A bizarre case of déjà vu rolls over you when you open your eyes again, your e/c orbs instantly recognizing the pristine ceiling.

Like before, the bright light of the early afternoon sun blinds you and you blink many times before you're able to clearly see anything. A yawn escapes you and fortunately, you don't feel nearly as terrible as the last time you woke up in this room. That may just be due to another dose of pain killers though, who knows.

You're lying on your back, once again clothed in the baby-blue, comfortable robe and cuddled beneath the soft white material of you blanket. Like last time, an IV and other wires are connected to your arm.

I wonder how long I've been unconscious for this time...

Curiously, you concentrate on your body, noticing the stiffness in your limbs and the slight hindrance during every single one of your inhales, indicating that your ribs are still as bruised as they were the day before. Not that you expected any drastic improvement, especially not with the events of yesterday. A rough feeling on the skin of your leg brings you to the conclusion that they've also redone the stitches on your wound and changed the bandages.

Gingerly, you let out a long, wistful exhale.

The events of the previous day play through your mind, reminding you of the utter ridiculousness of the entire situation. Escaping from the hospital was something you greatly disliked doing but how else were you supposed to get to the fight? They obviously wouldn't have let you leave and any logical person would have agreed with that and enjoyed their guaranteed days of rest.

But oh well, you decided to forgo logic just to save your boyfriend's sorry butt. As usual. And it had been surprisingly easy to hobble your way through the halls, snatching a pair of crutches and new clothes on the way before leaving right out the back door with no one batting an eye. They all probably thought you were authorized to have a few minutes of fresh air. Nonetheless, you're well aware that you'll have to deal with a furious Doctor Baron now.

Still, you don't regret it, even if you're unsure whether or not your presence during the end of the fight actually accomplished anything. You'd like to believe your little interruption brought on a new change of atmosphere for the two carnivores, but you can't be sure of that.

You'd do it all over again though, just to see that precious little spark in Legoshi's dark eyes when his eyes finally landed on you.

I wonder what he's doing right now. Hopefully the police aren't too harsh on him.

A ray of sunshine sneaks its way through the glass and annoyingly lands directly in your eyes, to which you promptly roll your head to the other side to avoid it. Then, your eyes land on the open curtains around Hayato's bed, giving you a full view of the peacefully sleeping Doberman. He still has an IV in his arm as well, but the heart-monitor and other medical equipment that you saw yesterday have since vanished. That probably means he woke up yesterday, when you were gone.

A small smile appears on your face, your heart swelling with relief and joy now that you know he's alright. It only grows when you see the fresh bouquet of flowers in the vase beside his bed, a familiar snail plushy sitting beside it.

You can hardly remember the last time you were this happy, besides the time that you and Legoshi had gotten together. But even then, your turmoil of feelings on that day seem dull compared to the vibrant happiness you're experiencing now.

It's over, the raging battle is finally over.

No more Masago, no more experiments, no more worrying about Legoshi's fight with Riz. You finally have your life back. And after everything that you've survived, you're absolutely grateful for it, for everyone in your life that inspired you to keep fighting.

Gleefully biting your lip to contain your smile, you turn your head back to your own bedside table. Surprisingly, you also have a new bouquet of flowers, the bright yet soft colours easily harmonizing with the cream-colored walls of your room.

I wonder who they're from...it can't be Legoshi, I doubt they already let him leave the station. And I don't have any other listed contacts that could've been called yet.

Maybe they're from Pina? He's the only one who saw me and isn't preoccupied, so he could've easily been here while I was sleeping, or maybe he just gave them to the nurse.

But now that I think about it, it probably wasn't him either...shouldn't he be giving a statement about yesterday or something? He had relations to Riz and Legoshi after all...

Oh fuck it, they're just flowers. It doesn't matter who brought them, they're nice to look at.

Catching sight of the small remote beside the vase, you let out a quiet noise of struggle as you lift your arm to get a hold of it, internally cheering when you achieve your goal. Holding onto it, you look over the many buttons and the first thing you do is raise the upper part of your bed, bringing you into a seated position that is definitely a lot more comfortable than being constantly forced to lay down. Then, you press the button to call for a nurse, deciding to get your Scolding over with as soon as possible.

