Fade Away – By Snowcloud

Chapter 4 – I Meet a Bunch of Were-Cats and Have Problems

The cats actually resemble some of my friends. (Except for Ginger) This chapter is for Hailey, my neighbor's cat, who helped me learn about cats behaviors.

Kiki and Felicity shifted into human forms. The golden tabby's tail twitched excitedly.

"Their family is very hyper." Haku whispered softly in my hair. "Good luck meeting them!"

He prepared to dash off.

"Hey, you're coming too!" I said and grabbed him.

"Don't even try to leave!" Kiki hissed playfully, glaring at him with her dark brown eyes.

"Or you'll pay!" Felicity teased.

He sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'll come." He told the two friends.

"Yay, Haku's coming!" Kiki squealed happily.

We walked inside the bathhouse, which was empty for break. They brought us to a medium sized room, and I almost fainted at the sight of so many were-cats.

"Hey, look! Felicity's back!" One of them exclaimed.

They all gathered round us, curious of the new human. Well, except for Ginger. She rolled her eyes and stayed at the back of the room. My friends started introducing their siblings.

"That's Mai," Kiki mewed, pointing to a small black-haired girl.

I could tell why they were related, they looked so alike! Mai had longer hair and different eyes, though.

"And that's Jason," Felicity purred, addressing a very friendly looking person with shaggy brown hair.

"And that's Yoshiro." Kiki added, smiling at a boy with short dark brown hair.

"And last but not least, that's Tristan." Felicity finished, nodding at a boy with light mud colored hair.

"Hi everyone, it's nice to meet you." I said shyly.

Mai and Jason immediately bounded up to me.

"Welcome to our home!" She giggled.

"Don't mind Mai." Jason grinned. "Sometimes she's a little too hyper."

She punched him.

"So," Mai said. "You must be confused. We're not all related. Jason, Felicity, and Tristan are from the same litter. Ginger, their sister, is a little older than them. Kiki, Yoshiro, and I are siblings."

No wonder some of them had only ears, I thought, remembering that Kiki was a half-breed.

"And Mai has the brain of a mouse." Jason added.

"I do not!" She squeaked.

"You do too!" He taunted.

She glared at him for a moment and then she then hit him. I watched with amusement as they tumbled around in a play fight. Suddenly, Mai stopped, realizing I was still there. They turned their attention back to me.

"I'm also sorry for what Ginger did to you." She mewed, ears drooping. "She brings shame to our household."

"Don't worry," I replied. "Nothing bad happened."

"I wish that something would!" A voice growled.

I whipped around to see Ginger, her beautiful stormy eyes glaring at me like chips of flint.

"That's nonsense." Jason snarled at the auburn-haired girl. "Chihiro is a very nice person."

She snorted as Mai dropped to a crouch, unsheathing her sharp claws. I couldn't believe it; they were defending me?

"How would you know?"She asked sarcastically. "You've only known her for a few minutes."

"A few minutes are long enough to know she's better than you!" He snapped back.

Ginger's eyes burned with gray fire. She reached out and slashed his face. I stood there in shock as Jason fell to the floor, gasping in pain. Haku hurried over with Felicity and Kiki hard on his heels. Tristan gawked at his sister, horrified at her actions. Jason instinctively buried his head in his hands.

"Ginger!" Mai roared. "How could you do such a thing?"

The wiry girl prepared to leap at her, baring her fangs in a snarl.

"There's been enough fighting today." I said quickly. "Let's just worry about Jason for now."

Mai thought about it for a minute, her anger consumed brain uncooperative. Finally she got control of herself and joined the crowd around her friend.

"Let me through," Kiki mewed.

To my surprise, they did. Haku must have noticed my confusion, because he explained to me a few moments later.

"Kiki is one of the best healers here," He whispered. "She's even better than me."

Kiki crouched next to her friend and gently removed his hands, uncovering his face. My eyes widened. The area around his left eye was swollen and red, with claw marks running down from his forehead to chin. I glanced behind me and saw Ginger playing with her hair; she didn't even care about her brother! My shock turned to anger, but I unhappily ignored it. Fighting with her would just make it worse. Kiki placed a hand over the wound and murmured a few spells. Her hand glowed and shook with effort. After a few moments, she was done.

"I'm sorry," She said, exhausted. "I couldn't heal the entire thing, but I repaired the area around your eye so you can see a little better."

"Thanks Kiki," Jason replied. "I'm glad to have you as a friend."

She smiled fondly. Haku and I turned to leave, it was probably best if they didn't have to worry about visitors.

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Yubaba was thrilled about the cookies (obviously because Bo loved them). She even let me have free dinner for a month!

I went to the dining room and got myself some rice. Haku was with me, and he was staring at an oddly shaped cookie. (That resembled a square.)

"I think you made that one," I said, amused.

"I think so too." He chuckled.

I got my food and sat out on the deck, like I did before, staring at the sea of water. I expected to be alone, since most of the spirits hated me. But I was wrong, because Lin walked in, munching on her "circle thing". Haku soon followed with Kiki guiding Jason. The boy was half blind for now, his swollen eye making it hard for him to see, even with his friend's careful healing.

"Where's Felicity?" I asked.

"She's in cat form, snooping around with Mai, spying on people." Kiki chuckled.

"Why aren't you doing it too?" I said, surprised. The best friends did everything together.

"I have to stay with this dope," She teased, poking Jason.

He smiled and punched her. We all talked for a while, and I was relieved I had such good friends. Being in the spirit world would be pretty lonely without them.

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After eating, Haku and I went out of the bathhouse. When he went to inspect something, I climbed up a tree. Plucking an acorn, I decided to have some fun. He came back a few minutes later, wondering where I was. I fingered the hard nut, and then I chucked it at him. It landed accurately in his green-black hair. His eyes shot up to my hiding place, and to my surprise, he smiled. Flying up to the tree, Haku easily pulled me out.

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"That's not fair!" I squealed as we landed on the ground.

He laughed. Taking advantage of the action, I slipped out of his loosened grip. Giggling, I ran ahead. Looking behind me, I saw Haku catching up. I smiled and picked up my pace, but it was no good. Being a spirit, my friend ran a lot faster than me, and I was barely out of his grasp. I continued to sprint, but then I slipped on puddle made from the recent rain. Cursing my clumsiness, I started to fall backwards. Warm hands caught me and I was suddenly found myself drowning in leaf-green eyes.

"I win," Haku smiled.

And then he lowered his head and softly brushed his lips over mine.

A/N's: Holy crud. Prepare for major cheesiness.