Sunday morning was beautiful. The golden lantern of the sun hung high in the sky admidst a cloudless azure-blue sky. The smell of leaves that had just begun to fall filled the air with a sweet perfume that coaxed squirrels out of their nests to begin hoarding food for the upcoming winter.

Scarlett stepped out of her apartment, breathing in the fresh air and scents that drifted about her. She wore a pale yellow sundress and a matching hat that cast shade over her bright green eyes and freckled visage. Standing still for a long moment, she leisurely thought about which way she should go. There was no destination; just a walk through the town, exploring the place that was so different from where she was raised.

Finally deciding to go East, she began her trek. Dress waving in the breeze, sunlight beating down on her, she could almost forget everything that wasn't right in her world. All about her aloof father, stern mother, kindly sister, maybe even that instance, that instance of total and complete helplessness in the face of danger, her failure that haunted her dreams...

No. They said it would take time, as all things did. She would heal. It would get better. They'd told her, it would never go away completely, but in time she would forgive and move on. They told her to forgive that man, to stay faithful to that fact he would find a place in God's arms. In reality, it was not he who needed to be forgiven. It was her. Her fault. Always her fault.

Her quickly darkening thoughts gave way to brighter ones as she neared the outskirts of the town. The suburbs, all green and bright, spread out in front of her eternally. She climbed the swell of the sidewalk up a steep hill, finding a breathtaking view over the area. Emerald woods peppered the land beyond, sliced through with crystal streams. The violet blur of mountains flashed faintly in the distance, their cold and crisp smell finding its way onto the rise.

Scarlett grinned, feeling the wind as it whipped her curly red hair. She loved this feeling. This was true power, in her mind; not the power of a major company or birthright, but the power of nature itself. Of that massive expanse's beliddling prescence on her being. It was beautiful. Pure, innocent, untouched, truly and utterly beautiful. With these thoughts in her mind and in her heart, she continued down the slope. There were small houses here and there, all beautiful in mysterious ways.

The sound of laughter split her silent reverie as she walked. It was a soft laugh, a man's, and she could tell by its rustiness that the man hadn't laughed in earnest for a long time. She tended to be very good at reading other people's emotions.

Curious, she turned her head, searching for the next house that would come up. It was close, she knew it. The trees parted suddenly, and she found herself staring at a simple, small house. It was made of russet-colored bricks, woven with tendrils of ivy and other late-blooming flowers. The backyard was massive, at least according to her experiences, and huge trees towered over that serene patch in the woods.

What caught her attention, however, was the man in the yard. A lawn chair was behind him, so she suspected he'd been sitting there a moment ago. The stool beside it had been knocked down, and a glass of lemonade had been spilled over the ground. A brown-haired man appeared to be tussling playfully in the grass with an animal, laughing and shaking his head.

"Mr. Garra?" Scarlett gasped loudly, her eyes widening. "No way!"

Immediately, the man let go of the animal, a large cat with tabby fur the exact same color as his owner's. Their eyes were eerily the same shade as well, that deep golden amber. "Thundera?" Brian blinked, and the cat mewled, likely annoyed at his owner's distraction.

Scarlett couldn't help grinning at his expression, and from the scene she'd just witnessed. "Does Brian play with wittle kitties?" She nearly doubled over laughing as his eyes narrowed, quite unenthused by his student's mocking. Without really thinking about it, Scarlett stepped off of the sidewalk and approached Brian and the little cat.

"He doesn't like strangers." Mr. Garra muttered cooly, standing up and brushing off his tattered jeans. The cat just sat down, tilting his head curiously as the red-haired girl approached. Smiling, she kneeled down beside him and held out one hand. He sniffed her curiously, then rubbed his cheek against her hand. "He seems to like me fine." She grinned.

