𝐃𝐞𝐚ðŦ 𝐍ðĒðĒ-𝐎𝐚𝐧,

𝐌ðē ðĄðšðĒðŦ ðĄðšðŽ 𝐠ðŦðĻ𝐰𝐧 ðĨðĻ𝐧𝐠𝐞ðŦ 𝐎ðĒ𝐧𝐜𝐞 ðēðĻðŪ ðĨ𝐚𝐎𝐭 ðŊðĒ𝐎ðĒ𝐭𝐞𝐝 ðĶ𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 ðŦ𝐞ðĶ𝐞ðĶ𝐛𝐞ðŦ𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐚𝐚-𝐎𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 ðēðĻðŪ ðĄðšðŊ𝐞 ðĨðžð§ð ð­ðĄðē ðĄðšðĒðŦ𝐎𝐭ðēðĨ𝐞𝐎, 𝐎ðĻ...

𝐈'ðĶ 𝐧ðĻ𝐭 𝐜ðŪ𝐭𝐭ðĒ𝐧𝐠 ðĒ𝐭 ðĻ𝐟𝐟. 𝐒ðŪðŦðĐðŦðĒ𝐎𝐞!

𝐑𝐞ðĶ𝐞ðĶ𝐛𝐞ðŦ ð­ðĄðž ðĐðŦ𝐞𝐎𝐞𝐧𝐭 ðēðĻðŪ 𝐠𝐚ðŊ𝐞 ðĶ𝐞 𝐝ðŪðŦðĒ𝐧𝐠 ð­ðĄðž 𝐑ðĒ𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐎𝐭ðĒðŊ𝐚ðĨ? 𝐈 ðĪ𝐧ðĻ𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 ð­ðĄðž ðŦðĒ𝐛𝐛ðĻ𝐧 ðĻ𝐧 ðĻ𝐧𝐞 ðĻ𝐟 ðĶðē ðĐðĒ𝐠𝐭𝐚ðĒðĨ𝐎, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 ðĒ𝐭 𝐝ðĻ𝐞𝐎𝐧'𝐭 ðĄðĒ𝐧𝐝𝐞ðŦ ðĶ𝐞 ð°ðĄðĒðĨ𝐞 𝐈'ðĶ 𝐭ðŦ𝐚ðĒ𝐧ðĒ𝐧𝐠.

ð–ðĄðžð§ ðēðĻðŪ ðŦ𝐞𝐭ðŪðŦ𝐧, ðēðĻðŪ'ðĨðĨ 𝐎𝐞𝐞 ð­ðĄðšð­ ðĶðē ðĨðĻ𝐜ðĪ𝐎 ðĄðšðŊ𝐞 ðŦðžðšðœðĄðžð 𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐚ðĨðĨ ð­ðĄðž 𝐰𝐚ðē 𝐭ðĻ ðĶðē ðĪ𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐎. 𝐈'ðŊ𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 ðĐðŦ𝐚𝐜𝐭ðĒ𝐜ðĒ𝐧𝐠 𝐞ðŊ𝐞ðŦðē 𝐝𝐚ðē 𝐭ðĻ 𝐛𝐞𝐜ðĻðĶ𝐞 𝐎𝐭ðŦðĻ𝐧𝐠 ðĨðĒðĪ𝐞 ðēðĻðŪ.

𝐍ðĻ ðĻ𝐧𝐞 𝐰ðĒðĨðĨ 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚ðĐ𝐚𝐛ðĨ𝐞 ðĻ𝐟 𝐠ðŦ𝐚𝐛𝐛ðĒ𝐧𝐠 ðĶðē ðĄðšðĒðŦ!

(𝐈 𝐝ðĻ𝐧'𝐭 ðĪ𝐧ðĻ𝐰 ð°ðĄðžðŦ𝐞 ð­ðĄðž ðĐðŪðŦðĐðĨðĒðŽðĄ 𝐭ðĒ𝐧𝐭 ðĻ𝐧 ð­ðĄðž 𝐭ðĒðĐ𝐎 𝐜𝐚ðĶ𝐞 𝐟ðŦðĻðĶ. 𝐃ðĒ𝐝 𝐰𝐞 ðĄðšðŊ𝐞 𝐎ðĻðĶ𝐞ðĻ𝐧𝐞 𝐟ðŦðĻðĶ ð­ðĄðž 𝐜ðĨ𝐚𝐧 𝐰ðĒð­ðĄ ð­ðĄðšð­ ðŽðĄðšððž ðĻ𝐟 𝐜ðĻðĨðĻðŦ?)

