I was staring past the person in front of me. The tropical fish were making their rounds, swimming in their familiar pattern. There were bubbles in there, redirecting them into their current pattern. The clown fish were hiding, but they'd be out when there was less foot traffic. How many people would stop to look at them? 

Judging from how angry Matsuda-san was in front of me, not many. Too many people here were his friends and work colleagues. Still, the word "clown". I couldn't help but associate clown fish with drag queens. They were shy and not always out, but when they were you could see their orange and white colors from across the room.

"My wife told me the movie theater down the street is playing 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. It's Christmas Eve. I thought it would be good to let my wife and sons go to see it. I will be working. But, those people in front of the theater! Carrying on like that! It's just like before! No regard for others!" His fingers were twitching together, his mustache twitching, too. Such was his anger. 

My mind was on Kazuya's gentle touch this morning, showing me how to cut the baker's chocolate correctly. His smile at me, the calmness in his eyes. His steady hands on my hand, pressing down on the chocolate just enough that it would break apart... The little wiggle of the knife before he pressed, wedging into the block...

"Those people were singing! It's the middle of the day!"

They were singing. Was he the Grinch? Mad at the Whos for singing?

"They were dressed up again, like the zombies who ruined your 5K Run! Why wasn't anything done about this? My wife and sons want to see the movie! They can't go see the movie when they're- they're-"

"What did they look like, Matsuda-san?" Was I teasing him? I'd heard him perfectly clear. What was I doing? Fed up, maybe. Having to listen to him. It was so early, that I was the only one here at the desk. "I'm not clear about it." Wasting his time like he was wasting mine.

"They were- the two singing in front of the theater! One was dressed in a long black gown, a man! Singing with a man's voice! The other was dressed in a man's suit, but singing with a girl's voice!"

My brow creased at him. Something was lining up, and I didn't like it. Memories of a few days ago... "Did the woman in the gown have hair down to her feet?" Trying to get more. It couldn't be. But it had to be. Thinking more about it, it couldn't be anyone else. 

"It was a man! Yes, he had hair down to his feet! How ridiculous is that?! Dressed like that out in the open, where there's children!"

"Oh, I think that's my-"

"It's perverted, is what it is! That's a children's movie! They're making perverted things out of a children's movie!" His finger gestured at me, and it was like electricity.

Had he... 

I leaned in on the desk. There was no way to control myself. After everything I'd seen with him being here and experienced. The list went on in my head. And now... I found myself sneering at him like a wolf. 

"Those are my friends," I said quietly to him, no second thought. "I advise you to stop talking about them. They don't want you or your family at that movie. Call my friends perverted again."

That was the final straw. An invisible line had been crossed. 

His face turned more than sour, and strangely I felt nothing about it. There was no fear there, not even a surprise that there wasn't. When had I lost that fear? I'd just told him... It was dawning on me what I'd just told him, but there still wasn't any fear. My own face didn't change, ready to attack him if he said one more word. 

He turned around, walking off briskly. Why he thought it had been fine to talk to me like that I didn't know. Since the last time we'd spoken, I'd given him no indication that I'd been on his side. Now with this, maybe he finally wouldn't.

The only thing I could think of was "good". I didn't want him to think I was someone like him. Instead, I wanted him to know that I was just like Hanako, who was apparently singing with Chidori outside of Charlotte's theater right now. 

I flicked my suit jacket's sleeve, trying to see the time on my watch face. 9AM. Too many hours to go. 

As I settled, trying to forget about Matsuda-san, I squinted toward the aquarium tank across the way. As my mind returned to Kazuya's smile, little spots of orange and white appeared. The clown fish descended down across the flow of the other fish who were stuck in their cycle. They went to the bottom where they wanted, against the current. It was the most beautiful thing.

One thing Matsuda-san had reminded of, though, was that it was Christmas Eve. With everything going on, I had forgotten, or rather it seemed like a normal day. Since two weeks ago, we'd had to treat every day like it was Christmas at work. Christmas songs playing, decorations everywhere. It blended into one another. So, when it was the real thing, it was jarring. And this past week, I'd done so much. So much was changing. It had been non-stop. Every day had been like a full week. A full week's worth of adventure packed into sometimes only a few hours. So, Christmas Eve had been the furthest thing from my mind.

But, there was one thing I had to do since it was Christmas Eve: I had to get Kazuya a present, and I'd been thinking about what the perfect one could be all day. Then, it hit me. In all the times we'd spoken, Kazuya had told me about a few things that he liked. Baking, France, French music, traditional Japanese candy. However, one thing stood above all others. 

Now that I was outside, my hand went above my eyes as I gazed about in the winter sun. I'd snatched something from the desk that was meant for guests, another daring feat from me today, and now I shook it in its hard metal can. I gazed down at it and read the writing. 

