Call It Whatever

Chapter 2

Yugo's back.

And he has stitches in his thigh.

We're all sitting on the floor of the dojo. We're all sitting Indian style, trying to meditate. Xander says it's important to clear and cleanse your mind every once in awhile. All of those nasty thoughts can pile up, and make you a bad person. All of the anger and sadness you've felt adds up. You need to remove it as soon as possible.

So that's why we're meditating.

To clear our minds.

Yugo can't get comfortable. He keeps switching positions, thanks to the stitches in his leg. However, he's also wincing with every movement he makes. I feel kind of bad for him. A knife wound in your thigh. That has to hurt. I do appreciate what karma did, but karma did a bit too much this time. He can't stay still without hurting, but he can't move either.

Meanwhile, I'm perfectly still. The only reason I know he's moving is that I keep hearing him. My eyes are closed, my mind is as clear as it can get. My breathing is slow and steady. I feel really relaxed. So relaxed that I could probably fall asleep.

"Psst! Ukyo!"

My eyes open. Why is someone trying to get my attention right now? I look over and see Yugo is staring at me. The look on his face says 'urgent', but that could just be pain. Either way, I should probably figure out what he wants.

"What?" I whisper.

"I need to talk to you in private."

My slow heart rate is instantly compromised. My heart actually skips a beat. What does he need to talk to me about? Usually when people say they need to talk in private, it's about something bad.

"Talk to me about what?" I ask.

He looks over at Quon and Xander. He then moves even closer to me. He winces in pain again. "Xander told me what Quon and him were talking about."

YUGO KNOWS!?

I grab him instantly. "TELL ME!" I shout without meaning to. I break the atmosphere in the room, along with Xander and Quon's concentration. Everyone turns and looks at me. I shy back. Once they look away from me, I speak again.

"What were they talking about?" I ask Yugo.

Yugo pretends to go back to his meditation. "I can't tell you right now."

"Why not?"

"Quon can't be here when I do." He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. He lets it out slowly.

I focus on my meditation, too. I try to clear my mind, but I can't. "Why can't Quon be here?"

"I can't tell you right now," Yugo whispers again. "Just hold up until Quon leaves."

I can't hold it up. I want to know. My heart starts skipping beats. I'm honestly nervous about what I'm going to hear.

It's finally time for dinner after what feels like ages. Xander grilled something or other, and after confirming that it isn't deer or rabbit meat, I eat it. We all have our own discussions about something. Though, it's odd. When I try to talk to Quon, he doesn't seem all that interested in what I'm saying.

Don't get it wrong. He does respond to me. He just doesn't... react. Usually he reacts a lot more when I'm telling him something. I dismiss it as him being tired or something. There's no other reason for it. Besides, he is yawning consistently.

"That was fun, guys, but I gotta go," Quon says.

"QUON!" we all groan, like always.

"Sorry, sorry. I gotta leave." Quon stands up. "I'll see you all later." He walks over to where I'm at. He kisses me on the cheek. "Bye, baby."