Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 It's a rainy day. While most people of Gallia found this type of weather annoying for their farm animals, young Ike found enjoyment. The muddy fields of Gallia's countryside were a playground for the small nine-year-old. While returning from a boring day at school, he decided to go to his favorite play spot: An abandoned ranch. The ranch didn't have flat land like his home, but it had hills round and bumpy as a rubber ball.  Ike is no stranger to playing at the abandoned ranch. He's played and possibly broken an arm or two here last year. Sure, it might've scared his mother to pieces but, it was all fun and games for Ike.

Ike kicks off his brand-new Velcro sneakers and slid down the muddy fields as if he were surfing. Just as he was feeling the thrill of "catching his wave", the boy reached the end of the hill. Was it him or was the hills shrinking each time he visited? Or was it the heavy backpack on his back?

Oh well.

Just as Ike is about to try sliding down another hill, he hears a faint cry. Farm animals were common in Gallia, after all this country's pride was farming and agriculture. However, this cry sounded tiny. Tinier than any animal Ike has heard. He stops sliding along the hills to hear the cry.  Ike hears it once more and tries to locate the source while trying to ignore the rain falling around him. He hears the small cry, but it's louder. Ike turns himself around to realize the cries are coming from the abandoned home on the property. 

Ike decides to follow the cry. A new adventure never hurt anyone. He excitedly slips his shoes back on and runs to the abandoned house. On closer inspection,  it bears a similarity to one of those haunted houses in amusement parks. While most people might've been scared, Ike hasn't quite yet developed a sense of fear. He casually opens the door as if he owns the place and walks straight in. The strange home looked clean compared to the outside which was covered in debris and wood rot. Not a single mold, bug, or foreign creature was found in the house.  Ike is about to question the state of the strange house, he hears the cry. 

Without the rain, it sounds like a cat. 

Ike's not sure if he broke into a house or not, but what's on his mind right now is "CAT". He continues to follow the cry and then finds himself in what seems to be a kitchen. Sure, it's built like a kitchen from the 1940s with the checkered floors and pink cabinets but the elephant in the room was the multiple crates and cages full of sleeping animals. As he steps carefully he feels his shoe step onto something soft. It's clothes. No-it's a whole arrangement of clothing. From men's, to women's, and even children's clothes. Ike looks at a sleeping rose-colored donkey and parrot in one of the cages, then at the blue, green, and pink beta fishes in a nearby tank on the counter. On closer inspection, a lot of these animals didn't look like they were from Gallia. Or Tellius in general. 

The young boy hasn't grasped the eerie situation but his ears perk up when he hears the small meow. Ike looks next to the fish tank and finds a circular bird cage covered by black garments. Curiously he takes them off the cage wondering what kind of creature he'll meet. Just as he expected it's a small kitten. It's a small black kitten with the prettiest ruby eyes and forehead birthmark Ike has seen. Ike doesn't know how old the kitten is, but it's as big as his two hands. It's possibly just a baby. The kitten looks up at the boy fearfully and suddenly turns into a puffed-up spitball. Ike takes off the cage trying to show the tiny void he's a good kid, but that doesn't work.  Next, Ike reaches into his backpack and pulls out a tuna sandwich. Not his favorite food, but luckily it came in handy. The kitten's fur begins to smooth out and it starts to hesitantly waddle to the sandwich for a few nibbles. 

              "You're hungry huh?" Ike whispers at the small creature, hoping his voice won't blow the frail thing away.

When Ike's voice is heard, the other animals begin to rise from their slumber. That's when reality set on the boy. He was in a creepy house with foreign animals and randomized clothing. Come to think of it, this might be what's called an: "Illegal Pet House". So, the boy takes the kitten and is about to dart out of the house until the lights near the entrance flicker on. Ike hears footsteps upstairs followed by a cranky voice.  He remembers the stairs are near the front door, so that escape route was out of the question, but, what lies in front of him is the half-open door leading to the backyard. Come to think of it, Ike remembers there's no fence in the backyard area of the property.

Unfortunately for Ike, the longer he stared at the door, it felt as if it had grown a pair of legs and was getting farther away. No hesitation here, or time for paranormal activity. Ike sprints to the backyard door with the kitten in hand. Miraculously, he yanks open the door and throws himself into the backyard. He looks back at the house expecting to see a fully furnished mansion-like estate but, he finds a ruined estate covered in rotting wood. Maybe the fancy house was just him?

             "Mrew..."

Ike looks back at his hands to see the small kitten staring up at him. He was expecting the kitten to leave him but, his sandwich did. Somehow.

Despite the strange and...eerie situation, there was a positive to all this.

Ike just got a free cat.

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After that strange house incident, Ike now had a tiny kitten in his hands. Although it's been minutes since the great rescue, the kitten was puffed up and spitting at Ike. While most kittens would bite or scratch, this one didn't or-it didn't know how to.  Ike can only assume the little thing is hungry, but there's so much a nine-year-old can buy with five dollars and a piece of lint. Ike frowns at the kitten, still wondering how he's going to get through to his new little friend. 

