Hi, guys! So…I'm back.
Sorry about the unplanned hiatus, but I've had really bad mental health for the past 2 weeks and this chapter just took me ages. But it's here and hopefully it won't happen again.
I've decided to plan some hiatuses further on, but you'll be notified of these when they happen and they won't be any longer than a month!
I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for reading!
It feels as though hours have passed when the door to the private room finally swings open.
The men leave the room, chuckling and jeering drunkenly, as the drug dealer tells them about some other exclusive tourist spot they should visit.
They do not notice Maddie, who has been waiting, talking occasionally to Tsukiyama, who seems desperate to know where Bunny is.
Maddie immediately approaches the room, chewing her lips and attempting to quell the queasiness in her stomach.
"Bunny—"
Maddie stops.
She has to look away. She has to get out of there. She has to prepare herself to deal with it; with what will come next.
"Maddie?" Dory appears, staring at Maddie with wide eyes, "How is she? Is she okay? Maddie, is Bunny okay?" His voice cracks.
"Don't look in there yet. It's...messy."
Dory doesn't listen, and dives into the room, "Bunny?"
Maddie hears him gasp, "Oh, Bunny, what have they done?" He cries, now at Bunny's side, clutching her hand and staring into her glazed eyes, "What have they done? What did they do?"
Bunny is covered in a cocktail of bodily fluids. She breathes rapidly, her chest quivering with each heartbeat, and yet, they appear as still and pristine as a porcelain doll.
And like a doll, Bunny is horribly positioned.
Her legs have been splayed open, revealing a gruesome mess in between. Her beautiful hair is matted with foul fluid. Her skin is drenched in a thin coat of sweat and blood. Her mouth is torn and licked with blood and vomit, and cigarette burns dot her arms.
The sight is almost impressive. A tragic masterpiece.
Perhaps this is only because Bunny is the centrepiece. A subject that somehow, always manages to secrete something lovely, majestic, even in such a horrible situation. Even when everything about this situation makes everyone want to throw up.
Dory looks at Maddie, "For God's sake, help me! Help me get her up, Maddie."
"Yeah, just...Just give me a minute."
"Hasn't she been lying here long enough?"
"Bunny?" Asks Mr Tsukiyama, who has now also appeared. He gasps, "Oh, good lord! Mon Dieu! What have they done to her?" He says with passionate rage.
"Zuki, finally, could you—"
"They did that to her, didn't they? Of course they did. The vermin! The absolute filth! How dare they even breathe the same air as her! Where are they? I should very much like to—"
"Zuki!" Dory cries, "Shut up! Just shut up and help me!"
"Help you with what? I need to go and tear out the throats of the scum that did this!"
"Stop it. Just stop," Dory says, his voice breaking, "Stop with your stupid ideas and actually help me. Help her," Dory cradles Bunny's head, stroking her hair and keeping it from her eyes, shushing her pained mumbles.
"You can manage on your own. I need to find the wastes of life that did this! Besides, I shouldn't have to get covered in all that...fluid."
"Seriously? Do you actually wanna help or not?"
"Of course, I just—"
"Oh, whatever, Zuki. You're fucking useless. I'll do it myself."
"It's alright, I'll help," Maddie says, approaching and helping Bunny to stand up.
Bunny lets out a cry, as though she is in extreme agony. Maddie holds her to her chest, shushing her.
"It's fine," Dory says, "Let me go get her cleaned up. You call Pasha and sort this out," He nods to the room, "God knows Bunny doesn't need some manager shouting in her face right now."
Maddie nods, "Fine, but I might be a while," She strokes Bunny's hair. Bunny flinches, and letting out a shriek and curling into Dory, "Take her straight to my car when you're done."
Maddie looks to Lyra, who is peeking timidly into the room, gawking at the state of Bunny.
"Lyra, could you help Dory clean her up?"
"Uh..." Lyra gasps, "Me? Oh, uh..."
"Nice of you to join us," Tsukiyama says, "Took you long enough."
