When the rays of the sun began to shine on them, the teen groggily woke up, feeling mostly numb.
Feeling something shifting in his arms, he glanced down, recalling the kitten and how he saved it.
Despite his own numbness, something inside him told him to get up and get something to eat not just for himself, but for the tiny creature.
Based on her appearance, she was likely out on her own for a while, her body rather small, unsure if it was due to being a stray or had been the runt of the litter.
Regardless, he began to walk; carrying the sleeping animal in his arms, ignoring any stares sent his way.
Coming across a café, he walked in, ignoring more stares, wordlessly pointing to what he wanted.
He barely registered the barista telling him the cat had to wait outside, but he ignored her, hearing himself telling her he wanted his order to go.
With a small huff, she let it slide, possibly giving some pity by how battered he looked and the kitten still sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Once he got what he ordered, he quickly paid before leaving, not bothering to collect his change.
Finding a secluded place, he sat down, carefully setting the small animal down, that alone being enough to wake her.
Blinking wearily, still groggy, she stretched and let out a yawn, staring at her surroundings, clearly trying to recall what happened.
Seeing the teen, she immediately lit up, tail swaying happily, more so when a carton of cream and torn pieces of bread were set near her.
Right away she began eating, purring loudly, the action unknowingly bringing a small smile to the teen's face.
Gently stroking the tiny kitten's fur some more, he stopped when she had finished eating, throwing the carton away.
Seeing she still looked tired, he picked her up, cradling her in his arms, unsure where to go next.
He couldn't bring himself to return home, nor could he simply run away and leave the country. Even if he wanted to do the latter, he only had so much money before he had to return home to get more.
He foolishly forgot his credit card and passport was there too.
The only thing to cross his mind was a certain redhead, recalling how he had been wounded, humiliated in that godforsaken fight.
Before he knew it, his legs began moving, taking him to his destination, the kitten staring at him and her surroundings.
At some point, he found himself on a rooftop, staring at the sky, memories good and bad alike surfacing.
The kitten had since been set down, wandering about, occasionally glancing at him, concern showing by how he stared ahead.
She almost feared he would simply walk off the ledge, losing the only human not to throw her away or let someone throw her away.
She didn't think she could handle another heartbreak, breathing a sigh of relief when he began walking towards the stairs they came from.
Running after him, she kept up with his long strides perfectly, pausing every so often whenever he would pause.
She didn't pay much attention, though did notice when he had found a cloak of some sort in one of the alleys they passed by.
She watched him throw it over his shoulders, covering most of his battered body from view.
During one of the stops, she wiggled her rear, launching herself onto his shoulder, the other not flinching from the extra weight.
She stayed like that for some time, curling up happily, grateful for her small size.
However, she let out a disapproved mewl when he suddenly took her off his shoulder and set onto the ground.
Glancing around, she noticed they were at some building, the teen about to head inside, her ready to follow.
"Stay here," he half ordered, without looking at her.
Despite wanting too, she obeyed, not wanting to risk angering him or whoever may be inside this strange place.
What felt like forever, she kept perking up before drooping her ears and tail whenever someone that wasn't that boy walked in or out.
Almost giving up, believing he wasn't coming back, she let out a startled cry when strong hands picked her up.
Glancing up, she saw familiar red eyes, though instead of dull and nearly lifeless, held a burning fire in them.
Excited, she reached a paw out, attempting to grab him, to try and mimic the actions she's seen other humans do to show affection.
"You actually listened," he mused, smirking a little as he carried her, newfound determination bubbling inside him.
Purring, she nuzzled the side of his injured face, the other ignoring the small stinging sensation of having his cuts rubbed like that.
Before she knew it, he had stopped again, this time at some building, the whole thing looking empty, no signs of humans living. Maybe rats and a few stray cats, but not humans, she was pretty sure of that.
"I don't know how much you understand me," the teen started, "but I have something to do up there. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't know how long I'll be up there, so it would be better if you leave."
Why was he talking to the cat, not like she could understand…
"Nya!" the kitten squawked angrily, gently swatting him by those words.
No way was she leaving him alone!
From how he worded that sentence, she was sure he wasn't planning on staying there forever.
If that's the case, she'll just wait for him until he's done!
