Chapter 10 : Finale

Author's Note : Oh my God, I'm sooooo so very sorry for the delay.. OTL

Okay, here we go!

So, the world pretty much went back to normal for Kaito. His life as a four-legged feline seemed like a distant dream away. All was perfect. Except for one problem.

Kazuraba Kouta was deliberately trying to hide from him. Because he ran away every damn time they met.

At first, it didn't bother Kaito very much. With what happened between them, there was a silent agreement to just laid it low. But knowing Kazuraba, no wonder he was so worked out about that. It was apparent that the dark-haired man seemed to be always on the edge nowadays, especially when they came across with each other. When this happened, he either made excuses or he just quickly dashed without warnings. Kaito couldn't even made any eye contacts with him.

Unfortunately, it went unnoticed for the keen eyes, of course. Mai already asked him if there was any problem between them. Not to mention the glances he got from that Kureshima boy (Kazuraba was everybody's idol after all). His silent answer could only do him good for some extent. Soon, other people would speculate or build an entirely wrong theories about them. It irked the brown-haired man to imagine how disturbing that was. And playing hide-and-seek was never his thing.

Fine. If Kazuraba did this, so be it.

It was Kazuraba's fault for being a coward.

Today was the day Kaito began his hunt. He knew he would screw whatever agenda Kazuraba had this day, but he didn't care. As soon as the tall man spotted his target, he started to chase him. And both of them didn't realize they had spent the day circling almost a third of Zawame, from Gaim's garage, The West Stage, Drupers, the outdoor shopping center, Baron's basecamp, and a few parks. Not to mention the small alleys and unknown corners. Suddenly it felt as if they were doing a physical test to see who could survive in the end.

That annoying orange would regret trying to roll away from him. At least, this was a small city. Eventually the shorter man would be out of options. But Kaito was afraid he would be out of breath first if he didn't do something. He finally caught up with the sight of the man with the blue hoodie. That man's speed was not to be underestimated indeed. Losing him again meant he had to restart his chase.

They had to end this charade.

Should he resorted into that idea? It was worth a try..

The Baron user intentionally tripped himself, that wasn't hard since his shoes have pointy edges. Then he threw himself on the asphalt, grabbing the side of his abdomen, and laid in a fetal position. To make it more convincing, he faked a pained expression and making sure the other heard his groan. That abruptly stopped Kouta effortlessly. Damn, he should've did this earlier.

Kaito knew the shorter man would return to him, worried if the wound Kaito got when he was a cat still haven't healed yet. While in fact, it was completely gone when he reverted back into a human. It was unbelievable, but the brown-haired man greatly appreciate it.

When Kouta's arm was within his range, he hastily gripped it and managed to pin him down. Unfortunately, agility prevented Kaito from stopping the dark-haired man. Before the taller man could secure his lower body, Kouta kicked him on the abdomen and threw the man to the right side. As he got up on his knees, Kaito managed to push his feet and made him fell again. Then the brown-haired man yanked Kouta's left wrist and hoisted it up onto his back, to prevent the shorter man from moving, ignoring the pain he inflicted.

"Kaito, what the hell are you doing?! Let me go!" The Gaim user gasped as he regained his breaths.

"I'm the one who should be asking. Why are you running away, Kazuraba?"

For a moment, Kouta averted his face, as the statement washed over his face. He knew what the man meant by 'running away'. His expression was that of a guilty child, meekly facing the ground that almost kissed his face. It kinda amazed him how Kaito was able to perceive him in such a short time. He tried to budge, but with him grounded, it was very hard.

"What do you want?" whined the shorter man, knowing full well about the topic Kaito brought.

"A talk."

"Then let me go.."

"Until you agree to talk, I won't release you."

Convictions were apparent from his words, and there's no stopping Kaito once he pronounced his will. Like it or not, Kouta had to face.. whatever 'problem' they had. Right now.

"You don't want to know what really happened?"

"It's-it's not like I don't want to know-"

"Then will you talk?"

