AU: Omi isn't part of Weiss. Sap: buckets and buckets of that sticky, sickening stuff. And to cut a long story short: weirdness. Also, very slight Catholic sacrilege in one part? I don't think so, but just in case someone gets offended. ^_^'
Ken flashed his most brilliant smile at Momoe as he walked towards her. "Hello, Momoe-san! The shop's
unnervingly quiet today, so... do you mind if I borrow Omi for a while?"
"Not at all," Momoe replied with a kind smile of her own.
"Thanks!" Ken took the little cat on Momoe's lap and scooped it up in his arms. It cuddled closer to him, purring sleepily. Ken stroked his fur, absently recalling the time that the kitten had been too frightened to even come near them.
It was about three years ago when he and Aya found him timidly pawing at a pot of freesias. Aya had advanced towards the kitty, but stopped in his tracks when the animal ducked behind the pot. For some reason, Aya was disconcerted by this action. It made him wonder why the cat didn't just run away or maybe take a chance at hissing, both of which any cat's instincts would normally lead felines to do.
Meanwhile, Ken had been trying to coax the kitten out of its scarce hiding place. He was easily won over by an offering that came in the form of a portion from Ken's sandwich. As the cat rubbed Ken's stomach with its side appreciatively, Ken read the name "Omi" on its collar. Ken suggested that they give it to Momoe as a pet, endeared immediately to the kitten. Aya argued that "Omi" probably belonged to someone already, but Ken insisted that they keep the poor little thing until his owner found him. Aya simply sighed in exasperation, and Ken interpreted this as practically waving a white flag in front of his face.
Anyway, everyone seemed to be getting along with little Omi. Even the "Ice Queen" Aya, as Yohji so lovingly and just as discreetly calls him.
Ken chuckled at this, but abruptly stopped. For upon reentering the room, he briefly caught sight of Yohji and Aya... doing something that apparently warranted close contact. However, whatever it was they were up to, it was shot to the floor as soon as Ken arrived, and they had jumped away from each other as if electrocuted.
"Uh... guys?" Ken mumbled, as Omi yawned widely in his arms.
Coincidentally enough, neither Aya nor Yohji seemed to have heard him.
"G-guys?!" This time, the tone in Ken's voice seemed more urgent. And as pissed off at Yohji was at Ken (for reasons yet undisclosed), he spared a look towards the younger man.
And was magnificently gratified for that decision. "What the-?!"
"Yohji! Wh-What's going on?!" Ken's voice, in a few octaves higher than usual, asked.
Finally curious, the previously flustered(!) Aya glared Ken's way. And witnessed Ken holding a blonde, slight, and uncompromisingly naked boy. Oh yeah, and he was choking, too. But mostly, he was just naked. "Ken, you idiot, that kid is choking!"
Unfortunately, Ken was a bit shorthanded, needing full use of both limbs to carry the boy. "I-- Yohji, help me out here!" With Yohji still staring in amazement at the scene, he took the boy's hands away from his neck as they tried to claw at the... well, the collar that was strangling him. Aya tried to remove said collar as quickly as he could, and was able to accomplish the task before his hands became paws.
Yohji released the boy's hands as he dove to the floor, picking up the cat that appeared in Aya's place. "Aya?! Aya? Are you..."
"R... mrrr..."
"Noooooo! Aya! Come back! I promise, I'll never skip my shifts again! I won't call you Ice Queen or Frosty the Snowman or my little Ayakins or..."
It was safe to say that Ken was very, very confused.
The boy in Ken's arms had recovered, and now he seemed most interested in touching his nose. It appeared that this activity brought a decent amount of delight to the boy, and he also found joy in making several vowel sounds. Ken wondered briefly if it was some foreign language, but his thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice that had a... feline accent, so to speak.
"You call me what?!!"
Yohji blinked thoughtfully in the middle of his hysterics. Then he promptly squeezed the Aya-creature in a triumphant hug. "It is you! Aya!"
"Aya-sama. Yohji-sama. Ken-sama," the boy suddenly piped up.
That caught Yohji's attention. "It... it knows our names," he whispered.
"Ayyyyya. Yooow - Yoh - ji. Chee. Yooooh - Cheee."
