Disclaimer: Not mine
Drown
A few days had passed, with no further news from her family. They seemed to be grieving by not communicating with her.
The doctor had called the day after Kitsune had called her family. Her blood test was good to go and she could have the biopsy as scheduled.
Now all Kitsune worried about was the alcohol. It still sat in her room, in the corner. Her little mini-bar in the corner, forsaken since she received the news. She had yet to empty it out. Why she couldn't do it, Kitsune couldn't comprehend. There was almost a type of bond that she held with the little bar. One that it had offered her shelter from the cruelties of the world and now she would offer it shelter. Either way, she didn't suspect it to be leaving anytime soon. Call it a weakness of the mind, call it an attachment, Kitsune felt that it had set up it's own mini shrine there.
Yesterday, there had been a confrontation with that vile substance. Or not-so vile substance. The whole gang, excluding Sarah, Seta and Haruka, had gone out to dinner at the local Chinese diner, the one with the best Kung Pao in Hinata.
Kitsune sat next to Mutsumi and Keitaro, both of whom seemed to enjoy the beer served by the place. It was tempting to snatch the smooth bottles out of their hands and drink the contents. Maybe all of it. No, just a sip. A nice, long sip.
She had actually attempted it, much to the chagrin of Keitaro. Mutsumi really didn't seem to care. She started giggling and offering Kitsune more until everyone else snatched the alcohol away from the three of them.
Then came the lectures. It's not good for your health. Do you want to die? Stop trying to kill yourself. So, in the end, Kitsune had to make herself content with some bubbly.
Not champagne.
Soda.
Even then, she couldn't take her eyes off of the amber liquid that almost killed her. It was an addiction. She was emotionally, mentally and physically attached to it because of the prolonged and lonely nights she spent with it. It offered her solace when she needed it. But now it couldn't.
Kitsune went on to enjoy her evening with her friends. She would have enjoyed getting drunk…but that would have been stupid. Just plain stupid. Like life.
She didn't want this liver cirrhosis crap. Never asked for it. She just wanted to live. And for her, drinking was apart of that.
Kitsune had mulled over these thoughts once they had reached the Hinata House after a long dinner. Now it was daybreak, with the early morning traffic and honking of horns reaching her ears.
Kitsune sat up, her bones groaning in protest to the movement. She looked to where the screens were. Kitsune made her way over to them and opened them up. Not much to see. It was the usual but to Kitsune it was beautiful.
Her biopsy was in three days. Shinobu and Naru had been working together to come up with a diet that wouldn't harm Kitsune. The food still held it's quality but the quantity that Kitsune was allowed was limited.
Only one bowl of rice.
Only one bowl of pork.
Only one bowl of miso soup.
It was all so redundant. But Kitsune couldn't complain. She wanted to live.
Kitsune made her way downstairs. There, she found everyone dressed and eating breakfast. They all had somewhere to go, leaving Kitsune alone for the greater part of the day. Even Tama-chan went somewhere. Naru, Keitaro, Mutsumi and Motoko all had to go to Tokyo U. Shinobu, Sarah and Su all had to go to school. Seta was off on another expedition.
Kitsune sighed as the others all began to disperse. She would probably bathe first then walk down to the Hinata Café to visit Haruka.
Soon, Kitsune was lazily making her way down the steps, singing a little song to herself. It was a nice day with a gentle breeze. Temperatures were fairly warm, giving Kitsune the chance to wear Capri's and a tank top.
She walked down to the café in around ten minutes. It wasn't very far. She walked in, the door chime ringing to signal a new customer. The café was fairly full with people.
There were young families sitting down, parents coaxing their children to eat.
There were waiters, scurrying about to take orders, give orders, and see to orders.
Kitsune stepped inside fully and made her way past the familiar podium from where people were seated. Today a girl named Chie was manning it.
Kitsune looked around for Haruka. She stopped one of the waitresses, Kimiko, and asked where Haruka was. Kimiko pointed to the kitchens, stating that the new chef was giving Haruka problems. Smiling, Kitsune made her way over to the kitchens and found Haruka calmly explaining the ways not to blow up a fish to s flustered young man. When Haruka noticed Kitsune she offered a wry smile then finished up. Soon she and Kitsune were chatting in a nearby booth.
