Chapter 8: The difference between boys and girls

Against Kuro's will the major decided to accommodate him in the orphanage. He took nothing with him from home, beside of some clothes. Arkas' daggers he dug in, in a wooden box in the garden.

A last look he wanted to have at his former home, he walked through every room again, when he already wanted to go something crunched under his shoe. He bowed down and picked up Arkas' broken specs, although it was completely battered and not even the slightest splinter of glass in the frame, he put them in his pocket and took them with him.

He threw his suitcase into the closet and let himself falling onto the bed. Kira sat down next to him.

"Alas Kuro... But it's not so bad here! You'll see, we'll have our fun!"

He was not convinced of this. With most of the children he couldn't cope and he liked none of them. Right from the beginning he was an outsider, because he was more intelligent and taller than them, not to mention his tempo. Just Kira and Kagami, who visited them every day, were his friends.

Like before they were frolicking around in the village and did a lot of mischief, mostly suggested by Kira. Kuro just yielded the plans, while Kagami realized them. It took only a short time until they were known and feared as The Terror Trio´´ in the village.

Slowly Kuro began recovering from the experiences of that night. Kira was relieved when he laughed again and fooled around with her, for month he had just sat depressive at the beach.

It was now almost a year since Kuro lived in the orphanage, soon he would celebrate his tenth birthday. But really looking forward to it... he couldn't. Especially as a week before Arkas' glasses suddenly disappeared from the hideout Kuro had placed them in.

When he noticed it he nearly went mad, he rummaged through all of his stuff, turned everything upside down and still couldn't find them. He thought of the other kids that they maybe would have snitched them. Corresponding those hadn't a nice time.

But for he wasn't able to figure out where the specs were, he had to come to terms with having lost the last memento of his father. His mood was rather obnoxious at this time.

At the morning of his tenth birthday he didn't really fancy to get up, but Kira kicked his ass out of his bed, in a very gentle way. Kagami and her wanted to celebrate with him, of course not at the sea, this would still have become too much for him.

He actually had a pretty good day. Kagami presented him a book about pirates, Kuro had started to interest in them since he knew his father had been a pirate and reading was lots of joy for little bookworm Kuro. From the orphanage's sisters he got some new shoes, for his own were quite threadbare from the enormous quantity of running.

Kira's present was not really a substantial one, she promised to teach him how to run´´ and still keep control over his body. When it darkened Kagami said goodbye. He had to go home to his parents; sometimes Kuro was slightly envious about this... about his mate having a family.

Kuro got ready for sleeping when Kira came back to him once more. She held something hidden behind her back. Kuro was at the moment occupied with buttoning up the bodice of his extremely green pyjama.

"Happy birthday, Kuro!" She held the present right to him. He looked up from his buttons.

"Huh? You've already prese...?" In front of him in her hands laid a little black case. He took it and carefully let it snap open, when he saw what was concealed inside, he felt around Kira's neck.

"I thought you would be happy if they were fixed, so I secretly took them and brought them to the optician. He bent the frame right and put normal glass in it." Kuro was so thankful for her he had Arkas' specs back and they looked like specs again, with the circular glasses and the black frame.

"Kira, you're so lovely... even though you're a girl!" She knew to appreciate this declaration. From Kuro's lips it was actually a heavy compliment!

When Kagami came to visit them the next day he was slightly confused. Kira took him aside and whispered in his ear. "For Christ's sake, say nothin! Just let him do how he likes!" So Kagami said nothing about Kuro wearing Arkas' specs.

Two days later certainly the other children started scoffing at him. Who was wearing glasses he didn't need, especially such large and odd! Kuro's eyes indeed were still extremely sharp on the other hand it was normal window glass in these specs.

The other children not liking him, didn't bother Kuro very much anymore, but that they were making fun about his glasses hurt him, though he didn't confess. Once more the boy menaced to sink into depression, but he didn't stop wearing the specs.

It although hurt Kira to see Kuro this way. Didn't he endured enough already? Had these idiots to deride him every day of the year? Couldn't she do something? Kuro would have got a plan surely, but him she really couldn't ask. She would have to think about that herself.

