Chapter 36: Growing Pains
"Are you sure you don't need anything else for the trip?"
Yasui rolled his eye and smiled as Miss Diana fussed over him. She had already checked over every little thing to be sure he made it to the bus station with all his personal efforts in tow. Yasui idly shooed her away from his bag.
"I'll be fine. I have all the clothes I'll need, my family's presents, and some money."
Diana raised an eyebrow.
"How about snacks?"
Yasui was about to say he didn't need any, when he thought better of it. Maybe it was detoxing, or just the change in the seasons, but Yasui had been famished for the past few days. Ever since he had come to stay with Miss Diana he had primarily been eating or sleeping when he wasn't enjoying various activities with her. Yasui sighed.
"Fine. I'll take some snacks."
Diana smiled and began looking through the pantry. Yasui's gaze dropped to her rear as it swayed a bit during her search. He shook himself, embarrassed, and looked away. His mind returned to his conversation with Shinrai last week, where he had described how insanely… distracted he had become while he went through puberty.
(I just need to think about something else. What I'll do when I get home! I'll… well… probably not do much. There isn't much to do back home. Maybe I should pack a few books.)
Diana walked back over carrying a few small boxes.
"Here, we got these for when you stay here. We just never got around to them because of how much other stuff we were cooking."
Yasui accepted the snacks with a smile.
"You're too generous, Miss Diana. Thank you."
Diana grinned and patted his head.
"That's the first time anyone has even accused me of that."
With his bags packed and final goodbyes said, Yasui made his way to the bus stop. Once again, he had mixed feelings about leaving. Here he had lots of friends who he could spend time with, and plenty of fun things to do. Back home he had his family, but that was it. He loved them, but he didn't enjoy how lonely and bored he always was back home in his village. As he took his seat on the bus and watched as the city slowly melted away, Yasui leaned his head against the window and sighed. These next few days were probably going to be pretty boring. Given it was the twenty-sixth of December, that meant he had over a week before he had to be back at school. The winter vacation extended past New Years until the fifth of January. Everyone was supposed to be back on campus by that Friday.
As the bus crawled through the flatlands outside the city towards the mountains, Yasui shifted to get comfortable. Maybe it was something he had eaten earlier, but his weird feelings had gotten worse. He felt achy all over, like his bones were sore. He was exhausted, and he was hungry. Yasui rooted around in his backpack and retrieved a protein bar. He scarfed it down hastily and leaned back in the seat to nap. Maybe he was coming down with something? But he didn't remember getting close to anyone with the flu or any other illnesses. Yasui twitched as a dull, shooting pain burst through his legs.
Yasui was awoken by the sound of the brakes hissing as the bus stopped. He looked around, dazed, and recognized the bus stop in Aka-Shukusha, the small town at the foot of the mountain. Yasui checked his watch. It was already almost two in the afternoon. He had plenty of time before the small bus from his village, Mishiranu, would be heading back up the mountain to deliver mail and other such items. Wincing as his sore muscles twinged, Yasui stood and gathered his belongings. He found a comfortable place to sit where he could watch the post office and was about to settle in to wait when his stomach growled loudly. Yasui frowned. He had missed lunch, so he should probably get a bite to eat at the small diner nearby.
Picking his bag back up, Yasui loped down the street towards the cramped restaurant. The inside was nothing special. A few pictures of the town hung on the wall above old booths and tables. A handful of assorted animals were sitting inside in two's and three's, and they all stared at him as he entered. Yasui realized he must look like someone from the city with all the new clothes he had gotten. He picked a seat near the window so he could keep watch for the bus to Mishiranu and smiled as the waitress, an older tabby cat, stalked over to him. She set a menu down and gave him an appraising once-over.
"Welcome to Aka-Shukusha, stranger. What brings you here?"
Her accent was foreign to Yasui, which was odd. He hadn't realized how accustomed to city life he had gotten. To the point where his hometown felt foreign. He grinned.
"Coming back home, actually. I've been going to school in the city."
The waitress grinned broadly.
"No kidding! Who're your folks?"
Yasui gestured towards the direction of the mountain.
"I'm from Mishiranu. My parents are Ino and Ibiki."
The waitress nodded sagely.
"Huh, I'll be. Well, welcome back. What can I get you, sugar?"
Yasui smiled at the sudden shift from formal to homely. It wasn't surprising, once the patrons of the diner learned that this small fox was a local, most of the curiosity faded. Yasui looked at the menu.
"Well, definitely some coffee to start. I'm feeling drowsy after that bus ride."
The cat winked at him.
"I get that. Long rides in the car always make me feel sleepy too. Be back in a flash, honey."
Yasui watched as she turned and strutted away. She had a nice figure, very apt for a diner. Wide hips and a kind face. He watched as she poured him a mug of hot coffee and returned to his table. His eye flicked to her shirt as she set the mug down and placed a small pot of cream and some sugar packets down with it. Her shirt was an older v-necked one that had a few small splotches where coffee or tea had probably splashed on her while she bused the tables. And of course, there were "the goods." Not nearly as large and perfect as Miss Diana's, but still very nice. Yasui shook his head, and looked out the window. Was he seriously getting frisky over an old waitress!? Puberty sucked.
"Here you go, sugar. Fresh, hot coffee. Now, what about some food?"
Yasui glanced down at the menu and picked at random.
"Uh… I'll take the veggie udon."
She wrote his order on her pad of paper and tore it off.
"Alright, hun. That'll be ready in a flash. Enjoy your coffee."
Yasui mumbled his thanks and returned his attention to the hot beverage. He felt positively humiliated by how easy it had become to get him riled up. Just being female seemed enough to make him start drooling over someone. He took a sip of his coffee and smacked his lips. It was mediocre.
His food came out and he thanked the waitress. It was… also mediocre. Something seemed off. He didn't remember Aka-Shukusha being so… small. He remembered this diner being something special that he had only gotten to eat at once or twice. The stores had been enormous and filled with all sorts of wonderful things. But now they were tiny, insignificant little boxes filled with a small spread of mediocrity. He finished his lunch and paid with some of the cash he had brought. And then it was time to wait for the bus. As he looked around at the sleepy little town, he felt distinctly… distant from it all. It was like he had left home, and when he came back it wasn't the same.
Filled with a deep melancholy, Yasui took the drab, dingy little bus back to Mishiranu. The postman for the village, an aged crow nicknamed Old Ink by locals, drove in silence up the winding mountain road. Yasui was glad about that. He didn't feel like talking right now. As the bus passed through the weather-beaten old torii gate that marked the entrance of the village, Yasui looked gloomily out at the tiny collection of houses. They were all just like the gate. Small and weathered, with paint peeling off and faded colors that showed how long they had stood. It was a far cry from the bright and shiny city he had come from.
Yasui slunk his way to his old home and stood outside for a while in the biting cold. Had his home always been so… cramped? It wasn't even the size of Cafe Lapin. How did he and his family live in this tiny little house? Yasui trudged up the stairs and knocked on the door. His mother answered and he was surprised to find that she too had gotten smaller. He had always been at least half the size of most of his family members, but now he was only a little less than a head shorter than his mother. Ino gasped and threw herself towards Yasui to clasp him in a tight embrace.
"Yasui! You're home!"
She pulled away and held him at arm's length, inspecting him. She gasped as her eyes moved to his eyepatch. For his part, Yasui had gotten so used to being a cyclops that he hardly even noticed it anymore, but he realized he had neglected to inform his mother of his eye injury.
"Yasui! What on earth happened to your eye!?"
Yasui touched the eyepatch and shrugged.
"Oh, this? Minor injury. The doctor said it should be healed in a few weeks. It's nothing major."
