Along Comes Jesus

The moon had moved from its midpoint by the time Takuya pulled away from Rika, his eyes swollen and red. He swiped them furiously as Rika pretended not to notice, her ears perked as she listened to the deserted street. “Whatever came tonight is long gone.” She turned her muzzle towards the courtyard, where Takuya was crouched down gazing down at something on the ground.

It was his mother’s locket. The one he had angrily thrown out the window after discovering Aphrodite's name engraved on it. It now laid open, revealing its contents. Each side of the heart showed a picture of one of her kids. To the left was a picture of a young Takuya, half his teeth missing as he gave a playful grin. The other side held a picture of a baby girl dressed in a fluffy, pink dress. A large matching bow adorning her black hair. A word was printed over each picture, creating the phrase “Thank You” to spread across the inside of the locket. Takuya gazed at the pictures, his face a mask. Slowly his hand moved to grab a large garden stone. Rika watched as he lifted it up high, getting ready to smash it down on the precious object.

“Takuya don’t!” Flames erupted from her as her body shrank and she became human again, knocking into Takuya. Both of them tumbled, with Rika landing on his chest.

“What the hell Rika!” He lifted his head, glaring at her. She glared back, clutching his shirt angrily.

“What are you doing? You can’t destroy that locket! It’s your mother’s!”

“It's none of your damn business!” He growled, shoving her off.

But Rika wasn’t backing down. “Takuya! Whatever your feelings are to your… towards Aphrodite, you need to remember they’re your own.” She picked up the locket, keeping it safe in her palm. “Your mother obviously felt differently. Without Aphrodite she wouldn’t have had a chance to be a mother to you. Don’t dishonor her memory like that.”

“Her feelings are wrong!” Takuya snapped, fist slamming into the wall of the house. “Nothing good has come from praying to those bastards! Aphrodite….Zeus...every damn god in existence! All they do is screw around with us humans, not giving a damn about the consequences! I hate them! I hate every last one of them!”

Takuya was breathing heavily, his body shaking with pure anger. Gone was the sarcastic, laid back officer Rika had met just a few hours ago. Before her was a man with nothing left to lose, someone who looked ready to kill. Rika clenched her fists nervously.

“You hate them, but….” Rika said sadly. “But it’s because of them you’re here. Both you and Emi.”

Takuya turned away. “Yeah well...if I wasn’t here….then maybe my parents would still be alive.” He suddenly felt a small hand gently grasp his own.

“You father and mother….” Rika whispered. “Wouldn’t want you to say that. Not when they loved you so much.” When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “And if it means anything...I’m glad you’re around.” She blushed awkwardly. Takuya remained silent, but to Rika’s relief his fingers gave her hand a tiny squeeze.

“I need to go back in the house.” He declared, taking the locket from her. Rika was relieved to see him stuffing it into his pocket. “I didn’t see my little sister in her room. I need to make sure…” He faltered, not wanting to speak the words out loud.

Rika’s head tilted to the side. “She’s not in there.”

Takuya stared at her skeptically. “How do you know?”

“The only scent in the house is that of your mother and the killer.” Rika explained. “Your sister’s scent is faint, but she definitely hasn’t been there for a while.”

“You mean none of the blood in there is…”

“Just your mother’s.” Rika finished gravely. Takuya’s expression darkened.

“You said, ‘killer’.” Takuya repeated, confused. “Wasn’t it Haruto who did this?” Rika shook her head.

“I don’t think so.” She replied, looking up at the house. “I didn’t pick up his scent anywhere near here. Whoever did this, was someone I’ve never met.” Takuya cursed, pacing in frustration. Rika watched in concern. “Maybe we should go to the park to meet up with Yuki. It’s getting late.”

“Not until I decide what to do!” Takuya snapped, ruffling his hair in frustration. “Damn it! Where could she be if she isn’t here? It’s already 1am on a school night!”

Rika looked up at the dark windows of the house, thinking. “Could it be possible she was taken?”

Takuya scratched his head. “Maybe...if she isn’t here, then that could be a possibility. Especially if whoever did this is also looking for Emi. Maybe they think we’ll give them Emi in exchange for my sister?”

“If that’s the case, why couldn’t they kidnap both your sister and mom?” Rika asked angrily.

Takuya turned away. “It’s to show us they mean business.” He explained gravely. “Which is why we can’t waste time. We need to investigate further to find out who we’re dealing with.” He declared, heading back to the entryway.

“Ummm, maybe I can help?”

Takuya froze as Rika whipped around frantically. “Who said that?!”

“Down here!” the unknown voice chirped.

