When I Met Yukkuri - Ch1: Gold-Badge Marisa & Me
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Hitosura
Nov 24, 2015, 12:18:09 AM11/24/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
It was at least a month since the incident. It still gnawed on me -- I grieved in a weird way. It didn't get me down, I just missed them as part of my routine, for the short time I included them. I had two cats like that once -- they were with me for only a few months before one got hit by a car and the other simply vanished. I enjoyed their company until they day they were gone, and when they were gone, I missed them. I still sometimes do.
I noticed strays here and there on my way to and from work. I walked. Two miles there, two miles back. Good for keeping myself in shape and saving a boatload of money on gas. Other animals lived along the path -- from iguanas, to turtles, squirrels, and various types of birds. The yukkuri were a bit of a welcome sight -- something out of the ordinary. The yukkuri seemed to like trying to keep out-of-sight -- like any other animal. I couldn't tell if it was simply instinct, as most animals in the wild avoid 'larger' animals for fear of being prey, or if perhaps they had some kind of instinct that made them reluctant to show themselves to humans. I read somewhere that they inherit memories of their parents, and that's how they've adapted to living around towns, cities, and even the forests -- those who survive pass the memories on. Regardless, I'd try to wave to them as I passed by. Most seemed to quickly duck behind trees in order to avoid being noticed. Others would return the gesture.
One particular day, I needed to pick up some provisions from the grocery store. That walk was just short of a mile. It was when I reached the shopping center that I heard a ruckus. A familiar voice to my ears, and an unfamiliar one. When I turned the corner, I saw them -- it was an adult-sized Marisa arguing with some guy. The Marisa seemed distress -- the tears in her eyes, the slurred speech, and the desperate expression. She was caked in layers of dirt. Gave it all away. Curiously, I eavesdropped on the situation. From what I gathered, he was giving her an option. He apparently took her hat, and was holding something else in his other hand. She begged him to return it.
"Whad are you saying?! Both are precious! Gibe dem both back!" she blubbered.
"I didn't offer both of them; I said only one," he countered.
I edged my way towards him. I kept an eye out for anyone who might notice me. Seemed quiet today, though everyone who passed by seemed to ignore the situation.
"If you don't choose quickly, I'm keeping both," he said, as she thought.
Despair painted her face. Her tears continued. What was so important in his other hand?
"You decide?" he asked after a few moments.
I moved closer. He was within range. I was on a bad angle; couldn't see the small object in his other hand.
"Eh? I can't hear you," he taunted.
"I... I'll give you the liddle one's hat," she finally choked out.
The man seemed unimpressed. He dropped her hat back onto her head and started laughing.
"Selling your own child's hat!" he laughed out, "What a useless parent you are! Your child is probably cursing you right now from the next world! 'Why are you doing this?! Stupid trash parent should die easy!'"
I could feel my temples throbbing. I didn't know what was going on, but this guy was a jerk. Seriously, selling? Weren't both her's to begin with?
"But seriously, you're clever! A yukkuri without its accessory can never take it easy again, right? Choosing between a memento from your child and your own ability to take it easy is a no-brainer, right?" he laughed as he finished.
I really wasn't sure what was going on, but what was the point of all this? Was he just doing this because he didn't like yukkuri or something? And a memento? I processed it all, and felt my blood pressure go up. Marisa's despair seemed to lighten. She looked up at him from her tears.
"Well... take care... of little one's hat..." she said.
"Huh?" he replied, seemingly oblivious to the idea.
"Make sure you tend to it every day. Don't forget to wash it once a week. Also..."
"Wait up, wait up," he interrupted.
I saw his hand go for his pocket. A lighter was drawn. Oh, that was it. I quickly wrapped my left arm under his left arm and pressed my hand against his wrist. I lifted up, and pressed tension against his elbow and shoulder. My free hand reached and snatched the wrist with the lighter from the outside, and quickly locked in his arm. I pressed my fist against his back, locking the arm behind him. I lifted slightly, and forced him to arch his back away. He let out a sudden cry.
"What the hell, man?! Who..?!"
"Since we're into making deals, how about a counter-offer?"
"What the f-"
I lifted him slightly higher. He squirmed, but couldn't do much with me keeping him on his toes. He tried once to kick, but a quick twist of his body sent him dancing to stay upright.
"L-let me go!"
"Not until you hear my counter-offer."
I pressed tension into his elbow, which would surge up his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain.
"Give me what's in your left hand, or I break it off and keep both," I said calmly.
He struggled against me.
"What the hell, man?! You some kind of yukkuri lover or something?!"
I smirked.
"Maybe. Or maybe I just don't like bullies," I said.
My mind tried to wander back to my childhood. I kept it focused.
"F-fine! Take it! Take it!"
In one motion, I swept my hand over his and snatched it. I turned, took him with me, and threw him forward. He stumbled forward, nearly falling along the way. He turned to me and gave me the middle finger. I stretched out my arms and taunted him.
"C'mon. You wanna go?"
He wrinkled his forehead.
"Man, f that. I ain't got time for this," he said, turned, and walked way.
Yeah. That's what I thought. Coward. I hadn't even noticed what I took from him when I felt a light tug at my pant leg. My focus shifted down to the Marisa. No, the one who lived near me was never this dirty. This must have been another. There was an awe-struck look on her face, as if she'd never seen something like this before. A human who came to her rescue. Never knew that was all that unique.
"Misder human... pwease..."
I blinked a few times. She stared up at me and shifted back slightly. I knelt in front of her.
"Please what?"
"Pwease..." a light sob, "pwease give Madisa her pwecious widdle one's had bag..."
My eyes shot to the left for a moment. Translating... verifying... done. I opened my left hand. It was a small hat. The size and dimensions made it very similar to her's. Probably belonged to a koyukkuri. Must have been a memento from her child. That must have been what all the chatter was about. I dusted it off slightly with my free hand, then gently slid my finger under it. I looked down to her again and examined her. Boy, that guy must have really beat her up. Her face was swollen, and I could almost swear there were markings similar to a shoe over her head. Had I known that... never mind. Focus. She was a dirty Marisa, but about adult-sized. Something on her hat caught my eye -- a small hole with a slight outward tear.
"Marisa, do mister human an easy favor..."
Her expression shifted. She looked as if she didn't know whether to panic or cry harder.
"Take a deep mister breath," I said.
She looked confused for a moment, took in a deep breath (which, coincidentally, made her puff-puff).
"Now let it out slowly"
She exhaled the puff-puff. Her tears had slowed. I looked over to the nearby bench. It was empty. I looked back to her.
"Now, say that again without the slur."
"P... please, mister human," she started, "give Marisa back her precious little one's hat...?"
I looked to the hat on my finger. I was gonna have some fun with this one, first. Giving it back would be simple. Perhaps teaching her something would be better.
"Mmm... I dunno. You almost lost it, there. That scum human was about to burn it and steal away Marisa's precious memento," I started. I looked to her and continued, "Are you sure it wouldn't be safer in mister human's hands?"
I could see her mind was working. The thought was introduced, and it was being decided. It took her a few moments, and she simply shook her head. I grinned.
"Alright. You want it back? Okay. But I want something in exchange, since I took it back for you."
Despair slowly settled over her face again. I smiled.
"Mister wants a story."
Confusion and fluster came to the pastry's face.
"Yep. A story," I said, and held the small hat in front of me. "Tell me the story of this hat," I looked down to her, "and I'll give it back. No questions asked."
Hope! Boy, she was certainly good at expressions. I saw a little glimmer deep in those sugar-coated eyes. I looked around.
"But first, let's get a little more comfortable," I said, and motioned to the nearby benches.
She followed my motion, looked to me, and nodded. I stood up, walked to the bench, and sat down. She slid over, then hopped onto the bench next to me, turned and faced outward. I could see her working on it... her little core set to work, trying to recall all the events. She weaved a story about how proud of a father and husband she was, and how hard she worked to take care of her kids. They did their best to remain hidden on a human's house lot, but the human found them and beat her, and almost killed her child. She begged the man to spare them, and so he did, but vowed to destroy their easy place. She was beaten pretty badly, so she couldn't move, and told her child to run home and tell the rest of their family. When Marisa came-to, apparently, their easy place was already destroyed, but her family was nowhere to be found. Reimu never came home from hunt-hunt, along with their Reimu child, and Marisa had disappeared somewhere along with them. The only thing she found when she returned home was the hat. Upon finishing the story, I nodded and turned my gaze outward. Despite the kindergarten vernacular used to describe the tale, I did enjoy it a little.
"Well... Marisa told mister human about mister hat..."
I felt her eyes stare at me. I turned and looked to her. I nodded.
"Indeed. A good story," I said, and looked to the hat, "Well... a deal is a deal."
I shrugged and held the hat out to her in my palm. Tears came to her eyes as she moved to my hand, reached with her piu-piu, and gently took it from me. She hugged it gently against her cheek, then slid it back under her own hat. She looked up to me. There was that glimmer in her eyes again. I had a feeling what she was about to ask...
"M... mister...?"
I lifted an eyebrow as she started. Yep. She was gonna go for it. Funny, usually yukkuri who wanted to be adopted weren't so shy about asking. Or demanding. But she was. Or at least, she was with me. Maybe it was because...
"Yes?"
"P... please take Marisa home with you?"
I gave a facetious look of surprise.
"Marisa! Are you asking me to adopt you?"
"M-Marisa is gold-badge! She is house-trained and won't complain about food! So please~!"
I lifted my hand to silence her. She seemed to want to continue, but stopped. Good. She was trained. That could explain the hole in her hat -- it was ripped outward, as if something was torn off. Her badge could have been stolen by another yukkuri. Anything was possible. At any rate, I wasn't going to make it easy for her. I brought my hand to my chin and rubbed.
"Well. Mister could use a pet," I said, and leaned down. I examined her, "Gold-badge, huh?"
She gave several nods. Desperation was settling in. Again, my eyes glanced at that small hole in her hat.
"Y-yes! Marisa will be good! She won't eat all of mister's munch-munch, and won't complain!"
