The Way
Title: The Way
Pairing: Akame
Rating: safe
Genre: Fluff, Humor, fairy tale-ish
Disclaimer: I don't own them, sadly.
Summary: Kame gets knocked out and wakes up in the forest with no idea how he got there.
The Way
It was going to be the best day, Kame already knew that. He couldn’t wait until he saw Jin. Because of Jin’s work, they had to spend three weeks apart. It was hard, but Jin was finally returning that night. Kame knew that Jin would probably be tired after returning, so a nice night at their home was set on his mind. He made sure that everything was in place. He had bought all the ingredients for dinner yesterday. And as for the dessert, Kame had planned to prepare it during his break at work. Considering that he did work at his family’s bakery, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Except, the bakery was busier than usual.
Since his parents decided to spend a week at Okinawa with his older brother and sister-in-law, Kame recruited Taguchi and Koki to help him with the bakery. They would help him run the shop until his younger brother returned from his classes, but nothing seemed to help that day. There were too many people that day.
“Kame! The cupcakes are running out!”
“We need more bread!”
Every other minute someone was yelling at Kame. The poor man was running from one stove to another. He was taking things in and out of the cabinets, not even bothering to close them. They were running out of dough and he was the only one who could prepare it.
“Kame!”
Koki ran inside the kitchen and pulled the cookies out of the oven. Kame grabbed the cooling tray and helped Koki move the cookies from one tray to the other.
“Are there still cookies out?”
“Yes.”
“Ok good. I’ll bring them out once they’re cooled a little. Go help Taguchi.”
Koki nodded and ran out. Kame leaned against the counter and sighed. He needed to catch his breath. At the rate they were going, Kame wouldn’t get a minute to start Jin’s dessert. He looked around. Most of the cabinet doors were opened. The stoves were slowly melting chocolate and bubbling caramel. All the ovens were baking one things or another. Somehow, Kame had little control over everything. He glanced at his watch, hoping that the reinforcements he called earlier would come soon.
“Kame! The cookies!”
“Coming!”
He picked up the cookie tray and turned. What he didn’t see was the cabinet door right behind him. He bumped his head onto it hard, making him drop the tray. He flinched at the sound of the metal tray hitting the floor. The shock and pain of hitting his head caused him to stumble back. His vision became blurry. He started to blackout.
“Kame?” Koki peeked inside. His eyes widened when he saw Kame falling, “KAME!”
****
A groan escaped his lips. His head was still throbbing from hitting the cabinet door. Kame slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Then, he frowned. His surroundings were completely out of place. How in the world did he get to a middle of a forest?
He stood up and brushed the dust and dirt from his jeans. Looking around, he spotted a small dirt road. As he walked towards it he heard someone moving. He looked back and saw the….person? The frown deepened on his face.
“Taguchi?”
The man tilted his head, “Do I know you?”
Kame’s eyes widened when he got a better look at Taguchi. From the back, Taguchi had a white teardrop-shaped tail. He also had antlers growing from his head. They were stuck on a tree branch.
“Never mind. Can you help me?”
“S-sure….” Kame replied, still a little puzzled by the antlers.
“A mean fox did this to me, can you believe it? I was only trying to find the watering hole….”
Kame pulled the tree branches back as Taguchi was telling his story. He was still very confused to why Taguchi was wearing antlers.
“….So then he jumped on my back, making me bump into the tree!”
Kame frowned, “Why do you have the antlers though?”
Taguchi blinked, “What do you mean why? I’m a deer.”
“Huh?!”
“I’m a deer, why wouldn’t I have antlers?”
“You’re human, Junno!”
“I’m a deer!” Taguchi stubbornly said, “And how do you know my name?”
“I’m your friend,” Kame slightly pouted.
“Really? I have a human friend?”
“Is this one of your lame jokes, Taguchi?” Kame asked, “If it is, it’s not funny anymore.”
“You’re mean!” Taguchi crossed his arms, “I’m not even going to warn you!”
And then, Taguchi dashed away.
“Warn me?! Taguchi! Wait!”
But he was too late. Taguchi already disappeared from his sight. Cautiously, Kame continued along the dirt road. He thought that if he walked down it, he would get answers. However, he was more confused than before….
