He's Different.

Is that a record?

(CW: blood, fighting, hospitals? Not sure if it needs to be here, but better safe than sorry.)

You hesitate for a moment, torn between who you should go to about the note. On one hand, Macaque knows what's going on, and might be willing to help, on the other, Mk would probably take you to Wukong who might have more answers. A tug on your wrist decides for you. You climb out the window onto the fire escape. You jump over the handrail, hanging for a second before dropping to the level below. You repeat your previous action to the ground floor. Once you hit the ground, you take off running.

The tugging on your wrist is getting painful as you come up to the dojo. You slide to a stop before opening the door. The scene that greets you is Macaque being held down by her assistant, a seal glowing underneath him. You don't think, can't think before you've launched yourself at him. A low, gutteral growl is heard. It takes you a moment to process that the growl is coming from you.

You and the "mayor" wrestle each other, trying to pin the other down. He pins you down and tries to wrap his hands around your throat, but before they find their mark, you teeth are sunk into his arm hard enough to draw blood. You yank your head backwards as far as you can when he goes to grab your hair.

A sickening, almost hollow squelch noise is heard as his muscles are damaged. He grunts from the pain before he slams his hand down on to your chest. You feel something break, but refuse to let go, thrashing. He grabs your jaw and squeezes, forcing you to release your hold on his arm. He stands, fixing his outfit before kicking your side, sending you flying into the wall.

You groan in pain, holding your hand to your injured side. He scoffs, and turns back to Macaque who was now being held down by chains during your tussle. You try to get up, vision swimming. You're sure that you have a broken rib. You grab onto the wall to help you stand.

"Now, where were we, oh yes, you were going to tell me how you broke the deal you made with my lady." The mayor says, examining the wound on his arm. Macaque glances at you, now standing a foot away from the creepy bastard. You're still holding your side, but take a quiet, deep breath before you wrap your arms around his middle and suplex him. He's knocked out from the blow and the seal and chains disappear.

"Fuck. Macaque, you alright?" You ask, falling to your knees next to the monkey. "I'm fine, but we should get you to the hospital." He says, picking you up bridal style. You cough into your fist, turning your head away from him. Your pull your hand away from your mouth. There's blood, more than the residual amount from the mayor. It's getting harder for you to breathe.

"Sh-shit. That's not good." You wheeze.
"Just stay awake. Hold your breath, this may be uncomfortable." He says, dropping into one of his shadow portals. You barely manage to keep what little breath you had. The silence is deafening in the world of his shadows. It's cool, but not cold, like sitting under a tree with a soft breeze. You don't get long to look around as he walks out the other side. You look at the front of the hospital before coughing up more blood.

As soon as Macaque, in his human disguise, walks in with you, the hospital staff get you into the ICU. They do a MRI scan and xray, revealing that you had three broken ribs, and some blood in your lungs. They manage to drain the blood and get you on some powerful pain killers for your ribs. Your back, despite having a giant bruise, isn't broken at least. You fall asleep before they even finish wheeling you into a hospital room.

You wake up to Mk asleep in a chair next to you. "Mk? How'd you know I was admitted?" You mumble to yourself. A chuckle from the opposite side draws your attention. Macaque's leaning against the wall. "Well, that would be because one of the staff ordered some noodles and he saw you. You're right next to the nursing station." He explains.

"When he explained that he knew you, they asked me if you would be okay with him visiting. I assumed you would be." You stare at him, a bit dumbfounded. "So, if anyone claimed to know me, you'd say they can visit? I feel so safe with you being on visitation guard duty." You say sarcastically. He rolls his eyes. "I knew he was telling the truth, I heard you talking to him, telling him about those strings."

"Right, forgot you could hear that far." You sigh, wincing a little. You look at Mk, seeing he's still asleep. "So, anything from the bastard?" You ask quietly. Macaque shakes his head. "No, creeper geezer hasn't been around. Not here or the dojo at least." He says, causing you laugh a bit at the name.

Your hand goes to your side, another wince going across your face. "I was going back to the dojo to tell you he left a note in my house. It seemed like just a random note, rambling about connections to people being important or something. Then I saw his signature and knew I had to tell someone." Your eyes close as you try breathing a bit deeper before you had to stop from the pain.

"Oh, hey, you're awake." Mk says, stepping up to the side of your bed. "Hey Mk." You smile tiredly.
"Who did this?" He asks, concerned.
"Some creepy jackass claiming to be the mayor." You say. "But I didn't go down without a fight. Got that bastard pretty damn good. I doubt he'll be able to use his arm for a while." That makes Mk laugh a bit.

"Maybe you should find someone to teach you self defence or something." Mk suggests. "I do already have someone teaching me." You say, glancing at Macaque. "Oh? Are their classes good?" Mk asks, messing with the sleeves of his jacket. "Yeah, the classes are brutal, but pretty damn effective." You mumble. It's only been three days, and you're in the hospital. Great.