"Shut up, Zuki."
"Don't tell me to shut up."
"Stop it, both of you. Lyra? I understand if you don't want to, but..." She trails off, looking at Bunny's whimpering, sobbing form.
"Okay," Lyra says, "I, uh, I can help."
Bunny refuses Lyra's touch, screeching at her in a way so incredibly frightening, but to who?
As Dory carries Bunny away, Bunny gazes around with eyes so wet and large; like a deer in headlights, almost completely locked in fear.
Lyra cannot help but feel guilty; some sick part of her had been eager to see Bunny so distressed, in such a state of agony, to see her become more disgusting than Lyra thought herself.
Lyra dreamt about it, secretly waiting for it to happen, and now it has. And all Lyra feels is sadness, sickness, and disgust at that part of herself that thought seeing Bunny ruined would give her pleasure.
Dory takes Bunny to a room with stained carpets and peeling wallpaper. It's quiet, aside from the whirring of a fan and two women arguing on the other side of the room.
Dory sets Bunny down in front of a dressing table covered in gifts. He looks around for something, and after not finding it, thrusts Bunny's stuffed dragon into her arms. He turns to Lyra and asks her to get Bunny's many bags. Lyra wonders why Bunny has so many bags, and why they are all so heavy, but she doesn't ask.
Dory grabs a wet towel and together, they're able to clean most of Bunny up. Her hair is too matted to even try to clean, so Dory clips it up, before getting rid of the shreds of Bunny's outfit. Dory dresses Bunny in a pink tracksuit that reminds Lyra of a girl in her family who never spoke.
Bunny hasn't spoken since they got into the room. She's just been staring at nothing, silently crying. Lyra wonders if she'll ever hear Bunny's happy giggles again, or the brightness of her voice.
The prospect of that upsets something within Lyra; it makes her guilt swell even further.
But then Bunny asks, "Where's my dad?" She is crying, "Where's my dad?"
Dory strokes her hair, "Pasha's at home, babe, you'll see him in a minute."
"Ok. Ok. That's good. What about other dad? Baba?"
"Oh, Delius? Oh, Bunny, he's not here right now."
"No, I need him. I need him here. I need to tell him something."
"What do you need to tell him?"
"I need to...I need to tell him something," Bunny gasps between sobs, "I really need to tell him something."
"Okay, well, why don't we get you home, and maybe he'll be there?"
"No. I have to tell him something. I really need to tell him something."
"I know, but—"
"Where is he? Can you go get him for me?"
"No, sweetie I can't, but we're gonna go home now."
Bunny doesn't speak, staring at nothing as they cry, "I'm really tired."
"I know, so let's just go home and you can go to bed. Okay?"
"Okay..." Dory gets Bunny up, "Will baba be at home?"
"Maybe."
Maddie's car isn't too far away. Bunny babbles as they walk, asking about where she is and why the Sun is that colour, before screeching and crying out, "The moon! The moon!"
"Jesus, Bun," Dory grips her, "That scared me."
"The moon! Look at the moon! No, don't! Don't look at it, Kazuo, you don't like that. Oh...But I do! I do! I do! Oh, hello there Moon! How are you doing? I love your eyes! Have they always been there? Oh, so beautiful! So, so beautiful! But they kinda make me...Hey...Don't look at me like that. No. No. Stop it! Ow! Stop it! Stop! Ow! No! I'm not—"
Dory is holding Bunny up, as she locks up and tries to flee from the moon. Dory shushes her and directs her to the car, as Bunny screams and begs the moon to stop.
Bunny seems to settle in the car, as she chews on the ear of her dragon whilst Dory strokes her hair and kisses her forehead.
"It hurts..." Lyra hears her whine, but Lyra is watching something else, "It really hurts."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Mr Dory..." Lyra whimpers.
"Everywhere."
"Where does it hurt the most?"
"Mr Dory, there's—"
"Hold on, Lyra. Where does it hurt the most?"
