Chapter 39: The Pain We Carry.
"So what are you going to do today, Yasui?" Shinrai asked. Yasui looked up from his breakfast and gestured mildly with his fork.
"Probably go shopping for some clothes. Most of mine don't fit anymore."
"Aw, I would come with you but I need to do the homework that got assigned over the break."
"You didn't do it?"
"Dude, it was Rexmas. There was absolutely no way I was doing homework."
Yasui shook his head and tooka sip of milk.
"That's fine. I'll probably catch up with Miss Diana today anyway. She hasn't seen me since before I… uh… left."
Shinrai snickered.
"Might want to give her a heads up."
"Yeah… I know. This is such a pain in the butt! I feel like I'm constantly having to explain this crap to everyone! It's just so… frustrating!"
Shinrai patted the now much larger boy's arm placatingly.
"It's just a little… hiccup. Things will get back to normal… eventually."
Yasui gestured to his face.
"I just wish it wasn't so blatantly obvious that I'm… you know…."
Shinrai nodded and watched as several students walked past their table. They all stared and whispered as they saw Yasui. The two friends had even chosen a table in a secluded corner and they still were being gawked at. After a bit Shinrai shrugged.
"I mean… you could always dye your fur."
"Hm?"
"You know, cover up the fox looking patterns on your ears, chin, and neck. If your fur was all one color you'd probably look like a small red wolf."
Yasui tapped his chin.
"You know… that might work. I'll see about getting some dye while shopping today."
After breakfast Yasui tended to any small chores he had as well as exercised. He definitely felt back up to full strength, but Gouhin had demanded he keep it up. If there was one thing Yasui didn't want, it was a ticked off Gouhin.
After lunch Yasui left Cherryton to meet Miss Diana at a department store. He decided to bite the bullet and sent her a picture of himself as well as a brief text message explaining everything. At this point he was tired of telling everyone he was a hybrid freak all the time. He only had to wait by the entrance for a few minutes when Miss Diana approached him with Charles in tow.
"Oh my gosh! Yasui!"
Yasui smiled a bit sadly at Miss Diana. He could tell she was a bit put off by his appearance.
"Hi, Miss Diana."
"You're just so… big now!"
"I know…."
Diana was dressed glamorously as always and looked absolutely beautiful. Yasui was a bit disturbed at just how intense of a longing he felt as he looked at her. It was like his blood was boiling, demanding that he engage in that most instinctive of urges. He could practically hear his instincts growling in his ear.
[Kiss her, grab her, MATE WITH HER! Feel those soft curves in your hands! Learn what she tastes like!]
Yasui shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts.
(It's just my hormones acting up. Nothing more.)
Diana looked at him before pulling him into a hug. She was still a bit taller than him, but now he was eye level with her neck. She gently squeezed him.
"Uh, Yasui. This all must have been so hard for you."
Despite his desire to not get emotional, Yasui felt a little prickle in his eyes. She hadn't asked him for the full story, or asked him how he felt. Best of all, she hadn't tried to say she understood what he was going through like a few other people he had bumped into had said. She just wanted to comfort him. Yasui smiled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, hiding his now misty eyes.
"Thanks, Miss Diana."
She gently rubbed his back before holding him at arm's length so she could look him over.
"I can see why you needed to go shopping. Those clothes are a bit… drab."
"Well they were free, so I can't complain."
Diana set off into the store with Yasui in tow. She turned her neck to glance at him as they made their way towards the male clothing section.
"Have you had any… complications due to what happened to you? I can't imagine growing that much all at once can be easy on the body."
"Well it really hurt, but my doctor said I was fine."
"Well that's a relief."
"What about you, Miss Diana? What did you do while I was gone?"
Diana nonchalantly waved her hand.
"Oh, nothing too interesting. The only unusual thing I got up to was that I met up with a friend to go to the symphony."
Yasui tilted his head.
"Do I know this friend?"
"Probably not. He and I were business rivals back in the day. Now he's just as bored as I am and needs someone to distract him. At least, that's what I think."
"Wait… he?" Yasui asked. Upon hearing about this mysterious friend, a flare of jealousy awoke inside him. He liked being Diana's special friend. Diana laughed.
"Oh Yasui. Don't worry, there's nothing between us romantically. I'm not dumb enough to fall for him."
"Oh, okay. I just… I don't want to see you get hurt, Miss Diana. You're too good for any guy I know anyway."
Diana touched his shoulder and smiled.
"Oh, Yasui. It's good to know that silver tongue of yours hasn't dulled because of your growth spurt."
Yasui laughed and blushed slightly. That ugly little voice was creeping up again, stirring up all these desires towards Diana. It was impossible just how much he… wanted her. Every single inch of her. Yasui shook his head. And tried to distract himself as they began looking through the racks of clothes. As they set aside possible outfits, Diana asked,
"So, I feel I have to ask. How did your parents take it? Your growth spurt that is?"
Yasui grew quiet and gripped the shirt he was holding. His throat was suddenly tight and his mouth was dry. With a shuddering breath, Yasui replied.
"I'm… not sure."
Yasui felt a gentle touch on his shoulder again.
"Yasui, what happened?"
Yasui couldn't look at Miss Diana. Once again he felt so deeply ashamed of his cowardly actions that he thought he might wither away and die right there. Yasui wiped his mouth in a vain attempt to buy some time. It didn't help.
"Once this all… happened. I just… ran away from home."
"Yasui…."
Yasui bowed his head.
"I know it was wrong. And I know I should call my parents and apologize. But it's just that I'm so… ashamed and afraid. I've never been in trouble with my parents before. I just don't know how to face them."
Miss Diana sighed.
"Yasui, I hope you know I don't approve of your choices."
"I know. I don't either. It's just… how am I supposed to deal with all this!? It's like everything came crashing down all at once and I'm just supposed to pick it all up and pretend like I'm fine! Well you know what, I'm not fine! And even though everyone says that it doesn't matter that I look different now, they're not the ones who look like a freak and get stared at! I hate being different! I just want to be normal!"
Yasui buried his head in his hands after his tirade. He didn't even care that his glasses were pushed against his face because of it. There was no reply from Miss Diana. How could she possibly come up with something to say after that? The silence continued until Yasui wiped his nose and huffed.