             "Oh great..." Ike sighs at the spitting ball. "How do I turn you off?"

The void keeps spitting and tries to attempt hissing but, ends up coughing. Ike didn't expect baby animals to be this stupid. However, he is one to talk.

Eventually, Ike returns home covered head to toe in mud. Both him and his new cat are drenched but still seem a bit shaken up from the shared "haunted house" scenario. Now that Ike thinks of it, he wasn't 100% sure if his parents would allow him to have a cat. Maybe he can just make up some BS story about finding the cat in an alleyway? After all, nobody was going to believe the tall tales of a house with growing rooms filled with animals. Okay maybe the animal part, but if he told anyone the truth, the adults will force him to return his friend to that creepy house! Ike tried coming up with many solutions but is interrupted when the front door behind him opens.

             "I'm home-" his mother Elena begins. "Ike Gawain! What have you done with yourself?!"

             Ike flinches. That's right, the mud. "Uhh..."

             The kitten finally stops its spitting and looks up at Ike's mother. "Mrow."

             "Is...that a cat-" She begins.

             "Mom I found him at-at uh alleyway and it was crying and um it didn't wanna be left alone and-and please don't take him away!" Ike stammers

             "Slow down!" Elena scoops the kitten from Ike's hands with a sigh. "How long has he been wet?"

             "Um...er...fifth-twel-fifteen minutes?"

             "Ike, kittens can't control their body temperature like us! Come now, get the towels and heater ready!"

Luckily, Ike's mother, Elena was a vet and his father, Greil was the owner of a pet-friendly restaurant. Despite their pet-loving selves, the couple didn't want to adopt any furry friends into the family, if any Ike always checked off all the boxes for a pet. (ex: muddy, zoomies, and much more). After cleaning up the small creature, Elena would eventually drag her son to the pet store and her office to purchase kitten food and do a quick checkup on the kitten. 

After all that, it turns out the kitten was about six months old but it had the appearance of a three-month-old. Elena's theorized the kitten was a runt or had some case of dwarfism but, she could never pinpoint what the cause of it's small size was. What mattered to Ike was that his new friend was alive and healthy, but unfortunately was still bitter. When they arrived back home, Ike placed his new friend in his room, still trying to make the kitten his "actual friend".

             "And this is my room!" Ike softly smiles at the kitten only to see it loaf up and turn away.

Ike wonders why the kitten doesn't like its new warm home but then he realizes something. He forgot a welcome gift!

Ike digs into the supply bag he bought with his mom and shows off some treats. "Here! Have a welcome gift!"

The kitten's ears perk up at the peace offering. It silently mews and watches Ike pop open the bag and hand him a fish-shaped biscuit. "Here um...oh a name!"

Ike looks around his room trying to get inspiration for a name (which is what he should've thought of at first). He looks at his Power Rangers poster, superhero figures, dog pillow, and a picture book. He's not where he's going with this but suddenly has an idea.

             "I got a good name!" He happily exclaims. "How about...Rocky!"

To his surprise, the kitten shakes its head. Cool, a literate cat.

             "Um...okay uhh....oh! How about Soren?"

The cat doesn't shake it's head or give any reply so, it seems that name is fitting.

             "Alright!" Ike warmly smiles, slowly putting his hand in front of the kitten. "Welcome to the family Soren!"

Soren finishes his treat and sniffs at Ike's hand wondering if he has any more food. Eventually, he gets the "no more treats message" and places his paw onto Ike's. 

Chapter Text

             "Mooom!" Ike's baby sister, Mist cries out. "Ike won't let me play with Soren!"

             Ike scoffs at his sister while he watches Soren climb onto his shirt. "It’s not my fault he doesn't like you!"

Ever since Ike’s family welcomed Soren, life has been lively. For a year, Soren seems to capture the hearts of the entire family. Especially Greil. At first, he wasn't on board with the cat (due to money) but, Soren eventually grew onto him when the cat kept him company during long nights at the computer. However, Soren was closer to his savior: Ike.

If it wasn't for Ike, he wouldn't be able to live a free life. 

Well, he was a pet, so he wasn't completely free. 

The kitten was allowed to follow Ike everywhere except for one thing: school. Whenever Ike had to pack up for another day in 4th grade, Soren would try to cling or hide in Ike’s backpack. He's had a few successful attempts, but most of the time, he would get caught by Elena.

After some seconds of climbing, Soren rests on Ike's shoulder as if he were a parrot. "Mew."

             "See Mist?" Ike grins cockily. "Does Soren ever do that with you?"

             Mist pouts. "Ike! It's because you trained him to do that!"

             "Uh, not really. He just sorta likes it there, right Soren?"

