Remember the Mio the cat episode?
Where did I start to make animal girls chapters for a while?
Yeah, there's a 2 now.
But...
It's gonna be different.
I hope this chapter would be educational.
(The City, Before the infiltration mission)
It was a rainy morning in the City. Not exactly 'in' the City since the roofs cover them from any rain or snow, but they could feel the moisture and the humidity coming from outside.
And the one who was feeling the most of it was the winged High Entia girl, Eunie.
"Ugh…" Eunie groaned, slowly rising up from the first floor of the bunk bed. She turned around, and saw her ponytailed friend, Noah.
"Morning, Eunie, did you sleep well?"
"Well…? Actually… No…my back and my shoulders have been aching like crazy…" Eunie said, massaging her aching shoulders.
"Really…? Strange…"
"But Nah, you don't have to worry. I think it's because of the weather…"
"The weather…? Oh, yeah, right, I forgot that you were pretty sensitive to the weather." Said Noah, adjusting his hair.
"Yeah…bet it's raining right now… My joints always hurt when it rains…"
"Should I give you a massage?"
"Well… It would be good if you did that. Spark…bet it's raining cats and dogs now…" Eunie groaned, still stretching around her aching limbs.
Not knowing what the spark would happen next.
"Uagh!" Mio exclaimed, as she fell down from the second floor of the bunk bed.
"Whoa! Mio, you okay?!" Eunie flinched at the sudden drop of Mio. She approached her to check whether she wasn't hurt.
"I'm…okay! Don't worry…" Mio said. She was indeed okay. She somehow seemed to have landed with all fours.
"Well… Thank heavens that you're okay, but why did you drop down?"
"Uh… I don't know… I just…happened to be falling down as I woke up…" Said Mio.
"Hmmm… Strange… Innit, Noah?"
"Yeah, why did she… Woah!" Noah flinched, as he saw another thing falling down from the top.
It was Juniper. The green commander of Colony Tau. They invited her recently to give her a tour of the City, and she decided to stay the night with them.
"Wait, again? Hey, Junebug, you alright?" Eunie said, approaching the commander.
"I'm…okay, do not worry." She seemed strangely calm, despite the fact that she fell down from the bunk bed seconds ago.
"What the spark…?" Noah said to himself, scratching his head.
"Well, certainly a strange morning to wake up upon… Anyway, let's meet up with the others. Looks like Lanz and Sena and four eyes already woke up. And we have to send Juniper away." Eunie said, finally leaving the bed.
"Yeah… But…why did they fall all of a sudden…?"
"Dunno, let's get moving, Noah."
(In the prison)
"So, who's gonna be the one facing me first?" Ghondor smirked, picking up her red gauntlets.
"Heh, it's obviously gonna be me, ready for some MVP act…." Lanz said, getting in front of the party with full confidence.
But Mio stopped him.
"No, Lanz, I'll be the first person."
"What? I…never expected you to be the one who would do this…"
"Ooh… So the first round would be a catfight?" Ghondor snorted.
"Is she… Joking on us, or is she saying valid things?" Sena whispered.
"I just don't know…." Taion sighed.
"Anyway, now the fight is on! Come! M…meow?"
"It's Mio."
"Yeah, Mio, let's roll!" Ghondor shouted, fully ready for combat.
(After the battle)
"Hah…hah…damn… You really got some moves, Mio… I'd rather bell a sparking cat than fight with you again…" Ghondor said, mid-panting.
"Really? I think the opposite, though."
"Huh….?"
"You can try belling me if you want." Mio shrugged.
"What…the spark…are you talking about…?"
"Anyway, our fight has ended. You ready for the next one?"
"Huh? I never said I'll do another fi…"
"You did sound like you'll fight all six of us."
"I…did…?"
"Yeah, so, guys, who's gonna be the next candidate?"
Eunie and Sena's hands simultaneously rose up.
"Great, another cat fight." Ghondor sighed.
"No, your fight with me is already finished." Said Mio.
"No, I didn't mean tha…."