"Um..." Bunny hums, "My legs...And my mouth."
"Okay. We'll be home soon, and Pasha can sort it, okay?"
"Mr Dory?" Lyra asks, loudly.
"What?"
"There's something watching us."
Dory freezes, staring in the same direction as Lyra.
He sees it too.
It sees him. It sees them all.
It watches with a pair of incredibly human eyes. It drools. Its form is so human. Too human.
It begs. It whispers to them silently, begging for one of them to approach; to see if it needs help, to be oh so kind and give them some help.
It will say, 'Oh, I haven't eaten in so long. Can you please help me? I'm so hungry. Starving. Ravenous. And you'll do just fine.'
Right now, it remains silent, simply staring, waiting for a break.
Hours seem to pass as they stare. Lyra can hear her heart pound in her ears, she wants to be sick. Her body is quivering.
Dory doesn't dare move, despite his urge to rush to the car and protect Bunny, who has begun to wail again.
The staring contest is finally broken by a simple, "What on earth are you doing, standing there?"
It's Tsukiyama, staring at Lyra and Dory as if they were mad.
"Zuki, for fuck's sake," Dory says, still unable to pry his eyes away, "There's a fucking...thing. Shut up."
"What?"
"There's a fucking—" Dory breaks his gaze, "Just get in the car!"
Lyra watches as the eyes glance to Tsukiyama, before narrowing and slowly disappearing into the darkness of the alleyway.
It's still there, she thinks.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. There's nothing there, Doryo," Tsukiyama says.
"Are you shitting me? Dude, this ward's full of those things. And it was right fucking there."
"Okay, Doryo."
"Fuck off! There was a fucking thing, wasn't there, Lyra?"
Lyra nods, "Um, yeah...We should—"
"There's nothing there."
"There was! I—Whatever. Just get in the car," Dory backs up, going to comfort Bunny.
Lyra also decides to get in the car. She knows the thing will not get her in there. She will not have to think about it in the car. She will be safe.
"Is this it? Really?" Tsukiyama says, looking at the car with sheer disgust.
"Just get in," Dory snaps. He starts shushing Bunny again, before giving her his phone.
"In that thing?"
"Just walk home then, Zuki, and see if I care when you get fucking eaten."
Dory gets in the car, turning to Bunny, taking the phone from her and calling someone for her. Bunny sobs to someone on the other end, whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, baba, please. Please come back."
"Zuki, would you just get in the fucking car?" Dory snaps, "Please?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? Mon Dieu, you're so terribly unbearable tonight, Doryo."
"Me? You're the one who—"
"Could you two stop fighting? Jesus Christ," This comes from Maddie, who has another one of Bunny's bags.
"He's being difficult."
"He started it—"
"I don't care, just shut up and get in the car."
Maddie gets in and hands Dory the bag, which Dory immediately begins shuffling through.
"Is Allan in here?" Dory sounds slightly panicked.
"I don't know, maybe. I was rushing."
"Who's that?" Tsukiyama asks, "Who's Allan? A man?"
"Yeah, Zuki, there's a whole-ass fucking man in this bag. God, you're so stupid."
"I was just asking a question, Doryo, there's no need to get so hissy about it."
"For fuck's sake, Zuki!"
"It's that bloody green thing Bunny's always got with her," Maddie answers.
"Yeah," Dory says, "And they really need it, and it's not here, Maddie. It's not fucking here."
"I was rushing, Dory, I didn't have time to look for that creepy thing."
"Don't talk about Allan like that, it doesn't like it. And Bunny's gonna get super upset if it's not with her."
"Dory, for Christ sake, it's probably in a fucking dressing room somewhere and I'm not going back to that shit hole tonight. She'll have to cope with her dragon."
"Seriously? After all they've been through tonight, you expect them to just cope—"
"She hasn't even noticed yet, Dory, stop fucking yelling at me. I will bring it to her tomorrow or something."
"That's not good enough, Maddie."
"What the fuck do you want me to do? Hm? If you wanna run all the way back there and get that stupid fucking toy, go right ahead."
