A Human among Beastmen
Hey everyone, White Hunter here. So, I know you've all been waiting for the next chapter and I'm sorry for that. It's just that I'm having a bit of a writer's block. But I'll make sure that that it won't interfere with my work. Anyways; this chapter is a birthday gift to one of my readers; Nate-da-cool. It was at his request that I create this summer chapter to him. I hope you enjoy it Nate and that you have a great birthday with your family.
Happy Birthday to you.
Chapter 9: The end of normal days part 9
A few days have passed since Shawn invited Michiru to stay at his house for a while. Michiru had settled in to the Joseph household quite quickly. Nancy was able to provide clothing for the tanuki girl, which luckily were all Michiru's size. For a while, things were pretty good. But as time passed, Shawn began to notice how Michiru would gaze outside the windows once in a while. It took a while for him to understand what was wrong with his friend. Michiru was feeling both trapped and bored inside his house. Here she was, stuck in her beastman form without knowing how to change back. It must have been frustrating for Michiru. Not knowning what to do, Shawn decided to talk to his mother about Michiru's situation. It was on one of these days, three days near the end of school and the beginning of summer vacation, that Shawn was quietly talking to his mother in the kitchen while Michiru was sitting up in the guest room upstairs.
"It's been almost a week mom." Shawn said in a soft voice with a frown etched upon his face as he and his mother sat at the kitchen table. "And throughout those days, I can see that Michiru is getting restless."
"I can't really blame her." Nancy said as she gave her son a sad smile. "I would grow restless too for staying inside the house for so long."
"But it's more than just that mom." Shawn groaned as he placed a hand on his forehead. "Even though Michiru wants to go outside and walk around in broad daylight again. There's still the risk of people finding out about her and calling either the police, or Anti-Beastmen Hunters to hunt her down. And if that happens I . . . I don't know what I would do if that happens. She's the only friend I have left."
A sad expression appeared on Nancy's face after hearing what Shawn had said. She was also worried about people finding out about Michiru as well, and the thought of her getting killed made Nancy's stomach twist. There was a moment of silence between the two as they tried to think of a way to help Michiru. That was when Nancy got an idea.
"I think I might know of a way to get Michiru out of the house for a while." Nancy said with a smile appearing on her face.
Shawn quickly looked up at his mother in surprise before he spoke. "Really? How?"
"Well . . . do you remember the old cabin that used to belong to your grandfather?" Nancy asked her son. "You know, the one that's hidden way up within the mountains near this town?"
Shawn nodded his head in reply to his mother's question. "Yeah, I do. But why . . ."
It wasn't long before what his mother said came into the light. A large smile appeared on Shawn's face as he gazed up at his mother in amazement.
"Of course!" Shawn exclaimed as he slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that before? Mom, you're an absolute genius!"
"I have my moments." Nancy said with a chuckle. "Also, it'll be a great way for Michiru to relax during summer break as well."
Shawn smiled as he quickly stood up from the kitchen table. "I'm going to go tell Michiru the good news."
He then turned, ran out of the kitchen and bolted up the stairs to his room. Nancy smiled as she watched her son head up stairs before standing up, and headed to the living room to read her book. It didn't take long for Shawn to reach the guest bedroom door in record time. He took a moment to catch his breath before he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Michiru's voice called from inside the room.
"Hey, it me!" Shawn called out to his friend. "You mind if I come inside to talk with you for a moment?"
"Oh, yeah sure!" Michiru replied in a hurried voice. "Just give me a second."
Shawn waited as he listened to Michiru shuffling around in the bedroom. It wasn't long before Michiru opened the door to the guest room. She was wearing a white sport's top and blue jean shorts. The tanuki girl smiled up at Shawn when she saw him.
"Hey Shawn." Michiru greeted her friend.
"Hey," said Shawn as he smiled back at his friend. "You mind if I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." Michiru said as she let Shawn walk into the room.
