There She Is!

His green scarf was wrapped comfortably about his neck. The day was a crisp Autumn one, which was grand because he loved to wear that scarf. He touched a hand to it as he put change in the Fish Juice machine. It was directly next to the Carrot Juice one which was for, bleh, rabbits.

A cup lowered, the juice and fish were poured into it and, just as he was grabbing it from the slot, he heard another cup fall to the floor. He looked to his left and saw a blushing young rabbit gazing at him, hands clutched to her chest. Just as he was about to ask if she was having some sort of heart attack, a group of seven hearts appeared over her head.

Horrified, the cat looked nervously around him. A group of cats looked at him with pity, surprise, disapproval. When he looked the other way a group of rabbits studied him with similar expressions. A cat and a rabbit? It was unheard of.

But the rabbit girl was undeterred. She twirled towards him, shyly offering a carrot. When the cat turned to look at her, the disgusting vegetable was forced into his mouth. Panicked, he turned and bolted, the surrounding animals gazing on with shock and apprehension.

Once again, the rabbit girl didn't care, or even notice. She followed, chasing him all over the city. Hearts floated around her head, hardly able to keep pace with her.

The poor cat! When he approached manholes, she would hop out. Before he'd get too far, there she would be, offering a carrot. When he climbed walls, she was already at the top, waiting. And when he slid down, there she would be, hearts swirling dangerously.

She envisioned riding upon a valiant steed behind him, the brave cat leading the way. She fantasized about romantic dances upon rooftops. She could imagine him running through the meadows, holding her hands as the flowers looked on in envy.

As she dreamed, her hearts floated one by one and pinned him to the ground.

But not for long. Soon enough, they were running through the city again, her never far behind. Signs that spoke out against their union tracking every step.

The pealed through one group of shocked bystanders, each fur falling to the ground amidst the dust. As the cat looked back, shocked, the rabbit managed to grab him. Her arms wound themselves tightly around the stunned feline.

After escaping her clutches yet again, he found himself in a building, in an elevator to get all the way to the top. Thinking he'd lost her, he quickly shut the elevator doors. But before a sigh of relief could be heaved, her shadow and the shadows of her floating hearts could be seen.

By the time they'd made it to the top and then back down, the cat was buried among thousands of hearts. Much to the surprise of a waiting rabbit.

As the chase persisted, he would open heart-shaped boxes to find carrots. She would surprise him with carrot cakes in the bathroom stalls. While eating eel and rice in cafeterias, she would appear with a tray loaded with carrots; within seconds he'd be choking on all but two, his own food untouched.

So one day, tired of having a stalker, he sat her down in a chair to explain a few things. Thrilled just to be in the same room as him without him running off, she sat pleasantly and vowed to pay rapt attention.

And so the lesson went…

Cat plus Cat equaled Love. Confused, she tilted her head to the side.

Rabbit plus Rabbit equaled Love. Still confused, her head tilted once again.

Cat plus Rabbit equaled No Love. And just as he thought she'd understand…. Her head tilted to the side in confusion.

Plan B! Desperate, the cat lined up three suitable rabbits. A brawny one, a handsome one, and a brainy one.

With violence in her eyes, the young rabbit marched up and sent them all flying.

And the chase resumed as scheduled…

The cat clambered up a tree in the hops that she wouldn't be able to climb up. And once he realized that she certainly couldn't, he wiped his brow with a kerchief and breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly he felt vibrations and looked down to see her chopping the tree down. With hearts dancing around her head, she swung the axe until the tree, as well as the cat, fell to the floor.

Realizing that he was defeated, the cat lifted a small white flag and waved it. He would ride a valiant steed with her, dance in the moonlight with her, run through the meadows with her while the cactuses looked on.

That night they sat on a rooftop. Her head rested on his shoulder while the hearts floated to create a neat pile to her side.

The next morning they found themselves in front of the juice machines once again. She handed him a glass of carrot juice, which he gazed at with apprehension. Then she moved over and took a cup of fish juice. As she got herself a cup, a cat walked passed, followed by a male rabbit offering her flowers.

Huh…Maybe interspecies relationships could work…

With that thought in mind, he took a sip of the carrot juice and…liked it. He actually liked it. Pleasantly surprised, he took another sip.

He looked over to see the rabbit girl downing a cup of fish juice. She had clothespins over her nose, but drank the whole cup. She blew out a fish-scented breath and looked over at him.

He blinked and suddenly noticed a heart float from himself. Quickly, he swatted at the heart to get rid of it. Nabi could only hope that Doki hadn't noticed it.