Dory glares at Maddie, before turning to Bunny, who is curled up in a ball. He tends to her, whispering and telling her, "It's okay, no one's shouting at you. No one's mad, it's okay. I promise."
Everyone else is silent, Lyra playing with her hair, trying desperately not to chew it. She gulps, before asking in a timid voice, "Um, shouldn't we, uh, go to the police? Or the, um, hospital?"
Maddie makes a strange, cackling noise, "The police? The police," She continues, "The fucking police! Are you fucking serious? The police! Seriously?"
Lyra shrinks back into her seat, and everyone remains silent until they reach the end of a street.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? The police."
Lyra looks down, fighting the urge to cry.
"What about the hospital?" Tsukiyama asks, "Or are you content with Little Bunny sitting there with all those tears and bruises?"
"Pasha's a nurse. He'll take care of her," Maddie snaps, "Now can you all just shut up and let me drive?"
"We're not stopping you."
"What did I just say?"
"If you can't talk and drive, that's not our problem."
"What the fuck is your deal, man?"
"Me? What's wrong with you?"
"My friend's just been raped and I'm trying to get them home in time. What the fuck are you adding to that?"
"Maddie!" Dory hisses, "You're upsetting Bunny. Just shut up and drive."
"I'm trying."
"Yeah, and you'd succeed if you just didn't reply, but you didn't think of that and now look at Bunny."
Bunny is shaking, curled into a ball and whispering. Dory strokes her back, trying to calm her down.
There is near silence from then on, until Maddie stops at the top of a street. Lyra is already preparing to get out and rush home, but stays, just to see if Dory needs her help again.
"Is this it?" Tsukiyama asks, "A time capsule street?"
"Yeah," Dory answers, starting to get Bunny out.
"Oh, how cute! Where's her room? How big is it? What colour?"
"Seriously, Zuki? You wanna discuss their home interior, now?"
"I was just asking—"
"She lives on the top floor, if you must know."
"But isn't that too warm?"
"Jesus, fucking—No. It's a conversion. Are you done asking stupid questions?"
Tsukiyama sits back, watching Bunny shakily try to stand on her own and failing, "And where do you live?" He asks, glancing at Lyra.
Lyra twitches, "That one. It's uh, shared... accommodation."
Tsukiyama laughs, "Oh, it's awful! It looks like a brothel! Do you like it? I bet it's filthy. You probably have...creatures everywhere. It's no wonder your hair is so—"
"You're such a prick, Zuki," Dory snaps, now holding Bunny up, "Leave her alone."
"Oh, but it's hideous. Look at it."
"Not all of us have fucking billionaire parents."
"You're one to talk, and obviously her parents aren't billionaires."
"Whatever. You're just a fucking prick tonight," Dory snaps, "C'mon, Bun, let's get you inside."
"I'll help," Maddie says, "I'll be back to drive you home."
"I'd rather you didn't. You're so terribly aggressive."
"Then walk. See if I care."
"I just might, you know," Tsukiyama folds his arms, "Anyway, let me help take Little Bunny—"
"No, no, no. No one needs your help."
"But I don't know if this man you're leaving Bunny with is safe, I—"
"He's her dad?"
"She doesn't call him that."
"Not all the time. But if you wanna help so bad, just stay in the car and shut up."
Tsukiyama stares at Maddie with a raised eyebrow.
Maddie slams the car door shut, as Lyra slips out of the car.
"Um. Will Bunny be okay?" She asks, afraid that Maddie will laugh at her again.
"She'll be fine now that she's home. You just go home now."
"But I—"
"Lyra, I don't have the time. Goodnight."
"Oh. Okay."
Lyra nods, watching a tall man in a silk gown rush out and clutch Bunny to his chest. She hears hurried talking, and something about a cat, before Bunny starts crying again.
Lyra lingers in the entrance to her accommodation, watching as Bunny disappears inside, and when Maddie goes back to her car, already fighting with Tsukiyama.