... "Do you think he's retarded?" Yohji mused in the same eerily hushed voice.
"Excuse me, Yohji-sama. I'm competent and adept."
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Yohji apologized quickly, genuinely contrite. "Yohji-sama?!" he mouthed to Ken, half-surprised and half-pleased.
But it was quickly forgotten by the boy. "Ekkks - skyooose. Ooooze." He returned to feeling his nose. "I have a large nose. Noooose..."
As Aya, Yohji and Ken waited for the boy -- for Omi to get dressed, a pressing silence loomed over them.
Aya was surely fuming over the situation. He's probably mourning over not being able to glare, thought
Yohji. Of course he could always try, but I have a feeling he won't get the intended effect. Ken
was probably trying to figure out what was going on. Oh, to know what goes on in that guy's mind.
As for Yohji, he had problems of his own...
I guess it's supposed to be funny -- hook up with the most gorgeous living thing walking on two legs, then he just goes off and turns himself into a cat. Perfect. Life's just so unfair. Yohji took the opportunity to snap.
"I knew it! I knew it! All those feline codenames were unnatural! The gods must've seen to it that we pay back for trying to cutesify an organization of murderers!" Yohji suddenly yelled out of the blue.
Ken, with a sense of caution that surprised even himself, shushed Yohji. "Omi might hear you!"
"Doesn't matter, you've brought him to the mission room many times before, remember?" Aya said.
Ken paused. "What?" He politely decided not to mention that all he heard from Aya were -- if possible -- sarcastic-sounding mewls. Actually, it was more an act of self-preservation than of politeness.
"He said that you brought Omi to the mission room and Omi probably knows everything about us anyway," Yohji translated. "Hello, don't you guys get it?! This is cosmic karma! It's like the appendage to the seventh commandment: Thou shall not kill, P.S. especially not while using the names of God's furry animal friends! We should rename ourselves before it's too late!"
Now, for some reason, Ken was following Yohji throughout his little speech. "...That's the sixth commandment."
"What? No, you dolt, that's the adultery commandment, I know that much."
"You should... Wait, ninth is adultery! The killing thing is sixth, or fifth! ...Or fourth!"
"It's the fifth, you useless idiots!" the kitten suddenly bellowed at them, bearing its blunt little claws.
Needless to say, Ken and Yohji now focused all their energy on stifling their laughter.
Omi presented himself a moment later, dressed at least two sizes too big in Ken's clothes. "I'm sorry for not explaining everything earlier," he said meekly, head bowed, long bangs obscuring his eyes. "I was in a little bit of a shock becoming human again, and I don't think I'm used to it yet. But, at least I don't play with the words anymore, right? That can get annoying."
"You're babbling instead, trying to get used to speaking," Aya observed.
"Hey, you can talk! I couldn't talk when I was a cat." Omi's initial smile seemed to flicker as he was reminded of his previous lifestyle. "Um..."
"So, you mentioned you were human before."
Omi bit his lip, nodding slightly. "I was born human, that much I remember. I was... I was 11-years-old? And... Oh, what's the date today?" Omi's cerulean eyes were illuminated, as if he had a breakthrough. Ken's breath hitched slightly, surprised by the expressiveness of Omi's eyes.
"Feb 29, I believe. Does it have something to do with what's going on?" Yohji asked. Must be some sort of magickal hoo-ha. Maybe he pissed off some witch when he was a kid, and then the witch cursed him.
"Yes, I think so. Today must be my birthday! But I'm not sure, I don't remember... A-anyway, I believe that it happened five years ago, if my memory serves me right. I think that's when my brother turned me into a... a cat."
"Your brother?! Your brother turned you into a cat?!" Yohji asked incredulously. "Man, I've heard of sibling rivalry, but... Wait. How exactly did your brother turn you into a cat? And did he do it to Aya?"
"I'm not sure what happened to you, Aya-sama." Omi sighed, trying to search through his memory for answers. "I know that my brother is a genius. Father let him experiment on me, so I trusted them both. Besides, turning into something else? I thought it sounded cool. So he played with my DNA structure, and I believe there was some occult thing going on in the side, because my other brother was fond of those stuff. In any case, after I changed, he told me that I would stay a cat for five years. I tried to argue with him, but I couldn't say anything. I don't think he foresaw that, because if he did, he would've made some plan to solve that."
