Disclaimer: Judging from my fics, if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh it wouldn't be as popular as it is.

Random talk: Just to let you know, next chapter is your last chance to review. Yes, that means all that is left after this is the epilogue.

Daze 9

Saigen

Mokuba sat on the balcony railing, watching the sun rise. Tori stood next to him, enjoying the view as well. All was peaceful and quiet for the time being. In just a few hours, the machine would be activated once more. Tori would be human for more then one day for the first time in years. Mokuba and Kaiba would return just to finish some lose ends. And Jonouchi….

"Jonouchi is going to forget, isn't he," Mokuba stated randomly. "He's going to eventually forget about this past week with us."

"Maybe, maybe not," Tori responded casually. "I talked with Seto before he went to bed. Evidently Jonouchi doesn't want to lose Seto. He's willing to remain as he is."

"He can't!" Mokuba yelled. He jumped up to face the other. "He'll lose so much!"

"In reality, it's a lose-lose situation for him," Tori said, looking at Mokuba. "If he remains as a cat, he could lose his family and friends, only seeing them once a month. If he returns, he will lose his chance with someone who loves him with all their heart and might love in return."

"You know Japanese don't say 'love' so readily." (1)

"I'm half-American! I've got an excuse. But that's besides the point. Only time will tell. Jonouchi has until they graduate."

"You do realize that's one year from now. Things change."

"They'll make it. Call it woman's intuition."

"You're intuition sucks…"

Haru stood in the doorway of Kaiba's room, silently watching Deki. Kaiba was already up and finishing the machine. By then, Kaiba had already told Deki about his conversation with Jonouchi. Deki wasn't happy at all. Everyone in their gang knew about Deki's feelings for Kaiba.

"Tell me, what does that idiotic human have that attracts Seto to him?" Deki asked, knowing that Haru was there. The kitten's smell was distinguishable, smelling of flowers that bloomed in spring. (2)

"How should I know," Haru muttered. "I'm not Seto-nii. We each have our own reasons for why we fall in love. Maybe it was because Katsu-nii saved him when they first met. Or it could be how he took care of him. Hey, maybe the reason could even be pretty recent that what he felt before was just a crush. What I do know is that Seto-nii loves him, and that is all that matters."

Deki turned around, giving Haru a full force glare. Haru just stared back at him, not affected by his glare. This went on for a few minutes before Deki decided to leave the room through the balcony, muttering a "whatever" as he left. Haru sighed, his expression softening.

"I wish you would notice what you have in front of you," Haru whispered with the knowledge that the other would never hear it.

"Hey, Jonouchi," Kaiba said, not looking up from his computer. The two duelists were once again in the basement, with Kaiba on his laptop working on the machine.

"Yeah?" Jonouchi asked, lifting his head to look up at Kaiba.

"Are… Are you serious about what you said yesterday?" Kaiba asked, almost stuttering over his words. A faint blush spread on his cheeks. "About wanting to be with me?"

The blonde teen smiled softly, enjoying in the fact he was the one to make Kaiba blush. "Yes, I am serious," Jonouchi answered. "To tell you the truth, you were the only reason why I stayed in Domino. About a month after Atem left, my mom called me up offering to live with her and Shizuka. You can guess how ecstatic I was."

"So, you do know big words," Kaiba said, receiving a glare from Jonouchi in response. "Sorry, old habits. How do I fit in all this?"

"You may not realize this, but you push me to my limits. Sure, my main goal is to defeat you in Duel Monsters so you would see I'm a worth opponent. But, somewhere along the way, I wanted to show you I'm not just some idiot who gets by with dumb luck and muscle. Heck, you even beat me in the muscle department sometimes."

"Natural reflexes," Kaiba interrupted. Jonouchi gave him a puzzled expression. "The only reason I could beat you was because I was relying on my feline nature rather than human fighting skills. But, after all this, I think we would be on a more level playing field. You might even be able to defeat me. Keyword: might."

"Why you egotistical…" Jonouchi trailed off. "Maybe I should leave my explanation off there."

"I am not sorry for what I said. What I said is true. You might have a chance to actually be able to beat me if we were to fight now. You would have to adjust your fighting style to your new feline abilities. There is a major difference that might take awhile to get used to. It's like when I first became human and had to learn how to walk without a tail. That was awkward to say the least."

"Heh… Would have loved to see that. But, I guess you do have a point… I was joking anyways. I am serious about what I was saying before you oh-so-rudely interrupted me. Let's face it, things would be boring without you around. I would move in with my mom since there wouldn't be anything to keep me here. At least I could contact my friends. You… You wouldn't be around. I would never have the chance to show you how much I improved, if you ever did noticed."

"I noticed!" Kaiba yelled as he finally faced Jonouchi. "Why wouldn't I notice the one person that means the world to me? I couldn't tell you the truth before. What would I say? 'Hello, I'm Kaiba Seto. Child prodigy, teen CEO, oh, did I mention I was your pet cat that went missing years ago?' You would call the people in white to check me into the happy hotel! Not to mention Gozaburo's training was still engrained in my head. I had to push you away no matter how much it hurt. And before you bring up Battle City, that was for your own protection. There was no way I was going to let you face off those freaks."