"Well... that does sound good, but Marisa should munch-munch if she's hungry. No sense in starving to death. That would make mister human uneasy."
She became confused and shook her head. She tried to explain, but I lifted my hand again. She continued for a moment, before her eyes moved to my hand, and she stopped. I lowered my hand.
"Okay, let's try something different," I started. I took in a breath and let it out, "Mister human will ask you a few easy questions. If Marisa answers them, mister may just decide to adopt you. Easy?"
She appeared to think about it for a moment, then nodded. She narrowed her eyes, a determined look enveloping them.
"So, let's start with.."
Let's see... what questions would I need to ask to figure out more about her? Well, let's start with the obvious.
"How did you wind up becoming a stray?"
She jolted. Apparently, she wasn't expecting to have to explain that. It wasn't as if I didn't know the answer, anyway.
"It's okay. Be honest. Mister won't judge."
Similar to before, she lowered her gaze, and curled her piu-piu over her face. She looked up at me and began telling the story. It was pretty much what I figured, though most of the details were different. So similar to the other stray family. She told me of how she met a Reimu that lived near their house. She spent a few minutes making sure I knew exactly how much she loved her. Poetic, almost. I had to nudge her to keep her talking. Her owner wanted her to earn a gold badge, and went though the hard process. She told me of all the spankings she took, and how some days she was very uneasy, but her mister human always treated her nicely after. Then the day came -- she earned the gold badge. After that, she brought Reimu home to meet her mister owner and introduce the family. Her owner was very angry with her and kicked her, Reimu, and their whole family out. After that, she turned her gaze away from me and told me of what it was like as a stray, and how what appeared to be one day, she lost her whole family.
"Sounds tough. But what do you need to be adopted for?"
She slowly turned and gazed at me.
"I mean, really," I looked down at her, "You're still alive, right? You could always find another Reimu if you stay out here. If you come with me, you won't be able to. Besides, you seem to be doing well."
She lowered her gaze.
"Marisa... doesn't like being stray... Marisa is... pet yukkuri."
I suppose that was the best she could come up with. I nodded.
"Okay. Fair enough," I said, "So, next question:" oh, this one was going to be sweet... "Who's fault is it that you were kicked out?"
She jumped slightly and looked to me.
"W-what? Why does Mister ask Marisa something she doesn't understand?!"
I held my hand out to her again to silence her.
"I'll give you the choices myself..." I drew in a breath, "You could blame mister human. After all, he kicked you out, right? All Marisa wanted to do was have a family of yus. Yukkuri can't be easy without a family of yus, right?"
She seemed to calm a bit. The frown on her face slowly receded. Option one: blame the obvious. Scum behavior. A scum would never take responsibility, even if they made a bad choice.
"Now, don't choose until I've listed them all, okay?" I knew I was saying that a bit late... "You could blame Reimu. After all, if you didn't meet her, you'd never have brought her home, been thrown out, lost your badge, and your entire family. You'd still be in your easy place with your mister human."
The neutral option. It wasn't clear from the story who approached who -- but love is a tricky subject, even if it's the love of a talking pastry to another talking pastry. Still somewhat scum behavior -- badge training teaches yukkuri to not associate with stray yukkuris, as they tend to be bad influences due to bad personality traits they may acquire while surviving on the street. Most strays become cunning, thieving, and lying. Not truly bad, when you consider they do it to maintain their survival. Now, for the big one:
"Or," I said, and paused for a second. I looked down at her, "Marisa is the one to blame."
She gasped. The idea had never crossed her little paste core. I continued.
"After all, it was Marisa who met a stray, when she knows she shouldn't have. If Marisa was really a gold badge, her mister human should have told her that. If Marisa never fell in love, she'd still be in her easy place, and --"
"Marisa..." she lowered her gaze as tears came to her eyes, "is a scum yukkuri..."
Well. Gold star on that response. Didn't even think she'd come up with it so quickly. I gently rubbed her cheek. A few tears rolled down her face, leaving open lines where the dirt was. She closed one eye and smiled slightly. She rubbed against my hand. It was good to see that she could admit her errors -- critics of yukkuri say that if you punish them, but they don't know what they did wrong when they apologize, then they didn't learn their lesson. Similar to training dogs -- rubbing their nose in their excrement to show them your displeasure.
"Well, despite it all, if it never happened, you'd never have gotten here, and met me, right? So, maybe in the end, it wasn't such a bad thing?"
She coo'd slightly. Guess she liked my rubs. Had plenty of cats who told me the same thing.
"Alright," I said, and brought my hand back to my lap, "I have most of what I need to know."
If she were a scum, she'd have gotten impatient and had either demand I take her, or would have simply left already. I thought of at least one more question.
"How do you know Mister human isn't an abyuser?"
She let out a light cry and nearly rolled over to the side. She quickly rolled back to her feet and stared up to me.
"D-... ga... M-mister couldn't be abyuser!"
I lifted a brow.
"Oh? Maybe I'm just trying to lure you into a false sense of security..." I slowly turned my head to her and gave her a slight grin, "just so I can make it all-the-more torturous..."
She seemed to panic for a second.
"N-no! Marisa doesn't believe it! Mister couldn't be scum! Mister would have never stood up to that scum human bully! Mister is easy human! Mister is very kind!"
I smirked. Yeah, okay, it's nice to be ego-stroked now and again.
"Alright," I said, and laughed slightly, "Now, give mister human a minute to think about it."
She nodded. I could see how anxious she was. I sat back and processed it all. Yeah, she made a bad call on that relationship thing, but does that mean she doesn't deserve a second chance? And what if it doesn't work out? Well, I could just put her back here. Besides all of this, what do I really have to lose besides some time and money? It'd be nice to have a pet in the house again, especially one that I could maybe train to greet me. Going home to an empty house is nice, though haunting at the same time.
"Alright. I thought about it," I turned my gaze to her, "Mister will take you home," I immediately put my hand up to calm her excitement... it didn't work too well, "BUT!," which stopped her, "As a guest."
She blinked and brought her piu-piu to her lip.
"Mister is saying things Marisa doesn't understand..."
"A guest. That means you won't entirely be a pet -- mister wants to make sure Marisa is a good pet first. Marisa can act this way here, and when he gets her home, go all scum on him. Mister doesn't want that, so he's going to take Marisa home as guest, because as guest, if Mister finds her rude or scum, Mister will have no problem taking Marisa and leaving her back here. Easy?"
Boy, was their language easy. Wait, now I'm doing it in my head? Anyway, she seemed to get it, and simply nodded.
"Marisa will be best yukkuri mister human ever had!"
Certainly hope so. You'll be the first, for that matter.
"Now, Mister has something else to do first," I said and stood up, "Mister came here to pick up some munch-munch for his easy place. Marisa, just hop under the bench and wait for Mister. I'll be back in a few minutes, easy?"
She nodded, slid off of the bench, and crawled under. She watched me and gave a sort-of thumbs-up with her braid. I nodded and entered the grocery store. Had to pick up some sundries for the homestead -- toothpaste, floss, and some snacks. Since I was going to have a guest, I'd also have to pick up some yukkuri food and shampoo. Dried flakes, of course. Had to have something for her while I was out. I already had food and water dishes -- I never threw out the ones from the last few pets I had. As for the rest, I still had a few cushions, and could easily fashion an easy bed for her. Checkout, and left the store. She was still there under the bench. Good. Was worried someone might do something, or that guy comes back and looks for round 2. I lowered myself down, slid the bags onto my arms, and held my arms out to her.
"Let's go, Marisa. Time to see your new easy place."
She fidgeted the whole way. I couldn't blame her -- from as much as I could tell, she'd lived as a stray for months. To have a human who suddenly wanted to take you home? After all she went through? I'm surprised anti-yukkuritis didn't get her. When we reached the driveway, I made it known to her.
"This is mister Kei's easy place."
Her mouth hung open as she looked at it.
"It's so big!"
Well, maybe for her. It was a two bedroom two bathroom. Fairly large for one person. I was trying to sell it, but it was hard to find a buyer looking to pay as much as it was actually worth. Was quite a bit of maintenance for one person. I walked up the driveway and to the door. I leaned down and placed her on the ground, then took out my keys. I unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped to the side.
"After you. But please, wait for me by the door," I said, stepped in, and shut the door behind me, "I've gotta get some of these groceries in the fridge, so we'll begin your tour afterwards."
"Yu~!" she replied.
I guess that means she understands? I slipped my shoes off, first, then I gave her a nod and walked to the kitchen. I heaved both bags onto the counter. My arms were tired. Between the weight of her and all the groceries, including the handful of extra, unanticipated items, I was pretty worn. I rubbed my arms, put away the few perishables, then moved back to the living room. She was still there on the mat. Her eyes shined as she stared at me. I stopped in front of her and leaned down.
"Okay~" I said, with a clap, "tour time!"
I held out my arms. She hopped in and turned around.
"So," I said, stood up, and turned around, "This is the living room. Mister will probably set up Marisa's easy place in here. Plenty of room for you," I moved to the TV in front of us and leaned over behind it, "Don't go back there, though. Very dangerous. Lots of mister cables and electricity. Marisa could get really hurt, or even die back there."
She seemed to understand, so I moved on. I moved down to the kitchen.
"This is the kitchen. Mister will prepare Marisa's meals here. If you're hungry, let me know and I'll make you something," I leaned forward and looked down at her, "I might just make you something quick as a snack, though. I'd prefer we eat together, being that you're my guest, and I'd like to get to know you some."
I showed her around the refrigerator and the pantry, and explained to her to not go through them -- just ask me to get it. After that, I showed her the extra room in the back, which was virtually empty.
"You can go in here. Not a big deal."
After that, I rounded the corner back to the living room, then up the hallway. I showed her the hallway closet, offering her that as her easy place. Yukkuri liked small, enclosed spaces. To the right was the master bedroom -- the room my dad used to rest in. I showed her it -- it was empty at this point. I already donated away all of his clothes and his bed. After that, it was the attached bathroom. I had a use for this in a moment. Once done, we exited the room, and I showed her the room to our left. Another empty bedroom. Already cleaned it out; where my nephew stayed when he was with us. After exiting, I showed her my bathroom -- the room on the left, across from the master bedroom. Afterwards, it was the room on our left -- my room. I opened it. I heard her gasp.