Besides, you're hungry.

A small beep sounds from the remote, signalling you that your call was sent out. Waiting for medical staff to come in, you let your gaze wander over to the window. Now that you're sitting up, you're able to take in the full, magnificent view of the city. Like yesterday, the buildings are bathed in bright light, the sky as clear and blue as ever, which reflects on the many windows of the tall skyscrapers.

If you'd only have this view to go by, you'd believe this lively city is an absolute dream. A place with no problems or hardships, just hundreds of animals going about their daily lives as usual. But you've seen its dark-side, the horror it harbours, once again proving that you can never judge anything form a singular stand-point. However, you can ignore all of that just to enjoy this small moment of serenity.

You've earned it, in your opinion.

"Oh, you're awake, Miss." A sweet voice comes from the door and you turn your head to the new-comer. "Is everything alright?"

It's Jiji, the same nurse that cared for you yesterday. Her white nurse-dress gives her a friendly, harmless appearance, the white headdress fitting snuggly between her ears. You have no idea how it stays in its place, but you decide that's a mystery for another day.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I was just wondering if I could have something to eat?" You ask sheepishly, nervously playing with your fingers. With curious eyes, you observe as she comes over to your bed and disconnects several wires from your body, checking your vitals before turning off the big machinery beside your bed. You're guessing it's no longer needed now that you're awake but frankly, you have no idea what anything other than the IV is for so you don't really know.

"Of course. Would you prefer a herbivore or a carnivore meal?" An unsure smile appears on her features, easing your own nervousness at interacting with another stranger. "We unfortunately don't know what sort of diet humans prefer, sorry."

"It's okay," You giggle, "I'll take the carnivore meal, thank you. I'm feeling quite hungry and they're a little more filling than the herbivore meals."

She nods, before making her way to the door again. "I'll be right back with your meal. Doctor Baron will be here shortly as well, to discuss the recent procedures with you. Is there anything else I can do?"

Pondering about her question a moment longer, anxiously gulping at the mention of Doctor Baron, your face lights up when a certain thought from earlier crosses your mind.

"Actually, yeah...could you tell me where these flowers came from? They're not the same ones from yesterday, so I'm a little curious as to who brought them."

"Oh, of course." She smiles, clasping her hands in her lap while being fully turned towards you. Behind her, her tail swishes from side to side, reminding you of the Shishigumi lions and a certain mountain lion, all of whom moved their tails in a similar manner. You wonder how they're doing right now. Is Val even back from her trip yet? If so, has she noticed that you're gone? Quickly, you force yourself out of that train of thought when you notice the nurse point to Hayato. "This male had two visitors this morning and they brought you flowers as well. As a way to express how grateful they are to you. They also asked me to wish you a good recovery in their name, though I'm sure you'll be able to meet them directly during your stay here."

With a quick bow, she slips out of the room, leaving you to repeat her words in your head over and over again.

Grateful? For what? I didn't do anything that would make me deserving of a special 'thank you' or something like that...

Actually...I'm the reason Hayato was even captured in the first place. They should be cursing me, not thanking me.

Once again, your gaze sways to the flowers, the bright petals almost glowing in the sunlight. You reach out your hand, touching the delicate plants before letting your hand fall back onto your lap. Instantly, your mind goes back to Valentina and the Shishigumi, though you care a little less about the latter.

The last time you had tried to contact Val was before that fateful day in the lab, so it could very well be that she's back from her trip. It doesn't necessarily mean she's searching for you though, or even really cares that she can't get a hold of you. You two are close but she normally never made a fuss about not being able to reach you for a couple of days, telling you to focus on school and such. Besides, she probably has more important things to deal with than babysitting you and you'd actually prefer it if she doesn't know that you went missing. It would be one less person affected by your hardships.

You already feel guilty enough for everything you put Legoshi, Juno, Haru, Pina, Louis and your club members through when you went missing; you'd like to not add another person to the long list if you can avoid it.

Sighing and running your hands over your face and hair, your brows furrow slightly when you think back to Louis.

