A Human among Beastmen
Sorry for the long wait everyone. I've been busy with somethings and got distracted. I've also been going through a bit of a writers block as well, but hopefully that wouldn't become problem with writing this story anymore. I've also been working on my crossover story 'Three worlds intertwine', which is a crossover between BNA and another anime called 'Ushio to Tora'. I hope you all take a look at it as well and tell me what you think of it. Anyways; on with the story.
Chapter 7: The end of normal days part 7
It had been two days since Nazuna went missing and there had still been no traces of her. The police looked high and low for her, but so far they hadn't found any clues to who had kidnaped Nazuna. In those days, Shawn did his best to comfort Michiru while keeping her spirits up. Though secretly he was also beginning to lose hope that Nazuna would be found. But he didn't voice these thoughts to Michiru, for Shawn didn't want her to become even more depressed than she was now. All he could do was be there for Michiru and reassure her that everything was going to be alright.
'I just hope that I can at least hold on to her,' thought Shawn secretly to himself as he sat at his desk within his class. 'She's the only friend that I have left now.'
The day continued on as usual for Shawn. He would mostly pay attention to what the teachers were saying, but sometimes he would space out and think about the previous days that had happened to him. A few times the teachers would notice, and he was given a good scolding in the process. Shawn would then forced himself to pay attention to the rest of what the teacher was telling him in his math class. Yet when lunch came around, Shawn didn't see Michiru sitting at her usual spot at the picnic bench.
'She's probably got held up by a teacher,' thought Shawn with a shrug of his shoulders. 'I'm sure she'll be here in a minute or two.'
So he sat down at the bench and started to unpack his lunch. As he did, Shawn couldn't help but remember how it had been him, Michiru, Blake and Nazuna sitting at this exact same table. Back then, they had been normal and happy without a care in the world. But that all changed after he witnessed Blake kill an innocent beastman child. And to add insult to injury, after the accident Nazuna had mysteriously turned into a beastman. Then she was kidnapped by a group of people wearing black suits afterwards.
'Why did this have to happen to us?' thought Shawn sadly to himself. 'Why couldn't we have all lived normal lives?'
Shawn let out a quiet sigh and decided to go ahead with eating his lunch. He was sure Michiru wouldn't mind if he started eating before she came. Yet as the minutes passed by, Michiru still didn't show up at their usual lunch spot.
'Okay...this is really strange. I know that Michiru can sometimes be a little late, but never this late,' thought Shawn with a frown upon his face.
Shawn quickly finished off the last of his lunch before packing up. He then started to wander around the school yard before he spotted two of Michiru's basketball team members. He quickly walked over and called out the names of the two girls.
"Shina! Yui!"
The girls turned when they heard their names being called and saw Shawn coming up to them. Shina had long auburn hair, hazel green eyes and fair skin. As for Yui, she had short black hair, fair skin and dark brown eyes. She also had a brown hairclip in the right side of her hair. The two of them both wore the same school uniform like Michiru and the rest of the girls wore in school.
"Oh, hey Shawn," greeted Shina with a smile.
"Yo!" greeted Yui with a wave. "How's it going?"
"I'm doing alright," replied Shawn with a smile before a frown replaced it. "I was wondering if you two had seen Michiru today?"
The two girls blinked before sharing a worried look with each other. Shawn noticed this and began to feel uneasy before they looked back at him.
"Honestly, we haven't seen her all day," said Yui with a light frown. "The last time we saw her was yesterday."
"Was she okay?" asked Shawn in concern.
"Yeah, she seemed fine yesterday," added Shina. "That was until..."
"Did something happen to her?" asked Shawn as worry began to rise up within his chest.
"She didn't show up for basketball practice," replied Yui.
Shawn blinked in surprise at what Yui had just said before frowning quietly to himself. That was completely uncharacteristic for Michiru to skip out on basketball practice.
"Why do you think she didn't show up?" asked Shawn out of curiosity.
"Don't know," replied Shina with a helpless shrug. "She really didn't tell or leave a note for our coach saying that she wasn't going to be participating in practice yesterday."
"I'm guessing that she caught some kind of bug and didn't want to spread it to the other members of our team," said Yui with a frown.
"If that's so, then why didn't she tell the coach or the school board?" questioned Shina curiously.
