Kitten in the House

Disclaimer: The boys aren\'t mine.

Aya carried the garbage bag out to the dumpster, shivering as a blast of autumn wind hit his thin frame. As he turned to head back into the Koneko, he heard a tiny mewling sound from a cardboard box. He went to the box and opened it, a pair of tiny blue eyes stared up at him. The calico meowed again, loudly this time, sounding almost like a scream. Violet eyes considered it for only a moment, before Aya picked it up carefully in one long-fingered hand and carried it inside. The kitten cried more and nestled against his orange sweater, chewing on it, in an attempt to nurse. He walked into the shop.

\"Oi!! We! We need your help over here,\" Yoji called out.

Aya ignored his lanky teammate and continued into the kitchen.

\"Aya!\" Yoji followed him into the kitchen. \"Where\'re you going? We\'re swamped out there and it\'s closing time. Yer the only one those girls will listen to.\" Aya continued to ignore Yojd wed went to the refrigerator for some milk. \"Aya!\" Yoji bed bed the redhead\'s arm and spun him around.

\"Be careful,\" Aya spat out. \"This kitten needs to be fed.\" He then turned around and pulled the milk out.

\"Aya?\" Yoji questioned in disbelief. \"Lemme help.\" He took the milk from Aya\'s hand. \"Go sit down and keep it warm. I\'ll warm some of this up and find a medicine dropper.\" The blond poured some milk into a bowl and popped it into the microwave. He then poked his head into the shop. \"Oi, Omi. We got a medicine dropper anywhere?\"

\"Yoji-kun! We need help out here!\"

\"I know, I know, but this is a little more important.\"

Omi\'s look turned from hassled to concerned in an instant. \"There\'s
one with the med. kit in the bathroom. Is everything alright?\"

\"Fine, except that we need to feed a starving kitten.\"

\"KAWAII!!\" several girls chorused.

\"Ladies, we need to close shop now. But please do grace us with your
lovely presence on Monday. Our week just doesn\'art art off right if you\'re not here. Until then you shall fill our weekend with pleasant dreams,\" Yoji gushed. There was a chorus of giggling and sighs as the girls slowly filed out of the shop. Once the girls had left, Yoji headed back to the kitchen with a roll of his eyes, leaving Ken and Omi to close up.

Aya looked up at him with an impatient glance as theten ten climbed around on his shoulders, \"Well?\"

\"Here,\" Yoji went to take the kitten off of Aya\'s shoulders but was
stopped by a hot glare.

\"I\'ll feed him.\"

\"Alright already. No need to be so pissy about it.\" Yoji brought Aya the warm milk and medicine dropper. He watched, fascinated, as Aya tenderly fed the tiny fuzz ball. After it had eaten its fill, it snuggled up against Aya with a purr and fell asleep. Yoji smiled up at Aya, \"Looks like you\'ve made a new friend. What\'re you gonna name it?\"

\"His name is... WB.\"

Yoji\'s look grew puzzled, \"WB? As in Warner Brothers?\" He
chuckled.

Aya glared, \"No.\" He then rose from the table and went up to his room, thoughts spinning, \"Illiterate moron.\" His thoughts moved to his childhood with Aya-chan...

---

\"Ran niichan! Look what tousan and kaasan got us!\" Theeight-year-old girl stood still, carefully holding a calico kitten in her arms. Although her body was still, her eyes danced with joy. \"We can keep her if we promise to feed her and take care of her. Will you help
me?\"

The redheaded boy smiled. Aya-chan had wanted a kitten for so long. \"Sure Aya. So what are you going to name her?\"

\"Neko-chan!\"

Ran\'s face drew into a thoughtful frown, \"Just cat?\"

Aya became serious, \"Not just cat, Ran. She\'s my dear, special kitty. See?\"

\"Aa.\"

The kitten was young enough that it hadn\'t been weaned yet, so they
had to bottle feed it. Aya usually did it, but Ran helped from time to time...

---

Aya\'s reverie was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. He didn\'t respond. He never did. The door slowly opened and Yoji\'s head peered in. \"Aya?\" When he received no response, Yoji stepped in and closed the door behind him.

\"What do you want?\" Aya asked coldly.

\"Look, I didn\'t mean to insult ya. What does WB stand for?\" Aya continued to glare. Yoji sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the bed. \"Relax Aya, I really want to know.\"

\"WB Yeats was an Irish poet.\"

Yoji smiled. \"I should\'a known it\'d be something literary.\" Aya didn\'t reply, instead he ran a finger down the sleeping kitten\'s back. \"You\'re real good at this Aya, a natural.\" The red head\'s usual mask of indifference slipped for a moment, to be replaced by a look of nostalgia and sadness.

