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The Yamino family's house-cat, Shu, is a laid-back and friendly cat. He is a slender, domestic calico cat with short yet soft fur and curious electric-purple eyes. His tail is long and always curls in delight whenever he gets petted, his meows are quieter than the other cats but he purrs rather deep and loudly.
Even though he seems to enjoy lazying around inside the house most of the time, he is somehow very popular among the neighbors, people and pets alike. His family didn't know how he manages to befriend people that many—as he always naps or plays around in his cat-tree all day—so the eldest daughter of the Yamino family gave an idea to strap a small camera to his collar and see how his day went by—also if he's lonely when everybody in the house went to work or school.
And that's how they find out the laid-back yet exciting daily life of a house-cat.
Shu was looking outside through the window as his human's car pulled out from the driveway. He jumped off the windowsill as he's done watching them drive away safely, stretching his body into a satisfying curve. He touched his collar, a bit heavier with this thing called a camera, trying to shake it off but it's attached directly to his collar, making him a bit annoyed as he tried to rip it off to no avail. Suddenly he picked up a sound from outside, his ears stood tall in alert, focusing his attention on it. He then followed the sound of scratching to the backyard door and quickly slipped through his pet door outside. Once outside, he was greeted by one of his friends.
"Hey, Shu!" His canine friend, Vox, greeted him with a wide smile. He is a handsome Dobermann dog who lives across the street. Even though he looks dignified and kinda intimidating, he's actually a very vocal dog and enjoys talking non-stop and being goofy in general. Shu usually bumps into him whenever he goes outside and ends up hanging out with him, just listens to whatever he wants to say—he's quite amused by how much Vox can talk in tangent and sometimes he enjoys teasing him too.
"Hey, Vox." Shu greeted him back. "How is it going?"
"Nothing much, nothing much." Vox said with his deep, baritone voice. "Well, actually, Sonny and the others are inviting me to hang out in the park. I just wanna ask if you want to come along too." He added, eyes shining with excitement.
Shu smiled back at him. "Okay, let's go then!"
The park isn't that far from his house.
It's a vast grassy field with a big pond in the center, and trees lined along the dirt path give ample shade during hot days—also a good place to climb and observe the park in full view. Because it's fenced and in the middle of a very safe area, people would let their pets run freely here and they absolutely love to hang out to play with their friends, or just enjoying nice sunny weather and rolling lazily among flowers. Some dogs even love to swim in the pond, while the cats just watch them from a safe distance. Shu himself enjoys observing ducks waddling in the pond—he's a bit obsessed about them—they're so cute, he loves them.
Sonny looked at them as they approached the group. "Hey! You're here." he said, a lazy smile plastered on his face. He is a Belgian Malinois and Australian Cattle Dog mix who lives around Shu's block. Apparently he was trained as a police dog since he's a little pup but now he is a guard dog for the Brisko family.
"Hey, bitch." A beautiful long-haired cat greeted him with their silky voice while laying down lazily on a bed of grass and flowers. That's Uki, his neighbor house-cat. They're a bit sassy but mostly chills on the sideline, just observing the others' chaotic antics at their own pace. They're actually not particularly keen to go outside, preferring the indoor life more, but they always come when invited from time to time—that just shows how they actually love and care about their friends as much as they do too.
Shu plopped down next to Uki while Vox dashed full-speed toward an orange cat called Wilson and another Dobermann called Vanta near the biggest oak tree in the center of the park. "Hey, guys." He said, looking around to see who wasn't there yet. "Oh? Alban isn't here?"
"No, Alban wasn't home when I went there." Sonny answered, eyes looking away at a butterfly passing his line of sight and landed on a wild flower. "Maybe he'll come later," he added, still focusing on the butterfly before he suddenly pounced and chased it around the field.
Uki nudged him with their shoulder before pointing at Shu's collar. "What is that?" they asked, heterochromatic eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"This?" Shu flicked the camera on his collar. "This is a camera."
"A camera?!" A small Ragdoll cat named Maria perked up when she heard the word 'camera '. She is a cat who lived in the Cafe Marionette, owned by her family near the park, and she's the idol of their neighborhood. From what Shu heard, she is very popular on something called the internet—or whatever it is the human love to do on their phone—and everybody who comes to her cafe always takes pictures of her and praises her for how cute she is.
