Fanfic: Three YGO drabbles (2x Kaiba brothers, 1x Bakura/Kisara)
It was almost too easy to kill the guards and free the slaves, although he couldn't care less what happened to the rest of them once the girl was in his possession.
He and his men vanished in the night, leaving fire and destruction behind, and took her with them. She did neither scream nor struggle when they tied her up, and she remained silent until they reached the caves of their hideout.
He had to admit that she impressed him.
-
Now that she was lying on the blankets beneath him, her pale hair seemed to radiate a soft glow in the dim light of the fire. She still hadn't made a sound.
His fingers caressed her cheek, rough on her immaculate skin, and he could feel the powerful force inside her, waiting to be unleashed. He had sensed it from the very moment he saw her.
There was a mighty beast hiding in the depth of her soul. She herself was but the vessel, so pure and fragile under his touch.
His callused brown hands were used to handle precious jewellery, yet her light skin felt so soft and delicate, it was impossible not to be afraid that he might accidentally break her. He took of her blindfold, and the blue eyes looked at him.
Her gaze was shy, yet without fear.
There was no reason for her to be afraid. He knew it as soon as he looked into these clear eyes - these were the eyes of someone who had nothing left to lose. Just like him, this girl had seen too much death to be scared of dying.
His fingers brushed through her pale hair and she closed her eyes.
It was time to find out what lay beneath this innocent shell.
Yet he was soon to discover that her power could not be freed when her mind was still conscious. In order to wield it, one had to break her.
A skilled thief never broke precious things.
-
The following night, she escaped. He saw her pale hair shimmering in the moonlight, like the faint glow of a lost soul, as she ran away into the darkness of the desert.
She was of no use to him as she was, so he let her go. For as fragile as this strange and foreign girl might be, she was not yet broken - although he knew it was only a matter of time.
But she would not die through his hands, not tonight.
***
The white dragon spread its mighty wings and roared with anger and despair.
Kaiba had summoned his ace monster.
Bakura grinned. It certainly was a sight to behold, yet no matter how Kaiba was obsessed with this creature; he was still ignorant to its true beauty.He could not see what Bakura saw, and he could not appreciate it the way the ghost of the ring did.
To Bakura, there was nothing as graceful as the destruction of something beautiful.
Title: Where We Differ
Characters: Noa-centric, Seto
Rating: K
Summary: He liked to think that, somehow, Seto was able to watch him now - he wanted a witness for his silent victory over the person that had taken his rightful place.
Note: 600 words drabble written for a challenge at the ygodrabble community. The prompt was "Belief".
It had been one of the first lessons his father had taught him.
People only see what they want to see.
And what the employees of KC saw was their young CEO, his coat waving behind him, as he made for his bureau. What they didn’t see was the grin on his face, displaying an almost childish delight when they addressed him as “Mr. Kaiba”, and the eagerness he hardly was able to conceal when he finally reached his destination.
The moment he entered the bureau, he noticed that the entire furniture had been changed except for the chair behind the desk. An amused smile appeared on his lips.
Oh, Seto. Of course, he would keep father’s chair as a symbol for his own superiority.
With a chuckle, he leaned back in the dark leather chair and turned around to face the window front that provided an excellent view over the city. His grin widened and he felt his heartbeat quickening as the feeling of triumph rushed through him like an electric current.
So this was how it felt to be alive.
***
When he arrived at the mansion after work, he explored room after room and he was delighted to see things he remembered here and there in the otherwise completely rearranged interior.
It was odd, in a way, to be home after such a long time.
While he was rediscovering the mansion, he enjoyed every bit of it - to be out of breath after running down the stairs, to feel the cold in the refrigerator, to taste the sweetness of chocolate, and, most of all, to be twice the size he used to be, after not having grown a single inch in all these years. He liked to believe that even the smell of the air in the corridors and the warmth of the sun shining through the window curtains were different.
He was already looking forward to go to sleep; he even was excited about brushing his teeth and the sharp taste of toothpaste he vaguely remembered.
All in all, he felt great.
***
When he hacked into Seto’s private laptop, he liked to think that, somehow, Seto was able to watch him now - he wanted a witness for his silent victory over the person that had taken his rightful place.
As for Mokuba, he thought, I’ll be a much better brother for him than you ever were.
