"Miu-san! Miu-san!"

"…What is it?"

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost."

"Miu-san should dress warmer. The weather is still cold right now."

"It's already spring," I pulled aside the curtain of leaves and stepped out from the shadow, "so it is a fine night." I tugged on my new shirt and tight pants called jeans.

It was incredibly uncomfortable.

I was amazed how human could wear these things and still be able to move so casually.

"Miu-san looks great!" The voice squeaked as I felt the ball of fluff landing onto my shoulder. "The feeling isn't great I can assure you that." I mumbled softly before grabbing the hat that was hooked on the branch of the willow.

I carefully rolled my hair up and secured it with the hat. "Miu-san are you sure you don't need your wings anymore?" I turned slightly upon that. My eyes trailed to my wings that were lying in the moist dirt. The wings that I had shed were slowly scattering into thousands of feathers

"There is no more need for them here." I replied and with a wave of my finger, a gentle breeze picked up the weightless feathers and blew them into the night.

"Then how will we get down the mountain?"

"We walk." I replied simply as I began taking steps down the rocky path. "Miu-san, Miu-san! The rock! The rock!" The voice screamed beside my ears as I blinked. The minute my weight was leaned forward, I felt the tip of my feet fell into a gap between the rocks.

I fell forward, the center of my balance thrown off. Fortunately, I was able to grab hold of a nearby branch and saved myself from rolling down the steep slope. I heaved out a sigh of frustration before I forcefully tore my bare foot out of the gap.

"Miu-san are you alright? You seemed worn out and you've been spacing out lately." The voice asked in concern.

"Shedding my wings took more energy out of me than I thought." I replied, my eyes glued to the tiny crack at the back of my palm. "Miu-san! Miu-san! Look! A city!" Balancing myself on a couple of rocks, I slowly pushed aside some leaves to clear my view.

True enough, there was a city, though miles away.

The illuminating lights of the city painted the sky, overshadowing the light of the star and leaving only the moon hung over the curtain of night.

Even so far away, I could feel my memories of that city returning to me. A nostalgic city which I could strangely remember every nook and corner of it.

The city wherehe lives.

"Miu-san? Miu-saaaan-Reow!"

The squeaky voice cried just as I roughly grabbed him by the tail. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt my flashbacks?" I said, holding the creature before me with a smirk of irritation.

"I thought Miu-san was just spacing out again." He defended.

"They're the same thing, Tama*."

I squeezed his tails even more as the Nekotama* yelps. "It's Yama*!" The kid talked back to me. "Tama is good enough for you. A house cat shouldn't be granted names that are bigger than your existent." I snapped before tossing Tama aside and leaped down another rock.

"Devil."

"You are free to leave. I never asked for you to tag along." I said back before feeling Tama leaping back onto my shoulder. "Miu-san you're heartless." "Your compliment is appreciated." I said and then there was no reply from Tama aside from a soft snort.

As I scaled down the mountain, the view of the city grew closer and closer. Soon, we were just at the border between nature and mankind.

"The city! We're at the city!" Tama exclaimed happily.

Just when he was about to jump off my shoulder and dive into the light like a moth, I quickly stopped him by grabbing his tails. "Ouch! Miu-san! They're coming off! My tails are seriously coming off!" "Who said we are going in there?" I sighed before taking a step back into the shadow.

"Eh? We're not? Then why did Miu-san disguised as a human and even gotten rid of your wings?" The loudmouth questioned, but I gave him no reply. I just flung him aside and began taking the long way around the city. I carefully stepped around the shadows, avoiding views from both ground and sky.

However, I wasn't able to get much further when I stumbled and fell onto my knees. "Miu-san it's already the 8th month. Miu-san's body isn't going to last much longer." Tama said as I felt his tiny paws gently massaging my back as I tried to catch my breath.

