[AQ] Shakespeare's Romeow And Purriet [Kou/Koemi/X-Mod]

[Kou]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}The Great Cat Detective
+ Description: Recently there have been a lot of lost cat posters around town. It seems someone has lost their precious 'President McRuffles' and is offering a reward for his prompt return! Mr. President's owner, Ms. Tanaka says you might have some luck if you try searching the park with a can of salmon...From his pictures he's a fairly fat cat...
+ Begin the great goose chase for the President: +1 Faberge, -1 Roost
+ Try to pass off some other fat cat as President McRuffles and claim the reward: -1 Faberge, +2 Roost
+ Find the cat but hesitate about returning him...he's actually pretty cute: +2 Guardians, -1 Faberge
+ Take down the posters, its just some old lady's cat, right: -2 Faberge, +1 Roost
+ Requirements: Tag an X-mod if you take down the posters/refuse to return the cat to face Ms. Tanaka's wrath or tag an x-mod to collect the randomized reward
+ Submitted by Kingmochi

[ Continuation of Guardian Playdate ]


 Kou stood staring at a photograph printed on a ‘lost cat’ poster, that was now decorating the front wall of his parents convenience store. "Hello there, President McRuffles.” The name had become familiar over the past week. Too familiar, in fact. “What a lovely day we’re having-...” His fake smile was followed by a grumble, as he ripped the poster down. Honestly, it didn’t matter. The minute that one was gone, another five would soon show up in it’s place.

At this point, he couldn’t help wondering if this was a sign. As if someone was personally requesting him to take on this mission. As the clever tracker, he could easily find this cat. No problem. Cept, there was one: He hated cats.

Kou glanced over the crumpled up paper, one more time. The one thing that was tempting, was the ‘reward’ part. Not knowing what it was, was the bummer, but with a name like President McRuffles, it had to be something generous in sum or size.

[Koemi]

My, what a cute cat. The girl thought absentmindedly while she saw the posters. In the middle of her day dreams Koemi failed to notice the main information about the fluffy cat picture. The poster had been there for a while now, in fact over the whole neighborhood. However Koemi always failed to notice those small details. Yet.. something about it called her attention today. Something about that furry felines face was calling her in. It was like the universe was trying to tell her something.

The girl looked up to her front, taking her eye off the poster and almost immediately forgetting about it. Of course, now the universe had put someone way more interesting in front of her. “Kou-kun! You should not rip posters like that you know!“ Seeing the crumpled paper in kous hand took her back to the day she tossed posters off the window of the school. It was something quite hard to forget. “What's this? More Faberge posters?” Koemi walked closer to Kou in little hops, pressing her cheek against his arm to take a peek.

On what remained of the original poster Koemi could read the words “missing cat”. She gasped in a dramatic manner. “Oh!! There’s a missing cat?!? That's terrible! Poor thing!”

[Kou]

And that’s when Koemi showed up to disturb him from his thoughts. “Good morning to you, too.” He let show a mocking smile, on account of her not politely greeting him. It was too late to fold the ‘lost cat’ poster in half, but that didn’t stop him from trying to lie about it. “It’s our new flyers for the shop. We're trying to advertise new and improved dairy milk.” Nice attempt.

“Lies!” Shin, who’d just detected dishonesty, was now poking his head out of the pocket of Kou’s work apron. It was only after lecturing the dishonest boy, that he became aware of the new arrival. “Hello, Koemi! Is Coronella with you?” He hadn’t seen his overzealous friend since the incident with the fearsome beast in the school yard.

“Noooo… what makes you say that?” Kou carried on his discussion as if Shin hadn’t made his presence known. There was about a gazillion of those posters around town, and the fact that Koemi only noticed now was beyond him. He held the poster up a bit more, causing an instant reaction from his guardian. “That’s--...!”

[Koemi]

“Buuu!! Kou-kun was ready to trick me again!” Koemi shook her firsts in the air with her signature expression: puffed cheeks. “Shin ~ It's good to see you!” Koemi couldn't help but talk more sweetly to the little blue guardian. “Well Coronella is---” She opened her bag but before she could reach inside-- “PIPIPIIIHH!” The ‘oh so familiar’ sound of a whistles came buzzing from her sack, making it vibrate. “Done organizing all of your content ! Now it's your turn to---Shin!” Coronella’s head popped out of the bag, which was now sparkling on the inside, like a box of jewels. The only thing that could take Coronella away from her duty was Shin. “Shiiin!!!” Like a missile Coronella tackled him with all her loving might. “...Right here---” Koemi watched as her strict guardian became out of character and rubbed her cheek on Shin.