His mother gave him a wary look but seemed satisfied with his answer. She gave him a motherly smile.
"Well alright then, but look at you! You've gotten so much taller! Oh, my little Yasui is getting so big!"
Yasui smiled wearily.
"Hi, Mom. It's… it's good to be back."
She ushered him inside and helped him out of his coat. ("What a lovely coat!" She told him as she took it. "Must have cost a fortune!") Yasui stepped into the kitchen and looked at the low ceilings and small furniture. Maybe he was just spoiled after spending so much time with Miss Diana. But everything seemed so much less… nice than it used to.
(No, I'm probably just getting too used to luxury. I need to not get a big head.)
His mother flitted about, asking him questions about his trip, his eye injury (Yasui downplayed how he had gotten it to "just a little accident while walking around"), and how he was doing. Yasui did his best to not make his melancholy evident. Eventually, Ino stopped to have a drink of tea she had made while interrogating Yasui. Yasui jumped on this opportunity to ask,
"So where is everyone?"
His mother waved her hand dismissively.
"You know how it is. Your father is off talking and playing cards with the other farmers at the town hall. Your siblings are all off friends. And of course there's me just puttering around here. I couldn't stand the thought of nobody being here when you got home, so I didn't want to leave."
Yasui tilted his head.
"So… who's Yone spending time with?"
Ino smiled.
"He made some new, much nicer friends at school. He's grown a lot since your last visit. He's doing better in school, staying out of trouble, and is a lot nicer to his sisters."
Yasui smiled. He was glad to hear that his brother was doing so well. He asked a follow up question.
"And how about Kime, Mina, and Lily? How are they doing?"
His mother rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in mock exasperation.
"I'm at my wits end! Kime has gone boy crazy and is either spending hours hogging the phone to chat with some new crush or is crying her eyes out when they break up. As for Mina and Lily, they're just as mischievous as usual."
Yasui nodded and stifled a yawn. He still felt so drowsy, even after napping on the bus ride over. His mother smiled at him.
"Tell you what, you seem tired. So how about you make yourself at home and rest for a bit. Everyone will be back in a few hours, and I'm sure you'll want to be wide awake for that."
Yasui nodded and mumbled his agreement before slowly making his way to the room he used to share with Yone. For his part, Yone had made full use of the fact that his roommate no longer lived there full time. Yasui's bed had been shoved to one corner and the rest of the room had been taken over by his brother. Yasui didn't even care, he slumped onto the bed and almost immediately passed out. He woke up to the sound of his mother's voice.
"Yasui. Time for dinner. Get washed up."
Yasui grunted and rubbed his eye, putting his glasses back on. As he walked out, he heard his family chatting in the kitchen. As he joined them, they all looked at him. Immediately Yone burst out laughing.
"Holy crap! He does have an eyepatch!"
Ino immediately smacked her son on the arm.
"Yone! Be sensitive!"
Yasui shrugged.
"It's fine. I'm used to it by now. I think it makes me look mature."
Kime crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
"Wow, you really have grown."
Yasui looked around at his siblings. He had always been the runt of the family, but now he was mildly less runty. Mina and Lily both launched themselves at him. Mina grinned up at him.
"Welcome back! Yasui!"
Lily hopped up and down excitedly.
"Did you bring us more presents?"
Ibiki gave his youngest child a grim glower.
"Lily, it's rude to ask questions like that."
Lily looked at her father sheepishly.
"Sorry, Dad. I was just excited."
Yasui ruffled the tops of his younger sister's heads affectionately.
"Relax. I brought you all something. Consider it a Rexmas present from me to you."
As he retrieved the gifts, his mother asked,
"So what was Rexmas like in the city? I've heard it's very Western."
Yasui shrugged.
"I thought it was great. Spending time with each other, making food, giving gifts. It was all pretty amazing."
Ibiki frowned.
"Oh… sorry you missed the Solstice, Yasui. I know you enjoyed that every year."
If Yasui was being honest, Rexmas blew the Winter Solstice out of the water. He hadn't felt like an outsider over Rexmas like he did every year during the Solstice. Yasui shook his head.
"It's okay. I had a good time with some friends to make up for it."
Mina was practically vibrating.
"Enough talking! What did you get us!?"
Everyone laughed as Ibiki gave her a stern look. Yasui handed everyone their gift.
"Mom, Dad. Here's yours."
They opened the camera and immediately were amazed. Ino held the device with awe.
"Yasui! Our very own camera?!"
Ibiki shook his head.
"You shouldn't have. It's too much."
Yasui waved the comment away.
"It wasn't really. A friend of mine found me a great deal on one. Now you can take pictures whenever you want. There's some extra film in the bag."
As they investigated their gift, Yasui handed Yone his. The older fox tore it open and pulled out the music player.
"Woah! Some of the guys at school have these! Thanks, Yasui!"
Yasui nodded and handed Kime her gift. She took it with glee and opened it, looking ecstatic as she pulled the purse that Yasui had bought out.
"No way! A Brint Mea purse! These are so cute! And you can only get them from Brint Mea stores! Everyone is going to be so jealous!"
Yasui laughed.
"Yeah, I asked a friend of mine your age what was popular. She said you'd like this."
Kime clasped the purse to her chest.
"The other girls were already so jealous that I had that bracelet. Guess it sucks that they don't have a brother with connections in the big city!"
Yasui laughed as he handed Mina and Lily their gifts. They both hurried unwrapped their toys and squealed in delight at the adorable little dolls. They were already starting to play with them when Ino cleared her throat.
"Girls. Dinner first."
The two youngest did their best to hide their disappointment as they got into their seats. Yasui's mother had pulled out all the stops for Yasui's welcome home meal. There was soup, rice, homemade bread, and a walnut pie for dessert. Yasui ate several helpings of everything, absolutely famished after his nap. Yone laughed.
"Dude, you are packing it away!"
Yasui shrugged.
"I've been super hungry for over a week. I don't know why."
Ino gave him a knowing smile.
"I bet it's because you're growing. Your body needs energy to get bigger."
Yone sniffed.
"Not too big, I hope. I don't want my little brother to be the same size as me. I prefer him half my size."
Once dinner had been eaten and the dishes cleared, they all piled into the main room of the house so everyone could pelt Yasui with questions and demand stories of his time in the city. If he was being honest, Yasui didn't want to do this. He was still so tired, and achy. His bones ached and his muscles felt weak. Maybe he was getting sick. Finally, everyone was done and Yasui could go to bed. He barely changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth before conking out again.
Yasui wasn't sure what time it was when he felt Yone shake him awake, but he wished he hadn't. Yasui's bones were on fire. Yasui groaned in agony and contorted beneath his blankets as searing pain flared throughout him. Everything hurt so much. He was starving. He was dying of thirst. And he felt so… very… weak. Yone shook him again.
"Yasui. Wake up. It's almost nine."
Yasui let out a gasp and groaned once more, doubling over in pain. Yone pulled back, growing concerned.
"You okay?"
Yasui shuddered and rasped,
"N-no!"
Yone gulped and hurried into the kitchen. His mother looked up as he entered.
"Did you get Yasui up?"
Yone shook his head frantically.
"Something's wrong. I think he's sick."
Immediately, Ino set down what she was holding and hurried to the room Yasui and Yone shared. As she entered, she saw a huddled mass of blankets in the corner that was occasionally groaning. She knelt down beside Yasui's bed and called,
"Yasui? What's wrong?"
Yasui grunted.
"I… don't know. My body… hurts."