[Author's note: I know the room placement seems confusing -- you have to actually physically visualize where you're standing outside of the room. That's why the placement might confuse you. I placed it as he exited each room]
"And this... is my room."
My room was rather clustered -- I had a lot of things I collected over the years. Toys of various kinds, models, manga... it was all over. I placed her on my bed.
"Now, I want you to remember something important:" I said, and lowered myself to stare at her directly. I pointed my finger at her, "Marisa is to not come in here without me. I have a lot of stuff in here, and some of it is pretty expensive. If you're not careful, you could knock something over, and it could squish you. That would make me very sad, and a very bad host. So please, if you want to come in, you're welcome to, but as long as I'm here. Easy?"
She nodded several times, then saluted with her piu-piu.
"Marisa understands easy!"
"Alright," I said, and stood up. "Now that the tour's done, on to the next thing," I said, and leaned down. I pointed to her, "You need a bath. You're absolutely filthy. Mister Kei will not let a guest stay in his house as dirty as you are. So, let's go."
Marisa seemed confused, but simply nodded. She slid her way into my arms, turned, then sat back. I stood up and moved to the master bedroom and into the bathroom. I placed her on the floor and opened the shower door. I took the seat off the wall and unfolded it. Towards his geriatric years, my dad liked to sit when he took a shower. I turned, stepped out and looked down at Marisa.
"Alright, first thing's first," I said, and pointed down at her hat, "I need to clean your hat separately," I offered my open palm, "I'll even clean the little one for you. Please hand them to me."
She seemed shaken up for a moment.
"B-but..." she started.
I pointed at her.
"I could simply take your hat and clean it for you without even asking. I'm asking you to give it to me, because just taking it is mean," I said, which cut off her attempt to speak.
She fell silent. It was odd, teaching a creature that lived it's life without the appearance of logic or cognition. I was hoping that, by asking her things the way I did, it would help her use her little paste core more and think things more thoroughly. Of course, I wasn't let down -- she removed her hat and held it out to me. The smaller hat fell out. I picked up both. I gave a quick glance to her hair -- it should have been a golden blonde. It was more like a dirty yellow. Oh, did she need a real cleaning. I gave a slight nod as I stood up.
"The ribbon too, please,"
She looked at the ribbon on the end of her piu-piu... she held it out to me. Right, guess she can't pull it out, herself. I plucked it and gently pulled it free.
"I will return in a moment," I said, "So please wait here."
"Yu~!" was all I heard as I left her in the bathroom.
She seemed rather obedient. Or desperate. The whole reason I wanted her to understand her position -- it'd make her more likely to stay in-line. I moved to the kitchen and out to the garage. I used to have the normal washer-dryer machines, but after my parents died, and they broke down, I opted to shell out for a dry cleaning machine. They were far more expensive, and the soap was a lot more, but the amount of money saved over the course of it's lifetime in electricity and water? Priceless. I tossed both hats in and the small ribbon. A tiny scoop of soap, and I turned it on for a short load. It wouldn't take long. Upon leaving the kitchen, I reached into the bag and plucked out the yukkuri shampoo I purchased. I returned to the bathroom, and she hadn't moved.
"You don't have to do poo-poo or pee-pee, do you?"
She shook her head. I smiled. I held up the yukkuri shampoo. Decided to get the expensive stuff -- she needed a good cleaning. I can get the cheaper stuff later. I picked her up again and brought her into the shower. I took my socks and shirt off and tossed them out.
"Right-o. Let's get you cleaned~!" I said and reached for the shower head. I detached it and brought it down. I cranked the shower to warm and let the water run for a few minutes -- the old pipes in my house took a few minutes to warm. I'd poke the pouring water to make sure it was a good temp. Satisfied, I looked to her with a grin.
"Ready?"
She looked nervous. She nodded, and focused her gaze.
"You should close your eyes. And try to keep your mouth shut. It probably tastes really icky."
She obeyed. I ran the warm water over her form. I could hear her letting out a gentle yu sound. Probably means she was enjoying it. I flipped her hair around and ran more water. Yukkuri had limited time that they could be in water, so I couldn't do a full-on shower, like the ones I took. After making sure the dirt had turned into mud, I turned off the water and hung up the nozzle again. A handful of shampoo, and I coated her hair. I massaged it into her... scalp... I guess is what you'd call it. It was odd calling a yukkuri's form anything but, well, bread. She let out a deep sigh. I built up a lather, then gently rolled it around her form. Almost cat-like with how she seemed to shift around my fingers. Must feel like a good old rub-rub. I rolled my fingers around her loose-hanging ponytail. Black water rolled off the sides of the seat. Clumps of dirt plopped off with the large bubbles. I never realized exactly how bad she needed a shower. I knew her dirty form stained my shirt and she left a little on my bed, but seriously. Satisfied with the big glob of soap, I cranked the shower again, and rinsed. I whistled. She looked like a whole-new yukkuri. I reached out to one of the towels, and worked to dry her off.
"You can open your eyes now."
She opened them and let out a happy cry. I gave her body a soft buffing with the towel -- even if only dampened, I could still cause an abrasion if I rubbed too hard, especially in her softened state. I picked her up and slid the towel under her, then folded it over to massage her scalp. She squirmed around the whole time, happily yu-ing away. Must be the equivalent to a cat purring. Or something. After that, I scooped her and the towel up and moved over to the sink. I placed her down gently, picked up a hairdryer and a comb, and began to fix her hair. I kept the hairdryer on a low blow setting -- didn't need her to go flying somewhere. As I ran the comb through her hair, the teeth would get caught in knots. I'd hear her cry a little.
"Ow! Ow! Hurts!"
I grinned.
"Oh, don't be such a big baby~ your hair is all tangled, so of course it's going to hurt a little. It'll feel better in a moment."
And, of course, it did. I started hearing her little yelps of pain replaced by her yus of joy. Probably a combination of the warm hairdryer and the gentle brushing. As her hair dried, the dark yellow it once was brightened. It became a shiny gold blonde. I clicked off the hairdryer and set the comb down.
"Now, wait here. I'm gonna go check on your mister hats and mister ribbon, easy?"
She nodded, and I left the bathroom. Well, not really. On the way out, I saw her turn and try to look at herself in the mirror. It was a little too high for her to get a good look at herself. I stifled a chuckle and left her there. The load was done -- I took out the two hats and the ribbon and moved back to the bathroom. I placed the two hats to the side and looked to her. I held the ribbon out to her.
"Okay, so, truthful moment: I don't really know how to braid hair, but I'll do my best."
It seemed to make her panic a little. Oh, well. I was a scout and one of our favorite time-killers was making lanyards. If I could handle cylinder lanyards, I could do this. I remember a long time ago a girl showed me how to do it. Now if I could just remember how. I took the comb and straightened the long lock of hair, then split it into three. I felt my tongue slip out the side of my lip as I worked the three locks of hair. Once I reached the end, I pinched it, took the ribbon, and tied a small bow-tie square-knot with it. I reached over, took the two hats, placed the small one on her head first, then the larger one over it. I picked her up and held her out to the mirror.
"There you go. Brand new yu~!"
I watched her expression. She was awe-struck as she looked at herself. Her eyes took in every inch of her. It was probably months since she had a good cleaning. Her expression shifted from amazement to depression. I blinked.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked and turned her around.
She wouldn't look up at me. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes.
"Yu... it's... not fair."
I smiled to her.
"You really miss your family, huh?"
She nodded and looked up to me.
"D-does mister think Marisa's little ones and beautiful wife are cursing her from heaven?"
I gave it a moment. Didn't want to respond instantly -- she might consider it patronizing. I shook my head.
"No. I think they'd want this for you. If they really loved you, they'd want to see you live easy. Heck, maybe they even sent me to find you. Isn't that how a mister angel works?"
I just met her. Didn't want her to die from anti-yukkuritis already. It seemed to cheer her up. I lowered her against my body, and placed my hand on her head.
"Now. It's time for dinner. I'm hungry," I looked down at her, "You hungry?"
She perked up.
"N-not really! Marisa isn't hu-" I heard a sound that I suspected meant her stomach was casting protest. I grinned.
"You say one thing, but your tummy says another. If you're hungry, let me know, and you can eat."
She made motion to protest, but I placed a finger over her mouth.
"Again, Marisa is my guest. Her easiness is my responsibility. As long as Marisa behaves herself, doesn't do poo-poo or pee-pee on my stuff, and does as I ask when I ask her to, then Marisa is free to stay. Meals are included in the stay."
As always with anything I said, I wasn't exactly sure if she got it. Her eyes rolled down to my finger, then back to my reflection in the mirror. She nodded. I took my finger off of her mouth.
"Now, it's getting kind of late," I said, and headed to the living room. I placed her down on the sofa and turned on the TV. I held the remote up to her. "You know how to use one of these?"
She shook her head. I shrugged and flipped it over to a news station for the time being. I grinned.
"I'll show ya later. Gonna go prepare some food."
She nodded. I moved to the kitchen. All-in-all, I didn't have a lot of time left in my night to prepare something grand -- I made a salad, chopped up a hard-boiled egg, a little chicken, a dash of salt... in the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me. She was peeking in. I almost laughed.
"I'm almost done! Be out in a second!"
I moved to grab silverware, and she took off. Two forks. Was curious if she could handle it. I brought the plate out and placed it on the table. She stared at it, confused. She looked at me, then back to it. I sat down gently, as to not bounce her up. I offered one of the forks.
"Do you know how to use one of these?"
She looked to it, then to me. She shook her head. I held it closer to her.
"Take it."
She, as far as I could tell, grabbed it with her piu-piu. She held it up to me. I held mine up to her. I scooped up the plate and brought it over.
