Viral gave Vegeta an angry look, pointing a claw at him, “It’s not a matter of her age or how you want to see her, you still give her respect!” he told him off, looking away again quickly, “You made her feel uncomfortable with how you spoke to her; don’t you know women at all? She works hard and hasn’t seen you for a long time; the least you could do is give her and the rest of your employees some respect after returning”. Vegeta should have been more polite to his employees if he wanted any of them to stick around before they ended up looking around for other jobs. It annoyed him, to say the least, especially considering his lack of care was what caused him to have thoughts to leave Capsule Corp before.

Waiting for Vegeta to leave the elevator, he stood at the side to let Yumi out before he trailed along behind them, keeping fairly quiet the whole way out. He was not confident about being seen by others too much and luckily Vegeta’s car had tinted windows, but even the trip out to the car was a little worrying. Staring at the security guard as they left the building, he huffed and looked elsewhere. The guards had proved troublesome before and that was the last time he saw them, so he wasn’t exactly happy to see one of them. Keeping his head low, he entered the car last to take the seat beside the window for his own comfort.

Viral had little to look forward to with this ride, seeing as how it would mean he would have to talk to some guy for ages until he was sorted; that, or be given some sort of therapy, probably shock therapy or something. It wouldn’t take long to get to the hospital in this car, but traffic would have to account for that. Letting the other two talk as he stared out of the window, Yumi’s own curiosity had her delving into the little fridge with the smell making him turn to look. It just had to be seafood, the smell sparking something he already had trouble with for the last few days. Turning away and pressing his nose against his arm, he stared out of the window just trying to ignore any disgusting urges he’d have for eating the food himself.

"It's only been a month, give or take. And I do give them respect, it's not as though I'm berating them or anything of the sort," Vegeta replied, almost defensively. He had never taken on the professional attitude before, why start now? If it were a board meeting or some such then sure, he'd act as dictated, but in casual banter or every day chatter to hell with proper conduct. Leading Yumi and Viral out to the car he ushered the two of them in first, not very psyched about being chauffeured around. Having things done for him was awfully embarrassing, it made him feel incompetent. It wasn't like driving was all that complicated either, heck he did it fairly often just to take a break from everything. But the company board requested he let security and his driver take care of him more often, null as a point that may be. Anything that could remotely threaten him was well beyond them, yet he knew the decision and their efforts were well intentioned. It would be an insult not to let them do their jobs, however pointless they may really be. Vegeta debated on reworking the structure of his company before they left, perhaps reassign security to other people. Ah, but he was getting ahead of himself yet again. First things first, they needed to see to Viral.

Shutting the door Vegeta slid into the seat, motioning for the driver to get them moving. Were it not for the fact they were trying to not attract attention he'd not bother with the car. It would be leagues quicker to just fly to the hospital, even if they had to carry Viral. Traffic was starting to build so they were going to be a little while at least. Sighing softly he rested his arm on the door frame, laying his head in his hand as he looked out the window. Only a month gone and yet the city seemed alien to him. Untouched by battle, the lucky people here. It hadn't been the case when he had left of course yet already they had rebuilt and looked none the worse for wear. It was nice that their world had been relatively spared from conflict up to this point. He supposed they had the rebels to thank for that. As much tension as there might be between the two groups it was hard to deny that what they were doing was very helpful, and noble. Hopefully the bitterness subsided soon, Vegeta could see working with them rather nice. And he'd get access to all their gadgets and technology, a little bonus. "Viral, I know you don't want to do this, but it's for the best," he said, breaking the silence they'd been sitting in. "I don't have to lecture you on this, but I'm just saying. And I'm sure if you want privacy while you talk with Doctor Ikura he'd be more than happy to give it to you. Just tell him whatever's on your mind and he'll help you."

Viral did hope he’d end up getting there sooner rather than later just to go elsewhere again, maybe even run off before this guy could get anywhere near him. He wasn’t scared, but he was not going to let that man get too close to him if he could help it. The man was pretty unknown to him despite having worked on him, but his creation didn’t matter when it came to the now and not the past. He didn’t care if he had worked on creating him, he was not feeling good about seeing this man and he did not want to find help from him. He wasn’t paranoid; he just couldn’t be around others just now. Winding down the window a little bit, he took in a few breaths of fresh air before pressing his nose down again into his arm, just letting the wind brush his hair gently instead.

He wasn’t feeling too good and it wasn’t even a type of nausea, just a feeling of tension building up inside him. If he was feeling like this and he wasn’t even at the doctors then why did they think he would be able to withstand being there? It was just stupid and pointless, probably would only end up with him getting another panic attack and doing something stupid that he would regret forever doing. He didn’t want to care that much, but certain circumstances occurring all the time was making him feel nervous and very cautious about the future. If he was supposed to die then fine, but Yumi just wouldn’t let him without giving him grief about it. She was probably still mad at him for not thinking he could fight at their level anymore, but she was just mad because she couldn’t face the truth of the matter whether she liked it or not.

Staring out the window blankly, he grunted when Vegeta spoke to him again, briefly looking in his direction before resting on his arm again, grumbling away dismissively, “Hmph, the best…” He made it sound like he was getting fixed like a common house pet, just involving his mind rather than any other part of him. The doctor could look at him and decide that he required a memory wipe and Vegeta would be completely fine with it, at least it sounded like that from listening to him, “And what if I don’t want to talk at all? Or can’t talk at all? Who should dictate whether I should or shouldn’t? As if everything is easy to talk about, anyway…it’s not even worth listening to when it’s been heard all before”.

