Can you guys imagine hamster paw-sized iPads? Like, that would be so tiny.

Never trust me frying your foods. My little sis was frustrated. Sometimes I really suck at following directions it's not even funny.


Some two weeks later...

Ritsu sat alone on a shelf near the window of the library, waiting.

It's been two days since he'd seen Masamune. His owners weren't doing anything bad to him, were they? If he only knew where his mate lived, he would try and save him.

Also, he had something really important to tell him.

Hearing a low *thunk* noise, Ritsu turned to see Masamune struggling to get on the shelf, looking exhausted.

[Masamune?!] Ritsu helps him up, hugging him then when the latter was fully on the shelf with him. [Are you okay?]

[...] A rumbling purr reached his ears, and he shifted the weight against him to see Masamune out cold, snoozing in peace upon Ritsu embracing him.

Might as well sleep too, thought Ritsu who carefully dragged Masamune to where he was at the window. Eventually he laid against him, and the two slept away the school day.

Ritsu woke some few hours later, giggling when he felt little pecks around his face. He opened his eyes to see that Masamune had him sitting up in a hug. [Ritsu.]

[Hmm?] Ritsu hums, and registered that the sun was setting. School has ended.

Masamune kisses him before standing and about to leave. [I have to go now. For some reason they're coming home more often and they get angry when they catch me gone.]

Hastily, Ritsu got up as Masamune made his way to jump down the shelf. [W-wait, I need to tell you something! I-]

[Just tell me tomorrow-]

[But tomorrow's Saturday! And An doesn't have any classes tomorrow either. Can,] Ritsu thought about something for a second, [Can you come to our house then? As early as you can?]

[Yeah,] Masamune says, hurriedly making his way out.

Before Ritsu could feel reassured, An picks him up and onto her shoulder. "Let's go, Rittie. Mom called and wants us home."


"TOMORROW?!" An tilted her cell phone away from Saeki's screeching. She was walking to her room.

"Saeki-chan, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault! But..." She heard faint intake of breath from the other line. "You'll still call right?"

"Yeah," she sits on her bed now, gazing around at the mostly empty room. Her bed would be left behind with just a pillow and a thin sheet the next day. "And we'll come back in a few years, so-"

"STILL!"

"I don't know what else to say, Saeki-chan. Ritsu's taking it hard too. I don't think he told his fri- mate that."

"Eh? You don't know his name yet?"

...

'His name?' wondered An, watching Ritsu furiously finishing up his small project.

An honestly didn't expect moving. She thought it was at least some attempt to get her to go abroad. Both Ritsu and her thought maybe Masamune could sleep over more, and Ritsu ended up stitching a blanket for him to bring back and forth. He already finished the pillowcase.

Earlier, she mentioned to her parents a little something about maybe getting a 'companion' for Ritsu, but she was brushed off. Her mother didn't like the idea; she was totally bought into the soulmate thing and expected that if it was An and Ritsu, then that would mean she'd meet a man who had a girl chibi neko person- totally missing the point of her question.

Then her father thought having two in the house would mean bad luck...? Sometimes she didn't understand her parents.

Getting off her bed, An went to lean over and watch Ritsu finish his blanket. Noticing strange small stitching at a corner of the blanket, An turned her head a little and peered closer to read. "Ma...samune? Masamune? Is that his name?"

Ritsu nods absentmindedly. After seconds pass, he finishes, holding up the gray blanket and looking back and forth to check it. Putting it back down, An pouts at his little pout. "He doesn't know, does he?"

Ritsu hung his head low, nodding sadly. He found himself later sleeping, clinging to An, clutching onto her shirt as if she were a big teddy bear.


Masamune felt a stinging to his head as he woke, shaking his head before peering around and realizing that he was next to the stairs. Before the husband of his owners left he had accidently knocked Masamune over against the stairs as he stomped down with his belongings.

So was it just him and the woman? He hasn't heard anything so far. Was she sleeping or out of the house?

Deciding to wash up, he headed to the bathroom. He wanted to be clean for Ritsu.