The guest room was a modest and didn't have very much stuff in it. Only a bed, a bedroom table and a desk with a chair standing near it. But there were a few items stationed within the room. A laptop, a desk lamp and a cloths hamper. Shawn noticed that the laptop was opened on Michiru's desk, but decided to ignor it for now before he turned to look at Michiru, who had closed the door behind them. The tanuki girl turned to look at her friend before speaking to him.
"So . . . what's up?" Michiru asked in a curious voice.
"I just came up to tell you that mom and I figured out a way for you to be outside, instead of being trapped within the house all day." Shawn replied with a excited smile on his face.
Michiru blinked when she heard what Shawn had just said before a hopeful expression appeared on her face. "Really, how?"
"Okay, it's like this." Shawn said as he started to tell his friend. "You know that summer vacation is coming up, right?"
A curious look appeared on Michiru's face before she nodded her head at Shawn.
"Well, my mother remembered that my grandfather once owned a cabin high up in the mountains near here." Shawn continued with a smile on his face. "She was thinking that we can go up there, and spend a week or two during our summer vacation. I know it's not a permanent solution to your problem, but at least it'll get you out of the house for a while. What do you say, want to give it a try?"
Michiru stared at Shawn for a moment before going into a thought. Shawn waited patiently for his friend's answer, while hoping that she would say yes. After a while, Michiru finally turned to look at Shawn and gave him a smile.
"Alright, I'm willing to take a chance at this idea." Michiru said as she gave Shawn her answer.
Shawn smiled back at his friend as his heart lifted up in joy and relief. He was relieved that Michiru was willing to come with him to his grandfather's cabin. It also gave him the oppertuninty to share his summer vacation with his friend. Sure, Shawn had shared his summer vacation with her, Blake and Nazuna a long time ago, but they would mostly hang out at the park. They didn't really go anywhere together yet spending time with them always lifted Shawn's spirits.
'Hopefully I can lift Michiru's spirits after being trapped in my house for days.' Shawn thought quietly to himself before he spoke to Michiru.
"You're going to love being at grandpa's cabin Michiru. It's going to be fun, I promise."
"I'm sure it will Shawn." Michiru said in reassurance.
Shawn smiled at his friend before standing up from the bed. "Well, since I'm up here. How about we get started on finishing your homework?"
Michiru blinked at what Shawn said before letting out a groan. Shawn chuckled in amusement when he heard her, before letting out a grunt when a pillow hit him in the face. He quickly pulled the pillow off of his face as he gave Michiru a playful glare, while the tanuki smirked at him in return.
"Oh, you're so gonna get it!" Shawn exclaimed with a smirk.
And thus, the two began to get into a pillow fight with each other.
Three days soon passed and summer vacation had started. It was in those three days that Shawn, Michiru and Nancy were able to organize their things for the trip. Nancy also made sure to buy Michiru a swimming suit in those days before the day they were to leave. Shawn made sure to tell his self-defenses teacher that he would be gone for a few days to relax. Kogi said that it was alright, but told Shawn to keep up with his practices despite him taking a couple weeks off. It was about an hour near dawn that find Shawn and Nancy packing up the car, while making sure everything fitted in the back. Their car was packed within the garage, with the garage attached to the side of the house. Which made it easier for Shawn and Nancy to sneak Michiru into the car without anyone noticing her. Once Shawn and Nancy were sure everything fitted in the back, they quickly closed the trunk of the car.
"There, that's everything." Nancy said with a huff as she wiped the back of her hand against her forehead. "Now we just need Michiru to come down and we'll be all set to go."
Nancy was wearing a white blouse with short sleeves, blue jean shorts and blue slip on runners. As for Shawn, he was wearing a dark green short sleeved shirt, brown cargo shorts and his usual shoes.
"Hopefully it won't take her too long to get ready." Shawn said as he leaned against the back of the car. "She's not really a morning person you know."
"I know she isn't, but if we start off early before the sun rises, then there is the less likely chance that someone will spot Michiru in our car."