Brian's eyes narrowed at the cat, who was now pushing his head underneath Scarlett's hand in order to get more contact. She was clumsy, he noted, but then again she'd probably never really had any pets. He was actually quite impressed with how she was handling it. Cats were mysterious creatures, and were usually sly and somewhat intimidating. Yet she appeared completely at ease, scratching behind his ears and laughing lightly.

"What's his name?" The girl asked, her green eyes bright.

"Brambleclaw." The English teacher said as he picked up the spilled lemonade glass from the ground. He ignored Scarlett's reaction, which was a hardly concealed snort.

"Brambleclaw?" She laughed. "What kind of name is that?"

"I found him when he was a kitten, stuck in a bramble bush. He has long claws, too. It only seemed to fit." He smiled warmly, looking at the cat fondly. "He's not really tame, you know. He comes and goes as he pleases."

"Don't you worry something will happen to him?" Scarlett asked, the cat's back arching under her gentle hand. He was really a very handsome cat, with high cheekbones and tall triangular ears. "What if he gets into a fight?"

"It's up to him what he does. Cats aren't like humans. They don't need guidance, they don't even really need companionship. But he's my friend, I guess, and I just have to respect his choices. He's a good kid."

"You speak about him like he's a person." Scarlett observed, wrapping her arms over her knees and watching Brambleclaw as he began rolling around in the grass. "But I guess you're right." She smiled lightly. "I wish I could've had a kid growing up. But my mom was convinced it would mess up the house."

Brian found himself smiling as his student. Her hair was an angelic halo in the sunlight, like the fire he saw in her eyes. Hers was a strong and brave heart, of that he was sure. "You've still got time, you know." He said after a long moment, finally placing the glass back on the stool. "Your parents are only middle-aged, right? You won't have any of the major responsibility for a while now."

Scarlett stiffened, but forced herself to relax. "Yeah," she frowned. "I guess." She shook her head quickly, then grinned as Brambleclaw stretched his jaws in a massive yawn, his tongue curling. "How old is he? He acts like a kitten."

"He acts like a cat, and they're all like that. They don't have anything to worry about. But he's a year and a half, so technically he is still a kitten."

Scarlett nodded, then straightened up. Brambleclaw mewled softly, padding up to the lawn chair. She watched as the muscles in his hind legs tightened, then as he leaped and curled up in the sun. "So, this is where you live?" She observed the place slowly. It certainly wasn't glamorous, but was pretty in a earthy way that made her feel strangely nostalgic.

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's not what you're used to. What're you doing here, anyway?"

"I was just taking a walk." Scarlett replied. "The view from that hill is terrific."

"It is. I wasn't aware you liked that kind of thing, though." He could tell by the way her shoulders squared that he was annoying her. This really was too fun to be healthy. "Nature isn't something you get to see a lot of, is it?"

"No, it isn't." The girl said stiffly, glaring at him. "That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it."

They were silent for a moment, Scarlett staring out at the forest, Brian frowning. "Why do you go on walks so often?" He asked eventually, looking away nonchalantly. "It seems strange I keep running into you wandering around aimlessly."

"It gets lonely." Scarlett answered honestly, spinning on her heel to face her least favorite teacher. "I'm not used to living alone, or having to take care of myself. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I just need to distance myself from it sometimes."

"I can understand that." Brian turned suddenly and began walking back towards the house. Brambleclaw leaped up and began to follow him. Scarlett just stood where she was, staring at the woods, until Brian looked back at her. "You coming or not?"

"What?" Scarlett frowned, looking at her teacher.

"It's noon. I was going to make lunch. If my food isn't good enough for you, though..." He was cut off as the girl's stomach growled loudly. He smirked and began laughing as she blushed furiously.

"That's- I couldn't-" Scarlett fumbled with her words, unable to put them together. He saved her though, as he turned and waved her inside. She sighed through clenched teeth and followed him into the small house.

