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Nene used to like the rain. It was never her preferred weather, but she thought it could be pleasant, giving a sense of calm in the air. She has fond memories of rainy days, either playing in it or letting it fade into the background as white noise.
Now when it rains, a sense of dread fills her. She hasn't turned into a fish in front of her classmates, but every time she walks to school under her umbrella, holding onto it like it's the end of the world, she can't help but worry. She's made sure to get the best rain boots and coat she can, but scales often end up on her skin despite her best efforts. Nene is forever grateful Aoi never questioned her on it, but she did give her a look when she first saw Nene in all her glory of far too many layers, no doubt thinking of how Nene usually enjoys the feeling of rain on her skin.
And it's just her luck that today is pouring.
By the time she gets to the school’s gates, she’s so exhausted she wishes the day was already over. Her legs burn from how fast she ran in her attempt to gain as little scales as possible—turning into a fish in the middle of the sidewalk would have been a death sentence.
She slows to a stop, just long enough to catch her breath, her chest constricting from the lack of it. It’s not like she doesn’t exercise, but her lungs really don’t like it when she runs for too long. She looks around, feeling displaced. There’s barely any students yet, just a few milling into the school grounds. For once in her life, she’s… early. That’s what trying to avoid being turned into a fish will do, she supposes. Still, it feels odd being here in the morning with barely any people around.
A sigh escapes her lips, and she enters the gates, trudging through the harsh rain. Looks like it’s going to be a long day.
A faint, shrill sound yanks her out of her thoughts.
She halts, swiveling her head and frantically scanning the area. That was a—the sound cuts in again, clearer this time. That was a cat. What’s a cat doing here? She squints, crouching low to the ground and shuffling to where she heard it. She doesn’t care if she looks crazy to the other students, a cat is out here in the pouring rain, completely alone, and oh god what if it’s hurt?
Hastily she moves through the grass, brushing away leaves in a thick clump of bushes. The meow comes again, and suddenly a white furry mass pokes its head out from the bush.
“Kitty! There you are!” Nene smiles in relief. Bright amber eyes peer at her, wide and unblinking. The cat meows again, and she sees a hint of its pink tongue. “Shh, it’s okay…” Gently she pets its head, joy bursting in her when it leans into the touch.
She positions her umbrella between her arms and reaches out both hands, squishing its small face. Checking it over as best she can, the cat seems uninjured, which takes off one thing from her shoulders. There’s no collar, either, and its fur isn’t well-groomed the way a house cat’s would be. It seems fine, but… she doesn’t want to leave it out here in the rain.
Is there anywhere safe she can put it? Would it stay in this bush if she left?
The cat meows.
“Maybe you have an idea for what I can do.” She leans in. The cat is all white, a stark contrast against the shadows, its bright eyes staring. The eyes remind her of someone…
Hanako.
Oh. Oh! Of course!
She can just give the cat to Hanako for the day and figure out something more concrete later. It’ll keep it out of the rain, at least, and she doesn’t have a better plan.
Having nothing better thought up, and knowing she doesn't have much time, she opens her raincoat and scoops the cat into a bundle in her coat. She pauses. All at one, the absurdity of the situation hits her. She’s smuggling a cat into school. And smuggling badly.
…though, considering how no one looked into entire locker doors disappearing, or even minded everyone suddenly turning old and wrinkly, she has a hunch it doesn’t matter.
She cradles the cat with one hand, the other holding her umbrella, and hauls herself up, careful to not drop the cat or umbrella. In her time getting the cat, more students have come, idly chatting as they walk inside. Just as she suspected, no one pays the obvious cat in her coat any mind. Its little head is poked out, eyes darting back and forth.
Wasting no time, she dashes inside the school, passing her locker completely with the thought she can get her things after she’s done with this errand, and heading down to the familiar halls of the old school.
“Hanako!” she yells, nearly slipping as she enters the bathroom, a trail of water behind her.
“Wah—!” Hanako jolts, nearly dropping his cards in surprise. A group of mokke surround him, playing the same game they usually do. “Yashiro? Shouldn’t you be in class?” he questions. A smirk forms on his face. “Or did you miss me that badly—?”
“I don’t have time for your flirting!” Nene shoves the cat into his chest. “Here, take care of it until I’m free, I’ll be back later!”
Hanako stares at the cat, mouth agape. “Wha—Yashiro! Wait, you can’t just—”
Nene feels a little guilty leaving him with this so suddenly, but not enough for her to stop dashing right back out of the bathroom and hurrying to class.
