[ PP - F04 ] Pets? <<Feeding The Enemy>>

[Artemis 0]

Kuroko finally stopped wheezing and held up a bottle of white shampoo. "Y-yes!" He exclaimed, throwing it over to Kai. Kai caught and shushed Kuroko with a glare.

"Yeah, we should bathe him, mom and dad will think the dirt will be us rolling around in the mud or something," he chuckled, shaking his head. "C'mon you little pupper," she scooped up the chocolate fur covered dog and brought them to one of the two bathrooms in the apartment. "Mai, you get the water ready. Kuro, you get a bucket and I'll get some towels." Kai instructed, setting the dog down on a mat and rushing off to get the towels.

Amai sighed happily and rushed to turn on the water to a good enough temperature. Once she got the water right, she scooted closer to the dog and patted it's head lovingly with a small smile. "What should we call you, huh?"

[Artemis 0]

A few moments later, her brothers came in with towels and a small bucket. "Mai, you can step outside. we can take it from here," Kai said, looking as if he's about to go off into war. Amai, of course, started to protest but her brother cut her off. "Amai. Now." She huffed in defeat, grumbling about how having brothers suck. Kuro gave her a reassuring smile before returning his gaze back on to the dog.

Using a few profanities on her way out of the bathroom, she went to her room and collapsed on her bed. "Jerks," she mumbled, grabbing a nearby book, and flipping to her bookmark. "Why can't I be treated like an equal to them? I'm just as capable of doing things like them," she huffed, groaning into her pillow. "Heck, I'd probably take a better care of that puppy then them!" She muttered hotly, crossing her arms ignorantly.

[Artemis 0]

"They probably don't take me seriously because I'm younger, shorter, and a girl!" She buried her head in her sheets and sighed. "Why can't I be treated the same as them? I can do everything they can but I'm still so different!" She shut her eyes and sighed, "I just want to show everyone that I can do everything they can.." She spun around and faced the ceiling. "I'll show everyone one day, I'll make them see that I'm independent!"

"Mai!" The girl jumped up, realizing that Kai was calling her name. "Can you come here for a sec?"

Amai sighed and marched over to the bathroom with a gloomy face, "what do you want?" She spat, glaring at her brothers. She looked down at the dog and immediately thought 'cute' but shook it off.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

"Yeesh, what the with the face?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow but beckoned her to come closer, "c'mere, we already got Cocoa here cleaned up." Her brother grinned and pointed over to the dog who was getting dried with a towel by Kai. "Check her out, isn't she cute?"

Amai looks at both of her brothers and started tearing up, "you... you guys picked a name for her without me?" She choked out, feeling absolutely devasted, Of course, they named her without me. They never took me seriously anyway, even with the tiniest things. I'll just forever be the little sister who no one takes seriously. Her hands gripped the bottom of her shirt. "Okay... I saw her-- Cocoa or whatever, see you guys," she mumbled, stepping out of the bathroom. And at that moment, she would ever forget the faces her brother held that day. Regret? Pity? Empathy? The young girl didn't even know anymore.

[Artemis 0]

Grabbing her phone and a jacket, Amai left the apartment a few minutes after the fiasco. I need to clear my head. She hurried down the complex's stairs and into the city.  I'll just pick a random park or whatever. Finally making her way into Maizuru park, she found a grassy area under and tree and collapsed on the bright green grass. covering her eyes with her arm. Why do I have to look like this? No one ever takes me seriously around here. It's so awful. The girl sighed, stretching her arms.

Lifting her arm, she stared at the sky, unsure of what to do at the moment. To pass time, she started looking at the clouds. That one looks like an ice cream cone. That one looks like a lightbulb... kinda. Oh, oh! That one looks like uh, a leaf? I don't know. It kind of looks like a football at the same time..

[Artemis 0]

The girl closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm hella bored now." She blew a puff of air and groaned.