"Don't know," muttered Yui. "Maybe she forgot or something."
"I see," said Shawn in a low voice. "Thanks for telling me."
"No problem," said Shina with a smile.
Shawn then turned and walked away from the two girls. As he headed back into the school, a look of concern appeared on his face as he thought over what Yui and Shina had just told him. It was so unlike Michiru to not show up for basketball practice without telling the coach or school board that she was unable to play because she was sick. And the more he thought about it, the more Shawn felt like something bad had happened to his best friend.
'I'll head over to her house after school today,' thought Shawn quietly to himself. 'Hopefully whatever sickness she caught isn't too serious.'
With that thought firmly in his mind, Shawn continued on with school until the day finally ended and the students were allowed to head home. Shawn quickly stopped by his house to change into his usual clothing before he headed towards the Kagemori household. It was an hour later that we find him standing before the front door of the house. Shawn raised his hand up and rang the doorbell before waiting for Michiru or her parents to come. It was about a minute later that the door finally opened. And when it did, it revealed a woman in her mid-thirties.
The woman had long black hair that grew down to her shoulder blades, the same-colored skin and eyes as Michiru. She was wearing a light green short sleeved top and dark blue knee length skirt. This was none other than Kia Kagemori, Michiru's mother. Kia blinked in surprise when she saw Shawn standing in front of her before giving him a smile.
"Well this is a surprise, what brings you here Shawn?" asked Kia curiously.
"Hi Mrs. Kagemori," greeted Shawn with a friendly smile. "I was wondering if Michiru was home. You see, I haven't seen her at school today and got worried about her, so I came by to see if she was okay."
At the mention of her daughter, Kia's happy smile slowly changed into a sad expression. Shawn noticed this and a light frown of concern appeared on his face.
"Did something happen to her?" asked Shawn.
"To be honest with you...I'm not really sure what is wrong with Michiru," replied Kia in a soft voice as Shawn raised an eyebrow up at what she had said. "Yesterday, Michiru came running home, and headed up into her room without pausing to say hello to me or her father. My first thought was that something must have happened in school to cause her to run back home. Yet when I went up and knocked on her door to ask her about it, Michiru only said that it was nothing, and that she wasn't feeling well. So I thought that I'd leave her alone, but I can't help feeling like something else is amiss."
"I see," said Shawn with a frown. "Still, is it okay if I come in and talk to her?"
"Of course," said Kia with a nod. "I'm sure she would appreciate you coming over."
Shawn smiled before he entered the Kagemori household and began to make his way upstairs. It wasn't long before he finally came to the door of Michiru's room. He paused as he stood in front of Michiru's bedroom door as he hesitated on knocking. But he soon plucked up his courage; raised his hand up; curled it into a loose fist; and gently knocked on the door with his knuckles. After a second, Shawn spoke as he called out his friend's name.
"Michiru...it's me, Shawn. Is it okay if I come in?"
Shawn waited to hear a reply, but all he got was silence from the other end. He frowned as worry began to rise up within his chest before he tried again.
"Michiru, please. I know you're in there, your mother told me so. Everyone is worried about you, even your teammates from your basketball team. They told me that you left before your basketball practice yesterday. They said that you might be sick or something."
Shawn paused as he once again waited to hopefully hear Michiru. He didn't have to wait for long as Michiru finally spoke up from behind the door.
"Yeah...I guess you could say I'm sick."
Shawn frowned at what Michiru had said before speaking: "Are you alright?"
He waited a few moments before Michiru spoke again in a reassuring voice: "I'm okay. I just need a few days to get over this bug. So it's best that I stay in my room that nobody will catch it either."
Yet her words had the opposite effect on Shawn. Instead of feeling reassured, he felt deep sense of worry in the core of his very being. Something about Michiru's sudden sickness just didn't sit right with Shawn. But he didn't want to push, so he decided to give Michiru some space for now.
"Alright," he said in voice that still held concern. "But I'm going to come over to check up on you each day to make sure that you're okay."-He then smirked before adding with a hint of humor etched in his voice -"Along with delivering your homework to make sure that you don't fall behind in school."
After he said that, Shawn heard a groan of anguish from Michiru on the other side of the door, which caused him to chuckle slightly.
"Did you have to mention schoolwork?" grumbled Michiru.