"We're not trying to dictate anything Viral. But it's in your best interest to try and do this, otherwise we wouldn't be so adamant about bringing you." They had backtracked all the way from Kaesstra to do this, Vegeta hoped that would mean something to the Beastman. He dared not to voice that of course, worried it would somehow insinuate that Viral was obligated to do things where that was never the case. "And you told your problems to people who aren't trained, and because of that we couldn't help. It doesn't make your problems not worth hearing though. Don't you want an expert's opinion before you just try to dismiss it?" Giving a sympathetic smile Vegeta glanced out the windshield, watching as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. It wasn't an overly large facility, certainly one of the smaller ones in the city, but it was renowned for its care. Fitting then that an expert like Doctor Ikura should work at an esteemed place. Or it could be merely coincidence, he wasn't sure. "And the hard stuff is never easy, right...? None of us think what you've been through is easy, but once you get talking it's bound to help."

In spite of a rather famous scientist being inside the hospital was fairly vacant, or at least the parking lot was. Garlond drove the trio right up to the front door, staying well along the side of the lane in case an emergency vehicle came along. The driver got out with the engine running and opened the passenger door, holding it open on Yumi's side to allow her out first. "Shall I wait here in the lot for you sir?" he asked politely, watching as Yumi climbed out, liking her fingers curiously. "Or... Shall I return to Capsule Corp?"

"Head on back, I'll call you if we need a ride later," Vegeta answered, stepping out and making way for Viral. Glancing at the hospital he felt his own nerves beginning to spike, he wondered how the Beastman was feeling. To meet someone who had been so close to their father and knew so much about Viral, it was really going to be something else. If they weren't here on more pressing matters he would have plenty of questions to ask. Perhaps another time, now wasn't proper to be quizzing the doctor. Smiling Vegeta looked down at Viral, motioning for him to come out and join them. "We can likely head in through the side or back if you want. I'm a benefactor of this place, I don't imagine they'll mind terribly if I use the side entrance."

Viral probably had little to hope for with this visit, knowing it was probably going to come up dry when it came to getting any treatment. If he would end up getting something, it was probably going to be either painful or embarrassing. His problem was purely mental and it was hurting all the time, causing great pain every single time whether it was physical or mental, so what was stopping this man from doing all of that but for prolonged periods of time. Running his claws through his hair, he growled a little and turned slightly in his seat, “I know! I know that…I just think…it’s a waste of time…” he muttered, letting out a sigh. He was already difficult enough to deal with and all of this was just going to end up leaving him looking even worse in their eyes, “And if I don’t talk? Why would I talk to a stranger…even if he did help create me…”

He was going to have to face him now, but he wasn’t scared, he just wasn’t. They were right in front of the hospital but it still seemed daunting to stare at, his eyes slowly looking up to the building before he made an annoyed grumble. Going right up to the front door was just stupid; it wasn’t like he was going to run off through the parking lot to escape some guy, so why bother blocking other emergency vehicles. Staring at the driver as he went around attending to the door, he grumbled as he hesitated to come out, frowning when Vegeta seemed adamant about getting him out. Slowly pulling himself out, he straightened himself up and wrapped his cloak around himself some more.

Staring up at the hospital, he frowned a little at the sight of it before he lowered his head, letting out a sigh. This was not going to go well; it was either going to be embarrassing or completely pointless. Even though he had fought for the city once before, those people were dead at the time and wouldn’t recognise him as someone who actively fought for them, despite losing miserably. They would still see him as an oddity and quite frankly he was, but whether they would remember the danger he was to the city had yet to be seen; he would just need to avoid the police, but he did doubt there would be any in here. Looking to Vegeta, he frowned before looking away, “You know I shouldn’t be seen by the humans, so going that way would be best”, he grumbled, folding his arms, “Like I want to go, anyway…I’m not afraid of a little human in a hospital…”

"Because the stranger wants to help, perhaps?" Yumi offered, interjecting, "He's a doctor, and he'll want to help you just on principle, since that's what they do. Plus if he's a friend of Vegeta's parents, combined with the fact he helped make you don't you think he's at least a little vested in your well being?" She couldn't speak for the man, but she liked to think Viral was seen as a child of his. Or at the very least something worth preserving. She was curious as to why the doctor had vanished up until this point though. If what she was saying was true then surely he'd have come to check in on their friend now and again. Peering out the window she watched as the hospital came into view, wondering just where inside Ikura was. Hopefully he wasn't with a patient at the moment, it wouldn't be very nice to take him for Viral's sake. The building didn't seem particularly busy despite its reputation, so hopefully they could find a room to wait in if need be. Shifting around as the vehicle came to a halt she waited patiently for the driver to open up the door, unable to suppress a smile as she climbed out of the vehicle. Yumi could really get used to this sort of treatment, though she could also see why Vegeta was annoyed by it. Sure it was nice now but all this hand-holding would get on anyone's nerves.

Vegeta was plenty prepared to drag Viral inside if need be. Much as he didn't want to force the treatment upon the Beastman he did need it, there was no debating that. The Saiyan was doing his best to remain patient, not laying so much as a finger on Viral as he motioned for the man to follow them inside. The man really didn't seem thrilled about going in, and he could sympathize to an extent. No one wanted to have their problems and fears exposed and held out to them, which presumably was exactly what Doctor Ikura was going to do. "The people in this city aren't new to you Viral, they've seen you before. And at any rate it's not as if you've ever done anything seriously harmful to them, so what reason would they have to be upset upon seeing you?" He treated it as though his being out in public was a problem, Vegeta begged to differ. "Not afraid? Good, then we can get going inside." Taking the side entrance meant circumventing the front desk, which made arranging an appointment a little tricky. A thought occurred to him then, and the CEO turned around to look at his driver. "Actually, Garlond? If you would, please go in and arrange an appointment. Tell them it's for myself, and that I've specifically requested Doctor Ikura. We'll be on the second floor, space providing." Nodding as his employee went off Vegeta smiled, leading the way to the side entrance.

