FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

After that nice break they enjoyed at the oriental restaurant, Sasuga asked Seif for one more request for the day before taking her back home, and that to drive her to the central hospital of the city.

"Any particular reasons you want to come here?" Seif asked the kirin as they arrived at the hospital parking lot.

"I'm concerned about Mr. Osvaldo, the circus ringmaster, remember? I want to check up on and see if he's doing okay. Sorry for the trouble," Sasuga replied, feeling bad for dragging the lion along with her from place to place all day long.

"Don't be. It's no trouble at all. I told you I'm free and yours for the whole day didn't I?" Seif smiled gently and made her blush hard, having a different thought about having him for herself for the whole day than what he meant, but she digressed and just smiled back at him nervously to hide her blushing as she got out of the car.

They both entered the hospital and went straight to the reception desk to ask about Mr. Osvaldo, but before they could even ask, they unpredictably ran into a familiar face.

"Hey, Sasuga!" the kirin heard her name being called out and she immediately knew who it belonged to before she even turned over to it.

"Rinami?" Sasuga blinked surprisingly when she saw the yellow fox approaching them from out of the blue. Rinami scurried over to the kirin and held her hand excitedly.

"Wow, it's so good to see you again! What're you doing here? Are you sick or something?" Rinami eagerly said.

"Oh, no, it's not that! I'm fine! I'm just here to check up on Mr. Osvaldo and see how he's doing," Sasuga replied.

"Ah, that's so sweet of you! I just came back from visiting Antonio! He's doing well now! Still a little sore, but he's a tough sailor and will come out of it just fine," the vixen reassured and explained her presence here. "Unfortunately, visiting hours are over for the day, so he's resting now."

"Oh, I see. Well, it's good to know that he's doing okay," Sasuga gladly said.

"Yeah, thanks to you! I don't want to think of what would've happened to him if you didn't heal him in time!" Rinami keenly expressed her gratitude and making the kirin feel embarrassed.

"N-No, it's no big deal. I did what any other person in my position would've done." Sasuga tried to be modest.

"Oh, don't be so humble jumble! It's not like anybody would have awesome healing powers!"

"I guess so..." the kirin bashfully muttered. She was kind of proud of herself for pulling that miracle task off at the time.

Rinami then got closer to the kirin and whispered softly, "Hey, who's that good-looking lion? Is he with you?" Oddly enough, Seif was able to hear everything, and even though he felt a bit awkward by the fox calling him good-looking, he was grateful he was finally noticed. He was feeling a little left out.

"Oh, right! Sorry, this is Seif Lowefang," Sasuga quickly introduced him."You remember Panja, right Rinami? Seif is his cousin."

"Ah! No wonder! I guess rugged handsomeness runs in the family!" Rinami pronounced flatly, making both of the kirin and the lion blush slightly.

"Umm, well, this is Rinami Katsuragi. She's an old friend of Haz," Sasuga introduced the fox to him and Seif nodded.

"I gathered as much," Seif uttered. Hazard wasn't kidding when he told him that she was quite the character. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Katsuragi," the lion tactfully said, reaching out a hand for a friendly shake.

"Oh my, good-looking AND a gentleman! Such a rare breed these days!" Rinami exclaimed as she shook his big hand with her dainty paw.

"Erm... I'll be waiting in the car. Take your time," Seif then meekly told Sasuga. He wasn't good at such gatherings.

"Oh, okay, sure thing. Thanks," Sasuga replied nodded back at him.

"Alright. Again, nice meeting you, Ms. Katsuragi."

"You too! We'll see more of each other, hopefully!" Rinami cheerfully waved back at him as he soon took his leave. "Oh my, are all Lowefangs this hot? I just wanna dip him in chocolate and eat him all up! That is if I don't already have my eyes set on someone else, of course!" the fox swooned after Seif were out of their sight, as Sasuga flushed brightly at that graphic thought Rinami just narrated. Though, to be honest, she didn't dismiss that naughty thought herself and found it delectably appealing. "So are you two together?" Rinami then suddenly asked and steam almost shot out of the kirin's ears from the hot blood pressure rushing up to her head.

"W-Wh-Wha?! N-No! We're not! We're just... friends. We've only known each other for a short while, anyway!" Sasuga timidly responded.