\"Aya-chan was better,\" he murmured quietly.

\"You two had a kitten?\" Yoji asked, his interest piqued. It was so rare for Aya to open up about anything, especially his past.

\"Neko-chan,\" Aya smiled fondly. \"She was Aya-chan\'s baby. I just helped out sometimes.\"

\"I wasn\'t allowed to have any pets. Dad was allergic and Mom thought they were too messy. They wouldn\'t even let me keep the goldfish one of my buddies got for me for my birthday,\" bitterness coated Yoji\'s voice. \"Dad just flushed it down the toilet.\" Ylit lit up a cigarette as he always did when he felt himself growing upset.

Aya held out his hand after Yoji took his first drag. The blond handed it over to Aya, then lit another for himself. \"Tousan said that having a pet would teach us responsibility.\" The redhead inhaled deeply and slowly released the smoke from between his pursed lips.

Yoji watched the languid motions, transfixed by those lips. \"Asuka had a dog. It was the ugliest mutt you\'d ever meet...\"

\"Did you keep it?\" Aya inquired after a long silence.

\"Nah,\" Yoji replied quietly as he exhaled a streamer of smoke. \"Didn\'t want any reminders of her. Gave it to some kid. Whatever happened to Neko-chan?\" Aya\'s face drew back into the expressionless mask and he remained stonily silent. \"Aya?\" Yoji prompted.

\"Get out,\" Aya demanded coldly. Yoji opened his mouth, but Aya cut him off with a terse, \"Now.\"

\"Jeez Aya. You\'re the moodiest person,\" Yoji muttered as he left the room. He paused in the doorway and turned around, \"The cat was killed in the explosion, wasn\'t it?\"

\"Yoji,\" Aya growled in warning. The blond flashed him a sad expression, then left the room.
----

Over the next few weeks Aya and Yoji managed to wean the kitten and litter train it. WB started out sleeping only in Aya\'s room, but as it grew bigger and bolder, he began wandering around upstairs. Yoji\'s room became his daytime nap place. Nights he spent curled up on Aya\'s lower back. As kittens will do, WB grew by leaps and bounds... literally. He sprinted down the stairs and careened around corners with Ken in pursuit. entientire building, shop and living quarters, became his playground. While Omi hacked away on his computer WB curled up on the boy\'s lap and napped or swatted at fingers that flew over the keyboard. Upon his first meeting of Manx, they discovered the kitten was as big a flirt as Yoji. He curled himself around Manx\'s ankles purring happily and meowed cutely upat her. When she began to pet him, the kitten licked her palm.

\"He\'s been spendtoo too much time with you, Yoji,\" Aya commented with the faintest of grins.

\"He\'s better at this than you are Yoji!\" Ken snickered. \"Manx doesn\'t give you half as much attention!\"

\"Just wait until he\'s fat and lazy. You won\'t like `im so much anymore,\" Yoji muttered in reply.

And so it went for the next few months. The cat purred himself into everyone\'s heart, particularly Aya\'s. He and Yoji took WB to the vet for his exam and shots. They also made sure they got him fixed. \"This just isn\'t right,\" Yoji complained. \"We\'re taking away his manhood.\"

Aya rolled his eyes in exasperation, \"You would say something like that. This is for his own good. Unlike you, when this cat goes into heat, he doesn\'t have every good looking thing within a five mile radius falling for his charms.\"

Yoji sniffed. \"I don\'t know whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult.\" Aya just shrugged.

Aya was shorter tempered the rest of the day, snapping at the giggling school girls more than usual. Yoji smoked more than usual and pretty much ignored the girls.

\"What\'s with those two?\" Ken asked of Omi as they closed up the shop after sending the other two off for supplies.

\"I think they\'re worried about WB.\"

\"He\'s having his nuts cut off! It\'s not like it\'s a heart transplant or anything. Geez,\" Ken rolled his eyes and made this statement as Aya and Yoji walked back in the door. Both directed their best glares in his direction. \"Ehh... heh heh... Welcome backguys.\" He then made a mad dash for the greenhouse.

When they brought the kitten home, both pampered him to his little heart\'s content. They fed him treats and saucers of cream. When he wanted attention, he received it. Aya mainly took care of watching the stitches, making sure they stayed clean and unlicked. Yoji usually hovered over Aya\'s shoulder in mother hen fashion.