"Like this," I said, and stabbed the fork down through a few leaves of salad.
I scooped it up with a piece of chicken and egg, and slid it into my mouth. I crunched and swallowed, then pointed the fork to her. She nodded, poked at it a few times until she managed to get something. She brought it to her face as well as she could and slid it all in.
"Now, don't bite the fork. It could hurt your teeth," I said.
She pulled the fork out, crunched down the bits she got. I saw that familiar look on her face.
"Delicious!" she said, and spat a few crumbs out.
Of course, it wasn't intentional. I gave her a pat, and we continued our meal. Once concluded, it was bathroom time. I explained to her the functions of the toilet.
"I mean, I can get something for you to poo-poo and pee-pee on, but for now, let's just learn this -- in case of an emergency, yes?"
She nodded. She was an adult. She was big enough to sit on a toilet and not fall though. I think. She hopped up and sat down. She looked to me.
"Now what?"
I motioned for her to roll back.
"Roll back a little bit, then poo-poo."
She leaned forward slightly, then rolled back. She flailed her piu-piu, but settled. She clenched her face, and I heard the successful plop in the water.
"Now, can you roll forward and pee-pee?"
She pushed against the seat and rolled forward, then peed into the toilet. Pretty simple for her. I pointed at the plunger.
"Now, just push that to send mister poo-poo and pee-pee away."
It was odd to know exactly how repulsed they were by their own waste -- their poop was supposed to be nearly-expired bean paste, and their pee was supposed to be sugar water. There were stories of people feeding them their own excrement after mixing it into other food. It'd be interesting to test that later. I snapped back from my thoughts as the flushing sound tickled my ears.
"Right-o! Now you know how to use Mister Toilet!"
I was curious as to why not many people ever decided to show adult yukkuri how to use a toilet... or simply just got a small one, like the kind for babies...
Now, on to the final step for today! Bunking! I showed her her options again -- the closet, or in between the sofa and the wall, or possibly some area she preferred. She seemed to prefer the hallway closet; the shelves would act like floors. The first issue was seeing if she could get the door open if I closed it. That was a no-go, so we settled on leaving it cracked. With the location selected, I slid in my dog's old sleeping pillow. Yeah, I kept it. I liked her, and still missed her to this day. It was a good pet pillow, anyway. More-than large enough for Marisa, who happily flopped herself onto it. She rolled around on it, enjoying the, 'mister soft-soft.' There was something just so disgustingly adorable about watching it.
"Good night, Marisa. I'll see you tomorrow."
She gave me a cheerful smile.
"Good night, Mister Human!"
... I'll have to work on the name thing later.
With her settled in, I bid her a peaceful rest. I still had to take my shower. I could hear the heavy rain hammering my roof as I moved to the bathroom. I did my hygiene regiment, then proceeded to my room. I turned on my TV, but the reception was cut from the heavy storm. I sighed. I checked in on my internet activity -- few games, some more information delving. I normally stayed up later, but being that I had a house guest who had to settle in, so I should try to be up early and see to her adjustment. After all, had to make sure she knew a few things come the morning.
I hadn't really fallen asleep yet when I heard a light thumping against my door.
"Mister human?"
More light thumping. I think she was knocking. I slid out of bed and opened the door. There she was, tears in the corners of her eyes. I'll just go ahead and assume what comes next.
"Marisa... was, um..."
"You want to sleep with me tonight because the storm is scary."
She seemed to instantly perk up. I had a feeling it was more than that. My mind was already starting to wander away, so her chatter passed through my ears. I brought her in and carefully explained again about how dangerous it could be, and told her to strictly stay on my bed. I made sure to warn about how much I roll around at night. Once I settled in, I gave her one of my pillows to settle on. It was either the pillow I used to support my knees, or the one to give my arms something to hold. I gave her the one I kept on my arms. I bid good night to her again and settled in. I already had a feeling I knew what was coming, and I wasn't disappointed. I felt her settle against me. Yeah. I knew she really just wanted to be with me. I'll settle her straight tomorrow. I'll just write it off as her being afraid of the rain and being alone in a big house. Right.
When I woke up the next morning, she was already awake, but had cleverly moved back onto her pillow. Recollection of the night before came to me slowly. I felt like I didn't move all night. Normally I tossed and turned a lot. Maybe I was comfy with her? I'll put a pin in that for future observation...
"Good morning, mister human!" she said.
My brain was always hazy when I first woke up. I looked at her, and the odd shape she took. Oh, this must be stretch-stretch. She wasn't so much of a ovular shape any more -- more of a really tall, narrow blob. A strange sight, considering they had no bone or muscle structure that would physically allow them to take such a shape. Then again, nothing made sense about their biology to begin with. Thought-wandering aside, I returned her smile.
"Good morning, Marisa. Oh, and please. Call me Kei," I said.
The morning was spent making breakfast for the two of us. I woke up earlier than I normally did -- I wanted to prepare Marisa for the day ahead, to give myself extra time to give her all the training I could, and finish some odds-and-ends things I needed to set-up. I didn't have a cage for her, so I had to improvise a means for water. I took one of my old cat bowls, filled it with some water, and slipped in a curly straw. I demoed it for her, showing how she could angle it in order to drink from the dish without making a mess. She got the idea pretty quick. Next, after a quick visit to the bathroom for poop and pee, was to set-up her small toilet in the living room. It was a towel I folded over a few times. She was already housebroken by another owner, so she got the idea as soon as I pointed it out to her. Next was the TV. Something to keep her busy while I was out. Bored yukkuri can be nibbled at by anti-yukkuritis, and she already had the loss of her family still gnawing on her. I demoed the usage of the remote, showing her what to do if it was too loud or not loud enough. I wasn't exactly sure if she got it all, so I simply changed the channel to a cartoon station. She seemed to enjoy it almost instantly. Good. As long as it kept her busy. I also left her my building blocks as a final option. Marisas had engineering in their paste. At least that's what I read.
"Just don't leave them everywhere, easy?"
"Yu!" she replied.
I tried to think of anything else. I ran down my checklist. Oh, right, food. I set up my cat's old food dish and poured in some of the dry food I picked up yesterday.
"I know it's not as tasty as my cooking, but it'll sustain you. It'll taste better than the grass you used to have to eat. Please make due until I get home, and if you're especially good, I'll give ya an extra something, easy?"
Her face lit up.
"Yu!" she exclaimed.
I nodded and stood up.
"Well, I'm off to work. I won't be back until much later, so be patient and look forward to seeing me tonight!"
She waved her piu-piu.
"Goodbye easy, Mister Kei! Take it easy! Watch out for Mister Car! Take it easy while you hunt-hunt!"
Okay, I think I was rather enjoying her company now.
The day at work was rough. I was nervous about her. Any number of incidents could have occurred. I tried to ease myself by focusing harder on my work, but it didn't help. I explained to my co-workers why I was having such a hard time focusing. They all practically demanded photos. Shoot. Forgot to get one. Well, when I get off. The day proceeded without a hitch, despite my anxiety. I made a quick stop at the market before I headed home. I picked up a few more odds-and-ends yukkuri care stuff: disposable toilets, some specialty cleaner for their accessories, a little more food, and some general medicine. She could have parasites of any kind inside of her. Didn't want her dying any time soon.
When I got home, my anxiety piqued. I hurried to open the door, and look inside. The TV was still on, and the volume was still low. Everything appeared to be normal. Some of her food was eaten, and the water dish was down a few notches. The towel had a few marks on it; clearly she made use of it. Where was Marisa? Gently snoring on the couch. Seems she fell asleep watching TV. I grinned. Didn't want to wake her. I moved to the kitchen and stored away the new pet supplies, then set to work cooking dinner for the two of us. I thought I'd keep it simple again tonight, but I wanted to make something warm for the two of us. I brought both plates out, and placed them on the table. She was still out like a lamp. I brought the plate over and placed them on the table. I waved the scent that rose off of the plate towards Marisa. She stirred gently, a small trail of drool rolling from the corner of her mouth. I gave her a light poke to her cheek.
"Marisa~ wakie wakie~"
Her eyes cracked slightly and she gave a large yawn. She smacked her lips for a second before her eyes immediately darted to me. Her face lit up and she bounced up to me.
"Mister Kei!"
Good thing I had great reflexes. I caught her and gently stroked her hair, then gave rub-rubs to her cheek.
"Dinner time, sleepyhead. I hope you weren't too bored here alone."
She shook her head. I sat down. She told me the story of her day -- of the cartoons, exploration of the house, munch-munch, drink-drink... I spaced out a bit, but humored her with gentle affirmations. When her story finished, her attention turned to the plate of food, and she happily ate it down with a few declarations of deliciousness.
"Hey, Marisa, when I get home, you should welcome me home like you welcome Mister Sun," I said.
She stared at me.
"You want.. Marisa to stretch-stretch?"
I shook my head with a smile.
"No, just say, 'welcome home easy!' with all of Marisa's core!"
She smiled and bounced up and down.
"Okay, Mister Kei! Marisa will do that!"
One of my little training lessons. Let's see if she could handle that. She already stopped -just- calling me human. I'd work on the honorific later. It didn't feel natural to me.
The night went about the same. She came and poked at my door. I let her in. We slept together. She snuggled against me.
Yeah. Had a real strong feeling she was in love with me.
[Ch1 done. Whew.]
[Srsly, I -did not- think it would have come out this long.]
[Heck, I had to brainstorm exactly how I wanted to end it. I always look for the King Leer ending -- something simple.]
[Anyway, if you feel the story is moving kind of slow, it's because it is. I'm trying to lay all the groundwork for how I want things to proceed. I'm building. Don't worry, things are gonna start to ramp up soon. Wait until the next chapter.]
[Spoiler: More yukkuri are gonna be joining the family.]
[Anyway, sleep time. xD Work in the afternoon, and it's the dreaded week.]
[Hope you enjoyed it!]
