Hello Kitty
Author: Chaos Valkyrie
First Conceptualized: July 11, 2005
Posted One-Shot: July 12, 2005
Updated: December 22, 2005
Disclaimer: Since I don't work for Miyazaki (not yet anyway), and I'm certainly not named Aoi Hiiragi (not since the last time I checked, anyway) I guess I'm not getting any royalty checks for The Cat Returns… darn. And yes, I realize Miyazaki didn't direct it… but he's listed in the credits for the project concept, so would this have come about without him? Hm, deep thoughts…
Author's Note: Hello! I'm a recent convert to this fandom, and after shamefully neglecting my other stories, I'm here to write something new… Oops. I think I hear angry reviewers with pitchforks and torches banging on the door… must run. Anywho, a quick one-shot from Hiromi's point of view… enjoy!
Talk about some strange events. It all started when my best friend Haru saved a cat from becoming road kill, breaking my lacrosse stick in the process. Now, that wasn't exactly strange – reckless and stupid perhaps, but not strange. Haru was always a bit out of it like that. Almost getting killed to save another might make her seem noble to some people, but to me, it was typical of Haru. She was always a bit silly like that. It wasn't that she was consciously doing a good deed – she just didn't think about what she was doing until after the fact. Of course, I was upset about my stick, but she promised to replace it, so I let that go. She may be flighty, but she is dependable.
However, things started off strange the very next day. Imagine walking out your door to find about a hundred lacrosse sticks! I mean, I knew she promised to get me another one, but that's ridiculous! I know she and her mother don't have that kind of money! So I called her, and she knew nothing about it. I almost shrugged it off – I would get to the bottom of it all later, but at the time, I needed to get all those sticks inside and still try to get to school on time. At least I'm set for the rest of high school, in case Haru tries saving any more cats…
And speaking of cats, watching my best friend get chased by a dozen of them across town and through the school yard about took the angel fruit cake. We're not even going to mention when I got to my locker and saw them with the mice… Ew. I felt sorry for the janitors that day.
Naturally, when I asked Haru about it all, she furtively covered whatever note she was reading and blew the whole thing off. Catnip indeed. The note raised my suspicions – I wondered if she had something underhanded planned for me next. I felt no qualms in asking her to take over my clean-up duties then… well, maybe a small twinge, after the many, many lacrosse sticks on my doorstep, but I had a cute boy to go ogle! I had no time for cleanup duties!
The rest of my evening was unremarkable. No cats, no mice, and only a huge load of sports equipment to show that anything abnormal had happened that day…
The next day, I woke up, smacked my puppy alarm clock like I normally do, and leisurely made my way to the kitchen. I was meeting Haru for quiet day of shopping, but I knew I had plenty of time before I had to meet her. It was Haru, after all. And besides, I was looking forward to the great news I had to tease her with while we were out on the town…
I got dressed and ran across town to the Crossroads, a few minutes behind, but what of it? It's just Haru, good ol' perpetually late Haru…
And she's already here! Haru! She pushed herself off of the wall she had been leaning against and smiled at my shock. I realized my mouth was open, partly, but I didn't care. I looked her up and down, then again. She's cut her hair. She's dressed nicely and neatly. She's early!
And now she's laughing at me. Doesn't she realize that's my role in the relationship?
"What's wrong, Hiromi?" she asked, still chuckling as we walked down the street.
"What's wrong with me? You're… and your hair… early!" I gasped, trying to rid myself of my shock. She merely smiled serenely.
"Well, I didn't want to waste the day."
I stared at her for a few moments. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Haru?" My flighty, goofy, loveable, couldn't-be-on-time-if-it-won-her-a-date-with-Machida-Haru! Oo, speaking of which…
I interrupted her chuckling again.
"So, I've got some big news you're going to be excited about." Teasing, taunting. This would do the trick. This would bring her back.
"Yeah, what is it?"
Hm, tease her, or go for the kill? Drastic circumstances called for shock and awe tactics. "Machida broke up with his girlfriend!" I stared at her, having caught my prey. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened, and…
And I almost got run over by a stroller, missing her reaction completely.
"Oh, that's too bad," I hear a voice calmly say. I look around, knowing it couldn't have been her… but it was.
"What! Are you kidding?" Disappointment or shock, which was winning now?
"What do you mean?"
Still fighting… "I thought you'd be completely ecstatic." Pouty lip forming…
"Not really. It doesn't matter anymore."
Mouth dropped open. Shock won, congratulate the winner. Stunned, I stared at her, eyes narrowed, studying her profile from all angles. This wasn't my Haru at all.
"Hey, are you okay?" I finally heard myself blurt out.
"I'm fine." Another smile.
"Liar." She was lying. She had to be. This wasn't my Haru. My Haru would've squealed for joy, humiliated herself by dancing in the street and nearly choking me with her excited hug, and then tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. My Haru would never smile and say that it was too bad her crush for the last five years had broken up with his girlfriend! Not my Haru.
"What? I'm better than ever," the imposter says, pulling out another serene smile and staring into the distance. Then she has the nerve to start grilling me on my love life? I almost tripped on the sidewalk, I was in such a stupor… We had traded places. Somehow, this was opposites day. I tried pulling myself together, but it wasn't easy…
The rest of the day went a little smoother, but she still remained so cool, I felt like I had two left feet and two left hands. I was so thrown out of whack that I kept tripping and dropping things all day. I finally browsed through the stores with both my hands behind my back, just trying to keep her from laughing at me. It didn't work, but at least I didn't have to pay for anything else… I am, however, the proud new owner of a broken glass vase.
By the time we reached the electronics store, I was ready to call it a day. This day with "Haru" had been completely… normal, but not. This Haru look-a-like was relaxing and seemed trustworthy, but I missed the one I could tease and taunt, the one that was flighty but dependable. Oh, this Haru was dependable – I felt like I could trust her with my life – but she wasn't the same person I'd grown up with. Perhaps it was the fact that I could trust her with my life that scared me. It was as if she had grown up over night, and somehow I'd gotten left behind. This wasn't the old fight-or-flight Haru of yesterday, this was the mature Haru I knew would emerge one day, but not so soon. I felt a little strange, like I was the childish one now, whereas before I could hold on to my younger self and know that Haru would be right there with me…
I realized I was staring at her again. She just smiled and kept talking like nothing had happened. I looked down, and realized that she was buying… an alarm clock!
"But I thought you liked your old cow alarm clock?" I said, interrupting whatever it was that she had been saying.
"Hm?" she mumbled, then thanked the woman as she received her change. She held up the new clock, and smiled at me.
"Well, it was time for a change," she said, smiling and then stowing it in her purse for safe keeping. Almost as if it was precious.
"And since when does change involve an orange kitty clock?" I asked sarcastically. She sighed dreamily.
"I just… like cats," she replied, turning towards the doorway. I ran to catch up with her.
"Since when? You've never thought them special before," I yelled after her, but she was already through the door. I was going to get to the bottom of this…
End Note: Heh. This was a little one shot I came up with as I finished watching the movie for the second time. I figured, watching Haru's mother's shock at her daughter's change, what must her best friend feel like? Hiromi doesn't know what happened, but she witnessed most of the real-world events surrounding Haru for those three days… so how must she have felt by this sudden change? Here's an idea, anyway…
And by the way, has anyone else out there read the manga? I just got it too (I really liked this movie!) and wondered if anyone else in here had read it too. It does explain some things a little bit better than the movie… but I like the movie better, and how many times can you say that about a book-to-movie comparison! Anywho, I've got a few other one-shots in mind, as well as a chaptered piece. So, ta-ta for now!