His Other Half (KiriBaku)

Chapter 5

September 26, XX84
--Residence of Tsuyu Asui+Co, Dian--

        It took him a long while of staring at Tsu's collection of soaps before Rat remembered how to take a proper bath. Or rather, he guessed. He realized quickly, however, that whatever he had put into his hair did not want to go away anytime soon. Without the dried sweat and tree sap keeping it spiky and wild, it hung in front of his face, tickling his nose with a newfound softness.

        When he left the basin of warm water in the room Tsu called a bathroom, he found that the frog-like woman had stolen his clothes, and in place of his usual pants were much cleaner, softer pieces of fabric. The new black pants he recognized, so they were easy enough to put on his body, but the other bundle of cloth had four distinctive holes, each of them a different shape and size, and other strips of lighter fabric coming off the holes. 

        Tsu walked in as he had taken to holding the white thing in front of him, still trying to figure out what it was, and she laughed at him. She had a weird, quiet laugh that kind of sounded like a tree frog's croak, naturally wide eyes that Rat felt looked into his soul, and a kind but weird smile. "You look like you've never seen a shirt in your life," she giggled, rushing to help him. She turned the thing the other way around and demonstrated putting his arms inside the two smallest holes. "These are Rikido's, but he doesn't wear them anymore and you two looked about the same size, kero, so I don't see the harm in giving you these. I'm sure he won't mind."

        Rat blinked at her attentively, too eager to hear someone speak to him the way she did that he didn't have the heart to attempt telling her that he had no idea what she was talking about. He did manage to get this shirt thing properly on his chest, and when Tsu turned him around to face the mirror, he found that he had seen one of these things before, on Master and the other rich people that bet on his fights. It was a shirt.

        Maybe predicting that he would also have no idea what to do with the rest of the fabric hanging off of him, Tsu moved forward to lace the string up properly to his throat and used the other strips of cloth to tie the arm coverings up to his elbows so that they weren't quite so in his way. He watched her movements with fascinated awe, a noise bubbling up from his throat before he could stop it.

        She blinked at the noise and stepped back, and Rat was suddenly terrified by the thought that he had scared her and it must have shown on his face. Tsu tilted her head. "You don't talk much, kero, do you?"

        Pressing his lips together, Rat quickly shook his head.

        She shrugged. "That's okay. Neither does Koji. We just make do. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

        Not wanting her to stop talking to him, Rat nodded. 

        Tsu smiled warmly. "Well, that's good. Are you mute by choice or is something wrong?"

        He shook his head to both those questions.

        She blinked at him again. "Sore throat?"

        He nodded.

        "I can help with that," she promised, moving out of the room and confidently throughout the rest of the building. 

        Rat did his best to keep up through the winding hallways until they reached a larger room and a tantalizing smell bombarded the redhead's nose. His eyes widened. Along every shelf sat rows upon roughs of fresh-baked bread and doughy rolls, iced cakes, and cinnamon twists, a heavenly smelling combination. Tsu gave him a knowing look a pulled a ceramic jar off a shelf. She brandished a metal utensil at him, which Rat could tell at once wasn't a weapon but was covered in a thick, gooey yellow liquid.