It had been a long visit to the veterinarian's office. Ruby and Yang waited inside the clinic, as patiently as they could while the vet checked off each medical procedure, searching for any signs of illnesses, injuries, or lack of immunizations. As Yang suspected, the cat had not been microchipped, which she took as a sure sign that it had to be a stray.

After an hour or so, when they were finally called back in, there was only good news much to Yang's chagrin.

"I ran a few tests on her and thankfully there are no signs of any abnormalities. She's in good health, just a little underfed and worn out," the woman explained, speaking in a nasal tone. "Her heart rate is slightly high and her pupils are still dilated, but it's nothing too concerning."

"So, you don't think she's feral or a stray?" Yang asked, not being able to hide her dismay.

"I believe the chances of that are quite low. It's most likely that somebody's lost her," the doctor gave her own professional opinion. "Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to be carrying any proper ID, but I can direct you to a few nearby animal shelters where they might have more luck in locating her home."

"That sounds great," Ruby let out a breath of relief, "Thank you."

The woman explained to them about how to proceed from there, advising that they think twice before taking in a lost animal, which would require a lot of work, time, and extra living expenses. Nevertheless, Ruby promised to be responsible and insisted that they take her home. She left their contact information at the office in case of an emergency or if the original owner came in looking for her misplaced cat.

By the time they reached home, Yang was certainly not very happy about the situation.

Tired and hungry, she dropped their backpacks onto the living room sofa and headed straight for the kitchen. She opened the fridge but found nothing suitable enough for a satisfying meal. With a heavy, disappointed sigh, she took out some containers instead and began microwaving the leftovers from yesterday night.

Ruby walked into the house several minutes after her, holding a bulging plastic bag in one arm and cradling the stray in the other. She set the bag down onto the countertops, tipping it over to reveal a myriad of contents. The blonde felt her jaw twitch at the sight, surveying the scatter of supplies ranging from brushes and toys to canned food and small boxes of kitty litter. Even the cat seemed a bit overwhelmed by the pile, squirming uncomfortably in Ruby's arms.

"Oh my god, Ruby." Yang had a good reason to be livid. "What have you done?"

"What?" Her sister replied back innocently. "There was a sale going on."

"A sale for what?" She passed her a look of disbelief. "The entire store?"

"It's not that big of a deal! I just got a couple of things, you know, to make sure she feels comfortable until her owner comes and gets her," Ruby maintained, beaming as if she were proud of her own shopping capabilities.

"You did pay for all of this, right?" Yang found herself asking, narrowing her eyes in belated skepticism.

"Of course I did." Ruby rolled her eyes at the suggestion. "Don't worry about it, sis. I've been saving up my allowance for the whole summer."

"Okay? Then, first of all, you better pay me back for the fifty bucks I spent at the hospital," Yang pointed out with a smirk. "And secondly, how is this all necessary for the cat to feel comfortable? You were supposed to get cat litter and food. That was it."

"But… They were selling catnip!" Ruby argued, pulling out a toy wand with a little mouse attached to the end of a braided wire. "She'll love it! Watch."

To prove a point, Ruby set the cat back down on the floor, overflowing with joy and excitement as she dangled the stuffed animal in front of her.

"Come on, girl," Ruby cooed, teasing the feline even more. "Get the mouse! Get the mouse, get it!"

The cat reacted exactly as Yang would have hoped. She curled into her legs, sitting and staring awkwardly at Ruby as if the thought of chasing a fake rodent off a stick was absurd.

"Oh, you're absolutely right, sis!" Yang laughed rather uncontrollably. "That's money well spent."

"I guess she's just tired," Ruby reasoned, pausing the play for the time being. "I'm going to put her to sleep. There were some spare blankets and cushions in the closet upstairs, right?"

"Yeah, but we're keeping that thing down here where there is no carpet," the blonde declared, firmly drawing the line with her sister and their new companion.

"I know, I know." Ruby brushed her off, kneeling down to engage with the cat once again. "Don't worry, little kitty. You're going to be sleeping with me tonight!"

The cat did nothing to respond to this, oddly stiffening as Ruby patted down the lines of her fur. Her tail remained low, curving below the body.

"But first, how about I draw you a nice warm bath?" Ruby proposed. "It'll be fun! You love baths, right? Trust me, the water's not so scary when there are bubbles in them."

"We are not going to give the cat a bubble bath. This isn't Pet Palace," Yang cut in, deciding to handle the situation before Ruby's affections grew steadily worse. "Now, quit petting that thing otherwise you're going to get attached to it."

"Yeah, sure," Ruby answered, though she did not cease her actions. "By the way, what do you think we should name her?"

"What did I just say?"

"She needs a name, sis!"

"I don't know!" Yang groaned. "What do people call their cats? Max or Whiskers or something."

"Those are all really unoriginal names," Ruby complained, obviously dissatisfied. "Can we try being a little more creative here?"

"Okay… Then how about we go with Catastrophe?" Without meaning to, Yang began to chuckle. "Or, um… Domesti-cat?"