Despite what the house appeared on the outside, it was rather stylish and modern on the inside. The front door opened up into a short hallway, which led into a living room adorned with a red leather couch and expensive-looking TV. Beyond that was a boxed-in kitchen that sprouted out into another hallway. It was strange, seeing her teacher's house this way, under circumstances that would otherwise be considered very normal.

"Have a seat." Brian gestured to the couch as he walked behind the counter in the kitchen. "You okay with pasta? I don't have much, I was going to go to the grocery story tommorow."

"That's fine." Scarlett nodded and sat down at the couch. Three windows were situated around the TV, allowing the sunlight to filter into the room. "This really is a very nice house." She mused, twiddling her thumbs. "I wouldn't have expected that from you of all people."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment." Brian muttered as he began to boil water on the stove. "I happen to work for a living. It has its benefits, trust me."

"If only you liked your job a bit more." The red-haired girl leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Actually, I happen to enjoy teaching, Miss Thundera."

"Really?" She laughed. "You're such a grouch all the time, though. It's really hard to believe you actually like it."

"Have you ever tried teaching highschoolers? They don't listen to you at all if you aren't hard on them. You, unfortunantly, are a very annoying exception to that rule." He gave an overdramatized sigh.

"You should try being more like Mr. Woode." Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him. "He's actually nice."

"He's a dork is what he is." Brian grinned as he spoke. "No fun, really."

"What do you mean by that?" Scarlett raised his head, eyes narrowed dangerously. "What's your idea of fun, Mr. Garra?"

"Uh..." The teacher paused, obviously realizing he was in trouble. "Well, I, um..."

"You are so irresponsible." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'd expect something like that from someone my age, but not a grown man."

"It's never anything big!" Brian protested. "Just a couple drinks at a bar, you know... and I'm only twenty-three, you know."

"Twenty-three? How the hell did you manage to become a teacher so early?"

"Well, I'm not dumb, that may be part of it." He was straining the pasta now.

"Really?" The teacher felt a tinge of annoyance at the girl's snickering tone. "That's hard to believe as well."

"Yeah, well, it's true." He muttered lamely, serving the pasta out onto two plates. He walked back into the living room, handing Scarlett her plate. The two sat side-by-side, speaking about little things, the wether, assignments, things like that. Though the two wouldn't admit it, it was nice to have a simple conversation with someone who seemed to understand. More than others did, anyway.

When they were done, Brian brought the plates back into the other room. Throughout this whole time, Brambleclaw had been curled up on a small catbed in the corner of the room, his tail wrapped over his nose as he slept. "Hey, Thundera? You know what I noticed?" Brian sat again at the chair.

"Something stupid, I'm sure."

"Kind of. You only ever laugh when you're making fun of me."

Scarlett was silent. "You look into things too much." She muttered. "I just don't find you amusing at any other time."

"Is that so?"

Before she could even react or turn to see what he was doing, Brian had leapt forward. His hands flew to her sides, and suddenly she was doubled over, laughing and screaming for him to stop.

"Damn." He raised on eyebrow, though he didn't stop. "I wasn't aware you were so ticklish, Thundera."

"Stop~! No, ah~!" She tried to kick him away, writhing on the couch and scrabbling at his hands. "That's not funny~!"

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Ahh~!" She rolled over, bringing Brian with her. They hurtled off the couch, Brian landing first on his back, Scarlett sprawled on his chest with her face right above his.

The two stared for the longest time, both with wide eyes, neither willing to make a move or push away. The English teacher gulped, faced with those intense emerald eyes that glimmered even when there was no light in the room. That fair, freckled face, young but strong, and those pale pink lips...

He leaned forward the slightest bit, every sane part of his mind telling him to stop. But she was right there, that beautiful and defiant girl with fire in her eyes and in her hair.