Somehow understanding her pouting, he gave a small smile, "Alright, you can stick around. But don't follow me to the top at least. It could get dangerous."
The kitten stared at him, obviously worried, wanting to know what reason he could have to put himself in danger.
"It's something I have to do…"
It was then she noticed something glinting in his hand, not sure what it was, but felt she's seen its shape before.
Feeling herself plucked off his shoulder and set onto the ground, she twitched in slight annoyance as he walked inside, though the door didn't shut all the way.
Not wanting to wait outside for him, she followed the teen, listening to his footsteps, finding he was already way ahead of her.
The steps were steeper than she thought, having some difficulty climbing them, eventually getting the hang of it.
When she neared the top, she heard what sounded like some explosions, the teen barking orders or letting out a startled shout.
At some point a cat came charging down, obviously panicked, nearly knocking the other down.
With an exchange of words between them, mostly hisses and growls from the older cat, glancing up the stairwell where the teen was.
Before long it had left quickly, not wanting to stick around in case he came down or worse, that thing he was firing came down.
The other though, she was determined to reunite with the human, getting as close to the rooftop as possible.
She could hear cursing and lots of crashing, worrying her, but remembered his words about the danger.
When it stopped, that was when she decided to check in on him, concern showing in her small face.
"Dammit!" the teen cursed, the cat having arrived to see him fall to his knees, punching the ground in frustration.
The other cat was right, there were holes all over the place, but she felt no danger from the boy.
Finding the blue thing lying a bit away, she hesitantly picked it up in her mouth, carrying it over to him.
With a muffled meow, it got the teen's attention, seeing the surprised look in his face that a cat brought him his Beyblade.
"Arigatō," he smiled, petting her fur gently, his determination returning to master his Beyblade once more.
However, after looking at the destruction he made, he knew he couldn't continue here with all the holes and glass. And with how much more powerful Dranzer had become, he couldn't risk training on other floors or he might cause a collapse.
Getting up, he took the kitten after pocketing the blade, heading down the stairs, wracking his brain of where he could go to train.
It would have to be someplace with lots of room, one people rarely ventured to or walked by to avoid getting them hurt.
He glanced at the kitten, seeing her cuddled up in his arms once more, making him smile a little.
He wondered if she had a home previously, seeing how affectionate she is, and when he thought about, she wasn't entirely thin. Neither heavily muscled nor pudgy, but not deathly thin like some cats he's seen.
Either way, she was on her own now, either abandoned or used to have someone feed her prior to their meeting.
There was something special about her, something that urged him to hold her tighter, refusing to leave her behind.
Before he could think further, he glanced around, realizing he had wandered into the fishing yard.
Realizing the opportunity, he gently set the kitten down, seeing her glance up at him in curiosity.
"I'm going in there to train. Stay out here so you don't get hurt and stay away from the windows in case the glass breaks."
Most would think he was crazy talking to the cat, but something told him she was listening, understanding his words.
Whether she actually did or merely sensed his worry, it didn't matter. So long as she listened and was safe from harm, he would be content with that.
Seeing she was going nowhere nor was she going to follow, he went inside to begin his training.
The small kitten listened to crates breaking, glass shattering, the teen giving frustrated shouts or surprised yelps.
Curiosity and worry filling her, she carefully went up to a window that had no glass, letting her spy on the human.
Ears drooped when seeing how he struggled, the strange device not cooperating as he wanted it too.
Before long another device shot into the line of fire, knocking the blue thing down, stopping it in its tracks.
Following the new thing, it returned to the hand of a strange man, the two seemingly knowing one another.
She listened to them exchange words, the teen's expression souring, clearly frustrated not just with himself, but the fact that someone was butting in.
The other man had walked inside, suggesting they have a Beybattle, the kitten nearly falling from her spot when she recalled the spinning devices.
She was no expert, but she's seen some kids play with those things, those Beyblades in parks she'd pass through or hide in.
No sooner he suggested it, almost taunting the teen about being afraid to fight him as his blade spun on a crate, the other let out a snarl as he released his.
The kitten couldn't help but root for her human friend, both staring in shock when seeing no sign of the blonde's.
When it came down, knocking the blue blade into more crates, the kitten watched the teen contemplate the others words, possibly whatever might've left him like this.
