Recovering from Loss (With the help of Tohru)

Today I got a cold. Probably from being in the cold for so long. Well…The cold itself didn't give me the cold. That would be a virus that didn't show itself until I went home. My books and backpack rest in the corner. I toss and turn in bed for a few hours before getting up.

Kotori is licking my clothes.

"H-Hey, what are you doing with my clothes?"

"Cleaning them," she says then goes back to licking like some sort of cat.

"Hmm. So, dragon tongues kill bacteria?"

"Yes. It's easier and faster than using a washing machine."

I shake my head at her, "It's inappropriate for a woman to be licking a man's clothes."

"I-I'm only cleaning them, idiot. It's not like I actually like it or anything."

I stretch my arms and crawl out of bed.

"Shiro."

"Yes, Kotori?"

"If anything bothers you. You can always tell me. I'm your sister, technically."

I put my clothes on like always and flip through my books.

"Let's hurry. I need to help you through this assignment before next morning."

"It's boring though," she groans.

"I know. But if you fail Tohru will get mad. The last person you want to anger is Tohru."

"Fine. If we have to."

Kotori is a slow learner. She managed to stay awake this time at least. She kept her eyes wide and open while writing down notes. It only took us an hour to finish the assignment. When it was over she leans on her chair, "What now, Shiro?"

I pull out my laptop and begin typing. She leans against my shoulder.

"It's a little something my mother worked on," I point to a diagram of a flying machine.

"It looks huge. Like those machines that carry humans across the sky. I think they were called airplanes."

Strange. Shouldn't she be aware what most of these human objects were? She looks like she is around the same age as me. Though…She could be much older than her looks suggest.

"Didn't Tohru explain to you how the human world works?"

"A little bit. But…," she pauses. She looks at me, conflicted.

"You mentioned I can tell you anything. So, it won't hurt if you were honest with me, too."

"Right. Tohru…Used to live with other dragons."

I'm not surprised there are other dragons. However, where are they? Tohru must have a family of her own. One that must be way bigger than mine's (Especially true for dragon's. Creatures that can live longer than human's).

"We're not allowed to venture far from the city."

"That's ridiculous. Dragons should be able to go wherever they want."

She holds my hand, "Yes. It is. But that's what we were told by the other dragons. You see we are forced to live here as punishment."

"Punishment? What happened, Kotori?" I lean closer to her.

She taps me on the forehead, "Too close, Shiro."

"Ow…," I rub my forehead.

"It's complicated. Mother would know. But she doesn't talk about why," she shrugs and forces a painful smile, "It can't be helped. It was a long time ago. I'm happy where I am anyway. It's nice and peaceful here. Anyway, I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Like that she left my room. With nothing else to do I fall back in bed. I stare at the ceiling. The reflection of the moon makes my room glow a cool, blue aura. Despite her cheerfulness, I can hear her pain. The way she spoke did not resemble someone moving on and felt more like someone who is in pain and trying to forget.

I contemplated asking Tohru. No. That would be a bad idea. It would only bring back bad memories. I want to know, I want to help these two. I want to help my family. How do I even go about doing that? The morning sun lights my room with a colorful palette of tinted orange.

"Oh…It's morning already," I yawn.

The classroom is quiet. When the teacher comes in he greets us with a lukewarm smile, "Good morning. This week we're having a science fair. You will be assigned into teams of two. If anyone is interested please sign your name."

Oh. Another science fair. Fortunately, I have been working on the drone. The software needs more improvements though.

Kotori jumps from her seat and signs the paper.

"Good luck, Kotori and Shiro."

"Lucky," a student remarked, jealous that Kotori picked me.

She sat beside me, leaning eagerly on my desk with her elbows.

"Kotori. I didn't agree to working with you."

"It'll be fun though. Besides, who else but your sister to cheer you up?"

I sigh. She is very persistent. Well, it can't be helped. I know Kotori will at least pull her own weight.

"So, are we going to finish the flying machine?"

"Well. I was thinking of doing an easier project."

"But…I wrote that we are working on the flying machine."

My heart froze. I look at her and at the teacher.

The teacher approaches me, "I heard you were doing a flying machine. You're ambitious for a first-year, aren't you? Good luck!"

My body shakes uncontrollably, "Kotori…Why?"

"Don't worry," she laughs, "We can finish it! I know where we can get those fancy parts!"

"How?! They're expensive, Kotori!"

As soon as school ended she brought us home. She swings the door open.

"Mom!" Kotori shouts.

Tohru is cleaning dishes. The sudden noise of the door and Kotori makes her jump. She almost drops the dishes.