Scarlett froze, feeling the warmth of his breath on her face. He was moving forward. Amber eyes, like liquid sunlight, were locked on her own with such intensity she couldn't look away. Chiseled features, undoubtedly handsome, were so close to her. She couldn't move. This couldn't happen. No, no-

"I have to go." She pulled away, standing up swiftly. "Thank you for lunch, Mr. Garra." For a split second more, she stared down at her teacher, still lying on his back and staring up at her in bewilderment. "Goodbye." Yanking open the door, she stepped outside, ignoring Brambleclaw as he mewled after her.

She walked swiftly down the sidewalk, not looking back at the house of her least favorite teacher. By the time she reached the top of the hill again, she was out of breath. She looked back, examining the same view she'd seen on her way there. It was still beautiful, but now filled her with a sense of urgency. She had to get away from him. He was making everything to complicated. She turned, racing down the hill and back to her drab apartment. Better to be lonely then... then whatever it was she felt with him.

An hour had passed since Scarlett had left, leaving him on his back, too stunned to move. He now sat on his couch again, staring at the ceiling with Brambleclaw curled up beside him. The cat had been agitated when the girl left, mewling to be let outside. He'd ignored him, though, unable to move a muscle.

"Idiot." He muttered to himself, closing his eyes. He felt like ripping his hair out. Shame flooded him, not only from his own actions, but from the fact that she'd been stronger than him. She'd been the one to pull away, not him. She'd been the one who didn't give in. That girl had overpowered him.

Turning his head slowly, he looked at Brmbleclaw through narrowed eyes. "You probably think I'm an asshole." He muttered. "I am, though, aren't I? That was so dumb. So dumb. She's sixteen, for God's sake!" He clenched his teeth and seethed while Brambleclaw raised his head and mewled.

"It wasn't completely my fault, though." He tried to defend himself. Against who, he wasn't quite sure. "It was just instinct. I mean, she's beautiful- you noticed that before I did, though. It wasn't my fault, it was my body's, right?" Brambleclaw's eyes narrowed to slits, and he appeared to roll his eyes.

"That must be it." The English teacher ignored the cat. "I would never do something so stupid. Nevermind, yes I would." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. "This is so messed up." He muttered.

The cat mewled softly, sitting up suddenly and raising his head with ears pricked.

"What is it?" Brian looked at Brambleclaw, frowning. The cat mewled again, and the man sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll let you out." He stood up stiffly and made his way over to the door. He opened it, and the young brown tabby rushed out in a flurry. He watched for a moment, noticing that his cat was rushing toward a tiny orange shape in the grass.

Curious, the English teacher followed him to where he stood, his head bowed over the tiny orange shape in the grass. Brian kneeled down beside it, and Brambleclaw growled softly, deep in his throat. Though he already knew what it was, Brian poked it once, and sure enough, a tiny face popped up from the mass of ginger fur, staring up at him with emerald eyes. A kitten.

The kitten blinked several times, as though just waking up, and finally stood up on stumpy little legs. A tiny ginger kitten, a female, with a single white paw. Brian watched with amusement as the kitten approached Brambleclaw, its tiny tail waving in the air frantically.

"So, what do you think, Brambleclaw?" He outstretched one hand, which the kitten sniffed at curiously, before pouncing on his fingers. The older cat growled in annoyance when the kitten abandoned Brian's fingers and instead decided to attack his tail.

"Well, we're keeping her." Brian muttered, scooping up the little cat in one hand. She mewled, staring up at him with massive eyes. "What should we name her?" As they walked, Brian observed her features; a bushy tail, legs that looked like they could grow to be very long and powerful... "How about Squirrelflight?"

Interesting stuff, mi amigos. Interesting stuff.

So, Brian has acknowledged his attraction for Scarlett, but claims it's only physical. DX Silly boy.

And how about that whole almost-kissing episode? Dang. I can understand Scarlett, but c'mon Brian, you're a grown man! XD

My reviewers were Nightkill and Meiveva Sirenice. Thank you guys!

DX This story is very unpopular, it seems.

I NEED REVIEWS, Y'ALL. Inspires me to update and tells me what I can do diffently!

Review plzkthx.