Both men began spending more time together. Playtime with WB would sometimes lead to long conversations. Yoji would regale Aya with stories of the more bizarre cases from his P.I. days. Or he would probe Aya about this or that book on the shelves. Western literature mingled with that of Japan. Books on history and philosophy stood beside collections of poetry. \"What\'s this one?\" Yojiasked as he picked up a leather bound volume.

\"Don\'t touch it!\" Aya commanded as he snatched it away.
You You keep a journal?\"

\"It\'s none of your business,\" the red head snapped.

\"Ok, ok,\" Yoji raised his hands in defeat. \"But if you ever feel like sharing...\" he trailed off at Aya\'s glare.

\"Don\'t you have a date or something?\" Aya asked of Yoji.

\"Nah, not tonight,\" he replied with a flip of his honey brown locks.

Violet eyes regarded the lanky man suspiciously, \"You\'ve beenhome a lot lately.\"

Yoji turned on his most charming smile, \"Why would I go out with some woman who rambles on inanely when I can have the pleasure of your warm company?\" Ok, so that was mostly true... except for maybe the warm part. It was the warmth of winter in Tokyo compared to the cold of winter in the Arctic. But hey, it\'s more than Aya\'d ever shown him.

Aya stared flatly at Yoji, unsure of what to make of the comment. The man had been doing that a lot lately. Over the last week they\'d spent many evenings here in Aya\'s room, playing with the cat and talking about nothing in particular. Is this what normal people do? Aya couldn\'t help but marvel internally at how utterly not like a killer he felt. Even some of his grief over leaving his sister in Tokyo without ever visiting was at bay during these evenings. \"Do you ever stop flirting?\" Aya asked.

\"Not when I\'m around someone beautiful.\" Yoji winked a bright green eye at Aya and brushed a finger over one porcelain doll pale cheek then rose. \"G\'night Aya. Be sure to get a good night\'s sleep. Tomorrow\'s gonna be a long day and a longer night.\"

Aya didn\'t respond, only staring at the spot Yoji had occupied moments earlier. Strangely, the room felt chillier and darker without the man\'s entertaining... no!... annoying presence. Aya grabbed a pillow and threw it at the door. What are you doing Kudoh?! He unconsciously placed his hand over the cheek that Yoji had touched.


The next day began gray and drizzly. Yoji pulled the pillow over his head afterckincking the alarm clock. There was nothing more he detested than mornings... except maybe rainy mornings... rainy mornings that followed a night of bad dreams. Asuka, Asuka, will you ever leave me alone? You died twice, wasn\'t that enough? Do you have to die again every night in my dreams? A loud banging at the door and Ken\'s bellowing pulled him from his daily ruminations.

The atmosphere of the Koneko was more subdued than usual. The one plus to rainy days, the rabid fangirls didn\'t show up in their usual droves. Aya glared more than usual and Yoji postured less than usual. Only Omi\'s genki nature and Ken\'s clumsiness kept the day from being a total downer. WB seemed to pick up on the mood when tclosclosed the shop early that afternoon. He wrapped himself around Yoji\'s ankles with a loud, rumbling purr. The lanky assassin reached down and absently scratched behind the cat\'s ears and under his chin before going into his room and closing the door.

The cat followed Aya into his room and curled up on the bed with a demanding meow for attention. Aya ran hind dnd down WB\'s silky coat, lost in thought. For once, it was Yoji and not Aya-chan who occupied his thoughts as he had since last night. He shook his head as if to erase from his mind those playful eyes and charming grin. \"I don\'t need to be thinking about this. I need to rest for the mission.\" He stretched out on his back and WB climbed onto his chest where he curled up and fell asleep. Why can\'t sleep come that easily to me? He closed his eyes, but the feel of Yoji\'s finger still burned on his cheek.


The mission was routine enough. Infiltrate the home of a drug lord, take him out and destroy the place. Nothing more difficult than what they\'d done in the past, right? What they hadn\'t counted on was the enhanced guard around the place. Their intelligence had been grossly off.

\"Alright, here\'s the new plan,\" Omi announced and gave the instructions. Yoji and Ken would provide a distraction and take out the guards. In the chaos, Aya would sneak in and take out the target while Omi set up the explosives.

\"Saaa... Why do KenKen and I get stuck with all of the extra work?\" Yoji complained. Normally he wouldn\'t be averse to taking out the extra guards, but with the lack of sleep he was more cranky than usual.

\"Sounds like you\'re gettin\' too old for this line of work,\" Ken sassed.

\"I\'ll show you old. We\'ll just see who can take out more guards,\" Yoji grumbled.

