Chapter 44: Parallel Lives
Charles sighed as he sat on hold. It was Monday afternoon, and he was at his wits end. Finally, the person on the other end answered the phone.
"This is Doctor Yobu, I was told you're having some concerns about Miss Diana?"
Charles closed his eyes and let out a growl of barely controlled frustration.
"Yes, I am very concerned. You see, ever since we got back from the hospital she's been completely erratic! You're certain that her brain was completely unharmed?"
"Her images looked normal. Although she could be having a bad reaction to the medication prescribed to her. Could you explain what behaviors are concerning you?"
Charles raised his eyes to the heavens as he heard a loud noise from above him. The gorilla rubbed his forehead and growled.
"Well, for starters she can barely remember what she's been doing since she got home. There are only occasional moments of clarity and the rest, as she describes it, is all a blur."
"That's a pretty normal side effect of the medicine. It targets the brain pretty heavily to ensure proper healing, so it can mess with memory."
"That's not all. She also has extreme mood swings and nausea. She'll burst into tears for no reason, start dying laughing, and then vomit all over the place!"
"That's… not unheard of. Just ensure she stays hydrated."
"That's not the worst of it."
"Well, Mister Charles, what's the worst of it."
Charles paused as the noise grew more frequent and then was interrupted by a loud moan. He let out a long breath through his nostrils.
"That would be the extreme… horniness."
"I'm sorry, did you say 'horniness'?"
"Yes! Horniness! She won't… stop… touching herself! She pleasures herself literally everywhere! I walked in on her humping the sofa! She's like a wild… thing! And it is completely abnormal for her usual behavior!"
There was a long pause before the doctor spoke again.
"So… how frequently does she… engage in these sorts of activities?"
Charles's voice rose to a barely controlled half-yell.
"Every cylinder in the house is sticky! It's like a nightmare! I keep finding her… makeshift playthings everywhere! And she refuses to wear clothes! But then all of a sudden she's confused as to why she's naked and holding a cucumber! You need to fix this, now!"
The doctor didn't answer right away. Finally, he spoke.
"That behavior is definitely… concerning. I'll do some research and let you know what I find. You just… let me know of any changes that occur with her. Okay, have a good day."
And with that the phone clicked and Charles raised his hand as if to throw the offending device against the wall. He looked down at the other phone he had. Charles had confiscated Miss Diana's phone after he caught her filming herself with the intent to send it to other people in order to convince them to "come give her some loving." Charles heard slow footsteps coming down the stairs and Miss Diana's oddly pitched voice that denoted her not being in her right mind.
"Chaaaarlesssss~ I accidentally broke the bathroom door. Be a dear and give me a hand."
The gorilla buried his face in his hands and sobbed.
"She better mean with the door."
Meanwhile back at Cherryton, Yasui was completely checked out of his club meeting. Everyone was excitedly discussing how well their catering for the Drama Club had gone, but Yasui was staring intently at his phone. After Sunday night, Yasui had been a bit… confused. If Miss Diana liked him the same way he liked her, did that mean they were dating? When he had tried to ask her via text she had said she'd send him something to let him know, but had never sent another message. Now Yasui was wondering if he had misremembered what happened.
He refocused as Chaussette slithered towards where he was sitting and gave him a curious look.
"Hey, Yassssui. Are you okay?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I'm fine."
"Oh. You ssseem a little confussssed to me. Have sssssomething that'ssss bugging you?"
Yasui sighed. It couldn't hurt to get Chaussette's input on the matter.
"You see…." Yasui closed his eyes as he thought about how to phrase it delicately. "I have this… friend who I really like. But, more than just as a friend. Something happened recently that makes me wonder if we are actually more than just friends, but I don't really know how to ask them."
Chaussette flickered her tongue and bashfully looked away.
"Well… being direct isss ussssually the besssst option. Jussssst tell her that you want to be more than friendsssss. Girlsssss like a guy who takessss the firssssst sssstep."
Yasui tapped his chin thoughtfully. Finally he nodded.
"I think you might be right. But I'll have to think about how to address it. Thanks Chaussette. I appreciate it."
The snake nodded happily and went off to do whatever it was she had been doing before. Should he be direct with Miss Diana? Or maybe because she'd already been very direct with him it was a moot point and they were boyfriend and girlfriend. That was what confused Yasui. Where did they stand?
But as the week went on, Yasui never heard back from Miss Diana. He didn't hear from her at all. But by Wednesday, his relationship confusion with Miss Diana was driven out of his head by the upcoming dinner with Nishinoya's family.
Yasui was supposed to go to Nishinoya's home that Wednesday night for dinner, and by the time he was standing at the door he was having some second thoughts. He really wished he could have talked to Miss Diana about what the protocol was here. That had sort of become his go to whenever he encountered a strange new circumstance. But because of the continued silence from Miss Diana Yasui was on his own.
Yasui knocked on the door and waited as he heard footsteps from inside. The lock clicked out of place and the door opened to reveal Professor Nishinoya with a somewhat nervous look on his face. Yasui was glad he wasn't the only one.
"Ah, Yasui!" Nishinoya exclaimed. "Glad to see you made it alright. I know you're still somewhat new to the city so I was worried you might get lost."
Yasui smiled a bit as he stepped into the warm interior of the home and took off his jacket. It was a very cozy place from what he could see. Photos hung on the walls and potted plants decorated the entryway. Past that Yasui could see a central room with a couch and chairs where two young wolves were playing with an assortment of toys. One was a young boy who looked to be elementary school aged. The other was a little girl just out of the toddler stage of life. Nishinoya gestured to the two children.
"Leon, Airi. Put your toys away and come say hello."
The boy reluctantly did as told and shuffled over to stand behind his father, looking up at Leif doubtfully. The young girl hid behind the couch. Nishinoya gave Yasui a strained smile as Yasui took his shoes off.
"Yasui, this is Leon. Our oldest. He turned eight this year. Can you say hello to Yasui, Leon?"
Leon clung to his father's leg and quietly spoke.
"I don't want to."
"Why not? Yasui's a very nice animal."
"He looks weird."
Nishinoya grew stern.
