"Neko-chan, when Tenshi-san kissed you - before you were mad at her, that is - did you enjoy it? Neko-chan?"
She stirred softly. She had fallen asleep in his arms. She was so peaceful, so angelic. He leaned back against the tree behind him, pulling her limp body with him, unwilling to wake up the sleeping angel. She could stay with him tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan led Tenshi through the forest, not really having any guidance. Even her trust in her abilities to guess her sister's path was failing. Neko wouldn't necessarily act as she normally would. She was ruled by a different source of reasoning than before her amnesia.
But as she hit a less dense point in the woods, she stopped in her tracks. Tenshi ran right into her before she could come to a complete stop. But it didn't take her long to figure out what Mi-chan was gaping at.
There at a base of a tree slept Neko and Jasper, looking awfully cozy together.
Neko's head lay peacefully on his chest. Her hand had made its way to his shoulder. His arms held her tightly against him, as if he never wanted to let go. Anyone else and Mi-chan might have thought they were a cute couple. But not Jasper! Not with her Neko-chan!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko awoke to a disturbing feeling. Somehow, she felt anger, but it wasn't an emotion she was anywhere near feeling at the moment. She had been completely at peace only moments ago.
Suddenly, someone had taken her hand and jerked her to a standing position. "M- Mi-chan?" she stammered, still disconcerted from having just woken up.
Mi-chan pulled her away from Jasper, yelling at him, "What the hell do you think you're doing with my sister?!"
Neko paled. She had forgotten that Mi-chan disliked him.
But it wasn't Mi-chan that Jasper was in immediate danger from. Taking him by the collar, Tenshi pulled him to his feet and shoved him against the tree. Her eyes were wild with hurt and anger. "I trusted you!" she shouted at him.
"Tenshi-san?" Jasper was still reeling from his abrupt wake-up call. "We weren't doing anything," he explained to her as he figured out what was going on. He looked about as frightened as Neko was. "I didn't make a move on her, I swear."
Only then did Neko finally figure out that Tenshi and Mi-chan thought that she and Jasper had been doing more than just platonic cuddling. "Tenshi-kun, no!" She struggled to get out of Mi-chan's grasp, but her twin held strong. "Stop it!"
"What?! Was this your idea of revenge for Amethyst and me?"
"No," Jasper insisted, shaking his head.
"Dame!" Neko shrieked. Couldn't she see she was hurting him? What was wrong with her?!
"No?! What was it then?! I have always believed in you!"
"I know," Jasper replied quietly.
Tenshi looked about furious enough to hit him. Mi-chan would've long ago, even Neko knew that. "Then what were you doing with her? With my Koneko?"
"Nothing!" Neko screamed at her. "He gave me a friend when I needed one! He was a perfect gentleman. He'd never hurt me, which is more than I can say for some people!" Her eyes flashed dangerously at Tenshi. Fully worked up, she freed herself from Mi-chan's grasp and physically placed herself between Tenshi and Jasper.
"Koneko," Tenshi said. The anger in her face drained away as she suddenly realized Neko's for her.
"I'm not a commodity! I'm not 'your' Koneko! I don't even like you anymore," she cried, tears of anger streaming down her face.
"No," Tenshi refused to believe what she was hearing. She moved towards Neko.
"Don't come near me! I hate you, Tenshi! I hate you!" Unable to face her anymore, Neko pushed past her and ran away from the group.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper looked at Tenshi. She almost looked as if she was in shock. Her face was pale and her eyes were almost as vacant as when she had been possessed earlier.
Mi-chan, meanwhile, was sending him murderous looks. That, combined with a desire to help Neko, inspired him to make a quick exit immediately after her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan started off after them but stopped before she left Tenshi alone like that.
"Tenshi-kun?"
Tenshi looked at her blankly.
"Tenshi-kun, snap out of it!"
"She said she hates me," Tenshi whispered.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it," Mi-chan said hoping to reassure her. Tenshi was beginning to scare her. "Onegai, Tenshi-kun! It's Neko-chan, she'll forgive you. You need to be strong for her."
Tenshi's eyes came more into focus. For a moment Mi-chan thought she had recovered. Then she echoed, "She said she-"
"Okay, just stay here!" Mi-chan sat her down against the same tree they had found Neko and Jasper under. "Great, just what we need," she muttered. More audibly, she ordered her, "Look, Tenshi-kun, I'm gonna bring Neko-chan back. Don't freak out on me, okay?"
With one final worried glance at her, Mi-chan set off in search of Neko and Jasper.
Home