"Ghondor, was it? Time to face the girl with the gall!" Sena shouted as she pulled out her hammer.
"Fucking…. Ah, screw it. Okay, I'll fight all of you! Come at me at once!"
"You go, girl!" Eunie said, pulling out her staff.
(That night)
"So…this is the room you'll be staying in during the three days waiting period." Said Ghondor, pointing at a cell room in front of them.
"It's pretty dang small though…" Eunie said.
"Well…you'll get used to it. This is a damn prison, you know." Ghondor shrugged.
"Hmm… Wait, guys. I have an idea." Sena chirped.
"Huh? About what?"
"You'll see, Mimi, follow me. We're gonna do that."
"That? Sena, no way. You're not gonna do that here!" Said Taion, trying to stop Sena.
"Nope, we're gonna do it. Ready, Mimi?" Sena said, as she entered the cell room with Mio.
"What is she gonna do…?" Noah tilted his head.
"Just…watch. To explain… It's…a method they use to judge the size of a room…."
"Okay, Mimi, three, two, one!" After the countdown, Sena grabbed Mio's hands, and lifted her up.
"Wait, what?!" Eunie gasped.
"Hi…yaaaah!" Sena shouted as she swung Mio around in circles. She spun round and round, till she got dizzy. After she spun for like thirty seconds, she stopped spinning and let Mio go. Mio fell down on the floor, still dizzy from the spinning.
"What the…spark was that…?" Lanz gasped.
"Uh…you said that doing that…thing was their method of assuming the size of the room…?" Asked Ghondor.
"Y…eah, I still can't understand why they do that though…." Taion shrugged.
"Well… In my eyes… The room looks pretty big enough…"
"Hmm? What makes you say that, Ghondor?" Noah asked.
"Uh… The room has enough space to swing a cat around….?" Muttered Ghondor.
"What do you…mean by that?"
"Ah, I don't know. Just go in and get some sleep."
(Eclipse Homecoming)
"Mio….MIO! No…. Mio…." Noah shouted as Mio vanished into particles in front of him.
"Heh, pathetic…." N smirked, pulling out his sword. He slowly moved his sword up, and soon put it close to Noah's neck.
"She's gone… And you're the next to go….." N was in the verge in bursting into laughter of victory, but he controlled himself. This is not the time to celebrate. The time will come after decapitating the boy. To end this long fight, N swung the sword with all of his might towards Noah's neck.
Only to get stopped by a certain force.
"…Huh...? What's…happen…Huh…?" N was literally flabbergasted. Not because his sword was stopped by a mysterious force, not because he failed to kill the boy, but because...
Of his partner, M, started to take action. She walked towards the pile of clothes that Mio left when she died, and picked up the white flute.
And, she started to go down the stairs.
Slowly,
But steadily,
And,
She finally approached Noah.
She knelt down, and made Noah face her by pulling his chin up.
"…..M…Mio….?" Noah choked out, looking at the long-haired woman in front of him.
"You…you recognized me…! Yes…! Yes…I…am…! My hair got a bit longer, but… Yes, I'm here…!" Said M, no, Mio, giving an innocent smile to Noah. She lent her hand to the weakened boy, helping him stand up.
"I… Oh my god… I…can't believe it…! How…how could this…happen…? You…you…vanished…right in front of me….!" Noah muttered, with his hands trembling.
But he wasn't the only one who was surprised.
"I…can't believe it! How could this happen? She…she vanished right in front of me!" N screamed, pointing his sword towards the couple.
"It's hard to explain right here and now, so… I'll say the essentials."
"Uh…okay…?"
"I have nine lives." Said Mio.
"Wha…..?" The two Noahs got startled together.
"Anyway, back up, Noah. We're gonna have to fight here!" Said Mio, freeing the rest of the party with a flick.
"Mio, what do you mean by nine li…"
"Concentrate!"
"Uh…ah…. Yes, Ma'am!"
(Back in the City)
(In the girls' bath)
"Hah…finally back…" Eunie sighed, as she felt the hot water around her body.
