Work Text:
A creature is washed on the an ocean shore. The creature had skin the looked like it blended in midnight and the fur on his back looked like it would fluffy if it wasn't drenched in water. His
hair was a cyan on top and a neon green on bottom. Completely contrasting his skin and fur. His body looked humanoid but catlike at same time. The creatures long, elfish ears twitched as he heard wind whisper, "Kiyoshi".The creature wakes up instantly when he heard his name. He can't seem to breathe since he was not used oxygen. He subconsciously grows lung-like organs, allowing him to breathe.
Kiyoshi is now able to breathe, but he is very dehydrated, which was ironic since he has been in the ocean, his clothes are wet, and his body is extremely weak. a faint voice resonates in his head "Welcome to your new life". He looks around, trying to remember where he is. "Is this my new life?" "Am I... Free?" Kiyoshi thinks to himself. When suddenly. "Kenji!" A voice yells. It sounds like someone is looking for whoever this "Kenji" is? Scared of being found, Kiyoshi hides behind a rock. Who is this person? Do they want to kill him? The thought crosses his mind. He is being stalked by a shadow. Who is it? Is it real or just a figment of his imagination? A paper flies straight to his face.The piece of paper had writing on it that said "Missing". Above the text, there was a picture of a teenage boy. The boy had dark skin, with long shaggy brownish black hair, and bright green eyes. The picture looked old, like it's been a month since this it was taken. The shadow gets closer. Is it real? Is it going to attack? The shadow gets within arm's reach. If it decides to attack, will he be able to defend himself? Without hesitation, Kiyoshi transforms into the boy from the picture. He looks like a regular human teenager, like he did not have a horn, large fangs, fur on his back, or his tail. The shadow is revealed to be a short, chubby old lady "Kenji, you're back!" The old woman exclaims and hugs him tightly. Kiyoshi looks at the woman "H-Hello, fellow human female.... Err... Oxygen smells weird.." says Kiyoshi in a broken language, awkwardly. The woman giggles. "The same humor as always. Now then, Let's get you out of those filthy clothes, shall we?" The woman says. Kiyoshi nods. He feels like he can trust the old woman. He feels warm, but in a good way. Kiyoshi doesn't understand what he's feeling, but he knows this is a familiar feeling.The old woman takes Kiyoshi to a small house.According to the smell, the house is made of wood. The woman leads Kiyoshi inside. The inside of the house has floor boards and furniture. The woman leads Kiyoshi to a chair. "Please, have a seat." The woman says. Kiyoshi sits down in the chair. He looks around. There are a few plants around. There is a table, with some items on it, next to a window. There is a small bed in a corner of the room. Kiyoshi looks at the bed, confused. Is he going to sleep? His species doesn't really need sleep since their energy is from electricity. Is this a trick? A trap? Kiyoshi looks at the woman. She is smiling. Does she want something from him? Does she know what will happen? Kiyoshi can't take it anymore. "I'm going to work. I'll see you in the evening." Said the old woman now in a green food apron and her pale cotton candy hair in a tight bun. "You sure you used to this?" He asks. She doesn't reply but instead, forcibly smiles and leaves the house. Kiyoshi trusts her now. He sits on the bed. Thinking about his life before this happened. Kiyoshi has no idea how much time passes. All he knows is that the sun is out, and it is afternoon. He is hungry. He finds a rat on the table. It is dead. He eats it. He needs more energy. He changes back to his original form. His tail turns into a charger and plugs into an electrical outlet, charging him up. He lays on the bed and changes back to "Kenji"."I think I will get accustomed to this new life." Kiyoshi thought as he closes his eyes.
The next morning, Kiyoshi wakes up. He looks around.The old woman is back and she is watching television. "Good morning, Kenji. How was your sleep?" She says cheerfully. Kiyoshi nods. The woman says, "You should go outside. So much has had changed since you were gone." Kiyoshi goes outside. He sees that there are so many humans here and almost all of the are wearing a face mask. The sky is a unnatural color. He feels something is off. He feels dizzy. He sits down on a bench. From a far distance, Kiyoshi sees two people, one is a girl with short pink hair and the other is some blue humanoid blowfish hybrid. He can't make out more details. He has a strange, fluttery feeling in his stomach. He doesn't know what it is. He just knows that he wants to go to a bathroom. He finds a public bathroom and runs straight in there. As he enters, the strange feeling in his chest slowly fades away. He feels like should stay here for a while, that air outside isn't oxygen, it's poisonous. He hears a knock on the bathroom door. He quickly hides in a bathroom stall. "I know you're in there, Kenji. Come out." Says the girl with short girl on the other side of the door. Kiyoshi stays in the stall for a while. Maybe she will go away. He thinks to himself. He takes out a handkerchief and wipes down his face. The girl knocks again. "Kenji, you in there?" She says. "Haruka, I don't think he's in there." said the blowfish guy. Chulpin!" yelled Haruka. The girl opens the door. The blowfish guy doesn't move. He just stares at the Haruka. "Come on, Chulpin!" The girl yells. Chulpin still doesn't move. He just continues to stand there nervously and stare at the girl. An old man is standing confused."What's with all the knocking for, young lady?" Said the old man. "Oh. Sorry, sir. We thought you were someone else." said Haruka. As her and Chulpin leave disappointed. The old man sighs as he reveals himself to be Kiyoshi.