Chapter 31: …But Not Broken
Life was getting hard to keep track of for Yasui. Every day blended together into a monotonous and repetitive blur. It had been almost two weeks since his injury, and he felt like he was losing his mind. The only exciting parts of his day were when he had visits from his friends, or when Nurse Jesse paid him a visit. Unfortunately now that she was on day shift again, those visits were becoming shorter and less frequent.
He had been excited at first when after a few days he got feeling back in his left arm, however it still had to be in a cast and sling. His eye still had to stay covered, although he had received a replacement pair of glasses so he could see out of his good eye again. But his ribs still hurt whenever he moved too much from side to side. However he was told he was making good progress. The only truly notable thing that happened over these weeks was when Jack and the 701 boys came to pay Yasui a visit.
Yasui was sitting in the same boring hospital room as usual. His only entertainment was the boring drone of the television or school work. He still had never gotten into television. It was weird for him to just… not do anything. At least when he read his mind was active. But watching tv just made him feel antsy. It was late afternoon which meant he might be getting a visitor soon, however as time went on he was getting fewer and fewer visits. He was getting better, but he still couldn't do much. As such visits with him were probably extremely boring. He glanced over as the door opened and was surprised to see Jack enter the room.
"Jack?"
The Labrador excitedly pushed the door open and was followed by the rest of the boys, with Legoshi bringing up the rear with a bag in his hands. Jack grinned.
"How's it going, Yasui?"
Yasui returned the smile.
"I'm doing fine. Still getting fixed up, but I'm not dead yet."
Jack moved to the opposite side of Yasui's bed to make room for everyone.
"Sorry we took so long to visit you. We had to find a day where we could all come."
"It's okay, I understand." Yasui gave them a thumbs up. "Thanks for visiting."
Miguno gestured at the bag.
"We brought you some goodies!"
Legoshi nodded seriously and set the bag down on the bed near Yasui's legs and began taking things out.
"We got you some apples, and peanut butter if you want to put it on them like Collot does. And then there's some Sudoku, a book about origami, and lots of paper. Oh, and some pencils and pens."
Jack grinned.
"We figured we'd bring you some things to do so you don't go stir crazy sitting here all day."
Yasui laughed.
"Yeah, it's pretty boring here. I either do school work or stare vacantly out that window. At least my handwriting is getting… almost readable."
Miguno leaned closer and didn't even bother to hide his fascination.
"So, like, does it hurt?" He pointed to Yasui's face and arm. "All that?"
Yasui shrugged.
"Sometimes. They had me on some strong painkillers, but they said they're slowly weaning me off them. So I get sore and achy every once in a while."
Collot set a card down near the gifts.
"We also made you this. Jack's pretty decent at drawing and wanted to make it for you."
Jack raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Guilty. I think handmade cards are better. More meaningful, you know?"
Yasui nodded.
"I appreciate it. Thanks, guys."
Miguno pointed to his own eye.
"So, is it… gone?"
Yasui shook his head. He reached up with his right hand and lifted the medical eyepatch that had replaced the layers of bandages once his stitches had closed a bit more. The eye was still sealed shut so it could heal properly, and the ropey scars across his face were pale pink against his rusty fur. He noticed their looks of discomfort and pity and sighed.
"It's healing. The doctors say that hopefully it'll be better in a month or two."
Legoshi tilted his head.
"So you have to wear an eyepatch for a while?"
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah. And the scars will probably never go away."
The boys all looked at each other with looks of pity. Jack smiled.
"I'm sure they'll go away eventually."
Yasui shrugged.
"My other scars haven't. It's fine, I've come to terms with it."
Yasui shifted and stood. The boys all stepped back in surprise, and Jack grinned.
"Hey! You're on your feet again!"
Yasui grunted as he grabbed the IV stand for support. Slowly he walked towards the door.
"C'mon, let's go for a walk. Lying in bed all the time is making my butt hurt."
Yasui was glad he could walk again. The doctors said he should be discharged soon. They had mainly been concerned about his head injuries not sealing up correctly given how long it took them to stop oozing and bleeding. But now he was just waiting for the all clear to leave this dreadful place behind. As he stepped out into the hallway, using the wall for support, he was immediately surrounded by the 701 boys. Jack sidled up beside him anxiously.
"Don't push yourself now! Let us know if you need to stop or want some help."
Yasui nodded. However, if he was being honest, this song and dance was getting a bit old. He had appreciated the sympathy at first, but everyone treating him like he was made of glass and could shatter at any time was getting a bit annoying. The looks of pity, the refusal to talk about the accident, everything was getting a bit old.
As they walked, the boys idly chattered about what was happening at school. Different tests they had coming up, who was doing what, what they were planning on doing later, it was nice to have some normal conversation again. Yasui and the boys moved over a bit as a nurse walked by with a crocodile in tow who was in a wheelchair. Time seemed to slow down for Yasui. There was something about the crocodile that was bothering him. But what?
Yasui's ears popped and began to ring. Flashes of color swam before his eyes. The scent of blood and its metallic taste filled his mouth. A toothy maw snapping near his face. The pain of being kicked in the ribs.
Yasui stumbled and leaned against a wall for support. He felt a cold chill up his spine as the images faded just as quickly as they had appeared.
(What was that?!)
Legoshi noticed and held his arm out towards him.
"You can use my arm for support if you need to."
Yasui waved him away. He had no idea when he started breathing so heavily.
"I just need to… catch my breath."
Yasui grimaced and pushed himself back upright. While it was true he still got tired easily, this was something else. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but something told him it had to do with what put him here in the first place. And now he realized something, he needed to demand some answers. Yasui looked at the boys as they all watched him with concern. He grit his teeth.
"Tell me what happened. Nobody has told me yet."
The boys shared uncomfortable looks. Jack's ears drooped.
"Well… the doctors said not to tell you."
Yasui raised an eyebrow and felt a twinge of pain before realizing it was the one obscured by his eye patch. He raised the other one.
"They said not to tell me?"
Jack and the boys nodded, and Jack explained.
"They said that they didn't want us to apply undue stress or something like that. Basically they said they wanted to try to have you remember on your own without somebody telling you."
Yasui stayed silent for a moment before saying,
"I got attacked, didn't I?"
Jack and the boys looked at each other for some sort of decision amongst the group. Yasui continued.
