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10. Making Friends in Fighting Places

When I got back to the room later that afternoon and my dad made it back with some take out I told him about what had happened today. He found it to be pretty funny how I'd beaten up some teacher's kid and even earned myself a trophy for my trouble. It had been an interesting day for sure, and I was sure Matt would think the same thing as my dad did.

The next day I went back to the dojo around the same time and I saw a lot of the same faces that I'd seen the day before. I was welcomed by the sensei and was introduced to the other students and told to be respectful and courteous. I looked around for a moment and didn't see Norito and asked Sarutobi about him.

"Oh my son is making us a new plaque since he lost the last one. This will be a lesson to him not to gamble with such a thing so carelessly again. Now please join us and let our lesson begin."

I stretched out and got ready for a lesson here and found that their style complimented how I fought already. They focused heavily on flexibility and dodging motions and attacking with a forceful fluid power that could be turned around to still attack if they missed their strike. It was an interesting style and I was enjoying the training as we went through it and before I knew it we were done for the day.

Several of the students noticed I seemed to have an easier time learning this so quickly than them and wanted advice. I just told them that I'd been practicing martial arts for years so I'd developed a lot of this stuff over the years. They seemed impressed and I felt almost a bit embarrassed with how they praised my technique and how good I was, but I just told them I was still learning same as them.

They seemed fine with that and started to go off after awhile. Genta had come over to me as the rest of the students had left and thanked the sensei and I asked him if he needed something.

"Actually... I was wondering if you could walk home with me? I told my mom and dad about you and they wanted to meet you."

I looked at him curiously, I couldn't imagine why his parents would want to see me for. I had nothing better to do though so I followed him to his home a few blocks away and in an upscale apartment building.

Along the way he asked me questions about being a fur, if I got hot with all of it, did it keep me warm, and so on; normal kid questions that I answered truthfully in turn. I was actually starting to get used to being around all these humans. It almost felt like I didn't stick out anymore. Even among other furs I felt like I was an outcast and while I still felt that walking around the streets of Tokyo it didn't feel like I minded it so much.

We rode up the elevator up to the 4th floor of the building Genta lived in and he lead the way to his apartment. He unlocked the door and we went in. After slipping off our shoes and putting on some of the slippers they had for guests.

"Mooom? I brought Okami-sama home with me!" For some reason Genta insisted on calling me Okami for some reason, but I didn't mind it.

I sniffed the air and smiled to myself at the warm scents that I smelled. I didn't know who was cooking what but it certainly smelled good and I wondered if I could learn to cook it myself.

That was when a young woman who looked to be in her late 30s came in from the kitchen drying off her hands and smiling as Genta went up to hug who I guessed was his mother. She had long hair that went down between her shoulder blades and she had very pretty green eyes. Her body was a bit thin but only slightly so and right now she had on an apron that seemed to be covered in various spices and cooking ingredients.

"Oh hello, you must be Genta-kun's new friend. Welcome to our home, Okami-san." She gave me a sweet motherly smile and told Genta to go wash up and that dinner would be ready soon.

"Um... Didn't Genta-kun tell you my actual name, ma'am?" I was a bit weird to be called that, but maybe Genta hadn't told her my real name yet.

"Oh he did, but I liked how he called you Okami so I thought I'd give it a try, but I can call you by your given name is you like, Zeke-kun." She smiled as she turned back and went into the kitchen where I followed her.

"Uh, I'd prefer to be called Zeke, ma'am, and... uh, what is it that you are cooking for dinner?" I looked around the kitchen and saw several things cooking, boiling, and being made all at once and the woman moving from one thing to another with ease. I wasn't 100% on it but I'd be willing to bet that this woman was involved in some kind of food preparation service.

"Of course, Zeke-kun, and you may call me Juri if you wish. As for dinner I am preparing some rice, miso soup and a bit of sushi. I'm a caterer so I love to cook even in my off time. My husband and Genta's father should be back soon. He just had to run out to get an onion that I need and some drinks. But make yourself at home, please, my husband and I have heard about how you helped Genta yesterday and we want to ask you something, but we'll wait until Hiro, my husband, comes back to ask it."