And then Lyra is alone.
She doesn't understand why she's stood there, watching the lights and shadows of Bunny's house. How long is she stood there?
She looks to her own accommodation, sighing as she realises; It looks exactly like a brothel.
Reluctantly, she goes in, taking one last look at Bunny's house—which doesn't look like a brothel—Lyra can still hear Bunny's wailing, even when she's inside.
Lyra hears Bunny wailing inside her room, her bed.
It seeps into her brain, into her dreams, into her spirit. It torments, disrupts and corrupts.
It does not let Lyra sleep.
It doesn't let Lyra do anything.
And nothing will make it stop.
--
ShuuTsukiyama—Moonlit-child-of-Apollo:
'In a world of grief and pain,
flowers bloom—
even then.'
01:34, Liked by everyonesleastfavtwink and Others,
216 comments.
Athousandyoung: Wow. You're still quoting Issa? SO original.
ShuuTsukiyama—Moonlit-child-of-Apollo: Sorry, I didn't realise you were such an avid poetry reader.
Athousandyoung: Well, my poetry's probably not on your level. I don't think you'd like it.
ShuuTsukiyama—Moonlit-child-of-Apollo: That's probably true; I don't read child's poetry.
everyonesleastfavtwink: This is so deep zuki wow
ShuuTsukiyama—Moonlit-child-of-Apollo: Ok.
ALLAN: You're funny.
ShuuTsukiyama—Moonlit-child-of-Apollo: I'm sorry?
--
Bunny's house is the oldest on the street.
The only thing modern about it is the top floor—which is a conversion.
Bunny's house has a garden. Lyra has a garden too, but hers is shared. Lyra has one half of a flower bed, which has one ugly flower in it.
Bunny's garden is beautiful; full of lavender and produce. Bunny has a herb garden on one of the balconies. Lyra can smell it sometimes on windy nights when she sticks her head out her window.
Bunny has pets. Bunny's pets are often wandering around the garden. Bunny has a pond in her garden.
Lyra doesn't have a pet. Lyra doesn't have a pond. Lyra doesn't even have her own house. She doesn't have a kitchen, or even her own bathroom.
Lyra has a small room, with a futon, with storage boxes and books as seats, and a laptop. She used to have a kettle, but that broke and Lyra hasn't had the energy to find a new one.
And yet, Lyra wouldn't ever want to live in Bunny's house.
Bunny's house changes shape. Bunny's house talks. Bunny's house watches Lyra sleep. Bunny's house breathes.
Lyra shudders at the thought of what it does to Bunny and her many pets.
Lyra has been watching Bunny's house all day.
Lyra has been watching Bunny's house every day since it happened.
She likes to imagine what Bunny has been doing. Has she been crying? Has she been sleeping? How messy is she? Is she even still alive?
Bunny is alive, as Lyra knew by her second night of wondering.
Lyra had been failing to sleep, and began to hear music coming from Bunny's house; Bunny's bedroom. Her neighbours had always played Britney Spears way too early in the morning, and Lyra had only then realised that it had been Bunny.
Now, Lyra is standing in her pitiful excuse for a garden, tending to an ugly plant that she doesn't know the name of.
It's lumpy. It's a hideous shade of pink. It seems like it will die soon, but it never does.
Lyra doesn't know what the plant is, but it's so ugly, so that's what it is; just ugly.
Just like you, she thinks, as she tends to the monstrosity she has cultivated.
Lyra is so focused on her monstrosity that she does not hear the voices coming from Bunny's garden getting closer.
"Stupid plant," She says, standing over it, "You're useless. You're pathetic. Nobody wants you here. Nobody likes you. You should just die," She kicks it, but it doesn't budge.
"You don't deserve to be here. Why are you here? You should just go back to whatever stupid little seed you were. You hear? Go away!"
"Excuse me?" A new voice says.
Lyra looks up. There is an older man in Bunny's garden looking at her. Lyra feels her stomach drop slightly at the sight of him, for he is so much bigger than her.