"I have bits and pieces of memory about… something. I see a long mouth with lots of teeth, and I can feel the pain, and I know there was blood. So I can only assume I got attacked."
Yasui was so caught up in trying to remember he flinched when a large hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see Legoshi looked down at him.
"Yasui, we wanted to help cheer you up. And, well, I don't think… that that's going to help. Can we just have fun and talk with you? I mean, I think you'll have plenty of time to try to remember…."
The wolf looked at his friends for support, visibly uncomfortable about being the center of attention. Yasui was about to complain, when he realized that the wolf had a point. They had come here to help break the monotony of hospital life. He should enjoy their company while he could. Yasui nodded.
"You're right. Sorry for getting a bit pushy."
Legoshi held his hands up defensively.
"H-hey, no need to apologize! I just wanted this to be a fun visit!"
Yasui looked towards the rest of the boys.
"So what did you all have in mind?"
The dogs all grinned and talked excitedly as they herded Yasui back to his room. Apparently they had a game that they wanted to play.
The game in question was a strange one. It was called Adject-O. Basically, they each took turns drawing a card with an adjective on it, like "Funny" or "Vicious". The rest of the boys would choose a noun card from the six in their hand and place them face down in a pile. The guy with the adjective card had to pick a noun he thought fit the adjective best. The winning noun card got that player the adjective card to add to their score. The first player to five adjectives won. It was a bit strange when explained, but after two rounds of it Yasui had it figured out.
"The word is 'Unpleasant'." Collot said.
Yasui looked at his hand. He had "Stingrays", "Bow Ties", "The Great Wall of China", "Sports Cars", and "The Bubonic Plague". He threw his "Bubonic Plague" card into the center. Once everyone had picked a card, Collot began to read them.
"So for 'Unpleasant' we have… onions, Shakespeare, bongos, Bubonic Plague, the color yellow, and aftershave. Yeah, no contest. Onions wins."
Everyone voiced their complaints as Voss happily took his card. Miguno gestured at the cards.
"How is Shakespeare not more unpleasant than onions? Shakespeare is terrible!"
Collot shrugged.
"Onions are deadly."
Yasui pointed to his card.
"And the literal Black Death isn't?!"
Collot shrugged once more.
"I think the Plague is a bit more than just unpleasant."
Yasui rolled his eye as the next player, Durham, drew an adjective. Over the next few turns they experienced "Delicious Sandpaper", "Moody Infomercials", "Beautiful Dumpsters", and "Scenic Hawaii." As this last round was decided by Yasui, Jack laughed.
"I guess we need to be literal with Yasui. Not goofy like the rest of us."
Yasui frowned.
"I thought the point was to pick the best match?"
Collot flipped his hand back and forth.
"It's subjective. You judge however you want to."
Legoshi was next. He took his adjective card and read it.
"So this time it's… 'Interesting'."
Yasui looked at his hand. The only card he had that wasn't weird was "beetles." And beetles were pretty interesting. That was if Legoshi judged based on seriousness or humor. Either way, it was the best he had. Once all the cards were gathered, Legoshi began to read.
"So there's 'painting', 'surgery', salmonella', 'bicycles', 'the Roaring Twenties', and 'beetles.' Oh, that's easy. Beetles are very interesting."
Yasui grinned and accepted his card as everyone laughed. Jack elbowed the wolf and said,
"Of course you'd choose a bug card. If only I hadn't already played 'Swarm of Bees' a few rounds ago."
Just then a male nurse came in and looked at the collection of boys. He gestured towards Yasui as he pushed a wheelchair into the room.
"It's time for physical therapy."
Yasui sighed. He hated physical therapy. His muscles had gotten weaker when he had been unconscious and bedridden for so long, but worst of all was that his head injury had messed with his balance. So he had been learning to walk again, which was less than pleasant. Glumly, Yasui let the nurse help him into the wheelchair and waved halfheartedly at the boys from 701.
"Bye, guys. Thanks for visiting."
They all wished him well and said their goodbyes as he was wheeled out the door. He didn't want to do physical therapy, especially because he'd been having fun for the first time in several days. Life in the hospital was so boring he wanted to bash his head into a wall. Wake up, get checked on by nurses, schoolwork, eat, schoolwork, eat, read or schoolwork, maybe have a visitor, physical therapy, eat, try to find something to do, and then sleep again. He couldn't wait to get out of here.
Yasui couldn't seem to work up the drive to put much effort into his physical therapy. As they had him walk with only some handrails to prop him up, he just numbly shuffled forward. He didn't even finish the whole session today, he just gave up part way through and moved on to the dexterity exercises. They had him move stuff with his right hand and squeeze things with his left without moving the rest of the arm. It was tedious and pointless. All in all, he just wanted it to be done.
Finally, as the sun turned orange and began to dip towards the horizon, Yasui was wheeled back to his room. Reluctantly he got back into bed and sighed as he looked out the window. He was so tired of this whole deal. Maybe it was possible to sneak out so he could go somewhere other than here. He barely needed medicine anymore, and the physical therapy was useless. The only thing he'd miss would be Nurse Jesse.
"Oh Yasui! Dinner time!"
Yasui looked over to the doorway. As if summoned by magic, there was Nurse Jesse holding a tray of food. Yasui waved his free hand at her.
"Hi, Nurse Jesse."
"Hello, Yasui. And it's just Jesse, okay?"
"Sorry, Jesse. I forgot."
"Mhm."
After delivering the food she sat down in her usual seat near his bed and yawned. Yasui asked,
"Long day?"
"Yeah, but they all tend to be. People are always getting hurt, and nurses are always trying to fix them."
"Yeah."
Jesse gave him a stern look.
"Speaking of which, I heard that your PT hasn't been going too well lately."
Yasui shifted uncomfortably and looked down.
"It's… fine."
She sighed and leaned over to catch his eyes.
"You're not giving up, are you?"
"No. It's just… so frustrating! I hate it."
"I know, PT sucks. But you have to do it or you won't get released. If you can't move under your own power they'll keep you here."
"I know, I'll try harder."
"Yeah, sure. I really believe that now that you've said it three different times. What I think is that you need something to motivate you. But I can't think of what that could be."
Yasui sighed.
"Apart from finally getting to leave?"
Jesse rolled her eyes.
"What, that tired of me already?"
"No, you're the only good thing about this place. My favorite nurse by far."