Minutes later as he changed in the bedroom he mostly slept in, he gazed outside. It seemed to be past noon; hopefully Ritsu wouldn't be too angry.

He also wanted to show Ritsu something. Out into the backyard now he dove straight into those familiar bushes. With one last look back at the only thing his biological parents left him, he sought for Ritsu's house with his flower to present to him.

His flower was almost as tall as him, and was a... a very nice red, if he would say so himself. Inside, in the inner petals it went from red to black. Yellow freckles spread about on the outside so much one wouldn't expect to see such a vivid red inside. He didn't quite understand it himself, but he hoped Ritsu would like it.

...

Calling out with a simple meow, Masamune looked up at the window he knew Ritsu and his owner stayed in. When no one appeared at the window he climbed up the closest tree with his flower in mouth. They didn't go out to eat or something, did they?

Panting a little, Masamune walked up to the window and knocked. A few seconds later, he peered in, and immediately his tail stiffened on end.

Emptiness.

A room devoid of any living occupents. He glanced wildly, intensely eyeing everything he could see to make sure his eyes weren't tricking him. He began banging on the window with his tiny fists, having discarded his flower next to him on the window sill. Mewling loudly, he tried calling for his mate.

What felt like hours later, he stumbled back in almost a daze. This couldn't be real.

[W-wait, I need to tell you something!- I] He blinked down at the whiteness of the window sill he was standing on.

Was this what Ritsu wanted to tell him? His breathing began to hitch painfully.

Standing again, he made sure to walk along the window sill looking into the room, looking through everything even more. Ritsu couldn't have left him. There was no way, right?

[Ritsu?] Masamune knocked on the window as he kept walking along. [Ritsu?]

Hearing a small crunch, he stepped away slightly in surprise at the piece of small paper. Past that, was a gray blanket and a smaller piece of fabric. On top was a flower. Grabbing the paper and picking up his flower, he walked to the other flower and sat. Was this Ritsu's flower?

Ritsu's flower was pink on the outside, faintly yellow at the base connecting to the stem. Feeling its smoothness he spread it out to see more of the inside. Pink rimmed the edges almost gently before a beautiful scarlet color took its place. Tiny freckles, almost looking a golden color, lined the inner most part.

Sniffing, he brought himself to hug both flowers close. While he felt happy, he felt depressed. Together, flowers and him, they were minus one.

Masamune then read the note, moving on to touch the softness of the blanket. He ended up leaning forward for a long moment so his nose and inhale the lingering scent of his Ritsu. Then, moving to the note...

-[An's parents said we were going to leave a week later to England, but they changed their minds. I had made this blanket and pillowcase for you when you sleep over, but now An's mother wants us to go. I'm sorry. I hope you read this note. You didn't show up so I was scared something bad happened to you. I hope you're okay. I don't know when we're coming back. I'll miss you. I wanted to give my flower to you. It's okay if you don't want it though, I understand. I'll miss you.]-

It wasn't fair. Masamune tried to hug everything close to him, unwilling to move. Why did An's parents have to want to move? It wasn't fair. Gasping between breaths, Masamune willed his hardest not to cry. He wanted Ritsu.

Staggering now, he tries to leave with his new belongings. While he decided then and there not to return to that disappointing place called home, he certainly didn't want to linger around the now empty house.

Where he walked on this long journey, he only hoped to eventually encounter Ritsu so they can be together again.


9 at night, the only light seen was of the motorcycle's as it rode along the gravel road leading to the highway.

His bandmates were going to be so angry with him. Maybe they're already mad at him.

Why'd he have to be so late for everything?!

He sped up the pace, squinting ahead of the road to make sure he wouldn't hit anything. Up ahead though, he saw a gray blob bobbing along at a slow pace. Moving slightly away, he hoped not to hit it as he rode past it-

*bump* Automatically, the young man stopped his ride. "Nonononono..." He mutters, talking off his helmet and looking back. He... he didn't hit it, did he? He pictured an adorable wild gray mouse, smushed by his-

"Noooo!" He rushed about, taking out his cell phone for light and looking about. He pushed back some of his dark bangs, most of his shoulder length hair tied back.