"The worst part is… I feel like I'm worthless constantly. My own parents threw me away like garbage. I've tried to just ignore it and pretend like it doesn't matter, but it does! How would you feel if your parents dumped you in the back of a truck as a baby just to get rid of you?"
Diana sat down on a small bench along the wall where customers could set bags or try on shoes. She rubbed her forehead with one hand and kept her eyes closed. Finally she looked at Yasui.
"I understand how much it hurts to be rejected by your family, I really do. And… I won't try to patronize you about the parents who raised you being the only family that matters, because that's just untrue. It still hurts to know that the people who gave birth to you don't want you."
Yasui tilted his head.
"You sound like you know that from experience."
Diana grimaced and hesitated, as if debating with herself. Finally she gestured beside her.
"Sit down, I want to tell you a story."
Yasui remained silent as he sat on the floor beside her. Diana leaned her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.
"When I was a little girl, I did everything my parents ever told me to do. I got perfect grades and took part in traditional extracurricular activities that my parents selected. My father told me he was preparing me to take over the family business. However, that all changed when I was twelve. My parents finally managed to have a son, my brother Artemis."
Diana crossed her legs, visibly upset.
"How they doted on him. Pampering him and spoiling him. He was a lousy brat by the age of four. Rude, entitled, and a bully. Whereas I was top of my class, beloved by my teachers, and the perfect daughter by word of other parents. Do you know what my father told me on my sixteenth birthday? He said that he was going to name Artemis as his heir, because it was the traditional thing to do. According to him I could still fulfill my role by marrying someone important and helping secure a lucrative family tie."
Diana shook her head in disgust.
"I was beyond angry. I was practically murderous. I hated them all for robbing me of the birthright I had worked so hard for, just because I was a female. But then I had an idea. One of my old tutors in economics was very fond of me, practically like a grandfather. With his help I set up a company and put the skills I had honed to good use. Slowly but surely I grew the Supotto Conglomerate into the giant it is today by buying up smaller businesses and adding them to my own. Eventually, I was able to perform a hostile takeover of my family's business. At long last, it was rightfully mine."
Diana then looked Yasui in the eyes.
"I remember sitting in the boardroom once the takeover was completed and my parents walked in with my now teenage brother. My father told me that he wished I had never been born, and that if he could he'd kill me for what I'd done. So, I did what I had to do. I called security and had them removed from the premises. It was all very public, very embarrassing for my father. Beaten by his own daughter, left with nothing of the business that had been handed down to the men of our family for generations."
"I received word a few days later that he'd ended his life to escape from the dishonor. That was too much for my mother who later passed away from a heart attack. The last I heard from my family was a letter from my brother saying he'd never forgive me for as long as he lived. I never heard from him again."
Yasui sat open-mouthed as he heard that. Miss Diana, sweet and proper at all times, had that capacity to be ruthless and cunning?
(I mean, it's understandable she was upset. I would be too. But… wow.)
Diana sighed.
"I can tell by your expression you're shocked by how brutal my revenge was. It definitely earned me my reputation as a cold hearted predator who snapped up smaller companies and butchered them for the useful parts. I'll understand if you think less of me for it all. It was a bit… extreme, and I'm not proud of it."
Yasui grabbed Diana's hand and smiled.
"I'll never think less of you, Miss Diana. You're a wonderful person, and I… admire you a lot."
Yasui had bit back what he'd been about to say. That he loved her a lot. Diana squeezed his hand tightly and smiled.
"Thank you, Yasui…. Alright, we've dilly dallied enough. Let's do some shopping."
They didn't spend too much time looking at clothes. Yasui wasn't looking to replace his entire wardrobe, just have enough clothes to get by. He shared his frustration with Miss Diana as they shopped.
"I'm just so upset that all my nice new clothes don't fit anymore! What am I supposed to do with them? I'm not going to throw them out, but I can't really wear them."
Diana shrugged as she looked at a shirt.
"You can repurpose some that are just too short into shorts and tshirts. And the rest you can donate. Lots thrift stores and charities could use more clothing in good condition."
"Huh," Yasui said, "I like that idea. At least then they're being put to good use. You have a lot of good ideas, Miss Diana."
"Well I did build a relatively successful business."
They were walking past the health and beauty aid section when Yasui stopped.
"Hang on, I want to see if they have something."
Curious, Diana followed him as he approached the aisle with various dyes and colorants for fur. Yasui looked up and down for something close to his fur color as Diana asked,
"Yasui? Why do you want dye?"
"I'm going to make myself look less fox-like. If I dye my ears, neck, and tail I'll probably be able to pass as a small wolf."
"Yasui, there's nothing wrong with the way you look. I don't think you should dye your fur."
Yasui frowned.
"It's not because I have an issue with the way I look. I mean, I do, but that's not what's important. I'm tired of being stared at all the time. Maybe this way I'll be left alone."
Diana looked like she wanted to say something before sighing.
"It's your body, and your decision to make. Do as you wish."
Yasui nodded and selected a box of dye. He didn't want to do too much, just make his weirdness a little less glaring. They purchased the items they had collected and were headed out the door when Diana touched Yasui's shoulder.
"You know, we haven't done anything particularly fun in a while. Let's go get something to eat. Have you ever had beignets?"
Yasui shook his head. Diana smiled.
"Well, there's a great beignet place right around the corner. Charles is a big fan."
The large gorilla grunted his assent and Yasui nodded eagerly.
"That sounds great! But… what's a beignet?"
All too soon the weekend had ended and school was back in full swing. Everywhere he went, Yasui felt eyes on him. In class, in the hallways, at lunch. Whispers caught his ear as he passed.
"Apparently he's a hybrid."
"Aren't they dangerous? Apparently they go insane frequently."
"Probably because they weren't supposed to be born. It's an affront to nature."
"I heard he's violent, and they have to make him stay in a room all to himself."
"Look at the scar on his face. He's definitely a thug."
To top it off Yasui's roommate situation had become very strange and uncomfortable. The roommates who had previously picked on him no longer insulted him to his face, but he found his belongings missing or trashed sometimes when he came back to the room. Juzo was still… Juzo. Yasui even asked him how his brother was doing and if he was going to be coming to Cherryton this semester. Juzo just shrugged.
