"What's the matter? Out of breath? Is this whole big kaboodle getting too much for you in your old age?" Sakura stepped primly into the changing rooms, smirking as Miki stood up with pride. She just felt more tired. She knew it was probably psychosomatic. She felt like she ought to be tired. Miki had been feeling good when she got back from the beautify parlour. She had felt vaguely radiant, but this had been shattered by a bout of throwing up.
"What's the matter? Run out of insults that don't refer to my appearance? Moving onto the five years of life experience I have on you?"
"I wouldn't know about that. I just know I've got an appointment with the boss about my excellent work so far. And you have an appointment to be his bitch for the night."
"Fuck off, Sakura." Miki waltzed haughtily out of the room and went to have a lie down. She was going have a lie down so she could be ready for the night's performance.
*
"Hi there." Toshiya grinned his wonky teeth proudly, Shinya's overnight bag on one arm and Shinya on the other. "I'm here with Terachi Shinya. He has an appointment for an operation this afternoon."
"Mmhmm. Terachi� Terachi� Shinya�" The receptionist searched the name through the computer database. "Aha! I have you listed. Do you know how to get to the gender re-assignment unit from here?"
Shinya nodded.
"I've been there before."
"Good. You're booked into room 7. Make your way down there and I'll page Dr Kudo. She'll be over shortly." She secretary gave a very secretarial smile and greeted the next person in the queue.
"Lead the way Shin." Toshiya took off in a random direction before Shinya tactfully led him in the other way.
After a fair bit of wandering, they found the room and settled down inside it. Shinya sat on the bed and stared as Toshiya waltzed around taking in the surroundings.
"Well it LOOKS pretty clean, that�s for sure. And they even have a picture on the wall. And a window. Windows are always good. And the curtains aren't TOO clashy. Still� could do with more plushies. I'll go down the gift shop and buy you one later. And-"
"Terachi Shinya?" A woman who appeared to be in her middle thirties had appeared almost silently at the door and looked over her clipboard at the two young men before her. "I take it that�s you?" She stepped in and reached out a hand towards Shinya, who took it and smiled shyly.
"Hello, Doctor�"
"Kudo." She pointed at her ID badge. "I'm Doctor Kudo. And although I'm not the surgeon who will be performing your operation, I will be present throughout and checking how you are getting on."
"Thanks."
"Well� I don't have any record of you having any operations before. Is this true?"
"Yes. I don't really like the idea of operations, so boob jobs and all that never seemed very appealing. I'm only going in for this because it's... necessary." He trailed off, blushing.
"Don�t worry, I completely understand. I've seen a lot of people come through this centre. Now do you have any questions? I can bring the surgeon in if you would like to meet him before the operation if you would like." She seemed very friendly.
"Um�"
"I have a question?" Toshiya cut in. "Will Shinya be well looked after? Because if I find he's at all upset with anything, I'll come down here and do some serious glaring."
Shinya giggled.
"You don't want to see the glaring."
"Well that's telling me. Are you a friend? Relative? Boyfriend?" Doctor Kudo held out her hand again to shake with Toshiya.
He shook heartily.
"Just friends. I'm Hara Toshiya. It's nice to know that my Shin-chan is in good hands."
"The very best, Hara-san. I'm here to make sure that Shinya's stay here is the best it can be."
"Good." Toshiya took a step back so he was standing next to Shinya. "Hmm. Well hon, I think I'll nip out and get that plushie for you. I'm dying for a fag, and something tells me they won't appreciate it in here. What time is the operation?"
"Shinya, you should be entering the theatre at about two-ish. Now this is quite a complicated operation as I'm sure you are aware, but so long as there are no complications you should be waking up in the early evening, okay?"
Shinya nodded demurely.