Jesse smiled and tweaked Yasui's ear. Given how much time they had spent together while she was on night shift they had gotten pretty fond of each other. She crossed her arms and paced the room, glancing out at the setting sun.
"Let's see, what do teenage boys like? Food is obvious but you keep getting food as gifts from your friends."
Yasui perked up.
"Speaking of which, I got some apples today. You can have one if you want."
Jesse picked up an apple and tore it in half with her claws, handing half to Yasui. She munched on her share as she brainstormed.
"Let's see… boys like food, video games, and action manga…. Well they also like…."
Jesse snickered and turned to Yasui.
"I know, if you put effort into your PT I'll let you touch my boobs. Teenage boys are nuts about boobs."
She laughed as Yasui scowled at her.
"Seriously? That's the best you have?"
"C'mon, I thought it was pretty funny."
"I mean it makes no sense. Is touching some boobs really so great that it'll motivate guys to do stuff they don't want to?"
"Uh, yeah. Like, one-hundred percent."
"I doubt I'll ever feel that way. Seems silly."
Jesse raised an eyebrow.
"So you're telling me you have never gotten to second or third base before? Like, even on a dare or something?"
"Never even played this weird version of baseball you keep referring to. I'm not exactly popular with females in any capacity but in the way a cute little kid is."
Jesse rolled her eyes and grinned.
"Well then do your physical therapy and you can see what you're missing out on."
As she turned to leave Yasui frowned and called after her.
"You're joking, right?"
Back at Cherryton, Shinrai was back in the secret room Hikaru had shared with him. They had been coming here more frequently as it was really the best place to play games together as some dorm supervisors got huffy if students of the opposite gender spent time in their dorms. They were playing some old co-op games when Shinrai sighed.
"You know, I really wish magic were real."
Hikaru tilted her chin up and snorted.
"You and me both. As well as everyone who's ever had to deal with bullies."
"What do you mean when you wish you had magic? Like, what type of power."
Hikaru scratched her belly through the black hoodie she was wearing and shrugged.
"Depending on if you could only have one, I'd probably have to say some sort of psychic powers like telekinesis. Because it's all around useful. Want that thing way up high? Boom, float it down to you with your brain. Drop something? Catch it with psychic powers. Somebody's being mean to you? Literally throw them through a wall with your mind. And if you can lift yourself that means you can fly too."
Shinrai nodded.
"That's a good one. Very well thought out."
"You?"
"I dunno, probably teleportation. Being able to go anywhere instantly would rule. Want fancy French pastries? Poof and you're there. Want to get something from home? Zap and you're back in your room."
Hikaru raised a finger.
"Although the big 'what if' with that power is whether or not you can teleport to anywhere or just places you've seen."
Shinrai furrowed his brow.
"Yeah, that would determine if it's really cool or just mildly convenient."
He glanced over at the fennec fox and asked,
"So… did you get picked on as a kid? You mentioned something about people being mean to you."
She shrugged.
"Kind of. It was… because of something outside of my control. Something about my body."
"Oh… like what? Your ears?"
Hikaru frowned at him.
"What's wrong with my ears!?"
Shinrai raised his hands defensively.
"Nothing! They're just… large."
She smirked.
"Gotcha."
"…You didn't answer my question."
Hikaru sighed.
"That's because the answer is very… personal. I'd rather not share it."
"Okay, I understand."
Hikaru glanced over at Shinrai and spoke conspiratorially.
"Did you hear about the incident the other day?"
"What incident?"
"Apparently some girls have reported their underwear are going missing. Everyone thinks it's some creep who gets off on that weird stuff."
"Gross! You have to be a real pervert to steal underwear."
"I feel bad for anyone who's lost a pair. That can't be a good feeling to know some skeezy loser is probably using your panties to get off."
Shinrai shivered in revulsion.
"You girls are lucky you aren't horny like guys are during puberty."
Hikaru laughed.
"You kidding!? You really think girls aren't horny?!"
Shinrai scratched his head.
"I mean… yeah. You never hear girls talking dirty like guys do. Or having the same 'relief' habits guys tend to use."
"Bitch please. We just keep that under wraps."
"Nah, bull crap! You're messing with me!"
"You want an example? You do not want to know how many girls have probably played with themselves to that boy band that's all the rage these days. You know, 'West End Jungle' or whatever they're called. Girls go nuts for them!"
"Why? They're not even that handsome. I've seen their pictures and they're all kind of meh."
"Don't look at me. I get my fantasy material from video game hunks. Wanting to get down with a boy band dweeb, nah. Wanting a swole-ass dragon himbo to treat me right? Hells yes."
"Dragon himbo?"
"Mhm, burley and a bit stupid but with a heart of gold. That's the real panty soaker right there. That or snow leopard twinks in tight pants."
"I take it back, girls are definitely just as gross as guys are."
Hikaru set the controller down to get a drink from the bottle of soda she had beside her. As she unscrewed the cap she asked,
"So… any news on Yasui? Like, when he's supposed to get released?"
"No… which sucks. I should visit him more, but it's just…."
Shinrai leaned back and gestured wildly with his arms.
"I hate seeing him like that. All bandaged up and weak. And he's also just a bit… different now. It's hard to say what exactly is different but something is."
"I mean, he did go through a pretty traumatic experience. Anyone would be a bit off after that. Heck, you're a bit off after that."
"Really? How so?"
"You're a bit quieter and more nervous. Which is understandable. Honestly, I was a bit worried after I heard what happened."
"About?"
Hikaru pointed to herself.
"That you might not want to be around a carnivore as much after being attacked."
Shinrai crossed his arms.
"F-Y-I a carnivore rescued me in that situation."
"I know, I was just nervous. It wouldn't be the first time an attack made herbivores I thought were my friends start to avoid me. Or worse, treat me like trash."
Shinrai frowned.
"I don't know. I guess it's still just sort of… surreal. Like, it's hard to believe it happened to me. Sometimes I just feel a bit weird and confused about it all."
He laid back against the beanbag and sighed. Hikaru leaned over him, her ears blocking the light.
"That's probably because you're weird and confusing."
"Shut up!"
The fennec fox grinned.
"Want to play some fighting games? I'll let you choose the game before absolutely annihilating you at it."
"As if! Bring it on, turbo-ears!"
"Turbo-ears?"
