fic; believe
Title: Believe
Pairings/Characters: Kato Shigeaki and Koyama Keiichiro
Rating: G
Warnings: sort of AU/fantasy/supernatural. Inspired by the Puss in Boots universe.
Summary: Kei knew from the moment he laid eyes on him, that this is where he belonged.
Author's Notes: This was for je_telephone, which is basically a series of fic remixes. Mine was the third version in the chain. You can read the whole series at the comm. :) This was my first time doing a remix of any kind so I hope it didn't turn out entirely off the mark, lol. The original is (More Than) Nine Lives by lastingdreams8.
Kei may have been a cat but he knew. He knew from the moment he laid his eyes on him, on the tall, skinny boy with the slightly crooked smile and choppy hair, that this is where he belonged.
~
“I can’t keep you,” the boy said regretfully, sneezing. “I want to, but I can’t.” He sighed. “If only I wasn’t allergic.”
But for two weeks, Kei followed the boy around his country-side home until he finally became part of the family. And the boy - Shige - took care of him like Kei was the most important thing in his life.
They had a lot of fun together. Even though Shige was allergic, he cared for Kei like any other owner, probably better than most owners. Kei followed him everywhere, watched him work with his father on their mill and go to school to learn and laugh and cry. He was mostly a quiet boy, who stayed at home and read instead of playing with friends, but Kei liked that better because it meant Shige was spending more time with him.
It was becoming so natural to be with him that, one day, Kei forgot. He forgot that he wasn’t just an ordinary cat. He was much more than that. And, while Shige’s shock was rather amusing at first, he never did mean to scare the boy.
“You can talk?!” Shige had exclaimed that day, almost a year after they had found each other. Kei had been so good at keeping it secret that he couldn’t believe he’d let it out like that, his simple response to one of Shige’s rhetoric questions.
“I can,” Kei had replied, smiling. And, because he’d already let this slip, he figured he might as well go all out, and added, “I can also do this.” And he turned into a human.
Kei figured he should’ve probably explained first, because when Shige fainted, it wasn’t all that amusing anymore.
~
Kei preferred to be a cat. He was born a cat. He liked his soft, orange fur and yellow cat eyes, and he liked sitting in Shige’s lap and being petted behind the ears. He couldn’t always turn into a human. There had been a witch, a witch who had needed his fur. When she’d taken him for the rest of the litter, Kei had only been a young kitten. The witch had been experimenting with spells, with potions and tricks, and Kei’s fur was the exact shade she required. But she seemed to have taken pity on him afterward, and she used her own spell to make him talk and turn into a human.
Kei stayed with her for a couple of years before he decided to take an adventure, and one day while she was away, he left. He traveled as a cat, most of the time, although when weary he would turn human. It was easier to find food as a human than rifling through trash or looking for a kind soul to feed him. Kei didn’t mind his abnormal powers, but occasionally he did think it would be much simpler being only one or the other.
Of course, right now, he thanked the witch for giving him these powers because he was finally able to really interact with Shige (once Shige had gotten over his shock).
They became like best friends, after that. Kei had to be careful around Shige’s parents and not speak aloud or transform, but he managed. He would wait until nighttime and turn human in Shige’s room, sit with him and talk about anything and everything. They exchanged stories and Kei really felt that when he was with Shige, he was home.
~
Shige’s father passed away one day suddenly, and Shige had to help take over running the mill. But Shige had always wanted to see the world, wanted to go out and explore.
“Then go,” Kei would tell him. “Just go and do what you want.”
“I like this, too,” Shige had said. “I like running the mill. Sometimes, I just wish I could do more, you know?”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine, Shige,” Koyama reassured, patting his young friend on the head. “You’ll see.”
~
It was because of this that Kei did what he did. He loved Shige. Shige was like the family he never had, having always traveled on his own with no real home to return to. He wanted to return the favor that Shige had unknowingly given him. But nothing material would be enough, and Kei knew that if even brought it up with Shige, Shige would never let him.
He told Shige he needed to run some errands, some cat-like things he needed to do. Shige insisted on going with him, but Kei refused until Shige finally relented.
The good thing about being a cat was that he could run faster. Kei hadn’t been there in ages, but he knew exactly where he needed to go.
She was still there, when he finally arrived a day later, in her tiny hidden cottage. She almost didn’t look surprised to see him. “I knew you’d be back,” she said.
“I’m not here to stay,” he said. “I need something.”
“And you think I’ll give it to you just like that?” she retorted. “After you left without warning? When I’ve needed your precious fur for other spells but you were nowhere to be found?”
“If I could find you again, you could’ve easily found me,” Kei replied simply and the old woman scowled. “But I’ll give you what you want, if you return the favor.”
She assessed him, as if to determine whether he was actually serious, before sighing. “Perhaps I made a mistake giving you this special gift,” she mused aloud before sinking down into a large chair. “What do you want?”