"I'm sorry, our cat seems to have wandered into your garden," He says, his voice still soft.
Lyra looks up, seeing a tortoiseshell cat rubbing against her housemates dying peonies.
"Uh, that's okay, sir," Lyra replies.
"Oh, no. She's just given birth to some little ones, I just don't want her eating anything that could upset her."
"Uh. Ok."
The cat meows, rubbing itself on Lyra's legs.
"Oh. Um. Hi."
"She's friendly, I promise. Come here, Plum, here, sweetie," The man shakes a bag of cat treats, and the cat rushes over.
He picks up the cat and looks back at Lyra. Lyra notices a large burn scar on his face, a slight milkiness to his eyes that makes him look even more intimidating.
"Are you alright?" He asks, with a kind smile, "You look a little unsettled."
Lyra blushes, digging her nails into her palms, "Uh..."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Lyra shakes her head, blushing and digging her nails into her palms, "Um...No...It's, uh, fine."
"Sorry," He says again, "It's Lyra, isn't it?"
"Um. Yes."
"Bunny's told me about you."
"She has?"
"Of course! I'm Pasha, by the way; Bunny's dad."
"Ah, okay."
"Yeah, and I've been wanting to invite you over for a while. Do you wanna come in for some tea?"
"Wh-Now? In there? Your house?"
He nods, "If you're not busy, of course. I don't want to bother you."
"Um. I guess I'm not."
He smiles, "Well, the kitchen's a mess, but I've got lots of teas in, Bunny'll be back soon and Maddie's already here. If you want to come in, of course, no pressure."
"...Sure."
Why did I say that? Why did I say that?
"Great! I'll meet you around the front then," He says, wandering off into the house.
Lyra stays frozen, wondering why she said yes, before reluctantly approaching Bunny's house.
It glares at her; like a viper in the grass, rapidly shaking its tail.
She almost goes back to the comfort of her room, but then Pasha appears in the doorway, with his soft smile and milky eyes, now wearing a knitted sweater despite the spring heat. He's not holding the cat anymore.
The house relaxes. It turns from viper to slow worm, and Lyra is not as afraid anymore.
"Come on in," Pasha says, beckoning her inside. She obliges, approaching with a newfound eagerness.
As she reaches the door, Pasha looks up to see someone else; someone who always seems to fill Lyra with her usual feelings of dread.
It's Mr Tsukiyama—wearing a pink outfit, and holding a loud bouquet of pink and white roses.
He smiles brightly, which makes Lyra feel sick. Bunny does not smile like that, she thinks.
"Hello," Pasha says, still smiling his soft smile.
Why is he smiling at Tsukiyama like that? Why is he doing that? Stop! You don't know him! Don't look at him like that.
"Good afternoon," Says Tsukiyama, "I'm so terribly sorry to disrupt your afternoon, but I was so worried about Little Bunny, and I just had to come and check on her."
"Oh, how sweet. She's not here right now though."
"She's not? Hm...Oh, where are my manners? Excusez-moi, that's so rude of me."
"It's okay, I know who you are. It's Tsukiyama, right? Bunny told me."
"I thought as much, but still, that's no excuse to be rude. I assume you're Monsieur Sorokin?"
"That's me, and you can use my first name, I don't mind."
"Oh, but we've only just met!" Tsukiyama laughs, and Pasha smiles, whilst Lyra shuffles uncomfortably, "Anyway, I'm so terribly sorry to have bothered you."
"You didn't. Please, Bunny should be back soon. You're more than welcome to come inside and wait for her."
"I wouldn't want to intrude..."
"No, it's fine. Lyra was just coming in for tea and Maddie's already here; I don't mind."
"Then I'd love to!" Tsukiyama approaches and side-eyes Lyra as they go into the genkan.
The inside of Bunny's house is cosy, more wooden than Lyra expected. It's almost cottagey, earthy. From the genkan and hallway alone, Lyra can see an abundance of exotic plants, crystals and books on spiritual awakenings. The house has a distinct smell of lemon and freshly-baked cookies.