Shawn could argue what that notion as he knew that not many people would be walking about during the early morning. Thus why he and Michiru had gone to bed earlier last night so that they would be more alert during the morning. And speaking of the tanuki girl, she had just appeared within the doorway to the garage. She was wearing a dark blue hooded vest over top a white short sleeved T-shirt, grey shorts with white stripes going down the sides, and white runners with red stripes on them.
Michiru walked up to Shawn and Nancy with a tired expression upon her face. She let out a loud yawn once she came to stand in front of the two, before raising her right hand up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
"You ready to go?" Shawn asked her in a gentle voice.
"Yeah," she replied in a sleepy voice. "But I wish that we didn't wake up so early to leave."
"I know honey, but we have to leave early so that we don't have to worry about people seeing you." Nancy said in a soft voice.
"I still don't like it though." Michiru grumbled under her breath.
Shawn began to lead Michiru over to the back seat of the car, while speaking to her in a reassuring voice.
"You can sleep in the car along the way to the cabin, and don't worry about breakfast. Mom's already made us some sandwiches to help tie us over until we make it to our destination."
Michiru only mumbled incoherent words as she got into the back of the car. Shawn made sure to buckle Michiru into her seat before gently pulling up the hood of her vest, so that no one would see her face as they drove out of their small hometown. He then shut the door before going over the the other side to sit in the back with Michiru. Nancy walked over to the driver's door and got in before pressing the button on her rear view mirror to open the garage door. Once she and Shawn were buckled into their seats, Nancy slowly backed the car out of the garage. After they were a safe distance away, Nancy pressed the button again and the garage door closed. When it full closed, Nancy began to drive the car down the alleyway and onto the street that would lead them out to the main road. They barely got about a few miles before Michiru fell asleep in the backseat. Shawn, who was sitting in the middle seat in the back, looked over at his friend with a small smile on his face. He then gently pulled her over to him and let the tanuki girl's head rest against his shoulder. Shawn knew that this was going to be a long trip for them, but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end. Nancy took a glance up to look at Shawn and Michiru through the rear view mirror, and smiled at the sight she saw before turning her attention back on the road.
It was mostly quiet throughout the trip, with Michiru only waking up once to have breakfast before falling back asleep again. Shawn let the tanuki girl rest her head against his shoulder the entire trip, while he occupied himself by gazing out the window of the car. It was about four hours before Nancy came to a dirt road that lead off the the one they were driving on. It was an old road that was covered completely in grass, and almost completely hidden by the branches of trees. It looked to Shawn as if the road hadn't been used for quite some time. Nancy carefully drove down the dirt road for a bit before coming to a complete stop. Shawn then turned to look at Michiru and began to gently shake her.
"Wake up Michiru, we're here." Shawn said in a gentle voice.
Michiru let out a groan before slowly opening her eyes. The tanuki girl let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes to clear them. Nancy was the first one to step out of the car, and stared up at the building that stood before her.
"Oh, it's just as how I remembered it." Nancy said in a gentle voice.
Shawn and Michiru soon stepped out of the car to gaze up at the building as well. The cabin that Shawn's grandfather had owned was actually a two story Minka house. It was built within the Gasshou style with the wood being a dark brown. There were a few plants growing the roof of the building, but it was mostly just weeds. What was really surprising was that the Minka house stood near a large lake. The scene of the lake was beautiful as it show the forest and mountains that stood on its farther banks. Michiru, who was now fully awake, stared at the view in awe and wonder.
"Whoa . . . this whole property belonged to your grandfather?" Michiru asked in amazement.
"Yep, it sure did." Shawn replied as he stared out at the view. "I'm still amazed that my grandpa was able to buy that old Minka house. Since most days people preferer to live in the cities and enjoy the easy life there."
"Well you're grandfather liked to live in places where he can have peace and quiet." Nancy said as she walked around to the back of the car. "He also liked being around nature. Now, you two help me carry the luggage into the house."
"You got it mom." Shawn said with a salute.
He and Michiru took their own suitcases out of the car before following Nancy towards the house. Nancy was the firt one to the door and opened it. The inside of the house was slightly old fashioned and had collected a lot of dust throughout the age. There were also a bit of spider webs hanging in different corners of the house and its rafters.
