The Cat Returns (With my OC)

Chapter 3: Night of wonders

Haru, being exhausted, arrives home.
"I'm home." She tells to mom after closing the main door. She decides to walk into kitchen, only to almost stumble on the mess of patchwork pieces on the floor.
"Watch your step. I just can't decide which pattern to use. Honey, can you make dinner?" Haru's mom says, being both exhausted and frustrated.
Meanwhile, Haru comes closer to her while trying to dodge all the patchwork pieces. Then she asks something.
"Mom? Can cats talk?" Haru says while looking around, nervously.
Haru's mom turns to look at her for a moment, and after a moment turns back. "Well, let's see..." She replies.
Hearing that, Haru leans her left hand on the edge of a nearby shelf and sighs.
"What?" Haru's mom says, finally realizing what she just heard.

After some time, both are eating supper on the kitchen before going to bed. Haru's mom finally remembers something, thanks to the earlier conversation.
"You reminded me of something." She says. Haru glances at her with a suprised face.
"Really?" Haru asks.
"When you were little, you used to say you could talk to cats."
"I did?" Haru replies.
"Yes, don't you remember?" Haru's mom replies back. Then Haru is starting to remember...

(Haru as a kid, with a stray kitten following her. Credit: IMDb)

-Flashback-

Haru, being just a little kid, walks on the sidewalk in the evening. She's eating fish cookies out of a yellow box, happily. Soon she notices she's being followed. A small white stray kitten is following her, with a hungry look. Haru decides to stop, and turn around. The kitten also stops and sits. It looks at Haru.
"What's wrong?" Haru asks the kitten. It meows once with a sad tone, as a response.
"Oh, you're hungry. Do you like fish?" Haru asks. The kitten meows once more.
"Here, have some of these." Haru says and gives the kitten some of the cookies. It starts to eat them eagerly.
"You need a bath. Taste good?" She says while petting the kitten. The kitten replies with a meow, as a yes.
"Ah, I see. Want some more?" Haru asks the kitten. The kitten meows again.
"Here, eat them all." Haru tells the kitten happily and hands the whole box of cookies for it to eat. In an instant, the kitten starts to eat them. After some eating, the kitten looks at Haru with a happy face and meows.
"You don't need to thank me." Haru says happily to the kitten while it continues devouring the cookies.
"Haru?" Her mom shouts from a distance.
"Mom!" Haru replies and runs towards her.
"What were you doing?" Haru's mom asks.
"Talking to a cat." Haru replies.
Then both of them walk home.

- Back to present -

"I asked you what the cat said. You said it told you how tough it is to survive in this world. You were so serious, I couldn't help laughing." Haru's mom says. Haru is listening, but tries to concentrate on eating more.

Soon enough, it's bedtime for Haru. She has changed her clothes to pyjamas, and sits on the edge of her bed. She glances towards the ceiling.
"I totally forgot about that. Anyway, better not miss breakfast tomorrow." Haru tells to herself while setting the alarm for the morning. Then she turns off the lights.

Meanwhile, at the far back of the street Haru lives in, something is slowly approaching. Some kind of floating, glowy orbs can be seen getting closer. The neighborhood cats notice it, meowing towards them. They try to approach the sight, out of curiosity. Haru wakes up to the noise. She walks to look out of her window to see what's going on. She notices the cats on the street.

(The leading cats of the parade, first one holding the lantern. Credit: IMDb)

Finally, the sight has been revealed. A quiet parade of cats is approaching Haru on the street, with the first half of them walking quietly like humans. They are lined up in two rows, and some of them hold the glowing orbs on sticks, now revealed as lanterns. The neighborhood cats run towards the parade, meowing and jumping towards the parade cats. From a short distance, a group of some sort of bodyguard cats join in and dispose them. Behind the lantern cats, there's two tall cats pushing a really fluffy and old-looking blueish cat on a throne carriage that appears to be having a nap. On his left, there is a gray cat walking next to him with a dark-purple robe and some notes on his hands. Walking on the right, there's a shorter light-brown cat with folded ears. The cat is carrying a scroll of some sort.

Haru slowly opens the main door, and steps outside, noticing the parade. She decides to hide behind the front gate. Then the parade stops, the fluffy cat's carriage being stopped right in front of Haru's doorstep. One of the cats opens a round red parasol and holds it above the fluffy cat's carriage. The robed cat named as Natori, steps closer to the gate, and clears his throat a couple of times. He notices Haru being badly hidden behind the gate's pillar. Haru peeks behind it, and then hides again.

(The Cat King, his advisor Natori and the assisting cats visiting Haru. Credit: IMDb)

"Um...please come out." Natori suggests. Haru then peeks again, points once at herself to make sure he is really talking to her. Natori nods a few times.
"A bit closer." He says. After hearing that, Haru slowly approaches Natori. Then he checks his notes, and continues.
"Allow me to introduce...the King of the Kingdom of Cats. A king among kings. The Cat King!"
The fluffy cat on the throne, now revealed as The Cat King, opens his eyes, and glances to his left.
"That's me." The King says. Then, Natori continues.
"The cat whose life you saved, was Prince Lune, His Majesty's son. For this important service to the Kingdom, His Majesty wishes to express his gratitude."
Haru nods slowly, and then glances towards the King. The King takes a deep breath, and exhales.
"Thanks a bunch." He says.
Haru giggles nervously. The cat with folded ears, known as Natoru, hands Haru a sealed scroll, shocking her a bit.
(Author's note: even if the names Natori and Natoru sound alike, they aren't related!)
"Here's your program." Natori says to Haru. She takes the scroll from Natoru.
"Starting tomorrow, unlimited happiness will be yours." Natoru announces.
"Thanks." Haru replies happily.
The King sighs deeply.
"See you." He says to Haru.

After saying that, the cats take their positions and the parade slowly leaves. Haru watches them as they leave, still being suprised about what just happened. She decides to go back to sleep.