Chapter 33: A Cold Splash of Reality
"Okay… we need to let Yasui set up group projects more often."
The study group Yasui was a part of all stood outside the entrance to the Prime Meridian, one of the largest and fanciest hotels in the city. Shinrai nodded.
"If only it was summer. We could have gone to the beach."
Tao elbowed Yasui.
"Maybe we need to have another Seaspeak project during the summer, eh? Think you could swing that?"
Yasui jumped a bit and rubbed his right hand against his pants leg. He was so sweaty, and felt very jittery. Yasui wasn't sure what was happening, but he didn't like this feeling. He shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know."
Shiro pointed at the reception area of the main lobby and asked,
"Odds that they have snacks?"
Tenbe rolled his eyes.
"If you get us kicked out of here, I officially don't know you."
The group walked into the brightly lit lobby and Yasui was once again struck by how impressive the hotel was. Despite it being the very middle of winter, the hotel felt like a tropical island. Yasui struggled out of his coat as they walked to the front desk. He stood on his tiptoes to look over the counter at the animal working the desk, a female zebra.
"Excuse me. We have an appointment to meet with Zilnav. Should be under the name 'Yasui'."
The hostess typed something on her computer and then smiled.
"She's waiting for you in the public baths. Go down the hallway to your left and follow the signs. It'll be on your right."
Yasui inclined his head.
"Thank you."
Shiro pointed at a table set up nearby that was laden with cups, carafes of coffee, and snacks.
"Are those cookies free?"
As the group made their way to the baths, Tao shook his head as Shiro began working on his third cookie.
"Dude, did you really take all their cookies?"
Shiro shook his head.
"Juff ah swikrdndls."
"I can't understand you at all."
Shiro swallowed.
"Just the cinnamon ones. So only six."
The public baths turned out to be a pleasantly warm room lined with cut stone and tiles with various pools set into the floor. It was practically empty, except for one near the back where the familiar shape of Zilnav the seal could be seen happily splashing around. She waved happily to Yasui, her large glasses resting on her short snout.
"Ah! It is beautiful to be seeing you again! Has been many months, yes!"
Yasui inclined his head.
"Hi, Miss Zilnav. Nice to meet you again."
She laughed her strange, barking laugh and slapped a flipper against her ample belly. Fortunately she seemed to remember to wear clothes this time, as she was wearing a tiny string bikini that only barely covered her sensitive bits. Every other guy's eyes were glued to the practically naked female as she shook with laughter, which caused other things to shake and bounce. She gave Yasui a wide, squinty smile.
"Ah! Do be please calling me Zilnav! I am not fancy Miss like Miss Diana! Ah! But where are my manners located? I must have be saying hello to your friends! Hello, friends of Diana's little friend! I am Zilnav!"
Everyone waved back. Zilnav clapped her flippers together and enthusiastically bobbed her head.
"Now, we are get down to the business, yes? So be getting your water pants on, there are some in locker room!"
Tao raised an eyebrow.
"Why do we need to change?"
The seal cocked her head as if he had asked a very silly question.
"So you are not getting your clothes wet in the bath? I am being talked to that you land animals wear clothes in water. So I am do so for your comfiness! See! I get one water clothes as well. Is fun little bikini!"
She gestured to her outfit. Shiro grinned.
"Nice."
Everyone went and changed into some swimwear and joined Zilnav in the water. All except Yasui on account of his cast. But he still put his feet into the warm water so he could feel included. Shinrai looked at her inquisitively.
"Wait, so you said that we wear clothes in the water like it's a weird thing. Do sea creatures not wear clothes?"
Zilnav shook her head.
"No! They are dragging us down and be making swimming slow and weird! Wearing clothes took many much getting used to."
Shiro smiled mischievously.
"Well by all means make yourself comfortable! We're here to learn about your culture after all!"
Zilnav grinned.
"Ah! You are meaning what you saying?"
Tao reached over and covered Yasui's mouth before he could butt in.
"Absolutely."
Zilnav grinned and pulled the strings on her "clothing" and set them beside the pool, sighing happily as her… assets were released. The boys were practically drooling at this, even Yasui couldn't resist taking a few peeks as he prepared to make notes of their conversation. Zilnav leaned her back against the side of the pool and stretched.
"Ah! Much better! I am feeling more free and comfortable now! You may take pants off if want. As I was said, to us sea creatures you land creatures have hangups."
Shiro grinned at Tao.
"I think us land creatures have a lot to learn from the sea, am I right?"
Tao nodded back, still looking at Zilnav.
"Oooooh yeah."
Yasui cleared his throat.
"So, uh, the interview. We want to know a bit more about you, Zilnav."
Zilnav excitedly bobbed her head.
"Ah! My life is the book that is opened! Please, ask!"
Yasui began writing what he was planning on asking.
"So, your Japanese is very good. How long did it take you to learn?"
She scratched her head.
"Hmm… I will say three years. That is when I move here! Had to learn it fast! I am still having accent though, and I know I speak strangely. I try hard to learn better."
Shiro shook his head.
"No way! You're doing great! Languages are hard."
Zilnav smiled at him.
"This makes me happy! Thank you!"
Shinrai raised a hand.
"What made you want to move here from the sea?"
Zilnav shrugged.
"I just wanted to. So I did."
Tao raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Just like that?"
She nodded.
"I was wanting to see what land city is like. And I am enjoying city so much I decided to stay!"
Shiro leaned forward a bit, crowding Tenbe as he did.
"So what's your favorite part about the land?"
Zilnav grinned and clapped her flippers.
"Food! You have many interesting foods! My favorite is ice cream! I eat it all the time!"
Shiro scooted even closer.
"What's your favorite flavor?"
"Hmm, that is the tough one. Off my head's top, I would say rocky road."
Shiro nodded.
"I'm a peanut butter guy myself."
"Ah! I have not had that! I will need try it soon!"
Yasui cleared his throat.
"So, back to the questions we are supposed to ask. Zilnav, have you had any issues adjusting to life here on the land?"
The seal laughed heartily.
"Yes! You are having so many rules! Do not do this! Do not do that! Wear clothes! Do not eat meat!"
That last one made everyone flinch. Shinrai gulped.
"Wait, what!? What was that last part!?"
Zilnav scratched her head.
"Ah, I was forgetting that was big issue for you. Sorry."
Tao frowned.
"So you're saying it's legal to eat meat in the ocean?!"
Zilnav nodded.
"Yes! I was eating many much fish and squid! It is the natural order. Fish eat the bottom feeders, I eat fish, I die and bottom feeders eat me. Is all one big circle, yeah?"
Yasui felt a sudden confused chill race over his spine. That was eerily similar to the traditions from his village. Only taken way further. Shinrai was slowly edging away from the seal, as if scared she might try to eat him.
"So… you don't still eat meat, right?"
Zilnav shook her head.
"No! I am following all the laws here! It was just a big change for me."
Yasui steadied himself and tried to refocus on his notes.
"Uh, sorry. So… next question. How about… uh… I don't know. Just tell us about some big differences or something."
Zilnav shrugged.
"Hmm… everyone is having many more things here than in the sea. More furniture, more decorations, more fun stuff. Also, usually no electricity in the sea. Electric things and water are not friends. I was only getting the cell phone last year!"
Shinrai tapped Yasui's leg.
"Sounds like you."
Yasui nodded absently, not paying much attention.
"Yeah, sure."
If Yasui was being honest, he was feeling really bad today. He felt so foggy and weak it was ridiculous. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton, he was itchy, and he kept zoning out. He only barely managed to take notes throughout their interview and was quiet as they all got ready to leave. Shiro grinned.
"Dudes, best school project ever. Hands down."
Tao laughed.
