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Yellow sunlight poured into the room through the blinds that morning. It freezed overnight; a thick, glittering frost covered up all the windows in the house. Neferpitou raised up out of bed, looking over to where Kite usually slept. He had been gone a very long time.
But today, Pitou was going to give him a surprise visit. She wanted to look her absolute best, so after she ate breakfast and showered, she applied some makeup, wrapped her hair in a small ponytail, and spritzed on an expensive perfume. Then, she bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf, and gathered all of her things.
He's going to be so happy to see me again, she thought as she walked out the door. She adjusted her scarf so that it covered the lower part of her face, and she waited patiently for her taxi.
It actually had not been that long a drive - maybe thirty to forty minutes, depending on how busy the early morning traffic was.
"You can just drop me off here," Pitou told the driver and handed him the fare. "I don't mind the walk."
"Thank you and ride with us again, miss."
The blistering cold air smacked Pitou in the face again as she left the warmer vehicle, giving her goosebumps and watery eyes. But nevertheless, she walked on to her destination and looked for Kite. The sky was a pure blue, just like the shade of the hat he wore. There were no clouds for miles; just sky, and the grass sprinkled with the morning dew brightly glistened.
"Good morning, Kite. I told you I'd be here today. How are you?"
A harsh gust of wind blew throughout the graveyard, as if Kite responded. Pitou placed a bouquet of lilies that had been neatly wrapped together in a silk, white ribbon at his gravestone.
His life a beautiful memory, his absence a silent grief.
"I'm doing fine. Yesterday, I cooked a meal for Gon and Killua, and they actually liked it. They've really grown up, you know... I don't know what I'm going to do when I lose them, too." She sat down on the bench that was placed beside Kite's grave, particularly for Pitou's long visits with him. "It's so cold. I just hope it’s warmer, wherever you are.”
Pitou closed her eyes to recollect all the memories she had with Kite. She was still a beautiful, nimble and light hearted cat, but was also more of a mature and civilized woman - she recalled all of her mistakes, her discoveries, her evolution...
One day, her and Kite had discovered a natural onsen after a long day of biological research.
"Gah! Pitou!" Kite sputtered angrily, "Don't splash me."
Pitou winced, her ears drooping. "I'm sorry," she sank down to her knees, the water now up to her chin. "I just wanted to play with you..."
"I'm too tired to play," Kite leaned back and rested his eyes.
Pitou pouted and thought to herself, You humans are just so weak. She cupped her hands to collect some of the steamy water, and took the time to gaze at her reflection, looking at how she was now something she once was not. I now have all of this power, but no desire to use it. I promised myself to only do so when protecting my new friends, and my beloved Kite.
Kite noticed her sudden sulking and apologized. "Pitou. I'm sorry for scolding you."
"No, it's okay. I was just thinking." She let the water trickle through her broad fingers. "Can I come bathe next to you... or would you rather me stay away from you?"
"Why... would I want you to stay away from me?"
"You're no longer fearful of me?"
"Of course not. You saved my life, so you've earned my trust."
These words would occasionally cross Pitou's mind every now and then, and she'd feel this familiar twinge of ecstasy.
"I was just thinking about the first time you said you trusted me," Pitou said as she was brought back to reality for a moment. "We were at that beautiful onsen, remember? I wanted to have a splash fight with you, but you weren't in the mood. I must have been really childish..."
A tear had slithered down her cheek. "O-Oh... I'm..." She sniffled and attempted to conform herself, but the tears just kept coming - like raindrops. They felt hot on her skin, and smeared her rouge. Whenever I cried like this, Kite would wipe all my tears away. It was just like when I cried in front of him for the first time. I was feeling really lost, angry, sad, confused...
Kite became visibly flustered. "D-Don't cry. I told you, we're safe now." He took out a package of tissues out of his bag and gently dried her eyes. He thought about hugging her as well, but he really wasn't sure how she would react to such a gesture. "And, I'm fine now. See? You healed me, it's all alright. Now we just need to find Gon and Killua."
"But, but, but - " Pitou babbled, "I hurt you, why are you being so nice to me? Why don't you just kill me like all the others?"
"You're not like the others. You obviously still bear human empathy.”
Our fight together seemed like a blur, but I just knew that... that I had to repair what I had broken. There was something different about this human. "What... is your name?"
"My name is Kite. Will you join me?"
...After that, I knew everything would be okay.
"I could never comprehend how lucky I was able to meet you and all your friends, Kite. Oh, how I miss you terribly... I wish we could just kiss one final time, but… it wouldn’t be enough.” The first night they had ever kissed strayed in the back of Pitou's mind. Then came more memories of her and Kite having their intimate moments, and finally, their wedding. "I had no idea what love was, but you taught me every aspect." She blushed, crossing her feet. "I remember having this feeling... it drove me crazy, but when you first kissed me, everything just made sense. Ah, I really don't know how to put it..."
Her tears never did stop. She stood up and hugged and kissed Kite's gravestone before she left. She promised herself not to stay for hours and hours like she usually did and give herself a nasty cold. Kite would have wanted her to continue on with her life and not cry and grieve over him all the time. "After all of that, I felt like the human I once was. I no longer felt like... a monster, because you saw me through those attributes. Thank you, Kite, thank you, thank you…”
Pitou made her way out of the cemetery and walked to a nearby town for a coffee and maybe a little shopping while she was out. "I guess I can buy Gon a little something, too... no, I already buy him too much stuff..."
She felt devastatingly alone, despite how busy the coffee shop was. Everything around her had been exactly the same all these years. It seemed that it was only the people that came and went.
Penguin mocha, no whipped cream. That was Kite's favorite coffee, besides a regular dark roast. She loved him, but never understood him. No whipped cream?! She always desired her coffee to practically overflow with the stuff. After she paid for her order, she sat down at a table by a window with two seats. All she could do was imagine that Kite was there, enjoying a drink with her - sometimes, she truly felt him, heard him and saw him.
"Do you know how hard it is to sleep alone after you've been sleeping with someone you love so dearly for so many years?" she asked him. "Can you come back home and nap with me later today? Just for today. I know, wherever you are, you have stuff to do. You always do.” At that moment, Pitou knew that Kite listened and answered - she suddenly couldn't help but beam with pure contentment. “Okay. I’ll always, always, always love you.”