That’s right, Seto.
The smile widened to a grin, yet there was no joy in it.
Nobody will miss you.
***
He was standing in front of the door to Mokuba’s room, but he was reluctant to enter. He hadn’t forgotten how strong Mokuba’s trust in his brother was, no matter what Seto had done to him.
Was he deceiving himself when he believed that Mokuba wouldn’t notice?
Unconsciously, he had started to fondle the locket on the leather string that Seto used to wear, and following his awakened curiosity, he opened it, half-expecting to find Seto’s ridiculous dragons inside.
He bit his lip as he looked at Mokuba’s beaming face.
He felt something wet on his cheek.
There would be someone missing Seto.
***
As Seto woke up, he was lying in one of his virtual capsules. Slowly, he sat up, and the dizziness faded together with the vague feeling of loneliness. He didn’t know when or how he had passed out, but he deducted that it had to be a malfunction of the system.
Then a thought flashed through his mind, like a mocking voice in the back of his head.
People only believe what they want to believe.
Title: A New Pet
Characters: Seto, Noa, Mokuba and the aforementioned pet ;), hints of Noa/Mokuba, Seto/???
Rating: K
Note: This is the revised version of a ficlet I've posted ages ago.
Written for foxysquid as part of a meme, filling the prompts "Kaiba brothers", "kittens", and general fluffiness and silliness. :3
It's a colaboration, and you can find foxysquid 's part (revealing the mysterious date and more shenanigans) here !
„Nii-sama!“
The door was opened before Seto could react.
Sometimes he cursed himself for giving in to Mokuba’s plea not to lock his door all the time, even if he was busy, because he already spent most of his time in front of his laptop and not nearly enough with his little brother.
“I have no time, Mokuba”, he declared, buttoning his shirt and looking for the light blue tie that would match his white suit.
“Oh”, Mokuba sounded a bit disappointed. “I thought you didn’t have any meetings on weekends anymore.”
“I don’t”, Seto answered shortly, keeping his gaze fixed on the mirror, before he sighed and finally turned to his brother.
“What is it, Mokuba?”
The boy gave him a pleading look. “You said I could buy me anything if I wanted it, right?”, he asked.
At once, Seto felt a bit suspicious.
“Yes, of course, as long as it’s not-…” He was interrupted by a soft, meowing sound.
Mokuba looked a bit guilty as a small black kitten entered the room, still meowing and apparently searching for attention.
“Uhm, well, I met her at a friend’s house - you know, he was looking for people to take a kitten or two from his cat’s litter - and she and I got along pretty well-…”
“I don’t have the time to take care of an animal”, Seto said, eyeing the cat with distrust.
“I will!”, Mokuba exclaimed immediately. “And when I’m away, Isono will take care of her for me. I asked him already.”
Seto was still not convinced to have something living in his house that was out of his control.
The cat however seemed quite unimpressed by his resentment and rubbed itself against his legs, ruining his dark trouser with cat hair in the process. Seto glared at the animal, which just looked up to him with its astonishingly blue eyes.
Quickly, Mokuba interfered and took the kitten in his arms, though he couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“She seems to like you”, he said happily.
The older Kaiba run his hand over his face, trying to maintain his temper.
“She…”, he paused and corrected himself. “It is not allowed to enter my room. And I trust you to take care of it.”
When Mokuba beamed at this announcement, Seto couldn’t help but smile.
“Why did you want a kitten, anyway?”, he asked, acting much more relaxed now that matters were decided in an acceptable fashion, and the sight of Mokuba laughing as the kitten was licking his chin did do the rest.
“Oh, it was Noah’s idea!”, the younger Kaiba explained, not noticing that his older brother twitched at the mentioning of their stepbrother.
“Noah”, he repeated coolly. “Let me guess, he told you to buy it because he knew very well I wouldn’t approve.”
Mokuba just smiled. “Nii-sama, don’t be like that. Noah respects you, he really does.”
Seto snorted, not the least convinced. Sometimes Mokuba couldn’t help but to wonder how Seto, as the oldest Kaiba, could be the most childish of them all at times.
“Then enlighten me. If it wasn’t to annoy me, why did he encourage you to acquire a kitten?”
His brother was avoiding his gaze now.
“Well, it is a bit stupid…”
Seto raised an eyebrow when Mokuba looked at the cat that was tugging at the sleeve of his striped pullover.