"Well you might have a shot with that seal if you take it. I saw how much you were checking her out."
Shiro gave Tao the sort of smile a parent gives a small child when they say something ridiculous.
"Tao, Tao, Tao. One can appreciate the positives from the negatives without compromising anything."
Everyone froze and stared at him. The dog grinned and added.
"I like boobs. Even on a fat chick."
Shinrai crossed his arms.
"I'd never seen someone Zilnav's size before! Is it normal to be fat in the ocean?"
Yasui shook himself out of stupor and murmured.
"It's… uh… blubber. It helps them… something about… warmth."
Shinrai lagged behind the other guys and walked beside Yasui.
"You okay? You seem out of it."
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah…. Just a bit tired."
"Are you sure?"
Yasui looked down at his friend's face and sighed.
"Yeah…. I'm going to go out to the ocean. I want… to go look at the water for a bit."
Shinrai shuddered.
"Dude, it's freezing out there!"
"I'm used to cold…."
"Yasui, you look really sick. Maybe you should go to a doctor."
Yasui shook his head, frowning.
"I'm fine! Just… let me go clear my head."
Yasui turned and walked towards the doors that led out to the beach. It was a particularly cold day today, so Yasui didn't see anyone using the outdoor seating. As he began walking towards the water, he let himself get lost in thought.
(What is going on with me? I feel awful. Everything hurts and my head is just… messed up. Maybe I do need to go see a doctor….)
Yasui jumped as a volleyball landed in the sand beside him, spraying him with sand. He jumped and whirled towards where the ball came from. A female voice spoke in a language Yasui didn't understand, and Yasui looked to where a group of female polar bears in swimsuits were standing by a volleyball net. One of them, a very pretty polar bear who looked about college aged to Yasui, pointed to Yasui and spoke in heavily accented English.
"You speak English?"
Yasui nodded. The polar bear seemed relieved.
"That's good, ja. We are sorry we got you all sandy."
Yasui replied in English.
"Ah. It is… not a problem. You are fine."
(Geez, I seem to be speaking English a lot nowadays) Yasui internally griped.
As Yasui spoke, the ursid looked him over and a look of sympathy came over her.
"Oh, you hurt your arm? And your eye?"
Yasui nodded, not speaking. That same foreign language from before came from behind the polar bear as another of the tall, curvaceous mammals came jogging up. The bear Yasui had been talking to turned and spoke to her. The other one looked ar Yasui and made a deep frown, her eyes soft. She leaned over to be closer to Yasui eye level and spoke with a heavy accent.
"You poor little Eske! Do you hurt?"
Yasui looked down, a little embarrassed. He once again came to the realization that these strangers assumed he was a little kid. A little kid who was hurt in this situation. As he was about to reply, the speaking polar bear cupped his face in two hands and cooed.
"You are such a brave little fox! I can tell. How else would you be getting this hurt?"
Yasui sheepishly averted his eyes. Her warm paws were a welcome change from the cold air. The speaker looked up at her friend and made a begging face.
"Helva, he is such a sweet little boy! We should ask him to come play with us! Cheer poor sad fox up."
The original bear, apparently named Helva rolled her eyes.
"Sigrun, we can not just go taking children with us! Is not okay."
"Just here on the beach, ja? He can tell us about fun things in city we need to try! Tasty food and such, ja?"
She gently tilted Yasui's head towards Helva.
"You can not say no to such a poor, sad face!"
Yasui did his best to look extra pitiful. He was very curious about these strange polar bears. The fact that they were all gorgeous didn't hurt either. Helva sighed.
"Only if he is wanting to!"
Yasui smiled a bit.
"I would… like to hear about where you are… from. I am from… small town. Do not meet foreigners often."
Sigrun squealed in glee and led him towards the other females.
"Is exciting then, ja? We are from Borealis City. Students at Central Arctic University!"
Yasui stretched his mind back to geography class from way back in elementary school. He was pretty sure Borealis City was the capital of the region near the North Pole called the Arctic Circle. Apparently it was mainly polar bears, penguins, seals, and arctic foxes that lived there. Which made sense given all those species loved the cold. Sigrun grinned.
"We are not seeing many red foxes in Borealis City. This is very exciting!"
Yasui looked at them all with curiosity as the two polar bears he sort of knew joined up with their four friends.
"Borealis City is… very far away! Why did you come to Japan?"
The one called Sigrun smiled.
"We are here on break! We all wanted to travel somewhere, but we did not know where. So we decided to go somewhere very interesting! Has been good so far!"
The other polar bears said something and the two Yasui had been speaking with replied. They seemed to like what they heard as they laughed and walked over to him. They all grinned and leaned down towards him.
"I am Leta!" Said one.
"My name is Cathrine!" Said another.
"Arya." Said the shortest of the troop.
"And I am Natasha, little one. I am most pleased to meet you."
Natasha smiled and patted Yasui on the head. Yasui bowed to them.
"I am named Yasui. I am happy to meet you!"
Leta made a face.
"Yaaaah… yah-sooo… yah-soo-we? Am I saying that right?"
Yasui dipped his head.
"Very very close! Must say it… more speed! All together. Yasui!"
Leta nodded and spoke.
"Yasui!"
Yasui nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
"Very good! When you speak Japanese… how fast you are… saying a word can change what it means."
They all chatted amongst themselves and Sigrun gave Yasui an appreciative look.
"That is good to know, yes. We were just about to have some snacks. I would love to ask you some questions about this place!"
Yasui grinned.
"Ah! Please! I would be happy to!"
Yasui accompanied the group over to where they had a blanket spread on the sand with a basket full of snacks. Yasui shivered a bit as the wind picked up. Looking at the polar bears happily sitting around in various one piece or two piece swimsuits, Yasui couldn't believe how resilient they were.
(Well they do live in the Arctic.)
One of the bears noticed him shiver and handed him a towel. She said something to Sigrun who translated.
"She says that is for you to use as blanket. Is dry."
Yasui wrapped the towel around himself and bowed his head to the one who gave it to him.
"Thank you."
Soon they were all happily chatting about what was fun to do in the city. What restaurants Yasui liked, what stores were interesting, and which buildings had the most interesting things to see. After a few minutes Yasui heard Shinrai's voice from behind him.
"Yasui? What are you doing?"
Yasui turned his head and saw the squirrel giving him a confused look. Yasui waved.
"Hi, Shinrai. I was just talking to these nice polar bears. They're from Borealis City!"
Shinrai gave Yasui a look of disappointment.
"Dude, I've been waiting for you for ages! We all have!"
Yasui frowned.
"Oh, I sort of lost track of time. Sorry."
Shinrai huffed.
"Yasui! This is getting a little infuriating! You're just constantly not here! Like, mentally not here! You're so spacey and forgetful all of the sudden. What's going on with you?"
Yasui glowered at his friend.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Okay, what are we planning on doing next? We literally talked about it on our way to the lobby."
Yasui shook his head.
"I don't know, I was a bit too busy taking all the notes for the project with one hand!"
"Okay, what did I tell you this morning?"
Yasui hesitated.
"Uh… when this morning?"
"Over breakfast! The really important thing I told you!"
Yasui frowned.
"I… don't remember."
Shinrai gave Yasui a sour look.
"I told you my mom caught the flu and was feeling really sick. But you apparently weren't paying attention."
Yasui felt a tinge of guilt. Had he really spaced out when Shinrai had told him his mother was sick? Shinrai continued, growing more agitated.
"You're also still not eating! Have you looked at yourself? You're wasting away! And your fur is starting to get patchy and gray! Yasui, you need help. But everytime I try to talk to you about it you shut me down!"
Yasui rubbed his forehead.
"Shinrai, I'm sorry. You're right, I should go see a doctor or something. I'll do it in a bit."