"You have such a lovely home!" Tsukiyama says, looking around at the array of visible plants.
"Thanks, it's kinda a mess right now though. You're not afraid of birds, are you? Because there are about twenty quails running around."
"Birds? No, not at all. That's such a silly thing to be afraid of!"
"Some people are."
"I know, but it's ridiculous, really. Besides, quails? In the house?"
"They like coming inside and nestling on the rugs. It's pretty cute, so I don't mind."
Bunny's kitchen is more open than Lyra's, and more open than it originally was. It's almost half garden, half kitchen, giving it enviable lighting.
The kitchen is a mess, but an organised mess.
There's half-weaved knitting on one chair, a book here and a half-ironed sweater there, and flour sprinkled on every surface, the cat snuggled in its bed, tending to squeaking bundles of fluff, as the aforementioned quails wander around. Maddie is in the kitchen, chopping veg and sipping a cup of hot tea.
"Oh," She says, looking up, "Hi."
"Hi."
Tsukiyama simply nods, "Miss Chevrolet."
"Sorry, why are you—"
"We came to check on Bunny," Tsukiyama says, "Or at least, I did."
"Right."
"You have a wonderful kitchen, dear Pasha," Tsukiyama says, smiling and edging closer to the much taller man.
Pasha smiles and gets drinks for everyone, as Maddie flicks through her phone. Tsukiyama perches on a stool nearest to Pasha, looking up at him with bright eyes,
"So," Tsukiyama says, "Where did you say Bunny was?"
"Hiking," Pasha replies, "They go every weekend, with Dory and normally I go with them, but I've been so busy today. Normally they do some kind of long yoga and dance thing at the midway point. It's quite fun, very grounding."
"Indeed. Every weekend, you say? That's good to know."
"Yeah, you should come with us sometime. They can be pretty long hikes though."
"I can handle it," Tsukiyama smiles, "Though, given what happened to Little Bunny, should she be out alone for that long? And so soon?"
Pasha smiles, "Bunny likes routines, and being active helps her cope with things. Besides, Dory's there. He'll look after her."
"That's not all that comforting."
"Well, I suppose he isn't that much better than Bunny," Pasha chuckles, "But I trust them."
"Pasha," Maddie looks up, "Bunny's threatening to gore herself again."
"What? I told her not to post that stuff. Let me see...Oh, that's not that bad. I'd be more concerned about what Dory's doing in the back."
"A handstand, I think."
"Sorry, what's happening?" Tsukiyama asks.
"Nothing," Maddie says.
"Bunny's likes posting weird stuff online, but she doesn't mean it...Yet...But she's fine. They'll be fine."
"Oh!" Maddie cries suddenly, still looking at her phone, "Why's that there?"
"What?"
"That green alien thing."
"Allan?"
"Yeah, I couldn't find it anywhere, but Bunny has it in this photo, see?"
"Yeah, she's had it since you brought her back."
"Huh? Did one of you go and get it?"
"No, it was sitting on her bed."
"Oh..." Maddie says, looking back to Bunny's photos—Allan peaking out of Bunny's backpack. Allan sitting on a rock. Allan looking at the Sun. Allan watching over a basket of fruit.
Something about its face, Maddie thinks, There's something about its face.
"Dory must've grabbed it or something," Maddie says, her brain full of Allan's smiling visage, as it looks into a camera with Sun-soaked eyes.
"Maybe," Pasha says, knowing all too well that Allan has always found its way home.
There is a pause as Maddie thinks of bulging, Sun-soaked black eyes, and as Pasha takes heart-shaped cookies from an oven.
Pasha looks at Maddie, "Hey, Maddie, you know Miss Imakita's coming back today."
"She is?"
"So early?" Asks Tsukiyama, "I'll bet something's happened between her and that daughter of hers."
"No, it's nothing like that; she came back as soon as she heard about Bunny, so I invited her over to eat with us tonight."