A momentary conflict buzzed inside Kouta's head, but in the end, a weak okay was uttered. Then, soon he went back into his two knees. Damn, why his rival was so demanding? It wasn't the best time to talk, but on the other side, he wished to hear what had happened to Kaito. Not this soon, though. Oh well.

The brown-haired man looked up to him, motioning toward a nearby park. The dark-haired man tailed behind, trying to mentally preparing himself for the truth.

After the longest of time, Kaito finally finished with his story. Their conversation went quietly, with the brown-haired man talked on the most of the part. Sure, on the fairy part, he braced himself to be laughed at (which he didn't, because Kouta was too busy fidgeting on his seat). The taller man watched him again, observing his reaction. Kouta's contorted face was still obvious, still slowly processing all of his explanations.

"So.. fairies actually do exist.."

The Baron user really wanted to smack the back of his head. Why was that the part that he absorbed the most? This was more frustrating than he thought. "Kazuraba. Aren't we having a more pressing issue? You did hear the whole story, right?"

The dark-haired man could only winced, an ominous aura brooded over him instantly.

"I assume you already heard what the fairy told me about how to lift the curse. In other words.. it was impossible for me to changed back, unless I.." Kaito paused a bit, momentarily unsure. "Unless I have some kind of.. mutual feelings with anybody. In this case, with you."

And that was making Kouta even dizzier. He wasn't really sure of what to say. How should he responded, while his head was still bewildered after what happened a few days ago? Who would've thought that a stray animal was a human? And not to mention that he was someone you're familiar with? And accidentally shared one of the most secret insights to him? And doing some.. things to him? He would've felt grossed at that, wouldn't he? And by mutual feelings.. did he mean..

The Gaim user suddenly jumped from his seat and making a defensive stance. His face went some shades deeper and stuttered. "Wh-why are you so blunt about that?"

"Because it's already exposed, isn't it? You do have a thing for me!"

"But why did you say that as though it's not a big deal?"

"It is a big deal! But I choose to face it! You're the one who's running away from this!"

As their eyes locked, the dark-haired man knew there was no way Kaito was drunk or something cracked inside his head.

"T-This is.. too sudden.."

"What, you want to prolonged it? And having the tiring, roundabout way? It's more convenient this way, isn't it?"

"W-wait.. you mean you're.. hum.."

"Answer me, Kazuraba."

"How can you be so calm about this?" asked Kouta while flailing his hands desperately. "I-I mean.. It's not.. an easy thing to decide.."

"Actually, it's easier if you just made up your mind right here, right now," said the taller man coldly, while crossing his arms.

Kaito knew sometimes he was too logical, too rough for things as delicate as this. But he felt if he never confronted this thing to Kazuraba, he would regret it somehow. And he guessed that the dark-haired man would be stressed if he kept this matter alone (No. No, he wasn't worried about him. At all. This was to reduce the obstacles on his future plans).

"Fine. If you're that confused, why don't we just end everything? We can pretend that there's nothing between us." asked Kaito, out of exasperation.

"You're not even letting me to think about it! Why did you suddenly said that you want everything to end?"

"Because I'm sick of your act of hiding. You're only making it worse by letting this thing astray."

"But I don't know what I should do, damn it!"

"I don't know what should I do either!"

Both of the yells abruptly ended their arguments, silencing them while they tried to recover their mind. No one dare to look at each other as the truth sank inside them.

They didn't live long enough to understand about this thing, this weird, dreamy, suffocating thing. There was no space for this kind of thing before. And they never let themselves dwelled in this thing either. The dark-haired man was letting himself engulfed in daily events, just trying to make his place in the world. In the other hand, the brown-haired man always aimed for the top, focusing on gaining power for his vengeance. So how could it happened so fast? How could it find a void and squeezed itself in there? How could it be so quiet while filling the corner of their heart?