Shinrai shook his head, not looking angry. He just seemed sad.
"No you won't. Not until you actually think you need help."
Shinrai turned and walked away. Yasui stood and walked after him.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to school. I'll tell the guys you're busy. I just can't see you like this, it hurts. You just haven't been yourself lately."
Yasui sighed and sat back down. He was hurt, angry, and most of all… sad. He didn't want to make Shinrai feel bad. Yasui knew that he had let things get a little out of hand, but he could fix that. He apologized to the girls and told them he had to go, much to their (and his) disappointment. He hurriedly caught up with Shinrai.
"Shinrai!"
The squirrel turned and saw him. He frowned at Yasui.
"You don't have to follow me. I know you need a little space to—"
"I'm sorry I've been so flaky all of the sudden. I'll fix it, I promise."
Shinrai nodded and smiled.
"I'll hold you to that, and help you if I can. Although I don't know how."
As they entered the hotel they found the other boys waiting for them. Tao raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, where have you been?"
Shinrai snickered.
"He was out chatting up some hot polar bear girls from Borealis City."
Shiro immediately jumped to his feet.
"Where?"
Yasui pointed.
"Down at the beach. They're here on—"
He didn't get to finish as Shiro sprinted out the door and towards the beach. Tao gave Yasui a serious look.
"Are there any guys with them?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, just girls."
With barely a moment's hesitation, Tao was running after Shiro.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!"
Yasui felt a bit better over the rest of that Monday. He called his family again and had a nice talk, where they discussed when he'd be heading back home. They settled on the twenty-sixth of December, that way Yasui could celebrate Rexmas in the city where people actually celebrated it. Yasui was feeling hopeful as he went to bed that night. Maybe that had just been the wakeup call that he needed to sort himself out. Maybe he'd be okay.
The rest of that very same week was the worst week of Yasui's life. Tuesday morning saw him waking up feeling positively flu-like. His head was pounding, he was shaking like a leaf, and he could barely walk. It was only after he'd taken a few pills that he could function again. Even still, the haze that seemed to follow him was growing thicker. He jolted back to awareness as his advanced literature class ended and looked down to where he had written maybe two notes. As he sluggishly gathered his things, Mr. Nishinoya approached Yasui's desk as the three other students left the room.
"Yasui? Are you feeling okay?"
Yasui gulped and shook his head.
"No, sir. I'm planning on going to a doctor soon."
"Sorry to hear that. I've noticed your performance in class slipping lately, and was afraid that it was something like this. I hope you feel better soon."
Yasui got to his very unsteady feet.
"Me too…."
"Let me know if you want me to help you do some makeup work. I'm available if you need me."
Yasui nodded.
"Will do."
As he slowly shuffled away, he went the opposite direction of where the three dogs were speaking in low voices.
"Did you see that fox? He looks half dead!" Jimin hissed.
Kojo the beagle snorted.
"Good. Let's hope he goes the rest of the way."
Rebecca grew a faint smile.
"Actually, I've had an idea."
The two males looked at her as she explained.
"I've been scouring the school rules for some way to get him either suspended or otherwise kicked out of the advanced class. But maybe we should try a different approach. Maybe we should convince the headmaster that he's too sick to stay here."
Kojo grinned.
"Get him shipped out and make it seem like we're trying to help him!"
Jimin scratched his chin.
"Especially if we can express concern that he has some sort of disease that's making him like this. Something that could spread in the dorms like Mono."
Rebecca nodded.
"It's the best chance we have. But we have to be careful about this. If the office gets a ton of complaints and inquiries all at once they'll get suspicious. But two or three from different people every day, and they'll have to look into it."
Kojo rubbed his hands together.
"Rebecca, you are a genius!"
The golden retriever gave her male constituants a smile.
"Besides, it's for his own good."
Work that Tuesday was miserable. Yasui was somehow shaking and cold, while also being drenched in sweat. He kept dropping things, and forgot what he was doing almost constantly. As he fumbled with a customer's change for what felt like the hundredth time, Mimi grabbed the money out of his hands and pointed to the back.
"Go sit down, now."
"I'm okay, I just—"
"Now."
She gave him such a powerful glare that Yasui meekly retreated to the back of the store. He collapsed on the couch and looked down at his hand. It was trembling so much he was surprised he had managed to hold anything at all. After a minute or two Mimi walked back and gave him a sour look.
"You're too sick to be here."
"I'm fine! I don't have a disease or anything! It's just some weird side effect!"
"Of?"
"I don't know! Maybe my medicine disagrees with me?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Well figure yourself out, or else. I'm not dealing with it. I think you need to take your ass to a doctor."
Yasui gulped. The truth was, the idea of going to a doctor terrified him. What would they say? Would they know he had taken too many pills? How could they not?
He skirted around this question as he fumbled through the rest of the week. Everything was going wrong. He could almost feel his life crumbling all around him. But he couldn't seem to fix it. Yasui desperately wanted to pull himself out of this self-destructive slump, but whenever he tried to he only lasted a few hours at most. He kept zoning out to such a degree he could barely remember what he was doing at any one moment. It all came to a head that Friday as he was walking to get groceries for the Cooking Club after dinner. Yasui muttered.
"Let's see…. We need flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, and more cinnamon."
Yasui paused to look up at the setting sun and stared absently at the sky for a while. His head hurt again. Yasui sighed and stumbled off towards the store.
"Let's see…. I still have a ton of homework to do. So tomorrow will be busy. And… I was supposed to do something else tomorrow. What was it?"
Yasui paused and looked around himself. He'd been walking on autopilot for a while, and had no idea where he was. He turned around a few times, and saw only side streets and alleys. Yasui gulped and reached into his pocket for his phone so he could look up a map. However, his pocket was empty. Yasui felt a flash of panic as he realized he must have forgotten his phone somewhere.
(That's not good. And which direction was the school in? Maybe… to the east? Or was it north?)
Yasui picked up the pace, clutching his bag of groceries as he did. Hopefully he'd hit a main road soon and be able to find some sort of… anything to help him find where he was. But so far he was only seeing buildings with no windows he could see through and graffiti covered walls. The streets became cluttered with litter and puddles of grimy water, and shady looking animals gave him predatory looks as he hurried by. Eventually he saw a larger street at the end of an alley and hurried into the open. However, this street was unlike anything Yasui had ever seen before.
Yasui emerged into a small street light with red neon from signs and lamps alike. Advertisements for no-tell motels, escorts, and gentlemen's clubs were everywhere. Yasui shrank away as he saw two silhouettes furiously kissing in the alley across from him, and then one of them started unbuckling their belt. Terrified, Yasui hurried down the street away from the brightly colored signs and other establishments of ill repute. The concentration of businesses selling all manner of vice slowly dwindled and Yasui stopped to catch his breath. On the street corner in front of him two females were standing chatting and smoking cigarettes. They were a lioness and cheetah respectively, and wore large coats with fishnet stockings.
They glanced at Yasui and continued their conversation, seemingly ignoring him. Yasui was fine with that. He was busy looking for some sort of street sign or map or anything to tell him where he was. All he knew was that he had definitely never been to this part of the city before, and he did not want to stay here. Yasui almost screamed when he felt a hand clutch his shoulder.
"Hey, kid. You look lost."
Yasui spun around to see a male hyena looking at him with an unsettling hunger in his eyes. Yasui gulped and tried to back away, but the hyena held him by the shoulder.
"Relax! I'll show you where you need to go. Come with me."
Yasui shook his head.
"N-no thank you! I'm fine!"
The hyena pulled a knife out from behind his back and pointed it at Yasui.