"Yeah…the prison sucked…." Sena agreed.
"Great work, guys, I can't thank you enough," Ghondor said, entering the bath with the Ouroboros girls.
"Heh, I never knew you were capable of saying thanks." Eunie snorted.
"What? You litt…" Ghondor stood up, but was soon calmed down by Mio.
"Now, now, calm down, Ghondor. Eunie's tired from all that ordeal she faced…." Mio said, sitting Ghondor down.
"Ugh…I get it… Anyway, Mio, you…did…something that was considered impossible. You…beat fucking death, and you managed to fuck that N guy in the face. Man, he was a damn pussy, if I had to put him in words. Hah! Him running away was the best thing I've seen these days." Ghondor laughed, getting back in the water by Mio.
"Huh? Ghondor, what are you talking about?" Mio asked.
"Eh? What do you mean by that? I…was talking about N! Exactly where in my words that you didn't understand?"
"I think you're mistaking something, Ghondor. N is the other Noah, and M is the other me. I think you're confused here….?"
"Huh…? Hey, did you go crazy after switching bodies, Mio….?"
"No, you did say N was a pussy back then. M is a pussy, not N." Said Mio.
And her words,
Completely made Ghondor freeze.
"…."
"Excuse me….. What…the….fuck…?"
"I said the correct words, though?" Mio shrugged.
"Okay…. I'm extra confused here… What…do you exactly mean by…that…?"
"As I said, I…just said the truth, what are you exactly thinking right now, then?" Mio scratched her head.
"I… Oh my fucking god… Two things are rushing inside my brain and one of them is extremely inappropriate….?"
"You know what's appropriate and what's not!?" Eunie exclaimed.
"Now you come here!"
(At the City dorm)
The Ouroboros, Monica, and Ghondor were all assembled in the dorm room. Discussing one topic.
Finding the real Agnian Queen.
"So…this is the key to Cloudkeep? It's pretty small, considering it's a key to a sparking fortress." Lanz said, looking at the small object from Ghondor's necklace.
"Yes, it is, and the backstory related to it is pretty….long, so I'm not talking about it today…" Ghondor said.
"Well…that's that, but where is this Cloudkeep located? We never knew it existed…" Asked Taion.
"I was waiting for you to ask that, look at this map." Monica said, projecting a map of Aionios in their irises.
"In this map, we're over here. In the great sword, and Cloudkeep is over…there." Monica said, as she made a mark on the right opposite pole of Aionios.
"Whoa, you gotta be joking kidding me! It was over there in the first place?! And….do we…have to go all the way to there…? It's pretty far, you know." Lanz shrugged.
"Do not worry about that, we have methods of reaching the upper regions. Haven't you ever heard of There's more than one way to skin a cat?" Said Monica with a confident smirk.
And…
It accompanied Mio jumping up and hiding behind Noah.
"Huh? Mio? What's wrong?"
"Uh…ah… I…don't know…but… I felt scared for whatever reason…" Mio said with trembling hands.
"Mimi…..?"
"It's okay, Mio, I…also don't know why are you doing that, but… Yeah, it's okay, come out," Noah gently said, stroking Mio's head, especially focusing on the ears.
"Nyehe… Thanks…" Mio purred.
'What the…fuck….?' Ghondor almost felt herself go crazy.
(At Cloudkeep)
"Ha! Now, this is what I'm talking about!" D exclaimed, after interlinking with J.
"That sparking mudder!" Lanz grit his teeth, gripping his blade hard.
"I think I'm gonna really hurl…" Eunie said, covering her mouth.
"Come on, why the long faces? It's gonna be a blast! Every day is a party with DJ around!" D shouted.
And…
The party became silent.
"…..You….you…crazy, mate?" Lanz said, his eyes full of disgust.
"Hah….." Taion just gave the deepest, longest sigh ever.
"Blegh….." Eunie downright vomited.
"Ah…..?" Noah's brain stopped.
"Come on! Not funny! It could be enough to make a cat laugh but, still!" Sena shouted.
