Kitty

Gwendal could not understand what happened to his cat as he stared at her sleeping form slumped on a pillow on his bed. He already asked Gunter to inspect the health of his cat but even his friend could not understand what happened. All he could say was, "Maybe she's sick."

But Gwendal could not figure out what could have made Anissina sick. He has been feeding her the same gourmet meals cooked in the kitchen for the past many months already. So how could she get sick after all those months of eating the same food?

He decided to spend the rest of the evening attending to his cat to ensure that she would be alright. He thought that if devoted his time with the cat, it would divert his attention from mourning for Anissina von Karbelnikoff. Unfortunately for him, he named the cat "Anissina" so he was still constantly reminded of her.

Around midnight, he was already tired so he decided to lie down on the bed and take the cat in his arms. He began to think how unlucky he was because first, he lost Anissina and there were too many unsettled and unsaid things between them that he failed to take into consideration until it was too late. Second, the only other thing that made him happy despite her absence was the cat that suddenly fell ill. Because of that, he began to think that if she died, too, he would be doomed to be miserable forever. To him, that cat was the only living memory he had left of Anissina because of its eyes that were strangely similar to hers… not to mention the red fur that was reminiscent of the color of her hair.

Gently, he stroked her fur and kissed her tiny pink nose. "Please be okay, kitty." He prayed silently as he closed his eyes.

As for Anissina, she became half-awake when she felt something touch her nose. She carefully opened her eyes and saw Gwendal's eyes closed. She wondered if he had fallen asleep already but she thought that even if he was asleep, he still looked troubled. Weakly, she nuzzled her head on his neck and closed her eyes again while purring softly. She hoped that it would be an assurance for him to feel better even while asleep. Eventually, she herself lost consciousness in the guise of falling asleep again. A strange wave of energy swept over her and she could not fight it in her current weak state so she decided to surrender to it instead. She just thought that whatever that was, she hoped that it would make everything better for her already.

The entire ride back to Shin Makoku lasted longer than usual for Wolfram, Gisela, and Conrart. There was still tension among the three and although it was evident to Flynn, Conrart was hesitant to tell her about what happened. As for Wolfram, he gave her a clue that Conrart was a serial killer and that he and Gisela were planning to protect him from his brother.

Wolfram made sure that he kept an eye on both Gisela and Flynn to ensure that the ladies were protected from his older brother, the suspected "serial killer".

Conrart just decided to leave Wolfram alone and just told him that by the time they arrive in Shin Makoku, they were to head for Gwendal's quarters to see Anissina the Cat. He silently wished that Anissina would forgive him, though.

It was 4 in the morning when they finally arrived at Blood Pledge Castle and Wolfram led the way to his elder brother's room. He did not even bother to keep quiet or attempt to be cautious in opening the door. Instead, he just barged in and called out in a loud voice, "Gwendal, where's your cat?"

Much to his surprise—and to Gisela, Conrart, and Flynn's--, there was Gwendal sleeping on the bed with a naked Anissina on top of him.

"Oh my goodness!" Gisela exclaimed.

Conrart just stared wide eyed at the two before regaining his composure. "Anissina!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to the bed. "Gwendal!" he called out.

Anissina slowly opened her eyes and she shuddered. "Gee… it feels cold…" she lifted her gaze up to Conrart and she just stared at him. "Oh, it's you." She muttered weakly.

Gwendal opened his eyes and grunted. "Wolfram, Conrart, do you know what time it is? Can't you see I'm asleep…" he trailed off when he noticed that there was something heavy on top of him. He was surprised to see that the cat was not there anymore. Rather, it was Anissina sprawled on top of him on her stomach. "Aaah!" he immediately pushed her aside and Conrart caught her just in time to cover her with a blanket.

Anissina still appeared shaken as she looked around. "I'm… I'm back! I'm…" her lips formed a victorious smile as she looked at herself. "…I'm not a cat anymore!" she cried out happily.

Gwendal stared at her in awe. Part of him wanted to approach her so he could take her in his arms but he still managed to restrain himself. "Anissina," was all he could say.

She looked at him and then turned to Conrart when he spoke up, "How did you turn back? What happened?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. Maybe the spell just wore off or…" she stopped. She recalled that Gwendal kissed her nose earlier. "…a kiss," she thought, although she did not bother to say that out loud anymore. She looked at Gwendal with her big blue eyes and for the first time in her life, she did not know how to react or what to say to him.

As for Wolfram and Gisela, they were still shocked to see Anissina alive and well, and they wondered whether Conrart told the truth or not about her turning into a cat.

