A/N : To my Yazzbag. Because she wrote me one and it delighted me XD!
Warning : Fluff! Major kittenish fluff!
Disclaimer : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters.
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The sound of pitter-pattering was keeping Rei awake, a smile occasionally crossing his features as a quiet mewing echoed around the room. He hadn't meant to turn him into a cat, it was a complete accident, but he thought that he ought keep him in his sight until the magic finally faded.
It had been an accident, a joke that had gotten out of hand, really. Rei had been telling his team mates about his holiday home when he'd visited his family and attended his mother's friend's daughter's wedding… Strange since he hadn't even known the girl, but still. While in China, however, he had met up with some family members he hadn't seen for a while; various cousins whom he enjoyed talking to and so it was obvious that they'd want to enjoy a laugh together after so long of not seeing each other. One of the younger boys had talked of a magic spell that could turn people into animals… Of course, everyone laughed it off and believed it to be a joke… Until Rei told Tyson and Max who were determined to try it out 'just for a laugh'. So, in joking high spirits, Tyson had loudly suggested that Rei use the magic to turn Kai into a cat in the hope that being small and fluffy would make him more fun… The answer was no. It didn't. After they had all sat staring at the place where Kai had been standing and realising that he was in fact now a small Silver Tabby kitten with pink eyes and blue whiskers, all Rei could do was apologise profusely and dodge the scratches that his team captain threw at him.
The fluffy grey animal jumped up onto Rei's bed and dug it's claws into his arm as yet another 'punishment' for the accident, making the neko-jin teen hiss in pain.
"I said I was sorry!" He yelped, dodging the cat's scratch attempts, feeling like he was suddenly subjected to one of Mao's cat scratch attacks in the beyblade dish. "There's no need to be so moody about it, okay? You'll change back... At some point." Rei sighed, pulling the covers up over his arms so that he wouldn't be caught off guard. The grey kitten looked up at him with pinky-red eyes and appeared to sigh, using the back of a grey striped paw to rub away an itch at the base of his blue whiskers. Rei guessed that the whiskers were in place of the trademark triangles that his team captain always wore, though he couldn't quite figure out why they'd become whiskers, it wasn't quite normal. But then, a spell turning a teenage boy into a cat wasn't exactly normal either. Rei sighed, feeling a little unhappy with the current situation. "Stop trying to hurt me Kai. I've said I'm sorry a hundred times and you're still holding a grudge against me. What more can I do for you now?" The kitten seemed to glare at him in reply, making the teenager confused.
"Mrow." The cat growled in a very Kai-ish way, leaping onto the window sill and pacing up and down, gazing somewhat longingly into the night. He sat still for a couple of silent minutes, aware of Rei watching him in absent wonder, then jumped down to the floor and made his way toward the door, looking toward Rei for a brief few seconds before staring up at the door handle.
"I don't know if I'm comfortable with letting you out." Rei muttered, avoiding eye contact with Kai. "I mean, you've never been a cat before, you don't know what to expect. I know that you can look after yourself and everything but if something did happen then I'd be to blame and I just couldn't stand that." The neko-jin admitted quietly, vaguely aware that Kai might not be able to understand him.
"Mrow… Meow." Kai stretched himself up and tried to pat at the door handle. He couldn't understand a word that Rei was saying to him and knew that Rei wouldn't be able to understand his mews either; but he did know that if he didn't find himself something to eat soon, he was surely to pass out from hunger – His younger team mate didn't appear to be thinking straight since he cooked dinner for everyone else but completely neglected to feed the 'cat'.
"You… Want to go out, huh." Rei mused. What if Kai got hurt or something? But then again, maybe he really needed to use the toilet? Rei sighed. "Fine Kai, but I'm coming with you."
Kai growled slightly in his throat, apparently the kitty equivalent of rolling his eyes. Of course he needed Rei to go with him! What was his team mate expecting? A super kitten that could open a six foot fridge all by itself? Upon hearing the noise, Rei glanced at Kai worriedly. Did Kai really hate him that much that he didn't even want him to follow and make sure he didn't get hurt? Without really realising that he'd moved at all, the teenager's knees collided with the floor and he sighed deeply, head in his hands.