"…So it really wasn't your ears you got teased about?"
"Oh, now you shut up!"
It was December 5th when they finally removed his IV tubes and swapped him to pills instead of drip painkillers. Yasui was relieved to be free of the horrible needle in his arm. And he was really putting in the effort when it came to his physical therapy. He wanted to get out of this hospital as soon as possible. And so, on Monday, December 8th, he was given the go ahead to be discharged. Yasui purposefully didn't tell anyone so he could surprise them. He could imagine how fun it would be to just show up without warning. He could barely contain his excitement when Nurse Jesse came to give him everything he needed to leave.
"Hello, Yasui!" Jesse said. "I've got some clothes for you, your bottle of painkillers, and some instructions for how to care for your eye and arm. Remember to come back for a checkup in two weeks, and earlier if you start having issues."
"I will, thanks Jesse."
She smiled at him.
"You worked really hard to get better. I'm proud."
Yasui grinned as he collected his things.
"Oh yeah? Then where's my reward? I was promised an incentive."
"Oh? Change your mind about my offer?"
Yasui froze before slowly turning towards her.
"Wait… I thought you were joking. You really were offering…."
She shrugged.
"I sort of was joking, but honestly I wouldn't care. It's not like I've never had somebody touch my breasts before. So if you actually want to, I'd allow it."
Yasui's eyes went wide.
"But… is that okay? I'm only seventeen…."
"Yasui, it's just letting you get some boob. It's not like we're going at it like a couple of wild animals. Now, if it goes any further than that it's definitely icky, but just this is more in the 'weird but in a funny way' area."
Yasui was about to say no, but then he thought about it. When would he ever have this opportunity again? He was curious, why were all guys so obsessed with touching girl's… chests. Was it really that amazing? He did like seeing them, but was touching them that much better? Yasui glanced around before looking up at Jesse in embarrassment.
"Well… if you really don't mind…."
"A guy has to get his first time touching some titties out of the way at some point. And trust me, the first time is always the worst."
"Wait, what?"
She rolled her eyes.
"On the girl's end I mean. I swear, both times I had a boyfriend feel me up and it was their first time they were way too rough. Like, seriously?! The girls are sensitive, you know! Don't go yanking on them!"
"So… should I… I mean are we going to…."
Jesse laughed and closed the door. With a smooth motion she lifted her shirt and revealed her chest. Yasui felt heat suffuse his face as he saw her blue bra. She laughed.
"You should see your face! You'd think I just showed you a bomb!"
"I-I just…. I feel a bit dirty about this."
"Just say the word and I'll put my shirt back down."
"N-no… I should do this. Or, I want to. I want to see why guys are so obsessed with this."
Jesse sat down so they were closer to the same height. She reached out for his right hand.
"Here, just slide your hand up under my bra."
Yasui was good at following directions. As he complied, he took his time thinking about what he was experiencing.
(It's so soft… and warm. And bouncy, very bouncy. Wooooow, it's really… supple. That's the word for it, supple.)
Jesse raised an eyebrow.
"You look like you're short circuiting."
Yasui grinned.
"I get it now…. It all makes sense."
She guided his hand back out of her garments and dropped her shirt.
"Glad I could be part of your coming of age moment. I'm going to miss you, little dude."
Yasui nodded.
"I'll miss you too, Jesse."
"Oh, though definitely don't mention this to anyone. I'd rather not got in trouble for letting a patient get to third base."
Yasui smiled.
"Don't worry. I've heard it's impolite to kiss and tell."
And so, Yasui finally walked through the doors of the hospital. He took a deep breath and sighed happily.
(At last, freedom.)
He looked down at his right hand and flexed the fingers slightly, remembering the sensation of his new "experience." It turned out you could get girls by being nice, who knew.
(I always thought you had to be funny, athletic or handsome. But apparently girls like somebody who's nice to them. Or at least… older girls do. I really was born too late, wasn't I.)
As Yasui made his way from the hospital, he noticed that lots of beasts were staring at him. It hadn't occurred to him before, but his bandages would really stand out and make him the center of attention. That wasn't something Yasui really wanted, especially if people were going to ask questions about what happened. Looking up, Yasui saw that the sky was a dull, slate gray. It would have been nice to get some sunshine on his first day of freedom, but you couldn't have everything you wanted.
Suddenly, Yasui's phone rang. He didn't recognize the number calling, but then again this phone was new so he didn't have everybody typed in yet. Yasui ducked into a store and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Is this Yasui the red fox?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"I'm detective Zenin with the police. I was just informed you've been released from the hospital. Would you mind coming down to the police station on the corner of Park and Elm Street? I have a few questions for you."
Yasui felt a bit apprehensive about this, but he couldn't just ignore the police. So with some reluctance, Yasui changed course and followed his phone's directions to the police station. It took him a lot longer to get to the police station than he had expected, especially because five minutes away from the hospital he was out of breath and his head was swimming. Yasui stopped to rest on a park bench and frowned in disappointment.
(The doctors said that I might have some lasting fatigue as a side effect of my medication, but this is a bit extreme for a side effect.)
Once Yasui caught his breath he began making his way to the station at a slower pace. Even then, he had to stop two more times. But, he finally made it and moved to open the door. He then realized he was on the right side of the double doors and needed to open the doors with his right hand. With a scowl Yasui sidestepped and pulled the door open with his much less coordinated right hand.
The inside of the police precinct was spotlessly clean and well lit. Posters and signs adorned the wall telling people what to do to report crimes, or stay safe at night. With some difficulty, Yasui climbed the stairs that led up to the reception desk. He paused there and gasped for air. The animal behind the counter, a male cheetah, looked down at him in concern.
"Are you okay?"
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah…. Just a bit tired…. I'm here to see a detective. Uh… I forgot his name but it started with a 'Z' so…. Well he said he was waiting for me so is there anyone waiting for a 'Yasui' around here?"
The cheetah looked at his desk and read something quickly. Eventually he nodded.
"Yes, Detective Zenin said to expect you. I'll lead you to his desk."
Yasui followed after the feline as he led him into the depths of the police station. They climbed to the third floor and Yasui found himself in a rectangular room with clusters of desks filling the space. Various police officers of different species mingled about, talking and reading files. The cheetah led him to a desk where a male water buffalo was sitting writing something on a piece of paper. The cheetah cleared his throat.