A long pause stretched between the four, until Yohji decided to prod him. "Omi?"
"I ran away from them. I know it sounds selfish or absurd, but I really felt they didn't care about me." Omi's eyes darkened as he continued. "They treated me like they did when I was human. That is, they ignored me and expected me to be able to take care of myself. And of course, I had learned to do that when I was human. But as a cat, it was driving me insane. No one talked to me and no one even looked for me." Omi shook his head regretfully. "It sounds weird, right? You must think I'm exaggerating, because families are supposed to care for each other." The boy smiled slightly, hope lacing his voice. "I think they did care about me, and I should've given them the chance to show it."
Ken sat beside Omi, putting a hand on younger boy's slight shoulders. "Maybe we can look for them now. What's your brother's name?"
Omi scrunched his nose, seeming in deep thought. "Masafumi. Takatori Masafumi."
"Do you think he knows that we killed them? The whole lot of them?" Ken asked, a wave of paranoia as well as
guilt washing over him.
"No. The Takatori missions happened before we found Omi," Aya said confidently.
Ken peered through the window of his room, watching Omi nap. "We should do something for him. We can let him live with us, you know. It's the least we can do."
"Uh uh, the least we can do is absolutely nothing," Yohji informed him. "Trust me, I've done the math."
"Yohji, I'm serious. I know the Takatori guys are nothing to mourn over, but they were the kid's family." With his mind made up, he opened the door to his room with a list of places in his mind that he could take Omi to, knowing that the probability of sleep embargo would amplify its rage a hundred times over if he didn't do this. "I'm taking him outside, get him reacquainted with... non-cat stuff, I guess."
"Wait, Ken! Hidaka, I know this is an unfamiliar practice to you, but try using your head for once!"
Ken whirled around, bowing low and hissing so he wouldn't be heard. "Look--"
"Listen to me," Yohji whispered with despotic demurring, "that kid used to be a kitten. As in, a real kitten. The kind you play with. I mean, really play with--"
"--Get to the point!"
"The point is, no matter how much he's seen us interact with other humans, he wouldn't know how! He's spent way too much time on all fours. You saw how obsessed he was with the advantages of regaining proper human equipment to speak. Who knows what he might do, what's left of some animalistic instinct he's developed over the years? I mean, I want the kid to experience joy. I'm all for that, believe me. The past arrangements couldn't have caused him anything but psychological disaster. But that's precisely why you can't just bring him out into the world right now. Think about it -- being a cat throughout adolescence? That should rightfully screw him up. And look at him, he's all, 'Life is a cabaret, old chum!' -- that was from some Broadway play," he explained his reference at the expense of Ken's bewildered expression, and continued without missing a beat. "It's creepy! That child is unpredictable, to say the least. Tell me the limitless possibilities of his psychological state doesn't disturb you!"
"So what do you want me to do, lock him up 'til we find him a therapist? He's a kid, he's not going to go around killing people. Or, hopefully, not go around pouncing at them..."
"Ken--!"
The former J-league goalie was insufferably stubborn -- even more so that day, it seemed -- and was already on his way to pick up Omi. "It's the messed-up people in the world who need fun, Yohji!" he called, without sparing a look behind him.
"What're you waiting for? Stop that idiot!" an almost forgotten cat snarled near Yohji's ankles.
A grin spread across Yohji's face, remarkably feline. "Come to think of it, Ken's plan might just help us turn you human again. Not that I intend to just wait..."
Aya, possibly the single person in this world that could relay his indignation through a cat's eyes (and quite possibly the only one who has ever had to), stared miniature katanas into Yohji's skull. "In the meantime?"
"In the meantime... come here, pet."
Furious mewls echoed throughout the rooms as a certain assassin was plucked off the floor with general ease. Yohji tucked his darling pet into his chest and speculated on the idea of a collar.
"Are you sure I can go out? What if I've been a cat for so long and I do something stupid?" Omi said
cautiously as Ken practically dragged the boy out of his room.
"Hey, I've been human all my life and I still do stupid things," Ken reassured him with a wink.