Maria jumped down from the tree and ran quickly to his side. Her eye that's not obstructed by her eyepatch looked closely to the small device attached to Shu's collar. "Is it really a camera?" she asked inquisitively, her big pinkish eye examined the little device on Shu's collar. "I don't think it's a camera. Usually they are big, around the size of a human's hand." She said and Shu agreed too. Shu had seen a camera before and it's quite huge—at least bigger and bulkier than a phone.
"Well, I don't know either. Sue just attached this on my collar this morning." Shu replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Even though they're not so sure, the word 'camera on Shu's collar' did attract their curiousity—he was quickly surrounded by his friends trying to sniff it or just looked at it in amazement. Doppio the Siberian Husky even made some goofy faces in case it would take a picture of them just like a real camera.
They played and lazed around the park for another hour before a familiar dusty brown cat with stunning heterochromatic eyes ran toward them with nimble paws. "Hey, guys!" The brown cat greeted them with an innocent grin.
"Alban! Where did you go?! You haven't been at your house since morning!" Sonny was pouting as he greeted him back, almost tackled him to the ground.
Alban squealed as Sonny kept nuzzling him. "Sorry, sorry! I just need to go fishing!"
"What?! You stole some food again?!" Sonny shook his head, his pout became harsher. Alban only laughed nervously, like a cat caught red-handed (or red-pawed). He quickly directed his attention to the gathering of pets around Shu.
"Hey, guys! What are you doing?" He asked, scurrying away from Sonny's hold. He looked at Shu's collar that somehow became popular and had this strange plastic box thingy attached to it. "What is that, Shu?"
"Oh, this? Apparently it's a camera." Shu answered as he pointed at the camera.
"A camera? Isn't it too small?" Alban tried to sniff it but smelled nothing from the peculiar box. He tried to pry inside the seemingly black hole inside the glass but he found nothing there too. Suddenly his eyes sparkling as he remembered something. "Oh, right! Speaking of something new and small, do you know the Kaneshiros who live in the big, big house?" He asked all of his friends who nodded in acknowledgment. He then added, "They have a new puppy now! I saw them through the window!"
"Ohh!!! A new friend!!" Doppio shouted in excitement, tail wagging wildly. "Let's go and greet them now!!!"
Alban stopped him before he ran full speed to the Kaneshiros' house. "I don't think we can meet them now," he said. "They're still so tiny—maybe just a few weeks old—so they can't play outside yet. Maybe in a month then we can see them playing in this park with us." A chorus of disappointed whines could be heard from all of them—the prospect of a new friend yet couldn't see them now dampened their mood.
"Well, that can't be helped," Vox voiced after a heavy silence, "Let's play in the pond! The water looks cool today."
"Alright! Bet I can race you there, Vox! Hahahahaha!!!" Doppio sprinted toward the pond, leaving dust behind him. Vox yelled his name in anger before chasing after him, quickly followed by the other pets.
When evening rolled in and the pets bid their goodbye to each other, Shu strolled along the sidewalk leading to his house. But a moment later, a sudden impulse overcame him as his curiosity got the better of his thought. He looked back at what Alban said earlier—about the new puppy in the Kaneshiro's household. He might not be able to meet them today but a quick peek through a window should be alright, right?
Shu took a u-turn to the Kaneshiros' house. They live in a super big house—maybe the biggest in the whole neighborhood—and it's located on the end of the circular road. A while back Vox said something about the term of something-'sack ' to refer to that circular road—Sonny said it's called 'ball of sack' but Shu didn't think it's quite right. Well, whatever was that called, the road was up on a hill, a bit far and secluded with big, fancy white fences and rows of tall hedges.
Shu was familiar with this road as he sometimes took this route to meet his other friends from the other neighborhoods. It's the shortest way to the grove and the patch of woodland that connected two neighborhoods.
He also was familiar with the Kaneshiros. Although he never saw that much of Mr. Kaneshiro because he's always busy, Mrs. Kaneshiro on the other hand is a friendly, energetic lady who loves to give him pets and sometimes treats too.
He strutted to the front gate like he owned the place, spotting Mrs. Kaneshiro talking to one of her housemaids. He meowed softly to announce his presence and Mrs. Kaneshiro quickly whipped her head toward him. "Oh my god, Shu sweetie~!" she cooed as she crouched down to pet Shu's head.
"Aww, you're so cute~! If only my husband wasn't allergic to cats, we might have a cute kitten like you." She gently scratched Shu's chin as he purred quite loudly. "Oh, what is this?" she asked as she noticed the small device on Shu's collar. "Oh, you have a small camera on you! Did Sue put this on you? Were you filming your day today?" She asked again and Shu meowed as if he was answering the question. Mrs. Kaneshiro then talked to her maid, asking her to fetch some treats for Shu.
