Nyanko Ru-chan
The alarm clock blared loudly at exactly half-past six. Rukawa swapped a dainty white paw at the nuisance, knocking the offending object onto the ground. His black ears twitched in annoyance when the clock continued ringing despite its fall. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he glanced around to see where his human was. All that was on the soft comfy bed he was lying on were fluffy pillows and a blanket. Sitting up, he looked around the room. Hearing the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, he jumped off the bed and padded over.
Scratching the door, he meowed loudly, demanding to be let in. The door swung opened without warning, nearly causing him to lose his balance.
"Ru-chan, what are doing up so early?"
Rukawa hissed at his human. It was all your fault that I got woken up from my nice fishy dream by the stupid alarm clock. If you were going to be up before the alarm rang, then do not set it. Do'aho.
His human picked him up and dropped a kiss on his little nose. Don't touch me! I am mad at you. "Did you get woken up by the alarm? You didn't get a fright did you? I am sorry, I forgot to turn it off when I woke up."
Narrowing his blue eyes at his human, Rukawa refuted. I don't get scared so easily. And stop kissing me, I am still mad at you. He struggled to get out of his human's arms.
"Are you angry at me, Ru-chan?" Yes! "I will make it up to you! How about tuna sashimi for breakfast?"
Black ears perked up and Rukawa stopped his struggles. Tuna sashimi? He pondered whether to forgive his human. Do not think I can be bribed so easily! Rukawa hissed and renewed his fight to get out of the vines that were his human's arms.
"Ok, how about tuna sashimi AND yellowtail sashimi?"
Tuna and yellowtail sashimi? Rukawa stilled. Well, ok I forgive you this time. But don't think you are getting off so easily the next time. Rukawa warned his human with a meow.
"Thank you Ru-chan." Rukawa sighed as his human cuddled him and dropped yet another kiss on his furry black head.
XX
Rukawa lay on the sofa, watching a video of an NBA match as he waited for his human to be ready. He meowed in frustration when one of the players missed what was clearly a easy shot. If he had opposable thumbs, he would be the best basketball player in Japan. No, in the world.
A loud ringing sound caused his ears to twitch in annoyance yet again. His human really had one too many irritating devices. Fortunately before Rukawa moved his butt to make his way to the telephone to push it off the table, the ringing stopped.
Only to be taken over by a familiar sounding voice. "Sendoh, I know you are there so pick the phone up!"
Ah, it's that short-tempered loud guy.
"Sendoh? Sendoh?" Some incomprehensible grumbling and then, "Anyway, Taoka Sensei wanted me to inform you that the practice match with Kainan has been moved to 3 p.m. tomorrow. Remember it is 3 and not 4. Do not be late! Give me a call when you receive this message. Sendoh, do you hear me? You are our captain for god's sake so-" the answering machine beeped and cut off the rest.
Rukawa meowed in bliss when silence took over and resumed watching his video.
"Ru-chan, I am ready," his human announced, picking him up and switching off the DVD player and television.
I was watching that.
"You can continue later ok? Now we must go fill that cute little belly of yours with sashimi."
Well, on the other hand. Food is more important than a video.
XX
Rukawa sat on a cushion as his human fed him strips of tuna and yellowtail sashimi. He was in paradise. This restaurant served the best sashimi ever. He chewed on a piece of yellowtail, savoring the taste of his favourite fish. Finishing the slice of fish, he meowed and his human obediently fed him another piece. This time it was a slice of tuna. Also his favourite fish.
"Here, Ru-chan. Have some water too." A plate of water was placed in front of him.
No, I want more fish. He pushed the plate away with his paw and meowed for another piece of yellowtail.
His human dutifully held out another piece of fish and Rukawa happily chomped it down.
A knock and the sound of the door sliding open caused Rukawa to pause in the midst of his chewing to look up at the interference.
"Sendoh-sama, is everything to your satisfaction?"
I know this person. She is always coming to the room to disturb me whenever I am eating.
"Yes, thank you Saiko-san."
"Is Ru-chan enjoying his meal?"
Rukawa narrowed his eyes. He did not like her calling him Ru-chan. Only his human got to call him that.
His human laughed. "Yes, I am afraid that I bring him here so often that his palate is getting too refined. He now only eats high-grade sashimi. Last week, I gave him a slice of tuna from my convenience store bento and he spit it out."
"A picky little eater isn't he?" A laugh. "Though I am surprised that Sendoh-sama buys your meals from convenience stores. Does your family's personal chef's cooking not suit you?"
I am not a picky eater!
"Oh, I am not staying with my parents. I live on my own."