"Okay, I'll be back in just a sec. You can have a good long talk to the Doctor about stuff with long words that I won't understand." Toshiya chirped before wandering out and down the corridor. The place smelled of economy hospital disinfectant and those disposable plastic hygiene gloves, the smell now renowned world-wide as 'hospital smell'. He backtracked to the reception, to the waiting room, and then found the gift shop.
It was a small room selling flowers and get-well cards and various kitsch gifts. He giggled internally at the cute fluffy toys, trying to select one for Shinya. There were piggies and bunny-rabbits and kitty-cats.
"Looking for something special sir?" The teenage girl behind the counter looked high on caffeine and bored out of her mind.
"Uh just something for my friend. He's got an operation and is kinda nervous about it. The solution being plushies.
The girl nodded
"You can't go wrong with plushies. Which one are you thinking of?"
"I don't know. They're all cute. You're a girl, what do you think? Which one do you like the most?" Toshiya grabbed all of them and plonked them onto the counter.
"Hmm. Well. I see what you mean, they are all rather cute. The cats have whiskers but the pig is pink. This is good. However the bunny has a fluffy tail. And ears."
"Bunny ears in fact."
"Indeed." She nodded seriously. "Well� this is a sadistically cruel decision indeed� but� you know you have to go with the bunny. It's the right choice."
"I know." Toshiya put the other toys back on the shelf "I'll take the bunny" She girl ran it up on the cash register "Oh and� do you sell cigarettes? I'm running low." He grinned sheepishly
"Sorry, this is a hospital. They sell them at the petrol station round the corner if that�s any help." Toshiya handed over the cash and received the toy in a tasteful floral paper bag.
"Cheers." He gave her a friendly wink and went outside for a smoke. Shinya having a major operation was worrying him very much. He noticed various other worried looking individuals puffing away and staring into the ground. He wasn't alone. Toshiya wandered back inside to find Shinya.
*
"Shin?" He poked his head round the door. Shinya had changed into his hospital robes and was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. At the call of his name, he looked towards the door and smiled to see Toshiya there. "How are you doing?"
"Uhm�" He sat up and pulled his legs in towards his torso. "Yeah, okay I think." Toshiya walked in, closing the door behind him, and sat down on the bed.
"Well babe, I bought you a plushie, just in case! I had to choose one from all the ones there. But�" He plucked the toy from his pocket "The girl at the counter and I decided that the bunny was best!" Shinya smiled.
"It's adorable! Thanks Totchi!" He flung his arms around the other man. "I don't know how I'd be getting through this with out you because I'm so� I'm so afraid." He sobbed quietly, suddenly, into Toshiya's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry. This is just so� strange, and I'm frightened."
Toshiya tightened his grip around Shinya's lithe form.
"Well you're a hell of a lot braver than me, I'd be shitting myself right now. Do you know that? You're braver than most! To go ahead with this is amazing. And I'm going to be here until they've put you out, and I'll be here when you wake up, when you�re the very picture of womanliness. So don't be afraid Shin-chan."
Shinya sniffed.
"Mmm. You're the best ever."
*
"Please just try and relax Shinya, this may hurt a little, but then it will just be like going to sleep, okay?" Shinya nodded, flinching and squeezing on Toshiya's hand as the needle was inserted into his inner elbow. He could feel the cold liquid running up his arm, and it wasn't pleasant.
"Totchi�?"
"I'm here Shin." Toshiya smiled reassuringly as Shinya's eyes started to glaze over. The grip on his hand lessened until it was hardly there at all. "Night." The nurses started to move the bed and Toshiya let go. He watched until they had taken him into the theatre and left to go home, lighting another cigarette on the way.
*
Kyo and Die sat in the staff-room, both contributing to the smoky atmosphere.
"If I have to label one more tube of bloody amino acids, I'm going to shoot myself, I swear." Kyo wrinkled his nose and chewed angrily on his labret.