"Great! So are we!" She opened up her eyes to see her two brothers standing in front of her. Kai had his hands on his hips and Kuroko had Cocoa in his arms. "What you doing Mai?" Kai asked, his signature cocky smirk on his face. 

She narrowed her eyes and rolled around to face another direction. "Go away, I don't want you guys here," she mumbled stubbornly.

Kai shifted so that he was in front of her again. "Aw, don't be like that sis! Come on! whatever we did, we're sorry!" He crouched down, trying to get eye level with her. "Pretty please? We're really sorry for what we did!" He reasoned trying to break through to her.

Kuroko began, "Kai I think she's-"

"What did you guys do then?"

[Artemis 0]

Kai blinked at her and scratched his neck. "Well.. uhm, we really upset you." He gave her a tight smile, which only made her groan and roll onto her left side. "Please, Mai? We really didn't know what we did, but whatever it is, we're sorry!" he begged, "we don't like it when you're angry with us, please?"

Amai abruptly stood up and glared down at Kai, who was still crouching. "Why are you guys apologizing even though you didn't know what you did wrong?!" She shouted, earning the attention of a few passing by people. "Don't give me that sorry crap if you didn't even know what you did wrong!" She screamed in his face, tears already streaming out of her face. "I've had to deal with you guys for a long and hard 15 years and not have you guys ever acknowledged me as an equal!" She cried.

 

[Artemis 0]

Both Kai and Kuroko widened her eyes and gave her shocked looks. "Look Amai, if this is about naming Cocoa without you-" Kuroko began, stepping forward with a pitied smile. She cut him off with a choked sob.

"No! it's not just about that! When is the last time I actually did something that you guys could do? You guys never let me hang around you, or... or anything!" She felt like pulling on her hair. "Are you guys embarrassed that I'm your little sister or something?! Do I look like an embarrassment to you? Some kind of [beep!]-ing mistake?!" She looked at both of them with tear-filled eyes.  I knew it... She thought immediately when they were both quiet. "I am, aren't I?!"

She closed her eyes and let out a sniffle. Then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, "you're not a mistake or an embarrassment," the voice of Kai mumbled into her hair, making her eyes go wide. "You're our sister."

 

[Artemis 0]

Artemis woke up with a jolt. Why did I dream of that..? She looked where she was, still in the inn she fell asleep in. Maybe I'm homesick..  she touched her cheeks, realizing that she was crying.  Why am I crying..?  She put her hand down and looked down,  I guess I miss them a lot... She sniffed and smiled sadly.

And then did she realize someone was watching her. Swerving her head to look at the window next to her bed, her eyes met a pair of blue and green ones.  What..? She scooted closer to the window and gazed at the figure.  It's.. it's a cat! Oh my gosh, it's a cat!  She gazed at its eyes in wonder.  I've heard of things like this before.. it's hetero.. uh. Heterochromic! That's what it is! Oh wow... I've never seen Heterochromic eyes before! They're so pretty! She gaped at the cat in wonder.  It reminds me of... Ailuros!?

Edited August 20, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

Artemis quickly opened the window, not wanting the poor cat to stay outside in the bitter cold for much longer. "Come on kitty, come out... you don't want to be in the cold right?" She ushered the feline in, who happily obliged. And there she was, sitting on a bed with a two-tailed cat right in front of her. She looks just like Ailuros. Except for the eyes of course. The girl concentrated the facial features of the cat and then comparing them to the plushie look-alike she had at home.

Oh right! She fished out the pouch the old woman gave her. Opening it up, she found an assortment of food. Meat, herbs, dirt..? She picked out a small fish and looked at it warily. This is what cats eat right? She cautiously handed it to the cat, who sniffed it before casually starting to eat it.  That means... I did it! I have a familiar now!

ID : 104995 

LD : 19 + 3 + 3 = 25, Success!