Looking for a cat sounded very tiresome...But never fear! If she could chara change she could manage! “Right Coroene--” “AAAAAHHH!!!!” The small lady pointed toward the picture with a mixed expression of fear and anger. “It's the beast!!!! The beast is back!!” “Eh?” Koemi blinked in an oblivious manner. “No that's a cat--wait you’ve seen it before??” “POSITIVE!” Coronella seemed to hiss at the sight of the cat, to signify it was an old enemy. Koemi on the other hand looked at Kou with puppy dog eyes full of hope. “A-Anyway! We must find the cat Kou-kun! Think of how lonely he must be!”

[Kou]

“Affirmative!” Shin replied without hesitation, and in sync with Coronella. The two were still glued to each other’s side from the earlier hug. Kou was starting to realize that the two guardians were spending too much time with one another, causing their personalities to blend. If Shin started blowing whistles 24/7, being around him would become a living nightmare. More so than he already pretended it to be.

“We tried to reason with it, but it was all-... Rahh! And Ahhh!” Shin re-enacted the scene with pinpoint accuracy. Too bad the whole thing went down in a much more different way for them, then it did for the fat fluffy cat. “That seems all fun and dandy, but where did you two see it?” Kou held up the poster in preparation for an interrogation. Luckily, his guardian had an exceptional memory. “Right outside your classroom window, by the giant tree, with the tiny berries. It was at exactly two forty-eight in the afternoon, give or take a few seconds.” The odds of him still being there seemed slim, but it was the only lead they had.

“You really want to go on some wild goose chase?” It sounded troublesome, but with his tracking skills, he figured he could do this with his eyes closed. Now he even had Koemi to take care of the tasks he might not want to do during their search. “Alright, fine. But only because you really want to.” Actually, it was for the potential sweet reward.

[Koemi]

“It's like Shin says! There was also a lot of motor noises coming from it! It even stole my whistle!! We battled to take it back!” Coronella helped with the portrayal of their adventure. Koemi couldn't understand how a fluffy cat could cause so much destruction. It was as if she was hearing a godzilla movie. “And then?! Did the strategy work?!” Koemi was getting lost in their little story, forgetting the point of it being the missing cat. Luckily for her Kou wasn’t one to get distracted so easily. “Ohhh, right! The cat, yes yes….tell me the rest later okay?” Koemi whispered to the guardians, not wanting the boy to notice.

“Oh! I know that tree!” Koemi clapped her hands as a lightbulb appeared on top of her head. “I always look at its berries when class is too dull!” “Bad Koemi!!! You must stay focused on the teacher!” Coronella pointed her tiny finger at the girl. Even a small snap from Coronella was enough to make Koemi shiver. “T-That's irrelevant right now! We should focus on the cat! Poor kitty must be missing home! Starving! We have to find it!” Koemi felt empathy for the feline. Being away from home was hard. If she didn’t have her grandmother and Kou with her she would be feeling lonely. “Think of it as a treasure hunt Kou-kun! Surely with the two--four of us we can find it easily!” Koemi was pumped! “You know I can’t do it without youuu ~” She winked cutely at Kou. At this point she knew he would come with her no matter what.

With everything settled (even though their guardians weren't looking forward to it), they headed back to school. “Kittyyy!!! Come here Kittyy!!! Pssppsppss! Come here boy!” They were right under the tree, and from the bottom of it, Koemi yelled to attract the cat out of hiding- If he was there at all. “Hum….maybe we should have brought some tuna for President McRuffles...Or maybe it prefers fancy salmon since its a president!” “It doesn’t deserve any food!! It’s evil!” Coronella was hiding in Koemi bag for good measure, with only above her nose being visible. “Coronella it’s just a cute kitty!” Her words had no effect. “Kou-kun... I don’t see it...what should we do?”

[Kou]

On their journey towards the school, only Koemi called out for the lost cat. Kou silently scanned every corner for a flash of fur that might dart away at the sound of his friends loud voice. Unfortunately, they’d made it to the tree without any sign of the lost pet. Kou’s guardian, that was also taking refuge inside of Koemi’s bag, looked disappointed. “We’re too late.” What a shame

“Leave it to me to save the day, as always.” As much as he agreed with Coronella, Kou was not one to come unprepared. “Our supply of fancy feast for royal kitties was low, so I opted for the alternative.”  From his pocket, he retrieved a small golden can of snack tuna that he’d taken the liberty of fetching from his family’s convenience store. It was for a good cause, so he hoped his parent's wouldn't mind.