She reached down and pressed the back of her hand to Yasui's forehead. It didn't feel hot, but given his face was contorted in pain, she knew something was wrong. Yasui wasn't prone to whining over little things. She opened Yasui's uncovered eye. Immediately he tried to close it again, wincing at the light. She clicked her tongue. His eyes weren't bloodshot. She had no idea what was wrong with him.
"Yasui, tell me what hurts. Is it your stomach?"
"No…. My bones."
Ino stood and wiped her hand on her apron. She didn't know what was wrong, but it could be some strange disease. She couldn't take any chances.
"Yone, move your bed to the main room. I don't want you catching this if it's contagious."
Yone wordlessly complied. Already the rest of the family were gathering in the doorway, curious as to what was happening. As Yone bustled out with his bed and a few belongings, Ino backed out and closed the door. Kime asked,
"Mom? What's wrong?"
Ino sighed.
"Yasui is sick. I don't know what it is. For now, stay out of his room. Yone, wash your hands and drink some green tea. It'll help you not get sick."
Ibiki grunted.
"I have to go down to town to pick up some tools I dropped off to get sharpened and repaired. I'll get the doctor."
Ino nodded at her husband.
"Thank you."
Mina spoke up.
"Mom? Is Yasui going to be okay?"
Ino gently rubbed her daughter's head.
"He'll be okay. Daddy's going to get the doctor."
With worried glances, everyone dispersed to their planned routines. Everyone except Ino. Once she had sorted out all the household tasks she needed to deal with for the time being, she tied a cloth over her face and reentered Yasui's room. She saw that he was still bundled up in his blankets with only the top of his head poking out.
"Yasui? Can I get you anything?"
Yasui grunted and stirred slightly. His voice was hoarse.
"Water…. And food, please."
Ino was a bit surprised by that last bit. When most animals got sick they didn't want to eat anything. But then again, she wasn't sure what strange illness this could be. She hurried out of the room and got him some water and a few pieces of toast. She set them down beside his bed and watched carefully. Yasui mumbled his thanks and his hand slowly crept out towards the plate. He took a long sip of water, still wrapped in his blankets, before setting upon the food like a wild creature. He groaned and settled back into his bed, occasionally twitching.
"I'll come back to check on you in a bit." Ino said. Yasui whined,
"So… hungry…."
As she closed the door behind her, Ino looked and saw Ibiki putting his coat on. He raised an eyebrow.
"Any idea what's wrong with him?"
Ino shook her head, giving her husband a confused look.
"I have no idea. He doesn't seem to have a fever, and he has a massive appetite still. The only thing I know is that he says his bones hurt."
Ibiki scratched his head.
"Could he have polio?"
Ino shook her head.
"We had him inoculated against polio."
"Osteoporosis? Sani's grandmother had that and she said her bones ached."
Ino shrugged.
"I don't know! Maybe the doctor will."
As it turned out, the doctor plan was not to be. When Ibiki returned home later that day, everyone rushed to meet him. Ino was the first to speak.
"Is the doctor with you?"
Ibiki shook his head.
"Doctor's out of town until the thirtieth. He's visiting his grandchildren over the holiday."
Ino wrung her hands nervously and paced back and forth. The other children watched silently as their parents fretted over Yasui. Ino clasped a hand to her head.
"Did the nurse have any ideas or suggestions?"
Ibiki shrugged.
"She said to keep him comfortable and let him rest. As soon as the doctor is back she'll send him up."
Those next few days were restless for everyone in the family. Ino was constantly hovering around Yasui's room, plying him with food and water whenever he requested it. His pain didn't seem to abate. If anything, it seemed to get worse. Sometimes muffled groans and choked cries came from the room. But still, Ino waited beside the door day and night. Hoping to keep hearing those noises. Fearing that she might suddenly hear nothing. She slept very little, only occasionally stopping her vigil at the insistence of her husband and children as they volunteered to watch Yasui while she rested. Even when she did, it was a fitful, worried sleep.
Finally, agonizingly slowly, the thirtieth dawned. Ino sat beside Yasui's door holding the clock in her hands, watching the seconds tick past. Waiting, waiting for the sound of footsteps on the porch. Every shifting tree, every falling icicle was the sound of approaching footsteps or tires crunching on snow. And after each false alarm her sleepless vigil resumed. Ino entered into an almost trancelike state of exhausted worry. She almost didn't notice when the door finally opened and the wizened form of the town doctor, an old horse named Roshi, bowed his head as he stooped inside.
"Hello? Ino? Ibiki?"
Suddenly, the house erupted into a flurry of movement as everyone lept to their feet. He was swarmed by worried foxes babbling over each other as they encircled him. Roshi held his hands up for silence.
"Please! Everyone calm down! One at a time! I need to know all the details."
Ino hurried forward, clasping the old doctor's hand.
"It's Yasui. We don't know what's wrong with him. For the past three days he's been sick with something. He says his bones hurt and just seems to be in a lot of pain."
Roshi pressed her for more.
"Is he feverish?"
"No, he doesn't feel hot at all."
"Vomiting? Diarrhea?"
"No. The opposite actually. He's been eating almost constantly. I've never seen him this hungry!"
"Any bleeding of any sort? From the eyes or nose?"
Ino wrung her hands.
"I haven't seen more than the faintest glimpse of his face under the covers the whole time. He's been curled into a ball groaning in pain."
Roshi furrowed his brow, unsure of what he was dealing with. He gestured deeper into the house, shifting his doctor's bag to his right hand.
"Take me to him."
Everyone clustered in behind the doctor as Ino led him to Yasui and Yone's room. As he opened the door, everyone looked in the dark room. Doctor Roshi approached Yasui's bed and set down his bag.
"Hello, Yasui. I'm Doctor Roshi. You probably don't remember me, but I'm the one who treated you after that unfortunate business with your arm in elementary school. How are you feeling today?"
There was a shift in the blankets and a hoarse, gruff voice croaked out,
"Tired…."
"How about pain? Your parents said you were complaining about pain in your bones. Is that still happening?"
Yasui grunted. His voice sounded… different.
"Not so bad today. I'm still a little sore, but it's not nearly as awful as yesterday."
Roshi nodded, opening his bag.
"That's good to hear. Could you sit up for me? I want to give you a quick check."
There was a brief pause as Yasui stretched under the blankets before slowly pulling them aside. Roshi instinctively took a step back in surprise. Ibiki frowned and turned the lights on in the room. There, squinting in the sudden increase in lumination, was someone that the assembled animals did not recognize. The creature was tall and strongly built with large claws and teeth. It had a pelt like a fox, but its body suggested something larger. At first glance, probably a wolf. Ino held a hand to her mouth and gasped,
"Yasui?"
The tall creature rubbed the eye that wasn't covered by an eyepatch and yawned. That deep, gruff voice replied.
"Yeah?"
Everyone looked to the doctor. For his part, Roshi was desperately thinking about everything he had been told. He looked at Yasui. He looked at the group of foxes assembled in the hallway. He looked at Ino and Ibiki. Roshi cleared his throat.
"Uh… Mrs. Ino. May I have a word? Privately?"
Ino furrowed her brow. Roshi noted that she looked confused, but not worried like he had expected if what was happening was what he suspected. Ino shook her head.
"Whatever it is, just say it. What happened to him?"
Roshi scratched his head.
"Well… I'm not entirely certain. But the thing that seems most likely to me is that Yasui is not a full blooded fox, but is in fact a hybrid."
Everyone exchanged confused looks. Everyone except Ino and Ibiki, who just seemed worried. Yone shook his head.
"How exactly could he not be a fox? Both our parents are foxes."
Yasui was looking at the adults in the room in a mixture of confusion and fear. He gulped.
"Mom? Dad? What's going on?"