There wouldn't be any real negative reactions to Viral, but there was ample curiosity. A few of the hospital employees were gathered on the side of the building taking a break when the trio approached, none of whom were quite sure what to make of the Beastman. They looked at him not so much with uncertainty or fright as they did curiosity, unfamiliar with the man. They recognized Vegeta however, and to a lesser extent Yumi even. The girl looked a little different than before but she was often seen around with the young man, it was a pretty common rumor that the two were involved. A few female nurses scrutinized her with accusing glares but kept quiet, not wanting to say anything off color with the bachelor around. Vegeta had picked up on their stares and once they were inside he exhaled, smacking his own forehead. "Seriously... I'm going to sell the company so people stop staring at me..." he grumbled, shaking his head. "Alright... Second floor stairs should be right around here..."

Viral frowned at Yumi’s opinion, staring at her before he looked away again, folding his arms, “Doesn’t that make all the difference”, he muttered, shaking his head, “It’s funny that, because I don’t remember him ever coming to see me; wasn’t he the one who froze me…” Whatever experience he had with this man it made him feel not all that too confident about seeing him, but whatever he might end up doing better not end with him becoming brain damaged. The man was hardly anything to him just now; he didn’t even know what he looked like so who knew just how many people they could confuse him for. He was pretty worried over what might be in for him in terms of treatment, but to hell would he be able to get anything out of him.

While he did somewhat appreciate the effort Vegeta and Yumi were putting into this, but he felt like it was just a wasted effort. He didn’t believe he could be helped just through talking, especially when he didn’t want to talk about his problems. The hospital wouldn’t be the best place for this, he was pretty unstable, but they had to meet the guy somehow. Looking to Vegeta, he grunted at his logic, not finding it very helpful, “Are you serious…” he sighed, shaking his head, “Causing public damage and injuring many not do anything for you? Just because people know who you are…besides, being ‘not a human’ tends to make me the tiniest of minorities and something to gawk at”. Vegeta was always very naïve over how the public worked because he barely ever got involved with them; Vegeta tried to act casual, but all it managed to do was weird people out.

Viral couldn’t much care for the human’s reactions, seeing as how it was a typical human thing when something abnormal came around. They would always gawk and stare, never sure how to handle the difference. Trying to look confident as he went to the side entrance, he looked quickly between bodies when there was a noticeable crowd out the side. Here he thought it would be deserted and yet there were many people here. Giving the humans a glare, he looked away and tried to look confident as he moved into the building, “Sell the company and I’m going with it”, he spoke, looking to Vegeta, “You know how I’m supposed to be bound to your parent’s legacy…but if you’re willing to abandon it for selfish reasons, I’m not following you”.

It was hard to argue for Doctor Ikura's sake, no one had seen him since Viral's being put under, and that was years ago. The man was well and alive however, unless all of Vegeta's employees were somehow sorely mistaken. Even if the doctor's disappearance had been questionable there was a trail to follow, and what was known of him was good. He'd traveled around the world helping out in various places, using his knowledge of bio-engineering quite effectively. As Vegeta understood there was even a prototype medicine being developed that could help cure paralysis, one that was very nearly reaching its completion, all stemming from Ikura's research. While in comparison to the 'magic' of Saiyan healing systems this was a massive leap for humanity in terms of medical science. Surely a man who has been working on things like that couldn't be all bad, right? There was confidence in his father's associate, he just hoped that confidence wasn't misplaced.

"You had one instance and it's been forgiven, believe me. Maybe some people are going to be uneasy of you, that I can't fix. But hey..." Vegeta paused as they got to the base of the stairwell, turning to look at Viral. "People are afraid of me, and Shu and Takeshi, because we're part Saiyan. Not everyone is fond of Goku's legacy you know, some people really don't like what his race could mean for us. And frankly, after meeting our people neither do I." The rebels and those born here on Earth were an exception to the rule, and a rare one at that. He couldn't say for certain what the home planet was like, but if the Elites and even their subordinates were any hint then Saiyans were not a pleasant people as a whole. Beginning to climb the stairs Vegeta fished out a PDA from his pocket, going through arranging funds to the hospital to pay for their taking a room. "They'll look at you funny because people are confused when they see something they don't understand, it's normal. It doesn't mean they dislike you, there's just not exactly a whole lot of Beastmen like you around. In fact... If we count Yumi now there's only the two of you."

"I'm not that much of a Beastman!" Yumi retorted, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Just because I have ears like a cat and stronger senses doesn't make me a Beastman." Looking over at Viral then she smiled sheepishly, folding her hands in front of her. "Not that anything's wrong with being one. Don't get me wrong, it's just I don't really consider myself one. I'm more of a human with some changes, I guess." Or that was maybe her way of explaining herself. At this point she wasn't entirely certain what category she fell under anymore, not quite fitting into either or. Albeit Beastmen were a pretty broad spectrum, especially considering there was only one to go off of. Humans were different, even if they were all classified the same, so it wasn't so far fetched that she could be a Beastman too despite not resembling Viral. Yumi followed right along to the closest empty room, 209, standing beside the door as she let Vegeta finish whatever it was he was doing on his PDA. "The ears have been kind of handy," she added, smiling at Viral. "Let's me hear all sorts of things that I couldn't before. Kind of fun, I can eavesdrop if I wanted to."

"You shouldn't be, and you know that," Vegeta chastised, putting away his device. Getting a childish reaction out of Yumi he smirked, opening the door to the room they were going to be using. All of convenience of being a CEO was nice in a way, getting entrance to places like this and having funds and resources readily available. It was awfully easy going around the city when you had access to those things, but it came at a price. Not only was he not much for proper conduct as far as a CEO was concerned but the publicity he could certainly do without. He was a scientist, not a celebrity, yet he was hounded like one sometimes. The idea had come to mind of being rid of the company, just let someone else take over and deal with all the nonsense. Turns out however Viral wasn't very fond of that idea. "So you're going to corner me in with that, hm...?" Vegeta mused, looking over at Viral. Smiling slightly he sighed, shaking his head as he moved to stand against the wall. "I'll stay with the company then, if it pleases you. I just hope you can stomach my bickering from time to time."