"Miu-san, maybe we should leave? I mean, we could so go to Kyoto or Osaka…or anywhere you like. Why do we have to go through so much trouble coming here and sneak around?"

"…Because there is someone I must meet." I spoke in the middle of my coughs.

"I need to find him…before my time comes."

It was just like this night; the very night when I left this place and vowed never to return to. The place where I had this so call home.

A place where I had these things called companions.

This is the place – on this land, it was the only place where I felt…alive.

And also…

"Someone Miu-san must find?"

"I'll be waiting in Kantou when the Sakura blooms."

The very place where I broke a promise to a special person I made 2 years back.

I stared at some sakura trees that passed by us. I can see the pink buds under the dim light of the moon, waiting impatiently to cover the land in pink carpet. Very soon, the sakura will once again bloom. Would he be waiting? I couldn't help but to find myself dwelling upon this question. "…It's none of my business anyways." I mumbled to myself.

That's right, if he wanted to blame anyone, he should blame on his own naivety.

After all…

Promises are meant to be broken.

"Did you say something, Miu-san?" Tama who had been walking along side of me asked.

"No…nothing at all." I mumbled softly, not even care if the stupid cat could hear me.

"So…who is this person Miu-san's looking for?" Tama asked curiously as he climbed up my body and nested himself on the top of my head. "Miu-san's lover? But – that can't be right?" I heard him muttered under his muzzle, sounding completely chilled by the thought.

"I don't look like someone who would have a lover?"

I said back, deciding to go along with it seeing how I had nothing better to do. "Miu-san may be beautiful but your personality seriously suck-PUREOW!" Tama's cry of pain was like melody to my ear as I felt the extra weight flung off my head. I felt my body grew lighter, my neck relieved from stress.

I never turn to see where the Nekotama had flown off to nor did I care. I just carried on with my pace, enjoying this rare silent I haven't been able to enjoy for what felt like eternity now.

"They…should be blooming soon." I mumbled to myself, finding my eyes drifting back to the sakura trees again.

I could see myself drinking under the rain of petals; drowning myself within the soft ray of the moon. My body relaxed upon the very thought.

However – something was missing.

Even if it was just a mere thought, I knew that something was missing from that seemingly flawless scene.

Something was missing from my imagination.

Peace quickly fled from my body as irritation began dominating over me once again.

I wasn't irritated from being unable to solve the mystery behind the empty holes in my mind, but the opposite.

I was irritated because I knew what was missing…

The very thing I didn't want to remember.

That was what truly irritated me at that time.

"Miu-san! Miu-san wait up!"

Hearing Tama's voice calling for me, I slowly turned to see him leaping through the bushes and quickly returning to my side. I secretly released a sigh, feeling the heat within my chest ceasing.

This was the only use this cat ever had aside from giving me a headache and turning into my personal punch bag. Thanks to his usual loudmouth and annoying personality, he could keep my consciousness intact with this earth.

Whenever I needed rid my mind off him that is.

"Miu-san something wrong?" Tama asked, noticing how the usual smirk I carried was gone from my lips. "No" I paused in silence, my eyes drifting into the abyss before saying, "if you don't want to get swallow, stay close." I noticed how Tama's muzzle was about to part to question the meaning behind my words. However, he did even get a chance to when a heavy blast of mist suddenly swept through the land, heading towards us.

I quickly grabbed Tama by the tails and dashed behind a tree. I dug my heels into the dirt, my free hand clutch onto a branch as the heavy wind attempted to blow the two of us away. The wind quickly ceased, leaving behind heavy layers of mist that filled the area.

I wouldn't find myself to see anything; not even my own hand that was only centimeters away.

"What's with this mist?" I heard Tama shouted, his tails wiggling around in my hand. "It's most likely their way of protecting themselves from enemies and human discovery." I replied as I loosened my grip, allowing Tama to climb up my arm and rest upon my shoulder.

