It had been a while since Adon had been by the Khmer Ruins. Or rather; the small graveyard close to it. If someone walked the path to the ruins, they could take a detour to the east and be greeted with an area; ancient, isolated and with crude fences, overgrown with vegetation.

Within the cemetery, there was even more foliage growing unchallenged, snaking its way around several headstones, some of which were broken. At the far end of the graveyard was one particular area and Adon's destination. Contrary to popular custom, Adon's father did not have his ashes scattered. They were buried here instead. Where his mother had come to rest years prior.

The grave in which his parents had been buried was covered in vines, obscuring the names, which Adon had crudely edged into the stone many years ago. Standing here, alone opened the floodgates to feelings, which he had deeply buried within. As a downpour began to water the land, he knelt in front of the grave, opening the jar that was his heart.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that" Adon closed his eyes, scouring through his memories to remember the faces of his parents. He hated to feel so sentimental but suppose he could allow just a moment's weakness when he remembered his loved ones.

"I feel like I'm threading down a path I don't really think I should be on. I wish I could…I wish I knew that I was good enough" Adon sighed.

The rain came down harder, in an awful deluge that soaked him, and yet, it cleared his mind somewhat. "I can hold my own. Been used to that after you left and yet…I feel like I'm getting more than what I deserve. There's a certain someone who makes me weak. In more ways than one. I-I don't what to do"

And he didn't. He wasn't sure how he'd figure that out. He would have to leave this place soon and yet…there was a slight inch of him that wished to stay. That inch had been there for a while, growing and gaining influence during the time Adon stayed here. It had always been there, it was just the first time, it was acknowledged. Maybe it could be blamed on the homely moments between himself, Namupun, and those two wretched tigers.

A strong scent of petrichor spread over the graveyard as it continued to rain, and at this point, Adon's mind cleared but in exchange, he was beginning to shiver. Still, he remained where he was, even as the chill crept underneath his wet clothes and through his skin. It was worth enduring for his thoughts to quell the storm brewing within.

"You shouldn't be out here in the rain" a voice behind Adon spoke, almost muted by the powerful downpour. For once, it didn't startle him as opposed to the night on the cliffs. Still, Adon did not appreciate Sagat's lectures when he was at his most vulnerable.

"…What are you doing here?" he spoke through clenched teeth, trying to appear stronger than he actually felt. He couldn't bear to look at the man in his current state. He shuddered when he heard wet footsteps closing in on him.

"You vanished. So I figured you'd be here"

Would you just go away and leave me alone? Was the instant, impulsive thought that took centerstage within the storm of thoughts in Adon's mind. But he had no strength to lash out at Sagat.

"If you end up with a cold, don't tell me I didn't warn you" the old tiger continued with his lecture. That was the most backhanded way of showing care and worry to someone. Suppose it just wasn't Sagat's strong side.

"Contrary to popular belief, you don't actually get a cold a rain" Adon countered. There was no response from Sagat and Adon saw it as a tiny victory, gloating a little to hide his feelings bubbling within. He wasn't quite able to close the lid on his feelings.

"Scooped you and that one, huh?" he smirked, feeling hollow inside. He noted that he hadn't looked at Sagat during their entire conversation. Perhaps that was why he felt a little braver than usual. The tight hold in his gut loosened as he heard footsteps stepping further away from him until the rain had drowned them out completely and he no longer felt like being watched. Only then did Adon turn around to see no trace of Sagat whatsoever.

By then, he found it appropriate to return to the village. On his way back from the graveyard, the rain didn't let up, but Adon was beyond caring at this point, seeing how he was already drenched and cold. It would a little while before he was back in the town, even longer if he took a detour – which he did of course because he was stubborn. He wasn't quite ready to face Sagat or those weird attempts to make each other's lives easier yet and he was no close to solving his woes.

As Adon ventured into the forest which would take him around the village, he heard a muted mewling emerging from one of the trees, high-pitched and loud enough to raise his curiosity. Naturally, he followed the sound, standing in front of a wide tree; its dark branches and crowning leaves obscured the sky, casting a shadow below.

However, Adon's interest lay with the roots of the tree, between which he found a small crevice and the source of the strange sounds. In the muddy dirt, sat a kitten, wet and cold much like himself. It was black and white, although one could hardly tell by the grime covering its fur.

