(Disclaimer: I do not own YST nor RW, they are owned by Sunrise. Neither do I own the characters of the original series.)

(Author's Notes: Please, DON'T BLAME ME if some of the details are insufficient, since I had never seen the entire series before. I'm just fascinated over the series, that's why. Some of the characters added are of my own and not related to other anime, in short, ORIGINAL. So please, enjoy reading and review it! This is my first taste of writing fanfiction, and I'm not too good at English, so please BEAR WITH ME...)

SAMURAI PHANTOM REKKA: CHAPTER ONE

Episode Four: THE STRANGE CAT

By four, Ryo went straight home. After all, he had nothing to do in the plaza where he normally rest and eat a little snack and after an hour or so he will soon leave. The incident hours ago still on his head and felt greatly exhausted to it. But what he was worrying for the most was what happened this morning.

"Still I should've gone to school earlier..." he said to himself with a tired voice, "I could have still more time to have my breakfast..."

But then the surprise test incident came across his mind. He clearly remembered it. But he just shook his head vigorously, trying to convince himself that it's just the result of skipping heavy breakfast.

Until he sighted something from afar, in the sidewalk. A peculiar striped white cat which seems to be not at itself tried to cross the road. Though it is meters away from him, Ryo noticed that the cat is quite thin and shabby; a street cat maybe, but its peculiarness is present with its BLACK-striped fur.

Is THAT a cat? Ryo thought as he continued walking, Come to think of it, I've never seen a striped one in my...

BLAG!

He stopped, and this time he mean it. In his eyes, the poor cat collapsed and fell on the pile of garbage! In disbelief, He DIDN'T mean to joke, did he?, and ran to the said cat.

He picked it up and gently stroke its fur. It's alive..., he thought, but it seems that his master has neglected him. Poor guy...

Just then a group of girls in a different uniform passed by. They were perplexed to see a boy picking a 'dead cat'.

"Whatta heck he's doin'?"

"Dunno..."

"Ew... a DEAD cat scavenger!"

"What on earth will he do to THAT thing?"

"Eat it?"

"GROSS!!!"

"For God's sake! I think I lost my appetite..."

"Me either..."

"We'll just go to the karaoke bar, shall we?"

"Yeah..."

Hearing the girls' conversation, Ryo jerked up (as a result of being used again by his mental ability), "IT'S ALIVE, YOU IDIOTS!" the girls were shocked and ran away, thinking that he had already LOST his mind (come to think of it, he thought of that, too!). Ryo sighed and as for the cat, he decided to keep it for a while until it is strong enough to be surrendered to the right authority.

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Back in his disastered house (he didn't clean up a while ago), Ryo fed the cat with milk and fish he bought in the canteen (which was supposed to be his dinner) after he had treated its wounds.

"Sorry for the mess..." he talked to the cat while stroking its back, "I was in a hurry this mornin' and it made me PISSED off!... Sorry for the food, too," and hung his head low in shame, "I know you're very hungry, but that's not even enough for a full dinner," the cat turned to him with innocent BROWN eyes, "To tell ya, I'm leavin' here alone here since my father was killed by a lion. Damn, I HATE lions! And my gramps sustainin' me with everythin' I need. I even don't know how to COOK!"

The cat stopped eating and crawled on Ryo's lap. It purred lovingly as if it understands him. "I'm ashamed for ya, man..." with sad eyes, "Ya really know how it feels to be ALONE, don't ya? " and he picked up the cat and continued to stroke it.

By six, after the cat had finished its meal, Ryo dressed up in his maroon sweater and told the cat to be good, he will just buy something for dinner. That is what he usually do every mealtime since he doesn't know how to cook, ironically, only rice. He still ahve to order something cheap in a nearby restaurant since the budget is so tough.

Upon his return with tempura for a meal, Ryo opened the door, "I'm home!" but with popped eyes...

"Oh... my..."

His mouth left open at what he saw: well arranged furniture, well-polished flooring; the garbage were all thrown in their proper bins; dirty clothes were piled up neatly in the basket separating the whites from the colored ready to be washed; dishes were all washed up, dried and neatly piled; the kitchen and the bathroom were well-scrubbed and smelles pleasantly; his bed was neatly fixed and his things for school were in their proper place.

In short: the house once been 'raped' by a typhoon has transformed into a respectful place rightly to be called 'HOME'!

"Who.did.this?"

He took off his shoes and went in. Even he, the owner of the 'miracled' house, hesitated to set his foot in because it was so CLEAN. The floor was almost sparkled with neatness. Man... he thought still with opened mouth in amazement, It will take me an hour or two to make this possible! Just who in the world did this, anyway?

Then Ryo remembered the cat. Nah, that's rediculous! And by what magic could an ordinary cat to do this...? Heh, if that REALLY is an ordinary cat... But he just shook his head roughly. Ouch, Ryo. I think ya hafta eat now. Ei... where's the cat?

He turned around looking for it. "Hey, Kitty!" he called, "Hey, kitty, kitty!" he looked everywhere, "Kitty! Where are you? Come out now, boy! I still hafta eat! Yoohoo!"

But not a single meow has been heard.

Worried, he continued to search. Reaching to his bedroom, he found the window wide open. He went puzzled.

How did he managed to OPEN that? And he went near the window and peeked outside, still puzzled about the cat and his disappearance, Maybe he became strong enough to find his way home. Good for him. Hope he could... Crap! My dinner! It's gettin' cold! And he closed the window and the bedroom door and hurried upstairs.

Still puzzled about what happened this evening, Ryo still took his dinner as if nothing really happened. But what he was curious about was the striped white cat with strangely BROWN eyes that he helped. Ryo, himself, is a cat lover and expert (but he said he doesn't know much about it) and knows all the species and breeds of it--from lions to domesticated. Of all these, the lion is the only specie he HATES since it killed his father in Africa four years ago (ironically, Leo is his zodiac sign) and the tiger is his most favorite. He even had a stuffed little white tiger in his room as his father's last gift on his tenth birthday, similar with the features of the said cat.

Speaking of similar...

He was almost choked at the shrimp he's eating when he thought about it. Was it a COINCIDENCE? He hoped so. But everything's quite strange this evening. He even can't determine the breed of the said cat. A white one with black stripes like those of a tiger? Usually cats have spots or if they have, only minimal stripes of orange, brown or white and only tigers have black or dark brown visible stripes. He almost though that it's not a cat after all, but just a little tiger cub who lost his way home eithe in a zoo or in a circus. But frankly, it's not since it's way too small for a tiger cub. Brown eyes? But cats' eyes are mostly blue, green or golden yellow, depending on the breed and specie. But having brown eyes is exclusively RARE. Maybe it had got it in some sort of mutation, experiment or a result of mixed breeding.

And the oddest of all: how in the world that the features of his stufftoy ang the cat that he helped is all the SAME?

Still he continued to eat, thinking that he was in some sort of fatigue. It will be gone so soon, anyway, as he thought.

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(He-he... Making this write-up gives me a migraine! Anyway, Please R&R! Thanks!)