“He thought I might like her because she has so strange eyes”, he said, grinning at his own explanation, as if it was a joke that Seto just didn’t get.
“What is with its eyes?”, the CEO asked, impatiently. “They are-…”
“Noah said she looks like you.” Mokuba was beaming at him. “You know, we could call her ‘Seto’”.
Now Seto was completely convinced that Noah had planned to work his last nerve with that ridiculous idea. Seto felt the urge to yell at Mokuba for daring to call a female kitten by his name, but the younger one already saw his expression and looked down at the floor.
“… I knew you’d think this is stupid. I’ll give her back, okay?”
Seto felt a sudden rush of guilt, which he surely didn’t feel very often. Only Mokuba could make him feel this miserable.
“No, it’s yours”, he said immediately. “You can do with it whatever you want. I don’t care.”
Mokuba let the kitten jump to the floor and hugged his brother tightly around his waist.
“Thank you, Nii-sama!”
Seto sighed, as he awkwardly patted his little brother’s head.
Perhaps it was better this way. Now Mokuba had something to occupy him and it would surely make him happy for a while.
And if this was the case, Seto would be able to ignore the fact that he was compared to this little fuzzy ball of flees.
“As long as it stays out of my room and my bureau…”, he concluded aloud.
Mokuba smiled and broke away from the embrace.
“You’re the best, Nii-sama”, he said, picking the kitten up and turning to his brother, grinning. “But if you’re seeing someone tonight, you really shouldn’t wear a tie!”, he added before he ran out of the room.
Seto was a bit taken aback by this unexpected piece of advice, but then he realized that Mokuba had to have noticed his perfume. Or maybe the way he had avoided a definite answer. Either way, he was probably right about the tie. It wasn’t fitting for the occasion, was it?
-
As he went downstairs, he heard Mokuba’s laughter from the living room.
Despite the fact that he was now quite late for his appointment he quickly looked inside, only to see Mokuba lying on the couch, his head on Noahs lap, while the cat lay curled up on his belly.
“Oh, hi, Seto.” Noah noticed him almost instantly. “Going on your date?”
Seto was not really surprised, Noah knew almost everything that Mokuba knew. The youngest Kaiba hated it to keep something secret from any of his brothers.
“Yes, and I’m quite late, so I just wanted a short statement.”
He looked at Mokuba, who sat up a bit to have a better look at his big brother. The CEO was now dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. It was still a bit overdressed, but Mokuba smiled and nodded.
“Approved.”
“Yes, you look just dashing”, Noah added with a grin.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Noah”, Seto snapped and quickly turned away, already half through the door, as Mokuba cried after him.
“Wait, when are you coming back, Nii-sama?”
“I don’t know”, was the short answer, then the CEO was gone. They heard the front door close.
“Who is he meeting, I wonder…”, Noah said, still looking at the door.
Mokuba let himself sink back on his lap. “Can’t you guess?”
His stepbrother returned his smile.
“Oh, I suppose it’s not that hard to guess…” His smirk grew a bit wider. “I also guess he won’t be back until morning.”
Mokuba sighed, petting the little cat which was still purring on his belly. “Hm…”
“It’s has such a nice black fur, hasn’t it?”, Noah suddenly remarked, letting his finger stroke casually through Mokuba’s hair.
The younger one looked a bit surprised, but Noah just smiled at him.
“Never mind, I was talking nonsense”, he said quickly, but then, an idea came to him. “You know what? If Seto is going out and leaving us behind… we might as well have our own date for ourselves.”
Mokuba’s face lightened up a bit. “…And what do we do?”
“Oh, nothing particular”, Noah said with a grin. “We could order some pizza and watch a movie - you know, just you, Seto and me.”
He gave the younger one a peck on the lips. Mokuba laughed, trying not to look too embarrassed.
Sometimes, Noah could be so weird.
“Okay”, he quickly agreed and put the cat on the older one’s lap. “Take care of Seto, I’ll get the phone!”
“You know what?”, Noah said, as he was slowly petting the cat, waiting for his young stepbrother to return. “I would have called you ‘Mokuba’ - but then he might have been not that eager to get you.”
The kitten just purred and rubbed its head against his chest.