Soon enough, Kame reached a fork in the road. Before he could decide on a way to go, he heard something moving behind him. As he turned, he saw a puffy red tail vanishing into a bush. Kame crossed his arms. He wasn’t afraid of whatever was following him. Just then, a head of black hair poked out of the bushes. Kame saw the little red ears on the head.
“Are you the fox that tricked Taguchi?”
The fox’s ears perked up. He jumped out, grinning, “Yes, I am!”
“Koki!”
The fox frowned, “How do you know my name?”
“This joke isn’t getting any funnier. Just because I bumped into a cabinet door doesn’t mean you all can play a prank on me! You know that Jin is-”
“Who are you?!” Koki exclaimed.
“Why are you wearing a tail?” Kame asked. He was getting annoyed. He knew that his friends knew who he was.
“I’m a fox.”
“But it’s fake.”
Koki pouted, “My tail isn’t fake!”
“Yes, it….” Kame grabbed the red tail and pulled on it. Koki let out a painful moan. Kame’s eyes widened as he released the tail from his grip, “Oh my…”
“What the hell man?!” Koki whined, he took his tail and started patting it.
“I’m so sorry, Koki!” Kame immediately said.
Koki looked at him, “Really?”
Kame nodded.
“No one has ever meant it though.”
“But I do!”
Koki weakly smiled, “You’re nice…like him.”
Kame frowned, “Like who?”
Koki nodded, “I have to go now, but you…just keep going down the path, towards the cave in the hill, ok?”
“O-ok?” Kame muttered, confused.
Koki waved goodbye and then disappeared behind the bushes. Kame sighed quietly. The throbbing of his head finally stopped. He was still a little wary about Taguchi’s warning, though. Was it about Koki or someone else? Kame shook his head. Only one out of a million questions in his head were just answered. His friends did turn into woodland animals…or at least developed features of animals.
As he walked down the road, he saw a small lake in the middle of a forest clearing. He could finally wash the dirt from his hands. A smile appeared on his face for the first time since he got to the strange forest. He was just about to reach the lake when his foot locked on something, causing Kame to fall face first into a mud puddle.
“Owwwww!” The something whined.
Kame groaned, cleaning the mud off his face. He walked to the edge of the lake and washed his face. The whining continued. Kame turned and saw something gray rolling at the same spot. Kame walked up to it and poked the soft things. The thing turned towards Kame.
“You kicked me!”
“Yamapi!” Kame exclaimed.
The man frowned, “Do I know you?”
“Yes!”
Yamapi blinked, “How?”
“You always come to the bakery, Pi.”
Yamapi jumped up. Kame stared in shock when he got a better look at the other. Yamapi was wearing a long gray coat. On the back of the coat was a hole for Yamapi’s tail. His gray tail began to wag in excitement.
“There’s a bakery nearby? Where?! I’m starving! Is there meat at the bakery?”
Yamapi began to sniff Kame. He blissfully sighed.
“You smell like bread~”
“You’re a wolf…?” Kame mumbled to himself.
“Where’s the bakery?” Yamapi looked at Kame.
“Errr…..”
“Where?!”
“I don’t know.”
Yamapi glared at Kame, “If you don’t know, don’t speak of it!”
“Sorry.”
Yamapi sat down and crossed his arms. Kame sat next to the wolf.
“Are you alone?”
“What’s it to you?”
Kame shrugged, “Just wondering. Wolves usually stay in groups, don’t they?”
“My pack separated to look for food.”
“Oh, but why were you lying on the ground?”
Yamapi faintly blushed, “I was taking a nap…”
Kame chuckled, “That’s so like you to do.”
“Are you stalking me?” Yamapi frowned.
“What? No!” Kame replied, “Pi, we’re friends.”
“You’re pretty cute,” Yamapi smiled, “Are you sure we’re just friends~?”
“Yes, Yamapi, we’re just friends.”
Yamapi moved a little closer, “Are you-”
Kame moved away, “Your best friend will be very angry when he finds out that you’re trying something on me, Pi.”
“My two best friends are lazy bums,” Yamapi replied, “How do you know them anyways? They don’t usually interact with humans.”
“I-”
A howl interrupted Kame from finishing his sentence. It echoed through the forest. Yamapi jumped up, grinning from ear to ear.