Takuya turned around, just as Rika looked down at the ground. Sitting calmly between the two was a small, bobtail grey tabby cat. He raised a white colored paw up.

“Hi there!”

Both humans gaped, their mouths falling open. With one fluid motion, Takuya took out a pistol, aiming it at the feline. The cat gave a startled meow, backing away fearfully.

“TAKUYA!” Rika shrieked, running over and pulling the cat into her arms protectively. “PUT THAT AWAY!”

“IT’S A FRIGGIN TALKING CAT!” Takuya yelled, waving his gun. “That’s like the definition of suspicious!!!!!”

“JUST PUT IT AWAY!” Rika demanded angrily. Takuya lowered it, but refused to put it back into his holster. Rika turned the cat around, giving it a welcoming smile. “I’m sorry about him. He’s a little bit trigger happy.”

“Cautious, the term is cautious.” Takuya corrected her.

“That’s okay” The mysterious cat gave an amused purr. “ I can understand how this can come across as odd.”

“Odd….is one way to put it.” Rika replied. “My name is Rika Kase and that sullen guy over there is Takuya Yamamoto. And you are….?”

“Jesus!” The cat answered brightly. Rika blinked dubiously.

“Pardon?”

“My name….” The striped feline repeated, his stub for a tail wagging. The moon revealed itself from behind the clouds. The light illuminated the garden, allowing both humans to see the black collar around the feline’s necklace from which a silver cross dangled. “....is Jesus Christ.”

Before Rika could reply, the cat was yanked out her arms. Takuya held Jesus by the scruff of his neck, his gun once again pointing at the poor feline. “Hey let me go!” He protested, his paws churning in the air.

“Like hell I will!” Takuya growled, poking the cat with the nozzle of his gun.

“Takuya!” Rika protested, pulling at his forearm. “You can’t just shoot him! Not when he hasn’t had a chance to explain himself!”

“What’s to explain?” Takuya argued, not loosening his grip. “It’s Jesus Christ! He practically admitted he’s a minion of Zeus!

“You still can’t jump to conclusions like that!” Rika replied heatedly. “He said he could help us!”

“Like we can trust anything he says!” Takuya growled, getting nose to nose with the hot headed teen.

“Um, can I say something?” Jesus asked timidly, his body getting squished between the fighting couple.

“NO!” Takuya snapped, giving him a rough shake.

Rika’s foot found itself stomping over Takuya’s feet, causing him to yelp in pain. Jesus dropped to the ground, landing on his paws nimbly . He shot Rika a thankful smile. “Thank you very much!”

She crouched down next to him, returning the smile. “It’s no problem. My friend really is a nice guy, he’s just having a pretty rough night.” Takuya shot her a scornful look. Jesus’ ears dipped sorrowfully.

“I know. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here.” He explained sadly. “I’ve known about the situation between Zeus and the children of the gods for a long time and I want to help.”

“Why?” Takuya demanded. “You’re Jesus Christ! Aren’t you and Zeus best buddies?”

Jesus looked down at his paws, his claws kneading the ground uncomfortably. “The relationship between God and I ended a long time ago.” Takuya rolled his eyes impatiently.

“That’s some vague ass answer.”

Rika elbowed him roughly. “Don’t be rude!” She crouched back down, patting Jesus' head gently. “But he is right. If we’re going to trust you, you have to be honest with us. What happened between you and Zeus And why are you a…”

“A cat?” Jesus finished, turning in a circle. He sighed, sitting back on his haunches. “It’s a long story, one that began even before I was born.” He gazed up at the moon, his green eyes clouding over with nostalgia as he recalled his past.

“My tale begins like many, beginning with my mother, Mary.” Jesus began.

“Unlike what is written, my mother was no virgin when I was born. Her parents died when she was still a child, leaving her to fend for herself for most of her childhood. She was alone, with nothing but the clothes on her back, in a world where violence and death ran rampant. One night she found herself in a position where she could not escape from. While sleeping in the streets, she was brutally attacked and raped by a passing soldier. He left her to die from her wounds.”

“So your father is….” Rika asked sadly.

Jesus nodded, eyes downcast. “I’m ashamed to say. But my real father is the man...no...that monster who raped her. It’s hard even today for me to admit I carry his blood in my veins.” He shook his head, as if to rid himself of an annoying fly.

“Luckily, my mother managed to pull through, but from that night onwards she knew her life would never be the same. By taking the seed of a man who wasn’t her husband she would forever be labeled as a whore, a filth of society. The prospects of her finding a husband was now next to none. Not only that, she soon realized she was with child. Having a baby with no home, no money, no family was a death sentence. The likelihood of either one of us surviving was very slim.”