One evening she pussyfooted from the orphanage to Kagami, this one was indeed already sleeping but she got him out of the bed very fast. With him she talked about her scheme because without him it wouldn't succeed. She obviously was as clever as Kuro.

It was Kuro's eleventh birthday. He meanwhile had developed to some kind of lazybones; drowsy he grabbed for his glasses on the bedside table and put it up. He looked around, no view of Kira. And this even though she mutated to a late sleeper, too

He went to the breakfast and heard the children laughing already from far. "What batty glasses! Seems the guy is infectious!" Kuro was still too tired to really listen to them. He walked in the canteen and searched for a seat.

"Kuro! Here! Come between Kagami and me!" Kira waved for him, her eyes sparkled friendly behind her glasses... wait a moment... What did her eyes! Kuro shook his head surely he must have seen this wrong. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. No he saw completely correct. Kira wore specs with oval glass and metallic-purple frame.

When he came closer he noticed that Kagami also was wearing specs, with small round glasses.

"Folks, what... what's going on here?" Of course it was obvious to him what went on there, those were real friends.

"We're sorry that we can't present you something. But we had to spent the whole money for the glasses!" Kuro puffed his mate in the side. "Man! Kagami! You two are the best friends one could wish for!" Because if one is with his friends, the others can mock as much as they want to.

o-

"Kagami! Can I speak with you? I mean, alone?" Two boys stood close together one wore a black jeans and a simple white T-shirt with a bowing cat on it. Although he was just fourteen he was quite tall and lanky.

"Course mate! Where can good old Kagami help you?" Uncomfortable the boy shoved up his glasses with his middle finger and skimmed back his black-emerald hair. "Can't tell you this here... Let's go to my!"

They left the village and went to a house outside it was slightly squalid but Kuro felt better there than anywhere else. Shortly after his thirteenth birthday he had run away from the orphanage and came back to here. He sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"Tell me... is it actually... is it actually... normal that..." Obviously Kuro was slightly embarrassed of talking about the topic he wanted to discuss. And the stuttering bored Kagami.

"Spit off!" Kuro sighed and took all his courage. "Is it actually normal that I'm loosing control about my body as soon as I'm seeing a fair lass!" So this was it! Kagami came closer to Kuro and put up some sort of fatherly glance.

"Ah, my friend, at last you reached puberty and discover the enjoyment of your sexuality. It is quite normal what happens to your body, you change, you become a man! Alas my little boy grows up so fast! sob!"He had laid an arm around Kuro's shoulders and played very theatrical. Slightly bewildered Kuro got up... something else was bothering him still.

"So... this is quite normal... the thing with the tail...?" Kagami laughed and nodded he leaned back with his chair.

"Yeah, completely but between us men! Never call it tail when a gal is in the room! They don't like words like these!" Kuro didn't really understand, but if Kagami said it, it had to be right, hadn't it?

"And is... is yours... that uncontrollable and long, too?" Kagami raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now don't show off round here! Course when a sexy chick is in range of vision, you'll probably get a hard-on! But surely I got the longest! So how large is yours alleged! Of course not larger than mine!" Very self-confident and crude he grabbed the crotch of his pants.

Kuro shrugged. He'd never really thought about once measuring it.

"Dunno, leastways a meter or so maybe more. No clue!" Kagami nearly suffocated in laughter.

"A METER! Man stop kidding! Probably a decimetre! But never in fucking live a meter!" He couldn't stop laughing. Kuro was slightly resentful, maybe he didn't measure but he still could guess!

"I'm telling you! Shall I show it!" There was a loud BANG´´ and Kagami had hit the floor with the desk at which he had clenched for not falling. Slowly he got up again.

"Tiny tip, Kuro! You're not showing your genitals to people!" Kuro's eyes widened in consternation and he had to cough, this was too much for him.

"WHAT! I'm not talking about this you perverted crackpot! I'm talking about my tail!" Kagami didn't really understand him. Obviously his mate was much more confused by the awakening of his sexuality than Kagami had thought.

