After breakfast that day, I was in the kitchen, cleaning up afterwards with Mito-nee.
"Something wrong, Baka-otouto?" Mito-nee asked, casually drying the wet dishes I handed to her.
Something about Mito-nee, she was very easily able to tell when something was troubling me. It always happened when she went into "Caring Big Sister" mode. She was always just psychic like that. I could sense her staring at me intently and realized she wasn't going to stop bothering me without an answer.
I sighed, still washing dishes. "Well, it's a long story. To sum it up, following something that happened a few days ago… I've started having these recurring nightmares…"
"Oh?" Mito-nee asked with a slight interest in her voice. "What are they about…?"
I scratched my head, closing my eyes. "Well they're kind of crazy. I'm in this room, surrounded by a powerful demonic blue fire…" I felt the atmosphere around me grow colder somehow. "... and… I think it was when I was little… I was screaming in front of this dead body on the ground, crying…" I swallowed, trying to keep my stomach contents from traveling up my throat. "I could almost smell the burning corpse… I kept crying out for someone… Oka-sama…"
"I see." I found a chill traveling down my spine at the strange tone in Onee-sama's voice. It was a mix of alarm and shock.
"But, you know, it's kind of weird. I mean Oka-sama died when I was little, not to mention I wasn't there when she died, so I wouldn't remember, right?" I asked almost to myself. "But this nightmare keeps bugging me every night and it's getting harder and harder to sleep…It's ridiculous, right, Mito—"
*CRASH*
I turned, alert, when I heard the sound of a plate smashing against the ground.
The most shocking thing was the expression on Mito's face. She was smiling with her eyes wide open.
It was a glass smile though. The kind one would wear when they're trying to hide the fact they were almost caught in a lie. The air between us became ice-cold and tense.
"R-Right. Ridiculous." Mito-nee seemed on edge. I frowned. Something about this seemed… wrong.
"Mito-nee… that reminds me. I have a question I've been meaning to ask." I kept my guard raised, feeling on-edge about something. "How did Oka-sama—"
"Ruto-sama~!" Ravel suddenly poked her head into the room, completely unaware of the previous serious atmosphere. "Rias just called me! She said that if you planned to join in on the activities of the Occult Research Club later on today, they will be holding today's meetings at Namikaze's house since the old school building has to be cleaned for now!"
RAVEL! READ THE ATMOSPHERE! YOU GOTTA PICK BETTER TIMING FOR THIS KIND OF STUFF!
Mito-nee flinched before laughing in an awkwardly loud way. "HAHAHA! It's no trouble at all! Oh what's that?! It's really late for something! I have something to do! Gotta go! Be back later!" My sister then ran straight past Ravel and right out the door.
I frowned. That was suspicious… I mean. Mito-nee was NEVER late for ANYTHING! There was no way she would panic like that even if she thought she was. I felt like there was something I was missing somehow.
"Ruto-sama?" I noticed a concerned tone in Ravel's face. "Sorry, did I interrupt something important?"
She sounded sorry, perhaps seeing how tense I was from the conversation between me and Mito-nee.
I shook my head. "No. It's fine, Ravel. I wasn't talking to Mito-nee about anything important." I turned and walked out of the kitchen. Asia poked her head around the corner, confused.
"Ruto-san, i-is something wrong?" Asia asked with a worried expression. Trying to maintain a sense of normality, I pat Asia on the head.
"No. Everything's fine. I just want to let you know we'll be meeting the ORC at Haru's house today, so I want you all to be ready for when we leave."
But in truth, I was troubled.
These dreams, Mito-nee's reaction to them, and this horrible feeling…
Just what the Hell is going on!?
I tried seeing if I could find Mito-nee after I left the house (I believe we all knew this was going to happen the moment I said "I just need to get some air", the most suspicious line in the book), but no such luck.
I looked and looked, but I couldn't find my Onee-sama anywhere.
I only kept searching for an entire hour because I had to know what was with Mito-nee's reaction.
Her cold expression, my nightmares, those blue flames, all the weird things that have been happening…
They all have a connection! I just know it!
