The holiday season had taken over Tokyo; shiny lights, mistletoe, and consumerism bombarded the citizens at every turn, and the average resident was busy searching for the perfect gift for their loved ones.
But not Natsu Tanimoto, who was on the search for something else. Killing intent burst through the winter festival as a speedy blonde pinpointed the likely culprit.
"Where's my cloak?!" the two-faced fighter growled, pushing that alien weirdo up against the frosty bricks. He had half a mind to shove Niijima out into oncoming traffic, but several of their fellow classmates had been in attendance; they would bear witness to this cruel act, and thus fracture his princely mask.
"I swear I don't know, d-damn it! You probably just misplaced it—" Niijima hissed, antennas wriggling as if he was on the search for some sort of escape. Where's Shirahama when he needs him? Useless captain—
"You have three seconds to tell me—"
"Or else what?"
"Or else I'll—"
Natsu's thought was cut short by the sound of distant bells.
Haunted by former events with his Black Cat of Misfortune, his ears were now conditioned to pick up even the slightest jingle. Renka Ma was within a 50-foot radius.
Their little "flirt battle" had waged on over the last few weeks, and as much as he didn't want to back down from another challenge, he refused to be emasculated in front of the Shinpaku Alliance's commander— or give him any more dirt than he already had.
"Tch. You're giving the cloak back later. Or else," Hermit relented, pulling away from the fork-tongued freak as he saw Kenichi nearing the area.
And just as expected— Renka accompanied the gardener, bombarding him with questions about what he wants for Christmas.
Hmph. With Kenichi around, Tanimoto might as well be invisible to the catgirl. A welcome distraction for her insane antics…
…
For a second, emerald eyes glanced towards his way, locking eye contact with cobalt irises. Her expression remained unreadable; there was a smile still plastered on her face no doubt meant for her obsession, Kenichi. But then there was something else glimmering within those cat-like pupils. Something Tanimoto couldn't quite put his finger on.
Hmm. It's bizarre enough that she even looked at him while Shirahama was in her claws, but…
… The incoming gaggle of giggling girls meant Hermit had to shift into the shadows, and Prince Tanimoto had to come out and play for the next hour or so. Any suspicions about Renka's intentions were dismissed for the time being.
That's him! The prince! From school!
From the drama club? That guy? He's so handsome!
He's in 2-E right? Everyone in that class is so lucky…
Did he attend the festival alone?
Maybe I should ask him to be my date!
Hey, back off! I saw him first!
Hmph. He was hoping to give his acting skills a break for the winter, but it was prudent to interrogate the alien tonight.
"Hey everyone, nice to see you again!" he beamed, the air instantly shifting around him.
Niijima got the hell out of dodge, and so did Renka— scurrying off with her arms wrapped around Kenichi's bicep, and Miu following closely behind with a "Hey, wait up…!"
Hasty steps echoed through the vacant halls of Tanimoto's expansive manor, the young Hermit's mind whirling about with the possible whereabouts of his precious cloak. Between his involvement with Yomi and his master's need to force him into dangerous missions without care for Yami's plans, the importance of keeping his secret identity was at an all-time high, should he continue to walk the fine line between Hermit and CEO.
Thus, not having his trusty cloak in his possession was really putting a hamper in his plans, to say the least. He didn't want to be spending his Christmas Eve stressing over such matters, damn it. Not that he had any celebrating to do; there was no one to celebrate with—
Thud.
… What the hell was that? Someone was on his roof?
Was this someone playing a sick "Santa" prank on him?
Tch! Someone clearly wants to get their head mounted on a wall! He darted away from the scene, intent on castrating the intruder snooping around his home.
Just then, a pair of hanging pigtails rolled into view outside the nearby window. Curious, upside-down cat eyes scanned the room.
Ah. No sign of the stupid pretty boy. Good.
The acrobatic feline lowered herself towards the windowsill, nimbly flipping herself right side up to perch in front of the glass. She pulled a hairpin out from her elaborate braids, using it to pick his locks…
Click.
Hmm! For being such a rich guy, he doesn't have the most secure of houses, does he?
(Then again, the house wasn't built with martial artists in mind. The second-story window should be more or less inaccessible.)
Slipping into the house with silent fluidity, she tiptoed in to assess her surroundings, making sure to close the window behind her.
Hmm. It looked like his office, although his PC was turned off and thus not ripe for snooping. Darn.
She pulled a rucksack off her back, movements so minute and deliberate as to maintain stealth; even her bells were muted, conditioned enough to control the movement of the metal balls within.