"He caught a bad case of pneumonia and has been in the hospital for a while. So I don't know."
Even with dyed fur his unusual appearance made him stick out. The only part of that first Monday Yasui was even remotely looking forward to was finally having a Cooking Club meeting. Yasui sighed as he unlocked the room and stepped inside.
(It feels like it's been ages since we had a club meeting. Although I guess it's just been a few weeks. Who knows, maybe we'll even get some new members this year."
Yasui was getting everything dusted off and ready when he heard familiar voices from the hallway.
"I'm so excited to be back!" Yufine said. "I've been looking forward to club for ages!"
"I know." Chaussette replied. "I wonder what ssssort of thing we'll be making now. Maybe we'll be trying sssssome harder recipesssss."
There was a pause before Maihime spoke.
"I hope it's nothing difficult. I don't want to have to try."
Yasui shook his head. At least something was the same. The door opened and Yufine happily flounced inside.
"Where's my favorite little— uh…."
Yasui waved wearily at the three girls.
"Hey, everyone. Long time no see."
Chaussette cocked her head, tongue flickering slightly as she tasted the air.
"Yassssui? Issss that you?"
"Yep. Growth spurt. Crazy, huh."
Everyone just stood around staring at each other. Nobody seemed to know what to say. Finally, Yufine broke the silence by let out a mournful wail.
"Whyyyyyyyyy!"
Everyone just sort of stared at the tiger as she buried her head in her hands and cried. Yasui watched her with an unamused look on his face. He had been expecting something like this, but the melodrama was a bit much. Maihime looked him over and shrugged.
"You got your eye back. What are we doing today?"
Yasui sighed.
"Well I figured we could do some planning today and figure out some fun events for us to do this year. The only real thing this club has done so far is the Festival of the Meteor."
Everyone set their belongings in the small cubbies near the door and made their way to the table. Even Yufine eventually dragged herself over and sat down next to Yasui. She stared dejectedly at him as he pulled out a piece of paper and pencil.
"So, any ideas for fun events we can do?" Yasui asked. Everyone grew quiet for a while before Maihime spoke up.
"You should do some sort of recruiting thing. We need more guys in this club."
Yasui nodded and wrote it down.
"I was thinking something like that too."
"Yeah. But specifically recruiting guys. I don't want to be in a girls only club… with you being the only guy."
Yasui gave her a questioning look.
"You want more males in the club?"
Maihime nodded.
"Duh. I want a bunch of cute guys to cook me stuff."
Yufine choked back a sob and half heartedly played with Yasui's ear.
"There used to be a really cute widdle fox here… but now he's all big and not cute anymore."
Yasui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Finally he gave Yufine a slightly perturbed look.
"Yufine, I'm upset about it too. Please stop making me feel worse."
Yufine wiped her eyes morosely and pointed at his face.
"I'm sorry! But… you don't even look like a fox anymore!"
Yasui perked up.
"Really?! Good. I was hoping for that."
"But I don't—" Yufine started before Chaussette spoke up for the first time.
"Can we try to get back on topic? Thissss isss not about Yassssui's new look. We're here for our club meeting, sssso let'sssss talk about the Cooking Club."
"Thank you, Chaussette." Yasui said as he nodded to her. "Let's get back to planning some events."
Chaussette then raised the tip of her tail and hesitantly spoke.
"Actually… I alssso have an idea."
"Oh, well go ahead."
Chaussette looked around a little nervously before continuing.
"Sssssorry if it'ssss a little dumb, but we could make some hot food for Reptile Sssssupport Group. The next meeting isss next Monday."
Yufine furrowed her eyebrows.
"Reptile Support Group? What's that?"
Chaussette shrank down a little bit.
"Oh… I didn't know you were unaware of it. Ssssorry, it probably isn't a great idea."
Yasui shook his head and got ready to write.
"I think it could be a good idea, but I'd like to know more about what it is."
Everyone else nodded and looked at Chaussette. The snake averted her eyes, embarrassed at being the center of attention.
"Well, if you want to know…. Once a month, a bunch of the reptilessss you attend here meet up in the boiler room of the main building to help each other with problemssss we're having. You know… reptile sssspecific problemssss that other animalsss wouldn't undersssstand. One big problem we all have during the winter is keeping warm. I have to ssstuff my uniform full of hot packssss just to leave my dorm."
Yasui nodded his head.
"That's right, because you're cold blooded. It's a great idea! You can check and see if the other members would like us to sell some hot food, like soup and steamed buns, during their meeting!"
Chaussette seemed pleased that her idea had been accepted and happily watched as Yasui added it to the list. Once Yasui had finished writing, Maihime leaned forward.
"We could sell snacks before the Drama Club's Winter play thingy. That draws a crowd."
Yasui tapped his chin.
"Maybe… but… that reminds me. Before their last performance they bought a bunch of food for their long rehearsal thing. We could see if they want to do that again."
Yufine, who seemed to have recovered from her dismay at Yasui's new appearance, clapped her hands.
"That's a great idea! We should go do that now! We can split into two teams. Maihime and I can take the Drama Club while you and Chaussette take the reptiles!"
Maihime frowned.
"Why am I going with you to the Drama Club?"
Yufine giggled.
"Because Louis, the big cheese of that club, can be a real jerk to carnivores. But there's no way he could be mean to you!"
"Because I'm a crippled little herbivore?" Maihime replied. Yufine faltered a bit.
"W-well I was going to say because you're unassuming and cute, but—"
"No need. I can roll with cripple. I'll really play it up. Take my fake arm off, limp a little, cough like Tiny Tim. Maybe I can be too weak to walk back here and you have to carry me."
Yasui closed his eyes.
(I really am in a club full of weirdos, huh.)
Yasui held up a hand as Yufine and Maihime started to stand up and head towards the door.
"Hold up a minute! I was also going to suggest we do something for Valentine's Day. Like, make heart shaped cookies or pink cupcakes. That way all the couples will buy sweets from us."
Yufine clapped her hands.