Tuna cat treats. 

This would have to work. Kazuya had told me that his favorite cat was a glutton after all. I shook the can again and took off down the street, whistling in a come hither manner.

It was long dark by the time I approached French Cup. There was the low hum of a growl coming from the vet box I was holding. It had holes in it, and pressed against the side there was black fur poking out from a few of them. A small hiss went up again as my hand went over the handle of French Cup's door. 

As the bell twinkled above, a few patrons stared at me as the low hum of the growl grew larger. The soft sounds of French music enveloped me, as well as spicy cinnamon smell and luxurious melted chocolate. I breathed in deeply as I walked purposefully across the black and white tiled floor. I strode past Nikki, who was dressed in the same outfit that he'd been when we'd gone to the preschool. He turned around from the cash register and I heard him utter, "what the fuuuck...?" to himself as I went by. 

It was obvious why. I was worse for the wear. My hair was wild. My face was scratched. My suit was completely messed up. I'd just spent two hours outside in the cold searching for Kazuya's favorite cat, Kuro. He did not come quietly. He'd had no idea what kind of plan I'd had for him if I could just catch him: a warm hotel room with numerous soft furnishings. Cat food every day, three times per day if he wanted. All the tuna cat treats in a can that he would ever want. I had no problem taking them from the desk now. All the toys that were ever created. And, best of all, he'd be able to see Kazuya all the time. What more could he want? It was paradise. 

A nice home for life. He'd been adopted today. Safe from cars and other cats, starvation and cold. Eventually, it'd be nice apartment life. He'd be able to watch birds and other small animals. Sleep all the time. It'd be great for him.

He'd been much bigger and heavier than I'd realized from our first meeting in the park. It seemed so long ago, and he'd been friendly then. Not the case today.

When I swung open the kitchen door, Kuro let out a deep and loud yowl. Not the greeting I'd had in mind. 

Kazuya jumped up from the dough he'd been preparing. A rolling pin and slabs of butter were next to it on rolled out wax paper. He was wearing his standard blue and white striped apron, but it was over a long, old fashioned black skirt and a white lacy peasant blouse. His hair was a piled up, strawberry blonde wig with curls on the ends, a white and thick headband behind the bangs of it. His black painted lips went into a grin as his extreme made up eyes curled, too. He bounced a couple of times on his heels and his arms went out to me as he ran. 

I tried to match him, but the cat in the box was too heavy. Only one arm made it up in time. He collided with me as I embraced him. I swayed with him, smelling his doughy scent from what he'd been making. I didn't care that the front of his apron was covered in flour. 

"I brought you a present," I told him, close to his ear. What a sweet ear it was. 

"Huh- what is it?" He parted from me, and I gestured the box at him. His grin was so lovely. 

I put the box on an unused counter and he gathered himself next to it, eager. His hands found the handle and he moved the flap up over it, and as soon as he did he let out a squeal. The vibrating animal inside was not acting friendly, and the smarting scratch on the side of my jaw was warning me. 

"Oh wait, maybe we'd better-" I began.

"Kuuuroooo," Kazuya cooed to the black, ball formed animal inside. "Kuuurooo. Come here." His hands dipped elegantly into the box, and the formerly pissed off cat became like butter in his hands. The new shining fur that the vet had groomed glinted in the light. Kuro had never looked better in his life. The cut ear and normal ear flicked about as he saw his favorite person in the world. Even the vet had known that he liked Kazuya above all others, in awe that I had caught this cat for him. 

Letting out a deep, happy sigh, he held the cat in his arms like a much beloved baby and pressed him to his body, his face going into the warm and clean fur. Small jealousy went up inside of me, but I couldn't stop smiling. Now, for part two.

"Um, I caught him. Be-because..." Darn, stuttering. I had to get through it. I stared at the tan tiled floor to steady myself. "Um, I'm going to adopt him. I know stray cats don't have long lives. I um, don't want him to die unnecessarily. I know how much you like him. So, I'll keep him, and-"

Suddenly the animal was vibrating between us, crushing there as Kazuya tried to hug both of us at once. He made little hitching noises, his free arm so hard against my back in his desperation to embrace me and I hugged him back as tightly as he was. 

"You said your apartment doesn't allow animals," I went on, determined. "Well, the hotel does. I'll keep him for you, until you...um, want to take him. Or I'll keep him, and you can come see him whenever you...um..."

His body made little jumping motions. My hands massaged his back, knowing what was happening. The cat began to growl between us, probably sensing me. 

"Thank you," Kazuya whispered, his voice weak in tears. I never wanted to let him go, even if Kuro gave me death by a million cuts. "Thank you," he sniffled.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered back, matching his tone. 

"M-merry Christmas," he said even quieter, and could say no more.