"Yeah well, I'm sure Kenta on floor six is ordering porn or something through the company. The guy gets SO much mail, and the packages feel like videos. And I think the lift is getting screwy because I was waiting forever and had to use the stairs. All the way up to the tenth floor from the reception. And those frikking delivery boys we hired suck! Such a waste of money. I only ever see them when it comes to paycheque time, I'm sure they spend the rest of the time smoking in here or jerking off on Kenta's crap. When I was working on the baseline of secured delivery, nothing was so slack. I tell you, if they keep screwing me around they can kiss good bye to such a cushy part time job." He took a long toke from his cigarette, allowing him to fume visually as well as mentally.
"Yeah well, life isn't what it used to be. I'm looking forward to going home, and collapsing to sleep. However, Toshiya said he's coming over later, so I'll probably have to wake up again for that."
"Probably?"
"Okay I WILL have to wake up for that. He's at the hospital with Shin at the moment, it's his operation today I think."
"Yeah well. Good luck with that." Die crushed out the cigarette butt and lit up again.
"Why, don't you care?" Kyo raised an eyebrow lacking in metal for work purposes.
"Well I talked to Toshiya about speaking to Shinya, but when I went round, he refused to answer me. So I guess he just doesn't want to talk. It's understandable; the last thing I told him was pretty harsh."
"Yeah. So you were talking to Toshiya? What did he say?"
"Mainly about what was going on between Shinya and I. You popped into the conversation too though." Die grinned as Kyo tried to look blas� in his answer.
"Oh really?"
"Yep. You never mentioned that he kissed you." Kyo's eyes widened at this statement and he suddenly seemed ever so focused on his cigarette. "Well?"
"Well that was a while back. I told him to back off. Nothing has happened since so I think he got the point."
"What point is that?"
"That I'm not into men."
"But are you into Toshiya?"
"What? No! Just because you're lovesick Die, doesn't mean you have to pair up every other random person because it evens things out karma wise."
"Meh. Whatever Kyo." Die smirked deviously, his smoke held between his teeth, and picked up a magazine to read.
*
Her eyes flickered groggily, white and hazy light filtering in through half closed lids. She felts a dull ache over most of her body and grunted ruefully as she tried to move. Propping herself up on her elbows, she noticed Toshiya dozing at the foot of his bed and smiled. Then with astonishment and excitement, she realised precisely where she had arrived at. This was after the operation. She giggled to herself and thought about taking a look. The thin hospital sheets indicated no unwanted lumps or bumps.
Cautiously, she peeled back the covers and peeped underneath. Her crotch was under a dressing, but to her delight, the gauze travelled smoothly with no room for unwanted appendages - she let out an uncontrolled squeak - she was finally a woman!
At her sudden outburst, Toshiya woke with a start. He smiled sheepishly when he saw her sitting there awake.
"Shin-chan! Or should I say Shinju? How are you feeling?"
"I'm uh�" the newly dubbed Shinju stopped for a second. "I'm good. Still a bit iffy� I think the painkillers are wearing off. But it doesn't matter because�" She collected her words, waving her hand about the air as if to illustrate her point. "Because I'm me."
"Hellooooo?" Miki appeared grinning in the doorway. "Oh so the sleeping beauty has arisen! My, my! How does it feel?" She sipped on her coffee excitedly and sat at the head of the bed, next to Shinju.
"It feels good." Shinju smiled and felt better than she ever had before. She didn't care that she had lost her job and lost her boyfriend and was probably going to be living on the street in a few weeks time. That could wait. "I don�t have to pee standing up anymore."
"Yeah well, its going to be no fun peeing for you for a while until you heal up." Toshiya smirked and tickled the base of Shinju's foot. "Now get that voice in check! You're not paying attention, it's time to start sounding like Shinju should."
Shinju nodded and answered in her well-practised tones.
"Is this better?" The transformation was not astounding, as her voice sounded very similar to what it had five seconds ago. It was incredibly subtle - her voice was still quite low but it now took on something else. Something that was feminine.
Toshiya and Miki grinned in response. Shinju was a masterpiece.
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