The Red Tiger - Conclusion

Time passed. After a long spell of darkness, Miyuki groaned and pulled him close to her. He could feel the warmth of her body. Despite his lack of nose, he could still smell her. She smelled like drying sweat, lavender oil, and mint. She groaned as she flattened his head against her chest.

She muttered, “Tora…” took a long sigh, and cracked her neck. Miyuki let Torao slide into her lap as she sat up. He could feel her dark, flannel pants as he settled. He tried to remain still as she reached down to rub his neck like she had a real cat.

Her touch was so comforting.

Eventually, she had to get up. She set Torao down in the warm spot she left in the bed. She pointed at him with a smile and issued the command, “Guard it.”

He tried to follow her as much as he could without moving. She made her way over to the computer. After a while, he heard her putting on headphones. In the otherwise-quiet room, he could hear music leaking out. She was listening to one of the songs he'd recommended. He gave a slow turn of his head to check on her.

Her fingers fell across the keyboard like steady rain across a window. Torao listened to it to pass the time.

Eventually, there was a knock on the door. It took a few knocks before it broke the spell of the song in Miyuki’s ears. She rushed over and opened the door. A teen boy leaned through the opening and said, “Hey shrub, your dinner is here.”

Miyuki flashed a bit of tongue but smiled and opened the door. “Thanks, Takeshi.”

He walked in with a small tray bearing noodle soup. As she was about to grab the tray, he held onto it. She looked up at him and he said, “Mom wants to know how you’re feeling and if you can go to school tomorrow.”

Then, his hand flashed to her forehead. She was too stunned to pull away before he took his hand back. He added, “I’ll tell her you’re cured.”

Miyuki blinked. “Well...I’m getting better. I think.”

Takeshi nodded. “Right. You would’ve protested a lot more if you were well. Come on, shrub. You need to eat or I’ll kick your butt for being sick too much.” This time, he let her have the tray.

Takeshi wasn’t much taller than Miyuki, but his shoulders were broader and his hair lighter and long around the front of his face. As he turned, Torao could see the back was jumbled in the form of a serrated blade.

He wore a black, high-collared uniform with matching, glossy pants. He was skinny but looked strong. His white shirt under his uniform was disheveled.

As Miyuki began to eat, he settled down on the bed in front of Torao. He leaned back and looked at Torao with his head upside-down.  

“What’s your kitty up to?”

Miyuki wiped her mouth and announced, “He’s guarding. And if you’re mean to me, he’ll attack you and make you regret it.”

Takeshi smirked and reached over for Torao. Unlike Miyuki, he wasn’t gentle. He clutched him and mimed his legs like a strike. Torao went along with it.

Then, he began tossing Torao up in the air a few times and catching him like a ball. Despite the fact he didn’t have a stomach, Tora felt a little queasy. Miyuki came to his rescue as she set the tray down and grabbed Tora while he was floating up in the air. She glared at Takeshi and said, “You’re a meanie! Poor Tora.”

Takeshi smiled. “What happened to the vicious tiger, sis? Looks like he can’t back it up. And looks like you’re doing fine. I’ll tell mom you can go to school tomorrow. Your homework is on the coffee table.”

Miyuki glared and pet Tora. Torao would’ve glared too. He didn’t like how helpless he felt.

With a wave, Takeshi left through the door. After a quick pet, Miyuki set Tora down and went back to eating.

Torao watched him leave and return with a couple pages of paper, which he assumed was her homework. With Tora watching, she balanced sipping the soup with the computer and the papers.

He took the time to think.

He thought about grooming himself when Miyuki wasn’t looking. He thought about whether he needed to eat at all. After what felt like hours in a stuffed animal body, he’d never felt any desire for food or drink. He’d also not felt any other biological feelings, like a need to breathe. Mostly though, he thought about home.

The light through the side window was golden and dim. It had to be towards five or later judging by the sun and supper. He thought about his mother in her red apron calling him to dinner. He wouldn’t respond.

She would probably shake him, then the panic would start. If he trusted the imp’s word, then he was only catatonic. But they would probably take him to a doctor. He could imagine his body in the hospital, just laying there while his family cried.

He lowered his head then heard a crash.

In surprise, he turned his head to see Miyuki staring right back at him, sprawled over a fallen chair. Her noodle soup was draining out to one side.

Her eyes quivered and peered. Tora froze every inch of his soft body. He realized his mistake: She had seen him moving.

Miyuki crawled around the chair and nervously stared at her tiger. Tora kept as still as he could with his neck still flexed to one side. Miyuki edged around him slowly and swallowed. Getting up carefully, she reached a hand out and waved through the air around Tora.

She muttered to herself, “No strings…” Then, she turned to wave through the air to the door. She didn’t touch anything which could explain the sudden movement of Tora’s head.

With this impossibility, she turned back and looked down at Tora. Tora looked back at her with his head now straightened. Torao wished he had a voice to talk to her and explain what happened. But all he could do was stare out at the fear on her face.