But eventually I gave up because we had to meet up with the others at haru's house. I made Ravel wear her school uniform because all of her other clothes were a bit… extravagant. Sure Isabela's normal (to her anyway) clothing was revealing, but at least she could pass for some sort of street punk rather than a horribly out-of-place princess. I almost WISH Riser had used a fetishistic outfit with Ravel… OK, that came out wrong.
Isabela didn't like her school uniform, so she went in her normal outfit. It was still in an erotic fashion, but at least it was less erotic than incredibly small and tight-fitting shorts and tank-top. Other than that, Isabela had said she actually felt more comfortable in those clothes.
Since Mito-nee was gone, I had to lock the house after we left. I had decided to take a bottle of milk with me. Milk gives you strong bones. In my line of work, strong bones were important since you were always thrust into a situation where someone's trying to break them.
My mind was just so confused. I couldn't… I just couldn't process what was going on with me lately. That nightmare felt so surreal.
"Ruto-sama, are you sure you're okay?" Ravel asked, walking while hugging my arm, Asia hugging my other side as we walked to Haru's place.
I shrugged. "Yeah. I'm pretty good." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I admit I had a crazy dream I don't want to talk about, but it's no big deal. A new day, a new beginning. Let's just let it go." Then I felt my foot almost completely step on something.
"Nyaaaa!"
I instinctively jumped back at the sudden noise, raising my guard. "What the—?" Then I looked to see what the hell I almost stepped on. "Oh!" It was a cat.
A black cat. I might have been imagining it, but I could swear that that cat was glaring at me. If it was, I could understand. I very nearly stepped on its tail. That would not have been pleasant. If someone went around stepping on my cat tail, I would be pissed too.
"I'm sorry little kitty." I apologized with sincerity. "Didn't see ya there."
"Ruto-sama, don't apologize to a cat." Ravel said with a raised eyebrow. "It's weird. Besides, I think it's just a stray. Who cares?" Then she whipped her arm at the cat, making noises. "Shoo! Go cat! Nobody wants you here! Scat! Shoo!"
*HIIISSSS*
The cat did not take a liking to Ravel.
"Would you like for me to kill it, Ruto?" Isabela asked with a raised fist. We all stared at her, wide-eyed.
""WHAT THE HELL, ISABELA!""
Ravel and I screamed in unison.
I shook my head rapidly. "N-No! W-What the hell, Isabela?! T-That was just kinda dark!"
Isabela shook her head, seeming embarrassed. "Gah! Sorry! Sorry! New master and I'm still trying to adjust to the way you do things!" She waved her hands frantically. "Sorry!"
I stared at Ravel incredulously. "Did Riser seriously have his Peerage kill any cats they came across?!"
Ravel made a so-so gesture with her hands. "Sometimes. Only when they scratched or bit him. In case you haven't made the connection, the Phenex clan isn't really fond of cats."
"OK… I'm just gonna erase this scene from my mind and pretend that Riser hasn't started Isabela down the path to becoming a sociopath." I decided, putting this whole scenario under the file labeled "Things I Keep Mentally Blocked Until Intense Therapy". "Anyway, how can you just be so mean to such an adorable face~?" I gestured to the adorable kitty sitting casually in front of us.
"Cats aren't adorable!" Ravel shouted. "They're dirty, nasty creatures! Look at the way that cat is eying me!" She jammed an accusing finger in the cat's direction.
I looked closer and noticed that, oddly enough, the cat seemed to be directing a look of hostility more at Ravel than the rest of us.
"Ravel-saaaan." Asia complained. "How could you be so cruel to such an innocent-looking creature? It's probably like this because it tired and hungry!"
"Yeah, Ravel!" I agreed. I freed myself of the girls and knelt in front of the cute kitty. I reached my hand out to it. "It's probably just scared and wary of new faces. C'mon, little buddy. Come here~ Nya Nya Nya~" I carefully moved my hand closer and closer to the cat, trying to demonstrate I meant it no harm. When my hand came close, the cat backed away, taking an offensive stance as if ready to pounce. I paused for a moment, but I didn't pull away.
