Another Place, Another Time

Prologue

In another place, in another time, in another world altogether…a black cat paces on the moonlight-flooded windowsill, green eyes glancing over at the clock every so often. "Portals are opening left and right. What do you plan on doing?"

"For now…sleep."

"Ka-" The cat shakes his head; raising his voice at this time of night in such a crowded neighborhood isn't good. He could get a shoe or something thrown at him for caterwauling. "Please, we have to do something."

"I know…I know…but ya can't expect me to 'elp people I don't know are in danger yet, do ye?" Her cockney accent clashes with his dignified English accent.

"No, I suppose not…but tomorrow…"

"Tomorrow I'll 'ave a 'angover."

"You'll still work on it. Either you will or I will…"

"Good luck on that, then."

"But you can't possibly expect me to work on the visitors from the portals! I'm a cat!"

"True. You're a cat, a black one at that. You talk, although no one else can 'ear you but me. You 'ave memories of a life before this one. Before the one I knew you in even. You're more intelligent and clever than me, to boot. Nah, I think I can leave this to you."

"BUT I'M A CAT!"

"Maybe so…but…" Blue-green eyes close before finishing the sentence. The cat hisses a sharp,

"No fair, falling asleep on me!" He leaps over to her, and paws at her face, but she doesn't stir. His ears droop. "Ah, well…I suppose she did have a bit to drink. I can work on the portals tomorrow." Green eyes move to the window, staring at the moon. "I just hope…I hope the next one isn't from Shangrila."

And a voice in his head pesters him as he settles down next to her. 'Why not? Are you that afraid to face your past? Are you afraid of retribution? Of the punishment you so deserve?' it hisses.

"No…" He says softly in response. "I've already faced my punishment. I'm a cat, one said to be unlucky…no one can understand me…isn't this enough?"

'Is it?' the voice asks, 'Is becoming a cat truly enough to redeem a man of slaughtering an entire demon clan? Of causing the woman he loved to kill herself? Of killing his own village?'

"Shut up…I'm over that. I'm not that man anymore."

'You keep saying that, but do you believe it?' The voice taunted, 'Are you saying you've forgotten everything? Forgotten the love which drove you to such depths? Forgotten the misguided half-breed who saved when he could have simply left you to die?'

"Shut up. He wasn't misguided, he was kind."

'Was…you speak of the past so fondly, yet when confronted with it, you deny it ever happened.'

"No, stop messing with my head." He shakes his head, hoping to rid himself of the voice.

'It's as though you regret the finest points of your life,' the voice continues, 'or what once was your life. Do you truly hate what happened to you? Do you hate that life so much that you will continue running from it even now, two lives later?'

"No…no…you don't understand," he almost sobs, jumping over to the windowsill, hitting his head against the glass of the window.

'You say you've gotten over it, but you're still running from it.'

"No, I'm not!"

'No matter what you say, you're still the same scared human, even with your soul in the frail body of this little cat. You're running, you hypocrite…you're scared of your past. Admit it, you haven't changed one bit…' the voice laughs, as it finally fades. The cat sadly stares up at the stars, a sad expression on his feline face.

"No…you're wrong…I'm not that Cho Gonou anymore."

A/N: Shocked ya there, huh? Gonou's a cat now? Yeah…I've had the idea of a british Gonou and Kanan, with Gonou being a cat and Kanan having a cockney accent, for a while. It's so much fun. Poor Gonou, I am tormenting him. pets him

Gonou: purs