This is such a bad idea...
Umehito Nekozawa, barely thirteen, sat behind the wheel of his father's sleek, black corvette, wondering why in the hell that he had been put behind the wheel. Wait, there was no wondering to it. His father was completely wasted and incapable of driving them back to the manor. Despite the promise he'd made to his mother earlier at the Nekozawa family reunion, his father had gotten himself drunk and now needed to be chauffeured by his own son, who was barely a teenager. What luck. Now Umehito knew this was dangerous for two reasons, maybe even more. For one thing, he didn't even have his permit. And it was one in the morning, meaning the sky was pitch black and only street lights and the headlights would be able to guide him through the darkness. He also had a drunk man directing him back to the manor. What could go wrong?
Too many things, that's what.
"Father, this isn't such a good idea... maybe we should call someone to-"
"Ssh," Umehito's father slurred, holding a bottle of Pinot Noir in one hand and pressing the other one over his son's mouth. "We can't do that, Umehito-kun. Your mother would kill me and then... then-" he cut himself off my laughing almost uncontrollably. "I'd have to take her to the bedroom and calm her down a little. If ya know what I mean, Umehito-kun."
Umehito faked a cough and shook his head, pretending that he didn't hear his father's last comment. He knew exactly what his father meant, and that only managed to embarrass him. The teen sighed and started the engine, swallowing down his nervousness as he shifted into what he thought to be the right gear and gently pressed down on the accelerator. His hands trembled against the steering wheel as he glanced at his father for guidance and turned down an empty, narrow street at the man's request.
He probably has no idea where the hell we are... Umehito thought, but nevertheless continued taking the head of the Nekozawa family's instructions. The directions his father gave him took him down many back roads that Umehito wasn't familiar with at all. This was beginning to worry the boy. He did not want to have to spend the night in the car because his own father was much too drunk to guide him correctly to their manor. That would be completely unacceptable. Not to mention both him and his father would get lectured by the one who wears the pants in the family; his mother, Emi Nekozawa. A shiver crept down the boy's spine as he silently prayed that the adult with him knew what he was doing and wasn't just babbling.
"Alright, you're going to take another left up ahead. Got it, Umehito-kun?" his father muttered before taking a large, audible gulp of the red wine in his hand that was followed shortly by a giggle.
The blond boy nodded and took the left indicated... and the car suddenly lurched, as if it had hit something. Umehito gasped and immediately stopped the car, frantically clawing at his seat belt and throwing himself out the door. He stumbled slightly and hardly took the time to regain his balance while he searched for what he'd hit. He shuddered when his eyes landed on what he had run over. It was a solid black cat that probably was only a few months old at the most. Umehito bit his lip and quickly approached the small animal, gently reaching his hand out to touch it. The kitten's eyes flew open and it swung a paw at the teen, claws unsheathed. The Nekozawa boy jumped back, surprised that the cat was even alive. He hadn't been going particularly fast when he was driving, so maybe that had saved the cat. He didn't exactly know. All that he knew was that it was alive... and pissed off. Not that he blamed it. He supposed he'd be pissed too if some kid had run over him.
Umehito took a deep breath and held his hand out to the kitten, ignoring its furious growls and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. You just blend in so much with the darkness."
The black cat seemed unconvinced. It shrank back and hissed at him, lashing out once again. Umehito didn't jump back as he did before and received a rather nasty cut on the palm of his hand. He winced but continued to try and coax the kitten forward. "I promise I won't hurt you again. Come here please."
Still, the kitten didn't dare to move toward the boy. It seemed to relax a little, but it didn't make the animal want to come any closer. Umehito sighed and tried to smile, but he couldn't find the energy to. He glanced at his outstretched hand and frowned at the blood seeping from the scratch. The blond teenager sat down and pulled his hand back, wiping the blood on his shirt. He glanced back at the injured kitten and was surprised to see that it was limping toward him. Umehito leaned over and ever so gently picked the tiny ball of fur. It struggled slightly against him, then calmed down and looked at him with its alternately colored eyes.
"So, you warmed up to me a little, eh? I'm sorry again for hitting you. Will you forgive me?" Umehito breathed, running his fingers over the kitten's fur. The feline licked Umehito's scratch in response and purred.
The boy smiled and finally rose to his feet, firmly grasping the charcoal colored kitten in his arms. "You know, I think I'll name you Padfoot."
Umehito got back inside the car and set Padfoot in his lap, buckling his seat belt soon afterwards. He shifted the gear back into drive and looked at his father, who was making faces at himself in one of the rear view mirrors. The boy sighed and leaned back against his seat, feeling utterly exhausted. The kitten had curled up on his lap and was licking one of its paws. He reached down with his bleeding hand and scratched it behind the ears. It glanced up at him and ran its tongue over the blond's cut once more.
"Umehito-kun! Is the car driving itself?" his father suddenly piped up, no longer interested in laughing at his drunken appearance.
The Nekozawa boy smacked his forehead and let out a breath of frustration. "No, father. It's not. I stopped the car, obviously."
"Well," the man grumbled, moving his also blond hair out of his face. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"I hit a cat,"
"Is it dead?"
"No," Umehito said, somewhat slowly and bit down on his lip, "it's still alive. It's in the car with us now. Can...can I keep it?"
Kannon Nekozawa, who'd most definitely had too much to drink, blinked and lazily moved his gaze to the fur ball in his son's lap, as if he were actually going over the possibility in his mind. Umehito braced himself for his father's rejection. The blond man was never much for animals. Umehito had only had a pet a few times. And that was because he'd begged. While it was true the Nekozawa family worshiped cats, the family had never wanted to acquire one. Except for Umehito of course. He desperately wanted a pet to take care of, to share the days with. It was terribly lonely with his parents off working in Russia most of the time. Umehito wanted someone or something to be there to keep him company. He didn't have friends to turn to. No one wanted to hang out with the 'creepy' Umehito Nekozawa. So why couldn't he have a cat? What would be the harm in that?
There was no harm, and that's why Kannon nodded, chuckling and wiping a dribble of wine off of his chin. "Of course. Why not? You're going to have to take care of it though! No help from me! Got it, Umehito-kun?"
The boy nodded, his eyes wide with surprise. "Y-yes, sir. Thank you, father."
"Ah, don't mention it. Now c'mon, we gotta... gotta get home," his father mumbled and yawned, his eyes drooping a little. "You're gonna take the first right turn ya see, then you'll go straight until the manor comes into view. Simple enough?"
"Of course," Umehito said and began to drive once more, praying that he wouldn't hit anything else while he was behind the wheel.
"Hey, Umehito-kun," the head of the Nekozawa family said after some time.
Not daring to take his eyes off the road, the boy asked, "What is it?"
"What do you think your mother will say?"
Umehito laughed and shrugged, imagining just what his mother would do when she found out his father actually allowed him to keep Padfoot. He was sure it wouldn't be too pretty. Too bad he would have to remember it, unlike his father who would forget all about it by the time the sun rose. What a lucky man he was. And what an unlucky boy Umehito was. At least this drive got his a pet. And a friend.