"Leon! What did I say about—"
Yasui raised his hand and tried to look like he wasn't upset by the comment.
"It's okay, Mister Nishinoya. I look a bit different because I'm half fox. It's nice to meet you, Leon."
Leon clung to his father's pants leg a bit tighter and looked away. The awkward moment only stretched a bit longer as Nishinoya's wife came waddling out to meet them. She was a pretty wolf, and extremely pregnant judging by her large belly. She wiped her hands on an apron that was looking a bit short due to the expanded front of its wearer and smiled warmly at Yasui.
"You must be Yasui! Welcome to our home! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Leora."
Yasui smiled and bowed at his waist toward her.
"Thank you for inviting me to your home."
Leora smiled and waved him inward.
"We're happy to have you here! Please, come in. Dinner is almost ready."
Yasui followed the family to where they had a table set for five. As he took the seat that was offered to him, Yasui watched as Leora set down a platter of fried tofu, greens, and rice. She smiled.
"I heard that foxes prefer fried tofu. I hope you like it."
Yasui smiled.
"Thank you. It smells good. Although, I am a bit confused by that. I've heard it before, but it must be a city thing. We never ate tofu very much back home."
As the children sat down, the young girl pulled a face.
"It looks yucky. Can I eat something else?"
Nishinoya frowned.
"Airi, that's rude to say. You'll eat what we give you."
Leon didn't look very happy either as he sat down, and stuck his tongue out when he had to take a bite of tofu. Yasui definitely felt a little guilty. They were only eating this because Leora thought he would like it.
As they ate, Leora turned to Yasui.
"So, Yasui. Tell me about your home. Is it far away?"
Yasui finished his bite of tofu and shrugged.
"It's a little ways away. About three hours or so by bus, maybe more."
"Did you enjoy living in a small village?"
Yasui hesitated and pushed his food around his plate while he thought of what to say. Finally, he decided to just be honest.
"Well… not really. I didn't have any friends at all until I came here. My parents and siblings were the only people who didn't treat me like I was worthless. And I got bullied a lot during school. But… it wasn't all bad."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table broken only by the sounds of parents coaxing children into eating food they didn't like. Nishinoya attempted to break the silence by patting Leon on the shoulder.
"Hey, Leon. Why don't you tell Yasui here about your school, and the baseball team you're on."
Leon stared into his lap and mumbled.
"I don't want to."
Leora shot her son a warning glance.
"Leon, don't be rude."
Leon whined.
"But I don't want to talk to him! He's weird and I don't like him! He gives me the creeps!"
Nishinoya set his silverware down with a thump.
"Leon! That is not how we speak to guests in this house! Apologize at once!"
Leon crossed his arms and huffed. Finally, Leora pointed to the hallway.
"Leon. Go to your room."
With a loud huff Leon stood and stormed to his room, giving Yasui an angry look as he did. Yasui felt his mouth curdling as a sour taste covered his tongue. That was technically his half brother, and he hated him. Yasui had wondered if they would all feel some sort of kinship to each other as half siblings upon meeting, but they might as well have been complete strangers.
Once Leon was gone, Nishinoya sighed.
"I'm really sorry about that. He's not usually like this."
Yasui shrugged and gave Nishinoya a small smile.
"Kids…. They're like that sometimes."
Little Airi set down her fork and looked at Leora.
"Mommy, can I go to my room too? This is yucky."
Leora took a deep breath before waving her hand.
"Fine. You can go get ready for bed."
The little girl happily left the table leaving Yasui with the two adults in an even more awkward atmosphere. Yasui picked at his food. He wasn't particularly hungry anymore. Just more proof he was a freak. At least his friends didn't treat him like a weirdo just for being alive. Nishinoya tried once more to break the ice.
"So… how's your week been? Studying hard? We're getting close to the end of the school year. Just a few more weeks."
Yasui sighed.
"You don't have to do that. This was a bad idea from the start. Maybe I should just go. Like I said, you have your family and I have mine. You don't owe me anything. And I know that hybrids have a stigma, and being the parent of one is bad too. So it's probably for the best if we pretend that we don't know each other."
Nishinoya looked down at his plate in disappointment. Leora gave him a sympathetic look before pushing her chair away and standing.
"Nishinoya. Could you wash the dishes? I'll show Yasui the family room and we can see what we want to do once you're done.
(Once I've sorted this mess out that is) Leora thought. (Clearly this requires a woman's touch.)
Nishinoya nodded wordlessly and began to gather the dishes as Leora herded Yasui into the central room of the house, ignoring his interjections that he could just leave. Once she had him seated, she sat down with a weary groan and rubbed her rounded belly. Yasui gestured to her midsection.
"How far along are you?"
Leora smiled warmly.
"Eight months, plus some change."
Yasui laughed.
"Wow. Getting close, huh?"
"Yeah. This baby's a restless little pup. Probably a boy."
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Yasui asked with genuine curiosity. Leora laughed.
"Nikki if it's a girl. And Nakimoto if it's a boy."
Yasui returned her smile as she relaxed a bit. He remembered when his mother had been pregnant with his youngest sister very well. She'd called him her "little helper" because he was always asking if she wanted tea or food. Leora rested a hand on her stomach.
"Would you like to feel?"
Yasui hesitated before nodding. Gently, he rested his hand against her taut midriff and waited. Suddenly he felt a little kick and broke into a grin. Leora laughed.
"I wonder if he can sense his half brother."
Half brother. Yasui had always wanted a younger brother. Somebody to look after and give advice to like in the books he had read. As he withdrew his hand, Leora smiled sadly at Yasui.
"Sorry about the kids. I'm not sure why they were behaving so badly today. Maybe it was the perfect storm of not liking the food and meeting someone new. I hope you don't hold it against them. They really are good kids."
Yasui set his jaw and frowned a bit.
"It's fine. I'm a stranger, and definitely odd looking. I'm still not exactly pleased with my new appearance. It's funny, I always used to wish I was taller and more grown up looking. Now I'd give anything to go back to the way I was."
"Everything happens for a reason." Leora said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll figure out what that reason is in time."
