A small child woke up with a headache. All he could remember was the silhouette of a black cat but everything after that was blurry.

After some unknown time, the boy brought his hand to his head and tried to move his body. He felt no pain, simply weariness.

When the kid opened his eyes, the strong light made him blink. After a while, he could see where he was. He was lying down on a mattress and a white blanket was covering him. The chamber’s walls were made of wood and thick white paper. The floor was covered with tatamis.

In the room, there was a low table with small cushions around it and a carefully arranged bouquet which was in an exquisite porcelain vase was standing in an alcove. Behind the plants, a scroll was hanging on the wall with “health” written on it.

‘How can I even read this? It’s not a language I know…’ he thought, confused.

Then the child looked at himself. He was small or rather... young. His body looked a few years old at and his skin tone was very light, almost white. Also, long black hair was falling on his shoulders. Covering him was a white yukata, held at the waist by a red sash.

‘What the hell is this?’ he thought, trying to understand his situation.

Suddenly, the youth heard a small thud behind him, so he turned around to face the source of the noise. The cat was sitting there, looking at him.

“It took longer than expected. I guess I’m still not that good at this soul stuff,” the feline said in his mind, before jumping on the human. The black cat rubbed his head on his hand.

“You’re supposed to pet me.” the animal declared.

“What are you?” the boy actually could not resist and did pet the feline. That was one of the stupid things about cats.

“I am a cat.”

“And apart from that...?”

“A black cat”

The boy felt a bit of annoyance but his curiosity took over.

“Right… What happened to me?”

“I’m such a nice cat, I granted your wish. Follow me so I can show you.”

Afterward, the cat exited the room by a slightly opened sliding door. The kid tried to stand up but ultimately failed. Grumpy, he began to crawl on his four limbs but even that took him a lot of effort. Seemingly, his body was extremely weak as of now. Finally he reached the door and opened it before going out. Panting and light headed, the boy sat on the outside hallway surrounding the house. To keep his balance, he put his hand on a wooden pillar close to him. The polished wood under him felt nice. After resting for a while, he raised his head.

Small white clouds were wandering in the endless blue sky and small birds nearby. For a long time, the boy just stared at the heaven. The real thing was clearly different from simply looking at pictures or virtual reality worlds. Despite the pain in his limbs, he was amazed and thrilled.

‘It’s beautiful….’

He then looked around him and saw he was surrounded by greenery. All around him stood carefully trimmed bushes and flowered trees. Multiples paths made of flat stones crossed the garden and a wooden bridge was going over a huge pound. It was definitely a Japanese styled garden like he had seen on some pictures. A bit farther away, he could see two other houses similar to the one he was in. The weather was warm and many scents stimulated his senses.

As the boy was taking a deep breath, the cat rubbed itself against him. The youth looked down at the slender feline.

“What did you do to me? Did I die?” he asked.

“Aye. Your previous body died at least. But when this child was born, his soul was already dead so I decided to put yours inside his body instead. Though the whole thing took me five years.”

“And you decided to do that without even waiting for my answer and no explanation?”

“I’m a cat. I’m selfish.”

“Wait… How can you even do that?!”

The cat’s eyes became slits, mocking him. Seeing that, the boy angrily tried to grab the animal but it was too fast. It had already taken its distance from him and was sitting defiantly.

‘The bastard’s purring. What the… I want to strangle it!’

However, the boy was powerless. He couldn’t even stand by himself so he had no other choice than trying to calm himself. If you excluded the unnatural reincarnation part, the cat had not visibly harmed him and he would have died in any case. Still, the whole thing was eerie and his mind could not understand the implications of it all. Many questions were swirling in his mind. What happened to Mat, Anaya and the Jimenez? Did they make it?

“Where am I?”

“I’m not going to spoil it for you. Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I gave you a little gift so you can understand stuff. Be glad!” the cat declared before its ears twitched.