I noticed strays here and there on my way to and from work. I walked. Two miles there, two miles back. Good for keeping myself in shape and saving a boatload of money on gas. Other animals lived along the path -- from iguanas, to turtles, squirrels, and various types of birds. The yukkuri were a bit of a welcome sight -- something out of the ordinary. The yukkuri seemed to like trying to keep out-of-sight -- like any other animal. I couldn't tell if it was simply instinct, as most animals in the wild avoid 'larger' animals for fear of being prey, or if perhaps they had some kind of instinct that made them reluctant to show themselves to humans. I read somewhere that they inherit memories of their parents, and that's how they've adapted to living around towns, cities, and even the forests -- those who survive pass the memories on. Regardless, I'd try to wave to them as I passed by. Most seemed to quickly duck behind trees in order to avoid being noticed. Others would return the gesture.
One particular day, I needed to pick up some provisions from the grocery store. That walk was just short of a mile. It was when I reached the shopping center that I heard a ruckus. A familiar voice to my ears, and an unfamiliar one. When I turned the corner, I saw them -- it was an adult-sized Marisa arguing with some guy. The Marisa seemed distress -- the tears in her eyes, the slurred speech, and the desperate expression. She was caked in layers of dirt. Gave it all away. Curiously, I eavesdropped on the situation. From what I gathered, he was giving her an option. He apparently took her hat, and was holding something else in his other hand. She begged him to return it.
"Whad are you saying?! Both are precious! Gibe dem both back!" she blubbered.
"I didn't offer both of them; I said only one," he countered.
I edged my way towards him. I kept an eye out for anyone who might notice me. Seemed quiet today, though everyone who passed by seemed to ignore the situation.
"If you don't choose quickly, I'm keeping both," he said, as she thought.
Despair painted her face. Her tears continued. What was so important in his other hand?
"You decide?" he asked after a few moments.
I moved closer. He was within range. I was on a bad angle; couldn't see the small object in his other hand.
"Eh? I can't hear you," he taunted.
"I... I'll give you the liddle one's hat," she finally choked out.
The man seemed unimpressed. He dropped her hat back onto her head and started laughing.
"Selling your own child's hat!" he laughed out, "What a useless parent you are! Your child is probably cursing you right now from the next world! 'Why are you doing this?! Stupid trash parent should die easy!'"
I could feel my temples throbbing. I didn't know what was going on, but this guy was a jerk. Seriously, selling? Weren't both her's to begin with?
"But seriously, you're clever! A yukkuri without its accessory can never take it easy again, right? Choosing between a memento from your child and your own ability to take it easy is a no-brainer, right?" he laughed as he finished.
I really wasn't sure what was going on, but what was the point of all this? Was he just doing this because he didn't like yukkuri or something? And a memento? I processed it all, and felt my blood pressure go up. Marisa's despair seemed to lighten. She looked up at him from her tears.
"Well... take care... of little one's hat..." she said.
"Huh?" he replied, seemingly oblivious to the idea.
"Make sure you tend to it every day. Don't forget to wash it once a week. Also..."
"Wait up, wait up," he interrupted.
I saw his hand go for his pocket. A lighter was drawn. Oh, that was it. I quickly wrapped my left arm under his left arm and pressed my hand against his wrist. I lifted up, and pressed tension against his elbow and shoulder. My free hand reached and snatched the wrist with the lighter from the outside, and quickly locked in his arm. I pressed my fist against his back, locking the arm behind him. I lifted slightly, and forced him to arch his back away. He let out a sudden cry.
"What the hell, man?! Who..?!"
"Since we're into making deals, how about a counter-offer?"
"What the f-"
I lifted him slightly higher. He squirmed, but couldn't do much with me keeping him on his toes. He tried once to kick, but a quick twist of his body sent him dancing to stay upright.
"L-let me go!"
"Not until you hear my counter-offer."
I pressed tension into his elbow, which would surge up his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain.
"Give me what's in your left hand, or I break it off and keep both," I said calmly.
He struggled against me.
"What the hell, man?! You some kind of yukkuri lover or something?!"
I smirked.
"Maybe. Or maybe I just don't like bullies," I said.
My mind tried to wander back to my childhood. I kept it focused.
"F-fine! Take it! Take it!"
In one motion, I swept my hand over his and snatched it. I turned, took him with me, and threw him forward. He stumbled forward, nearly falling along the way. He turned to me and gave me the middle finger. I stretched out my arms and taunted him.
"C'mon. You wanna go?"
He wrinkled his forehead.
"Man, f that. I ain't got time for this," he said, turned, and walked way.
Yeah. That's what I thought. Coward. I hadn't even noticed what I took from him when I felt a light tug at my pant leg. My focus shifted down to the Marisa. No, the one who lived near me was never this dirty. This must have been another. There was an awe-struck look on her face, as if she'd never seen something like this before. A human who came to her rescue. Never knew that was all that unique.
"Misder human... pwease..."
I blinked a few times. She stared up at me and shifted back slightly. I knelt in front of her.
"Please what?"
"Pwease..." a light sob, "pwease give Madisa her pwecious widdle one's had bag..."
My eyes shot to the left for a moment. Translating... verifying... done. I opened my left hand. It was a small hat. The size and dimensions made it very similar to her's. Probably belonged to a koyukkuri. Must have been a memento from her child. That must have been what all the chatter was about. I dusted it off slightly with my free hand, then gently slid my finger under it. I looked down to her again and examined her. Boy, that guy must have really beat her up. Her face was swollen, and I could almost swear there were markings similar to a shoe over her head. Had I known that... never mind. Focus. She was a dirty Marisa, but about adult-sized. Something on her hat caught my eye -- a small hole with a slight outward tear.
"Marisa, do mister human an easy favor..."
Her expression shifted. She looked as if she didn't know whether to panic or cry harder.
"Take a deep mister breath," I said.
She looked confused for a moment, took in a deep breath (which, coincidentally, made her puff-puff).
"Now let it out slowly"
She exhaled the puff-puff. Her tears had slowed. I looked over to the nearby bench. It was empty. I looked back to her.
"Now, say that again without the slur."
"P... please, mister human," she started, "give Marisa back her precious little one's hat...?"
I looked to the hat on my finger. I was gonna have some fun with this one, first. Giving it back would be simple. Perhaps teaching her something would be better.
"Mmm... I dunno. You almost lost it, there. That scum human was about to burn it and steal away Marisa's precious memento," I started. I looked to her and continued, "Are you sure it wouldn't be safer in mister human's hands?"
I could see her mind was working. The thought was introduced, and it was being decided. It took her a few moments, and she simply shook her head. I grinned.
"Alright. You want it back? Okay. But I want something in exchange, since I took it back for you."
Despair slowly settled over her face again. I smiled.
"Mister wants a story."
Confusion and fluster came to the pastry's face.
"Yep. A story," I said, and held the small hat in front of me. "Tell me the story of this hat," I looked down to her, "and I'll give it back. No questions asked."
Hope! Boy, she was certainly good at expressions. I saw a little glimmer deep in those sugar-coated eyes. I looked around.
"But first, let's get a little more comfortable," I said, and motioned to the nearby benches.
She followed my motion, looked to me, and nodded. I stood up, walked to the bench, and sat down. She slid over, then hopped onto the bench next to me, turned and faced outward. I could see her working on it... her little core set to work, trying to recall all the events. She weaved a story about how proud of a father and husband she was, and how hard she worked to take care of her kids. They did their best to remain hidden on a human's house lot, but the human found them and beat her, and almost killed her child. She begged the man to spare them, and so he did, but vowed to destroy their easy place. She was beaten pretty badly, so she couldn't move, and told her child to run home and tell the rest of their family. When Marisa came-to, apparently, their easy place was already destroyed, but her family was nowhere to be found. Reimu never came home from hunt-hunt, along with their Reimu child, and Marisa had disappeared somewhere along with them. The only thing she found when she returned home was the hat. Upon finishing the story, I nodded and turned my gaze outward. Despite the kindergarten vernacular used to describe the tale, I did enjoy it a little.
"Well... Marisa told mister human about mister hat..."
I felt her eyes stare at me. I turned and looked to her. I nodded.
"Indeed. A good story," I said, and looked to the hat, "Well... a deal is a deal."
I shrugged and held the hat out to her in my palm. Tears came to her eyes as she moved to my hand, reached with her piu-piu, and gently took it from me. She hugged it gently against her cheek, then slid it back under her own hat. She looked up to me. There was that glimmer in her eyes again. I had a feeling what she was about to ask...
"M... mister...?"
I lifted an eyebrow as she started. Yep. She was gonna go for it. Funny, usually yukkuri who wanted to be adopted weren't so shy about asking. Or demanding. But she was. Or at least, she was with me. Maybe it was because...
"Yes?"
"P... please take Marisa home with you?"
I gave a facetious look of surprise.
"Marisa! Are you asking me to adopt you?"
"M-Marisa is gold-badge! She is house-trained and won't complain about food! So please~!"
I lifted my hand to silence her. She seemed to want to continue, but stopped. Good. She was trained. That could explain the hole in her hat -- it was ripped outward, as if something was torn off. Her badge could have been stolen by another yukkuri. Anything was possible. At any rate, I wasn't going to make it easy for her. I brought my hand to my chin and rubbed.
"Well. Mister could use a pet," I said, and leaned down. I examined her, "Gold-badge, huh?"
She gave several nods. Desperation was settling in. Again, my eyes glanced at that small hole in her hat.
"Y-yes! Marisa will be good! She won't eat all of mister's munch-munch, and won't complain!"
"Well... that does sound good, but Marisa should munch-munch if she's hungry. No sense in starving to death. That would make mister human uneasy."
She became confused and shook her head. She tried to explain, but I lifted my hand again. She continued for a moment, before her eyes moved to my hand, and she stopped. I lowered my hand.
"Okay, let's try something different," I started. I took in a breath and let it out, "Mister human will ask you a few easy questions. If Marisa answers them, mister may just decide to adopt you. Easy?"
She appeared to think about it for a moment, then nodded. She narrowed her eyes, a determined look enveloping them.
"So, let's start with.."
Let's see... what questions would I need to ask to figure out more about her? Well, let's start with the obvious.