"Looks like we'll have to do a bit of dusting before we can really enjoy being in the cabin." Shawn said as he, Michiru and Nancy entered the house.
"You're telling me." Michiru said as she looked around at the rafters. "It looks as if this place hasn't been cleaned in years."
"Well it has been a while since I last visited this place with Shawn's father." Nancy said as she took off her shoes. "And that was when we had just gotten married, and decided to take a vacation to visit Shawn's grandfather."
"Then after we moved to Japan, my mom and I would sometimes come up to my grandfather's cabin during the summer." Shawn said as he stepped out of his shoes, with Michiru doing the same. "During our stays here, we'd always make sure to clean up the place before we settled in."
"That must take a lot of work." Michiru muttered as she followed Shawn and Nancy down the hallway.
"Yeah it does." Shawn said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But it's worth it in the end."
The trio continued to walk down the hallway before they came to three sets of shoji doors. Nancy turned around to look at Michiru as she pointed out the three doors.
"Okay, so the two doors down the right side of the hall are Shawn's and my bedrooms, while the other door on the left is the guest's bedroom. It has a great view of the lake, along with the view of the mountains as well."
Michiru nodded in understanding before walking towards the guest bedroom. She slid open the shoji door and blinked in surprise at what she saw. The walls within the guest bedroom were painted with scenes of trees that had cherry blossoms on their branches. There were also a few birds that either flew, or sat upon the flowering branches as well. And as Nancy said, there was a window that looked out at the lake. Michiru smiled as she gazed at her room in amazement before she turned to look at Shawn, who had just opened the door to his bedroom.
"This room is amazing!" Michiru exclaimed in an excited voice. "Have you had your mother renovated this room last year?"
"Nope, it's always been like that." Shawn replied with a smile. "It was one of the rooms my grandfather had designed himself."
"No way, seriously?"
"Yep, he was actually the one who designed this whole place." Shawn explained as he placed his bag inside his room. "He was both an architect and artist."
Michiru's eyes widened when Shawn said that his grandfather had designed the Minka house himself.
"That's amazing."
Shawn chuckled before Nancy walked out of her bedroom and stood within the hallway to face the two teens.
"Alright you two, enough chitter-chatter. It's time to get to work in cleaning this house up." Nancy said in a firm yet friendly voice.
And with that, the trio began to clean up the Minka house to get it ready for them to live in for their summer vacation. They made sure to clean the house top to bottom, while also chasing out some bugs that decided to move in. It was a long procedure yet it was worth it, for as Michiru helped to clean the house she saw many interesting things hidden inside it. Clear maple leaf patterns on glass shoji windows; the sparkling stones in the stone sink; vine carvings within the wooden beams, and art works paint works of nature within each room. It was truly a beautiful house that she had ever got to set foot in.
After they had finished cleaning the house, Nancy had gone to the small village down near the mountain to buy some groceries to tie them over, during their stay at the Minka house. As for Shawn and Michiru, they decided to take a little walk through the forest and gather some wild raspberries. Shawn had told Michiru about a small batch of bushes growing not to far from the Minka house. The walk through the forest had been enjoyable for the two friends and they were able to gather as many of the berries as they could. Yet on their way back, a couple of twigs got caught in Michiru's tail, which caused the tanuki some distress. Shawn made sure to calm his friend down, and told her that he'll help get them out once they were back at the house. We now find them sitting out on the Engawa outside of Shawn's bedroom. Shawn gently plucked out some of the twigs that had gotten into Michiru's tail, while the tanuki girl sat as still as possible with an impatient look upon her face. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Shawn with a frown upon her face.
"Are you almost done?" Michiru asked her friend.
"Almost," replied Shawn as he combed his hand through Michiru's tail to find any stray twigs. "I just have to make sure that there aren't anymore twigs hidden in your tail."