“And of course, it would have been less fun”, Noah concluded with a smirk. “Don’t you think, Seto?”
The cat meowed in agreement as he started caressing her again.
He and his men vanished in the night, leaving fire and destruction behind, and took her with them. She did neither scream nor struggle when they tied her up, and she remained silent until they reached the caves of their hideout.
He had to admit that she impressed him.
-
Now that she was lying on the blankets beneath him, her pale hair seemed to radiate a soft glow in the dim light of the fire. She still hadn't made a sound.
His fingers caressed her cheek, rough on her immaculate skin, and he could feel the powerful force inside her, waiting to be unleashed. He had sensed it from the very moment he saw her.
There was a mighty beast hiding in the depth of her soul. She herself was but the vessel, so pure and fragile under his touch.
His callused brown hands were used to handle precious jewellery, yet her light skin felt so soft and delicate, it was impossible not to be afraid that he might accidentally break her. He took of her blindfold, and the blue eyes looked at him.
Her gaze was shy, yet without fear.
There was no reason for her to be afraid. He knew it as soon as he looked into these clear eyes - these were the eyes of someone who had nothing left to lose. Just like him, this girl had seen too much death to be scared of dying.
His fingers brushed through her pale hair and she closed her eyes.
It was time to find out what lay beneath this innocent shell.
Yet he was soon to discover that her power could not be freed when her mind was still conscious. In order to wield it, one had to break her.
A skilled thief never broke precious things.
-
The following night, she escaped. He saw her pale hair shimmering in the moonlight, like the faint glow of a lost soul, as she ran away into the darkness of the desert.
She was of no use to him as she was, so he let her go. For as fragile as this strange and foreign girl might be, she was not yet broken - although he knew it was only a matter of time.
But she would not die through his hands, not tonight.
***
The white dragon spread its mighty wings and roared with anger and despair.
Kaiba had summoned his ace monster.
Bakura grinned. It certainly was a sight to behold, yet no matter how Kaiba was obsessed with this creature; he was still ignorant to its true beauty.He could not see what Bakura saw, and he could not appreciate it the way the ghost of the ring did.
To Bakura, there was nothing as graceful as the destruction of something beautiful.
Title: Where We Differ
Characters: Noa-centric, Seto
Rating: K
Summary: He liked to think that, somehow, Seto was able to watch him now - he wanted a witness for his silent victory over the person that had taken his rightful place.
Note: 600 words drabble written for a challenge at the ygodrabble community. The prompt was "Belief".
It had been one of the first lessons his father had taught him.
People only see what they want to see.
And what the employees of KC saw was their young CEO, his coat waving behind him, as he made for his bureau. What they didn’t see was the grin on his face, displaying an almost childish delight when they addressed him as “Mr. Kaiba”, and the eagerness he hardly was able to conceal when he finally reached his destination.
The moment he entered the bureau, he noticed that the entire furniture had been changed except for the chair behind the desk. An amused smile appeared on his lips.
Oh, Seto. Of course, he would keep father’s chair as a symbol for his own superiority.
With a chuckle, he leaned back in the dark leather chair and turned around to face the window front that provided an excellent view over the city. His grin widened and he felt his heartbeat quickening as the feeling of triumph rushed through him like an electric current.
So this was how it felt to be alive.
***
When he arrived at the mansion after work, he explored room after room and he was delighted to see things he remembered here and there in the otherwise completely rearranged interior.
It was odd, in a way, to be home after such a long time.
While he was rediscovering the mansion, he enjoyed every bit of it - to be out of breath after running down the stairs, to feel the cold in the refrigerator, to taste the sweetness of chocolate, and, most of all, to be twice the size he used to be, after not having grown a single inch in all these years. He liked to believe that even the smell of the air in the corridors and the warmth of the sun shining through the window curtains were different.
He was already looking forward to go to sleep; he even was excited about brushing his teeth and the sharp taste of toothpaste he vaguely remembered.
All in all, he felt great.
***
When he hacked into Seto’s private laptop, he liked to think that, somehow, Seto was able to watch him now - he wanted a witness for his silent victory over the person that had taken his rightful place.
As for Mokuba, he thought, I’ll be a much better brother for him than you ever were.
That’s right, Seto.
The smile widened to a grin, yet there was no joy in it.
Nobody will miss you.
