Scars and Rainfall [Inanimate Insanity]

Chapter 5

"..Huh? Mom! Come here!"
"What is it, pumpkin? I'm still in the middle of preparing dinner for your birthday party."

"I know that! It's just.. the cat won't eat."
"Goodness! Why? You're remembering to feed it, right? Your father kept reminding you about that, you know."

"I am feeding it! It's not eating, and I don't know why! Ugh, what a stupid cat!"
"Don't scream, sweetheart. I don't want you to wake your father and sister up."

"But.. what now, Mom? Our cat won't eat at all; why is she so lazy.."

"I tried to get her to eat again, Mom, but it didn't work."
".. Should we just starve her? At this point.. I'm honestly sick of taking care of her."
"Sweetie.. please don't kill her."
"I'm not, Mom! I just don't want to properly take care of her anymore."

"To tell you the truth.. I am too."
"Woah, really Mom??"
"Not as much as you, but yes. I adore cats.. but this has gotten old. I am absolutely fed up with that cat, and so is your sister and father."

"..I still want to keep her around, Mom."
"Same here, sweetheart. The cat will be okay. She could withstand being neglected; she has nine lives after all."

The bedroom door opened slowly and OJ peered in the doorway.
"Breakfast is ready." he told Balloon with a smile.
"Okay! I'll be down in a minute!" Balloon replied. He weakly walked over to the kitty.
"I'll come back soon, alright?" His voice was a very low whisper.

As Balloon turned to leave, he felt something soft suddenly squeeze him. It was fur — very soft fur.. and it felt thin with emaciation.

He turned around.. and noticed the kitten looking at him.

He noticed its sunken eyes and shaking body.

He noticed its silent yet powerful plea for him to stay.

He noticed its starvation and trauma from the abuse (abuse that Balloon couldn't even begin to imagine).

He noticed everything in the kitty.

..Everything that Balloon himself went through.

"There's honestly no point in asking anymore, but.. are you sure?"
"..What?"
"Are you sure about this? About wasting away with yourself. I know you aren't okay, but this is only going to make things worse."

"It doesn't matter, OJ. I'm already at my lowest point. I don't care if I keep deflating or if I'm starving myself. There's nothing for me anymore.. not in this life."

"Balloon.."
"I'm okay, OJ. That's all you need to know."
".. You're okay after popping over 13 pills in your mouth? You're okay after developing an eating disorder? You're okay after self harming for 8 days straight?"

"I'm fine! I'm always fine. I swear, nothing hurts—"
"..."
"..Um, OJ? Why are you hugging me so fiercely?"
"For one, you definitely need it. And second.. I really want you to know that it's going to be okay."

"And from now on, I want you to sleep with me in my room."
"Fine. But why?"

".. I'm staying by your side from now on, Balloon. I want you to heal from everything — and not just the past. I want you to heal from your past self and your past scars."

"Oh! Um, okay. Ah—your hug.."
"I'm really sorry, Balloon. I'm really sorry for everything."

"O-OJ.."

Again, the room simply fell silent. The only thing Balloon felt was tears stabbing his eyes.

He glanced at the kitten, tenderly scooping it in his arms.

Hopefully OJ wouldn't be mad at what he was going to do.

Balloon slowly walked downstairs, not wanting to startle the kitten.

When he arrived downstairs, some stared at the kitten; some didn't.

"..Is that a kitten Balloon's holding? What's a kitten doing at the hotel?"

"Beats me. Maybe Balloon was tired of being lonely? Who cares, really. OJ won't be happy out this."

"Why does that kitten look so ugly.."

The second Balloon sat down at a separate table an aroma of fresh breakfast sweetly smothered the room.

He suddenly heard a very low purr from the kitten. He gently rubbed its head, glancing around the room.

The kitten was safe; it needed to stay safe.

Balloon's heart nearly jumped as OJ's voice echoed from a nearby room. It was officially time for breakfast.

As boatloads of pancakes were passed out to each breakfast table, OJ emerged from a nearby room.

He seemed to be in a good mood, which made Balloon happy.

But..

Thankfully, all of the pancake plates had hard cooked eggs on them. A small bowl of rice and a tall glass of milk also sat proudly on the table.

Balloon hoisted the kitty in the chair beside him, and began to feed it its breakfast.

..Even if the stares and snide remarks never stopped, his mind was only focused on one thing and one thing alone.

The entire room was so warm. It was early in the morning, but the room radiated so much warmth Balloon felt like someone was hugging him.

He hoped the kitten felt the exact same. He hoped the warmth reached it; the lost warmth finding the kitten once more.

If the room was already warm enough, its warmth seemingly multiplied by a thousand.

.. Then the world slowly closed around him.

"Balloon!" A voice exclaimed. He suddenly jolted awake, along with the formerly sleeping kitten.
It too, had woken up.

"OJ..hi." Balloon muttered, still half asleep. The kitten began hissing, but Balloon rubbed its head.

"Um, is everything okay?"
"Breakfast is over. Well, not really.. but everyone else has left, Balloon."

"I just fell asleep!" Balloon explained, his face reddening. OJ smiled in amusement.

"I can see why." he replied, glancing at the toasty room's heater.

Balloon then noticed the baby kitten shaking, he poured more milk in its bowl.

".. You're trembling, Balloon."
"What?"
Less than a second later, Balloon nearly spilled the milk — but OJ mercifully caught it just in time.

"Um.. oops."
"Hey — you still haven't eaten??"
"Huh?"
It was true. While the kitten's plate was almost empty, Balloon's plate was still untouched.

"Sorry, OJ.." Balloon mumbled. He started feeding the kitten some rice, shaking horribly.

OJ sighed quietly to himself, then sat down near both Balloon and the kitten.
"Here, you two. I've got you, don't worry."

He began feeding Balloon and the kitten, which really warmed Balloon's heart.

About fifty minutes later, both the kitten and Balloon were full. They now were resting on a large, soft sofa.

Both of them were sleeping beside each other, the baby kitten sleeping peacefully on Balloon's lap.

The more OJ watched them, the more he wanted to be by their side.
But..

There was something OJ wanted —needed — to do first.

He slowly stepped outside of the Hotel.. and made that important call.