Disclaimer: I don't own "The Cat Returns", it is property of Studio Ghibli. However, this particular scene is my idea, so anyone who steals it will be sued.

Author's note: see end of chapter for a good detailed explanation of this scene.

Edit Author's note: I decided to break the story "What was left unsaid" into three separate ones. Just thought this fandom deserved to have more than "17" displayed near it. :)

Angel fruit cake

Muta was having a pleasant day. That is, he was having a pleasant day until his stomach grumbled loudly and reminded him that laying sprawled (in a most undignified manner, but he wasn't about to admit that) in a chair under the sun's warm autumn ray wasn't going to fill his belly at all. Nor was rummaging around in the bins going to help either. People had been mostly very careful with what they threw away these last few days, not that it was really a problem, but Muta had an exceptionally large stomach, and besides the bins had been emptied today.

He briefly thought about going to the Cat Bureau for something to eat, but quickly dismissed it. He wasn't going to sink as low as to go and beg for food at one his friend's doorstep. No way, especially with that birdbrain over there. That would be one too many tools he would give to the annoying crow. Muta had his dignity (he knew deep down that rummaging in bins wasn't very dignified, but he had somehow convinced himself that it was better than begging and thus was dignified in that way).

The fat cat sighed and looked at the looming and brightly lit streets – compared to the Crossroads square – of the city central. The city it is then. He wasn't going to enjoy this. The city was big, and even for a big and tough cat like Muta, they weren't very safe. Dangerous strays, and quite a few aggressive dogs roamed both roads and back alleys, nothing like the gentile feel of Crossroads and its neighborhood. But he didn't have much choice. I swear, the first bin that I see has something edible in it, I take whatever it is and go back to the Crossroads. Damn birdbrain, it's his entire fault if I'm reduced to this. Of course, it really wasn't Toto's fault, but blaming the crow always seemed to help Muta somehow, and as he proceeded into the city, it helped him relax a little.

After nearly a full hour of search, Muta hadn't found anything and his stomach was growling quite loudly. So loud, in fact, that maybe humans would hear it. Muta snorted at that. Those cats that had "masters" – human caretakers – usually had to go and mewl loudly to get the human's attention, and then make a series of fancy shenanigans to actually make them understand that they were hungry. Stupid humans, why didn't they have sensitive hearing as cats did? Muta almost pitied them. At least they had enough adaptation skills to have survived this far without it, he could at least give them that. Not that cats were much better; Muta didn't particularly like his own kind either, although a few were acceptable, and Muta would have certainly put Baron in that category if he had been a cat.

Again, his stomach reminded him of its current plight, and Muta almost grumbled a reply. He caught himself just in time though. Damn, I must really be hungry to start thinking about arguing verbally with my stomach. Bet that would make Toto laugh! As if expecting the crow to be flying overhead, Muta raised his head. He almost wished he hadn't: the sky was dark with rain-heavy clouds. This keeps getting better and better.

Sure enough, minutes later a downpour hit the earth and Muta was forced to run. He was almost drowned (or so he thought) by the time he reached shelter in the form of the entrance hallway of a sort of building. Odd, didn't think anything would be open like that. Dripping slightly on the carpet, Muta took in the small reception desk in front of him, and the letters behind it spelling the name of the company the building belonged to. Apparently, it was an animation studio, judging by the ridiculously funny logo and name of said company.

Hopping on the desk (currently unoccupied, fortunately, he didn't need some kind of over-zealous guard to shove him out), Muta fumbled slightly with the papers, trying to find something he could dry himself with. No such luck. It was then that the most delicious smell reached his nose. Muta was by now so hungry that he didn't really think twice about following the smell. He didn't have far to go though. Right around the corner and sitting at the bottom of a flight of stairs was a man – in his fifties probably, although he had never been good at guessing human ages – eating out at some sandwiches with what appeared to be chicken and salad.

