The Cat in the Hat
AN: Long time no see! This took a long time to make (give or take 2 years :O) This story can either be a one shot or collection of one shots for the summer, I really hope you enjoy!
At the end of the village, where the grass twiddled and fiddled, a mansion slowly dwindled.
There was no other that could compare, but needed some desperate repair.
Alone the manor resided above the town, like his majesty and his dubious crown.
Yet no king or queen would ever gleam at such a decrypted thing.
Nor would anyone else, unless ...
In the dead of night, when the time was right, something reached its height.
Silent like a mouse, a thief snuck into the grand old house.
The burglar gazed about, finding something of high value, without a shadow of a doubt.
The cat burglar ran straight towards the glistening piece, pouting and doubting if she could carry such a wondrous thing.
Nevertheless, she grabbed the dazzling bling, pondering how much beri she could carry after such a brilliant deed!
A sudden flash of bright light, reflected the bedazzling thing.
When the darkness receded into the cracks, the thief stood still, inching away with an erect back.
The burglar had never been caught red handed, never branded a thief, nor landed in the view of any dull lantern.
Someone who never pictured such a scene, dreaded were this was headed.
What should I do?! No fool nor tool from the East Blue could ever outsmart me! I―
"Who are you?" a lean-teen shy of eighteen blundered.
"None of your business!" a youngster of similar age stuttered.
A bold plop of orange shuck between him and the nearest door-hinge.
"I thought no one lived here!" she doubted as fear started to crowd in.
"Well I do," he said as he attempted to disband the gold from her hands.
The seizure of her treasure caused a burst of displeasure, "That's mine!" she belated, doubling her effort in order to retake it.
"Not so fast," with a dash he flashed a mischievous grin, "I'll give you a piece, if you cease."
With a huff and a puff, she slowly backed away, calling his bluff, "What's the catch, strawhat?"
"There is none but one." He pointed a finger between her furrowed and burrowed ones, "Don't rob anyone else of their tremendous wealth."
"And why should I abide by these rules? Why can't I take every jewel this world has to procure?"
"Because nothing will change, everything will be in vain." The treasure festered in the same place it had just rested.
Two fist took a dip as the thing began to gleam. "Of course you can endorse that on your high horse!" What problem can't be solved without copious amounts of bling?"
The man couldn't help but smile like a child, "Let's find out!" lending a hand.
What a delirious idiot. Her gut instincts of scramming persisted, but her gleaming eyes on the enchanting prize never shifted.
A period of concerned thinking occurred, before staring back at the mysterious man with a plan. "Deal," she smacked his open palm sealing the deal, "Now where's my pay like you say?"
Flipping a gold coin into the air, it landed into her greedy care. "Come back tomorrow, I'll give you even more that I have in store."
"Fine," she confined, brushing her hair as though she couldn't care, "don't get the wrong idea, see-yea."
And so the tale availed.
The thief would be greeted with what she perceived to be her rightful and delightful share.
But as the days passed into a summer haze, her nightly rendezvous, soon became all she ever dreamed.
They would have a blast as all their days came to pass.
Playing and surveying all their nights away.
Dreaming and scheming with a similar gleam.
Laughing and dancing together as though it would last forever...
When the acting captain and navigator got bored, they explored the endless trees some more.
Every time the door would shut behind her, a valuable trinket twinkled beside.
A part of her wished to stay, but that wasn't why she had come that day.
So she trotted and plotted her way back where, checking over her shoulder, wondering if he would still be there.
As the seasons changed, the poor house grew dimmer and trimmer, as her own home only grew bigger with figure. Yet every morning, without a single trace she went towards the vacant place. The townspeople wondered who built such a splendid new manor, never seeing a light on at any hour.
Two years had passed since that fateful meeting. As she approached the steps, her eyes welled up with tears. The house looked abandoned, everything of value stripped and ripped without the slightest hint of anything worth over a single cent. She checked around the ruins that no human would partake in. Rushing upstairs than downstairs, she thought she could spot him. Reaching the place she had known for many years, she fell onto her knees and wept many tears. A strawhat lay where the treasure was once displayed. When she finally got back on her feet, she reached for the oddity wondering what cruel commodity lay inside. Empty. She squeezed it as tight as she could, knowing he was gone for good. All of sudden, the useless hat became the only treasure for this abandoned cat. As the last of her strength disappeared, and she gave into despair, a small note miraculously appeared out of thin air. She scrambled and gambled for some hint of his travels, that his whereabouts would be found on this here tatter.
"This is all I ever had, and all I can give." - Luffy.
She wept and kept the strawhat pressed against her chest. She knew that it was over. That there was nothing left for him to give, and nothing left for her to take. She had stripped the place of everything, piece by piece, day by day. It was only till now, she realized this was the home she wanted but now it stood haunted. All the wealth in the world meant nothing to her if not shared with another.
"I guess you were right … money won't make everything alright," she mumbled into the hat, wiping away the tears that wouldn't clear, "but you still have one last thing that belongs to me …"
As the last of the weathered treasure is taken, and the house is left forsaken, everything sweet must come to an end.
May this appeal to someone not in heels, or to someone with many to spare, that there is a chance for romance, even when you don't know it's there ...
"And what's that, cat in the hat?"
"That would be you …" she gazed towards the figure, unsure if it was the man who had truly delivered her from evil. Their eyes met exactly where they started, just like two summers prior. "You stole my heart, and tore the whole thing apart ... I won't stop till you say 'I do'..."
Standing just beside her, frowning at the downpour, "And if I say 'I do'?"
"Then I'll be your queen if I you be my king."