"There's a Yasui here to see you, Detective."
The buffalo glanced up and smiled.
"Great. Thanks for seeing him up."
He then directed his attention to Yasui.
"Well well well, if it is Yasui. I'm glad to finally meet you. As I said on the phone, I'm Detective Zenin. I'm the officer working the case you're involved in."
Yasui gulped. This was his chance to learn what really happened. If there was a case going on, that meant he really was attacked. The buffalo gestured to a metal chair beside his desk.
"Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"
Yasui nodded.
"I-I wouldn't mind some water… sir."
"No need to be nervous, this is a pretty informal visit. I've already received statements from your friends and other bystanders. I just wanted to talk to you."
Yasui gripped his pants with his right hand as the officer fetched him a bottle of water. When he returned he pointed at Yasui's face.
"So, how are you feeling? Does that hurt?"
Yasui shook his head.
"Not really. I'm just… tired. And a bit sore sometimes."
"I see. So, I was told you were having some issues remembering what happened. Is that true?"
Yasui nodded hesitantly.
"Well… a bit. I remember bits and pieces of what happened, but I want to know the full story."
The detective steepled his fingers and assessed Yasui. Finally he seemed to come to a decision and slid a file towards Yasui. Upon opening it he saw a report as well as a few pictures. The first was a caiman with a dour expression, then the same caiman as a mass of bandages in a hospital bed. Yasui shuddered when he saw the creature. Zenin tapped the photo.
"Recognize him?"
"Yeah… he's the one who attacked me. But… why?"
Zenin grinned.
"Well, technically you attacked him."
Yasui looked up in surprise.
"Wait, what!?"
Zenin held his hand up to calm Yasui.
"Easy now! Let me talk. The suspect, a caiman by the name of Guen, attempted to rob your two friends. Apparently he was going through withdrawals of a drug called 'green dream' and was desperate for another fix. He got agitated when your friend didn't have his wallet and was about to bite his arm off. That's when you stepped in and fought with Guen. The fight was going poorly for you until a female polar bear who your friends begged for help came and… well you saw what he looks like now."
Yasui nodded and looked at the hospital photo. He saw pictures of Shinrai, Don, a polar bear he didn't know, and two of himself. His school ID photo and one of him comatose in his hospital bed. Yasui frowned.
"So… what's going to happen to this guy?"
"He'll be tried for three counts of assault and battery; two counts of robbery and attempted predation; and one count of attempted murder. In other words, he'll go away for a very long time."
Yasui gulped.
"Will… I have to do anything?"
Zenin gave him a sympathetic smile.
"We would really like your testimony in court, as you are the one he hurt the most. However, we understand if you don't feel up to it."
Yasui nodded.
"I'll think about it. Is there anything else?"
Zenin shook his head.
"No, I just wanted to touch base with you and introduce myself. I'm sure you have things you want to do now that you're out and about, so I'll let you get back to it. I'll be in touch if I need anything more or have news."
Yasui nodded numbly, head still reeling from the conversation. He'd fought off a far larger beast to protect his friend. It had almost cost him his life. He was feeling a lot of things right now. He was also a bit… numb. He had noticed that he felt a bit foggy and dull for a few days, but had hoped that getting out and about would fix things. He had been mistaken.
With a heavy heart, and mind swirling with worries and thoughts, Yasui headed back to school. His trip was uneventful. Nothing special about the trains, nothing special about the walk to Cherryton, and nothing special about the grounds. It was like nothing had changed at all.
(What was I expecting? It was only a few weeks.)
But even then, he felt disappointed. Nothing was different or special about his coming back to school at all. He had hoped he would feel excited and would get back to normal, but he still felt achey, tired, and numb. He wasn't even hungry, despite it being close to dinner time. Yasui adjusted his bag on his right shoulder and slowly made his way to his dorm. He should at least get his stuff moved back in.
Yasui was unpleasantly surprised to find that some of his roommates had apparently decided to use his bunk as storage space. Dirty laundry and damp towels were strewn across it, making it smell of mildew. Yasui grimaced. Now he had to clean his bedding to get the stink out. With some effort, Yasui cleared the mess off his bunk and pulled the sheets off with his good arm. As best as he could do one handed, Yasui bundled his linens up and carried them to the laundry room. He tried to tip the laundry into a machine, but dropped it on the ground. Yasui grumbled and awkwardly picked it back up. He tried again, this time doing it in batches.
(This is going to take a lot of getting used to.)
With his laundry finally started, Yasui wasn't entirely sure what he should do now. He could go look for Shinrai or some of his other friends, but he was honestly a bit worn out right now. He felt very… drained.
(When am I going to be back to my usual levels of strength?)
Yasui grit his teeth and slowly made his way back to the front doors of the dorm. Today had been pretty long and strenuous, so maybe he should just go sit somewhere calm and peaceful to help soothe his growing headache. Maybe the library. He could definitely use a visit there. Tomorrow he would be back into the swing of things, which meant he needed his strength.
While Yasui was making his way to the library, Shinrai was sitting down to dinner with a motley crew of beasts. Around him was the entire Cooking Club, Hikaru, Shiro from the study group, and Shinrai's friends Don and Kashikoi. They all sat around a list as Shinrai wrote down ideas.
"So, what should we have at Yasui's party?" Shinrai began. Yufine immediately clasped her hands.
"A huge cake with 'Happy Belated Birthday' in frosting across the top!"
Shinrai nodded. Chaussette flicked her tongue.
"Maybe ssssome party gamesss. Like fun card gamesss or drawing onessss."
"Good idea." Shinrai replied as he wrote it down. Shiro raised his hand. Shinrai shook his head and laughed.
"You don't have to raise your hand, Shiro. What's your idea?"
"Well, Yasui likes soup and spicy food. And it's winter so it's the perfect time for it."
Shinrai frowned.
"He does? I knew about the spicy food bit but not the soup."
The dog shrugged.
"He mentioned it in a study session once."
Shinrai nodded and wrote it down while Hikaru yawned.
"I mean, gifts is obvious. You all have some?"
Various animals nodded or shook their heads. Shinrai wrote down "gifts."
"We could get him some new clothes. Like, stuff to help him not be so obvious with his injuries?" Maihime added. Kashikoi frowned.
"That seems like a bad idea. It might just remind him of what happened."
Maihime shrugged.
