Chapter 20: He's the Same

A caiman to his word, Saigo does his best to work hard at the cafe if he wanted a better life for him and Yura. Sure it was not as glamorous as Iko's, but it was improvement from when he introduced the young woman into his apartment.

Besides him, Yura herself worked hard behind the kitchen of a restaurant that was close to the Black Market. She mostly does prep work, dishwashing and takes out the garbage while the cooks focused on the orders and specials. Sometimes, she would receive leftovers to bring back as their dinner or midnight snack.

After all, midnight snacks are one way to fuel up after rounds of nightly passions~

Once Saigo had receive his wages for the month, he was stopped outside of the shop by an unknown figure. The figure was wearing a dark hoodie and baggy pants, making them difficult to see who it was even with Saigo's excellent night vision. His blood was starting to run cold at the idea of who was after him.

After all, it had been a few months since he escaped the carnivore organ clinic.

He kept his guard up, wishing he had a knife inside of his pocket. Saigo can't exactly bare his fangs in case he might be put behind another set of bars. But his yellow eyes were probably shining in the dark, giving him an eerie look.

"I know why you're here," he growled.

"And I have come to give you this," the figure handed him a small envelope. Staring at the faded paper with hostility, he snatched it out of the figure's hand, eyes not leaving them. Saigo ripped it open to find a letter.

A letter of release.

'Wait, is this- no, it can't be!' he thought to himself with a shake of his head. Leaning against a dimly-lit lantern, he read the note. As he was reading, his heart began beating out of sheer panic. A lot of things crossed his mind:

What if they put him in another set of bars?

Will they hurt Yura if he doesn't comply?

Apparently, the letter mentioned that he was released because his contract with the clinic had ended if they could not find him for the clients' demands. In a way, Saigo does not know what to think about this. He was free but at the same time, not free.

He will have to keep his guard up for now. Vendors of the Black Market weren't always clean with their words. Some had to make ends meet in the worst way possible if it meant providing a comfortable life for their family. Others wanted to find a way to earn money without the discrimination, and a few were part of a criminal gang.

Saigo wanted to say something but the figure already left.

"What a weirdo," he thought with a growl. For now, he will focus on the surgery and the outcome after that. The caiman felt hot as a few ideas swam into his head, what he will do once he was fully healed.

Oh yes, he definitely will!

...

Saigo couldn't remember anything except the sterilised scent of the anaesthetic that puts him to sleep. He dreamt that he was back in high school, where he would promise himself that he will study instead of being truant and thus not having bad grades in his exams.

His parents wouldn't have thrown him out at eighteen without anything but his own instinct to fend for himself. He could've been a lawyer or a self-made reptile but he was nothing more than a skulking scavenger, the lowest form a carnivore could go to.

Caimans like him could ambush prey or think on their feet but somehow that skipped a generation.

He wondered how much his life would have changed, had he listened to his parents and meet his end goals instead of chasing something for a quick thrill?

Then again if he HAD done that, he wouldn't have met Yura or forge a new chapter into his life. In this world, sometimes it was better to keep up with everyone else if one does not want to fall behind. If one does indeed fall behind, what purpose could they do?

Have they contributed to society or for their own selfish gain?

All crocodilians are crafty creatures, that's for sure!

Suddenly, he heard a gentle voice coaxing him to follow. "Saigo," the voice whispered, sounding soft and tender like a warm blanket. He wanted nothing more than to be safe and secured. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

A few of the doctors were grinning behind their surgical masks. Saigo closed his hands into fists, recalling a flashback from the black market clinic. However, the doctor who approached him laid a gentle gloved hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," he assured him. "The surgery was a success. However, you can't do any sexual activities for a month or two until it heals up. I have to say that if it weren't for that friend of yours, it will be tedious to find a donor that has a compatible blood such as yours, let alone a cold-blooded one."

Saigo only stared with a glazed expression, unable to speak since he was still on anaesthetics. All he could think about was seeing Yura again and what he wanted to do with her. As if the doctor had read his mind, he added, "Remember: no sex until two months. You will need to sit down when using the toilet and try not to masturbate even if you have the urge."

'Fuck,' he thought to himself with grimace as he was wheeled out of the operating theatre into one of the hospital wards. His yellow eyes stared at the glaring lights of the ceiling. How could he make up for everything he had done? Despite everything, Saigo still felt like a burden to everyone around him.

While he was brooding, he doesn't register the warm hands that wrapped around his neck. He blinked, gazing down at the human that stuck by his side through thick and thin. Saigo rests his snout on top of her head as he took in her scent.

"You're okay!" she sobbed into his chest. "I was so scared that you wouldn't make it. As much as I have been on the run, you...Saigo, you are my home."

Now it was his turn to cry as he held her in his embrace. He promised himself that he will do better, become better for the sakes of his rebirth and his newfound life.

Sorry for the delay and short chapter! I had a lot to deal with in the past couple of months so updates are a bit slow

However, this story is about to end with the final chapter and it will be out with a bang!