"What are you up to?"
"Mmm…nothing. I don't have anybody at the House with me so I decided to drop by here. Plus I need some advice."
"Advice is what I'm here to give. Kami knows that Keitaro needs it." Kitsune let out a laugh, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"What kind of advice?"
"Everything. Especially on how not to mess up his entrance into Tokyo U." Kitsune looked puzzled.
"You didn't hear?"
"No. Was there something I should have heard?"
"I guess. Keitaro almost got booted out of Tokyo U because the turd walked into he female locker room."
"Locker room?"
"Girls that want to major in sports. They need locker rooms." Kitsune nodded.
"How's Seta?" At that, Haruka leaned back casually, as if thinking on how to word her answer.
"He's fine, just forgetful. He'll be home in around two weeks. It's sad how much he reminds me of Keitaro." Kitsune let out a small laugh.
"How's Sarah?"
"Good. Usually she throws tantrums when Seta leaves but I think she's getting used to having me as a mom." Kitsune nodded solemnly. Parenthood was hard. Haruka only had one. Her mom had four.
"What did you need advice on?" Kitsune looked up, startled. She hadn't been expecting that.
"Oh. Well…it's kind of silly really. I don't even know why I'm asking for advice. I mean, who cares? I-I'm probably just becoming a nuisance to everybody but this problem is really bugging me. I never thought it was possible for something to be so strange. I know I should do what I should but I still can't! I've been-"
"Kitsune." Haruka interrupted her. "What's the problem?" Kitsune blushed a light scarlet. She had been ranting!
"We-well…I have a little bar in m-my room. But I can't se-seem to get rid of it. I want to b-but…" Kitsune trailed off. It couldn't be expressed with words.
"It's just a mental attachment. Think about it Kitsune. How long have you been drinking constantly?" Kitsune squirmed in her chair as she did the mental math.
"Eh. Around seven years."
"Exactly. For almost a decade, your body has been used to the continuous exposure to alcohol. But now you don't have it. You quit cold turkey. That makes it even harder for you. Don't expect an easy ride. Your body is looking for that drunk feeling but it's not finding it. Just keep strong in the mind." Kitsune nodded. Haruka continued looking relaxed and speaking simultaneously. This time however, her voice was softer in tone.
"You can trust us Kitsune. We won't let you die. So you don't let yourself die." Kitsune lifted her head and looked at Haruka, tears reflecting in both females' eyes. Kitsune gave one last smile before standing up. She looked at Haruka who also stood up.
"One question before I go."
"Yeah?" Haruka turned her eyes to Kitsune nonchalantly.
"Why do they say 'cold turkey'?" Haruka let out a laugh before turning to Kitsune.
One last hug was shared before Kitsune departed.
.~.
Kitsune jogged up the stairs, reaching the top quickly. Daily walks had become apart of her routine so there was no need for her to 'huff-and-puff' this time around.
Kitsune made her way inside the House, finding that no one was home. She made her way her room where she straightened up. Going back downstairs, Kitsune went to the kitchen.
There, she prepared a simple sandwich for herself. That's what Americans were handy for. Quick food.
Popping open a can of soda and grabbing a bag of chips, Kitsune made her way to the living room, where she sat down in front of the television.
There, she turned on the telly and flipped through the channels while eating her sandwich. So many channels, yet there was nothing to watch.
Disappointed, Kitsune switched off the television to be greeted with the silence of solitude. She quietly chewed her sandwich hoping to keep the temporary peace. The same couldn't be said about the chips. They were too crunchy. The soda was okay. All she had to do was sip quietly.
However, Kitsune's artificial peace had to be broken sometime. And that time was now.
Kitsune had finished her lunch when she heard a buzzing of voices becoming louder. She hastily threw away her trash and made her way to the front of the house where the voices were growing in volume. She stayed inside, just in case.