"Just an idea."
Shinrai tapped the word "gifts" and said,
"We can think about this one."
Shiro raised only a single finger this time.
"Uh, where are we going to have this party?"
Shinrai kept writing as he replied, barely even looking up.
"Probably at my place."
Yufine frowned.
"Is it big enough? To hold us all that is."
Shinrai was about to reply that it was, when he did the mental math. If they invited everyone over who Yasui had said before, then there probably wasn't going to be enough room inside his parents apartment. Before it had been warm enough that they were going to have the party outside. Shinrai frowned.
"It might not be…. We'll need to look into where to have the party."
As the impromptu meeting wrapped up, Shinrai called after everyone.
"Don't forget to think about where we can have this thing!"
He sighed as Hikaru joined up with him, hands in her massive coat's pockets.
"Welp, that went pretty well, I think."
"I guess…. Do you have any ideas about where to have this party?"
The fennec fox shrugged.
"Not really. Unless the school will let us use a gym or something."
Shinrai bobbed his head.
"That's a thought…."
Hikaru shivered as they walked outside.
"It's cold as baaaaaaaaalls! I hate winter!"
Shinrai snickered.
"You really can't handle the cold at all, can you?"
"Hello! I am a desert animal! That's like talking crap about a fish having trouble breathing on land. Like, no shot dude!"
"Alright! Alright! Don't get your panties in a knot!"
She leaned her head back and gave him a mock glare.
"Hey, don't you go thinking about my panties, you little creep!"
"Oh yeah? You have the red one with 'Juicy' on the back?"
"Nah, the yellow ones with 'Wide Load' in black lettering."
"Maybe some 'Kiss The Cook' themed undies?"
"Or 'Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.'"
Shinrai joined Hikaru in laughing at their own jokes. He elbowed her.
"I swear, the reason I like hanging with you so much is you're like no girl ever."
Hikaru huffed and raised an eyebrow.
"The heck does that mean?"
"You're down to joke and be chill and stuff like that. Most girls would be like 'Ew don't make jokes like that! It's gross!' You're just more easygoing."
Hikaru gave him double finger guns.
"Don't I know it!"
Yasui groaned.
(It feels like I'm on fire!)
Yasui awoke to searing pain all over, radiating from his eye and his arm. With clumsy movements he dug around for his bottle of painkillers and tried to open them. He couldn't get the top off with just one hand though, so he desperately bit the top and tried to twist it in his mouth. The safety seal wouldn't budge. Yasui hissed in discomfort as he wedged the bottle under his left armpit and twisted. The lid popped off, spilling pills across his bed.
Desperately, Yasui slammed a pill into his mouth and gulped it down with some water. He collapsed back into bed and groaned in pain as he waited for it to kick in. Finally, after what felt like ages, the pain faded. Yasui relaxed, his muscles sore. He hadn't even realized his whole body had been clenched tight like a spring. Yasui was tired. It was the same tired as before. This unnatural exhaustion that he felt all the time now. He checked the time.
(I should get up. I'll be late….)
With a sigh and no small amount of discomfort, Yasui sluggishly pulled himself out of bed. He then began the arduous task of getting dressed with only one arm. He had to start by putting his cast-covered arm into the sleeve first, gently pulling it up and over his head, and then getting his other arm in without moving the first one. After that he just needed to put his sling back on and rest his arm back inside. It sounded so simple, yet was such a clumsy process.
Yasui watched in frustration as another group of students passed him on the way to breakfast. They stared at him as they walked by, eyes lingering on his eye bandages and cast. This was the fourth time he had needed to stop and take a break since leaving his room. Twice on his way down the stairs, once more when he got outside, and now that he was in eyesight of the cafeteria. Yasui grit his teeth and resumed plodding along towards the double doors of the Cherryton Cafeteria.
It was awkward holding a tray in one hand and trying to balance it. He resorted to using his left hand's fingers to keep it steady while he managed the weight with his right. Even then it was uncomfortable and tricky. He almost dropped it twice on his way to his table. He sat down heavily and caught his breath, coughing slightly. He heard a tray hit the table across from him and looked up to see Shinrai looking at him excitedly.
"You're back!"
Yasui nodded and smiled wearily.
"I'm back…."
"How do you feel?"
"Not… terrible."
"Your arm hurt at all?"
"It did until I took my medicine."
Shinrai nodded and began voraciously attacking his breakfast. Yasui picked up his fork and jabbed at his eggs. He hadn't eaten much at all, well, since he had woken up. He thought it was because he was laying around all day, but now he should be hungry. But… the thought of food made his stomach churn. Shinrai noticed.
"Are you not hungry?"
"No, not really."
"Does your stomach hurt?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, I just don't have an appetite this morning."
"Oh, okay."
Shinrai glanced up at his covered eye before looking back at his plate. Yasui had noticed everyone seemed to avoid looking at him for any length of time. Apparently his injuries made them uncomfortable. Shinrai tapped his tray.
"So… what's your plan for the day?"
"Well, classes. But then… I should swing by the cafe. Just to check in with my boss."
"Oh yeah, Tuesday. Well, I'll be around… if you want to do anything."
Yasui nodded and returned to pushing his food around. He was really not looking forward to his classes.
It's funny how when you're dreading something, it only makes it last longer. It seemed like the walk to class took three times as long as usual to Yasui. Beasts turned to stare at him as he walked, whispering and pointing at his arm and eye. He had to frequently stop to rest, which only allowed more students to gawk at him. By the time he sat down in his seat Yasui felt sure everyone at Cherryton had seen him and muttered about him to their friend. With some remaining clumsiness, Yasui used his right hand to remove his school supplies from his bag and get ready for class.
Keeping up with the class was difficult. He wrote much slower right handed and as such couldn't take all the notes he wanted. The only upside he could think of was that he had a free period instead of P.E. due to his injuries. So he was spared the indignity of trying to play sports one handed. It was around two in the afternoon when the pain crept back into his arm. Yasui grimaced as the burning sensation began to pulse from his appendage. Fortunately he had brought his pill bottle with him.
Unfortunately for Yasui, he still didn't have a good way to open the bottle. It rattled noisily as he tried to open it, making Yasui wince. He glanced up to see a few students nearby glance over at him in annoyance. He gulped and tried to slowly twist the top off. If he held the bottle down with his palm and slowly squeezed the lid, he might be able to—
clack! Rrrrrrrrr*
Yasui sighed as the bottle fell to the floor and rolled slowly towards his bag. He leaned down to pick it up only for the person behind him to reach it first. The student, a male badger, easily popped the top off and handed it to him. Yasui smiled.