And now my curiosity had piqued considerably. They needed to ask me something and had asked me over for dinner. This was going to be either really weird or somewhat awkward to go through with, but I couldn't leave now because not as soon as those thoughts had finished had the front door opened and I heard a man call out for someone.

"Genta? Juri? Has our guest arrived yet?" I poked my head out of the kitchen and waved to him going up to meet him.

"Hello, sir, I'm Zeke Thomson, Genta-kun's friend. Um, your wife is in the kitchen right now cooking dinner."

"Oh yes, Zeke-san, pleased to meet you, my name is Takahashi Hiro. Please excuse me a moment while I take this onion and the drinks into the kitchen for my wife. Please sit and relax, dinner should be ready in a short amount of time, and we wish to discuss something with you."

Again with this asking me something; they just learned about me less than 24 hours ago and suddenly they wanted to ask me something. I sat down on the sofa and got out my book to read. Genta also came out to show me a video game he liked to play and I showed interest in it while the dinner finished cooking.

"Genta-kun, Zeke-san, dinner is ready please come and sit down." Juri called out and I sat down at the table and saw the food coming out right as I sat down. I offered to help but Mr. Takahashi said they had it. It looked delicious and Mrs. Takahashi was very courteous about my needs too. She laid out both silverware and chopsticks in order for me to eat however I chose. I decided to just use the fork and spoon she had provided me, my manners weren't exactly high class in Japanese standard so I didn't want to embarrass myself further by trying to use chopsticks when I couldn't eat with them that well.

They all said 'Thank you for the meal' and we started to eat. I started with the soup and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it tasted. I knew that miso was pretty much just some kind of tofu but it still had an interesting flavor to it. She seemed to use quite an interesting combination of herbs to fully bring out the soups flavor. It was slightly spicy but wasn't overbearing. I found the flavors dancing around my tongue as I let the fluids slide down my throat and sighed happily as it reached my stomach and sent a slow warmth passing through my body.

The sushi too was also very delectable. Not only did the presentation look amazing but it tasted far better than I could have imagined. I asked what was they were and she said it was her own recipe that had salmon and cod mixed with a rice that was lightly drizzled with a plum sauce that was also of her own design. I was greatly impressed by it, the taste combined a sweet and only sour taste only with the meaty flavors of the meat.

The rice was a nice blend as well, it was a brown rice with some herbs and a bit of onion in it. I normally didn't care for onions at all but the way she'd prepared it kept my tail softly wagging through it. Halfway through the meal Mr. Takahashi cleared his throat and looked at me and I looked up at him as I was trying to eat the noodle that was accidentally hanging from my maw.

"Thomson-san, we wish to ask something of you now if you will allow us." I chopped up the noodle and nodded at him to let him continue.

"You see the company that I am working for is transferring me to a new city about 50 miles from here and we will be moving there before the end of summer."

I rose my brow and tilted my head, "Alright, Mr. Takahashi, but what does that have to do with me?"

I thought a moment and then it hit me as he spoke next, "You see, young wolf, we our moving to a furred community and we wished to ask you over in order to get to understand them better and to maybe get some advice on the do's and don'ts of how to act. You are actually the first fur that we have ever had any interaction with at all. So we hope to get to know you and learn what is in store of us when we move."

I nodded and thought about it for a bit as they all looked to me and I thought things over.

"Well ok, I can do that. We're really not all that different from normal people, we just have slightly different behavior, more hair, and some have different body chemistry than us. The real issue though should be with what kind of house or apartment you'll be getting when you move, certain housings are suited for different types of furs. The house I live in has full body fur dryers to better dry off faster, for example."

Mrs. Takahashi looked up at me surprised to hear that, "You mean that there are different things in each house? Well that is a good thing to know, is there a specific place we need to look for, Zeke-kun?"