Soon the voices were closer, but they were being shushed by other voices. Feminine voices made up the bulk. She heard footsteps make their way towards the door of the House.
Kitsune couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What if they were robbers? Kitsune looked around for something that could help her in case she needed to attack. Nothing.
By now, the footsteps were up to the door, where they came to a stop. In the background a few quick footsteps joined the other ones. There was a knock.
Kitsune jumped. Slowly she turned to the door. They didn't have a peephole so she was taking a chance on what was on the other side. She slowly reached her hand out and wrapped her slim fingers around the chilling brass doorknob.
She turned it and took a deep breath.
She pulled it back and looked out to the person standing there. Fear immediately fled Kitsune's face. Shock replaced it. Pure, unadulterated shock. Kitsune's voice squeaked. After a few moments she was finally able to speak to the teary eyed visitor.
"Mom?"
.~.
Have any of you ever eaten a habenero? Don't. I did today for a Chile Eating Contest in my Spanish class and wow. Those little buggers are hot. And I only had one eighth of it. It's pure liquid fire.
Anyways, thank you so much for your encouraging reviews. I love suggestions and I am usually able to incorporate them into the story somehow. So give them out if you have them!
mr-winkie- I won't say anything on your name. You'll probably get annoyed ^.^ I felt that I would need the scene outside Kitsune's room for two reasons. One, this is really a self-actualization story and two, I needed to improve my imagery skills ^.^ But thank you for the compliment! It made me feel good about that part. The conversation over the phone was hard because I just couldn't get it right! I mean, you don't immediately tell your family 'Oh I'm going to die'! But again, thanks for the compliment. And also, some mild romance is in order. But it's hopefully going to be real subtle. It's very sad. ^.-
dennisud- I agree on the reviewing thing! I love reviews because they help me improve my writing. Because of you, I've actually chosen a man to get closer to Kitsune. I hope you like it though. You see, it might be a tad bit on the sad and subtle side. You'll have to have a little bit of an imagination to see the romance. The reason to why Kitsune left will hopefully be in the next chapter. I don't know yet ^.^ But hopefully I can come up with a good reason to why she left. Do you have any suggestions?
velocet- Thank you! I was more on your side than anyone else's when it came to the romance part but I decided to put a hint of romance. I'm not going to make it blatant. It's just going to be a 'Hey I'm attracted to that person' kind of thing. I hope that's okay! I also felt that there was no one suitable. Seta's already set down with Haruka and Keitaro with Naru. But I've made my choice. I've added a 'motherly' Haruka in here. Hope that you approve. Your review gave me that idea, otherwise it would have never occurred to me. Thank you for saying I won't make it clichéd. I know what I'm going to do at the end and I hope you really enjoy it! And English Lit is one of my favorite classes. That and history. Very interesting ^.^
Book of Doom- Hello! Kitsune is my favorite too! And I've also decided how I want to end this story. I hope you read on and approve. I thought a big family would be good because to me family is very important. My immediate family isn't as big as hers but I like big. I thought it was kind of funny too! Don't know why though…Sorry for sounding stupid but what's mugendai? I've never heard of it. And if it said that Kitsune had one older brother, well I've added two more! ^.^
Dark-Hand- You're back! I missed you! I thought you had gone on vacation or school had done something evil to you. The family was huge because I love my family but I sometimes wish it were bigger. So I gave my favorite character the hugest family without trying to sound out of place. Tell me if it worked ^.- Also, you're right about me slowing down. I'm not really trying to do that for the length, it's just so that I have more time to explain what goes on at a time like this. I hope that's okay. Plus, normally a person wouldn't take death so lightly. But I don't really have enough time for all that waiting. Any suggestions? Give please!
FireBolt90001-Hello! I'm glad that you thought that this was a tear-jerker. I didn't know it was a tear-jerker. I reread it and thought that it was too abrupt because of the sudden switch from mom to brother. You seem to be the only other person who thought Kitsune might have complications from her intake of alcohol. Go us! ^.^ Thank you so much for your review!
Wow…That was loonngg. Well thank you so much for your reviews and I hope you can give me suggestions.
Thank you!