“But despite all her hardships, my mother was always a sound believer in God. Even when the days seemed bleak and the nights felt hopeless, her faith in the Lord never wavered. When she wasn’t working, she spent the rest of her time praying. Praying God would save her from this world. One night, to her amazement, he actually answered her.”

“God told my mother how admirable her faith was and that for all her hardships she had to endure, he would reward her.” Jesus explained, a paw in the air. “First, he would clear her name by announcing to all his followers that she is carrying not the child of a rapist but the child of God himself. In a body that had been touched by no man. He made it known throughout the land that she was virgin, as pure and whole as the day she was born.”

He held up his other paw. “Second, he asked one of his faithful followers to wed Mary. That’s how Saint Joseph became my father.”

“Your mother must have been so happy.” Rika stated. Jesus gave a small smile, a distant look in his green eyes.

“She was.” Jesus answered. “We didn’t have much but we were always grateful for what we had. My mother always carried a smile on her face. Never once did she look at me in anger or disgust, despite….” He paused, his whiskers quivering fretfully. “...despite how I came to be.”

“I’m sure with all this giving going on, God wanted something in return.” Takuya piped up sullenly, from where he listened in the shadows.

Before Rika could snap at him for his tone, Jesus cut in. “He’s right. Though God’s generosity was immense, it still came with a price that had to be paid. When I came of age, I was to become a disciple of God. I would spread his teachings to the world and gather as many followers as I could.”

“Well...that doesn’t sound too bad.” Rika observed. Takuya’s knuckle came down on top of her head.

“I think you’re forgetting what happens to Jesus at the end of this story.” Takuya reminded her. Rika glared.

“No she’s correct!” Jesus interjected, his bobtail wagging. “It wasn’t bad at all! You see, after my mother told me the truth about herself and my real father, I vowed to do whatever I could to show my gratitude for God. With his blessings, I was able to see my mother smile, to see her live a happy life with a husband who took care of her. I owed God so much and I yearned to learn from him.”

Jesus gazed up at the dark house, where violence had left its mark. “I wanted to spread his teachings so that I could make the world a better place to live in. Where people like my mother couldn’t get hurt by evil. I wanted to make her proud of me. To show her even good could come from the darkest of places.” A dark shadow passed over the small feline as he continued.

“It was this passion of mine that struck a chord with God. He saw potential in me. At least that’s what he told me. He started giving me amazing powers, to awe the people I came across. I was able to turn blood into wine, heal the blind, it was amazing. It only furthered my devotion to him. Which is why when he came to me, asking me to commit the ultimate sacrifice, to become a prophet and to die for my faith. I agreed, without any hesitation.”

Rika’s face was scrunched up in concentration. “I...don’t really understand. Why would Zeus ask you to die like that? From my understanding don’t the gods need as many followers as they can to survive? So wouldn’t killing one on purpose be kind of counterproductive.” She scratched her head, completely confused.

“It’s simple.” Takuya explained, sending a sharp glance down at the grey feline. “Zeus was using Jesus simply as a chess piece to gain more followers. Once Jesus met that quota, it was time to give him the axe. Or in this case a cross.”

“But Jesus could have continued to gain more followers for God.” Rika argued, still trying to make sense of it.” It just doesn’t make sense to me for him to get killed off.”

“That’s the thing.” Takuya replied, “Jesus continued doing miracles for people, he would eventually start getting his own followers. We all know how Zeus feels about sharing the spotlight.”

Rika turned to Jesus, who nodded a confirmation. “What he says is true. Of course I didn’t realize it at the time. All I knew was that by being crucified it would show the people how devoted I was to God’s power. I would be saving them from their own sins, allowing them to go to heaven in the afterlife.”

Jesus bowed his head, grief entering his voice. “I agreed because I loved God and what he stood for. But mostly I agreed because I wanted to make sure my mother’s sins were erased. I wanted to make sure she got the heaven she deserved.”

“Once I agreed, God promised me once the deed was done, I would be resurrected and allowed to continue my teachings. He knew how much I wanted to change this world. That promise alone helped me get through tortures I went through before death finally took me.”

Jesus shook himself, casually stretching as he finished up his tale. “However things didn’t turn out the way I planned. When I awoke in my tomb, I was no longer human but a cat. Confused, I confronted God and he explained to me how he kept his promise. I was reborn again, but he never said in what form I would be reborn as. He made it clear my work to better this world was already accomplished and as a reward I was now free to do what I liked with this immortal body.”

