CAT CAUGHT MY HEART: DAY X—ECHIZEN RYOMA
"Well, isn't it good to be back, Ryoma-kun?" Nanako smiled as they entered into the corridor of the house. Ryoma looked around the familiar surrounding and moved his leg. His muscle had finally healed, but his mother wouldn't let him participate in the finals. He can't wait till he can go back to the tennis team. He looked around.
"Where's Karupin?" Where is that sweet, spoiled cat of his? Nanako looked up and a guilty expression crossed her face.
"Oh, I was going to tell you, Ryoma. I haven't seen Karupin ever since we left the house. I left out food for her, but it looked like she hadn't been eating them." The tennis prodigy stared, his eyes growing wider.
"Karupin's been gone?" His voice cracked. At that chosen moment, the lazy cat stepped daintily into the kitchen, stopped, and yawned. Then, seeing Ryoma, her eyes grew shiny. With a yowl of delight, the small cat scrambled toward her master and leaped into his arms, purring.
"Karupin!" The cat meowed again and happily rubbed against his chin, her rough tongue polishing his hand. "Nanako said you haven't been eating. Where have you been, huh?" He took a closer look at his cat, then picked her up and stared into her midnight blue eyes. "And whatever happened to your hair? It looks like somebody took a hack out of it."
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It didn't take long for the Seigaku tennis team to realize that Echizen Ryoma was back. Soon, boys from the tennis team were streaming into the Echizen residence. Nanako, the graceful hostess she is, invited all of them in, in spite of Ryoma's protests, and went to the kitchen to prepare refreshments for the room full of boys.
"How are you feeling, Echizen?" Tezuka's expression was monotonous as he sipped his tea.
"Fine." Ryoma matched him with the emotionless voice.
"Is your leg healed?" Fuji leaned against his palm and smiled his usual serene smile.
"Pretty much." Ryoma looked bored.
"Oi, Chibi!" Eiji jumped around the room and finally settled in tousling the first-year's dark hair. "We missed you!"
"Yeah, without you to argue with Momo-chan, I think he missed you, too." Oishi put in with a grin. Momo looked offended and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, Ryoma, wherever is that adorable cousin of yours? How come she isn't down here with you?" Kaidoh perked up.
"Adorable cousin?" Ryoma eyed Momo with caution. "You mean Nanako? She's in the kitchen." His eyes stated clearly: Keep away from my cousin…or else. "Why? She's too old for you, Momo. And besides, don't you already have Tachibana's sister?" Momo blushed dark crimson.
"No, not Nanako." Taka-san cocked his head. "Kisara, your cousin from United States. The one that filled in for you in the Tokyo Finals."
Ryoma stared.
"What cousin?" He finally said. "I don't have any relatives in Unite States beside an uncle on my mother's side. And he's not married."
The boys were stunned.
"A-are you sure?" Kaidoh pushed off from leaning the wall and walked over to Ryoma. "Then who was playing in your place for the past nine days?"
"Don't look at me." Ryoma shrugged. "I wouldn't know. What does she look like?"
"She was very fragile." Inui began, flipping through his notebook, a disturbed look on his face. "She had very pale skin and—"
"Her hair." Eiji pointed to his head in case anyone forgot what hair was. "Was very thick, very long, and very dark. It was pretty…" His starry eyes grew sorrowful. Then, they lit up and he pulled out something from his pocket. "Here!" He said, beaming, holding it out to Ryoma. "This is her hair. She gave us all a lock of it yesterday."
Ryoma look the hair gingerly. The rich long hair in his palm was indeed very fine and admirable.
"Don't you have a cousin with hair like that?" Taka-san's brows furrowed. Ryoma shook his head. "She was very pretty and very charming."
"No. I don't even know a person with hair like that."
"Kisara was a killer tennis player." Momo put in hurriedly. "Not in skill, maybe, but in skills that humans can't achieve."
"No." The Echizen heir calmly repeated. "Like I've said, I don't have a cousin that like that."
"Strange." Fuji had a thoughtful expression. "Then, who was she?"
At that moment, a cat strolled leisurely into the living room, catching all the boys' attention.
"Hey, it's Karupin!" Momo remembered the cat's name. "We brought her home that day, when she was at our school." Ryoma nodded, remembering. However, it surprised him when the Himalayan greeted the boys as if she had known them. She rubbed herself against their legs and purred with pleasure deep in her throat.
"She probably remembers you guys from that day." He remarked as he picked her up. "And you guys know something really weird? Look at what I found around her neck."
He pulled on the ribbon with the cluster of silver bells hanging off toward the center. Taka-san gasped and saw black. The other boys froze.
"Isn't that Kisara's ribbon?" Oishi asked numbly. Eiji nodded.
"Yes." Karupin's eyes were innocent and round as watched the boys with interest.
"Interesting…" Fuji smiled a mysterious, quiet smile, as if he knew something the other didn't. "Very interesting…"
"She was missing while I was gone," Ryoma continued. "But who would put a ribbon around a cat? Especially Karupin?" Karupin, in Ryoma's lap, looked up at her master, then daintily began to lick her paws before working on the long white hair of her body and the rich chocolate hair around her face.
"Karupin…" Kaidoh said under his breath as his eyes grew soft. "Dog-tail…" Taka-san stretched out a finger to run across the kitty's soft fur.
"She's a very pretty cat." Tezuka murmured as the cat meowed in response.
"Very charming…" Inui added, his eyes never leaving the cat.
"Elegance and agility." Eiji said to Taka-san.
"Thoughtful." His friend replied in a whisper.
"Cats like milk." Oishi was in a trance.
"White milk, no chocolate." Momo remembered.
All the boys stared at the pretty cat and they swore they saw her wink, with a pair of very blue, and very familiar eyes.