Chapter 3 "Baby Dragon"

Chapter 3
Baby Dragon

The teacher, whose name Katuo does not remember and never will, is snoring loudly. His head is on his arms like a pillow on the table.

Katuo is the only one in the classroom. He scowls deeply at the snoring teacher before he glances at the clock. One hour to go.

At least he has a few new textbooks to read. The only thing that annoys him the most is the teacher’s stupid snoring. Why would the teacher fall asleep when he was supposed to watch him in the detention?

“Yoohoo!” Siko opens the door a little. “Is the detention over yet?”

Katuo glances at the sleeping teacher again. It is really amazing that he did not wake up to Siko’s loud cheerful voice. “It should be done in one hour.”

“Well! There’s a fall festival in the town… do you want to go?” Siko smiles brightly.

“Sure, why not?” Katuo closes his history textbook. “That idiot teacher will probably find out that I’m gone… but it will be way past the detention time, so it won’t hurt anyone.”

“Exactly!” Siko giggles.

<3<3<3

“That’s weird,” Siko checks his watch in confusion. “It’s 4:30 pm. Ketsu is supposed to be here around this time.”

“His class finished half an hour ago,” Katuo sighs at him. “Well, let’s just go without him.” 

He is more than impatient to get food at the festival. He glances at the entrance of the festival where families, couples, and even singles are enjoying playing games and eating delicious food at the booths.

“You’re right.” Siko pouts cutely.

Cute?! Katuo freezes at his thoughts. How can he think Siko’s pouting is adorable?! What the fuck?! Adorable?!

“I’m here!” Ketsu jogs toward them. When he stops, he places his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

“Finally!” Siko exclaims. “We were about to go without you!”

“Sorry! I had to catch up with one of my professors! Heheh!” Ketsu scratches the back of his head. “I wanted to get the make-up assignments that I missed the class for the last few days.”

“But, you missed the class just for this festival?” Katuo raises an eyebrow.

Ketsu frowns. “I didn’t miss the class – No! Yes! I skipped it! H-how could I ever decline your invitation? The festivals are much more fun than classes, right?” He laughs nervously.

Siko blinks in confusion. Katuo stares at the university student in suspicion.

“Ok, fine. I’ll just pretend that we never had this conversation.” Katuo turns to the entrance of the festival. “It’s time to eat!”

Ketsu sighs in relief and then mumbles to himself, while he is falling a little behind Siko and Katuo.

Katuo cannot help, but sneak his glances at Ketsu. It looks like Siko’s older cousin keeps apologizing over and over again.

But to who? Katuo looks away and ignores his strange behavior.

Well, actually, Ketsu’s behavior is not strange to them anymore. He has always been like this ever since he started staying with the Mitsukai family at age of 11.  His doctors gave him the diagnosis, which is childhood schizophrenia… although he never showed all of the symptoms, except one disturbing behavior. He has always been talking to himself. That behavior is starting to fade away over time, but once in a while, he mumbles one or two words that did not make any sense.

Ketsu’s father mentioned that it never happened until Ketsu came to stay on Earth. Was it his leaving that caused a trauma for him?

Siko and Katuo have asked Ketsu directly about it so many times before, but Ketsu keeps covering it up with millions of excuses.

“What do you want to do first?” Siko asks cheerfully.

“Food!” Katuo and Ketsu shout at the same time.

<3<3<3

After eating funnel cakes, playing throwing games and winning small prizes, riding a few rides, and finally getting on the Ferris wheel, they decide it is now time to head for one of their usual hangout areas.

Kitty Cafe is their favorite place for several reasons. One reason for Katuo is to think about any topic in general by himself. Another one for Siko is to spend time with his best friends. Finally, Ketsu’s reason is to study in peace. College work is hard enough. When they get together at Kitty Cafe, they just chill and chat with each other.

“So, you met a deaf guy?!” Siko exclaims. “Wow! Are you thinking about dating him?”

Ketsu blushes deeply. “I just met him! It’s a good thing that I learned American Sign Language as my first language, eh?”

“Ah, right. When did your mother die?” Katuo asks.

“Right after I was born,” Ketsu says softly. “My father was grieving for months, so this wonderful caring deaf man named Logy helped to take care of me and my sister. After a few years, my father finally started dating him.”

“It’s really cool that your father is the Universe Warrior." Siko pouts cutely. “My father is… just a soldier.”

“He is the General of the First Division. One of the best military divisions in the galaxy.” Katuo adjusts his seat a little bit to get comfortable. “Why can’t you acknowledge that power?”

“I don’t care!” Siko crosses his arms, pouting again. He turns to Ketsu and smiles. “So, what does Universe Warrior do again?”

“Instead of following God, his job as the Universe Warrior is to serve the universe,” Ketsu says. “Most of the time, he hunts down the aliens who threaten the universe. That’s all I know. It’s kinda like a top secret.”

“Like a CIA agent?” the younger cousin giggles.

“So, back to the deaf guy topic,” Katuo says. “What is his name?”

“Akari.” Ketsu smiles at them. “Like I said earlier, I met him today, so there’s not really much to talk about him though.”

“Yes, there is!” Siko almost jumps up, but leans across the table instead. “What does he look like? Is he a hunk?!”

Ketsu blushes lightly. “Um, well, yeah, he’s pretty hot, but um, I had only spoken to him for like a few minutes.” He sighs lightly, as he puts his head on the table. “I wonder if he will remember me the next time we meet again?”

“Then, find him and talk to him!” Siko says cheerfully. “I bet my life that he will remember you!”

Ketsu laughs lightly. “Your life? No, you don’t need to say –“ He stops quickly and holds his breath.

