Behind a Cat's Smile [Discontinued]

Chapter 2: Naming a Stray

Normal POV.

As 'Wildcat' sank into the river, the last thing she saw was 2 figures standing where the C3 trio were standing after they left. She had thought of just drown there since she has no energy left in her to swim up to surface and lost conciousness.

But one of them suddenly did something to save her from meeting death too early. Fortunately, she's still alive as they had checked for any signs of life. One decided to bring her with him as he ordered the tall one to carry her and follow him.

"Sigh, such an attractive mystery girl, we can't just let her drown in such a cold dark river and disappear from the world just like that. Why don't we give her some company for the time being and until she wakes up, we'll decide what to do with her. Isn't that right, Jeje?~"

"..."

The tall person whose called Jeje, just stayed silent while the unconsious girl is in his arms. The one who was talking to him, a blond young man, just chuckled to himself, seemingly used to the other's silence as he walked into a direction where the girl's life will slowly change. Either for the better, or for the worse.

~~~

3 days have passed, 'Wildcat' has finally decided to wake up. Realising that she's still alive, she sat up and checked herself whether she is dreaming. Seeing and feeling that it's all real, she also felt relief. However, seeing that she's been sleeping in a room she doesn't recognise made her a bit too cautious. She had saw her wounds been wrapped up in clean bandages and is wearing clean clothes that were a bit too big on her.

Deciding not to waste time, she got off bed. As soon as she stood up, her legs went wobbly and she went crashing on the floor on her front.

"Be careful or you'll add extra pain on yourself. You've been unconscious for 3 days after all, so it's no suprise your legs would feel weak right now~" A smooth male voice spoke as she looked up where it came from. There was a young man somewhere around his 20's, maybe 3 years older than herself, sitting by the window. He has short wavy blond hair with thin orange braids at the end of his hair, a brown hat and his overall clothing resembles that of a cowboy ((A/N: I have no idea how to describe his clothes in a simple way!! ^^")) and he's holding a female doll. The more she looks at him, she felt a wave of familiarity from him as if she had saw his face before, but couldn't remember exactly where and when she has seen him and from whom she has heard from. She looked down, hiding her face from him with her bangs falling in front of her face.

"W-Who... Are you?" She asked faintly as she just sat there on the cold floor, not looking at him. He stood up and approached her. Feeling that he's somehow near, she kept still as she couldn't think straight right now and is defenceless. She's still not sure of who he is, so she's just playing safe not to talk too much or recklessly run off while still at a weak state.

"I'm just a traveling antique dealer, my name is Mikuni Alicein, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady." He held out a hand with a smile on his face, gesturing for a handshake. She tilted her head in confusion, until she decided to hold his hand. As soon as their hands touched, he had also pulled her up to her feet then made her sit on the bed.

"There~ You can't go anywhere yet until you are fully recovered. You're actually tougher than you look, although you got quite a beating from those C3 trio 3 days ago. If I hadn't been there just in time, you would've been a drowned kitty." Mikuni explained as he recalled the night that he rescued her from drowning.

"I-I see... But wait a minute, I thought I saw 2 people before I blacked out, and one of them is you, but where is the other guy? The really tall one? Isn't he the one who carried me or something?" She asked rather quickly.

"Oh, you mean this guy," Mikuni said as he pointed on a black rope-like wrapped around his neck. But the 'rope' decided to move as soon as Mikuni talked. It was a black snake with a yellow cross-like shape on it's head and with red eyes which is rather unusual for snakes to have. Before Mikuni could say something more, the girl started trembling as she pointed at the snake.

"S-Snake!" There was fear in her voice as she continued trembling.

"Yes, yes, he's a snake. Are you afraid of snakes? I assure you, he won't bite..."

The girl stopped trembling a bit as those words came out of his mouth until he spoke again. "... Unless I tell him to. Really, don't worry about it." He chuckled.

The snake slithered off his neck to the girl. Careful as if showing her that he's not a threat, his little head nudged her hand as she slowly pet him. Her lips formed a small smile.

"Told you~ By the way, you never told me your name."

"I apologise, but..." She looked down a bit uncertain.

"'But'...?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I-I don't have a name... They only called me 'Wildcat' and I have lived with that name all my life..." She said quietly.

Mikuni went silent for a bit until he spoke up again with a smile. "What if I give you a name? A real name, a name to be called with starting from now. How's that sound?"

She couldn't say anything. Knowing that if she gets a new name, there's a possibility that she'll start her life in a new way. All she could do is nod, allowing him permission to give her a name that'll change her life.

"Alright, from now on, your name is Céline Midnight, because our encounter that night under the moonlight is almost like fate, and that name is the best one for you. Who knows what fortune your new name would give you? And now, it's nice to personally know you, Céline Midnight." Once again, he held out his hand for a handshake.

The girl, fresh with a new name to live with, smiled softly and shook his hand.

"Likewise, Mikuni Alicein. It's nice to meet you."

(To be Continued...)