"Not asking, pipsqueak. I know a lady who pays top dollar for young foxes like you. She'd just loooove to meet you. Although, based on what I've heard you won't enjoy the meeting one little bit."
Yasui tried to wriggle away but was no match for the hyena with only one arm. Suddenly, a female voice rang out.
"Hey, leave the kid alone you creep!"
Yasui turned his head to see the lioness marching over and fixing the hyena with a murderous look. The hyena sneered.
"What? He one you popped out? Or do you take kiddies as clients now?"
In response the lioness extinguished her cigarette on the hyena's hand before punching him in the face.
"You're scaring off my customers! Piss off before I claw your face off!"
The hyena swore and lunged for the lioness. However, he never made contact. When he was less than a few steps away, a shiny object glinted in the neon light before hitting his shoulder with a loud thud. The hyena snarled and turned to face the threat. Somehow, somebody had managed to sneak up on them all. Yasui felt his heart skip a beat as the newcomer licked her lips. She was a tall and rather muscular female fox with deep orange fur and a line of scars across her chin. She was wearing high heels, a fancy dress in some sort of Chinese or Korean style, and was holding a metal baseball bat. She smiled at the hyena.
"Now, I know you weren't trying to assault this girl, were you? Because in case you didn't know, she's under the protection of myself and my colleagues."
The hyena spat and squared up to the fox, knife raised.
"You don't scare me, bitch. I can gut any Inarigumi broad any day of the week!"
Yasui was slowly backing away when he felt something solid against his back. A clawed hand settled on his shoulder as another similarly dressed female fox whispered.
"Not so fast. You're staying right here."
The bat-wielding fox and hyena circled each other. The fox was casual in her bearings, lazily twirling her weapon as she watched the hyena. For a few tense seconds they just watched each other. Suddenly, the tension broke as the hyena lunged forward. Quick as lightning the fox sprang into action. She sidestepped the knife and brought her bat up with a ferocious swing that caught the hyena across the arm. He dropped the knife and growled, snapping at her arm as she danced past.
This time the fox went on the offensive. She swung her bat at the hyena's head only for him to lunge at her legs, attempting to hamstring her. With surprising grace, she spun and lifted her leg before driving the heel of her shoe into her assailant's back. The hyena yelped as the sharp point jammed into him and she proceeded to stomp on him a few times, grinning as she did.
"Oh, did you just want someone to step on you? You probably could have gotten one of those two gals to do it instead. They'd have been happy to put you in your place."
The hyena elbowed her leg, throwing her off balance and letting him get back to his feet. He swiped with his claws and managed to graze her arm before she hit him across the face with her bat so hard that a shower of teeth and blood sprayed the pavement. She followed this up by landing another massive hit across his chin and shoulder. The hyena didn't get back up, instead lying in a groaning pile of misery on the ground. The fox clicked her tongue as she looked at the bleeding claw marks on her arm.
"Well, that's infuriating. Anyway, you came onto our turf and tried to rough up our girls. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to shatter the bones in your leg with my bat here. Just to send a message. But, I'm a nice person. So I'll let you choose the leg."
The hyena moaned through his ruined mouth.
"Pwease…. No…."
"That's not sounding like 'right' or 'left' to me. You better choose or I break both."
The hyena sobbed.
"Ah! Hrgh…. Weft…."
The fox grasped her bat with both hands and lined up with his leg.
"Sounds good to me. Do try not to scream too loud. Bad for business."
Yasui averted his eyes as the bat went up. Several loud cracking noises mingled with pained screams filled the air before being replaced by quiet sobbing. Yasui cracked his eye open to see the fox drag the battered hyena into an alleyway and throw him into a dumpster. The bat carrying fox sauntered over to the one currently holding Yasui in place and grinned.
"You've gotta be shitting me! A little twerp of a fox with one eye? What are the odds?"
Yasui gulped and shrank away from the terrifying female, especially because she had some blood spatter on her dress. Unfortunately for Yasui, the only way away from this fox was to press against the one behind him. The bat holder leaned down and gave him a wicked grin.
"Daaaaw, somebody's out past their bedtime! Don't you know it's dangerous to go wandering around at night?"
The fox behind him spoke.
"Could be a street kid. He hasn't bathed in a while. And he could have broken his arm in a fight."
The one with the bat cocked her head.
"Hm… I'm not so sure. But, anyway, hand over your wallet or I'll stuff you in that dumpster with the other guy."
Yasui froze, panicking. He was getting robbed. And this fox would obviously hurt him if he didn't do as she said. Yasui, trembling like a leaf, reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. The fox behind him plucked it out of his hand and began calmly flipping through it. Meanwhile the one in front of Yasui rested her hands on her weapon and gave Yasui a condescending look.
"So, what brings you to the red light district? Thought you'd come see some porn? Or maybe a few naked gals?"
Yasui shook his head.
"I-I got lost. I was grocery shopping. See?"
Yasui held up the bag of ingredients. The fox he was speaking to snatched them up and looked through the bag.
"What is all this crap? You a baker?"
Yasui shook his head.
"I'm in the C-Cooking Club at my school… ma'am."
She sneered and raised his chin with the end of her bat.
"Don't you ma'am me. We don't like having people wandering around our turf who don't belong here. Maybe I should knock out one of your teeth, just as a reminder not to go where you shouldn't."
Yasui heard a sudden inhalation from behind him and the fox looking through his wallet stepped forward and grabbed the bat out of her associate's hands. The fox with the scars bared her fangs.
"What the hell, Mora!"
Mora held something up that flashed in the red light. The other fox stared at it before going a bit pale.
"No way…."
Yasui craned his neck to see what it was when the one called Mora turned towards him. She held something out.
"Where did you get this?" She hissed. Yasui looked and was surprised to see his lucky coin in her hand.
"That? It was a gift from my grandfather. He said it would bring me good luck."
The fox with the scars swore and Mora worked her jaw. Finally, Mora spoke.
"Let's bring him to the boss."
The other fox gave her a look of surprise.
"Are you crazy?!"
"She'll know what to do."
Mora roughly slammed his wallet into Yasui's hands. Yasui just stared at her in confusion. She gripped his shoulder again.
"Come with me."
Terrified, Yasui let himself be steered deeper into the dark of the city. As they walked through neon drenched streets and dim alleys, the other fox whispered to Yasui.
"Hey, when we get to the boss. Can you maybe just say we were asking you if you were lost? And leave out the whole shaking you down thing?"
Yasui looked at her in surprise. Was she… scared? What on earth was going on?!
Soon they had arrived at a location Yasui could not have hoped to find ever again after all the twists and turns of his trip. Another female fox in a dress stood at the door to a warehouse. She nodded to the foxes who were escorting Yasui. The three had a quick, whispered conversation before the one at the door turned and entered the building. She returned a few minutes later with a tray. She addressed Yasui.
"Everything you have on the tray. Now."
Yasui hurried to do as he was told, placing his wallet, bag, and pill bottle on the tray. Weirdly enough, they insisted that he keep his coin. The fox who had been at the door quickly frisked him before ushering them inside.
Whatever Yasui had been expecting some sort of warehouse-turned-hideout for scary foxes who were probably criminals to be, it wasn't this. He had walked in the door expecting to see dirty furniture and graffiti with weapons and blood and… other criminal stuff everywhere while scary looking goons sharpened knives or played pool. What he saw instead was more akin to a comfortable house. Several tables and chairs dotted the room with a few other female foxes in similar dresses sitting at them. They all still looked like they could skin Yasui alive quite easily, but this wasn't nearly as scary as he thought it would be.
Mora and the other two steered him towards a door in the back and the fox who had been at the front door knocked three times. A voice came from behind the door.
"Come in."