“There’s a boy,” Kei replied and explained his wish.
~
“You’re back!” Shige exclaimed, greeting him with a hug before stepping back to eye him. “Nice clothes.”
Kei laughed. He ruffled Shige’s hair as he passed the boy further into his home. “Thanks,” he said. “Sorry I was gone so long. How’ve things been?”
“Boring,” Shige replied. “I’d forgotten what it’s like to not have you around. You always filled the silence with your incessant chatting.”
“Hey,” Kei pouted. “I only just returned and you’re picking on me already?”
“Of course.” Shige grinned and Kei smiled back. “So where did you go? You were so cryptic when you left. I didn’t think we had many secrets.” He looked a little hurt as he said it and Kei felt guilty.
“Oh, Shige,” he said. “I did have a life before I met you,” he teased and even Shige let out a laugh at that. “I had to see an old friend. I needed something from her.”
“Like what?” Shige questioned. “New clothes?”
“Very funny,” Kei said and Shige laughed again, and just so Shige couldn’t make fun of his clothes again, Kei slowly transformed back into a cat. He climbed up onto Shige’s lap where Shige was sitting at the kitchen table and continued, “No, something else. I can’t really explain. But this friend of mine is the one who gave me my special gift.”
“She gave you the power to speak and turn human?” Shige questioned, surprised, because after all these years, Kei had never told Shige about how he came to be the way he was. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the boy with the information or wanted to keep it secret, he just never thought it was necessary.
“Yes,” Kei confirmed. “And she wanted me to stay with her. You see, she needs my cat fur for her spells. She’s a witch.”
“But you came back,” Shige said and Kei didn’t miss the happiness in his voice.
“Of course I did, stupid,” Kei replied with a cat-like grin. “I can’t leave you, Shige.” And when Shige smiled, he added, “She didn’t really like that, though. So I struck a deal.”
Shige’s eyes widened. “It’s not something awful, is it?”
Kei shook his head. “Unless you count living with me for a long time as awful,” he said and when Shige pretended to think about it, Kei batted a paw at his shoulder.
“I’m kidding,” Shige said. “What would I do without you Kei? I almost went crazy while you were gone.”
Kei let Shige pull him closer, fingers scratching behind his ears and purred softly before he replied, “Don’t worry, Shige. Everything will be fine,” and this time he knew it really would be.
~
There had been a catch. The witch couldn’t give Kei everything he wanted, not entirely. His wish for Shige to live a perfect and exciting life could be easily done, but making Kei stay with him throughout all those years, was not.
But what Kei wanted more than anything was Shige’s happiness, even if Kei wasn’t there to witness it firsthand.
And after years passed, many years in which Kei watched Shige grow older and into a strong, independent man, Kei knew his time to leave was soon coming. Shige went to university and continued to operate his father’s mill, but he now had more workers to take care of it so he could devote his time to his studies, to learning languages and history and law and everything that’s always fascinated him.
He traveled too, something he’d always wanted, and he took Kei with him. Kei would ride as a cat on his shoulder, and would experience nearby villages with Shige, and the two of them grew closer than ever before.
Which is why it was so hard to leave him. Kei didn’t want to, wished he could stay beside Shige for the rest of his life. His friend, his brother, his family, there was nowhere else Kei could ever call home. But he wanted Shige to live his life to the fullest, experience everything he could under the sun, and even Kei knew that, perhaps, having a magical talking cat around was not the best way for him to do it.
Kei knew Shige suspected something was wrong, that he’d never forgotten about Kei’s “deal” with his old friend. Shige would bring it up occasionally, throwing the question out as if he could surprise Kei into answering it, but Kei dodged it every time. He knew Shige would do anything to reverse Kei’s wish, and Kei didn’t want that.
And finally, one day, Kei plucked up his courage and left. He scribbled down a note, and left it beside Shige’s bed. He swiped away the hair from Shige’s forehead, stared down at his sleeping face, and smiled. It would be okay, he told himself, and then whispered aloud, “Thank you,” before he headed out into the night.
~
Waiting was awful. It was the waiting that was unbearable. But Kei would wait, because he knew he time would come again, the time when he and Shige would be able to start again.
And it took 302 years, but finally it happened. The boy Kei bumped into at the auditions had the same crooked smile and choppy hair as Kei remembered it. He smiled and held out a hand, “I’m Koyama Keiichiro.”
“Kato Shigeaki,” the boy replied. “Are you nervous? I’m really nervous. I never thought I’d be auditioning for Johnny’s.”
They took seats on the floor, surrounded by at least fifty other young boys all waiting for the auditions to begin. Kei smiled at Shige and said, “I’m nervous, too,” and when Shige looked like he didn’t believe him, Kei added, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
“How do you know?” Shige questioned.
“You just have to believe,” Kei replied and smiled brighter.
