Disclaimer: All Yami no Matsuei characters, places, events, etc. belong to the honorable Matsushita-sensei.

A/N: I've had this idea going through my head since thanksgiving break, but college is a pain so I haven't had the chance to type it out. The only thing that worries me about this story is the cat. I don't own a cat, so I'm a little ify about its behavior. However my best friend does, so I base most of the cat's behavior on hers.

'Italic' are the characters' thoughts or emphasis on a specific word.

Daijoubu ka- Are you all right?

Gomen- I'm sorry

Onii-san- Older brother

Ne- Hey

Baka- Idiot

Hai- Yes

Ja ne/Matta ne- See you later

Konnichiwa- Good afternoon

(Hisoka's POV)

My head rested against my hand, my eyes fixed on the open book in front of me. I sat at one of the few tables at JuOhCho's library, a large stack of books next to me. I had finished my paperwork this morning and had managed to slip away from Tsuzuki before he had realized I was gone. The library was in my opinion, probably one of the quietest places at work. The perfect place to read and to get away from the crazy antics of my coworkers. Turning my head, I glanced out the window at the falling cherry blossoms.

Something brushed against my leg and I jerked back in my chair, startled. There was a dull thud as a few books toppled from the pile and hit the floor. I pushed my chair back and peered under the table. I blinked in surprise as I found myself staring at a small grey tabby with bright blue eyes.

'A cat...?'

I slid out of my seat and crawled under the table. I reached out and hesitantly petted the cat's head. It gave a soft purr and nuzzled my hand.

"How did you get in here?" I smiled and began to scratch the cat behind its ears. The small cat gave another purr.

"Hisoka?"

I dropped my hand and quickly sat up, forgetting that I was still under the table. My head hit the table and I immediately felt a sharp pain. I swore under my breath and crawled out from under the table. I stood up and found Tsuzuki standing near the table, his expression worried.

"Sounds like you hit your head pretty hard," he said. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and slowly rubbed my head. "What's wrong?"

"It's twelve o'clock, Hisoka," Tsuzuki said cheerfully. "Time for our break!" He grabbed my other hand and pulled me towards him.

"But-" I protested, looking over my shoulder.

"Don't worry, you can finish reading when we get back."

I glanced back over my shoulder and blinked in surprise as I stared at the empty floor beneath the table. 'Where did it go?'

"Come on, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki said, tugging my hand. I finally gave in and allowed my partner to drag me from the library.

-o-

My footsteps echoed on the marble floor as I pushed a cartful of books along an aisle at the library. The cart itself I figured, had definitely seen better days. The wheels squeaked and it creaked and groaned under any amount of books. The slightest push would send the cart onto its side.

'With all the money that was given to rebuild the library after it burned down, you would think there'd be enough to replace these stupid things.' I thought, steadying the cart after having turned a corner too quickly.

Tsuzuki and Terazuma had had another 'incident' a few days ago. And although their run in hadn't burned the place, it had resulted in several broken bookcases, countless misplaced books and a pair of disgruntled Gushoshin. I had offered to help the Gushoshin reorganize their books, partially to make up for my partner's lack of a brain, but mostly to give myself a break from the office. The cart's wheels gave a squeak as I stopped in front of a bookcase. Grabbing a few books, I began to place them on the empty shelves.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and paused. Curious, I peered into an empty shelf and saw the grey tabby I had seen yesterday. The cat raised its head and stared at me for a second before curling up again.

"You're still here?" I said amused. "The Gushoshin are going to have a fit if they find you." I smiled and began to stroke its fur. "The library's no place for a cat, you know."

The cat meowed and wandered towards the edge of the shelf. But before I had the time to react, the tabby jumped from the shelf onto the cart of books. The impact of the jump caused the cart to lose its balance and it was now dangerously teetering back and forth. The cat gave a mewl and quickly jumped from the cart into my arms. I caught it, startled and watched helplessly as the book filled cart fell onto its side. I cringed at the loud crash that echoed throughout the library.

"Hisoka-kun?"

My eyes widened at the sound of Younger Gushoshin's voice. Crap. Now what was I suppose to do? If the Gushoshin saw this cat, they really were going to freak. I placed the cat onto a half empty bookshelf and quickly turned around, blocking the tabby from view just as Younger Gushoshin arrived.

"My brother and I heard a crash. Daijoubu ka?"

