Flesh & Bone (OMORI AU)

Chapter 24: Dying tulips

Sunny awoke to the sound of quiet chatter, slowly opening his eye. He sat up and yawned, looking over in the kitchen. Mari and his mother were talking to each other. Sunny got anxious as he thought about what could happen if his mother upset Mari again, but it didn't seem to be the case. They seemed be having a casual conversation. Sunny felt too awkward to go over, and laid on his side.

Mewo sat on the floor, in loaf mode, staring at Sunny with her piercing golden eyes. He had never found it creepy. He loved black cats, and was happy when Mari got Mewo for her birthday years back. After Mari passed away, Mewo went missing. After a month she was found beaten up by feral cats. She nearly died from an infection. But she managed to survive and stick with Sunny through the hard times. She was around five years old, so she had enough life left in her.

Mari walked into the room, peering over at her little brother. "Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"

"Im not hungry.."

"Oh, Sunny you have to eat something! I'm worried about you..." Mari frowned.

Sunny sighed. "Just a single piece of toast."

"With Life Jam?"

"With Life Jam."

Once Mari headed back to the kitchen, Sunny pushed his head into his pillow. He was exhausted from the nightmare he had last night. Perhaps he would take a nap when he had the time? He wasn't sure what his friends had planned for today... he hoped it was nothing. Knowing Mari, though, she probably arranged something and would drag Sunny with her.

He sighed softly, watching Mewo sniff the floor. She came across a small leaf, possibly from Basil, and started chewing on it. Sunny rushed to get the leaf out of her mouth, not knowing if it was toxic to cats or not, but she swatted at him and ate the rest of it. He began to panic, running to the kitchen to where Mari and his mother were.

"M-Mewo ate a leaf-."

"Do you know what kind?" His mother asked in concern.

"Uhm, no... But it was kinda long..."

"Was it a tree leaf? Or a flower leaf?" Mari asked.

"Probably flower..."

Mari gasped. "The lilies... she must have eaten a leaf that fell off. How much of it did she eat???"

"...the whole thing."

Mari ran in the living room, picking up a very oblivious Mewo. She mewed as Mari rushed to the door.

"Mom we need to get to the vet immediately. Lily leaves are incredibly toxic."

"Since when did we get lilies??" Her mother squinted.

"Hero gave them to me a few days ago... she normally leaves potted plants alone if they're high enough but the leaf fell onto the carpet. If we can't get her to throw it up she might... she might.." Mari inhaled. "Die."

Sunny's eyes widened. Mari and his mother rushed to the car, not bothering to wear something more appropriate for going out. Thankfully the local animal hospital was nearby, just a few miles away from their house.

Mewo was admitted to the emergency care center, still oblivious to what she had done. Sunny had a pit in his stomach as he waited alone in the waiting room. Minors weren't allowed in the emergency center, so he didn't know if Mewo was okay. The door opened. He expected to see Mewo in her carrier being held by Mari, but instead, a nurse called him.

"Sunny Zhao- I regret to inform you that your cat does not have much time left. You are permitted to say goodbye to her in the emergency center before her euthanization."

".. what."

"Not only did she eat a toxic leaf, but she seems to have a heart blockage that cannot be treated. She has been in pain for the past few years, and if she isn't put to sleep now, she will continue to suffer until she passes away. It's difficult but I-."

Sunny ran past the nurse, looking around for the room his mother and sister were in. He could hear familiar weeping and ran in that direction, entering the emergency center Mewo was in. She looked as chipper as ever, despite being sickly. Cats are good at concealing their pain. It was in their instincts. Sunny rushed to Mari and hugged her, beginning to cry with her. Their mother was also tearing up. The nurse from before sighed as he walked into the room.

"I understand things are difficult but please do not-."

Sunny glared at the nurse, and he stopped talking. He was rather intimidating when angry. Sunny turned to Mewo, stroking her dark fur as he continued to choke out sobs, a few of his tear's landing on Mewo. She simply rubbed against his palm, purring gently. She looked at him, and he could see the pain in her eyes. Why hadn't he noticed sooner? Was he a bad owner? What would happen if Mari left him again? Mewo was all he had left of her while she was gone. Sunny leaned into Mari, who held him closer to her body. She had grown cold once more.

Sunny screamed as the nurse handed a filled syringe to the doctor, who put gloves on her hands. She apologized for what she had to do, but Sunny continued to cry out, hiccuping as tears rolled down his cheeks. Images of Mewo in blackspace flickered in his mind. Mewo on the examination table. The cat butler. The sharp objects... cutting her open with a knife. As the doctor lowered the syringe and held Mewo gently by her scruff, Sunny tried to stop her, being held back by Mari and his mother. He screamed loudly as the doctor carefully inserted the syringe into Mewo's skin, pushing the clear liquid into her body. He tried to break free, flailing his legs. The nurse had already begun to call for someone to help him.

"I'm... so sorry. It's for the best." The doctor frowned as she listened to Sunny's cries.

For being such a small and quiet boy, when he got this upset he was almost unhinged. Rage and sadness blinded him. After he was let go to truly say goodbye to Mewo, he hugged her body. He could hear her heartbeat beginning to slow down. Mewo's breathing became less rapid, her eyes lidded. She rubbed against Sunny's cheek as her body grew colder.

Sunny froze

Mewo had stopped breathing. Her heart had stopped. She was gone. Sunny dug his face into her fur as he continued to sob. He heard people walking into the room from behind him.

"Hey, kid, it's okay! Things like this happen for a reason. Your cat is in a better place now. Just calm down, and talk to us-."

Sunny pulled away from Mewo and slid his hand into a pocket. Mari's eyes widened as he revealed a steak knife with blood stains on the metal. She cried out as she tried to take the knife away from him. His target? The doctor. He stretched over the examination table as Mari held him back. He then felt himself being pushed to the floor and the knife was ripped out of his hands. Sunny cried as his head was pressed against the cold tiled floor. He was being restrained. After a while of crying, he grew so tired that he couldn't keep his eyes open, slowly falling asleep.

What happened next would change so much.

Hi yes Sunny is having his second mental breakdown in this story. No he is not homicidal . When angry and upset he becomes impulsive. He had the knife on him to hurt himself originally, but in the moment, took it out and in impulse. This is also what caused him to push Mari down the stairs in the first place. He doesn't mean to be violent, he just wants things to go how he wants. The next few chapters will actually focus less on Mari and Sunny, and more-so the others. Think of it as filler but actually kinda important