'So, may I ask what... who are you exactly?'Aki asked, his gaze unwavering, cutting through the silence.
Joshua shifted, a knot of discomfort tightening in his stomach. Aki's steady stare was unnerving, and the resemblance to the suspect he was hunting was almost too strong. Yet, Aki seemed utterly human, his reasoning perfectly normal. It was this jarring contradiction that made Joshua so conscious and uneasy; something was undeniably off, and he couldn't put his finger on it.
'You already know I'm not like others,' Joshua replied, his voice carefully neutral. 'Let's keep it that way for now.'
Aki showed no reaction, his composure unruffled. 'The cat... where is he?' he asked, redirecting the conversation.
Joshua, who had braced for a potentially upset reaction from Aki. But he was amused at Aki's understanding of things.
A slight smile touched his lips. 'I don't exactly know. He doesn't like to stay bound. He returns whenever he feels like it.'
Aki paused,"Oh!" he simply said.
The distant whistle of a train pierced the air. Joshua, recalling his purpose, told Aki, 'Your train is almost here.'
Aki didn't press the issue further. Despite his burning curiosity, he understood the unspoken boundary Joshua had set. He rose and stepped onto the train while saying, 'I hope someday you'll be willing to tell me why you are hiding it?'
Joshua was left speechless, a faint smile playing on his lips, a mixture of surprise and perhaps a touch of fondness for Aki's unexpected expectation.
As the train pulled away, a shadowy figure appeared behind Joshua, hovering silently in the distance.
'Are you still keeping an eye on him?' Joshua asked the person.
'Yes, Master!' the figure replied politely.
'I think it's totally unnecessary,' Joshua stated, a yawn escaping him as he began to walk.
As he moved, his form shimmered and transformed, shifting into a mature version of the boy, Mei, distinctly different from the one Aki had encountered. He then pulled out the crumpled paper he had put away earlier. Looking at it, he ordered, 'Tell them to wait on it.'
'But…' the figure started to object but its voice faltered as Joshua's eyes shifted, turning into a bilateral form. The figure dared not finish, simply nodding in submission.
An old, unusual train, unlike any typically seen, arrived at the station. A staircase extended from its side. Joshua ascended it and stepped inside. The train began to move, and a new railway track materialized, leading off to an unknown destination. The line vanished as soon as the train left the platform.
The black hooded figure lifted its head. Two more figures appeared, addressing the first. 'What is the Young Master doing? Does he not intend to capture him? What will we say to the Master?'
'He obviously has some reason,' the first follower asserted, a hint of faith in Joshua's actions evident. 'Defying the orders is not something he usually does.'
The paper he held in his hand was an order for Aki's execution. He tossed it into the air, and it instantly incinerated into ashes.
Aki walked silently towards his building from the station. His mind was racing, a whirlwind of calculations and new realizations, causing him to sigh frequently, a sign of his internal turmoil. He saw a black cat and instinctively bent down to pat its head.
'Are you keeping an eye on me, Mr. Black?' he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The cat simply meowed in response.
Tanya was waiting outside his building. She observed the interaction, a look of bewilderment on her face. 'Don't tell me cats are talking to you now!' she exclaimed.
Aki was accustomed to such reactions, having endured far stranger occurrences. He didn't reply. He had once hoped Tanya might believe him, but he couldn't blame her for her skepticism; it wasn't logical. He himself sometimes tried to convince himself it was all a dream, but the nightmare never ended.
With a blank smile, Aki responded, 'Just patted this little guy... he seemed lonely.' He picked up the cat, deciding to take it with him.
Tanya looked genuinely surprised. 'Are you taking him in?' she asked.
"Yes!" Aki confirmed.
'You know that I'm allergic to cats…' she began with a disapproval in her voice.
Aki cut her off harshly, 'Well... you don't live with me now... and... I don't think you would want to live with me in the future 'cause I'm being a freak again.'
Tanya was baffled by his sudden harshness. 'I never said…'
Aki interrupted her again, his voice sharp with bitterness. 'You just did. Wasn't your snide comment the proof of that?'
Tanya stood still, stunned into silence.
Aki didn't wait for another word. He walked inside, leaving her standing there. Tanya looked up, seeing the light in Aki's apartment turn on. For a while, she remained rooted to the spot, silently watching, a mixture of hurt and confusion on her face. A phone call eventually jolted her back to reality, and she left the area. The black cat, sitting on the window, watched her departure.
Aki offered the cat a bowl of milk, but the cat showed no interest. Aki frowned, a touch of concern in his voice. 'Are you not hungry, Mr. Black?'
The cat meowed softly, then curled up on the corner of the sofa, settling down to sleep.
'No! No! We are taking a bath. I don't know where you have been,' Aki declared, picking up the cat. The cat meowed in a low, unwilling tone as Aki carried it towards the shower.