The Timid Ushi (Pt 1)

The steady beep of a vitals monitor was the first sensation that Charlotte’s hazy brain managed to comprehend as she roused from her artificially-induced slumber. Her thoughts were sluggish, made worse by a dull, pulsating pain somewhere just above her right eyeball. Still, it did not take long for her to begin to question why she was in a patient bed to begin with. The last thing she could recall was that she had just completed her rounds of the night. For her second night of being on-call, it had been relatively quiet. That was, until her pager went off...

 

As she strained to try and remember anything past that, the throbbing in her head worsened. Her hand reflexively came up to rub her temples, but instead of the soft flesh she expected, the cold keratin of claws gently scraped against her forehead. Realization dawned on Charlotte as her eyes snapped open in terror, and it was all she could do to not scream as she stared at a fur-covered forearm.

 

Whimpering, her eyes roved frantically down her arm and across her body. Her once slightly-pale skin had turned a bluish hue, marked with swirling, black patterns. Though a blanket was draped over her lower half, the massive lump hidden underneath elicited another lamenting mewl. Casting the fabric aside, Charlotte found herself utterly frozen. Where her legs used to be were now two fanged pedipalps, curled against the anterior of her pelvis. Below that, the second-abdomen of a massive spider fused seamlessly with her back. Six legs ending in single claws, not unlike tree trunks, sprouted from equidistant spots along her arachnid half and curled against her side. Like her forearms, every inch of her lower half, from her pelvis down, save the gold-tinted nails, was coated in a coarse, jet-black fur. Her once-blonde hair was now the same color as her fur, parted by two brilliantly metallic horns and elongated ears. There was no mistaking it: she had completely changed into an Ushi Oni.

 

Charlotte fell back against the bed as tears welled up in her eyes. This wasn’t right, she thought, this had to be a prank. Yes, a prank, designed to freak out the newest resident… Right? Yet, as her eyes wandered up the IV line embedded below the fur of her elbow, the sight of a midnight-colored liquid flowing into her finally broke her resolve. Hiding her face behind her paws, she began to weep openly and without abandon.

 

Though monstergirls had been steadily integrating into society ever since the old demon lord and chief god had been deposed so long ago, Ushi Onis were still one of the few special cases. Their blood was highly virulent, where even a single drop of blood could corrupt human men and women unlike. Though the males simply turned into incubii, there was no way to reverse the change effected on a female’s body. Combined with their abnormal strength and regeneration, plus a usually lustful and ferocious nature, Ushi Onis were shunned mostly out of fear. They still could have jobs and lead relatively normal  lives around other monstergirls, but there was no way Charlotte could ever hope to realize her dream of becoming a full-fledged doctor now.

 

Lost in her mourning, Charlotte did not notice the Oni and the Centaur that had joined her in her room until the former coughed. Twitching in surprise, the former-human lowered her paws and stared between the two monstergirls before her with a mixture of sorrow and rage. Both were clad in rather fine and respectable business suits, but were otherwise standard examples of their respective races.

 

“W-What do you w-want?” Charlotte finally croaked, sniffing as tears continued to pour down her face.

 

The Oni offered a smile, along with a lollipop before she spoke. “Just take a few deep breaths first, okay? Can you do that for me?”

 

Charlotte’s first thought was to throw the candy back into the red-skinned, horned demon’s face, but she thought better of it. Gingerly, she extended her arm and plucked the sweet between two claws before bringing it to her mouth to suck on. Surprisingly, it was raspberry-flavored, her favorite. After a few minutes of stuttering inhales and wiping her face, Charlotte was finally calm enough to satisfy the Oni.

 

“That’s a good girl. Now I know you’re confused and scared, and probably angry and a whole slew of other emotions. And that’s alright. We’re here to help you make this transition as painless as possible.”

 

A pause, then Charlotte asked, waveringly, “Who… Who are you? W-What happened to me? Why am I like this? Why can’t I remember…”

 

The Centaur raised her hand and Charlotte fell silent. After a stern glance from her partner, the hooved monstergirl retreated from the room and left the Oni alone with Charlotte. “One at a time, dearie,” the horned women cooed. “But, for starters, I’m Rui, and my partner there is Sarah. We’re both from MAAER. Do you know what that is?”

