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Pressing the button has long since become a worthless task. She watches crimson drip from holes punctured in what was once her best friend's body. His face is turned downwards so she can’t see his expression, but she knows he’s still there. That’s what she tells herself, anyways, because the alternative is something she can’t bear the thought of.
“Joe please… respond… your parents… Ryoko… they’re all waiting for you…” her voice is barely a croak from all the crying she’s done in the past few minutes “Let’s go to school together… with Ryoko…”
The boy doesn’t respond, which just brings forth the unacceptable truth that she’s pounding at the button to dispel. Anything to save him. She isn’t looking at an already-paling body, suspended and hung up like a prop as the red that seeped from the holes practically dominates his attire. She’s looking at a smiling boy who she’s had to get out of trouble with teachers more than once, or follow to detention so he wouldn’t be alone, where they’d play games when the supervisor wasn’t looking and extend their sentences. Give him back. Give him back-
“Big sis Sara!”
A pair of paw print gloves were at her side shaking her awake. She wasn’t in a sitting position but rather on her back in a bed decorated with a strawberry pattern on the sheets and blanket. The reality of what had occurred a moment ago was beginning to set in to Sara Chidouin’s mind. She’d been having a nightmare, and now she was awake in bed, thanks to her little brother in a dog onesie shaking her with glee and excitement in his cat-like eyes.
“Big sis Sara! Get up, meow! It’s morning! Kai’s making chocolate chip pancakes, remember, woof?” The boy began to switch from shaking her to lightly pounding the sides of the mattress with his curled up paws “WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUP!”
Sara grinned at his antics. Making sure he saw it, she shut her eyes again and began to make exaggerated noises.
“Snork! Mimimimimi! Snork! Mimimimimi!”
“Big sis Saraaaaaa! I know you’re awake!” The boy made little whines that seemed to evoke more playfulness than they did frustration. “I guess I’ll just have to go downstairs and take the plate with the little cat on it meow…”
“Oh my goodness! All of a sudden I have awoken from the sleeping spell put on me!” Sara bolted upwards with intensity and took advantage of Gin’s surprise to jump ahead of him and rush to the stairs. “I’ll catch you downstairs Gin!”
“Meow! Big sis Sara…! That’s cheating, woof!”
The sound of footsteps and creaking on wooden stairs was drowned out by teases and laughter, so much that you’d be surprised by the silence that was filling the kitchen when they arrived. It was a sure sign Qtaro wasn’t up yet. Kai was casually flipping the latest pancake onto a growing stack, utterly focused on his craft.
“Hey! Long haired apron guy! Are the pancakes almost done, meow?”
“If you want I can start serving you. Just sit down at the table. Plates have been laid out.”
Wait, did that mean…
Sara and Gin looked over to the table. White pristine plates all around. The worst of outcomes. Sara felt her heart sink as she viewed the lack of cats… and Keiji sitting there completely unmoved.
“G’morning. Woke up early so I thought I’d help set up the table. Looks pretty good, right?”
Sara and Gin exchanged expressions. It was time to mark him enemy number one. With a nod of understanding between the two of them, they sat down… and Sara quickly realized they had two different ideas when she saw Gin’s hand go towards the fork- she averted the crisis as fast as possible, putting her hand on his and shaking her head. She had to demonstrate the actual method before Kai or Keiji began asking questions.
“Yeesh, is it good for you to be out of bed this early? Your eyebags are half your face. Go to bed at a decent hour first, ‘Mr Policeman.’”
Keiji frowned at her comment. She grinned, knowing the idea of him eating humble pie wasn’t coming soon, but she’d dealt momentary damage to his pride and that was enough. She removed her hand from Gin’s to hold it up for a high five, but the 12 year old seemed to not understand the message and she was left hanging. Devastating. What was more devastating was Keiji taking notice of this and his smile coming back.
“Not a word.”
“Hey, I didn’t say anything.” Keiji held up his hands “Though you know, you’re one to talk about going to bed at a decent hour. Weren’t you refusing to go to sleep last night?”