"That's an amazing idea! Oh, we could also send messages with them, or even do a delivery thing so people could send gifts to their crushes!"
Yasui gave her a thumbs up.
"I like where you're going with this. We can brainstorm more later. Just wanted to put that out there."
Yufine paused before hurrying over and squeezing Yasui in a hug. She smiled softly and clicked her tongue.
"Sorry I was… you know… it was rude to make a big deal out of this. You're definitely not as cute as before, but you're still very soft and fluffy."
Yasui rolled his eyes.
"Thank you, Yufine. Now you'd better get going before Maihime leaves you behind. I don't think she'll do very well on her own convincing them to pay us for food."
Yufine laughed and hurried off after Maihime. Yasui sighed and looked over at Chaussette. He smirked.
"Well… you've been quiet. Any comments about my new look?"
Chaussette wove her head back and forth before hesitantly asking,
"Not to be rude, but… you're a hybrid, aren't you?"
"Yeah… apparently I am."
"Are you doing okay? You sssseem a little depresssssed."
Yasui huffed.
"I'm just peachy. I love being stared at and treated like a freak."
"Issss that why you dyed your fur? To blend in more?"
"Yeah. Didn't like all the attention, especially because it was all negative."
Chaussette gave him a sad look.
"I underssstand how you feel. It'ssss hard to be different. To feel like you don't fit in with othersssss."
Yasui was about to challenge her on that, when he remembered what she'd said before about snakes getting treated weirdly because of their bodies. How many people found them unnerving and gross. Yasui smiled gratefully at Chaussette.
"You're completely right. I'd forgotten that you have to deal with this too."
She sighed.
"At leasssst you ssstill look handssssome. I'll alwayssss be ugly."
"Hey, you're not ugly. I personally think your scales are a wonderful color and you have very kind eyes."
"Thankssss. You're kind to sssay that."
Yasui nodded.
"Don't mention it. Now, enough moping around, let's go talk to this group leader. Any idea where they are?"
Chaussette tapped her chin with the tip of her tail.
"Well… probably ssssomewhere warm. Let'ssss check the dormssss. The current leader of the group issss a male komodo dragon named Iti."
"Sounds good. Oh, do you want to ride on my shoulders? I know slithering on the cold ground is unpleasant for you."
Chaussette smiled at him before carefully draping around his neck. It was far easier to do now that Yasui was much taller. As they walked, Yasui asked,
"So you think I'm handsome?"
"Ah! I don't! I mean… uh… thissss isss really embarrassssing!"
Yasui laughed.
"I'm just teasing you. No need to worry."
One brisk stroll to the dorms later and Yasui was scanning the common room for any sign of a komodo dragon. Sure enough, there was a large male sitting close to the heater, working on homework. Yasui nudged Chaussette who was now back on the floor.
"That him?"
She looked closer and nodded.
"Yeah, that'sssss Iti. I'll introduce you."
Yasui followed behind Chaussette as she slithered over to the large lizard and cleared her throat.
"Excusssse me? Iti?"
The komodo dragon turned his head and looked at her.
"Hm? Oh! Uh… sorry. I don't remember your name, but I know you're in the support group. What's up?"
"Well, I'm with the Cooking Club. Me and our pressssident were wondering if you'd be interessssted in having our club make ssssome food for the next meeting? I thought it could be a nice little treat."
Iti looked from Chaussette to Yasui before rubbing his chin. Now that he was closer, Yasui got a chance to look at Iti in detail. He was very tall and strong looking, with dull gray scales. Most unusually, he wore a heavy mask over his snout like factory workers would wear. Yasui caught himself staring and looked away. Finally, Iti looked at Yasui and asked,
"So, you're the president of this club?"
"Yeah, that's me." Yasui nodded. "I'm Yasui. Nice to meet you."
"Iti. So, what were you thinking for the menu?"
Yasui crossed his arms.
"Well, we haven't thought about it too much yet, because we weren't sure you'd be interested. But off the top of my head, definitely something hot and easy to eat. Maybe a hearty soup, and some spicy fried potatoes. Chaussette said snakes like food that doesn't require much chewing, so I'd definitely want to make stuff that was pleasant for everyone to eat."
Iti looked a bit surprised at that.
"Huh… you actually know your stuff. I'm surprised. Most other animals tend to pretend reptiles don't exist."
Yasui shrugged.
"Well, I can't speak for everyone, but Chaussette has been a huge part of the Cooking Club ever since it started. Club just wouldn't be the same without her, and I think of her as a good friend."
Chaussette averted her gaze and covered her eyes with the end of her tail.
"Geez, you're embarrassssssing me."
Iti nodded slowly before shrugging.
"Sure, I'm game. Come up with a menu and a price and we can see what we want to do."
Yasui grinned.
"Sounds great! We'll work on that A-S-A-P."
Iti extended his hand towards Yasui. They both shook.
"It was nice to meet you, Yasui."
"Ditto, Iti."
With that settled, Yasui turned and left the common room. Once Chaussette was comfortably back on his shoulders, Yasui looked down at her.
"Well that went well."
"Yeah. Iti tendssss to be pretty easssy going."
"Is it rude to ask what the deal was with the mask?"
Chaussette flicked her tongue and shuddered as the wind picked up.
"No, it'ssss no big sssecret. I'm assssuming you haven't had much experience with komodo dragonsssss?"
Yasui shook his head.
"No, he's the first one I've met."
"Well, komodo dragonssss have highly toxic ssssaliva. Many choossse to wear protective massssks in public to avoid the rissssk of accidentally poisssssoning anyone."
"Oh… that sounds really unpleasant. And definitely not fair."
"That'ssss just the way it issss. They don't have to, but imagine how exhausted you'd be if you had to alwaysssss be careful of everything you did. One drop of sssspit from talking or ssssneezing could kill a person. It'sssss easssy to undersssstand why you'd just decide to wear a massssk."
"You know… I'm beginning to realize that a lot of different species have it rough for different reasons."
The rest of the day was uneventful, although Yasui still couldn't shake his feelings of discomfort and unease. As the week progressed, Yasui found himself having the worst week of his life. It was like a constant weight was pushing down on him, no matter what he did. Talking with friends, going to club, nothing could make him feel better. He even went to work (where he once again had to explain his changed appearance) and felt miserable. Yasui would lie in his bed at night unable to sleep as guilt gnawed at him.
