A/N: I hope everyone likes it. I have a lot to do, so it may be a while before my next update, but next week is spring break! :D

Understanding

Ren wondered if had ever heard such a disturbing noise as the one the tiny black and white cat in his arms was making. "Princess, you're filthy! I have to clean you up." He tried to reason with the animal covered in toilet water. She emitted a mixture between a groan and a scream as he lowered her into the sink, spreading her paws and throwing her head back. "You're already wet." He reasoned with her. She hissed at him angrily and he signed. "Come on. Please don't fight about this." It was getting late and he was tired. 'I'm too tired to deal with this...'

Kyoko didn't want to fight. She had every intention of being calm and letting Ren clean her off. But that was before she saw the water. A strange terror gripped her, which she found strange because she typically wasn't afraid of the water. Still, as soon as her paws hit the water, she screamed again. All reason flew from her mind and she spun around, mouth open and teeth bared, and found his hand. Her teeth had barely touched his skin, however, when she realized what she was doing and froze, her teeth touching him. He stared at her, eyes wide, as she carefully pulled back and closed her mouth, ears pinned.

'I…I…almost bit….Tsuruga Ren!' The thought rendered her speechless as he ran his hand over her back, scooping warm water onto her fur.

"There we go." He mumbled with a smile. "That's better. See? This isn't so bad." He was more than grateful that she hadn't sunk her needle teeth into his hand, but…'was that guilt? Did she feel bad because she almost bit me?' Smiling a little, he brought his nose down no touch her wet head, laughing when she seemed to come to and shook her head, throwing water everywhere. "See? It's just a little water." He squeezed a handful of shampoo into his palm and began to massage it over her. She meowed mournfully but didn't try to bite him again, fighting every instinct in her body.

'No. I have to be calm. I am a human! I'm not afraid of water! I do not hate water. Even if it makes my fur feel all heavy and….and I have this horrible urge to shake…I have to fight it….I can't…oh no…' Suddenly she shook violently, sending water and shampoo everywhere. Ren closed his eyes to avoid the soapy water and chuckled at her petulant face.

"I'm almost done." He assured her, scratching under her chin and scooping up some more warm water to rinse her off. He was pulling a towel over and she fought the urge to jump out of the tub and run away while his back was turned.

'I'll get all of his furniture wet and soapy and he'll be angry! I just have to bear with it.'

"There. Good girl. " He lifted her and placed her on the towel wrapping her snugly, and holding her to his chest and he rubbed her dry, releasing the stopper and letting the soapy water run down the drain. With her in his arms, he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, shaking his wet hair out of his face. She found herself shaking a little and snuggled into the blanket. He smiled a little, his eyes softening.

"T…thank you Tsuruga-san." She meowed up at him, wishing he could understand him. Since he couldn't, she nudged his hand and rubbed her head against him. He took the hint and began petting her again.

"You really are a strange cat." He murmured softly, his hand smoothing her damp fur. "Sometimes I think you're trying to talk to me." She nodded, her golden brown eyes meeting his, and his widened. "You are trying to talk to me?" She nodded again, nudging his hand. He laughed a little, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. She let it go, closing her eyes as she curled in his lap.

'I'll just have to try again tomorrow.'

The little red fairy flew in the window, tugging her blue friend along. "Come on!" She cried anxiously. "She's in here! Look!" The blue fairy rolled her eyes.

"Yes I believe you. What about it?"

"Look!" They stopped short in the living room where Ren was running his hand along her back. Her soft purr could be heard from the other side of the room, and she was obviously almost asleep.

"Okay. He's petting her. So what?"

"So he likes her! And she likes him!"

"MO! You idiot! They already liked each other. And now he likes a cat. So what? How is this going to get them together?" The red fairy crossed her arms and pouted. The blue fairy softened her voice. "Mo. I'm not saying this isn't a good idea. I'm just not sure where you're going with this."

"Hello?"

"Boss?"

"Oh. Hey. What's up?"

"Why did my son just call looking for Kyoko?"

"Um…."

"Lory, where is my second son?"

"Kuu…this isn't easy to explain…"

"We'll you'd better figure it out!"

Lory cursed the protectiveness of the father of two of his favorite talents. "Okay. You aren't going to believe me but…"

"Lory?" There was a long pause. "Lory!"

"I…I'll call you back…" His voice sounded strangled and Kuu stared at the disconnected phone.

The plants wrapped around his neck and he stared in horror at the angry looking blue fairy and the reproachful looking red one. "Don't you know anything!" The little red fairy cried. "You can't tell anyone what's going on!"

"What? Her father is worried about her!" He cried, tearing at the stronger than steel plants.

The blue fairy crossed her arms. "You are not allowed to tell anyone about anything involving us. Ever. Either people figure it out on their own or they never know."

"So what am I supposed to tell her father?" Lory cried helplessly, fearing both the fairies and the wrath of the girl's adoptive father.

