Huzzah! Here we are, and we get to meet some fuzzy things. Fuzzy things are nice!

Haven't said this before, but I'll say it now. None of the characters in this fic belong to me. They are the property of Pixel and Pixel Studios, who have created an amazing game in the form of Cave Story.

Here we go!

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Within the caves, there once dwelt hundreds upon hundreds of rabbit-like creatures known only by a name that they called themselves. Mimigas; usually around three or four feet tall, and with intelligence that equaled or openly bested that of a human.

The largest settlement by far nestled itself into a massive cavern, where it was christened the Mimiga Village. Many of the creatures lived there at one joyous, beautiful time, farming in a side tunnel, fishing from a crystalline reservoir which was filled by icy cold, pure water filtering through the cracks in ceilings and walls.

But the beauty of the location was lost on two, who were locked in a vicious argument.

“Hand over the key!” The male Mimiga was a prime example of his species. He stood at a full four feet, and lacked any colored markings to blotch his ivory-white fur, except for a gash across his muzzle which had long ago healed into a raised scar.

Light glinted dangerously off the broad-bladed sword slung across his back. The other, more petite member of the argument blinked fearfully and took a step backwards, her eyes wide. “N-no!” she squeaked bravely, although her tone made it sound more like a plea for help. “I won’t!”

The male growled in exasperation. “Are you trying to protect Sue?”

The small female looked at the ground, staring at her feet as they shuffled uncomfortably. Before she could answer, he went on, “She’s a stranger! She’s not one of us!”

She bristled, her short, dog-like ears sticking out to the sides. Normally, it would be a comical sight, but the male knew that the normally timid girl could be quite fierce if need be. It was her turn to take a belligerent step forward. “Sue’s a good person.” She almost snapped; had her voice been slightly less indignant it would have sounded a bit more intimidating.

He laughed mockingly, a short, barking sound. She whirled away from him and shouted, “I’d never betray her!”

He stopped laughing, looked upset. His eyes clouded with bewilderment, and his brazen attitude vanished instantly. Surprised, she turned back to him. “Toroko…” he began quietly, bending slightly to look at her eye to eye. “When the Doctor comes, you know he’ll take someone away again.”

Toroko, the little female, blinked hard again, this time to avoid tears. She couldn’t help the small sniffle, however, and hated every second thathe saw her crying.

The taller Mimiga straightened up and said briskly, “If we don’t turn Sue over it might be…you he takes instead.”

Toroko was about to argue, but his angry mask froze over again, and he snarled, “The key, Toroko!”

Somewhere above him, the male’s ears, as keen as they were long, caught the sound of small stones moving. A couple of pebbles dropped, hitting the ground between Toroko and himself. Thinking fleetingly, and without question, he kicked out with his legs, sending the girl tumbling away as a red and black blur sped by and landed heavily on its booted feet where she had been, before straightening up. The forceful vibrations of the landing, coupled with the Mimiga’s unstable position, sent the argumentative male over on his back, hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

Toroko took one look at the newcomer, screamed, and fled.

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The boy was amazed to find himself uninjured after a fall like that. But the important thing to do now was to make sure that he had not accidentally harmed somebody. Turning, he was astonished to find a…Mimiga…sprawled on the stones behind him. The word sprang unbidden to his mind, and therefore he adopted it as the name of this species.

Like he had done with the hermit back in that little cave, he took hold of the creature’s shoulder, this one sinewy and firm, and shook. But almost from the moment he touched him, the Mimiga sprang upright. About to unsheathe his sword, the animal noticed the boy’s puzzled expression, and refrained from beheading him.

“You’re not an enemy?” He said it flatly, like less of a question and more of a fact. Then he took a long breath. “I thought for sure it was…them…”

The boy stared at him blankly, so he simply continued. “I’m King. I’m the number-one in this village.” He looked up in the direction the visitor had fallen. “Not that it means a whole lot, with only six of us left.”

He sighed, and began pacing the narrow rock outcropping they stood on. He stopped suddenly, and thought for a moment. “Well, seven counting Sue. She’s not one of us, though, she’s just an outsider who showed up recently. Blast that Toroko! She ran off with the key….”

He seemed deep in thought, so the boy shrugged and trotted off, bent on the idea of maybe meeting the rest of the ‘six’ King had been talking about, and possibly figuring out who this ‘Sue’ was.

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“Arthur’s House”. The boy had no idea who Arthur was, but Arthur’s house was locked, and he did not know where he was to find a key. Maybe that was what King had been talking about.

There! Seated on a sturdy ledge, a very fat lone Mimiga sat. Somebody to meet. The boy clambered up to where the creature was. Upon hearing somebody approaching behind him, it turned abruptly, knocking the boy hard in the chest, causing him to double over and gasp breathlessly.

“Oh, hey, sorry ‘bout that.” said the Mimiga nonchalantly, between chomps of whatever he was eating. “Didn’t see ya there. My name’s Mahin, I’m just having my midday snack, y’know.” He held up a dish of something green. “I haven’t seen you around. Where you from?”

The boy did not answer, merely shrugged as he had before, for the question seemed less directed at him, and more like a vocalization of Mahin’s thoughts. Either way, he went on, until he came to a craggy opening from which the sounds of running water issued.

Upon further investigation, he located a deep pool of water inside a tiny cavern, and seated at the edge of one of the rocky outcroppings was another Mimiga, this one a light shade of grey. He was clutching a beautiful and carefully carved ornate bamboo fish pole, and was staring unblinkingly into the water. Careful not to startle the small creature, the boy tapped his foot to get its attention.

“Eh? Oh, hi. The name’s Kanpachi.” He did not seem at all startled to see a pale-faced boy come walking into the reservoir. After the boy’s brief inquiring as to who Sue was, he said, “Sue? Yeah, I know her. She’s that cute girl who stays cooped up in Arthur’s house all the time, right?” he winked knowingly. “She came here just a little while ago, and I saw her fall into the reservoir.” His cheerful expression slowly faded. “She doesn’t seem to like us much, even though she’s a Mimiga just like us.” He stretched his neck and turned back to his fishing.

The boy came up next to him and looked down into the deep water. Fortunately, it was relatively clear, and he was able to make out a silvery something buried in the mud, which occasionally sent piercing rays of cold whitish light through the surface of the water.

Without hesitation, he leaped for the object, delighting in the bright shock of the icy liquid as it rushed up to slap at his face and ripple through his hair on the way down.

“Hey!” Kanpachi threw his rod to the ground and glared fishhooks after the submerging boy. The fish he had been trying to long to catch scattered into flying green-gray flashes, vanishing into cracks and holes, safe from the alarming object which had come crashing through their bliss.

Glumly, the Mimiga gathered up his fishing gear, turned to look back at the sodden boy climbing from the reservoir, and with a roll of his eyes, clattered out of the cavern with his tackle.

When it came to fishing, one could always try later.

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Tsk tsk. This actually happened to me. Some little kid jumped into my fishing area once; the little brat was lucky he didn't get a fishhook up the trunks. Just kidding. About the fishhook part, not the kid. Or my fishing. Or the fact that his entire family was there too.

Aah, what the heck. Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated. I like feedback on anything and everything, improving is always good.