"I didn't know that." A pause. "Do you live near-"
Rukawa meowed, demanding his human's attention.
"Ru-chan, want another piece of fish?" Meowing, Rukawa got up from his cushion and hopped onto his human's lap, rubbing his head against his human's shirt. A wide smile split his human's face, and a hand rubbed lovingly down his back as his human gazed adoringly at him. "Do you want milk? How about another order of fish?"
Yes to both please.
"Saiko-san, please bring another plate of yellowtail and tuna sashimi and a saucer of milk."
"As you wish, Sendoh-sama."
"Could you warm the milk up too? Not too hot though, Ru-chan's tongue is really sensitive. Lukewarm would be best. Chisato-san knows the temperature that Ru-chan likes his milk at."
Rukawa watched the woman gave a small bow in acknowledgement to his human before leaving the room. His human did not notice it because he was too busy doting and feeding him, but Rukawa's sharp blue eyes saw the look of loathing the woman shot towards him before she left the room.
Don't mess with a cat's property. My human. Rukawa's tail flicked with triumph as he ate another piece of fish from his human's fingers.
XX
Belly full of fish, Rukawa lied contently in his human's arms as they walked down the street. After the one incident when he was nearly run over by a bicycle, his human always carried him whenever they are in an area full of people.
"Want to go to the park Ru-chan?" Without waiting for a reply, his human made his way towards the nearby park. Rukawa snorted elegantly. He knew why his human suggested going to the park. Peeking up at his human, Rukawa observed him looking around eagerly as they approached their destination.
He spotted the reason for them coming to the park at the same time his human did. As evident by the sudden inhale of air and the subsequent deep breaths his human was sucking in. Silly human.
Rukawa sat up in the arms carrying him and made a leap towards the ground. "Ru-chan!" He heard his name called in surprise and his human running after him as he ran away from his human. He headed straight towards his target and jumped right into his target's arms. Gentle hands stroked his back and Rukawa purred in delight.
"Ru-chan!" Rukawa turned his little black head and looked at his human, who had caught up to him.
"He's yours?"
"Erm…yes." Rukawa rolled his eyes at his human's eloquent answer.
"He is really beautiful." Thank you, you are really beautiful too.
"Erm…yes he is." His human sounded like an idiot. Say something else. Rukawa meowed to his human in frustration.
Time ticked slowly by. His human remained stupidly silent. Rukawa tried glaring at his human, but the hands tenderly petting him was making him purr in contentment instead. This beautiful human had really good hands.
His human cleared his throat. "I found him in a box near my apartment. He was so small at that time. Not even half the size of my palm."
"He was abandoned?"
"I guess so. I think there were other kittens with him at first. They probably got taken away by other people or wonder off by themselves. Ru-chan was the only one in the box when I found him." Rukawa noticed his human gazing lovingly at him.
"Is Ru-chan short for something or is that his actual name?"
His human laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
Don't do that! The beautiful one will think you have fleas. Rukawa looked up at the person holding him. My human do not have fleas. He took a shower this morning. He is clean.
"It is short for something."
A long silence followed.
"Here, you probably want him back."
Look what you have done. You made the beautiful one think that you don't like them. Rukawa meowed in frustration as he was handed over back to his human and the beautiful one turned to leave. His blue eyes took in the crestfallen look on his human's face.
Wait! Rukawa jumped out of his human's arms again and run towards the beautiful one. Don't go!
"Ru-chan, what's wrong?"
Rukawa ignored his human's question and rubbed himself onto the leg of the beautiful one, meowing to be pick up. The beautiful one obliged.
"He seems to like you a lot."
The beautiful one smiled at him and a dumbstruck look appeared on his human's face.
"Rukawa. His name is Rukawa." His human suddenly blurted out.
Surprised foxy-looking blue eyes turned to stare at his human's face.
"He reminded me of you. With the black fur and the blue eyes. So cute and beautiful. I named him after you."
O~~kay~~ now you are over-sharing! You are going to freak the beautiful one out!
Silence followed once again.
Look what you have done! Rukawa looked up at the beautiful one to apologise. My human is not usually this stupid. He blinked his little blue catty eyes. Was that a blush on the beautiful one's face. It is! It is! Rukawa meowed with joy.
It seemed that his human was not so stupid after all. Purring in delight, Rukawa burrowed into the arms of the beautiful one, as he witnessed the blooming of a new relationship between his human, Sendoh Akira and his namesake, Rukawa Kaede.
The End
Happy Birthday to our darling Rukawa and a Happy New Year to all the SenRu fans!