Suddenly on a Leash (1)

Chapter six

"Mmn?!"
I made a surprised noise as Sora let the kiss linger there for a moment longer.
He was kissing me?!
After a minute or two he pulled away and looked me in the face. "There. I have now claimed you as a familiar."
My face went hot, "Hey! Don't surprise me like that...!"

"Would you rather me alerting you before I kiss you...?"

".... I'd rather you didn't do it at all....!"

"Sorry. That's the contract."

I pouted, my face steaming a little.
Stupid Sora...
"Then what's with this dumb collar..?!"
I pointed to the annoyance around my throat. Sora shrugged, his face expressionless, and he looked at me from the corner of his eye. "It looks cute on you."
I growled, blushing profusely, partially from anger and partially from frustration. "Sora...!"
He was so annoying...!
"So then what was all that nonsense about us being one?! How can you read me??"

"I can hear everyone's thoughts. Not just yours."

"Why?!"

"How else am I supposed to hear the prayers...?"

I folded my arms, steamed. "... True..."
Sora rolled his eyes at me. "Come on."
He started to drag me towards the shrine.
I huffed.
Dumb Sora...
"Heard that, Cocoa."
"AYANO."

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

We both came into the cozy wooden shrine, slipping off our shoes by the door before stepping into the hall.
I beamed, in absolute awe.
"Ahhh...! It's so pretty!" I marveled. "And it's so warm in here!"
I inhaled the air. "Ugh, but it smells like fox butt..."
"Hey."
I only laughed a little. I couldn't help but be elated just by being here! This shrine always made me so happy when I was growing up...!
Sora tilted his head, eyeing me a bit curiously. "Why do you look so intent being here...?"
I grinned and turned to him with a giggle. "Growing up I'd always wondered what it looked like on the inside of the shrine!"
I started to laugh, as if I was a little girl again. I couldn't help but smile! The shrine's warmth and welcoming hope just seemed to rinse away all the bad omen and unhappy feelings I'd felt before reaching this place. Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much to be here...
The place was just so cozy.
"Master, are you home?"
I turned at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Someone else was here...? Somehow I found that difficult to believe... Meeting Sora I was under the impression that he wasn't around people much; he wasn't too friendly.
I watched, wide-eyed, as a new person stepped into view.
It was a boy, maybe around my age, with sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a traditional Japanese kimono, same as Sora was, but his looked a little different in both color and style. His expression was blank, and yet his eyes were so full of life it made up for it in full. Even so, the most prominent detail about him was that he, too, had ears and a tail; but his appeared to be dog, not fox. Factoring that in, he was adorable.
"Yuto," Sora addressed him. "We have a guest."
He motioned to me, and as the boy's bright blue eyes pinned me, I assumed it was my turn to speak. "Oh, um, hello, my name is Ayano... Pleased to meet you..."
I bowed. Perhaps this was another of Sora's familiars, I wondered?
When there was a confusing pause, I slowly raised my head and blushed at the expression the boy was giving me. Why was he looking at me like th...?
"SHES SO CUTE!"
"AHHH!"
In a split second, he'd charged and knocked me over, and before I could even blink, the boy that was once there was now a small dog, barking and wagging his tail wildly, leaving me blinking in surprise, my face almost a ghostly white.
"U-u-uhm....?"
My voice trembled.
What was happening?!?
Sora merely rolled his eyes, seemingly completely unaffected by the whole scene.
"Yuto, that's no way to treat a guest... I've told you this..."
Don't tell me this was his usual behavior...?!
So much for a peaceful life in a cozy shrine...!