Edited August 20, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

"What should I name you? Ailuros is still a good name, right?" She looked at the cat, who only tilted her head with a confused expression. "Well, time to do a little history lesson. You see my dear feline, Ailuros was one of the many names for Bastet, the Goddess of Cats. Do you see what I'm saying here?" She looked at the cat, who meowed as an answer. "I shall be taking that as a yes... Ailuros! But..." she scratched her chin for a few seconds. "That name is very long... how about Luro or Luros for short?" She asked, earning another plain meow from the cat. "Luros it is!"

Chuckling to herself, she shook her head.  I'm going crazy, aren't I? I'm talking to a cat with two tails of all things! She giggled and put her gaze back on her new companion.  She's very... beautiful. She's also kind of small, small for a cat. She's like the same size as... what was it. Pikachu? That thing could fit on someone's shoulder right?

[Artemis 0]

Her eyes wandered over to Ailuros. "She looks small enough to fit on my shoulder..." she muttered out loud, trying to figure out how her relationship with her familiar would work out. "So you're a healing familiar... you shouldn't be too fighting then, so stay away when I'm fighting. Okay?" The cat tilted her head before meowing. "I'll take that as a yes. Just meow if it's a yes okay? Cause I haven't mastered the language of just yet." She sighed, collapsing back into her bed.  I'm still really tired, she commented, a large yawn following right after. Feeling Ailuros crawl over to her side, she chuckled and scratched behind her ears affectionately.  She kind of feels like Cocoa in a way. She reminds me of home. Home is so far away... Was the last the thing she thought before drifting deep into sleep, her familiar laying happily beside her.

[Artemis 0]

Back to the flashback, lel

"I-I'm sorry.." Amai choked out, tears streaming down her face "I'm so sorry, I'm so weak." She buried her face in her brother's shoulder and sobbed loudly. Behind Kai, Kuroko gave her a small smile and set Cocoa down, opening his arms to envelope both of them in a hug. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Kuroko mumbled, giving her his signature reassuring smile. "We're sorry if we made you think that. We just don't you becoming like us. You know that right?" He chuckled before saying his next sentence. "You don't want to be Satan's daughter now, do you? I bet mom and dad won't like that," she said jokingly, making his sister sniffle, and a laugh shortly after. 

"You're ruining the moment Kuro," Kai muttered, breaking out of the hug. "Now this feels like something you would read out of a book or see in a movie. Are you sure we're not being filmed?" Kai asked, looking suspiciously at the people around them.

[Artemis 0]

This made Amai snort, her laughter soon filling the air. "You guys are such butts!" She giggled, slapping them both on the shoulders. "You guys ruined a perfect sibling bonding moment!" She shook her head and smiled. "I would be a perfect Satan's daughter, just so you know!" She looked down, realizing that Cocoa was looking up at them with dumbfounded eyes. "Aw c'mere you little doggy!" She got on her knees and cooed. Cocoa barked happily and jumped into her arms. "Agh, you're a good doggy aren't you?!" She held the dogs head in between her hands and giggled.

Behind her, she could make out the conversation of her brothers. "Is it me or does Cocoa like Amai more than both of us?" Kai asked Kuroko, who gave a nonchalant shrug. "That's not fair, we spent more time with her! Talk about ungrateful," he mumbled, kicking dirt with his shoe.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

Amai chuckled at his behavior and stood up with the puppy in her arms. “So... what are we going to do when mom and dad get home? What if they find out that we’re secretly keeping a dog?” She asked, wanting to know what would happen to Cocoa if they got found out.

Kai sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if they do find out, especially before the land lord does— they’ll probably take Cocoa to the nearest shelter. They could try putting her up for sale too. Or put up missing posters. We don’t know where Cocoa came from.” He said grimly, which made his sister hold the dog even tighter. 

“How long are we going to keep her if they never find out?” Amai mumbled, look down at the dog with grief stricken eyes.

