Morg: Heyo! Sorry about not-

Ikuto: We don't care.

Amu: Dude! Not nice.

Morg: I agree comp-

Shrimpy: *Out of breath* Hey guys! Sorry I'm late.

Morg: Oh! Hey! Wel-

Ikuto: What the…

Amu: 0.o

Shrimpy: Didn't Morg tell you what's going on? Oh well, here's the scoop. I wrote this fabulous story but decided it needed a little… Morg-ness, so I sent it to mountaingirl47 to get some.

Morg: Yep! I real-

Ikuto: Hold on! So this is a collaboration?

Amu: Sounds like it.

Shrimpy: Full of Amuto and Ikuto perviness! In this Ikuto turns into a cat and-

Morg: Okay! No more interruptions! About the cat thing… well not any more he doesn't.

Ikuto: Good because I think that's a little overdone.

Amu: Agreed!

Shrimpy: But, but… Fine. Amu is dating Tad-

Morg: Again, not anymore.

Ikuto: Thank you!

Amu: … Wait! Hey!

Shrimpy: Of course it would never stay that way! I said Amuto.

Morg: Time to read.

Ikuto: I suppose this can't be that bad.

Amu: It could be!

Shrimpy: It's not that bad! Neither Morg or I own you so… here's Midnight Cat!

Morg: I changed that too…

~Human by Night~

"Please sir! Have mercy! Without me my family will not survive. Please!"

The man's pleas couldn't have fallen on less caring ears. Ikuto had no intentions of listening to anything the peasant said. The man couldn't have committed a bigger crime in the blue haired king's eyes. Stealing from him was the worst thing anyone could do, even if the item wasn't technically Ikuto's in the first place. "Guards, remove him."

One advisor couldn't sit back any longer. Ikuto trusted him well enough that he should be able to speak his mind. "Sir, please reconsider."

"Go ahead and throw this loud mouth advisor in as well."

The rest of his court remained silent as the advisor, along with the man only trying to feed his family, were taken from the room. No one dared to contradict him anymore. It always went the same way for those that did. Dungeon until even your loved ones forget that you exist. Piss off the King and your face is never seen again.

Bored with how his evening was going already, Ikuto decided that he'd had enough of the festivities. People could dance and eat however much they wanted to. He was finished. When he stood, the room stilled. No one moved until he started to descend the stairs. As one, everyone bowed except an old lady in the middle of the crowd. Her back was already bent with age and she could no longer move as she once did. Bowing was impossible, anyone could see that.

Ikuto was outraged. When he moved, no one was to be standing upright. "You there. Bow now."

The woman did her best to get lower, but her body wouldn't allow her to do so. "I am sorry my Lord. I cannot make this old body get any lower. Please understand that I have the upmost respect for thee."

Ikuto almost lost it. "Then you should fall to your knees."

The woman stared at the young king before her. "For your selfishness, you shall be punished."

As she spoke, the old crone turned into a beautiful maiden. Ikuto's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean punished?"

The now young woman laughed. She sounded evil despite her beautiful appearance. "You shall be cursed.

Creature of night that walks by day

Strokes of midnight will reveal true form

Become a King worthy of love

Until then thus you will stay

A beast until true love breaks

This curse I thrust upon thee

You have until your twenty first birthday to break this curse or you shall remain a beast forever. Enjoy your new life, my King. I hope that you enjoy being what you will become with the sun. Sleep well this night."

Ikuto motioned for the guards to seize her, but the woman was gone before they could take more than a few steps in her direction. With a lazy look, Ikuto addressed the crowd. "Whatever she was, her words do not affect me."

The people stayed in their bowed position until he was out of the room. The door closed and whispers erupted. If the king was now cursed, they wouldn't have to listen to him any longer. They could govern themselves or finally leave him since whatever he tried to say, they would not hear.

Ikuto paced his room before settling down on his bed. The witch couldn't have truly put a curse on him. He didn't feel any different than he had before she started spewing out that mumbo jumbo. It just wasn't possible. He was king after all.

Tossing and turning, said king got the worst night's sleep in his almost twenty one years of life. Regardless of how nonchalant he had seemed to his subjects, the witch's words had gotten to the blue haired king. His dreams were filled with horrible monsters and evil beautiful women.

Sunlight made its way across his room until it landed on his eyes. Ikuto blinked several times as he tried to wake up. Stretching, he moved off his bed and padded across the floor to his vanity mirror. A King had to look his best.

A loud yowl escaped the King's mouth. Yes a yowl since he was no longer a man, but a large cat. A large midnight blue cat. A panther actually. A panther is not a man and cannot be a king.

Hissing at his own image, Ikuto pounced across the room to where his door was. Without thumbs, he could not get out of the room. Growls ripped from his throat as he began scratching the door with his large paws. One way or another, the boy was going to get out.