"How did you wind up becoming a stray?"
She jolted. Apparently, she wasn't expecting to have to explain that. It wasn't as if I didn't know the answer, anyway.
"It's okay. Be honest. Mister won't judge."
Similar to before, she lowered her gaze, and curled her piu-piu over her face. She looked up at me and began telling the story. It was pretty much what I figured, though most of the details were different. So similar to the other stray family. She told me of how she met a Reimu that lived near their house. She spent a few minutes making sure I knew exactly how much she loved her. Poetic, almost. I had to nudge her to keep her talking. Her owner wanted her to earn a gold badge, and went though the hard process. She told me of all the spankings she took, and how some days she was very uneasy, but her mister human always treated her nicely after. Then the day came -- she earned the gold badge. After that, she brought Reimu home to meet her mister owner and introduce the family. Her owner was very angry with her and kicked her, Reimu, and their whole family out. After that, she turned her gaze away from me and told me of what it was like as a stray, and how what appeared to be one day, she lost her whole family.
"Sounds tough. But what do you need to be adopted for?"
She slowly turned and gazed at me.
"I mean, really," I looked down at her, "You're still alive, right? You could always find another Reimu if you stay out here. If you come with me, you won't be able to. Besides, you seem to be doing well."
She lowered her gaze.
"Marisa... doesn't like being stray... Marisa is... pet yukkuri."
I suppose that was the best she could come up with. I nodded.
"Okay. Fair enough," I said, "So, next question:" oh, this one was going to be sweet... "Who's fault is it that you were kicked out?"
She jumped slightly and looked to me.
"W-what? Why does Mister ask Marisa something she doesn't understand?!"
I held my hand out to her again to silence her.
"I'll give you the choices myself..." I drew in a breath, "You could blame mister human. After all, he kicked you out, right? All Marisa wanted to do was have a family of yus. Yukkuri can't be easy without a family of yus, right?"
She seemed to calm a bit. The frown on her face slowly receded. Option one: blame the obvious. Scum behavior. A scum would never take responsibility, even if they made a bad choice.
"Now, don't choose until I've listed them all, okay?" I knew I was saying that a bit late... "You could blame Reimu. After all, if you didn't meet her, you'd never have brought her home, been thrown out, lost your badge, and your entire family. You'd still be in your easy place with your mister human."
The neutral option. It wasn't clear from the story who approached who -- but love is a tricky subject, even if it's the love of a talking pastry to another talking pastry. Still somewhat scum behavior -- badge training teaches yukkuri to not associate with stray yukkuris, as they tend to be bad influences due to bad personality traits they may acquire while surviving on the street. Most strays become cunning, thieving, and lying. Not truly bad, when you consider they do it to maintain their survival. Now, for the big one:
"Or," I said, and paused for a second. I looked down at her, "Marisa is the one to blame."
She gasped. The idea had never crossed her little paste core. I continued.
"After all, it was Marisa who met a stray, when she knows she shouldn't have. If Marisa was really a gold badge, her mister human should have told her that. If Marisa never fell in love, she'd still be in her easy place, and --"
"Marisa..." she lowered her gaze as tears came to her eyes, "is a scum yukkuri..."
Well. Gold star on that response. Didn't even think she'd come up with it so quickly. I gently rubbed her cheek. A few tears rolled down her face, leaving open lines where the dirt was. She closed one eye and smiled slightly. She rubbed against my hand. It was good to see that she could admit her errors -- critics of yukkuri say that if you punish them, but they don't know what they did wrong when they apologize, then they didn't learn their lesson. Similar to training dogs -- rubbing their nose in their excrement to show them your displeasure.
"Well, despite it all, if it never happened, you'd never have gotten here, and met me, right? So, maybe in the end, it wasn't such a bad thing?"
She coo'd slightly. Guess she liked my rubs. Had plenty of cats who told me the same thing.
"Alright," I said, and brought my hand back to my lap, "I have most of what I need to know."
If she were a scum, she'd have gotten impatient and had either demand I take her, or would have simply left already. I thought of at least one more question.
"How do you know Mister human isn't an abyuser?"
She let out a light cry and nearly rolled over to the side. She quickly rolled back to her feet and stared up to me.
"D-... ga... M-mister couldn't be abyuser!"
I lifted a brow.
"Oh? Maybe I'm just trying to lure you into a false sense of security..." I slowly turned my head to her and gave her a slight grin, "just so I can make it all-the-more torturous..."
She seemed to panic for a second.
"N-no! Marisa doesn't believe it! Mister couldn't be scum! Mister would have never stood up to that scum human bully! Mister is easy human! Mister is very kind!"
I smirked. Yeah, okay, it's nice to be ego-stroked now and again.
"Alright," I said, and laughed slightly, "Now, give mister human a minute to think about it."
She nodded. I could see how anxious she was. I sat back and processed it all. Yeah, she made a bad call on that relationship thing, but does that mean she doesn't deserve a second chance? And what if it doesn't work out? Well, I could just put her back here. Besides all of this, what do I really have to lose besides some time and money? It'd be nice to have a pet in the house again, especially one that I could maybe train to greet me. Going home to an empty house is nice, though haunting at the same time.
"Alright. I thought about it," I turned my gaze to her, "Mister will take you home," I immediately put my hand up to calm her excitement... it didn't work too well, "BUT!," which stopped her, "As a guest."
She blinked and brought her piu-piu to her lip.
"Mister is saying things Marisa doesn't understand..."
"A guest. That means you won't entirely be a pet -- mister wants to make sure Marisa is a good pet first. Marisa can act this way here, and when he gets her home, go all scum on him. Mister doesn't want that, so he's going to take Marisa home as guest, because as guest, if Mister finds her rude or scum, Mister will have no problem taking Marisa and leaving her back here. Easy?"
Boy, was their language easy. Wait, now I'm doing it in my head? Anyway, she seemed to get it, and simply nodded.
"Marisa will be best yukkuri mister human ever had!"
Certainly hope so. You'll be the first, for that matter.
"Now, Mister has something else to do first," I said and stood up, "Mister came here to pick up some munch-munch for his easy place. Marisa, just hop under the bench and wait for Mister. I'll be back in a few minutes, easy?"
She nodded, slid off of the bench, and crawled under. She watched me and gave a sort-of thumbs-up with her braid. I nodded and entered the grocery store. Had to pick up some sundries for the homestead -- toothpaste, floss, and some snacks. Since I was going to have a guest, I'd also have to pick up some yukkuri food and shampoo. Dried flakes, of course. Had to have something for her while I was out. I already had food and water dishes -- I never threw out the ones from the last few pets I had. As for the rest, I still had a few cushions, and could easily fashion an easy bed for her. Checkout, and left the store. She was still there under the bench. Good. Was worried someone might do something, or that guy comes back and looks for round 2. I lowered myself down, slid the bags onto my arms, and held my arms out to her.
"Let's go, Marisa. Time to see your new easy place."
She fidgeted the whole way. I couldn't blame her -- from as much as I could tell, she'd lived as a stray for months. To have a human who suddenly wanted to take you home? After all she went through? I'm surprised anti-yukkuritis didn't get her. When we reached the driveway, I made it known to her.
"This is mister Kei's easy place."
Her mouth hung open as she looked at it.
"It's so big!"
Well, maybe for her. It was a two bedroom two bathroom. Fairly large for one person. I was trying to sell it, but it was hard to find a buyer looking to pay as much as it was actually worth. Was quite a bit of maintenance for one person. I walked up the driveway and to the door. I leaned down and placed her on the ground, then took out my keys. I unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped to the side.
"After you. But please, wait for me by the door," I said, stepped in, and shut the door behind me, "I've gotta get some of these groceries in the fridge, so we'll begin your tour afterwards."
"Yu~!" she replied.
I guess that means she understands? I slipped my shoes off, first, then I gave her a nod and walked to the kitchen. I heaved both bags onto the counter. My arms were tired. Between the weight of her and all the groceries, including the handful of extra, unanticipated items, I was pretty worn. I rubbed my arms, put away the few perishables, then moved back to the living room. She was still there on the mat. Her eyes shined as she stared at me. I stopped in front of her and leaned down.
"Okay~" I said, with a clap, "tour time!"
I held out my arms. She hopped in and turned around.
"So," I said, stood up, and turned around, "This is the living room. Mister will probably set up Marisa's easy place in here. Plenty of room for you," I moved to the TV in front of us and leaned over behind it, "Don't go back there, though. Very dangerous. Lots of mister cables and electricity. Marisa could get really hurt, or even die back there."
She seemed to understand, so I moved on. I moved down to the kitchen.
"This is the kitchen. Mister will prepare Marisa's meals here. If you're hungry, let me know and I'll make you something," I leaned forward and looked down at her, "I might just make you something quick as a snack, though. I'd prefer we eat together, being that you're my guest, and I'd like to get to know you some."
I showed her around the refrigerator and the pantry, and explained to her to not go through them -- just ask me to get it. After that, I showed her the extra room in the back, which was virtually empty.
"You can go in here. Not a big deal."
After that, I rounded the corner back to the living room, then up the hallway. I showed her the hallway closet, offering her that as her easy place. Yukkuri liked small, enclosed spaces. To the right was the master bedroom -- the room my dad used to rest in. I showed her it -- it was empty at this point. I already donated away all of his clothes and his bed. After that, it was the attached bathroom. I had a use for this in a moment. Once done, we exited the room, and I showed her the room to our left. Another empty bedroom. Already cleaned it out; where my nephew stayed when he was with us. After exiting, I showed her my bathroom -- the room on the left, across from the master bedroom. Afterwards, it was the room on our left -- my room. I opened it. I heard her gasp.
[Author's note: I know the room placement seems confusing -- you have to actually physically visualize where you're standing outside of the room. That's why the placement might confuse you. I placed it as he exited each room]
"And this... is my room."
My room was rather clustered -- I had a lot of things I collected over the years. Toys of various kinds, models, manga... it was all over. I placed her on my bed.
