32 GB - Mikhaiah Fanfiction

22 - Haru

Cebu City - May 21, 2024

Today Micah and I decided to go for a stroll. As we stepped outside, I immediately spotted something familiar—a flash of grayish fur in the sunlight, a cat stretching lazily on the sidewalk. My heart skipped a beat. That cat... I'd seen it before. The day I arrived here, disoriented and lost, it had been sitting there, watching me.

"That cat..." I murmured, unable to hide my surprise. "I've seen it before. The day I... arrived here."

Micah glanced over at the cat, a smile tugging at her lips. "That's Haru. He comes and goes, but he's kind of mine now."

"Haru?" I repeated, feeling an odd connection to the name, to the cat itself, as though it symbolized something more.

Micah nodded, stepping closer to the little creature. "It means 'sunshine' in Japanese. He first showed up on a sunny day, and the name just fit."

I watched as Haru blinked lazily, stretching in the sun's warmth. The sight of something familiar in this unfamiliar world brought a strange sense of comfort. 

"He's beautiful," I said quietly, feeling the simplicity of the moment settle around me.

For a moment, Micah and I stood in the quiet, both of us watching Haru as she curled up contentedly in the sunlight. The peace of the morning enveloped us, and I couldn't help but feel that in some small way, I understood this cat—a wanderer, unsure of where it belonged, but finding comfort where it could.

"I've been feeding him" Micah added, breaking the silence. "He likes to wander, but he always comes back. I think he's just as lost as I was when I found him."

I smiled at that, feeling the weight of her words. I bent down slowly, my fingers reaching out toward Haru. To my surprise, the cat rose, his fur brushing against my hand as he nuzzled me gently. I felt a flicker of connection, as though Haru sensed I was as displaced as he once was.

"You have a way with animals," I said, glancing up at Micah.

She shrugged, looking a little shy under my gaze. "I guess I just know what it's like to be a bit lost."

I looked at her, at the kindness in her expression, and I felt a strange warmth settle in my chest. In the short time I'd been here, she had become my anchor, my guide in this strange world. Maybe, like Haru, I was starting to feel less lost.

I glanced up at Micah, who was standing quietly beside me, watching us. There was something thoughtful in the way she looked at me, her eyes soft but focused, as though she was seeing something she hadn't noticed before.

"You know," Micah began, her voice gentle, "Haru reminds me of you."

I blinked, my hand still on the cat's back. "Me?"

She smiled, a little shy but warm. "Yeah. He just showed up one day, lost, with no idea where he belonged. But little by little, he started finding his way. He made himself at home here, in his own time."

The comparison made me pause, my chest tightening as I absorbed her words. Haru purred softly under my touch, oblivious to the weight of the moment, and I realized how much I felt like that wandering cat—uncertain, out of place, but somehow, slowly, finding pieces of comfort in this strange world.

"I don't know if I've found my way yet," I admitted, my voice quieter than I intended.

Micah knelt down beside me, her presence close but never overbearing. "Maybe not yet. But you're here. And you're figuring it out. That counts for something."

Her words settled over me like a blanket, warming me from the inside out. I looked at her, my hand still resting on Haru's fur, and for a moment, I let myself feel the comfort in her presence. Micah had become more than just someone showing me the ropes—she was the one thing that made this new world bearable.

"Maybe you're right," I whispered, unsure of what else to say but grateful she was here. Haru purred again, and I realized, in her own quiet way, Micah had been feeding me too—giving me pieces of herself, of this world, and making me feel like I wasn't so lost after all.

Micah chuckled softly, her eyes glimmering with a warmth that made my heart flutter. She spoke, glancing between Haru and me, "I think all three of us are a bit lost in our own ways."

Micah sighed softly, her gaze drifting to the horizon. "I've felt lost too. It's easy to get caught up in what everyone expects of you."

I tilted my head, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

She glanced at me, her expression shifting from pensive to earnest. "I've always felt this pressure to have everything figured out—school, my career, my relationships. Everyone around me seems to know exactly what they want. But I don't."

Her admission hung in the air, and I felt a surge of empathy for her. "You're not alone in that," I replied softly. "I don't think anyone truly knows what they want all the time."

"Exactly," Micah said, a hint of relief in her voice. "And sometimes it feels like I'm just going through the motions, like I'm on this conveyor belt moving toward an end goal that I'm not even sure I want."

I nodded, understanding all too well the feeling of drifting without a clear direction. "So you're just as lost as we are. You fit right in perfectly" I chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I am and I guess I do," she admitted, a small smile forming on her lips. "But then I met you, and it felt like I had something to focus on. Helping you out in this world has made me realize I can explore my own path, too. It's like... I don't have to have all the answers right now."

Her words wrapped around me like a soft blanket. "I'm really glad I came here, then. I didn't know I would be helping you, too." I chuckled

"Isn't it funny how life works out?" she mused, her eyes sparkling with a mix of gratitude and warmth. "We're both figuring things out together. It's like we're two lost souls trying to find our way in this big, confusing world."

I smiled at that, feeling a connection that went beyond our individual struggles. "Maybe being lost isn't so bad after all. We have each other to lean on."

"Exactly," she said, her smile widening. "And together, we can create our own path. Who knows where it might lead us?"