“They found food!”
Kame smiled and bid Yamapi goodbye. He watched Yamapi run towards the direction of his pack. He stayed at his spot until he couldn’t see Yamapi anymore. Once then, Kame stood up and walked to the edge of the lake. He washed the dirt from his hands and found the dirt road again. The day was turning darker. Kame was getting hungry himself. He continued walking down the road when he came to another fork in the road. One the side, there was someone sleeping on a large rock. His long thin tail curled around his body. He had a little nose, which was painted a faint pink. His hair was black and very messy. Kame quietly walked closer to see the face clearer. He smiled when he recognized him. It was a little Tatsuya mouse. A quiet aww escaped kame’s lips.
Tatsuya’s eyes snapped open. Kame jumped back when he saw Tatsuya’s dark red eyes watching him.
“Why are you watching me?”
“I….I….I….” Kame swallowed hard.
“Well?!” Tatsuya fearful eyes glared at Kame, “What makes you think you can just watch me sleep?!”
“Would you relax?!?” another voice entered the conversion.
Kame turned around to see the newcomer. He blinked several times when he realized who it was.
“You’re a cat…?”
Tatsuya smirked, “Hello Ryo-nyan~”
“Don’t call me that!” Ryo exclaimed.
Kame looked at Ryo. Ryo’s hair was dark like Tatsuya’s. His ears were peeking out from the top of his head. He had a long black tail the reached his knees. His nose was painted black and he even had whiskers painted on his cheeks. He wore paw-like gloves on his hands as well.
“Where have you been hiding, Ryo-nyan?” Tatsuya teased, “Been watching me again?”
“If I hadn’t, this human might have jumped you!” Ryo replied, making Tatsuya roll his eyes.
“You think I would have let a weakling human touch me?”
“H-hey!” Kame said, offended.
Both the cat and the mouse looked at him, angry. Kame’s gaze dropped to the ground.
“I saved you. You owe me big time!”
“I hardly call that saving,” Tatsuya replied, putting air quotes on saving.
Ryo glared at him.
“Anyways,” Tatsuya turned his attention to Kame, “Why were you watching me?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Kame answered, “Honest.”
“I told you….” Ryo muttered, “Just like the last time…….”
“Are you seriously going to bring *that* up?!”
“I told you that….!”
Kame quietly began walking away. He didn’t want to come in between Tatsuya-mouse and Ryo-cat. If they were as bad as his real friends, outsiders will not survive being in the middle of their arguments.
When he looked ahead, he noticed the cave on the hill was closer. He also same some wild strawberries nearby. Food! Kame smiled and quickly ran towards the bushels. He picked a few and started eating. As he was filling his stomach with the delicious strawberries, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Kame turned and saw Nakamaru behind him.
“Maru! You’re….” He was about to say human, but then he saw it. The big, puffy tail coming up to the back of Nakamaru’s neck. It rolled at its end. Kame stared at him, “…...a squirrel?”
“Err…..do you mind not eating all my strawberries?” Maru gulped, “They took a long time to grow.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kame quickly apologized, “I didn’t know.”
Maru quietly chuckled, “You are kind of like him.”
It was like Koki said earlier. Kame frowned, “Like who?”
“Koki was the one who said that,” Maru replied.
“Koki was here?”
Maru nodded, “Earlier.”
Kame sighed, “I better keep going before it gets dark. Sorry about the strawberries….”
Kame began walked yet again. However, Maru quickly ran in front of him.
“Err…”
“You might be like him, but you can’t go that way,” Maru said, nudging over to the cave.
“Why not?”
“Koki likes playing tricks on people and he can get really scary when he’s sleepy or hungry, which is most of the time….”
“I’m not scared of anyone, Maru.”
“But…”
Kame moved the squirrel aside and kept walking. Maru didn’t stop him again. However, Kame began to regret his decision when he reached the entrance of the cave. There was a faint trail of blood on the ground and he could hear groaning coming from inside. He was hesitant at first, but he entered the cave after a couple minutes of struggling with himself. The source of the blood and groaning wasn’t too far from the entrance. Kame’s eyes widened when he saw the source. It was an injured panda. He could only see the back of the panda, but he was in pain. Kame ran up to the animal.
