Chapter 8: Getting ready for the Festival
The past three days have been tense for everyone in the house. Yuki and Joaquin have at times budded heads with one another on different subjects and issues. Joaquin has always kept his cool, even when Yuki hits a nerve or two. Hana has kept the sorted peace between them, even when Yuki got a little violent. Today was calm and Joaquin and Yuki kept their distances from one another. Yuki was helping Hana with the vegetables while Joaquin was outside relaxing. Hana gave him a break after all the hard work he did and the fact that he was sick, with what she was still at a lost with.
Joaquin was standing outside reading his journal from then. The journal consisted of the days when he was in boot camp to the last mission. He started reading on the day of briefing.
We didn't even have a chance to get off the plane before we got word about an assignment. I, Blakes, Henderson and everyone else got to the briefing room and we saw the pictures of the massacres. I can't believe it; these were innocent people just trying going through life, and these pieces of shit just cut them down because they aren't their kind of people. I can't wait to get out there and show them how it feels, how it feels to be scared and knowing death is looking at them and coming for them. Believe me, once they see me, they won't just see a human soldier, and they'll see true fear…
Joaquin then heard footsteps arriving to the front door. He looked up and saw a young man with spiked black hair. Joaquin immediately assumed that he was here for Yuki.
"Excuse me sir, but is Yuki here?" Souhei asked. Joaquin's prediction was correct.
"Let me guess, boyfriend of her." Joaquin asked. Souhei's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Uh, no sir it's not like that! I was just, uh, just-" Souhei tried to explain.
"Geez kid I was just messing with you and that wasn't even one of my good ones." Joaquin explained. Souhei calmed down and got a little laugh out of it then went on to the question.
"By the way I don't think we met, I'm Souhei, and I go to school with Yuki." Souhei explained.
"Joaquin Valero, houseguest. Hold on I'll get Yuki." Joaquin said. Souhei just saw his dog tags and immediately assumed that he was in the military.
"Excuse me Valero san, were you by any chance in the military?" Souhei asked. He knew that his stature and rugged looks must mean he saw action somewhere.
"Yea, Green Berets, United States Army Special Forces. How did you know?" Joaquin asked. Looking at himself, he would have guessed himself as well with dog tags, boots, old army pants and tank top. Joaquin was a little impressed that Souhei got it right.
"Well your outfit kinda says it all." Souhei said. Joaquin was getting up to get Yuki.
"Hold on, I'll get Yuki, wait here soldier." Joaquin requested to Souhei. Souhei liked that remark, 'soldier', had a nice ring to it. Joaquin went inside to get his teenaged nemises. Yuki and Hana we're washing the vegetables they picked from the garden. They started discussing for the festival tonight.
"So Yuki, excited for the festival tonight?" Hana asked Yuki was indeed excited. Her kimono was ready and so was Hana's. Yuki just thought about the fireworks, the rides, the food and everything else.
"You bet mom." Yuki said finishing the last tomato.
"Well you sounds like it. By the way, is Souhei coming to the festival?" Hana asked. Yuki's face turned red, but she hoped that he would.
"He might, he's bringing the family too, his little brother even." Yuki explained. She knew that Souhei had a little reserved feelings about the sibling situation. Yuki just let it past. She heard Joaquin come in, and her raw feelings came and she built up a defense. Joaquin just came in content.
"Yo Yuki, your boy Souhei is here. Get out there and kiss him already!" Joaquin said then walked out. Yuki wanted to kill Joaquin then after saying it loud enough for Souhei to here. Both turned red with embarrassment. Yuki got her claws and was ready to start tearing him apart, but Hana calmed her down.
"Yuki calm down, you know he's just playing with you." Hana reassured her. Hana was kind of mad at Joaquin too. Joaquin went outside to talk to Souhei.
"She'll be out in a minute." Joaquin said to Souhei, who had a red face after the loud announcement. Souhei tried to change the argument.
"Hey so um, since you were a Special Forces kind of guy, do you have like special training like hand to hand combat?" Souhei asked. Joaquin looked at him with an interest to his question.
"Yea I do, wanna learn a couple of them?" Joaquin asked.
"Yea!" Souhei said with excitement. Yuki was inside trying to find an outfit for Souhei. She went with a dress with sunflowers on them. She freshened up with a little make up and said good bye to Hana. When she got outside, he saw Souhei in a chokehold held by Joaquin. Yuki panicked and charged at Joaquin. Her tackle was more than Joaquin anticipated because she knocked him right on his feet. Yuki was on top of Joaquin with her elbow on his neck and all her body weight on his chest.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING TO SOUHEI YOU PSYCHO?!" Yuki yelled at the top of her lungs. Souhei was ok and ran to calm down Yuki.