Viral had little interest in what Vegeta had to say about the humans, especially considering he was barely ever involved in the public anyway. He couldn’t say it to his face, but he had a pretty difficult time trying to believe what Vegeta said in regards to the humans and how they might feel about criminals; Vegeta would disregard a destroyed lab and call it nothing despite a load of people having to come in to fix it with some people ending up injured. He’d like to see how Vegeta reacted if people trashed his room and he had to clean it up instead, “Tch, afraid of you? You don’t even look like a Saiyan”, he grunted, shaking his head, “It’s not fear when it’s jealousy. They want money and power and everything like that! Education regarding Saiyans taught them to be afraid of the kid with his tail. I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually try to chop off his tail out of fear…”

Humans were barbarians most of the time and even some of Yumi’s actions made her a little wild, his doubts over the humans being civilised not exactly letting him down. They were always scared of new things, throughout their entire history they had been scared, even by food; not that his fear over food was unusual, his had to do with fearing over a transformation. It had happened as well, eating had turned him into a feline and even the sushi in the car made him a little light-headed with urges to grab it all with greedy paws. Looking to Yumi, he let out a grunt in response, turning his head, “First you try to say you are a Beastman and then you deny it. Your confusion is annoying”, he spoke, looking to her again quickly, “You better not do that eavesdropping to me! I don’t want you listening into my conversations…”

These two were just as annoying as he remembered them being when they were on Earth. Letting out a sigh, he looked to the room before away again, feeling annoyed that he had to wait around for this man. If he was going to be waiting a while, he would probably end up leaving. Scratching at his side, he glanced to Vegeta with little regard to what he said, shrugging, “You staying because of me is confusing to me”, he spoke, giving his chest a scratch, “What is that supposed to tell me about you? That you’re not willing to let me go?”

"You can't clump everyone together like that Viral. You make it sound like all humans are bad or greedy and they're not." Yumi frowned at how he was speaking about humanity as a whole, it wasn't fair. The ones he spoke of were the bad ones who everyone talked about, people like the RRA or nasty business executives. No one spoke about the little guy who gave what they could, or the average person who minded their own business or even did a good deed or two. Heck, most of Viral's insight on people as a whole stemmed from news, she was willing to bet. Nothing but lousy rubbish on the news most of the time, anyone who watched it would be cynical. Being chastised Yumi looked over at Viral testily, folding her arms over her chest as she walked over and leaned into him slightly. "I woke up as a new person more or less, so I'm confused! Sorry if my confusion bothers you," she retorted, huffing as she turned around for a second before turning back, poking him in the chest. "And I wouldn't eavesdrop on you, I respect you too much for that. I meant other people, like bad people. Do you honestly expect me to sneak around and betray you by listening to things I shouldn't be?" Deciding to play the guilt card a little she pouted, sinking in her posture slightly as she turned her side to Viral. "Sorry if you think I'm lowly enough to stoop to such levels."

"Yumi... He didn't mean it, I'm sure. And Viral, she wouldn't do that to you and you know it." Vegeta said, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Sheesh, he was like the lone parent handling two kids right now. Hopefully Ikura was prompt in getting here, if these two were going to start he really wasn't sure how long he'd put up with it. Giving Viral a passive glance the Saiyan smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "I suppose that's the case. I refuse to relinquish my control on you because I'm your demanding overlord," he teased, scratching at his cheek. "Or I don't want to alienate someone who is for all intents and purposes my brother. If putting up with the hustle of Capsule Corp means keeping you around then I can certainly suffer it for your sake. It's a small price to pay to keep my family close after all." Viral probably still didn't share that view, their being a family. Vegeta had every intention on driving that point home however, he wanted the Beastman to begin seeing it their way. Maybe with the doctor's help he would be more open to it.

They had been told Doctor Ikura would be prompt, and sure enough ten minutes later the man was on his way. Not terribly old, 50 years of age, he looked every bit the part of a doctor or scientist. Donning a white lab coat and a gray undershirt and trousers he shuffled along the linoleum floors quickly, a stack of papers tucked under one arm. He couldn't believe it, Vegeta and Yumi were here, after so long. Not only that but supposedly Viral was with them! It had been... How many years now? 10? 15? He couldn't even recall at this point the time that had elapsed. Life had been oh so busy as of late and the years had slipped by. Yet here the children were, with his proudest achievement of his scientific life no less. After quickly yet thoroughly seeing to his final patient the man had wasted no time in coming to see the trio, scaling two sets of stairs in record time. 209... 209... Ah, there it was! Almost giddy with anticipation Ikura was running right to the room, intent on surprising the children when he got there. Unfortunately he'd failed to account for the slickness of the floor, and when he tried to abruptly stop outside the room he lost his footing, promptly falling and landing on his backside with a loud yelp. Wincing as he nursed his sore behind the older man got to his feet, shuffling inside the room with a slightly red face. He had short gray hair that parted in the middle, two short bangs hanging down either side of his face, and a thin mustache resting on his upper lip. Looking up at the three through thing, rectangular wire-framed glasses he smiled, laughing airily as he looked at all three.