“Are you ok?”
The animal was clutching onto his right leg, trying to make the bleeding stop. Kame saw it, the panda was badly bitten. Fortunately, Kame found a piece of cloth nearby. He grabbed it and pressed the cloth on the wound, causing the injured animal to moan in pain.
“Sorry, but it would help the bleeding to stop.”
The panda turned a little to see his savior. Kame froze when he saw the face of the panda. His heart skipped a beat.
“Jin….”
Jin was wearing a black coat over his upper body and had soft white pants on. His nose, like Ryo’s, was painted black. And small round ears on the top of his head.
Jin frowned at him, “Why are you here?”
Kame looked at the panda Jin, “Because you needed help.”
“…..Thanks…..”
Kame smiled and took Jin’s paw. He placed it on the wound, “Keep pressing on it.”
Jin nodded, then flinched when he felt the pain.
Kame quietly giggled, “You’re so cute.”
“What?”
“Nothing!” Kame blushed, making Jin look at him. He cleared his throat, “So….what happened?”
“A stupid wolf attacked me,” Jin answered.
“Yamapi would never do that to you though!” Kame said a little shock.
“Yamapi? No. The wolf was from a different pack,” Jin replied, “He jumped me when I was eating.”
Kame chuckled, “That’s so like you to prioritize eating before paying attention to your surroundings, Jin.”
“Hey!” Jin pouted, “That’s not fair. I had a long sleep and was hungry. That wolf should have known better. Plus, I didn’t expect him to bite me!”
Kame smiled.
“How do you know Yamapi anyways?” Jin changed to topic, “Did he try anything with you?”
“Why do you care?” Kame asked.
Jin looked aside and messed with his hair, “I don’t know.”
“Nothing happened with Yamapi,” Kame replied, blushing.
“Good,” Jin mumbled, “Don’t mess with that no good wolf. He might say he means well, but he doesn’t!”
“Fine, I’ll know now to trust pandas before wolves,” Kame chuckled.
Jin nodded in agreement.
Kame smiled again, “Well, at least you seem better than before.”
“I am,” Jin smiled.
Kame’s heart began to beat fast. He had missed seeing Jin’s smile. He sighed and stood up, cleaning the dirt from his jeans.
“I better-”
Jin grabbed his hand, “Would you stay for the night?”
Kame swallowed hard, “Errr…..”
“To check the wound in the morning. Please?”
Kame blushed again, “Ok.”
They ended up talking through most of the night. By the time they fell asleep, Kame was cuddled in Jin’s arms.
*****
“Kame-chan?”
He could hear his name being called, but he couldn’t make a sound. Kame starting moving. Jin’s warm arms weren’t around him anymore. He was lying on something soft and familiar. When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred. He could feel his head throbbing once again. He slowly sat up.
“Kame!”
He groaned in respond. So loud. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared up. He was in his old bedroom, on his bed. His eyes widened when he saw the person next to him.
“Jin!”
His lover smiled, “I’m so happy you’re up, Kame.”
“Y-you’re not a panda anymore.”
“Errr….no, sweetie,” Jin replied, slightly confused, “Maybe you should-”
“What happened?!”
Jin placed his hand over Kame’s and tried to calm the other down, “You blacked out after hitting the cabinet door. You were out cold for a few hours actually.”
“The bakery?”
“Everything is being taken care of,” Jin smiled, “After Ryo, Yamapi, Maru, and Tatsuya came over, things started to run smoothly. Maybe you should rest, Kame.”
Kame smiled and pulled Jin closer. He kissed him. Jin, who was a little shocked at Kame’s behavior at first, kissed his lover back. After a few minutes, they pulled apart for air. Jin chuckled.
“What has gotten into you?”
Kame shrugged, “I guess I just missed you too much, Jin. Three weeks without you were hard.”
“You can say that again!” Jin pounced on Kame, making the other yelp. Jin smirked, “We have a lot to catch up on~”
*****
A/N--->___< I’ve been going through one of my worst writer’s blocks. It sucks! It’s partial because of school too…ugh. But I think that I’m slowly coming out of it though. I hope so. And this! I don’t even know why I’m posting it >_< I was actually trying to write Paradise between shadows when this popped into my head. It refused to leave me until I completed it.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Pairing: Akame
Rating: safe
Genre: Fluff, Humor, fairy tale-ish
Disclaimer: I don't own them, sadly.
