Memories of When We First Met

   “I’m going shopping!” Mia Maha announced.
   “Right.” Neko-chan nodded. They were in the living room and Mia Maha was about to leave. “What are you shopping for?”
   “Food of course. We kind of ran out.” Mia Maha laughed while Neko-chan rolled her eyes. Miko blinked.
   “Where’s Setsune?” She asked while looking around.
   “He went for a little…fly,” Mia Maha answered. “I’m sure he’ll return sometime.” Mia Maha walked towards the door and opened it. “Take care of the house while I’m gone.” She told Miko and Neko-chan.
   “Don’t worry! I’ll make sure the house is safe, nothing gets messed up, and no one breaks in!” Miko grinned and waved as Mia Maha walked out the door. A little while later Miko and Neko-chan sat near the window and watched everything outside. The blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds. The sun shining brightly on the grass. A soft breeze once in a while gently blowing, making the flowers dance. And birds beautifully singing a song. It looked really peaceful.   “…Neko-chan?” Miko called to the silver cat next to her.
   “What?”
   “Do you remember…the first time you met Mia Maha?” Miko asked, turning her head towards Neko-chan.
   “Of course I do.” Neko-chan replied. She turned her head towards Miko. “Do you?”
   Miko grinned at her before looking back out the window.
   “Yeah, I’ll never forget that day. It changed my life completely…” Miko said.

~With Mia Maha~

   Mia Maha walked along the streets towards the Market Place. She then stopped and looked over towards the other sidewalk across the street. More like she was looking at a certain spot on the sidewalk.
   ‘Just looking at that place makes me remember. That’s where…’ Mia Maha slowly went into a flashback.

~Flashback~

   An eight year-old girl was walking home from the academy. Many other people were walking along the side walk also. She then spotted some trash cans ahead of her on the side of the sidewalk. She stopped a little bit away from it. She watched as a creature sitting between the two trash cans mew desperately at the passers-by, but they simply ignored it. But it wasn’t just any creature. It was a cabbit, just like the little girl herself but it was the actual animal. People continued to ignore the creature. Even when a little kid was going towards the creature, a lady came -supposedly the kid’s mom- and quickly pulled the kid back.
   “Oh no, get away from the strange creature.” The lady warned as she pulled the kid away and continued to walk. The girl watched the two leave before turning back to the cabbit. She could still remember how kids would always shun her because she was different. She didn’t even have to vicariate to know the pain the cabbit must be feeling. The cabbit saddened as it looked down at its paws. The girl walked over towards the cabbit and kneeled in front of it. The little cabbit looked up at her and mewed. The girl smiled.
   “Hi! What are you doing out here alone?” The girl asked. The cabbit looked back down at its paws.
   “Nobody wikes me…because I’m diffewent…I’m a…. cabbit.” The female cabbit quietly said.
   “Don’t worry, I’m a cabbit also!” The girl said as she pointed with both hands at the ears on the top of her head. The cabbit’s eyes widened.
   “Weally?” The girl grinned.
   “Really!” She said. She picked up the creature and stood back up. “Hmm, yeah! You’ll be just fine with me!” The girl validated the cabbit while nodding.
   “Wah? Y-you mean-?” The cabbit asked and the girl nodded.
   “Yup, I’m bringing you home!” She grinned.
   “B-but why?”
   “Because, we should stick together!” She simply answered while smiling. The cabbit blinked, but after a while, smiled.
   “O-okay!” The cabbit said. “What’s your name?” The girl grinned.
   “Mia Maha!”

~End of Flashback~

   “I’m glad to have another cabbit around!” Mia Maha grinned. “And Miko is just so ADORABLE, especially when she’s sad!” Mia Maha laughed quietly to herself.

~At home~

   Miko had finished telling Neko-chan the first time she and Mia Maha met. They were still sitting near the window.
   “That explains why you venerate Mia Maha so much.” Neko-chan said.
   “Don’t you?” Miko asked.
   “I guess you can say that…”
   “But you just don’t show it!” Miko laughed. The two of them continued to stare out the window.
   “…I remember also…” Neko-chan muttered. Miko looked over at the cat as she stared out the window. The silver cat’s pale yellow eyes seemed to be staring at something. Something other then the view outside the window. A memory that seemed to only unfold in front of Neko-chan. All of a sudden, it started to rain.

~With Mia Maha~

   Mia Maha ran in the rain, grocery bags in her hands. She then took cover under a tree with thick bundles of leaves and branches that prevented the rain from going through them. She stared at the raining sky.
   “This rain…it reminds me of that day…” Mia Maha muttered as she once again went into a flashback.

