“KEN-KUN!” He exclaimed. “What happened?”
“I was looking for something to eat, and I found this little crystal bottle.” Ken started, but Yohji cut in with a sigh.
“Don’t tell me you DRANK it.” Yohji put his hands on his hips.
“Only a drop!” Ken protested, but even he realized it was a lost cause. “I don’t know how long this will last, or even if it’s permanent. . . please don’t make me work like this!”
Aya just walked away. “It’s YOUR problem. Not mine.” Was all he said. Even Omi was abandoning him.
“Sorry Ken-kun, but I have a big project I have to work on.” He said, and left also. To the library most likely. Poor Ken. Would no one come to his rescue?
“Relax, Ken. I’ll work with you.” Yohji pat Ken on the back and gave him a reassuring smile.
“But that means that I’ll still have to work.”
“Yes, but this way, I can keep an eye on you. Go get your apron.”
And so, Ken had to work, despite the fact that he was *sigh* a Neko-jin. Fortunately though, the shop was fairly dead, and Yohji took care of the few customers that did come. Ken chased after a bumblebee that he’d spotted flitting amongst various flowers, until he knocked over a pot, and Yohji kicked him out. So he chased a squirrel he spotted shortly thereafter. Ken chased it all over the parking lot until he’d provoked one too many screams, odd looks and even a bit of profanity. That was when Yohji came back to get him.
“Ken.” He said sternly. Ken stopped dead in his tracks. The squirrel took the opportunity to scramble up a conveniently-located tree. Ken pouted.
“Yohji, you let it get away!” he whined. “Ken. Shop. Now.” Yohji said simply, and Ken complied, however reluctantly.
Yohji went into the back long enough to get a blanket. He bunched it up and put it on a clear patch of floor.
“Look, Ken. Why don’t you just go to sleep or something? That way I don’t have to keep an eye on you every minute of the day, and you just might have changed back by the time you wake up, you never know.” Yohji suggested. Ken thought it to be a great idea.
Ken circled the patch of blanket a few times before laying down, and then wriggled on it a bit before curling up into a ball and closing his eyes. When he had done this, Yohji collapsed into a chair and let out a sigh of relief.
End chapter Two