Once the maid opened the front door, a flurry of golden locks suddenly dashed toward Mrs. Kaneshiro. A tiny golden retriever puppy with droopy ears and energetic paws pounced at her ankle, his boisterous laugh echoed as Mrs. Kaneshiro jumped in shock.
"Oh my God! Luca!" She yelled, trying to catch the small puppy to no avail.
The puppy kept darting around and slipped away from Mrs. Kaneshiro's grasp, until he suddenly stopped and looked at Shu with horror. He was stunned for a second before scurrying and hiding behind Mrs. Kaneshiro's legs.
"Aww, Luca. Are you shy?" Mrs. Kaneshiro cooed, chuckling at how the little puppy's demeanor changed when he saw Shu.
The little puppy, Luca, peeked from behind Mrs. Kaneshiro's legs; his big, lavender colored eyes looking scared yet curious. Shu only smiled at him and waved a little—he didn't move from his place so as to not spook the little one further.
"It's okay, Luca." Mrs. Kaneshiro reassured the little puppy. She coaxed him to greet Shu. "This is Shu—he's very nice. Why don't you try to greet him?"
Luca looked unsure but valiantly stepped forward. He sniffed Shu to familiarize himself and Shu let him be. He chuckled a little as the curious puppy kept sniffing and bumped onto him with his wet nose. When the puppy was done and looked up at him expectantly, Shu smiled. "Hi," he said, voice gentler and softer than usual.
"... hello." The puppy greeted him back shyly. He darted to hide behind Mrs. Kaneshiro again, but now his tail wagging not from nervousness. He kept peeking to steal a glance at Shu with such an adorable, flustered face that melted Shu's heart.
"Aww, you two are so cute~!" Mrs. Kaneshiro squealed, definitely melted from the interaction of the two pets. "And now, Luca, you are not supposed to be outside yet. Let's get you back inside your room." She picked up the puppy with ease, before turning to pass Luca unto her maid's hands. She then bent down to give Shu's the promised, yummy treats she got. "Thank you for visiting us today, Shu. We'll see you around later." She said, petting Shu for the last time before she went inside the house and closed the door.
Shu was satisfied with his successful mission. He met the new puppy and he even got to eat tasty treats too. So with full heart and tummy, he walked back to his own house.
He hoped the day he could play with the puppy would come sooner.
Apparently that day was coming faster than he thought it would be.
The night after Shu met the little puppy, Sue was squealing nonstop as she looked at the videos Shu's camera had taken that day.
"Look, Mom! Mrs. Kaneshiro has a new puppy! It's sooo cuteeee!!!" Sue ran to her mother who was putting the clean dishes away.
"Oh my, it's so cute! Did Shu take this video?"
"Yeah! I told you, it's a great idea!"
Mrs. Yamino chuckled at that. She turned her attention to Shu and petted him on his head. "Are you happy meeting a new friend today, Shu? You're really popular~!" She said while Shu only purred at her.
Sue was still bouncing in joy as she quickly typed on her phone. "I'm gonna ask Yotsuhappi to let me see the puppy!"
"Yotsuha-chan?" Mrs. Yamino repeated in confusion. Yotsuha was one of Sue's classmates and she often visited their house—even Shu played with her sometimes whenever she visited.
"Yep! She is Mrs. Kaneshiro's niece." Sue replied without looking up from her phone.
Mrs. Yamino put her hand under her chin, concerned. "But would Mrs. Kaneshiro let you see the puppy? It seemed like it's still a baby."
"It's okayyyy," Sue whined. "Mrs. Kaneshiro is a busy woman. We can offer to dogsit the puppy together. Or! The puppy can play with us here! It likes Shu already!" She exclaimed excitedly, praising herself for her genius plan.
Mrs. Yamino only chuckled at her antics. "Well, you still have to talk to Mrs. Kaneshiro herself and ask her permission first. Don't be a problem, okay?" She warned while waving her finger in the air at her.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Sue replied with a salute, making Mrs. Yamino burst into laughter.
Two days after that night, Luca was visiting his house with Yotsuha. The two girls were sitting on the floor and fiddling with their phone, taking photos and videos of Luca as he curiously explored the Yamino family's house. Shu only watched them from the cat tree, observing the little puppy who ran around and sniffed everything he could reach.