Soon Nishinoya came walking in and dropped onto the couch beside Leora. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Well… that was humiliating. I'm so sorry about that. I'll talk to them, I swear. They don't know your… relation to them yet."
Yasui held up a hand.
"It's fine, there's no rush. I appreciate you inviting me over for dinner. I understand this is weird. Honestly I'm not sure what to think about… us… yet either. Mainly, well, what do you want our relationship to be?"
Nishinoya ran a hand across his head and laughed humorously.
"Now that's the real question. I mean, I don't expect you to call me 'Dad' or anything. That would be a bit weird. But, we could maybe try a sort of… mentor relationship to start? You can come to me for advice and all that. And then we can see about you spending more time with my— I mean your— family. If that's okay with you."
Yasui was silent as he thought it over. Finally, he nodded.
"I think I'd like that."
Nishinoya seemed relieved at that. He settled back somewhat and took his wife's hand with a small smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, I want to hear about your childhood a bit. Got any fun stories?"
From there, the rest of the evening was actually nice. They mainly swapped stories from their childhoods about trouble they had gotten into or funny things that had happened. By the time Yasui was back in his dorm room, he was actually glad that he'd agreed to the dinner.
But as the week progressed, Yasui found himself more and more looking forward to the weekend. He had his camping trip with Shinrai on Friday, and he was looking forward to it. While early February would definitely be a bit chilly for camping, Yasui thought it would be fun anyway. While technically it was a school project for their science class, an astronomy project to be precise, Yasui expected that the project part of the trip wouldn't take up much time at all.
Once classes were done on Friday, Yasui was standing with his bag by the school gates waiting for Shinrai, Don, and Kashi. He wasn't exactly sure where they were camping, but he hoped they had picked a good spot. Yasui was beginning to grow impatient when he saw the three herbivores walking towards him. Yasui waved as they got closer.
"Hey, Shinrai. Hey, you two."
Don the rabbit and Kashi the alpaca nodded as Shinrai hefted his bag on his shoulder.
"You excited for this camping trip?"
Yasui shrugged.
"I guess. I don't know where we're going yet, and I hope you guys have everything we need."
Don jabbed a thumb towards his bulging bag and the duffel Kashi was carrying.
"We've got snacks, tents, and all the other important stuff. Everything's covered."
Satisfied, Yasui fell in behind them as they walked down the hill towards the bus station. As they did, Kashi trailed backwards to speak with Yasui.
"Yasui, you and I are going to share the big tent while Don and Shinrai share the little one. Is that okay with you?"
"I'm fine with it if you are." Yasui replied. "I'd understand if you were a little hesitant about sharing a tent with me. Mainly because you don't know me very well."
"It doesn't bother me. So long as you don't snore."
It was a short bus ride out of the city proper and to a station near a road that led to one of the local parks. Apparently there was a campground there too, because that's where Shinrai and Don led them.
After an almost forty minute hike, the boys came to a pristine campground located on a small rise overlooking a lake. Yasui whistled.
"Wow. Good spot."
Don grinned.
"I know, right! And it wasn't even hard to book. I guess not many people go camping in early February."
Yasui shook his head as he got closer to the flat area. There was still a decent amount of snow on the ground, but some recent rain had melted it down into a dirty layer of gunk over the brown grass.
"You're probably going to find out why."
The four boys began taking the tents out of their bags and carefully affixing the rigged skeleton of the structures to the ground. As Yasui hammered tent pegs into the dirt, he glanced behind him at Shinrai and Don.
"Be sure you get that nailed down well. Don't want the tent to collapse in the night." Yasui called out. Don waved a hand casually.
"Yeah yeah, don't worry. We're doing fine."
Once Yasui was satisfied with his and Don's tent, they stored their bags and sleeping bags inside. As they finished up, Yasui watched Shinrai and Don clumsily assemble their tent.
"Need a hand?" Yasui asked. Shinrai shook his head.
"No, but if you want to go gather some firewood that'd be great. I want to make a nice, big fire tonight so we stay warm while working on the project."
Yasui nodded.
"Sounds good. I'll get started then. Once you're done you should make us a fire pit."
As Yasui headed towards the woods, Kashi followed him.
"Mind if I help?" Kashi asked. Yasui shrugged.
"The more the merrier."
The forest around the campsite wasn't nearly as deep as the one on the mountain back at Yasui's home, but it was decently large. There was also a healthy amount of deadfall to gather, even if lots of it was too wet for a fire. Yasui was inspecting some smaller branches to use as kindling, tossing ones that were too damp or rotten away while adding usable ones to his pile when Kashi trudged over through the snow.
"Yasui. Are these good?"
Yasui turned and inspected the larger pieces of wood that Kashi had tucked in his arms. Yasui slowly inspected each piece and clicked his tongue.
"Let's see… this one's rotten. You can tell because of how easily it falls apart. Watch."
Yasui clasped the firewood in question and bent it in half. Rather than snap like a stick usually would, it instead disintegrated into a pulpy mess. Yasui then picked up another piece.
"And this one's a bit too wet. It won't burn well, and will make a lot of smoke. What you're looking for is stuff like this."
Yasui gave Kashi one of the pieces he had and showed him how to break a piece off to check for quality. Kashi nodded pensively.
"I see. Thanks for telling me."
Yasui nodded and returned to his task. He could feel Kashi staring at him before the alpaca finally spoke.
"Hey, Yasui?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you gone camping often?"
Yasui snapped a rotten stick in half and threw both pieces deeper into the wood.
"We went camping every year. There was a lake we'd hike out to each summer. Not exactly much else to do in a farming village but go camping."
"Sounds fun. I've never been camping before, that's why I was so eager to do this. I've always wanted to go on a camping trip."
Yasui glanced over his shoulder at the alpaca.
"You ever ask your parents to take you camping before?"
Kashi shrugged.
"Not really. They're both involved in politics, and have never spent much time with me. Even before I went to boarding school I usually only saw them a few times a week. I was raised by a nanny."
Yasui frowned.
"Sorry to hear that."
"It's not a big deal. Some people have it worse." Kashi then scratched his head uncomfortably.
"Hey, Yasui? Can I ask what it's like to be a hybrid? Sorry if it's rude, but I'm really curious. I've never met a hybrid before."