"What? Why on earth—Excusez-moi. I had no idea she was such a close family friend of yours."
"Yeah, we've known Miss Imakita ever since we first came to Japan."
"You weren't here before?"
"No, no, we've moved around a bit. We only came here because Bunny got a scholarship, and my husband had always wanted to come."
"Husband?" Tsukiyama's eyes light up, "Oh, I should've seen the ring."
"No, he's not here anymore."
"How unfortunate. I'm sorry," Tsukiyama seems to have to fight the urge to ask further questions, instead glancing at a bowl of carnivorous plants on the table. Lyra has seen it too, staring at the venus flytrap in the centre.
"Um. Is that Bunny's?" She asks.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, Bunny loves stuff like that."
"Does she? I've always liked them, but they die so easily," Tsukiyama says.
"I thought so, but according to Bunny, they're hardy. But everyone I've had just dies. I think Bunny's just gifted or something."
"You say that about everything she does," Maddie says, smirking.
"Ok. And?" Pasha pauses, turning to Lyra, "Anyway, Lyra. Bunny told me you study marine biology?"
"Um, yeah."
"That sounds so fun to me. Is it?"
"I guess, yeah."
"Do you get to travel?"
"Yeah, but mostly just to the Peninsula or something."
"Oh, that sounds nice. Bunny doesn't go far for her microbiology classes, but she's been all over the place for her astronomy classes."
"Yeah, but stars don't really...move quickly."
"Stars or the Earth?" Tsukiyama asks.
"Oh...Yeah," Lyra blushes and drinks her tea.
"They get to look at planets too," Maddie says, "It's wild what those fancy telescopes can do. The other day Bunny showed us one, it was Mercury, right?"
"Venus. Mercury's next month."
"That's another early morning then?"
"You gotta get the full set, Maddie, you know that."
Pasha looks up at the sound of the front door opening, "Dory," He calls, "Shoes off, please!"
"But I was just gonna—"
"No. Shoes off...Thank you."
Dory wanders in, huffing dramatically and shaking his head, "Oh, hey," He says to Lyra, before stopping at the sight of Tsukiyama, "Um...Why are you here?" He looks to Pasha, "Why is he here?"
"Calm down, Doryo, I only came to check on Little Bunny."
"She doesn't need you to check on her."
"Dory..." Pasha says, looking apologetically to Tsukiyama.
"Is Bunny with you?" Pasha asks.
"She's with Miss Imakita. They're outside or something," Dory shrugs, putting his shopping down and looking at Pasha's cookies, "These are vegan right?"
"Yes, and they're not yours."
"I'm just testing."
"Well, don't test more than one then. They're for my patients, not you."
"What if I became one of your patients?"
"Don't even joke about it."
"Papa! We're back!" Calls a voice—Bunny—from the hallway.
They sound as bubbly as always, but Lyra's starting to think their voice is just naturally like that. There's no way Bunny could be her usual self after that.
"I noticed, Bibi," Pasha replies, smiling.
Lyra tenses at the patter of Bunny's feet. She wonders what Bunny will be like; will she look different? How can a few days change a person? Especially a person who seemed so practically perfect and oh so happy?
Lyra has imagined that Bunny will be less energetic, quieter, more reserved, less of a character and more human.
And that's when Bunny bounds in.
She's pulling two large dogs by her side; a nervous-looking Afghan hound and a muscular Doberman.
Bunny's smiling brighter than usual, Lyra notices.
Bunny's hair is golden and flowing, and her eyes are bright, crowned with long, golden lashes. She's wearing a coral gym outfit that fits her beautiful body perfectly. Lyra can see the green alien thing poking its head out of Bunny's backpack.
It's looking at her, but Lyra stares at Bunny. Bunny is excitedly giggling as normal, already settled into conversation.
It's as though nothing had even happened; as though Bunny was not so horrendously defiled just days before.
It's as though she's completely fine, or somehow even brighter than before.
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