Gwendal continued to stare at Anissina and he felt a mix of overwhelming emotions rushing up to his head. He did not know how exactly to react and all he could do was smile in relief as he looked at her. "…Hello, Anissina." He greeted softly. His voice sounded demure and it shook a little—it reminded Anissina so much of the first time that they met hundreds of years ago.

And she smiled. "Hello, Gwendal." She said in her usual dignified manner as she wrapped the blanket more securely around her body.

The entire moment itself was awkward and the spectators—Conrart, Flynn, Gisela, and Wolfram—easily noticed it. However, all they could do was watch as the two continued to look at each other in ways that revealed that there were a lot of things unsaid between them that they do not want anybody else to know either. The entire room became silent until Conrart took the initiative to break it when he announced that he would go and visit Anissina's family to explain everything and announce that she was alright.

The truth about what happened to Lady Anissina von Karbelnikoff spread all over Shin Makoku by 9 in the morning. Anissina predicted that the news would soon spread overseas but all she could do was stay in her quarters and pretend that nothing was wrong.

As for Gunter, he was glad that she was alright and alive. He immediately urged her to perform an experiment on her but surprisingly, she refused. She said that maybe it was time for her to take a break from spells, machines, and experiments for an indefinite period of time. Obviously, to others, she had been traumatized by what happened to her.

Normally, Gunter would be relieved whenever she was not in her laboratory. However, he felt that it was so wrong for her not to be in her laboratory and refusing to experiment on him.

So basically, she spent the entire day in her room at Blood Pledge Castle refusing to see anyone except Conrart, Gisela, and Gunter. She wondered where Gwendal was because ever since she got escorted out of his room by daybreak, she was not able to see him anymore.

The memorial service scheduled later that afternoon had obviously been cancelled. However, she still had to go to the Karbelnikoff Castle because her father and older brother decided to throw a formal ball in honor of her return.

Anissina never liked parties. Usually, she would avoid them by staying inside her laboratory. But at that time, going to her lab was not an option so she decided to oblige. Besides, it was a party hosted by her family so she could not refuse.

Everybody noticed that she seemed to act as if she had no energy left in her. Her usual feisty and energetic attitude seemed to have waned out in the several months that she had been a cat. To Gunter and the rest, it was scarier seeing her in a sulking and serious mood compared to the aggressive and energetic behavior that they had missed so much in the many months that she had been "gone".

Conrart thought that maybe she was angry at him because he told everybody the truth. As for Wolfram, he joked that Conrart "killed" Anissina's old self and replaced it with a new but unenthusiastic Anissina.

Conrart apologized several times already but she still looked troubled in a way that revealed to him that she had several issues in mind. In desperation, he told her that he would gladly participate in an experiment if only she would smile and start mingling with the other guests. He revealed that they were already beginning to worry about her.

Instead of reacting to what he said, she bluntly asked about Gwendal's whereabouts. Conrart noticed the concerned and determined look in her eyes as she asked that. "He said he's coming here but… he'll be delayed for a few hours." He explained. He had to admit, he had no idea where his brother went but he further explained that their mother ensured that he would be there at the party.

Anissina just kept quiet and decided that maybe she should just stop worrying about Gwendal for a while and just mingle with the other guests. Still, the worried look on his face lingered in her mind even as she tried her best to smile and maintain a pleasant attitude as she socialized with the others.

Soon, Gwendal and Cecilie eventually arrived. Cecilie seemed like her usual self: happy to be in a party, pleasant, and sociable. As everybody turned to admire her, Gwendal had his attention focused on the redhead that he had been trying to avoid the whole day. From where he stood, he adored the red ball gown that she wore but still could not shake off the memory of the events that happened for past many months until earlier at dawn. He would still blush at the thought that the cat had been her all the time because he knew that she definitely took notice of all the aspects that nobody else knew about him… not even her—well, that was until she turned into a cat and finally learned everything that he felt towards her.

The same things were going on in Anissina's head as she studied the stoic look on Gwendal's face. She wanted to tease him that if he did not smile, he would have more frown lines in the next 2 months. However, all she could do was keep silent and smile softly before she finally turned away to go to Gunter. In her head, she was beginning to decide that she needed to keep living her life as if there was nothing significant on the relationship between her and Gwendal at all. She figured she could start living like her usual self again by inviting Gunter to participate in an experiment… then ask Conrart next. After all, he owed her a lot since day 1 of her kitty form.

Unknown to her, Gwendal had started off towards her. Everybody watched in silence and wondered why Gwendal suddenly went after Anissina.

When she wondered why Gunter was looking past her shoulders with a confused look on his face, that was when she decided to turn around. She did not have enough time to react in surprise upon seeing Gwendal standing a few feet away from her with his right hand raised.

SMACK!