"Who's them?" He asked, obviously curious at the current situation we're in. But as usual, I gave him no reply. Thanks to the past disciplines, the kid dares not to push the topic any further.

I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled out crumbled piece of paper. "Let see…" I mumbled with my lips curled up into a smirk. A gentle breeze of wind then began swirling around my hand. The wind then steadily grew stronger, engulfing us. In a matter of second, the mist of a meter's radius around us was cleared, allowing us to actually see something.

"Miu-san, is that the map from that youkai Miu-san threat-"

"Whom I had kindly asked for. Yes. It is." The moment I spoke those words, I felt the pack of fur on my shoulder shifted. "Kindly asked…?" Tama's voice quivered in a terrified and obviously doubtful tone. It would have seem the little incident that occurred when we first stepped foot into Kantou had left quite the impression on him. "Is something the matter?" I asked, glaring slightly at him from the corner of my eyes.

The smirk on my lips was radiating like the setting sun.

Catching the look plastered over my face, Tama shook his little head furiously. "N-Nothing!" He gasped and content with his reply, my glare faded. "We were heading north so it should be…" I waved my arm as the mist before us was suddenly sliced apart by a gust of wind. I twirled my finger around as the wind before us circulated, forming a tunnel through the heavy mist.

I then began making my way through my tunnel of wind. I repeated this procedure as we moved through the forest. I didn't know how long we had walked for, but by the time I looked up to the moon, I found the night had lightened up.

"Miu-san, maybe we should rest? Your body won't last like this." Tama said in worry, clearing noticing the soft pants that were escaping my lips.

"There's no need."

I huffed softly as I stepped through the last patch of the tall grass. "Because we're here." I walked into the clearing that was the only place in this forest free of this unnatural mist.

"What is this place?" Tama gasped, leaping down my shoulder as he stared at the opening before us. Within the meadow across us lied an ancient castle that looked as though it was built in the Heian period*.

"Intruders!"

"The enemies are over there!"

Voices boomed as youkai began appearing out of the castle and forest. "Enemy?" Tama gasped as he leaped back onto my shoulder. "Miu-san, I think they're misunderstanding something." Tama told me while I just stared calmly at the massive amount of youkai before us.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?"

This Ippon-datara* demanded as he approached.

"Hey, we were just–" Tama hissed, but I quickly raised a hand and silenced him.

"Relax." I said softly, to both the youkai and Tama. I raised both of my hands up to the side my head just to prove that I meant no harm. "I didn't come here to fight – or rather; I don't have that much energy to waste anymore." My eyes shifted to the crack upon my left hand. The crack that was no larger a blade of grass had already grown down to my elbow.

"Then what are you here for? Without knowing the location of Kiyohime-sama's* castle, there's no way you can just wander in here."

I gazed back to the Ippon-datara and smiled. "I came to find a man." I replied before pulling my hat off my head. My stream of white hair scattered down my back, my silvery eyes revealed to them within the breaking dawn.

Upon the sight of me, gasps erupted from around the youkai. 'Just as I thought…' I smirked at how my prediction was right. Just for the fun of it, I winked to some pathetic youkai that were to my left, easily charming the mindless fools.

"Miu-san, does this look like a good time to play around?" Tama murmured beside my ear. I said nothing but a faint smirk in reply.

"Silver eyes and white hair…" The Ippon-datara spoke softly in almost disbelieve.

"You're a Doji."

"That would be correct." I said as I reached into my hair and pulled out a long white feather. With a flick of my wrist, the quill of my feather sliced through the air and stabbed into the hard soil just inches from the Ippon-datara's toes.

"Won't you call him out? I have a date…with your Commander."

Tama – in Japan, it is the most common and overused name for house cats.

Nekomata - a bakeneko (shape shifting cat) with a split tail

Yama – means mountain

Heian period - is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185

Ippon-datara - a one-legged spirit of the mountains

Kiyohime - a woman who transformed into a serpent-demon out of the rage of unrequited love