Yasui grit his teeth. He frequently would dye his fur to hide his more obvious hybrid characteristics, but he hadn't recently because of how distracted he was. Yasui snorted.
"It sucks. I wish I wasn't a hybrid. Pretty much everyone treats me like a freak and I live with the knowledge that I was an accident my birth parents had and decided to abandon."
"Oh… I'm sorry if it's a sore topic." Kashi murmured. Yasui just shrugged in response. After a moment the alpaca spoke again.
"Part of me wishes I was a hybrid, just so I could be special somehow. I just think it would be nice to know you're something rare and unusual. I mean, you have a very unique and interesting coat of fur. That's got to be nice at least."
Yasui laughed.
"Yeah. Back when I first came here a thug tried to skin me alive for it. Believe me, if I could make you a hybrid instead of me, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Kashi fell silent before sighing.
"I'll go check on the others."
Yasui listened to the crunch of snow as Kashi left. He definitely could have handled that a bit better, but in his defense they had been extremely personal questions. Feeling a little bad, Yasui finished gathering his firewood and returned to the campground. It was there he saw Shinrai and his friends doing… something.
They had gotten the small trowel from their camping gear and used it to dig a surprisingly deep hole in the dirt. As Yasui watched, they continued to widen and deepen the hole. Shinrai noticed him and waved.
"Yasui! Check out the fire pit!"
Yasui hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Uh, you know that a fire pit isn't actually a pit, right? At least, not a deep one. It's just a place where you clear the snow and grass and arrange stones in a circle to help control your fire."
Shinrai paused what he was doing and stared at Yasui. Finally the squirrel sighed.
"Well, we know that now!"
Yasui shook his head with a smirk. (City boys through and through.) It was then that Don gave Yasui an expectant look.
"Ah, good. When can you make the toilet? I sort of need to take a leak."
"You're kidding, right?" Yasui laughed. "You want me to make a toilet?"
"Well where do you go to the bathroom while camping?" Shinrai asked. The other boys were looking at him expectantly. Yasui grinned and pointed to the forest.
"Right there. If you have to pee, go pee on a tree."
"Oh… then what happens if we have to, you know, go number two?" Kashi asked nervously. Yasui picked up the trowel they had been using and gestured with it.
"What do you think this is for? Dig a hole, drop your package, and bury it."
"And what about toilet paper?" Don asked in a panic. Yasui raised an eyebrow.
"Did you bring any?"
"No."
"Then use a leaf."
Kashi gagged and Don shuddered. Yasui heard the rabbit mutter about not liking camping anymore. Shinrai shook himself before clasping his hands together.
"Right. We have the tents set up and the fire pit ready. When do we gather the food?"
Yasui slowly turned his head towards Shinrai with a deadpan look.
"Shinrai, please tell me you're joking."
"About what, gathering food? Isn't that what you do when you're camping? You know, forage for food."
"Please tell me you brought food." Yasui said with a groan. Shinrai shifted from foot to foot.
"Well… a little bit. Mainly just snacks. I really thought we were going to forage for stuff."
Yasui clasped his head in his hands.
"Shinrai, it is the middle of winter! What did you think we'd find?"
"I dunno I've never been camping before! I thought you'd know all sorts of food we can eat!"
"I grew up on a farm!" Yasui exclaimed. "Not a cave! You bring food with you when you camp! And you might pick berries or something as a fun snack, but not for all the food!"
Shinrai held up his hands.
"Geez! My bad! We'll manage with the snacks!"
Yasui groaned and turned back towards the
woods. Kashi called after him.
"Where are you going?"
"To get more firewood!" Yasui snapped. "And to see if I can find us anything edible."
As he left, Shinrai rubbed his arms.
"Well he's grumpy today."
Don raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, this time you totally deserve it."
Yasui stalked into the forest and began gathering firewood so violently it was as if the material had insulted him. He wasn't exactly mad at Shinrai…. Okay, he was mad at Shinrai. This was supposed to be a fun camping trip, and all it was turning out to be was "Yasui do this for us" over and over.
"They could at least say thanks!" Yasui growled. He was beginning to feel like a servant to three herbivores who viewed him as some sort of sideshow oddball. The wild, barbarian hybrid. Some sort of savage who lived in the mountains and ate tree bark.
Yasui sighed and leaned against a tree. Maybe this was all just in his head. He was already a bit testy because Miss Diana was still ignoring him. They probably hadn't meant to be overbearing and rude. And the worst part was he actually did know what types of foods he could gather out here. It was mainly just the principle of the thing.
Once Yasui had a healthy stock of firewood, he began looking for telltale signs of edibles. In a forest region near water like this, there was bound to be plenty of vegetables and mushrooms. Sure enough, in a clearing that was probably another campsite, Yasui found tons and tons of mugwort. It was a slender little plant with a truly weird smell, but it tasted pretty good in a soup. Coupled with a few edible mushrooms he had found while gathering sticks, Yasui had the start of a decent soup.
On his way back to camp, Yasui detoured as he found a small pond absolutely overflowing with butterbur plants. While bitter, they were nutritious and had great texture when cooked. So long as they at least had salt and some form of seasoning, Yasui could make something for them to eat. Although Yasui was extremely mad about how he was going to look, walking out of the woods with a bundle of sticks under one arm and his coat filled with foraged plants under the other. Next they would be asking him to walk on all fours and speak only in grunts.
Upon returning to the campsite, Yasui found the three herbivores sitting around on their phones. He dropped the firewood and looked expectantly at them.
"What are you three doing?"
Don pointed to his phone.
"Getting a headstart on the project. I'd rather not have to spend all night working on it. We've got to tell scary stories and typical camping activities."
Kashi tilted his head curiously.
"What's in the coat?"
Yasui set his jaw and began placing the food he'd found into the metal pot that had come with the camping set the boys had gotten.
"I found some things that we can cook up."
Shinrai leapt to his feet and pointed accusatively at Yasui.
"I knew it! I knew you could forage for food! And you made me seem like a jerk for it!"
