nine lives.

don't shoot me down.

Over the next few weeks, I learned more than a few things.

Kenma loved video games, I knew that much already because he always played, but he had so many of them. And he had tons of books, intresting ones about obscure concpets. My favourite was his desk, in all honesty, because he had gone to spend the night at Kuroo's and as much as he loved me, Kuroo's mother was allergic. So I had stayed behind, and Satsuki was downstairs, so feeling better (much more alive, stitches healed) I had made the brave decision to jump on top of Kenma's desk from his bed. It was a strange thing, steping gently over the laptop and there were sticky notes, and in all honesty, that was what I had seen from his bed. They were all reminders it seemed, conversations, some good and some bad, and I could tell it was between Kenma and Kuroo. I beamed, because some of them were stupid, one Kuroo had drawn Kenma as a volleyball and Kenma, in return, had drawn Kuroo's hair into a duck with a cat face.

I moved on after that, in and out of rooms, I was feeling brave and adventous, the laundry room seemed about normal, as did Satsuki's room, her vanity full of different kinds of lotions and soaps, she had lots of candles as well. Her bathroom was huge, which was expected but her bed was a bit stiff, it wasn't like Kenma's after all. I went downstairs after that, Satsuki noticing me and smiling, bending down because it was time for food and I knew that much. I stuck around, watching the way she moved to the beat of the song she had playing softly, not even noticing me at all. I liked her, she was nice, sweet and gentle, patient above all else, like a mother should be in my opinion.

It made me wonder if other people's mothers were genuinely like that. I was no stranger to how people acted when no one was around, the laughter of my mother, my father, of oh she's just a clumsy kid in repsonde to the bruises the other's noticed on me. But for some reason, maybe it was her background, how she was raised or her own personal morals, but Kozume Satsuki was not hardened to the world, and she was just as sweet when eyes weren't watching.

•—•

I heard Kenma come home the following night, school started the next day and he wanted to spend some time with Kuroo, and I didn't mind, not really. However, I absolutely loved it when he returned, from anything really, beause he was tired and exausted and not wanting human interaction, and above all, he let me be affectionate to him.

It wasn't that I was overly affectionate, I could recognise his moods, when he wanted me around and when he truly, wanted to be alone, but it seemed like, maybe, just maybe, he missed me too. That was something I have never had before, it was the thing I loved most about being with Kenma, he missed me when he was away. Because when he came through the door, and I rushed down the stairs fast, I had been curled on his bed, and he smiled brightly when I rushed and sat myself down in front of him. He waved to the car behind him, Kuroo laughing but Kenma bent down and put his hand on my head and I was happy. It was suddle, but his gaze turned soft and he smiled a lot around me, just because I was his cat, his Nekoma. I had accepted it a long time ago, there was no way for me to go back, I was probably never going to be human again and that was something I knew, because I had tried everything. So, who was to mind if I purred extra loud when Kenma's fingers scratched down my scar—stripe—and down my back?

The following morning, I nudged against him early in the morning light, he was tossing and turning after he kept snoozing his alarm, phone buzzing occasionally, Kuroo no doubt. And he played with the hair on my ears to see them twitch and he played with the fur between my paws to make me kick him away and in those morning hours, he laughed. It was the first time I had heard him laugh like that, it was a soft sound, genuine and true but gentle to the ears. "Silly kitty." He muttered in the low light, and I could see the morning sun coming in through the window and his eyes were gentle and soft, and I only tucked myself under his chin.