The small animal wished she could talk, cheer for him, knowing he's strong, that whatever is trying to hold him back, can't.
An explosion was heard, the blue blade firing out, knocking the red and green one into the other person's hand.
As for the blue one, it fired with intense speed into the teen's hand, smoking pouring from the glove he thankfully wore.
Hearing the blonde saying something about the teen figuring it out or something, the kitten's human friend held a slight smirk as he readied his blade.
With a declaration for battle, wanting neither to hold back, they fired their blades once more, allowing an all-out battle to commence.
As the battle went on, the teen going on the offensive, the other having his blade take flight to gain distance between them, the kitten watched with wonder.
This was her first Beybattle from start and hopefully to finish with the teen coming out as victor.
She watched, amazed as the blades occasionally clashed with one another, both parties smirking, the blonde appearing proud of the other.
The kitten somehow knew that this blonde was really trying to help the teen master this powerful Beyblade.
However, the kitten's amazement turned to near horror when vines came out of the ground after the blonde's order to his blade.
Not only did it surround the blue blade, but the teenager as well, seeing him unable to move, looking scared as much as he was angry.
Listening to the blonde scolding the teen, calling him Kai, she watched as he tried to ignore the other. She could tell that he was heavily focused on his vendetta against some guy named Brooklyn.
With carefully chosen words, the blonde, Romero as she recalled, managed to somehow calm him down enough to think despite how wild he still looked.
With his own declaration, his reason for wanting to beat this Brooklyn, he broke free from the vines as did his Beyblade.
To match his rekindled spirit and tempered mind, the blade lit up, unleashing the spirit within, the fiery phoenix defeating the other blade.
The kitten couldn't have felt happier seeing her human friend not only win, but how amazing he looked doing it.
She watched him leave while the other rambled on about this and that, including the teen having to supposedly swallow his pride to apologize.
She hopped down, catching up to the teen, meowing happily, her tail wagging.
"You saw that battle?" he asked, somehow knowing the answer. "I hope you were someplace safe when it got ugly."
"Nya!" she purred, hopping into his arms, nestling against his chest, purring louder than before.
At some point, just as the sun began setting, he had gone to the riverside, meeting up with a bunch others.
As before, he set the kitten down, mostly so he could announce himself the best way possible, with his Beyblade.
One of the other teens, namely the one who's own blade got attacked looked up, appearing happy to see him.
"You're late," he grinned, the other smirking as he walked up to the others, hearing greetings from friends of his return.
Following him, she stared at the group, staying close before yelping when a pair of strong hands picked her up.
"Nya!" she cried out, seeing a teen with darker skin and black hair held her.
While he didn't hurt her, the action was unexpected, making her struggle and cry.
"Put her down, Lee," Kai stated, seeing the other listening, mostly due to the kitten getting more frantic.
"Made yourself a friend?" a teen with gold eyes asked, a kind smile on his face.
"You could say so, she's been following me everywhere since I saved her," he responded, though the following part was only partly true.
She only stuck with him for so long was because he carried her around or she hopped onto his shoulders.
"That's so cool," a brunette cooed, kneeling down to pet the small cat, her hand outstretched. "Does she have a name?"
"I haven't thought about it, my mind was on other things."
"Are you going to keep her?" a blonde boy asked as the kitten began to warm up to the girl and soon others. "Oh cool, she's got the same eyes as you."
"Maybe she should be Kai Jr. then?" the apparent leader laughed, getting looks by some of the others.
"She's nothing like me, it'd be an insult," Kai half joked as he picked the kitten up, the others watching how she settled right in.
"Her fur's really pretty, almost like snow," the brunette cooed as she carefully reached out, scratching her ear.
"It is," he smiled softly, stroking the fur, the kitten purring away happily. "Maybe I could call her Koyuki?"
"Little Snow?" one of the others questioned, a brow raised.
"It sounded nice," he responded, the kitten lighting up at the sound, able to feel all the love in that word.
Somehow cranking her purring to another level, she reached up, managing to wrap her tiny arms around his neck, nuzzling and licking him.
"I think she likes it," the golden eyed teen laughed, others agreeing by how affectionate she was, seeing how calm their friend looked.
She barely focused on what they were saying, letting Kai talk with his friends before they finally went their separate ways.
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