"Now, I want you to remember something important:" I said, and lowered myself to stare at her directly. I pointed my finger at her, "Marisa is to not come in here without me. I have a lot of stuff in here, and some of it is pretty expensive. If you're not careful, you could knock something over, and it could squish you. That would make me very sad, and a very bad host. So please, if you want to come in, you're welcome to, but as long as I'm here. Easy?"
She nodded several times, then saluted with her piu-piu.
"Marisa understands easy!"
"Alright," I said, and stood up. "Now that the tour's done, on to the next thing," I said, and leaned down. I pointed to her, "You need a bath. You're absolutely filthy. Mister Kei will not let a guest stay in his house as dirty as you are. So, let's go."
Marisa seemed confused, but simply nodded. She slid her way into my arms, turned, then sat back. I stood up and moved to the master bedroom and into the bathroom. I placed her on the floor and opened the shower door. I took the seat off the wall and unfolded it. Towards his geriatric years, my dad liked to sit when he took a shower. I turned, stepped out and looked down at Marisa.
"Alright, first thing's first," I said, and pointed down at her hat, "I need to clean your hat separately," I offered my open palm, "I'll even clean the little one for you. Please hand them to me."
She seemed shaken up for a moment.
"B-but..." she started.
I pointed at her.
"I could simply take your hat and clean it for you without even asking. I'm asking you to give it to me, because just taking it is mean," I said, which cut off her attempt to speak.
She fell silent. It was odd, teaching a creature that lived it's life without the appearance of logic or cognition. I was hoping that, by asking her things the way I did, it would help her use her little paste core more and think things more thoroughly. Of course, I wasn't let down -- she removed her hat and held it out to me. The smaller hat fell out. I picked up both. I gave a quick glance to her hair -- it should have been a golden blonde. It was more like a dirty yellow. Oh, did she need a real cleaning. I gave a slight nod as I stood up.
"The ribbon too, please,"
She looked at the ribbon on the end of her piu-piu... she held it out to me. Right, guess she can't pull it out, herself. I plucked it and gently pulled it free.
"I will return in a moment," I said, "So please wait here."
"Yu~!" was all I heard as I left her in the bathroom.
She seemed rather obedient. Or desperate. The whole reason I wanted her to understand her position -- it'd make her more likely to stay in-line. I moved to the kitchen and out to the garage. I used to have the normal washer-dryer machines, but after my parents died, and they broke down, I opted to shell out for a dry cleaning machine. They were far more expensive, and the soap was a lot more, but the amount of money saved over the course of it's lifetime in electricity and water? Priceless. I tossed both hats in and the small ribbon. A tiny scoop of soap, and I turned it on for a short load. It wouldn't take long. Upon leaving the kitchen, I reached into the bag and plucked out the yukkuri shampoo I purchased. I returned to the bathroom, and she hadn't moved.
"You don't have to do poo-poo or pee-pee, do you?"
She shook her head. I smiled. I held up the yukkuri shampoo. Decided to get the expensive stuff -- she needed a good cleaning. I can get the cheaper stuff later. I picked her up again and brought her into the shower. I took my socks and shirt off and tossed them out.
"Right-o. Let's get you cleaned~!" I said and reached for the shower head. I detached it and brought it down. I cranked the shower to warm and let the water run for a few minutes -- the old pipes in my house took a few minutes to warm. I'd poke the pouring water to make sure it was a good temp. Satisfied, I looked to her with a grin.
"Ready?"
She looked nervous. She nodded, and focused her gaze.
"You should close your eyes. And try to keep your mouth shut. It probably tastes really icky."
She obeyed. I ran the warm water over her form. I could hear her letting out a gentle yu sound. Probably means she was enjoying it. I flipped her hair around and ran more water. Yukkuri had limited time that they could be in water, so I couldn't do a full-on shower, like the ones I took. After making sure the dirt had turned into mud, I turned off the water and hung up the nozzle again. A handful of shampoo, and I coated her hair. I massaged it into her... scalp... I guess is what you'd call it. It was odd calling a yukkuri's form anything but, well, bread. She let out a deep sigh. I built up a lather, then gently rolled it around her form. Almost cat-like with how she seemed to shift around my fingers. Must feel like a good old rub-rub. I rolled my fingers around her loose-hanging ponytail. Black water rolled off the sides of the seat. Clumps of dirt plopped off with the large bubbles. I never realized exactly how bad she needed a shower. I knew her dirty form stained my shirt and she left a little on my bed, but seriously. Satisfied with the big glob of soap, I cranked the shower again, and rinsed. I whistled. She looked like a whole-new yukkuri. I reached out to one of the towels, and worked to dry her off.
"You can open your eyes now."
She opened them and let out a happy cry. I gave her body a soft buffing with the towel -- even if only dampened, I could still cause an abrasion if I rubbed too hard, especially in her softened state. I picked her up and slid the towel under her, then folded it over to massage her scalp. She squirmed around the whole time, happily yu-ing away. Must be the equivalent to a cat purring. Or something. After that, I scooped her and the towel up and moved over to the sink. I placed her down gently, picked up a hairdryer and a comb, and began to fix her hair. I kept the hairdryer on a low blow setting -- didn't need her to go flying somewhere. As I ran the comb through her hair, the teeth would get caught in knots. I'd hear her cry a little.
"Ow! Ow! Hurts!"
I grinned.
"Oh, don't be such a big baby~ your hair is all tangled, so of course it's going to hurt a little. It'll feel better in a moment."
And, of course, it did. I started hearing her little yelps of pain replaced by her yus of joy. Probably a combination of the warm hairdryer and the gentle brushing. As her hair dried, the dark yellow it once was brightened. It became a shiny gold blonde. I clicked off the hairdryer and set the comb down.
"Now, wait here. I'm gonna go check on your mister hats and mister ribbon, easy?"
She nodded, and I left the bathroom. Well, not really. On the way out, I saw her turn and try to look at herself in the mirror. It was a little too high for her to get a good look at herself. I stifled a chuckle and left her there. The load was done -- I took out the two hats and the ribbon and moved back to the bathroom. I placed the two hats to the side and looked to her. I held the ribbon out to her.
"Okay, so, truthful moment: I don't really know how to braid hair, but I'll do my best."
It seemed to make her panic a little. Oh, well. I was a scout and one of our favorite time-killers was making lanyards. If I could handle cylinder lanyards, I could do this. I remember a long time ago a girl showed me how to do it. Now if I could just remember how. I took the comb and straightened the long lock of hair, then split it into three. I felt my tongue slip out the side of my lip as I worked the three locks of hair. Once I reached the end, I pinched it, took the ribbon, and tied a small bow-tie square-knot with it. I reached over, took the two hats, placed the small one on her head first, then the larger one over it. I picked her up and held her out to the mirror.
"There you go. Brand new yu~!"
I watched her expression. She was awe-struck as she looked at herself. Her eyes took in every inch of her. It was probably months since she had a good cleaning. Her expression shifted from amazement to depression. I blinked.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked and turned her around.
She wouldn't look up at me. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes.
"Yu... it's... not fair."
I smiled to her.
"You really miss your family, huh?"
She nodded and looked up to me.
"D-does mister think Marisa's little ones and beautiful wife are cursing her from heaven?"
I gave it a moment. Didn't want to respond instantly -- she might consider it patronizing. I shook my head.
"No. I think they'd want this for you. If they really loved you, they'd want to see you live easy. Heck, maybe they even sent me to find you. Isn't that how a mister angel works?"
I just met her. Didn't want her to die from anti-yukkuritis already. It seemed to cheer her up. I lowered her against my body, and placed my hand on her head.
"Now. It's time for dinner. I'm hungry," I looked down at her, "You hungry?"
She perked up.
"N-not really! Marisa isn't hu-" I heard a sound that I suspected meant her stomach was casting protest. I grinned.
"You say one thing, but your tummy says another. If you're hungry, let me know, and you can eat."
She made motion to protest, but I placed a finger over her mouth.
"Again, Marisa is my guest. Her easiness is my responsibility. As long as Marisa behaves herself, doesn't do poo-poo or pee-pee on my stuff, and does as I ask when I ask her to, then Marisa is free to stay. Meals are included in the stay."
As always with anything I said, I wasn't exactly sure if she got it. Her eyes rolled down to my finger, then back to my reflection in the mirror. She nodded. I took my finger off of her mouth.
"Now, it's getting kind of late," I said, and headed to the living room. I placed her down on the sofa and turned on the TV. I held the remote up to her. "You know how to use one of these?"
She shook her head. I shrugged and flipped it over to a news station for the time being. I grinned.
"I'll show ya later. Gonna go prepare some food."
She nodded. I moved to the kitchen. All-in-all, I didn't have a lot of time left in my night to prepare something grand -- I made a salad, chopped up a hard-boiled egg, a little chicken, a dash of salt... in the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me. She was peeking in. I almost laughed.
"I'm almost done! Be out in a second!"
I moved to grab silverware, and she took off. Two forks. Was curious if she could handle it. I brought the plate out and placed it on the table. She stared at it, confused. She looked at me, then back to it. I sat down gently, as to not bounce her up. I offered one of the forks.
"Do you know how to use one of these?"
She looked to it, then to me. She shook her head. I held it closer to her.
"Take it."
She, as far as I could tell, grabbed it with her piu-piu. She held it up to me. I held mine up to her. I scooped up the plate and brought it over.
"Like this," I said, and stabbed the fork down through a few leaves of salad.
I scooped it up with a piece of chicken and egg, and slid it into my mouth. I crunched and swallowed, then pointed the fork to her. She nodded, poked at it a few times until she managed to get something. She brought it to her face as well as she could and slid it all in.
"Now, don't bite the fork. It could hurt your teeth," I said.
She pulled the fork out, crunched down the bits she got. I saw that familiar look on her face.
"Delicious!" she said, and spat a few crumbs out.
Of course, it wasn't intentional. I gave her a pat, and we continued our meal. Once concluded, it was bathroom time. I explained to her the functions of the toilet.
