Ch 14: A Nekomata?

Sharon was on his way home when he noticed the white kitten following behind him.

He stopped and turned towards it as he noticed it had also stopped and just stared at him.

"What's wrong, kitty?" Sharon asked curiously as he dropped to his knees and outstretched his arms, which it quickly jumped into.

The kitten just purred as it stayed in his arms, which he folded in before standing up.

'It doesn't seem to have a collar, so it shouldn't be wrong to take it in ... right?' Sharon thought as he made his way home.

*Time Skip*

It had been a couple of days since Sharon had brought the kitten home, and with Shuri allowing him to take in the kitten, the two spent a lot of time together.

The kitten followed Sharon nearly everywhere as he often went into the nearby forest to train his elements. Whenever Sharon would pick up the kitten, it would release a soft purr as it would rub its head against his.

The days went by as Sharon started to grow attached to the kitten.

"Now that I think about it ... I haven't named you yet, have I?" Sharon wondered as he was playing with the kitten while lying beside it on the floor.

Sharon stared at the kitten when an ingenious thought appeared ...

"I know! I'll call you Shiro!" He said aloud as he noticed the kitten just slowly blink at him.

" ... Um, you know ... cause your fur is white," Sharon said with a nervous smile as he chuckled a bit.

'I am not good at this, am I?' He thought as he heard Shuri chuckling from the door.

"Ah! Shuri-san, when did you come?" Sharon asked as he turned to her.

"Hmm ... when you were rubbing your nose against her nose?" Shuri said as Sharon slightly blushed.

'Wait ... her?' He wondered as Shuri, seeing his confused expression decided to explain.

"The kitten, Shiro, is a female. You do know that, right?" She asked as Sharon just blankly stared eliciting more laughter from Shuri.

"Well, dinner will be ready soon. Also, you'll be leaving Kuoh tomorrow, right? To the nearby city? Was it Akihabara or Kyoto?" Shuri asked as Sharon stood up with Shiro in his arms.

"It'll be Akihabara. Kyoto is a bit far, and I heard Azazel has an informant there already." Sharon explained as he followed Shuri to the dining room.

"I see, I'll pack some food for you, make sure you eat it on time. Okay?" Shuri said as she looked at Sharon sternly.

"I-I will. No need to worry, Shuri-san!" Sharon said with a grin as she just deadpanned.

"Sure ... I'll believe you." She said sarcastically as she left.

*Time Skip*

Having left Shiro at home with Akeno, who had gotten familiar with Shiro incredibly fast, Sharon headed to the Train station to head to Akihabara.

"YOU!! STOP RIGHT THERE!" A black-haired girl yelled as she saw Sharon on his way to the train station.

There weren't many people outside, rather there was only one other than him. Though it did make sense, as it was very early in the morning.

Sharon, having heard the scream, turned to see a girl who looked a bit older than Sharon.

"Hmm? You mean me?" Sharon asked with a confused expression as he looked around and saw no one else in the vicinity.

"Who else?" She spat as she approached him.

"What have you done to my sister!?" She yelled as she glared at Sharon with her golden eyes.

"Sister? What sister? Wait, no ... who are you?" Sharon asked as he was entirely confused.

"I can smell it, you have the scent of my sister on you! WHERE IS SHE?" She spat back with anger in her voice.

"Hold up ... smell it? Who are you? I think you've got the wrong person, I don't know what you're talking about!" Sharon replied as she released a low growl before two black tails appeared from her behind, while two black cat ears appeared from under her black hair.

"A nekomata?" Sharon muttered as she growled once more and slashed at him with her elongated claws.

Seeing the attack coming, he backstepped barely avoiding the claws. He focused his draconic aura on his eyes as he continuously dodged her attacks.

"Grr! Stop dodging! Take a hit like a man!" She yelled as Sharon just had a confused expression.

"Why'd you think I'd get hit? You're way too slow!" He replied as he looked at her while effortlessly dodging her attacks.

"You bastard! I'll show you." She muttered as hazy black smoke covered her body and spread around, making it harder to see.

"A smokescreen? Seriously? Like that's gonna do anything!" He said as his eyes contracted into slits, giving him an even stronger vision.

However, his eyes started to slightly burn as they were exposed to the smoke.

"This ... isn't smoke! What is this?" Sharon muttered aloud as two draconic wings grew out of his back, allowing him to fly up. He saw how much smoke had gathered, as he flapped his wings trying to move the smoke, only for it to fail.

'What is this? It isn't like anything I've ever seen before.' Sharon wondered as he could hear a scream from inside the smoke.

A part of him urged him to save the one who was screaming, but the logical part of him was rejecting that idea.