"Thanks."
The badger nodded before returning his attention to the lecture. With his pills taken, the discomfort soon abated. Although that didn't stop Yasui from feeling thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day. He waited until everyone else had left before standing and slowly making his way out of the room. He didn't feel like getting jostled around in a crowd right now.
It seemed to take forever for Yasui to get anywhere. He wondered if this was how sloths felt, constantly moving at such slow speeds they had to be carried most places. But he did finally manage to make his way down to Cafe Lapin, although he was thoroughly winded when he arrived. The air was cold and a biting wind was blowing in from the sea, perfect weather to drink some hot coffee or tea. As such, there were a few patrons lazily sitting about the cafe on computers or reading books. A monotone voice called out.
"Welcome to Cafe… well I'll be damned…."
Yasui smiled tiredly at Mimi.
"Hi, Mimi. Long time no see."
The goth rabbit raised an eyebrow.
"That's an understatement. What the hell even happened to you? You look like you lost a fight with a lion."
Yasui sighed as he finally reached the counter.
"It was actually a caiman. I don't remember it all very well, bits and pieces mainly. But the police say I was protecting my friends from him."
Mimi crossed her arms.
"Huh."
"Yeah, so that's what happened. He broke my ribs, smashed my eye all up, and ripped off my arm."
She leaned forward a bit, a strange look on her usually dour face.
"That took guts. Sticking up for your friends against someone so much larger. I can respect that."
Yasui was taken aback.
"Mimi, are you… being nice to me?"
She punched his uninjured arm.
"Don't tell anyone. I'm just… I'm glad you're back, Yasui. Working here without you sucks. It means I have to take orders."
Yasui returned her smile and asked,
"So, is Mr. Nabuyo here?"
"Yup, in the back."
"Alright, I'll be back in a bit. Just want to check in with him."
With that sorted, Yasui made his way to the back room where the old rabbit was writing in a ledger. Yasui knocked on the doorframe as he stepped inside.
"Hi, Mr. Nabuyo. It's me."
The rabbit turned and his face broke out in a smile.
"Yasui! You're back! Land's sake you look terrible!"
Yasui coughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, I feel terrible too. So… sorry about being unavailable for so long."
"You were in the hospital! What kind of a heartless bastard do you think I am that I wouldn't understand that!"
Yasui grinned.
"So… Do I still have a job here?"
"Of course! Whenever you're well enough to work you can come back to your old hours. Just let me know beforehand."
"Well… could I try working today?"
Mr. Nabuyo crossed his arms.
"I don't think that's a good idea. You only just got out of the hospital."
"Please, sir. I've been going stir crazy for weeks now. I need to do something normal for a change. I promise I won't push myself too hard."
The old rabbit scratched his head.
"Well… I suppose if you're feeling up to it. Just don't go putting yourself back in the hospital, okay?"
Yasui nodded. Nabuyo looked up at his eye patch and frowned.
"Can you see with… you know… only one eye?"
Yasui grimaced.
"It's been a bit difficult. Mainly the loss of depth perception. I couldn't pick anything up for the first week, at least not easily."
The elderly rabbit shook his head.
"Alright, go ahead and get your apron on. Although I want to hear the full story of what happened to you while you work."
Yasui sighed.
"It's still a bit fuzzy. But I think I've remembered most of it now. I'll tell you later."
In just a few minutes Yasui was back in his usual spot behind the register and was looking around at the cafe. He smiled.
"This place hasn't changed a bit."
"It's only been, like, two weeks, dumbass."
Yasui smiled at Mimi.
"Did you miss me?"
"No."
"Oh…. Well I missed you. It's so good to be back."
Mimi looked down at a cup she was cleaning and huffed.
"At least I don't have to take orders anymore."
Yasui narrowed his eye.
"Mimi, are you smiling?"
"No!"
"Yes you are!"
"I am not! Stop being annoying!"
"You did miss me! Aw, Mimi…."
"Can you go back into the hospital again so I don't have to deal with you? Maybe a nice coma this time?"
"I was in a coma. Not exactly very fun."
"Oh. So… Do you remember being in a coma? Like, any dreams or whatever?"
Yasui scratched his head.
"I think so. It's gotten a bit vague, but I think I had a dream about a river. And there was someone there, somebody very nice."
"Weird. I always imagined coma dreams would be cooler than that."
Yasui shrugged.
"I dunno, I thought it was pretty cool."
Mimi pointed to his arm and eye.
"How long until those are fine?"
Yasui tapped his cast and wiggled the fingers of his left hand.
"They said that the cast can probably come off pretty soon. Limb reattachment surgery has come a long way apparently, so it doesn't take too long if they can get it back on quickly. But they said that it would probably be weak and a bit numb for a while until I get it properly exercised again."
"Bummer."
Yasui then pointed to his eye.
"This one is pretty gross. They're hoping to have the eyepatch off by Rexmas, but they're not sure. It wasn't a huge injury, but it definitely seems to be taking the longest to heal. And even then they won't know if my vision has been messed up until after my eye is healed enough to open."
Mimi raised an eyebrow.
"How do they tell if it's healed without opening it?"
"They scanned it with a big machine."
"That makes sense."
The door opened and Yasui turned to face his customer.
"Welcome in!"
"Wooooooow! What happened to you, little buddy?"
Yasui was a bit surprised to see the unusual otter that Mimi was friends with walk into the cafe. The vast majority of her tattoos were covered as she was wearing a ragged black coat and jeans, but her many piercings were still visible on her face. She sometimes hung around to chat with Mimi. She was actually very nice, and Yasui liked her the most out of all of Mimi's punk friends.
"Hello, Neon. I had a bit of an… accident."
"Poor little dude, let me see."
She gestured for him to lean towards her and he did so. She cupped his face in her hands and inspected his eye, gently moving the white medical patch just enough to see his scars. Yasui didn't mind, her hands were very warm and soft. She clicked her tongue.
"That's messed up, Amiguito. Does it hurt?"