"I mean, I can get something for you to poo-poo and pee-pee on, but for now, let's just learn this -- in case of an emergency, yes?"
She nodded. She was an adult. She was big enough to sit on a toilet and not fall though. I think. She hopped up and sat down. She looked to me.
"Now what?"
I motioned for her to roll back.
"Roll back a little bit, then poo-poo."
She leaned forward slightly, then rolled back. She flailed her piu-piu, but settled. She clenched her face, and I heard the successful plop in the water.
"Now, can you roll forward and pee-pee?"
She pushed against the seat and rolled forward, then peed into the toilet. Pretty simple for her. I pointed at the plunger.
"Now, just push that to send mister poo-poo and pee-pee away."
It was odd to know exactly how repulsed they were by their own waste -- their poop was supposed to be nearly-expired bean paste, and their pee was supposed to be sugar water. There were stories of people feeding them their own excrement after mixing it into other food. It'd be interesting to test that later. I snapped back from my thoughts as the flushing sound tickled my ears.
"Right-o! Now you know how to use Mister Toilet!"
I was curious as to why not many people ever decided to show adult yukkuri how to use a toilet... or simply just got a small one, like the kind for babies...
Now, on to the final step for today! Bunking! I showed her her options again -- the closet, or in between the sofa and the wall, or possibly some area she preferred. She seemed to prefer the hallway closet; the shelves would act like floors. The first issue was seeing if she could get the door open if I closed it. That was a no-go, so we settled on leaving it cracked. With the location selected, I slid in my dog's old sleeping pillow. Yeah, I kept it. I liked her, and still missed her to this day. It was a good pet pillow, anyway. More-than large enough for Marisa, who happily flopped herself onto it. She rolled around on it, enjoying the, 'mister soft-soft.' There was something just so disgustingly adorable about watching it.
"Good night, Marisa. I'll see you tomorrow."
She gave me a cheerful smile.
"Good night, Mister Human!"
... I'll have to work on the name thing later.
With her settled in, I bid her a peaceful rest. I still had to take my shower. I could hear the heavy rain hammering my roof as I moved to the bathroom. I did my hygiene regiment, then proceeded to my room. I turned on my TV, but the reception was cut from the heavy storm. I sighed. I checked in on my internet activity -- few games, some more information delving. I normally stayed up later, but being that I had a house guest who had to settle in, so I should try to be up early and see to her adjustment. After all, had to make sure she knew a few things come the morning.
I hadn't really fallen asleep yet when I heard a light thumping against my door.
"Mister human?"
More light thumping. I think she was knocking. I slid out of bed and opened the door. There she was, tears in the corners of her eyes. I'll just go ahead and assume what comes next.
"Marisa... was, um..."
"You want to sleep with me tonight because the storm is scary."
She seemed to instantly perk up. I had a feeling it was more than that. My mind was already starting to wander away, so her chatter passed through my ears. I brought her in and carefully explained again about how dangerous it could be, and told her to strictly stay on my bed. I made sure to warn about how much I roll around at night. Once I settled in, I gave her one of my pillows to settle on. It was either the pillow I used to support my knees, or the one to give my arms something to hold. I gave her the one I kept on my arms. I bid good night to her again and settled in. I already had a feeling I knew what was coming, and I wasn't disappointed. I felt her settle against me. Yeah. I knew she really just wanted to be with me. I'll settle her straight tomorrow. I'll just write it off as her being afraid of the rain and being alone in a big house. Right.
When I woke up the next morning, she was already awake, but had cleverly moved back onto her pillow. Recollection of the night before came to me slowly. I felt like I didn't move all night. Normally I tossed and turned a lot. Maybe I was comfy with her? I'll put a pin in that for future observation...
"Good morning, mister human!" she said.
My brain was always hazy when I first woke up. I looked at her, and the odd shape she took. Oh, this must be stretch-stretch. She wasn't so much of a ovular shape any more -- more of a really tall, narrow blob. A strange sight, considering they had no bone or muscle structure that would physically allow them to take such a shape. Then again, nothing made sense about their biology to begin with. Thought-wandering aside, I returned her smile.
"Good morning, Marisa. Oh, and please. Call me Kei," I said.
The morning was spent making breakfast for the two of us. I woke up earlier than I normally did -- I wanted to prepare Marisa for the day ahead, to give myself extra time to give her all the training I could, and finish some odds-and-ends things I needed to set-up. I didn't have a cage for her, so I had to improvise a means for water. I took one of my old cat bowls, filled it with some water, and slipped in a curly straw. I demoed it for her, showing how she could angle it in order to drink from the dish without making a mess. She got the idea pretty quick. Next, after a quick visit to the bathroom for poop and pee, was to set-up her small toilet in the living room. It was a towel I folded over a few times. She was already housebroken by another owner, so she got the idea as soon as I pointed it out to her. Next was the TV. Something to keep her busy while I was out. Bored yukkuri can be nibbled at by anti-yukkuritis, and she already had the loss of her family still gnawing on her. I demoed the usage of the remote, showing her what to do if it was too loud or not loud enough. I wasn't exactly sure if she got it all, so I simply changed the channel to a cartoon station. She seemed to enjoy it almost instantly. Good. As long as it kept her busy. I also left her my building blocks as a final option. Marisas had engineering in their paste. At least that's what I read.
"Just don't leave them everywhere, easy?"
"Yu!" she replied.
I tried to think of anything else. I ran down my checklist. Oh, right, food. I set up my cat's old food dish and poured in some of the dry food I picked up yesterday.
"I know it's not as tasty as my cooking, but it'll sustain you. It'll taste better than the grass you used to have to eat. Please make due until I get home, and if you're especially good, I'll give ya an extra something, easy?"
Her face lit up.
"Yu!" she exclaimed.
I nodded and stood up.
"Well, I'm off to work. I won't be back until much later, so be patient and look forward to seeing me tonight!"
She waved her piu-piu.
"Goodbye easy, Mister Kei! Take it easy! Watch out for Mister Car! Take it easy while you hunt-hunt!"
Okay, I think I was rather enjoying her company now.
The day at work was rough. I was nervous about her. Any number of incidents could have occurred. I tried to ease myself by focusing harder on my work, but it didn't help. I explained to my co-workers why I was having such a hard time focusing. They all practically demanded photos. Shoot. Forgot to get one. Well, when I get off. The day proceeded without a hitch, despite my anxiety. I made a quick stop at the market before I headed home. I picked up a few more odds-and-ends yukkuri care stuff: disposable toilets, some specialty cleaner for their accessories, a little more food, and some general medicine. She could have parasites of any kind inside of her. Didn't want her dying any time soon.
When I got home, my anxiety piqued. I hurried to open the door, and look inside. The TV was still on, and the volume was still low. Everything appeared to be normal. Some of her food was eaten, and the water dish was down a few notches. The towel had a few marks on it; clearly she made use of it. Where was Marisa? Gently snoring on the couch. Seems she fell asleep watching TV. I grinned. Didn't want to wake her. I moved to the kitchen and stored away the new pet supplies, then set to work cooking dinner for the two of us. I thought I'd keep it simple again tonight, but I wanted to make something warm for the two of us. I brought both plates out, and placed them on the table. She was still out like a lamp. I brought the plate over and placed them on the table. I waved the scent that rose off of the plate towards Marisa. She stirred gently, a small trail of drool rolling from the corner of her mouth. I gave her a light poke to her cheek.
"Marisa~ wakie wakie~"
Her eyes cracked slightly and she gave a large yawn. She smacked her lips for a second before her eyes immediately darted to me. Her face lit up and she bounced up to me.
"Mister Kei!"
Good thing I had great reflexes. I caught her and gently stroked her hair, then gave rub-rubs to her cheek.
"Dinner time, sleepyhead. I hope you weren't too bored here alone."
She shook her head. I sat down. She told me the story of her day -- of the cartoons, exploration of the house, munch-munch, drink-drink... I spaced out a bit, but humored her with gentle affirmations. When her story finished, her attention turned to the plate of food, and she happily ate it down with a few declarations of deliciousness.
"Hey, Marisa, when I get home, you should welcome me home like you welcome Mister Sun," I said.
She stared at me.
"You want.. Marisa to stretch-stretch?"
I shook my head with a smile.
"No, just say, 'welcome home easy!' with all of Marisa's core!"
She smiled and bounced up and down.
"Okay, Mister Kei! Marisa will do that!"
One of my little training lessons. Let's see if she could handle that. She already stopped -just- calling me human. I'd work on the honorific later. It didn't feel natural to me.
The night went about the same. She came and poked at my door. I let her in. We slept together. She snuggled against me.
Yeah. Had a real strong feeling she was in love with me.
[Ch1 done. Whew.]
[Srsly, I -did not- think it would have come out this long.]
[Heck, I had to brainstorm exactly how I wanted to end it. I always look for the King Leer ending -- something simple.]
[Anyway, if you feel the story is moving kind of slow, it's because it is. I'm trying to lay all the groundwork for how I want things to proceed. I'm building. Don't worry, things are gonna start to ramp up soon. Wait until the next chapter.]
[Spoiler: More yukkuri are gonna be joining the family.]
[Anyway, sleep time. xD Work in the afternoon, and it's the dreaded week.]
[Hope you enjoyed it!]
boom
Nov 30, 2015, 11:22:06 PM11/30/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
A very nice story - I'd be interested to see how it progresses.
Hitosura
Dec 1, 2015, 9:16:08 PM12/1/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
Nice to know you're enjoying it. Pushes me to continuing it.
Currently writing chapter 2, but it's that season again, so it may be delayed a bit. I think I'm at about 60-65% done. It keeps going the same way -- I get a giant chunk done, can't really work on it for a few days, then wind up adding more to the content of what I already put down.
Currently writing chapter 2, but it's that season again, so it may be delayed a bit. I think I'm at about 60-65% done. It keeps going the same way -- I get a giant chunk done, can't really work on it for a few days, then wind up adding more to the content of what I already put down.
saline
Aug 23, 2020, 7:30:07 AM8/23/20
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
very late, but I've been enjoying this a lot!
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