***
He was standing in front of the door to Mokuba’s room, but he was reluctant to enter. He hadn’t forgotten how strong Mokuba’s trust in his brother was, no matter what Seto had done to him.
Was he deceiving himself when he believed that Mokuba wouldn’t notice?
Unconsciously, he had started to fondle the locket on the leather string that Seto used to wear, and following his awakened curiosity, he opened it, half-expecting to find Seto’s ridiculous dragons inside.
He bit his lip as he looked at Mokuba’s beaming face.
He felt something wet on his cheek.
There would be someone missing Seto.
***
As Seto woke up, he was lying in one of his virtual capsules. Slowly, he sat up, and the dizziness faded together with the vague feeling of loneliness. He didn’t know when or how he had passed out, but he deducted that it had to be a malfunction of the system.
Then a thought flashed through his mind, like a mocking voice in the back of his head.
People only believe what they want to believe.
Title: A New Pet
Characters: Seto, Noa, Mokuba and the aforementioned pet ;), hints of Noa/Mokuba, Seto/???
Rating: K
Note: This is the revised version of a ficlet I've posted ages ago.
Written for foxysquid as part of a meme, filling the prompts "Kaiba brothers", "kittens", and general fluffiness and silliness. :3
It's a colaboration, and you can find foxysquid 's part (revealing the mysterious date and more shenanigans) here !
„Nii-sama!“
The door was opened before Seto could react.
Sometimes he cursed himself for giving in to Mokuba’s plea not to lock his door all the time, even if he was busy, because he already spent most of his time in front of his laptop and not nearly enough with his little brother.
“I have no time, Mokuba”, he declared, buttoning his shirt and looking for the light blue tie that would match his white suit.
“Oh”, Mokuba sounded a bit disappointed. “I thought you didn’t have any meetings on weekends anymore.”
“I don’t”, Seto answered shortly, keeping his gaze fixed on the mirror, before he sighed and finally turned to his brother.
“What is it, Mokuba?”
The boy gave him a pleading look. “You said I could buy me anything if I wanted it, right?”, he asked.
At once, Seto felt a bit suspicious.
“Yes, of course, as long as it’s not-…” He was interrupted by a soft, meowing sound.
Mokuba looked a bit guilty as a small black kitten entered the room, still meowing and apparently searching for attention.
“Uhm, well, I met her at a friend’s house - you know, he was looking for people to take a kitten or two from his cat’s litter - and she and I got along pretty well-…”
“I don’t have the time to take care of an animal”, Seto said, eyeing the cat with distrust.
“I will!”, Mokuba exclaimed immediately. “And when I’m away, Isono will take care of her for me. I asked him already.”
Seto was still not convinced to have something living in his house that was out of his control.
The cat however seemed quite unimpressed by his resentment and rubbed itself against his legs, ruining his dark trouser with cat hair in the process. Seto glared at the animal, which just looked up to him with its astonishingly blue eyes.
Quickly, Mokuba interfered and took the kitten in his arms, though he couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“She seems to like you”, he said happily.
The older Kaiba run his hand over his face, trying to maintain his temper.
“She…”, he paused and corrected himself. “It is not allowed to enter my room. And I trust you to take care of it.”
When Mokuba beamed at this announcement, Seto couldn’t help but smile.
“Why did you want a kitten, anyway?”, he asked, acting much more relaxed now that matters were decided in an acceptable fashion, and the sight of Mokuba laughing as the kitten was licking his chin did do the rest.
“Oh, it was Noah’s idea!”, the younger Kaiba explained, not noticing that his older brother twitched at the mentioning of their stepbrother.
“Noah”, he repeated coolly. “Let me guess, he told you to buy it because he knew very well I wouldn’t approve.”
Mokuba just smiled. “Nii-sama, don’t be like that. Noah respects you, he really does.”
Seto snorted, not the least convinced. Sometimes Mokuba couldn’t help but to wonder how Seto, as the oldest Kaiba, could be the most childish of them all at times.
“Then enlighten me. If it wasn’t to annoy me, why did he encourage you to acquire a kitten?”
His brother was avoiding his gaze now.
“Well, it is a bit stupid…”
Seto raised an eyebrow when Mokuba looked at the cat that was tugging at the sleeve of his striped pullover.
