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Tsurugi Kinjo yelped as he was forcibly tackled to the ground by a pair of big paws slamming into his hips.
“Gotchu!” Kouhei grinned down at him from above. The werewolf’s canines glinted brightly and eyes sparkled with success.
“You ambushed me!” Tsurugi huffed, struggling to free himself.
“Did I?” Kouhei's big tail thrashed excitedly but he showed no sign of budging from his spot. “I guess I did.”
“That's against the rules,” Tsurugi grumbled.
“Rules schmules,” Kouhei scoffed teasingly.
“We agreed on them,” Tsurugi squirmed, twisted, and managed to wiggle free from his friend's hold. “You're cheating,” he accused seriously. Kouhei stopped back, and frowned.
“Does it really matter?” he said, tail lowering a bit. “I was just having fun, you're so easy to get-”
“If it's so easy, play fair!” Tsurugi lowered himself down on his haunches a bit, fur smooth along his spine. Deep down, he knew Kouhei would probably win anyways. His friend was bigger and faster, and besides that, good at pretty much everything, even the stuff Tsurugi struggled with. But despite that, he still wanted to try. He had to take it seriously, he had to beat him so he could get stronger too someday, or he'd be stuck like this forever and Father would be disappointed and he'd never become a police officer and-
“Tsurugi, are you taking things too seriously again?” A wet nose bonked gently into his chest, and Tsurugi startled.
“No,” he retorted, voice wavering. He tried to stop his whiskers or tail from twitching, but in the end, his feline side surfaced again. In moments like these, it was always obvious he was more than just werewolf.
"Suuuper convincing, Tsu.” After frowning at him for a moment, Kouhei suddenly grinned proudly. He was making that I-have-a-genius-idea face of his, and soon loosened up his stance. Tsurugi immediately took advantage, springing up and knocking Kouhei to the ground. Tsurugi’s striped tail flicked back and forth as he pinned his friend down, thinking. Kouhei did nothing at all in response, only watching him curiously without fighting back.
“You let me win,” Tsurugi said, tail drooping. Kouhei looked away, and his tail stopped wagging at the look on his face.
“Sorry.” He said softly. “That wasn’t very nice of me..." He gave out a friendly sounding whine and a yip, and relenting, Tsurugi returned with a little woof of his own.
"S’okay,” Tsurugi mumbled. He didn’t like seeing Kouhei’s smile disappear, so it was a relief to see him grinning again, pointy ears pointed forwards and tail wagging fiercely. Kouhei made everything look easy, even winning in playfights. How could he be so carefree and still seem so far ahead? Tsurugi stepped away from his friend and sat down with his tail laying across his feet. Well, being in his shadow wasn't all bad. Kouhei flopped down beside him, his coyote tail laying alongside Tsurugi’s striped wolfish one. It stayed still for a full minute or two before the young werewolf started rolling around and pawing at Tsurugi’s legs again.
“Kouhei,” Tsurugi said in way too serious of a tone to be coming from a little pup like himself. But though he tried valiantly, inevitably he got drawn back into his friend’s games. Eventually, the two were tousling again, batting at each other with their oversized puppy paws. Their play halted at the sound of a siren in the distance which, to Tsurugi’s dismay, prompted Kouhei to start howling. Tsurugi had to cover his ears with both paws for a minute or two before Kouhei stopped his headache-inducing song and tackled Tsurugi to his side again.
The two were-children rolled back and forth on the floor, before Kouehi started nipping at him. Tsurugi giggled as Kouhei purposefully missed on each bite. His friend lit up at the amusement he’d managed to eke out, tail wagging and eyes bright. However, it must have distracted him too, because the next time he nipped playfully at Tsurugi, his sharp teeth closed painfully down around Tsurugi’s right ear. He yelped sharply in pain, and whimpered as the smell of blood entered the air. Aghast, Kouhei drew back.
“Are you okay?” He got up and leaned in to inspect the bitten ear, and nosed worriedly at Tsurugi’s face when the other boy winced in pain. “I-”
“What’s going on over here?” A huge shadow was cast over them. One of the adults conversing a bit away had shifted into his werewolf form to assess the situation. That by itself wasn’t alarming. When dealing with the younger werewolves, who hadn’t yet mastered the ability to shift and so were stuck in canine form, it wasn’t unusual. Most people preferred not to get their toes stepped on or fingers nipped at in human form, after all. However, when you were standing in the canine shadow of Juu Kinjo, it was probably impossible to avoid feeling intimidated.
