Chapter Five: Glint

Some things could not be escaped or denied. The natural forces of the world - heat, gravity, magnetism, etcetera – those are the more evident, the ones all organisms were subject to, whether living or not. There are other such inescapable forces that only exist in relation to conscience and instinct. Naught but the thinking observed time and how it passed. Naught but the aware beheld cellular decomposition and conceived mortality, and the notion of loss that comes after. And naught but the conscious looked at their surroundings to think of truth; something that could vary from heart to heart, but ultimately always stared unblinking, whether they could stare back or not.

His relation with truth was a stormy affair. But eventually, Morgana knew to face and accept it. He was a cat. Though his mind operated like that of a human, and though he was born as hope literally made flesh, he was and would forever be a cat. His friends extended their warmth and compassion, and they were willing to provide all the help they could so that he could achieve the form he believed was his original design. But they could not grasp just how intense his desire was – not even Akira.

By sole fact of being a Phantom Thief, Morgana – also known as Mona – had braved through great perils and eluded grim outcomes time after time. But all that courage and grit were dwarfed by his greatest feat of valour – accepting himself. With the help of his friends, Morgana become content, even happy with his feline reality. He embraced his core instincts and found joy in the things he could do only as a cat. Sleeping on top of Akira, riding in his bag, and being constantly pampered by his parents. Playing with Ann and Haru's hair. Laying on Makoto's lap and being scratched beneath the chin. Pestering Ryuji and Futaba, and effortlessly getting away with it. Modelling for Yusuke who felt his efforts were not sufficient to capture his Morgana-ness.

And there was Snow.

All around him, he saw only strangers. It was the day of the Phantom Thieves' ultimate triumph – the fall of a God-Dictator at their hands. It seemed then, upon their victory, that Morgana was to disintegrate, to lose his body and become a thing incorporeal that living things felt, breathed and carried in their most intimate, but could never touch. He said a loving farewell, and saw his friends tearfully reach out. Everything around him was light, and his ears could hear the perennial tune of the Blind Pianist in the realm of the soul. It mattered none – their faces and their voices remained in his consciousness.

He vanished, but never quite ceased to be. Seconds, maybe minutes after, his flesh was again as whole as always. His make was different, but his form was wholly that which he inhabited in the measurable, ordinary world. But his friends were nowhere to be seen. He knew his surroundings from the many times he accompanied Akira, and from the brief divide in the Thieves' numbers. Still, this was his first time in Shibuya in this state. It was all intensely disorienting. And the only thing that kept him from panicking were two big blue eyes that gazed at him from the shadow of a store's awning. The rest of her was white, and Morgana could not tell how much of that fluff was cat and how much was long, long fur.

"Hello?" Morgana called out. He knew humans who had never been to the Metaverse would only hear meowing. But this white, feline cloud did not seem to understand his words either. It should have been no surprise – the strays in Yongen-jaya never understood him, and to Morgana, their meowing sounded like meowing. But for some reason, he hoped, he wanted this cat to comprehend.

She tilted her head to the side. Her skunk-like tail swayed slowly. Up until that moment, Morgana never actually thought of how his emotions translated into quirks like that. To any other cat, it was natural.

Morgana approached timid, one paw at a time. The she-cat stared without a blink, but nothing in the hind region of her fur hinted at any desire to run away. She did not trust this black and white cat, but she saw something in the blue of his eyes, dark whereas hers were light, penetrating and true. Without realising, Mona was but centimetres away, his head lowered to the height of his shoulder blades. Millimetres now, and the white cat drew just a little closer, sniffing away. Morgana felt a slight jolt when her nose touched his.

She smelled just like any other cat; in fact, she did not smell any different to himself. But to the white cat, Morgana's scent was peculiar, foreign even in comparison to the grittiest of strays. She simply did not know whether to stay or to run away.

So she pawed at his face.

"Hey!" Morgana hissed. "What's the big idea?"

