True Beauty:Part Two

     Kirara’s frantic scream of panic bounced all the walls and echoed all around her as she continued to stare at her hideous reflection. Aside from her fur falling out, red itchy bumps were beginning to appear and her skin started to become flaky and dry. She didn’t have to question what caused this sudden reaction because she already had the culprit in mind: the Chestnut Shampoo. Her ears flatten against her balding head as she steps away from the mirror to hold her paws out in front of her. She did her best not to scratch at her irritated skin, but she couldn’t hold back the desire to get rid of the itch that tingled underneath. When she heard a cautious knock and her brother Matsuro asking her if she’s okay, she was then torn between revealing her issue or lying to cover it up. What good would a lie do anyway? They were all going to see her…she can’t stay in the bathroom forever. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall down her now thin furry cheeks as she pulled the bathroom door back and poked her head out. One glance and her siblings that were gathered outside instantly knew something dreadful had happened.

     "Dear Fyroa! Kirara what happened to your fur?!" Matsuro exclaimed loudly as he took a step back from shock while his mind tried to process seeing his sister in such a condition. He and the others listened as Kirara numbly told the story of how she took a shower and used the chestnut shampoo that Bryson gifted to her. It was clear that the shampoo set off a severe allergy reaction and Kirara was suffering because of it; red itchy and flaky skin, fur falling out by the handfuls, bald spots, and dried out fur…she must be miserable right now.

     Kirara was easily comforted by her siblings as they tried their best to reassure her that whatever the problem was it could be fixed. It probably wouldn’t be an easy fix but it was still fixable. They all stayed by Kirara’s side and allowed her to express her sorrow through tears that soaked through her fur. It wasn’t long after the incident that their owner returned with a satisfied Yukio.

      Matsuro and their other brother Alathien, an Island Lupe, explained what occurred since Kirara was still far too emotional to get the words passed her lips. Their owner, when she got a good look at Kirara, nearly fainted on sight; she wasted no time in grabbing Kirara and rushing off to The Neopian Hospital.

     When they arrived they didn’t have to wait a long time as they were called only after been there for ten minutes. They were taken to a vacant room where they waited patiently for the doctor to arrive. He showed up five minutes later; a Green Gelert proudly wearing a doctor’s jacket with a chart held firmly in his paws. He greeted Kilala and Kirara then went over her chart. From what he could tell, he knew exactly what was going on with the poor, miserable Faerie Xweetok.

     "You had a bad reaction to the shampoo you used and it gave you Shaky Flakys." The doctor explains as if he’s seen these sorts of cases on a daily basis. "You have a rather severe case but don’t worry, if you head on over to The Neopian Pharmacy, you can pick up Shaky Flaky Cream. Use it twice a day and within a week or two, your fur will return and the red itchy rashes will be gone. Just to be on the safe side, I would also recommend using only Herbal Shampoo while your fur and skin heals." Kilala’s face deflates at the mention of Herbal Shampoo since it’s highly priced and many owners try to avoid having to buy it due to its price.

     "Shaky Flaky Cream and Herbal Shampoo, got it." Kilala says with a firm nod. Even if Herbal Shampoo is well over sixty-thousand Neopoints, she’ll buy whatever Kirara needs in order to recover quickly from this ordeal. "Thank you, Doctor Gilbert."

     "You’re welcome Kilala, and get well soon, Kirara." He shakes Kilala’s hand before exiting out of the room to give them some time to mull things over.

     "Herbal Shampoo is so expensive…" Kirara mentions to her owner with a look of guilt as if she’s blaming herself for what happened. "Not even The Neopian Pharmacy carries it." Herbal Shampoo can only be found by going to the Shop Wizard and having him browse through the millions of shops on his list and picking out the shops that carry it. Her ears flatten once more as her owner gently pats her on her patchy head. Her gut instinct warned her to stay away from the shampoo and she should never have tried it, but she wasn’t aware of the side affects and neither was her owner; no one is to blame for this accident.

