Spring had finally arrived. The cool breeze shook the leaves that had grown back on the hickory tree in the back of the cabin. One of the windows led to Daiyu's bedroom. The girl was laying flat on her stomach while she was reading on the bed and kicking her legs in the air. White socks covered her feet, and she wore a dark red sweater and sweatpants. Charna, the ten weeks old black kitten, rested on top of the assassin's back.

It had been weeks since Daiyu took the black kitten in. The veterinarian examined the kitten and estimated she was around five weeks old. Charna was diagnosed with worms, but it didn't take long for her to be dewormed. The feline was now healthy and well fed as it was evident on her glossy coat.

Flipping through a book page of Cat: the Complete Guide, Daiyu slightly turned her head to face her kitten. "Charna, did you know you have 244 bones?"

The little feline stared at Daiyu curiously. Her round blue eyes had faded away to a greenish jade color. They retained their mystique which fascinated the girl.

Daiyu smiled at the irony of speaking to Charna. She knew the kitten didn't understand her, but she still enjoyed talking to her. The two had developed a friendship which Itzal didn't seem to approve. Every time the black kitten approached him, Itzal stared dully at the animal. It was either he didn't like cats much or he just didn't care about them. However, Charna still rubbed against his legs occasionally which he didn't seem to mind.

To Daiyu's own surprise, she still managed to take care of Charna without neglecting her morning exercises. When she was not playing with the kitten, Charna would watch her from the back porch. The feline explored her new surroundings, but she was still afraid of stepping out toward the training area where Daiyu was busy. When the afternoon shooting practices neared, Charna immediately hid inside the house. The gunfires were too loud to the kitten's sensitive ears that Daiyu felt sorry for her. The assassin wanted to limit the amount of rounds to cause less stress to the kitten, but she knew Itzal would disapprove. Daiyu hoped that Charna would get used to her gun shootings instead.

"Daiyu!" Itzal called from downstairs. Charna jumped off of Daiyu's back allowing the girl to head downstairs. The black feline stalked behind her silently.

Daiyu found Itzal by the front door. He was dressed and ready to leave.

"I'm going to get ammunition from Corrigere suppliers," he said. "I'll be back soon."

The girl nodded, and Itzal left the cabin. Every two months, the retired assassin would get more ammunition from the supplier. She expected him to return within an hour as usual.

Daiyu scooped up Charna in her arms. Her instincts told her that the kitten was right behind her while she was watching Itzal. "Let's go outside."

The sun was blocked by gray clouds. The smell of rain foretold the pouring would start within several minutes. Although the atmosphere looked gloomy, Daiyu didn't know why she loved whenever it rained. Whenever the cold droplets touched her skin, she felt she was renewed like the phoenix rising from the ashes.

Charna mewed silently startling the girl. She squirmed in her arms, and Daiyu placed the kitten down. Someday she knew that Charna would be independent from her.

The black kitten stopped exploring once she reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the training area. A droplet of water landed on top of the feline's head. Squeaking, Charna scrambled back to the door and clawed it for it to be opened.

Daiyu chuckled softly and let the kitten slip back inside the cabin. More droplets of water fell from the sky and pattered lightly on the roofs. Spots of the girl's red sweater grew dark from the traces of rain. Daiyu let the rain caress her short black hair before returning inside.

For the rest of the day, Daiyu stayed in her bedroom as she watched the rain take over the woods. She was sitting before the windowsill while Charna was sleeping in the middle of her bed. Right on the windowsill was a mug of cooled rich cocoa that was half drank. Head resting on her arms on the windowsill, she closed her eyes letting peace wash over. There were no assignments to worry about. Nothing would nag her mind. All that filled in the assassin's ears was the sound of rain.