What was he doing there yesterday? I know that apparently, he let Legoshi eat his leg but...why was he there alone? Wouldn't he have brought at least Ibuki with him? That old lion would've never agreed to let him go alone to a fight like that...so what happened?

Man, this shit is getting more and more confusing by the second...

You make the mental note to ask the nurse for a phone when she comes back, or if she can get in touch with your school or your friends to tell them about your condition. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to visit you. At the very least, they can stop worrying whether or not you're still alive.

Once more, your thoughts are put to a stop when the door opens, revealing the charismatic tomcat. He seems calm and collected but the second he meets your eyes with his own bright green ones, you know you're fucked. That much is sure from the definite frustration gleaming in those emerald eyes.

"I'm glad to see you're awake now, Y/n. And seemingly recovering well." His voice is still as smooth as yesterday, although the bitter undertone can't be overheard. A frightened shiver runs down your spine when he sends you a disappointed, scolding look. "I hope you have no plans for any more escapades?"

Sweat-dropping and adorning a pitiful expression, you ignore the heavy ball of anxiety in your stomach. "Doctor, I can explain-"

"Alright then. I'm interested to hear your excuse," He interrupts you, tapping his pencil against his clipboard in a display of passive aggression, "though the police informed us of the general outline of the situation. Just know that I am incredibly disappointed as your doctor by your blatant disregard of your health and current condition."

"I know." You say shamefully, letting your head hang in childish despair. "But there wasn't much else I could do. Blame it on the concussion but I needed to be there to see the fight, even at my own expense."

Sighing, you look down at your hands, still not used to only having nine fingers instead of one.

"I know that I wouldn't have been able to help much if it came down to it...and thankfully, it didn't. But it was important to me that I could be there in person to support that wolf. That was all I wanted." Slowly, your hands ball into fists, your eyes squeezing shut in a short moment of frustration. "After everything that has happened, I wanted to make this one decision for myself...even if it was stupid. During this entire shitshow, every decision of mine was either taken from me or limited because of Doctor Masago. So now that I'm finally in charge of my own life again, I decided that I needed to see and support him."

"And I did," With a small smile forming on your face, you lift your head to look at Doctor Baron, all traces of your earlier pessimistic mood gone, "even if it prolonged my recovery. At least he knows I'm alright now, so he can stop worrying for the most part. And everything turned out okay so...that's a win in my book."

A moment of stillness passes as you wait for the male's reaction, your teasing grin growing wider with every second. Honestly, you're just glad that you have some sense of your normal life back, even though you know it's never going to be the same now. You can't erase what's happened, as much as you'd like to; you'll just have to live with it and try to make the most of it.

"Good grievance." The doctor groans, pinching the bridge of his feline nose in irritation. "You teenagers and your recklessness. Kids like you really make this job a wild ride, I have to admit. But you're right unfortunately, at least you didn't suffer any more injuries than you already have. While we had to redo the stitches on your right leg, the ones on your femoral artery are still intact, so you were never in any danger of dying of blood loss."

Shortly glancing at his clipboard, he continues speaking, his ears turning to the side. "The medical staff that treated you in the ambulance informed us that you had trouble staying conscious and displayed about vertigo-like symptoms. At first, they believed it was caused by blood loss, however, it's more likely that it was post-traumatic vertigo, meaning an after-effect of your concussion and skull fracture, or a psychological reaction. We're not sure what sort of traumatic situations you had to go through during this whole ordeal, but it is likely that you're still experiencing high levels of anxiety in loud or unexpected situations due to the car crash. Do you have any trauma related to firearms?"

"Uh-Uhm...yeah." You answer honestly, not taking your eyes of the orange-furred Tomcat. "One that is pretty recent actually."

He hums in acknowledgement and nods his head. "Then it's likely that you experienced loss of consciousness and vertigo due to having a post-traumatic reaction and these symptoms were probably increased by your head injuries. Don't worry, these types of reactions should subside with time. However, I will have to ask you to name any subjects that might trigger another episode like this, so we can avoid it and not have it hinder your recovery any further. Would that be alright with you, Y/n?"

