~A Certain Stuffed Cat; The Tale of Misaki Shiki~

Shiki stood in front of her closet, trying to determine which clothing items in its vast collection she wanted to wear today. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, choosing a simple blouse and shorts that would be comfortable to work in. Noticing the time, she quickly changed, grabbed Mr. Mew and ran into the kitchen. Her parents were still sleeping, so she didn't have to worry about their overprotectiveness halting her plans for the day. She took some snacks out of the cupboard for later, putting them into her handbag. Lastly, she pulled on her hat, adorned with a Player pin (she, along with Neku, Beat, and Rhyme always wore theirs for many reasons, none of which could be pointed out as the sole cause), and walked out.

Shiki locked the door behind herself, then took off at a brisk walk towards Eri's house, aware that she would be late if she didn't hurry up. She glanced around, noticing the fog settled around, and was suddenly quite glad she had brought a jacket. She was still slightly mad at Eri for making her get up at seven in the morning during the summer, but now that she was up, she was excited to work on their most recent project.

Eri had been incredibly to see Shiki, having been distressed since the time she discovered Shiki had been missing. She felt extremely guilty for the things she had said, and she hoped that Shiki hadn't run away because of them. Shiki had assured her that it wasn't her fault, but refused to explain where she had been. Eri was surprised to see Shiki's determination to get better at her sewing, and had wholeheartedly tried to help her.

It was two weeks after Shiki returned that Eri suggested they create their own clothing label. Shiki had been nervous, not sure if they could really do it, but they had both agreed that they would create a line of clothes to show off, and hopefully they could get some money from competitions and would be able to actually launch their brand. They had both been working tirelessly towards that goal, getting up early and working day after day designing and sewing clothes. They had even called in Neku and Rhyme to model their clothes for them sometimes. Rhyme had been happy to help, and Beat was happy to be there just for support, but Neku only agreed to do it if Shiki promised to never make him strip in public again. That comment had certainly caused Eri to stare questioningly, not to mention Beat and Rhyme, who hadn't been around for that particular incident. Shiki had just blushed and quickly promised him so she could change the subject. Eri questioned her about it later, but she had refused to explain that one either.

When Shiki arrived at Eri's house, she paused to catch her breath, then knocked quietly on the door. Eri answered it in less than three seconds to a scene of complete chaos. She grinned widely.

"You're finally here! Come in!" Shiki stared at the mess in the living room as she stepped inside.

"What did you do in here?" She asked, disbelieving.

"I was trying to find just the right fabric for a design I made. I wanted to make sure I had it here so we could start right away."

"So where's the design?" Eri beamed, reaching over to grab the paper from a desk nearby.

"Ta-da!" She presented the paper to Shiki. Shiki took it, staring in awe.

"It's… it's… beautiful!" On the paper, Eri had drawn a long, green, one-sleeved dress with multiple layers and a beautiful pattern on the bottom edge. It took Shiki a moment to realize the "model" in the picture was holding a Mr. Mew adorned in a green tunic. It took her a few more to notice the small Player Pin holding the one strap on the right shoulder, the extra streams of fabric falling from the shoulder making the pin stand out. "Wait… that's…"

"It's for you, Shiki. I want you to wear it for our debut." Shiki looked up from the drawing and stared at Eri.

"But… but I couldn't possibly wear this!" Shiki stammered. It's far too beautiful for my figure. She thought.

"No buts!" Eri said adamantly. "You'll look beautiful in it. I want you to see that." Shiki stared helplessly. "Now take some measurements and get sewing!" Eri said sternly. Shiki stood there a moment longer, then moved into the disaster of a living room to locate the green fabric Eri had spent so much time looking for. There was no point in arguing over it. Shiki was much more confident with herself since the game, but she wasn't so bold as to wear something that amazing. Eri wouldn't have it though.

Once she found the fabric, she sat down at the machine and started sewing. Eri drew more designs as she worked, keeping an eye out to make sure Shiki didn't try to weasel out of it by making the dress the wrong size.