Shawn chuckled before he sat down on the floor and leaned his back up against the door. "Well, someone's got to remind you to keep up with your grades."
He heard a snort from behind the door before he spoke once again. "Michiru...I hope you get better soon."
"I'm sure I will," said Michiru in a positive voice.
Shawn smiled at Michiru's positive attitude as he continued to sit with his back pressed against the door. He then started telling Michiru what had been going on in school. Michiru would listen intently from behind the door, while making a comment once in a while, or laugh when Shawn mentioned something funny that had happened at school. They continued to talk for a while before it was time for Shawn to head back home. But before he did, Shawn promised Michiru that he would come back tomorrow to check up on her. Michiru thanked him and told Shawn how glad she was that he came by to talk with her.
Shawn smiled at the comment before he replied: "That's what friends do Michiru. We look out for one another."
"Yeah," said Michiru behind the door. "And I promise that I'll get better, and be back at school as soon as I can."
Shawn let out a soft chuckle before bidding Michiru goodbye and made his way back downstairs. He saw Mr. and Mrs. Kagemori standing near the front door with concerned expressions upon their faces. Mr. Kagemori, also known as Fujita, was a tall man with short, dark brown hair, tanned skin and dark brown eyes. He wore a white, buttoned up, short sleeved shirt, blue jeans and white socks.
Shawn stopped in front of Michiru's parents and began to talk with them.
"I'm going to come back every day to see Michiru. I'll also be bringing along her homework so that she doesn't get too far behind in school."
"Thank you Shawn," said Kia with a smile. "We're so glad that you're willing to do this for our daughter."
"Yes," said Fujita as he nodded in agreement. "Our daughter is pretty lucky to have you around."
"Well... let's just say that I want to do all I can to help Michiru," said Shawn with a smile. "She's my best friend and I want to be there for her."
"And we appreciate you for that," spoke Kia as her smile turned somber. "After what had happened to Nazuna..."
She let the sentence hang, but Shawn already knew what Michiru's mother was going to say. Michiru hadn't been her peppy self ever since Nazuna had been kidnapped. It had hit her pretty hard, especially when it came to the police not finding any clues to who had taken Nazuna. Shawn knew that Michiru and Nazuna had known each other for a few years, and they were basically like sisters. Shawn also saw Nazuna as a sister, and he felt like he failed in protecting her. Yet he wasn't going to let that drag him down. He had to be strong for Michiru, and help her through her sadness. Along with the sudden bug that she had caught yesterday.
"I'm sure she'll get over whatever she caught," reassured Shawn with a confident smile. "After all; she's just as strong and stubborn as you Mr. Kagemori."
"You bet she is," said Fujita with a proud smile. "My little girl can pull through anything when she puts her mind to it."
Kia smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Shawn also smiled and couldn't help but feel glad that Michiru had a father who believed in her.
"I'd better get going," said Shawn. "I'll come back tomorrow to check up on Michiru, while also bringing along her homework."
"Thank you again Shawn," said Kia with a bow of her head. "Hopefully in a few days Michiru will be back in school again."
"I'm sure she will," said Shawn with a confident smile.
Unfortunately those few days turned into almost an entire month. Michiru continued to stay locked up within her room, while Shawn kept on coming over to her house to deliver her homework and to just talk to her. Though when he delivered Michiru's homework, she would always ask Shawn to leave it outside her door, and would say that she would get it later. It was during those days that Shawn, along with Michiru's parents, began to grown worried about Michiru's unusual condition. They've tried many times to coax Michiru out of her room, but they were met with silence each time they tried. Yet she still talked whenever Shawn came over to visit her. Even when summer vacation came around, Shawn would always come to Michiru's house and talk with her. He would avoid trying to talk Michiru into coming out of her room, but the constant anxiety of what exactly was wrong with his friend kept weighing down upon him.
We soon find Shawn alone within Kogi's gym. He was going all out on one of the punching bags as he tried to keep himself distracted. He was wearing a grey, sleeveless shirt and black gym shorts. On his hands were black fingerless boxing gloves, while on his legs were black shin guards. Shawn punched and kicked for about ten minutes before he finally stopped, held the punching bag still and began to catch his breath. He panted for a moment as he rested his forehead against the punching bag. A minute later, a voice suddenly spoke up from the door.