She pawed at him again. Claws drawn in.

"S-stop it!" Morgana stood on his hind legs as an instinctive response. He expected her to paw him again, after which he would have to consider whether to return the gesture. But this time, she only stared at him, and let a long meow fill the air. It was clear by the way she licked her paw to tidy herself that there was a breach in communication. "Whatever." Morgana said, returning to four paws, and turning around to make his long way back to Yongen-jaya.

Just thinking about the time it would take him to get there made him irritated, and hungry. As if to mock him in his hour of distress, the words 'fatty tuna' showed up in his thoughts. Several times in the past, he accompanied Akira whenever he tackled the Big Bang Burger Challenge. Perhaps, if he tried hard enough, he could find the burger joint, but like as not, he would probably be shooed away.

Then, from the corner of his eye, a white fluff. The she-cat was keeping up with a spry step.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asked.

Her response was vocal, not a meow per se, but it was the purriest hum his ears ever heard. Sweet sounding, but increasingly grating the more it bounced between the walls of his mind. Regardless, this was as far from a reply as it could get – or so it seemed. It took him a few awkward minutes to realise she was not following him; she was beckoning him to follow. Mona could not tell whether she understood anything he said. The point was moot, as she understood the most essential thing about him before he even cared to tell. She knew he was hungry.

After a few moments of venturing into a labyrinth of backstreets, the two cats arrived at their destination. The entrance to a modest restaurant that barely seemed to have any customers at all. There was a name above the door but the letters were too faded to make it out. It was thanks to his feline sense of orientation that he knew where they were, though this was a place entirely new to him. The view was lonely, and it subtly encouraged approaching with caution. After all, the Phantom Thieves had stopped a cat abuser in the past, and there was no telling another could not be prowling this solitude. Yet the white cat's carefree canter was reassuring, and soon, Morgana learned the reason to her easy pace.

This place had even less customers than LeBlanc on a bad day, but the smells that emerged from within were similarly mouth-watering. Instead of the spice and the rich aroma of the coffee, Morgana breathed the hot mixture of steamed vegetables and grilled meat. He could almost hear the oily sound of meat and chicken sizzling on a grill, but the white cat's almost-deafening meow startled the image away.

And out she came, a young girl wearing apron. She looked like she may have studied at Shujin. Wild black hair, and dark circles around her eyes, a strange air about her, like a subdued obsession. But there was still a distinct tone of kindness to her voice when greeting the cat.

"Snow, you came!" She crouched to scratch the white cloud of a cat under the jaw, then noticing Morgana. "And you brought a handsome gentleman!"

Her remark felt like a joke at his expense, done out of ignorance rather than malice, but a joke all the same. Regardless, he did not pull away as she reached forward with her hand, index finger extended, humid from what looked like grease. Mona's stomach grumbled wanting at the smell.

"Stay here, you two." The girl went into the restaurant, prancing like a besotted child. A few minutes later, she came back out with a plate full of tender chicken, boiled and without seasoning. She set it down in front of the cats are went back into the restaurant to sit on a chair as she watched them eat. Snow began wolfing down without hesitation, and after a cautionary sniff, Morgana followed her example. This was a feast, if a little bland. Morgana could not complain.

Thus began his strange friendship with Snow, and with Yumeko Mogami, by proxy. Every day Yumeko came to work to the restaurant, she made sure to set some food apart for Snow and Morgana. The latter was most grateful for this, especially on the days that followed, as his eventual odyssey to Yongen-jaya revealed an unsettling truth, one he fretfully put together from overheard conversations. Akira turned himself in to the police to ensure Shido's prosecution. Alas, his friends were already hard at work to hasten his release. There was little he could do but silently watch over his friends during their efforts, and wait for his best friend's return. Snow turned out to be a loyal companion during those days.

A year passed.