Yasui shrugged. She always called him Amiguito for some reason. Apparently it was Spanish or something. She had told him that she had spent a few years traveling the world, which is where she had picked up some of her… eccentricities. He still wasn't entirely sure how old she was, but she was at least a few years older than Mimi and her other friends. Yasui wondered how exactly they met, but had always been too scared to ask.
"Not too bad, so long as I take my painkillers."
"Word of advice, Amiguito. Take it easy on the pain meds. They can mess you up worse than the injury itself. I knew a guy who got addicted to them, and then became a drug addict. He got caught up with some bad dudes and got himself killed."
Yasui frowned.
"Oh no, thanks for the warning."
She released his head and tousled his ears.
"You're an innocent little guy, somebody with some street smarts has to look out for you."
She then looked at Mimi and reached into her coat pocket.
"Oh, Mimi, here's your phone charger. You left it at my place."
Mimi grunted and accepted the cord. Neon then took her coat off, revealing she was wearing a crop top as was typical. She tapped her elbow as she crossed her arms.
"I think I'll have… a cup of coffee. Black."
Yasui nodded.
"Alright, for here or to go?"
"For here please, Amiguito."
Yasui rang up her order and watched as she sat down at a table and pulled something out of the patch-covered backpack she always had and began fiddling with it. Mimi made the coffee and delivered it, stopping to talk with her friend for a bit. Mr Nabuyo walked out of the back and joined Yasui at the counter. He huffed when he saw Neon.
"Bah, that weird otter is back. She'll scare away customers."
Yasui frowned.
"I don't think it's that big of a deal. Besides, she's actually super nice."
"That's not impressive coming from you. You think everyone is nice."
Yasui frowned and touched his eyepatch.
"Not everyone is…."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to…. Bah, she can stay."
Yasui grinned as the old rabbit returned to his ledgers and orders. The cold made his bad hip act up, so he mainly sat in the back on a heating pad ordering ingredients and managing the books. He grumbled while he walked about hooligans and delinquents with no sense of propriety. Yasui was pleasantly surprised to find that he didn't have much trouble with his job, so long as he sat down every once in a while.
His next surprise was the return of the English beagle a little later. Branson walked in, saw Yasui, and immediately swore in English. He gave Yasui a disbelieving stare.
"Yasui, mate, what happened to you?"
Yasui gave him a tired smile as he swapped to English.
"Accident. I am… good now."
"Bloody hell, is your eye… you know… gone?"
"Ah, no. It is… just… how you say, not good."
"Heaven above, that's awful! Sorry to hear about that."
"It is… okay. So, you want coffee?"
Branson cleared his throat and spoke in broken Japanese.
"One… coffee… milk… sugar… please."
He swapped back to English.
"Did I say that right?"
"Ah! You have… been practicing!"
"Trying to. But it's nice to speak English every once in a while. I'm pleasantly surprised by how many animals here speak some English."
"Many of us… have English in elementary school. I took… until high school. Now I learn Seaspeak."
Branson whistled.
"Now there's a tough language. I had a semester of it in school and hated it. My tongue just couldn't get the sounds right."
"It is… difficult."
Mimi handed over the coffee, which Branson happily accepted. He bowed to Mimi and spoke in Japanese.
"You are very welcome!"
Yasui laughed and spoke in English.
"You said… the wrong one. That is… 'you are welcome.' Need to say 'thank you.'"
"Bullocks."
Branson tried again.
"We are thank you big!"
Yasui laughed as Mimi rolled her eyes.
"That… was closer. But it's 'thank… you… very… much.'"
Branson repeated it.
"Thank you very much."
Yasui gave him a thumbs up. Branson smiled and held up his coffee.
"Cheers! Hope your eye gets sorted soon!"
Yasui waved as the beagle left before sighing. Mimi raised an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
Yasui waved her off.
"Nothing, just a little tired. I seem to get tired pretty quickly now."
"Huh."
"You'd think after sleeping for like five days straight or whatever I'd be well rested, but apparently not."
"I feel like I could sleep for five days straight constantly."
It was then that Neon, who had still been sitting at a booth in the cafe, beckoned Yasui over.
"Hey, little dude! C'mere for a sec!"
Yasui tilted his head in surprise before making his way over to her. He wasn't exactly sure what she needed. Maybe a refill? She patted the seat next to her.
"Sit here for a bit."
"Well… okay. But not for long."
(I really could use a seat right now. All the standing is killing me.)
He did as requested and Neon grinned.
"Now close your eyes. Er, eye."
Yasui did so, and felt as his eyepatch was removed.
"Hey! I need that!"
"Hang on! Just trust me!"
He felt her tie something that went over his eye before saying,
"Okay, open your eye."
Yasui did so and saw she was holding her phone towards him with the front camera on so he could see himself. Neon laughed.
"Ta-da! What do you think?"
Yasui looked at himself and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Rather than the bright white medical patch he had been wearing, now he had a subtle black eyepatch on that was very comfortable. It also looked a lot better. Yasui gasped.
"Holy crap! Where did you get this?"
She gestured to her bag which held fabric, needles, and other supplies.
"I made it! Making clothes and accessories is sort of my thing. Heck, I made everything I'm wearing right now!"
"That's amazing! Thank you so much!"
She suddenly grew serious.
"Wait, you thought I was giving it to you? No, I just needed a model."
Yasui's smile faltered.
"Oh… okay."
Neon elbowed him and snorted.
"I'm kidding! You should have seen your face! It's all yours, Amiguito!"
Yasui laughed.
"Thanks, Neon. You're super nice."
She ruffled his ears again.
"Don't mention it, little bud. Besides, I think it makes you look badass. Definitely an improvement."
Yasui nodded.
"I agree."
The rest of his shift went by pretty smoothly. But by the time he was walking back up to school Yasui was exhausted. He barely made it back up the hill, and was panting for breath at the top as he looked out over the moonlit ocean.
(I feel so weak. I hate it.)
The pain was also beginning to come back. Quickly, Yasui took another painkiller. He definitely wanted to take them before they wore off. Waking up to that burning pain was not a fun experience. In fact, Yasui had an idea. He could set an alarm for partway through the night to take another pill so it wouldn't be totally worn off by the morning. It was genius.
And so, Yasui set aside the little red and yellow capsule as he got into bed. The numb, sort of hazy feeling he got from the pills was definitely preferable to the harsh pain of his injuries. He'd have to see how to get more if he ran out.