As Shu layed lazily from the top of his cat tree, Sue called him and said, "Shu! Come here!" She patted the floor next to her to invite him there. Shu was contemplating for a second before ultimately climbing down from his cat tree. He strutted unhurriedly towards the girls.
Yotsuha beamed at him as he approached them. "Ah, Shu~!" She then patted him and squealed. "You're really so cute~!"
Shu leaned into her hands more, purring gladly at all of the pets he received. But Sue cleared her throat loudly and Yotsuha instantly stopped petting him
"Listen, Shu." Sue said with a serious tone. "Luca is still a little puppy so you should be nice to him, okay?" She added later and wouldn't stop nagging him until she got a certain meow from him.
Shu meowed half-heartedly to stop her pestering him. He rolled his eyes—he didn't need to be told that, he already knew. As Sue was still nagging and pestering him, Luca was done with his little patrol and walked to them with a satisfied grin.
He looked on alert for a second as he noticed Shu there but he relaxed once he realized it was a familiar cat's smell he had already met before. He approached Shu shyly. "Hi …" he said, almost a whisper.
"Hi, Luca," Shu greeted him back.
The little puppy's eyes were sparkling with awe, ears twitching in interest. "You know my name?!" He asked, half-yelling half-whispering, like he was genuinely surprised—as if it's not the most obvious thing in the world when everybody around them called his name constantly.
Shu chuckled at his unexpected excitement. "Yeah," he replied casually.
Luca's excitement somehow increased tenfolds; his little bushy tail wagged like crazy. "I know you too! You're S-sch-s—... Shuuu ..?" He had a little difficulty pronouncing Shu's name, making him sound unsure.
But Shu brushed it off and chuckled in adoration. "Yeah, that's right. I'm Shu."
Luca was bouncing with excitement. "Shu!" He repeated again, now with more confidence.
"Yeah?"
"Shuuuuu~!!!"
"What is it, Luca?"
Shu only watched as the little puppy circled him in excitement as he kept repeating his name like he liked the way it rolled on his tongue. He couldn't help but smile as he looked after the puppy running so cutely around him. Luca then giggled at him after he's done with his burst of excitement as he looked up at Shu, tugging his hands with his much smaller one. "Shu! Play with me!" He said, his big lavender eyes shining with joy and wonder.
Shu patted him on the head once. "Okay." He said. They played together all day that day, running and chasing each other in the Yamino family's house backyard, not realizing how the two girls recorded them the entire time.
Since then, Luca regularly visited Shu's house. Even when Yotsuha couldn't visit, Sue would offer herself to dogsit Luca and bring him to their house to play. Of course it wasn't really necessary as the Kaneshiro household had numerous household staff who could be tasked to solely watch over Luca—but apparently Mrs. Kaneshiro was overjoyed with Sue's offer. She said something about Luca seemed happier whenever he played with his friend, so she let Sue to dogsit Luca from time to time.
Luca himself was very happy to play with Shu. The little puppy kept asking Shu to play with him and was eager to follow him wherever he went—turning into a tireless play-time machine when Shu agreed to play with him but he's also fine with just chilling and napping next to Shu. He quickly grew attached to the calico cat to the point he would refuse anything if Shu wasn't there with him.
Luckily Shu was so laid-back he was never bothered by Luca constantly following him. He adored the puppy and thought he's the cutest little ball of happiness—but just like any other cats, Shu needed some alone time too. Luca on the other hand, still a little baby as he was, only wanted to spend all of his time with his favorite cat and didn't understand the concept of personal space yet.
There was this particular one time he got so upset because he couldn't climb the cat tree to follow Shu who was napping at the highest platform; the little puppy whined and cried so much, nobody could cheer him up and console him, until Shu decided to climb down and soothed him himself. It wasn't a very serious incident but since that day Shu always made sure he wasn't that far away from the little puppy.
But that changed once Luca was allowed to go to the park to play with the other neighborhood-pets. He stopped following Shu all the time and started playing with other dogs, like Vox and Sonny. He would still spend most of his time with Shu and even looking for him after he played in the pond or just running around the field just to babble about whatever came to his mind; but at least he wouldn't be as upset as he used to be when Shu was on the tree or on the bench where Luca couldn't reach him.