"I'm really sorry Kai, please stop hating me so much! I just thought it was a joke, a stupid joke like everyone else did! How was I meant to know that you'd turn into a cat?" His voice quietened to something barely a whisper. "I'm sorry… I don't want you to hate me."
The grey kitten turned his head away from the door to watch the boy, not understanding why he was suddenly so upset. "Meow?" He asked quietly, hearing in his head "what's wrong?" yet knowing that Rei could only hear the simple mew that didn't mean anything to humans. The teen looked up with wet amber eyes and shook his head, once mistaking Kai's words for something else.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not weak, Kai. I just hate the way you hate me." He bowed his head again and sighed even deeper than before. "I wish you could understand me." He thought aloud, not noticing the kitten slinking toward him; not noticing at all until he felt the softness of fur against his bare arm – the same one that the same kitty-Kai had lacerated only a few minutes ago. He looked down to see that Kai had head-butted him and was now gazing up intently in a very kittenish way, his pink eyes wide in wonder. Just the sight of him made a smile tug at the edges of Rei's lips. "Honestly Kai," he murmured, "you don't know how daftly sweet you look like that." He smiled softly. "I'd cuddle you like I would any other kitten but I know you'd scratch my eyes out if I tried."
"Mrow?" Kai questioned almost warily as Rei's hand extended toward him, wondering if his team mate was angry with him for some reason; that would not be good, after all, Rei was a lot bigger than him right now and Kai knew that if he wanted to hurt him while he was a kitten, it would be all too easy. The cat was pleasantly surprised, however, when the hand began gently stroking his fur. Kai involuntarily purred. 'This feels better than a professional massage…' He thought to himself, purring freely as Rei scratched him behind the ears.
"I love you." Rei muttered, before hastily adding "As a cat, I mean." He blushed deeply, withdrawing his hand and averting his eyes, leaving the silver tabby looking very confused. The kitten head-butted his friend's arm again, silently asking why his 'treatment' had stopped. "Never mind Kai, you wouldn't understand even if you were human now."
This time it was Rei's turn to be taken surprise when the kitten form of his team captain clambered up onto his lap and licked him arm with a rough tongue, gazing up cutely into Rei's amber eyes with his own pink ones. "Mow…" Kai mewed, purring while he settled himself in the warm lap of his team mate. The raven-haired teen blinked in surprise but his hand was on autopilot, already ruffling the fluffy grey fur whilst Kai purred loudly in content, stretching out and closing his eyes, his hunger temporarily forgotten.
"Can't you stay like this Kai? I've always wanted a kitten of my own… You can be my kitten… And I'll be yours." Rei sighed, giving in to temptation and picking the kitten up, cuddling him close. Kai, although surprised by the affectionate action, purred louder than ever and nuzzled into Rei's chest, licking his cheeks. Rei closed his eyes, nuzzling the kitten back with his own nose, laughing softly. "Yeah… I'll be yours." He whispered just as the cat turned back into his original form.
Kai and Rei stared at each other for a couple of seconds, neither moving from where they held each other close. Kai, for what could possibly have been the first time in his life, looked nervously into his team mate's eyes. "Wh… What did you just say?" He asked, trying to swallow his nerves. Why was this so nerve racking anyway? This was Rei, his team mate… His friend… His…
But Kai's thought process was cut off abruptly when he felt a pair of soft lips collide shyly with his cheek. "I said I'll be yours." Rei repeated quietly, avoiding eye contact with his captain. What made him think he could be so confident? Kai didn't want to be with him, Kai could find better. Hell, what made him think that Kai was even into guys at all?
"Rei…"
'For fuck sake Rei! What were you thinking?' The neko-jin mentally scolded himself. How could he be so stupid? Kai didn't want him like that.
"Rei..?"
Kai was a cat! A cat! Of course he'd cuddle up, cats love that kind of thing!
"Rei."
Rei looked up at Kai with blind hurt in his tear-wet eyes. "Sorry." He whispered, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologising for… Stupidity, perhaps. Kai slowly lifted a hand and, using the tip of his knuckle, gently wiped away a tear from Rei's eye before sliding his hand round onto the back of Rei's neck and pulling him closer.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rei." He assured, gazing intently into the amber eyes in front of him, running his hands through Rei's shorter hair. "You can be mine if you want to." He smiled a little before catching Rei off guard with a soft kiss. "And I'll be yours."
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