"Well, looks like you have something on your mind kid."
Shawn lifted his head up to look towards the door and saw Kogi leaning against the doorframe. The man had his arms crossed over his chest, while his face held a serious expression on it.
"Sensei," spoke Shawn in a slightly surprised voice. "How long have you been standing there?"
"I've been watching you punch that bag for about an hour," replied Kogi as he pushed himself off from the doorframe. "I was getting worried that you might wind up wrecking it."
Shawn let out a sigh of exhaustion: "Sorry Sensei, I just have a lot on my mind right now."
Kogi stared at Shawn for a moment before he spoke again: "You're thinking about your friend Michiru right?"
A small frown appeared on Shawn's face as he nodded his head 'yes' in reply to Kogi's question. The older man gently sighed through his nose before he walked over to one of the benches within the gym and sat down. Shawn looked at his master for a moment before walking over to Kogi and took a seat beside him. This had become a routine for Shawn and Kogi. Whenever Shawn had something on his mind, Kogi would be the one to listen to him and give Shawn some advice, whether it was training or friend problems.
"It's been almost a month now, and Michiru still hasn't recovered from whatever sickness she caught," said Shawn as he began to tell Kogi what was on his mind. "And that's not all. Whenever either me or Michiru's parents ask her to come out of her bedroom, she would lock her door and remain silent. It's getting to the point that I'm starting to worry that something is really wrong with her."
Kogi let out a hum as he thought over what Shawn had told him. The two were silent for a moment until Kogi finally spoke up.
"I'm not sure what to tell you kid. All I can say is that whatever is wrong with your friend, it's best that you be there for her when she's ready to tell you."
"But what if she doesn't?" asked Shawn with a worried expression upon his face.
Kogi was quiet for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. What he said next caused Shawn to stare up at his teacher in surprise.
"If she doesn't tell you. Then you'll just have to force your way through those tall walls she had built around her."
We soon find Shawn walking down the street on his way home. Shawn was now wearing his Nikes, along with dark blue jacket. He was thinking over what Kogi had told him before he left. If Michiru didn't open up to him, he'd just have to break through the walls she had built around herself? Shawn wasn't sure if he should try and force Michiru to tell him what was wrong with her.
'I probably shouldn't,' thought Shawn sadly to himself. 'If I push her into telling me I might drive her away and that's the last thing I want to do.'
Shawn continued to walk for a bit before he came to a halt. He had come to the spot where he and Michiru had usually split when it came to walking home together from school. In those past few days, the walks back home had become lonely for Shawn. And during those days, it felt like a void was forming inside his heart. After a moment, Shawn decided to take a detour and head over to Michiru's house.
'I'll go and check up on Michiru before heading home,' thought Shawn.
It was a minute later that Shawn finally arrived at Michiru's house. He paused to look up at the window of Michiru's bedroom before heading towards the front door. Shawn only got about two steps when he heard a scream from within the house. The sudden scream caused Shawn to jump slightly and glance up towards Michiru's window. When he did, he saw the window open before a person jump out of it. The person landed a foot near Shawn, and when they did Shawn was able to see what the person looked like.
The person was actually a female tanuki beastman. The beast-girl had chin length blue hair and blue tail with both of them having black ends, while the rest of her body was covered in light brown fur. The eyes of the tanuki were teal with pink underneath the pupil. The tanuki girl had a dark brown patch on her face, while her hands, along with her bare feet, were also covered in dark brown fur. Sitting on top of the tanuki-girl's head were two black ears, which almost looked cat like to Shawn. The tanuki girl wore an oversized grey hoodie and grey sweatpants.
The tanuki girl and Shawn both stared at each other in shock. For a moment, the two of them didn't move as they only continued to look into each other's faces. Yet as Shawn stared at the tanuki in front of him, he instantly knew who he was staring at straight away. For even though her appearance had changed, there was no mistaking the face that was gazing right back at him.
"M-Michiru?"
The tanuki girl, now known as Michiru, stared at Shawn in surprise before her face took on a sad expression, which also held fear within it as well. She then turned, ran away from the house and headed down the street. Shawn didn't hesitate for even an instant as he quickly chased after his once human friend.
To be continued
And here you go, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review to tell me what you think of it.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!