"My my my... Look at you all! It's truly been much too long!" Ikura exclaimed, shuffling forward to greet everyone. First he went to Vegeta, having to look up at the boy to see eye to eye. Smiling he eagerly took the Saiyan's hand, giving it a shaking while carefully gripping his papers. "You've gotten tall! I remember when you were a wee lad, I do! I suppose you're not quite the handful you used to be then, I'd hope not!" Chuckling merrily he moved onto Yumi, smiling at her brightly as he shook her hand as well. "Yumi my dear, what a beautiful young woman you've become! And those ears..." he paused, reaching up and plucking one, immediately noting the indignant look on her face. With an apologetic smile he put his hands up defensively, at last moving to see Viral. "Ah... The one person who remains the same. Ahaha, how I envy your youth sometimes! I'm afraid I've grown quite a bit older since last we spoke my boy!" Ikura said cheerfully, reaching out and patting Viral on the shoulder. "Ah, what a delight it is to see you all. When I heard you were here I almost called the nurse's bluff, I'm glad I didn't."

"Imagine how we felt. You've been gone for a long time. It's nice to see you again doctor, glad to see you've still got your pep." Vegeta remarked, smiling amused. As far as their father knew Ikura had always been a rather serious man on the job. There were rather faint memories however of the man being quite eccentric and cheerful, especially with children. He was almost like a grandfather figure, perhaps now more than ever in his older age. "Sorry for calling you like this, but I didn't know who else to turn to. I hope we're not inconveniencing you?"

Doctor Ikura shook his head, smiling happily as he set his stack of papers down on a nearby table. "Not at all my boy, I've always time for you three!" he replied, carefully getting his documents into a neat orderly pile. Once settled he folded his hands behind his back, looking to the trio again. "Now, what was it you needed from me? Much as I would love to catch up I feel this isn't simply a reunion call. Something the matter?"

Viral didn’t like humans all over again since returning to Earth, remembering why he didn’t like them before and even after seeing the many different races just in the tiniest fraction of the galaxy, he still wasn’t happy to see the humans again. Everything he had absorbed throughout the years had made him very bitter towards humans and he wasn’t exactly able to let that go all that easily. Looking to Yumi, he narrowed his gaze before looking elsewhere, “Hmph, oh yeah…the few sparkles in the mud…” he muttered, not looking entirely convinced by that. He hadn’t exactly met many humans who were kind and working for others for nothing in return, their fear over the unknown giving them a fairly bad light too. Maybe if they weren’t always so scared, hateful or paranoid over something new the human race would have been in space by now.

Despite Yumi’s attempt at guilt-tripping him, he stood confident with little regards to her attempts before his gaze went to Vegeta, grunting, “Tch, are you sure about that…” he muttered, turning away and leaning against the wall. Anybody could be listening to his conversations and trying to use information against him, it was impossible for there to not be anyone willing to indulge themselves in information and end up using it against him. He was definitely right to be paranoid over something like that. He didn’t even know why he had come to see this doctor or agree to doing so in the first place; he hadn’t seen the man in years and when he did he couldn’t remember when that was, so how exactly was he supposed to talk to him when he didn’t want to be listened to by strangers.

He was feeling pretty lost to what he was supposed to do and how to feel, his mind not coping very well with what he was going to have to go through and why he had to talk to this man. There was a lot of stress building up on him and he wasn’t able to express any of it as if a big mental block was crushing his mind. He didn’t want to do this; he wouldn’t even be able to talk to the man most likely. Keeping his head low, he tried to keep his nerves in check before a sudden noise alerted him, causing him to jump a little. Spinning around quickly, he backed off a little as he stared down the corridor, spying a man who had apparently fallen down. Letting out a grumble, he backed against the wall again, frowning.

It seemed this was the doctor he was supposed to see; strange, hospital floors weren’t supposed to be slippery. Staring at him as he got closed, sure enough he introduced himself without giving his name and instead talking to them all as if he was a friend. Looking between them all quickly, he backed off a little when the man approached him too, his eyes going straight to the man’s hand as he touched his shoulder. Feeling a little out of his comfort zone, he moved away into the room but away from the others, not exactly confident about this; sure, the man knew him, but it wasn’t as if he could too. Looking to Vegeta quickly, he was soon made to take his attention towards the man instead, frowning at his question. He didn’t want to answer something like that, he felt too embarrassed to not to mention it was humiliating enough to have such a problem, “…It’s nothing! It’s no big deal; they made me come here…they have the problem!”

Doctor Ikura was, to be plain, elated to see these three again. They had all been children, both literally and figuratively, when he'd last seen any of them. It was so odd seeing them after all this time, they had changed so much. After paying brief visits to Yumi and Vegeta respectively he turned his focus onto Viral, most happy of all to see the Beastman. He seemed a little nervous for some reason but it was a great joy to find his work alive and well. Ah, if only Aito were here to see this, he would be thrilled to find Viral doing so well after so long. Greeting the Beastman he was confused when Viral moved away hastily as though some harm had been done to him. Then he began to spout something about problems, sounding fairly uneasy. Furrowing his brow in confusion Ikura put up his hands, smiling kindly as he stepped closer. "Viral, relax my boy. With all due respect you'd not be in a hospital if it was nothing, there most certainly is something. And frankly you're the only one who's seeming in need of aid here." He was fairly good at what he did after all, Ikura had spotted that Viral was troubled. Not the exact issue of course, that was impossible, but the behavior and expressions the Beastman used said it all. Since he didn't seem too keen on talking the doctor let Viral be for now, turning instead to Vegeta for answers. "Perhaps you can shed some light on this?"

"I can certainly try, though it'd be best to hear it from Viral." That was obvious, but their friend wasn't very keen on talking just yet. Sighing softly Vegeta crossed his arms, debating on how much to divulge or where even to begin. Viral had been having difficulties for some time, practically since he first left Capsule Corp has he understood it. Going all the way back would take an awful lot of explaining, so maybe just the barebones would do. "We've come to understand that Viral's been suffering from PTSD, maybe amongst other things as well. None of us have the faintest idea how to help it, though we've had every intention to. I know it's short notice and it's a lot to ask, but would you be able to help him?" There was a slight hint of desperation in Vegeta's tone, this was the last resort for them. If Ikura didn't agree to help then they were going to be forced to look elsewhere, and he doubted anyone would be half as helpful. "I'll pay whatever fees you deem necessary for the work, just please see what you can do?"

