Hi again!~ Thank you all for following and reviewing, I feel really happy when I read what you have to say ^^ Here's the next part, hope you like it ahhh khkjashdfak next chapter will probably be the last too

Haru hadn't shaken off his water-loving habits at all. Whenever he came back from school, Makoto would find him lying in the sink, sleeping. Cats sleep a lot, after all, and since Haru couldn't swim freely he decided to just be one with the water. Makoto would always smile to himself and stroke his soaked fur, laughing softly and murmuring how 'Haru-like' he was.

Whenever Makoto was taking a soak in the tub, Haru would stride into the bathroom silently and pounce onto the boy unsuspectingly. Makoto would yelp in surprise before chuckling and letting Haru into the water.

"I didn't know cats liked water so much. Do you like to take baths?"

Haru, sitting in Makoto's hands, would rub his head against Makoto's stomach affectionately and purr loudly. Do you recognise me now? It's me, Haru! The actual Haru! I'm right here. Notice me, Makoto.

But of course, Makoto didn't know. He didn't know that Haru had been reincarnated. He had no idea that it was Haru that was by his very side right now. He couldn't know.

"I'm really going to name you Haru-chan," Makoto smiled as he stroked the cat gently.

Haru had turned down the offer for tuna in favour of the more simple mackerel. Mackerel, the one food that Haru loved so much it had become a part of his life. Makoto, still squatting on the floor as Haru-chan ate his food hungrily, sighed dreamily.

"Haru-chan, you're exactly like Haru. Sometimes, I wonder if you're actually Haru."

His ears perked up. Blue eyes immediately turned to look at Makoto, heartbeat fast and chest tight. Yes, yes I'm Haru! But Makoto was just daydreaming happily; eyes closed and head in his hands. Haru didn't even bother meowing to get his attention. Makoto just wouldn't get it.

This was enough for now.

Talking to his Haru-chan about Haru wasn't enough to appease Makoto's troubled mind, unfortunately. Things took a downward spiral from there.

Haru wasn't sure when it started, but something must have went off in Makoto's brain for him to start acting this way. It was weird, it felt weird, to have Makoto talk to him as if he were human. As if he were the Haru that Makoto longed for. Was this the result of breaking Makoto beyond repair?

"Haru," Makoto would whisper at night, when Haru was comfortably snuggled next to him, "Today was fun, right? I hope we have another good day tomorrow."

He would drop off to sleep, a small smile on his lips, occasionally breathing 'Haru' in his sleep. Haru didn't know what to make of it. He was but a mere cat right now, and here Makoto was talking to him like he were a person. Having normal conversations with him. Haru this, Haru that.

Talking to a cat this way simply couldn't be normal.

"Haru-chan, what would you like for breakfast?"

He almost wanted to hiss harshly in response, a 'lay off the –chan' like he'd always say. But he caught himself in time, remembering the state Makoto's mind was in right now – complete disarray.

Haru rubbed his body affectionately against Makoto's legs. Maybe this will help him realise I'm a cat. Dense, broken Makoto wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop. It was as if just by doing this, he was healing himself from the loss. Just by talking to a cat, by pouring out his feelings to an animal, Makoto was starting to smile a little more.

Did I do this to Makoto? Haru started to regret ever harbouring thoughts and wishes for Makoto to finally recognise him trapped in a cat's body. The Makoto right now was rather…scary.

"Here, Haru, mackerel."

Taking a seat next to him, Makoto looked as Haru ate up his meal quietly.

"How is it? It's nice, isn't it? You still haven't stopped loving mackerel, Haru. You should eat other food sometimes, I don't think this is healthy for you."

There he goes again, Haru swallowed his food, always worrying about me.

But Haru couldn't stop the churning in his stomach, or the nauseating feeling he seemed to be getting every now and then. Since when was Makoto like that? Since when had Makoto changed? Since when had he been so broken, he started to malfunction?

When Makoto left for school, Haru leapt into the sink and settled down. He pawed at the tap lightly, turning the water on to a small flow. Water always calmed him, settled him down. Haru closed his eyes and let himself be healed by the water. Except it wasn't working this time. All he could think about was Makoto. Or rather, the fact that Makoto didn't seem to be functioning properly anymore.

This wasn't Makoto.

Makoto's letters seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. On some days, he didn't even write one. His diary entries became less and less of missing Haru, more and more of life with Haru. After all, he had 'Haru' to talk to, to be with. Haru was right there. Right there by his side. Sapphire blue eyes. Mackerel lover. Water addiction. That was Haru.

The past memories seemed to have been blocked out from Makoto's mind. Those painful flashbacks gone, barred, trapped behind a locked door in a small corner of his brain. Every single memory with Haru was dimmed in favour of creating new ones. New memories with this new 'Haru'.

Black fur, long tail, whiskers. Makoto seemed to be failing at differentiating between a cat and a human. Haru was now a cat, an animal. No power of speech, no walking on two legs, no smiles or laughs or embarrassing conversations. He wasn't human. But Makoto still loved him, loved him with all his heart. Loved this fragile illusion of Haru, unable to see the mere cat that was right underneath.

"Mm…Haru…you're hair is so soft…"

Haru awoke to Makoto's gentle fingers stroking his fur. The brunet was still half asleep – Haru could feel his slow but steady heartbeat, hear the sleep in his voice. Still sleepy (the sleeping-in habit came from being a cat), Haru nuzzled further into Makoto's neck and closed his eyes again. He wasn't ready to wake up to reality yet. Not ready to face Makoto yet.

"Haru…are you cold…?"

The blankets were pulled up around them before Makoto turned onto his side, arms embracing Haru's lithe body, and fell asleep again.

It was in the latter half of the morning when Makoto finally woke up. Immediately alert, Haru opened his eyes and sat up, observing the boy beside him.

"Ohayo Haru! I thought you'd be in the tub. Looks like you were tired, ne?"

Haru meowed, a little agitated. It had been days, no, weeks, and Makoto hadn't realised that he was talking to a cat. A cat whom he treated as his long-lost best friend. Makoto, Haru wanted to shout, Can't you see that I'm not the Haru you're looking for?!

"Let's go get some breakfast."