Unsure, you give him a weak nod, swallowing the nervous lump in your throat. Of course, you understand why this is necessary, but you'd really like to avoid talking about any possible trauma you might have now. It'll just invite those memories back into your head and that is the one thing you'd like to avoid. Still, you clear your throat and answer the male. "Uhm...so there's quite a few. Should I just list them all?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Well, there's firearms...snakes...scalpels...loud noises..." Aware of the fact that he's writing everything down, you deliberately pause after each word to give him enough time to do so. "Restraints, like handcuffs and stuff like that...blood...and I don't really like being touched all of a sudden. I need to be aware that it's happening and kind of have full control of the situation. Maybe cars as well, I'm not sure though. I was too out of it during the car ride with the ambulance to really notice if I had a psychological reaction or not. A-and just to be safe...maybe add dogs too. Hayato's probably the only one I can handle but I'm not sure about anyone else."

Embarrassment and shame wrap around your throat from the inside, threatening to suffocate you and you have to clear your throat a couple more times to get rid of that nasty feeling. Laying down all of your vulnerabilities like that surely doesn't feel good; even if it's for the sake of your recovery.

Doctor Baron finishes his writing, setting the pen down with a chivalrous smile and turning his full attention back to you. "All done. Thank you, Y/n. I know this wasn't an easy task, but it is crucial to ensure that your recovery goes without any further issues. Now, due to your disappearance yesterday, your meeting with the police was rescheduled for tomorrow. That way, you can rest for today. Unfortunately, your file doesn't have anyone listed as a contact except for that maned wolf. Is there anyone you want us to call?"

At his question, your expression lights up and you frantically nod. With a gentle smile of his own, he hands you the clipboard. Quickly, you write down exactly the numbers, astonished by yourself that you're still able to remember them. Legoshi's is not among them, solely because he knows where you are and that you're okay. Your other friends don't and that needs to change. "I know that's quite a few but they're worried about me. I hope it's not too much work."

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it and let them know you're here. Now, get some rest." Sending you a final smile, he sends a quick glance towards a sleeping Hayato, before finally exiting the room. Silence engulfs you completely, the only sounds being heard are Hayato's relaxed breath and the ticking of the clock. It reads two p.m and fourteen minutes, meaning that it is truly only the early afternoon.

And you have absolutely nothing to do.

Letting out a long exhale, you lean back into your pillow and let your gaze wander to the window once again. The world outside moves at a speed often perceived as too fast and draining, whilst time in your own little space seems to not move at all. Funny how one's perception of time constantly changes. Nonetheless, you tear your eyes away and search for the remote, opting to fry your brain with useless TV shows whilst you wait for any updates on your friends or for Hayato to wake up.

Who knows, maybe they have anime in this world.

And it turns out they do, though the only one currently being shown is one that you're absolutely no fan of at all. So you swap through the many channels, sometimes staying on some cliché romance movies or animal versions of movies you already know, like terminator or even marvel movies like Iron man. Funnily enough, the main character was more often than not played by a dog or an herbivore, rather than a carnivore.

Then you stumbled upon a cooking show called "Happy Happy Cooking". While you didn't do a lot of cooking, at least not currently, this show seemed better than most of the others and after a mere ten minutes, you were more than engaged in it.

It was hosted by a crocodile and a gazelle, the both of them exchanging small moments of bickering. So you watched it till the end, spending a good one and a half hours of your day with it. In the midst of it all, Jiji came in to deliver your food, which you thanked her for and then proceeded to eat entirely. When the credits rolled in and you glanced over at Hayato, finding out that he still hasn't woken up, you decide to take a nap yourself. Exhaustion gnawed at your bones, the events of the past week still hanging over your head and prompting you to get even more sleep than usual. So you lowered your bed again and closed your eyes, drifting off to sleep far quicker than usual.

Unsurprisingly with your luck, not even half an hour later you're forced to open your eyes again as a voice reaches your ears.

"Miss Y/n, you have visitors. Would you like me to let them come in?"

Groaning, you take a moment to remember where you are, rapidly blinking your eyes to fully wake up. Coming face to face with a friendly nurse Jiji, you yawn and put your hand over your mouth as you try to sit up. She helps you, pushing the button on the remote to raise the upper part of your bed and bring you into a seated position.