Today, Morgana could not feign surprise when realising she still remembered him. It has not even been a week since Akira and he return to Tokyo. Yet somehow, there she was, in his Yongen-jaya backstreets – a fluffy white cloud with big, blue eyes and a deafening meow. Though fond of the sight, she was the last thing he expected to see.

"Hi…" Mona was at a loss for words. "How have you been?"

Still nothing akin to a verbal response - not immediately, at least.

"It's good to see y-!"Morgana started before being cut off by loud, long, almost reproachful meow. The feline jumped back, startled. Though lacking in words, he understood what Snow was conveying. After all, thinking back on a year ago, it was quite clear. He never actually said goodbye.

For his thoughtlessness, Morgana expected Snow to rightfully pin her ears back, to hiss and claw at him. A guilty pang fell at the pit of his stomach as Snow stood up and walked past him. He knew it was deserved, but it still ached. Yet he did not expect that, rather than leaving him to dwell on his shame, she walked a circle around him only to come back and rub her head against his.

All in all, she just seemed glad to have her friend back. And Morgana knew that if he was to remain in Tokyo for the long run, the least he could do was protect and nurture every bond he had. So the two cats went on their way to spend their day together, finding a suitable place under the sun to take a nap, as cats do. He only hoped not to run into any of his fellow Thieves, lest they looked on this as a date. They would never let him live it down - Ryuji especially.

The hours passed in an alternation of sunlight and shadow, nibbled houseplants in the open, and cobwebs sticking to their tails. It was still early afternoon, which meant Sojiro or Akira would probably be about to make some curry for lunch. Aside from the particular subtleties that went into that special curry, Morgana knew even a taste may not agree with his feline insides, but the smell of it alone was enough to arouse an appetite. It was fortunate that neither Boss nor Joker used all of the meat when cooking; whatever they did not use was Morgana's lunch. Today, the two cats would share.

But that represented something of a problem. All Morgana had to do was put up his cutest self for Boss or Akira to serve him some meat, but to ensure that would be enough for two, they would inevitably need to see Snow as well. He could see it happening already. Sojiro was the preferable alternative; at worst, he would baby-talk him like he did when he thought nobody was looking, encourage Snow's company with a conspiring tone, or both. That much he could survive. But if Akira was the one serving… Joker's silent smirk would do what a year of Ryuji and Ann teasing would not.

Then again, the alternative to either outcome was a far lesser meal. The second better choice was Mogami's chicken, but Shibuya was too far away for two cats in the city. After considering that, the choice was easy – keeping his cool was not.

Morgana and Snow headed to LeBlanc's door. The sign said 'Open' in big letters. Inside they could hear a variety of subdued sounds. Two chatting customers, regulars both. The television. Water brought to a boil. A ladle stirring in a pot – curry in the making. Morgana stood on his hind legs and scratched at the rather dirty glass on the door.

"Heyyyyyyyy!" He called out loud. Whomever answered his call would decide the extent of his embarrassment. Snow merely sat next to him in clear view, swaying her tail slow and carefree.

Footsteps. The doorknob turned. It was Sojiro. Mona felt relieved.

"Back from your stroll, huh?" Sojiro always seemed somewhat pleased to see the cat. "And what have we here? Brought a friend along, did you?" Boss knelt to extend a hand towards the white cat to see if she would trust him. Snow timidly approached, smelling his index finger for a short moment before she started licking. Sojiro Sakura certainly seemed to have a way with cats. "I'll have something for you two. Be right back."

Mona was momentarily confused. This did not go as badly as he thought. Boss made no remark at all on the fact that he brought a girl cat along, no teasing, no mention of him taking after Akira's way with Makoto. He rationalised that Sojiro could not tell Snow was female at first sight, something Morgana could tell by smell alone. Perhaps, all the motives to his worry where only in his mind. And indeed, had he an actual reason to overthink?