"No puns allowed! She needs a serious name," Ruby defended the cat's dignity in her stead. "Oh! How about Ninja Assassinator? Since she's so cool and mysterious."

"Oh… Well, sure." The blonde rolled her eyes. "If you want all the other cats to be laughing at her?"

"Gee, it's not easy coming up with a good name." Her sister realized fairly soon. "I mean, you're the one who named Zwei when we were younger. How'd you come up with that on your own?"

"Zwei's different. You know I've always been more of a dog person than a cat person," Yang grunted, crossing her arms as she remembered her past experiences with felines. "What do cats ever do for you anyway? You leave them alone, they disappear for a couple of days, and then they come back whenever they feel like it."

Ruby simply hummed in quick dismissal. "Aw, you're just grumpy because you haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Well, duh!" Yang agreed, huffing in exasperation. "It's almost eight and all we have at home are some day-old egg rolls!"

"Okay, okay. How about you order us some more food and I'll think of a proper name for her." Ruby grinned. "Oh! What do you think about calling her Corn for now? Like the color of her eyes?"

"Corn, really?" The blonde wrinkled her nose. "Honestly, I think I liked the Ninja Assassinator better. We could've shortened it to N.A. and people will think she's not available."

Ruby looked at her, for a single instant, with something faintly like a reproach.

"I think Corn and I are going to go and draw a nice bath now," she announced as she coddled the cat back into her arms. "You can stay here and keep making lame jokes by yourself."

"Gladly," Yang said, in a tone that sounded quite a bit like "It's about time."

Several hours later, Yang awoke in the middle of the night.

Darkness had fallen over the skies, and a sliver of moonlight seeped through from behind the curtains. Yang opened and closed her mouth, feeling unusually parched and hot. She scooted over on her bed, onto the breezier side of her blankets, determined not to be bothered. Nevertheless, the more she tried not to think about it, the thirst grew too unbearable to ignore.

Annoyed and heavy-eyed, she groggily rose from her bed. Careful not to stumble, the blonde begrudgingly made her way downstairs, leaning heavily against the wall as she dragged her body into the kitchen. She fumbled for a cup of water in the darkness.

When her eyes had adjusted enough, she checked the wall clock over her head. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning, and Ruby's bedroom was quieter than usual. She checked to make sure her sister was asleep and heard a few soft snores from the other side of the door. Yawning, and setting down her finished cup of water, Yang trudged up the stairs, headed back towards her own room.

There was a slight scuttle, somewhere in the distance. Yang paused, frowning as she focused on the noise. It was silent again, and the blonde shrugged, deciding that it had been the wind.

It didn't take long for Yang to fling herself back onto her mattress. She sighed, hugging her pillow close to her stomach as she rolled over onto her side. She thought she heard another weird sound, like a muffled creaking of wood. Her eyes snapped open again, and this time, there was more to greet her than a half-opened door.

Bright yellow eyes were gleaming at her, piercing through the dark. A black profile outlined against the empty background of her room.

"Holy shit!" Yang felt herself stagger backward in alarm. She calmed herself a moment after, patting down her heart that had nearly ruptured. "You scared me half to death, you stupid cat!"

Now huddled in the corner, the cat blinked rather slowly at her. Yang wasn't sure if this was a sign of rejection or a greeting.

"What are you even doing in here? You're supposed to be downstairs with Ruby," Yang reminded the creature in a disapproving tone.

Then, she scratched the back of her neck, aware that silence would be her only response.

"And what am I doing? I'm sitting here, talking to a cat," she mumbled gruffly to herself. "That's it, I'm going back to bed."

Plodding down on her back, the blonde threw her blanket over her face. It was uncomfortable, and though she was exhausted, she couldn't close her eyes now, not when she wasn't sure if there were an unwelcomed presence in the room.

"Great, now I can't sleep," growled the blonde, jerking her sheets aside as she glared up at the ceiling. "Are you still there, cat?"

Yang really hadn't been expecting anything in response, and it shocked her to hear a sound coming from the dark. It was quiet; a small, almost toneless mew, but it followed the blonde at the end of her question.

"Wait." Yang abruptly sat up in turn. "Did you just answer me?"

It must have been a trick of her mind, as the cat froze into a deadly still stance, glowering at her with a wide, impenetrable stare.

"Ugh, I must still be half-asleep." Yang waved off the idea. Nor, in the late-night circumstances, did it strike her as anything important. "You're a weird one, aren't you?"

It didn't say anything in reply, of course, but her eyes were still large and unblinking. They never looked real, shining too brightly amidst the dark. This was why cats were such a nuisance, the blonde decided; Yang could never figure out what they were thinking.

"Well, what do you want, cat?" In hindsight, Yang thought, the Ninja Assassinator really would have been a better-suited name for the pet. "Was Ruby cuddling you with too much love? Or does she snore too loudly or something? Because sleeping with me won't do you any better."

The blonde didn't find any difference in conduct, merely silence. Then, breaking all lines of unspoken agreement, the cat began to edge closer towards Yang, which naturally, set off an alarm of panic.