 

Charlotte nodded. “The Monstergirl Association for the Advancement of Equal Rights, a Federal agency designed to promote and ease cooperation, integration, and… umm… something else…” Another throb from her head sent the room spinning for a moment, and she fell silent.

 

“Well, that’s the main gist of it anyways. We’ve been having a field day ever since that building collapse a few days ago.”

Shocked, Charlotte stammered, “W-Wait… H-How long have I been out?”

 

Rui tilted her head to the side in thought for a moment, then said, “About 56 hours, give or take a couple. Your colleagues thought it best to sedate you through your transformation, which was an oddly smart move.” After placing a reassuring hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, Rui continued. “But we’ll get to that in a little bit. First, I thought you might like to know that you managed to save both your patient and her child.”

 

“Patient? Child? I…” A brief flash of an Emergency Room in chaos filled her mind. Humans and Monstergirls alike were being brought in by the ambulance-full. Though usually the latter were handled by veterinarians, there were so many casualties that they were overflowing into normal hospitals. “...I had a lot of patients that night, I think…”

 

“That you did. But only you were brave enough, or perhaps kind and reckless enough, to treat the one monstergirl that no one else would dare even approach. She was a pregnant Ushi Oni with a steel bar lodged firmly in her second abdomen. Though she herself was fine, the shock of it all sent her into labor. During delivery, her pushing the child out caused her body to inadvertently reject the metal buried in her. This sent a gush of blood across the pair of you before you were able to properly shield yourself.”

 

Charlotte drooped her head in shame. “I thought if I followed standard containment procedures I’d…”

 

“No. None of that.” Rui squeezed her shoulder and shook it a little. “You did a good thing. I know it probably doesn’t seem like that now, but…”

 

“I-It’s not that!” Charlotte half-shouted, interrupting the Oni. “I’m happy that I could help someone in need. But now…”

 

“Now you’re worried that you won’t be able to practice medicine anymore, right?”

 

Charlotte nodded, and Rui sighed. “Well, I think you’ve already realized that it’s probably not safe for you to treat humans anymore. Before you worry too much, though, we’ve already lined you up a residency at one of the nearby veterinary hospitals. The Yuki-Onna you’d be under seemed really nice and willing to help teach you what you’ll need to know. But you don’t have to take the job if you don’t want to. After all, this is a lot to take in at once.”

 

Another silence fell over the pair of them as Charlotte found herself relaxing slightly. Being a vet wouldn’t be so bad, but it was certainly different from her now-dead dream. Plus, it wasn’t often that she had heard of Ushi Onis being given opportunities like this. “I… I definitely want the position, but I need time…”

 

Rui finished Charlotte’s sentence for her, “Time to come to terms with everything that’s happened. That’s alright. When you’re ready, just give us a call and we’ll set up everything, okay?” After a nod from Charlotte, Rui carried on. “That’a girl. Now, we’ve brought along a set of clothes for you that should fit your new body, and we’ve already relocated your apartment's contents to your new home.”

 

“My new home?! What do you… Oh… Right… I wouldn’t exactly be welcome in my old complex, would I…”

 

The Oni withdrew her hand from the arachnid’s shoulder and patted her on the head. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Just trust me on this, okay?” Without waiting for a reply, Rui moved to the door and plucked up a bag from the floor outside. Turning, she deposited it next to Charlotte’s bed and smiled once more. “Take your time getting dressed. Just shout if you need help. I’ll be waiting outside with Sarah if you need us.”

 

Minutes later, Charlotte had finally figured out that the skirt was meant to fasten around the side, instead of her wriggling into it. When combined with the matching athletic tanktop, she felt slightly less like a horrendous, uncivilized monster. Though she had never been one for such clothes in the past, she supposed that such a wardrobe change was necessary. After all, few types of outfits could accommodate her pedipalps or her paws, let alone keep her modest.