Big green eyes stared back at him, followed by more cries which immediately turned to hisses when he reached his hand inside. To his understanding, kittens had sharp claws and Adon certainly felt it when the little creature dug its paw into his hand. It wasn't enough to detour him though. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he just left it here.

Fine lines of scratches had been embedded into his hand and they stung a little but Adon tried again, this time ensuring there was some level of distance between the kitten and his hand. Ever so slowly, it hesitated then emerged from the debts of the tree hollow. It struck Adon as odd that a kitten was out here of all places as he had not seen any other cats around here. And tigers didn't count. Fuck them. It was fair to assume that the kitten was feral, living with its siblings and mother, and got separated at one point. If they hadn't outright died.

Out in the rain, the little kitten stared at Adon, now getting somewhat cleaned of its grime by the rain. It was skinny with fur matted in mud and dirt. Seemingly abandoned and without food. Alone and without direction. It hit an uncomfortably familiar note with Adon. It probably didn't have the same struggles as he did beyond abandonment and aimlessness but he felt kindred with the little creature.

As he let it rub against his fingers, it purred, and he was hit with a sudden need to take it home with him. If he couldn't figure out the deal with Sagat, he could at least distract himself with a pet… even if he'd be the first one to admit he had no idea how to care for the thing. Still, it was better than leaving it out here in the rain.

By the time, Adon was back in the courtyard, the rain had subsided, and he was shivering. The kitten in his hands was freezing too, mewling endlessly. But it purred when he petted it, kneading its paws against his chest. He hauled a quick breath as he tried to ignore the stinging of its very sharp claws.

Still, it was a much better alternative than getting by a full-grown tiger.

Speaking of which, there was no sign of either tiger in the courtyard. Which meant it was easier to sneak the kitten into the room where he slept, packing it in the blanket where it tumbled around and purred, eventually laying still as it poked its head out with its wide eyes. It began meowing again, louder than usual. Giving it a stroke, kept it quiet for a bit before it curled up under the blanket. Noises came from behind the door and Adon figured Sagat or Namupun had arrived from wherever the hell they were.

He quickly pulled the blanket over the cat and moved the door slightly agape to see if anyone was out in the hallway. In all honesty, he hardly knew why he acted so cautious now. As much as he spat vitriol to and about Sagat, he knew his former master wasn't completely unreasonable and would lose his mind over a single cat. And yet, Adon wasn't interested in having to discuss that with Sagat even if he sensed the unfairness of having to live with him and keep a secret pet.

The noises seemed to come from the courtyard, meaning Adon could hopefully sneak into the pantry and gather whatever he needed to feed the cat. He closed the door quietly, keeping his ears open for whatever noises occurred around him. His heart pounded underneath his ribcage and he felt like a little kid again, sneaking out to watch street fights at night.

He had almost reached his goal when a voice greeted him from behind. Again.

"You have returned"

Sagat was eerily close, relief faintly present in his voice. His sudden appearance had startled Adon who now shuffled on his feet with his heart in his throat.

"Hey uhm so, what do you feed that beast of yours?" he croaked, finding himself sounding more demure than he intended to. There was a snort from Sagat at the question.

"…Are you honestly asking what a tiger eats…?"

"I…need some"

"Why?"

"…No reason in particular" Adon continued to shuffle, cringing at his own foolishness to not provide a better excuse.

"Humans aren't meant to eat raw meat"

"Th-that's not…"

The silence was unbearable at this point and so Adon spun on his heel to maneuver around the leaning tower of Sagat, hoping to find some solace in his room. Of course, as his terrible luck would have it, there was scratching at the door when he stood in front of it and Sagat just had to follow him. It was barely audible but loud enough to be heard. Sagat then reached for the handle but was intercepted by a hand clasped over his.

The scratching continued and Adon was panicking internally, unable to ignore the way his body reacted by touching Sagat, just wishing the man would turn around and leave so his former student didn't feel like exploding. But he didn't. Instead, he retracted his hand and used the entire arm to lift Adon off the floor and put him over the shoulder like a sack of wet potatoes. It had happened so fast, Adon hardly had any time to protest as his vision blackened for a moment and a brief bout of nausea kicked him in the stomach.

"Put me down!" he hissed once he was aware enough and flailed but to no avail as Sagat pushed the door open. From where Adon was, he couldn't see much of what was happening, but he did hear the meowing until it suddenly stopped.