Ino and Ibiki exchanged glances, before Ibiki gave his wife a resolute nod.
"Ino, it's time."
"But…."
"We should have had this talk years ago. No use hiding it anymore."
Ino dropped her head into her hands and sniffled. Yasui felt a cold pit of dread forming in his stomach.
"Mom. What's he talking about? What talk do you need to have with me?"
Ino looked up at Yasui with teary, red eyes.
"Yasui. I don't know how to tell you this. I just… I don't."
Yasui dug his fingers into his legs. He felt his whole body trembling. Trembling with a dark, terrified anticipation. Anticipation of several possible answers. Yasui tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, but his mouth felt like cotton.
"Mom?"
The doctor frowned.
"So you were both aware of his hybrid ancestry? Do you know his other biological parent?
Ibiki shook his head.
"It's not like that, doc."
The doctor was about to say something when realization hit him. He went wide eyes.
"Oh… I see."
Yasui turned his attention to his mother.
"Mom? What do you need to tell me?"
Ino hugged herself and turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Yasui. You're… not actually… Ibiki and I… we didn't…."
Ibiki pulled his wife into his arms and gave Yasui a nervous stare that was tinged with regret.
"Yasui…. You're adopted."
There was silence for a moment as everyone processed what had just been said. Roshi cleared his throat.
"I'm going to give you all some privacy."
The room was silent as the doctor left. Eventually Yone shook his head.
"This is crazy. There's no way Yasui's adopted! It doesn't make any sense!"
Ino looked at Yone.
"We found him when you were only a few months old."
Yasui held up a hand.
"Wait a minute! 'Found'?! What do you mean 'found'!?"
Ibiki and Ino looked at each other. Ibiki asked,
"Do you want me to tell him or—"
Ino shook her head.
"No, it's my fault we didn't tell him until now. The least I can do is tell him where he comes from."
Yasui felt sick. This had to be a nightmare. He looked down at himself for the first time and gasped.
"W-what happened to me!?"
His "parents" moved forward as he clumsily stood on shaky legs. He had always been almost half the size of his father and brother, but now he was more than a head taller than either of them. Yasui staggered to the mirror hanging by the door, everyone moving out of the way as he passed. As he looked in the mirror, he didn't recognize his own reflection. He grabbed his face with both hands.
"No. No, no, no. No! This can't be happening! This can't be real!"
Ino and Ibiki gave him worried looks as Ino reached out towards him.
"Yasui. Calm down."
Yasui wheeled around.
"Calm down! How am I supposed to be calm about this! You… you lied to me! For years!"
Ino wrung her hands.
"We… I thought it would be too much for you to handle. I saw how much trouble you already had in your life, how hard it was for you to fit in. I didn't want you to feel the same way at home!"
Yasui scraped his claws along his scalp, squeezing his eyes shut.
"No! You knew why I didn't fit in anywhere! You knew why everyone in this village treated me like garbage! You knew I was a freak!"
Ino shook her head.
"Yasui, please! Calm down! I never meant to hurt you, and I didn't know that you weren't a… normal fox. You're not a freak, just… different."
Yasui shook his head and pressed his back against the wall before sliding down to sit on the floor of the bathroom. He growled.
"I don't understand! Just… please. Tell me what happened."
Ibiki stepped forward and held his wife's hand. He ran his fingers through his fur and sighed.
"Honestly, there's not much to tell. One afternoon we took the truck and drove down to the town to get some groceries. Yone was just a baby at the time, so he wouldn't remember it. We didn't know anything was different until we drove back and I was putting the truck back in the shed. I heard crying and there you were, wrapped in a blanket in the back of our truck. I brought you inside and that's about it."
Yasui looked up, a thousand questions whirling in his head.
"What made you keep me? Did you look for my parents?"
Ino shook her head.
"No. There was a note pinned to your blanket. It asked us to take care of you. We just knew we couldn't abandon you. You were so small and frail."
Yasui frowned.
"Was that all the note said? Was there anything else? Anything to tell you what I was?"
Ibiki shook his head.
"No. It just said 'Please take care of my son. I can't keep him.' No name, no nothing."
Yasui raised his knees to his chin and curled into a ball. As he looked at his legs, he noticed that his clothes were now far too small for him. What had been pants and a shirt were now shorts and a crop top. Yasui didn't know what to say. Everything just felt wrong. Ino tentatively rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Yasui. Are you okay?"
Yasui just shook his head, not daring to speak. Ino continued.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you. This should have happened years ago."
Yasui felt his throat constrict. He croaked,
"Leave me alone."
Ino retracted her hand as if she had been stung. Ibiki gently grasped her shoulders and ushered her out of the room.
"We'll give you some time."
He shot his other children stern glances as he ushered them out of the room. Once the door was closed, the muffled sounds of crying could be heard from inside.
It all felt like a bad dream to Yasui. There was no other way to put it. Everything had been great, and then suddenly everything was wrong. His life, wrong. His emotions, wrong. His body, wrong. It was all so wrong it just couldn't be real. There would have been some warning, some sign of this horror. It couldn't just happen. And as Yasui sat in the corner of the room, rocking himself back and forth as he started at his now unfamiliar reflection, he began to think. Maybe there had been signs. Maybe he had just been too stupid to figure it out.
He had never looked like anyone else in the family. They all had fiery orange fur with bright white patches on their necks, tails, and chins. He had rusty red fur tinged with gray. All his extended family had treated him like he didn't exist for as long as he remembered. The other kids in the village had told him he didn't belong. And they had been right. And even then… had his parents, or more accurately Ino and Ibiki, ever treated him like their biological children? He had always been the weird child. The child they left at home. The child that they were constantly hiding away. Had they been ashamed of him his entire life?
While Yasui was spiraling deeper into a dark place, Ibiki and Ino were seated with their other children in the main room of their house with Doctor Roshi. Ibiki scratched his head.
"I don't understand how he grew so fast, doc. It was only three days, give or take."
The doctor shrugged.
"Hybrids are unusual. They can develop abnormally and are prone to genetic defects. Although it explains his discomfort and massive appetite. That much growth in such a short span of time would put a terrible strain on the body."
Ino was sitting with her head in her hands. She still felt responsible for hiding the truth from Yasui all these years. She looked up.
"And you're sure he's a hybrid?"
Roshi raised his hands palm upward in a gesture of uncertainty.
"It's the most likely scenario. He looks both vulpine and lupine. Although you can't be sure until he gets his DNA tested, which I recommend. Better to catch genetic conditions early rather than late."
Yone raised his hand and looked around awkwardly. Upon realizing that this was unnecessary, he pretended like he was just scratching his head.
"So… is he going to get any bigger?"
The doctor once again shrugged as he replied to Yone's question.
"No idea. He could, but then again he might stay where he is now. He could always end up being taller than the average fox but shorter than most wolves. Once again, assuming that's what his parents were. Without knowing who or what his biological parents were, it's all guesswork."
Kime rubbed her arms.
"Is there anything we should do? To help him deal with this?"
Roshi sighed.
"That's tricky. I have no idea what other strange changes could happen to his body, so there's no telling what he'll need. Other than physical, I'd say to just try to be supportive. Everything he thought he knew about himself has suddenly gone up in smoke. It might take him some time to come to terms with everything."
Mina and Lily exchanged nervous looks. As the youngest members of the family, they had the least understanding of what was happening. They just knew that it was serious. Finally the doctor gathered his things and made his way towards the door.
"I'm sorry I can't do more. I'm unfortunately not well versed in genetics and hybrids."
Ibiki frowned.
"And you're still sure he's a hybrid? There's no other possible explanation? Maybe… he's just really tall?"
