Yoh, slammin' pipz! *smile* Now I understand why some of my friends absolutely, indisputably and undeniably FORBID me to read their works unless they're ready to show them to me. *LOL* Firsts are embarrassing aren't they? *shiver* But I did my best and this is what the hatched egg looks like. *stare at the egg shells* It's well... satisfactory. (?)*giggle* Anyways, I did my best so… *bow* Enjoy and please, if you wanna, review. Rock on!
toucHeart
The Cat Has Nine Lives
First Life: The Cat is Born
The Preschool room was specifically bright and cheerful with all those colored drawings that were pasted on the walls. The room smelled of clay, colored pastels and baby powder. The soft-colored curtains danced lazily with the breeze that blew through that room of children's voices that rose and fell like the pitches and tones of a cheery sonata.
Then the teacher of the day class entered the room and with the same cheerful voice of the day announced, "Everyone, it's free time. Go and have fun at the playground until art class, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the children answered in unison and filed out of the room in a tide of giggles, chatters and screams of joy. Everyone- except for one little girl whose hair was tied up in a ponytail and bent down on the table, a pink pastel in hand. Her eyes were blue and serious as she concentrated on the paper in front of her. Different colored pastels were scattered on her desk.
"Akira-chan?" the teacher called out. "Aren't you going out and play?"
"No, Ma'am." The little girl called Akira replied without looking up from her work. She was starting to color her paper furiously, her fine brows furrowed in focus.
"Are you sure?" her teacher was worried. She didn't reply. She can't afford to be distracted at the time. Sheesh. "Just in case, I'll send the assistant here later, okay?" was the last thing Akira heard before the closing of the door. Her teacher probably followed all her classmates outside playing to look after them. She didn't have time to play. She gotta work.
Just a bit more.
A dash of red at the whiskers.
Oh, I gotta add a bit more of blue to the paws.
Oh, no! I messed up.
Okay, I fixed it.
Almost done…
This is it!
"I've done it!" Akira raised her work up high with both her hands and looked at it with shining eyes. "Yeeeeeeees! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! H-ha?"
He was probably standing by that door for a long time or not. What's true is that she didn't notice him until now. He had golden hair that was neatly messed up in a way and he wore glasses. He looked good in them. Who is this guy?
For a long time, they just stared at each other. The boy by the door didn't advance further into the room and she was in too good a mood to stand up from the desk and approach him. That reminds me!
She flashed a smile at him and said, "Hey, you! Wanna see my drawing?"
The boy didn't budge. He maintained his expressionless face and continued to stare at her.
She pouted, "It's rude to stare, you know."
Following that remark, the boy immediately diverted his attention to the green board with chalked scribbles at her left.
Eh? Why'd he look away? Oh yeah. I complained.
"Hey, you. The board really isn't that interesting to look at, you know. It's just, well... green."
The boy, nevertheless, stared at the wall.
"I suggest you look at the oak tree out the window more so to the left. It's a refreshing sight."
The boys gaze snapped back at her. His eyes were wide. Her nose was wide.
"W-what's so surprising?" That was shocking.
The boy's eyes, which were widened a fraction, slowly came back to normal range. He shook his head slowly.
"You know, my legs quickly go numb when I stand for a long time. Sit here. We can draw together." She patted the vacant spot beside her. It's like training a puppy to lie down. She smiled.
The boy was hesitant.
"Come on. I don't bite."
No reaction. She cocked her head.
"Fine. You can sit there across the table if sitting beside me doesn't appeal much to you okay? Just don't stan-"
Before she knew it, the boy was sitting beside her, relaxed, comfortable. That was fast. He rushed over to sit beside me? Somehow, the thought of someone disliking the thought of not being near her was pleasing.
He was sitting comfortably. Relaxed. The boy was now staring at the pastels.
"You want to draw?"
He nodded.
She sighed. "You know, things would be a lot easier if you can talk."
"I do."
Freeze. No way.
"Hey! Are you listening? I said I wanna draw. Would that be alright?"
Akira stared unbelievingly at the talking creature in front of her. And now that she saw the boy her age that close, she was stunned. He really had great eyes beneath those glasses. They were eyes that were sharp as if they can see right through anything and can do anything. He was a beautiful creature- more lovely than the picture she drew. Wow.
"Hey!" That jolted her out of her reverie.
"O-oh! Y-yeah, that's right." she cleared her throat, put on her smile again and showed her visitor the drawing. "Tadaa. Ain't it gorgeous?"
Silence.
"What is it? A pig?"
"How rude! It's a cat! C-a-t!" Where's that gentle, quiet guy I was talking to earlier?
"Hmmn…"
"What kind of reaction is that?"
"A 'no'."
Akira looked at the boy in front of her. Yeah, it would be better if you didn't talk.
"PROOF?"
"The snout, the legs, the ears and the tail." The boy said consistently pointing at the parts of her 'cat'.
"It's a cat." She insisted.
"A pig." He was determined.
"I-it can't be…" Grrr. This guy's convincing. She inspected the drawing thoroughly. There has to be something to pro- Here it is…
She smiled widely like a dog that just targeted its prey. Juicy meat."You sure?"
The boy's glasses shone. "Positive."
"You're name, my man?"
"Tezuka. Tezuka Kunimitsu. And I'm not your man."
"I'm Akira. Nomina Akira." She introduced herself. "Well then, Kun-kun." She heard the boy's grunt of disgust but continued, "I'm going to share to you my motto in life. The second one though."
"You're weird. And really patient, aren't you?" Is it me or does Kun-kun sound impressed? "But you can still use a bit more of what you call artistic sense." Yeah, it's me thinking too much.
"My motto? 'Don't let your guard down', Kun-kun. No pig has a straight tail. THIS, my man, is a cat." She roared out loud like a lion finally devouring its prey.
She was still laughing out loud when she noticed that Kun-kun fell silent. Too quiet. She looked and caught him looking at her with those eyes of his. And for the first time since they met, slowly, she saw him smile. And she wanted him to smile forever. It was immaculate, really, seeing him smile like that. He almost looked like there was a burden lifted off from his shoulders. It was angelic, grateful and… beautiful. Ooohlala…
Seeing him smile like that, she couldn't help but do the same.
"Really patient." She heard him mumble.
"The cat has nine lives." She remarked and when he handed her back the drawing, she saw that he was holding another piece of paper with his other hand. He was holding on to it, all this time? "What's that?"
"A drawing of a dragon."
"I let you see my drawing. Your turn."
He showed her.
She enthusiastically and excitedly leaned over to see better. She looked, looked even more and gaped with her mouth wide open and her eyes a dot.
"A lizard." She managed to speak her mind before the bell rang to signal the start of art class. Looks like both of them are going to need it.
Hope you enjoyed it. :3