Fearing that their king was being attacked, several guards swung the door open and charged in. Ikuto jumped back and hissed at them. Lowering their spears and swords, the guards attempted to corner the large cat. Using his new found abilities of agility, Ikuto managed to twist and turn his way past the shocked guards. He fled down the halls of his castle until he managed to find the way out. There was no way that he could stay now. His life was in danger. There was no way for his subjects to know it was him.

A window provided his escape. Ikuto raced as fast as his four legs would take him until he was deep enough into the forest. Thinking that he was safe, Ikuto allowed himself to collapse onto his side and pant. He needed water and his stomach growled something fierce, but he didn't know what to do. All his life, people had brought him whatever it was that he needed. Finding food and water on his own seemed impossible.

Without much warning, Ikuto felt sleep take over him. The afternoon was well under way when the now panther king woke up again. His stomach growled loudly, causing the blue cat to jump. His hair stood on end and his tail was puffed out. Slowly, his heart beat relaxed and his hair fell to its natural place.

What kind of cat was scared by his own stomach? Ikuto felt even more like an idiot. He had never been so hungry in his life. Without any better plan, the panther man began wandering through the forest, hoping to find something that would save his life. He chanced upon a spring and got used to drinking water by lapping it up with his tongue. The first several times he tried it out, it didn't go so well, but he was getting the hang of it.

His senses picked up movement coming from behind him as he stayed crouched over the little stream. His hearing didn't tell him what it was moving, but he knew that it wasn't as small as he wished it was. Instincts took over the feline as he twitched his tail ever so slightly. The almost silent movements continued until they sounded as though they were right behind him. Ikuto waited.

The sound of feet scurrying away reached his ears. Letting his instincts guide him, Ikuto took off after the sound. He was hungry and whatever it was was going to be his supper. He ran after his prey for a good forty minutes to an hour before the inexperienced panther finally gave up on his chase. There was no way he was going to catch anything considering he had no skills at being quiet during the hunt. He'd have to practice, but that could wait until later. What Ikuto really needed was another nap. Being a large cat was rather difficult for the once human man.

The tree branch that he found held him nicely for the nap he so desperately needed. Ikuto's legs and tail hung off as he dozed. This time it was after dark before he woke again. Gold met his eyes. Not just any gold though, this golden color reminded him of the finest honey in his kingdom. That thought didn't help the hungry cat forget about his stomach.

A loud growl filled the air and the two stared at each other in disbelief. Amu had managed to get close to the sleeping cat, unbelievable as it was, and was about to kill it for its fur when it opened it eyes. Now she couldn't believe how human the animal acted. The big cat's stomach growled and the damn thing looked embarrassed about it. "Fine, come with me."

As if the night couldn't get any weirder for the pinkette, the panther actually jumped out of the tree and followed her like a pet. Leading the cat through the trees to her home, Amu mentally thought over what she could possibly feed the starving cat and what she was going to do with it after she fed it. There was always the option of feeding and caring for it until it got bigger, thus more fur for the pinkette. Or she could feed it and kick it out.

Ikuto couldn't believe his luck. This young girl was kind enough to invite him home with her while he was a panther. A panther! Something that could eat her! Obviously she wasn't worried about that fact.

His nose twitched. Her smell was wonderful, he'd already realized that, but this smell was different. There was another human nearby, but the smell was too new for it to be someone that lived in that area.

Ikuto moved forward and walked beside the pinkette instead of behind her. The smell was getting stronger. Someone had passed by in the direction they were heading. Someone was possibly waiting for her up ahead. Ikuto didn't know how he could tell what was happening, but his instincts told him to protect the girl.

He bumped up against her thigh as she walked, causing the girl to shift slightly to the side of the path. Her hand came down on his back and she pet him for a moment without noticing what she was doing. Ikuto almost forgot about the smell. Her touch was like pure bliss. Then a new waft of the stench reached his nose. Letting out a soft growling noise, Ikuto bumped Amu again. If there was any way for him to let her know something was wrong then this was it. He couldn't speak but he could still warn her.

A figure stepped out of the trees just ahead of the pondering pinkette. She froze as soon as she realized that someone else was there. The fading light made it difficult for the girl to see who it was, but Ikuto had no problem making out the man before them. It was Tadase. One of Ikuto's advisors, who Ikuto didn't like very much, stood before the girl and big cat.

"Who is it?"

Ikuto let out a growl to follow Amu's question.

Tadase smirked as he stepped forward. "Tadase. I came to let you know that King Ikuto has disappeared."

A small gasp escaped the pinkette's mouth. "What happened to him?"

The man took another step forward. Ikuto growled louder. Amu ran a hand down his back, letting him know that she was okay. Tadase just stared at the panther before his eyes returned to the pinkette. "A witch put a curse on him and now he is gone. The whole kingdom is celebrating. I'm to be one of the men in charge now since I was a highly trusted advisor."

As only a large cat can do, Ikuto snorted. Like he ever listened to what the blond had to say. It was more like Tadase was one of the men that were smart enough to keep his mouth shut after reaching the position of advisor.