"A… cat. I don't suppose you have an explanation for this" Sagat's voice was ripe with bewilderment.

"I do if you put me down!"

"I will put you down if you explain yourself"

Adon groaned. "And we can keep going like this to the end of time"

"Do you want to?"

Naturally not but Adon was unsure of what to say to get free.

"Not unless you'll give me the pleasure of blowing chunks all over your back" That felt weirdly cathartic to say even if it was untrue as the bout of nausea had passed. Still, there was something amusing about imagining Sagat's face flinching in horror.

There was a tense sigh from the old tiger before he finally eased Adon back onto the mattress like a glass doll. One couldn't fault him for his gentleness after everything that had happened. The kitten immediately climbed into Adon's lap and purred.

"I found it outside. It had been abandoned so…" his voice trailed off and he left it at that, petting the little creature. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sagat sit down by the bed, reaching out his massive hand to the cat. An act that caused the kitten to hiss and bare its claws at him.

"He doesn't like me very much" he mused, retracting his hand in a manner that suggested bitter defeat.

"He got good instincts" Adon smirked with triumph as the kitten crawled to his site, now mewling louder as if to remind him that it was still very hungry.

There was a glint in Sagat's eye then. "So does Willa Maiu"

"…Cute." Adon pouted. Sure, he deserved that. Sagat was quiet now, standing up to slip out of the room like a shadow. After a while, he reemerged with a bag of cat feed in his hands.

"Unlike fully grown tigers, kittens should get something more akin to their age" he poured some of the food into his hands and left it in a pool on the floor. The kitten stirred and before long, it had descended upon the food with vigor, purring as it ate.

"They're both felines, aren't they? They probably aren't so different after all" Adon shrugged his shoulders, twitching a little when a dull pain sprang from within. He didn't like the look Sagat gave him now.

"…Is that a foreshadowing metaphor?"

"What? For what?"

Surprise loomed over the old tiger as he realized the misunderstanding. "Hm. I suppose you never were the artistic type"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Language" Sagat commanded; stern as usual.

"Oh, who cares? She's not here anyway" Adon rolled his eyes and laid down to mend the aching in his shoulder. By now the kitten had done eating and now curled up next to him, eventually falling asleep.

Slowly, Sagat loomed closer, eventually hovering over Adon, planting two massive hands on each side of his head. He was warm, much warmer than usual although that was probably because Adon was freezing. Maybe they were both aware of this and this was another tactic to set the yearning ablaze. It was inescapable and Adon was without answers, closing his eyes to avoid staring at Sagat. Dammit, he couldn't do much about the blush that spread over his face.

"You used to be more eloquent" Sagat mused, soft in a way that was wholly uncharacteristic of him. Adon couldn't help but snort at that statement. Was he? He didn't think so of himself but maybe he curbed his naturally crude speech to impress Sagat. Now it no longer matters.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Acknowledgement of what has changed"

Which was a weird way of saying that 'I don't recognize you'. Maybe Adon deserved that alienation. That didn't change or soothe the sting that came with it. Maybe this was why Sagat had been acting so oddly. Maybe he wanted the old jaguar back. Not this sorry excuse for a shadow that remained.

"…You used to have brown eyes. That's ironic because you're so full of shit. Can you even see me?" Adon smirked to hide the hurt. He couldn't be his old self. That old self wasn't worth anything anyway.

"Somewhat. But that's not what I need"

"What do you need? A monocle?"

Adon expected the words "my student" as an answer but instead, he felt a pair of lips brush against his own; soft, tender, warm. Head-rushing. Ugh, he couldn't stand it, yet he wanted so much more. It was almost unbearable. His body stiffened, fighting against the urge to wrap his arms around Sagat and pretend he was deserving of this. Not pretend he was as amazing as Ryu. Fuck Ryu.

"Why…?" he asked when the old tiger pulled away and sat by the edge of the bed.

Just say the words. Say you love me. Say I'm worthy of you.

"I don't know why" were the words that came instead with a big dose of doubt. That was just great. It did to the mood what the gentle and delicate touch of a sledgehammer would do to someone's kneecaps. Adon was quiet, turning around to mull over the rejection or whatever it was. The kitten came crawling to his side and he petted it to soothe his own bruised feelings. Without another word spoken between them, the bed lifted and Sagat left.