Chapter 2: Cold Turkey

Meet Akira Ushio, and the doctor who played a part in helping her recover from her alcohol addiction~

~July 25, 2005~

Yori was walking home from school, her dull eyes leveled to the ground as she tightly clutched the straps of her small backpack.

Yori Ushio, age 8, grade school student.

"Yori!" The call of her name slowly brought her eyes up to see Takeru running towards her, fire in his eyes. Still she did not react as he stopped and glared at her, crossing his arms.

Takeru Ushio, age 14, year 1 high school student.

"I told you I'd pick you up from school," he said tersely, his voice a low growl.

"Sorry."

"You can't just go wandering off like that. What if I had got there and you were gone, already home? Then you would've wasted my time. I still have studying to do."

"Sorry."

"Geez, you're so careless!" he groaned, roughly grabbing her hand and pulling her forward towards the house. Yori, however, was un-phased, and still had the lifeless, stoic expression on her face that didn't belong on a child.

"Sorry."

"And would you quit it with the 'sorry's' already?! It's annoying!"

She then, in the same monotonous voice, said, "My apologies."

A vein popped on his forehead as he glanced at her. "Forget it, that's gonna bug me too if you sound like a freaking princess..."

"Sorry."

This girl was very much different in every way from her older self. The cause? The death of her father just three weeks before, and the frequently missing mother.

Takeru dragged her inside their small, one-story apartment and she set her bag down. The trash and dishes had yet to be taken care of by him, who was studying for upcoming tests. He frowned when he realized his mother was still out and sighed, handing his little sister a sandwich on a plate.

"Eat it," he said curtly, and Yori conceded without hesitation.

When done she went to her room and flopped on her bed, choking back the sobs that always fought her this time of day. Moments later, the spirit of a man appeared in her room, watching her in the far corner. Tears of his own were forming in his dull yet still colorful teal eyes, and his slight sniffle made Yori hesitantly lift her head only to shriek in surprise. The man jumped and took a step back.

The young Perci squinted through her tears to peer at the man, studying his figure and appearance. Dirty blond hair with streaks of brown to balance it out were combed back and partly hidden by a bright yellow helmet. The rest of his attire consisted of the familiar construction worker uniform that she'd seen and buried her face into every day when she had came back to school. The recognizable smell of wood and damp, wet cement now wafted to her nose in the room �" a scent she had been accustomed to but hadn't inhaled for the last three weeks.

Her eyes widened as she took a step closer. "D-Dad...?"

Hideyoshi Ushio, age 48, deceased.

Hideyoshi Ushio nodded quickly, stepping forward as his eyes now overflowed with non-existent tears. "You can actually see me, sweetheart? After all this time, you can see me?"

Her hand reached out shakily to touch what wasn't there. It just warped his presence slightly, while also causing him to say, "That tickled..."

"Why are you...?"

Before she could get the full question out, Takeru then kicked the door open (literally), wielding a baseball bat as he wildly looked around the room. "What is it?! Why did you scream?!" He walked straight through his father.

"He can't see me, Yori-chan..." the father murmured sadly, deterred he could not communicate with his eldest son.

Yori was quiet at this while Takeru gave her an expectant look. "Well?"

"...I saw...a bug," she replied softly, looking at the ground. This was a lie, of course, since she was not afraid of anything, really. Takeru simply stared at her with incredulity before shaking his head and returning to his studies, muttering profanities under his breath.

The moment the door was shut, Yori looked towards her father. "You're not here..."

"Technically, no," Hideyoshi nodded. "But I'm here in spirit. I've always been here from the moment I died, and yet you are just now seeing me..."

"I don't care," Yori mumbled, smiling slightly. "I missed you."

"But I'm not the one you need." He looked troubled as he stared out the window, watching cars race by. "You need your mother...and she needs you."

Yori bit her lip at the mention of Akira. "...I...I love Mommy... But..."

"I know, sweetie." He was aching to wrap her in a hug. "I know your mother hasn't been on her best behavior lately... And I'm not in a position to help... But you just have to persevere. You're Daddy's strong girl, aren't you? My strong cat," he chuckled, using her nickname.