Omi giggled. "You guys do get into an awful lot of accidents. Much more than Momoe-sama. I still remember when you dropped the scissors and almost clipped my tail while you were working on an arrangement. I doubt I've ever been so traumatized."
Ken thought it better not to remind Omi of his previous circumstances. He had earlier made a mental note not to mention anything involving "Takatori". He had found out that Omi was cheerful in nature, but that tended to fall short whenever his past was brought up. "I don't remember that... Sorry, anyway."
Omi flashed him a mega-watt smile as they exited the flower shop. "Wow! Everything is so... so..."
"Um... Don't you always get out of the flower shop as a cat?" Ken asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.
"Yes, but everything looks so vivid! So colorful and... real!" Omi suddenly jumped up and down in excitement. "Let's go to a theme park! Or a zoo! Or a movie even! Somewhere I can be human!"
Ken put an arm around Omi's shoulders in an attempt to calm the boy down. Anyway, it's okay if that didn't work, because Ken absolutely adored the other boy's exuberance. "Omi, you are human." Omi didn't reply, but said volumes in his wide, thankful eyes. "We can go to those places some other time, when I remember to bring money for them," Ken announced shamelessly, eliciting a laugh from Omi. "For now, how about I just bring you to the park and buy you ice cream?"
Omi's eyes lit up magnanimously as Ken mentioned ice cream. "That sounds great!" He was about to run in his excitement, but somehow was reminded that he didn't know which way to go. "Let's go, Ken-sama!" He took Ken's hand in his and all but skipped forward.
Ken laughed at how Omi was still pretty much essentially a child, skipping along and taking his hand like that. And not knowing the directions. Ken yanked Omi's hand the other way. "You're going the wrong way, Omi," he chided lightly.
Omi colored slightly. "Ah, sorry...!"
"No need to apologize. And, um, you really should just call me and Yohji and Aya by our names. And Momoe-san is adequate. See, my going by Ken-sama in public would probably seem a bit suspicious to other people."
"I'm sorry! I just... I was trained to call everyone-- I'm sorry, I shouldn't try to make excuses--"
"Ah, it's okay, Omi," Ken reassured him empathetically. "Just... 'Ken' is fine."
"Ken..." Omi repeated, as if trying out the word with his own lips. Which he was probably doing. "Ken-kun." The streak of pink returned with a vengeance on Omi's face, blue eyes splayed as if expecting to be reprimanded.
Sensing another apology making its way through Omi's mouth, Ken quickly told him that "Ken-kun" was fine as well. He made sure to add, "You apologize way too much, Omi. It's good to be humble, but you shouldn't say sorry for things that aren't even wrong."
Omi gasped, seeming overly contrite again. "I'm s--" The blond smartly stopped himself, grinning sheepishly. "Um. Y-yes. Yes. Ken-kun."
Ken smiled. His name on Omi's lips was something he didn't mind hearing repeatedly.
"Stay here, I'll get the ice cream," Ken said as he led Omi to a bench.
"Alright, Ken-kun!" the perpetually jovial boy replied.
And just as Ken thought that the trials of the day were over, he was sadly proven wrong. Lo and behold, behind the ice cream counter was a girl who was madly in love with Ken. (Which, of course, is always annoying.)
"Hey, Haru," Ken greeted her, a forced smile twitching on his lips.
Haru glanced up, hearts having materialized in place of her eyes. "Ken! You came to visit me!"
Yeah. Right. "Um... I'd just like two ice cream cones for me and... my brother."
"You have a brother?" Haru's eyes glinted interestedly, making her look like a predator to Ken.
"Yup. He's right over -- Omi?!" Ken gasped, a powerful surge of protectiveness overcoming him. He ran towards a tall tree, that which had Omi on it. "Omi! What are you doing? Get down from there!"
"Um, I can't," Omi mumbled meekly.
Ken mulled over the situation briefly. The former cat is stuck on a tree. I guess old habits die hard... Considering he hadn't done it for many years, Ken climbed the tree rather quickly. Once on top, he suppressed the urge to lecture his young friend. "Omi, why did you climb the tree?" he asked, sounding rightfully tired.
"There was a child down there who said her kite got stuck up here." Omi waved a bright orange kite that he held in one hand as proof. "I'm sorry. It's just that, it happened to me before, and I thought it was really mean that nobody would help me get it. Besides, I have a bit of tree-climbing experience. I simply forgot my history of being unable to get down."
