Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Fox Tales ❯ Coping ( Chapter 11 )

Fox Tales

 

Chapter 11

“Coping”

 

A/N: First, you were only able to imagine what he looked like. Now…you can see if you were close. Go check out my official profile picture of Todd, located on my Artwork page.

 

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Todd just stood in surprise and gulped as another layer had been added to this enigma. His heart was in his throat. He could not ignore the fact that something, which wasn't there yesterday, has now appeared on his now wet and naked body. He reached down to touch it, and sure enough, it was real; it didn't rub off. Todd then had flashbacks about what happened the night before, how he felt right after the transformation, what it was like to have a tail, even though he couldn't see it. Wait a minute. Tail! he thought. It all made perfect sense to him now. This is something that has been left behind from that night, and a reminder that everything that's happened to him since that night in Japan was really happening…to him.

 

Todd nearly leapt out his skin when he heard someone knocking on the door, dropping his towel in the process.

“Honey? Are you alright in there?” his mother asked. “You've been in there for a while.”

“I fine, Mom,” Todd said nervously.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I'm sure.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

Todd let out a huge sigh of relief as he picked his towel up off the floor, and dried himself off.

 

In the late part of the next morning, Todd and his parents went back to the hospital to see Akane. The good news was that they were not awoken last night by a call from the hospital. In fact, when the doctor gave his update, he said that Akane was doing so well, he might be able to raise her medical condition within the next few days. However, they still needed to keep a very close eye on her, so visitations may be limited further.

“We're still waiting for some test results and x-rays to come back,” he said. “We should have them here tomorrow. By then, we'll have a pretty good idea of what exactly we are dealing with.”

“Thank you, Dr. Williams,” Mom said.

“Sure thing,” he said. “I'll be sure to inform you of anything that comes up.”

 

As the three of them entered her hospital room, Akane rolled her eyes over to her left to see who was coming in. She would have turned her head, but she was wearing a neck brace. Mom's face lit up when she saw her daughter's eyes open and moving.

“Hey, you're awake!” she said softly.

“Yeah,” Akane groaned with a smile. “But probably not for long.”

“Well, I'll take any moment with you I can get.”

Akane then moved her focus to Todd, and Todd knew she was surprised to see him.

She didn't have any look of anger in her eyes, like she did in the past. Todd looked back at her with sympathetic eyes. He softly said to her, “Hi.” She didn't respond, only blinked. Todd sensed that, on some level, she was happy to see him. It gave her comfort that he was there, at least a little bit. Todd then looked at his parents and said, “Do you two mind if I, uh, have a moment with her?” They looked at each other, and then Dad said, “No, we don't mind.”

“Thank you.”

 

Todd's parents left the room and closed the door behind them. He then took the chair from against the wall, brought it closer to Akane's bed, and sat down in it. He leaned forward and said to her, “How are you feeling?”

“I'm…better,” she moaned. The machines and beeping monitors surrounding her made that statement seem ironic.

“That's good.” A moment passed before Akane broke the silence.

“I gotta admit…that…I didn't expect to see you here.”

“Well, of course I'd be here,” Todd said, almost laughing it off. “What made you think that I wouldn't come?”

 

“I don't know. I guess that…after what happened when we were kids, I got really pissed off at you, and…the memories…they were so painful that I just couldn't get over them.” She was straining to speak, the fatigue very evident in her tone. Tears started to well up as she closed her eyes again for a moment, trying to manage her strength. “I let the grudge that I held blind logic. Ruby and I were very close. She was very, very important to me; she meant a lot.” She then coughed, but immediately winced in pain, covering her ribs with her right hand. Todd quickly reacted and tried to calm her down. “Shh, shh, shh. Don't move,” he whispered.

 

He then put her left hand in both of his, avoiding the pulse oximeter on her index finger. After settling down, Akane continued. “I guess that in my heart of hearts, I knew that I should have forgiven you already, but I let my anger get to me because…that's just how much she meant to me…and your actions took her away.” She briefly paused to gather her thoughts. “I didn't know what else I could do. After all, I was more than entitled to be mad; I was justified in feeling that way.” Those words sunk into Todd's mind, and were heavier than a boulder. “And every time I thought about you…the image of seeing the paramedics putting her on the stretcher, and pushing her into the ambulance always comes back. And I am reminded of why I hated you to begin with.

 

“I was so racked with resentment that it caused me to do things that I know better than to do. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd at school, and I succumbed to the peer pressure. It made me take up a secret life of partying and drinking and whatnot. I knew that it would only lead to trouble, but I thought I had found the place I was supposed to be in. It didn't offer any comfort, but at least there wasn't any pain either. And now…everything, all of it, has caught up with me. I've let everyone down.” Akane could no longer contain herself. She started to cry, and adding insult to injury was the physical pain doing so brought. Todd couldn't help but pity her, and he held her hand a little bit tighter. He almost couldn't bear to see her like this.

 

“Well, as I see it,” he said, “you have two choices. You can either continue to let tragedy define your existence and go down the same road that has led you to where you are…” he paused as Akane turned her eyes to look at him, “…or you can face your storm, and walk out on the other side with a fresh start. And getting all of this off your chest is a good first step.” He caressed her wrist for a moment, and then looked directly at her.

“You are my sister. You are part of my family. And when one member of the family is in need, the others come to support. I love you, Akane, and I do not want to see you suffer. I want to see you recover from this, and once again become the smart and strong woman that I know. If and when you decide that you want that fresh start, I will be there with you at every step. And if you stumble anywhere along the way, I will be there to help you stand back up. That storm may look menacing, and it may make you want to stay at that place you found because you feel safe there. But once you make it to the other side, you will not have regretted the journey.”

 

“You really are willing to forgive me?” Akane said with a gleam in her eye.

“I've been willing for a long time. My arms have always been wide open,” Todd replied. Akane smiled, even as she sniffled all the stuff in her nose. Todd also let a smirk come across his face. And neither wanted the moment to end.

 

Night had fallen, Todd was back at his father's house, and bedtime was approaching. He was staying in a small guest room that looked like it hadn't been redecorated in decades. Todd was pulling his pajamas out of his luggage, at the dresser when someone decided to have a conversation.

-So, that was a pretty stirring speech you gave to your sister, Satoru said. This time, Todd could see him sitting on the end of the bed, translucent, and dressed the same way as he was in the dreams.

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Todd said aloud, but making sure no one could hear him. “And the best part of it…” he paused to look over his shoulder at Satoru, “…was that it was all from the heart.” Todd continued to gather his clothes.

-I hope that this will be a liberating experience for her, that the demons surrounding her will be exorcised.

“What do you mean?” Todd visibly looked confused as he turned his head again.

-While you were having your talk with Akane, I sensed that there were some dark spirits hanging over her. It was all the anger, disappointment, sadness, and general emotion that were part of the grudge she held. This is going to take some time, but knowing that your helping hand will be there should make things a lot easier.

 

Todd finished dressing into his sleep attire, closed up his bag, and turned to look at Satoru. “Well, I meant it when I said I wanted her to recover from this whole ordeal, stronger than before. We may have been essentially estranged for the last five years, but that doesn't mean I care for her any less.”

-You have a good heart, Todd, Satoru said. Todd nodded his head a bit.

“Well, it's time for me to get some sleep.”

-Indeed it is. Good night.

“Good night.”

 

Seeing Satoru fade away reminded Todd that he also had to face the storm that had recently come in his own life. It was ironic that although an ancient spirit was with him, he still didn't feel like he had a helping hand.

 

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