And that change was a breather for Shu—although to be honest, Shu missed how Luca basically became his second shadow, always attached to him like an extension of his tail. At least from this not-so-far distance, Shu could see how fast Luca was growing; always laughing so loudly and so brightly, and only bringing joy with every stomp of his tiny little paws. Even before Shu realized it, Luca turned from being his shadow to becoming his little sun.
That day was a particularly warm day.
The dogs were playing by the pond—some were swimming and some were just playing around the shore—while the cats were napping under the cool shade of the oak tree in the center of the park. Vox and Doppio suddenly had an impulsive howling match, while Sonny, Vanta, and Luca cheered for them as they waddled happily in the pond. They were rowdy—in contrast with the peacefulness of the whole park—but their energy and joyfulness would only bring smile on anyone passing by.
Shu was laying on one of the thicker branches of the oak tree, woken up by the loud howls, his legs dangling down like a swing. He looked at his friends who played merrily in the pond, wondering how they have so much energy when it's better to take a nap in such nice weather. He stretched his body lazily, yawning as he sat up from his laying position. He saw both Sue and Yotsuha dozed off on their picnic mat surrounded by sleeping Uki, Alban, and Maria strewn haphazardly next to them. The two girls were supposed to look after all of them—especially because Luca was here—but Shu guessed this weather was really perfect for taking a nap.
"Hey, Shu." A familiar, free-spirited gray tabby cat approached him with silent steps.
Shu turned his head and waved at him. "Oh, hey, Claude." He greeted, swaying his dangling legs and tail playfully. "What's up?"
Claude just looked up at him from below, not wanting to climb the tree and join him. "Leo and I are going to visit Luci and Cass. You wanna tag along?" he asked, looking around at the other cats who were still fast asleep.
"Sure." Shu agreed without thinking that much. He jumped down from the tree and gracefully landed on the ground next to Claude. "Let's go." He let Claude walk first and lead the way.
Lucien and Cassian were his other friends who lived in the next neighborhood. He hung out with them from time to time—much more frequently in the past. With Luca recently always demanding his full-attention, he never got a spare time to visit them as often. But now that Luca finally grew to be a little bit more independent, he thought maybe it's a good time to visit his friends again.
As they climbed the tall fences bordering the park, another voice called his name from behind. "Shuuuuu!!!"
It was Luca.
The little puppy ran full-speed toward them. He was panting heavily as he reached them in no time. "Shu, where are you going?" He asked between wheezes—out of breath.
Shu felt a pang of guilt as he saw the change in Luca's expression as he answered, "I'm going to visit my friends, Luca."
"What?! Where …?" Luca came closer to the fence, looking tiny below them. He looked distraught just by hearing that. "C-can I go with you?" He asked, his big lavender eyes pleading so hard.
Shu thought for a moment before he said. "No, Luca." He replied calmly yet firmly. "You can't go with us."
"Why not?"
"Because you have to be near Yotsuha-chan, or she would be worried if you aren't there."
"Nooooo!" Luca whined, almost crying. His ears and tail dropped pathetically. "I wanna go with you …!"
"No, you can't."
Claude, who only watched them in silence, tapped Shu's shoulder lightly. "It's okay if you can't go, man." He said, feeling bad for the little puppy.
Shu shook his head. "No, it's okay." He said firmly to him before looking back at Luca. "Luca, I'll come back later. Go play with Sonny now." He then added before he turned his back completely. "Be a good boy and wait there."
Shu jumped off to the other side of the fence, not looking back at the pitiful looking puppy he left behind. He beckoned to Claude who stood still on top of the fence, looking more conflicted than him. But ultimately Claude just shrugged and resumed their pace to meet their friends.
He's just gonna leave for a short while, it's not gonna be that bad—Luca would be alright. He would come back before dark and then he could play with Luca to make up to him for leaving.
Or that's what Shu thought.
When Shu came back to the park just before dark, he found Sue and a crying Yotsuha on the sidewalk.
"I don't know where he goes …" Yotsuha's broken voice could be heard in between her sobs.
Sue hugged her and patted her back reassuringly. "We can still find him! There's no way he can go that far!" She said, but the panic in her voice couldn't be hidden well.
Shu felt his heart sinking when he heard their brief conversation. He dashed around, trying to find his friends who somehow weren't in the park at all. He spotted Alban on the roof of the tallest building around. "Alban!" he shouted with all his might, heart still racing fearing the worst.
"Shu!" Alban quickly climbed down and landed in front of him. "Where have you been all this time?!"
"I went to meet Luci and the others," Shu replied, concerned with the distress in Alban's voice. "What happened? Why is Yotsuha-chan crying?"