Ikura smiled sadly, looking over in Viral's direction again. So that was it then? PTSD? Ah, how he'd wished he would never have to contend with that again. Plenty of soldiers had come and gone with that very same ailment, it was always a tricky issue to deal with. So many potential triggers and fairly difficult to treat, it was a properly lousy disorder to get. That didn't mean he was going to shy away from it however, not a chance. "Pay? Please, if I charged to help you or Viral I couldn't live with myself. No, I'll do this for free my boy. Consider it payment for bringing him home to me, for however brief it may be." Ah, who would have thought he would see Viral again? Ikura couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest as he held the Beastman in his gaze, immensely satisfied with how he'd turned out. If only they were meeting under more favorable circumstances, there were dozens upon dozens of questions he had that were buzzing in his mind like a cloud of gnats. Perhaps when all was said and done he could slip one or two in there, but not now. "I'll do it, and I can start immediately. We can even begin right here if Viral is so inclined." Therapy was easy, once you got started. The biggest hurdle was beginning it and that was the point they were at now. "This is completely optional Viral, I don't want you to feel forced into this. But know I can most certainly help you, and it would be my pleasure to do so."

Viral didn’t know what he was supposed to say to the man or why he had to be the one to say what was wrong, especially when it was the rest of them who were adamant about him getting help. He thought it was pointless, he was better off dead at this point or generally abandoned if he was getting to be too dangerous. Staring at Ikura, he slowly moved back a step, keeping his head low but his eyes focused on him before he threw his arms up as if to protect himself, “They think it’s something, but I think it’s nothing! I don’t need help…” He was feeling flustered and quite frankly didn’t know how he was supposed to handle this all, his mind not functioning correctly under the stress. He was feeling the aches and pains from being a nervous wreck, despite not having much to be nervous about concerning simply saying what the problem was with him.

He shouldn’t be feeling scared or nervous; he was just being a coward. He wanted to get out of the room and run off somewhere to be anywhere but here, all because of a conversation he didn’t want to have. Turning away, he rubbed his head, trying to ease the stress just so he didn’t feel stupid. Even as Vegeta took the lead to explain what he had, he couldn’t help but feel defeated by his inability to say what was up with him. What a waste of genes he turned out to be. Vegeta shouldn’t need to be this worried about him, he should had just been able to find his old notes and make a better version of him and start over; he just felt beyond help, even when his friends were willing to give him just that.

Viral should had been able to just walk out the door and leave at this point, but he was stuck with fear of embarrassment when he would eventually have to confront everybody again. He didn’t know how long Ikura was going to be in the city for, he didn’t even know how he was supposed to react to him and considering those problems he didn’t know how confident he was supposed to feel about confiding in this man. Grunting, he looked back at the man if only for a second before away again, “Home to you? Hmph, I don’t remember you”, he grumbled, giving his side a scratch. Hearing that the treatment can begin immediately gave him very mixed feelings and a ton of pressure to work on, still not willing to look at Ikura, “Now? And all your other patients? I’ll…do it…but because I’m not a coward! I’m not scared…especially of you”.

Ikura's mood had quickly gone from delighted to saddened at the state that Viral was in. Ah... He looked like he was dealing with so much, and he was too afraid to bring it up. Goodness knows what the Beastman had been through to be under this kind of duress, he'd have thought it would take something very awful to do this to the man. Much as he wanted to help this had to be Viral's decision to accept the treatment, otherwise it might not well work. "You do need help, Viral, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone needs a helping hand time to time," the doctor said, smiling sympathetically. This was practically a child to him, it tore his heart seeing Viral under this kind of stress. That was going to make this a little difficult too, he would need to be objective. Difficult when you were emotionally vested in your patient, it was a fine line between speaking as a professional and as a person who knew you intimately. Unfortunately for the Beastman while he was willing to help there was a time constraint. Staying in East City for too long could be problematic, Ikura knew he could only be a week at most before it was time to go again. In his stay here however, if permitted, he would want to make a difference.

"It saddens me you do not remember me, but I won't press on that. Just know I'm a man you can trust and has your best interests at heart." Ah, and the amnesia that came with his being put into cryogenic rest after the event. Perhaps if they were swift to address the stress Ikura could even help Viral remember his life prior to that day. There were a lot of good moments, after all, many which would serve to improve the Beastman's outlook on life. If he could just know how good his life had been, and could be again, surely he'd not be like this. "None of us think you're a coward. You came here whether you wanted to or not, and that in of itself is brave. It's not easy facing our problems and you've already taken the first step." Looking to Vegeta and Yumi he smiled politely, "Would you two mind waiting outside? I tend to see my patients in privacy, if it's quite alright with you."

"Oh, uh sure thing doctor," Yumi said, smiling sheepishly. Looking to Viral she reached out and patted his arm, hoping to offer a little comfort. "You'll do just fine, just talk to him."

Vegeta nodded in agreement, giving Viral a few parting words as well. "Ikura is a friend of our father's Viral, you can trust him. Don't worry about saying anything that might otherwise upset him, he's here to help." Gesturing to Yumi the pair left the room, taking a seat out on the bench after closing the door behind them. Sighing softly Vegeta leaned up against the wall, closing his eyes and rubbing at the leg of his pants nervously. Well, this was it, time to begin Viral's therapy. What happened now would determine if the Beastman could truly be saved or if he was going to live out a life of depression and misery.