"Ruto, I don't think it wants you to touch it." Isabela noted.
I shot her a silencing look before turning back to the cat. "It's fine. She just doesn't trust others. Her previous owner probably mistreated her."
"How do you know it's a 'her', Ruto-san?" Asia asked, curious. I could only shrug in response.
"Gut instinct." was the only response I could think of. Short of checking the cat's lower parts, I could only assume. But seeing the cat as female just seemed right. Something about her told me that she was a girl cat. I turned my attention back to the cat who just stared back at me, her suspicious eyes never moving from my face.
We had a little silent standoff, neither of us moving from our position.
Then I got a little lightbulb.
I brought out my bottle of milk. It was still half full as I grinned at the cat. "Thirsty?"
The cat perked up. Gotcha.
I looked at the bottle. The opening was large enough that the cat could still lap up milk with that cat tongue of hers. I brought the bottle close to the cat's mouth and tilted it forward slightly. She stared at me before turning to the bottle.
*LAP LAP LAP*
"Ooohhhh~ Look, Ravel-san! She's really drinking it!" Asia placed her hands on the sides of her face, entranced by the cuteness of the cute, cute kitty.
Ravel rolled her eyes, her arms crossed.
I just sat there, letting the kitty drink to her satisfaction.
After a few seconds, the cat pulled her head away from the bottle, taking a few steps back. When I reached out a hand to try to pet her again, she didn't back away even once. In fact, she nuzzled her face against me as I pet her, trying to move my hands towards a place behind her ears that she apparently liked to be pet in.
I indulged in her desire to be a pet for two more minutes before it was enough.
I sighed, standing up and turning to the others. "Alright. Good deed of the day completed." I said with a cheerful smile. I turned to the others. "Now let's—"
That was when my attention was drawn to the vibrating black mass that was rubbing against my leg, purring.
I stared. "Oh, so NOW you wanna be Ms. Nice Kitty?" The cat responded by continuing to affectionately rub her body against my pants leg.
So cuuuuuuute~!
With a straight expression, I mechanically bent down and picked up the cat. Then I turned and stared seriously at the others.
"We're keeping her."
""What?""
"We are keeping her and I will name her Kuro." I declared my intentions again.
"H-Hold on, Ruto-sama!" Ravel urged me. "Think this through! This is a dirty, stray cat! Who knows what—!"
"Correction, Ravel: This is an ADORABLE, dirty, stray cat!" I corrected.
"What would Mito-oneesama think?!"
"Who cares?" I replied. "It shouldn't be any problem as long as I pay for Kuro's meals out of my own pocket and keep her in my room. If such a cute, sweet kitty has to keep living on the streets like this, then there's no justice in this world. I like justice. So I'm keeping her."
"B-But—!"
"No if's, and's, or but's." I clarified. "I'm keeping her. End of discussion." I held my new pet cat, Kuro, and looked her in the eyes. "Wanna come live with me, Kuro?"
Nyaaaaaaan
I grinned. "Thought so." I looked to the others. "You guys go on ahead. I guess I have to go back to the house and—"
"I'll take her back, Onii-chan."
"HOLY FREAK—SO!" I screamed in surprise as a familiar, white-haired loli ghost appeared beside me so suddenly. "Damn it! Don't do that, Jack!"
Jack nodded, holding out her arms. "I can take kitty back to the house." I raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.
I prepared to hand Kuro over to Jack. "OK, Kuro. Lil Jack is taking you back to the house. Be good, okay?" Kuro stared at me. "I'll take that as a yes." I turned to Jack. "You know the rules, right?"
Jack nodded. "Get to where I need to go and then come back. Don't talk to strangers. Don't get into the car of strangers. Make sure not to take anything I see lying on the sidewalk unless I'm turning it in to the police so the owner can collect it."
"Good girl." I smiled, patting Jack on the head. The little girl blushed slightly, showing happiness. Without a word, Jack ran off to bring our new pet home. Then I turned to the others. "But seriously! When did Jack catch up with us?!"
The others shrugged and that was the end of that conversation.