If the front room of this bizarre hideout hadn't been unexpected enough, the office that the supposed boss of these scary foxes maintained was a far cry from what Yasui had envisioned when the words "take him to the boss" had been spoken. There was no metal chair covered in blood and claw marks where unfortunate victims were tortured for information like in the spy movies he had watched with Shinrai. Nor was there a single weapon in sight. If Yasui had to describe the office of "the boss" the best word he could think of was… cozy.
It wasn't a large room, but it was spacious enough. A window on the far wall looked out over the bay (clearly Yasui had wandered farther than he thought.) It was pleasantly warm after the cold winter air, and a nice rug muffled Yausi's footsteps as he tentatively walked into the room. Several paintings and pieces of artwork decorated the walls that surrounded the desk of "the boss" as well as two armchairs that faced the desk. The individual behind the desk met Yasui's expectations pretty well though.
She was a tall and rather attractive vixen wearing a black qipao dress and high heels. However, she had an eyepatch over her right eye and was giving the animals entering her chambers such a piercing look Yasui felt his soul squirming. He was thoroughly intimidated. She waited while Yasui, bat-lady, and Mora lined up in front of her desk and looked them all over from behind steepled fingers as the door guard set the tray on her desk. When her gaze hit him, Yasui had to avert his eyes due to the intensity of her look. He instinctively stood a bit straighter and tried his best to look less like a mess. She somehow emanated that bizzare feeling of unease that Yasui would get from his mother growing up when he'd done something wrong. Like she knew everything already, almost as if she could read minds.
She flicked a finger at the two adult foxes accompanying Yasui.
"Care to explain why you've brought this… child to me?"
The fox with the bat shuffled nervously and licked her lips as Mora cleared her throat.
"Well, ma'am. He had, well, has a Marker. And… we weren't sure what to do."
Immediately the boss gave him a curious look. She didn't ask or gesture, simply gave him a command.
"Show me."
Yasui felt his gut tie itself into a ribbon and his heart leapt into his throat. But miraculously he managed to fumble in his pocket and pull the old coin out with shaking fingers. The boss held her hand out and Yasui handed it to her. Something about her seemed to demand he listen. Probably Yasui's own sense of self preservation. She turned the coin over in her fingers before fixing her piercing gaze on Yasui once more.
"How did you get this?"
Yasui shrunk a little bit and barely whispered.
"It wa— it w-was, well, it was—"
The boss gestured to the two vixens.
"Wait outside."
Without a word, they bowed and exited the room, leaving Yasui alone with the terrifying presence of "the boss." Immediately Yasui assumed the worst. Had he made her angry with how hard he found it to speak? Was she going to do something… unpleasant to him? Unconsciously Yasui touched his leg, as if checking to make sure it hadn't been shattered by a baseball bat yet. The fox watched Yasui for a few moments before doing something unexpected. She smiled.
"I like your eyepatch." She said while tapping her own. Yasui blinked a few times.
"S-sorry?"
The vixen assumed a slightly more relaxed posture.
"There's no reason to be nervous. I won't hurt you. I just want to make sense of a strange circumstance."
Yasui gave her a wary look.
"Well… me too."
"You look like you've had a rough night. Please, take a seat."
Yasui gave the chairs a skeptical look before glancing at the door the two other foxes had left through. The boss followed his eyes and said,
"I hope they weren't too rough with you. It's Inarigumi policy that we don't hurt women and children, unless forced to do so."
Yasui was about to speak when his voice caught in his throat. How should he respond? They technically hadn't done anything to him, although they had sort of robbed him and threatened to break his leg. Even so, maybe making them angry at him for tattling was a bad idea. Yasui shook his head.
"They just… scared me a lot."
"That's understandable. They can both be a bit… much."
The vixen gestured at the chair and Yasui slowly climbed into it. It was just as comfortable as it looked. The boss gestured to a small bar set along one wall.
"I bet you're thirsty. Water?"
Yasui eagerly nodded his head. Now that he didn't seem to be in imminent danger of being maimed or otherwise seriously injured, his body was happy to protest his not eating or drinking anything for so long. That… and not taking any pills. His eyes shifted to the tray on the boss's desk where his belongings were. His bottle of pills was right there. If the boss noticed him looking at the bottle, she didn't mention it. Instead she poured two glasses of water and handed one to Yasui. Yasui gratefully accepted and quaffed the refreshing liquid with a few swift gulps. The boss tapped her finger on the coin on her desk, staring at Yasui.
"I am curious, what are you doing in this section of the city? I can tell by your clothes that you're not a street kid. So what brings you to the backstreets?"
Yasui clutched his almost empty cup and ran his thumb along the condensation forming on the surface.
"I got lost. I'm not used to walking around this city yet, and must have taken a wrong turn. Or… several actually… ma'am."
The boss smiled.
"Please, just call me Ten. Now, tell me what happened tonight."
Feeling much more at ease, Yasui recounted his accidental foray into the depths of the red light district, his run in with the hyena, and then his subsequent rescue by Mora and the scarred fox. Ten waited until he was finished to ask,
"So they rescued you from a potential kidnapper and brought you here?"
Yasui nodded.
"Well… pretty much."
"And how did the subject of this coin get broached?"
Yasui opened and closed his mouth. There really was no explanation as to why they found the coin other than they robbed him. Yasui decided to try his hand at something he was well aware that he was terrible at. He tried to lie.
"Well… you see… they were asking me what I was doing. And… if I was a street kid or something like that. And… I showed them my ID to prove I was a student. And then they saw that coin."
Yasui looked down at the coin and then back up at Ten. She was still giving him that piercing stare. She leaned forward a bit and stared him dead in the eye. Yasui did the only thing he could think of to avoid that eye, and tried to take a drink of water. He was intercepted when she gently held his chin with her index finger and thumb and forced him to look at her. It only took three seconds of eye contact to make him squirm and avert his eyes.
"You're not a very good liar."
"…I know."
"What actually happened."
Yasui felt like the words were being wrenched out of him.
"They… took my wallet."
"Hmm. And I'm assuming they didn't just ask nicely."
"…No, Miss Ten."
"I am curious. Based on this little chat we've been having I can already tell you're not a practiced liar. So why lie about this?"
Yasui gulped.
"I didn't want them to get in trouble."
"Why's that? You don't know them. And by all accounts they didn't treat you very well."
"But… they did rescue me from that hyena. So I don't want them to get in trouble because of me."
Ten released him and sat back in her chair. Finally she picked up the coin.
"Do you know what this is?"
Yasui shook his head. She continued.
"Where did you get it then?"
"It was a gift from my neighbor. He was like a grandfather to me. He left it to me when he… died."
"What did he tell you about it?"
Yasui thought back to when he had first asked about the strange coin Bolboi always carried with him.
"He said… that somebody he once knew gave it to him after he helped them out. And when he left it to me, he said to keep it on my person at all times. He claimed it would bring me good luck."
Ten held the coin up so Yasui could see its arcane markings.
"This is something called a Marker. The management of the Back Alley Market and the surrounding districts give these to people that are under their protection. It means that somebody is off limits to all gangs and criminals that operate under their management."
Yasui blinked.
"This whole… area. It's all criminals and stuff?"
Ten smirked.
"That's a very banal way of saying it, and slightly inaccurate. Many of the people who make use of the services offered here are just normal citizens who want something a bit… illicit. Whether that's sex or… other services and goods, the vendors and gangs of the city supply what they demand. The management simply provided the place. They own most of these back streets, and rent out space to us for our less than above board businesses. They also keep the cops from finding out where we are."
Yasui felt a bit nervous now.
"Wait… why are you telling me all this?"
Ten slid the coin towards him.
"Two reasons. First, because you need to know how serious of a situation you've wandered into. And so I can warn you. This isn't the place for you. Once we return you to school, never come here again. And second, because if I didn't you might be too curious about this place and want to come back."