Maybe leaving an unreliable, literal dead person left to suddenly care for animal wasn't a good idea.
Nene sighs, laying her head on her desk. Well, it might not be all that bad. He could be good at taking care of pets… somehow, she doubts that. Hanako is an enigma in many ways, and she never seems to have the full picture of him, but she can say for sure she wouldn't picture him working somewhere like an animal shelter if he was alive. Maybe that's unfair to him, but he certainly doesn't try to make himself seem trustworthy. She'd still trust him with her life anyway. Just not with a precious cat she found in the rain.
What if something happens? She doesn't think she could live with herself if she accidentally put the poor kitty in danger. She taps her pencil irritably. Stupid cute cat, distracting her from her schoolwork. It’s the only thing she’s been able to think of all day. She keeps finding herself having doodled it on her papers, its wide eyes staring at her.
It really does remind her of Hanako. But just in appearance, because it’s certainly sweeter than him. It was purring the second she picked it up.
Hmm… she can't start its name with white, not when she's already had white inferno. Orange, then, for its eyes. Maybe… wait. Stop! Stop brainstorming a name! She hisses, hitting her head with a fist. Aoi gives her a strange look she ignores. There's no telling if she'll be able to keep the cat, in fact, she doesn't think she will. She only has hamsters for a reason. It's best to not get attached if it's going to be taken soon.
She holds onto that thought for exactly two seconds, slackening in her seat. Who is she kidding? She's already attached to this adorable, silly-looking cat. Is there some way she could convince her parents to let her keep it? If it's hypoallergenic...
The bell rings.
Her head spins from how quickly she shoots up, immediately scrambling to collect her books. She's sprinting out of class before the bell's stopped ringing.
Questions speed through her mind with each step she takes, coming and going as quickly as the fall of a raindrop. What if Hanako lost the cat? What if a teacher found it and whisked it away? What if it’s been sent back into the rain to fend for itself? What if—
She skids to a halt in front of the bathroom, flinging open the door and near-lunging inside, looking around wildly, expecting the absolute worse, when her train of thought crashes to a halt. She pauses, gulping for air, frantic breaths slowing in her confusion. Sitting under the window, golden light spilling over him, is Hanako. His eyes are closed, a hand resting over the cat sitting in his lap, purring so loudly she can hear it from here. What’s even more baffling is he appears to be asleep. She’s always been curious if ghosts can sleep, and maybe it’s different for them, but his breaths are slow and even, and he didn’t react to her coming in.
It’s all too surreal. Her hand hesitates in the doorway. She doesn’t have a chance to weigh her options, when Hanako makes the decision for her by his eyes suddenly snapping open.
She inhales sharply, embarrassment flooding her face. She was watching him sleep like a creep, and she’s always harping on him for being a pervert! Her body feels like it’s been chucked into an ice cube, frozen head to toe as she watches Hanako squint at her blearily. He brings a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes.
Slowly, he smirks. “Ohh. Hi, Yashiro. How long have you been standing there?” he asks cheekily, and she wonders why she’s his friend.
“I just got here!” she squeaks. She groans loudly, stomping her foot. “It doesn’t matter! Just—the cat. I wanted to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid like accidentally lose it. Or—or feed it to a demon.”
“She.”
“Huh?”
“The cat’s a girl,” Hanako says absently, staring at said cat with an oddly soft expression. Has the cat been on his lap this entire time, purring as loud as a car engine? He was comfortable enough to sleep. It’s odd behavior, for sure.
“Huh,” she repeats, this time in wonder. “You like cats, Hanako? I guess it makes sense, you’re both all prickly.”
He gives her a dry look. “Very funny.” Without breaking eye contact, he scratches the cat gently under the chin, the cat looking more pleased than anything in the world. “Why’d ya lump a cat on me, anyway? I’ve been stuck here the entire day because of you! She’s very needy!”
“It’s not like you had to stay,” she points out. He makes a weird expression at that, almost incredulous, like her suggestion is completely stupid. She stifles a snort. “I found her in the bushes, she was meowing and I heard her. It’s been raining all day and I would have felt bad if I left her there… you were my best option,” she says softly, fiddling with her hair. Hanako frowns, but isn't giving her an accusing look anymore. As big as a jerk Hanako is, he’s really easy to soften, she thinks.
He stands, presenting the cat out to her like Simba. Her fluffy face squishes against Hanako’s hands, looking vaguely annoyed she’s been moved. “Well, here’s your bastard cat.”