“He thought I might like her because she has so strange eyes”, he said, grinning at his own explanation, as if it was a joke that Seto just didn’t get.
“What is with its eyes?”, the CEO asked, impatiently. “They are-…”
“Noah said she looks like you.” Mokuba was beaming at him. “You know, we could call her ‘Seto’”.
Now Seto was completely convinced that Noah had planned to work his last nerve with that ridiculous idea. Seto felt the urge to yell at Mokuba for daring to call a female kitten by his name, but the younger one already saw his expression and looked down at the floor.
“… I knew you’d think this is stupid. I’ll give her back, okay?”
Seto felt a sudden rush of guilt, which he surely didn’t feel very often. Only Mokuba could make him feel this miserable.
“No, it’s yours”, he said immediately. “You can do with it whatever you want. I don’t care.”
Mokuba let the kitten jump to the floor and hugged his brother tightly around his waist.
“Thank you, Nii-sama!”
Seto sighed, as he awkwardly patted his little brother’s head.
Perhaps it was better this way. Now Mokuba had something to occupy him and it would surely make him happy for a while.
And if this was the case, Seto would be able to ignore the fact that he was compared to this little fuzzy ball of flees.
“As long as it stays out of my room and my bureau…”, he concluded aloud.
Mokuba smiled and broke away from the embrace.
“You’re the best, Nii-sama”, he said, picking the kitten up and turning to his brother, grinning. “But if you’re seeing someone tonight, you really shouldn’t wear a tie!”, he added before he ran out of the room.
Seto was a bit taken aback by this unexpected piece of advice, but then he realized that Mokuba had to have noticed his perfume. Or maybe the way he had avoided a definite answer. Either way, he was probably right about the tie. It wasn’t fitting for the occasion, was it?
-
As he went downstairs, he heard Mokuba’s laughter from the living room.
Despite the fact that he was now quite late for his appointment he quickly looked inside, only to see Mokuba lying on the couch, his head on Noahs lap, while the cat lay curled up on his belly.
“Oh, hi, Seto.” Noah noticed him almost instantly. “Going on your date?”
Seto was not really surprised, Noah knew almost everything that Mokuba knew. The youngest Kaiba hated it to keep something secret from any of his brothers.
“Yes, and I’m quite late, so I just wanted a short statement.”
He looked at Mokuba, who sat up a bit to have a better look at his big brother. The CEO was now dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. It was still a bit overdressed, but Mokuba smiled and nodded.
“Approved.”
“Yes, you look just dashing”, Noah added with a grin.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Noah”, Seto snapped and quickly turned away, already half through the door, as Mokuba cried after him.
“Wait, when are you coming back, Nii-sama?”
“I don’t know”, was the short answer, then the CEO was gone. They heard the front door close.
“Who is he meeting, I wonder…”, Noah said, still looking at the door.
Mokuba let himself sink back on his lap. “Can’t you guess?”
His stepbrother returned his smile.
“Oh, I suppose it’s not that hard to guess…” His smirk grew a bit wider. “I also guess he won’t be back until morning.”
Mokuba sighed, petting the little cat which was still purring on his belly. “Hm…”
“It’s has such a nice black fur, hasn’t it?”, Noah suddenly remarked, letting his finger stroke casually through Mokuba’s hair.
The younger one looked a bit surprised, but Noah just smiled at him.
“Never mind, I was talking nonsense”, he said quickly, but then, an idea came to him. “You know what? If Seto is going out and leaving us behind… we might as well have our own date for ourselves.”
Mokuba’s face lightened up a bit. “…And what do we do?”
“Oh, nothing particular”, Noah said with a grin. “We could order some pizza and watch a movie - you know, just you, Seto and me.”
He gave the younger one a peck on the lips. Mokuba laughed, trying not to look too embarrassed.
Sometimes, Noah could be so weird.
“Okay”, he quickly agreed and put the cat on the older one’s lap. “Take care of Seto, I’ll get the phone!”
“You know what?”, Noah said, as he was slowly petting the cat, waiting for his young stepbrother to return. “I would have called you ‘Mokuba’ - but then he might have been not that eager to get you.”
The kitten just purred and rubbed its head against his chest.
“And of course, it would have been less fun”, Noah concluded with a smirk. “Don’t you think, Seto?”
The cat meowed in agreement as he started caressing her again.