"Yes, ma'am, for instance in reptilian houses there are normally sun lamps to keep rooms warm and might work out well, but you should consider that the houses are made to keep people warm through most of the year, you would more than likely be better off with a place that caters to more mammalian types. I think a small house would be ideal, that way you can get the best out of the area and add on or do with it as you like, but that's just my opinion."

"You certainly are very knowledgeable about such things, Zeke-kun, those are points we hadn't considered, we will have to look into specific housing options then."

I shrugged, "My family has moved around a lot since I was small so I kind of learned what my parents looked for when we went to get a new home and I guess I just sort of picked up on what was needed. As for anything else you just need to treat the furs like you would anyone else. Give them space, don't pet them without asking," I looked specifically at Genta as I said that, "be careful of tails, and try not to wear any very strong cologne or perfume as it can be a bit strong to others and offensive. Other than that I don't really think there's much else to really consider or to tell you about. Is that really all you wanted to ask of me?"

"Well now that we have an idea of what we need to look for and have an idea of what to do and have some experience with a fur now I suppose that's all we needed to ask you, but would you consider going with my wife sometime next week to help her look for housing? I would go but I work all day next week and that's when she'll be able to go. I mainly just don't want her to go off to an unfamiliar area. It isn't that I distrust the furred community, but the crime rate is on the rise lately and I don't want them to be alone, especially after that incident last week with the singer and that man pointing a gun at her."

"I understand, sir, and that was a scary time, but thankfully I was able to take the man down without the gun going off."

Well apparently no one had mentioned that it was a grey wolf fur in the news or something because that really got Genta's attention and he looked on at me in adoration.

"WOW! You fought off a guy with a gun and didn't get hurt?! That's SO cool!" He had the biggest smile on his face as he looked at me while both his parents looked on at me in great shock.

"That fur was you?! I never imagined that the fur that Genta had told us about would have been you. After all while this may be a mainly human city there are still any number of furs here and we didn't think it might be you. You truly get around and do a lot of good don't you, Zeke-kun?" Mrs. Takahashi looked at me with a somewhat proud smile that showed she had approved of the actions I took to keep others safe, though I'm not sure she would have liked to hear what I had to do to that guy with the gun to stop him.

"Very well then, Zeke-san, if you would please escort my wife and child around I would be more than honored for your help. It will only be for one day and we can compensate you for taking your time to do this as well."

I shook my head and held up my hand, "No, Mr. Takahashi, I do not require any compensation for that, I will be happy to do it, but if I can have the recipes for these foods I would very much like that. I think I could prepare this back home for some people who would enjoy them greatly."

"Very well then, and maybe you can come back soon and teach me some of your recipes then? By the way where are you from, Zeke-kun, did you just recently move here?" Mrs. Takahashi started to get up and carry off the plates to clean up the table and I stood to help her.

"No, Mrs. Takahashi-"

"Please call me Juri, Zeke-kun, I never much cared for such formalities, and thank you for helping clear the table."

"You're welcome... uh, Juri-san, and no we did not just move here. My family is from the United States, my father and I are only here because he brought me along and he had work to do for his company here. We're only here for a few weeks and then we will be heading back home. I must say, ma'am that you cook extremely well. If I can see how you make your food I would be more than honored to show you some of the recipes that I know."

She chuckled and nodded, "I think that sounds like a fair trade. Are you staying with someone here or are you staying at a hotel nearby?"

"We're staying at a hotel nearby, it's not much but it's a place to rest, shower, and eat whatever we can get a hold of. Not a great way to live but can't complain it's a roof over our heads." I brought in the last dish as Genta went to watch some TV with his dad as I talked to her and she started to wash the dishes.

"Well we can't have you eating out and at such unhealthy places too..." I looked at her and she looked like she had a plan forming in her mind, "Oh I know, you'll have to come over here a few more times with your father and have dinner with us. In fact no... You HAVE to come over and if nothing more cook for you and your father, going a whole month without a home cooked meal is just unacceptable!"