Tsurugi’s father was far bigger than any of the other werewolves on the force. He had silvery fur the color of moonlight and large fangs that poked dangerously out from under his lips. Most times, the police gear covered up most of it, but now, with him being off-duty, the darker patches stood out clearly, greyish-blue like icicles poking up along his spine and at the tips of his tail, ears, and even the underside of his paws. Kouhei sat up straight as the huge werewolf leaned down and inspected Tsurugi’s ear. The little half-canine, half-feline werewolf’s eyes widened as his father eyed him with concern and touched his nose to his son’s face briefly. Then, Juu lifted his head, and turned his focus to Kouhei. Behind his back, Tsurugi leaned slightly forward after the lost touch and drooped a tad before pawing at his hurt ear.
“I’m sorry-” Kouhei started, lowering his head and ducking his tail between his legs. Red eyes narrowed as Juu stared down at him.
“It was an accident,” Tsurugi whispered, so quiet it was hard to say if Juu had even heard him. Before his father could open his mouth, another werewolf appeared at his side. Mrs. Sasaki, who had the appearance of a coyote much like her son, glanced warily between her superior and her son.
“He drew blood,” Juu spoke directly to her now, voice a bit accusatory.
“They're just pups, Juu,” she said with a sigh. Out of everyone on the force, she was perhaps the only person who ever referred to him by first name. It wasn't common, and it certainly never happened at work. Tsurugi was so used to thinking of him as Father, Superintendent, Chief Kinjo, Mr. Kinjo, or Sir that hearing the name Juu felt strange. “Kouhei, you need to be more careful, alright?”
“Yes mom, sorry mom,” Kouhei lowered his head, but met Tsurugi's eyes from below as if to ask Are you okay? He nodded, even though it hurt. His father sighed, and knelt down beside him to get a closer look again. Bristly, thick, but warm fur brushed up against him, and Tsurugi leaned into the touch.
“It doesn't look deep,” Juu said after a moment. “But best to get it cleaned up just in case. Come on, Tsurugi, let's go.” The warmth disappeared again, and Tsurugi did his best to shove down the disappointment.
“O-okay.” He mumbled. His father looked down at him curiously.
“Does it hurt?” Juu asked, almost gently. Tsurugi felt small and foolish in his huge shadow. He usually tried his best not to show pain, and maybe it was just because he'd been so surprised, but part of him wanted to cry a little.
“Yeah, it… it hurts,” he admitted shamefully.
“It hurts,” Tsurugi whimpered. He could smell something burning. Was it him, or the fiery school around them? A weakened support beam cracked above them, and embers of it fell down like fiery hail amongst the cinder snowflakes. He tried to stand, but everything spun, and his paws wouldn't hold his weight. He whined quietly as bone crunched and sharp pain lanced through two of his paws. Immediately, a large paw delicately pushed his shoulders back down. He relented, collapsing back to his side, and stared weakly up at his father. Juu adjusted his stance to keep the little werewolf below him, shielded between his paws, and protected from the cinders raining down.
“He can't walk, I tried to help but…” Beside them, Kouhei looked horrified, but the huge werewolf standing above them seemed far more collected.
“Clear your head.” Juu looked down at him, voice neither harsh nor kind. The flames surrounding them on all sides reflected clearly in his scarlet eyes, dancing over his irises. “Can you run?”
“Y-yes,” Kouhei mumbled, then squared his little coyote shoulders. “I’m not hurt.”
“Very well then.” Juu nodded, and his gaze sharpened with unyielding clarity. “I’m going to carry him out.” He paused, adding weight to his next words. “Follow my lead, and keep up.” There was enough iron in those last orders that Kouhei faltered a bit before responding. “Understand?” Tsurugi’s thoughts were too clouded to fully process any of what they were saying in the moment, but Kouhei seemed to understand the underlying message perfectly.
Keep up, because I cannot nor will stop for you. Keep up, because otherwise you will be left behind. Keep up, or you may die. Kouhei lifted his head, and gritted his teeth with his tail held as high as he could manage.