     "It could cost one million Neopoints and I’d still buy it." Kilala tells Kirara firmly. "My number one job as your owner is to make sure you’re happy and healthy and right now you are neither of those. You need the Shaky Flaky Cream and you need that Herbal Shampoo to feel better, and it breaks my heart to see you looking miserable. Besides I’m the one who mentioned you should try the shampoo even though you don’t even like chestnuts.. Now come on, dear, let’s go get the cream and shampoo and get you home and into bed. I’ll make your favorite soup and you don’t have to worry about anything."

     After paying for the doctor’s visit and heading off to The Neopian Pharmacy, they dropped by the bank before making their way straight to the Shop Wizard. It’s run by a friendly and wise Yellow Jubjub who is always seen wearing a wizard hat and cloak. "Hello, Wizard." Kilala greets the JubJub, "I’m looking for Herbal Shampoo, know of anyone that’s currently selling it?"

     "Let me see…" He types into his search box and in a matter of seconds four shops pop up. "Two shops located in The Neopian Plaza are selling Herbal Shampoo for ninety-nine thousand Neopoints, one shop in Shenkuu is selling it for the exact same price, and there’s a shop in Roo Island also selling it for the same price."

      Kilala hadn’t thought it would cost that much, but it’s a good thing she pulled out a hefty amount to be able to afford such a high-end shampoo. Because they are much closer to the plaza, Kilala finds one of the two shops selling the shampoo and purchases it without hesitation. The two then head back to Faerieland where Yukio, Matsuro, and the rest of the family were there waiting to welcome Kirara back and to shower her with love to make sure she didn’t feel humiliated and unwanted.

     "Take another shower and use the shampoo and then I’ll put the cream on your fur for you." Kilala says softly. They watch as Kirara just nods her head and walks up the stairs with her head hung low in shame.

     "I threw out the chestnut shampoo." Yukio declares as if he had done a noble deed, which in this case…he did. "That cheap stuff shouldn’t have even touched her fur. I know I certainly wouldn’t have used it."

     "Thank you for getting rid of it, Yukio. Let’s all continue to be supportive and make her feel comfortable while she recovers." Kilala advises her Neopets. "I’m going to make her favorite soup and her favorite tea."

     Every day for the past two weeks Kirara would take a shower using the Herbal Shampoo before applying the Shaky Flaky Cream to her skin and fur. In the first few days she saw no improvement, but her siblings and their owner continued to be positive and supportive until results began to show. Her fur started growing back and her skin slowly became less red, flaky, and itchy. During her recovery, Kilala had tracked down Bryson and told him what his shampoo had done to her pet. He thoroughly apologized, though it simply wasn’t his fault since he hadn’t known it would cause such a reaction, but it turns out the company accidently used a poisonous type of fruit in the shampoo and they had to change everything before being allowed to sell their shampoo to Neopets.

     Over the past few weeks Kirara was even able to bond more closely with all of her siblings and spend ample amounts of time with them along with their loving and caring owner. Every day they would bring her something or sit and chat with her. Even Bryson and his crew made a special visit to see Kirara and asked for her permission to add her picture to their bottle of shampoo. She had agreed and once she was back to her gorgeous self, a picture of her was taken and placed on all the bottles of Chestnut Shampoo as a way of showing honor. The allergy reaction had even caused Kilala to have all her pets tested to see what they were allergic to. In the end, some good had came out of the ordeal.

     "I am so glad that Kirara's doing much better these days." Kitty, a human girl and a good friend of Kilala's says as she watches Kirara play with Tytono, an Island Gelert that she owns. "We were all so worried about her when you Neomailed me and told me what had happened." They are spending time in Mystery Island after playing a vast amount of games to earn some much needed Neopoints.

     "It was such a scare, Kitty." Kilala tells her friend, "but I am also glad that she's back to normal. In fact, her skin and fur is as healthy as ever." The young female steals a glance over at where her Neopet is chatting and laughing with Tytono. "You know what else, Kitty?"

     "What?"

     "Even when she had Shaky Flaky, she was still my beautiful Faerie Xweetok."

          The end.