Chapter Text
“Brace yourself Yuuji. And bring the pepper spray with you all the time.”
He blinked twice, because it wasn't the first thing he expected to hear as soon as he opened the door.
“Is it that bad? I thought he would still be recovering now.”
Shoko, one of the veterinarians at Kaizen Rehabilitation Center for Hybrids finished printing a file before handing Yuuji a folder with Satoru written on the front.
"He was sedated but woke up earlier than expected, and it was enough to see it's going to be one of those cases".
Yuuji gives the document a quick read as a frown grows deeper on his face.
Satoru. Hybrid Akita Inu. Pedigree signed to the Gojo clan, specialized in fighting with a rare variant of blue eyes and long uncurled tail. Last night went into the ring against Toji, a mix breed between a Siberian husky and gray wolf. Gojo killed his opponent but was seriously injured with a long slash from his clavicle to his hip, bites on his right leg, a broken tail and minor scratches all over his face and arms.
The team who was on duty doing the research of the infamous hybrid fighting "group" found him weakly struggling inside a plastic bag dumped in a trash container. It was truly a miracle he survived enough to arrive at the clinic. He got several stitches, blood transfusions and medication, but soon had to be sedated because the first thing he did as he opened his eyes was try to bite the nurse.
Satoru woke up an hour ago and was currently cuffed to the bed, but Shoko was sure he could break free if he wanted. Maybe waiting for the best moment to escape.
Rage soon spread from his stomach, making his hands tremble. It wasn't the first case of a victim from hybrid fighting rings, which were under human standards plain slavery, but he would never get used to it. With some breathing exercises Yuuji changed his clothes to his special uniform, long Kevlar gloves that covered from his hand to forearms, followed by the usual jumpsuit. He had to be professional, volunteer or not.
As Yuuji walks over to room I05 he tries to shake any trace left of anger or sadness before knocking the door. No answer. Knocking twice he counted to three in his mind to open the door using his ID card.
"Excuse me! I'm Itadori Yuuji. Nice to meet you!" His energetic voice followed by a deep bow was received with a tense silence.
On the clinical bed was a hybrid sitting leg crossed and tied by his wrists. An untrained eye would say the patient was relaxed, but the hair standing up at the neck and the intense stare was a sign of the tension and expectation beneath the surface. He was covered in dried blood and mud, his armpit length hair caked in months worth of dirt.
Calm but firm, he closed the door and took a chair to sit two meters beside the bed, his peripheral vision aware of the blue eyes following every move.
"So... What's your name?"
A deep growl came from the hybrid, but Yuuji didn't flinch.
“You already know my name, pinkhead.”
Well? That was barely an insult. He has been called worse before.
"Yeah, that's true. But it's better to introduce each other properly. Here you are a patient, not a prisoner.”
A dry, short laugh filled the room, and Yuuji took the opportunity to check out those big and pointy fangs made to sink into and tear up flesh.
"Yeah sure. Drop the act pup, I'm here against my will.” The hybrid spat with a pull of the leather cuffs to prove his point.
"Hey, I'm not a pup! I'm twenty you know? And those are mostly to keep you down so you don't open up the stitches. I promise as soon as they heal enough you will be able to move around."
One quick move and the hybrid pulled one of the cuffs so hard the bar to which it was attached broke.With his arm now free he made to grab Yuuji's face.
But instead, Yuuji diverted it with his left hand and pushed down the hybrid against the bed by his shoulder. Desperate, the hybrid bent his neck to bite Yuuji's forearm, only being stopped by the Kevlar protection from ripping off his skin. Still, the pressure was incredible, and he could feel how strong those jaws were trying to dig. It would leave a bruise for sure. He didn't move. The hybrid’s eyes were fixed to the void, mind far away to a place covered in dried blood and filth.
"It's okay if you don't believe me, but we are here to help you. Here there are many people who will assist you in your recovery and the aftermath," Yuuji gave him a small but genuine smile, his voice slowly bringing the hybrid back. "I'll be in charge of your progress as I check on you daily from 6pm to 9pm, but the staff will be with you to cover everything else."
The hybrid unclenched his jaw, refusing to look him in the eyes as he carefully settled him in a lying position and tied him to another bar of the bed again.
"So... Name."
"Tsk... Satoru, from Gojo’s breeding farm."
Yuuji gave him the basic information such as how to use the buttons to call a nurse, meal time, medication and plans for the week, to which Satoru answered with some grunts and scoffing.
