AkiHika-ish It was a foolish thing to do. But I was young and didn't know any better. "Can I keep him? Do you think he's a stray?"
Kitten
It was a foolish thing to do. But I was young; only five and a half years old. I didn't know any better.
My nanny had taken me out to play in the park. I had never been to the park, so I was fascinated by everything I saw. My nanny said that she wouldn't be able to bring me here for awhile, but that it was Christmas time, and she wanted me to enjoy it outside of the large house my family owned.
I spent the entire morning playing in the snow and generally being silly. I didn't realize that everyone else in the park had a friend. I didn't realize that I couldn't do a lot of the games kids played because I was alone. I was just happy to be there.
Then I saw him. He was sitting underneath the slide at the corner of the park. He had black hair, but his bangs were the most blonde things I'd seen in my life. His clothes were black and yellow too: his jacket, his shirt that peeked out the top, his pants, and his shoes. I guess that's what fooled me.
I ran over and grabbed his hand without even introducing myself. He must've been startled or scared, but I was too preoccupied to notice. I ran over to my nanny with him and declared: "Can I keep him?"
"What?" My nanny asked in confusion, looking at the boy I'd brought her.
"Can I keep him?" I repeated. "I found him under the slide all alone. Do you think he's a stray?"
Yes, I thought he was a lost kitten. Now, when I think about it, I realize it was a foolish thought. He had no fur, no paws, no tail. Still, he was my kitten and I wanted to take him home with me. My nanny tried to tell me no gently, so she went to find the boy's mother while I stayed with the kitten.
"It'll be great," I said to him, and he merely stared right back. "We'll play together every day. There's lots of room at my house, so you'll have a lot of space to run around in!"
I'm not sure if he understood what I meant, but a bright smile lit his face and he gripped the hand I was holding his hand with. I really thought he was a kitten, and that I would get to keep him. But then my nanny came back with the boy's mother, who looked like she would laugh. No doubt my nanny told her I'd mistaken her son for a cat.
I left the park that day in tears, trying to go back and bring the 'kitten' with us. But my nanny wouldn't let me. I didn't forgive her for a week.
I rarely left the house my parents called home. My father was an important man to the world. He ran a large business and held titles in games of strategy like chess and go. I was expected to take over when he was gone. I was taught in a way that I would understand how to deal with people in that world, but I knew nothing of the world right outside my front door.
Now I'm sixteen, and my father is sick. I'm not sure how long he'll last. Soon, unfortunately, I will have to take over my father's company. I will be pressed into playing games and taking titles like him as well, because I am his son.
I like art though. I go around the city we live in and find new art institutes, museums, anything that might include an art form. I like music, painting, photography, writing. I go out every weekend to look at these places and enjoy a different form of life than the one I know.
I never thought I'd see my kitten that day.
Again, it was Christmas time. The streets were covered in snow and trucks came by with water and salt to melt the streets and uncover the sidewalks. I loved snow, so I didn't really care if it was there or not. There were lights in every store and sales every day. I saw Christmas-themed hangers on light poles and stickers on windows wishing everyone happy holidays. Everyone wore thick jackets as the temperatures dropped everyday, with gloves and long pants and boots to cover every bit of skin except the face.
I saw him near a park that was built in the last year.
His hair was black, but his bangs were still the blondest thing I'd ever seen. He wore a black jacket with yellow trimming, and matching pants and boots. His gloves were black as well, but weren't made in a way that hindered his ability to press small buttons or pick things up. He was bent over with a camera at his eye, facing the ground.
I watched from the other side of the street the flash from his camera, then he put it away and bent down to the ground. I was surprised to see him pick up a little grey kitten from the bushes. It looked too young to be alone, and I thought it was cute when the kitten sneezed in his arms. My kitten, which was probably closer to a cat now, unzipped his jacket and put the kitten inside before zipping it almost all the way up again.
He held the kitten in his jacket gently and hurried off down the street. Can you blame me for following?
He stopped at an animal rescue center and went inside. I guess I should've known, since he had a lost kitten with him. I went inside a moment later and walked around until I spotted him in a room near the back. I heard dogs and cats and birds and more, but mostly I heard him and a woman speaking.
"Oh, poor little one," the girl said. She had brown hair that was up in pigtails and big brown eyes. I wouldn't deny that she was cute. I felt jealous.
"Can you save it, Akari?" my kitten asked worriedly. I should've known, but it still surprised me when his voice came out sounding gentle and smooth. It caught me off guard, to tell the truth.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Akari assured him.
"Sai…," my kitten said softly.
"Hm?" Akari asked, already working on warming the kitten up. "What was that?"
"His name is Sai," he repeated. Akari rolled her eyes.
"You have a name for all the animals you bring in. How do you come up with them all?" she asked with a laugh. My kitten looked riled.
"I don't come up with them, it's their names!" he defended.
"Right, right…Cause you can talk to animals, right?" Akari asked.
"I can!" he said angrily, upset that she didn't believe him. "I've told you a thousand times!"
"I know, I know, Hikaru," Akari laughed. "But how can you expect me to take you seriously when you continue to dye your hair like that?" she asked, pausing for a moment in her work to flick one of Hikaru's bangs.
I felt two emotions at once. I was elated to learn his name, but angry that this Akari would flick one of his bangs. How dare she?
