Life of a Stray Fox

Chapter 32

I opened my eyes and stretched out with a yawn. My muscles felt stiff and caused me to wince slightly, the events of yesterday rushing back to me all at once. I looked around the room and realized I was in my regular fox form and curled up on the hospital bed next to Ari's body. I heard Atsushi suddenly screaming from the room next door and huffed quietly. Yosano is treating him... it's really not as bad as Atsushi makes it out to be. Or maybe I've just been through enough hell that her treatment methods don't bother me.
My mouth opened wide in a yawn, my ears flattening against my head in the process. If I listened closely, I could hear the breathing of my friends in the office which was just down the hall.
I was happy, curled up here with Ari. This was the first time I had ever been able to spend time with her without interruption or... something worse. My eyes focused on the rise and fall of her chest as my tails waved slowly behind me.
The silence was interrupted by the door of the infirmary opening and a familiar hum that caught my attention. I turned my head towards the door with a quiet bark as I realized it was Dazai. He smiled at me with a wave of his fingers, "Kotori, you're awake. That's good, but... why haven't you changed back?"
My ears dropped and I shook my head with an almost silent whimper. Dazai stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at me with sudden wide eyed realization. "You can't... you've done it again."
I dropped my gaze and slinked over to him, hopping off the bed and grabbing his pants leg in my mouth with a low whine. Dazai smiled down at me and rested his hand on top of my head, causing me to close my eyes. A gentle glow and breeze filled the room as Dazai activated his ability.
I sighed and opened my eyes, already feeling the difference of being back in my human body. I opened my eyes and stood wrapping my arms around Dazai. "Thanks. How... how is everyone?"
The suicidal male kept his arms around me, "They're fine. If you and Sherlock hadn't acted faster, I might be telling you something completely different."
I let go and stepped back, a small smile on my face. Dazai chuckled quietly and then turned towards a closed curtain on the other side of Ari's bed. He pulled it to the side with one fluid motion and revealed an unconscious Rin and against the far wall was Kōyō.
My lips curled back in a snarl and I glared at the woman's unconscious form. Dazai rested a hand on my shoulder, knowing how much I despised the woman.
"You don't have to be in here for this. I know you're not a fan of Big Sister."
A dark smirk formed as my gaze became predatory, "Oh no... you've got it all wrong. I want to stay. I want to see her suffer before she gives up her precious information."
I lifted a hand up to my face, staring at Dazai between my fingers and laughed. "Just the thought of big sister in pain... it sends a shiver down my spine."
Dazai watched me with a dull expression but I noticed the hint of amusement that escaped his mask. He lifted his hand to his head and brushed a few stray hairs to the side. "I always knew you were a sadist."
———————————————————
My eyes never left Kōyō's body and I wondered why I ever looked up to her in the first place. It made me almost sick to think that I still had a deep seated respect for her deep down inside me. The woman was cruel, but that wasn't something I could penalize her for. There were times where I had been or could be just as cruel as she was. No, my issue with the woman was the fact that she had lied to me all those years ago. I could have dealt with the fact that she had started trying to kill me... I wouldn't have held that against her. What I held against her, was a deep loathing for the lies she had told me.
I look at you almost as if you were my own, Kotori.
You've improved greatly... maybe even better than me.
I'm proud of you. You're growing so quickly.
Kill her. Slit her pretty porcelain neck. Kill her!
I jolted slightly and looked around the room with wide eyes as my heart thundered loudly in my chest. My tails swished out from behind me and I looked down at my feet as I tried to calm myself. Outbursts like that weren't uncommon when I was back in the Mafia, they were just... more controlled.
"We're going to have to start working on your ability again. With the way things have been going lately, I don't think we can afford you losing complete control again. You and Shion are our strongest members so we can't take risks."
I brought my hand up and rested on my forehead, "You think I don't know that? Dazai I can't control it anymore. It's like... it's like I'm the one being controlled."
He hummed quietly and continued to stare at Kōyō, "I guess we'll have to work with your ability again. We don't have much time either, so we're really going to have to push you."
I dropped my hand from my head and allowed my gaze to slowly drift to Dazai. "Unless you just want me to continue being like some blood thirsty, rabid animal."
We both fell into silence, but no words were necessary for the seriousness of the situation to be understood.
The door to the infirmary opened and closed silently, my head turning towards it. Atsushi had stepped inside and was staring at me with curiosity in his eyes. "You're alright now?"
I met his gaze and and nodded, "Yeah, I'm alright. I heard you screaming while Yosano treated your wounds earlier. How'd they heal up?"
His face flushed slightly and I watched as his eyes flickered to Ari's unconscious form.
"Dr. Yosano says they should be fine. She also encouraged me to get hurt again soon..."
I smiled and nodded, "It does seem like we're getting hurt way too often for comfort."
A groan came from Kōyō, telling us that the woman was waking up. Atsushi and I went silent and turned to the woman with a dark glare. Dazai sat up a bit straighter and tilted his head just slightly with a dangerous grin.
"Hey Big Sis, it's been a long time."