Futo was just about to snap her fingers and hope it was enough to kindle the flames when something made a squeaky mewl behind her as if in protest.
She turned away from the statue — the proper lines to set it ablaze had been elusive regardless, so the distraction hardly mattered — and looked at the path behind her to discover a small furry creature with triangular ears sitting in the middle of it. Its enormous green eyes caught the light like jewels as it stared up at her.
Futo walked over and crouched down in front of the creature. Many curious beasts roamed Gensokyo, but she believed she could remember what Lady Seiga had called this particular type. "Art thou a cat?"
The little animal mewled again, in a manner which might have been agreement or else simply meant it was hungry. As Futo watched, it began licking its paw and swiping its face with it.
"Whence thou comest?" Futo looked around in search of potential cat lairs. It didn't seem like the foliage was about to expel any more of the fluffy creatures, but this cat was certainly much smaller than the few she had seen thus far, with a shorter tail and ganglier frame. Why would a cub be alone in such a place?
She studied the cat's long white whiskers and curious brown stripes before
deciding it was not some kind of a youkai ploy but simply a regular animal. A rather charming animal at that, especially as it looked up at her again without fear. As for why it was alone... most likely it was lost. Futo could understand that, at least.
The statue forgotten, she offered the creature her hand and laughed when after a moment's careful study, the cat stepped closer and rubbed its soft face against her knuckles.
"The details don't matter. Just memorise the symbols and—" Tojiko halted her explanation mid-sentence and frowned. "There's something moving inside your sleeve."
"Ah!" Futo raised her arm and turned on her seat to give Tojiko a full view within her sleeve, beaming as the kitten popped its head into the open air. "'Tis my cat!"
"You keep pets now?" Tojiko leaned closer to study the kitten.
The kitten mewed softly and studied Tojiko in turn. It hadn't grown much in the week since Futo had found it, but it was no less curious than it had been back then. It looked just about ready to leap onto Tojiko's shoulder to investigate her more closely.
Futo kept her arm steady. "It enjoys being petted on its head. Thou shouldst allow it to sniff thy hand first— aye, like that." She felt like a proud parent as the kitten leaned into Tojiko's touch and began to purr.
"It's sweet." A smile flickered onto Tojiko's lips as she continued to stroke the kitten's head. "What do cats eat?"
"It finds its own food for the most part. I merely ensure it has water whenever it wishes for it." Futo tilted her head in an attempt to better see the kitten, but the fabric of her sleeve remained in the way. "'Tis a terribly stubborn creature, in truth. It heeds only the few commands it pleases, and when it grows wroth..." She held out her other arm to showcase the scratch marks on the back of her hand.
"Trust you to adopt a pet that'll attack you."
"But 'tis still a most wonderful creature!" Tojiko's comment had been nonchalant, but the flames of affection urging Futo to defend her kitten rose up all the same. "Thou shouldst see how it curls to sleep upon my stomach and chases after ribbons. Look at how charming the shape of its nose is and how lovely its eyes are! I swear that when it wishes to be so, 'tis the sweetest beast to ever walk upon this land."
"Whatever you say." Despite her response, Tojiko seemed just as well-disposed towards the kitten she had the moment before. At the very least, she continued petting it with the appropriate tenderness.
The kitten, on the other hand, had in its typical stubborn fashion decided that while being adored was all well and good, the meadow around them was of far more interest than the safety of Futo's sleeve. It leapt to the ground and confidently strode past Tojiko.
"Ah!" Although it was of little use, Futo couldn't help reaching after the kitten. "Stay close, Tojiko!"
Tojiko, who obviously hadn't been going anywhere and had merely followed the kitten with her eyes, threw Futo a puzzled look. It quickly turned to understanding and then disbelief. "You named the cat..."
"How could I not? 'Twas the only name which suited it."
Tojiko gave her a long, blank stare, followed by an almost equally long stare at the kitten which just then paused and curled up in some tall grass. "...How?"
"At first I named it thus because its eyes made me think of thine. I thought I might strike upon a different name after some time, but the more I have observed it, the clearer the resemblance has become."
There was another pause as Tojiko clearly recounted everything Futo had told her about the kitten and made her judgement on the matter. The verdict was somewhat unclear: her mouth drew into a hard line, but her eyes remained wide, and no sudden thunder crackled in the air.
Finally, she crossed her arms. "I should probably thump you for this."
Futo gave a start. "But I never meant it as an insult."
"That's why I won't bother." Tojiko's eyes returned to the kitten as it gave a tiny yawn before getting up and continuing its swaggering quest across the meadow. "Better a cat than something else."
"...Thinkest thou I would name something vile after thee?"
"I don't."
With that, Tojiko suddenly landed next to Futo on the tree stump. There was just enough room for the both of them between a pair of upturned branches, and so for a while, they simply sat and watched the kitten.
Tojiko was the first to break the silence. "What's it up to now?"
"Methinks it searches for a better place to rest."
"No, I bet it noticed that beetle over there."
As if guided by the words, the kitten stalked over to where a large horned beetle was slowly making its way into the grass and followed it seemingly out of curiosity rather than predatory intent.
"Thou wert right."
Tojiko's smile was unusually sardonic. "You did say we're alike."
Futo laughed. When she stopped, she noticed her and Tojiko's hands had somehow come to rest upon one another.
She heard rather than saw Tojiko turn her head to witness the same phenomenon. For a very long moment, neither of them moved.
Finally, when it seemed the entire world might come to a standstill if she didn't act, Futo quietly interlaced her fingers with Tojiko's. She looked up.
Tojiko met her gaze with wordless understanding.
Futo couldn't tell which one of them first began leaning towards the other. Either way, she soon found her head resting against Tojiko's shoulder as though it had always belonged there while they continued to watch the kitten exploring the world.