"Making me do all the work on your camping trip you invited me on does make you a jerk!" Yasui snapped back. Shinrai was about to reply when he frowned and shrugged.
"Okay, fair enough. Sorry for dumping all this on you, bud. Just tell me what to do and I'll help."
Yasui set Shinrai to work getting water for their dinner while he chopped the ingredients with a pocket knife. Yasui had to explain to the other boys that they needed to boil the water first or they could get sick, which led to more confusion on their end. Finally, as the sun began to set, Yasui had everything set up and the soup was ready to eat. As the stars came out, they all got their worksheets out and began sketching and completing star charts and weather reports.
In Yasui's eyes, it was a little bit of a dumb assignment. He understood that it was useful to know this stuff, but having them do a whole project about it seemed overkill. But at least it was easy. And soon, the boys were putting away completed reports and sitting in folding chairs around the campfire.
As the flames flickered in the darkness, Yasui lifted his head and looked to the horizon. Dark clouds were rolling towards them, and would probably be overhead by the time they were asleep. He hoped the tents were high enough quality to not leak. As he was watching the weather, Don rubbed his hands together.
"Alright. Who's got some good stories?"
Shinrai leaned forward and eagerly grinned.
"Oh! I've got one! So apparently, somewhere in the city, there's a mysterious building. They claim it was once a club where animals of all types would gather to drink and dance and party all night. But according to rumors, the owner was a devil worshiper! And so, one night, he locked all the doors while the patrons were still inside and lit the building on fire as a sacrifice to his dark lord. Everyone inside burned to ash, and the owner disappeared without a trace. But if you go into the burned out building, you can see shapes flickering past your vision and hear the screams of the burning animals."
Shinrai nodded in a self-satisfied way and leaned back in his chair. Yasui was a bit unnerved because of all the devil worship stuff. Being from a small village he was pretty superstitious, and that stuff gave him the heebie jeebies. Don scoffed.
"Weak. Try this one on. Apparently there was this creepy old taxi driver who was obsessed with this one lady. He was a lonely old guy who wanted a wife. So one day, he sees her hailing a taxi, and picks her up. But instead of taking her where she wants to go, he kidnaps her and brings her to his home where he forces her to be his bride! The police eventually found him, but the lady was never seen again."
Everyone fell into a waiting silence as the fire crackled, burning down into embers. Kashi sighed.
"I'm not good at this. The best thing I can think of is that apparently there's some secret club in the city for deviant behavior where rich people go to do naughty things."
Don and Shinrai boo'd Kashi, who sheepishly fell silent. Eventually, Shinrai pointed to Yasui.
"You got any cool scary stories from back home?"
Yasui shrugged as he moved to the pot of soup slowly simmering over the fire. He tested it and nodded.
"I'll try to think of one. But for now, the soup's ready."
Yasui began carefully dishing out the soup with the single spoon that had been included with the camping supplies. For the most part, he just carefully poured the hot liquid into the assorted cups the boys had and tried not to burn his fingers on the pot. As they sat down and drank their soup, Don smacked his lips.
"Y'know, it's not bad for essentially being made from random plants you found. Could use some more flavor, but it's edible."
Yasui gave Don a blank look.
"Tell you what, if you want more flavor go walk back to the nearest store and buy me some spices. Otherwise, be glad that Shinrai had that salt packet in his coat pocket. It could have been a lot worse."
Kashi shivered and held his soup with both hands.
"I'm just glad it's hot! That wind is cutting right through me."
Yasui settled down into his chair and stared into the flames. This had always been his favorite part of camping. Sitting around the fire, just watching the hypnotic flames. It was peaceful. But once again, he felt out of place with the three herbivores. Not that it was something new for him. More and more recently Yasui felt out of place everywhere he went.
Once the soup was finished, Shinrai pulled his coat closer and jerked his chin at Yasui.
"Did you think of a story yet?"
Yasui shrugged.
"There's one, but it's not a ghost story. Just a story from back home that really gives me the creeps."
The assembled boys eagerly "ooh"ed and leaned closer. Yasui folded his hands in his lap and looked into the campfire.
"Well, before I was born, there was this family of deer that lived a little ways away from my village. Two little kids and their parents. Probably close to an hour further up the mountain. Anyway, winters are always brutal back home. Sometimes we'll get blizzards that will snow us into our homes for days or even weeks. But this winter was especially bad, so much so that people were trapped for close to a month. But it was worse for that family."
Yasui shifted and rubbed his hands together nervously.
"You see, the road to their house got blocked by an avalanche that buried their entire house. Everyone was sure they'd died in the avalanche itself, that their house had been crushed. But when they finally cleared the snow piles months later in the spring to check for any remains, they found the house still standing under the snow."
As Yasui paused to take a drink, he heard Don mutter a quiet "holy crap." Yasui gulped. This was the part that had given him nightmares when he first heard it.
"So they go into the house, and as expected it reeks in there of decaying bodies. They find the parents lying on the floor, little more than skeletons. But they found the emaciated bodies of the kids under the table, and they're still fresh. When the police retrieved the bodies for autopsy, they said that the kids had died only a few weeks ago. But the most disturbing part was that they found teeth marks on the skeletons of the parents. Which was how the kids had survived for so long."
The campsite was silent except for the crackling of the fire. Don, Kashi, and Shinrai were staring at Yasui with expressions of absolute horror on their faces. Finally, Don shuddered and rubbed his arms.
"Dude, you've got a twisted imagination to come up with that."
Yasui frowned.
"I didn't make it up. Just look up 'Mishiranu Avalanche Deaths' and you'll see the police report."
Don and Shinrai rolled their eyes, but Kashi looked up at them in horror from his phone.
"He's right. It's real. It says here that twenty-six years ago this family got buried in their house. That when the parents died the children, a ten year old boy and eight year old girl, resorted to cannibalism to survive."
Don grew pale, while Shinrai audibly gagged. Yasui watched with a touch of guilt as the three herbivores sat nervously experiencing various forms of disgust simultaneously. Maybe he shouldn't have told them that story. He was really having a bad week. He just felt… wrong.
