A/N: Sorry for a late update, everyone. I was thinking about different summer-related situations, and was focusing on improving my artistic skills, so it took me a while to get this done.

:Memories of Summer:

Cicada

In the front yard of the Kujyou household, it would have been a heart-stopping shock for many if a group of bushes suddenly rustled by themselves. They would have assumed that the shrubbery was occupied by a stray animal; the weirder humans would probably think the bushes had minds of their own. Perhaps they’d turn tail and run, or would decide to take a closer look.

For Shi-chan the divine feline, it was the second option. Summer days were just so boring for her, that often times, she’d find herself lying down on the floor doing nothing, staring up at the plain ceiling. It wasn’t fair that Karin got the chance to go to the beach! Shi-chan was always left with the elderly butler, Q. And what was there to do? Nothing much, since the cat had already done ‘all that was there to do’. Her life was the same, summer or not, so it was odd as to why her outlook on life changed. Perhaps it was the heat getting to her.

Shi-chan always agreed to that reason.

Today, the gray animal had decided to take a leisurely stroll in the Kujyou gardens. The air was humid as usual, but the sun was hidden by a large, fluffy cloud. It was the perfect time to walk around, thought the cat. At first, the grassy front yard seemed like a playground to Shi-chan, who had been cooped up in the mansion for a week straight.

Letting out a happy laugh, she jumped onto the cobblestone path that lead to the steel gate. Her feet didn’t like the feel of the hard stone today. She wanted fuzzy grass. The cat turned to the left and prodded on the green grass, enjoying the ticklish sensation under her.

She sighed in contentment, and said, “Even if Karin didn’t want to take me to the pool, at least I get this!”

The little goddess, Kazune and Michiru had all gone for a fun day at the local pool. Unfortunately, when Shi-chan had pleaded desperately to be taken along, Karin refused, saying that there was a strict rule about the prohibition of pets. Himeka also could not go because of her sudden fever, and she had been resting the whole day. In fact, the cat hadn’t seen the dark-haired maiden for the whole day.

Shi-chan was lost in her dreamy reverie about birds and fish when she came upon the moving bushes. They rustled violently, as if a ferocious struggle was taking place in their confines. The feline jumped back as an act of caution, and kept her eye on the enigmatic shrubbery. What she thought strange was the fact that no noise was being made; no growls, snarls or fellow caterwauls.

How odd…, thought the cat.

As the minutes slowly passed by, the rustling had yet to cease. It even seemed to grow more frantic, if that was possible. By now, Shi-chan was becoming impatient. What was in those bushes? Why was it struggling? These were some of the questions she wanted answered.

Taking a nervous gulp, she stuttered, “A-alright. I’m not scared, I’m not scared.” Her tiny body was trembling uncontrollably. “I’m going to find out what exactly is in there!”

She was hesistant, because there was a possibility that it was something dangerous. It could leap out and tear the cat to shreds in seconds if she wasn’t careful. Or perhaps it would give an ear-splitting screech and throw poisonous acid!

Shi-chan shook her head at that last thought. It was the result of watching that creepy science-fiction movie the night before. Even the fearless Kazune had been shaken quite a bit.

At any rate, she felt that it was time to uncover the culprit and the cause of her anxiety. The cat took another gulp and deep breath. She stepped forward, reluctant at first, but forced herself to keep going. Her heartbeats thumped in her ears one by one as she neared the bushes. Everything seemed to slow down as Shi-chan’s breathing became even raspier.

“It isn’t an alien, it isn’t an alien…” she repeated to herself.

Raising a shaking and half-dirtied paw, the feline body braced herself and if needed, prepared a safe escape route: a straight bee-line for the front door. She was ready for an alien, or even a simple predator with its sharp, lethal teeth.

Suddenly, without warning, there came a startled and cheerful cry of triumph from the bushes!

“Eh!?” Shi-chan gasped, backing off once more.

The shrubbery stopped its shaking, and a head thrust itself out from their depths. It was a girl, who had stunning, violet hair. Shi-chan recognized her in an instant.

“Himeka!” she cried in disbelief. What drove the gentle girl to dig around in the dirt…in the garden?

“Oh, it’s Shi-chan.” Himeka said, as if staring off into the space behind the gray cat. Her voice was still as passive as ever, and her cheeks were not as red as they were last night, when her fever had developed.

The cat stepped closer. “I thought you were a monster!” she whined. “What were you doing in there in the first place?”

The pale girl put an index finger to her chin, thinking. Then with a small gasp, she smiled. “I was catching bugs!” she chirped, holding up a plastic, see-through bottle. Its insides were filled with brown cicadas.

Shi-chan grimaced at the disgusting sight of so many creatures bunched up together. They cast a brown shadow over the clear bottle, as if it wasn’t see-through at all. “I-I see...” she chuckled dryly. Then a thought struck her. “Hey, aren’t those cicadas?”

“Yep!” Himeka replied, tapping her treasured bottle in complete euphoria.

“Why were you catching them in the bushes? Don’t they usually hang around trees, not the ground?” continued the cat.

“Hm?” the maiden cocked her head. “Of course, silly! I was hiding in the bushes for camouflage while I grabbed them on the trunks.”

So that was why the bushes wouldn’t stop moving. It was because of all the movements the girl had been making. “Some camouflage that was. You need to be stealthy.” Shi-chan sneered, stressing the last word.

“What-”

“We’re home!” a voice declared from the gates. From the sound of it, it was Michiru, and he was probably accompanied by Karin and Kazune. Himeka and Shi-chan’s short conversation had been permanently suspended. The dark-haired girl rose in a hurry, neglecting to brush off the leaves that clung to her dress. She ran past Karin’s pet, never letting go of the day’s catch.

Shi-chan heard a cheerful, ‘Look! I caught cicadas! Can you hear them? Chirp, chirp!’ from Himeka. She smirked when she remembered that a member of the group had a hilariously ridiculous phobia to insects…

In a few seconds, the cat burst into a fit of laughter when a shrill scream resonated from not so far away.

“AAAAAHHHHH! GET THOSE THINGS AWAY FROM ME!!”

--

And here we abuse Kazune’s fear! Xd

Kannono