Title: Ailurophobia
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: MikanxNatsume
Word Count : 850

Ailurophobia

-Carolle Royale

Mikan had never liked cats.

She simply loathed them. Sure, her friend Sumire was half cat, but at least she had a bit of dog in her too. If she were only cat, Mikan was sure she wouldn't have been friends with her. Harsh- but true. Mikan couldn't even stand the mere sights of cats. Whenever she saw one, she felt shivers creep up her spine. From the way they looked to the way they walked, freaked her out.

It was mostly because of the Lion King. Before she had ever watched that movie, Mikan didn't have any problems with cats. But after watching those Hyenas (she couldn't remember their names) she had freaked out whenever she saw a cat. They looked too much like those hyenas. Heck, she even thought everyone around her were hyenas and were out to get her. Her four year old brain was very creative.

So with that movie, Mikan concluded that cats (especially Hyenas) were evil.

So you really couldn't blame Mikan when she shrieked upon seeing a black cat trotting near her. That shriek had caused the cat to pause mid-walk. It lifted its head and met Mikan's gaze with its green eyes. Mikan gulped, she was going to have bad luck for a whole week now. That was what always happened to her whenever she saw a cat. The cat meowed at her and then moved forward. Instantly, Mikan backed away, taking a few steps behind her.

The cat purred at her and Mikan was absolutely positive she had seen it smirk. She laughed at herself, cats don't smirk!

But this one did.

"I'm going to peel off your flesh." The cat purred.

Mikan's back hit the trunk of a tree as she widened her eyes. Did this cat just talk to her?

"Did you just talk to me?" she asked, her voice quavering ever so slightly.

"Yes," the cat continued, "I'm talking to you. I'm going to push you off the cliff like I did to Mufasa."

"Scar?" Mikan whispered.

The cat merely bared its teeth before it sprang...right at her. Mikan squeezed her eyes shut and silently waited for the impact. But it never came.

She then opened her eyes tentatively.

"Natsume? Is that you?" she whispered. She couldn't see his face as he was standing with his back towards her. But she could tell that it was him, no one else carried themselves the way he did - the way he stood, so cocksure about his posture and abilities was something which couldn't be found in the boys at Alice Academy. He turned around swiftly and Mikan couldn't help but gasp.

On his face was a black mask.

A mask of a cat.

He was the black cat.

She had known that of course, after all that was his alias. But she had never seen him this way before.

Mikan gulped. He looked too much like those Hyenas from 'The Lion King.'

"You shouldn't be out this late," he gruffly said, "that's not the only thing present here."

By 'that' he obviously meant the black cat Mikan had encountered before. She shivered, why was she here again? The Northern Woods was detested by many, including herself.

"Why are you here?" she asked, taking a step closer to him. Now they were only a feet apart from each other.

His eyes glinted under the mask he had donned. "I could ask you the same question."

She cringed.

He looks exactly like Scar! Especially when he talks like that.

"Don't hurt me," she couldn't help but say. He had looked far too much alike Scar- the evil lion from 'The Lion King.'

Natsume frowned, "Why would I hurt you?"

"Because-" she sputtered shrinking away from him, "because you're a cat!"

"So?"

"Cats are bad!" she all but yelled out at him. "Why do you have a cat's mask anyways? Why can't it be a dog?"

"A dog?" he asked quirking his eyebrow. "You want me to be a dog?"

"Yes."

"Sorry Polka dots," he drawled out, "I can't be a dog. "

"How about a pig?"

Natsume blinked. Did she just say that? "A pig? Have you seriously gone mad?" he scoffed out while he shook his head slightly. A pig. Who the hell would be scared of a boy wearing a pig's mask?

Mikan scowled and then let out a sigh. "I don't like them."

Natsume didn't even bother asking what she didn't like. "Come here," he ordered.

"Go where?" she asked confused. Where did he want her to go?

"Here," he said once again and then pulled her towards him, engaging her into a hug. His hand went around her and she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

Mikan froze. What was going on? Why in the world was he doing this? But then she relaxed when she felt his hands drawing soothing circles on her back.

Maybe fear of cats wasn't that bad.

After all, she was with the Black Cat and she wasn't scared.

Not even close.

Not even a single bit.

Not even at all.

Ailurophobia - Fear of cats/hyenas

I got the last few lines from the movie '10 Things I hate about You.' It's from the poem that Kat wrote.

Reviews would be great :)

Carolle Royale