"You're a lucky man, to have those two caring about you so deeply," Ikura mused, smiling as he glanced at the pair through the glass pane in the door. Drawing down the blind he walked over to the desk, taking a seat in the chair, "I hope you don't mind an old man resting while we talk. I'm afraid I get rather sore after standing for too long." Now to begin, slowly of course. Asking too much or being too direct was bound to only get rejection and potentially upset Viral, he needed to be more roundabout to start. Taking off his glasses Ikura wiped them on his shirt carefully, looking up at Viral with a kind smile as he placed them back on. "Please, get comfortable too, I couldn't ask you to stand the entire time. Once you feel ready to talk we'll begin. Don't worry, we'll take things slowly, so you won't be telling me everything right off the bat."

Viral didn’t know what he was supposed to say about such things, feeling pretty down because he couldn’t even get over something as stupid as memories and fear. He wasn’t supposed to succumb to such simple problems, he was supposed to be a warrior and yet he couldn’t handle being a prisoner of war himself. He really wanted to hit something, but even if he tried he probably wouldn’t be able to damage anything because he was so weak. Letting out a light sigh, he looked to Ikura with a frown, looking down at the floor, “There is plenty to be ashamed of; I’m supposed to be durable”, he muttered, shaking his head. Everyone was just acting sad around him all the time, feeling as if he was a big negative spiral walking around the place, sucking in all the positive emotions and turning them into something horrible and disgusting.

Feeling pretty fed up with everything, he kept fairly quiet before folding his arms, letting out a grumble. If the man could fix anything, then that would be a surprise. If the employees at Capsule Corp were correct, it meant he was only here for a limited time and it wasn’t as if mental problems could be solved at any time. Something as problematic as PTSD through treatment that was not quick at all. He felt like a lost cause; they shouldn’t even be trying so hard and should just get on with it without worries. Giving Yumi and Vegeta a glance when they were asked to remove themselves, he looked away for a moment but became startled when Yumi patted him, looking quickly back and down at her.

Talking wasn’t doing to do much, especially considering he wasn’t very good at talking. He could barely recall the memories he was traumatised by; he just knew they existed and definitely haunted him at random times, but as quickly as they came the quicker they vanished and became an aftershock in his mind. However Ikura was supposed to fix that, he had no idea. Frowning as Vegeta and Yumi left the room, he gave a glance towards Ikura, narrowing his gaze. He wished they didn’t care so much, it would be a lot easier on their minds if he didn’t have to be something for them to worry about. Slowly moving towards the desk as well, he looked down at the spare chair and calmly sat down, not taking his eyes off this man.

If he was who everyone said he was, then he should know how to fix his other problems too. He would take getting those fixed over his mind, but if they couldn’t be fixed because of his mind then there was no point on continuing as he was and would have to go a different route. Staring at Ikura, he sighed and leaned back in his chair, “Hmph, if I tell you anything…” he spoke, shaking his head, “I didn’t even want to do this…if you’re only in the city for a little while, what use is that to me? What good is that supposed to do?? You may have helped create me, but I doubt you can do anything that quick…not unless you’re planning on wiping my mind again…”

Patience was most certainly going to be needed in this case. Thankfully it was a virtue that Ikura possessed in metric tonnes. No single patient he had ever seen had readily spoken at first, it was a gradual process to bring out the true demons that haunted someone. While they had the diagnosis, PTSD, that served to do them little good. it wasn't the diagnosis that helped them work through this but rather resolving that which brought the problem about in the first place. Settling himself down in a seat he waited for the Beastman to do the same, wanting it to be as casual and relaxed an atmosphere as possible. "If need be I'll arrange to stay longer. My initial plans only have me here for a week, but I can certainly move some things around to get us more time. And please don't see that as an inconvenience to me. As I said, it is my pride and joy to be able to help you, Viral. If you only could feel a fraction of the elation I'm experiencing at seeing you alive and well." Perhaps 'well' wasn't the best word, not considering the nature of their meeting. Alive was a pretty good start though, and the man was here. Whether he was saying it or not Iruka liked to think Viral did indeed want this and want to get better. No one ever wanted to be miserable or stressed, it was all about overcoming that hurdle to open up and let others in. Unfortunately for some that was too large an obstacle to overcome.

"I'll say that wiping your memory was not the most pleasant of choices I had to make," Iruka continued, smiling apologetically, "But I felt it was best. Were you aware of what had happened before then I feared you'd end up in such a state as you are now. It was selfish of me, trying to spare you the pain so I didn't have to watch, and I apologize. There will be none of that this time around, i assure you." Not only did he lack the equipment to undertake such a procedure but there was no reason to do it this time. All suppressing PTSD would do is stave off the stress and anxiety, it was bound to come back. In order to truly solve the problem they had to tackle it head on and get to the bottom of the matter, that was the only way. "Now then... I know what you've got, as do the others. I don't feel I need to say that it's pertinent we do this, it's a fairly serious matter after all. I intend to start off as slowly as possible and work our way back, if it's all the same to you. If you're feeling up to it, can you explain precisely what it is that bothers you? I'd like to know, if you don't mind, what on a day to day basis you have difficulty with."

Viral already wasn’t convinced just from sitting here, already quickly getting fed up and knowing it was going to be a long session with very little progress to start off with. He wasn’t going to have much to say when he had very little reason to trust this man if he was who he said he was. He couldn’t help it, being wary over any stranger was not new to him. Scratching his head slowly, he stared at the man carefully before lowering his paw, looking around the room as if paranoid that there might be some sort of camera in the room. The fact that Yumi talked about listening into people’s conversations didn’t help, making him wonder if she was right outside trying to listen into the room. Slowly sitting back, he quickly looked back to Ikura and frowned, “What? You’d think I would be dead by now?” he asked up, not finding that very encouraging, “I doubt you’ll be feeling much joy by the end of the day; I could make sure of that and I wouldn’t even realise I was doing it…”

It was a pretty aggressive conclusion, but he couldn’t help but point it out considering that’s how everyone else felt when he was made to talk about his problems. Growling lowly, he narrowed his gaze at the man before letting out a sigh, “It wasn’t like you were around during the part of my life I can remember”, he spoke calmly, “Just how long was I locked away for? Like it did much good…my powers are just returning and getting stronger, so what say you about that…” He wasn’t feeling it so far, just feeling his usual steadily growing mocking tone come in as he grew paranoid. Moving his chair back a little, he glanced to the door before quickly looking back, frowning at first before giving him a glare, “What’s bothering me? Everything: this room is bothering me, this chair is bothering me, you’re bothering me, and this desk is bothering me! I want to smash this desk…but if I do all it will leave is a mess! What difficulties I have…does everything count? I can’t do anything…literally anything except maybe dress myself, but even then I sometimes have difficulty keeping it intact! Is that specific enough for you??”