"Y-Yes, Kotori?"

"Do you remember the shopping mall?"

"Yes…I do. Is there something you need?"

Kotori shows the diagram from my laptop, "It's from aunt Kobayashi, mom. Shiro wants to finish it."

Tohru looks in awe, "Oooh…Of course! I know where we can find parts!"

"Where exac-" She cuts me off and performs a gesture.

Whoosh

We were no longer in the living room. Somehow, we end up inside a store. There are hundreds of electronic parts that line the aisles.

An old man is standing in front of a cash register.

"I hear someone. Who is it?" the man wears a blindfold. He moves his head from side to side trying to hear or smell who entered.

"It's okay! It's me, Tohru," Tohru says in an energetic voice.

"Ah...Tohru. Do you need anything?"

Tohru pushes me closer to the old man, "It's for my son," she whispers in my ear, "Go ahead and tell him what you want."

I pull out a checklist, "Write this down. It's going to be a very huge list."

We buy the list of components I need (Luckily, it was at a discount.)

I place the parts in a bag and carry them onto Tohru's back, "Are you sure about this? What if people see us?"

"Don't worry! My magic will make us invisible."

I climb on to her back. Her scales look hard and tough, but they feel very fluffy when I touch them.

"Are you comfortable, Shiro?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm very comfortable…," I rub her scales with my fingers.

"Ahh…That feels good," she lets out a soft purr.

Kotori holds on to my shoulders, "Are you ready?"

Kotori is probably older than me by decades. Yet she acts like a little sister trying to cheer up her big brother. Well. Her tactics work; I am much more cheerful. With the parts in my bag I can finally finish my mother's invention. Tohru takes off into the night sky.

The cold breeze blows our hair and clothes. I look down and see the glowing lights of buildings and traffic below. Above me, are the stars. "I'm going to go a little bit faster, Shiro."

"Wait. What-" she speeds up. The gust hits my face. Gravity pushes down on my muscles.

I let out a scream, "Tohru, You're toooo damn fast!"

We made it home. I open the door, flip on the light switch, and jump on the couch.

"Thank goodness…I'm still alive."

Kotori opens the bag and looks at the parts. Tohru inspects them closely, "Wow. Did lady Kobayashi really work on this?"

I recall memories before the accident. I sit with my mother somewhere in the countryside. The wind brushes the grass to the side. The clouds are clear as the ocean.

She had several parts and a laptop with her. She shows me a picture of the flying machine. It looks like a car seat with propellers sticking from the four corners of its body. "This is a flying machine, Shiro. One day. When I finish this, we can fly in the sky. Like a dragon," she makes roaring noises. I giggle when she does that.

"Are you daydreaming, Shiro?"

"Hmm? Sorry. I was thinking of my mother."

Tohru sighs deeply, as if she were in an elated trance, "Yes. She would be proud of what you're doing, Shiro."

I look at the diagram and the parts. Without hesitation, I carry them outside and get to work. "The parts need to be welded together first," I tell them.

Tohru immediately picks up the parts and burns them with her breath. Saliva in Tohru's mouth gather. She drools on the metal. Her saliva is hot as molten magma. She puts metal components together and then blows on it. As the parts dry, they begin to harden.

Kotori works on the circuitry and electronic pieces. She rubs her fingers together and pokes the engine.

Pzzzttt

The engine roars to life. The speedometer fluctuates back and forth.

We worked until dawn. It was hard, but none of us complained. Mom would have wanted us to finish her work. The machine is finished. The seat is a bicycle. The pedals are connected to the propellers.

"Start the engine," Tohru gently nudges me.

"Right," I climb into the seat. My foot steps down on the gas pedal. I turn the keys.

Vrrrrrrrr

The engine roars to life. The propellers spin. The machine lifts off the ground and hovers 10 feet above Tohru and Kotori. I adjust the controls and stomp on the gas pedal. It doesn't climb any higher. This doesn't bother me. I've finished mom's prototype. I rest the machine on the ground and climb out of the cockpit.

"You did it," Tohru looks at me amazed. We at each other's eyes. "If only lady Kobayashi could see what you did for her."

I look at the sky, "I have a feeling she knows. At this moment, I feel like she is watching over us. Smiling."

I feel heavy. My eyelids close. Before I fall, Tohru catches me.

"You really pushed yourself today, Shiro. Get some rest."

That night I dreamt that I was floating in the sky. My back faced the ground and I was lying down on the clouds. The sun was in my eyes and I hear my mother's voice, "One day….we can fly in the sky…like a dragon…"