This is my original work. ‘Raven’ and all the characters shown/mentioned in this short story belong to me. Please do not attempt to copy/steal from my original creation.
(This is a little snippet of something I plan to incorporate into my original story, ‘The Raven of Luna Pier’. Here, we have Misao, one of my ex-villains, bonding with my main protagonist, Maria (her alter ego being the vigilante ‘Raven’) at an old farmhouse location far from her hometown, Luna Pier.
I hope you like it, even if you don’t yet understand what’s going on :D If you’d like to find out more about the story/characters, please don’t hesitate to ask!)
“Misao?”
Her short mane of ebony hair swishing as she whipped her head around, Misao’s sullen amber eyes regarded the young woman approaching her. She held a shoe-box close to her chest in the cradle of her left arm, and wore a hesitant but polite smile across her glossy lips, reminding Misao of a porcelain doll. Her once pristine converse shoes were now sullied with mud as she trudged down the slippery grass hill towards the stream.
Misao was sat at the edge of the slope, her knees hugged close to her chest, her eyes watching indifferently as the brunette shrugged off her ratty grey hoodie, settling it down across the grass before finally taking a seat. Unlike her unexpected – and unwanted – companion, Misao cared little about getting her rear-end soggy; the clothes she wore weren’t hers, and could easily be washed afterwards. Besides, getting a little cold from the dampness would be a blessing compared to everything else she’d been forced to endure…
With a satisfied sigh, the emerald-eyed brunette turned to look over at Misao, her smile still in place. “Hi.”
Misao blinked once disinterestedly. “Hello, Raven,” she muttered, turning her attention back to the running stream.
“I told you, you don’t have to call me that, not out here; just call me Maria.”
Huffing, Misao hugged her knees closer, resting her chin atop them. “Fine. What do you want ‘Maria’?” she droned, growing more cantankerous by the minute as she scowled at the flowing water.
Despite the fact that Raven – Maria – had gone to great lengths to free Misao from the asylum with the promise of reforming her, get her out of the city and into the peace and quiet of her old family farmhouse, and had done her best to make her feel welcome by feeding her, supplying her with clothes – though the over-sized sweaters and baggy jeans itched unbearably – the rich young heroine had kept a fair distance from Misao. It was no secret that the vigilante, and the freckled blonde kid that hung around her like a leech, still couldn’t fully bring themselves to trust her, despite Eponine’s insistence – bless her heart – but Misao didn’t blame them. She’d killed many in the past few years, and had just been released from an asylum; mistrust was to be expected. So she’d distanced herself from the rest of them in return, thinking they’d prefer it if she’d stayed away. Until now.
For the past week, Maria had been tiptoeing around Misao. Now, she was sat beside her, smiling at her as though she were an old friend; a far contrast from her earlier attitude, to say the least. And a part of Misao – the part of her still in control – wanted to know why.
At her query, Maria’s smile broadened a little. “Well,” she began, casting a quick glance down at the shoe-box she held to her chest, “I was in town this afternoon picking up some stuff for dinner tonight, and I came across something I thought you’d like. So, I got it for you.”
Misao blinked, hard, casting the other girl a surprised, curious glance from the corner of her eye. “…you did?”
Rather than answering immediately, Maria pried open the lid of the shoe-box, reaching inside and carefully pulling out –
Misao straightened up abruptly, wide ocher eyes staring at the small, fuzzy kitten held in the palm of Maria’s hand. Its fur was black as the night, with white patches on its chest, belly, muzzle, and all four of its little paws. Its eyes, wide and curious and innocent as they stared at Misao, were a brilliant shade of crystal blue.
She continued to stare at the animal, before she cast a flat look up at Maria’s hopeful face.
“What is this?”
Maria’s smile dwindled at her obvious disdain, but had yet to disappear completely. “It’s a kitten,” she replied simply.
Forcing back the urge to outright strangle the brunette at her poorly timed attempt at a joke, Misao scowled, her thin brows furrowed. “I can see that. I meant, what is the point of you giving me this…thing?” she muttered, briefly looking back down at the kitten mewing and squirming in Maria’s palm. Her scowl deepened when she realized it was still staring at her.
Setting the tiny feline on the grass between them, Maria shrugged one shoulder. “I read something online the other day, and it said that having an animal around can help with anxiety and depression,” she explained, idly scratching the space behind the kitten’s ear with the tip of her finger, her eyes sparkling with delight when it purred and leaned into her touch. “I figured you weren’t quite ready to have a dog jumping and slobbering all over you just yet, and to be honest you more like a cat person, so I –“
“I don’t want it,” Misao growled, turning her head away as she stared back at the flowing stream, thin brows furrowed and mouth set in a firm frown. “And I sure as hell don’t want your pity either, Maria.”
For a long time, Maria said nothing. A heavy silence fell upon them soon after, broken only by the sounds of trickling water and the occasional soft mew of the kitten sat between the pair as it licked its paws, ignorant of the tension hovering overhead.
“I don’t pity you, Misao.”
Her voice had been soft as a feather, in danger of falling upon deaf ears. But it was the fire, spiked with determination and ire behind her words that made Misao freeze, her eyes wide, as she turned to face Maria once more.