(I still haven't patched things up with my family….)
Yasui was miserable because he felt guilty about not fixing things back home, but too scared to call and fix the problem. This unfortunately leaked over into his day to day life so dramatically that he barely could force himself to get out of bed each morning. Many miles away, a family of foxes were also having some difficulty.
That Thursday evening, Ino, Yasui's surrogate mother, was stony faced as she set about scrubbing the countertops of her kitchen. She had been distant and a bit short tempered ever since the disaster with Yasui had occurred. Her two youngest daughters ran by and she threw her hands up in frustration.
"Mina! Lily! How many times do I have to tell you not to run in the house!"
Mina, the older of the two, paused to show her an envelope.
"We're in a hurry! We have to mail these!"
Ino raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious.
"And who are you sending what to?"
Lily started.
"We're sending letters to Ya—"
She was interrupted when Mina jostled her. Mina continued where her younger sister left off.
"Just… some letters to someone. For fun."
"Uh-huh." Ino deadpanned. "And where did you get stamps?"
The two young girls exchanged confused glances. Lily spoke up first.
"What's a stamp for?"
Ino shook her head.
"To send your letter. The post office won't send your letter without a stamp."
Mina trotted over to her mother.
"Can we have a stamp! Please!"
Lily chimed in.
"Please please please pleeeeeeeeease!"
Ino held up a hand for silence.
"No. I don't have stamps to spare for this."
They both groaned and Mina sniffled.
"But Moooooom! How are we supposed to get Yasui to come back without these letters!?"
Ino grew suddenly cross.
"So that's what you're up to! I told you before, don't bother your…. Don't bother Yasui. It's his right to… to not talk to us anymore. We have to respect that. He's all grown up, and he can make his own decisions."
Lily clenched her fists, crinkling her letter.
"But it's a stupid decision! He needs someone to tell him he's being a dummy! And that he needs to come home because he's making Mommy sad and we're sad and even Yone misses him!"
Ino sighed and waved her daughters away.
"Maybe your siblings have some stamps. If you're determined to send them, they might be able to help."
Mina pouted.
"But Mom! Kime isn't home yet, and Yone keeps coming home super late so he won't be here soon either!"
Ino held up her hand to silence the two little girls. She rubbed her snout and leaned against the counter.
"Please… just… I really can't deal with this now. Can you please give me a moment?"
Mercifully, the door opened and Kime walked in. She was surprised as Mina and Lily rushed over to her while calling her name excitedly. Kime looked at her mother in confusion.
"What's this all about?"
Mina held up her letter.
"We need some stamps to mail these letters!"
Lily nodded, bouncing excitedly.
"Yeah! Give us stamps! Please? It's for a really good reason!"
Kime shook her head in disbelief.
"Well, two things. One, what the heck are you talking about? And two, why would I have stamps?"
Both girls immediately deflated upon hearing that no stamps would be forthcoming. Mina started to wipe at her eyes as a few small tears grew in the corners.
"B-but." Mina whimpered. "If we don't send these letters, Yasui might never come back. And… a-and… I miss Yasui!"
As Mina started to choke up and sniffle, Lily started to cry too.
"I want my brother back! If he comes back Mommy won't be sad anymore!"
Kime hurriedly knelt down and pulled her sisters close to her.
"Hey! C'mon, it's okay. Yasui isn't gone forever, he'll be back. So there's no need to cry. Okay?"
Mina and Lily looked up at their older sister. They were still tearing up, but the waterworks had slowed down for the moment. They all turned as Ino walked over and rested her hands on Mina and Lily's heads. She smiled at Kime.
"I'm sorry if I was short with you. I miss Yasui a lot too, but that doesn't make it okay. I'm glad you're sending those letters. Maybe Yasui will read them and realize how much he misses you too."
Suddenly, Kime had an idea. She jostled her two little sisters.
"You know, Mrs. Mifune probably has stamps. Maybe you two could go over there and check?"
The two girls exchanged glances and looked at their mother.
"Mom, can we?" They both chorused. Ino smiled benevolently at them.
"Alright, but only if you're very good for her. She's an old lady, so you should be extra polite to her."
The two girls excitedly scampered off towards their neighbor' house. Ino sighed and mopped her forehead. Kime awkwardly shuffled as she saw this.
"You doing okay, Mom?"
"Oh, I'm okay. How about you? School going fine?"
"Yeah."
"By the way, do you know what Yone has been up to? He's been home late for the past week."
Kime shrugged and walked past her mother.
"I dunno. Oh, but he told me that he's staying at a friend's house tonight, so don't wait up for him."
Ino frowned.
"The nerve of that boy! He could at least ask me first."
Kime shrugged.
"Well, what are you going to do?"
It turned out that she wasn't going to do anything. Secretly she was glad that Yone had gone off with friends. He had taken Yasui's departure hard. Ino was worried that he somehow blamed himself for the whole situation.
That night was uneventful as expected. Mifune brought Mina and Lily back over before dinner and explained how delighted she had been to have company. Ino smiled even though she internally was kicking herself for rarely visiting Mifune ever since her husband had died. She'd have to start doing that again. Ino felt better, but she still couldn't help but worry about Yasui. She knew why he was mad at her and Ibiki. Keeping his origins a secret for so long was definitely not one of her proudest moments. She wished she could patch things up with him, but she was worried that she'd just push him away even more.
These feelings of unease only continued to grow when she received a call from the local school late Friday morning.
"Hello, this is Ino." She said. There was a slight pause before the somewhat familiar voice of the school administrator came over the phone.
"Hi, this is Administrator Yiwa. I just wanted to confirm that none of your other children showed symptoms and can still be in school."
Ino frowned.
"I'm sorry, but I don't follow."
"Yone had to stay home from school today because he caught strep throat. Kime told me herself. However I just wanted to make sure that Lily and Mina were fine as well. If they caught it too, we need to warn the elementary school that there might be an outbreak."
Ino felt an ember of anger burn to life in her chest. Yone was playing hooky, and he had gotten Kime to cover for him. Ino took a deep breath and said,
"They're fine. Can you get Kime on the phone for me?"
