It was a cold night; extremely so, which was strange, since winter was barely even settling in. Hikaru never liked the cold. He also hated rain and snow…which was why he didn't enjoy the fact winter was just around the corner. He, being the drama queen he is, bundled up in over-thick winter coats and hats, grumbling all the time about the cold. His brother said it was cute, but Haruhi bluntly said it was weird.

Well. Who cares what she thought?

…

Okay, maybe he did, but Haruhi was picky about everything. He could never please her. Hikaru trudged through the silent streets, still annoyed that Kaoru left before him, leaving him to walk home alone. It never happened, but ever since Kaoru got a part-time job, he's been ditching his twin a lot more often. Who needs him anyway?

Hikaru breathed on his cold hands then rubbed them together, looking up sharply when he heard a noise. His eyes landed on a girl standing on her tip-toes, struggling to post up a poster of some sort. When he walked closer, he realized it was a sign that said 'LOST CAT' and had a picture of a grey striped cat on it.

He looked and saw the girl. She seemed a bit younger than him, maybe around 14 or so. She had long bright golden hair, her skin so pale and her eyes so green, he knew instantly she was a foreigner. She wore a sweater and pajama bottoms, and had slip-on shoes, her hair pulled back in a braid, and she was trembling. She was obviously having issues, standing on her toes and balancing a stack of posters and tape with one arm while trying to put it up on the pole.

Hikaru had half a mind to help, but he decided it wasn't worth it and walked past her only to be stopped by a loud 'whump.' He turned, grimacing when he realized she had fallen. She was sprawled on her back, her posters and such scattered about. She laid there for a minute then began to cry.

He groaned. Now he couldn't just walk away.

"You okay?" he grumbled, one hand stuffed in his pocket, the other stretched out to offer help. The small girl sat up and sniffed. Her eyes were watery and her nose running—oddly, it was cute. Like a little girl crying.

She took his hand and he hoisted her up. He picked up her things, feeling her gaze on his, then handed them to her. She took them, silently staring at him. He cleared his throat and she jumped.

"Sorry," she apologized. She sounded Japanese, yet she looked nothing of one. "I—I lost my cat. His names Alex. Ah, have you seen him?" she held up one of the posters she held and Hikaru shook his head.

"Sorry."

Her expression dropped.

"You love that thing that much?" Hikaru said without thinking, tone a bit bitchy. She looked both angry and offended.

"I do," she retorted, rubbing her runny nose, eyes by then dry. "I love him. I've had him since he was kitten. Anyway, thanks for the help, but I'll be fine."

Hikaru blinked as she turned and stomped off, only to run into the pole she just put the poster on. He stifled laughter as she stumbled back stunned, then straightened and hastily adjusted he wobbly pile of things.

"It's a cat," Hikaru said. She turned to him and smiled a smile so kind and happy; he nearly stepped back from surprise. He wasn't expecting her to smile…not like that.

"I know," she said breezily. "He's my cat."

Hikaru almost let her go. Almost.

"Ah…I have nothing better to do," he said. She stopped. "I…I guess I can help you put posters up…"

She turned to him wearily, then smiled slowly, unsurely.

"Thanks."

So that's how Hikaru ended up carrying a pile of posters on a cold night at 9:35, when he should be home with his brother watching TV and eating junk food. But somehow, the small foreign girl's babble of conversation eased him, and putting up posters on random walls wasn't so bad. Even if it was cold.

"When did he go missing?" Hikaru eventually asked. The girl stopped talking and smiled at him sadly.

"Ah, today. He never leaves the house, but we couldn't find him anywhere. I looked all over for him, but I couldn't find him…so I made these posters."

"Why so late?" Hikaru inquired, still perplexed she was doing this at such at hour.

"It took a bit making them," she mumbled shyly, fiddling with the roll of tape. "I ran out here as soon as I was done."

"hence the pajamas," Hikaru said and she went bright red.

"Sh-Shut up," she mumbled. Ah, even her ears were red. "I didn't have time to put pants on. I decided what the heck? Just put 'em up."

"So here we are," Hikaru sighed.

"So here we are," she said softly. They finished putting up their posters, and once the pile was gone, the girl walked back to where she was before, a corner of wall where the telephone pole was, the poster still on it, but it seemed to be peeling already.

"Thanks for helping, sir," she said with a bright smile that made Hikaru's heart flutter—damn, why did it do that? "I hope someone finds Alex."

"I hope so too."

She continued to smile at him. He jumped when she reached out and grabbed his hand, rubbing her own against his. Her hands were oddly warm—hot, almost, and it felt good against his numb hands.

"Well," she finally said and dropped them. "I better be going. Good night."

He watched her go with a blink, hand still tingling, and said "Good night", but she was already gone. It took him a moment to realize something.

"Damn! I don't even know her name."

He growled at himself; bah, what an idiot. You find a mysteriously pretty little girl with a lost cat, a girl—the only girl—who's made his heart flutter like that, and you don't even get her name. He kicked rocks and himself (mentally of course) the walk home, still brooding over Karou and the girl and the damn cat and the cold and—

"Meow."

"Ah?"

He turned, startled. He had been stomping up his driveway when the small meow reached his ears and, upon turning, he spotted a grey striped cat nestled in the bushes trailing up the driveway, wide golden eyes staring at him nervously.

It was her cat.

"Alex," he said, and the cat's ears twitched. He grinned. "Come here, boy. I'm gonna take you home."

AFTERWORDS
author's thoughts

Just a cute little oneshot that popped into my head after my friend told me about how she was running through her neighborhood putting up posters at 6 am in the morning when her cat went missing....when she was 9. XD

I dunno. I was like, "MEH, Hikaru needs a love interest....BAH!" and this came out. WRITTEN FOR FUN, WRITTEN OUT OF BOREDOM, NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

Haha, you never find out her name. XD