Chapter 7: Shin no Koneko

(Shin the Kitten)

Ow my head hurts! Cye thought to himself as he tried to push himself into a standing position and fell down to the ground. As he tried to push himself up again, he noticed that his fingers were a lot shorter and covered with reddish brown fur, suddenly his arms started shaking and he fell to the ground with a pathetic mew. Not even bothering to get up again, he slowly looked back over his shoulder and was shocked to see a long limber tail swishing and curling back and forth. "I'm-I'm a cat! NO!" Cye screamed at the top of his lungs, but all that came out was a garbled mixture of cries and wails that could only be described as "hair-raising."

"Rowen, Kayla and I are going out for a while, do you want me to pick up anything while I'm out?" Clara asked as she put on her walking shoes and prepared to leave the apartment.

"I'll send Sage Ryo out if we need anything, but thanks for the offer." Rowen said as he waved goodbye and started cleaning the kitchen.

"Why did you want to go outside anyways?" Kayla asked once they were outside the apartment building.

"I woke up this morning with a really bad headache," Clara said as they started walking through Central Park. "and I've heard that taking a long walk outdoors usually helps. Plus I wanted to help you look for Cye."

"How did you know?" Kayla asked as she stared at her friend with a look of awe on her face.

"Oh, come on Kayla!" Clara said as she gave Kayla a skeptical look and put her hands on her hips. "Don't even try to pretend like you don't have feelings for him. I know he at least thinks of you often because you're almost always on his mind."

"But that's not enough anymore," Kayla said as she sat down on a green park bench and sighed, unaware that someone else was close by and could hear her perfectly. "I never told you about this before because nothing happened, but when we went into the caverns to rescue you I confessed my feelings to him. Unfortunately though, he didn't understand what I truly meant for I hid my message somewhat knowing that the task of saving your life was much more important that day."

"What did you say to him?" Clara asked softly as she gently sat down on the bench and Kayla looked away and held her hand on her arm as though she had been wounded. "Please tell me, I might be able to help you."

Slowly Kayla closed her eyes and began to concentrate as the symbol for friendship illuminated her forehead, then she put her hand to Clara's forehead. "Just relax and let me tell you the story for you."

FLASHBACK

"Why did you come with me Kayla?" Cye asked softly as the two made their way down the left tunnel.

"Um…" here Kayla paused as she blushed and tried to think of a good reason for following him other than the fact that she liked him. "well you saved Clara's life and she never got the chance to return the favor. So hopefully, I'll be able to do that for her."

"For someone who wears no armor you really are quite brave, you willingly put yourself in danger with no thought of the consequences that lay ahead…just the goal." Cye said wistfully as the passageway ahead of them grew darker and he put his hand on the wall beside him and began to walk slowly. "I only wish I was braver…like the others."

"Oh, Cye don't say that." Kayla said as she smiled sympathetically at her friend. "You are brave, and you have a kind, sensitive heart. A man like that is hard to find in my time."

"I imagine it would be." Cye said as he pondered what Kayla had just said, yet failed to realize Kayla's hidden meaning and true feelings behind her words. "I knew chivalry was a dying art, but I'm pleased to find out it's lasted this loooooonnngg…" here Cye suddenly fell into a deep pit in front of him and as he landed on the pit's rocky bottom with a sickening thud, he heard a loud crunch in his shoulder as he felt something hard and pointed tear through.

"CYE!" Kayla cried anxiously as she fell to her hands and knees and peered into the mouth of the pit. "Talk to me! Are you okay?"

"I think so…" Cye said as he held his upper right arm.

"What happened to your arm?"

"I must've landed on a sharp rock." Cye said as he tried to move his arm experimentally. "It should be fine, though I might have trouble holding my yari. Hey! What happened to my yari anyway?"

"Is this it?" Kayla called down to Cye as she held the three-pronged spear in her hands above the pit.

"Yes that's it!" Cye cried excitedly. "Can you hold it down into the pit so I can climb out?" suddenly Cye stiffened as he heard the scraping of claws against the smooth floor of the cavern followed by loud clanging noises.

"I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now!" Kayla called back over her shoulder as she tried desperately to hold back her attacker, unaware that she was being pushed toward the pit's edge.

"Kayla watch out! You're close to the edge!" Cye called out as he watched Kayla being pushed closer and closer to the edge. A few moments later he heard her scream as he watched her fall and dove forward to catch her in his arms.

"Cye you…you just saved my life." Kayla said softly as she gazed into his light sea-green eyes.

"I don't understand," Cye said in confusion, "it isn't a very long drop."

"Yes but if I'd landed on the same rock that you did I might have been killed."

END FLASHBACK

"Cye never told you this, but he was very impressed that you knew how to wield a yari. After I was brought back to this realm and we had some time alone, he told me that he believed there was a strong possibility that you were a Sacred Guardian who had been sent to earth after the princess and her court had already left. He promised me that he would always protect you and that he would try to hone your powers. I see he's been true to his word and somehow I get the feeling that he's close by."

"MOW!" Kayla looked around for the source of the cry and spotted something round and red hidden under a rose bush.

"Hey little guy are you okay?" Kayla asked as she knelt down by the rose bush and held her hand out for the kitten to smell. But to her disappointment, the frightened kitten pulled away and slowly crept closer to the center of the rosebush, making it impossible to reach. "It's all right, I won't hurt you. Please come here." She said softly as she got down on her hands and knees and smiled as she put her face down in front of the rose bush.

Clara is that you? Cye thought as he felt his sister's presence, turned around, and curiously made his way forward when he saw Kayla's smiling face. Oh, Kayla it's you! Cye cried joyously as the kitten meowed loudly and began rubbing against her face as she laughed and held the wiggling kitten in her arms.

"I see you've made a friend Kayla." Clara said with a big smile on her face as she watched the kitten joyfully lick her friend's face. Then she tensed up as she felt a dark sinister force approaching, Chaos is this your doing as well? I don't understand, why? slowly she turned around to see a huge black wolf with demonic red eyes. "Kayla, take him and run. Don't stop running until you're safe!" she commanded as she turned around and prepared to face the demon within.