AN: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.
WARNING: OOC, WAFF, POINTLESS FLUFF. RELIGIOUS THEMES BELOW! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
Chapter 2: Here Kitty
Cielo dashed for his room as soon as he had arrived from school, yelling a hasty "hi mum" along the way.
He slammed his door open and slammed it back shut.
He smiled and looked for his little kitten. He blinked; he was gone!
He chuckled, "Want to play hide and seek?" Cielo then proceeded to look for his little buddy, looking high and low, left and right.
A few minutes later, he scratched his hair, putting his other hand on his hip in contemplation. Just where did that cat go? He narrowed his eyes in slight vexation but it was quickly dissolved as he saw his little buddy on the branch of a tree just outside his window.
His sapphire eyes widened, "How'd you get dere?"
He quickly dropped his bag on the floor and jogged over to his window, pulling it up. The kitten saw him and looked at him square in the eyes.
"You're very adventurous aren't you?" he drawled at the small animal. The kitten understood and meowed in response.
Cielo outstretched his arms and beckoned to the kitten, "Well, come on. You might fall."
The kitten did not listen and thus ventured further away from him. Cielo blinked, "No don't! You might fall!"
Again, his words were unheeded.
He weighed his options. What options?! There was only one thing left to do. Jump from his window and retrieve the kitten. He nodded, "Dat shouldn't be too hard ja?"
He nodded and began to get out through the window. From there, he agilely jumped and caught the branch. He slowly pulled himself up, praying that the tree branch would be enough to support his weight.
It was.
He let out a breath of relief.
After minutes of grueling effort to pull himself up, he looked left and right for his little buddy and frowned in half worry and half vexation to realize that he wasn't there.
"Where'd you go now?!" he asked as he sighed, scratching the back of his head.
He froze and raised an eyebrow as he heard a low and distant meow.
He immediately leaned down, supporting his weight with his palms being pressed on the branch. There, on the ground was his kitty. He gave it a sour face, "You just enjoy doing dis don't you?"
He blinked; did it just smile at him?
'Oh mon…I tink I need a break from all dis studying and extracurricular activities!'
He didn't have much time to ponder over it as he saw that the kitten had begun to move once more. He gritted his teeth, "Hey wait!"
He weighed his options. What options?! There was only one thing left to do. Let go of the branch, run after it and catch it!
He let out a low and frustrated growl.
This was getting kind of annoying.
But then again…he didn't have to chase it. Maybe it found another place to stay…He could just leave it to fend for itself…
He shook his head.
No.
There was something about that kitten. He could feel it. He didn't really understand it, but he just felt compelled to follow it; just like the previous day…when he felt compelled to rescue it from the bridge and take it home…
That was right.
Compelled.
He just felt compelled to. It was as if it was a decree by some heavenly deity…Or something like it.
'Whoa…Dis is definitely getting weird…' he thought to himself as he realized that he had spaced out momentarily, wasting valuable seconds in his "kitty hunting".
With another growl, he left all feelings of hesitation, procrastination and contemplation behind and jumped down.
Once he landed on his feet and gathered his thoughts, he looked left and right for his little kitten.
Ah!
There he was!
"Come back!" he yelled as he saw the kitten run…
xxxxx
Sera was beginning to lose hope…She had walked all around their little town, looking at every crook and cranny that she found…But alas, she found no trace of her little guy…
She sighed…
Maybe…maybe he was really gone…?
Maybe he found other people to care for him…
She smiled weakly at that; that was a nice thought wasn't it? But on the other side of the fence, her little guy might have been taken by some ruffian who had a sadistic streak!
She gasped at that.
But the fact remained unchanged. Her little guy was still missing. Her heart ached at that. It was then that she remembered what her mother had told her.
When all things seemed hopeless, there was something obviously lacking in her efforts…She smiled languidly once more.
Prayer.
When all things seemed lost…there was only one thing left to do.
Pray.