The doctor could recognize that Ibiki was grasping at straws, looking for some other explanation. Roshi sighed.
"As I said, there's no absolute way to tell until he gets tested. It's just the most likely scenario. Let me know if his condition changes any."
The doctor said his farewells and was gone, leaving the family to mull over the implications of what had happened. The door to Yasui's room remained closed all day. He didn't leave, they didn't enter. Nobody really knew what to say. It was just such a shock that nobody wanted to be the first to broach the subject. At lunchtime Ino knocked on the door.
"Yasui? Are you hungry?"
There was no response. She sighed and set down the plate holding a sandwich she had made by the door.
"There's a sandwich here if you're hungry."
For his part, Yasui was dead to the world, mind wildly trying to piece together some explanation, no matter how illogical. He had curled into a ball on his bed and was staring listlessly at the wall. He didn't want to think about this anymore. He didn't want to let his mind go back to what he had realized. His birth mother and father had thrown him out like trash. They hadn't even named him. They'd just dropped him into a truck with some strangers and left. And then Ino and Ibiki had hid that from him for over a decade. And the reason was simple, they still thought he was weak and pathetic. They believed the same thing his parents had, that he was worthless. That's why they had been talking about having him stay in the city all the time over the summer. They wanted to get rid of him too. He wasn't their son, he was just some freakish mutt that they'd been suckered into raising.
Yasui stood and looked down at his bag. His clothes were too small for him now, but he could make do. He would do everyone a favor and get out of their lives. Nobody would ever love him, his own parents hadn't. So why would he stay somewhere he wasn't wanted? They'd only kept him around because he was convenient. He had made their breakfasts, done their chores, and tutored their real children. Had Ino and Ibiki ever even thought of him as anything other than a servant? Yasui didn't think so. And so, wearing ill fitting clothing, Yasui carefully slid the window in the room open and lowered his bag outside.
The village was quiet as usual in the winter. Most of the residents wouldn't bother leaving their homes unless they had something to do. So Yasui was easily able to slip from his house into the forest surrounding the village. He made his way through the trees towards the road. After the shock of this morning and the flood of emotions, Yasui was confused by what he felt. He had thought he might still be upset, or angry, or even just sad. Instead, Yasui felt nothing. It was like someone had cut him open and scooped all the life out of him, leaving him hollow. He felt like a shell of his former self.
Yasui walked down the winding mountain road. It was cold out, and he had made do without suitable clothes by wrapping a blanket around his torso. He wasn't thinking rationally, he was just running from his pain. Yasui was hurting and wanted to go back to where he had been happy, back to the city. The city was where he had friends, and a home. He would never fit in here, but in the city he could just fade into the crowd.
By the time he reached the bottom, it was almost dusk. His feet were killing him in his too-small shoes and he was definitely feeling the cold. Yasui looked around for a place he knew should be close by. Finally seeing it, Yasui headed towards the small storefront of Secondhand Treasures. The humble thrift store was run by an older married couple, two Corgis named Bob and Lorna. As the door opened, Lorna cheerily called,
"Welcome in! Be with you in a—"
Her words caught in her throat at the strange and intimidating creature she saw. It was hard to tell exactly what it was. At first glance she thought it was a fox, but it was far too large and the coloration was off. It looked almost wolf like but then again, it was too short and the wrong color. All she knew was that it was a gruff individual with a dark look to its face, and it had an eyepatch over one eye with some nasty scarring around it. She gulped.
"B-Bob!"
Her husband, a stubby little Corgi with rectangular glasses, trotted out of the back room.
"Yes, honey?"
Lorna pointed at the interloper. For his part, this bizarre creature was just looking around at the wares on display. Bob jumped and moved to the rack his wife was hiding behind. He whispered,
"Lorna! What is that thing!"
"I don't know, but he scares me. I've never seen him before, have you?"
Bob gulped.
"I heard that some gangs will bring people out into the mountains to kill them and dump the bodies. I bet he's one of them!"
"What do we do, Bob?"
"Stay calm. I'll take care of it."
Bob scuttled over to where the large carnivore was browsing and nervously laughed.
"Eheh, s-sorry about the wait. What can we do for you, stranger?"
The creature furrowed its brow momentarily, seemingly upset. It then sighed and growled,
"I need some new clothes. Mine are too small."
Bob shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Oh… uh… we got a donation from a family of deer that might fit you. Although they might be too small in the chest. Over here."
He led the strange fox-wolf thing to a rack and began pulling some items off to hand to him. Bob smiled a little too wide.
"So… what brings you out here?"
"Visiting," Yasui the unidentified creature replied.
"Ah. Well… the mountains are nice this time of year, if a little cold."
Yasui nodded. He held a few articles of clothing up to check if they would fit before settling on a pair of work jeans, a worn shirt, and a coat that seemed to have seen better days. Bob chuckled and wrung his hands.
"Yeah… sorry, stranger. Those have seen some use. B-but the price will be great!"
Yasui shrugged.
"That's fine. Can I change into them? See if they fit?"
Bob gulped and pointed to the back of the store.
"There's a little curtained off area back there."
Yasui nodded and stalked to the back of the store. Bob scurried back to his wife.
"Lorna, what do we do?"
Lorna scoffed.
"Sell him the dang clothes!"
"What if he's a criminal?!"
"Then we don't go looking for trouble! I'm not crossing somebody like that!"
Bob nodded.
"Smart, smart. It's none of our business anyway. And he might not be a criminal."
Lorna nodded enthusiastically in response.
"Exactly! We can't assume!"
Yasui came walking back out wearing the new clothes. Bob felt his heart jump into his throat. With those worn clothes on, this carnivore looked even scarier. Yasui reached towards his back pocket.
"How much?"
Bob yelped,
"N-nothing! You can have 'em! They're pretty ratty anyway, so I was planning on getting rid of them! You're doing me a favor!"
Yasui frowned and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He counted out six hundred yen and set it on the counter.
"I was taught to pay my own way. Not that it matters anymore. Have a good day."
They both watched as Yasui slid his bag back onto his shoulder and headed for the door. He paused and asked,
"Hey, do you know when the next bus leaves?"
Lorna stammered,
"At seven!"
"Okay… thanks."
And with that, he was gone. Bob and Lorna both breathed a sigh of relief. As they walked over to the counter and looked at the money on it, Bob wiped his brow.
"I was certain he was going for a weapon."
Later, back at Yasui's former home, Ino was knocking on the door to Yasui's room once again.
"Yasui? Can you please open the door? It's been hours."
There was no response. She sighed.
"Yasui, please. I understand you're upset, and that it's a lot to take in. Can we please just talk?"
Silence. Ino rested her head on the door, tears welling in her eyes.
"Yasui…. The last thing I ever wanted to do… was hurt you. I know I shouldn't have hidden this from you, but I was just trying to protect you. You always struggled so much with who you were. I just… I was afraid that if you found out you weren't our biological child, you'd shut down completely. You were always fragile, physically and emotionally. I saw how upset you always were when you were picked on by others. You were distant, quiet, and sad. It broke my heart to see you in so much pain, and I couldn't help you."
Ino wiped her eyes and sat with her back against the door.
"But then, you left home. And I was terrified that this fragile, vulnerable child wouldn't survive in the city. We had always been the only people you had ever had, even if we sometimes didn't give you the affection and support you needed. I'm sorry about that, looking back I should have made more of an effort to get you to open up to me. You must have been so lonely."
She sniffled.