Amu ran her hand down Ikuto's back again. "You are sure that he is gone?"

Tadase nodded. "The guards reported some kind of large cat in his chambers this morning. They attempted to seize the animal, but it escaped. How long have you had that panther?"

Amu looked down at the large midnight blue cat next to her. There was no way that Tadase would believe that she found the cat maybe fifteen minutes before and he was already this protective and calm around her. "I raised it. Found it as a cub. So with the king gone, will my father be released?"

The smile that Tadase wore made the hair on Ikuto's neck stick up. "That depends on how well you are willing to cooperate to set him free."

Amu raised one eyebrow before shifting slightly closer to Ikuto, much to Ikuto's delight. "I'll have to think over what you have told me. Good night, Tadase."

"Don't wait too long before you come to me, Amu. Your father doesn't need to spend longer than he already has to in jail. By the way, what is his name?"

Ikuto hissed at the man as they passed him. Amu just laughed and ran her hand across his glossy back again. "Come on Midnight, let's go home."

Both human and cat were relieved when Tadase let them pass and continue on. Amu wanted to get home before it got too much darker and Ikuto was starving. Her small cabin came into view and Ikuto was never happier to see a building in his life. His castle bored him, but he knew there was food in that small hut. He could smell it.

There was no lock on the door, which Ikuto didn't think was very smart. Amu let him in first so he could check it out. She also left the door open so that the big cat wouldn't feel trapped. Ikuto wasn't worried about that. He instantly found his way over to the fire pit where a small amount of scraps were on the floor. He licked it clean. A king should never eat off the floor, or have scraps for that matter, but Ikuto was so hungry that it didn't matter.

Licking his lips he turned to Amu. She laughed when she saw him staring at her with big hungry eyes. "Alright, alright! You can have more than that."

Ikuto was delighted when she pulled out a bag from a cupboard. His nose twitched as the smell of dried meat reached him. Being so hungry, and just so darn cute, Ikuto flopped onto the floor and rolled onto his back. He stared up at Amu with begging eyes. She laughed again before tossing a long strip of the meat to him.

Ikuto was on his feet in a flash. He even caught the meat with his paws. Holding it to the ground, the big cat began chewing the dried meat. It was difficult to eat it since his teeth were made for ripping fresh meat of the bones of his prey.

Amu leaned up against the wall with the bag still in hand to watch her new friend eat. Despite it being hard for him to eat, Ikuto devoured the strip she'd given him. He only had to glance at Amu while licking his lips to receive another piece. He ended up eating four total before he was licking his face and cleaning his paws while purring.

Amu couldn't believe how tame such a wild animal could be. Everything her father had ever taught her about panthers was being contradicted in one night. Yawning, the girl decided that it was late enough. She slipped off her shoes and removed the band holding her pink hair back. Ikuto watched as she slipped out of her vest, but stayed in her pants and shirt.

Amu glanced back at the open door before she turned to look at the panther before her. "If you want to stay and be 'Midnight' then go shut the door."

Never expecting the panther to follow her orders, Ikuto moved to shut the door. Amu watched with her mouth open wide. There was no way that the big cat actually knew what she had said, yet it closed the door and returned to stand next to her bed.

With his tail twitching back and forth, Ikuto debated about whether or not she'd let him sleep in her bed. Amu finished up her last couple bedtime rituals before she climbed up onto her bed. The reason for wanting to kill the panther was so she could turn its pelt into a blanket. Now she could just sleep with the panther.

Patting the open space beside her, Amu called for the large cat. "Come on Midnight. Time for bed."

Ikuto happily jumped up onto the bed. It wasn't nearly as nice as his had been in the palace, but at least he didn't have to sleep on the floor. Lying out with his back against her chest, Ikuto began to purr as Amu stroked his fur. She drifted off to sleep, but Ikuto stayed awake. The witch had said that at midnight he'd return to his human self until the sun rose.

He was beginning to think that she'd lied and now he was a cat for good until his body got all tingly and itchy. The next thing he knew, he was being cuddled by the sleeping girl while naked. Ikuto thought about waking up the tired girl. He almost did it too, but then he remembered how she was in the predicament she was in with Tadase all because Ikuto had imprisoned her father.

If Amu found out that he was the king then there was no doubt in his mind that she'd either kill him or kick him out. Either way, Ikuto was a dead kitty if he lost Amu. No, he would have to keep it a secret for as long as he could.

.

Morg: I worked pretty hard on this chapter to make it so good.

Ikuto: Next time work a little harder to get a lemon in.

Amu: Not everything is about lemonade.

Shrimpy: But I like lemonade.

Morg: Since the opening was forever and a day long, I'll keep this short.

Ikuto: Review.

Amu: Don't.

Shrimpy: Do it!

Morg: Thanks! And thanks to shrimpy322994 for asking me to write this for her. I can't wait to see how everything plays out!