"Mm-hmm... I see!" Rinami giggled at Sasuga's cute reaction. "Well, if he's Panja's cousin, then that means that he's like us, right?" she then presumed as the kirin nodded.

"Yeah. He knows Haz very well, too. They've been traveling companions in the past."

"Really?!" Rinami gasped. "Okay, I want to know everything! Come on, let's sit down and get some coffee!" The fox then grabbed Sasuga's hand and pulled her away with her.

"He-Hey, Rinami!" Sasuga yelped as she was dragged over by her foxy friend. She might be petite, but she sure stored some oomph in her, making Sasuga wonder for a second if she can ever acquire such strength one day. They soon found a not so crowded corner of the hospital with a sitting bench and beverage vending machine located next to it, as Rinami got two coffee cups from it and gave one to Sasuga.

"Come on, sit," Rinami said as she sat down on the bench and patted the empty seast next to her, which Sasuga did.

"Thanks," Sasuga smiled as she sat down next to the yellow vulpine, holding the hot cup of coffee and rolling it between her palms.

"So, tell me everything you know," Rinami asked of Sasuga, as the kirin pondered for a moment.

"Mm, well..." Sasuga then told her a very short version of what Seif had told her and everything that had happened to her ever since she met Hazard.

"Oh my! You sure went through a hell lot in such a short period of time, especially getting kicked out of school and losing your only friend there. I'm so sorry, Sasuga," Rinami said empathetically, rubbing on Sasuga's arm.

"Yeah, but it's okay now. I can't stay sad about it forever," Sasuga smiled.

"But wow, what a story. You're all kings and princesses and stuff, right out of a fairy tail book!"

"You're telling me. I don't see a happy ending for it either. I don't know if I can hold on long enough to see it."

"Don't say that! You don't show it, but you're a strong girl, Sasuga! I can tell!" Rinami positively said to the kirin.

"Thanks, but I'm not so sure about that. I still got a long way to go before I can match up to you guys. I'm certainly not as strong as you are, Rinami. You managed to live this long and survive so much. I spent half of that time being asleep inside of my egg and missed out on everything," Sasuga stated gloomily, feeling quite inadequate compared to Rinami and the others.

"Actually, you lucked out on that one," Rinami replied and puzzled Sasuga.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't have to go through an endless cycle of life with no certain goal or no exact meaning for it, unable to settle down or get close to anyone. With danger and fighting being the only thing that drives you to survive," Rinami explained the downsides of being cursed by immortality and it indeed made Sasuga feel foolish for thinking she had it worse. She couldn't even begin to imagine herself living a life like that. "But when I discovered that Hazard was alive and an immortal like me, it gave me the hope and strength to continue this long quest to find him," Rinami continued,

blushing.

"He's that important to you?"

"Yes, very! It might sound silly and naïve, but I think I was in love with him ever since we were children. I just knew, since then, that he was the one for me. When I found out that he's the legendary Millennium Slasher, I believed that fate will bring us together if I kept on going, no matter how long it will take. And I was right!"

Listening to Rinami was actually inspiring to Sasuga. Despite the little hope she had, she didn't gave up and didn't let anything discourage her will to keep on living and just make the best out of her situation. It made Sasuga think that maybe she was being selfish and unreasonable to believe that Seif, Hazard and Panja should just care for her from out of the bat. She needed to work for it, do her best to earn their trust, friendship and love, instead of wallowing over petty things that might not even be true.

"You're wonderful, Rinami," Sasuga said profoundly.

"Aww, no I'm not! Where'd that come from all of the sudden?" Rinami bashfully responded, as Sasuga giggled.

"I'm just impressed by how well you're handling it. I hope I'll be able to be like you someday."

The fox beamed proudly, "I'm sure you will! I'll help you out; we're a team now, right?"

"No, we're more than that. We're friends," Sasuga contentedly said and held one Rinami's hand, as the fox smiled back happily and nodded. Something then suddenly occurred to the kirin, something that she remembered and maybe make them more than friends. "Actually, there's something else I wanted to ask you, Rinami?"

"Oh? What is it?" the vulpine ears perked curiously.

"Well, I've been looking for a roommate for my apartment, since I live alone and in a pinch right now, so I was wondering if..." without even finishing her sentence, Sasuga was surprised by Rinami pouncing at her and hugging her tight.