It was Kuroko who spoke up this time. “Just a few weeks. We only bought one bag of dog food and that should be enough time for Cocoa here to get healthy again. We could try giving it to one of our friends but the animal shelter is our last resort,” he mumbled, looking down at the dog with a sad smile.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

Kai nodded his head solemnly and Amai sighed, looking down at the dog in her arms. “Do any of you have any friends in mind?” She asked hopefully, wanting at least a proper home for the dog.

Kuroko gave a shrug and Kai pulled his hair back and sighed. “I haven’t told many of my friends yet... but, one of them did say their family was looking for a family dog. We’ll just have to wait and see,” he gave Amai a small smile to which she replied with a hopeful grin.

“Can one of you guys help me with her?” She nodded her head to Cocoa, “she’s getting kind of heavy and arms are starting to hurt.” Kai quickly scooped up the dog and chuckled at her.

”I know you don’t have any muscle but I thought you could at least hold a dog. You, my good sister, need to start working out.”

Edited August 21, 2018 by Artemis

[Artemis 0]

“Hey, that’s not funny! She’s heavy, okay?!” Amai whined, punching her brother on the shoulder. “And I’m perfectly fine as I am! I don’t need to work out!” The sister huffed arrogantly and crosses her arms.

”Perfectly fine? Gave you seen your diet? It’s pratically made up of all sugar! Have have you not had diabetes yet?!” Kai gazed at her in disbelief to which she would only snort at. “When’s the last time you actually ate something green?”

”I ate a green Christmas Tree cookie yesterday!” Amai argues, which sent Kuroko into a laughing spree. He clutched his stomach and fell to the ground with a small thud, and his sister could swear that he wasn’t even breathing. Kai gave her a look and she put her hands up in defense. “I’m only answering your question dear brother!” Kai gave a sigh and shook his head, muttering something along the line of ‘how am I related to these idiots?’.

 

[Artemis 0]

Amai gave in to Kuroko’s contagious laughter and fell back on the grass with a giggle. “I got you there, you can’t deny it!” She choked out in between laughs. “I got you good!” 

Kuroko coughed and let out a loud chuckle before nodding his head, tears whelling in his eyes. “She really did man,” he patted the empty spot of grass next to him. “Join the Kyand siblings on their laughing fanatic. C’mere!”

Kai sighed and sat down next to him and frowned. “You both...” he paused, setting down Cocoa on the spot next to him. “... are idiots.” He looked at Kuroko with a mixture of amusement and betrayal in his eyes. “And how could you be siding with her? You know you question what she eats too!”

[Artemis 0]

Kuroko laughed even harder, clutching his stomach while shutting his eyes. “I can’t angmore... you all... I can’t...!” He wheezed, rolling around on the grass like a crazed lunatic. “You two are going to be the death of me...!” He choked out, small tears streaming down his cheeks.

Amai clasped a hand of her mouth as she watched her brother. “S-stop it! You guys are going to make me embarrass myself...!” She looked around and sure enough, there were still people looking at them with odd expressions.

Kai shook his head and huffed, falling back to the grass as well. By now, all three siblings were laying down, side by side, looking at the bright blue sky in front of them. “So this is what it feels like to get along, huh?” Kai asked softly, earning nods from both of his siblings. “Feels nice.”

”Promise that we’ll treat each other’s as equals from now on?”

”Promise.”

[Artemis 0]

Artemis pried her eyes open with a groan. Where am I? She looked down at her surroundings and sighed as she realized she was still in the inn. That all felt so real... she trailed off, small tears developing in her eyes. I miss them... I miss them so much. She covered her eyes with her palms and let out a small sob. Don’t cry... you can’t be weak just yet. I have to survive to see them again. They’re waiting for me, I absolutely know they’re waiting for me.

Her eyes widened as she heard a small meow under the sounds of sobs. Huh? She looked up from her hands and realized that she had indeed tamed a Familiar last night. “O-oh right, you’re here,” she stuttered out, patting Ailuros’s soft head before smiling softly. “You look like Ailuros from home.” Home. She sighed, falling back onto the pillow. “Just like home.”