The herbivores jumped as the wind shrieked suddenly around them. The campfire dimmed down to faint embers. To Yasui, it was a little dark as the clouds blotted out the moon. It would probably rain soon. But to the herbivores it was suddenly darker than ink. Shinrai got up and hurriedly collapsed his chair and put it back into the bag.
"I-I think I'll turn in now. Really tired, and all that."
Don nodded and hurried after the squirrel, using his phone as a flashlight. Yasui sighed and began smothering the fire. Kashi just sat in his chair, staring vacantly up at the sky. By now the clouds had covered the stars and the wind was really blowing hard. The alpaca stood and helped Yasui put everything away that needed storing before clambering into the tent that the two larger boys were sharing.
Once Yasui was satisfied that the campsite was secure, he made his way into the tent and began getting ready for bed. Once his teeth were brushed and he was wearing a pair of shorts without a shirt to sleep in, Yasui slid into his sleeping bag and did his best to get comfortable. Kashi was already in his, watching Yasui get ready by the light of the small electric lantern in the middle of the tent. Yasui looked at the alpaca and smiled.
"Maybe my story was a little too scary."
"They'll be fine." Kashi replied. "Don't worry about it."
Yasui settled into the warm sleeping bag and stretched. Personally, he had always disliked using a sleeping bag when he'd gone camping. It just got way too stuffy when it was used in the spring. But while camping during the winter, it was actually very comfortable.
Time passed, and Yasui began to relax. He always had trouble falling asleep in a new place, so it was no surprise that it was taking longer to drift off now. At least the rain made a soothing noise on the tent's roof. As Kashi's breathing became slow and deep, Yasui rolled over and listened to the growing storm outside. The campsite was probably going to be a mess tomorrow.
Suddenly loud screams ripped through the night. Yasui sat up immediately and looked around in confusion. Kashi woke up with a startled cry and turned a frightened look to Yasui. As Yasui turned the lantern back on and got out of his sleeping bag, the entrance to their tent opened and Yasui watched as the forms of Don and Shinrai slipped inside and hurriedly closed the tent behind them.
Both boys were soaked to the skin and shivering. Immediately Yasui moved over to them.
"Holy crap! What happened, are you okay?"
Shinrai shook icy water off his arms and shuddered.
"No we're not okay! Our tent collapsed!"
Don looked miserably in the direction of their tent.
"The wind knocked it over or something. I just know one minute I was sleeping and the next I have a tent on top of me and am getting soaked!"
Yasui pulled a spare blanket he'd thrown into his bag out for Shinrai to use as a towel. The squirrel pulled off his soaked clothes, standing dripping wet in his underwear as he tried to dry off. Yasui handed him a shirt that was so long it was practically a dress on Shinrai. As the squirrel got changed and began rubbing his arms to try to warm up, Don took the blanket and began stripping and drying off as well. Yasui looked between the two smaller boys before crawling back into his sleeping bag.
"I think you'll have to sleep in here tonight. I don't know how you want to—"
"Dibs on sharing with you!" Shinrai said in a shivery voice and crawled into the sleeping bag. The squirrel immediately let out a sigh of relief and huddled into the soft material. Yasui gave him a deadpan look as Shinrai pressed against him.
"I forgot how freaking warm you are, dude!" Shinrai laughed. "You're like a living space heater!"
Yasui rolled his eyes.
"Okay, as soon as you're not shivering anymore you need to give me some room."
Shinrai nodded. Don, still shivering in his underwear, looked at Shinrai and laughed.
"Dude, that is so weird. You can't just go and do something like that without getting called a weirdo."
Shinrai poked his head up to stick his tongue out at the rabbit before huddling back against Yasui. Don turned his gaze on Kashi.
"I guess we're sharing a sleeping bag, Kashi."
The alpaca snorted.
"No way. You know I don't do touching. See if Yasui will let you snuggle with him."
"Dude! I am not sharing a sleeping bag with those two! Yours has enough room so that we won't touch… much."
Kashi adamantly shook his head. Don huffed and looked around. He pulled Kashi's coat out of his bag and curled up under it on the floor of the tent. Yasui couldn't imagine he was comfortable. It was a tent, so there wasn't any form of heating inside. And based on the audible chattering of Don's teeth, the rabbit was feeling the chill.
Yasui turned out the lantern and got comfortable again. Although this time he had Shinrai pressed against his shoulder. It took less than three minutes for Don's willpower to run out. With a muttered curse, Don groped his way over to Yasui's sleeping bag and nudged Shinrai.
"Shinrai, move over!"
"No." Came Shinrai's response. "You said this was weird. If you want to get in, ask Yasui to make some room for you!"
"Don't be a dick, Shinrai! Just scoot over a bit!"
Shinrai made a rude gesture in the dark that Yasui was pretty sure only he could see. Don sighed and moved to Yasui's other side and grasped his arm as he blindly felt around.
"Yasui, can you—"
"I could hear all that you know. Fine, give me a second."
Yasui pushed Shinrai as far as the sleeping bag allowed and moved after him, creating a decent sized space for Don. The rabbit clambered into the bag and tried not to touch Yasui. Don huffed.
"Could you, like, lie on your side or something? Or sleep with your back towards me so you don't take up as much space? I'm sure Shinrai won't care if you two are spooning."
"Screw yourself, Don." Shinrai muttered. Kashi groaned.
"Please don't. I really don't want to hear that."
Yasui grunted unhappily.
"Both of you shut up and go to sleep. You're lucky I'm not making you sleep on the floor."
Shinrai reached up and patted Yasui's head.
"You wouldn't do that. You're too nice."
Yasui rolled his eyes and tried to get comfortable. It was definitely a bit cramped now, but not horrible. Fortunately both Don and Shinrai were small animals.
When Yasui woke up the next morning, he looked down in confusion at what Don and Shinrai were doing. Apparently they had shifted around a lot in the night, because they were no longer evenly spaced out away from him. Shinrai was currently lying face-down on Yasui's stomach, with his legs slanting off across Yasui's ribs. Meanwhile Don had gotten his head on top of Yasui's arm, and accidentally had his face in Yasui's armpit. Yasui frowned and slowly moved the rabbit's head away from him before trying to budge Shinrai off his torso.