Ken laughed, thus erasing the cute little pout that Omi had been donning. "Alright. It's okay. Put your arms around my neck and I'll get us down. We might look a bit ridiculous, but we have more to worry about, right?"
"Yeah," Omi agreed, blushing slightly.
"Don't feel bad. But next time, just try to do what people your size are doing, okay?" Ken said as he slowly descended from the tree, with Omi hanging onto him.
"Okay," Omi chirped immediately, engraving these new instructions into his brain.
Once Ken and Omi landed safely on the ground, the younger boy handed the kite to a young girl whose whole face had brightened upon receiving the retrieved item. "Thank you, thank you so much!" she said, already running off to play.
Beside Omi, Ken was instantly smothered by Haru. She threw her arms around him and pecked him on his lips, drawing a small cry of protest from Ken. "You were wonderful, Ken-kun!" she said as she released him.
Ken barely had time to react as Omi embraced him, shortly pressing his lips to Ken's, mimicking exactly what Haru had just done.
General silence followed that.
"Um... she is my size, right?" Omi whispered to Ken's dazed face.
"Hey, is there any way you could stop making me feel more and more like a cat?" Aya snarled.
"You're the one nuzzling me," Yohji pointed out.
"I am not nuzzling you!" Aya protested defensively.
"It's okay, I understand. You can't help it." Yohji continued petting the little animal on his lap. "But you know, if you turned human right now, you'd technically be giving me a lap dance." The way Aya flexed his paws near Yohji's bare arm was an indication of potential danger. Yohji noted the warning. "Sorry," he muttered.
"The least you can do is stop stroking my... fur..."
"I can't help it, I have a cat on my lap! What am I supposed to do? No one's ever written a book on proper etiquette between a man and his friend that magically turned into a cat!"
"Even if there were, you probably wouldn't have read it," Aya reminded him.
"I'd laugh at the strange, preposterous plot. ...Come to think of it, it is kind of funny..."
Aya began walking away, and, much to his dismay, was picked up off the floor. "I'm glad you're enjoying my predicament."
"Hey, don't think I don't know that you're planning to make me suffer when you become human again."
"That's just it, Yohji. What if I never become human again?"
Yohji had never really considered that. Aya... a cat forever? You mean, I never even get a chance to kiss him? Or... anything else, for that matter? His heart physically protested to that thought. It was not fun being in love with a cat. Me, in a non-physical relationship?! Suddenly, the situation wasn't so funny...
"Have you noticed anything different about Omi lately?" Ken asked during a particularly quiet time in the
shop, taking advantage of the fact that Omi was fast asleep in his room.
"Oh, you mean how he no longer has whiskers and a tail and is a freaking biped?" Yohji asked conversationally.
"Not that. He's been human for quite some time now," Ken replied. "I mean... he seems a bit, well, distant. He's usually so friendly and affectionate."
"Ken, you've known him for how long? A week or two? Maybe that's how he really is as a human," Aya suggested.
Ken shook his head, knowing that Omi couldn't be anything but sweet and loving. "I've been with him night and day, alright, every single waking hour. He isn't anything like this."
"That's true, though. I mean, about you two spending all your time together. I kept meaning to tell you, this girl named Haru came over once when you two were out. She was complaining that you were always with your 'brother' and that you're neglecting her."
Ken rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something she'd say. Anyway, I don't get it. It could be because I told him about that Takatori thing and--"
"Oh, well, yeah, I guess it could be because of the 'Takatori thing'!" Yohji shrilled. "You told him about it?!"
Ken shrugged helplessly. "He seemed fine with it. I mean, not 'fine', but he was dealing. He even slept on my bed that night, and he usually sleeps on the little sofa that he insists is comfortable." Ken tilted his head, trying to recall as much as he could about that day. "He told me we were even, because he says it's probably his fault that Aya turned into a cat."
"Oh, speaking of which, could you tell the boy that we really, really want Aya to turn human again?" Yohji requested casually.
"I don't think he can do anything about that, Yohji."
"Well, at least ask him to remember! At this rate, I'm never getting laid!"
