"I promise that I'll see you two again..." Those were the last words Papa said to us that day.
-It's been years now since you left for your new job. What kept us from losing faith were the letters that he'd send every year to check on us. We were always so happy to know that despite our distances apart, you still thought of us. The dojo itself is still in good condition. Me and Rumin had started doing most of the maintenance around here starting from a few years ago. Maybe you don't know about this yet, but Mr. Kitagawa has been acting pretty strange for a good while now.
It may have something to do with the fact of how much we've grown up. You should look at us now... Rumin still has a hard time finding shoes for her big feet and I guess my thick tail makes it difficult to find the right pants but thankfully the area had just the right fit for us. Eheh... Regardless, I want you to know that we miss you dearly. It may be a little embarrassing but we kind of miss the way you'd treat us. Rumin keeps asking a lot about you.
All I could tell her is that we'll see you someday. Your birthday gifts were the best by the way. Anyway, I don't want to keep you too long from work. Just wanted to let you know that we still love you dearly and hope to be together again. Take care Dad...-
"I think I'm starting to get too used to this writing thing..." The girl kicked her feet up, slightly leaning the chair back as she slouched. What was once a toddler is now practically almost an adult. Hard to believe that so many years have passed since her Father left, but she knew that someday they'll reunite and be one happy family again.
She's usually in charge of writing the letters since Rumin tends to add embarrassing artworks of the lives they're currently living. As honest as she can be, it was still awkward sending your Father drawings of us trying to fit into our clothes or getting spooked by simple things coming out of nowhere. Though she does have a talent if I'm to be honest.
"Gale! Gale!!" A rather hyperactive girl bursts through the door, causing the croc to lose her balance and fall back onto the floor. When she realized what she's done, she rushed to her sister's side, making sure she was ok. "Sorry about that sis. I always forget to knock first heh heh..."
She rubbed the back of her head before looking at the letter on the desk. "Is it time to message Dad already? When were you going to tell me about this? You know I love talking to him just as much as you do." She pouted her lips in annoyance as Gale finally managed to get herself up.
"That was one hell of a surprise... You should really give a warning or something y'know." She rubbed her head in annoyance, recovering from the impact. Once she regained her bearings, she stood up and patted Rumin on the head. "Last time I let you handle a letter, you scribbled all over it. Though Dad did admit that it was a little cute..." She didn't want to admit it, but there was no point in lying.
"Really?!!" She was excited to hear that her Father approved of her work and almost jumped for joy, but winced a little from pain. "By the way sis, how has your mouth been feeling? Like I know I hop around a lot and find it difficult with most shoes my size, but it's kind of strange for them to be this sore after just waking up. The day hasn't even started yet but it does go away after a while."
"Same thing still happening to you huh?" Gale thought it over for a moment before putting a hand to her chin. "To be honest, I haven't really paid much attention to it. Now that you mention it, I always figured it was just a side effect of locked jaw since I tend to sleep with my mouth open sometimes, but there was always this awkward taste in my mouth that can't be explained all too well. Maybe it's just my breath but..." That's when a thought came to her.
These strange events hadn't started occurring until just a few years ago and that was around the same time that Hiraku started to behave strangely around them. Maybe there was a connection between the incidents, but there just wasn't enough evidence to prove the potential link aside from blind speculation. Talking to him directly also wouldn't be a good idea as that would make him more wary of their actions. They'll have to think carefully to reveal the answers.
In a separate room further away, Hiraku seemed to be on a phone call with an unknown caller. "Pleasant greetings Mr. Kitagawa. I hope that you're doing well. Considering your last batch, I can say that you've definitely outdone yourself. Our clients are still ravenous as ever; so I'm going to ask of you to present us with another supply before the week is out. Make it a double just to be sure. We're counting on you Stallion~."
When the call ended, Hiraku looked at the mirror to take a good look at what he's become. "sigh... Nothing's gonna make this feel right is it?" Sipping from a bottle, the man continued to talk to himself. "Who am I kidding? Soon as anyone finds out, I'm good as screwed... It's gonna be worse if Master finds out what I've been doing to his children."
He took another swig from the bottle to calm himself down. The caller in question remained anonymous, but it was obvious that the voice was feminine. They gave him a deal that was difficult to refuse during his trying times. With the world population of men on the verge of extinction, how could he refuse?
Seeing that the bottle was now empty, he stood up and checked his surroundings, grateful for the fact that nobody was around to listen in on him. He sighed in relief, chucking the bottle into the trash before sobering up for the day ahead with a bath. The hole already dug and after this many years, it was already to the point of being irredeemable.
As the water washed over him, he recalls what he said to his Master long ago. That memory was soon replaced with feelings of pleasure and the newfound wealth it brought along. With the hole already dug too deep, there was no other option but to live out as much as he can while it lasts.
Meanwhile, Gale and Rumin were getting ready to send the written letter to their Father via mail service before starting their day. Without proper documentation, jobs and schools were hard to come by. Thankfully, despite the shunning their Father received for taking them in as his children, the Monastery still brings peace offerings in the form of food and other basic necessities.
With men being fewer in number, jobs like construction are becoming desperate, making them perfect targets for the duo if they ever so need employment. As for their education, they were lucky to come across a high school willing to accept them due to the influence their Father had on the town. As the two walked, they decided to strike up a conversation.
"So Gale? What are your thoughts about those monk guys that bring us stuff every now and again?" She asked.
"To be honest, I don't really care much about them. Don't like them either. Can you believe they can just do that to Dad even when he didn't do anything wrong?" She seemed annoyed at the thought, huffing to the side.
"Yeah... That was pretty mean of them. I'm just glad he did take us in. Not everyone can appreciate the good you do. No matter how beneficial it may be." She stared up to the sky for a moment before coming to a compelling thought. "On a side note, are you still coming to the Harvest Festival with me this year? I had some friends, but they all kind of changed their minds."
"Well you know I can't leave you to your lonesome with a bunch of strangers. Do you remember the last time you were left alone?" She playfully nudged her in the shoulder before recalling something. "Almost forgot. You still participating in the Feral Paw Tournament coming up? Supposed to be a few months away."
"Yeah! You know I wouldn't miss it for the world! I'm hoping to do better this year. At least making it to the semifinals. You were always second or third though sis. Those competitors really are no joke." She playfully punched her sister's shoulder with a smile. How do you even keep up?"
"Ehh~... I guess I'm just durable I guess. Though, the 'Iron Mouse' chick really got the better of me last year. She was something else; it's no wonder that she has a five year streak as the Champion." She would look at her hands and ball them into fists, filling herself with determination. "But that doesn't stop me from working hard enough to eventually surpass her."
"I'm sure you will sis. You always took your training seriously, even when we spar with one another. It's hard to keep up when you keep treating our matches as if they're the real deal." She would sigh for a moment before realizing their current pace. "Come on! We got to hurry and get the letter mailed to Dad."
Surely enough, this was enough to break Gale from her trance to race alongside her sister to the postal service building to get their letter mailed. Little that they know that they were about to encounter a familiar face.