“Yes sir.” There wasn't a hint of hesitation or fear in his voice. Juu simply nodded, gaze cool as ice. Then, he lowered his head, and carefully lifted Tsurugi's limp form into his jaws. The little werewolf made barely a sound, and his bloody paws dangled down, twitching slightly as he was picked up. Smoke had already begun to overpower the space, so Juu lowered his head slightly out of the haze before angling himself toward the nearest window. He gave Kouhei one last glance, then turned forward. One ear flicked backward towards the young werewolf, while the other faced ahead toward the window. His tail lifted slightly above his spine, and made a slight up and down motion.
Tsurugi’s father couldn't communicate verbally anymore, so it was down to signals. Thankfully, Kouhei had memorized all of them in training with ease. He knew the ear positions indicated the recipient (the person behind him) and the target direction (the window) respectively. To the officer behind me, look ahead. The tail too, was another part of the system, and simple enough to read. Level tail, Leading, or Moving forward; with a quick vertical wag for Go!
Juu sprang forward, paws forward, and the already pressured window broke immediately at the force of his claws. Quick behind him, Kouhei leapt through the new opening out into the hallway beyond, just barely missing some of the shards on the floor.
One ear pivoted to one side. Turning right, Juu telegraphed just before skidding around the corner. With a long hallway stretching out before them, he sped up, racing out past the flames encroaching at their heels. Despite his smaller legs, Kouhei kept the pace well, managing to keep up and read the signals in time to react before the Chief of Police acted. Suddenly, Juu’s tail lifted straight as an arrow into the smoky haze. Halt! Kouhei skidded to a stop beside him just in time to avoid part of the ceiling crashing down upon them. In less than two heartbeats, Juu was moving again, with Tsurugi's tail waving out along his neck like a tattered necktie. They sprinted out into the second floor of the entrance hall, and Kouhei's tail lifted hopefully. From here, the sounds of firefighters and police officers outside were clear. However, both stairwells leading down through the atrium to the main hall below were blocked with debris, and the fire had already consumed any other route.
Juu’s ears flicked into the same signal as before; Officer behind me, look ahead. Kouhei stared into the smoke, trying to figure out what his commanding officer was angling towards, but couldn't spot anything before Juu's tail signaled an order to follow and move forward once again. For a moment, their paws raced against hot linoleum, and in the next, Kouhei felt himself launching out into open air, following the older werewolf blindly through the smoke and off the balcony. For a second, Kouhei probably wondered if he was about to die, but then, two sets of paws landed hard on the floor below, and both officers raced for the entrance, before finally emerging out into open air.
Kouhei coughed and panted, barely getting a moment to react to the fact that he was seeing the sun again and breathing fresh air before his mother raced up to him, slipping out of werewolf form halfway to gather him up in her arms.
“Kouhei!” she shouted, refusing to let him go. “Are you alright?” Kouhei was so relieved he managed to transform back into a more human shape in order to hug her back.
“I'm okay, but Tsurugi-” he yelped a bit as his mother grabbed him fiercely by the arms.
“What were you thinking?” Kouhei shrank back a bit under her furious gaze. “You were ordered not to enter that building! You could have died!”
“What was I supposed to do?” He retorted. Ears appeared again in order to pin back against his head. “Just leave Tsurugi to die?” His mother sighed, and her gaze softened. She looked like she was about to say something when she noticed the chief of police approaching them. After lowering Tsurugi to the nearest paramedic, Juu Kinjo had returned to human form once more. Somehow, his tie was as sharp as ever and his uniform was so uncreased it was hard to believe just moments ago, he'd been a huge direwolf racing through the flames. Only the slightest hint of disarray could be seen via the ash staining his hair, and the smell of smoke clinging to him like bad cologne. It seemed he'd briefly left Tsurugi's side because he had something to say.
“Thank you.” Inspector Sasaki said, too quietly for any of the more distant responders to hear. Juu’s eyes widened in surprise, but he dipped his head slightly before speaking.
“This one located Tsurugi’s position all by himself,” he began. “Following him allowed me to find them both.” Shocked and amazed, Kouhei's eyes glittered and a tail appeared behind him to wag proudly. His mother smiled softly down at him. “You should be very proud of your son.”
“...You should be proud of your son. He was a he-” Juu’s solemn words and breath were knocked out of him as a huge paw slashed at his face. Red arced through the air, raining droplets across his face, and pain erupted violently over one of his eyes. He collided with the back wall, hitting it with a resounding bang and falling to the floor in seconds. Furious growls filled his office, but even if Juu had the strength or spirit to stand, his silver tongue had for once lost all power.