Kuro opened the zipper of his trousers and drew them down a bit. Kagami protested at the top of his voice but then Kuro turned round. Kagami just saw his back with the circular scar above his coccyx, beside of this he still had his black boxer-shorts up.

Kuro breathed deeply and Kagami couldn't believe his eyes. There where Kuro's scar was, a long black tail emerged from his spine, like a big cat's one, a panther or somewhat like this, but with the for Kuro typical shimmer that had turned from turquoise to emerald in his puberty now. Kagami's jaw flapped down. Kuro turned to him the tail whipped a few times through the air before it wound itself round his hips like a belt.

"Erm... Kuro... THIS is unmistakable not normal!" Kuro let hang his shoulders he had fear something like this. Then the stuff with the yellow iris and the sharp feline teeth wasn't normal, too.

"So you think I shouldn't tell someone about it?" Kagami nodded authoritative. That he definitely shouldn't! "Well you can tell it Kira. She's almost something like a lad." Kuro twitched; actually she was the last person he wanted to talk to about this at all...

"Hey Kuro... you're blushing!...Oh... I see!" He put up an allusive glance and grinned at the teenager with the cat's tail.

"You're in lo-oave!... My! How romantic!" Kuro's face was red like a tomato but it wasn't quite clear if this came from shame or rage. "I'm not!" It didn't sound very convincing. "Oh yes, you are!"

Kuro couldn't stand it to be teased by his mate, so he kicked him out. He leaned against the door with his back and sighed. Ok... perhaps he felt more for Kira than just friendship but this was actually irrelevant.

°She's so beautifully, her eyes like a clear mountain lake and she's smelling so well... beside she has a hot body...She could have everyone she wanted. Why then she should decide of all men for the scraggy freak with the immense ears and the long, hairy cat's tail?°

Kuro uttered an agonised yell and didn't fell better, realising that it actually sounded like caterwaul.

o-

Kagami had, communicative like he was, to run to Kira into the orphanage and tell from his discovery. Out of breath he arrived there and clutched at the door for not collapsing.

"KIRA! You won't believe what I've just seen!" Kira urged him to sit down at first and to calm down. He had run the whole way but he wasn't such a good runner like Kuro or the sixteen-year-old girl.

"Kuro... he's... he's got a... TAIL!" The sisters in the orphanage glared at him with warning eyes, he received a slap from Kira.

"Kagami, you're such a perverted swine! Of course he's got a ta.. You know what I mean. He's a man for hell's sake! But actually I didn't wanted to know that!" Kagami rubbed his cheek. Whew! That girl had a right one!

"Na! That's not what I mean! I mean he really got a tail at his back, like the kitten he had once!" Kira's facial expression was not to be interpreted but she seemed slightly puzzled.

"You mean like Noir, that ran away THAT night? Long with hair and such stuff?" Kagami nodded, Kira's obvious interest though worried him a bit. Before he went home he told her she shouldn't trumpet it everywhere. She agreed that this would be a stupid idea.

It was dark outside for a long time already, everyone was sleeping. Just Kira was still lying awake on her bed, starring at the ceiling onto which the moonlight drew patterns, and intensely contemplated.

°Well, well... so he can't just run´´... he although has a cat's tail... Whether he knows what a bedroom-gaze he got sometimes? I mean this is really rare... this resistless thing with the tiny stars twinkling in a his eyes, that makes me nearly swoon when he looks that way... And he's smelling so attractively well...°

In the moonshine no one could see her blushing. At the time when Arkas had died and Kuro was laying in her arms like this, there she had felt this enjoyable emotion for the first time. And now it was much stronger, every time she saw him... even when she just thought about him...

°Whether he feels the same way?... Surely not, he's not even in puberty... beside of this... there are enough makeup loaded, styled slags creeping around in the village and he really can get every girl he wants, with that eyes of him!... Why then he should decide of all girls for the one that rather joins a brawl than goes shopping?°

She wailed a bit, somehow it sounded like quiet meow. She turned round for sleeping and snuggled to something long and hairy that skimmed over her cheek.