Summary: Kame gets knocked out and wakes up in the forest with no idea how he got there.
The Way
It was going to be the best day, Kame already knew that. He couldn’t wait until he saw Jin. Because of Jin’s work, they had to spend three weeks apart. It was hard, but Jin was finally returning that night. Kame knew that Jin would probably be tired after returning, so a nice night at their home was set on his mind. He made sure that everything was in place. He had bought all the ingredients for dinner yesterday. And as for the dessert, Kame had planned to prepare it during his break at work. Considering that he did work at his family’s bakery, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Except, the bakery was busier than usual.
Since his parents decided to spend a week at Okinawa with his older brother and sister-in-law, Kame recruited Taguchi and Koki to help him with the bakery. They would help him run the shop until his younger brother returned from his classes, but nothing seemed to help that day. There were too many people that day.
“Kame! The cupcakes are running out!”
“We need more bread!”
Every other minute someone was yelling at Kame. The poor man was running from one stove to another. He was taking things in and out of the cabinets, not even bothering to close them. They were running out of dough and he was the only one who could prepare it.
“Kame!”
Koki ran inside the kitchen and pulled the cookies out of the oven. Kame grabbed the cooling tray and helped Koki move the cookies from one tray to the other.
“Are there still cookies out?”
“Yes.”
“Ok good. I’ll bring them out once they’re cooled a little. Go help Taguchi.”
Koki nodded and ran out. Kame leaned against the counter and sighed. He needed to catch his breath. At the rate they were going, Kame wouldn’t get a minute to start Jin’s dessert. He looked around. Most of the cabinet doors were opened. The stoves were slowly melting chocolate and bubbling caramel. All the ovens were baking one things or another. Somehow, Kame had little control over everything. He glanced at his watch, hoping that the reinforcements he called earlier would come soon.
“Kame! The cookies!”
“Coming!”
He picked up the cookie tray and turned. What he didn’t see was the cabinet door right behind him. He bumped his head onto it hard, making him drop the tray. He flinched at the sound of the metal tray hitting the floor. The shock and pain of hitting his head caused him to stumble back. His vision became blurry. He started to blackout.
“Kame?” Koki peeked inside. His eyes widened when he saw Kame falling, “KAME!”
****
A groan escaped his lips. His head was still throbbing from hitting the cabinet door. Kame slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Then, he frowned. His surroundings were completely out of place. How in the world did he get to a middle of a forest?
He stood up and brushed the dust and dirt from his jeans. Looking around, he spotted a small dirt road. As he walked towards it he heard someone moving. He looked back and saw the….person? The frown deepened on his face.
“Taguchi?”
The man tilted his head, “Do I know you?”
Kame’s eyes widened when he got a better look at Taguchi. From the back, Taguchi had a white teardrop-shaped tail. He also had antlers growing from his head. They were stuck on a tree branch.
“Never mind. Can you help me?”
“S-sure….” Kame replied, still a little puzzled by the antlers.
“A mean fox did this to me, can you believe it? I was only trying to find the watering hole….”
Kame pulled the tree branches back as Taguchi was telling his story. He was still very confused to why Taguchi was wearing antlers.
“….So then he jumped on my back, making me bump into the tree!”
Kame frowned, “Why do you have the antlers though?”
Taguchi blinked, “What do you mean why? I’m a deer.”
“Huh?!”
“I’m a deer, why wouldn’t I have antlers?”
“You’re human, Junno!”
“I’m a deer!” Taguchi stubbornly said, “And how do you know my name?”
“I’m your friend,” Kame slightly pouted.
“Really? I have a human friend?”
“Is this one of your lame jokes, Taguchi?” Kame asked, “If it is, it’s not funny anymore.”
“You’re mean!” Taguchi crossed his arms, “I’m not even going to warn you!”
And then, Taguchi dashed away.
“Warn me?! Taguchi! Wait!”
But he was too late. Taguchi already disappeared from his sight. Cautiously, Kame continued along the dirt road. He thought that if he walked down it, he would get answers. However, he was more confused than before….