“Ugh... “ Kou pulled open the lid and then proceeded to pass the can under Koemi’s nose. “That smells unpleasant!” Shin made a face from being so close to the fish, and decided to bury his head back into the bag. He’d much rather smell something nice-... like Coronella’s hair, or this half eaten jelly doughnut Koemi seemed to be saving as a snack. “You think? I find it smells like a fresh bed of roses. Koemi? Any Opinion?” He teased the girl, before placing the tin down on the ground. They’d use this as bait to lure in their target.

[Koemi]

“Oh?” Her eyes locked on to Kou’s pocket. “Gasp! Don’t tell me you brought what I think you brought? Wow!” Her resourceful friend must really want to save this cat! Aw, if only she had known sooner that he was such a cat lover! “Nobody can resist the sweet smell of foo---GAH!?!” The strong ‘fragrance’ of canned fish soon invaded Koemi nose. The girl was quick to save herself by covering her face with her hand. Coronella coughed loudly. “Male soldier what are you doing?! What is this? Poisonous gas? We need masks, now!! What if Shin gets infected?!” “No worries about me hum?” Koemi sighed. This was favoritism! Though she couldn't blame Coronella...Shin was indeed cute. “ Uuu, maybe a bed of dead roses that got taken over by mermaids! Will this really work? It's so sme---oh.”

In a matter of seconds after Kou activated the ‘trap’ on the ground, rustling noises of leaves came from a nearby bush. Piercing yellow eyes where shining behind the wall of leaves. Soon a little white paw popped out of the bush, slowly making its way out. A fluffy cat was right in front of them. “No way! It actually worked?” Quicker than she had anticipated. “Come here President McRuffles! We will take you home!” Koemi stepped forward, her move so abrupt that it startled the feline. This caused the cat to bolt through the greenery. “Ah-” “AAHHH! Its retreating!! We must capture it before it reaches the base! QUICK KOEMI! AFTER IT!” Coronella gave the orders, and before Koemi had any saying on this, she had chara changed. “ALRIGHT!!! QUICK KOU-KUN WE MUST CAPTURE THE PRESIDENT!” With a whistle now on her neck, Koemi dragged Kou with her on the hunt.

They ran right after it, across bushes and fences. They even took shortcuts in alleys. Wherever the cat went, they made sure to follow in hot pursuit.It was surprisingly fast, for such a big kitty! Their little race lead them through Otonoki’s Local park, that spanned several blocks in all directions. Unfortunately for them the countless trees and bushes around the lake were perfect for the cat to hide in. “WE HAVEN’T GIVEN UP YET!” Koemi was hoping onto picnic tables and climbing up trees, looking around like a true vigilante. “It must be around! Even if we have to look through THE ENTIRE PARK!” It seemed like Koemi’s chara change was here to stay for some time.

[Kou]

“That would make for a fantastic air freshener name.” ‘Mermaids in a bed of dead roses’ Companies should take note of this. There was no time to make further jokes, with the rustling that caught the group's attention.

“Of course it worked-... The plan was flawless!” Actually, he hadn’t much hope for this to succeed, especially as fast as it did. Things were going swimmingly, until Koemi tried to approach the pet. “You scared it away, Koemi-chan!” Shin pointed out the obvious once more. “Hard to believe such a delicate flower could do such a thing...” Before Kou could speak again, Koemi was dragging him onwards. He relied on all his track club skills to keep up with his energetic friend who wanted to, and I quote 'Capture the President'. “It’s yelling lines like this that make us so inconspicuous!!” The male called out, though no one payed it mind. “After that cat!”

The real fun began once they were inside of Otonoki’s park. Parents looked on concerned when the duo ran through the play area for children. They dashed across an ongoing game of hopscotch, but at least made it to the end like the others! Bird watchers caught a glimpse of the two students passing through the no longer peaceful scenery, and fishermen frowned when Kou scared off their catch by almost stumbling into the lake. Anyone they passed made sure to keep away from the visibly crazed students- especially the one who was playing monkey in the trees. “Keep screaming, I’m sure that’ll draw it out of hiding…!” While she scouted from above, Kou finally caught his breath below.

“The entire park!?” No way, nu un! As soon as Kou noticed the four legged creature make a dash towards another bush, he didn’t hesitate. There was a slight scuffle with hissing noises that ended with man outsmarting beast… sort of.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” Kou stepped back into view, spitting out fur and holding the feisty animal up at arms length. It flailed around angrily, while successfully making damage to Kou's cheek: three horizontal lines on the skin. This was why he hated cats! “Now can we go bring this thing back-...?!” Only one problem with that… The cat he had, wasn’t President Mc Ruffles!!