"Oh my God! Yes! I would love to live with you, Sasuga!" Rinami gleefullyexclaimed as she gave the kirin the tightest hug.

"Oumf! Okay, alright! I'm glad you're on board..." Sasuga choked out.

"Hey, you live right next door to Hazard, right? Oh, that's perfect! We're all gonna be close to each other, like one big family! Thank you so much, Sasuga!" Rinami expressed her joy and hugged the kirin closely again, but Sasuga was thrilled about it too.

"One big family, huh...?" Sasuga thought to herself. It sure had a nice ring to it.

***

The day was ending and the sun was almost dun setting, as Seif arrived at the building Sasuga lived in. It certainly was an eventful day for the kirin, as she looked over as Seif as he stopped his SUV in front of the building.

"Thanks Seif, for everything," Sasuga said gratefully, thanking him for helping her with the flowers and accompanying her to funeral, for the sushi meal and telling her the truth about their past and taking her to the hospital.

"You're welcome. Thank you for listening and understanding," Seif smiled at her, as she smiled back at him and was about to get out of the car, when Seif spoke. "Sasuga."

"Yes?" she turned to him.

"I want you to know that you're not alone. Not anymore. Don't hesitate to ask for anything. We're here for you," Seif gently said, reassuring her.

Sasuga felt overwhelmed by that, she resisted the urge to jump on him big chest and embrace him. "I know," she merely uttered with a soft smile, before climbing out of his car. "Goodnight and... I'll see you soon," the kirin bid him farewell across the car window and it felt really good saying that to him.

"Goodnight," Seif replied and then drove off into the unseen distant, as Sasuga just stood there and watched his SUV disappear, letting out a wistful sigh.

"Looks like you had a long day, eh?" Hazard's voice then came out of nowhere and caught her attention as she turned over to saw him standing right next to her. He was carrying a bag of take-out food, apparently just coming back home himself.

"Yeah, it sure was," Sasuga greeted him with a gentle smile to see her wolf friend.

"Sorry I couldn't be with you in this tough time, but it seems Seif did more than enough," Hazard smirked.

"Indeed. He's quite down-to-earth for a king," Sasuga commented with a small grin, as Hazard looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? So the big cat couldn't keep his muzzle shut, eh?" the wolf chuckled.

"Well, he told me a thing or two. I'm quite grateful for that, now that I know everything."

"Hrmm, how much is everything?"

"Just enough, Mr. Legendary Millennium Slasher," Sasuga teased him and made him groan.

"Hoo boy... I hope you're not gonna start calling me that now, too?"

Sasuga giggled, "Well, if I do, you can call me Princess."

"Heh, how is that as bad? I think calling you Princess would be cute."

"God, no, it wouldn't! That'll make me blush every time!" Sasuga replied and they shared a little laugh.

"Well, up for some fatty food?" Hazard then offered as he gave the bags he was carrying a little shake. "Though, I can't promise much, Panja eats like a hog and doubt he'd leave you much to nibble on," he joked.

"You're the one to talk! But sure, I'm up for it," Sasuga agreeibly said.

"Cool. Let's go," the wolf suggested and was about to enter the building when Sasuga stopped him.

"Wait, Haz," Sasuga called out as Hazard turned around to face her.

"What is it?"

Sasuga paused for a moment, and then stepped closer to the golden wolf and looked straight at his eyes. "I'm not going to be afraid anymore. I'll stop crying and be weak. I won't be a holdback to you guys and will do my best to help. Just help me get stronger, that's all I'm asking for," Sasuga said with much determination, being as serious as she could be, leaving Hazard a bit overtaken by this sudden change of heart for the kirin. They stood in silence for a few moment, staring quietly at each other. Until Hazard wrapped an arm of his around her and pulled her closer till her face was resting on the top of his chest.

"I'll protect you, princess," Hazard softly rumbled and then placed a soft kiss on her forehead. At that moment, Sasuga was positive. Hazard was her savior swordsman from her dreams. Sasuga didn't know how to react at first, but she was deeply touched and simply hugged the wolf back. She wasn't worried or scared any more. She found her place, where she truly belonged. She might have lost her family twice in the past, but she had found a new one now. One that she wouldn't lose. She would make sure of that.

End of Chapter 09