It was a normal day in Los Angeles, but for Tori Vega, the routine of grocery shopping turned out to be much more complicated than she imagined. As she walked through the aisles, her thoughts were occupied with the usual: work, school, Jade... and the ups and downs that always came with that complex and beautiful relationship.

Then, a meow. It was not common to hear such a soft and desperate sound in the middle of the bustle of the shoppers. A sound that slipped through the laughter and conversations, that pierced her soul. Tori stopped, looking around. In the corner of the aisle of cans of tuna, hidden by boxes of products stacked on the floor, something was moving.

As she approached, she found a cardboard box, soaked from the previous afternoon's rain. Inside, curled up in a corner, was a small black cat, her eyes shining like two emeralds caught under the moon. The light from the supermarket's fluorescent lights reflected off her fur, black and shiny, as if she were made of the same darkness that covers the city at night.

"Wow..." Tori whispered, crouching slowly, a lump in her throat. It was a scene that could have come out of a novel, one of those moments when life felt a little more poetic. The kitten didn't run away. In fact, when Tori stared at her, the little beast raised its head and gave her a steady, intelligent, defiant look.

Tori gently reached out her hand, hoping the cat wouldn't be scared. Instead, the cat leapt at her, without warning, with a feline agility that made Tori have to work hard not to drop her to the ground. "Oh, God! Are you scared or are you brave?" Tori laughed, hugging the cat, though the feeling that gesture left her with was much deeper than she imagined.

The cat snuggled up to her, purring, and Tori couldn't help but smile. But as she looked closer, a strange feeling began to invade her. The cat's eyes, green as jade, shone with an eerie glow, an unmistakable intensity that left no room for doubt. It was a reflection of something... someone. Jade. Was it possible?

The cat had shiny black fur, but there were flashes of emerald green on her paws and part of her tail. Right? Tori thought, her mind quickly traveling back to what she had always known. The cat was, in every way possible, a feline version of Jade. From the unmistakable style to those eyes that shone as brightly as the stars... it was as if Jade had been reincarnated as a cat.

The little cat, with her agile legs, with those green highlights in her fur that reminded of the intensity of Jade's dyed locks, couldn't just be a coincidence. Tori looked at her more closely, her eyes traveling over her small, slender body, her black fur with those flashes of green that somehow reminded of Jade's jealousy.

"It can't be..." Tori whispered to herself, a shiver running down her spine.

The little cat seemed to have something more than Jade's appearance. Her movements, her eyes, that defiant posture, everything about her radiated the same dark, fierce energy that Tori had learned to recognize in her girlfriend. It was as if Jade had materialized in feline form, as if she were a manifestation of everything Jade represented: strength, independence, and that dark, dangerous beauty.

For a second, Tori considered leaving her there, returning her to the cold, merciless world that had abandoned her. But something inside her stopped her. It was Jade, but in a different form. And somehow, that drew her in, dazzled her. In her mind, she began to imagine that maybe, just maybe, this cat could understand what she saw in Jade, what made her love her with an intensity that suffocated and liberated her at the same time.

She decided she would adopt her. It didn't matter what Jade said. She knew she would keep the truth from her. She knew Jade would be furious, as always, but there was something about this little cat, something so familiar and so... hers, that she couldn't let her go.

When Tori arrived at the apartment, her thoughts were in chaos. She had made the decision, but now she was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea. She ran her hands through her hair, looking at the small cat sleeping peacefully in her arms, oblivious to the gathering storm. Jade, her beloved Jade, was not going to react well to this. Not only had she adopted a cat, but it was a reflection of her personality, something she couldn't help but notice. And Jade did not tolerate competition, whether in human or feline form.

When she opened the door, Jade was sitting on the couch, her gaze fixed on the television, but Tori knew she was completely alert, as she always was. The intensity of Jade's green gaze was like a sharp, cutting sword, ready to strike at any weakness.

"What do you have there, Vega?" Jade asked without taking her eyes off the screen, but her voice was low, tense, like a rope ready to break.

Tori tried to smile naturally, knowing that if Jade suspected anything, everything would be lost. She couldn't let Jade find out the real reason behind the kitten. Jade wasn't a person who understood what Tori saw in her, what she felt for her. For Jade, everything had to be controlled. No other person or thing should challenge her place in Tori's world.

"She's just a kitten," Tori said with a forced smile, trying to sound casual, but her voice betrayed the tension she felt inside. "I found her abandoned, and I thought I could... adopt her."

Jade turned her head, slowly, as if she was processing every word, every movement. When her eyes met Onyx's, a shadow of horror ran through her face. The cat was watching her with the same intensity, the green eyes so familiar, the fur perfectly reflecting her own. It was as if Jade herself was there, but in an even scarier form, smaller, more... annoying.

"This is a joke, right?" Jade asked, her voice sounding lower and more dangerous. She wasn't angry yet, but it was clear that something inside her was beginning to boil.

Tori stepped back, her stomach tightening. Jade stood up slowly, walking towards them with firm, determined steps, like a queen who saw her throne threatened. When Jade reached Onyx, the cat gave a small meow, a soft, almost mocking sound. Jade looked at her, eyes narrowed, as if she were assessing a rival who had just entered her territory.

"Tori…" Jade's voice trembled with a mix of disgust and anger. "Really? This is what you do? You bring… her? What's next, Vega? A house full of cats, a life of cups with kittens and cats in bed? What's left for me? Is this little thing your new way of… replacing me?"

Tori gulped. The intensity of Jade's gaze was like a fire burning inside her. Onyx moved with agility, jumping from Tori's arms to the ground, and Jade followed her with her eyes, relentless, as if she were a direct rival. The two animals were now looking at each other, not looking away.

"No, Jade," Tori whispered, her words caught by the lump in her throat. "It's not that... it's just that... Onyx reminded me of you."

Jade looked at her as if she had just been hit in the chest. Onyx's eyes, reflecting the rage and pride that Jade possessed, remained fixed on her, as if challenging Jade herself.

"Well, she'll have to learn to live with her place in the food chain, because I'm not going to allow..." Jade interrupted, her breathing accelerated. "Not a cat or anyone else to come between you and me."

And so the battle began, not only for Tori's love, but for control of everything Jade called hers.