"Yuki calm down! We were just practicing!" Souhei grabbed Yuki by the arm to pull her off of Joaquin, but Yuki went into a wolf form a little and nearly scratched his face. She proceeded to try and claw Souhei again, so Joaquin got up, grabbed Yuki and put her in a pin position. Joaquin was actually struggling a little with Yuki who was smaller than him, but he looked into her face and saw an animal. Ears, teeth, eyes, nose, and claws, not a human.
"YUKI CALM DOWN! HANA I NEED HELP!" Joaquin called out, Hana came running out. She saw Yuki with her ears and changing into her wolf. Yuki was more aggressive than ever, Hana couldn't believe what Yuki was doing. What was going on?
"Yuki! Whats gotten into you?!" Hana tried to calm Yuki down but no good, she was off the edge. Hana then told Joaquin to let go and Hana grabbed Yuki by hugging her.
"Yuki calm down, its ok, its ok." Yuki then started calming down. She realized that her ears were out and everyone could see them, including Joaquin. Yuki then ran inside and into her room. Everyone was shocked and wondered what happened. Hana wanted answers.
"Guys, what happened?" Hana asked sternly. Joaquin decided to explain.
"Well here's what happened. Me and Souhei here were just practicing so hand to hand combat maneuvers and fooling around, when Yuki came out and went ballistic on me and Souhei, who tried to calm her down too. That's when she tried to claw him and even tried again. I thought she was going out of control so I pinned her to the ground and called you. She then started to change even more. What was that I saw?" Joaquin asked. Hana was afraid to answer that to Joaquin. Souhei knew that this wasn't good, now Joaquin knows as well.
"Valero san, who are you going to tell?" Hana asked. Joaquin looked at her, he could tell that Hana was worried that the secret was out. Joaquin knew what to do.
"Who would I tell? No one that's who." Joaquin answered. Hana was relieved to hear that but wanted to keep him here even more now to make sure. They all went inside to talk to Yuki. They tried knocking on the door but no answer. Yuki was under the covers crying. She felt that now a stranger knows and the secret is out.
"Yuki, Yuki. Can you come out please?" Hana asked. She, Joaquin was concerned as the rest were.
"Yuki, its ok, Valero san won't tell anyone." Hana remarked, still no answer. Joaquin decided to volunteer to go in.
"Hana, maybe I can try and talk, after all it's my fault she went off like that." Joaquin said Hana didn't blame Joaquin. She knew he and Souhei were just playing around and Yuki got the message misinterpreted what was going on. Hana agreed and let Joaquin go in the room. Joaquin saw the lump in the bed and knew it was Yuki. He sat right next to her in the bed and decided to talk. He lifted up the covers and saw Yuki in a fetal position.
"Hey there kiddo, you doing alright?" Joaquin asked. Yuki said nothing and turned the other way. Joaquin felt bad because she felt that he saw something he wasn't supposed to see.
"So, that's a pretty interesting gift you have." Joaquin remarked.
"You know, a lot of people all over the world have secrets they feel people wouldn't understand, but I can understand your situation." Joaquin explained. Yuki looked at him.
"How can you understand? Do you know what it's like to have this, to be half of two things? How can you ever understand?" Yuki said. Joaquin felt the way she did once, but it was time to share that experience.
"As a matter of fact I do." Joaquin remarked.
"Yuki, just come out from under those sheets and I'll explain." Yuki decided to bite. She came out of the covers and sat to hear out Joaquin.
"Ok, now that I have your attention I'll explain. I don't care what you are, but you shouldn't be ashamed of both sides of you. You are who you are, you choose your actions and choose your life, but don't be ashamed of what you got." Joaquin explained. Yuki looked at him with disbelief.
"That's easy for you to say, you didn't have to choose to be human, you were born human." Yuki said with teary eyes. Joaquin looked at her with calmness and got up. He raised his hand to his chest. His hand began to change to claws, his nose became longer, his ears became those of an animal, and he was a wolf. Yuki couldn't believe it, another with her abilities.
"Who said I was whole human?" Joaquin remarked. Yuki smiled with tears in her eyes. She was relieved to see that she wasn't alone. Hana was waiting outside. She heard silence, so she decided to come in. When she did, she sees Joaquin and Yuki both in wolf form. Hana couldn't believe what Joaquin was.
"So, got something to tell me?" Hana said with a smile. Joaquin looked at her and grinned.
"Yea, we got a festival to get ready for" Joaquin said. Hana, Yuki, and Souhei agreed.