And from within the bag, she produced a flat rectangular box, painstakingly wrapped in glossy Christmas paper, and slipped it atop his work desk.
Why is she doing this? She questioned herself, and would've whispered her thoughts aloud if it wouldn't ruin the stealth factor. Seriously, he's a stupid jerk. It felt as if he and Renka have been perpetually at war with one another since she transferred into Kōryō High.
Granted, he hasn't all been that bad, and they've had their moments here and there, and he even trusted her with his traumatic past, but…
Ugh! Whatever! He kissed her in an attempt to best her, and not because he meant it—and for that, he's an inconsiderate jerk!
Renka snatched the gift off of the table, turning to leave—
"I'll send you back to your planet in a bodybag if you don't return my cloak, you fucking basta—"
Hermit had charged in, his accusatory finger pointing towards the culprit, clearly assuming she was some other intergalactic freak who had come on a mission to snoop through his belongings again. (Seriously, how does that guy have a key to his house?!)
…
Wait, that's the stupid cat—
"When did you get into my house?!"
Ah! She was caught in the act! Renka swiftly placed the gift back on the wooden surface, eager to remove it from his attention as soon as possible, and blocked the sight of it with her bodacious body.
Alarmed kitty eyes suddenly turned devilish.
"Nyah, you need to step up your security! Looks like someone could…"
She inched forward, a breathy whisper brushing past his ear.
"... break in."
And there's her signature obnoxious giggle, forcing Natsu to coil his fists. So annoying.
"You…! Did Niijima put you up to this?"
Did the demon alien brainwash her? Is she now his loyal subject?
"... What? I don't listen to that annoying alien freak! Hmph! Do you really think so poorly of me?" she scoffed, playful demeanor immediately dropping.
… Tanimoto opted to avoid answering that question, and instead exhaled. Need to clear his head from all this insanity.
"... How did you get in here?"
"What does it matter? I'm heading home now anyway, so you can quit complaining!" Renka snootily replied, marching towards the office door in hopes he'll follow her out of the room before he notices the gift. She already left it on his table; it's too late to remove it— she should just leave before he sees it, or else he'll tease the hell out of her—
But before she makes it past the door…
... Should he do it?
Her reaction would be amusing, at least. Fine.
"Wait, first—" the blonde suddenly performed a backflip over her head to block her way— "take this," he managed to mutter, hands briefly slipping around her neck as he landed—
"Nyah?!" Renka reflexively slammed her foot into his gut, thinking he was attempting some kind of sneak attack!
Tanimoto was caught off-guard— no, he never even thought to put up one— and was sent flying out the doorway, landing on his back, a hand clutching his guts. Shit…! He wanted blood for her hasty actions, but another idea had entered the actor's mind.
He played up the pain instead, groaning in agony and rolling to his side. How will the stupid cat react?
The cat froze, a soft gasp escaping. Did she break a rib or something?
"... Sor—"
Wait, she didn't want to apologize to him. Hmph!
Instead, she sat by him, looking over his potential injuries.
"Are you okay?" she pouted, attempting to conceal the concern in her voice.
And he glared at her like a wounded animal, just to make sure he was selling the act properly, and then redirected his eyeline towards her neck. Guilt bomb in 3… 2…
Renka instinctively glanced down to follow his gaze, something shiny catching her eye: the jewels of a brand new necklace that he had discreetly fastened around her. Designed to mimic a cat's collar, a paw-shaped pendant hung from the gold band, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.
…
And the word "Kitten" was inscribed on it.
W… wha…
"... Did you get me this?" she squeaked, throat running dry in disbelief. Holy…
And Tanimoto simply nodded, secretly drinking up her stunned reaction. Poor kitty never saw it coming.
Cat-like eyes were transfixed on the glistening jewelry before her, feeling heat flood her face. Although the necklace bore his evil nickname for her, it was absolutely gorgeous. And likely incredibly expensive. How much did this cost?!
"... But why?"
Tanimoto coughed weakly, continuing his wounded act. "Because it's the holidays, you idiot."
Her face had finished its transformation, now a bright beet red, her bottom lip trembling—
"U-UWAAAAH! I'm sorry, nyaaaah!" she howled, throwing herself all over him! Oh, god! The guilt's too much to bear!
Shit. It was fun seeing her pout and frown, but he didn't expect this strong of a response! He didn't want to ruin his act, but what was he supposed to do about an over-emotional cat smothering him? Her chest was getting too close to his face for comfort—!
"... Ow," he dryly muttered, concealing all manner of panicked thoughts, cheeks heating up as well.