As Yasui tried to slowly move the squirrel, Shinrai muttered and clung onto Yasui with his sharp little squirrel claws. Yasui bit his lip at the discomfort, and shifted slightly. It was then that Don rolled back over and wrapped his arms around Yasui's upper ribs, using the hybrid's shoulder as a pillow. Eventually, Don's eyes flickered open and he hurriedly moved away. He then saw Shinrai and started laughing.
"Wow, Shinrai. Should I give you two some privacy?"
Shinrai blearily lifted his head and looked around in a daze. He rubbed his eyes and slowly slid off of Yasui.
"Dude… I don't think I've ever slept so hard. What… year is it?"
"Same year as last night." Yasui grumbled as he shook his head. Don snickered and grinned at Shinrai.
"Shinrai, you've got some explaining to do. You seemed pretty happy up there. Do we need to check Yasui's fur for wet spots?"
Yasui turned a disdainful look to Don as Kashi rolled over and muttered for them to shut up.
"That's some big talk coming from the guy who was kissing my armpit." Yasui deadpanned. Shinrai snorted with laughter as Don spluttered and wiped his mouth. Soon, they were packing up the campsite and heading back the way they came. It had been alright in Yasui's opinion, but not the best camping trip he'd been on.
The trip back was a pretty standard bus ride, and Yasui half watched Shinrai play some game on his phone. As they sat on the bus, Yasui turned his attention to Shinrai.
"Hey, Shinrai. Doing anything when you get back?"
"Yeah. Going to go see a movie with Hikaru." Shinrai said without looking up. "You got any plans?"
Yasui shrugged and leaned back in his seat. After a moment, Shinrai gave Yasui a furtive look.
"Hey, uh, can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Yasui said with a nod. Shinrai sighed and rubbed his hand on his pants leg.
"What do you think about Hikaru?"
Yasui frowned and scratched his ear.
"I'm not sure I get what you're asking."
"Like… do you like her? And what do you like about her?"
"Well…." Yasui mulled it over a bit before continuing.
"She seems nice I guess. I haven't spent much time with her though. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering." Shinrai absentmindedly replied. "I've been wondering what type of guy she likes… just for fun! Like, a fun little question."
Yasui frowned.
"I don't know. Sorry."
After that Shinrai was quiet for most of the ride back to school. And upon arriving back at Cherryton Yasui realized he had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of his weekend. Everyone else at school had plans, even Jack and the 701 guys. And to make it worse he still hadn't heard back from Miss Diana. He was definitely feeling a bit abandoned by everyone, and wanted to be with others. He'd spent so long by himself when he was younger that he didn't want to just sit around and do nothing.
It was as Yasui was unpacking that he felt something in his coat pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Yasui remembered where he got it, it was from the deer he had met at the Odd Soul Festival. They had been fun to talk to, and had said they wanted to meet up again. Yasui smiled and punched the number into his phone. Apparently he was going to become Rin once again.
That Sunday, Hokabe the deer was sitting in the mall with his girlfriend Maya and her friend Eleanor. Hokabe scanned the crowd for Rin the red deer, who was supposed to meet them. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him.
"Looking for Rin?"
Hokabe nodded.
"Yeah. But I don't exactly know what he looks like because he was so bundled up last time."
Eleanor, like usual, was sitting quietly a bit away. If Hokabe was being honest he wasn't particularly close with Eleanor because of how shy she was. But Maya insisted on bringing her along. That was part of why he wanted Rin to join them, so Eleanor wasn't just awkwardly third-wheeling. Hokabe was shaken out of his reverie as Maya tapped his shoulder.
"There he is. Huh, he's dressed the exact same."
Sure enough, Hokabe watched as Rin walked over. Rin was tall and slender, and had a bizarre way of walking. He sort of slunk along with his back arched rather than walk normally. Same gloves and face mask as before, as well as glasses over heavy-lidded eyes that typically were either on the floor or ceiling. He also was still wearing his hood up, which was a bit strange. Rin was definitely a bit odd, but surprisingly interesting to talk to with a very unique outlook on things.
Hokabe waved, and Rin joined them at the bench they were sitting at. Hokabe grinned.
"What's up, Rin?"
Rin bobbed his head, giving a small wave with a gloved hand.
"Hey, I'm doing fine."
Maya giggled and leaned her head onto Hokabe's shoulder.
"Do anything fun this weekend?"
Rin nodded.
"I went camping with friends Friday night. Part of a school project."
"That sounds fun." Maya replied. The three deer stood up to join Rin. Maya took Hokabe's hand and gestured upwards.
"Hokabe promised to take me to Voila Luxara. They have a sale going on and I love their purses. I'm also going to try to convince Eleanor to get one too. Her purse is so old it's ridiculous."
Eleanor averted her eyes shyly. It was almost comical how opposite Eleanor and Maya were. Maya was tall and graceful with a beautiful face and outgoing personality. Eleanor was short and a bit stocky with stumpy limbs and no coordination at all. As the four animals entered the store, Maya began picking up purses and examining them. Hokabe and Rin watched as Maya pestered Eleanor.
"How about this one, Elly? You like tan, right?"
"It's fine." Eleanor shrugged. "But… I don't like how small it is."
Maya sighed.
"Well which style do you like?"
Eleanor looked at the purses before pointing to one.
"I like that style, but not the color. I would want a brown or black one, not red."
The girls hemmed and hawed for a bit before bemoaning the fact that they couldn't find the perfect purse for Eleanor. Rin picked up the purse Eleanor had pointed out and walked over to the sales associate, a tall lioness wearing a tasteful uniform.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Rin asked the lioness. The lion turned and gave Rin a surprised look. She eventually adopted a pacifying, saccharine smile that hid her teeth and clasped her hands, covering her claws.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"My friend is looking for a purse like this one, but not this color. Do you sell it in either black or brown?"
The lioness gave him a curious smile.
"Well… we'd have to go check the back. I can see if our other associate—" the lioness gestured to a pigeon working the register. "—can help you when she's done with those customers."
Rin tilted his head.
"Can you check? I don't want to be a bother, and she looks busy."
The lioness blinked in surprise.
"I… guess I can. Right this way."