Aya looked up from... well, quite frankly, licking his paw. "Who said you were getting laid if I turn human again?"
"...That's not funny, Aya."
"Really veering off-topic here," Ken interrupted them, being a resident expert at that.
Yohji groaned and surrendered. "Alright, alright, if you're going to keep moping about it... I'll tell you what's going on."
"You know?!"
"Yeah, the kid was talking to me yesterday."
"He told you something he didn't tell me?"
Yohji raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a lot of friends in the J-League? Anyway, yeah, he told me his little problem because it was about you. Now before you start hyperventilating, no, he doesn't hate you. In fact, quite the opposite."
"So what's the problem?" Ken asked.
"Well, Aya, there you go. You've found an even denser man to walk on planet Earth." Yohji sighed, exasperated. "Geez, Ken, the kid has a crush on you. Actually, he came to me and said he had a little problem, yada yada yada. He was having problems 'recognizing' his feelings, and I told him to wait it out and let the whole thing sort itself out. I really didn't want to meddle."
"Which is a bit too late," Aya commented.
"Ah, shut up, he was getting on my nerves..."
As for Ken, he never really get past "crush on you". There were so many thoughts competing for his attention, and they came so quickly that he didn't know what he was feeling. Aside from confusion, which he was predominantly certain of.
"Anyway, don't mind it, Ken. He'll get over it." Yohji patted Ken on the back, which shook Ken from his chaotic reverie.
"Hmm," Ken replied, thoughtfully. Was that what I was worried about?
Ken no longer wanted to think. Further perusal would lead to complications. Because deep down, he knew what
answer it would lead him to. So he turned to another option: dating someone else.
He was with a fairly pretty girl, and he liked the way her platinum locks shivered across her shoulders when she laughed. Thank God he was able to land a decent date, for he was ready to take anyone from Yohji to Haru.
He tried to enjoy himself in every way possible. He was actually exerting a fair amount of effort to have some fun. What can Omi do, anyway? Go into the back alley and seduce the tabby? Ken had forgotten his primary rule: No Thinking. Right. Stop thinking about it. And stop thinking as if you two are an item to begin with! The little imaginary Yohji in his head was guffawing at him, saying, "Geez, cat-boy has you wrapped around his little finger all because you think he has a crush on you!" A cat, gradually becoming more and more familiar each day, managed to roll his eyes in Ken's mind.
"Ken, you're not listening!" his date said, more teasing than accusing.
Ken smiled, shooing mental Yohji and Aya away. Beat it, you two! "I am too listening," he insisted, forcing a laugh. He wished he could say the exact opposite about two imaginary figures of two certain assassins taking up what precious space they did at the back of his head.
I wonder whatever happened to our cat, Momoe thought, just after brushing her teeth.
"I can't believe we're visiting your ex-girlfriend." Aya wiggled around in Yohji's arms as a sign of protest.
"What, are you going to get jealous?" Yohji smirked.
"No, it's just that you actually think she has a solution for all this."
Yohji snorted. "I don't see you coming up with any brilliant plans. Besides, it's what she does for a living."
"She turns cats into humans again?"
"Ha ha. No, she reads fortunes and all that mystic mumbo jumbo. Trust me, we'll know what to do by the end of the day."
Aya would've sighed if he could have. "He's asking me to trust him again. Wonderful."
"Lola-chan! It's Yohji! Open up!"
Feeling Ken watch him while they were in the movie house. Holding onto Ken's arm as he was taught to ice skate. Getting worried sick as Ken threw up after riding the roller
coaster with him.
Ken telling him that they were responsible for his family's deaths. Telling Ken that they were even, because it was his fault that Aya turned into a cat. And after that, bawling in Ken's arms, being lulled into sleep by the comforting warmth that Ken provided, and knowing that Ken would be way past "even" after that night.
Omi couldn't get it out of his head.
Looking to his side, he gasped. And couldn't even begin to understand why seeing Ken with a girl hurt like hell.
He felt all eyes turn to him after he had inadvertently knocked a glass down. All eyes. Oh, great, he knows I'm here! In his panic, Omi stood up quickly and ran away from the restaurant, not once looking back.