Then he spotted it. Seeing that it was a huge pebble, he sighed in grateful relief. Walking back to his motorcycle, he paused at the strange mass now sauntering past his front wheel. Another gray blob- no... He walked closer. It was the gray blob he originally saw, so had he thought that he hit the gray blob, but it was actually a huge pebble?

Interest gathered in his being, and he went to investigate. The blob seemed to be no ordinary animal. "A blanket?" he questioned aloud as he got close, and he pinched and lifted it up. Protest met him quickly, and he looked down to see an angry little chibi neko person under the square cloth, wailing as he tried to reach for it while carrying things.

The teenager wondered what such a being was doing here out on the road, holding two flowers in a... bag? There seemed to be something else inside. And then, it was using his blanket as a... cloak of some sorts?

As many situations call for it, a wind blows past, surprising the teen and whisking away the tiny blanket. That's when he cringed at the agonized mewl that came from the tiny man. He looked down, panicked by the tiny man's cries. The little neko man seemed defeated, not having enough stamina to go after it.

"Uh..." He went after the blanket, grabbing it mid-air as it almost flew up over someone's fence. Giving it back to the small person, he watched as the now hiccupping little neko person hugged the blanket close. "Um, I'm sorry-" He flinched as the little man flung a pebble at him, and he blinked down at the teary, glaring little person.

"Sorry, really!" he says, very apologetic. Seconds pass before he remembered something. His old neighbors had little chibi neko people. Don't each of them have a flower? So why did this one have two? Did...

Could something have happened to his mate? The young man noticed that the small neko person went on his way, blanket over his head again and now bobbing back up the road. Was he looking for his mate, somehow having separated from him?

He looked worriedly on, panic stirring in his chest. What if the little man got hurt or eaten?

...

"Hey, where are you man?! You missed the train!"

"Sorry, sorry!" he apologized to his friend on his cell phone.

"Okay, well, you better take the next one! Kazu..." his friend sighs, "See you in a few hours."

Pressing end, Kazuto puts it away before looking into his shirt pocket where the little man was sleeping wrapped up in his blanket.

Flashback:

"Why don't you come along with me?" The little chibi neko regarded him warily, still holding his blanket above him. "My friends and I are a band and we're due to Osaka soon and..." He scratches the back of his head. "If you have no place to live you're more than welcome to..." he trails off as the little chibi neko walked onto his foot.

"Uh..." Kazuto bento forward to hold the little man on his palms. "You want to come?" He nods, and Kazuto notices his eyes drooping. The poor thing's probably tired as hell after walking for a long time.

Carefully he placed the little chibi neko man into his shirt pocket before bringing his jacket closer together in assurance. "Here you go, little man. Just stay tight alright?" With that, he started his engine and rode away.

Kazuto sat back, waiting on a seat for the next train. Now that he thought about it, maybe by traveling along with them, the little man will find his mate? They probably couldn't have moved that far...

Feeling a stir in his shirt pocket, he smiled down at the little man, his feline ears twitched at the foreign sounds. "You okay?" He received a nod.

"So..." he set the little man with his belongings down to the seat next to his. "What's your name?"

Wondering how to convey a response, Masamune remembered seeing his name stitched on the blanket and presented it. "Masa... mune? Masamune? Well, nice to you meet you. I'm Kazuto."

Nodding at that, Masamune shows him Ritsu's note to him. "Oh?" Kazuto frowns at the extremely tiny handwriting, more tiny than the stitching on the blanket. "Sorry... I can't read that."

[Oh.] Masamune folded it and put it back in his pillowcase, where his and Ritsu's flowers resided.

"Are you okay with this?" Masamune looks back up at him as he talked. "I don't know how long it'll take, but I hope you find your mate."

In thanks, Masamune bows his head a little. Hesitantly, Kazuto reached over to pet him. Slowly, Masamune found himself smiling a little and letting Kazuto pet him more. His old owners never pet him like this. He wondered if it was like how An is to Ritsu.


What will come to them in the future?

Next chapter is years later!

Yeah!