"Yeah, sure." You answer, still slightly groggy from your short but deep nap. You really hadn't noticed just how desperately you crave sleep at the moment. Looking over to the side, you discover an empty bed. "Hey, uh, could you tell me where my roommate went?"

"Hm? Oh, he woke up and is currently getting checked, to ensure everything went well in his surgery. Don't worry, it's just a simple procedure, he'll be back in no time."

Glee floods your chest at the news, excitement rushing through your veins at the mere thought of talking to Hayato again. Though you hadn't intended for it to happen, you and the dog have gotten close over the hardships the both of you experienced. In a way, he's like an older brother to you and you hope you two can stay in contact once the both of you get discharged from the hospital. But you wouldn't blame him if he wanted to never see you again, just to banish all memories of this horrible time in his life.

"I'll be right back with your visitors, Miss." Jiji's tender voice brings you out of your swirling thoughts and you smile, wondering who the first people to visit you might be. Glancing at the clock again and finding out that it's now three quarters past four, you're guessing it's your fellow club members or at least Juno, Haru and Pina. School is over for today and knowing Haru and Juno, they wouldn't waste a damn second to jump on the nearest train to visit you. On the other hand though, they'll need a permit to leave the school grounds.

But other than those three or anyone else from your school, you have no actual clue as to who it could be. The only other person you could think of is more than likely still on a business trip.

"Your visitors are here, Miss. If you need anything, just call via the remote, alright? I'll leave you to it, but please know that visiting hours end in an hour and fifteen minutes."

It takes a second for Jiji's bell-like voice to register in your ears and you only turn your head towards her when the sound of the closing door already echoes through the room. So instead of a black housecat, your eyes fall onto the forms of two larger, more carnivorous felines.

"Val?" Her name falls from your lips in a tone of uncertainty; you're unsure whether or not she's actually hear or just as simple hallucination caused by wishful thinking. The same goes for the other large-breed feline, who you thought would never even set a foot outside of the black market. "Free?"

"Hey there, kiddo." The lion greets, his hands lazily stuffed into the pockets of his dress pants. He had taken off his suit-jacket, leaving him in an ordinary white button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Unlike usual, you can't see a gun on his waistband. "Heard you went through some shit."

"You could say that." You mutter, your eyes flickering over to the silent mountain lion. Her mouth is slightly agape and even from the few feet of distance separating you, you can make out the moisture welling up in her lime-green eyes. Like you are, Free sends her a concerned side glance, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. Puzzled and anxious, your eyes dart back and forth between the two while you move your hands into your lap in an attempt to hide the bandages. Silently, you wonder why they arrived together and how they know each other.

"Hey, Val, are you okay-" But in the blink of an eye, she cuts you off by engulfing you in a tight hug. The mountain lion has her arms firmly wrapped around you, her furry face situated in the crook of your neck as she quietly sniffles, her ears pressed firmly against her head while she sits on your bed in order to hug you. Even though the nurse had told her and Free to avoid physical contact, she just couldn't help herself. She needs to hold you, her instincts telling her to keep you close for the rest of time.

Anyone else would be happy about a loving hug like this.

However, as much as you want to enjoy he warm embrace, you can't.

Instead of comfort and relief, panic erupts in your body. The increasing pain in your ribs becomes a mere side-issue, easily replaced by your shortage of breath and loss of orientation. In the matter of a second, you're unsure where you are.

One moment you're in the hospital, the next you're in the vent, your leg in the mouth of the snake. A moment after, you're forced onto the ground in front of Masago, a dozen guns aimed at you and Hayato. Then, you're in the cage after the crash, watching the canine guard die in front of you on repeat while your body is consumed by agony and helplessness.

For the first time, you don't feel safe in her arms; you feel trapped, exposed and utterly terrified. Black spots dance at the edge of your vision and it feels like you're stuck underwater as your ears begin to ring. Whether it's because of the pain coming from your bruised ribs or the mental grievance you're suffering from right now, you're not sure.

Valentina takes no notice of it, too consumed by her own mess of shame, regret, guilt and happiness to see you alive to recognize the signs of your growing terror. Your hand touches her back, tapping against it in hopes to show your discomfort because it's the only way your body knows how to deal with the intense amount of stress currently resting on your shoulders. Even your voice dies on you, remaining stuck in your throat as your consciousness switches between the present and the past, unsure which of them is your current reality.