Soon enough, Kame reached a fork in the road. Before he could decide on a way to go, he heard something moving behind him. As he turned, he saw a puffy red tail vanishing into a bush. Kame crossed his arms. He wasn’t afraid of whatever was following him. Just then, a head of black hair poked out of the bushes. Kame saw the little red ears on the head.
“Are you the fox that tricked Taguchi?”
The fox’s ears perked up. He jumped out, grinning, “Yes, I am!”
“Koki!”
The fox frowned, “How do you know my name?”
“This joke isn’t getting any funnier. Just because I bumped into a cabinet door doesn’t mean you all can play a prank on me! You know that Jin is-”
“Who are you?!” Koki exclaimed.
“Why are you wearing a tail?” Kame asked. He was getting annoyed. He knew that his friends knew who he was.
“I’m a fox.”
“But it’s fake.”
Koki pouted, “My tail isn’t fake!”
“Yes, it….” Kame grabbed the red tail and pulled on it. Koki let out a painful moan. Kame’s eyes widened as he released the tail from his grip, “Oh my…”
“What the hell man?!” Koki whined, he took his tail and started patting it.
“I’m so sorry, Koki!” Kame immediately said.
Koki looked at him, “Really?”
Kame nodded.
“No one has ever meant it though.”
“But I do!”
Koki weakly smiled, “You’re nice…like him.”
Kame frowned, “Like who?”
Koki nodded, “I have to go now, but you…just keep going down the path, towards the cave in the hill, ok?”
“O-ok?” Kame muttered, confused.
Koki waved goodbye and then disappeared behind the bushes. Kame sighed quietly. The throbbing of his head finally stopped. He was still a little wary about Taguchi’s warning, though. Was it about Koki or someone else? Kame shook his head. Only one out of a million questions in his head were just answered. His friends did turn into woodland animals…or at least developed features of animals.
As he walked down the road, he saw a small lake in the middle of a forest clearing. He could finally wash the dirt from his hands. A smile appeared on his face for the first time since he got to the strange forest. He was just about to reach the lake when his foot locked on something, causing Kame to fall face first into a mud puddle.
“Owwwww!” The something whined.
Kame groaned, cleaning the mud off his face. He walked to the edge of the lake and washed his face. The whining continued. Kame turned and saw something gray rolling at the same spot. Kame walked up to it and poked the soft things. The thing turned towards Kame.
“You kicked me!”
“Yamapi!” Kame exclaimed.
The man frowned, “Do I know you?”
“Yes!”
Yamapi blinked, “How?”
“You always come to the bakery, Pi.”
Yamapi jumped up. Kame stared in shock when he got a better look at the other. Yamapi was wearing a long gray coat. On the back of the coat was a hole for Yamapi’s tail. His gray tail began to wag in excitement.
“There’s a bakery nearby? Where?! I’m starving! Is there meat at the bakery?”
Yamapi began to sniff Kame. He blissfully sighed.
“You smell like bread~”
“You’re a wolf…?” Kame mumbled to himself.
“Where’s the bakery?” Yamapi looked at Kame.
“Errr…..”
“Where?!”
“I don’t know.”
Yamapi glared at Kame, “If you don’t know, don’t speak of it!”
“Sorry.”
Yamapi sat down and crossed his arms. Kame sat next to the wolf.
“Are you alone?”
“What’s it to you?”
Kame shrugged, “Just wondering. Wolves usually stay in groups, don’t they?”
“My pack separated to look for food.”
“Oh, but why were you lying on the ground?”
Yamapi faintly blushed, “I was taking a nap…”
Kame chuckled, “That’s so like you to do.”
“Are you stalking me?” Yamapi frowned.
“What? No!” Kame replied, “Pi, we’re friends.”
“You’re pretty cute,” Yamapi smiled, “Are you sure we’re just friends~?”
“Yes, Yamapi, we’re just friends.”
Yamapi moved a little closer, “Are you-”
Kame moved away, “Your best friend will be very angry when he finds out that you’re trying something on me, Pi.”
“My two best friends are lazy bums,” Yamapi replied, “How do you know them anyways? They don’t usually interact with humans.”
“I-”
A howl interrupted Kame from finishing his sentence. It echoed through the forest. Yamapi jumped up, grinning from ear to ear.