“Um, Ketsu-kun?” the white-haired cousin asks, recognizing Ketsu’s odd behavior right away. “Are you ok? Are you hearing the voice again?”

Katuo raises an eyebrow at Ketsu’s behavior. It’s strange to him how his older friend has behaved like this, not only again but two times today.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Ketsu bows his head repeatedly.

“What? Why are you apologizing?” Siko asks, still scared that Ketsu is not being himself again.

Ketsu blinks at Siko and Katuo as if he has snapped out of it. “Oh!” He laughs nervously, as he scratches the back of his head. “Sorry if I’m acting strange. It’s just… maybe I shouldn’t hang out with you anymore.”

“What?!” Katuo nearly shouts, as he gets up from the table. “What the fuck do you mean?! Are you being an idiot if you are going to listen to that stupid voice in your head?!”

Suddenly, Ketsu laughs out loud, creeping out Katuo and scaring Siko a lot. What even freaks out them is that Ketsu’s voice is different than usual, “Really, Katuo? Pretty soon, you and Siko will start hearing this same voice!”

Siko and Katuo both stare at Ketsu in disbelief. It is as if the older Mitsukai cousin has been possessed by some scary ghost.

Then, Ketsu mumbles another apology and leaves the coffee shop quickly.

Siko and Katuo glance at each other, sharing the same thoughts. What the heck was that just now?

<3<3<3

“Should we ask your family doctor about Ketsu?” Siko is the first to say the words since he and Katuo leave the coffee shop.

“Hmm… sure, why not? Dr. Sigma is the one who has been treating him for a long time. Now ever since Ketsu started college… he is getting worse,” Katuo rubs his chin. “It seems that he is developing some kind of split personality.”

“Split personality?” Siko asks nervously.

“We just saw his new personality, didn’t we?” Katuo glances at the small road where the cars keep honking and cutting off the others. “Well, I am no doctor, but even I could tell that he was not himself.”

The young Mitsukai looks away from Katuo sadly. “You are saying that he is crazy.”

Katuo shrugs his shoulders and keeps walking ahead of Siko. Then, he realizes that his best friend is not with him anymore. He glances backward to find that Siko has stopped walking.

“Katuo…” Siko mumbles a little. “Did you… notice that Ketsu’s eyes had a different color when he told us that we would be hearing the same voice?”

“Now that you mention it…” Katuo walks back to Siko. “It was green, right? Almost like ours.”

Siko clenches his fists. “There’s someone else inside Ketsu, right? There has to be it! Please… tell me, Katuo… that he is not crazy.”

Katuo cannot answer him, but all he can do is to give Siko a hug. “It doesn’t matter. He has always been this way ever since the day we met. All we can do is to accept him as he is now.”

The white-haired teenager smiles lightly, even though his tears are now sliding down his face. “Thank you…”

The young Kejinto puts his chin on Siko’s head. They have been like this for about a minute. “Alright, Siko. Maybe we should go –“ He stops quickly.

Siko blinks at the fact that his best friend pauses at the middle of the sentence. “Katuo?”

“Y-y-y-you!” Katuo yells, as he lets go of Siko and points his finger at a tiny green creature. “You again!”

“Eh?” Siko turns to find a small green dragon. It is the same dragon that bit Katuo and caused the whole friendly ‘mob’ which went after him.

The baby dragon is staring at Katuo and Siko. Staring. Staring. More staring.

“Awwwww! It’s so adorable!” Siko exclaims and starts running toward the dragon, which shrieks at his sudden movement.

“No, I’m so going to kill it!” Katuo quickly gets way ahead of Siko.

“Hey, no fair!” Siko yells.

The dragon is trembling so badly that its tiny legs refuse to move. It is whimpering loudly. Two tall and scary humans are getting closer and closer.

“Katuo?!” Siko gasps, as he stops running. Soon, Katuo does the same thing.

A little boy is standing right behind the dragon. Where he came from, Katuo and Siko have no idea. He just appeared out of nowhere. He is staring at them with his cold eyes - one white eye and one black eye without any pupils. He is wearing some kind of foreign clothes – maybe he is Chinese. Or Korean.

As soon as Siko and Katuo’s eyes catch the dragon running across the road, the boy is gone.

“Oh no!” Siko cries, as he watches in horror the cars nearly hitting the poor baby dragon.

Katuo runs toward the red motorcycle, which the woman is sitting on. “Sorry, ma’am! I’m borrowing your motorcycle!

“K-Katuo Kejinto?!” the woman gasps in excitement. “Sure! You can even have it! I don’t care!”

“Give me your helmet!” Katuo quickly gets the helmet from the very willing woman. He hurriedly puts it on. “Thanks!”

The dragon whimpers at the pain in its tiny leg. He then collapses at the middle of the intersection.

Siko widens his eyes in terror when he realizes that the truck is going to run over the adorable dragon soon. “No! Stop!”

Katuo notices this danger, as he speeds up the motorcycle heading for the baby dragon. As soon as he gets to him, he quickly turns his motorcycle around and topples it over a little, grabbing the dragon in the process.

“Katuo!” Siko exclaims, but his excitement does not last for long.

The car honks loudly and Katuo quickly turns his head around to find another car trying to stop completely. Shit! I can’t stop!

The motorcycle makes a strong impact on the side of the black car, throwing Katuo over it and then on the road. More rolling and sliding on the road. He is pretty sure that his skin somewhere on his body is being ripped off. He hears more honks in this area.

“Katuo! Katuo!”

Groaning in pain, the son of President Kejinto glances down to make sure that the baby dragon is safe in his arms. “D-damn you. I had to… save you again…” After he confirms that the dragon is OK, he passes out.