Nobody Owns a Cat

One Cat Leads to Another

Within about 3 long hours, Yui's eyes open. Ayato is asleep next to her in his chair. He hadn't left her side. The long day had finally caught up with him and left him exhausted enough to have passed out an hour ago. However, he was quick to wake from the movement of the girl.

His eyes widen slightly at her new form, surprised but happy to see her awake. Yui herself felt a little strange but alright. "I'm thirsty." She calls out softly as her hazy eyes keep his.

Ayato hands her a glass of water, a little annoyed that was the first thing she says. "How are you feeling?" He eyes her new attachments with interest. It was quite the surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

"Thank you. Strange. I thought I died. What happened?" She seems to snap out of her grogginess after a sip of the water, panicking. "What happened to Cordelia?! Is everyone alright?!"

The redhead is quick to calm her, bringing the small girl into his arms. "It is all over. Of course you could count on Yours Truly to save you."

She calms down after a little, blushing and looking around at the room. There is a small gasp from her lips as she sets sights on the bed that was beside hers. "Nao!? What happened?" There just the same laid a pale Nao, a sheet covering him up to his shoulders. Thankfully the unstable Subaru was not here but in the garden.

Feeling her move to go to the boy's side, Ayato's grip tightens. "I'll tell you everything, just calm down already. He will be fine." If that wasn't the case after the two weeks, he would deal with it then. The last thing he wanted to do is give her another reason to panic. "Since he is a cat, he gave you a life."

"Gave me a life?!" Yui seems shocked. "How?"

A small annoyed sound comes from the vampire holding her, moving to take her to his room. "Don't be so annoying just after waking up. He gave you a heart. Right now his body is making a new one and healing. Then he will be reborn into his new life. It takes longer the more severe and complicated the repair is. So it will be a long while, but he will wake up."

"How long?" Yui asks softly with worry, holding onto Ayato. She was happy that everything was solved, and she was alive. However, she didn't know how to feel about such a dangerous and extreme solution.

Her question was not answered till they were cuddling on the redhead's bed. He wished she wasn't such a worry wart and just enjoyed being alive with him again. "Who knows."

Yui is a little discontented at her lover's uncaring answer, but lets it go as Ayato falls back asleep holding her. She falls asleep staring at the face she loved dearly, the face she thought she would never see again.

Waking up a little later, Yui felt better than ever. She gets up and stretches, catching her reflection in a mirror. Ayato watches in amusement at her freakout, his woman was always a bit slow. The girl swings around to face him, obviously angry. "You could have told me I had ears and a tail!!" There is some gesturing to the black cat ears and tail attached to her body.

"Took you long enough to notice." As usual, he was enjoying her reactions. Looking back, she did find that everything seemed very loud and clear.

There was quite a bit of huffing and puffing before she settled down, playing curiously with her own tail. "So this is what Nao feels like. I wonder why I got it."

"Obviously from the heart he gave you. Some cat blood must be running through your veins." He licks his lips, wondering what his lover tastes like now. Just like that, Yui is pulling to him and he is licking her neck. He enjoys teasing her for a while before taking a bite. There was a whole new level to her taste, some familiar and some new. He found it hard to stop but managed before Yui passed out. "Mmm. Amazing."

The blonde blushes and pulls away after collecting herself. "Come on. I want to go eat. And then I want to visit Nao." Everyone was quite relieved and amused when they found out she was awake and changed. For many weeks after she was given a hard time.

Within the following months, Yui gets used to her new body, and everyone watches over Nao. There was a little panic when no sign of healing could be seen till after four weeks. Many a time, Subaru was left punching walls and cursing after Reiji reported no change.

Reiji seemed to be the only one able to stomach looking at the boy's injury, other than Kanato who quickly lost interest at the sight. The bespectacled vampire actually examined the boy often with sickening interest. He noted with much glee every part of the process from the first small bloody ball to each intricate part of the heart forming.

Subaru hated it, but someone had to confirm the process. He felt that even just looking at the boy's pale dead face made him sick and maddened to the point he was ready to kill Yui. It took everything in him not to harm her. She was the reason his love was lying dead in a bed and undergoing such a sickening process. Yet killing her would undermine his love's sacrifice. So the albino stayed away from her completely, afraid his emotions would get the better of him.

Not even a word was spoken in her direction. He didn't want Nao to be angry with him when he awoke just because he yelled at some idiotic girl. Really, Subaru didn't speak with anyone. During the long time Nao was away, he grew more and more distant. All he did was be worried and angry. His time was spent only in the garden and in Nao's room. After a few months, he was really starting to look ragged.

Yui felt very guilty and sad as she watched Subaru and visited Nao. Though she could not blame the vampire for his behavior. After being chewed out by all the other brothers, she had learned her lesson and planned to do the same to Nao. That being said, she wasn't sure she wouldn't do the same again to save the one she loved. That contradicting nature seems to come with being human.

Ayato did his best to comfort her, though it wasn't really a part of his personality. There was some panic inside him when the healing wasn't evident after the two week deadline. He was glad he left it be now that it was happening.

Shuu seemed to be the only other vampire to visit regularly now. He was almost just as much of a wreak as Subaru, but did a better job at hiding it. Laito seemed completely uninterested and Kanato lost interest quickly with Subaru guarding Nao. There was no violence or feeding allowed, much of which was where the child-like vampire's interests lied.

It took five months for the heart to fully form and the hole in Nao's chest to start healing. His body slowly started to change as well. His hair and fur started growing out black. Much to the boy's disappointment later, his body itself did not grow. Even the scars from his past had started to heal for the first time. By the time six months rolled around, he looked like a different person.

No one thought it would have taken this long and there was obviously heavy tension in the mansion. It only grew worse as the boy's appearance changed. There was some doubt that he would be reborn any time soon and whether it would be the same Nao. Still there was hope as his heart layed full and beating in his open chest. Upon hearing the news, Subaru had tossed the sheet covering Nao off. Everyone was kicked out and he spent a very long time watching the heart beat, teary-eyed with some relief. He has not left Nao's side since. Even if it took years for the boy to awake, he would wait for him.

Just as the sixth month passed, Nao took his first breath. Subaru held his own. There is a farewell to the black cat who promises she will be watching over him and the 'new little one'. He wasn't sure what that one meant though. The albino waits for any sign of consciousness with his heart in his stomach. Nao's eyelids flutter open to reveal bottomless black eyes.