☆.｡.:* Arata's eyes widened, her mouth agape, "It's you! The cat-napper old man!"
Tears slid down Gyomei's cheeks as he spoke, "Cat-napper... old... man...?"
Confused and afraid, the woman behind Gyomei stumbled to her feet and ran away, leaving Arata, Gyomei, and Mew alone.
"Uh-huh!" Arata shouted, with a brazen expression on her face, "You cat-napped Mew! Why are you here, cat-napper?"
While she was speaking, Arata bent down, picked up Mew from the ground, and held her tightly against her chest, as if shielding Mew from Gyomei.
"This is a part of the area I patrol. It is my duty as a Hashira to protect the area I am assigned to," Gyomei replied, "But... why are you here? Weren't Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Giyu looking for you because you ran away?"
Arata fidgeted in the spot awkwardly, silent.
"You should return to them. They are very worried,"
In a nearly inaudible whisper, Arata mumbled, "Oh... right..."
"It might be dangerous for you to wander alone," Gyomei said, in his deep voice, tears pouring out of his blank, pearly white eyes, "In case you encounter any Demon Slayers, I will accompany you-"
"No!" Arata exclaimed, squeezing Mew closer to her chest, "I-I don't need your help, or want to go back!"
If I go back... Arata thought, a tight knot forming in her throat, Will they all die...?
Slightly confused, Gyomei's lips parted from each other slightly, "What...?"
Arata took a step closer to the towering figure in front of her, reaching out. Mew leaped from her arms and landed gracefully on the ground, wandering away. Arata clutched the hem of the olive green happi that Gyomei draped over his shoulders.
"B-But... don't leave me!" Arata pleaded, tears creeping into the corner of her eyes, "S...Stay with me!"
Her watery, glistening eyes sparkled as she gazed into Gyomei's pupil-less ones. Her anguished expression, trembling hands, and desperate disposition stirred something in Gyomei's memory.
He raised his giant, yet gentle hand, and patted Arata's head softly, in a comforting way.
"Meooww!"
Several mewls and purrs came from below. Arata, sniffling, looked down, a shocked expression overtaking her face.
On the ground were four tiny, fluffy kittens. One was light ginger, another jet black, and the third orange-and-black striped. The final one, which was tinier than the rest, was a ginger kitten with black tips at the ears, and a small black patch on its face. The rest of their body varied from black to ginger.
