Chapter 21: 21: Falling: Nostalgia

Sekai ichi "Cat"sukoi

Chapter Twenty One: Falling

As the cab carrying Takano and the Onodera sped onwards, Takano couldn't help but occasionally glance over at the neko, checking to make sure that Ritsu was actually there and not just a figure of his imagination. He still not believe that after a decade of searching and years of desperate longing, his kitten was finally back in his possession.

Ritsu for his part kept his head bowed, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. His only movement was an occasional nervous tap of his tail or an ear flick at the traffic noises that surrounded him.

His mind was racing with the day's events. Within a few short hours his whole life had been completely turned upside-down. He'd lost his home and his job, his family of ten years, his best friend, and simultaneously he had gotten a new job and a new owner. It was a lot to process.

Eventually, however, Ritsu felt his eyes being pulled out of his lap and over towards his new master. He blushed when his gaze met Takano's. The man had shifted from quick glances and was now studying him intently. Ritsu frowned at this and dropped his eyes again. There was something in Takano's golden gaze that was incredibly disconcerting and yet oddly familiar. The tip of his tail vibrated as a long absent warmth flooded his low belly. Ritsu was stunned by the sensation. This wasn't something he ever experienced outside his heat cycles. Not since…

The neko quickly pushed the painful memories to the side. He focused instead on the thin pink lead, its looped end currently clasped in his hands. Ritsu was suddenly glad for the hated leash. The sight of it rekindled his anger at being humiliated and made it easier to block off the multitude of other emotions roiling inside him.

"Hey, stop here!" Takano called out to the cab driver.

Ritsu looked up and was surprised to see that they were still in a business district. He followed Takano out of the car and back out into the icy evening air. He blushed furiously as Takano immediately took up his lead.

"I told you I wasn't going to run away, Takano-san." Ritsu tried to keep his tone polite and failed as the sharp edges of his irritation pierced his words.

Takano looked up from paying the cab driver. He adjusted the glasses he'd been wearing ever since perusing Ritsu's real papers. Ritsu was still wearing his over-sized coat and the brunet neko's agitated flapping amused him greatly. Still he kept his face neutral. "And I'm making sure of that," he answered with a slight edge of his own.

At these words Ritsu stilled, realizing that arguing with his new owner was hardly going to make their first night together any easier. First night together. His stomach clenched at the thought as he watched the cab pull away from the curb.

Looking away as Takano turned back towards him, Ritsu couldn't help but ask, "Why are we here? I thought you said we were going to your home, Takano-san?"

"We are. My apartment building isn't far from here, but like I said, I wanted to get something to eat." Takano motioned with his head over to the left and Ritsu saw the man was indicating a Panda Way sandwich shop.

"Oh."

"Come on then," Takano prodded, giving a gentle tug to Onodera's leash. "They're neko friendly."

Ritsu was mortified to enter the shop on a leash, but Takano didn't seem to mind the curious looks that the other patrons gave them. Even more embarrassing, however, was the fact that as soon as the smell of warm baking bread hit his sensitive nose, Ritsu's stomach grumbled loudly.

Takano cocked his head slightly and a light smirk played across his sensual mouth. "You sure you don't want something to eat, Onodera?"

Despite the fact he was suddenly ravenous Ritsu shook his head, "No thank you, Takano-san. I'm fine."

"Oh, that's right," Takano said with a snide twist to his voice, "Once you make up your mind about something you don't change it." He looked at his furiously blushing neko. "Something to drink then?"

Ritsu didn't want to accept anything from this annoying ass of an owner, but the thought of something to fill his empty belly was too tempting. "Hot tea please, Takano-san."

Takano stepped up for his turn at the counter. "Well, if you won't eat now, we should get you a sandwich for later. We just finished the end of a cycle at Emerald and I haven't had any chance to shop all week so my cupboards are practically empty." The editor began to place a double order.

"Um… excuse me, Takano-san," Onodera interrupted. He blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, "but if one of those is for me, I don't really like that kind of sandwich."

Takano's brows rose at his neko's assertion. "Well then, do you want to place your order yourself?"

The neko bowed his head. "Yes, please." His tail swished uncomfortably.

"Go for it." Takano stepped aside, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the Onodera, politely but quickly place his order. He was shocked at how decisive the hybrid was. It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that this was not the same timid kitten that had entered his life and turned it so upside-down ten years ago.

Once the order was ready, Takano took the tray and led Ritsu off to one of the tables. The editor sat down, unwrapped his sandwich and attacked it with gusto.

Onodera, carefully took off Takano's coat and draped it over the back of his chair. He sat down and watched the man eat as he sipped his hot tea. It was soothing but completely unsatisfying.

"You know, Onodera, I wouldn't care if you decided to eat that now."

Onodera's brow furrowed at this. "No, thank you, Takano-san" he said stubbornly, despite the fact his stomach issued another growl of protest.

Takano looked at the neko drinking his tea with a sad amusement. He had kind of hoped that revisiting a place like this would rekindle the Onodera's memory but it was obvious so far nothing had sparked in the catman's mind.

"You eat a lot of fast food?" Takano inquired, still hopeful this question might provoke a sense of déjà vu in Ritsu.

