Then he thought about Amethyst. The way she had loved him unconditionally (if not as faithfully as she should have), the way she had smiled so bewitchingly when he entered the room, the way she had made his dreams so blissful every night, the way he still could imagine the warmth of her body next to his when he went to bed.
�Hime-chan, I heard a saying on Eryx � that you and Michiru-san were two sides of the same coin. You probably hear that a lot, don�t you?�
�I don�t know,� Neko answered.
�Oh, right. Well, for me you and Ame are more like two sides of one coin than you and your twin.� Though he had to admit, Mi-chan�s temper was very different from Neko�s, or at least to him. �You and Ame are in some ways very similar � you both were very kind to me, including your stubbornness to keep me alive. You�re both a bit sensitive, but you also can be easily consoled. You�re both very smart and yet so pretty.� Neko hid her face in her hands bashfully before peeking out at him shyly.
�But the two of you are also opposites. Even your appearance is somewhat reversed.� That was more or less true when Jasper looked at them. Amethyst�s eyes were green only when she was happy, and that�s how he, more than anyone, got to see her the most often. Eyes that were emerald like Neko�s hair. And Neko�s eyes were more like the jewel his Amethyst had been named for, while Amethyst�s hair had been highlighted with violet.
�Ame wasn�t quite as prone to forgiveness as you� usually are, and even I will admit that she had her cruel and manipulative side when she was trying to get what she wanted. You don�t have that, Neko-chan. And while part of what attracted me to her was that seductive and dangerous side, your guilelessness is what attracts me to you.�
He stopped for a moment. �It�s hard because I really did love her truly and devotedly, and it hasn�t been that long. And I still feel like I shouldn�t move on�,� he stopped again and took a deep breath, ��but I have to. You taught me that. I can�t hang on to the past, and I have to accept that she�s not coming back. But you are here, and- and I�. It�s completely different from my love for Ame, but I do love you, Neko-chan.�
Neko stared at him, as if she was still trying to process what he was saying. �Jasper-kun,� she said softly.
He hoped she hadn�t become uncomfortable by his soliloquy. �Neko-chan, I��
She interrupted him with a kiss. And he kissed her back, overjoyed at the thought that she loved him too. But after a few seconds, she gently pulled away.
�Jasper-kun�.�
She didn�t even have to continue with the apology he knew was coming. He lowered his eyes. �It was like kissing your brother, huh?� Their relationship had always been on borrowed time, he had known that. But now he knew he had reached the end.
Neko, of course, couldn�t remember ever kissing Chibi. �Was it for you? Like a sister?� she asked sadly.
He hesitated only a moment before nodding. �Ne, tell Tenshi-san, she�s a lucky girl.�
After a moment of reflection, she took his arm again and laid her head back on his shoulder. �You�re still the best friend I ever had,� she told him. �Could you finish walking me home?�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi was about a block from the twins� house when she saw Neko and Jasper standing and talking. She considered offering them a ride (Jasper could sit in the back), but before she could pull up to them, she saw Neko stand on her tiptoes and kiss Jasper. Her heart wrenched. It wasn�t even Jasper kissing Neko�. Neko had made the choice.
She drove on, passing up the Mizuno�s house. It was too late. Neko had chosen Jasper.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan sat on the staircase, anxiously waiting for Tenshi to ring the door bell. When, instead, the door opened, and Neko walked in, she jumped to her feet.
�Oh, you�re home! Neko-chan, you should call when you- What�s wrong?� Neko looked upset. Mi-chan jumped immediately to the only conclusion she could. �What did he do to you?!�
�He has a name, you know!� Neko responded scathingly. �I�m sure you�ll be plenty happy now. But Jasper-kun was nothing but kind and decent to me, and I�d be lucky to fall in love with him!� Mi-chan�s eyes widened as Neko�s lip began to quiver, a sure sign that she was moments away from tears. �Demo I can�t. I tried to love him as more than a friend, but I don�t! I wish I could, but I can�t!�
She started up the stairs, but Mi-chan blocked her path. Mi-chan would never admit to it, but for about two seconds she wished Neko could too. But she despised Jasper much too deeply for that feeling to last any longer. He was not good enough for Neko, no matter what Neko thought.
But Mi-chan could never stand to see her twin cry. �Neko-chan, I�m sorry it upset you so much. You might not believe that, but I am. But I know what you�re feeling. I�ve gone through my share of guys looking for the right one. It�s hard, but I promise, someday you�ll realize where your true happiness lies, and you won�t regret this anymore.�
Neko looked at her, her eyes reflecting the sadness and longing for something she couldn�t yet comprehend. �My true happiness�,� she repeated.
That reminded Mi-chan, Tenshi was supposed to be there soon. She figured she should give Neko fair warning, so as to not upset her further when Tenshi suddenly showed up.
�Neko-chan, Tenshi-kun�s coming over. If you could just give her a chance��
�You don�t understand!� Neko cried. �It�s not that simple! I can�t just forgive her! I can�t just accept�� Her voice failing her, she pushed past Mi-chan and continued her ascent up the stairs and ran to their room, slamming the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper climbed into the blue Toyota he was renting and put the keys in the ignition. Then he sighed and laid his forehead on the steering wheel.
He had lied.
Neko couldn�t love him the way he wanted her to, and he knew it, so he had lied. But the kiss had meant more to him than she could ever imagine. And while he hated lying to her, he would hate it even more if she became uncomfortable around him. He knew they could never stay friends if she knew he still thought of her as the purest being he had ever met.
And soon he would return to Eryx, and she�d go back to being his princess. And he�d just have to admire her from afar, an unreachable star that occasionally winked at him to let him know she still cared.
But he�d never forget that for a moment, he had touched that star.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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