“I got to go now. Good luck in this life,” the cat said in his mind, before jumping off the wooden hallway and disappearing among the vegetation.

“Wait!” he tried to shout, but his throat was so dry he coughed.

For a long time he stared blankly at the unknown scenery, lost in his thoughts.

**********

A few minutes had passed when the boy heard a gasp behind him. Alarmed, he turned around on his knees. A young woman with a tray on her hand stood in the middle of the room, her green eyes full of confusion. Her dark brown hair was cut shoulder length, a thin braid falling alongside her spine. She wore a white hakui and a dark blue hakama.

She kneeled and put her tray on the ground before rushing at the boy’s side. With a worried look, she carefully checked his condition with a gentle touch. Peter could see her face closely, she had a fair healthy skin and her slightly slanted eyes gave a kind of feline beauty. Her features were neither Asian nor Caucasian so she was probably of mixed heritage. All in all, she was pretty.

She gently took the boy’s head in her two hands and looked into his eyes.

“I’m fine,” he stated, trying to reassure her.

Her confusion became even greater.

“You are speaking…” she whispered.

“I think I am, yes,” the boy could not stop himself from replying mockingly.

However this made him realize something: the fact that he could talk was not normal. He was confused and cursed the cat for abandoning him without any real explanation. The weird thing was that he could not shake the feeling that he knew that person.

The woman carried him carefully to his bed and put a cushion under his head before covering him with the blanket. Because his earlier efforts tired him tremendously, he did not resist. Rather, he was glad being back in bed. Afterwards, she took a few steps back and joined her hands before her.

“Please stay here Young Master, I shall go look for the Lady,” she bowed and left the room.

Speechless, the boy stared at the door. Things were getting more and more confusing.

Eventually, the door opened, revealing the previous servant who then bowed, giving way to another woman. She was slightly taller than the maid, around 176cm (5’9’’), and her slender appearance was striking. Her long raven black hair was joined together by a scarlet ribbon near her lower back. Her features were elegant and her skin was similar to the boy’s, almost white. It was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her loveliness was emphasized by the gorgeous red and black kimono she was wearing.

Deep red eyes were looking at him. The boy sat on the bed looking at her, speechless. The black haired woman gasped, and brought her left hand to her mouth. Shock could be seen on her face.

“Kira…” she whispered before her eyes moistened.

Soon after, the woman rushed toward him, knelt and took him in a warm embrace close to her chest. At first, the boy stiffened but he soon left himself melt. The warmth had a somewhat nostalgic feeling and the sound of the steady heartbeat was soothing. He remembered that faint jasmine scent. He knew her. Was he actually partially conscious during those five years the cat talked about? Could he recall events from that time?

“Do you recognize me?” the woman asked after releasing him.

“I think I do…” he nodded.

She gave him the brightest smile before hugging him again.

‘Damn she is beautiful… But she is my… mother? And my name’s Kira?’

In his past life, he never knew his mother and his childhood friends were his family. The situation felt awkward to him and he did not know how to react. He tried to speak again but he coughed instead.

Hearing that, she held him gently by the shoulders and looked at him.

“Water please…” Kira requested weakly.

Realization struck the maid, and she hastily knelt beside them and lowered her head deeply, hands joined in front of her.

“Lady Kaguya, I am very sorry I forgot my duties. I am deeply ashamed. Please allow me to…”

“It is fine Shizuru. Do not worry. Hand me the tray, ” the lady ordered after she raised her left hand and smiled.

As the servant carried out her demand, Kaguya gently put the boy’s head on her lap. She then brought a small cup to his lips and Kira gratefully drank the water.

“Thank you,” the boy said.

The lady answered with a smile. Following that, she took the bowl of gruel and began to feed him. Actually, the reborn boy felt a bit awkward to be treated like child, but he was a child at this moment so he simply complied with the silent request. The genuine smile of the woman was simply too endearing and he could not refuse.