“They found food!”
Kame smiled and bid Yamapi goodbye. He watched Yamapi run towards the direction of his pack. He stayed at his spot until he couldn’t see Yamapi anymore. Once then, Kame stood up and walked to the edge of the lake. He washed the dirt from his hands and found the dirt road again. The day was turning darker. Kame was getting hungry himself. He continued walking down the road when he came to another fork in the road. One the side, there was someone sleeping on a large rock. His long thin tail curled around his body. He had a little nose, which was painted a faint pink. His hair was black and very messy. Kame quietly walked closer to see the face clearer. He smiled when he recognized him. It was a little Tatsuya mouse. A quiet aww escaped kame’s lips.
Tatsuya’s eyes snapped open. Kame jumped back when he saw Tatsuya’s dark red eyes watching him.
“Why are you watching me?”
“I….I….I….” Kame swallowed hard.
“Well?!” Tatsuya fearful eyes glared at Kame, “What makes you think you can just watch me sleep?!”
“Would you relax?!?” another voice entered the conversion.
Kame turned around to see the newcomer. He blinked several times when he realized who it was.
“You’re a cat…?”
Tatsuya smirked, “Hello Ryo-nyan~”
“Don’t call me that!” Ryo exclaimed.
Kame looked at Ryo. Ryo’s hair was dark like Tatsuya’s. His ears were peeking out from the top of his head. He had a long black tail the reached his knees. His nose was painted black and he even had whiskers painted on his cheeks. He wore paw-like gloves on his hands as well.
“Where have you been hiding, Ryo-nyan?” Tatsuya teased, “Been watching me again?”
“If I hadn’t, this human might have jumped you!” Ryo replied, making Tatsuya roll his eyes.
“You think I would have let a weakling human touch me?”
“H-hey!” Kame said, offended.
Both the cat and the mouse looked at him, angry. Kame’s gaze dropped to the ground.
“I saved you. You owe me big time!”
“I hardly call that saving,” Tatsuya replied, putting air quotes on saving.
Ryo glared at him.
“Anyways,” Tatsuya turned his attention to Kame, “Why were you watching me?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Kame answered, “Honest.”
“I told you….” Ryo muttered, “Just like the last time…….”
“Are you seriously going to bring *that* up?!”
“I told you that….!”
Kame quietly began walking away. He didn’t want to come in between Tatsuya-mouse and Ryo-cat. If they were as bad as his real friends, outsiders will not survive being in the middle of their arguments.
When he looked ahead, he noticed the cave on the hill was closer. He also same some wild strawberries nearby. Food! Kame smiled and quickly ran towards the bushels. He picked a few and started eating. As he was filling his stomach with the delicious strawberries, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Kame turned and saw Nakamaru behind him.
“Maru! You’re….” He was about to say human, but then he saw it. The big, puffy tail coming up to the back of Nakamaru’s neck. It rolled at its end. Kame stared at him, “…...a squirrel?”
“Err…..do you mind not eating all my strawberries?” Maru gulped, “They took a long time to grow.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kame quickly apologized, “I didn’t know.”
Maru quietly chuckled, “You are kind of like him.”
It was like Koki said earlier. Kame frowned, “Like who?”
“Koki was the one who said that,” Maru replied.
“Koki was here?”
Maru nodded, “Earlier.”
Kame sighed, “I better keep going before it gets dark. Sorry about the strawberries….”
Kame began walked yet again. However, Maru quickly ran in front of him.
“Err…”
“You might be like him, but you can’t go that way,” Maru said, nudging over to the cave.
“Why not?”
“Koki likes playing tricks on people and he can get really scary when he’s sleepy or hungry, which is most of the time….”
“I’m not scared of anyone, Maru.”
“But…”
Kame moved the squirrel aside and kept walking. Maru didn’t stop him again. However, Kame began to regret his decision when he reached the entrance of the cave. There was a faint trail of blood on the ground and he could hear groaning coming from inside. He was hesitant at first, but he entered the cave after a couple minutes of struggling with himself. The source of the blood and groaning wasn’t too far from the entrance. Kame’s eyes widened when he saw the source. It was an injured panda. He could only see the back of the panda, but he was in pain. Kame ran up to the animal.
“Are you ok?”
