Ash was being followed. And not since today but for several days already. He wondered how he could get rid of his pursuer? He hurried around the corner and quickly entered the apartment he shared with Eiji.

"Ash? Welcome home!" He stopped in his tracks and stared at him with some concern. "Why are you sneaking into our apartment like a thief?"

"I'm being followed. My follower isn't human and has superpowers. Hurry, close the door!"

"Ash, stop being ridiculous. We live in Izumo now; it's safe here. No one would follow you here."

"I told you that someone isn't human. And I can't get rid of her."

"I think you shouldn't have read my books on Japanese mythology with your great imagination. It spikes your paranoia."

Eiji curiously looked around outside but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, there was a lightning-fast movement, and then Ash cursed.

"Eiji, I told you to close the door, goddammit! Now we have a little orange pumpkin-like monster in our apartment that has set its claws into my leg."

Eiji went into the living room where Ash's complaint had come from and burst out laughing when the picture unfolded before him. Ash was standing in the middle of the living room with a little red kitten hanging on his left thigh, her tiny claws digging into his jeans with no intention to let go. Eiji chuckled.

"I think that's the cutest pursuer you've ever had. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little kitten."

"It's not a kitten, it's a furry, feral pumpkin." As if on cue, the kitten hissed at Eiji.

Eiji tried to free Ash's leg, but instead of letting go, the kitten lashed out with one paw and scratched Eiji's hand.

"Ouch!"

"I warned you. She's an untamable monster."

'Like me,' he whispered under his breath.

Ash, I heard that!" Eiji complained to him in a scolding tone. "As a consequence, we'll eat natto tomorrow." Eiji always made natto if he said something negative about himself. Like calling himself a monster. It was like the adult version of a swearing jar.

"Fuck!"

"Well, let me try something. I could tame a wild lynx, so maybe if I use the same method..." He went into the kitchen and got a bowl with milk and some raw meat, and placed it under its nose.

Suddenly, the little monster let go of Ash's leg, sniffed a bit, and carefully inspected Eiji, then the bowls with suspicion. Then, having decided it was harmless, it quickly ate the food and drank the milk before hiding behind Ash's leg again.

"So, that's how you tamed me? By feeding me?"

"In a way, yes. You're just like that cat and can be bribed with avocado shrimp salad. Or with hot dogs. So, basically, like any other cat, the lynx can be bribed or tamed with food." Eiji grinned at him.

Ash pouted and looked away.

"The lynx has found a kitten. How cute! She's like you. She's got character, an iron will and is as stubborn and lively as you. You're a perfect match," he smirked at him. Ash looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"We're not at all alike!" Eiji smiled knowingly at him. He'd probably already realized that he had a soft spot for that furball. Nothing ever slipped by Eiji. Damn.

"Do you think she belongs to someone? Let's ask the neighbors and make a note outside that we found a kitten."

They did as Eiji had suggested, but the little kitten didn't belong to anyone, and she still followed Ash every evening.

"Why don't we take her in? She seems to like you. And she's cute."

"Well, I don't like her! With her orange fur, she looks like a pumpkin!" Ash exclaimed harshly, glaring at her before sitting down at the couch. The kitten just looked up at Ash, then jumped onto his lap, touching his wrist, without claws this time. Then she snuggled into his lap and closed her eyes. Ash sighed and ran a hand through her soft fur while she purred, perfectly content. Ash smiled softly, but it didn't last long.

"That's it! We name her Pumpkin!" Eiji announced cheerfully, destroying his good mood instantly.

"No way in hell! Her name is definitely not Pumpkin. Why not Garfield? As much as she eats, it would fit perfectly. Every October, I'm surrounded by pumpkins, so all I want is a pumpkin-free apartment. Is that too much to ask?"

Eiji rolled his eyes at him. "Stop being so dramatic." Then he smiled happily at him and the kitten. "But that means we'll adopt her? Come here, little Pumpkin."

The cat lifted her head, looked at Eiji, yawned and went back to sleep.

"You see, she likes the name Pumpkin, too. You've been overruled."

"Great. Well, we don't really have a choice. She follows me here anyway. But she's your responsibility," Ash grumbled.

"No way! She hates me. Look at all those scratches." Eiji showed him his wrists and the back of his hands.

Ash picked the cat up, holding her in the air, so they were at the same eye level and looked at her intently.

"You can hurt me but if you hurt Eiji again, you're dead meat, and you'll be the next new ingredient for my Japanese curry. You got that, furball?"

A whiny meow was the only reply he got.

Ash didn't want to admit it, but he liked the kitten. Even if she looked like a pumpkin. And she really listened to that damn name; calling her by another name was useless. Damn Eiji and his stupid pet names. He had called their dog Buddy which was so lame and uncreative. He would have called their pets something much cooler or badass like Molotov or something like that.

Pumpkin had found a friend in him and constantly slept on his lap or chest while he was reading, perfectly content. Ash wondered if that was how perfect happiness looked like and if he'd reach such a point in his life one day. He absentmindedly stroked her fur or scratched her between the ears while reading and got used to the cat's purring sound.

Pumpkin never moved, lying perfectly still, so he could read without any interruptions. Eiji said that they looked as if they were in perfect sync because he often caught them both sleeping on the couch. He started calling them his two little kittens.

It felt as if they had a small family now, and that little furball fulfilled their lives. Along with their dog Buddy who didn't really like Ash. Buddy accepted him but was utterly devoted to Eiji.

Buddy was an older dog, so he didn't fight his new flatmate. If he and Eiji came home from work, they sometimes caught the cat sleeping on Buddy's back.

At the beginning, Pumpkin didn't like Eiji, but after a while, she learned that Ash needed hours to wake up, so she would only get food and attention from Eiji until then. Eiji often cooked in the mornings, so she often got drawn by the smell and received some snacks from him while he was preparing meals.

Buddy always slept on the floor in his own bed while Pumpkin slept in their bed, although she had a basket, too. Still, if she wriggled between him and Eiji, Ash grabbed her and unceremoniously put her on the floor.

The kitten was adorable and all that, but Eiji was the one he wanted to cuddle with at night. Eiji was his reason to live, his safety blanket and his soulmate. He didn't like to admit that, but he still clung to Eiji at night because his nightmares didn't appear as often when he could feel Eiji's touch. By now, he knew that Eiji felt the same. Both of them had terrible memories that sometimes would be drawn to the surface in the form of nightmares.

One night he had one of those nightmares and woke up screaming. It had been one of those rare nights when Eiji didn't lie next to him because he was working with Ibe on a project in another town. He and Buddy would only return a few days later. He clutched his chest and tried to breathe regularly. He was shaking, and tears streamed down his face, yet he somehow managed to switch on the light.

Pumpkin jumped on the bed and sat on his lap. The purring sound he was used to by now calmed him down. When he had wiped his tears away, he saw her looking at him questioningly with those huge, green eyes. Then she rubbed his little head on his shaking hand as if she wanted to say that he wasn't alone. She reached out with her paws, touching his arm before nestling into his lap.

All of that soothed Ash because he felt less alone. Her warmth and those green eyes calmed him down, and he stroked her fur, concentrating on the strokes while trying to breathe regularly. And for the first time, he was happy Pumpkin was by his side. She had a calming influence on him, and he pulled through the nightmare with her help.

Maybe having that little orange furball as a pet wasn't such a bad idea, after all?

Even if her name was Pumpkin...