Soren responds back with a purr and a rub on Ike's cheek. Despite being adopted for a year, Soren remained small. Although this was concerning to Elena, Soren didn't seem to display any signs of pain, so she left it at that.

             Ike happily pets Soren's head. "Aww...you sound like a car!"

Mist continuously starts to nag Ike endlessly for the cat but, it seems Greil has had enough of their sibling's bickering.  He puts down his coffee with an annoyed look. "Mist, stop that, and Ike, please try to let Mist have a turn,"

             "But dad!" Ike pouts. "Soren is the one who comes to me!"

             "No excuses!"

             "No really!"

Ike places the kitten onto the living room carpet. Soren looks up at Ike and once again, climbs up his shirt then rests on his shoulder. Greil is almost impressed but knows he has to cater to the youngest. "Alright, it's clear Soren has a favorite,"

             "Where's mom?!" Mist crankily demands. "She would let Soren play with me!"

Greil rolls his eyes at her, sick of her toddler-like tantrums. "She's at the office, and you can bug her later, okay?"

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             "Ike, I asked you when you got your cat, not the complete details," Boyd, Mist's boyfriend deadpans.

Ike, now a twenty-year-old man working at a Burger King, sadly puts away his phone. Earlier he was showing Boyd family pictures and his late cat, Soren just happened to be in it. It seems he was going way too deep in memory lane, but he did miss his cat.

When he was ten, his mother never came home from work. She was caught up in a traffic accident which took her life. After that, everything wasn't the same. 

Greil sold his restaurant for extra money and had to move Ike and his sister all the way to Crimea for a new life. Unfortunately, Ike had to leave Soren behind. Greil stated that they could no longer afford to take care of the cat, so Ike ended up giving his old friend to a shelter. 

As the years went by, Ike swore to himself he would return to Gallia and re-claim his friend.

Until he learned how long cats live.

Actually, Soren might be dead. 

Cats can't live for THAT long.

            "So uhhh, that roommate thing, " Boyd begins. "Still accepting applications?"

            "Nope," Ike shakes his head, boredly punching at the cashier screen. "But are you going to order something?"

           "Hmm..." Boyd looks up the menu. "Can I get uhhhh..." 

After hearing Boyd utter those four words, Ike wanted to disassociate so badly right now. He's been working at the same run-down Burger King since he was fifteen and he's heard that god-awful phrase for five whole years. Most people his age would go to college, but Ike couldn't afford it nor did he believe he was that smart to get into one. His sister Mist on the other hand, was in medical school with hopes of being a nurse while his father worked at an autobody shop in another county. So, seeing Greil was a rare occasion these days. Then again, Ike was old enough to make his own decisions and that decision was to move out of the nest and find his path in life.

So far, that wasn't going well. 

Stuck at the same Burger King, a shitty no hot water apartment with awful rent, and the ever-rising cost of groceries. 

Ike wanted to prove himself.

No, he wanted to be someone he could be proud of.

           "Oh!" Boyd finally has figured out his order. "I want a number one! But, hold the pickles and the onions and tomatoes, and lettuce and-"

           "One kid's meal, anything else?" Ike is trying his best to keep eye contact instead of rolling.

           "But- I said-"

           "Boyd, what you're trying to order is a kid's meal-"

           "Jeez okay," 

Ike began to go through the usual payment process then he trudged himself to the kitchen. Luckily Boyd was his friend, so he can probably and purposely take his time with his meal. After all, it was 12 am. And he was by himself. Ike opens the backdoor hoping to have some form of solitude under the night sky. Despite his many friends in Tellius, Ike couldn't help but feel a small twinge of loneliness. At the same time, Ike knew he had to teach himself to stand on his own two feet rather than asking his dad for the repetitive questions about how to cook or fix up his car.    

           "Mew!" 

Ike looks down to see his back alley friend: A Gallian-Blue cat. This cat was Ranulf, the local neighborhood stray. He wore a bright orange collar with rich blue gemstones that dangled.  He also seemed to live up to the collar's status. The cat would often approach strangers with no hesitation and play the "cute game" which consisted of him rubbing his back on the ground as he loudly purred for attention or snacks. Ike sighs at the cat with relief then gently pats his head. "Hey Ranulf,"

           "Mrow!" The happy cat purrs, kicking his leg like a dog.

            "Long night, huh buddy?"

            "Mew. Mew."

Just as Ike is about to pick up Ranulf, he hears the sound of a branch snapping. Probably a stray branch he has to pick up and toss before someone yells "encumbrance!" at him. He walks past Ranulf to find not only a snapped branch, but a black cat looming over it. The cat seems smaller compared to Ranulf, but what makes Ike stop is the cat's nostalgic red eyes. They were similar to a white rabbit's but, there was something between them: a strange fur pattern. His old cat had a mark that looked like a burn, not a fur pattern. Ike bends down, attempting to befriend the cat, only to watch it scramble off.

Strange.