Muta looked at him curiously. He wished he could have some of that chicken, it looked really tasty. Did he smell teriyaki sauce? The man shifted slightly, and looking up locked eyes with Muta. The cat froze. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't supposed to be here, but that food was so tempting? He finally decided to leave, but before he could move the man spoke.

"Well, hello cat-san" he said. "By such a rainy night, one could appreciate some company, don't you think? What about some chicken to will away the time?"

Muta was at a loss. The man had all but given him some of his dinner and kept him out of the rain, all in a very polite manner, and all the while talking to a cat and very conscious of that fact. He either was nuts or extremely perceptive, or maybe an animal lover. Muta thought the last one was a good enough guess, and at another growl from his stomach inched his way carefully towards the old man. The man simply put down a yet untouched sandwich in a paper plate and went back to his own. The cat took a careful sniff at the food, and then started eating, taking small bites (but big for him) out of the man-sized meal. He had soon finished it though, and the old man chuckled slightly.

"Hungry were we, cat-san?" he chuckled once more. Muta sat down. That old man was much inquiring. He obviously had no connections whatsoever to the magical kingdoms of animals, yet he spoke to one as if an equal. Maybe he just had enough imagination to do so? Muta wanted to learn a bit more about the strange human. It wasn't everyday he met an interesting human, and it would help to make the time pass. So he walked to the nearby bag, hoping for some new hints. Nothing of the sort though. Just the usual. But again, his nose wasn't going to let him down.

There was a smell coming from a small package right near the bag, and Muta sniffed at it curiously, and from all the angles he could. The smell was most intriguing and quite tempting, sweet, and Muta itched to open the package right here and there, but he couldn't, not when the human was so close. Said human noticed him peering curiously at the package.

"Ah, I see my wife's Angel fruit cake has caught your attention, cat-san. Would you mind sharing it with me?" Muta looked at him expectantly. Angel fruit cake? What's that?

His mental question was soon answered as the man put down a piece of said cake on the plate he had been given earlier. Muta took a small bite out of it, carefulness still inhibiting his moves, but the rest of the cake was far faster to disappear. That was great!

"Good isn't it?" the old man smiled, his own part finished. "It is even better with whipped cream, but you can't pack that in a box."

You can say that again! Thought Muta, almost smiling but not quite.

Just then, a voice called from upstairs, asking the old man for some help about a "scene 18" from some movie they were apparently working on.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" The old man quickly packed his dinner, throwing away the paper plates in the bin. As he ascended the stairs, he smiled back at Muta. "It was a pleasure meeting you…Ushiko. I hope to see you again." And with that he disappeared.

Muta on his part was almost gasping with near-outrage. Ushiko? He thinks I'm a she? He fumed some more, before remembering the dinner and the cake. Especially the cake. As he left the building under the now clear sky, quite a lot calmer than before, Muta looked one last time at the building. Maybe I'll come back to this Studio Ghibli place.

Author's note

Well, here you have it. This particular ficlet has been trotting around in my mind for quite some time now. It just struck me how much Muta liked angel fruit cake in the movie, and when watching the making-of of "The Cat Returns", the guys from Studio Ghibli (I love their logo by the way) said that the model for Muta was actually a stray cat they had named "Ushiko" that wandered the place as if she owned it. She really is the split image of Muta, or rather Muta is her split image, so when putting two and two together you get this particular drabble. Lol, I loved doing that. This one-shot probably takes place before the movie, since it is supposed to explain why Muta likes Angel fruit cake. :D

Also, I was asked why I had started the other one at the end of the movie. Well, to clarify things, this fanfic is actually a number of random one-shots that have nothing to do with one another, or with my other fic on the Cat Returns. You can see connections if you want, but these actually are just random ideas answering random questions I ask myself while watching the movie. They take place at random (again!) during the timeline of the movie, and some even happen out of the timeline.

Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed, you guys help me keep writing! (waves happily to reviewers) And anyone who guesses who the old man is gets specially made angel fruit e-cakes by Muta! (Muta: with whipped cream! Don't forget the whipped cream!)

See ya soon,

Ellenlome