Belle- Yeah, I honestly had not expected that to happen so fast, but at the same time it was sort of planned. It's hard to explain, I guess.

I had promised myself I wouldn't go to bed until I finished this chapter, but now it's after five and I have work tomorrow. And besides, I want to make it longer, so instead of that, I'll keep going, that way I can at least make it up for taking so long.

Listening to, "I can go the distance," was surprisingly helpful. It's not like it fits Jirou, but in some ways, boy, it really does.

And meanwhile, dammit, MAGI IS BREAKING MY FRAGILE, SUICIDAL KOKORO. Alibaba is over here fighting the people he's trying to protect, but while they are fighting to kill, he's just trying to stop them until Aladdin does what he needs to do, so they have an advantage there, because they're fighting to kill. And Aladdin is going to FUCKING DIE, YOU THINK I CAN'T TELL A DAMN DEATH SPEECH WHEN I HEAR ONE ALADDIN? I mean, Alibaba finally remembered he could do instant teleportation/moving faster than the eye can process move, so that was cool.

Chapter 12

Vaguely, Jirou thinks he hears a couple of gasps near his feet, ones that would clearly come from Gorou and Nana, but he doesn't have the head space to confirm this sound. All his attention is on his master, who, seconds before, was holding a very touching funeral for a cat he thought was gone, but now...

But now...

Now he was kissing Jirou. His hands were still holding Jirou's wrists, but his touch was gentle. Gentle enough that Jirou understood without being told that this was in case the Siamese wanted to pull out of the kiss. But he did not. He would not. For his entire life, he'd imagined what it would be like to kiss Shinchirou-sama, for Shinchirou-sama to kiss him, kisses that weren't just on the top of his head, between his ears, placed on what he thought was just a cat.

And now, he was blowing it. He was too stunned, and he wasn't doing any of the things he'd wanted if this kiss ever actually happened. He'd imagined closing his eyes, holding his master closer, and kissing back. But he was just standing there, too surprised to move, his heart beating way too fast, eyes wide open, thoughts ricocheting off his brain and skull.

Why was Shinchirou-sama kissing him? Was it because he had been crying? Had the human only been trying to stop him, to comfort him? Or, by some miracle, by some miraculous, divine intervention, did he like Jirou back? What in the world could Jirou have done to win his affections, if this was somehow the case? All he'd done so far was cause problems with his mother and act like a serious spaz.

This all happened in only seconds, and of course, eventually, Shinchirou-sama's body moved in a way that meant he was going to pull out of the kiss. It was only then that Jirou finally realized what he was about to lose, and he practically threw himself forward, knocking Shinchirou backward a few steps, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms Shinchirou-sama, clenching the back of the human's soft shirt in his suddenly trembling hands. He didn't care why Shinchirou was kissing him, not in that second, because it was all he'd ever wanted, and dreamed, and if was going to be the only kiss he ever got, he had to make it last a moment longer.

His heart was still thumping erratically in his chest, so hard, and so loud, that Jirou knew that the human could feel it, could probably hear it. In return, he was pressed close enough that he could feel his master's heartbeat too. It was a familiar sensation, because he'd often felt this beat when he was laying on the human's chest. He hadn't realized how much he had missed feeling it, until this very second, when he finally had it back.

When the two pulled apart, Jirou was gasping for air, not because the kiss had lasted that long, simply because all the air had left him. Tears were still leaking from his eyes, but they were just leftovers, and once they'd fallen, he was left staring up at Shinchirou-sama in silence, waiting, trembling in a bizarre mixture of happiness and fear. What if the kiss had only been to comfort Jirou? Would Shinchirou-sama get upset?

But Shinchirou-sama was smiling at him, and one hand went up to Jirou's head, and he rested it there softly. In return, wishing to return the touch, Jirou put his hand on his master's chest, not pushing or pulling, just feeling. In that moment, he'd never felt more connected to anyone, more at peace.

"Shin...Shinchirou-sama?" He had to speak sooner or later, didn't he? "Why did...why did you kiss me?"

He tried to steel himself internally, to be prepared if the human said it was just to get him to stop crying, and that it hadn't meant anything. But it was impossible, and he knew that if he heard those words, a part of him might die inside.

To his surprise, the words out of Shinchirou's mouth were not ones he'd considered at all.

"I'm sorry, Jirou-kun."

An apology? Immediately, all the worst case scenarios came to mind. This was an apology for the misleading kiss, because it hadn't meant anything, and maybe he was even going to kick the cat out.

"I didn't mean to surprise you like that. It's just...how should I say this?" The human was seeming at a loss for words himself, which astonished Jirou, because he'd never thought maybe his owner didn't know what he was doing or saying. He always seemed very in control, aware, like he was planning each step carefully, or maybe had planned it years ago, and was sticking to it religiously.