Immediately, Mrs. Sasaki shifted back into a human form. Not out of horror or regret; but simply because she'd accomplished what she'd come here to do. In that moment, Juu realized this was a premeditated act. The later realization that she'd already turned in her badge and a letter of resignation beforehand would later confirm that. Without another word, she turned her back on him, and walked out of the office, and left headquarters for good. At the loud bang Juu’s body made, several officers flooded into the room after her and saw him sitting there, dead-eyed, with red blood covering half of his face.
At first, it had looked so gruesome that one might have thought she'd clawed into his eye. However, her attack had been a punishment, not an act of blind rage. The intention was not to maim, but to leave a scar. That way, he would never forget.
If it had been an eye for an eye, perhaps Juu Kinjo would have sought retribution. But it had been a scar for a scar. And deep down, he knew the wound he'd inflicted on her carved far deeper than her claws could ever tear into him.
It was a bloody haze, red but like smoke, smoke like the school fire, just like black, acrid clouds that had filled the air after the explosion, a haze he could not see through… Someone drew near to help stay in the bleeding, and help him up. When the officers spoke to him, he nodded and gave only short replies.
It's not deep…
Sir, let me escort you-
Juu shrugged off the help, and stood on his own. He declined the offer, and took over pressing the gauze to his eye. The room fell silent as walked towards the door, but he could hear whispers in the distance as he left his office behind.
Inspector Sasaki did this?
…Figures she’d go hysterical eventually-
Show some decorum!
It was a long walk to reach the nearest physician, and one he endured in silence despite knowing how many eyes were on him.
Hysteria… He mused. It would be simple to frame it as an emotional mother losing control. He could address it with graciousness and pity and grief, and turn it into a tragedy he had no role in. But Juu would know. Hysteria? It was nothing of the sort.
Juu showed no sign of pity or fear or guilt as his bleeding eye was checked and patched up.
“There's no true damage to your eye, thank goodness,” the words fell upon empty ears.
They should never have been there, Sasaki’s words had returned to him suddenly. She'd had a hazy look in her eyes, followed by clarity, then despair. Something had become clear to her that Juu could not or would not look upon. No, he knew. He knew all along.
But he would not stop.
It was just a means to an end. …A necessary sacrifice, and a tragedy that would never, could never happen to his son.
He would ensure that. Tsurugi would be strong.
This was the only true gift and curse he was capable of bestowing to his offspring.
Eventually, the wound healed, but the scar remained. Sometimes, it caught Tsurugi's eye, and something hollow would appear in his son’s gaze.
Some might have chosen to cover it up with makeup, or attempt to lighten or remove the scars by other means, but Juu wore it daily without a word. Even in lupine form it would remain there, more visible than the bullethole scar over his shoulder or the countless scars covered up by his police gear or thick fur.
Could she still be a threat? Sasaki was an intelligent and capable woman. If she tried, she could be quite a thorn in his side. But she'd believed in what they were doing, and he knew that she knew what he was capable of, too. In the end, Juu did not press charges, nor could he ever be caught speaking poorly of the bereaved ex-inspector. The case was already kept away from most eyes anyways, and it was far more effective to treat things... more delicately.
A terrible loss, he'd recount when questioned. Sasaki was a rising star taken from us far too soon. To interviewers, he'd describe the boy’s bright smile and considerable skill in spite of his young age.
It was a tragedy, and an accident, and the ex-inspector’s actions and retirement afterwards belonged to a grieving mother whose contributions the force would greatly miss.
This was how Juu Kinjo had always calmed tensions and mitigated threats. A silver tongue before silver bullets. There was just one small crack in this impenetrable defense that he could never quite put aside. His honeyed words were a disarming balm to most, but for one particular officer, the reaction was always entirely different.
His son hid it well, but Juu could always see the hollowness in his eyes and the way his already forced smile faded whenever Juu spoke of this. It was the one chip in his armor; the only thing that had brought him any lasting doubt in the last two decades.
Juu Kinjo was not the kind of man who could yield so easily. He would not be weakened, not even by this. That was a simple fact, even if those broken, hollow looks kept him up at night far more than any memory of burnt flesh or shattered glass ever could.