"She's the one who attacked me. Why would I save her ... ?" He muttered as he heard another scream.

"Shirone!! I'm sorry! Big sister ... in the end ... big sister wasn't able to help you." She said as she sounded extremely weak.

Something inside of Sharon twitched as he threw away the notion of leaving her to die. He covered his body with a fiery aura and rushed into the smoke.

Ignoring the pain in his body from the smoke, he rushed toward where he heard the scream.

A few moments later, he could see the girl curled up into a ball as she was clearly passed out.

Clenching his teeth to hold back the pain, he charged in, picked her up, and flew up into the skies.

He looked at the girl whose cat-like features had retreated as she lay unconscious in his arms.

"I ... I'm gonna regret this aren't I?" He muttered as he gazed at the smoke that didn't seem to be going away.

"What do I do about this?" He wondered aloud when he saw flashes of light in the sky above him.

"You haven't even left Kuoh, yet you're already in a fight. Control yourself, boy!" A thundering voice exclaimed as a flash of lightning landed on the ground, where a lone man appeared.

"Baraqiel? What are you doing here?" Sharon asked as he was entirely ignored.

Baraqiel walked up to the smoke when Sharon yelled, "Don't! It'll burn you!"

Hundreds of lightning bolts appeared around Baraqiel as he spread his black feathery wings. He floated a bit off the ground as all the lightning bolts made contact with each other at the core of the smoke cloud, effectively dispersing the smoke.

Awe could be seen on Sharon's face as he saw Baraqiel slowly floating towards Sharon.

Seeing a girl in Sharon's arms ticked Baraqiel off as he ignored it and appeared before Sharon.

"You held back against me ... didn't you?" Sharon asked as Baraqiel deadpanned.

"You would be nothing more than a stain on the ground if I had not held back." He said as he glanced at him before surveying the surroundings.

"I'm still growing! Of course, I might not be as strong as you, but I'm fairly strong myself!" Sharon argued as Baraqiel just shook his head.

"I see strength in you, undeniable and yet unexplored. It's easy to believe you're strong, but let's contemplate the depth of that strength. Akeno, she's just starting, carrying no illustrious bloodline like yours. And Suzaku, although fragile now, holds a dormant power within her, a power that's waiting.

But now, my boy, I want you to consider the future. The challenges you face today are the building blocks of a greater tomorrow. Don't underestimate the growth that lies within you. Just as a flame becomes a roaring fire, your strength can blaze brighter.

Remember that moment in the smoke, the danger that hung in the air. Another minute, and things might have been different. It's a stark reminder that life can change swiftly. This is why I urge you, to embrace growth. Become a master of your abilities. You've got potential beyond measure, a potential that's waiting for its moment.

So, kid, resist the comfort of staying as you are. Embrace the journey to become not just strong, but resilient, enduring, and wise. You're capable of unlocking a strength that you can't even fathom right now." Baraqiel said as Sharon was utterly lost in thought.

There was a sense of validation in knowing that Baraqiel, an extremely powerful Fallen Angel acknowledged the strength Sharon had shown so far. Yet, his words also ignited a spark of curiosity and ambition within the boy. It also reminded him of their conversation a while ago.

'Kokabiel is as strong as Baraqiel is. If I can't even make Baraqiel take me on seriously ... what hope do I have against Kokabiel?' Sharon thought as a feeling of weakness appeared.

Seeing Sharon's expressions, Baraqiel was able to understand what was currently in Sharon's head.

"I don't intend to call you weak. What I see within you is a reservoir of potential, an immense amount of strength waiting to be unlocked. You need to recognize this truth and embrace it.

Your potential is not small, rather it's akin to a thunderous roar that echoes through your being. But potential is just that—a latent force that requires your conscious effort to awaken. It's like a dormant seed that, with the right care and nurturing, can sprout into a towering tree." Baraqiel said as Sharon could help but faintly smile.

"A dormant seed, huh? I'll grow it into a tree so tall that it will tower over every other tree." Sharon said with a smile as he looked at Baraqiel who was nodding.

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Phew, that was another chapter.

Sorry for being a bit late on this one, I was kinda stuck farming the Light vs Dark event on Master Duel.

Also, university will be starting really soon. I will try my best to maintain a steady 3 chapters per week upload schedule, but unfortunately, I can't promise you all that. I am extremely happy when I see how many people read my book, and will try my best to keep going.

On another note, I might be starting another book, with a 1 chapter a week upload. I chose to do so to give my brain a way to think better. Change it up a bit, you know?

Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter. If you enjoyed what you read, make sure to add it to your library, and if you want to, give the story some stones!

Do leave comments, as I'll read each one and take it to heart on how I can improve my writing.