"Not our problem." Blue snapped. "We're helping you here, and all you do is complain. Next time, be more careful about your wishes!" She didn't add that fairies don't normally grant wishes, and that this was actually her friend's fault.

"Just tell him what you told Ren." Red told him simply, her eyes a little softer than her friend's. "But you are not allowed to tell anyone, including Ren, that Princess is Kyoko, okay?" Lory sighed deeply, but nodded.

"Fine. It's not like I have a choice, with you and you demon plants." He muttered irritably.

"No. You don't. And you might want to start thinking of a cover story, because Kyoko is going to be a cat until true love's first kiss breaks the spell." The red fairy smiled dreamily, singing the last part a little.

"Can I at least tell him that?"

"No."

Kyoko woke a few hours later with a problem. She had to go to the bathroom again. Sighing, she wriggled out of the towel and the sleeping man's arms. She smiled up at him softly. 'He's so nice…' Jumping down from the sofa, she headed for the bathroom, but to her dismay, the toilet lid was down. 'No! That means…' Turning to the litter box, she backed away angrily. 'No. I'm not going to….' She looked around. 'What if he walks in!' Nudging the door closed, she hesitantly stepped into the litter box, crouched down, and did her business as quickly as possible. Desperately, she buried all traces of 'it,' pawing and scraping until the surface of the litter looked new. Leaping out of the box, she looked around to make sure he hadn't snuck up on her, then slipped out of the bathroom.

The clock on the nightstand of the spare room told her that it was nearly 2 in the morning. 'Oh no! If Tsuruga-san sleeps there, he might get sick. I have to wake him up." She ran into the living room and scrambled onto the sofa. The damp towel was still in his lap, so she grabbed it between her teeth and threw it to the floor. Then, climbing onto his thigh, she stood up on her back legs and chirped, placing a paw on his chest. "Tsuruga-san!" She cried. "Tsuruga-san you can't sleep here." He moaned and turned his head, the sound making her blush again under the fur. "Um…Tsuruga-san?" She tried to reach his face with her paw, but suddenly her paw slipped and she fell, claws extended, onto his…

He jerked awake in pain, gritting his teeth and groaning. "What the…" He stopped when he saw the little cat on the sofa, now next to him, eyes wide, frozen to the spot. "Princess?" She didn't move, and he straightened as the pain subsided. "What are you doing?"

'Oh my God I touched…I landed on…I felt…oh…my…god…' Kyoko felt her brain shut down and she missed him anxiously calling her name. She didn't come back to earth until he started to lift her again. Mortified, she leapt from his arms and dashed away, not paying any attention to where she was running. Ren watched in mute horror as she ran first into the leg of the coffee table, then into the wall, and then into a kitchen cabinet, where she finally lay still. He jumped up, shaking himself out of his stupor, and ran over.

"What are you doing?" He cried, bending over and touching her side. She hid her face in her paws, whimpering as she scooted away from him.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san!" She meowed loudly. "I didn't mean to touch your….your….special place!" He just stared at her, eyes narrowed in concern.

"Are you okay?" The little cat hadn't moved from the floor and wasn't looking at him. "Hey! Princess?" He lifted her head and looked at her face, gently touching her now sore nose. She whimpered a little once more.

'He doesn't seem mad…isn't he going to yell at me?' On the contrary he picked her up and looked closely at her face. 'I'm so close to him! Wahh! He's….he's….' He gently kissed the tip of her nose, then rubbed the top of her head with his own, nuzzling her.

"Silly cat. You have to be more careful when you're running around." He stood with her in his arms. "I'm going to bed. Are you tired?" She wasn't tired, but his kiss had short-circuited her brain and she was currently unable to respond.

As Kyoko lay silently in Ren's arms, trying to wake her brain up, two fairies sat on the windowsill. "Wait…you said true love's first kiss…right?"

"Huh?"

"When Lory asked you…and again today…you said that only true love's first kiss would turn her human again."

"Oh…yea."

"But he kissed her. Just a few minutes ago. And he truly loves her. So…why didn't that change her back?"

"Oh! Yea, I was lying."

"…"

"Of course true love's first kiss won't change her back." The fairy laughed much to the annoyance of her best friend. "That's silly. How could I possibly know if they truly love each other? I'm not some kind of love fairy."

"Then…how can she change back?"

"Only I can do that." She smiled. "And I will!" She assured her open mouthed friend. "As soon as I've granted Lory and Maria's wish." Blue rolled her eyes. She had long since learned that arguing with her best friend was pointless.

Ren woke up as the light streamed into the window and hit his eyes. For a second, he was confused. 'Why didn't my alarm go off? I have wor…oh.' Looking down, he found the small black cat still in his arms. 'This is strange…I'm happy she's here. I love holding her…' He had, once or twice, had a pet. Once his father had brought home a puppy, and then, later, a cat. He hadn't disliked the cat…but he had never got such enjoyment out of holding it…or kissing it. The thought made him blush, though he had no idea why it should. 'She's a cat. There is nothing indecent about it. It's not like I was kissing…Kyoko…' This time he paused. 'Why would I even think that? I must just really miss Kyoko.' Gently pulling his arm away from the little black creature, he sat up and stretched. She woke instantly, yawning cutely and stretching as well. He laughed as she stood and arched her back, her tail straight out, and screwed her eyes shut tightly. "Good morning."