𝐈 𝐜ðĻðŪðĨ𝐝𝐧'𝐭 ðĨðĻ𝐰𝐞ðŦ ð­ðĄðž 𝐎ðĐðĒðĪðē 𝐎𝐭ðŦ𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐎 ðĻ𝐧 ð­ðĄðž 𝐛𝐚𝐜ðĪ. 𝐎ðŪðŦ ðĒ𝐭ðĻðĪðĻ 𝐭𝐰ðĒ𝐜𝐞 ðŦ𝐞ðĶðĻðŊ𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐚ðĒ𝐝 ðĒ𝐭 ðĨðĻðĻðĪ𝐎 𝐜ðŪ𝐭𝐞 𝐛ðŪ𝐭...

She pouts as she recalls him calling it a 'duck's butt.'

𝐊ðŪðŦðĻ ðĒ𝐎 𝐜ðŪ𝐭𝐞ðŦ.

Said cat was sniffing over the bowl she had put in front of him, before deciding to roll all over the mat instead.

"Be careful, Kuro!" She scolded, removing the plate and placing it on the counter.

𝐇𝐞 ðŦ𝐚ðŦ𝐞ðĨðē 𝐝ðŦðĒ𝐧ðĪ𝐎 ð­ðĄðž 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞ðŦ 𝐈 𝐠ðĒðŊ𝐞 ðĄðĒðĶ. 𝐌𝐚ðē𝐛𝐞 ðĒ𝐭'𝐎 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚ðŪ𝐎𝐞 𝐧ðĒ𝐧𝐧𝐞ðĪðĻ𝐎 𝐎𝐭ðĒðĨðĨ ðĄðšðŊ𝐞 ðĒ𝐧𝐎𝐭ðĒ𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐎 ð­ðĄðšð­ ðĶ𝐚ðĪ𝐞 ð­ðĄðžðĶ 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭ðĻ 𝐎𝐞𝐚ðŦðœðĄ 𝐟ðĻðŦ 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞ðŦ ðĻ𝐧 ð­ðĄðžðĒðŦ ðĻ𝐰𝐧.

𝐃ðĻ ðēðĻðŪ ð­ðĄðĒ𝐧ðĪ 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠ðĻ 𝐭ðĻ 𝐒ðĻðŦ𝐚-ðĪðŪ 𝐭ðĻ 𝐚𝐎ðĪ 𝐍𝐞ðĪðĻ𝐛𝐚𝐚 𝐚𝐛ðĻðŪ𝐭 ðĒ𝐭?

"You were such a scaredy cat when you first arrived here."

Kuro purred as her palms brushed against his fur.

"But look at you now! You totally got used to living here, didn't you?" She noticed how soft his pitch-black coating was...

"... Were you always this dark?" And remarked offhandedly.

"I can barely see your eyes."

.

.

.

.

.

He blinked.

"Oh, you just had them closed!" She shook her head at the sight of Kuro's two-slitted irises. "I guess you're still as scared as ever."

"Don't worry, Kuro." Bringing him into her arms, she patted her poor kitty.

"I'll always protect you."

He blinked again, before letting out a loud mew in response.

𝐁𝐞 𝐎𝐚𝐟𝐞. ð“ðĄðžðŦ𝐞'𝐎 𝐎ðĻ ðĶðŪðœðĄ 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭ðĻ 𝐭𝐞ðĨðĨ ðēðĻðŪ!

𝐘ðĻðŪðŦ 𝐈ðĶðĻðŪ𝐭ðĻ,

𝚄𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚑𝚊 𝚂𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚔𝚘.

ï―Ĩ ï―ĄïūŸ: *.āļ… āļ… .* :.ï―ĄïūŸï―Ĩ

.

.

It bestirred itself.

And observed its human girl sleeping soundly under the night sky, wrapped inside the pink, fluffy thing she called bed.

Kuro kept watch, warding her with all of its eyes gazing back and forth around the traditional household.

(Because wherever she goes, it will follow.)

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.

.

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The pupils on its tail and ears never left the figure surveying from afar.


A/N

Kuro means "Black"