Ritsu looked at the man seated across from him. His brown ears perked forward. "Why do you ask?"

Takano shrugged as he took a gulp of his soda. "I don't know, you just seemed really comfortable placing your order."

Now it was the neko's turn to shrug as Ritsu looked down at his cup. "Well, I'm twenty-five years old, Takano-san, it's not like I've never been out in the world before." Ritsu was aware that his tone was more than a little defensive, but the man's question had reminded him of his painfully sheltered kittenhood and all the heartache it had caused him.

Ritsu glanced up and saw that his new owner was staring at him curiously. He wished Takano would quit looking at him as though he expected him to say something.

Trying to fill in the awkward silence Ritsu offered, "I guess working in publishing with all the deadlines and stuff there were times when eating out was easier than going home, even if it wasn't as healthy."

"Speaking of home… Tell me why your previous owners relinquished you, Onodera. Sato-san didn't really give me any details."

Ritsu frowned at this. He spun his disposable tea cup around between his hands. His ears flattened. "Please, Takano-san, I'd rather not talk about that right now if you don't mind."

Watching Ritsu speak, Takano clearly saw the hybrid's sorrow for the first time; it tugged on his heart in a powerful way. He leaned back from the table. Takano remembered his cruel desire to crush Ritsu when he'd first gotten him as a kitten. Am I so different now? He thought about how much he'd provoked Onodera this evening with the leash.

"Come on let's get out of here," Takano mumbled.

"Really?" Onodera looked up at the man who had already started to rise.

"Yeah, I suddenly lost my appetite." Takano wrapped up the second half of his sandwich and stuck it in the bag with Ritsu's.

Twenty minutes later found them navigating the icy streets. The snow was falling heavily now. Takano watched Onodera stepping hesitantly as the pet store issued slippers offered virtually no traction. He'd offered his arm to the neko twice now for support and been refused.

Takano sighed. "Onodera, hand me a cigarette will you? My pack and my lighter are in the inside breast pocket."

They would have been home ten minutes ago if Onodera hadn't spent that same amount of time arguing unsuccessfully with him about taking his jacket back. Takano watched the neko fumble with the overlong sleeves as he struggled to extricate the smokes from the pocket.

"Here, Takano-san." Onodera slipped and barely managed to stay upright as he passed the tools of Takano's addiction over.

Takano lit up and took a deep drag. "You sure you don't want to take my arm, Onodera?" he offered once more. He had dropped the leash a block before, not wanting to injure Onodera's neck if the hybrid went down.

"No thank you. I'm fine, Takano-san." Onodera sniffed. His feet were so frozen he could hardly feel them. Still, there was no way he was going to go leaning on this irritating man like some weakling. "Don't you know nekos always land on their feet when they fall?"

"I thought that was cats," Takano replied, watching Ritsu slip about with a wry grin on his face.

"Cats… neko's… according to some people there's hardly any difference," Ritsu mumbled under his breath.

The two males had reached a set of stairs that formed a short cut to the hilly rise Takano's building was on. "Suit yourself," Takano muttered through a puff of smoke as he moved ahead of his recalcitrant neko and started climbing. He'd gotten three quarters of the way up the first landing when he heard a loud commotion behind him.

Takano turned just in time to see Ritsu, who'd obviously slipped, tumble down the stone staircase and land on his face at the bottom.

"Ritsu!" Takano threw his cigarette aside and dashed down the stairs nearly falling himself. He reached the neko and pulled him up into his arms. He gathered Ritsu to his chest and hugged him tightly. "Are you okay?"

Ritsu had the breath knocked out of him by the fall and Takano's tight grasp around his middle wasn't helping.

Once he was finally able to breathe again Ritsu picked at one of the jacket's overlong sleeves. "I tore your jacket," he said remorsefully showing Takano a hole in the elbow.

"Fuck the jacket, Od… Onodera! What about you?"

"Uh… I think I'm okay, Takano-san." Ritsu rubbed a light bump on the back of his head. One of his cat ears stung and his tail had been badly bent but it didn't feel broken. He found himself now glad he'd been wearing Takano's jacket as it had provided him with some much needed padding during the fall.

"Oh yeah? Then what the hell's that?" Takano pointed to Ritsu's sweats where the knee was torn open and the fabric covering the neko's shin was turning crimson.

"Oh…" Ritsu studied the darkening stain. He looked at Takano and then looked away and offered sheepishly, "Well, to be honest, my legs are so cold I can't really feel them."

"That's it!" Takano growled as he scooped the lean neko up bridal style in his arms.

"What the hell, Takano-san? Put me down!" Onodera protested as the editor turned and began climbing the stairs again. He tried to wiggle out of the man's arms but Takano's iron grip held him tightly.

"Hey!" Takano suddenly barked, "Cool it cat! These steps are slick and I don't want both of us going down!"

At these words, Ritsu stopped fighting. He sat stiffly, a soft growl of indignation burring in his throat. As Takano kept climbing, pressed against the man's warm body and awash in his scent, Onodera was shocked to find himself slowly melting. Finally, he leaned his wild brown head against his new owner's shoulder. Ritsu was mortified as he did this to find that his growl quickly turning into an involuntary purr.

Feeling the soft rumble against his chest, Takano fought hard not to smile as he pressed onwards.

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