Waking up as a cat was as strange as it had been the first time, but the stretching felt nice. "Good morning Tsuruga-san." She chirped happily, swishing her tail and, for reasons she couldn't pinpoint, licking her paw and smoothing fur on her head.

"You are the most responsive cat I've ever met in my life." He mumbled as he stood and walked into the bathroom. She continued washing herself, driven by a now compulsive need, and purred at how it felt.

'Hmmm waking up as a cat isn't so bad.' She thought as she happily licked her paws. Ren emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth, and smiled when he saw her still sitting on the bed. Quickly heading back into the bathroom to finish, he emerged once again.

"Are you hungry?" She nodded and leapt off the bed before he could pick her up.

'After last…this morning, I need to keep my distance…' She shuddered a little, leading the, once again, surprised man into the kitchen.

"You didn't eat your food from yesterday." He pointed out sadly. She tilted her head and looked up at him. "Do you not like it?" She glanced over and shook her head. "Did you even try it?" She shook her head sheepishly and he grinned. "Well go on." He gestured grandly to the food bowl. Sighing, she tiptoed over to the food bowl and sniffed. The food smelled strongly of chicken and tuna, and, taking a single nugget between her teeth, she chewed, then forced herself to swallow. Pinning her ears back, she backed away from the bowl and hissed loudly, arching her back and making her fur stand up. He laughed. "Fine. What do you want to eat then?"

Growling a little, but pleased that he got the point, she lapped up some water and jumped onto one of the tall barstools, then gingerly climbed on the counter. "What are you going to have, Tsuruga-san?" She meowed.

He tilted his head. "I'm sorry. I can't understand you." She sighed and, picking up her paw, pointed to him. "Me?" She nodded, and his eyes widened. "What am I going to eat?" She nodded vigorously. "Um…nothing." She glared and hissed again. "Hey! Don't start lecturing me about my…" He froze, the painful reminder clenching his heart. 'She isn't Kyoko. No matter how much you pretend, she's not her.' "This is insane." He said simply. "You are a cat." Kyoko narrowed her eyes.

'Well, I wanted to tell him today. Might as well try and get it over with.' She shook her head violently.

"Yes, you are." He argued childishly. This time she growled in frustration, shaking her head again. "Then what are you?" He cried. She took a few steps closer and pointed her paw at him, poking him in the chest with it. "You're…a person?" His voice was half amused and half incredulous. She nodded, purring. He gave a half laugh. "I'm insane. I've gone totally insane. I'm talking to a cat that thinks it's a person!" He placed his head in his hands. "I must miss her more than I thought. Yea…that's it. I miss Kyoko…and I'm going insane. After only one day." He shook his head with a laugh. "What do you think Princess?" She tilted her head, observing him carefully. She had never heard her sempai use such a tone and it kind of worried her.

'Why would he miss me?' She wondered. She purred happily when he started petting her, taking a deep breath.

"Okay…so you were a person. Let's pretend I believe that." She flattened her ears in irritation. "Do I know you?" She nodded her head, placing her paws on his chest and looking into his eyes.

"Look! Do I have the same eyes? Can't you recognize me?" By the sudden widening of the eyes, she was sure he did. Hesitantly, his hand came up to touch the side of her face, smoothing the whiskers and fur on her tiny cheek.

"K…Kyoko?" She nodded violently, relief flooding her.

"Finally!" She meowed happily.

He mumbled a curse that made her fur stand up and dropped his hand. "How…what….why are you…oh God." He placed his hand on his forehead and she hastily backed away. "No. No way. People don't turn into cats." He told her sternly, as if this was all in her imagination. "They…they just don't. Right?" He stood abruptly, fists clenched as he stared down at her. "Prove it." He placed his hands on the counter, looking deeply into her eyes. She tilted her head in confusion.

"How am I supposed to prove it?" She meowed in confusion. He groaned and sat on one of the barstools, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right…how?" He mumbled. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Stay here!" He fled the room and with her sensitive ears, he could hear him digging through a drawer. Emerging a few seconds later, he dropped something onto the counter top in front of her. "In this magazine is what I got Kyoko for her 17th birthday." He announced, ignoring her nod. "Find it."

"Okay." She chirped. Kyoko drug her paw across the cover, finding that she could turn pages if she was careful. Looking through the pictures of random ads and jewelry, she was nearly at the end of the magazine when she found it. Meowing proudly, she looked up and placed her paw over the picture. Moving her paw gently, he felt the blood drain from his face when he found himself face to face with 'Princess Rosa.'

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are wonderful :) I have to write a paper now. lol.