Alban tousled his hair in frustration. "Luca is missing. He dug himself out from the park."
"WHAT?!"
Shu didn't mean to shout like that but the shock was too great to hold him back.
Alban looked even more distressed as he said, "We're trying to search for him. Sonny tracked his scent before but lost him midway. We still don't know where he is."
"I—I'll help too!"
Shu bolted to the road without another word—running aimlessly and frantically in desperation. He was thinking back to when he left Luca behind.
Was he trying to follow him?
He should have known how persistent that little puppy was even with such a tiny body.
Luca would never give up when he put his mind into something, no matter what. He must have been trying to go after Shu even though he was told not to do that. To think he would dig a hole to free himself from the confinement of the park fences ….
He shook his head—he needed to focus. He ran through the alleyway, hoping to find the little puppy as quickly as possible. He just wanted him to be safe; that's all he could hope for.
Then, just a little bit after dark when the rows of street lamps lit up simultaneously, Shu finally found him.
He was sitting on the curb, looking down at his own feet as he hummed a nostalgic tune Shu never learned the title of. He was a bit dirty with dried muds sticking on his hair and skin but other than that he looked completely fine. He didn't even seem tired; just lonely.
"Luca!" Shu shouted his name loudly, startling the little puppy who jumped in his place.
Luca looked up to him and smiled widely as he realized who was running toward him. "Shu!" He shouted back, leaping from his position and ran to meet Shu in the middle. His happy, excited expression fell as he saw how angry Shu was.
"Where have you been?! Everybody is looking for you!" Shu yelled at him, never ever in his life raising his voice this high. "You make them worried sick! You even make Yotsuha-chan cry!"
"I—I … I'm sorry …." Luca clutched his tail in his hands, ears dropping low in regret. He never saw Shu like this before, he never ever see him frowned before, and it scared him the most. "I just …—! I was … I-I just wanna go with you …."
"I told you I'll be back, didn't I?! I told you to wait and be a good boy!"
"I'm …—I'm sorry …."
Shu exhaled a long sigh and kneeled to Luca's height. He hugged the little puppy with shaky arms, all of his worries melted once he felt the little bundle of joy pressed firmly into his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay …" he whispered on top of the blond's head. "Don't ever do that again …."
The little puppy broke down into tears, trembling and wailing in Shu's arm. "I'm sorry, Shu! I'm sorry!" he repeated again and again, clenching his tiny hands on Shu's body, as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Shu patted his head gently, his fingers threaded on the golden locks to remove the dried mud. "It's okay," he murmured, guilt settling in as his worries finally left his mind. He licked the little puppy's soiled face—tears and dirt alike—until he was squeaky clean just like how he looked this morning. By the time he's done grooming him, Luca stopped crying, yet his face was still reddish from how hard he cried. "Let's go home." Shu said, holding his tiny hand firmly, not letting him go again. Luca just nodded without saying anything.
They walked together through the dimly-lit street but after a while, Shu got confused with the unfamiliar scenery. They must be still near their neighborhood but these tall, blocky jungles of concrete weren't familiar to Shu at all. He looked right and left, trying to figure out where they actually were, but he really couldn't recognize any of the buildings. As if sensing his confusion, Luca tugged at his hand. "Shu?" He called softly, lavender eyes looked up to him with wonder.
"I-it's okay, Luca! I just need to remember the right street …" Shu said, smiling wryly as to not scare the puppy. But the slight panic in his eyes couldn't hide his well-masked feeling.
Luca only looked at him for a moment—face unreadable. He then tugged Shu's hand harder as he led him to a right turn. "This way, Shu! I know how to get there." He kept tugging at Shu's hand stubbornly when Shu just stuck on his place.
Shu didn't question him and let him lead them home. Miraculously they found their way back to the park in their neighborhood. It was actually really not that far, especially with the winding alleyway shortcuts—but Shu guessed it felt so far and foreign when their head wasn't in the right mind.
They both ran to the girls who were still calling for their names, hurriedly approaching them. Luca barked loudly to notify the girls, and when they get noticed, the girls quickly scrambled to run to get them. "Luca!!!" Yotsuha cried loudly as Luca jumped into her waiting arms. She hugged the little puppy tightly as relief washed all over her body.
Sue sighed with relief and scolded. "You really made us worry so much, you naughty puppy!"