And when she saw that same fire blazing behind her vibrant emerald green eyes, combined with the dangerous grimace set across her pale lips, Misao no longer saw Maria Watson, the quiet little rich girl who hid her fears, her anger, and her sadness from the world behind a porcelain smile. Instead, she saw the Raven, the determined, deadly yet passionate, resilient, hot-headed protector of Luna Pier, the young woman who had single-handedly brought her to her knees, the only one who had ever truly bested her in battle.
And though she would never admit it aloud, seeing that same woman sent a fearful shiver down her spine, made her palms sweaty as she gripped the fabric of her sweater, clenching it tight within her pale fists.
Her narrowed eyes trained solely on Misao, locking their gazes together like a vice, Maria spoke again. “You might think we all see you as a broken doll, something to feel sorry for and handle with care, but you’re wrong,” she said, her tone as firm as stone, yet not quite as cold. “No one believes you’re broken, Misao. Not me, not Theo, and certainly not Eponine.”
Maria’s gaze softened, turning into something compassionate, warm, as she reached out her hand – her real hand – and laid it on Misao’s shoulder, holding it fast despite Misao’s involuntary flinch at her gentle touch.
“You’re not broken,” she repeated softly, “but you’re breaking. And isolating yourself, shutting the rest of the world out, won’t fix the cracks. I brought us all out here so we could help you, Misao, to set you straight and get you back on your feet again. And whether you like it or not, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Letting her hand slip off Misao’s shoulder as she continued to stare her, nonplussed and speechless at her words, Maria scooped up the kitten and gently set it down atop Misao’s knees, smiling as she drew away. “This little cutie is gonna help, too,” she said. “So you’d better get used to having her around.”
In the time it had taken Misao to register what had just happened – from Maria’s transition from the Raven to Maria again, to the cat suddenly materializing on her lap – she was stunned to silence again as she stared down at the tiny, delicate ball of black and white fur squirming about as it tried to get comfortable.
What the hell? What the hell? How was a dumb, innocent, frail little fur ball supposed to ‘help her’ in any way? Pets needed love, attention, food, warmth, all the things Misao had nor the time or the patience to truly give; she could barely take care of herself half the time, for goodness sake. If anything, the stupid thing was only going to cause her more frustration than she’d already been forced to –
“I’ll leave you two alone for a little while,” Maria said as she stood up, retrieving her ruined hoodie from off the ground and throwing it over her shoulder. “Try and think of a good name for her in the meantime. And nothing mean or rude, okay?”
Snapping out of her reverie, Misao blinked, whipping her head around just in time to catch Maria walking back towards the farmhouse. Panicking, she helplessly darted her gaze back and forth from the cat and Maria’s slowly retreating form. “B-but…y-you,” she stuttered pitifully, reaching a hand after Maria. “You can’t – w-wait –!”
“Don’t stay out too long, alright?” Maria called over her shoulder with a little wave, and Misao could hear the grin she was undoubtedly wearing as she trudged up the hill and disappeared from sight, leaving Misao alone with her new feline companion.
Misao growled through clenched teeth. Seriously, damn her.
Once it’d found a comfortable position, its stubby white paws folded beneath its belly, the kitten looked up, batting its innocent sparkling blues eyes at her as it tilted its head to the side, its ear flicking absently. In turn, Misao’s former scowl returned with a vengeance as she glowered down at the hairball on her lap. How could Maria just dump the creature on her like this? She still had no idea how it was supposed to ‘help’ her as Maria had claimed; the darn thing couldn’t even help itself, let alone anyone or anything else.
Staring at the animal, Misao narrowed her eyes. “…your feet look like socks,” she said. “How do you feel about that?”
The kitten blinked once.
Misao’s eyes narrowed further with irritation. “I said your feet look like socks. They make you look stupid.”
The kitten blinked again, its tail swishing idly from side to side.
Rolling her eyes heavenward, Misao sighed heavily before glaring back down at the water, intending to ignore the creature completely. She couldn’t even offend the damn thing. What good was an animal you couldn’t get a reaction out of?
Another moment of silence passed, before the kitten mewed once. It was a high-pitched, frail little sound, but it captured Misao’s attention at once all the same as she looked down at it, just as it stumbled to its feet before padding up Misao’s chest, its claws clinging to her woolly sweater as it began to climb. With little effort, the kitten had scaled her chest and soon nestled itself upon Misao’s shoulder, nuzzling its face against the crook of her neck as it purred. All the while, Misao could do nothing but watch as it curled up into a ball again, its white paws covering its face as it slowly dozed off.
Misao stared. And stared.
Well. That was…cute.
The cat was still useless, of course, and would undoubtedly be more trouble than it was worth…but at least it was cute. It almost reminded her of Eponine, with how innocent it was, how fragile and small it was. And its paws really did look like socks…
“Hm. Socks,” she muttered aloud, lifting one hand to gently poke the kittens’ paw.
Then Misao froze, eyes widened to saucers.
Oh. She’d just given the damn cat a name, hadn’t she?