I just stood there speechless for a moment looking like I'd just been dragged into something that was beyond my control again and I for the life of me couldn't process what just happened to me. I tried to object to what she just said but she wouldn't hear of it and said that tomorrow she wanted both my father and I to come over to their place and that I'd go with her to get some food and then I'd make dinner for everyone.

After that I was allowed to leave and so I just headed out. I thanked them for their hospitality and said that I would see Genta tomorrow. After that it was just a matter or retracing my steps back to the dojo and from their back to my hotel. Today had certainly been weird, but then again this whole trip had been weird. Last year nothing as crazy as all this had happened, and with all that had gone on it was starting to make me wonder if my fate had been changed because of Matt and from finally finding a place to call home.

When I got back to our room my dad was there already, it was just a little past 7 and he had gotten himself something to eat.

"Heya, sports fan, I figured that if you were out so late that you'd have gotten yourself to eat already. How was your day?"

I rubbed the back of my head and sat down in a chair as I looked around and then at my dad, "Well it was kind of weird, that kid I helped at the dojo yesterday asked me to his house because his family wanted to know some things about furs because they're moving to a furred community soon and I ate there and then the father asked me to escort his wife and son to look around for housing because I seem to know what to look for and after I told the wife that we were here in a hotel and had been eating out each night she insisted on us coming over tomorrow so we could have the chance to cook and have a home cooked meal."

I let out a sigh and my dad of course looked beyond confused, "What the D. Devil is going on with you lately, son? Ever since you got here you've been having the weirdest luck. Saved a woman who then made you her bodyguard and gave you a very generous amount of money, helped the police find a gun, took down another armed man, got a man who can help you in the future or at least give you some advice on this type of thing, helped a kid out at a dojo, earned its plaque, gotten another job escorting a woman and child around, and gotten us a place we can cook and eat something decent?" He stared at me for a few seconds and then looked off for a second.

"Does Japan have a lottery?" I blinked and rolled my eyes.

"Dad... Geeze I know it's weird and all but it's just something that's weirdly happened. Really, though, the lady insisted and tomorrow we're going to have to go over there. In the morning I'm going to look up a recipe for something good to eat and then go to the dojo where I'm training at for now. I'll leave you the address for the place and you can meet me there after you're done with work, what time do you get off tomorrow?"

"I should be done at around 3 to 4 if all goes well. The work is actually going pretty easy this year and if this keeps up I may get a bonus for completion of the job ahead of time."

"That's great, dad, I hope you can get it finished then, and if that's the case you should just come to the dojo and we can go to their apartment and then we can have a nice meal. Think I could make some buffalo burgers with some kind of vegetable or something?"

"I think you can make whatever it is you want to make and whatever they have available in the stores in order to fix, son. But for now why don't you go get a shower, you smell like you haven't been using any deodorant again, but then again you never did huh?"

I rolled my eyes, I really hated using deodorants as they smelled funny to me and they just made my armpits feel funny. I liked how I would smell though most times so in order to cover it up I normally would take at least one shower a day if not two. I stripped off my clothes as I got to the bathroom and rubbed my body. I felt the muscles under my fur and under a bit of stomach fat I just couldn't get rid of without a serious diet. I didn't mind how I looked from any angle but I didn't like to look at myself still.

I just shook my head though and got into the shower and let the water wash away the scents I'd gotten from the day. After that I got dried off and laid down in bed. Writing all that had been happening to me lately made what I wrote to Matt almost seemed unreal to read, but it was really happening and life was going well. This so far was going crazy for me, and yet there was still a three more weeks left on our trip here. Tomorrow was another day to have a new adventure, and next week I was going to have a new adventure next week. As I laid down to go to sleep I looked up and shook my head.

"God, just what is it you are planning for me so suddenly?" I sighed and turned over on my side. I knew that the Good Lord had a plan for me, but he was certainly planning something big.