“Masako!” A voice called cheerily from behind me. “What are you doing?”
I spun around quickly, the cat hissing in protest at the sudden movement. I was met with a penetrating indigo stare, burning with an intense passion and a warmth hidden just below the surface. “Rukia,” I breathed, giving her a bright smile. She always seemed to manage to catch me by surprise. A shadow fell over her protectively, and I looked up. “…and Ichigo. Hi.”
“Hey,” he answered indifferently, giving me a slight smile. Then he noticed the expression on Rukia’s face, one of deep concentration and even slight surprise. “Rukia?” he asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “What’s that look for?”
She ignored him, as she often did. “Masako,” she began slowly. “Where did you get that cat?” Ichigo followed her gaze, his eyes widening.
“Oh, him?” I asked, shifting the cat’s weight. “I actually found him in the library. You know, the old one? He must be a stray, he was just sitting there on the counter. It terrified the librarian to have a cat in there. So I took him.” I carefully put my copy of Inkheart down on the pavement in front of me and held up the small animal. Apparently he didn’t like this much, because he kept trying to squirm out of my grip, turning as far away from Ichigo and Rukia as possible. “Isn’t he cute?” The cat gave up squirming. He wasn’t winning.
“Uh, yeah,” Rukia answered robotically. I was admittedly disappointed by her less-than-exciting response. She was barely even looking at me. She kept looking back and forth between Ichigo, more focused than I had ever seen him, and the little black cat. Even the cat had a rather serious expression, and it looked to me like he kept shaking his head. I sighed.
There is something wrong with the world. My friends are having a moment with my cat.
After a few minutes, they were still staring at each other, and I was still standing there awkwardly. So I decided to break the silence.
“Oh, look, there are pies falling from the sky,” I stated dryly.
No reaction.
“Rukia, there’s a giant bunny behind you.”
Nothing.
“Ichigo, Orihime’s taking her shirt off in that clothing store over there.”
Nada.
“And now there’s a giant monster climbing out of the sewer over there that looks like it’s going to eat us.”
Rukia, Ichigo, and the cat looked up at this one. My cat squirmed out of my now-inattentive grip and jumped to the ground gracefully, looking like he was ready to claw his way through the nearest scratching post. Rukia pulled a bunny-shaped candy dispenser out of nowhere, and Ichigo started clutching at his pants in a very awkward way. I took a few steps back, shooting them all weird looks.
My God, I’m standing with a bunch of freaks. Heck, if I told Ichigo Santa was coming, he may feel the need to take his pants all the way off.
“Well, as disturbing as that reaction was,” I told Ichigo and Rukia, who were now looking rather confused as the tried to find the supposed ‘monster’, “I’m gonna head home. It’s starting to get dark, and besides, I think you guys are becoming a bad influence on my cat.” I smiled and scooped the little black animal and my book off the ground. “Seriously,” I laughed, “you guys know there are no such things as monsters, right?” The cat started purring again. I looked down at him, and did a double-take. I could have sworn he had just winked at Ichigo and Rukia.
Ichigo and Rukia laughed companionably, deciding to just go with the flow. “Hey, Masako,” Ichigo said suddenly, growing somewhat serious. “Do you really want that cat? Because if you don’t, I’ll take him. Yuzu and Karin would be thrilled.” He reached forward, ready to take my new cat away from me. The little animal mewed sharply, blinking stubborn golden eyes.
“Nuh-uh,” I said, pulling away. “Not so fast. I do want this cat. Look at him, he’s so cute! But for the sake of Yuzu and Karin…” I tapped my chin, pretending to think. “I’ll make a deal with you.”
Rukia rolled her eyes, and Ichigo drew a hand over his face. I had been known to make “deals” before. “What is it?” he asked warily.
“As we all know,” I began, “my mother absolutely despises cats. She thinks they’re disgusting, because they step in a litterbox and then walk all over her house. Anyway, my parents left to celebrate their anniversary last night, and I have the house to myself tonight. But they’re coming back tomorrow. They’ll make me get rid of him anyway, so why not save me the trouble and come pick him up around noon tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Ichigo smiled. He had probably been expecting worse. This was one of the most reasonable deals I had ever made. “The girls will be so happy.” He said goodbye and took a few steps down the street, heading towards his house. “Coming, Rukia?”
“Bye, Masako!” Rukia waved, following Ichigo. I waved and started walking in the opposite direction towards my house. The cat purred comfortingly, nuzzling closer to my chest. I smiled, glad that at least I got to keep him for one night.