Yasui gave her a hopeful look.
"You're going to let me go?"
Ten nodded.
"By being the bearer of a Marker, I can't hurt you without risking management evicting me and my girls from the Market. And I'm supposed to help you as best as I can. It's part of the deal management and us have to keep things from devolving into a chaotic free for all. An organized black market with set rules and restrictions is much more appealing to the average layperson looking for some naughty fun than a collection of thugs and cutthroats is."
Yasui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Ten. I really appreciate this."
The fox fixed him with her scrutinizing gaze again as she delicately plucked Yasui's pill bottle off the tray.
"Which brings us to our next order of business."
She shook the bottle. It was embarrassing how few pills rattled around as she did.
"These are some very powerful opiates. And based on the date printed on this label, there should be at least twice as many pills in her as there are."
Yasui's gut plummeted and he looked at his feet. Shame burned hot on his face as Ten set the pills on her desk.
"So… based on how you look I gather that you've been taking more than the recommended dose?"
Yasui knew it was no use lying to her. She clearly could read him like a book.
"Yes."
"You do realize that's very dangerous, don't you."
Once again, it was like she was able to pull the words right out of Yasui's mouth.
"I've tried to stop, but I can't."
Ten was silent for a while before moving around to sit on the front of her desk and stare down imperiously at Yasui.
"I think I'll keep them."
Yasui jolted and looked up at her.
"What?"
"The pills. I think I'll hold on to them. For your own good."
Yasui remembered the agony he felt whenever he tried to go without them. Just the thought of it made him taste bile on the back of his tongue.
"No, please! I need them!"
"Do you?"
Yasui nodded vigorously. Ten raised an eyebrow.
"How badly?"
Yasui licked his lips.
"If I don't have them, I feel like I'm dying. I'll just slow down! I know I need to!"
"You just said you can't."
"But… but don't you have to give them to me?"
Her gaze turned harsher and she picked up the bottle.
"You really want this back?"
Yasui nodded. As much as he hated them, he hated the idea of not having them worse. Ten nodded slowly.
"Very well."
Yasui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. I—"
"If you do one thing."
Yasui hesitated.
"…What thing?"
Ten stared him directly in the eyes as she removed one of her shoes.
"Get on your knees and kiss my feet. Beg me for your precious pills back."
Yasui looked at her, and then at the bottle. A war was waging inside his head. The small piece of him that still had some self respect screamed at him to just give up the horrible little pills that had caused so much trouble. But then the instinctual monster won out, demanding he not go without the medication.
(No way am I actually doing this. There has to be another way. But… I can't deal with not having them. I have to do this.)
Slowly, Yasui got to his knees and bent down to where Ten's foot was. Feeling nothing but shame, he kissed her foot.
"I'm not hearing any begging." Ten coldly said. Yasui cringed.
"Please… I'm begging you."
Yasui felt like a slug. Like some nasty little creature that wallowed in filth. This was the most humiliating, degrading thing he had ever done. And it was all for some stupid pills that were ruining his life.
It felt like an eternity that he was down there, debasing himself at the feet of a criminal. It was enough to bring Yasui to the verge of tears as he groveled at Ten's feet. Finally she pulled her foot away.
"Well that settles it."
Yasui looked up at her, ashamed. She gave him a look of pity.
"Time to go pay a certain panda a visit."
The two gang members outside the door stood straight as the door to Ten's office opened and she strode out like she owned the place… which she did.
"Bring the car around." She demanded. Immediately Mora nodded and hurried off. Yasui trailed behind, looking at the floor. He wasn't sure if the unpleasant taste in his mouth was from his kissing or just the shame of it, but he wasn't about to wipe his tongue in front of everyone. Somehow he felt like that would betray what he had done. Yasui had regained his belongings minus his pills and wallet as Ten had demanded he follow her. The scarred fox walked up to Ten.
"Where are we going, Boss?"
"That infuriating panda's little clinic."
Immediately the other fox pulled a face.
"Wait, him!? Why are we going there?! Is it about this little— uh, pleasant young fella?"
Ten nodded.
"It is."
"…May I ask why?"
Ten responded by throwing her the pills.
"Get rid of these somewhere. Or put them in the medicine cabinet. I don't care so long as nobody decides to use them for fun. Am I clear?"
The fox nodded.
"Yes, Miss Ten. But I… oh. Oh!"
She then looked at Yasui.
"Oh. Ooooooh."
Yasui gulped and accidentally looked at Ten's shoes, immediately reliving his humiliation with a shudder. The scarred fox followed his eye.
"Ooooooooooh. Wait…. Oh. Ew."
(She knows.)
Ten ignored her and strode to the door. As she stood outside with Yasui and the scarred fox, she addressed the other female.
"Chloe, what's our rule about targeting children?"
The scarred fox shot Yasui a look of angry resignation.
"That we, the Inarigumi, are not some base criminals who hurt indiscriminately. We hold ourselves to a higher standard to maintain our dignity as women."
"Exactly. So why did you attempt to rob this child?"
"Because I'm an idiot and I really like male strippers."
Ten rolled her eye, not that anyone could see with her back to them. There was a pause before Chloe grunted.
"So… what's my punishment? I broke the rules, I know what happens now."
Ten adjusted her coat and looked serenely out into the night.
"Nothing."
Chloe almost fell over as she stared in disbelief at her boss.
"Wait, nothing?! You mean it?!"
Ten inspected her nails.
"Yes. Yasui here begged me to not punish you for it. He said you saved his life and didn't want you to get in trouble because of it."
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and gave Yasui an appreciative look. She mouthed "I owe you one" before resuming her professional demeanor of looking tough and surly.
A fancy white car rounded the corner and Mora rolled down the window to nod to them all. Chloe got into the front seat and Ten opened the door to the back.
"After you."
Yasui stared at the car. On one hand, he didn't think getting into cars with strangers who had confirmed that they were criminals was a very smart idea. On the other hand if they wanted to kill him they could do so very easily. As such, Yasui got into the car.
It was a nice car, not as fancy as Diana's car, but nice. Ten sat on the seat beside him and idly flipped open his wallet. She took out his family photo and inspected it.
"I'm assuming this is your family."
"It is."
"Hmm… how quaint."
She kept flipping through as Yasui looked around the vehicle. There was one of those privacy screens separating them from the two foxes up front, meaning it was just Yasui and Ten again. He heard a confused grunt from beside him and turned to see Ten looking at his school ID. Immediately Yasui felt a twinge of panic. That ID card had all his information on it. And that included his age. She turned it to show him and tapped where it said his birthdate.
"Well well, full of surprises, aren't we."
"Uh… I can explain."
"No need. It's a smart move actually. People tend to be more lenient with children. If you have an advantage, use it."
Yasui nodded and Ten handed him his wallet back. There was silence as the car drove on. Yasui was still having trouble believing what was happening. He had gotten lost in a very dangerous part of town and been rescued by a gang of vixens who were some form of criminals. It all seemed so… unlikely. Suddenly Yasui thought of something.
"That's why you didn't bother lying to me! Nobody will believe a word of this story if I tell it. And it would sound super bad if I did!"
Ten smiled.
"Sharper than you look. Especially because you'd have to tell anyone who you were talking to about your unfortunate pill addiction."
Yasui looked down at his hands.
"Is that why you made me… you know…."
"Say it."
"…Kiss your feet? To humiliate me because I have an… addiction?"
Yasui felt the word catch in his mouth as he said it. Addiction. It was the first time he had actually considered his problem that. Ten nodded, her posture nonchalant.
"That, and to give you a little wakeup call. Otherwise most people won't even admit they've got a problem."