"Of course. Wait just a moment."
Ino took a deep breath before gently setting the phone down. She rested her hands on the table and let the breath out. The door opened and her husband Ibiki walked in as she leapt to her feet and growled,
"That no-good, lying, sneaky, disrespectful, selfish, thoughtless, brutish, self absorbed idiot! I'm going to put him over my knee and tan his rear end until I put a bald patch into it!"
Ibiki gawked at her before clearing his throat.
"Bad time?"
She clasped her head in frustration as she paced back and forth.
"Your good for nothing son is going truant now! He got Kime to lie for him and skipped school!"
Ibiki wisely did not point out that Yone was her son too. He walked over and stood with his wife.
"I'm here to help… however it is you need me to."
Ino sighed.
"Thank you, dear. But first I'm going to have a word with Kime."
After a few minutes the phone beeped as she was taken off hold. Kime's voice hesitantly rang out.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Kime." Ino said with a surprising amount of venom. Ibiki winced, and he was certain Kime had too. Ino continued.
"Tell me where your brother is. Now."
There was silence from the other end. Ino closed her eyes.
"Kime, this is your only warning. Either you tell me where Yone is or I will make your life miserable until you do."
Kime shakily replied.
"He's gone… to go find Yasui."
Ino's breath caught in her throat.
"I'm sorry, what?!"
"He's been doing odd jobs around town since Yasui left. He saved up enough money to get a bus ticket and some cash for the trip. He told me he was going to bring Yasui back so we could sort the whole… situation out."
Ino closed her eyes and held her head in her free hand. Both Ibiki and Kime sat in silence until she finally spoke.
"Kime, get your sisters and wait for us by the bus station. We're going after Yone."
"What?!" Ibiki and Kime both chorused. Kime spoke first.
"Mom! We can't seriously be going to the city?! All of us?!"
Ino huffed.
"Yone knows as much about the city as he does about flying a plane. I already lost one son, I'm not about to have my other one lying in a gutter somewhere because he doesn't know what he's doing."
Ibiki cleared his throat.
"Honey, where are we going to get the money for that? Bus tickets and hotels cost a decent bit of cash."
Ino shook her head.
"I don't know, but I do know that we can't just let Yone wander around a strange city by himself."
Kime spoke next.
"But should we really bring Mina and Lily with us?"
Ino narrowed her eyes.
"One, we can't leave them here alone and it's a bit too late to arrange for them to stay elsewhere. Two, you're still in a heap of trouble, Kime."
The conversation got interrupted as the front door opened with a gentle knock. Mifune, the elderly goat from next door, tottered in clasping a ribbon.
"Ino, dear. Mina left her ribbon at my house. I figured I should bring it back and… oh my. It looks like something serious is happening here."
Ino accepted the ribbon gratefully and smiled at Mifune.
"Small family problem. Yone ran off to chase after Yasui, so now we have to find a way to get tickets to go after him."
"Oh my." Mifune croaked. "That's not good!"
And abruptly, she turned and shuffled out the door again. Ino turned to Ibiki and gave him a confused look. He just shrugged. Kime spoke again.
"Should we bring clothes, or…."
Ino huffed.
"I'll throw some laundry in a bag and bring it with us. Now hurry up! Yone has a head start on us, and it'll be easier to catch up to him before he has a chance to get too lost."
She hung up the phone and pressed her palms into her eyes with a weary groan.
"How have all our children turned out to be so reckless!?"
Ibiki pulled his wife into a hug and rubbed her back soothingly.
"We'll be fine, honey. Yone's fully grown, he can look after himself for a while."
"He's older now, but definitely not smarter. That boy is just as reckless and stupid as can be! Now help me pack. I want to get going as soon as possible."
All in all, it took less than five minutes for them to throw some clothes and supplies in a bag before heading out the door. As they threw the bag in their dirty old truck, Ibiki asked,
"So how are we getting tickets? Got a stash of money I don't know about?"
"I'll beg for coins if I have to. We'll figure something out."
The engine roared to life and Ibiki started to drive before immediately slamming on the brakes. Ino looked and saw that Mifune was hurriedly shuffling in front of their car, waving her arms. Ibiki rolled down the window as she puffed over, out of breath.
"Sorry, Mrs. Mifune. We're in a little hurry."
"I know." She gasped. "But you'll need this."
She pulled out a thick stack of bills and handed them to Ibiki. He looked at the money in shock.
"Where did you get all this?!" He asked. Mifune pointed to her house.
"It's part of Bolboi's stash. He never would tell me where he got so much cash from, but he said it was for a rainy day. He loved your boy like a son, and I know he'd want you to use it to fix things up with him."
Ino shook her head.
"No, Mifune. We're going after Yone, not Yasui."
The old goat sniffed.
"Yeah, sure you are. Welp, best get a move on. I'll look after your house while you're gone."
Ibiki held up the money.
"We can't accept this! It's your money, what if you need it?"
"Fiddlesticks!" Mifune croaned. "I got plenty more what that came from. And I'm not going to live forever you know. Can't exactly take it with me."
Ino leaned over and took the elderly woman's hand.
"Thank you." Ino whispered. Mifune smiled.
"You're welcome. Now go catch up to your kids!"
Once she was clear, Ibiki sped off down the mountain. They positively flew down the road and roared into town in almost half the time of their usual trip. They saw Kime and the girls at the bus station and hurriedly parked their truck. Ino rushed over, bag in tow.
"When's the next bus to the city?"
Kime pointed at the sign.
"A little more than ten minutes. Mom, are we seriously—"
"Yes we're going after him."
Mina and Lily cheered and clasped hands, dancing around in a circle.
"We're going to see Yasui! We're going to see Yasui!" They sang together. Kime followed her mother as she approached the ticket window.
"Mom? How are we paying for the tickets?"
Ino pulled out the cash and slapped a few bills on the counter. Kime stared in shock as Ino told the ticket seller,
"Five tickets for the bus to the city please."
Tickets in hand, the remaining members of the family all gathered around the bus stop. Ibiki cleared his throat.