“Wait, that can’t be.” Rika interrupted, once again confused. “According to the church, people actually witnessed you come out of the tomb after you died. That’s one of the reasons so many people turned to Christianity after your death.”

Jesus shook his head. “I was just as surprised as anyone else when I heard that.” He explained. “I imagine it was an illusion created by God. I just know if anyone saw me, they would had seen a cat walk out, not a man.” He shook himself, continuing. “During my confrontation with God, he revealed all his other secrets to me. I learned about the Greek Gods, about how his goal was to unify all humans to follow one true god. He felt this led to the true path of peace, for there would be no more fighting amongst fellow men. Most importantly, he explained to me the sacrifices that would have to be made for this dream to come true.”

“I didn’t believe him at first.” Jesus admitted shamefully. “It took years of traveling and witnessing the destruction with my own eyes to realize just how far God would go to destroy those who follow another faith. I was mortified. Everything I had believed in, all teachings I had spread about God, now seemed like a lie to me.”

“I’m so sorry Jesus.” Rika said, sympathetically. “That must have been rough.”

“What I don’t understand is why Zeus even admitted any of this to you.” Takuya questioned. “Wasn’t he concerned at all of you spreading this around?”

“He probably knew I would find out the truth eventually from the other gods. Learning the truth hardly really mattered since he knew I couldn’t say anything to any of the humans. “ Jesus replied. “Technically, right now you and Rika are one of the few that can understand me.”

“Really, why?” Rika asked, baffled.

“Because both of you have holy spirits surrounding you.” Jesus explained. “Only humans who are connected to the Gods can understand me.” He pointed a paw at Takuya. “Your mother is a goddess so you naturally have some god blood running through your veins.” He patted his paw on Rika’s forehead affectionately. “And you were chosen by a protection spirit, which is one of the holiest creatures out there.”

“Does God know this about you?” Takuya asked.

“I actually don’t know for sure.” Jesus admitted. “He knows other gods can understand me but that’s no problem to him since they are already aware of his intentions. But as for demigods, that’s a tough call. The wishful part of me hopes he doesn’t since it’s because of this gift I’m able to track down the offspring of the other Greek gods.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing this whole time?” Rika asked. Jesus nodded.

“After learning the truth, I just couldn’t sit back and do nothing. Not after I spent all my life spreading the word of helping our fellow men. As long as there is unnecessary violence against the innocent going on, I’ll never stop. I owe it to all the people who had put their trust in me back when I was human. I can’t let them down.” He cradled the cross tag in his paw. “I wear this cross, not as a symbol of my devotion to God. But as a reminder for myself to stop him from his horrible deeds.

He gave a heavy sigh. “The problem is that there are so many offspring of the gods and they are so spread out, it’s been hard to watch over all of them.” He gazed at his paws miserably. “Also with this body, the most I can do is give them an advance warning before one of God’s minions comes.”

Jesus glanced at Takuya sorrowfully. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it in time to save your parents.”

Takuya scowled, massaging his injured side. Jesus dipped his head curiously. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing.” Takuya grumbled.

Rika shook her head at his stubbornness, sending Jesus an apologetic look. “I think one of his ribs is broken.” She pointed at her shoulder where a bite mark still remained. “ We got into a scrape a while ago against some demon mice.”

“Here let me see!” Without waiting for an answer, Jesus pounced up on Takuya’s shoulder.

“Hey, get off!” He protested. But before he could knock the cat off, Jesus’ paw came down, touching Takuya’s chest. A soft light began to glow around the paw, extending to the spot where it touched. It stayed that way for a few seconds before returning back to normal. A surprised look crossed Takuya’s face, as his hand felt the spot.

Jesus jumped down, looking up at him triumphantly. “Better?”

“Yeah….” Takuya answered in disbelief, still feeling the spot. It seemed to Rika that the area had been more painful than Takuya had let on. “How did you…”

“Even though I died, I still kept some of my healing abilities.” Jesus explained, jumping up and now touching Rika’s wound. “I can’t heal the blind or anything as major as that, but for small scrapes like this I fix up simply enough.” Once finished, he turned to the two, his whiskers twitching curiously. “You said these wounds came from demon mice?”

“Yeah, big, white mice.” Rika answered, checking out her now healed shoulder. “We also fought a giant white snake and a winged angel looking guy named Haruto.”

“Hmmm…” Jesus looked thoughtful.

Rika glanced down at her phone, checking the time. “We should really go meet up with Yuki.” She advised, turning to Takuya. “I’m sure she’s worried. We can decide what to do from there.”

Takuya took out his own cell phone. “I have to make a call real quick.” He walked away further into the garden, leaving Jesus and Rika alone.

