Disclaimer: The author of this work of fanfiction does not own any of the characters, settings or intellects of the animated movie Cat Returns, or the Sushi Cat minigame series. All rights belong to Studio Ghibli and Armor Games respectively.
The shadow appeared and vanished in a dash. One moment the pink ball of fluff was there, the next it was gone. Sushi-Neko stood all alone on the cold and lonely plains, meowing back his bitter tears.
Chiming bells under the afternoon sunlight accompanied a flood of students streaming from the gates of the local highschool.
Hundreds of teens split down the roads of West Tokyo and disappeared behind the buildings' shadows. Among them were two girls with short brown hair, although one had a dark mop and the other a coffee-coloured round cut. They nattered and smiled, waving around their lacrosse sticks and pointing to a ginger cat sitting outside the flower shop.
"Haru, you really have started liking cats since you saved that stupid one from the truck, haven't you?" The coffee-haired girl asked, looking at the meowing cat.
"Really, Hiromi? I guess I have," Haru absent mindedly replied as they approached the busy intersection.
"And seriously! I can't believe you don't like Machida anymore! You give up so fast," Hiromi chattered.
Haru wasn't listening. A fat white cat had just crossed the road with a lettered plastic bag between its teeth. Looking closer, Haru realized in astonishment that the bag wrapped a box of sushi.
Muta, you gluttonous thief!
"Haru? Hello? Why do you always daydream when I'm talking to you?" Hiromi demanded.
Haru snapped out of her daze. "Hiromi, I have to go. Catch up with you later!"
"Hey, wait!"
She was gone behind the apartment buildings. Dodging branches and clothes lines, Haru ran across the shingles after Muta as she did once before in agony. But since she had become proficient at climbing like a cat, chasing cats and talking to cats.
Muta turned a blind eye on her, hissed and ran in an attempt to lose her. Unfortunately, he was far too portly to outrun her and Haru caught up with the acquainted fat cat right as he reached a stone raven encircled by an array of tiny buildings.
"Muta!" Haru grabbed the cat by the scruff of his neck, "Are you stealing sushi?"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Let go of me! What do I look like, a cat burglar?" Muta pushed away from Haru.
"Muta, don't be greedy, take back the sushi wherever you found it."
"It's not for me!" Muta yelled, making frustrated paw gestures in the air, "Baron! Give me some justice!"
The white-suited figurine stood rigid inside the window of the mysterious little building.
"I guess I came a bit early," Haru said, pulling down the doorknob, gently opening the green door and crawling in uncomfortably. Inside was dark and lonely, the ink was dry on the table and the angel food cake had been eaten. The last few wisps of light waned behind the rooves when Haru was startled by a purr coming from inside the room. She peered behind the door to see a mountain of fur; the hugest cat she had ever seen in her life.
"And I thought Muta was fat!" Haru whispered to herself, "Hello kitty. What's your name?"
The cat didn't move, hiding in the dark.
"Leave him alone, girl!" Muta barked from outside, ripping a bundle of letters and newspapers from the mailbox, "He's been sulking in the same spot all afternoon, like that bird brain!"
"Who are you calling bird-brain?"
"Huh?"
Muta had no time to read his newspaper, because the next instant he had raven claws swooping at his face.
"Toto, you burnt chicken!" Muta was chased from the concrete circle.
As Haru stared confusedly at the mountain of a shy cat in the corner, there came the tapping of a stick behind her. She turned and exclaimed, "Baron! It's so nice to see you again!"
"Indeed it is good to meet again a woman I admire."
The figurine descended from the windowsill and hung his hat and coat on the hanger. Then, he calmly lit the flowery chandelier, illumining the tiny room with warm light. "What brings you here today, Miss Haru?"
"Oh, Muta. He was stealing sushi."
"Stealing sushi?" Muta screamed, bursting into the room and slamming the door behind him. He huffed and puffed, "No! Baron, justice! It's not for me! It's for him!"
Muta pointed at the gigantic cat sulking in the corner.
"That is Sushi Cat. He is from downtown Neko town," Baron introduced, "He came here yesterday very sad, so I invited him to stay for the night. Today he said he was hungry."
"Yeah, sure!" Muta complained, "Then I ask him, 'whattaya want to eat?' and he says, 'sushi!'. Nearly cracked my back getting it for him and now I'm blamed for burglary!"
Muta dumped the box of sushi on the table and flung it open. Most of it was squashed from the distance it had been lugged by a fat cat.
"The important thing is, Sushi Cat here says his wife has been kidnapped," Baron continued. Sushi Cat whimpered from the corner.
"Kidnapped? By whom?" said Haru.