"Well… this isn't exactly how I'd imagined our first time going to the city being."
Kime laughed.
"Or leaving this dumb backwater."
Ino glared at her daughter. Immediately Kime's ears flattened and she looked at the ground.
"Sorry, Mom."
"This isn't a vacation, you know. We're going to get Yone and then we're coming back."
Mina tugged on her mother's hand.
"Can't we go visit Yasui while we're there?"
"Not until Yasui decides he's okay with seeing us."
Lily pouted.
"But why does Yasui get to decide that? Why can't we just go see him anyway?"
Ino huffed.
"Because I did something rather hurtful to him and feel guilty. Happy?"
Everyone fell silent after that. Soon the bus rumbled up and they all got on board. Ino and Ibiki sat together while the girls found seats near them. Ino glowered out the window.
"Yone had better enjoy having both ears while he can, because I'm going to twist one of them so hard it might fall off!"
Later that day on Cherryton grounds, Yasui was walking back up to his dorm room feeling dejected. They had had study group like usual, but he had been quiet and sullen throughout it. He just couldn't get the nagging guilt inside him to be quiet, no matter what he did. Desperate, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number for his home. He didn't care how ashamed and scared he was, he couldn't stand the guilt any longer. The phone rang… and rang… and rang. He tried two more times before throwing his phone onto his bed in disgust. It made sense that his parents didn't want to talk to him. He had been such an absolute jerk to them. He sighed and headed towards the door. He might as well get dinner now that his books were back in his room.
As he walked past Jack and Legoshi's room, he heard a burst of laughter from inside. He looked in the doorway and saw the other guys sitting around while Jack sat on the floor practically in Legoshi's lap. The wolf was holding some sort of wipe and had Jack's ear lifted up. For his part, Jack was squirming and twitching with his eyes closed, looking embarrassed. Yasui watched as Legoshi moved the wipe towards Jack's ear and the retriever squirmed again. Legoshi stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth.
"Jack, stop squirming so much. I can't get the wipe in."
"I can't help it!" Jack groaned. "It tickles!"
Legoshi looked up and saw Yasui.
"Oh, hi Yasui."
"Hey… everyone."
The other boys, seeing Yasui for the first time in a while, all uttered various exclamations. Miguno whistled.
"Daaaaaaaaang! Jack wasn't kidding, you are big now!"
Durham elbowed the hyena.
"The real question is did everything get big too?"
They both chuckled as Yasui pointed at Jack.
"What… exactly are you doing?"
Legoshi held up the wipe.
"Cleaning out Jack's ears. Because they droop over like that they get all nasty and dirty. But it tickles a lot and he can't do it himself."
Jack covered his face in embarrassment.
"I can do it… I just tend to scratch myself when I do."
Collot snorted.
"Stay for the show, Yasui. It's pretty funny to watch."
Everyone voiced their agreement while Jack complained about their behavior. Yasui watched, fascinated as Legoshi managed to get the wipe in the retriever's ear and wiggled his finger around. Jack squeaked and his leg thumped up and down as his tail practically turned into a helicopter blade. Yasui stifled a laugh at the silly display. Legoshi removed the now dirty wipe and looked at it.
"You really should try to clean them more often, Jack. Your ears are pretty gross."
"They're not that bad! You all are just lucky to not have droopy ears!"
Collot waggled his ears and snickered.
"I have floppy ears and somehow I keep them clean."
"Oh shut up!" Jack cried. Everyone laughed as Legoshi started working on the other ear. Jack practically jumped onto the larger boy's chest as he made his first cleaning attempt. Legoshi huffed.
"Jack, hold still. If we don't get all the dirt out you'll get another ear infection. Remember last time?"
"I'm trying!"
Yasui leaned against the doorframe as the procedure continued. Voss cocked his head and inspected Yasui.
"You know… you look more wolf-like than fox now."
Yasui scratched his head.
"Hehe…. Yeah. So, uh, you guys eat dinner yet? We could all go together."
"Sounds fun!" Jack exclaimed. "We can all talk about what we did over the br—EEEEP!"
"Done." Legoshi solemnly said. He looked around at the other guys as he wadded up his wipe and threw it away.
"Ready to go eat?"
Walking with the whole group of Jack and Legoshi's friends was always a bit of an odd experience for Yasui. They were all very close and cheerful, but that made Yausi feel a bit out of place. As such he tended to walk a bit behind them and just sort of watch as they joked around. Today was worse than usual given Yasui's persistent malaise. As they were walking towards the front door, Legoshi tapped Yasui's shoulder.
"Hey."
"Huh?! Oh, sorry. Wasn't paying attention." Yasui replied. The wolf frowned.
"Are you okay? You seem… sad."
"Oh, you noticed. I've just been a bit out of sorts because of the whole… family situation."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I tried calling them today, but they didn't pick up. I get it, I definitely hurt them when I ran off. They probably hate me now."
Legoshi's hand was hovering somewhat around Yasui's shoulder. He couldn't decide if he should pat him on the back like Jack did to help cheer him up, or if that would be weird. He was then distracted by something unusual happening on the lawn.
"Uh… what's going on there?"
Everyone glanced over at where Legoshi was pointing. Durham squinted.
"It's someone running towards the dorms. But they're wearing a different uniform than ours. Maybe a visitor?"
Yasui adjusted his glasses.
"That seems familiar, but it's too far to tell."
Jack spoke up.
"Maybe we should move out of the way."
They all pushed back onto the lawn in a loose line. There was a yelp as Yasui accidentally stepped on Miguno's foot and turned to apologize to him. He looked up just in time to see a flash of orange headed towards him.
"Yone?!" Yasui exclaimed before the running animal tackled him. Everyone jumped backwards as fox and hybrid tumbled along the grass. They came to rest with Yone on top. The smaller mammal bared his teeth.
"Yasui! I'm going to freaking murder you!"
And with that he punched him square in the face. Yasui's head snapped to the side and his glasses flew off. (That really hurt) Yasui idly thought as a few spots flickered across his vision. He shook his head and looked stupidly up at Yone.
"Yone?! What the heck are you doing here?! Why did you punch me?!"
"Because you broke Mom's heart you prick! And Lily, and Mina, and Kime all cried because you are such a piece of crap!"