Yasui nodded, thinking back to what Shinrai had said on Monday. Ten continued.
"And, that memory will prove helpful in beating your addiction. Every time you want to start up with the pills again, just remember how it felt to kiss my feet."
Yasui pulled a face.
(Brutal, but effective. I can appreciate that.)
And that was the strangest thing. He knew that this adult was a bad person. At least… she was a criminal. He should really be more on edge and should be scared; but the thing was, even after humiliating him, he actually found he liked Ten. She was scary and bossy and clearly dangerous, but also had been kind to him. Something about her caused Yasui to respect her. Maybe because she was clearly a good leader and her underlings respected her. Ten raised an eyebrow.
"You seem deep in thought."
Yasui sighed.
"It's just confusing is all."
"What? What we're doing now? I'm taking you to a certain medical expert I know who specializes in addiction."
"No, not that. Although that is good to know. It's just…. You're a criminal. Right?"
Ten gave him a flat look. Yasui continued.
"But… I like you."
"You… like me."
"Yeah. It's like… I admire you or something similar. And I know that logically I shouldn't, but I still do."
Ten was quiet for a moment before patting Yasui on the head.
"You're a good kid. Makes me feel better about deciding to help you with your little problem. I'd hate to see a promising young animal ruin their life."
The car stopped and Yasui heard footsteps outside before Mora opened the door.
"We're here, Miss Ten."
Ten nodded and stepped lightly out of the car. Yasui followed and saw a tall building with various medical signs hanging from it. Ten flicked her hand towards him.
"Follow me. Mora, Chloe. Stay with the car."
Chloe frowned.
"Are you sure? You know how he feels about—"
"I'll be fine. Don't want to spook him. Come along, Yasui."
Yasui trotted along behind Ten as she approached the door and knocked. There was a delay of a few minutes before the door opened a crack. Yasui saw a towering silhouette and heard a deep grunt. The door closed before swinging inward as quick as lightning. A massive panda bear with scars on his face stood pointing a crossbow at Ten's head.
"You know my policy. No gangs. You need somebody to stitch up your lackeys after a fight, go somewhere else."
"I'm here on unrelated business."
"Oh yeah? Give me one good reason not to shoot."
"I'd blow your head off as soon as you did."
Yasui peaked around to see that Ten had managed to surreptitiously aim a revolver from her waist at the panda's head. He huffed.
"Must be getting sloppy. I didn't even see you draw that thing."
"You were too busy looking at my chest, as most men are."
The standoff continued for a few seconds longer before the panda lowered his weapon. Ten did likewise.
"So what do you want?" The panda grumbled.
"This young fox needs your special brand of medicinal treatment."
The panda looked past Ten at Yasui, who waved shyly. The supposed doctor sniffed.
"I didn't know you had a son."
Ten visibly bristled.
"He's not mine."
"You sure? The resemblance is uncanny."
"Just because he has an eyepatch does not mean we have a resemblance."
"Hmph. Could have fooled me. So what, he's addicted to eating—"
Ten hurriedly cut him off.
"As you can clearly see, he sustained some sort of injury. His doctor prescribed him very strong opiates, which he has taken too many of."
The panda nodded slowly as she handed him a slip of paper which he read.
"I see. And his parents?"
"Somewhere else, I'd imagine. He's a student at a boarding school."
The panda gave an annoyed "tsch" sound and crossed his arms.
"Doctors are too lax when it comes to warning animals about how addictive those drugs are. Fine. I'll help. Just because he's a kid. But my rule still stands. No gang stuff. I'm here to fix this place, not help it grow."
Ten nodded.
"Understood."
She turned to Yasui and jabbed her thumb at the panda.
"This is Gouhin, a doctor here. Listen to what he says if you want to get your life back on track."
Yasui nodded vigorously.
"I will. Thank you so much, Miss Ten."
The vixen nodded.
"I'd better not see you again, ever."
Yasui smiled weakly.
"Even for a friendly visit?"
She gave him a cold stare and Yasui looked away.
"Guess not."
She drew herself up and smoothed her coat.
"Well then. I have business to attend to. Goodbye."
Yasui waved at her as she strode off.
"Goodbye."
And with that, Ten got back in her car and left Yasui with the strange panda bear in the middle of who knows where. Gouhin sighed.
"Well… guess you'd better come in."
Yasui nodded, feeling nervous. Sure this Gouhin was apparently a doctor, but they still were in a very dangerous place. But… the building seemed like a pretty official hospital. Yasui decided to hope that things would still keep turning out well for him. With a deep breath, Yasui walked into the building, letting the fluorescent lights swallow him.
Gouhin led him to a room with a table and chairs. He began putting a kettle on and preparing tea.
"So, how did you end up here with her?"
Yasui sighed.
"I got lost and she found me. Apparently she decided to help me instead of… anything else. So she brought me here."
Gouhin nodded.
"And the arm?"
"Ripped off by a caiman."
"How long ago?"
"A few weeks."
"Probably getting close to when that cast can come off."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Arm reattachment has come a long way. And what's the deal with the eye?"
"Something got torn or ripped. The men… I don't remember what the word was. So I have to wear an eyepatch until it heals."
Gouhin huffed and went back to making the tea. Once it was done, he set a steaming cup of the liquid in front of Yasui. Yasui accepted it gratefully.
"Thank you, Doctor Gouhin."
This seemed to please the panda, who gave him a lopsided smile.
"Huh, so there are still some polite children left. Most of the brats I've come across have no respect for anything."
Yasui took a sip of the tea and had to suppress a shudder. He recognized bamboo tea when he tasted it, and it tasted like grass. For some reason Bolboi had loved the stuff. Maybe because he had been a goat.
(Which once again reminds me of the mystery of why Bolboi had this coin. He wasn't… a criminal, was he? I know he was from some city before he moved to Aka-Shukusha and met Mifune. Then he moved to our village and started acting as a sort of doctor for everyone. But still, he never told me much about his life before moving to the countryside. Maybe he was running from a sordid past.)
Gouhin sipped his own tea.
"You seem to have had bamboo tea before."
Yasui licked his teeth to remove the bizarre film that the drink seemed to leave on his mouth and nodded.
"My neighbor growing up was an old goat. He loved the stuff."
Gouhin set down his cup and crossed his arms.
"So, now to talk about what you're really here for. Breaking your addiction."
Yasui took a calming breath and nodded at the doctor. Gouhin leaned on the table, his face close to Yasui.
"Before we even talk about the recovery process, you need to do something."
"What's that?"
"Convince me you're serious about following through. The first step to fixing this mess is admitting you have a problem."
Yasui gulped down more tea, the vile taste reminded him of a similarly unpleasant experience earlier that night.
"I have a problem, a big one."
"And you're willing to do whatever it takes to get clean?"
Yasui remembered how desperate he had been for those horrible pills back, and what he'd willingly done to get them. The desire was still there, but recalling himself groveling like that did help him want to fight it.
"I am."
Gouhin nodded and said nothing as he sipped his tea. Finally, the panda stood.
"Alright, follow me."
Gouhin led him into what looked like a typical examination room you'd find at any hospital. He pointed at the table.
"Shirt off, sit down."
Yasui did as told and sat on the crinkly paper covering the exam table. Gouhin pulled on some rubber gloves and grabbed a flashlight.
"Look straight ahead."
Yasui stared at the wall as Gouhin shone a flashlight in his uncovered eye. He then examined his mouth, his breathing, his heart, and finally drew some blood to test. Yasui sat holding a cotton ball to the crook of his elbow as Gouhin packaged up the blood sample.
"What were you looking for?"
The panda glanced back at him.
"Drug abuse can lead to all sorts of problems. Damage to the nerves, liver, and other organs isn't unusual. Fortunately for you, you haven't been using these pills for very long. I don't think there'll be any serious complications."
