PRESENT DAY.
The Forbidden World — Sendaî, City of Trees.
~~~
"Stop that mouse!" Li Ji screamed, staring at the calico cat with high expectations.
Instinctively Emika fell into a pouncing position, claws suddenly unsheathed and her eyes locking onto the mouse—her animal instinct was screaming to her 'Kill!'
It was the first time this new body felt the uncontrollable rush of the hunt.
Li Ji's eyes sparkled with anticipation: Next the cat would spring with a coiled energy on its prey…
However, even if in a cat's body, Emika was still fearful of mice and didn't want to move even by a fraction of a millimetre—she didn't dare to!
Instead, she had taken few steps back and hurled herself to safety behind Kiyomi's legs.
The rodent was standing motionless in the middle of the room, exposed but not the slightest bit feeling endangered, for before him stood an atypical cat with musophobia.
Li Ji rolled her eyes in utter disbelief.
Emika stared back at her with an expression that mirrored hers. [Kill it yourself!] she shouted at Li Ji inwardly.
Kiyomi looked down at the calico cat standing up on her hind legs and leaning her front paws against his leg. [Please pick me up…] she cooed at him with soft purrs.
"What are we going to do with you?" Kiyomi said in a jokingly manner as he bent down to ruffle her fur. Indeed, he had observed that the she-cat was also frightened at the sight of cockroaches and spiders.
Meanwhile a tiny pink nose twitched, and two beady little eyes blinked.
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
A disgusted grin on her face, Li Ji was waving her arms energetically in the air, shooing the mouse away. With her wide sleeves flapping and flopping and her long gracile neck edging forward she resembled an angry goose.
Kiyomi felt like a spectator watching a comedy stage play. A smile began to sketch on his lips, and soon after he couldn't help but giggle at this hilarious scene.
"Why is this cat so afraid of a tiny little mouse?" Li Ji mocked. "What are you here for if not to make sure we don't get mice in this house?"
[And what about you? You are bigger than me and you are also afraid!]
Squeak. Squeak. squeak.
The sound sent Emika's body shivering again. She pressed her paws against Kiyomi's legs. Along with those, her claws—she still wasn't accustomed to control this sharp weapon.
Kiyomi shifted his attention back to her and gently pulled away the paws held in his hands. "Hey, hey, little kitty, careful with those claws…"
Emika was frustrated. Being a cat was an every day game of charades. She lifted her head and tilted it to the side, eyes as wide as saucers. [Pick me up, pick me up!] And to emphasised those unspoken words she rubbed her cheek against his leg and purred softly and frantically. Emika had recently been able to skilfully master the art of purring. Thus it became her primary way of communicating in this wordless world.
Kiyomi bent down, slid a hand under the she-cat's soft tummy, and as he was about to scoop her up, well then she practically jumped into his arms herself!
Kiyomi's hand gently brushed her coat from the top of her head all the way down to her back then up to the tip of her tail.
"It is all right now... Are you feeling any better?" His tone was all soothing.
The cat nodded then purred.
Kiyomi was taken aback. He could have sworn this cat just shown human understanding. He wondered if he had imagined it. But he remembered how she had posed for him when he painted her, how she had comforted him when he had fallen sick, and how she seemed to react to his words and emotions as if she could understand everything about him.
He swiftly pushed this improbable thought out of his mind.
Emika saw the surprise on his face. It was the fifth day living together and she had been behaving like a human-turned-cat. She needed to be less absentminded and act like a real cat! [But what does a real cat actually do?] she wondered. She had no wish to be discovered before she could break the Mind-Seal aureole around him.
Meanwhile, Li Ji rolled her eyes in mild annoyance not having expected Kiyomi to be so overly protective towards the calico cat. Though it had only been a few days since she had entered his life, Kiyomi was completely bewitched by her.
With the prince's personality being a touch obsessive, Li Ji knew that once his heart felt moved, it would remain loyal to his feelings for life.
Along with this thought there was an odd feeling emerging in her heart... could I be jealous of a cat? Li Ji thought.
The front door was kicked open and Jian sprung from behind them. Gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands he was ready to thrust his blade.
His glance swept around the room.