[Koemi]

No cat would get away on her watch, or her name wasn’t Koemi: the cat catcher! Actually she never had a cat before, much less held one to be honest. But this didn't matter! She looked from side to side, concentrating for any noise from her surroundings. “OKAY I SHALL!!” too bad she was being louder than anything else.

Next thing she knew Kou had dived right into a bush. “Did you find something?!” Koemi hopped down from her high spot, landing gracefully on her two feet. “Kou-kun? I hear--” Lots of hissing. Leaves rustling violently. It was like a fight in there! “Be gentle with it Kou-kun!!” It sounded more like the cat needed to be gentle with him though! All those scratch sounds! After a few minutes a furious kitty emerged from the foliage followed right by---Kou? “....Nice...whiskers you got there Kou-kun.” She tried to hold the laugh in. The scratches the cat did surely made Kou look more, ‘feline’. This was enough to slip off her chara change.

“Its not him!!” Coronella popped her head out, to point at the cat. “Eh?” Koemi looked closely. Surely it looked similar, but it wasn’t the same! “You sure? Maybe it just got thinner since it became lost--” Coronella huffed in response. “A soldier is always sure Koemi! I would never forget the face of the beast!” Specially since it sat on her. “Hum..Are you also lost little fella?” Koemi used a kinder voice, and crouched to look closer at the cat. “Did you see the President?” In reply the cat simply gave a soft ‘meow’ as if it could understand Koemi. “Awww, isn’t it a cutie?” As any other girl that like cute things, Koemi was already charmed by the cat.

“Maybe if we release it, it will take us to their leader!” Or if they gave it some food, it would be more willing to cooperate with them. “Do you have more cans of stinky fish Kou-kun?” “Gah!! Not the smelly stuff again!”

[Kou]

If he wasn’t trying to control the energetic beast, Kou might’ve reached to touch his injury. He didn’t know how bad it was, but it sure did sting! “It’s nothing compared to my claws…” He warned in annoyance. At least their hunt was over… or was it?

Kou looked at the cat once more. It wasn’t the one in the poster, after all. “What do you mean? It’s definitely him!” “It’s obviously not the same cat!” Shin with his perfect memory, chimed in as well. “Potato, Potahto. Let’s just give her this one. The cat lady won’t even notice the difference from her precious president. They’re both… adorably fit.” If he didn’t know any better, Kou would say the cat was getting longer the more he held it up. Such a cutie indeed...

“No, I thought you picked it up?” The one can of food Kou had brought was left back at the school. Now what? They’d have to walk all the way back, just to get it. The guardians didn’t seem too keen on the idea, either. And there was absolutely no way he would just rid himself of the doppelganger after all the trouble they went through to catch it. “The vote is unanimous! We should give this fella instead-...” The words had barely left his mouth, when the sound of disagreeing meows came from his feet. Another fat cat was using his leg as a scratching post by running his nails over Kou’s pants. The cat in his hands wiggled and cried out for help from the brave ‘hero’ below. Neither of them looked pleased with the situation.

Two… cats? Kou looked between them in confusion. “I swear they’re multiplying right in front of us.” How was it this easy!? “President McRuffles… and Vice President MissRuffles…?” They appeared to be friends of some sort! So even cats needed company? “Well, there we go! Problem solved.” Their ticket to cash in was right at his feet, they just had to bring that one to the address on the flyer! “Grab this sack of fluff and let’s get outta here.”

[Koemi]

Koemi pouted at the idea of giving the wrong cat. “It's a cat lady Kou-kun! It’s her baby, she will be able to tell! Gee, it's like telling the difference between a glazed donut and a sugar donut!” Truth be told she could barely see any difference, but she did believe in the guardians. “Well I mean...it is is adorable.” That fluffy fat body with its ear twitching from time to time. Who could say no to it?

“Hum….Oopsy daisy?” It didn’t even occur to her to get the can of food. She was too focused on not letting the cat escape! It seemed like they wouldn't use the same trick twice now. “Wait, no! I didn’t agree to this!-” Koemi was ready to protest again, but then... “THEY ARE MULTIPLYING! ITS HIM! IT’S THE BEAST!!” Coronella was quick to shut the bags zipper and hide. Koemi on the other hand. “KYAAA!!!” She squealed in glee. “Oh my god! Look at it Kou-kun! It came to help its friend! It's so cute ahh!!” Koemi pressed her hands against her cheeks and tilted ther head side to side. “I must record this! Stay still and let me get my phone, Kou-kun!”