Yone punched him again. Yasui growled.
"Stop hitting me!"
"No! I'm going to kick your stupid ass and drag you back home so you can—"
Whatever he was going to do once he brought Yasui home never arrived as Yasui got his feet under Yone and kicked him off. The fox sailed through the air and landed with a thump on the grass, winded. Yasui stood and touched where Yone had punched him on the cheek. He winced as a jolt of pain lanced through the area. Yone picked himself back up, breathing heavily. Yasui threw his arms out to the side in rage.
"Are you joking! You came here just to attack me?! You're nuts!"
"I clearly need to beat some sense into you! It's my job as your older brother, or do you seriously still think that we're not actually your family!"
Yasui faltered.
"I… Yone, I never really— NO!"
Yasui grabbed Yone's arms as he tried to punch him again. The two struggled and Yasui growled.
"Don't you remember the last time we fought? And how I absolutely kicked your butt?"
"You sucker punched me and ran away!"
"Well now I'm bigger than you, so stop before I have to hurt you!"
"Try me, bitch!"
They collided and fell to the grass, rolling around trying to pin the other. Yasui gained the upper hand and snarled,
"Why are you even doing this, you idiot?! Do you think this is going to fix anything?!"
Yone twisted and pinned Yasui.
"Don't call me an idiot! This is because of you!"
"Why! None of this makes sense!"
Yone growled with exertion.
"Because! If I don't make you patch things up you'll just stay here forever! And I can't stand to lose my baby brother!"
Yasui stopped struggling as he felt something hot and wet hit his cheek, he turned his head to see that Yone was crying. The fox gasped,
"It's my job to look out for you. We're supposed to stick together forever. And I screwed it all up by not stopping you from leaving! I don't care if you don't think I'm your brother anymore! You'll always be my brother, and… and I love you, Yasui. I love you and I miss you."
Yasui slowly got to his feet as Yone stood panting in front of him. Yasui gulped. This was the first time he'd ever really seen his brother cry. Yone wiped at his eyes and looked down. Yasui walked forward and leaned down to be at his brother's level. He hugged him and said,
"Of course we're brothers. And I'm sorry for running away."
Yone let out a tearful laugh and returned the hug. The 701 dogs exchanged confused glances. Collot whispered,
"What the hell just happened?"
Yasui looked over towards them and laughed.
"Sorry. Uh, everyone, this is my older brother, Yone."
Yone raised his hand.
"Hi."
Yasui looked around.
"Have any of you seen my glasses?"
Voss held them up.
"I got them. Didn't want them to get broken."
He gratefully accepted the glasses from the fennec fox and put them back on. Yasui rubbed his chin and gave Yone an upset look.
"Was that really necessary?"
Yone rubbed his arm and winced.
"Yeah, same. Geez, you're strong now. You almost ripped my arm off."
"I just don't understand, how did you get here? Is… everyone else here too?"
Yone shook his head.
"Nah, just me. I left this morning on the bus. Saved up enough cash to get a ticket. Took me a while to find this place though. And I bet Mom's probably freaking out by now because she definitely figured out that I—"
"YONE!"
Everyone jumped as a loud female voice rang out. They turned and saw a whole troop of foxes walking towards them. Yone went pale as he saw the positively furious look on his mother's face. Both Yone and Yasui both gasped,
"Mom?!"
Ino wasn't even close yet as she exclaimed.
"Yone! I am going to tan your hide! Running off like that! You could have gotten lost, or killed, or worse!"
Immediately Yasui ran forward and wrapped his arms around the shorter female. Ino stopped as her prodigal son cried out,
"Mom! Mom, I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you like this! Please forgive me!"
Ino's breathing quickened as she reached up and stroked Yasui's face.
"Yasui… I'm sorry for hiding the truth from you. And of course I forgive you. I was just worried that you wouldn't want me to be your mother anymore."
Yasui squeezed her a bit hard.
"You'll always be my mom. Same with the rest of you." He said as he looked at his father and sisters. "I'm sorry for what I did. Please forgive me."
There was a babble of voices as they all rushed together to hug and enjoy being reunited. Nearby, Jack wiped a tear from his eye.
"This… this beautiful! Oh, Legoshi! Isn't this beautiful!"
Legoshi nodded.
"Yeah, it definitely is… something."
Durham nodded and elbowed Miguno.
"Dude, Yasui's sister is hot. Should I go ask her out?"
"No way, I called dibs ages ago. Remember?"
Collot slapped them on the back of the head.
"Knock it off, they're having a moment. Besides… she'd probably be more interested in me than either of you pipsqueaks."
The family let go and stood in a circle on the lawn. Yasui looked at his parents.
"I don't understand. How did you afford the tickets to get here?"
Ibiki chuckled.
"Got a little help from Mrs. Mifune. She had some cash stored up for a rainy day. Although… we don't have much left. Finding a place to stay could be a bit tricky."
Yasui smiled and pulled out his phone.
"I have an idea. Let me check something."
Seemingly for the first time, Yasui's family noticed the crowd of dogs around them. Ino greeted them.
"I'm sorry, this was probably a bit odd to see. I'm Yasui's mother. This is my husband Ibiki. My oldest son, Yone. And my daughters. Kime is the oldest. Mina is next, and then Lily."
Jack smiled.
"Nice to meet you! We're actually all friends of Yasui's. I'm Jack. The big guy is Legoshi. The sheepdog is Collot, and Voss is on his shoulder. Those two are Miguno and Durham."
Miguno and Durham smiled charmingly and moved a bit closer to Kime.
"So, how have you been liking the city?" Miguno asked.
"There's lots of cool things to see." Durham added.
Lily nodded to them both.
"It's been fine. It's nice to meet you." She replied. She brushed past them and smiled at Jack.
"I'm Kime. Nice to meet you."
Jack returned the smile.
"Yasui told me about you. It's nice to finally meet you in person!"
"So… what's fun to do around here?"
Meanwhile, Yasui had broken out into a grin. He approached his mother.
"So, good news. I found you a place to stay!"
Ino looked surprised.
"That's great! Where?"
"Well, I asked for a favor from my dear 'Auntie.'"