Everyone eyes popped open at this theatrical entrance. Kiyomi chuckled to himself, Emika startled, and Li Ji froze for a moment in surprise.
Meanwhile the mouse scurried around and Li Ji suddenly yelled, "Jian, catch it!"
Before Jian could comprehend what was happening, he looked at Li Ji in confusion. Apart from them, he couldn't see anyone else in the room!
When his eyes caught sight of the mouse scampering between the furniture, he finally realised what was all this chaotic mess about.
He secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Jian had his back to Kiyomi, so the latter could not see him pointing the orb at Li Ji. If Kiyomi had, they would have had to tell him about the orb glowing.
And so, without choice, he had to go along with the absurdity of the situation and play the role of a lunatic chasing a mouse with a sword.
Emika, Li Ji and Kiyomi's eyes darted frantically around the room, back and forth to the mouse, then to Jian running after it with his arcing blade.
It was such an embarrassing moment for Jian that Li Ji slowly looked away.
Jian suddenly came to a halt in his steps—he had lost the rodent from his field of vision.
Kiyomi was gaping in bafflement. He blinked not once, but at least a dozen times. Then his brows furrowed. "Jian, why do you take everything so seriously? Is it not a somewhat extreme strategy to deal with a tiny mouse?"
The room echoed with an uncomfortable 'schwing'–the bashful sound of a sword driving back into his sheath.
Jian smiled sheepishly, his face instantly flushing. "I am sorry."
No more than a minute later, Kiyomi stately frame shook with mirth. Emika felt the ripples of his laughter transferring to her small body and warming her heart.
That precious dimple that crinkled… She had yearned to see it again. This laugh brought back a million of sweet memories.
However it was a bittersweet feeling. Knowing that it was an emotion they would never share again together, this laugh was in fact the cruellest laugh on the earth. It was a punishment.
While he held Emika tightly to his chest with one hand, Kiyomi slid open the side door leading to the courtyard and let in a bountiful sunlight. "The little creature will eventually find its way out. No need to shred it to pieces."
Li Ji quietly winked at Jian—a sarcastic wink of commendation for his braveness in acting as a buffoon!
Then Li Ji scowled at Emika defiantly. "Your Highness, this cat is truly useless and spend its days yawning, stretching and always eating."
Li Ji fixated the cat as though a weird creature from another world. It offended Emika, so she glanced back at her in the same way. However, thinking about it... I am indeed from another world and, well, I am a weird creature… But still, how dare she calls me 'useless'?
Emika hissed. [Why are you so hateful?]
"This mouse is laughing at us! Defying us!" Continued Li Ji. "Because of that useless cat it will come back with more of its friends and we will have an infestation. What don't we get a different one?"
Emika covered her ears with her paws not wanting to hear anymore of Li Ji's ridiculous comments. If only she could speak and tell her she was being a silly goose! Talking about a mouse as if it were an evil genius planning to conquer the world! Pftt!
Jian was amused by Li Ji's nonsensical words. A broad and soft smile sweetened his eyes. "Li Ji, I think you are imagining it. I doubt this mouse is plotting against us. Oh, and another thing: The definition of a cat IS indeed spending its days yawning, stretching and always eating."
[Well said Jian!]
Kiyomi lowered his head and made eye contact with Emika, smiling: "Yes, this cat is useless but so adorable."
He then stroke the calico cat's head. A fire lit up in Emika's eyes, and staring back at Li Ji, she was rubbing her cheek against Kiyomi's neck to express her approval at his words, widely smiling inwardly. Knowing Li Ji as he did, Kiyomi understood that the little wrinkle at the top of her nose meant she felt upset. He thought it was rather comical!
With a huff Li Ji shook her head. There was no way she was going to let that cat win.
At that moment, Emika wanted to catch with her teeth the scolding index finger poking her flank for the hundredth times.
But she didn't want to upset Kiyomi, so instead, she gave Li Ji an annoying swish of the tail, snorted then swiftly looked away in the opposite direction, her chin hauntingly held high.
And an idea just crossed her mind. [If I win his heart as a cat, when the Mind-Seal breaks and we meet again, can your love for the adorable cat transfer into me?]