 

In any case, the Ushi Oni glanced over herself once more to ensure nothing was amiss. She had donned almost everything that was in the bag given to her by Rui, save an odd circlet of red cloth with black symbols. Clutching it between her claws, she stumbled towards the door. As the six legs supporting her body were still very much foreign, Charlotte ended up tripping over herself and running into the wall just to the left of the entranceway. Following the loud thunk, Charlotte’s ears perked up as she heard the pair from MAAER talking outside.

 

“...Sounds like she’s trying to walk around in there.”

 

“Think she’ll be a problem? I didn’t bring anything that will keep her subdued for long.”

 

“Always the pessimist. She didn’t strike me as the type to go on a rampage.”

 

“Always the optimist. You can never be too careful. Remember the Minotaur? I still haven’t properly healed from that.”

 

“I did warn you about acting aggressive.”

 

“I just put my hand on the hilt of my sword!”

 

“Ugh. I don’t feel like debating this again. But listen. She’s gone quiet. Think she’s done?” A moment later, a soft rap at the door caused Charlotte to start. “Everything alright in there?” called Rui.

 

“Y-Yes! I’m um…” Charlotte began, using the wall as a support as she opened the door and poked her head out. The Centaur and Oni were on either side of the frame, the former of which was eyeing Charlotte with slight disdain. “I think I’ve got everything. I didn’t know what to do with this, though…”

 

As she offered out the circlet, Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “That is your seal,” the Centaur spat coldly. “Put it on immediately.”

 

Charlotte winced at the verbal steel, shaking slightly. “W-Where do I…?”

 

Rui glared over at Sarah, then flashed Charlotte a smile. “Over one of your eyes, sweetie. It doesn’t matter which one.”

 

Despite the friendly tone, Charlotte still picked up a sense of nervousness from the Oni. They really were scared of her, something that made her feel all the more inhuman. Timidly, she slipped the seal over her left eye, only to be surprised when she was still able to see properly. The moment it was on, both of the women from MAEER relaxed visibly.

 

“B-Better?” she stammered, looking at the floor and rubbing her arm. “I-I didn’t think I’d be able to see…”

 

“Better.” said Rui, once again patting the Ushi Oni on the head. “We had one of the kitsune’s work a little magic on it, just don’t go losing it. Now, come along. We’ve got a tight schedule to keep before I have to go deal with a manticore.”

 

Not offering any resistance, Charlotte trailed behind the red-skinned woman as she began to stride towards the hospital’s exit. Sarah followed closely behind the pair, seemingly as if to prevent Charlotte from running away. Like I could if I wanted to, thought the Ushi Oni, as she stumbled into one of the walls for what she felt was the hundredth time. Her lower body simply wasn’t cooperating with her wishes, and she was becoming increasingly aware of the prickling feeling that she was being watched. It only took a single glance around at her surroundings to remind her that there were, in fact, other people being treated and treating others in the building.

 

A wave of embarrassment and anxiety washed over Charlotte as her former co-workers watched her leave, to the point where she was simply running on autopilot by the time the three of them had reached the exit. There waiting for them were several black vans, to which Charlotte was lead to one of the backs of. Sliding in, she collapsed to the floor and closed her eyes, just wishing she could wake up from this horrid nightmare. She was only vaguely aware of the Oni buckling her in and the vehicle starting, once again lost in her own thoughts. So lost was she that she completely missed Rui’s attempts at conversation. It all was simply too much for her to deal with. She had been much of a loner, and being a med-student had prevented her from having much of a social life. Aside from her parents, there was practically no one she could rely on to get through this. The few acquaintances she had were just that, and were sure to not be accepting of her new form. Her transformation, her dream shattered, her job lost, her stable life had all been ruined in a single instant.

 

It took some time for Charlotte to realize that the van had stopped, let alone that Rui was prodding her. Still very much in shock, she let herself be herded out of the van and into what she assumed was her new home. Having taking note of her blank stare, bordering on tears, the two women from MAAER simply left her the required documentation and their cards. The moment they were gone, the new Ushi Oni collapsed to the ground and wept openly.

 

(Part Two soon!)