"Hmm. Maybe we should go inside? The front yard seems too public."

And he's right. There are cars driving by, and people, mostly children, playing in yards. One boy seems to have noticed what has just transpired, staring at Shinchirou and Jirou like he's calculating a math problem, holding a ball in his small hands as his sibling tries to catch his attention.

"But, what about..." Jirou looks at the small box holding his belongings, still visible to the rest of the earth besides the cold part it is resting in. The black haired male nods, and quietly kneels down, putting his hands together and offering a silent prayer. And even though it's weird of him, Jirou hates to think how rude he would come off he didn't do the same, so he too gets on his knees, dirtying the new pants his owner had bought for him, and copying his owner's movements, putting his hands together and pretending to pray. Really, his focus remains on the man next to him, because even if he can't see him, he can feel him, smell him, and hear him.

This goes on for longer than Jirou would like, but he doesn't hurry his owner along, and gives him all the time he needs. Once enough time has passed for him to have pretended to end his own prayer, he remains sitting in the dirt, his hands in his lap. He glances briefly around for Gorou and Nana. The black and brown cats seemed to have vanished completely, and he wondered when they had made their exit. They had been the last thing on his mind, so he hadn't noticed at all.

It stays so quiet for so long that he jumps when Shinchirou-sama suddenly moves, and begins putting dirt on the coffin. Jirou hurries to help, because even though it stills knots his stomach to do this to Shinchirou-sama, and even though it still feels strange, he really wants to hurry inside so he can hear the rest of what the human had to say. But those thoughts fly out of his mind when he glances sideways at his master, and sees that the human is crying. Not large, loud tears, the way his had been. They aren't even escaping the confines of his gentle brown eyes. But it's impossible not to notice the light sheen over them, the way water builds, like behind a dam that the human wasn't allowing to break.

The guilt returns, heavier than before.

But Shinchirou-sama smiles, and sighs, then turns to Jirou. "Shall we go inside?"

Butterflies dance in his stomach, but Jirou manages a nod, and stands up. Tries to, anyway. He's been sitting so long, with his legs under him, that they've lost all the blood in them, and he crumples back to the ground. Shinchirou-sama, who has had much more practice sitting in this manner, is unfazed, and manages to catch Jirou by the arm. He laughs lightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have stayed there so long."

Jirou shakes his head. "No, it's alright. You loved him a lot, right?" And luckily Shinchirou-sama doesn't know the truth of his identity, or he would know how desperate this was.

"I do. He was my best friend. I honestly...I hadn't been planning on getting a cat at all, but I found him, just a kitten, left alone in the rain. And I couldn't just leave him alone." Shinchiro smiled, a very beautiful smile. "He became my best friend. I know this sounds silly, but I could tell he really loved me too. He didn't just act like we were acquaintances who lived in the same house, the way some cats do. He would wait for me to come home, and watch me leave, and at night he would sleep on my chest. There was only one night where he didn't."

Jirou's heart jumped. He remembered the mouse too, and not only that, but he'd seen how much Jirou loved him, he'd felt it, they'd had a real and true bond. It hadn't all been in his head, which he didn't really believe, but sometimes feared all the same. He nodded, and maybe adrenaline was still rushing through his body, because suddenly he found himself hugging Shinchirou-sama tightly, burying his face into his shirt. If he still had his tail, he knew it would be wrapping around Shinchirou-sama, anyway to feel closer.

"Shinchirou-sama." he said softly, and it wasn't the beginning of a sentence, or question, he just wanted to say it, and how could he have ever gotten so lucky as to have this man be the man who found him?

"Do you think that's weird."

Jirou shook his head, which was still buried in shirt fabric. "I don't think it's weird at all. After all, you saved me, didn't you? You brought me home too, and we became friends, didn't we?" Shinchirou nodded, something he couldn't see, but felt in the motion of the human's body. "So why would it be strange just because it was with a cat?"

Could Shinchirou-sama feel how much he loved him? Really, it was the same person, so if he felt it when he was a cat, maybe he still could.

"Thank you, Jirou-kun. I think you saved me too."

Jirou pulled out of the hold he had on Shinchirou-sama only a little to ask. "How?"

"Let's go inside. I think we have a lot to talk about."

*(*)

Jirou's leg was bouncing up and down, and he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. After getting inside, Shinchirou-sama had asked him to sit, so he had, but then Shinchirou-sama had gone to make tea for them to drink. And even though he'd learned to make tea himself, so he knew it didn't take that long, it felt like an eternity.

Gorou and Nana had appeared, but only briefly, dashing from one room to another, and even though they were out of sight, Jirou could hear them nearby, and he had a feeling they were listening too.