"Look at me rambling. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is…. I didn't know what to expect when you left, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened. I sent my shy, sad little boy to the city, and you returned completely different. You were so vibrant and full of life! You were confident, outgoing, and so… happy. You were more happy after being away from here than I'd ever seen you in your life. And… I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I should have been a better mom. So please… can you open the door?"
Once again there was no response. Ino pressed her palms into her eyes and moaned in agony. Ibiki sat down next to her.
"It's okay. You've done everything you can."
"But what if it's not enough?" She croaked. Ibiki shrugged.
"It's in his hands now. We can't make decisions for him. We just have to accept them."
The hours passed slowly for the members of Yasui's family. Around nine that night, Yone huffed.
"This is ridiculous."
He stood and marched towards the door to Yasui's room. He pounded his fist on the door.
"Yasui, open up! You can't just hide in there for the rest of your life."
Yone ignored his family's questions and opened the door. He frowned as he looked around the dark room, not seeing anything. And then he looked at Yasui's bed and noticed the missing bag. Yone turned to his family with a look of horror on his face.
"He's gone…."
Yasui stared apathetically out the bus window as it rumbled through the now dark countryside. It would be past midnight when it got to the city. As such, Yasui didn't know what to do. He had a key to Miss Diana's house, but he didn't want to bother her this late. She'd probably be upset, and then she'd probably be disappointed that he had run away. He really had been stupid. What was he thinking, running away from home without a word said to his family? No, if Yasui was being honest, he wanted to be alone right now. The best thing to do would be to get a cheap hotel room and figure out what to do in the morning.
It was a weird feeling, this strange emptiness. Yasui just didn't feel like doing anything. He didn't want to eat, he didn't want to sleep, and he didn't want to talk. Fortunately, none of the scant passengers on this bus were exactly talkative. They all were either sleeping or occupying themselves with their phones. Yasui rested his head against the window and let his eye droop. His mind whirled with what had happened today, but nothing seemed to actually matter. None of it felt real, and so long as he was running he didn't have to deal with it.
Bizarrely enough, the trip seemed shorter than usual this time. Maybe because Yasui didn't really have anything to look forward to at the destination. Upon disembarking from the bus, Yasui was in a world he had very little experience with. Looking around at the crowds of people milling around the streets excitedly, Yasui was a little confused at first. And then he remembered. Tomorrow, well now technically today, was New Year's Day. Everyone was probably celebrating because they didn't have work. Yasui frowned. This might make getting a hotel room difficult.
(Maybe I should just go to Diana's house. But… I feel like she'll lecture me about running away from home. Or she might insist I go back home and talk with my family. I don't want to deal with that right now.)
Yasui adjusted his bag and set off towards a busy looking street, hoping to see some sort of hotel. Loud conversations and laughter echoed from multiple bars, and Yasui had to duck out of the way of several drunk animals carousing around the streets. He noticed that lots of smaller animals were giving him a wide berth, especially herbivores. Yasui hunched his shoulders and glowered down at the ground. He'd gone from being little and cute to big and scary, it was a weird and unexpectedly upsetting experience. Yasui had always considered the lack of respect he got because of his childish appearance annoying, but now he wished he could have it back.
Yasui rounded a corner and almost slammed into a female cheetah who was staggering around like there was an earthquake. The cheetah laughed uproariously.
"Hooooly sh*hic*iiiphhhf. Where dibst yooouuu c-*urp*-come frumst."
Yasui stepped away and huffed in annoyance. However, the cheetah lurched forward and smooshed his face in her hand.
"Woaw! What the *hic* hellz ebvim arrre youz? Yooz… like a phux on schteroids! Ors a beeg doggy wiv weeeeiiird *fuh* red fluff."
Yasui removed her hand and watched as she staggered into a wall. She seemed confused as she felt the wall.
"Whereeded dis whaaaaaall come fr-from. Hehe, come… like… cuuuuuuum. HehehAHAHA!"
She stumbled and caught herself on Yasui's arm. Yasui pulled away as the reek of alcohol wafted over him. She giggled.
"Missher wulfy-fawkxy? Yooz back? I'm… too dronk fer dis. I shid go home."
She fumbled with the purse that was hanging from one arm and rummaged around inside it. Yasui watched as she dumped her wallet and keys out on the ground before shaking her purse.
"Oh phhhhhoey! Where, *urp* is my kays?"
Yasui shook his head as he watched her. As little as he wanted to spend anymore time near this lush, he couldn't just leave her to wander around in a drunken stupor during the middle of winter. Yasui cursed his sense of duty and begrudgingly picked up the cheetah's wallet and keys.
"Ma'am, here are your keys. And wallet. Do you need help getting home?"
The cheetah spun around, almost tipping over as she did, and looked at Yasui with unfocused eyes.
"Oh? Whuts is? You wanna take meez home?! How forwar of yooooooou!"
She screwed her face up in concentration and leaned against the wall.
"Weeeeeeeeell… yer not bad looking. Andz it iz almushef New Year. Why nawt! Take me home, wox-fulf!"
Yasui shook his head and looked despairingly to the sky.
(What have I gotten myself into.)
Yasui opened up the wallet, hoping that there was an address of some sort inside that he could follow. He didn't trust this drunk's sense of direction. Inside the wallet he saw a few yen, and an ID that told him that this cheetah's name was Jasmine and that she was twenty-three years old. Yasui frowned in disappointment before getting Jasmine's attention.
"Jasmine? Hey, where do you live?"
The cheetah looked around in confusion.
"Hwaa?"
"Where do you live?"
Jasmine stood a bit straighter and narrowed her eyes.
"Lesh shee. I liv in—"
Whatever she was about to say got cut off as a nasty gurgle escaped her throat and she became violently ill all over the ground. Yasui jumped back to avoid being doused in sick as she heaved loudly. She tottered and almost fell into her own puddle of nastiness, but Yasui was able to catch her. He gave her a look of mild disgust. For her part, Jasmine simply groaned and vomited again. Yasui wrinkled his nose at the stink and slipped her wallet into his pocket. He then turned his attention to her keys as he propped her up against the wall, doing his best to ignore her gurgling and occasional spitting.
Yasui thanked his lucky stars when he saw that there was an address attached to the keyring. On a little piece of laminated paper was "1732 Spruce St." Yasui pocketed the keys and pulled out his phone. As soon as the screen lit up, Yasui saw multiple missed texts and calls from Shinrai. He ignored them with a comment to himself of "later" before punching the address into the navigation app. Yasui looked hesitantly at the drunk cheetah who was still slumped against the wall. He carefully draped her arm over his shoulder and experimented with half carrying her. They were close to the same size, but she was relatively light as most felines tend to be. Yasui sighed.
"Alright, let's get you home."
The trip was best described as "annoying" for several reasons. For starters, Jasmine kept mumbling about random garbage constantly, making comments like "boring ass accountant" and "trash body." And then of course there was the fact that less than fifteen minutes away from the destination, Jasmine once again became ill. Except this time she managed to cover Yasui in her "projectile." Yasui made a noise of disgust as he looked angrily at his now bile-soaked clothes. He then immediately gagged at the stench of alcohol and vomit that he was covered in. The only good part of this was that it seemed to sober Jasmine up a little bit. The cheetah groaned as they reached the door to her apartment building's entrance.
"Where am I?"
Yasui gave her a look of distaste.
"I'm bringing you to your apartment. You're drunk."
She hung her head and moaned.
"I'm such a loser. I can't do anything right."
Yasui rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open. He looked at the cheetah and jostled her a bit as he moved towards the elevator.
"Hey, what apartment is yours?"
Jasmine didn't seem to hear him.
"Zak was right! I'm pathetic! I'll die alone and nobody will miss me!"
Yasui rolled his eyes.
