Tenmiko One-shots

The Aikidoka And The Mage (2/?)

[AU]

It's been almost a week since Tenko brought the little creature to the dojo. Her master was also taken aback by the presence of a small ginger cat in the middle of the forest but he agreed to keep it as long as Tenko took full care of it, which she agreed without hesitation.

When the brunette told him how she found the kitten, she decided not to tell him about that mysterious noise she had heard. Tenko thought it might actually have been a monster, but then she remembered when her master explained to her that these appears only at night and when Tenko found the kitten it was still afternoon.

The theory that it was just a bird or a small animal seems much more reasonable to her, but to make sure she hadn't hunted herself and her master in trouble involuntary, she decided to skip her afternoon walk to supervise the dojo and take care of the kitten.

The little one is really something else! Its paw healed completely in just two days, absolutely insane for a normal kitten, which requires week or even months to heal a broken paw. Tenko has become fond of the little ginger cat even though the latter preferred staying distant from her and the master, sleep all day and really really hate being touched. The feline even scratched Tenko's hands once when she tried to hold her to see if it was a boy or a girl and choose a proper name.

She guessed she'll never know but Tenko didn't mind. Tenko is happy to have this new company besides her master, but she still felt like something is watching her from afar, constantly.

One night, the kitten disappeared from the dojo.

"Maybe it's in danger! Master, please, let's go find it!" Tenko said devastated, crying endlessly and hugging her master who was trying to console her.

"Tenko, It's just a cat" he sighed.

"But master! The cat is probably lonely and scared, it can't stay alone-"

"Tenko, calm down" he hold Tenko's shoulders, looking at her. "The cat has received all the cures it needed and fully recovered. I know you get affectioned to it, but cats are independent creatures, they have a will of their own. You can't force them to live with you".

"But master..." the brunette didn't say anything after that, she kept silent, staring at her own sandals with a gloomy expression.

"You did a good job. You kept your promises to take care of it, now it will be able to hunt and survive on its own and that is thanks to you, Tenko" he said, hoping that this would be enough to brighten up the brunette who simply nodded at his words.

"Don't think too much about it or it'll get you distract from your goal, alright?"

"Yes, master" Tenko answered, slowly hugging him. He hugged back stroking her long dark hair.

"Good good. Now, let's go prepare dinner for us, I'll help you".
Tenko simply nodded at him but her face was still sad.

Tenko really enjoyed the kitten's company, despite its cold nature she liked having it around, but her master is right. She couldn't force the cat to live with them. Tenko will get over this bad moment, she knows, she just hope the kitten will continue to grow and live a long life.

From that night on, Tenko no longer felt observed. She thought it was just her paranoia.