~Flashback~

   It was raining. The eight year-old Mia Maha walked in it towards home with her umbrella opened. She was currently in a park. She spotted a cardboard box with holes on the top and one of its sides opened on the side of the path. The opened side was facing the path. Mia Maha continued walking down the path, getting closer to the box. She spotted some silver fur inside it. Mia Maha blinked as she stopped. She walked towards the box and bent down to peek into it. She saw a little silver kitten inside the box. It was crouched and looked really dirty and wet. Its eyes were closed and it was shivering.
   “Hello?” Mia Maha called to it. The kitten’s eyes shot open and it hissed at her while getting into a defensive pose.
   “Don’t touch me.” The kitten growled. Mia Maha blinked.
   “Why?” She asked.
   “I hate humans…” The kitten said darkly. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here, out here in the rain, hungry. They must think I’m worthless. Well, there the ones who are worthless!”
   ‘Poor kitten, it must be vindictive…’ Mia Maha thought. “I look like a human on the outside, but I’m not a human on the inside!” Mia Maha grinned. “I’m a strange person!”
   “All humans are the same.” The kitten growled.
   “I should get you out of the rain or else you’ll get sick. That cardboard box isn’t really helping.” Mia Maha stated.
   “Why should I trust you?!” the kitten asked in a vitriolic tone. Mia Maha picked up the kitten. It squirmed violently in Mia Maha’s arm. “Let me go!” The kitten became volatile and sunk its teeth into Mia Maha’s arm.
   “Ow, that hurt!” Mia Maha whined. The kitten blinked and took its teeth out of Mia Maha’s arm. It looked up at her and glared.
   “Your suppose to drop me.” It growled.
   “If I do, you’ll get hurt. And I have to get you out of this rain.” Mia Maha stated. The kitten blinked.
   “You’re still going to help me?”
   “Of course! I want to help, and you might get sick.” Mia Maha smiled. “And just to tell you, not all humans are the same.”
   “Even though I bit you, you want to help me?”
  “Yup!” Mia Maha grinned. “I’m going to take you somewhere warm, dry, and with food! That’s my house! I’ll luvvle you, and make you happy, and care for you, and keep you company, and other stuffers!” It was silent for a few seconds.
   “…You talk a lot.” The kitten said to the verbose girl.
   “Well, you figured me out.” Mia Maha laughed. “Now, let’s go!” Mia Maha said. The kitten stared up at Mia Maha before looking down.
   “Fine…you are indeed strange for a human…” It mewed. Mia Maha grinned, and while holding the umbrella in one hand and the kitten in the other, she continued towards home. What she didn’t know was that there was a very small smile on the kitten’s face.

~End of Flashback~

   Mia Maha grinned at the raining sky.
   “At least Neko-chan isn’t as cold as she was before.” She said. She blinked. “Uh-oh, how am I going to get home?”

~At home~

   Neko-chan finished telling Miko her story while she continued to stare out the window at the rain. After some silence, Neko-chan curiously looked over at Miko to see tears at the corner of her eyes that were going to fall.
   “GAH, Don’t cry!” Neko-chan yelled panickly.
    “But I can’t help it! That was so sad!” Miko whined. Neko-chan stared at her before placing a paw on Miko’s shoulder. She looked back out the window.
   “It rained just like this on that day.” Neko-chan said.
   “…Mia Maha taught me that I’m never alone, no matter what.” Miko said with a grin.
   “She taught me that not everyone is the same, everyone is different on the inside and out.” Neko-chan replied.
   “Mia Maha taught us both great lessons!” Miko said. They heard the door open and close. They both looked over at the door to see a soaking wet Mia Maha. She laughed nervously and held up grocery bags.
   “The grocery bags are safe and sound.” Mia Maha declared.
   “Oh my goodness Mia Maha, your soaking wet!” Miko gasped. “I’ll get a towel!” Miko jumped down from where she was sitting and ran down a hallway. Neko-chan jumped down from where she was sitting and padded behind Mia Maha. She then pushed Mia Maha with her paws and towards the couch.
   “Sit” She commanded Mia Maha. Mia Maha placed the bags on the ground and sat on the couch. Miko came back with a towel and wrapped it around Mia Maha. She then jumped back onto the ground and sat next to Neko-chan.
   “God Mia Maha. Didn’t you check the Weather Channel to see if it would rain?” Neko-chan asked.
   “There’s a Weather Channel?” Mia Maha blinked. Neko-chan sighed and slapped a paw on her forehead.
   “Yes Mia Maha…there’s a Weather Channel…” Mia Maha grinned.
   “At least I saved the groceries!” Miko and Neko-chan sat next to Mia Maha on the couch, Miko to her left and Neko-chan to her right. Neko-chan was able to turn on the T.V in front of them with the remote next to her and changed it to the Weather Channel.
   “Wow, there is a Weather Channel!” Mia Maha laughed. Miko and Neko-chan smiled and sat close to Mia Maha.
   “Thank you for everything.” They both whispered in unison. The three heard the door open and close. They turned to see a soaking wet Setsune.
   “I see you got caught in the rain also Setsune.” Mia Maha said.
   “Y-yeah. I-i-i-it was just fine until all of a s-s-s-sudden it started to r-rain!” Setsune answered shakily and shook droplets off his fur. Neko-chan sighed.
   “I’ll get towels.” Both Miko and Neko-chan said in unison as they both jumped down from the couch and padded towards a hallway together. Setsune flew over to the couch and sat next to Mia Maha while shivering. Mia Maha picked Setsune up and hugged him, trying to keep him warm. She grinned down at him.
   “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one wet and cold. We’ll be wet and cold together!” She told Setsune. About to enter the hallway, Miko and Neko-chan stopped and looked back at Mia Maha.
   “Yeah, thank you for everything…”