“Oh! Great title Kou-kun! I will name it that when this vid goes viral!” Koemi held her phone aiming at both cats and Kou that was in the middle of the mess. “Awww, look at how cute” Koemi cheeks were rosy. “Okay, okay I get it!” taking one last picture Koemi got President in her arms. The cat however kept struggling in her arms, calling and trying to move toward the other cat Kou held. “They like each other so much!” Then it occured her…

“Kou-kun we must keep the cats for ourselves.” Koemi spoke out of the blue, but she was dead serious. “WHAT NO!!” A Coronella’s muffled scream could be heard inside the bag. But was ignored by Koemi. “I mean look! They want to be together! What if Ms Tanaka doesn’t want Vice President!? This means we gotta protect their love!”

[Kou]

“W-What?” They didn’t have time for a photoshoot! “You can look into a photography career some other day, Koemi! Focus here-...” Her request to become a statue was denied. Kou had to do a little dance from side to side just to avoid having the fatter cat at his feet attempt to climb up his body. “Hey paparazzi, if you don’t help out I’m leaving without you!” The white cat was clinging to his leg now, in spite of Kou’s attempts to shake it off.

“I’m all for 'protecting love', but I have to agree with Coronella.” There was a reward at stake, and he wouldn’t give that up for the imaginary romance Koemi had conceptualized in that crazy mind of hers. Even if the cats were meowing and fighting furiously to get closer to one another. “I know cats are just… the greatest…” He barely got the words out, while looking at the claw marks on forearms. “... but what do you even know about raising animals?” Having very little say in the matter, Shin let himself get closed into the backpack. It was for his own safety, after all.

“We’re bringing him back to his home.” Kou reached for the cat in Koemi’s arms, to no avail. “Give me the cat, Koemi!” He tried again, but was stuck with the President's clone. Not wanting to waste his time, he decided to let her have what she wanted. Plan B was much better anyways. “Fine, you win-...”

Without giving her a chance to celebrate, Kou took off. The cat secured it’s claws into his body for safety, looking terrified at the sudden run through the park that lead them down the town’s main street. Where were they going!?! Why, to Ms.Tanaka’s home, of course! There was a reward with Kou’s name on it, waiting to be exchanged for this big guy. Arriving at his destination, Kou wasted no time banging his knuckles against the front door.

[Koemi]

“Awww! But you even match with those whiskers on your face!” This was meant to be a compliment with no sarcasm what so ever. She would even dare to call Kou ‘cute’ right now, but the kitties needed her!

“I well...not much” Koemi shrank. In reality she didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a cat. She used to have a dog once but...she was too little when it happened. Maybe she was not fit to take care of pets after all. At that moment Koemi felt Mr Presidents head against her chest. The cat was looking up to her with shiny eyes, letting a faint meow out his lips. Like it was crying for help. That was a sight! She couldn't give up for both lovers sake.“Love overcomes all!” Koemi puffed her cheeks, protectively holding the fat cat in her arms. “I will keep them!!” She won’t let this love story end in tragedy! Even if Kou was against it she would fight and---she won? “Do you mean we can keep them---Hey, Kou-kun where are you going?” It was too early to be happy.

“Kou-kun! Kouuu-kun! Listen to meeee!” At each step Kou took further from Koemi, President McRuffles would grow more and more agitated, at this rate she wouldn't be able to hold him much longer! She had no other choice but to follow Kou. In her heart she hoped he was going to a pet shop. Maybe to buy more cat food. Put those little fat cats in matching outfits! Well deep down she knew this was only a wishful thinking. The moment Koemi saw Kou entering a residential area she knew what he was up too. “Kou-kun it not too late to change your mind--” It was too late. Koemi saw Kou knocking at the door! Oh no! It was Ms Tanaka’s house!

Koemi was quick to hide behind a fence, crouching and hugging Mr President. She wasn’t ready to give him up yet, and she wasn’t able to protect Vice President! “I am sorry President McRruffles...” Koemi murmured in a sad tone. What was she supposed to do now?


junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨ Miuna

[Miuna]

Ms. Tanaka was a sweet old woman with white hair and wrinkles older than Japan itself. As her frail form reached out and opened the door, she gasped. This wasn't the first time a few students had come to her door, always returning her dear cat to her after he was troublesome enough to run away. She loved that sweet animal but as her joints began to wear down he became harder and harder to control. She started sending the paper boy out to hang Missing posters for her, covering all the areas she couldn't reach with her cane.

At the sight of the young man before her she bowed politely.  From his age she assumed that he was a student, but her cat was nowhere in sight.  Was he here for something else?  He seemed rather young to be a salesperson, but companies these days seemed to be hiring younger and younger.  "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice raspy from age as she peeked around, trying to figure out what purpose he would have for coming to her tiny home.