The Return
TANUKI HERO Chapter 1 - The Return
The moonlight penetrated brightly into a lonely train station casting long shadows across the cold hard ground.
A bright young figure sat silently in the moment holding to a cold backpack in his arms. He closed his eyes as his messy strawberry hair blew across his face with the gentle breeze.
The young boy was Toad. He sat accompanied by the large backpack with a plushie sitting on top, a suitcase covered in stickers upright on the ground, and his coat draped over the bench. He breathed in deeply as light flooded the scene and the train pulled into station.
—
Toad now sat on the warm train, though not warm in a comforting way, more in a sickly moist warmth kinda way. He was on his way to visit his long-time friends that he hadn’t seen in quite a while. He looked out the window longingly for the times of the past.
His brother would be there too. Ice. It’s been a long while since he last saw him. How long had it been Toad wondered. He couldn’t remember.
As the train pulled into the city the scenery abruptly changed from desolate valleys to bright lights, neon signs, and steam shooting up from various places around him.
Toad’s eyes became heavy as he drifted away momentarily into a daydream.
He was surrounded by his friends again, but all of them much younger. His head up against something, he reached behind and felt the familiar couch cushion supporting him, he was sitting on the floor up against the futon, signature in long night couch gaming sessions. The games had just finished. One of his friends stood tall on top of the futon his dark curly hair covering his eyes. Meph. He reached to a plate of desserts below as he looked Toad in the eyes and shouted as if a battle cry!
“CHAOS!!!
SWISS!!
ROLL!”
Meph launched an oversized cinnamon roll into Toad’s face. Toad was sent abruptly back to his surroundings on the dismal train.
He raised his hand up as a snack cart passed by and spoke up.
“One cinnamon roll please, the biggest you’ve got.”
—
The early morning shone in through the window. People ran frantically around the loft tidying things up as they went.
“Come on everyone we’ve got to get everything ready.” Ice shouted.
He held to the banister in one hand and to a Guitar Hero guitar in the other, looking for a place to put it as he shouted up the stairs to the highest level. Ice had slightly styled hair with a large scarf around his neck due to him being seemingly always cold. Fox was behind him fluffing pillows. His dreads held up by a headband ornamented with kanji.
Ice thought out loud, “Toad is coming back today, everything has to be perfect.”
The door swung open as Meph returned from the market with large bags of food swung over his shoulder. His hair was much longer now with it partly up in wolf tail. His other hand down beside him bandaged up.
“Hey everyone I’m back with the spoils of war!” Meph announced in a war cry to all in earshot.
Tacos appeared on the scene joining Meph, unloading the groceries onto the island. Tacos had long white hair accompanied by his cozy poncho hoodie. He set down his keytar to assist in the process. He reached into the bag and pulled out two takeout boxes of Chinese food, the smell wafted up the stairs.
This was much more effective in getting everyone to come to attention. Two more of the friends came down the stairs.
One was Mini with light blonde hair under his favorite beanie. He was holding two joy cons in his hands, apparently, he had just been playing Super Smash on the switch upstairs.
The other was Toast. He had long platinum blond hair with dark roots on top. Toast had a bag of cheese Puffs in one hand, chopsticks in the other. He wore a Virtuo Boy VR headset over his face as a D&D Dice keychain hung from his waist.
Hearing the announcement of food Cheese and Grape poked their heads up from the couch boat. Cheese had long curly hair with headphones. Grape also with long hair parted in the middle sipped quietly from a juice pouch.
Toast pulled the Virtuo Boy from his face to see things better. He looked around
“Wait where’s Bacon?”
“Don’t worry man we got tons of bacon, eggs, whatever you want.” Meph retorted.
Toast had a confused look on his face.
“No my brother, Bacon.” Toast responded.
Tacos had finished unloading the food and returned to the couch to play with the keytar in hand. Meph now understood.
“Oh no worries, he’s meeting Toad at the Station.”
Ice looked a bit impatient as he placed the guitar in the corner.
“That’s all well and good. Now everyone get down here and help me get everything ready!”
Everyone came downstairs droning in unison with feigned excitement, “Okay here we go”.
—
At the station awaiting the arrival of Toad’s train stood a dark figure looking off into the distance. Bacon. He had short dark hair faded on the sides, wore a thick leather coat and a black shirt. He was on his Game Boi Advance waiting for the return of his friend.
In time, the train pulled into the station and Toad made his way through the crowds of people out of the train doors onto the platform.
Immediately, Bacon saw his friend and swiftly threw the Game Boi in his pocket. Toad looked around hopefully. At first nothing, just the bustling of a busy train station. Then out of nowhere the warm embrace of a friend.
“It’s good to see you man. It’s been a while” Bacon chuckled.
Toad embraced him as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Yep, it’s good to be back.”
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