Never before someone's presence could turn their life like this. It gently slipped under their consciousness, softly rupturing their wall of solitude. It was like a ripple on the water, spreading and longing to reach for something, for someone. Someone who stood before them right now. Someone who could be reached out within a few meters from their spot. Someone who felt like a stranger but so close at the same time. Someone who occupied their equilibrium and unbalanced their psyche. Someone who became an exception amidst in all of the chaos.

"Sorry.. I'm just.. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed.. Things goes wrong a lot these days.." said Kouta weakly. His head turned down again in a familiar manner.

There it was. Those excessive sadness. Seeped out the moment they found an opening. "But.. I'm glad you're alright.. I thought you're.."

This person really needed to get everything together.

His slender fingers pressed the the corner of his eyes, then his thumb lightly brushed off the incoming tears. The brown-haired man shoved the other's head into his shoulder (an unnecessary thing, but it would helped him to calm down. This was Kazuraba after all. There's no other intention, honestly).

He was sure he intended to talk the way he usually spoke. But all that escaped from Kaito's mouth was only a note above a whisper.

"Sorry. I've made you waiting, aren't I?"

The dark-haired man slowly shook his head. "It's.. it's okay. You got your own circumstances. It can't be helped.."

Somehow, the dreaded feelings melted away, it was like being freed from a bind. Kaito was here, alive and well. The dark-haired man could't ask for more. A wave of relief finally arrived on him, erasing every doubts that marred his mind. No one was lost, at least for now. Kouta sniveled for the last time before he pulled himself from the taller man. As he regained his composure, he just realized his rival made an important point.

"Uuh, Kaito? What you said earlier.. Are we.. I mean.. " stuttered the shorter man.

The Baron user gazed away from him, not really sure if it was alright to show his face now. "If you wish for it."

"You're really a straightforward person, aren't you.."

"I don't see any point to deny the obvious," answered the taller man.

Now they're officially had.. something going on between them. Kouta needed to get used to him. But he could only laughed meekly to the ground while he attempted to hide his red cheeks with his hand. This Kaito really was the cat he encountered. Firm and efficient in every way, while getting their point across. That fact alone cheered him a lot. The Baron user glared while slowly averting his face into the empty street again (apparently distancing himself from the contagious smile). Neither of them sure if this was the right thing, but at least, they were willing to try.

"But.. was the cat really you?"

"You still don't believe it?"

The dark-colored eyes darted from the bottom to the top of Kaito's body, then giggled a bit. "Because Neko-chan was waaaaay much cuter than you.."

"And why is that important?"

Kouta extended his arms and walked towards Kaito, but of course Kaito flinched and quickly stepped behind. "What do you want, Kazuraba Kouta?!"

"See? You're not as cute as him~ At least Neko-chan wants to be hugged sometimes~"

Suddenly, Kouta was bestowed with a miracle upon him. Did Kaito just.. blushed? It was too quick that Kouta needed a few seconds to registered what just happened. But those few seconds was enough for the brown-haired man to flee.

"H-Hey, Kaito? I'm just kidding! Kaito, don't goooo~" shouted the dark-haired man, as he began to trail behind the long-coated figure.

Thus, they found themselves running around Zawame again. Hopefully they didn't trip over or break their bones.

Author's Note : Thank you very much for all of you good readers! This was the longest story that I've ever written! Yaaaaaaayyyy~ *throw fruits and cakes around* T w T)/

I don't think I might be able to finished this without all of you.. And especially my friends who encourage me to continue.. Thank you, thank you so much! T w T)/ *happy tears*

And.. sorry for the ending, there's no kissy-kissy or hug-hug.. I thought a funny ending might be cuter. And also.. the cheezyness.. I'm drowning in all of these mozarella-esque feelings.. So far, this was the hardest chapter to write, because basically there's no plot twist or anything. I had to build the 'feels', but I just seem to messed up.. But I'm satisfied, nonetheless.

Aaaand lastly, this was a bonus. Please copy only the link and erase the spaces and [|], okay? Enjoy! O w O)/

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