"Hey, hey, hey! Not cool! Don't you come on over here?" Yang wagged her finger, raising her tone in warning.

She stopped as if understanding what the blonde had said, which was even odder. The cat paused at the foot of the bedpost, both paws still resting on the ground carpet.

"Yes, exactly." Yang sighed, glad that she held some form of authority in the household. "Stay right there and don't move."

She didn't move, staying unexpectedly obedient. Yang took this to be enough for now, deciding that she would deal with the cat and its problem with boundaries in the morning.

"Damn it, Ruby," the blonde cursed into the air, hoping her sister would hear her somehow and sense some guilt. "I knew this would happen. I knew I'd end up taking care of this stupid thing."

As she pushed her discontent aside for tomorrow, sleep began to pool under her eyelids again, prepared to take her back into a peaceful silence. She was not aware, for some time, of a plaintive sound echoing from below.

Her ears tensed in response.

It sounded like a human whimper, a low-pitched, unhappy noise. Yang tossed and turned in her bed until finally, she couldn't stand listening to it any longer.

"I can't believe this…" The blonde grumbled to herself, scooting over to the foot of her bed. With all the frustration and curiosity that awoke inside her, she peered down at the ground. As anticipated, she found a small mass of fur in the same spot as before.

Except, something had changed. Something had been broken from before.

For as long as lived, Yang had never seen something looking so fearful of the world. Ears held back, tail tucked in, and hair standing on end. All of which was nothing compared to her mournful cries, which grew louder by the second, each one more troubling than the one before.

Was she having a nightmare? Did cats even have nightmares?

It was a vulnerability in its rawest form, and immediately Yang felt her anger dissipate, her eyes softening at the sight.

"Hey…" Yang tried to calm her, but giving it attention appeared to only make it worse. The shadow shifted past her outstretched hand, acting so quickly like a flickering light in the dark.

"Wait. It's okay," Yang spoke in a whisper, smoothing her hair as she clambered out from the covers again. The blonde cleared her throat, getting down on her ankles as she leveled with large amber eyes, now fully alert, frightened and disturbed.

"No, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," Yang murmured, lowering her voice to come across as less threatening. "And I didn't mean to yell at you before. I'm sorry, I'm just not very fond of cats, that's all."

As a cat, perhaps this wasn't such good news to hear. The small feline backed away before hitting a wall, scrunching into yet another defensive hunch.

"No, let me explain! Right, um… Don't tell Ruby I told you this but… Oh, what am I saying?" Yang scoffed at the idea before resuming. "Anyways, I got clawed by a cat when I was nine, and it hurt like hell. I lied and told everyone I got into a fight at school because it was super embarrassing. There's still a scar on my nose if you look closely enough."

Careful in manner, Yang inched forward, perhaps to show that she really was telling the truth, or perhaps to prove that she really meant no harm. Either way, it seemed to be working for the moment, as this time the cat stayed motionless, though her eyes continued to watch her in vigilance.

"So, basically, I got mauled by a kitten while trying to help it down from a tree," Yang sighed at the distant memory. "That ungrateful little bastard," she involuntarily added aloud.

She heard a gentle mewling in return. Yang wasn't sure what it was, it could have been a sign of condolence, or even amusement if she wanted to assume there was any meaning.

"Now, here's the thing," Yang gathered up a friendly grin, "I'll let you sleep on my bed. And I won't hurt you if you won't hurt me back, okay? Do we have a deal?"

The cat definitely nodded that time. Yang shook her head, knowing that she was insane to do this, squatting on the carpet as she tried to bargain with an animal. What surprised her more was that it appeared to have worked? Once she reached forward again, the cat flinched for an instant but stayed rooted for her, allowing herself to be scooped up without much protest.

Yang sighed in defeat as she crawled back into bed, settling the kitten down on the right side of her pillow. Her black fur still quivered under contact, but her breathing was beginning to slow and ease.

There was a sheen reflected by the moonlight, and Yang frowned, noticing the same metallic band around the cat's neck. It looked tight and confining, and the blonde dared a chance to reach forward to inspect it. Needless to say, it was the wrong move to make, as the blonde felt an immediate jerk in return.

There was a low hiss of mistrust. Yang managed to hush her down with a few gentle coos, reminding the cat of her promises as she tenderly felt around the collar. At last, she managed to hear a small click, and Yang was able to remove it entirely.

She knew that the cat was passing her an odd look, ears twitching up then back down in confusion. She stared at Yang, then eyed the collar, then back at Yang again, as if not comprehending what had just happened.

"What? You looked a little uncomfortable," she said, tossing the collar onto her bedside table. "Don't worry, you can have it back in the morning."

An amber gaze followed her regardless, almost wary of what would happen if she closed her eyes again. Her head lolled a bit to the side like it was getting too heavy to hold up.

"Relax," Yang breathed, tolerantly and compassionately. "Relax and go back to sleep."

In the end, the cat seemed to resign, finally shutting those tired eyes as she rested her weary head on the linen sheets.

Sleep fell over them, quickly and in peace.

The next day, when Yang awoke, the right side of her bed was abnormally cold.