Hesitantly she nodded, trying to put on a brave face as she wiped her eyes again. "Y-Yes..."

"Then promise me you'll love your mother no matter what and be there for her."

Yori opened her mouth to say something when her father's aura began faltering. The glow from his specter was gradually dimming as he faded.

"D-Daddy...! Why are you going away...?!" She stuck out her hand to touch him but it just went right through him as always, but this time a part of his disappeared too.

"I'm sorry, honey... But I've been here too long. And just being able to talk to you again... Well, it was all I needed," he smiled sadly. "I had to comfort my baby girl the best of my ability... Takeru was always the fighter. You're still learning. I needed to tell you...don't give up your mother...and to value family... Because they're the only one you've got..." His teal eyes, which were already dull in his apparition form, were now becoming mist along with the rest of his body.

"Daddy, don't go!" she sobbed silently, collapsing to her knees. "Please, please stay!"

"Promise me..." was all he murmured, his voice becoming a whisper as his body evaporated into nothingness.

Her voice was gone, and she was too choked up to respond to his request. She just hugged her knees to her chest and wept, hot tears streaming down her rosy-red cheeks. She fell asleep like this, curled up on the floor. Takeru came in fifteen minutes later and was not surprised in the slightest that she appeared to have been crying. It still made his heart clench every night he checked up on her to see her in such disarray. But the closer he looked, the bigger difference he could see in her sleeping expression. Where the previous nights she would've looked so troubled, mumbling in her sleep and clenching and un-clenching her petite fists; at the moment she looked almost at peace - like the peace that had been given to her father had washed over her as well.

And so, Takeru gathered her up in his arms like he had done every night before then, placed her in bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin. However, he was surprised to hear her mutter, "I promise..." while hugging a cute neko* stuffed animal that he could've sworn had never been there before...

.OoO.

Yori's eyes slowly fluttered open and had to adjust to the dim light that was in the room. She blinked as she hesitantly sat up and was drawn to the only source of light in the area �" a lamp turned on at her mother's beside. Akira Ushio herself was sitting up with a forkful of food that was hovering over her dinner plate in her hand while staring at her daughter with a warm smile.

"Sleep well?"

Akira Ushio, age 45, occupation: marine biologist.

Now she was wide awake as she abruptly stood, gazing in disbelief at her mother. She was thrown off by seeing her awake and smiling at her. While completely ignoring her question she glanced out the window; it was sometime in the early afternoon, by the looks of the sun.

"How long have I been out?" Yori demanded, trying to maintain her cool. She wanted to be as indifferent as possible towards her mother, not giving in to any front she might put up to apologize after all the years.

Akira shrugged, still smiling. "I only just woke up an hour ago."

"And you didn't wake me up?"

"You seemed tired."

She clenched her fists in frustration, narrowing her eyes at her. How dare she talk to me like she cares? It was through gritted teeth that she questioned, "Do you realize you're in a hospital?"

"Mmhm."

"Do you know why?"

"According to my doctor, because 'it's an aftermath of stopping smoking and drinking just a short while ago.'"

"Because you--" Yori choked on her words at this. "Wait...what did you just say?"

"That I stopped smoking and drinking?" Akira blinked at her innocently.

Yori was running these words over in her head over in her head. "Did... Did you really stop?"

"Yes, for the third time," her mother sighed. "It was just a short while ago, so apparently I never would've had a heart-attack had I stopped sooner, let alone had never started. Unless it were from clogged arteries gotten from eating unhealthy. Or so Isao-san says." She paused and studied her. "...Did you get taller since the last time I saw you?"

A vein popped as Yori narrowed her eyes at her. Her height was already a sensitive topic with her supposed-Napoleon complex, and the situation wasn't helping. "Don't change the subject. When did you stop smoking and drinking?"

Akira thought about it for a few moments before shrugging. "Don't remember."

"How could you not remember something like that?!" she said in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air.

