all of this? Why did he forget all of this?
Throughout his time as a representative, he could only remember playing doubles, and yet, he couldn't remember who he was playing with. The voice was as clear as day.
"Tsuki-san! We did it!"
"We certainly did."
A dark hotel room. One that he shared with this doubles partner. They slept in the same bed together. They were holding hands with each other and whispering secrets. Why were they doing that?
"When this is all over, what do you plan on doing with your life, Tsuki-san?"
"I don't know. I'll find out as long as I'm with you."
His first kiss. He shared it with this person. Why?
"No fair, Tsuki-san! I wasn't ready!"
"I'll make the next one count, then."
His first time. Same person. Why did he do that?
"Are you sure? I can back off if-"
"No, Tsuki-san. I want this. It's okay, as long as it's you."
Who was this person? Why could he not remember a thing about them? Did he love this person? Was this person just a friend? It was frustrating. He couldn't remember a thing about someone so important to him.
He woke up late the next morning, meaning he was also going to be late for work. The cat who was with him last night was gone. The screen door to his tiny balcony was torn and slid open just enough for a cat to escape through. Sighing, he sat himself up and took his morning concoction before getting himself ready to head to the office.
His feet carried him to the subway station to catch the next overcrowded train to the heart of the city. When time came to board the train, he hesitated. He couldn't take the step onto the car in front of him. Why was he hesitating? He knew he was forgetting something, but what was it? The area was making him feel nauseated. He needed air. He hobbled back out of the station and dropped to his knees, panting heavily.
He couldn't do it. He still couldn't take the subway, but he had no idea why.
The screech from the brakes rubbing on the tracks sent a chill down his spine and he ran further away from the station. He ran until he felt his knees buckle and the plates in his legs began to ache. He fell down beside a riverbank, the railroad crossing not too far off in the distance. He sobbed uncontrollably, but did not know why. He was trembling in fear and it was frustrating not knowing why.
His phone was going off with notifications. The roar of the trains gliding on the tracks drowned out the wail of his soul. A persistent 'meow' was the only thing that filled his ears. He briefly stopped to look.
It was the cat again. The same cat with the eyes he struggled to look at. Ochi picked up the cat and looked deep into those very same eyes. In those eyes, he saw a boy.
A boy with red hair. Just a few inches shorter than he was. A faint scent of sandalwood shampoo. His lips were so soft and familiar. It had to be him. This boy fit somewhere into his fragmented memories.
The sound of the train scared him back. The cat jumped out and ran towards the noise. Ochi bolted after the creature.
"Mouri, wait!" he called out to the feline.
Why did he call the cat that? What was that name?
The cat ran onto the track. He scooped the small animal into his arms. The oncoming train couldn't stop in time. A loud screech. The air was full of screams of horror. His body was numb, but his mind was racing.
Mouri.
The boy's name was Mouri. His doubles partner was named Mouri. His first kiss was with a boy named Mouri. His first love was a boy named Mouri. What happened to him? Where was he? How could he forget someone so important?
"Tsuki-san, I don't want to die."
"No! You won't die! Stay with me!"
"It's so cold tonight, Tsuki-san... It's so, so cold..."
"Jusaburou, don't go! I love you!"
"Tsuki-san... It's so cold..."
The fiery inferno. The accident. Their train derailed just a few days after the new year began. They were being crushed by the fragments of the car they were in. They were just inches away from each other. They held each other's hands tightly, silently vowing to never let go. Ochi held Mouri's hand until it went cold. He held his hand until he lost consciousness. Even after waking up in the hospital with no memories of what happened, he held his hand.
There was a light at the other end. He ran towards it. The cat was waiting for him. The cat that was named Mouri. The cat that was actually a human named Mouri. The human that was the love of his life named Mouri. Mouri Jusaburou.
"Tsuki-san! Welcome back! I missed you!"
Ochi opened his arms and wrapped them around him. It was such a familiar feeling that he cried.
"Tsuki-san? What's wrong?"
"I've forgotten you, Jusaburou."
"You never forgot me, Tsuki-san. I was always there."
"Will you leave me again?"
A kiss. It was warm. "I never left you."
"Jusaburou."
"I love you too, Tsuki-san."
His vision faded back. He looked around the bloody scene before him as he watched his body get lifted out of the wreckage. It was numb. It was cold. He felt sleepy. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was there. He was waiting for him.
"I love you too, Jusaburou."