Michiru huffed as she turned to look away from Shawn with a pout on her face. Shawn continued to look through Michiru's tail to make sure there were no more twigs. He soon found another one in the deeper part of her furry tail. Shawn grasped the twig with his thumb and index finger. He started to pull it out, but was met with some resistance. Shawn frown at this before he turned to look up at Michiru, who was still looking away from him. He thought about telling her about what he was going to do, but decided at the last second not to.
'I'll make sure to pull it out fast before she feels any pain.' Shawn thought quietly to himself.
With his decision made, Shawn grasped the twig tightly between his fingers. He then quickly gave a sharp tug and pulled the twig out. Yet by tugging the twig out it caused a sharp twinge of pain to go through Michiru's tail. The tanuki girl let out a yelp when she felt a sudden pain flare up within her tail, but what happened next really surprised her and Shawn. After she had yelped out in pain, blue teal sparks suddenly appeared around Michiru's tail. Shawn stared at the sparks in confusion before crying out in surprise when the tail suddenly started to grow bigger. He barely managed to leap to the side before Michiru's tail grew to be bigger and longer in length. Michiru quickly turned to look over her shoulder and gasped when she saw how big her tail had gotten. Shawn, who had jumped off the Engawa, sat on the grass staring at Michiru's tail in wide eyed surprise. There was a moment of silence between the two before Shawn was the first one to speak.
"Whoa . . . did not see that coming."
Michiru quickly turned to look at Shawn with a worried expression upon her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm alright Michiru." Shawn replied as he stood up and brushed off his backside. "Though that's what I get for yanking a twig out of your tail without telling you in advance."
"I didn't know that would happen." Michiru spoke in a hurried voice. "I mean; I didn't know that my tail could grow."
"Well . . . we learn something new everyday." Shawn said as he walked back over to Michiru, while staring at her tail in the process. "Though I got ta admit that really caught me off guard."
Michiru turned her gaze towards the ground with a embarrassed expression upon her face. Shawn saw this before placing a hand on her shoulder, which caused the tanuki girl to look up at him."
"It's okay," said Shawn in a reassuring voice. "Besides this is partly my fault."
"I know, but still . . . you could have gotten hurt because of me." Michiru spoke in a soft voice.
"Yeah I probably could have." Shawn said in slight agreement before adding in a reassuring voice. "But I didn't and that's what really counts."
He then turned to look at Michiru's tail again with a light frown upon his face.
"Now we just need to figure out how to get your tail to return back to its normal size."
Yet as soon as he said those words, Michiru's tail quickly shrunk back to its normal size. The two teens blinked in surprise before glancing at each other.
"I guess it doesn't stay big for very long." Michiru said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Still thought, I think it's best that I don't try surprising you again when trying to clean twigs from out of your tail." Shawn said with a playful yet nervous expression on his face. "I don't want to accidently get buried underneath a tail that can grow to be larger than my body."
Michiru chuckled in amusement and quietly agreed with his notion. After that the two teens went back to cleaning out some of the left over twigs, from out of Michiru's tail.
Days went by as Michiru and Shawn spent their summer vacation at the Minka house. In those days it all felt like a blur to the two teens, yet it became one of the happiest, and most memorable times for them.
Cue music: Summer feelings
I hear the rhythm of waves hitting on the shore And I can swear they're speaking, speaking, speaking
They're telling me to relax, I'm not good at that But now, I know I need it, need it, need it (I slide)
During most of their days at the Minka house, Michiru and Shawn would spend time swimming in the lake. Shawn would wear his dark green swim shorts, while Michiru wore a red strapless bikini top and blue shorts. The would mostly dive off the dock that was built near the edge of the lake's shore, splash or chase each other around, or see who could hold their breath the longest underwater. It was during one of these swims that Shawn could help noticing how cute Michiru looked in her swimsuit getup. It had also been one of those times when he felt his heart pounding against his chest. It had been beating so fast that he felt like it would burst out of his chest at any moment. Yet he ignored it and thought nothing of it for a while, but the feelings that he would get when spending time with Michiru were growing steadily stronger with each passing day.