She reached over and picked him up carefully. He tried to remain as still as possible. Miyuki felt carefully around his body for some seam or motor. When she found nothing to explain what she’d glimpsed, she just as carefully set Tora back down on the bed.

They regarded each other until Miyuki shook her head, pinched her forehead, and muttered to herself, “This is crazy…”

She turned away from Tora and began cleaning up the spilled noodles. When she walked the tray out of the room, Torao slumped his soft body against the bed.

He thought to himself, No matter what…I hurt her and make her afraid of me. When he heard her footsteps coming back, he brought his legs up into the same position as before. He stayed that way when she was near.

He stayed that way when she checked her messages again and started work on an email to him between looking over some homework. With more caution, he tried to see the email.

She wrote only a little, saying merely that she was feeling better, but she was still a little loopy. Torao assumed that meant him.

When her homework was finished, she turned on the TV to watch some cartoons. They were shows she’d brought up in discussions. She sat on the end of the bed, next to him. It was almost like they were sitting together.

During a commercial break, she said, “You know, Tora…if you’ve come to life, you can tell me. I don’t mind. It’s cool. You don’t have to be ashamed of it.”

Torao felt tempted to respond, but he stayed still. After a minute, Miyuki shook her head, laughed a little and put her arm around Tora.

“Oh well, it would be pretty cool…”

----------

Torao just watched her the rest of the day. When she brought him close, he accepted it like a normal stuffed animal. And he sat with her.

That first day set the mood for the first week.

After cartoons, she would browse online and get ready for bed. Sometimes, she would turn him around when she changed her clothes, but sometimes she would forget. Torao would still try to give her some privacy by not focusing his attention.

She sent more messages to CrimsonTora online and hugged Tora even more.

When she was away at school and everyone else was gone too, Torao would wander the family house. Takeshi’s room was full of modern art. The rest of the house was interesting to explore, but boring without any people around.

Torao was eventually able to turn the TV on and off with just the right press on the remote. Once he’d settled into the times of comings and goings, Torao set up a system of spending time cleaning and tidying up. It confused everyone and didn’t prevent any suspicious looks by Miyuki, but it gave him something to do during the long hours.

Without sleep, each day seemed unnaturally-long.

His greatest joy was lying against Miyuki and listening to her heartbeat. But the joy came with sadness. She cried the week after CrimsonTora stopped appearing online. Tora could only watch and let her hug him.

Despite the many days, Miyuki still sent him little emails. She would talk them out with Tora as her audience.

Online, she had always been happy with smiles and laughter. Seeing her in her room, he saw her brow furrow as she looked over a difficult homework assignment. He watched her focus on the screen and retype something again and again until she bit her lip and sent it out.

He wondered if she had forgotten about him. She laughed and smiled with other friends online which Torao had never met. He wondered if they made her happier. But he noticed that, day after day, she always scrolled up to CrimsonTora’s username and frowned a bit every time it was grayed out. Her emails were always full of energy.  

He considered signing into his email and slowly typing out a reply with his soft paws. It would be slow work to get all the keys right but he knew he could do it. He dropped the idea when he realized it would only give her false hope that he was still there.

Instead, he kept to tidying and organization. Miyuki assumed and randomly thanked her brother, who shrugged and didn’t refute her notion.

That annoyed Torao. But he was able to get back at Takeshi more than once. He liked to drink coffee and set it on the table. Usually, he would walk away and put his work clothes back in his closet.

Like with his method of hopping to get back on the bed when Miyuki returned home from school, Torao found a way to hop onto the table. Not only that, he was able to carry the salt shaker with him.

He timed it so he could put everything back and get out of sight before Takeshi returned. Then, he relaxed and watched in satisfaction as Takeshi took a long sip and suddenly spit it out.

He considered other pranks but, since Takeshi usually ignored him, he only messed around with his coffee. Takeshi actually didn’t notice when he dropped pepper in it.

Life continued for Torao as an intelligent, stuffed pet for over a month. In that time, he found he'd fallen in love with everything about Miyuki.

He loved how she would pace around the bed and stretch before falling asleep. He loved how her sneezes sounded like she was smothering them. He loved the way she would slump in her chair when she was tired and twirl around the room when she wanted to laugh. He was there for her any and every way she needed him…except as a person to talk to.

A day didn’t go by that he didn’t regret his wish. A day didn’t go by that he didn’t lament that he couldn’t hug her back as tightly as she hugged him.

And so the days continued till Miyuki actually got a response on Torao’s email. It was written by his mother.

Torao couldn’t wait on the bed and pretend to be a stuffed animal. He bolted over and read it behind Miyuki.

It said, “I found your email on my son’s computer. He talked about you sometimes. Things have been rough here since Torao fell into a coma. I only just turned on his computer today to find all the wonderful emails you sent him. I’m sure the messages would make him so happy. The doctors don’t know what happened to him….”