"Oh, please," the other rolled her eyes. "Like you've never forgotten something important. I remember when you were four you forgot your coat at school three days in a row. In winter. You had a cold all we--"

"Alright." Yori cut her off coldly, her facial expression blocked by her hair. "Okay. I get it."

The dead silence after that was broken by the sound of the door opening and a handsome man in a white coat, seemingly in his early thirties, carrying a clipboard walking in. Obviously the doctor. He blinked at the two of them.

"Oh, hello, there," he kindly said to Yori before glancing at Akira. "Is this your daughter I've heard so much about?"

"Yep, that's her!" she said merrily with a wink. "I swear, she could be a model just like I used to be. The resemblance is pretty close though, huh?"

"I'll say," he chuckled and smiled at them both. "I'm Daisuke Isao*. I've been your mother's doctor for a while now. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yori-san."

"Likewise..." she said faintly while bowing. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"My pleasure. It's what I do."

"And Isao-san here's been doing a great job, if I say so myself," Akira giggled like a natural flirt, causing Yori's eye to twitch and the doctor to blush in embarrassment.

Isao cleared his throat. "I'll be right back, Akira. I'd like to have a word with with your daughter though, if I may."

"Go right on ahead! But don't take too long or I might get jealous," she laughed jokingly.

"Ah, right..." he awkwardly said and began walking towards the door, beckoning Yori to follow.

Once both were out of the hospital room, they sighed in unison; Yori because she saw a ghost standing at the end of the hallway, and Isao because he was dealing with a seemingly innocent-yet-flirtatious patient. Then the doctor glanced at Yori, who was looking away thoughtfully.

"So. Give it to me straight."

Isao stared at her in surprise before giving a small smile. "What do you mean by that?"

Still avoiding his gaze, Yori shrugged. "Usually when doctors ask to speak to the relatives alone, it's because they have some kinda life-changing news that they want them to know, am I right? Like cancer or some other kind of disease, which is definitely possible with my mother's history. So go ahead. Lay it on me. I can handle it."

The doctor was quiet for a moment, but when he opened his mouth Yori interrupted again. "I mean it. I'm a big girl. I've experienced death before. I'm no weakling."

Again, Isao was ready to speak after a minute, but then, "It's cancer, isn't it? Oh geez, it's totally lung cancer. I knew it. I knew my mother's stupid smoking would catch up to her. Man, she's so irresponsible! If only she'd listened to--"

"Uh, Yori-san?" the doctor interrupted with a sweatdrop. "If you don't mind, I'd like to give our professional diagnosis."

Yori quit her rambling, which she only ever did when she was nervous or worried, and figuratively buttoned her lips besides a curt, "Yeah. You're right. Sorry."

Isao chuckled and was quiet while he analyzed the clipboard in his hand. Then, when she was practically biting her fingernails to the nub, he shocked her with, "Your mother's fine."

"'Fine?'" she repeated blandly. "What do you mean by 'fine?' 'Fine' in the good way or the bad way?!" She wanted to shake him until his head popped off.

Again he chuckled. "In my book, there's only one form of 'fine,' and that's the good way."

"So...she's not dying?" Yori questioned with an eagerness that surprised herself.

"Not anymore than you or I are," he smiled. "I'll admit, Akira-san's health is on the line a fair percentage more than any other individual that's been sober their whole life; and she did have a rather close call, but, well...you saw her. She's recovered from her heart attack fairly well, wouldn't you agree?"

She was silent as she thought. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but Akira seemed a lot more...normal. And although this wasn't saying much since her mother had never seemed normal to her even when she wasn't drinking, she definitely seemed more like the way she had before she'd even touched a beer bottle or a cigarette. Before her father died.

Isao continued, "At any rate, your mother is also lucky. Had she not stopped smoking and drinking after I advised her to a therapist to get help, she would've had a narrower chance of survival."

"You...advised her to a therapist?" Yori eyed the man before her differently. "You got her help?"