The loud and crisp sound of Gwendal's right palm hitting Anissina's left cheek echoed across the entire ballroom of the Karbelnikoff Castle.

A shocked Anissina almost lost her balance because she had not anticipated that slap on the face from Gwendal so she did not expect that it would be that strong and that painful. Lucky for her, Gunter caught her in time before she could hit the hard marble floor.

Wolfram just stared in shock while wondering how it must have felt for Anissina. He knew how strong Gwendal was and how heavy his hands were so he just stood there in silence, pitying Anissina as he observed the red mark forming on her left cheek.

To the others in that ballroom, that was a very shocking proposal.

"That was… way overdue. But… I hope it's not too late." Gwendal stammered stiffly.

Everyone was silent because nobody knew how to react to what he did and said… until Gunter broke it: "Gwendal, you slapped her too hard! You're not supposed to hurt ladies!" he scolded as he tended to Anissina's reddening left cheek. "There, there, are you alright, Anissina?" he asked gently.

She felt as if all her lost energy came back to her. Her entire body felt warm and she had never felt that reenergized before. She carefully moved away from Gunter. "I'm… alright, Gunter. No need to worry…" she said reassuringly as she stood up straight and looked at Gwendal straight into his eyes.

Gwendal braced himself for all the possible things that Anissina could do or say to him because of what he did. He knew that what he did was a very drastic step to take between him and his long-time friend. However, thanks to his mother, he figured out that only 2 things could happen as consequences when Anissina found out everything about him while she was a cat:

He and Anissina could deny that anything every happened, go on with their lives like they never knew anything about each other's feelings, and then keep on playing charades while wallowing in cycle of lies; or

He and Anissina could finally accept each other and take things to the next level. That way, they would not have to live with heavy burdens on their shoulders caused by guilt and too much contemplation on all the things unsaid between them.

Again, thanks to Cecilie's help and encouragement, Gwendal took option number 2. It also made him realize that he was ready. Besides, if he thought that if he took option number 1, he could end up losing her again…forever. A chance had been given to them already when she turned into a cat. Why let go of that, Cecilie asked.

As for Anissina, she was part relieved, part shocked, part confused, and part excited. However, all she could do was smirk and eye him playfully as if planning to do something to him later—most probably to serve as revenge for slapping her so hard. With her hands on her hips, she finally gave her response: "My, my, Gwendal. You're going to have to be my guinea pig for the rest of our lives now."

It was as good as a yes, and all he could do was smile in relief. He did not even know why he felt happy. He used to feel fearful for his life whenever she would attempt to experiment on him. But at that time, he thought that that was better than not having her around. Gwendal sighed in relief as Cecilie led the cheers and encouraged applause among the spectators. It was surprising for Anissina to hear everybody cheering for her betrothal with Gwendal.

Music began to play and Anissina walked over to and grabbed his arm to invite him to dance. Without thinking twice, he obliged.

Meanwhile, Cecilie watched her son and his fiancée dancing while Wolfram, Flynn, Conrart, Gisela, and Gunter stood by her side.

"Oh, aren't they adorable?" Gisela asked with a dreamy look on her face. She had her hands clasped together by her chest as she gazed adoringly at the two.

"Indeed. And what about you, Gisela, when are you planning to get married?" Gunter asked, meaning to tease his daughter.

She just looked at her father glumly. "I don't think I'll get married any time soon, father." She answered.

Wolfram yawned. "Well that's that. At least Conrart is not a serial killer. I'd be damned if he is. It would definitely be a disgrace to our family." He complained.

Conrart purposely laid a hand on his younger brother's shoulder in a forceful manner that surprised him. Wolfram looked up at his older brother and then heard him say to Gisela, "Gisela, would you like to dance with me?" he asked while looking at her in a strange manner. He had a smug smile on his face and to Wolfram, it seemed really sinister—like a serial killer's. Without thinking, Wolfram pushed Conrart aside and grabbed Gisela's hand to take her to the middle of the ballroom where he was sure his older brother could not get to them. "No you won't kill her!" that was what Wolfram told Conrart stubbornly.

Conrart smiled smugly, satisfied with himself. Cecilie wondered what was going on but Conrart simply explained that Wolfram had a nightmare about serial killers. All Cecilie could do was giggle and say how ridiculous it was.

The End

Author's Note: I just went with the flow and wrote this entire story according to what comes out first from my very erratic imagination. The ending is also quite abrupt, I must say. I just decided to cut it there because it is definitely going to lead to another plot if I proceeded. This story is solely supposed to be for Gwendal and Anissina but I'm sure you have noticed some segues along the way, which I definitely did on purpose… although I tried to keep it subtle and minimal—case in point: Wolfram and Gisela. ...and maybe a little Conrad/Anissina, too.