Chapter 3 – Growing Suspicion
"M-Mia…?"
Diego Armando stared at her dead body, slumped against the wall and not moving. The magatama she always wore around her neck was slightly cracked and glowing feebly.
"No…this can't be true…!" He neared her and placed a hand on her already cold shoulder.
As soon as he did so, she jerked up.
"WhY? YoU pROMised me…thAt we WoulD taKE doWn ThE wiTch togeTher…" She moaned and clung onto him, with a bloody hand.
Diego doubled over with nothing short of absolute horror and tried to back away, only to notice there were red hands coming at him from beneath the floor, from everywhere…pulling him deeper and deeper into the carpet…
"ARGGHGHHH!"
"YEOOOWW!"
He sat upright in bed, his whole body sweating bullets, he whipped his head around to find something huddled against him and shivering violently.
"Oh God…I'm so sorry, Mia." He realised only then that she had been the source of the yowling and was terrified out of her wits from his sudden awakening.
He raised a shaking hand to stroke her fur, which effectively calmed her down.
"M-Mew…" She managed and poked out her head from under the quilt to gaze at him with fright.
"I…just had a nightmare, that's all." He said weakly and collapsed back into bed.
The image of her live dead body still burned into his irises.
"That…oh my God…" He murmured and trembled.
"Mew." She seemed to sense his agitated feelings and crawled onto his chest, where she curled up and yawned softly.
"Thanks…" He realised she was trying her best to comfort him and scratched her behind the ears, causing her to purr gently.
After almost an hour, Diego Armando finally fell into an uncomfortable sleep.
Which is why the prosecuting attorney didn't notice a small, graceful figure leave the room in silence.
"Look, Nick!"
"Huh?"
"Meow!" She mimicked the small animal's cry and grinned happily.
"…"
Phoenix stared at the familiar little bundle of fur Maya was holding up before her.
"…We can't keep a cat in the office, Maya. Get rid of it." He said tonelessly, effectively concealing his feeling of guilt at once again rejecting the kitten.
"B-But…! We found it wandering around the streets on our way to fetch milk from the market!" Little Pearl said with tears ready in her pleading eyes.
"We can't just abandon it!"
Phoenix sighed and scratched his spiky hair.
"Look…I know it's mean of me but there's no way it can stay here…"
"It's a she, Nick! Not an 'it'!" Maya puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
"Anyway, cats smell, they scratch things…and worst of all, they have fur… meaning that someone who comes to me for a case may be allergic to them, and hence disrupting the small business that we're running!" He finished with a satisfied grumble and flopped back into his seat behind a mountain of waiting work.
"…" Maya suddenly grew silent and kneeled to the ground, picking up the still kitten and holding it close to her chest.
"I-I…I'll go get some milk for the kitty!" Pearl sensed something was wrong and hurriedly left the room, not knowing what else to do as her tiny heart beat about in panic.
"This cat…" Maya began softly, tears prickling in her eyes.
"…is just like her."
Phoenix blinked and stood up all too quickly.
"Maya…?"
"This cat…is just like Sis."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Phoenix shivered as his suspicions were confirmed.
So it wasn't just him who thought the cat reminded one of his former chief…
"She…just is. I know. I know because…she was my sister!" Maya finished lamely and hung her head.
The kitten blinked and licked the side of Maya's cheek softly, her black tail swishing back and forth.
Phoenix gave in and sighed heavily as he walked towards the two of them.
He placed a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder.
"How about this…we keep her until we find her owner?"
"R-Really? Thanks so much, Nick!" Maya lit up at once, and though there were still tears present in her eyes, looked more cheerful than she had been in the past month.
Phoenix managed to smile back at her.
"Yeah. Once I'm finished with all of my work, we'll make some posters stating that we've found a lost kitten and…"
"That won't be necessary."
The two of them jumped at the unexpected deep voice at the entrance to the office and both looked up to see the bright outline of the prosecutor's visor.
"M-Mr. Godot?" Maya cradled the kitten close to her chest, almost protectively.
"What are you doing here?" Phoenix's voice held much more strength as he stood up to face Diego.
"…Give Mia back."
"I…what?" He was just about to question what the coffee addict was doing in his office at so early in the morning when he suddenly heard his chief's name.
"Y-You thought that this kitten looked like Sis too, didn't you?" And for once, Maya acquired a piece of information faster than the shocked defense attorney.
Phoenix only then noticed that there was a travel pet cage in Diego's hands.
"She belongs to you, right?" Maya continued, almost bouncing up and down in happiness.
"…That has nothing to do with you. Now, give her back."
Maya blinked and her cheerful demeanour faded away as fast as it had come.
She hesitantly handed back 'Mia' to Diego, who almost snatched the kitten from the trembling spirit medium.
"She came over yesterday as well." Phoenix finally managed to compose himself and said stiffly.
He wasn't sure why he decided to mention that fact.
"…I know." Diego growled.
"And I honestly don't understand WHY she would choose to go to you of all people, seeing as you're the reason she's…ARGH!"
The prosecutor clutched his now bleeding hand as the kitten landed on the carpeted floor agilely and hissed at him.
"M-Mia…!" He realised with shock that she had bitten down on him hard and was hissing at him in fury.
Her tail and ears twitched back and forth as she stared around the room with her bright eyes, and then leapt onto Phoenix's desk.
"H-Hey! Get off there!" He yelped in surprise and ran towards her hastily.
"Those files are important!"
She ignored his outburst but did take care as she leapt onto his seat.
…only to freeze altogether after falling onto the daily newspaper.
Phoenix cocked his head to the side and tried to catch a glimpse of what was on the daily bulletin, but not before Diego seized his chance and grabbed her from behind, pushing her roughly in the cage that he was holding.
She yowled and scrabbled against the cage bars with her claws in fury.
"M-Mr. Godot, please be gentle with her, she's…"
"None of your business." He finished for her scathingly and left the office without another word.
The room was uncomfortably silent.
Pearl chose that moment to walk in with a bowlful of warm milk.
"This should be enough, right? …Mystic Maya?"
She stopped and blinked at the unnatural scene before her.
Maya had fallen onto the floor and was clutching the magatama she always wore around her neck, whilst Phoenix was desperately trying to smooth the creases on the newspaper that had caused the kitten to double over.
"…Where's the kitty?" she managed softly.
Phoenix ignored her and stared, almost crashing into his desk when he finally realised what Mia had been looking at.
"Nick?" Maya croaked feebly, wiping her tears hastily away.
"What's wrong?"
"E-Eh? Nothing…" He managed pathetically and hastily tucked the paper away.
Not fast enough for Maya, who snatched it from his grasp and glanced hastily at it before he could retort.
"What is it, Mystic Maya?"
The older spirit medium shook her head slightly with confusion.
"Not sure, Pearly."
She looked up at Phoenix with a cocked eyebrow.
"What's the big deal?
It's just a picture of a girl with braided hair."