Luca who heard that gave her a sad whine filled with regrets. He wiggled out from Yotsuha's arms and ran towards Shu. His tiny body snuggled closer to Shu before he then hid behind him—using Shu as his ultimate shield.
"Oh? Now you're using Shu, huh ...?" Sue puffed out angrily before burst into laughter from the silliness. Even Yotsuha was laughing along as her cry stopped completely. Their worries melted just like it never happened as they walked back home filled with joy and laughter.
That day just passed like another day—another precious memory they could look back and laugh at it in the future.
Time passed quickly after that.
It had been another year since Shu met Luca for the first time. The tiny little puppy now had grown into a handsome, big, full-sized Golden Retriever with boundless energy. He's still the same bundle of joy who only brought happiness with him, but now as he grew older, his mischievous and curious streak became more prominent. He loves to annoy people—pets and humans alike—and he would get away with it just because he simply could outrun and overpower them. Even when he's caught, he was too cute to be harshly scolded. Thankfully it's all in jest and no real harm—Luca actually knew when to stop before he crossed anyone's boundaries and he's surprisingly very sensible despite his excitable nature.
Speaking of boundaries, he grew out of his excessive attachment to Shu too. He still hung out with Shu the most—that would never change—but at least whenever Shu left to meet his friends in the next neighborhood or simply just needed some time alone, Luca wouldn't be as upset as he was before.
After that one time he dug himself and disappeared from the park, he grew more and more independent from Shu. At first, he would try his best to bite back his disappointment and waited like Shu told him to; but then he gradually found himself something else to do to keep him busy while waiting, and finally he wasn't bothered anymore when Shu wasn't within 10 meters radius in sight.
The first time Luca only said, "Oh, I'll see you later then," when Shu informed him about his plan to visit his friends was shocking—so much so that Shu almost thought Luca was replaced by some kind of alien without him knowing. Surely that was bound to happen sooner or later as time went on and Luca couldn't be a little baby all the time.
On one hand, Shu was so proud of how much he matured without issue, but on the other hand, he felt a bit lonely seeing him all grown up now. In his eyes, Luca was still the same tiny little puppy who always followed him around with his big, warm smile and lavender eyes full of wonder. But now ... he wondered if he would still do the same.
That day was just like any other day, with Shu lazily laying on the grass and Uki resting next to him. They're just chilling there, hanging out at the neighborhood park; their peaceful, idyllic day rolled slowly, as the sun-ray warmed the cool spring air. A buzzing bumblebee landed on the wild flower right in front of Shu, inviting him to enjoy the sweet scent of spring, and Shu greeted them with a gentle bop of his nose.
Then suddenly their peace was broken by loud thumps of hurried footsteps. "Here he comes," Uki commented before they moved away to the side, not risking being in the crash zone. They watched amusedly as the big Golden Retriever tackled Shu to the ground—even though he was already laying on the ground.
"SHUUUU~!!!" Luca excitedly greeted him with a big hug, snuggling his face onto Shu's neck and shoulder.
Shu only chuckled at him. "Good morning to you too, Luca," he said fondly, nuzzling their noses together. It's a habitual greeting between them for the longest time now.
Luca smiled blissfully from that, but when he finally noticed and locked eyes with Uki, his face reddened in embarrassment. "Oh. Hi, Uki."
"Hi to you too, big guy." Uki said in teasing note with the biggest grin plastered on their face—making Luca even more flustered. Thankfully Wilson walked toward them and saved him from further teasing.
"Hey, guys," he said casually, ignoring how close Luca and Shu stuck together. "We are going to hold the ultimate race: cats vs dogs. Do you wanna join?" He asked, eyes looking at each of them one by one.
"Who's joining?" Shu asked.
"Y'know, the usual gangs." Wilson shrugged. "Me, Vanta, Zali, Claude, Vox, Sonny, Alban, Doppio, Maririn … also the new guy, Kaelix and Freo, they wanna join too."
Shu nodded. "Count me in." He said.
Luca perked up too. "Me too!"
"I'll pass." Uki declined, waving their hand dismissively. "I'd rather watch you guys."
"You can be our referee, if you want to. We need a fair judge in case of a tie." Wilson offered.
Uki thought for a second then nodded in agreement. "Okay then."
The four of them then moved toward their waiting friends. The race itself was simple; both team cats and team dogs would delegate one member to race and the winner would be determined by most wins. They would run a lap around the park per race, the starting and finishing line would be under the biggest oak tree in the center of the park—their usual hang out place.