After finishing his meal he sighed deeply, feeling warm and content. As the woman started gently stroking his long black hair, he felt drowsy and soon fell asleep.

**********

Kira woke up the next day. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a new place. The room was larger than the previous one, but arranged in the same style. Colorful and elegant tapestries were hanging on the wall, representing landscapes and flowers.

The boy felt way better than previously. Perhaps the conclusion of the soul transfer had taken a heavy toll on both body and mind.

The youth sat on the mattress he was lying on and he stretched his arms.

Then, he noticed Kaguya who was looking at him. His mother was seated behind a low table where various scrolls and books were scattered. Behind her, the sliding doors were open and Kira could see the garden. The woman was holding a writing brush and smiled at him.

“Good morning, Kira,” the lady said joyfully.

“Good morning,” the boy answered after standing up.

Afterward, the woman put her brush aside and came to hug him. As always, Kira felt awkward in her embrace but did not protest. He would not deny her happiness for no reason. Being a cute little boy brought some opportunities. He knew that from his past life. Also the woman looked nice and kind to him.

“Are you well?” Kaguya asked him.

“I think so but I still am a bit confused.”

“Is that so? Please wait here.”

She stood up and left the room. Then Kira went to the table to satisfy his curiosity. The books and scrolls were obviously written in different languages, but he could understand most of them: the one he was talking with Kaguya and three others. That was probably due to the gift of the cat.

‘At least, he left me something useful’.

Among the documents, he found some intriguing titles like “Cases of soul sickness”, “Strange behaviors” and “The purge of Garesh”. The boy was looking at a book full of drawings of sick men and women. Pain could be seen on their faces and veins were showing on their whole bodies. On the side, you could read words like “blue skin”, “pain”, “weakness”, “difficult breathing”.

‘Is this?’ Due to his past knowledge, Kira knew what all of this meant and he began sweating.

“Little children should not be looking at such pictures,” a soft voice said from behind him.

Due to the implications, he was so deep in his thoughts he did not notice his mother came back. The lady closed the book and Kira stared at her. She smiled and led him by the hand to a small black tray with sliced fruits and a cup of tea.

“You should be hungry. It is frugal, however lunch should be served soon. Please eat.”

Kira realized she was right so he sat gratefully. Meanwhile, Kaguya worked on her writings.

“How was it?” she asked after he had finished.

“Delicious. Thank you,” he replied honestly. He had rarely eaten fruits that good.

“Good.”

“What were those drawings?” the boy asked after some time.

“We shall not speak of the matter for now as you are too young.” Kaguya answered coldly and her expression darkened.

It was the first time Kira heard her speak with such a definitive tone so he was taken aback. He decided to change the subject.

“What was I like before yesterday?”

“Ever since you were born, you were unwell. You understood words and learned however you neither talked nor expressed yourself.” She told him with a sad look.

“I am sorry. I can’t remember…”

“It is fine. Yes, it should be fine now.” Kaguya stated.

“Can I look around?”

“Why are you so in a hurry to leave me?” she asked as amusement could be seen on the corner of her eyes.

“I am not! I am just…”

“It is fine. However please do not leave the house.”

Kira expression brightened. Because the boy had never seen so much greenery in his life, he was actually very interested in the garden.

‘She might be my mother and nice and pretty but I’m not going to do everything she says. There shouldn’t be any problem if I take a stroll around the garden. I might even get a bit more information about this place. I’d rather not ask and look too suspicious.’

Also, he needed some time alone to think. The books and scrolls had stunned him and he was troubled.

As Kaguya was staring at him, a glint of amusement appeared in her eyes.

“Rest assured, if by ill luck something unpleasant happens, I would make sure to address the matter so we never speak of it again,” the lady announced before she gave off a crystalline laugh.

‘What the… can she read my mind?’ Kira thought when he felt a chill and a somewhat dangerous vibe.

“Yes,” the boy gasped. Perhaps the woman was more than just a caring mother.

“You may go,” Kaguya declared.

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