Rika scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m sorry again for his behavior tonight. It’s just been a rough night for all of us.”

Jesus shook his head. “No need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for not being there when they most needed me.” He turned towards the sky, the green of his eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. “Even after all these years of wandering the world, it still amazes me my name is still being repeated in prayers. These poor people asking for courage, protection, for love….all these things that aren’t in my powers to give back. Despite what I’ve been through, I’m still just a human.” He glanced towards Takuya sadly. “How can I make the world a better place when I can’t even save one life?”

He jumped as Rika’s hand came down to pat him on the head softly. “Jesus….I don’t think you realize just how much good you’ve done already. All around the world, people still talk about the good deeds you did in the past. Despite the reasoning behind your death, you still went to the cross because you thought you were bettering the world. It’s true not much has changed, at least in the regard of innocent people still getting hurt. But if your actions have caused at least one person to change for the better, then you should be proud.”

At her words, Jesus blushed bashfully. “Thank you Rika.”

Rika was about to reply when her ears suddenly picked up Takuya’s voice speaking as someone picked up on the other end of his phone. She held a finger to her lips, signaling for Jesus to stay silent for a moment as she listened.

“Dude, do you have any idea what time it is?” A grumbled voice answered. Rika was amazed at how clear she was able to hear them.

“I need you to go down to the station.” Takuya replied quickly, getting to the point. She heard the other guy cursing and the ruffling of sheets as if he was getting out of bed.

“You need me to go now?” The other guy complained. “At 2am?”

“There’s a crime scene that you have to investigate. Only you.” Takuya continued. “It can’t wait. The body has already been dead for over an hour.”

“Then get the staff on call to take care of it! I’m….”

“My father’s been murdered.” Takuya cut him off. A long silence followed this statement.

“Takuya….don’t tell me this is about…”

“Yes….it’s happening…” Takuya’s voice grew quieter as he added. “My mother too….I’ll need you to head to my family’s home afterwards.”

There was no noise at the end of the line. Rika almost thought he had hung up until the guy’s voice spoke, sounding a lot more awake. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Okay. I’m hanging up now.” Takuya replied briskly.

“Takuya wait! Where are you? What about Kikyo?”

“Kikyo?” Jesus repeated, as he also listened in.

“That must be his little sister.” Rika whispered. Takuya wasn’t answering, did he already hang up?

“I can’t tell you where I am.” Takuya finally spoke. “As for Kikyo, I’m trying to find her as we speak. I’ll contact you later with an update.” Before his friend could argue Takuya clicked the end call button. He looked up from his phone, just as Rika and Jesus both turned away quickly.

“So that’s the difference between Catholics and Christians?” Rika exclaimed cheerfully.

“Yeah crazy right?” Jesus replied in an equally cheerful manner.

Takuya rolled his eyes, striding past them. “I’ll already know you guys were eavesdropping. Let’s just go.”

“Come on.” Rika lowered her arm, allowing Jesus to pounce on top of her shoulder.

“Where are we heading?” He asked, as he made himself comfortable.

“To meet up with my sister and Emi.” Rika explained. “She’s also a child of a….” she paused, accidently walking into Takuya. He stood still, taking one last look at the home he grew up in. Where his mother’s body still remained, cold and alone. Rika hesitated, not sure what she could say. She opened her mouth, but felt Jesus’ paw softly pat her ear.

“Let's give him a moment.” Jesus whispered gently. “Goodbyes are never easy.”

Rika nodded, walking down the sideway. The street was deserted, all the homes dark and silent. She leaned against a light post, it’s light flickering softly. Jesus jumped on top of a recycling bin, licking at his paw. Rika noticed a small x shaped scar at the end of each paw, barely visible on the white fur. “Scars from being crucified, maybe?” It amazed her how a person who’s been through so much, seemed to still have a cheerful personality.

“Jesus, were you ever able to say goodbye to your mother?” Rika asked.

He stopped licking, both ears drooping slightly. “As a human, my last image of her was weeping during my crucifixion.” He jumped down, coming to sit next to Rika’s feet. “But when I came back, I visited her often in this form up until the day she died peacefully in her sleep. I couldn’t say goodbye, but I was glad I could be there, curled right next to her as she took her last breath.”

“Do you still miss her?”

“Everyday.” Jesus answered, looking up at the stars. “I just hope she’s happy, wherever she is.”

“I’m sure she is.” Rika smiled, picking the grey cat and setting him back on her shoulder as Takuya called out to them. “ I just hope my dad and Takuya’s parents are also at peace somewhere.”