Ayumi

The sun slowly hid behind the rocky mountains of the city, its golden light illuminated the world and its warmth gave me comfort. We walked quietly back to my house, the silence was loud, but not awkward. My head turned to look at Ryu, his light brown hair turned gold in the sunset and his eyes shined radiantly. He noticed my eyes starting at his complexion and they met mine for a split second, before turning away with a flustered look plastered on my face. He chuckled before walking ahead of me, motioning for me to follow him "I don't wanna go home, let's go to the park" he spoke, placing his hands in his pockets as he stepped farther away from me. "Wait!" I said, jogging after him.

We stopped at the park's front gates, scanning the area before we entered. As we strolled, we made sure to appreciate the magnificence of the scenery, absorbing its serenity and beauty. As I was lost in thought a sudden soft sound caught my attention "Meow..." the sound repeated. I looked around for its source but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from "Meow..." the sounds continued until I turned to face Ryu, only to see him holding something, a small injured kitten. "What is this creature" he grimaced. I quickly grabbed the animal, cradling it in my arms and petting it gently. "It's a cat stupid, and it's not in the best shape too" I explained. He put out his hand to pet the kitten and it hissed loudly at him. He pulled his hand away in response. "Jeez... Calm down" he muttered and I giggled in amusement.

We decided to bring the cat home with us, knowing that if my father found out he'd kill me and the cat. I prepared a small box for it inside my closet, with a small bowl of milk and a fluffy warm blanket. I treated its wounds and fed it well before placing it inside the small container and letting it drift off to sleep. Its fur was a bright shade of orange, with black and white spots covering it. The small creature's ears were pointy but small, and its paws were dirty and scratched. I noticed Ryu stealing glances at the kitten now and then, making sure it was safely tucked in and warm.

Dinner was ready, therefore leaving the cat and Ryu alone in my room was not an option. I never trusted him in my room, let alone with an injured kitten, what if he eats it? I sat silently at the dinner table, shoving a few spoonfuls of food in my mouth occasionally. Despite my dad's terrible temper and passionate hatred toward me, he values family time more than anything else. If one of us fails to show up for a meal or a gathering, he will not hesitate to punish us as he sees fit. Therefore, I always made sure to eat dinner with them, it was almost always boring and uneventful so leaving early is something I often did. My stepmother fixed her short blond hair, tucking it behind her ears before taking a bite of her garden salad. My brother paid no attention to any of us, instead deciding to bring his unnecessarily large IPad with him, place it on the table, and watch gaming streams as he ate messily. My half-brother Theo was a year younger than me, he had a strong Russian accent that made it hard to take him seriously when he was mad or acting like a brat. Good thing he's usually in his room playing games and sleeping, too busy to be a functional member of society. You wouldn't believe me if I told you he was the favorite child, this poor excuse of a human being, a waste of space and oxygen. Father favors him because he wants a strong independent man to take over his company when he retires which makes him the only candidate for the job. Ever since Theo's birth, I started to witness a side I never thought my father had, a soft and kind-hearted side that only my half-brother saw.

I was suddenly pulled out of my bubble of thought when my stepmother let out the loudest, ugliest scream known to mankind. I flinched at the loud sound of her cry, and my eyes widened when I tilted my head to glance at her. Her hair and face were covered in soup and there on the table in front of her was a cat. Oh no. My heart dropped at the realization, the kitten we rescued earlier must have escaped. It somehow made its way here, jumped on our dinner table, and dived straight inside the soup bowl in front of my mother, causing it to splash its contents on my mothers seemingly perfect face. She cursed repeatedly in her usual Russian accent "My face!" Dad tried to calm her down but it was no use, she started crying loudly in response. I hastily grabbed the mischievous animal and ran to my room, hearing my dad's harsh words getting louder behind me. I ran to my room, closed the door, and threw the kitten inside her box before my father came. Ryu looked at me I'm confusion "Wait, how...?" "Didn't you see her leave the room?" I yelled nervously, waiting for my dad's inevitable arrival. "You had one job, Ryu!" I glared at him, sitting on my bed and looking unbothered by the situation. "Great, now my dad's gonna take the poor thing away. Who knows what he'll do with it?" I spoke with a hint of nervousness in my voice. I heard loud footsteps making their way toward the bedroom door, it was Dad. He stopped at the door and started banging on it like an enraged protestor on the street. He yelled out my name loudly and Ryu immediately disappeared into thin air to hide himself. I opened the door and as soon as I did, I was met with my father's strong hard hitting palms hitting my face. His slap knocked me off my feet, I clutched the cat harder as I fell to my knees on the hardwood floor. "Get that thing out of my house this instant!" he shouted aggressively. My body started shaking and the fear inside me gradually grew. He can harm me all he wants but I won't let him touch the kitten "Get up and throw that cat away" he shouted again, sounding louder and angrier. I slowly got up and walked towards the door. I was about to grab the door handle when a maid suddenly barged in "Sir, we have an unexpected guest, this young man says he's a friend of Hanako's" We both look at the 'young man' in question and my jaw drops. It was none other than Ryu, in his human form, waving shyly at my father who looked him up and down in confusion. "What brings you here? At this time of day?" he asks coldly, quickly hiding his fury from the guest before him. My mouth curved into a smile at Ryu as he winked and grinned back. After a long interrogation from my father, Ryu was allowed to stay with me for a few minutes, he told my Father that he forgot something in my bag and came here to retrieve it, and he believed him reluctantly. "Thank you for saving me Ryu...and the cat" I grinned while petting the small animal laying on my lap. "No problem, it was my fault anyway," he said before laying down on my bed with his arms behind his head. "At least you admit it, that's a noticeable improvement" "Hey!" he reacted at my attempt to tease him. We took turns petting the cat until he was escorted out by a few maids, only to come back seconds later in his demon form. We decided to name the kitten Ayumi after my mother's name, I'm sure she'd love the kitten if she saw it, and I wish she could. I truly miss her.