Doctor Ikura sighed softly, rubbing at his forehead after Viral finished. It was just as he'd figured it would be, unfortunately. There was anger stemming from his trauma, perhaps over the helplessness that it imbued in the Beastman. Or maybe due to a desire for revenge, he couldn't be certain. Either way there was something already they needed to solve, his anger problems. Perhaps if they found a more apt way of venting it he could lower his stress a fair bit. "I don't recall how long you were locked away for, I wasn't present at the time. I was, however, around prior to that. I would be more than happy to help you recount your life, but that is neither here or there. Please, let us focus on this for now and we'll get to that." Helplessness, anger, all of it was atypical of this kind of disorder. Not to downplay Viral's struggles, but every case had these common elements and much in the same methodology was used in helping it. They just had to be careful about where they started from and work their way up, slowly but surely. So long as Viral understood this would take time and that it wasn't a race or immediate fix they would do just fine.

"Viral, we don't need to get angry over this. I think before we move on further we'll work on a calming exercise, just in case you feel tension building during our sessions. If you'd be so kind to follow my example, we'll try it now." Rising out of his seat for a moment Ikura brought his chair closer to the Beastman's, sitting back down with a smile. "A breathing exercise first, that might help. It's simple to do and can help slow your heart rate and thus control anxiety. Now... As you normally breath your abdomen will rise when you inhale, and fall when you exhale, this is normal. We're going to reverse that however, and add something. I would like you to inhale only through your nose, for as long as you can, then hold that breath as long as you can. Finally, release it through your mouth and repeat the first two steps, do this two or three times to calm yourself." To help relay the idea Ikura closed his eyes, shutting his mouth as he steadily inhaled before opening it and exhaling. He did this three times in a row before opening his eyes, smiling gently, "Simple, yes? Please give it a try."

Viral was pretty ticked off, feeling like he was just venting out frustration without an end to it. There was a lot he could say that he had said many times before but failed to find calm and peace from letting it all out. He was only feeling frustration; he couldn’t do anything about it. Clenching his fists, he slowly shook his head, staring downwards for a moment before he looked up again, “What are you saying? That it’s not important?” he questioned him, growling, “Typical…but why bother because I don’t care either! I shouldn’t care…” He probably shouldn’t care, but he knew there was something hidden in his past that he didn’t know about concerning his powers and whether they really were growing unstable and would eventually twist him into some monster. Maybe that was the flaw with his abilities that meant he had to be frozen and reversed to a default.

He was definitely pretty angry right now, simply finding it hard to calm down when everything was just resurfacing; he thought this was all supposed to help, not drive him crazy once more. Scratching through his hair, he groaned as he looked quickly up to Ikura, glaring at him before he moved back a little in his chair, lowering his paws, “Breathing?? Just…breathing…” he growled lowly before rubbing his forehead, letting out a groan as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t find himself being able to breathe all that well, at least not through his nose or deeply. Despite trying, he got about halfway through one before trying another only to feel light-headed afterwards. Groaning, he shook his head, waving his paw out in front of him, “Can we just…skip that nonsense…?”

"That's not what I'm saying at all, Viral. It is a matter for another session, that's all. If we try to address everything in one sitting nothing will be accomplished." Biting off more than they could chew would only result in further upsetting the Beastman. It had to be gradual, Ikura wasn't sure how more to convey that than to say it outright. One problem at a time, hopefully they would get to each in their given window. If not then he'd have to make some careful arrangements to stay in East City. For better or worse he would remain here until Viral was well again, his own well being was trivial in respect to that. "It's part of who you are, you should care. But as I said, we'll visit that soon enough. For now we need to work on other things, and that will come in time. Believe me, anything you feel is pertinent or that you wish to know I am more than happy to address it with you. All you need to do is but ask me."

First thing on the agenda was a breathing exercise, the easiest of tasks to perform to calm oneself. Easy for some, Viral looked like he didn't quite get the concept or just struggled with it. Either way it hadn't worked and only seemed to serve to bother the Beastman. "Yes, we can move on for that. Not everyone finds that helpful, so don't worry if it doesn't do anything for you." Perhaps he needed to delve deeper still, past the anger. He needed to find what it stemmed from and address that, not the outward expression, Well... Viral had said before that everything was bothering him. Plus the words he was using, describing himself as unable to do anything, that sounded depressed. Stood to reason, depression was a common companion to those with PTSD. Seeing to that may be a better start, albeit just as difficult. There were so many varying types of depression and degrees they would have to figure out precisely what he had before proper advice could be given.

"You say you don't care... And that you can't do anything... Do you not have any self worth, Viral?" Ikura asked, a small frown forming on his lips. "You're a wondrous being, one whose life who as only just begun..." Blast, there he was making this personal. The emotions that came with seeing the Beastman made being completely objective was making this difficult, but he needed to try. Shaking his head the doctor sighed, sitting back in his seat and rubbing at his forehead before smiling kindly. "Tell me something... What do you think you're good at? Let me know how you feel about yourself. What skills are you particularly proud of?"