He barely ran a few steps before he felt a strong hand clasp his arm, preventing him to run any further. "Ken-kun!" He wasn't at all shocked to have been out-run by the considerably more athletic Ken, but he was surprised that Ken had ran after him. "Wh... Aren't you with someone?"
"I'd rather bring you home, if you don't mind," Ken said, with a sheepish look on his face. "Something might happen to you..."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Omi said with a small smile. "I'll be fine. She'll... She'll need a ride home, and--"
"She'll be alright. She's an attractive girl, I'm sure she'll find someone to take my place. And you, I'm not exactly sure you can take care of yourself. I mean, no offense! You... Well, you probably have an idea how bad the world is, but... I mean, well, either way... I just want to make sure you get there. Come on, we can get a taxi."
"Oh... Um... It's okay, really." A furious blush spread across his cheeks.
"No matter how capable you are of being by yourself, you can still get lonely." Ken draped an arm across Omi's shoulders, obviously not taking no for an answer. Especially one that didn't mean "no" at all.
"You want me to what?!" Lola cried.
"Come on! I'm telling you, this is Aya! You have to turn him back into a person!" Yohji pleaded.
Lola looked at her former lover worriedly. "Yohji... if you're really lonely, I can get you the number of this really nice girl I know from college--"
"Lola, come on, believe me! How many times did you ask me to believe you when we were dating, about all that witchcraft and stuff?"
"You always made fun of me."
Yohji paused. Good point. "But I believe you now! Come on! Aya, say something!"
...
"Aya, dammit!" Yohji was soon on his knees, begging pathetically. "Please, do this for me, Lola! I really, really want Aya back, even if he's a bastard and he won't talk and won't tell me anything he's feeling. I want to hear him say my name again, and not through a cat's mouth. He can't say 'o' properly, so it doesn't even come out as 'Yohji', but more of 'Yauji', and--"
"Yohji. Shut. Up."
Yohji pointed at his new evidence. "You see! See, there! He can't pronounce 'o' with--"
"Oh my God, it talked!" Lola shrieked.
"Oh. Oh yeah. ...See?"
Lola bent on all fours, examining the cat. "Yohji? Is it really Aya? Is that why nobody's seen him lately?"
"Yes! Now you believe me?" Yohji gloated triumphantly.
Lola regained her composure and led Yohji to a table. Whipping out a few cards, she guided him through a tedious process without so much as explaining what was going on. "Lola, is this going to turn him back to human?"
"Hush, concentrate."
Yohji held his questions in, for Aya's sake. Somehow, he would derive some patience until Lola was finished with her abracadabra doohickey.
"...It has something to do with a young boy. Someone who's been with you for quite a while, but you've only gotten to know him now."
"Omi, of course. So?"
"This all has something do with his happiness. It's a result of many consequences because... Ah." Lola's forehead wrinkled in thought. "You see, in magick, there are prices to be paid. Something happened to the boy, something in which magick was involved, and it has caused this particular problem." She gestured to Aya.
Yohji was, if possible, even more confused than before. "So, simply put... Huh?"
"Masafumi," was all Aya said to get Yohji to understand. Masafumi... I killed Masafumi.
Masafumi? That's Omi's brother, Yohji thought. And Aya... Ah, and Aya killed Masafumi. So the consequences are all landing on Aya's shoulders. "What are you saying, Lola? Aya's going to be a cat for the rest of his life?"
"You still don't listen. It's refreshing to know that some things don't change," Lola mused. "No, the boy has to find happiness. Apparently, that would negate the curse."
"That shouldn't be a problem, then! Omi's a regular pocketful of sunshine."
"True happiness, Yohji. Profound happiness." Lola closed her eyes briefly.
Yohji wondered if it was attainable, and hoped it was. Not just for Aya's sake, or for mine. But for Omi's sake, as well, and maybe even Ken's...
Ken closed the door behind him and Omi, plopping down next to the younger boy in the backseat of a taxi cab. "Thanks for letting me bring you home."
Omi's eyebrows met, and an irrepressible smile surfaced on his young face. "I thought you were doing me the favor."
"I don't want you to think that I'm doing you any favors. I don't want you thinking that anyone owes anyone anything, either, alright? But you've gone through so much. It kills me to know that I can't do anything to give you a normal life. It's the worst feeling in the world."
