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You thought today wouldn’t be eventful. Of course, every day was uneventful for you, a 16-year-old high school student whose life solely consisted of studying. It had been raining all noon, and you had forgotten your umbrella at home. The walk wasn’t too long, but with rainfall as heavy as lead, you would be soaked to the bone in no minute.
You were nearly home, your bag by your side as you zoomed through the streets with caution. You had nearly walked past it, the rain shielding your eyes from seeing properly, but you saw something black against the fence that wasn’t there in the morning. Your pace slowed to a stop to observe the object, noticing that it wasn’t an object at all.
“Is that a pig?” You pondered aloud, a hand over your eyes to see properly. It was in fact a pig, a tiny one at that. You crouched down and poked it, hoping that the poor thing wasn’t dead. It snorted weakly in response, its wide eyes fluttered to look at you.
“Hey little piglet, are you lost?”
It didn’t make any noise. You squatted there, unsure of what to do. You didn’t have the heart to leave it there. It was clearly exhausted and possibly sick under the rain. You propped your bag against the fence and carefully reached out to the creature. It made no attempt to run from your advances, so you placed two fingers in between its ears and petted it. Its rough, furry skin was cold to the touch and it leaned into your hand. You almost awed out loud, but if it wasn’t for the fact that it was probably dying, you kept to yourself. You scooped the piglet up with no difficulties and clutched it to your chest, taking note of how it was heavier than it looked.
“Alright, I’m going to take you home and get you warmed up, so hang in there little piglet.”
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When you arrived home, you made a bee-line to your room. You wrapped the piglet in a worn but cosy blanket and placed its resting form on your bed, taking its multiple yellow collars off to dry on top of your heater. There wasn’t any information on the bandanas about who the piglet might belong to whatsoever, which bummed you. The said piglet had fallen asleep in a small amount of time, it worried you that it might’ve succumbed to sickness already. You started peeling off your wet uniform.
“Shizuoka is a big city, it would be hard to find your home. How did you manage to end up on the streets?”
You expected no reply but heard a shrill squeal. Your guest had awakened and was staring at you with full-blown eyes, almost looking at you in shock. You approached it, unaware that its reaction was due to the fact that you were only in your undergarments.
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Ryoga’s eyes were attached to your cleavage, and if you could see, his face would’ve been a lovely shade of red. All he did was close his eyes for a bit, your concerned attractive visage being the last thing he saw in the rain before he woke up in an unfamiliar room and with a wonderful view of your near-naked form. He knew that if he was in his usual human form, you’d be throwing him out your window with no hesitation, but dear lord your heart was pure and soft for a swine you found on the street.
He watched as you kneeled down to be at eye-level with front of him. He felt his heart thump as you caressed his covered form. His mind flashed to Akane, the woman he loved and submitted his life to. He thought that she was the only one who loved and cared for him, even though she only showed that side of her to his pig form only. He felt conflicted. She was his only love, that was what he believed. He knew that he had to be loyal to Akane, and that you were only there to help him, so there was no way he was going to start hoarding feelings for you. Plus, you were a stranger.
“Are you hungry?”
Ryoga felt his stomach clench. He had been lost for countless days trying to get to the Tendo Dojo from Furinkan high. It was hard when you were a pig and people saw you as food. Well, it wasn’t the first time… He squealed multiple times, nodding to prove his point—he was starving. You giggled at his antics.
“You’re quite smart, aren’t you?”
He squealed again, bashfully. That was cut short as you pulled him out from under the covers and held him up like you would a cat, under his arms. You focused on his belly, or so he thought. He went silent despite feeling a tad bit uncomfortable, wondering what you were doing until he noticed what you were looking at.
“You’re a boy!”
Ryoga wanted to die then and there.
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“Little piglet, where are you?”
Ryoga immediately rushed from the sofa as soon as he heard your voice. You lit up with joy as the tiny pig ran to your feet and oinked happily.
This had been the norm for the past week. You would wait for your parents to leave for work before letting Ryoga out into the rest of your home. You learnt that he was far more intelligent than you initially believed. You once found him trying to turn on a faucet in the bathroom for some odd reason, but he panicked when he noticed that you were watching him. He had also gotten hold of a travel guide of Shizuoka and seemed to be reading it. You also theorised that it was him who washed the dishes you left in the sink when you were late for school the other day. It was as if he were a human stuck in a pig’s body.
You picked him up gingerly, nuzzling into his cute pudgy face. Ryoga felt his cheeks heating from the affection you gave him.
“Hey little guy! What did you do today?”
He squealed in response and you giggled. You held him to your chest as you made your way to your room, starting to tell him about the day you had at school. Ryoga stared up at you in awe. You seemed to live such a simple and quaint life, far different than the life he had at the Tendo Dojo.
“I’m also thinking of putting up missing posters of you.”
Ryoga snapped out of his trance. Did he hear that right? Missing posters? He knew that he should feel relieved. Maybe Akane would see these posters and know not to worry about him as he was in good hands. He fantasised of Akane running to him, holding him in those arms he missed and telling him that everything was going to be okay. Yet why did his heart clench? He looked up at you and saw an unfamiliar expression. Sadness. Were you upset that he was going to leave soon? He didn’t like seeing your downcasted face. He snorted to get your attention. You forced a small smile.
“If you didn’t have an owner, I wouldn’t have minded looking after you, little piglet,” you started. “But you have someone looking for you right now, and I have no doubt that they’re amazing, or elsewhere could you have learnt how to read?”
He didn’t answer you. You placed him onto the blanket on your bed and laid next to him. He watched as you got lost in your thoughts. A week may not have been long, but man was Ryoga happy that you had taken him in. He wouldn’t have been able to recover during that rainy day, running on no food and shelter. You were a godsend, it was a surprise when he found out that you weren’t dating anyone. You had fed him, looked after him, even allowed him to sleep on the same bed with you. You talked to him and he would listen attentively, learning about your friends and who your favourite teachers were, what subjects you enjoyed and how you wished your life was more exciting.
He grunted, scooting onto your side.
“You know, little piglet, you made my week so special. I’m going to miss you.”
Ryoga made up his mind before you both fell into a light nap.
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When you returned home the next day, you noticed the atmosphere. The house was empty. You called for the little piglet but heard no familiar squealing. You checked the kitchen, bathroom, living room. He was gone. When you rushed to your bedroom, you almost started crying. His blanket had been folded neatly onto your bed, and a bandana was left atop it.
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It was another uneventful day for you again, except it was raining and you had remembered to bring an umbrella. The weather reminded you of your little pig friend. Your friends had realised your unusual demeanour at school after he had left. They knew the story about the little pig you found in the rain, but they didn’t know how impactful his leave had on you. It took you a while to feel yourself again. A gut feeling told you that the piglet was safe and well. You smiled as you looked at his collar that you tied onto your bag. Your umbrella blocked your vision and you failed to see someone approaching you. You bumped into something wet—another umbrella.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you!”
You couldn’t see the figure in front of you, their obnoxiously red umbrella covering their face. They were breathing heavily, however, and you could hear their words loud and clearly.
“After… Many months… I… I finally… I finally found…”
“Uh..? Are you alright?”
A boy your age stood in front of you, breathless. He donned a yellow tunic and black trousers, hiding muscle and years of training under folds of shabby cloth. You instantly recognised the bandana that hugged around his head. A tired smile was plastered on his face as you stared at each other.
“Little piglet?”