The animal was clutching onto his right leg, trying to make the bleeding stop. Kame saw it, the panda was badly bitten. Fortunately, Kame found a piece of cloth nearby. He grabbed it and pressed the cloth on the wound, causing the injured animal to moan in pain.
“Sorry, but it would help the bleeding to stop.”
The panda turned a little to see his savior. Kame froze when he saw the face of the panda. His heart skipped a beat.
“Jin….”
Jin was wearing a black coat over his upper body and had soft white pants on. His nose, like Ryo’s, was painted black. And small round ears on the top of his head.
Jin frowned at him, “Why are you here?”
Kame looked at the panda Jin, “Because you needed help.”
“…..Thanks…..”
Kame smiled and took Jin’s paw. He placed it on the wound, “Keep pressing on it.”
Jin nodded, then flinched when he felt the pain.
Kame quietly giggled, “You’re so cute.”
“What?”
“Nothing!” Kame blushed, making Jin look at him. He cleared his throat, “So….what happened?”
“A stupid wolf attacked me,” Jin answered.
“Yamapi would never do that to you though!” Kame said a little shock.
“Yamapi? No. The wolf was from a different pack,” Jin replied, “He jumped me when I was eating.”
Kame chuckled, “That’s so like you to prioritize eating before paying attention to your surroundings, Jin.”
“Hey!” Jin pouted, “That’s not fair. I had a long sleep and was hungry. That wolf should have known better. Plus, I didn’t expect him to bite me!”
Kame smiled.
“How do you know Yamapi anyways?” Jin changed to topic, “Did he try anything with you?”
“Why do you care?” Kame asked.
Jin looked aside and messed with his hair, “I don’t know.”
“Nothing happened with Yamapi,” Kame replied, blushing.
“Good,” Jin mumbled, “Don’t mess with that no good wolf. He might say he means well, but he doesn’t!”
“Fine, I’ll know now to trust pandas before wolves,” Kame chuckled.
Jin nodded in agreement.
Kame smiled again, “Well, at least you seem better than before.”
“I am,” Jin smiled.
Kame’s heart began to beat fast. He had missed seeing Jin’s smile. He sighed and stood up, cleaning the dirt from his jeans.
“I better-”
Jin grabbed his hand, “Would you stay for the night?”
Kame swallowed hard, “Errr…..”
“To check the wound in the morning. Please?”
Kame blushed again, “Ok.”
They ended up talking through most of the night. By the time they fell asleep, Kame was cuddled in Jin’s arms.
*****
“Kame-chan?”
He could hear his name being called, but he couldn’t make a sound. Kame starting moving. Jin’s warm arms weren’t around him anymore. He was lying on something soft and familiar. When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred. He could feel his head throbbing once again. He slowly sat up.
“Kame!”
He groaned in respond. So loud. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared up. He was in his old bedroom, on his bed. His eyes widened when he saw the person next to him.
“Jin!”
His lover smiled, “I’m so happy you’re up, Kame.”
“Y-you’re not a panda anymore.”
“Errr….no, sweetie,” Jin replied, slightly confused, “Maybe you should-”
“What happened?!”
Jin placed his hand over Kame’s and tried to calm the other down, “You blacked out after hitting the cabinet door. You were out cold for a few hours actually.”
“The bakery?”
“Everything is being taken care of,” Jin smiled, “After Ryo, Yamapi, Maru, and Tatsuya came over, things started to run smoothly. Maybe you should rest, Kame.”
Kame smiled and pulled Jin closer. He kissed him. Jin, who was a little shocked at Kame’s behavior at first, kissed his lover back. After a few minutes, they pulled apart for air. Jin chuckled.
“What has gotten into you?”
Kame shrugged, “I guess I just missed you too much, Jin. Three weeks without you were hard.”
“You can say that again!” Jin pounced on Kame, making the other yelp. Jin smirked, “We have a lot to catch up on~”
*****
A/N--->___< I’ve been going through one of my worst writer’s blocks. It sucks! It’s partial because of school too…ugh. But I think that I’m slowly coming out of it though. I hope so. And this! I don’t even know why I’m posting it >_< I was actually trying to write Paradise between shadows when this popped into my head. It refused to leave me until I completed it.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!