Yasui looked at the blood sample, feeling sick. He really had been stupid. He could have easily destroyed his body with those stupid, stupid pills. Gouhin sighed.
"Sorry, I'm not used to treating children. My bedside manner is a bit rough."
Yasui hugged himself and curled his knees under his chin.
"It's okay. Just… a bit terrifying to think that I might have really messed up worse than I did if I hadn't gotten lost tonight."
"Well, it's your lucky day then."
He pushed a stool over to Yasui to sit down across from him holding a pad of paper.
"So, we need to come up with a plan on how to keep you clean. I'm assuming you're still attending school? Haven't gotten kicked out or anything?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, but my grades have gotten worse because the pills made it so hard to think."
"Good. That makes it easier. Well, the next part that is. The best way to fight this thing is to keep busy. So study your ass- sorry, not used to kids. Study your tail off. Also, I want you to start exercising. Your body has gotten pretty weak from malnutrition and lack of sleep. So get more sleep, eat more, and stick to this exercise routine I'll write for you."
Yasui smiled weakly.
"You sound like my friend. He kept telling me to eat more."
"Listen to him! You're wasting away! Also, find someone at school who can make you do these exercises. Until it becomes a habit, it's going to really hurt. So preferably somebody who is fine with causing you some discomfort. Maybe a friend or roommate you trust. And finally, you need a partner for this to work. Somebody you trust implicitly and can keep you from falling off the wagon. Can you think of anyone like that?"
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah, I can."
Gouhin nodded.
"Good. My phone number is on this piece of paper. We'll schedule an appointment for next month. That way I can check up on you. And, we'll meet somewhere a bit more… safe for a kid to walk. I'll see if anyone I know has somewhere they'd let me use. Anything you don't understand?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, sir."
Gouhin grumbled.
"Good. Now, I'm taking you back to school. I don't trust you to not get lost, and you're too young to wander around this area alone."
(How's he going to react when he finds out I'm seventeen? Probably very angrily. Should I tell him now?)
Gouhin opened the door.
"Put your clothes back on and let's go. I bet your school is already angry because you're out so late. I'll have to tell them it was a medical emergency."
"Okay, Doctor Gouhin! I'll hurry!"
(I'll wait until after he helps me out of this mess.)
As Yasui was following the gruff panda doctor out of the back alleys of the city, Ten and her Inarigumi associates were back at their base having a drink. Chloe finished off a beer and sighed.
"I'm still surprised you warmed up to that little pipsqueak so fast, Miss Ten. I didn't think you particularly liked children."
Ten swirled her own drink around and gave the vixen a half smile.
"I'm not sure. There was just something about that kid that I liked. Almost like there was something familiar about him."
Mora daintily sipped her beverage.
"Maybe you knew him in a past life?"
Ten shrugged.
"Maybe."
Chloe frowned.
"So why did you make him kiss your feet?"
Ten gave her a dark look.
"He demanded his pills back. I decided to humble him for it. Obviously it did a lot of good given how ashamed he looked."
Mora made a face of displeasure.
"Sure, but doing that to a child is a bit… wrong."
Ten laughed.
"That's right, you don't know."
Both foxes shared a look and said in tandem,
"Know what?"
Ten steepled her fingers.
"That fox was seventeen years old."
Mora sat back in stunned silence as Chloe swore.
"That little monster tricked us! He wasn't a kid at all! I want to wring his sorry neck!"
Ten didn't even react to that outburst as she continued.
"Whatever the case, we have bigger fish to fry."
Both Chloe and Mora leaned in attentively. Ten continued.
"The fact that thugs are creeping around our turf snatching up street kids for some mysterious buyer is unsettling. I want this buyer found and I want them dead. Nobody messes with the Inarigumi and gets away with it."
They both nodded and Ten rubbed her forehead.
"First that psycho Crimson Smile and now this. This whole city is going to shit."
Chloe grimaced.
"Speaking of that serial killer freak, does anyone know who it is?"
Ten sighed.
"No, but I have someone on it. She claims that she knows someone who can help."
Not far away at all, in a bustling nightclub called the Neon Zoo, former police chief Rikimaru was just getting off work. Ever since he had stormed out of the mayor's office and quit, things hadn't gone very well for him. He had no choice but to get a job with a former CI of his, a sleazy cat named Obul. While this club was technically legal, it still reeked of criminal elements. But, it paid the bills. Even if being a bouncer was a bit humiliating after his former career. He stood out behind the building, smoking a cigarette. He knew that these things would kill him, but after the stress of his long stint undercover in these same alleys and backstreets he had gotten hooked. He stiffened as he heard footsteps approaching. Most likely female given the telltale sound of high heels, but in this area you could never be certain.
Rikimaru growled as a female fox in a dress and high heels approached him. He recognized that getup anywhere.
"Inarigumi." He huffed. The vixen smiled flirtatiously at him, batting her eyes. She was older than most of the gang members he had seen, probably close to his age. She stopped a little ways away from him and pulled out a cigarette.
"Have a light?"
The former police chief grumbled but pulled out his lighter. She stepped forward, the butt of the cigarette held in her plump lips.
(Dammit, why do they all have to be pretty.) Rikimaru thought. (This is why I avoid this group as much as I can. Feels wrong to fight a pretty female.)
The fox took a quick puff of her cigarette and chuckled.
"Relax, Rikimaru. I'm not here for a fight."
"You know who I am?" The dog bristled.
"Of course. Former police captain, fallen on hard times. I came looking for you."
"Whatever it is, no. I might not be a cop anymore, but I'm no criminal."
She reached up and gently ran her thumb across the nearly invisible line of a scar on his cheek.
"I know. That's why I'm here. I have a problem that I think you can solve."
"Answer is still no. I'm not working with any gang. I hate this whole Back Alley Market setup. It makes me sick."
The fox pursed her lips and shifted her weight. Rikimaru maintained eye contact, trying to ignore her shameless flirting.
"I understand your dislike. But, as far as organizations here, would you really group us together with the likes of the Shi-shigumi?"
Rikimaru growled.
"Those dirtbags are a league of filth all their own. But my answer is still no."
"You haven't heard what it is yet."
"Nothing you say can change my mind."
"I want to catch Crimson Smile."
Rikimaru froze. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it.
"Talk, now."
The fox smirked.
"I take it I have your interest?"
"Depends. Why? Why does the Inarigumi care about that murderer?"
"Simple. We represent order and stability in a chaotic place. He's striking fear into the hearts of all carnivores in the city, and we want him gone. I know you were trying to catch him. I want to team up. Your experience as a cop with our information network."
Rikimaru crossed his arms.
"I don't particularly trust you."
He clenched his fist as she laid a hand on his arm and lowered her voice to barely a whisper.
"His last victim was a sixteen year old boy. This monster is killing innocent people, and the police can't seem to stop him. Help me, please."
The grizzled police dog closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"Fine. But I'm not having any dealings with the rest of your little gang. Just you, and just until we stop this maniac. No Inarigumi on my end. You can be my CI and that is that. I know how you criminals work. Get me to do one job for you and never let me go."
The fox smiled. Rikimaru hated how attracted to her he was. He'd always had a thing for red fur.
"I'm happy you've come to see reason. I'll be in touch."
She turned and calmly walked away, as if she hadn't just had a discussion about a violent maniac terrorizing the city. Before she was out of sight, she looked over her shoulder.
"The name's Teressa, by the way. See you around, handsome."
Rikimaru leaned against the brick wall of the nightclub and closed his eyes. What had he gotten himself into?
(A chance to stop a criminal who makes the Inarigumi seem just and charitable, that's what. And I hope I don't regret it.)