"Join the club. Which floor?"
"T-third. Number… three-one-seven."
Yasui continued to half carry the drunk felid until they reached the door to apartment 317. He tried the key in the lock, and was relieved as the door swung open. He hefted his burden through the door and deposited her on a couch. Now, he got to look around at what this sad excuse for a cheetah called home. To Yasui's amazement, it was actually a very nice home. It was clean, well decorated, and had all the amenities that you could need. Yasui shook his head.
(That's unexpected. I was expecting it to be a dump.)
He then turned his attention to his ruined clothes and held the filthy garments off himself with disgust. He saw the washing machine tucked into a corner and asked,
"Hey, Jasmine? Can I use your washing machine to clean the vomit off my clothes?"
The cheetah groaned.
"Yeah…. Can you throw mine in too? I puked on my dress."
"When?"
"Now…."
Yasui shook his head and began to strip off his nasty shirt and pants. This left Yasui standing in his underwear in a stranger's home. He saw a stack of bath towels sitting folded near the washing machine and hurriedly covered himself in one. As he set his clothing into the machine, he turned around to talk to Jasmine. He was alarmed and a bit shocked as she staggered towards him holding her own clothing and rubbing her eyes. This meant that she too was in her underwear. Yasui shook his head.
"Unbelievable! Put some clothes on, come on!"
Jasmine grunted and set her foul smelling garment in the washing machine. She meandered her way to the kitchen and rinsed her mouth out with tap water before wiping her lips.
"Sorry… my mouth tasted gross."
"Because you vomited!"
Jasmine stumbled over to the middle of the room and stared around listlessly. After a minute she shuddered.
"Cold in here."
Yasui closed his eye and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Maybe you should put some clothes on."
She ignored him, swaying before grinning.
"Not so boring now am I, Zak! Take that you asshole!"
Yasui went back to cleaning the clothes.
(Unbelievable. She threw up multiple times, enough to sober up somewhat, and is still plastered. I'd be ashamed.)
His thoughts were interrupted as something warm pressed against his back. Yasui flinched as two spotted arms wrapped around him. He heard Jasmin hum deep in her throat.
"You're a big, strong male. You'll warm me up, won't you?"
"Can you please not?"
The cheetah giggled and touched the scar that extended from behind his eyepatch, slurring her speech slightly as she did.
"So dark and mysterious… like a big hunky pirate."
Yasui gently removed the inebriated female from his person and began to escort her to the couch again. He then saw her bed through an open door and directed her there instead.
"You're still way too drunk. Go to bed."
Jasmine rubbed her cheek against Yasui's arm.
"Only if you come with. I don't know if it's the alak… aloc… alalaclol talking, but I need a seeing to. This bitch is hooooorny!"
Yasui looked down at the rather pathetic feline and sighed. Here was a good reminder as to why he didn't think drinking was a good idea. His parents had always warned him that—
Yasui froze as he recalled what Ino and Ibiki had told him. And then all the awful events of the past day came crashing back down on him. He had really made a mess of things, but he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. How did you come to terms with the fact that everything you thought you knew was a lie? That your parents weren't your actual parents, that your birth parents had simply not wanted you, and that you weren't even the species you'd always thought you were. The more Yasui thought about it, the more confused and empty he felt. It was like life had lost all reason and was suddenly just insanity.
He was shaken out of his reverie by the feeling of fingers on his waist.
"C'mon big boy, show me what you got! I wanna see what's packin down there!"
Yasui wrinkled his nose in distaste and shook himself free. While ordinarily he might have been "interested" by all this, being vomited on had definitely ensured he was not in the mood. Yasui gently pushed the wavering cheetah onto her bed and put a blanket over her.
"I don't think so."
"Whaaaat? Why not? It's New Year's Eve tomorrow! Let's have a little, *hic* fun!"
"No. I'm not interested."
The cheetah stopped her squirming and went limp on the bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling. Hoping she had finally given up, Yasui turned to leave. He froze in his tracks as he heard a choked sob from behind him.
"I'm such a failure! Nobody will ever love me!"
Sure enough, the cheetah had devolved into a fit of hysterical sobbing as she lay limply in her bed. Yasui, unsure what to do, hesitantly sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Hey, uh, Jasmine? It's not that bad. I'm sure someone will totally do… that. Just, probably while you're sober."
She wildly shook her head.
"No! Because when I'm 'ober I-I-I'm just a… a stupid… boring waste of space!"
"I'm sure that's not—"
Jasmine wailed,
"Whyyyyyy! Why did you leave me, Zak! I-I can change! I know I-I wasn't a… cool sexy doctor like you, b-but I thought we had fun together! Now you and your… new stupid, sexy nurse girlfriend are going to be super h-happy together while I turn into an old hag who nobody loves!"
Yasui was staring wide eyed as the cheetah spilled her guts all over the place, sobbing and wailing like a creature possessed. She covered her face with the blanket.
"And I-I'm so ugly… I can't even get a stranger to screw me after I-I practically throw myself at him!"
Yasui reached towards her and hesitated. Things had progressed a bit… quickly. He honestly still wasn't sure what the heck was going on. All he knew was that this lady had some issues.
"Hey… uh… I'm sure things will work out."
"How can you be sure?"
Yasui hesitated before saying,
"Maybe this is a problem that's best solved when you're not drunk."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. So go to sleep."
She groaned and her head lolled around a bit.
"Can you stay with me?"
"I'm not going to have sex with you."
"Nooooo! Just… come cuddle? I don't wanna be alone."
Yasui thought it over. On one hand, this person had vomited all over him before trying to pull his underwear down. On the other hand… she was absolutely pathetic and he was a bit worried that she might do something stupid while completely trashed. He did also need somewhere to stay tonight. Yasui sighed.
"Fine. I'll stay with you. Just no funny business."
She giggled like a child and haphazardly flung her arms up.
"Yaaaay!"
Yasui grunted as he set down his bag and got comfortable in a small chair beside her bed. Jasmine shook her head.
"Nuh-uh! C'mere."
She pulled back the blanket and patted the bed next to her. Yasui was hesitant to move there. This wasn't like with Diana, where it was somebody he knew and trusted. This was some random drunk who he knew nothing about. But then again, he really didn't want her to start sobbing again. Sitting around watching someone cry their eyes out was less than pleasant. With a resigned sigh, Yasui moved to the bed and laid stock still as the still inebriated cheetah pressed up against him. She giggled,
"You're warm."
"You're a little unhinged when you're drunk. One minute crying and the next giggling."
Jasmine sighed and laid her head on his chest. The worst part was, Yasui was beginning to get over his initial distaste for her and was becoming painfully aware that a half naked female was affectionately nuzzling him.
(Calm down! She's a drunk! That means she's probably not a particularly great person. But… she probably only got drunk because she was so upset about this Zak guy leaving her. At least, I think he left her. She wasn't making much sense.)
Jasmine sighed.
"Today… freakin… sucked."
Yasui snorted.
"Tell me about it."
"My stupid boyfriend left me! And like… I thought he was totally going to like propose or whatever! But no! He *urp* dumped me right before New Year's!"
Yasui looked down at the pretty female nestled against his chest and inwardly groaned. Why did she have to be a cheetah? Apparently he had a thing for spots because she was definitely becoming more appealing to Yasui by the second. Especially now that she was a bit more put together. With a sigh, Yasui rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry for being a bit cold towards you earlier. I was raised to think of drunks poorly. But you don't deserve that."
She purred loudly.
"You're really nice. Nicer than stupid… Zak. With his stupid perfect face and great body…."