Ooh, now what you do? My tan lines tell the truth (I slide)
Yeah, on Venice beach, got sand all in my shoes (Tonight)
Ooh, unlock me loose, see the sunset from the roof (That's right)
Yeah, that crystal blue, and I came out someone new Hey, getting in my summer feelings And I'm trying to keep it cool Way up here in my summer feelings And I found a piece of me that I never knew
It had also been the same for Michiru. Whenever Shawn wasn't looking, she would always glance towards him every chance she got. The tanuki couldn't help but admire how strong Shawn looked, whenever he moved or flexed his body in a certain way. Whether it was during his martial arts practicing or when they swam together in the lake. Yet it was at his touches that her heart really fluttered within her chest. Whenever he would rest his hand on his shoulder, hugged her or held her hand, Michiru would always feel a sense of warmth radiate throughout her entire body. Yet she was still unsure on what that feeling was.
You got my heart and I'm head over heels in love In California, dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, yeah touching the stars and then dragging them down to Earth That California feeling, feeling, feeling (I slide)
Oh, now what you do? Your brown eyes tell the truth (I slide)
Yeah, down on the beach, I'm staying out late for you (Tonight)
Oh, unlock you loose, see the sunset from the roof (That's right)
Yeah, you're good to me, and I came out someone new
For a while, the teens were a bit confused about these new feelings that they were getting between each other. Nor were they sure on how they should react to them. Yet as the week went by, the feelings that the two teens had for each other began to grow even stronger. It was during one night, when the sky was clear and filled with stars, with the full moon accompanying them in their light, that the two teens decided to go for a short walk together. For a while they acted normal around each other, but that changed when Michiru suddenly tripped over an upturned root and nearly fell over. Then, with quick reflexes, Shawn quickly caught her before she hit the ground.
Hey, getting in my summer feelings (Summer feelings)
And I, I'm trying to keep it cool Way up here in my summer feelings And I, I found a piece of me that I never knew I'm melting like ice cream The stress is gone for me Nowhere I'd rather be (Oh)
It was in that moment that Shawn's and Michiru's eyes locked onto each other. As they did, Shawn could help seeing how beautiful Michiru looked in the moon's light. How her eyes seemed to sparkle and glow with the stars that hung over their heads. For the young tanuki, she felt the warmth of Shawn's arms spreading throughout her body. How they held her in a firm yet gentle embarrassed that made her feel safe. They stared deeply into one another's' eyes for a while before they slowly leaned towards each other. Their eyes slowly closing as the distance between each other grew smaller. And that was when their lips gently pressed together into a soft kiss. They stayed like that for a minute or two before they slowly pulled away from each other. Shawn and Michiru gazed at each other with dazed expressions upon their faces. For a while they were unsure of what had happened between them, but then they slowly came to a realization. The two teens had fallen in love with each other. It was a bit of a shock, and they were slightly awkward about it at first. But it slowly changed as they began to grow to had strong feelings for each other. Being in love with each other was a bit new to them, but Shawn and Michiru wouldn't have it any other way.
Hey, getting in my summer feelings And I, I'm trying to keep it cool Way up here in my summer feelings And I found a piece of me that I never knew
Hey, getting in my summer feelings And I, I'm trying to keep it cool Way up here in my summer feelings And I found a piece of me that I never knew
To be continued
Okay so just to clear something up with a bit of the Japanese words that I have type into the story. Including the structure of the building that Shawn, Nancy and Michiru are staying in for the summer.
Minka: It is a old traditional vernacular house that was build in the ancient Japanese era.
Shoji: It is a door, window or room divider that is used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets of lattice frame.
Engawa: It is an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring in Japanese architecture, usually made up of either wood or bamboo.
Also; for some of the designs that I mentioned within the house's structure, I had gotten two of those ideas from an anime movie called 'Wolf Children'. The glass windows and stone sink were mostly the ideas that I got from the movie. Yet the rest of the house design I came up within my own head.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and continue to follow the story. And hopefully I don't wind up having another writer's block along the way.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!