The lioness ushered Rin into the back, leaving Hokabe and friends absolutely speechless.
"Holy crap." Maya whispered. "Does he have, like, no fear?"
It was one thing to say that you stood for equal treatment of all animals, and another to ignore natural instincts that caused you to be terrified of carnivores. Especially large carnivores. After a few minutes, Rin returned holding a purse similar to the red one he had been holding and gave it to Eleanor. Eleanor stared at him in shock as Rin then turned to the lioness and bowed.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Gardinia. You've been a massive help."
The lioness smiled brightly at Rin, not bothering to hide her teeth, and clasped her hands together.
"I'm happy to help! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day."
Rin tilted his head, eyes on the lioness's claws.
"That's a very pretty color of polish you have on your claws. It suits you well."
The lioness visibly blushed and laughed.
"Oh my! You're such a flirtatious young man!"
Rin shook his head.
"I just try to be kind when I can. Thank you once again."
The lioness beamed and waved goodbye as Rin accompanied the three deer up to the register. Hokabe laughed and looked from Rin to the lion and back again.
"What was that about?"
Rin shrugged.
"She seemed a bit stressed and sad. I wanted to cheer her up."
Once they had paid and exited the store, Maya pulled her boyfriend aside just a bit and subtly motioned towards Rin.
"Wow. That is one strange deer."
Hokabe laughed.
"I know, but it's actually a bit impressive. I wish I found it that easy to treat carnivores like they didn't make me nervous."
(That night, deep in the city.)
Rikimaru grunted as he disappointedly tore up yet another note. Dead end after dead end. He and Teressa, his information broker slash Inarigumi contact, had met limited success chasing this elusive "Fox Queen" of the black market. The illicit fur trader seemed to be the most paranoid person Rikimaru had ever encountered. She never met with anyone in person, and operated solely via dead drops and couriers.
Teressa sighed and leaned back in her seat. The two were sitting in an all-night diner where they regularly convened to check up on each other's progress. The fox gave him a dejected look.
"That was the last of my potential leads. I've dried up all my resources. Do you have anything else we can work with?"
Rikimaru scowled and crossed his arms.
"I don't think so. I did have one lead, but she was supposed to meet me here an hour ago. I think she's a bust."
Both dog and fox stared disheartened at the table. Weeks of searching with nothing to show for it. They didn't even know this fur trader's species. Teressa rubbed her eyes.
"This is so frustrating! The only real lead towards Crimson Smile we have, and we can't pin her down! Just who is this psycho?"
"I'm starting to feel like this might be a bust. We might have to go back to square one and look for another connection to our serial killer."
As Teressa was about to speak, the clicking sound of high heels on linoleum approached the two. The fox watched as a pretty okapi wearing a thick overcoat sat down beside Rikimaru and raised an eyebrow.
"So you're the guy who Rose said to meet. You fit the description. Tall bloodhound, handsome, and definitely looks best wearing a collar and chain. Where is your collar, doggy? Did Mistress Rose give you permission to take it off?"
Rikimaru cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"You're late, Cosmo. Were, uh, were you able to, uh… you know."
The okapi crossed one leg over the other, revealing a lot of fur.
"For your information, I was working and things ran long. And yes, I do have what you need."
Teressa shot Rikimaru a mischievous look as Cosmo undid her coat to reach into an inner pocket. Under the coat she was wearing the smallest, tightest underwear possible. Her massive chest was practically spilling out the top. She showed Rikimaru a folded piece of paper. As the former police captain reached for it, she pulled the paper away.
"Ah, ah, ah! Bad dog. Pay first, then you get your treat."
Rikimaru avoided Teressa's eyes as he fished a roll of bills out of his coat and held them out to Cosmo. The okapi smiled mischievously.
"Now where am I going to store that? My hands are full, so you'll have to tuck it somewhere secure for me."
Rikimaru's face was hot enough to cook on as he awkwardly pushed the roll of money into Cosmo's ample cleavage. The okapi gave him a smoky laugh and kissed his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick mark.
"Rose is right, you are fun to tease. Say hi to her for me, it's been a while since I swapped venues. Bye now, if you want to see more just come by where I dance. I guarantee it'll leave you… breathless."
And with that, the okapi was sashaying away from the table. As she left, Teressa grinned.
"What was that about?"
Rikimaru coughed and opened the paper.
"Nevermind. Let's see what she said."
Rikimaru read the message before sliding it to Teressa. The fox scanned the words quickly before pursing her lips. On the paper was two lines of text.
(Maid wanted. Applicants report to the abandoned laundromat on fifth alley by February twelfth.)
Teressa turned the paper over and frowned.
"We sure it's the right person?"
"Only one way to find out." Rikimaru growled. Teressa smiled at him, and giggled girlishly.
"I guess I'll have to find a maid we can trust. Nice work, puppy."
Rikimaru grumbled angrily as Teressa flounced away, laughing at his embarrassment the whole time. Rikimaru settled back into his seat and was about to order a coffee when his phone buzzed. He looked down and saw a text message from his source, the lioness from the BDSM club.
Mistress: I heard my plaything was naughty today.
Mistress: You know you have to ask permission to take off your collar.
Rikimaru swore under his breath. Whether it was at Cosmo for telling Mistress Rose, or himself for going back to that BDSM club he wasn't sure. As much as he told himself it was purely to generate leads, the excuse fell flat after his fifth visit to the lioness dominatrix. He apparently took too long to reply, because his phone buzzed again.
Mistress: Cosmo was right, you are being a naughty doggy. I'll have to put you in your place. Come to the club, now. I'm getting my chamber ready as we speak.
Mistress: You're in luck. I invited Cosmo and she said she wanted to join in for some fun too. I'll let her have a turn with you after you've been bent over my knee and thoroughly disciplined. Then, you're going in the cage for a while until you learn to behave. Don't be late, or you'll only make it worse.
Rikimaru hung his head and sighed. This investigation was never, ever going to stop ruining his life. He couldn't even begin to comprehend how far he'd fallen since his time as police captain. Rikimaru texted back a quick "Yes, Mistress." Before swearing.
"I'm going to be so sore tomorrow."