"I'm sorry, Ken-kun. Please don't feel that way! I'm... lucky."
Puzzled, Ken sat back. "...What do you mean?"
"You, and Aya-kun and Yohji-kun... You guys saved me," Omi said simply.
Although flattered beyond cosmic proportions, Ken found himself shaking his head stubbornly. "No. You can't even imagine what being saved would feel like. You have no idea." Flashes ran too quickly across his mind -- blurry visions of Kase, of soccer, of deaths that were caused by his own hands.
Omi's surprise glittered in his widened blue eyes. The words seemed harsh, especially coming from Ken's mouth. "I... Do you really think that?"
"Yeah," Ken replied without hesitation. "You can't imagine what it's like to have found you."
Omi blinked. One, two, three. "...H-huh?"
(By the way, the cab driver was, by now, curious as well.)
"I always wanted another life. I always thought that being me was too hard." Ken ran a hand through Omi's hair, and both recognized the familiar feeling. "But I didn't really start living until I found you. That's why my life is so blessed." Omi crept nearer Ken, finding himself nearly on top of Ken's lap. A familiar place. "I know my head is so screwed up these days... You know why. I probably don't deserve happiness, I know I don't deserve anything like you..."
"Don't say things like that, Ken-kun. You're my friend! You all have been the only true family I've ever had!"
"I know. And I can't take back all the bad things that have happened to you. I can't do anything about it. Just like I can't change what has happened to me and what I've done... And if you stay with us, Omi, it won't be perfect. It might be the farthest thing from it, to live with us. But if you do, you'll always have me. I'll do everything I can for you. And that's all I can promise. Do you think... you could live with that? Could you choose a lifetime with me?"
"Ken-kun... I want to be happy."
Ken hung his head with a low gasp, not expecting such a harsh feeling to even exist in this planet, let alone be caused by five simplistic words. (In case anyone's wondering, the cab driver was now near tears.) "Omi--"
"And I am. Because I've been given something to make everything I went through worthwhile."
Brown eyes widened in gradual realization as Ken felt fingers lacing through his. "Omi... This?"
"Well, it's not perfect," Omi said, feigning a melodramatic sigh. "But it'll do."
(They didn't seem to notice that the vehicle they were riding took a dangerous swerve. The driver found it wise to wipe his misty eyes after that, and all potential accidents were avoided. Three cheers for the cab driver!)
Ken grinned as he wrapped his arms around a slight body, fitting it against his with new insight. "You'll let me hold you like this? Protect you all the time?"
"All the time isn't very reasonable," Omi murmured through a smile, feeling content and safe.
"It works for me," Ken replied. "I'll let you try and stop me, but I doubt you're gong to get very far."
Omi giggled lightheadedly. "Just because you're taking care of me doesn't mean I'll let you get away with everything!"
Ken held back a certain comment -- particularly one that would tell Omi to feel free to 'punish' Ken -- deciding to hold onto that for future usage. "You'll let me get away with doing dumb things, right? I mean, you have forgiven me for the whole scissors nearly chopping off your tail thing." (The driver, after much deliberation, decided that going a little faster to bring the two home wouldn't hurt anyone.) "So you'll forgive me if, like... I dunno... I accidentally burst into a cheesy love song and unknowingly dedicate it to you?"
Omi reconsidered this. After all, he has experienced being outside but-not-far-away-enough from one of Ken's bathroom concertos. "Hmm... Now we may have a problem."
Ken took no offense, instead laughing along with Omi. He stole a short and clumsily reciprocated kiss from the younger boy -- to make him pay for that comment. And, for other obvious reasons as well.
"I'm home," Omi murmured, even though the taxi hadn't arrived at its destination.
(But, not to worry, our trusty cab driver was working on that.)
"That's weird. It's pretty late. Where could they be? And what the hell do you think they're doing?" Yohji asked Aya, whose head was on his lap.
Aya shrugged, taking advantage of regaining his human shoulders. "On their way home, talking probably. Or maybe they both crashed somewhere and died a grotesque, fiery death... Yohji, really, what else would they be doing?"
A fine eyebrow belonging to a cuddled man instantly quirked upwards.
Sorry. I like... odd things... *vows never ever ever ever to write a sappy attempt at comedy again* Thanks for reading!