"How are we supposed to know when he won't tell us no more?" Muta answered.
"I have written to the Cat Kingdom, asking of a favor," Baron said, "The Cat Kingdom has connections around the country. It is likely that they have seen something. Their reply should be arriving soon. Muta, have you checked the mail?"
"Yeah, you'd be glad I have, with that bird around!" Muta pushed the sushi aside, laying the letters on the table, before planting his backside onto a couch. Baron shuffled through the letters. The bottom one, written with ink on an envelope the colour of dried grass, read:
To Baron Humbert Von Gikkingon,
The Little Antique Shop,
West Tokyo.
The return address stated: Palace Post, Cat Kingdom.
Baron opened the envelope and out came a neatly-written letter.
"That's it?" Muta asked, gawking from the couch he sat in, "Let's hear it."
"Dear Baron Humbert Von Gikkingon,
Since it is you and none other who has requested a favor, order has been sent to important cat agents stationed throughout the country, be they house agents or alley agents, to search for the small pink molly which you described in your letter.
Word has come. Around the time of the disappearance, a sighting was reported in a bacon restaurant in Neko town. Another number of sightings occurred near Tokyo, but none were of great significance.
The most recent sighting was only reported this morning. A civilian had seen a pink molly with an unidentified large, brown animal near Mt. Nekobayashi on the outskirts of the Cat Kingdom.
There have been no further sightings up to this point. Should there be any news on this matter, we will write to you at once.
Sincerely,
Yuki, Queen of the Cat Kingdom."
Baron finished reading and the room fell into a brief silence.
"So, we're going back to that hell of a place where I nearly got killed to look for his wife?" Muta broke the ice, "Screw it, I'm not going!"
Sushi Cat quietly lumped his way before Muta and whimpered pitifully.
"No! Stop that! You're not making me change my mind!" Muta grouched at him.
Sushi Cat meowed the most adorable meow in all the history of cattiness.
"Nah, nah, I'm not going to change my mind!"
Sushi Cat purred the most cutest purr in all the past of feline existence.
"Ah! Alright! Always pushing me and pushing me into things I don't want to do!" Muta got up from his chair and opened the cupboard, fishing out the last piece of cake, "So what do we have to do?" He shoved the cake into his mouth.
"The first would be to find Sushi Cat's wife as soon as possible," said Baron, "To go to the Cat Kingdom. But recently, I have heard word that there has been a war there."
"A war?" Haru said, "But last time we were there, they were just fine."
"Yeah, and now they're fighting a clan of wild cats called the Rogues," Muta butt in, his cheeks scarred with cake frosting, "Really big, big wild cats."
His speech was broken by a sudden, hurried knocking at the door. Haru bent and opened it. Then her eyebrows scrunched in irritation. "It's you again! You annoying little thing!"
"Oh, Miss Haru! Miss Haru, what a surprise to see you here. I was just sent to inform Baron Humbert Von Gikkingon."
Natoru stepped inside, into their unwelcoming gazes. He continued, "Because of your visible excellency in swordsmanship, King Lune has sent me to ask for your help in our current war. As you know, the Rogues have blade weapons. We need someone who knows swords well enough to lead our tacticians."
"We don't care about your war!" Muta said to Natoru, "Get out, we're talking about important business."
"Helping the Cat Kingdom through their turmoil while finding Sushi Cat's wife is a good idea," Baron said to Natoru, who smiled and cupped his little paws.
"So, did you bring your cat transportation like last time?" Haru asked.
"Sorry, Miss Haru, they're all fighting for our kingdom."
"Not a problem!" Toto burst in through the window, "My time to shine!"
Baron jumped onto the big raven, followed by Muta, who grabbed his claws, followed by Natoru, whom Baron helped up. Then, just as Toto was about to take off from the doorway, Sushi Cat screamed "Meow!" and sprang upon his back.
"SQUAWK!" Toto screeched as he was crushed under the mountain of fur twice his size. Muta bellowed and Natoru bawled. Sushi Cat sat upon a squashed Toto, oblivious to why the raven had not been able to carry him.
"Toto!" Haru emerged from the house and stared at her raven friend who was out cold on the dark concrete.
"Get off!" Muta yelled at Sushi Cat, "Off! You killed him!"
Sushi Cat yelped and meekly scurried, but it was too late. Toto lay in a pulp, eyes crossed, tongue hanging. He wasn't dead, but it didn't look as if he would be able to fly again anytime soon.
"Oh, no!" Natoru whimpered, "We'll never make it in time to the portals!"
Haru stood and looked down at her dismayed friends. Even Baron had fallen silent for a moment. Then, she smiled slightly; a charismatic, confident smile. "Don't give up too soon."