"Val, I think ya need to ease up." Free's rough voice rings through the room, but it goes ignored by both of you; mostly because you're unable to hear him.

Instead of easing up, the mountain lion unknowingly tightens her hold on you, the slight increase in her squeeze causing your eyes to widen, a scorching ball of agony exploding from your ribcage that travels through your entire body. A loud gasp, mixed with a sickening wheeze comes from your throat and your hand stops tapping, cramping up instead.

Alarm bells go off in the lion's head and in an instant, he's at the side of the bed, grabbing a hold of Val and basically ripping her off of him. Purely out of maternal instinct, the female hisses at him and he growls back, a warning not to cross him in this situation.

"You're hurting her, Val, step the fuck back!" He snarls, dragging the mountain lion off and away from the bed by her arm before returning to your side. Angered and pissed, Val watches the scene, yet her snarl ceases to exist when her eyes fall upon your pitiful form, another wave of guilt overcoming her.

Hunched over, you clutch at your ribs, tears rushing down your face as you struggle to do anything in between the mental and physical pain. Your body want you to lie down and stop moving, whilst your brain urges you to curl yourself into a ball and hide yourself from the world around you, all while your breath is impossible to control and barely providing you with oxygen.

You don't register that Free is calling your name, smart enough to not touch you. Frankly, you're too occupied deciphering where you are and not trying to lose consciousness. The Shishigumi lion acts quickly, pressing the 'call' button on the remote next to your bed to call for medical staff. All the while, Val can only watch. When Legoshi had told her that you were missing, she expected the worst. She expected to see you on the front page the next day, the victim of another devouring. She expected to never hear anything about you at all, knowing that the monsters from the laboratory had taken you away to a place she wouldn't be able to rescue you from.

Medical staff rushed past her, amongst them the black housecat and an orange-furred tomcat dressed in a doctor's coat. Free backed away, returning to her side as the doctor and nurse took over, doing their best to calm you down and prevent you from accidentally hurting yourself.

Never in her tragically long life had Valentina been so utterly filled with shame and guilt. When she had been called by the hospital staff and told that you were in their custody for the time being after a nearly fatal car crash and various other injuries, she didn't know what to expect.

But now, seeing the reaction your body is suffering from due to a single hug, she truly wonders what kind of hell you had to go through whilst she was gone.  

***

Hello hello homies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Y'all thought you were safe, did ya? HAHA SIKE! The panic attacks are back, baby!

For those confused because the MC was able to hug Riz in the last chapter, this is basically all about control. After experiencing immense trauma like the MC, control is very important for the person, so they can always stop when they reach their limit. Not having any control is often a trigger for a post-traumatic reaction, cause it tends to bring the person back to a state of vulnerability, which brings them back to their traumatic experience.

When she hugged Riz, she was in control. She decided to hug him and had full control of the situation, especially because Riz was smart and didn't use his arms. He was just a cuddly teddy bear.

Val on the other hand took her control away, as well as causing her pain by putting pressure on her bruised ribs. Way to go, Val😒 JK, Cats, especially mountain lions, have strong maternal instincts, so logically, she also wasn't in full control of her actions right here. Thank goodness for Free, am I right?

By the way, did y'all catch the beast complex reference? Say I if you did.
Happy Happy cooking was great, we got femboy supremacy. One of my favourite chapters was chapter 13 though (cause hinted wlw, ya know?).

Anyways, I'm currently hating life right now cause TMI, your girl's on her period and pissed at nature. I experienced a wave of pain yesterday that literally had me question if my appendix had exploded. I was unable to walk, listen to music or watch anything. I could just lay there and hope to die, while the painmeds took their sweet ass time to kick in. In conclusion, everyone who dares tell me people with periods should get over themselves or "it's not that bad" is gonna get punched.

I also finished Falcon and the winter soldier and honestly, the finale was meh. They could've done more. But I did cry a little at the museum scene, ngl.

Anyways, I hope y'all are safe and sound and healthy in this crazy pandemic! Stay safe everyone!

See ya in chapter 77!