“Don’t call her that!” Nene cries.
Hanako swings her back and forth. “Bastard cat. She screamed at me whenever she wasn’t on my lap. Hey, does she have a name?”
Nene huffs, crossing her arms. She lets the topic change, but gives Hanako a sharp glare. “...no. I didn’t wanna give her a name when I’m probably not keeping her,” she admits, feeling down all over again.
“Huh? Why?” Hanako peers at her with his big, stupid eyes. The cat matches his look, a matching set of amber eyes piercing her heart.
“Because! My parents prolly won’t let me keep a cat!” she says hotly, feeling defensive against his gaze.
His mouth twists. “That’s stupid,” he says bluntly. She almost argues, but just as quickly as it came the fight in her deflates. It is stupid. “Hey, how about I just keep her if you’re not claiming dibs?” he grins. “Wouldn’t want you giving her one of your weird names, anyway, so I think this worked out.”
“Hey! My names are not weird!” She balls her hands into fists.
He raises a brow. “White Inferno? Black Canyon?”
“I stand by my point. Sides, it’s not like you could make a better name,” she challenges.
“Like making a name better than, I dunno, Orange Fury will be hard,” he chuckles, grin wide and teasing.
She flushes, sputtering. His smug look is infuriating enough, but the fact she guessed one of the names she was considering is an entirely different thing. God, she wants to wipe the look off his face. Pointedly, she stalks over, grabbing the cat out of his hands. “Okay!” she says, ignoring the fact her voice is so high it could break glass. “What do you think she should be named, then?”
“Hm.” He taps a finger against his chin. She realizes he’s actually taking this name thing seriously. Some of her frustration ebs, making room for fondness. “She deserves something regal.”
“Regal?”
“Yeah. A title,” he emphasizes. “Like… an admiral.”
“That’s your definition of regal?” she asks flatly. “Okay, nevermind. Something should be added to that, though.”
“Admiral Luna,” he says decisively. “That should be her name.” He pokes her nose, Admiral Luna’s face scrunching up as he does.
Nene considers the name. It’s… oddly cute. Admiral Luna fits the cat's white fur and amber eyes, and Hanako’s right about her needing something regal. And it is more in line with her taste in pet names. “Alright,” she decides. “Admiral Luna, at your service.” She wiggles Admiral Luna, who’s half asleep in her arms and makes a questioning mrrp?
“Well, now you have to deal with her. I have important things to do,” Hanako says with a wave of his hand. “I can’t get anything done if she’s insisting I pet her every five seconds.”
“You did offer to keep her if my parents won’t let me. Actually—how would you even do that? You don’t have cat food, or anything needed to keep a cat.”
Hanako produces a bag of cat food from his pocket. She blinks. “You were saying?” he shakes the bag. “She started yelling for food hours ago,” he explains at her blank look. It doesn’t answer any of her questions. How did he get that? Why does he have it? His pockets are like a wormhole to a dimension filled with worthless junk. He never seems to have anything extraordinarily useful, but oddly has anything for the smallest of situations.
“I—okay,” she resolves to not think about it too hard. “Oh! Um… so, I can get out of cleaning the bathroom today…?” she asks hopefully.
“No.”
“What!” she yells. “Oh, come on, Hanako! I have to get Luna back home!”
“Admiral Luna,” he corrects, looking off to the side with a pout. “And it won’t hurt if she stays here a bit longer. You’re cleaning my bathroom.” He makes grabby hands, and she realizes he wants Admiral Luna.
Harshly, she shoves Admiral Luna into his hands. “Ugh! Fine! See if I bring Admiral Luna back here,” she mutters, grabbing a mop.
He laughs. Then, his expression turns more serious, lips pursed. “Wait, you wouldn’t do that, right?” She pointedly keeps cleaning. “Yashiro. Yashiro! I named her, you can’t keep her all to yourself! What happened to being selfless, huh?” he interrogates. She struggles to keep a straight face through his distress. She’s absolutely going to bring Admiral Luna back to see Hanako if she can convince her parents to keep a cat, but he doesn’t need to know that. Besides, he deserves this.
She smiles softly when Hanako eventually settles down, sitting on the windowsill with Admiral Luna perched on his leg. She wonders if he ever had a cat, but she doesn’t think he did. It’s… oddly sad, to think about, considering how much he seems to love Admiral Luna. At least she gets to share this with Hanako now. She’s happy she can.
(she does end up convincing her parents, in the end, to keep admiral luna)