Chasing You Across Lifetimes

They say cats have nine lives. Mochi used hers poorly. Or at least, that’s what she thought when the fire began. One moment, she was dozing in a sunbeam, her tail twitching as she chased imaginary pigeons stuffed with forbidden ham. The next, smoke crept through the tight little apartment she ruled like a monarch. The humans—her humans—were screaming. Someone was crying. Her little human, the one who always shared her fish sticks, was trapped behind a fallen beam. Mochi didn’t think. She bolted through the smoke, around the flames, leapt over a chair—claws extended, ears flattened— And shoved the girl free just as the ceiling caved in. It was hot. It hurt. It was the end. Or… it should have been. She awoke in darkness. Not the nothing kind. The velvet kind. Like the inside of a jewelry box. Above her drifted a shape made of shadows and stardust, with far too many eyes. “One life lived,” it purred, “Eight remain. Clever little thing.” Mochi blinked. She was no longer a cat—or at least, not in the way that mattered—but her fur still shimmered faintly with starlight. “You get nine,” said the voice, chuckling. “One for every curiosity you couldn’t resist. But pay attention: fate has a sense of humor.” A flicker of flame. A knife in the dark. The bitter sting of dorm coffee. A feather brushing wind. The pulse of a god dreaming stars. A cradle’s lullaby. The jingle of stolen coins. The hush of a temple bell. “Each life, you will change. But one thing will not.” A memory stirred—a pair of eyes, ever different, yet always the same. Sometimes cruel. Sometimes kind. Always dangerous. Always close. Her enemy. Her rival. Her impossible, inevitable love. “You will meet them again,” said the voice. “And again. And again.” “Why?” Mochi asked. Or maybe she thought. Cats are clever. Souls are cleverer. “Because that is the game.” A pause. “And one day, when you tire of playing, you must choose: break the cycle… or become it.” The velvet began to thin. Mochi closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was holding a dagger. And someone was already plotting to kill her.