Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana and I WISH I didn't own this story, but unfortunately....*sigh*
Author's (sort of) IMPORTANT Notes: Yes, I was on drugs at the time of writing this. Here's a hint: never drink four cups of coffee with four tablespoons (YES, tablespoons) of sugar in each cup. I was barking like a dog and crawling around on all fours and writing this piece of trash, and unfortunately incorporating the purr thing into a few of my better fanfics, so if I hadn't made it that Jumi purr in my other stories, this little number woulda never seen the light of day. And in this story, Katarr does NOT like Elazul. Royal Blue Ice was just an AU (Alternate Universe) pairing story I thought of at 2 AM. And now for something completely different.
Purr
*Brrt*
Katarr's head moved quickly in the direction of the sound. He and Elazul were on their way to the Mindas Ruins to see if the recently lost Pearl had wandered her way there somehow. They had stopped for the night on the side of the road, and the fire that had warmed them had long since been put out. Katarr was sitting and staring at the ashes and Elazul was settled into a cocoon of his blanket and a pillow. Katarr had looked in Elazul's direction, but the Lapis Knight had not stirred. Katarr decided to find out if he had heard the sound as well.
"Did you hear something?"
"No..." the Jumi's voice was slightly muffled from the fabric he was buried under and exhaustion drawled his tenor voice.
"I thought I heard something..."
"Wha'd you hear?"
"Sounded kinda like...well, a purr."
"Tha' was me..." Elazul stretched and yawned a little and Katarr's eyes grew as large as saucers.
"You?!" the blonde yelped and the Jumi Knight winced.
"No' s'loud...." he slurred, burrowing into his pillow even more. "Yeah, it was me...."
"......." Katarr stayed silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. Elazul purred? "Do...do you normally do that?"
"When I'm..." he searched for a word, "...well, sometimes when I'm content I purr."
"You purr."
"That's right." Elazul was unusually talkative. Katarr noticed that he usually would have said "Shut the hell up." Well, he'd said he was content....
"....Do all Jumi do that or is it just you?"
"All Jumi, now lemmie sleep."
"....Does Pearl purr?" (This was more to annoy him than curiosity.)
"Yes, now be nice and shut up." Katarr obeyed Elazul's sharp command and replayed the sound in his head. It was low and barely audible, not unlike a cat's. But how could Jumi purr? And why?
"....Hey, Elazul?"
"What now?!"
"Err...why do you guys purr?" Elazul hesitated at this question.
"....I dunno. We jus' do...." he yawned again and curled up under the warm covers. Why did Katarr have to keep annoying him? What was the big deal about Jumi purring anyway?
Katarr thought of another question. "Do they all sound like your purr?" Elazul closed his eyes and didn't answer.
"Well?"
"No, now lemmie l'one...." the Jumi whined, yanking his blanket over his head and settling back into the warm bedding. Katarr resisted snickering at his childish tone; Elazul wasn't really one to whine like that. He'd become more comfortable and trusting with the reclusive warrior lately, maybe because Katarr had been so parental towards him when his core had been scratched by Sandra. The human had been silent and rather frightening before that, and now he talked more than a hyper parrot. Pearl enjoyed talking with someone, but Elazul was slightly annoyed by it. Everyone knew he wasn't very social, but Katarr kept trying for conversation. On this certain night it seemed to be working.
".....Wouldjya purr again for me?" Elazul ignored him. "Alright, ignore me, fine, but just answer me one last thing."
"What?" Elazul sighed, rolling his royal blue eyes in annoyance.
"How come you never purred before?"
"Thought it would scare you...." Katarr found this hilarious.
"You thought it'd scare me?" he chuckled, "I've been through a vampire, a giant purple eye, four really big dragons, three enormous centaurs, an eleven story tower riddled with monsters, and your cooking! You think a little purr is gonna scare me?"
"I happen to be a good cook, thank you."
"Elazul, if you even look at something cooking you burn it!"
"I do not."
"You do, too!"
"I do not!"
"You do, too!" Their arguing was interrupted by a small roar. Kenji, Katarr's Kid Dragon, was glaring at them from his nest of grass and leaves and looking very menacingly at their bed covers, as if to say "You know, cotton catches fire very easily..." The two young men immediately quieted, and Elazul yanked the covers over his head again. After a while he was warm and comfortable again. Unconsciously, he began to purr.
*Brrt*....*Brrrrt*....*Brrrt*
Katarr liked the sounds the Jumi was making. They had a strange calming effect, like listening to someone's heartbeat. It probably soothed him, too; that was the reason that cats purred, anyway. Soon, both young men were asleep.
A few days later, they both stumbled back to Domina and collapsed in the pub, exhausted.
"Tell me again how she gets lost like this?" Katarr groaned, his head buried in his arms, not expecting an answer from his traveling partner. Elazul was in a similar position and facing him from the opposite end of the table. They had searched everywhere in the ruins and had gotten lost several times before finding their way back to the small town.
"...It's getting late, KT. I think you should head home." Elazul finally mumbled, nearly asleep on the table.
"Don't call me KT! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me KT! It's KATARR!" he snarled at the Jumi boy. He HATED that nickname.... "Well, I guess you're right.....see ya back here tomorrow, I guess."
"Mm....." was the only reply as Katarr slowly stood up and walked shakily out of the building. When the hell would Pearl stop wandering off?! It was really beginning to aggravate him.
Elazul resisted purring and sleep as best he could in the slowly emptying pub. He didn't remember when the owner came and shook his shoulder, rousing him from a doze. He barely remembered stumbling back to the Inn and going to the room. But he did remember very clearly the image of Pearl snuggled under warm and inviting covers. Her soft soprano purrs filled the air and calmed any anger that would have arisen and he went to the other bed next to hers and curled up under the covers. He began to purr gently, creating a harmony with Pearl, and they fell asleep filling the air with the cat-like sounds.
And that's what happened before the Alexandrite quest in my game, just before the leprechauns jumped on my head and poked me with golden sporks and pink rabbits with demon wings danced on my windowsill. Or perhaps I need to cut down on my caffeine intake. Neewom peng ni! o.@ *thud*
The End