Later on, Eri supervised the proper pattern for the bottom of the dress. As soon as that was done, the only thing left was to make the final adjustments. Which meant actually wearing the dress. Shiki looked at her phone as Eri pushed her into the bathroom to change.

"Oh no!"

"What is it?" Eri asked.

"I'm going to be late to our meeting if I don't leave now!" Eri was familiar with Shiki's weekly meetings with the other three.

"Oh no, you're not squirming out of this! Just text them and tell them you'll be a little bit late. No harm done." Shiki wrinkled her brow, flustered. She did as she was told, then handed the phone to Eri so she could go change.

Shiki quietly changed into the dress, feeling very self-conscious. She didn't look in the mirror until she had it on, and was actually shocked that the dress did in fact look good on her. She stared in awe for a few moments, regaining her confidence, then pulled the Player Pin off her discarded hat and pinned the strap in place. She took a deep breath, then opened the door to an expectant Eri.

Eri beamed with pride when she saw Shiki, it was obvious. She clapped her hands together, checking Shiki up and down while Shiki smiled sheepishly.

"What did I tell you? I knew it would look great on you!" Shiki's face went red. She walked out to the living room, allowing Eri to pin the dress for her. When all the pins were in place, Shiki wobbled awkwardly back to the bathroom, carefully removing the dress and returning to her normal clothes. She replaced the Player Pin on her hat. She opened the door to find Eri staring at her cell phone. She noticed the door open, and looking up, turned the screen towards Shiki.

"When did you take this? I don't remember this at all." Shiki almost had a heart attack. The little screen showed the picture she had taken of herself and Neku during the game, when Neku had consented to the picture just to shut her up. Of course, to Eri, it looked like she was in the picture with Neku, and she couldn't remember having been in it.

"Uh…" Shiki fumbled. I should have just deleted that picture! She berated herself. "You don't remember that? When you came to meet them? I took a picture of you two together." Shiki crossed her fingers hoping Eri would take the bait.

"No, I'm quite sure you didn't. Maybe my memory's acting up." Eri said, eyeing Shiki's nervous reaction.

"Well, how else do you explain the picture, then? It's not like I could have taken it without you knowing." Shiki quickly added.

"I suppose you're right." Eri conceded. "It still seems odd, though." Eri shrugged and tossed the phone to Shiki. Shiki heaved an imaginary sigh of relief as Eri went to gather up the dress.

They finished up the final alterations, then carefully hung up the dress in Eri's closet. Shiki quickly sewed the little tunic for Mr. Mew to wear.

"I really have to go now, Eri." Eri nodded.

"No problem. I just want to show you something." Shiki looked puzzled. Eri turned and took the paper she had been doodling on off the desk, handing it to Shiki. It depicted Mr. Mew in tons of different outfits; ones that matched other outfits they had designed, and new ones based off of Shiki and Eri's favorite outfits. Shiki even noted with a laugh that Eri had designed one based off of Neku's clothes.

"What are these for?" Shiki asked.

"I want Mr. Mew to be our mascot." Shiki's head snapped up, staring at Eri.

"Why?"

"Don't you think it would be perfect? He's cute, and a personal symbol of your improvement."

"Are you sure, Eri?" Eri nodded adamantly.

"Absolutely. It'll create a symbol of our brand; something people will recognize." Shiki smiled and threw her arms around Eri.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed. Eri was slightly surprised, but gave Shiki a quick hug before she pulled away.

"I'm glad you like the idea." Shiki smiled widely and nodded. "Anyway, we can call it a day. I'm sure your friends are waiting for you."

"Yeah, I should get over there." Shiki said, checking her watch. She flipped open her phone and sent a quick text to Neku. "I'll see you later then, Eri!" Shiki waved as she stepped outside.

As soon as the door closed, Shiki took off jogging towards Hachiko, knowing that she was quite late. I hope they aren't mad at me for keeping them waiting!