A cute little Raam and Gil scene. Just because there needs to be more moments that don't involve shounen-ai.

Gil is still a little naïve at this time. It's only been about a month since he's been freed from Shydeman, so he's still like a little kid relearning everything. He's more fun to write that way! Lol Because of that, Gil won't talk much. Yes, even less than in the series. He's still learning how to talk. It'll be primarily narrative.

The

Cat in The Hat

The youkai named Raamgarnas would qualify as an odd person. He was a demon yet he hid from Nadil's army. Where other youkai were cruel and merciless, Raam was kind and caring. Definitely odd in anyone's eyes. It was this nurturing nature that had made him an abomination in the world's eyes.

Gil didn't care much about any of that. All he knew was that the red-haired man had rescued him from the hell that was Shydeman's prisons. Raam had gently tended to his wounds and taught him to trust again. He even had the patience to re-teach the half-youkai about the mannerisms of human. It was a slow and daunting progress. Gil hated every moment of it. He much preferred sleeping under the warm blankets of Raam's bed near the fire. Raam had told him with a laugh that the cat-natured man still purred when he slept. An inquiring look had asked 'what was wrong with that?' Raam had merely laughed again.

Yes, Raam was an odd one. His home reflected that with all of its neatly organized clutter (?) and odd knickknacks. While Raam occasionally left, Gil slunk around the house in boredom. It was another one of those days and the violet-haired demon was bored.

Gil sighed, a habit he had picked up from his caretaker. It was a pointless action but expressed all the emotions he was feeling at the moment. Raam had told him he'd be gone for the majority of the day. There was nothing to do. He poked half-heartedly at a ball of string the redhead had bought him as a joke. Gil didn't see the humor in it. Then again, humor was still a new concept to him.

It was cold winter afternoon so going outside was out of the question. Not that he really wanted to. There was still a lingering sense of paranoia that Shydeman's henchmen were still after him. However, he felt that overpowering sense of fear less and less as of lately.

He sidled up near the fireplace, pulling his oversize sweater closer. The cat-yokai had already made a little pit among a pile of blankets near the flames and was ready to sleep the day away. Suddenly a fluttering over the mantle object caught his vision. He instinctively jumped up and caught the thing. A golden eye peeked curiously between his hands at the odd noise. It sounded like some kind of chirping. It was unusual.

A bright spot of blue could be seen and a flurry of wings. It was a small bird. Gil was curious about how it wandered in. He also had the sudden urge to pop the thing in his mouth. He sweatdropped as he remembered Raam's earlier scoldings of eating live objects. It really did take the fun out of the hunt.

The bird chirped again and the half-breed opened his hands. The creature was obviously young. It flew an awkward path through Raam's small house. Gil mindlessly followed. He was still unsteady walking on two legs. All the years of confinement and animalistic cruelty had made him adapt to the situation. With all of that behind, Raam had coaxed the man into walking like a proper person. Another thing Gil hated. Who wanted to be proper? But he loved Raam and tried for his sake.

The bird zigzagged into Raam's room. It seemed exhausted from the effort and landed on the bed, calling piteously. Gil carefully sat down on the mattress. The creature walked unsteadily away at the intrusion. Gil let out a sound of surprise as it walked right off the bed. Worried, he dashed around to check on the bird. Alarmed chirping echoed in the small room and Gil frantically searched for the source among Raam's rabble.

He spotted a flash of blue. The young thing had fallen into a hat. A very odd one in fact. Gil picked it up and curiously looked in. The bird sat in a slump at the bottom on the hat's well, chirping for help. Crying, the violet-haired man thought. Feeling a sense of guilt, he gently tilted the hat on the bed for the bird's escape. It tumbled out in a flurry of feather with and an undignified squawk. He smiled as it ruffled up and sat stubbornly down for a moment. At least it didn't run this time.

Sure that the curious thing wasn't in any danger at the moment, Gil examined the outrageous hat. It was atrocious. That was simply the word to describe it. It was shaped like an oversized top hat with a mammoth red feather sticking out on one side. It was the ghastly colors of yellow, orange, and black. Gil, still naïve to the sense of fashion, found it fun. He set it atop his head. It was way too big and fell over his eyes. The half-breed laughed out loud. Why didn't Raam wear it?

He felt a pressure on his leg and looked down. The bird perched precariously on his pant leg. Its stare made him feel a bit self-conscious. Guiltily, he took off the hat, his messy hair even more disheveled. The bird stared at the monstrous thing, then poked at it. Gil giggled again as it continued its poking examination of the hat. He lay down on his stomach to be eye level with the blue feathered fluff as it battled. Suddenly it diverted its path and stood right in front of him. Gil blinked and went slightly cross-eyed as it came closer. In a flurry of feathers it jumped up to his head. He could feel the scratchy sensation of its claws as it hopped around. He smiled and put the oversize hat on.

The opening and closing of a door caught his keen hearing. "Gil! I'm home!" He heard continued scuffling as Raam set his groceries down.

The redhead was confused. Gil wasn't in his usual spot near the fire. He sighed. What did he get into to? "Where are you hiding?"

"Here!" Raam smiled. It was only one word, yet clearly stated. He'll catch on quickly. With that, he walked to the bedroom.

What a sight to walk upon. Raam blinked. Gil, in his over-sized clothing, sat in the middle of the unmade bed half-hidden by a monstrous…thing.

The half-breed waved. "Welcome home!"

Raam couldn't help it. He burst into laughter. Gil frowned. Had he said something wrong? The redhead leaned against the doorframe for support.

"G-gil, what is that thing?"

A blink of confusion. "Yours."

Raam wiped a tear from his eyes. "Really? It should be illegal for that to even exist."

Gil cocked his head. "Why?"

"It's horrible." Raam sat next to Gil. That golden eye watched him curiously, willing to learn the moral of this lesson. Raam pulled up the rim of that hat to better see the expression of the younger man's face. There was a sound. Startled, Raam let go and the hat fell over Gil's face again.

"What was that?"

Gil laughed. "New friend!" He lifted up the hat. Raam blinked. A blue fluff ball perched among the violet strands. The bird chirped angrily at the light's intrusion. Smiling, Raam gently cupped the bird in his hand.

"What you do?"

"He belongs outside with his family, Gil. Not closed up in here."

Gil leapt up and clung to Raam's coat. "No! Dead! Too cold!"

The youkai sighed. "I suppose you're right…" An evil smile suddenly spread across his face. "He can stay on one condition."

"Yes?" Gil asked eagerly.

Raam tried to keep a straight face. "You wear that hat for the rest of the day."

"Yes!" Gil flopped about and grabbed the atrocious head cover. This time it fell down to his nose.

Raam finally burst out in another fit of laughter.

"Good?"

"Yes, real good."

--end