"N-nyah—" she promptly removed herself from him, all thoughts of trying to scorn him immediately banished by his lovely present. "Where does it hurt?" she queried, eyes as huge as saucers, glittering with the throes of guilt.
… And as much as Tanimoto enjoyed watching her feel guilty, he began to feel the weight of his sins himself. Damn it. Stupid cat, making him feel bad. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He figured she'd get angry at the derisive nickname on the necklace, or find offense in the resemblance to a cat's collar, implying that she was a mere pet of his. Or be... less guilty than this. Or something. Tch.
All of them were arbitrary excuses to get her a gift— a fact he refused to acknowledge.
"I'll be fine," he sighed.
"Are … you sure?" she continued, far too caught up in the moment to realize her kick didn't contain enough power to warrant the sort of injuries he was feigning.
God, her tearful eyes are too blinding for Natsu to look at without sunglasses or the threat of feeling any worse. When did he become so sof—
"I can take more damage than that," he reminded her, smirking to lighten the mood.
"So you're oka—"
… And her pigtails fell flat.
"... Of course you are! What I was thinking! You're a martial artist. Not even a truck could bruise you," she grumbled, exaggerating to prove her point.
"I think that's going a bit too far," Tanimoto grunted, sitting up to throw his arm around his midsection as his mind drifted back to his last training session with his terrible master. Being hit by a truck would be much better than dealing with him…
Renka scoffed, standing straight to try and sort through whatever the hell just happened. He kissed her some time ago— as an act of revenge. Now he's given her a necklace? Is this also an act of revenge? What? These deeds were nice on paper, but it was clear he didn't like her. In fact, he seems to hate her guts. Hmph.
"... Merry Christmas, stupid pretty boy," she expressed in defeat, shuffling over to the window and sliding it open so she can take her leave; she can overthink this when she gets home. The cat gracefully sat on the windowsill, momentarily disappearing from view…
"... And thanks," she whispered after sticking her face back into the room, the smallest hint of a smile present on her lips.
Tanimoto seemed to reflect her smile with a relatively friendly smirk, all things considered.
"Bah humbug, dumb cat."
"You're really confusing, you know that?" she muttered, a thought that wasn't necessarily meant to be voiced.
Natsu perked an eyebrow, casually shoving his hands in his pockets as he strolled over to the perched Chinese fighter.
"I thought everyone likes the mysterious type?" he suddenly whispered in dulcet tones, a finger rising to hook Renka by her chin, pulling her in towards him.
And then a second kiss took place between them, the prince gently pressing his lips to hers.
Renka froze in place, breath hitched within her throat. Again, her mind went blank, and there was no resistance to this bizarre act. In fact, if she were honest with herself, she might've even welcomed it, opting to quit overthinking and simply enjoy the soft caress of his mou—
CRAAAAAAASH!
Tanimoto had placed a rough hand between her collarbones, just beneath his precious gift, and exerted a tremendous force from his palm with a simple flick of his wrist— sending the cat toppling out of his window and into the thorny bushes below!
"Kick me again, and I'll rip your leg off, then beat the rest of your nine lives with it! Merry Christmas!"
And then he slammed his window shut, stomping away from view.
. . .
The scorned cat shook with rage, intense enough to start a tsunami—
"TANIMOTO! I'LL KILL YOU!"
A humiliated shriek echoed through the entirety of Tokyo, the scarlet cat tearing out the accursed bush that broke her fall—
"Hey, Kenichi, look—"
"Hmm?"
"Is that a shooting star?"
"... Not sure, Miu. I-in fact, it … kind of looks like something I read about in my gardening book…"
"Huh?"
That poor bush was seen soaring some 100 miles across the city.
Tanimoto slowly unraveled some mystery box that he found atop his desk, after taking the necessary precautions to ensure that it wasn't a bomb or something of the sort. Never know.
… And within the box revealed a new cloak, almost in the exact same shade of midnight blue, clearly crafted with precision. Whoever created this had a knack for sewing and an eye for detail, down to the zig-zag embroidery and the pentagram on the shoulder. It was enough to stun him into silence…
… But who…
At the bottom of the box was a note—
From your favorite Kitten,
Renka
… The note even smelled like her.
Tanimoto could only glare at the cloak in sheer… guilt, tenfold the amount he had given her. This must be what karma feels like.
… Hmpf...
His inexperience in feelings prevented him from doing anything else besides crumpling the cloth in his fists, unsure how to respond to her thoughtfulness. Good thing she wasn't there to witness his luminescent blush, and he could peacefully spend his Christmas Eve in emotional tatters.
"... Damn you, cat!"