He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I wasn't the one who helped her directly, but I did give her the address of a pretty good rehabilitation center... She contacted the hospital about wanting to get help a while ago, and I've been receiving reports from the therapist herself. She's a friend of mine. Apparently Akira-san hasn't touched a cigarette or consumed the slightest amount of alcohol since she's been going. She's gone completely cold turkey."

Yori took this information in with elevated spirits. She couldn't deny the happiness that was slowly forming in her heart and causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach. But still she tried to hold herself back. The pride she wanted to feel for her mother needed to be kept at bay. Satisfaction was wanted, but unable to be felt just yet until she found something out.

"And...when did she contact you about wanting help?" she asked him, mentally crossing her fingers.

"Hmm..." He flipped through a couple of pages on his clipboard and she watched his eyes travel along the page he stopped on, the beating of her heart all-too audible in her ears.

"Ah," he finally said and looked her in the eyes. "September 17th."

Yori released a slow breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. September 17th. A day before she left her house and moved out on her own.

"Are you alright?" Isao questioned with slight worry, and she nodded shakily.

"Fine. I'm just fine." She sighed. "Was there...anything else you needed to tell me?"

The doctor shook his head, but when she turned around to put her door on the door handle, he stopped her.

"I...know this isn't any of my business," he hesitantly began. "But your mother informed me about what you and your family have gone through, and your relationship with her."

Yori didn't face him, her hand tightening around the knob. "Yeah?"

"You're very strong," he continued in a reassuring tone. "And so is your mother. I know it may be hard to believe with everything you've experienced with her, but I've seen worse reactions and methods of coping to losing a loved one by other patients. Smoking and drinking is just a common one. And not all of them have done nearly as well as Akira-san has as far as recovery goes. I guess...what I'm trying to say is to stick by her side during these crucial times. Encourage her and be her reason to not drink again. And above all else...don't give up on her just yet."

Yori's eyes widened slightly in surprise as a memory triggered. "Don't give up on your mother..." She'd heard this before. It was something she'd pushed to the back of her mind until now and refused to do. But now…

She turned the handle, but before opening it all the way said over her shoulder, "...Thanks. And...for now...I won't."

Author's Note

My only problem with this is the shortness in length... I know usually manga chapters (at least ones that I've read) are longer, so I'll do my best to fix that. :/

***Note: Images I post for the chapters do NOT belong to me. I just found them online and thought they happened to be very accurate portrayals of my characters. Last chapter there was a picture of Takeru (which I just recently added, so if you haven't seen it yet then go ahead and take a look if you like ^^).

This picture of the day is... Akira Ushio--Yori's mother~! :D

I will be taking requests to see which character you would like to see next, as well as add my own if I feel them to be necessary.

And now for another short Character Commentaries~!
-----------------
*Hideyoshi Ushio ~ From Japanese 秀 (hide) "esteem, excellence" combined with 良 (yoshi) "good" or 吉 (yoshi) "good luck". Both these translations are fitting, I believe, especially behind the reason why Hideyoshi passed away.

Hideyoshi to me would be an ideal father... Having to watch how his wife changed without talking to his children to get through it must've been painful emotionally. But his "moving on" and finding peace did give his daughter the peace of mind she needed, other than leaving behind a memory token. Speaking of which...

*neko ~ Neko is "cat" in Japanese.

The neko plushie stuffed animal is supposed to be the memory token Hideyoshi left to Yori as he passed on. Bonus brownies to whoever caught that~! ;3

*Akira Ushio ~ Akira means "bright" or "clear."

When I thought of Akira, I thought she would be a bright, merry character who would seem childish with a hint of naughtiness... Although making her seem like a cougar wasn't my intention. XD I wanted her to be a kid at heart, which is where Yori gets it from haha. She'll be fun for sure, but you'll be seeing her the next chapter so I won't spoil anything else.

*Daisuke Isao ~ Daisuke means "great helper" and Isao means "honor; merit." As a doctor, this is a great name for him.

It's only natural Yori would have some respect for him, considering he advised her mother to a therapist. Isao-san may make more appearances as Akira's doctor. I personally think he's a pretty cool man. Too bad Akira makes him uncomfortable sometimes. XP