The email went on with a phone number and other information. Miyuki bit her lip and looked over the message. She glanced over at her phone. With a deep breath, she dialed the number.

Listening carefully, Torao could hear the sound of his mother’s voice. Their conversation wasn’t long. Miyuki said she would pass the phone to her mother and then left.

Torao bowed his head. He wanted to kick himself for all the stress and pain he’d caused. Instead, he found a spot and stayed there.

Miyuki hurried about. The situation was tough to explain to her parents, but she seemed to channel all her determination. In the face of that, even her brother backed off from admonishing her about talking so regularly to a boy over the Internet.

In three days' time, she was packing up Tora for her trip.

A day later, Torao could hear his mother’s voice from his suitcase as Miyuki walked up to his house.

The next day, Miyuki carried him under her arm as she walked with his mother through the hospital. As they walked into the room, Torao looked down at his still body hooked up to beeping machines. Miyuki pulled up a chair and squeezed Tora.

His mother kissed his face and left Miyuki to talk to Torao.

Miyuki took a few breaths, sighed, and softly said, “Hello Torao. I’m here. I brought Tora. I wish you could see him. I wish I could see you. I miss you.”

She reached over to touch his hand. Torao wished he could squeeze his hand around hers. He’d learned so much about her in the weeks he’d spent with her. He’d touched her heart. He wished with all his will that she could feel what she meant to him

He stayed still like a good plush. He moved not an inch.

Leaning over Torao, she set Tora on his stomach and moved him about a little. She added, “Here he is. He wants to see you.”

Miyuki slumped and sighed. Softly, she said, “Oh, Torao. I’m sorry I signed off that day. I really wasn’t that sick, but I was tired. I didn’t know this would happen. But…I’ve felt you near to me since then. It’s been okay. It’s like you’re with me and you’re protecting me…and…that’s so silly.”

Torao focused on her. He wondered if she knew he was here. He wondered if he had actually connected with her. He wondered if this meant something. He didn’t want to move, but he wanted to touch her. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to DO SOMETHING she could feel. To reassure her and tell her it was true!

He wished…

And he thought he heard a far-off cackle. He could hear the imp’s voice say, “I’m suuuuch an old softie…hahaha!”

With a gasp, he felt something strange. He felt air flowing through him again. He felt warmth. He felt his body. And he felt Miyuki’s hand.

With all his focus, he wrapped his fingers around hers and slowly opened his eyes.

He looked over to see Miyuki with wide shock on her face but trickling joy across her cheeks.

He knew he had the same scary visage, none of that had changed. But despite all that, he smiled at her and said, in that same, rough rasp, “Hello, Miyuki.”

She didn’t cower. She didn’t look afraid. She smiled back and said, through tears, “Hello, Tora-kun.”

Miyuki soon told his family and everyone was celebrating. Despite it all, Torao’s mood was calm but muted. He kept glancing at Tora-chan. He knew he still had a duty to tell Miyuki what had happened.

Miyuki stayed for several days as Torao recovered. On her last day, as he was showing her things around his room and she was smiling, laughing, and enjoying it, Torao began, “I think something happened to me while I was asleep.”

Miyuki listened carefully. It took a few breaths.

“...I was Tora-chan.”

She raised her eyebrows and smiled. She offered something to the effect of weird coma dreams and reassured him. But he kept at it. He began to offer details to her which he could not possibly know.

Slowly, she began to lean back.

She shook her head and looked at him. “How is this possible?”

He told her about the wish. She stared back at him, unsure what to expect.

He said, “I wanted to know…the real you.”

She shook her head. “Why didn’t you just talk to me? Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Because I knew you were shy. I didn’t want to push you. I didn’t want to push you away and make you afraid. I was scared of what you would think of the real me…” They were difficult words to say.

Miyuki stood. She picked up Tora-chan. She looked him in the eyes. “You saw everything. You saw me. You watched me when I didn’t know. You spied on my private moments…I don’t know what to say to that….”

Torao wanted to tell her that he tried not to look, that he didn’t mean it at all. Not like that. But he bowed his head and said, “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I would rather sit on your table for a lifetime than do anything to hurt you.”

Miyuki curled her face in a frown and shook her head. “You dummy…I don’t want you on my table. I just want to see you…to see your smile…”

Slowly, Torao smiled. Miyuki reached out her hand tentatively and Torao reached back. They rested their hands together.

The next day, Miyuki was back home. She called him. They talked a little about the same, small things they’d talked about the last couple of days.

After Miyuki said she needed to unpack, she paused a moment and added, “Summer’s not far away. I know you need to catch up a little at school because of what happened. You’re gonna have a busy summer. I bet you could use a study buddy…”

Torao smiled and said, “I sure could…”

He heard her little laugh on the other end. “But I’d have to bring a bunch of my favorite movies too…just so we don’t get bored.”

“Of course.”

“Well…I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow…Tora-chan.”

“Good night, Miyuki-chan.”

He smiled. She was right. Summer was not very far away at all.