\"Don\'t be reckless!\" Omi cautioned.

\"Don\'t be foolish,\" Aya imparted before the other two took off.

After lots of action and blood, the target was killed. The men then returned to the Koneko. Something was off though. Normally when they returned from a mission, WB pounced them. There was no pouncing this evening. \"Where\'s the psycho cat?\" Yoji asked.

Aya went up to his room to see if WB was there, but there was no sign of the cat. \"He\'s not in my room either,\" Yoji reported from where he lounged in the doorway. He entered the room and lit up a cigarette for Aya. \"He probably found a new hiding place,\" Yoji said after a long silence. Aya didn\'t respond.

\"Uh, guys, we think we know what happened to the cat,\" Ken reported a short time later.

\"A window in the back of the shop was broken and the registers are busted open. But, the tills were in the safe, so no money was stolen,\" Omi continued.

\"Thanks Omi,\" Yoji said and Ken and Omi left. \"Guess he got bored and decided to go exploring. He\'ll probably be back in the morning begging for a treat.\" Yoji tried to sound casual. Aya just sat in brooding silence, not even bothering to kick Yoji out before curling up on his side, facing away from his teammate. The blond heaved a deep sigh and squeezed Aya\'s arm. \"I\'m just across the hall,\" he offered before leaving.


The next morning dawned bright and sunny, without a trace of the rain clouds of the previous day... or the cat. Aya snapped and snarled when he even bothered to talk. Yoji kept casting concerned sidelong glances at the red head.

The next day was a repeat of the last. And the next. And the next. For a week things continued as did that first day without the cat. That evening Omi and Ken decided to go out and see a movie to escape the oppressive atmosphere. Yoji sat at the kitchen table, a glass of whisky in front of him. Damn but he missed that cat... and the time he had spent with Aya. Since the cat\'s disappearance he had been totally closed off to spending any time with Yoji. He raised the glass to his lips to take another sip but paused halfway to his mouth when Aya dragged himself into the room. \"Hey,\" Yoji greeted. Aya looked across the room with a haunted expression. \"You miss `im too, huh?\"

The red head crossed the room to stand before Yoji and he sank to his knees as tears began to leak silently from his eyes. \"Why?\" he whispered brokenly.

Yoji wrapped one arm around Aya\'s shoulders and stroked his hair with the other. \"Why what?\"

\"Why does everyone I care about leave? My parents dead. Aya-chan in Paris with Sakura. WB... Why do they all go?\"

Yoji\'s chin came to rest on the top of Aya\'s silky head. \"I don\'t know. Maybe we\'re all cursed or born under bad stars.\" He paused and trailed his hand down Aya\'s hair and over a smooth cheek. When Yoji reached the sorrowing man\'s chin, he tilted it up, \"I\'m still here.\"

Aya\'s eyes tightened at the corners in confusion, \"Yoji?\"

Emerald eyes gazed deeply into violet for a long moment. Then, Yoji closed the distance between their faces and brushed his lips over Aya\'s in a gently caress. They ghosted over a cheekbone and up to his ear where Yoji murmured quietly, \"I care. A lot. And I\'m still here. I\'m notng ang anywhere.\"

The swordsman\'s arms tightened around Yoji\'s too thin frame and Aya buried his face in Yoji\'s neck. Yoji brought his lips back to Aya\'s in a tender, lingering kiss. A breeze blew in from the slightly open window, sending a shiver through Aya. He looked up at Yoji with heavily lidded, shadowed eyes. The taller man nudged Aya into a standing position and held onto one arm just above the elbow, guiding him upstairs. Yoji led Aya to his room, \"Why don\'t you get some sleep?\"

\"Don\'t go,\" Aya pleaded quietly.

Yoji nodded and followed Aya into the room. Aya laid down on the bed, and Yoji followed after divesting himself of all but his underwear. Yoji spooned up behind Aya and held him close. After a short time both men drifted off to sleep.

The next morning dawned bright and shiny once again. Yoji cracked an eye open as he felt Aya stirring beside him. For once it wasn\'t a fight to consciousness, finally he felt refreshed after a night not plagued by nightmares of Asuka\'s death.

\"Yoji,\" Aya nudged his ribs. \"Look.\" There at the end of the bed was a bedraggled WB. Aya scooped the cat into his arms and cradled it close.

\"Well what do ya know?\" Yoji mused as he scratched behind the cat\'s ears. WB\'s eyes slid open and he meowed up at his humans hungrily. After being assured he would be fed, the cat gave his humans a smug, self-satisfied look.

TBC...