🐾にゃんこから、あなたを好きになるまで&守護から恋心へ - Ch9

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 Slowly Approaching Gakupo didn't approach right away. He simply stood beside the sofa, keeping a distance that would let Luka feel at ease. Having just woken, Luka remained curled up on the sofa, her pink-white long fur slightly ruffled, her injured hind leg resting quietly to one side. Those blue eyes stayed fixed on Gakupo the whole time, her ears turning slightly with each of his movements. To her, everything here was unfamiliar. And the human before her was completely unfamiliar too. Seeing how tense she was, Gakupo didn't move closer. "There's no need to be afraid." His voice was very soft. Luka's ears twitched slightly. Gakupo paused briefly, as if deliberately giving her enough time to make sense of his voice. "I won't hurt you." Luka still didn't move. She simply watched him. Gakupo crouched down slowly, then stood back up, finally settling on staying right where he was beside the sofa, careful not to bring his body too close to her. "Let me introduce myself first." He pointed to himself. "I'm Kamui Gakupo." His tone was calm and gentle. "Gakupo." He repeated his own name once more. Luka gazed at him quietly. Strangely enough... she understood. Not simply guessing from his expression or tone. She genuinely understood every single word he spoke. "I was passing by a shrine after work today, and that's where I found you." Gakupo continued. "You were lying near the shrine, injured, and unconscious the whole time." Luka's eyes widened slightly. The shrine. She seemed to vaguely remember something. But that memory was as if veiled behind a thick fog, impossible to make out clearly no matter how hard she tried. Gakupo didn't notice the change happening in her mind, and simply continued speaking patiently. "I don't know where you came from, or where you originally lived." "I saw your collar—it says Luka on it." His gaze fell to the collar around her neck. "So, I've just been calling you that for now." Luka instinctively raised a front paw and touched her own collar. Luka. That name... She knew it. It was her name. But beyond that, she couldn't recall anything at all. Seeing that she didn't reject the name, Gakupo gave a small nod. "Seems like you recognize it." Luka lifted her head. Her blue eyes met his once again. Gakupo didn't press closer. Instead, he slowly extended a hand. His hand stopped at the edge of the sofa, still some distance from Luka. He didn't touch her. Nor did he try to grab hold of her. He simply held it out quietly. "If you're not afraid, you can decide for yourself whether to come closer." Luka looked at that hand. Her body instinctively tensed for a moment. She didn't know this person. Didn't know what he might do. Instinct told her to keep her distance. So she didn't move. Gakupo didn't rush her either. "You don't have to force yourself." "If you don't want to come closer, I won't push." Luka's ears slowly rose upright. She looked at his hand, then at his face. This human wasn't angry. Nor did he force his hand forward just because she wasn't approaching. He simply held his position, waiting for her to decide on her own. After a while, Luka cautiously shifted forward just a little. Only a little. Gakupo noticed it immediately, but didn't move. He didn't even shift his hand from where it was. "Good." His voice was very soft. "Take your time." Luka stopped again. Her nose twitched slightly. She seemed to be confirming his scent. Gakupo let her check quietly. "I won't touch you suddenly." "If you don't like it, just pull back." Luka's gaze fell on that hand once more. For some reason... she found herself feeling at ease. Even though they'd only just met. Even though this human was a complete stranger. Somehow, his voice made her feel less afraid than she should have. And what confused her even more was this— Why could she understand him? Human language. Every sentence. Every meaning. She understood all of it, completely. Luka gazed quietly at Gakupo, and for the first time, a vague question began forming in her mind. What... exactly was she? --- Indonesia