Pairings/Characters: Kato Shigeaki and Koyama Keiichiro
Rating: G
Warnings: sort of AU/fantasy/supernatural. Inspired by the Puss in Boots universe.
Summary: Kei knew from the moment he laid eyes on him, that this is where he belonged.
Author's Notes: This was for je_telephone, which is basically a series of fic remixes. Mine was the third version in the chain. You can read the whole series at the comm. :) This was my first time doing a remix of any kind so I hope it didn't turn out entirely off the mark, lol. The original is (More Than) Nine Lives by lastingdreams8.
Kei may have been a cat but he knew. He knew from the moment he laid his eyes on him, on the tall, skinny boy with the slightly crooked smile and choppy hair, that this is where he belonged.
~
“I can’t keep you,” the boy said regretfully, sneezing. “I want to, but I can’t.” He sighed. “If only I wasn’t allergic.”
But for two weeks, Kei followed the boy around his country-side home until he finally became part of the family. And the boy - Shige - took care of him like Kei was the most important thing in his life.
They had a lot of fun together. Even though Shige was allergic, he cared for Kei like any other owner, probably better than most owners. Kei followed him everywhere, watched him work with his father on their mill and go to school to learn and laugh and cry. He was mostly a quiet boy, who stayed at home and read instead of playing with friends, but Kei liked that better because it meant Shige was spending more time with him.
It was becoming so natural to be with him that, one day, Kei forgot. He forgot that he wasn’t just an ordinary cat. He was much more than that. And, while Shige’s shock was rather amusing at first, he never did mean to scare the boy.
“You can talk?!” Shige had exclaimed that day, almost a year after they had found each other. Kei had been so good at keeping it secret that he couldn’t believe he’d let it out like that, his simple response to one of Shige’s rhetoric questions.
“I can,” Kei had replied, smiling. And, because he’d already let this slip, he figured he might as well go all out, and added, “I can also do this.” And he turned into a human.
Kei figured he should’ve probably explained first, because when Shige fainted, it wasn’t all that amusing anymore.
~
Kei preferred to be a cat. He was born a cat. He liked his soft, orange fur and yellow cat eyes, and he liked sitting in Shige’s lap and being petted behind the ears. He couldn’t always turn into a human. There had been a witch, a witch who had needed his fur. When she’d taken him for the rest of the litter, Kei had only been a young kitten. The witch had been experimenting with spells, with potions and tricks, and Kei’s fur was the exact shade she required. But she seemed to have taken pity on him afterward, and she used her own spell to make him talk and turn into a human.
Kei stayed with her for a couple of years before he decided to take an adventure, and one day while she was away, he left. He traveled as a cat, most of the time, although when weary he would turn human. It was easier to find food as a human than rifling through trash or looking for a kind soul to feed him. Kei didn’t mind his abnormal powers, but occasionally he did think it would be much simpler being only one or the other.
Of course, right now, he thanked the witch for giving him these powers because he was finally able to really interact with Shige (once Shige had gotten over his shock).
They became like best friends, after that. Kei had to be careful around Shige’s parents and not speak aloud or transform, but he managed. He would wait until nighttime and turn human in Shige’s room, sit with him and talk about anything and everything. They exchanged stories and Kei really felt that when he was with Shige, he was home.
~
Shige’s father passed away one day suddenly, and Shige had to help take over running the mill. But Shige had always wanted to see the world, wanted to go out and explore.
“Then go,” Kei would tell him. “Just go and do what you want.”
“I like this, too,” Shige had said. “I like running the mill. Sometimes, I just wish I could do more, you know?”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine, Shige,” Koyama reassured, patting his young friend on the head. “You’ll see.”
~
It was because of this that Kei did what he did. He loved Shige. Shige was like the family he never had, having always traveled on his own with no real home to return to. He wanted to return the favor that Shige had unknowingly given him. But nothing material would be enough, and Kei knew that if even brought it up with Shige, Shige would never let him.
He told Shige he needed to run some errands, some cat-like things he needed to do. Shige insisted on going with him, but Kei refused until Shige finally relented.
The good thing about being a cat was that he could run faster. Kei hadn’t been there in ages, but he knew exactly where he needed to go.
She was still there, when he finally arrived a day later, in her tiny hidden cottage. She almost didn’t look surprised to see him. “I knew you’d be back,” she said.
“I’m not here to stay,” he said. “I need something.”
“And you think I’ll give it to you just like that?” she retorted. “After you left without warning? When I’ve needed your precious fur for other spells but you were nowhere to be found?”
“If I could find you again, you could’ve easily found me,” Kei replied simply and the old woman scowled. “But I’ll give you what you want, if you return the favor.”
She assessed him, as if to determine whether he was actually serious, before sighing. “Perhaps I made a mistake giving you this special gift,” she mused aloud before sinking down into a large chair. “What do you want?”