"I told you, I have to keep my hair like this," Hikaru muttered. "What if-"
"Yes, you've told me. What if you dye your hair and are never found again?" she said dramatically. "I understand your sentiments, Hikaru, but it was ten years ago. I really don't think anyone would remem-Oh, hello," Akari greeted, finally noticing me standing in the other room. Hikaru turned around with a blush, the conversation had been pretty personal I suppose. "Can I help you?"
"I…," I was at a loss for words. This really was my kitten! But how to approach him? It had been ten years, just talking to him would be weird. "I was just….," then it hit me.
I walked in to the room where Hikaru and Akari were and grabbed Hikaru's hand. He and the girl both looked startled. It didn't matter. Hopefully, they would understand soon.
"Can I keep him?" I asked, pointing to Hikaru next to me. They were both startled, again.
"I'm sorry sir?" Akari asked. "He's not a-"
"I was just thinking he looked like a stray," I explained coolly, without pausing to even think about what I was saying. "So may I keep him?" I stepped a bit in front of Hikaru, without letting go of his hand.
Akari didn't seem able to respond. Her eyes kept flicking between me, who was smiling gently, to Hikaru behind me. I have no doubt that Hikaru must have done something with his free hand, because after a few moments, Akari conceded.
"Um…sure…," she said slowly. "I guess."
"Thank you," I gave a little bow and began leading Hikaru out of the shelter.
I don't know how long we were walking, I just wanted to go somewhere we could talk without all of the noise and bustle of the city. At some point, Hikaru wrapped his fingers around the hand that I was holding his with. It made me blush and I couldn't believe how forward I had been back in the center. I spotted a park and smiled. Perfect.
When we had both stopped in the park, I turned to look at him, but did not drop his hand.
"So, your name is Hikaru?" I asked at length. He seemed startled that I had spoken.
"Uh, yea….Hikaru Shindou. What's yours?" he asked.
"Akira Touya," I introduced.
"No way!" Hikaru gasped loudly. "There must be a mistake…You're the son of Touya Kouyo, the guy in charge of Kouyo Corp!" Hikaru dropped my hand and I "I thought you were someone I used to know, but you can't be…."
"Really, I wouldn't call thirty minutes, knowing each other, but it's close enough," I said, trying to convince him it was me he knew. Why was I always classified by my father?
"I wouldn't even say thirty minutes!" Hikaru disagreed loudly, putting his hands on his hips.
"I do apologize for my behavior that day….I didn't even realize," I stopped myself, realizing how…rich I sounded. "I'm sorry for calling you a kitten."
"Don't worry, I didn't mi-" Hikaru stopped suddenly and blinked a few times before speaking again. "Holy Crap! It was you! I wouldn't have thought…I mean, I've been waiting for….I…,"
"I've been waiting for my father to hand his company over with dread," I said, interrupting him. "Everyone expects me to be some great prodigy, and I don't doubt my skills, but I would rather…," I paused for a moment and decided on a different tactic. "I wasn't expecting to ever see you again. I wasn't allowed to go back to that park, or any place really. It was a shock for me today."
"Well, I've been waiting for years to meet you again," Hikaru admitted, kicking at the snow. "My mom thought it was so cute and she blamed my bangs for the misunderstanding. But you were the first person to ask to be my friend, so I kept my bangs this way…I was hoping they'd….," he cleared his throat. "…lead you…to me…" The blush on his face was endearing and I smiled.
After a moment, I remembered the conversation I had overheard in the animal center. "Can you really speak to animals?" I asked, fascinated. What an experience!
Hikaru seemed frightened of the conversation. His stance told me he wanted to run away, but he stood his ground and merely nodded. I smiled a little wider.
"Since when?" I asked. I'd only known him for a few minutes, but when we were little I would never have guessed he had this ability!
"Since I was born, I think…," he admitted softly. "That day in the park, I was talking to a worm."
"A worm?" I repeated. It was a bit repulsive, but humorous at the same time. I laughed once and he looked up at me with golden green eyes. "I never would have guessed," I responded to his confusion.
"Well, most kids shied away from me because of what I can do, even little ones like that. So I made other friends. The worm just happened to be there," he explained, and I could see his confidence growing.
"Fascinating," I said, and he smiled. "And you have a job now too."
"Well, we usually find animals because people bring them to us or because of abuse. I can find them just by walking around. So I wanted to help out and joined my friend Akari at the animal center…but she doesn't believe me at all." Hikaru frowned and thus, so did I.
I leaned towards him and put my head next to his ear. "It seems my kitten is becoming a cat," I whispered. Hikaru jolted and rubbed his ear, where my breath had hit him. A bright blush was on his face and I smiled. I held out my hand to him. "I want to show you to Maria, my nanny. I'm sure she'd be glad to meet you." It took a moment, but he took my hand. "Then perhaps we'll do something…fun….I'll leave that up to you, because I've never been very good at it."
Hikaru was holding back laughter and I frowned. What was so funny? He answered the question I hadn't asked yet.
"You still have a nanny?" he asked in between laughs. I frowned deeply.
It seemed I needed to train my kitten before it developed too many bad habits.
I got this idea while reading TysonxKai stories…so I have no idea about it. I hope it wasn't too bad. I feel like it started out strong and ended weakly.
Please review and lemme know what you think!