He took deep breaths, trying to calm down a little. When that did not work, he shut his eyes too. He could hear Shinchirou-sama in the kitchen, and he listened to his master's gentle steps. Outside, a car was going by, and a dog barked. The children across the street laughed. Maybe he could try thinking about something else, as impossible as that seemed. The only thing other than Shinchirou-sama that sometimes crossed his mind was Nina. How was she? Were her and her boyfriend happy? If only he knew what school she went to, he would try to find her. He wanted to thank her again, and maybe to be her friend. He'd never had a human friend before.

"Here you go."

Jirou had been so focused on his thoughts, and on the sounds in the background, that he hadn't realized Shinchirou-sama had come back until the moment he put down the tray holding their drinks. He straightened up, and nodded. "Thank you."

Shinchirou-sama cocked an eyebrow, smiling with half his mouth. "You sound so formal all of a sudden, Jirou-kun."

"I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to apologize over."

"I'm sorry."

That's when the human laughed lightly, and sat down next to Jirou.

"Sorry it took me so long. I was trying to think of the right thing to say."

Oh, so maybe there had been a reason behind feeling like Shinchirou-sama was taking a while. Jirou had assumed it was just his wanting time to move faster.

"It's okay." He took a sip of the tea, watching as little ripples ran through it, starting from the middle and working their way out to the edge of the mug. Not realizing his hand was unsteady, Jirou was completely caught off guard when it almost slipped from his grip. Somehow, he managed to catch it, and looked up, embarrassed that Shinchirou-sama had seen him. Naturally, he had.

"Are you alright? You didn't get any on you, did you?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm alright."

Neither of them said anything after this, which was nerve racking, to say the least. He could sense that the human did want to say something though, so he waited, even though it was killing him a little. Finally, his waiting paid off, and Shinchirou-sama spoke.

"I like you, Jirou-kun."

Jirou blinked a few times, and hoped he wasn't imagining this. But maybe the human didn't mean it that way. He had to clear it up.

"You like me?" When Shinchirou-sama nodded, he continued. "Like...like...like you want..." Flustered, he couldn't think of the right words to say, and maybe he could have if he knew more human words. There had to be something he could have said to phrase this better than saying the same word three times.

"Like I want to kiss you."

"Like...like you want to kiss me?"

"Yes."

"And you...want to..." His face flushed red. He looked so stupid right now. Why couldn't he think of the right things to say!?

"I want to go out with you, Jirou-kun." Shinchirou-sama suddenly sounded much more nervous, and Jirou looked him in the face, despite being as embarrassed as he was. Was the human afraid of what he was going to say in return? He made a noise in his throat, one that sounded more catlike than human, one that conveyed the emotions he was feelings.

"I l-love you too, Shinchirou-sama!" he gasped out, curling his hands into fists so tightly that he had to pull back for fear of hurting himself. He knew Shinchirou-sama hadn't said, "love," he'd said, "like," but "like" wasn't enough to convey what Jirou felt. He would take "like." "Like" was fine with him. With time, "like," could become "Love."

Shinchirou-sama went wide eyed in surprise. "Really?"

Jirou nodded strongly. "Yes! I've always loved you! Since the day we m-met!" Everything he'd always wanted to say, it was pouring out of his mouth faster than Jirou could handle, and quickly, he began to lose his composure, stuttering and stammering. "I-I l-love you. I love you s-s-so much!" The world was spinning, and Jirou reached out a hand to steady himself. It didn't land on the couch like he'd planned though, Shinchirou-sama caught it in one of his own.

"Calm down, Jirou-kun. Calm down."

He tried, but it was hard.

"I-I-I-"

"Calm down. You're going to hyperventilate."

Jirou didn't know what that meant, but it probably wasn't good, whatever it was. "Okay. Okay."

Finally, after what seemed like ages, his breathing calmed. Shinchirou-sama put a hand on his head.

"Jirou-kun...are you sure you don't just like me because I saved you? Because I'm the only person you know?"

Jirou shook his head adamantly. "No, Shinchirou-sama! I've known for a long time that I've loved you, and even if I met others, I would only love you! Please, believe me!"

Shinchirou-sama was surprised at his small outburst, but it also turned out to be the right thing to say, because he smiled, and pulled Jirou into his arms again, hugging him tightly. "I do believe you, Jirou-kun. I believe you. Meeting you has been the greatest thing to happen to me. Before you came, I was happy, but I was afraid of who I am...but if it means I get to stay with you...I don't think I'm afraid."

Jirou nodded, hugging his master back tightly. "I love you, Shinchirou-sama." he said, tears moving down his cheeks again. But this time, they were tears of joy, of happiness. His dream, the thing he'd thought impossible...It had finally happened. He and Shinchirou-sama were together, in love, and he could stay with him forever.