'Seek and you shall find…Ask and it shall be given…Knock and the door shall be opened…'
Realizing what she needed to do, she pivoted her heels and ran towards the little shrine where she found her little guy…
xxxxx
Cielo ran after the little kitten with gritted teeth. Where was he going? Why was he so adamant in getting away from him!? Last night, they had been getting along so well! So, what had changed!? Didn't his little buddy like staying with him anymore?
He looked along the streets as he ran and saw that this was going beyond where he found the kitten.
So, it wasn't where he wanted to go eh?
Yes…that was it.
"Whoa…!!" he half-yelled as his thoughts had distracted him. He tripped and fell on the muddy ground with a thud. He groaned as he picked himself up. He looked at himself and frowned; there were many patches of dark brown mud all over his uniform. Most especially on his back and the back of his pants.
"Mum is not going to like dis." he told himself knowingly. He looked on ahead and there saw the little kitten stopping, its eyes locked on to Cielo's blue eyes. What was it doing? It was just standing there. Almost as if, waiting for him…
There!
That was the thought that had pervaded his mind before he slipped! He was thinking of the plausible motives his little kitty might have had for running from him! It was simple.
This kitten wasn't running from him…
'You're leading me on…But why? And where are we going?' he thought in confusion. Before he could ponder over it any further, the kitten had dashed from the scene once more. Cielo growled lightly and ran after the little critter.
He didn't know how long he had been running, but he felt a feeling of relief as he saw the kitten in front of him.
He smirked as he saw the kitten beginning to slow down…Where was this…? This was…the uphill part of town…He had been there…but not really.
This wasn't part of his route…
He looked around and saw the barren trees; all dry and looked almost dead. He nodded in appreciation. He bet that those trees were lush with rich leaves and flowers…while the fields were filled with lush greenery during Spring…
He blinked; forget that! Where did the kitten run off to again!?
He stopped and looked at the ground and saw him sitting a few feet in front of him, meowing.
Cielo chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Dis is where you wanted to go? Why?"
The cat said nothing and instead ran from him. Cielo groaned, "Not dis again!"
To his surprise, the kitten hadn't taken him anywhere far. A few feet from their spot and there he found the aforesaid kitten…behind a small shrine.
Cielo raised an eyebrow, "You…you want to stay here?"
He walked over to it slowly, half expecting it to run…but it didn't. It just…stayed put. Cielo, once he walked over to him noticed that there was a small box behind the small shrine. He understood now.
"Is dis where you stay?"
It meowed at him.
Cielo smiled, "Aw…aint you cute?" he chuckled. He sighed and knelt in front of the shrine, "Well now dat de chase is over, wat do you say to some chow?"
He reached for his pocket and pulled out a small can, "I got dis for you!"
xxxxx
Sera ran through the streets and soon, she was nearing the small shrine.
She stopped as she heard a meow.
'It's him! It's gotta be!' she thought with much exuberance. She ran once more and soon saw the small shrine. She heard the meow once more. Now, she knew, for certain, that her little kitten was there.
She felt her heart swell in happiness and relief at that.
She froze, however, as she found someone else, kneeling where she used to. He was a tall boy; a head taller than her with long blue hair. He was dressed in dark blue long-sleeved jacket with a Chinese collar and a pair of matching pants. It was his school uniform. She blinked; it was different from hers. Their uniforms were gray.
So, he was definitely not from her school.
She frowned; who was that and what did he want?
She did another sweep of the boy's appearance and shook her head in disapproval. He was dirty. He was probably one of those typical bullies at school wanting to pick on those younger, smaller and weaker than they were!
That made her angry…
No one was going to her harm her little kitty! But then…she hesitated for but a moment…
She considered turning away, like what her mother used to say…
'Avoid a confrontation…'
But as she once thought of her innocent kitten, probably at the mercy of this "brute", she knew that she had little choice. And so, with emboldened steps, she marched towards the kneeling form and spoke in a timid voice, mimicking a strong and resolute one, "Hey…! W-what are you doing?"
The figure slowly turned around.