"This...is kinda embarrassing but since you were a bit... difficult,” Yuuji ignored the way the corner of Satoru’s lips curled. "I'll clean your wounds and ask a nurse to re-apply the catheter since you removed the first one with your post surgery tantrum. You can't take a shower yet but I'll clean your body with saline."
Blue eyes snapped to meet Yuuji's, a thin white eyebrow raised with a witty expression.
"What? Are you gonna clean my balls now?"
He tried, he really tried to not laugh, a short snort escaped his control.
"Oh yeah, even your balls. But don't get used to it, this is temporary."
The rest of the session proceeded as chill as dealing with a half feral hybrid could go. A lot of growling, a few attempts to bite Yuuji's fingers, grumbles that were too close to a whimper as the wet cloth cleaned his body without being kicked in the face. The cast on his tail was fine, but there were many hair loss spots that left the light pink skin exposed and itchy.
If Yuuji felt pity on all the wounds, recent and old scars all over his body, he didn't show it. He knew that to many hybrids that was an insult and hurt the little dignity they carry. He also noted on Satoru's papers observations such the fleas and folliculitis on his scalp, groin, tail and armpits. It was normal, considering the owners of those fighting rings doesn't provide the best conditions for them.
"This is all for now. Tomorrow we'll start the rest of the treatment, meanwhile doctor Shoko will analyze your blood in case you have any illnesses or other conditions to handle." Yuuji grabbed his belongings and bowed again. "I’m sure you’re tired, so I'll let you rest. See you tomorrow!"
He heard Satoru mutter between his teeth as he closed and locked the door.
-
A few days later Yuuji appeared with some infographics under his arm, greeting Satoru with a bow and a bright smile, to which the hybrid barely raised an eyebrow as answer. The boy wouldn't mind, he was still tied and in recovery after all.
"Good evening! Shoko-san told me your condition is stable, so I think we could talk about the plan! Are you ready?"
There were no cheers, curious looks or smiles as he often gets with the groups of little pups he had to take care of, just silence and Satoru's eyes fixed on him.
"You are annoying. I don't care about a plan or whatever you have in mind."
Yuuji's shoulders dropped a bit, but kept his smile in place as he took a chair and sat at a proper distance.
"But I’m sure you want to be free, right? Sadly we can't do that as soon as you recover, because there are rules and laws in Japan you have to follow to guarantee that freedom."
An ear twitched, against Satoru's unamused face. It was enough encouragement for Yuuji to keep going.
"First question: do you know how to read or write? Japanese or any language?"
Satoru didn't move, eyes staring out the window.
"It's okay if you don't know. It wouldn't be...odd, considering the circumstances. If it makes you feel better, I had really bad grades at school."
"So you are as stupid as a potato. Plain and dumb."
Yuuji didn't take the bait, writing down something on Satoru's form.
"Oi oi oi, what did you write now?"
"Maybe if you knew how to read you would know! You are signed up for basic Japanese writing and reading classes with Yaga-sensei, the teacher for starters."
The hybrid growled, lifting his lips to show his fangs. Yuuji knew better to calm down or else the situation wouldn't end well.
"Satoru, to get your freedom you need to complete this project and get the certificate. For it, you need to pass three exams," Yuuji showed the still tense hybrid a picture of a triangle divided in four sections. "You are here, at the base, this means you have no rights, no access to any state benefits and you are legally considered a wild animal or property. You used to be Gojo's property, but for now you are legally in the care of this institute and we will tutor you to the best of our ability."
"As you progress and your behavior is less aggressive, you will rise in status and get special treatments. And if you pass all the exams, including stuff like intelligence, problem solving skills and empathy, you can be a certified hybrid who can live on your own without worrying about getting arrested without reason."
Satoru's eyes followed Yuuji's finger slowly rising to the top of the triangle, where a silly drawing of a happy hybrid mocked him.
"There are a variety of classes, and many of the teachers are volunteering, so please behave with them. You start with basics and then you can take more complex ones. There's a minimum but you can continue your studies and even get a technical degree if you want, so you can get a job!”
The hybrid didn't hide his aversion to the idea.
“Work? I’ve already worked enough in my life.”
Yuuji wouldn’t describe fighting to the death as a job but now wasn’t the time. "Anyway…You will need to finish the program to get your freedom and do whatever you want. Doesn’t matter if you want to work at an office or live far away in the mountains.”
Dog ears perked up in interest, Yuuji could see it clearly. Even after all that happened, there was hope. Or else he wouldn’t be there listening to him. Or at least that was what Yuuji wanted to think.