"Pffft….."
"Huh? Wait….Mimi….?"
"Pfffft…..Pahahahahahahahaha!" Mio started to burst into laughter, almost doubling up because of it.
"M…Mio….?" Noah stared at his partner.
"Urgh….!" Eunie vomited again.
"Okay, serious, mate? You call that funny?!" Lanz exclaimed.
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Mio's laughter didn't seem to stop.
"…Uh… See? Ha! I knew this would work! Yeah!" D cheered.
"Nobody asked you, you sparker!" Said Lanz.
"Well well, looks like the cat girl is a woman of culture!" D won't stop.
"Hahahahaha… Sorry guys…that was just too funny…" Mio laughed, wiping her tears.
"Hah… Nevermind… Let's just fight that mudder right now, it's not the time to laugh at some weird jokes! And…Eunie, it's not the time to sparking puke!"
"I…I'll get her…" Taion said, running to Eunie.
"Phew… Sorry… Anyway, let's get going!" Mio said, as she ran towards DJ.
"Mio? Mio? My god, Mio! What the spark are you…" Noah started to stop her, but it was too late. Mio was already running towards the interlinked monster. After the run-up, she jumped up, and…
Kicked the Moebius' face.
"Agh! Dammit, cat's foot…"
"Thanks! I was recently practicing kicking…" Mio giggled.
"I just don't know right now…." Lanz sighed.
(Omake)
(After beating Z)
It was a quiet night. Indeed, it was quiet, since they've beaten the greatest enemy, Z. The Origin was retrieved, and they were given some time before the Origin's reboot. So the party decided to do things that they really wanted to do before the reboot.
And to Mio and Noah…
It was stargazing.
"…The stars are pretty tonight, aren't they, Noah?" Mio said, gazing at her partner.
"Yeah… And there's no Moon today… Only stars… You know what, Mio…?"
"Hmm?"
"I…was pretty afraid of looking at the night sky for a long time…"
"…Really…? Why…?"
"Because the night sky I always watched when I was in the cell… The moon indicating the time passing… And the stars just taunting me to break out… But…I couldn't…" Noah said, dropping his head down.
"Sorry, Noah… I…truly am… Sorry for making you suffer for so long…" Mio said, holding Noah's hand.
"No, you don't need to be, Mio. In fact, the one who made my fears go away was you. I found hope in you. After the eclipse, after I watched N's past, and…After we seized our future… I found hope, and I think I… Uh…I…um…uh… Okay, retry, I think I found… Sparks, why am I talking so bad?" Noah groaned, shaking his head.
"Hehe, cat got your tongue?" Mio giggled.
"I guess so… Okay, a retry, Mio, I thi…." Noah tried to restart this speech.
Only to get interrupted by Mio's lips making contact with his lips.
And it was no regular contact.
It was a kiss.
A deep one, in fact.
The kiss lasted for a long time, as the starlight shed upon the couple. As Noah started to choke, Mio separated from him.
"Hah…hah…Mio…what was…"
"Nyehehe….. So, Noah, I'm asking you again."
"Huh….?"
"Cat got your tongue?"
Noah froze.
And after some time, he smiled.
Eventually, he nodded at Mio's statement.
"So, Noah, what were you trying to say?"
"Hmmm… You know what, Mio?"
"Yeah?"
"Words won't describe it. I think this is the only way."
"Oh? Am I thinking what you're thinking?"
"I'm sure of it. Mio,"
"Mmhm?"
"I think my tongue wants the cat again."
"I thought you might say that."
It's raining cats and dogs: It's raining like crazy
Catfight: An interesting fight between girls
Bell the cat: Something very difficult
Not enough room to swing a cat: Somewhere pretty cramped
A cat has nine lives: Cats are good at surviving dangers
Pussy cat: ...Cat. If you put the cat away... Uh...no.
There's more than one way to skin a cat: There's more than one method to do something
Enough to make a cat laugh: A very bad joke
Cat's foot: Similar to the term titan's foot
Cat got your tongue?: When someone starts to stutter