"Om~"

It took little to make her happy.

Hell, it took less to make her ecstatic.

I was sitting across from her tiny body, back to her as I faced the horizon below the steep mountain we were currently taking our stay on. And yet, despite how hard I attempted to stay focused on the serene view (in actuality, I couldn't stop thinking about what I wouldn't do to keep her safe and warm, but I'd die a thousand deaths before I let her know that's what I kept so quiet about for so long), "attempted" was always the key word whenever I'd give her her favorite sweet:
Strawberries.

She ate them whole, and took absolutely no heed in not telling the whole damn world that she loved 'em.

"Nummy~"

Hence her coos of girlish joy.

Eventually, it got to the point of Really Damn Irritating and I turned around in order to give her a look—a look she took to mean "I'm angry with you; better stop;" much like that of a puppy who doesn't want to get scolded—but it was impossible for me when I saw her enjoying herself so immensely.

"Kuh…"

Her head and dog ears perked up, mimicking exactly what she would do whenever I uttered even a sound.

"Hm?! What is it? What is it, Master?"

Master. Master.

Her way of addressing me in such a way was decided by herself (like most things she did) more than three years ago. It didn't matter a whole lot to me what she called me, so it stuck.

Being hung up on how easily she could change her emotions—from sickeningly happy to almost motherly concerned—my expression hadn't moved since I first moved. When her Master didn't say what was wrong, she took to mean that something was very wrong. And she, being she, obviously needed to fix that.

"Ah! The strawberries?! Is that it?! You want the strawberries, Master?! Here! You can have them! Have them, Master!"

The strawberries. Why did it always turn to the strawberries? Had she ever even seen me eating strawberries?

She was getting overly flustered now so I figured I should calm her.

"No, Kawaii, it's not the strawberries I want," I sighed.

I'd gotten them for her, after all.

"But be quieter when you're eating them. I can hear you all the ways over here."

Ignoring the fact that I had heightened hearing abilities, she was still loud.

She stared at me and nodded her little head and began chewing much softer.

I noticed that, when she was chewing, I didn't see any of the strawberry leaves on the ground anywhere near her. I sighed again, exasperated.

I got up and held my hand out to her as I walked forward.

"Spit it out."

She looked at me with a curious expression.

"Spit it out, Kawaii."

She gulped loudly.

"Spit what out?"

I paused. What was the point?

"Kawaii, I thought I told you to stop eating the leaves. It's not healthy."

Who knows what pesticides the humans put on them….

Her shoulders drooped and her eyes saddened.

"I-I'm sorry, Master… I forgot… The strawberries…"
Who could stay mad at her?

I didn't want her to get upset, of course. It was similar to that of a doting father.

"No, don't worry…"

She looked up at me (a rather small girl; she'd be mistaken for a doll, should she have sat on a shelf) and smiled.

It really doesn't take much to keep her happy, does it?

"You're right, Master! I won't be eating the leaves any longer, nuh-uh, no sir!" She saluted at me and grinned from ear-to-ear, if that was possible for someone with dog ears. Her tail brushed the hem of her dress upwards and, for a minute, I sighed with a deep relief. I told her she was permitted to wear only ankle-length garments once, and made it clear that I would say it only once, and that was that.

I turned around again and continued to focus on the sunlight escaping through the cracks of the many billowing branches above. I was a bit surprised that Kawaii didn't start saying her goodbyes to the sun, as she did most sun downs, but thought it better for the quiet evening I prayed to get.

I gave an exasperated sigh, once more.

"Kawaii…"

"Eh? What is it, Master?"

"Stop spitting them at me."

~Cutesy ending, gooo!~