Gakupo tidak langsung mendekat. Dia hanya berdiri di samping sofa, menjaga jarak yang membuat Luka bisa merasa tenang. Luka yang baru saja terbangun masih meringkuk di sofa, bulu panjang merah muda-putihnya sedikit acak-acakan, kaki belakangnya yang terluka diam di sampingnya. Mata birunya terus menatap Gakupo, telinganya pun sedikit bergerak mengikuti gerakan pria itu. Baginya, semua yang ada di sini terasa asing. Dan manusia di hadapannya, juga sepenuhnya asing. Melihat Luka yang tampak tegang, Gakupo tidak maju lagi. "Tidak perlu takut." Suaranya sangat lembut. Telinga Luka bergerak sedikit. Gakupo berhenti sejenak, seolah sengaja memberinya cukup waktu untuk memahami suaranya. "Aku tidak akan menyakitimu." Luka masih belum bergerak. Dia hanya menatapnya. Gakupo perlahan berjongkok lalu berdiri kembali, akhirnya memilih untuk tetap berdiri di samping sofa, tidak membiarkan tubuhnya terlalu dekat dengannya. "Biar aku perkenalkan diri dulu." Dia menunjuk dirinya sendiri. "Namaku Kamui Gakupo." Nadanya tenang dan lembut. "Gakupo." Dia mengulangi namanya sekali lagi. Luka menatapnya diam-diam. Anehnya... dia mengerti. Bukan sekadar menebak dari ekspresi atau nada bicaranya. Tapi benar-benar memahami setiap kata yang diucapkannya. "Hari ini sepulang kerja aku lewat kuil, dan menemukanmu di sana." Gakupo melanjutkan. "Saat itu kamu tergeletak di dekat kuil, terluka, dan terus tidak sadarkan diri." Mata Luka sedikit membelalak. Kuil. Sepertinya dia samar-samar mengingat sesuatu. Tapi ingatan itu seperti terhalang kabut tebal, tidak bisa terlihat jelas betapapun dia mencoba. Gakupo tidak menyadari perubahan yang terjadi dalam pikirannya, dan hanya terus berbicara dengan sabar. "Aku tidak tahu kamu berasal dari mana, atau di mana kamu tinggal sebelumnya." "Aku melihat kalungmu, di situ tertulis Luka." Pandangannya jatuh pada kalung di lehernya. "Jadi, untuk sementara aku memanggilmu begitu." Luka secara refleks mengangkat kaki depannya, menyentuh kalungnya sendiri. Luka. Nama ini... dia mengenalinya. Ini namanya. Tapi selain itu, dia tidak bisa mengingat apa pun lagi. Melihat dia tidak menolak nama itu, Gakupo mengangguk pelan. "Sepertinya kamu mengenalinya." Luka mengangkat kepalanya. Mata birunya kembali bertemu pandang dengannya. Gakupo tidak mendekat lebih jauh. Sebaliknya, dia perlahan mengulurkan tangannya. Tangannya berhenti di tepi sofa, masih ada jarak dari Luka. Tidak menyentuhnya. Juga tidak berusaha menangkapnya. Hanya terulur diam di sana. "Kalau kamu tidak takut, kamu bisa memutuskan sendiri apakah ingin mendekat." Luka menatap tangan itu. Tubuhnya secara refleks menegang sesaat. Dia tidak mengenal orang ini. Tidak tahu apa yang akan dilakukannya. Insting memberitahunya untuk menjaga jarak. Jadi dia tidak bergerak. Gakupo pun tidak mendesaknya. "Tidak perlu memaksakan diri." "Kalau kamu tidak mau mendekat, aku tidak akan mendekat." Telinga Luka perlahan berdiri tegak. Dia menatap tangannya, lalu menatap wajahnya. Manusia ini tidak marah. Juga tidak memaksakan tangannya hanya karena dia tidak mendekat. Dia hanya tetap pada posisinya, menunggu Luka membuat keputusan sendiri. Beberapa saat kemudian, Luka dengan hati-hati bergeser maju sedikit. Hanya sedikit. Gakupo langsung menyadarinya, tapi tidak bergerak. Bahkan tangannya pun tetap berada di posisi semula. "Bagus." Suaranya sangat lembut. "Pelan-pelan saja." Luka berhenti lagi. Ujung hidungnya bergerak sedikit. Dia sepertinya sedang memastikan aroma pria itu. Gakupo diam membiarkannya memastikan. "Aku tidak akan tiba-tiba menyentuhmu." "Kalau kamu tidak suka, mundur saja." Pandangan Luka kembali jatuh pada tangan itu. Entah kenapa... dia justru merasa tenang. Padahal mereka baru saja bertemu. Padahal manusia ini adalah sosok yang sepenuhnya asing. Tapi suaranya, entah bagaimana, membuatnya tidak terlalu takut. Dan yang lebih membingungkannya lagi adalah— kenapa dia bisa mengerti pria itu? Bahasa manusia. Setiap kalimat. Setiap makna. Ternyata dia memahami semuanya, sepenuhnya. Luka menatap diam-diam ke arah Gakupo, dan untuk pertama kalinya, sebuah pertanyaan samar muncul di benaknya. Dirinya... sebenarnya apa?