“Hey, that’s different! I was talking to Ranmaru!” She protested.
“She has a big crush on him, meow.” Gin teased.
“Gin!” That traitor was about to turn their roast session into a ‘I’m not sure what I think of that fellow’ session. All for his cheap thrill! The treachery!
“If I may ask.” Kai came over carrying the tray of food. “What were you conversing about with Kageyama?”
“Well it was… uh…” she began to think back, but the details felt like tv static. Maybe she really was up late. “I don’t remember. I was talking with him really late so…”
“Told ya,” Keiji commented. Sara reached for her fork, but Gin put his hand over hers shaking his head.
“I’m glad we have long haired apron guy’s cooking though, meow!” Gin smiled. “Mr Policeman and Muscle Gorilla can’t cook at all, woof!”
“Hey. You’ve never tried my cooking.” Keiji grinned mischievously. Oh god, what now?
“You’ve never cooked for us at all woof.”
“Fine then. I’ll have my start by cutting up some orange slices. Kai, hand me a knife.”
“Certainly. I’d love to see you humiliate yourself.” Kai said with the most deadpan voice imaginable for a normal human being, but a normal speaking tone for the long haired man, after he had given them all their pancakes, Kai went to the kitchen, pulling out an especially sharp-looking knife and an orange, bringing them to Keiji and placing them in front of him unceremoniously. “I’ll count the seconds before you do something stupid.”
“Hey, have some confidence. I have training with things way more dangerous than this.”
Sara watched with a smirk as Keiji took the knife, immediately trying to jam it into the orange’s peel to get it off and flinching when it went further than expected. He made an attempt to dislodge it and then a loud “AH-“ was heard.
“7 seconds.” Kai narrated.
“Felt longer than that.” Keiji said, rubbing at the finger he’d sliced. It didn’t look like a severe injury from how jovial he was being, but Keiji was known for being indifferent and jokey about anything that happened. He would probably joke even if he cut off the whole finger.
“That’s pathetic.” Gin meowed “I could probably do it better, woof.”
“You will not be trying.” Kai said “Allow me.”
And the man was back in the kitchen making actual work of the fruit.
“That was sad,” Sara told Keiji.
“How do you know it wasn’t part of my master plan?” Keiji asked, waving his injury around. Sara looked at the pierced skin with bemusement. The cut looked so pristine somehow, in a way that couldn’t be described by someone who just woke up. It was seriously gross.
“Sure. Just put that away and bandage it. I don’t wanna look at that.” She genuinely meant that last bit. Something about the injury seriously got under her skin like nothing else.
“Okie-Dokie.” Keiji didn’t make any indication of whether or not he noticed her discomfort. With two words, he was up from the table, going to get the first aid kit while Kai finished slicing.
“Take your oranges. The Vitamin C will heal you.”
“Okie-Dokie.” Keiji held out his hands to accept the fruit and walked off.
“And take a cooking class or something, meow!”
“Okie-Dokie.”
As Keiji made his exit, another wall of muscle came into the kitchen through the other door, very elegantly scratching his ass. Gin lit up at the very sight of him.
“MUSCLE GORILLA!”
He jumped out of his seat, running over to Qtaro and wrapping him in a hug.
“Whoa. Gin, it’s jus’ me. I see you every morning.”
“But you got up late woof! That’s usually Mr Policeman’s thing, meow!”
“We all have good days.” Keiji popped his head back in holding up the first aid kit.
“Aw, Keiji’s up early? Good job.”
“I do what I can.”
“Qtaro, take these orange slices. They’re good for you.” Kai said.
“Uh… yessir.”
“Why’s he getting more than me?” Keiji asked.
“I like him more.”
Sara grinned as she swallowed a mouthful of pancake. Fluffy sweet bread combined with melted bits of chocolate made a sweet harmony, for a taste that could make you forget all your worries and cares if there were any to have. Kai’s cooking was the best. She had a normal life and everything was okay.
That thought shouldn’t have made her feel as euphoric as it did.