Vox stretched his limbs as he would race first. "Are you sure you wanna race me, Willy boy? With your tiny wittle wubby-bubby paws?" he smirked, mocking his challenger.
"I'll show you what these little paws can do," Willy hissed while showing his retractable sharp claws.
Both of them started the race fiercely, roars of echoed cheers heating the already warmed midday air. Although they were tied till the finish line, they opened the casual race with a blast and turned it into a seriously competitive one. The races after them were even more intense than before and got even heated more and more as the race went on—especially Claude vs Vanta's race, that was something else.
Shu was next on the line. He stretched his lithe body in preparation while waiting before his time. He wasn't really keen on competing ... or generally just moving so much like this—he's just the type to enjoy the ride with his friends—but with how much passion his friends displayed through their races, he couldn't help but let his competitive spirit awaken.
Luca joined him on the starting line with a confident smirk. He was the one who would race him today. "You're gonna lose, Shu," he teased playfully, yet his burning pale-lavender eyes conveyed something else entirely.
"We'll see then." Shu said flatly but his expression said otherwise.
They both dashed like lightning as the race officially began. Shu kept his pace steady and ran as fast as he could, but eventually Luca took a small lead against him that grew bigger and bigger with each stride. His pace was much more powerful and longer than Shu's legs could ever do, the beats of his paws stomping on the ground sounded like a rumbling thunder.
Shu looked up and focused on Luca, who ran far ahead in front of him. For the first time since they met a year ago, he looked at his back—at how big he had grown, how strong he had become. The tiny little puppy who always looked up at him with so much admiration was no longer there; he was all grown up into an adult—a big, strong adult who was even taller than Shu now.
Shu smiled—a bitter smile—proud yet lonely.
Luca beamed as he crossed the finish line. "POGGGG!!! I win!!!" he shouted victoriously, jumping and wiggling a silly dance for his glory. He kept doing the silly dances even though Wilson yelled at him to stop.
Shu only laughed at his silliness. "Congrats, Luca. You really left me far behind there," he said, hand raised up to ruffle the golden locks on top of Luca's head.
Luca bent down a little and let him pat his head. "I did great, didn't I? Are you proud of me, Shu?" He asked, breath still uneven as his adrenaline hadn't worn down yet.
"Of course, I am." Shu chuckled, fingers combed through the silky golden locks that framed his face. "You've grown so big and strong. What a cool guy." He praised him while caressing his face, feeling the chubby baby cheeks he used to pinch were no longer there.
"Really?" Luca asked excitedly. His face slowly painted with a slight blush that crept to the tip of his ears. He caught both of Shu's hands on his cheeks and hold them tight. "Do you really mean it, Shu?"
Shu just smiled at him. "Yeah."
Luca looked at him for a moment—his eyes were searching for something through him, through his words. He then sighed—a heavy sigh—before nuzzling their noses together like how they usually greet each other everyday. He then closed his eyes and put his forehead onto Shu's; breath mingling in the close space between them. "Then I'll grow even stronger and cooler for you. Just you wait, Shu …" he whispered lowly, still holding Shu's hands tightly.
Shu felt a shiver from the close proximity. Even with all the time they had spent together, they'd never been this close—this intimate—before. Yet he pressed into him even closer, until there's no space between them, and said, "I'll be waiting then."
Their moment was short-lived as it's broken by Vox's voice calling from afar. "Luca! We're going to swim now! D'you wanna join?!" He asked. They just split up doing whatever they want after the race was done, not caring about the result.
"I'm coming!" Luca shouted to the side, to answer him—face a tad redder than before. He grinned at Shu for the last time before he sprinted towards the group by the pond, seeming more like he was trying to run away from embarrassment by saying nothing.
Shu just looked at his back once more, locked in his place as he saw Luca dove into the pond with no hesitation. When he recalled what Luca said to him before, something in his chest felt funny—it moved like fluttering bubbles, rising up without escape inside his ribcage. He couldn't place a finger on this fuzzy feeling nor could he name it properly. But all of that didn't matter as he still had a long time to figure it out.
What mattered to him was what he had today—and maybe the future too. He wanted to see how Luca's words would come true one day. He wished for more time to see him grow even stronger, even cooler, just like he promised to him, and maybe … maybe one day he would finally figure out this strange feeling that was stubbornly tugging in his chest as he looked at Luca's eyes.
And maybe on that day, he could finally answer whatever the longing in those lavender seas that kept directed only toward him.
He's excited for that day to come.