"Give me a break! I only found out the truth about who you were recently!"

"Are you two done with your screaming match?" Doki interrupted. Both Kaiba and Jonouchi froze, slowly turning their heads to see Doki, Ichigo, and Hotaru watching them intently. Their faces soon became beet red, turning their faces away from one another in embarrassment.

"Aw… It was getting to the good part!" Ichigo yelled. "Hey, 'taru-chan! We should so write this down and see if we can sell it to some producer to make a soap opera!"

"Get out!" Kaiba and Jonouchi yelled simultaneously. The two female cats giggled before scampering off while Doki fell over laughing. After receiving dual glares from really ticked off teenage cats, Doki made a mad dash out of the basement as well.

Kaiba sighed as he resumed his work. "The sad part is that she's right. We sound like something out of a soap opera."

Later that night, the machine was finished, doubled checked, and triple checked. All Nine Lives along with Tori and Jonouchi were gathered in the basement. Deki was pleased that "the mutt" was leaving despite his "Seto-chan" returning as well. Tori was talking to the other females about what she should do as soon as she was human once more among other things that was considered boring the boys. Doki and Haru hugged Mokuba tightly, crying as if they would never see each other again. Aki was silent as always.

"This is it," Mokuba said when he finally removed his twin best friends. "We're going back to the way things were before."

"Not entirely," Tori said. "We have over a week of experiences we could never forget thanks to Jonouchi! And I'm sure he won't forget what happen these past few days. Not to mention I'll be coming along. Yup, things are going to be far from normal."

"Crazy girl is right," Jonouchi said. Tori gave an innocent smile at her new nickname, one that promised pain. "I've been a cat for nine days, that's something hard to forget. Sure, sometimes I think that this is some kind of dream, but it isn't. At first, I thought it was a nightmare. But, somewhere along the way, it was more like a dream I didn't want to wake up from. Plus, I think Kaiba traumatized Honda enough that he won't forget this for a long time…"

"He deserved it," Kaiba muttered.

"See?" Tori said. "Nothing to worry about Mokuba! Now, get me human again! A certain CEO bitch of an aunt needs to be taught a lesson."

"Not surprised you got revenge on your mind," Kaiba sighed. "You know the drill. Stand on the X and I'll start up the machine."

Tori nodded and did what she was told. Kaiba smirked as he pressed a few buttons before the larger button Jonouchi recognized as the one that started his little adventure. A similar blinding light filled the room. When the light disappeared and his eyes adjusted, Jonouchi could see the same Tori he first met.

"Alright! No more stupid maid's outfit!" Tori exclaimed, punching the air. "I am so torching this outfit!"

"I take it back," Jonouchi whispered to the three kittens. "She's a crazy psycho girl."

"I heard that!" Tori yelled. "Just because I'm human again, doesn't mean I don't understand you!"

"S-she," Jonouchi stuttered.

"Side effect," Kaiba explained. "Why do you think we age like humans and not like cats? You actually benefit from this little mishap. Some feline senses may remain along with reflexes. Not to mention you would be able to understand what cats say and see how we see one another."

"Sweet…" Jonouchi said.

"Your turn," Kaiba said. "I need to do some adjustments for Mokuba and I. It would be easier if you go now."

Jonouchi nodded and took his place on the X. His gaze stayed on Kaiba, something Mokuba didn't miss. He could see now that Tori and Jonouchi was right. Things wouldn't be the same. Jonouchi cared about all of them, especially his older brother.

Mokuba wasn't the only one who noticed Jonouchi's stare. Kaiba stared back at the blonde. He gave him a nod before pressing the button. Jonouchi smiled softly, not missing the gentle expression on Kaiba's face.

The room was filled with the light once more.

Owari (kinda)

Saigen - return

(1) If I remember correctly, they tend to lean more towards using "like" then "love" in Japan. I might be wrong, so don't take my word for it.

(2) For those who didn't figure it out, Haru means spring. Just thought that would be cute that he smelled like spring flowers.

Random talk: Yup, I made a cliffhanger for the final chapter before the epilogue. Hey, it's what you get for not reviewing. (Yes, I'm upset I only got one review last chapter.) The only excuse is that you were reading it on a PSP or in class when you shouldn't have. Leaving a review on a PSP is hard (I should know). Class excuse needs no explanation.

On a brighter note, I was talking with my beta about this really cool idea I think you guys would enjoy! I've been playing around with the idea of creating a series of one-shots relating to this story. I already have several ideas, but only 4 or 5 are really worth writing. What do you guys think? Should I go ahead with the idea? Mind you, I'll be working on other fics, so the updates would be really random. Feel free to leave ideas for a one-shot! I might even use it!

Rubi-chan, over and out! (Yeah, got a new ending line. Like?)