Blue met silver.
Sera furrowed her eyebrows as she regarded the blue-haired boy steadily, peering into his sapphire eyes deeply as he stood.
"Is dis your cat?" he asked. Cielo felt nervous at that moment. What if his little buddy had led him there so that he may say goodbye? Maybe this silver-eyed girl was his owner…
He didn't even want to think about it.
Sera pouted, "No…But…it isn't yours either!" she responded defensively.
The boy, who was probably her own age smiled, "How would you know dat?" Yes! Well, he was relieved. She wasn't his owner. He had a good chance of owning the kitten now…But…with her talking to him like the way she just did, he would wager that she cared a lot about the kitten as well…
Sera tilted her head to the side; this boy had…a funny way of speaking. Forget that! He had hair that was…strange…! From far away, it looked long, yes, she noticed…but when she came nearer, she discovered that not only was it long but…
It was long and was in…braids?
"You…you should leave it alone!" she said, frowning, ignoring his previous comment.
He raised an eyebrow and then smiled, "I'm not doing anything bad to it…I was just feeding it."
Yes…she really did care about the small kitten. And if this was where his little buddy was staying, then this girl would've been worried about him when he went missing the other night.
'But he wasn't missing! He was staying wid me!' Cielo thought.
Sera did not believe him. After all, why would a boy like him be interested in her little kitten?
Boys like him were always up to no good anyway! They did nothing but wreck things, vandalize places, desecrate shrines and be mean to girls like her!
Just like what her mum had said so!
And now, one of them had found her poor little kitten…Her poor little defenseless kitten…Well, she would have none of that! She'd protect her little kitten, girl or no girl!
She stomped closer to him and glared, "Yeah right…! You were probably going to…" She stopped as she looked at her helpless little kitten.
She blushed beet red as she discovered that the boy was being truthful…He really was…feeding him…
She immediately felt bad…She didn't think that…
She turned to the boy with her pink-tinged face, "Um…you were…feeding him?"
She had expected the boy to make fun of her, or to rub against her face the mistake that she had made. But to her surprise, he did no such thing and merely chirped cheerfully, "Yeah. I am. I took him home last night after I found him by the bridge. Well, today, he ran here and made me chase after him!" he explained convivially as he continued to stroke the kitten slick black fur, while in turn, it purred and rubbed himself against the boy's hand.
So…he was the one who took care of him last night…
But another thing though, that she noticed was…
Sera couldn't believe it. He was actually spending seconds…no, minutes talking to her…At that, she couldn't help but smile…
"Oh, yea, my name is Cielo." he told her cheerfully, as he stood up, holding out a hand.
Sera looked from his smiling face to his hand and there she marveled at it for a moment. A…friend…?
Remembering her manners, she took his hand and shook it firmly, her eyes meeting his, "My…my name is Sera…"
"I go to de all boys high school downtown." he told her.
"I go to the high school just around the corner…" she responded meekly, smiling. So, all boys high school…? That would explain why she hadn't seen him…And the fact that she rarely went out also added to the equation.
As their eyes locked together and their hands intertwined with one another's, they felt an instant rapport…
Sera's smile widened as her silver eyes sparkled as she continued to peer within the young boy's twinkling sapphire eyes…
She didn't know why, or how, but she had a strong feeling…that she wouldn't be alone anymore.
Now, she had a friend.
A meow was suddenly heard. The two broke their eye contact and stared at the ignored kitten and both sweat-dropped.
Sera knelt down and took the kitten in her hands. Cielo chuckled and petted the small kitten, "Aint you de cutest ting?"
She chuckled as they heard the cat purr in appreciation.
She felt her heart swim in happiness as the moment went by.
She was wrong with her earlier statement.
She didn't merely have a friend.
No.
That was a mistake.
Now, she had two friends…
"So…umm…what will we do now?" Sera asked timidly. Cielo understood what she meant, "Dis isn't your cat…and it isn't mine…Well, what else should we do? We'll adopt him!"