“There’s a boy,” Kei replied and explained his wish.
~
“You’re back!” Shige exclaimed, greeting him with a hug before stepping back to eye him. “Nice clothes.”
Kei laughed. He ruffled Shige’s hair as he passed the boy further into his home. “Thanks,” he said. “Sorry I was gone so long. How’ve things been?”
“Boring,” Shige replied. “I’d forgotten what it’s like to not have you around. You always filled the silence with your incessant chatting.”
“Hey,” Kei pouted. “I only just returned and you’re picking on me already?”
“Of course.” Shige grinned and Kei smiled back. “So where did you go? You were so cryptic when you left. I didn’t think we had many secrets.” He looked a little hurt as he said it and Kei felt guilty.
“Oh, Shige,” he said. “I did have a life before I met you,” he teased and even Shige let out a laugh at that. “I had to see an old friend. I needed something from her.”
“Like what?” Shige questioned. “New clothes?”
“Very funny,” Kei said and Shige laughed again, and just so Shige couldn’t make fun of his clothes again, Kei slowly transformed back into a cat. He climbed up onto Shige’s lap where Shige was sitting at the kitchen table and continued, “No, something else. I can’t really explain. But this friend of mine is the one who gave me my special gift.”
“She gave you the power to speak and turn human?” Shige questioned, surprised, because after all these years, Kei had never told Shige about how he came to be the way he was. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the boy with the information or wanted to keep it secret, he just never thought it was necessary.
“Yes,” Kei confirmed. “And she wanted me to stay with her. You see, she needs my cat fur for her spells. She’s a witch.”
“But you came back,” Shige said and Kei didn’t miss the happiness in his voice.
“Of course I did, stupid,” Kei replied with a cat-like grin. “I can’t leave you, Shige.” And when Shige smiled, he added, “She didn’t really like that, though. So I struck a deal.”
Shige’s eyes widened. “It’s not something awful, is it?”
Kei shook his head. “Unless you count living with me for a long time as awful,” he said and when Shige pretended to think about it, Kei batted a paw at his shoulder.
“I’m kidding,” Shige said. “What would I do without you Kei? I almost went crazy while you were gone.”
Kei let Shige pull him closer, fingers scratching behind his ears and purred softly before he replied, “Don’t worry, Shige. Everything will be fine,” and this time he knew it really would be.
~
There had been a catch. The witch couldn’t give Kei everything he wanted, not entirely. His wish for Shige to live a perfect and exciting life could be easily done, but making Kei stay with him throughout all those years, was not.
But what Kei wanted more than anything was Shige’s happiness, even if Kei wasn’t there to witness it firsthand.
And after years passed, many years in which Kei watched Shige grow older and into a strong, independent man, Kei knew his time to leave was soon coming. Shige went to university and continued to operate his father’s mill, but he now had more workers to take care of it so he could devote his time to his studies, to learning languages and history and law and everything that’s always fascinated him.
He traveled too, something he’d always wanted, and he took Kei with him. Kei would ride as a cat on his shoulder, and would experience nearby villages with Shige, and the two of them grew closer than ever before.
Which is why it was so hard to leave him. Kei didn’t want to, wished he could stay beside Shige for the rest of his life. His friend, his brother, his family, there was nowhere else Kei could ever call home. But he wanted Shige to live his life to the fullest, experience everything he could under the sun, and even Kei knew that, perhaps, having a magical talking cat around was not the best way for him to do it.
Kei knew Shige suspected something was wrong, that he’d never forgotten about Kei’s “deal” with his old friend. Shige would bring it up occasionally, throwing the question out as if he could surprise Kei into answering it, but Kei dodged it every time. He knew Shige would do anything to reverse Kei’s wish, and Kei didn’t want that.
And finally, one day, Kei plucked up his courage and left. He scribbled down a note, and left it beside Shige’s bed. He swiped away the hair from Shige’s forehead, stared down at his sleeping face, and smiled. It would be okay, he told himself, and then whispered aloud, “Thank you,” before he headed out into the night.
~
Waiting was awful. It was the waiting that was unbearable. But Kei would wait, because he knew he time would come again, the time when he and Shige would be able to start again.
And it took 302 years, but finally it happened. The boy Kei bumped into at the auditions had the same crooked smile and choppy hair as Kei remembered it. He smiled and held out a hand, “I’m Koyama Keiichiro.”
“Kato Shigeaki,” the boy replied. “Are you nervous? I’m really nervous. I never thought I’d be auditioning for Johnny’s.”
They took seats on the floor, surrounded by at least fifty other young boys all waiting for the auditions to begin. Kei smiled at Shige and said, “I’m nervous, too,” and when Shige looked like he didn’t believe him, Kei added, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
“How do you know?” Shige questioned.
“You just have to believe,” Kei replied and smiled brighter.