Her grumbling tapered off and was replaced by slow, steady breathing. She had finally passed out. Yasui heard the washing machine beep from the other room and looked down at the sleeping cheetah in his arms.
"I guess it can wait until morning."
Meanwhile, deeper in the city, Rikimaru the former police chief was making his way to a dingy bar named the "Turquoise Room." He looked up at the flickering neon sign and narrowed his eyes. He brusquely pushed the door open and took a seat at the bar. The bartender, an older racoon, glanced over at him expectantly. Rikimaru grunted,
"Whisky. On the rocks."
The bartender nodded and poured him his drink. Rikimaru took a sip and the corner of his mouth twitched. It was painfully mediocre booze. He scanned the room for any sign of who he was meeting before pulling out the napkin he had found waiting in his apartment. It was just a piece of white paper with the words "Turquoise Room. Midnight." Written on it in pen. The only signature on the note was a lipstick mark in a slightly familiar shade of burgundy. Rikimaru checked his watch.
"You said midnight, and here I am." He grumbled before taking another drink. He felt a light touch on his shoulder as the elegant form of Teressa the fox glided by. She shot him a flirtatious wink as she settled onto the seat next to him.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"A bit." Rikimaru rumbled. Teressa smiled coyly.
"Was somebody excited to see me again?"
"If you're going to be annoying I'll work this case on my own."
Teressa chuckled.
"A 'case' is it? How official sounding. Am I your deputy?"
"A criminal informant would be more accurate. Now, enough chit-chat. Why'd you want to meet me here?"
Teressa's eyes flicked to the barkeep as he set a martini down in front of her. She smiled at him and picked it up to take a sip. She rested her arm on the bar and sighed.
"Poor doggy. All work and no play makes you a very dull boy. It's New Year's, can't we just share a drink?"
Rikimaru rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I'm leaving. Thanks for wasting my time."
He was about to stand when she placed a finger over his mouth. As she did, Rikimaru caught a whiff of her scent. It was a pleasant mix of roses and vanilla. He really hated how blatantly flirtatious she was, because she definitely was doing things to him that he'd given up on at least a decade ago. Teressa smirked.
"Settle down now. I asked you to meet me here so we could have a talk with an… acquaintance of mine."
Rikimaru returned to his seat.
"Who's this 'acquaintance'?"
"An information broker. His name is Moshi."
"Okay, and where is he?"
Rikimaru flinched as a somewhat high pitched yet oily voice came from above him.
"Right above you."
Rikimaru looked up and almost didn't see the speaker until an object detached from the ceiling and dropped to the floor with a dull "thwap" noise. Rikimaru raised his eyebrow as he saw a small gecko standing in front of him. The reptile was short, only coming up to around Rikimaru's knees. He had light tan scales with a few darker spots on them, and those large, lidless eyes geckos tended to have. The gecko cocked his head and licked one of his eyes with his large, flat tongue. Rikimaru shuddered. He hated when lizards did that. The information broker turned his gaze to Teressa.
"Hello again, Teressa. You look beautiful as always."
Teressa sipped her martini and smiled.
"And you're still an oily little footpad, I see. How's the girlfriend?"
"Left me. Found out I was sleeping with her sister."
Rikimaru cut in.
"Is this the information broker you were telling me about? A gecko?"
The lizard swiveled his head and fixed the grizzled dog with his unmoving stare.
"That I am. Moshi, at your service."
Teressa turned to Rikimaru.
"He's very good at discretely gathering information. I've made use of his services many times."
Moshi grinned.
"You'd be surprised how few people look up nowadays. I blame cell phones."
Rikimaru nodded.
"Right. And does he have any information for us?"
Moshi crossed his arms.
"'He?' You could talk about me like I'm here. I swear Teressa, you're keeping some poor company these days."
The vixen smiled placatingly at the little gecko.
"Don't mind Rikimaru. He's just grouchy because it's past his bedtime."
Moshi nodded.
"Fine fine. So, you know the drill. No juicy tidbits until you show me some cheddar."
Teressa pulled an envelope from her purse and handed it to Moshi. The gecko flicked through it quickly, licking his eye again as he did. Once the reptile was satisfied, he pocketed the envelope and rubbed his hands.
"Right. I did some digging into this creepy killer of yours and found out something interesting."
Moshi paused to glance between the two larger mammals expectantly. Rikimaru sighed.
"What? What did you find?"
Moshi frowned.
"Geez, you could let a guy showboat a bit. It wasn't easy to get this info."
Teressa gave him a dry look.
"And I greatly appreciate your services. Please continue."
Moshi shrugged.
"Alright, fine. This Crimson Smile guy, cheesy name by the way, definitely not the best serial killer name I've heard."
"Moshi…." Teressa cooed, "please stay on topic."
"Right, sorry." The gecko chirped. "So anyway, Mr. Crimson, which actually is a far better name, has a strange little hobby. Apart from cold blooded murder that is. Apparently he's an artist."
Rikimaru crossed his arms.
"And we should care that he likes to finger paint why?"
Moshi grinned mischievously.
"Because he ain't buying his paint at the craft store. Apparently he makes all the necessary pigments and junk from his victims, and then paints them in their dying moment. Creepy as hell, huh?"
Rikimaru sat back in his seat and rubbed his chin pensively.
"He makes paint out of his victims?! That explains the exsanguination and removal of claws and fangs. I bet he also nabs some fur or scales too. Do you know what he does with the paintings? Does he sell them?"
Moshi folded his arms behind his back and rocked on his heels like a schoolboy.
"He miiiiight. And I might have found out who one of his main buyers is."
Teressa grinned.
"Moshi, I could kiss you right now!"
The gecko snickered.
"Well, if you're offering! I wouldn't say no. Never understood how people could think badly of vixens, given how hot they are. Then again I am a sucker for the color red, probably because of the way reptiles see color."
Rikimaru cleared his throat, and Moshi held up a hand.
"Sorry! I ramble. Anyway, apparently somebody really likes his work, and buys them off him fairly regularly. And believe me, this loony is a real piece of work from what I hear."
Teressa leaned forward slightly.
"A name, please."
Moshi shook his head.
"Ain't got one for you, just her street title. She's a new player in this city, moved here from Korea a few months ago. They call her the Fox Queen, and not for the reason you'd think. As far as I could tell, she ain't no fox. However, she's a pelt trader, and exclusively sells fox hide."
Teressa frowned.
"I haven't heard of this woman. Can you tell us where she bases her operations? If we can find her and get her to talk, we might have a chance of finding Crimson Smile."
Moshi held his hands up dejectedly.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that. This chick is paranoid with a capital 'P'. She buys and sells everything through dead drops, and nobody knows how she gets her furs. I'll keep digging, and let you know when I find something."
Teressa patted the little lizard on his head.
"You did well, Moshi. Keep it up."
Moshi grinned.
"So long as the pay is good. Later!"
And with that, the slippery little reptile was scurrying up a wall and into one of the vents. Rikimaru shook his head.
"That is one weird little reptile."
Teressa laughed.
"Yes, but his usefulness far outweighs his eccentricity. So, we have a possible lead. Personally, I wouldn't mind getting my claws into this Fox Queen. I hate fur traders, and one that targets only foxes is especially loathsome."
Rikimaru grumbled his agreement. He'd dealt with the disgusting realm of the black market fur trade before. It still turned his stomach how many people were willing to buy the pelt of a murdered animal just because they wanted a new coat or rug. Some people just didn't value life. Teressa raised her martini.
"Well, I believe this is cause for celebration."
Rikimaru rolled his eyes and drained his glass. He stood and straightened out his coat.
"Let me know when the gecko finds something."
As he left, Teressa pouted.
"Hmpf! Spoilsport."