Sera blushed as she heard the words "we'll adopt". It was silly, really, but to her ears, it was as if Cielo was insinuating they become the kitty's parents…his mum and dad.
And at that thought, her body burned.
She nodded, "Y-yes…We can take turns in…taking him home." she concurred.
"It's okay with your parents?" Cielo asked; a bit worried.
Sera smiled, "I'll convince my mum." She wasn't kidding either. She'd convince her mum to let her kitty stay…In one way or another, in any way that she could.
The two laughed as they heard a lively meow followed by a purr.
"So, what'll we name him?"
Sera thought for a while, "What about…Erwin?"
"Erwin?" Cielo asked.
She nodded, "Yeah! Isn't it cute?" she asked; beaming, with her silver eyes twinkling in outmost sincerity.
They both looked at the kitten and saw that it liked the name. Cielo pouted at him childishly, "Hey! Last night wen I was naming you, you didn't like any of de names I gave!"
Sera chuckled at that, "Really?"
Cielo turned to look at her and drawled, "Really…He didn't like dem names…But it looks like he tinks you're a better judge wen it comes to names ja?"
She giggled at that but said nothing.
"Really?" she asked the kitten. The kitten, much to their surprise, meowed in response. Cielo sweat-dropped. Maybe Sera was a better judge after all…
"Okay. Erwin den. We'd name him Erwin." Cielo replied cheerfully, forgetting all about the issue of being a name judge or whatnot.
Sera giggled. She wasn't alone anymore…
"So um…" Sera began, intertwining her hands at her back, kicking the ground with the tip of her shoe lightly, "What happened to your uniform…?" she asked timidly, genuinely curious.
Cielo laughed as he scrutinized himself, "Dis…? Well, why don't you ask Erwin?"
Sera tilted her head to the side as she laughed, "Erwin?"
"Dat's right. I met a little accident while I was chasing him ja?"
He sweat-dropped as he saw a flash of disbelief and skepticism dance within Sera's eyes. What, did she think that he was that of a klutz? He hoped not! And if she did, he would just have to change her mind.
"It was an accident! It's not like I'd trip on a skin of a banana!" he defended himself. He turned to look at the kitten, "Tell her Erwin!"
Sera laughed as his apparent childish behavior. She shook her head as she continued to giggle. And her mother told her that she was childish…
The truth was, there were people more childish than she. She just hadn't met them…yet.
The kitten meowed a low meow, clearly disagreeing with Cielo's statement.
"I don't think Erwin saw it that way Cielo…" Sera said gently, pressing the back of her right hand against her lips as she laughed demurely.
Cielo watched with a warm heart as Sera laughed at his expense…
He felt happy that she was happy. He really didn't care if she laughed at him or with him. As long as she laughed; it was fine. But still, Erwin wasn't backing him up! He glared playfully at the small kitten, "You…you traitor!"
Sera laughed harder as she heard Erwin meow at Cielo's statement…
Aa…Friends…Finally, she had some of her own.
At the moment, none of her mother's words hung in her head…Right now, being with Cielo and Erwin, she felt just right. Right now, she would not allow her moment with them to be interrupted or rudely snatched from her by her mother's hurtful albeit spiteful words…
She wasn't a little girl anymore.
She knew what she wanted. She knew what she needed. And as she continued to peer into Cielo's sapphire eyes, she knew that it was him whom she needed…
She needed him…
Sera had a good feeling that her friendship with this boy, her bond with him would transcend all conventional feelings of friendship…
They were going to be the best of friends, weren't they…?
Cielo smiled as he continued to look at Sera. So, he had been right about Erwin, hadn't he? He really had been compelled to follow him…
Why…?
'So dat I would be able to meet Sera…' he thought knowingly.
Now, he was sure…Traveling over to a different country and settling there wasn't such a bad idea after all.
He had a feeling that he would start to fit in a lot better from then on. And he had a feeling that he and Sera were going to be really good friends.
And it was all thanks to Erwin.
xxxxx