They were friends, simple as that. But he had to admit that thinking of this bond brought some uncomfortable reflections to the table, all reminding of his mental self, tip-toeing the frontier between human and cat. Though he had grown past his infatuation with Ann, the topic of love came to mind every now and then. He knew what love was; he understood that it was as much of a permanent awareness as it was a continuous action. It was something that sheltered and nurtured, knew no distinction and halted before no obstacle.

But did cats understand love the same way? Could the affection of a cat suffice on the day his heart remained wanting? And thinking of that future, there was so much Morgana still did not know about himself. With no access to the domains of his maker, these mysteries would probably remain unsolved. The wild train of thought that broke loose in his head was starting to dull his appetite.

That is, until Sojiro came back with lunch. Snow started munching away with particular glee. Soon enough, Morgana found that nothing made sense but to eat and hope she does not lick the plate clean by herself.

No use dwelling in these dark existential depths. "Whatever happens, happens". Mona recalled overhearing that one night while Akira watched his favourite show. Morgana hardly ever paid attention when it came on, but his ears perked every now and then for these morsels of wisdom. The music was consistently good, at the very least.

Music… that was a thought. The other Thieves had gone to a music event of sorts the day before. They could not take him along, but Akira promised to find another gig to take him along. He rarely ever broke a promise, so at least he had something to look forward to. The two cats were halfway finished with the plate. Amidst the chewing, Morgana snickered at a devious thought. If the Thieves could not find the time or place, he could always go to Futaba and ask her to hack into Makoto's phone to record whenever she sang – a habit she picked up during her final winter as a Shujin student. Queen was not half bad, but the real spectacle was imagining just what she would do if she found out others could listen in.

It would be like courting death, most likely. What thrill.

A less risky alternative would be listening to Haru while she sang to her plants. Her voice was a sweet sound, and she would probably agree to let the cats lounge as she sang, but she was as likely to sing something soothing as she was to perform something that could give him nightmares. To Haru, it was all the same.

The most likely scenario was Akira smuggling him into the karaoke bar. The more he thought about it, the better it sounded, especially if all Thieves were involved. He could not imagine Ryuji or Futaba would be any good at it, but at least they would all have a laugh.

Morgana lost himself momentarily in these brighter thoughts, and he did not realise Snow had stopped eating; something else had caught her attention. The white cat's eyes were fixed on something above them. It moved in circles. Snow sat up straight, tail swinging anxiously. Morgana looked up in a rather human manner, acting similarly to Snow. It was well within the way of cats to observe small animals; flying insects were ever an effective catalyst to their hunting instincts. But that was not quite the reason Morgana could not look away from this tiny, yellow – almost orange – butterfly.

His deep blue eyes stared wide open. His thoughts evaporated, all but one. This was a butterfly, and there was nothing else to it. But there was something important, somewhere, at some point in time that looked quite like this butterfly. It was not a knowledge he possessed, rather it was something he instinctively knew. But why? His memories were all his now, and he never before saw anything remotely important in the appearance of a yellow butterfly.

A word began to conjure in his brain, becoming clearer the longer he looked upon the insect. A dawn of a realisation… it sparked suddenly in the moment its wing caught a sliver of sunlight.

Plaything.

Morgana jumped upward, pawing at the butterfly and missing. The plaything began to fly away, and Snow began to run after it even before Mona landed. He followed her, and the plaything, hopping over fences and small roofs. He caught up to Snow soon after, and together they chased the plaything, leaping and pawing to no success. This lasted for a long time. It may have been better if the butterfly flew well out of their reach, but the plaything was still within sight. So they continued to chase until the afternoon grew dark.

Exhausted, both cats napped together in the back of the Sakura residence. At this time, it would be inconvenient for Snow to return to Shibuya on her own. Morgana meant to ask Akira to do him a favour and take the white cat to the Mogumi restaurant the day after, as soon as naptime was over. As Morgana opened his eyes to see the dusk, he decided to just ask tomorrow.

The image of the yellow butterfly went forgotten.