I quickly nodded. "I'm fine. Gomen, Gushoshin. I accidentally bumped into the cart and I didn't react fast enough so. . ." I trailed off.

Younger Gushoshin looked relived. "I'm just glad you're all right. Onii-san and I thought you were hurt or something."

"I'm really sorry, I'll be more careful next time." I said, feeling like an idiot as I apologized for something a cat had done.

"It's fine," Younger Gushoshin assured me. "That cart's old. Enma knows how long we've tried to convince Tatsumi-san to get us new ones." He gave a small sigh and headed back towards the main desk.

I stepped away from the bookcase and ran a hand through my hair as I stared at the books strewed all over the floor. I felt something brush against my leg and I looked down to see the cat nuzzling my leg. I gently nudged the cat aside and moved towards the fallen cart. The cart gave a loud creak as I straightened it. I slowly began to pick up the books that had fallen and reorganize them.

The tabby kept at my heels as I worked, brushing against me and running between my legs. I glanced at the cat as I placed the last book onto the cart. It meowed as I bent down and picked it up.

"I need to get you out of here," I muttered as the tabby curled up into my arms. "You're going to get me into trouble if you stay any longer." I lightly stroked the cat's grey fur. The cat, I noticed had no collar and a face that had "take me home with you" written all over it.

Right. So I'd sneak the cat out of the library and take it home with me. And then what? I mean, sure the cat was cute, but I really didn't want to keep it. The cat gave a small mewl as I lowered it onto a shelf.

"Tsuzuki's always whining about how he wants a pet, you know," I said, scratching the cat behind its ears. "Maybe he wouldn't mind keeping you."

I paused. Of course. Tsuzuki's birthday was this weekend and hadn't I been in a slight panic because I didn't know what to give him? I could give him this cat and that would solve everything. Now the only thing I had to worry about was keeping the cat from Tsuzuki until this weekend...How hard could that be?

"What's that?"

I started and turned around, unconsciously pressing my back against the bookcase. Tsuzuki stood a few feet away from me, a curious expression on his face.

I gave my partner a blank look. "What's what?"

He began to come towards me, smiling slightly. My stomach did a flip. Had he seen the cat? But as he came closer, I sensed playfulness coming from him and realized he was only teasing. He hadn't seen anything and was completely clueless to the cat behind me.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked, crossing my arms. I needed to distract myself. That way I wouldn't panic and accidentally give myself away.

"Looking for you," Tsuzuki replied, his hands sliding to my waist. He kissed my forehead. "I haven't seen you since lunch. You've been cooped up in here for most of the afternoon."

"You're making it sound like I was dragged here against my will." I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm helping the Gushoshin because I want to."

"But Hisoka," Tsuzuki whined. "I'm sure the Gushoshin will be fine without you. Come on, let's go home." He insisted, nuzzling my neck. "We can go out to dinner." He began to trail kisses along my throat and I quickly bit my lip to prevent myself from gasping as he nipped my earlobe. "And you can stay over tonight. It'll be fun." Tsuzuki murmured, his breath warm against my ear. My breath caught in my throat as his hand slipped under shirt.

"Cut it out!" I hissed, pulling away. Or as much as I could with my back against a bookcase. Behind me, I could feel the cat gently nudging my back. It had obviously gotten tired of the cramped shelf and wanted to get out.

Oh gods.

The cat had somehow managed to get under my shirt, its fur tickling my skin every time it moved. I bit my lip again and squirmed involuntarily. Tsuzuki, who had been idly brushing his fingers against my stomach, paused and gave me a curious look.

"Ne Soka," he grinned. "I didn't know you were ticklish."

"What?" I blinked stupidly. "No, I'm not." I turned my head away and attempted to stifle a laugh.

"I think you are," Tsuzuki teased. "Otherwise you wouldn't be laughing."

"Tsuzuki. . ." I squirmed and tried to move out of his reach. "Stop it!" I said, laughing.

"This is fun though,"

"Baka," I managed to say in between laughs. "You're going to get me in trouble."

"You're the one who's laughing, not me." Tsuzuki pointed out, clearly amused.

Gods, I really hated him sometimes. "It's not my fault! You're the one who-"

"Tsuzuki-san!"

Tsuzuki paused and I managed to stop laughing. My stomach dipped. Oh great. The last thing I needed was to have to apologize for another incident that wasn't my fault. I quickly pushed Tsuzuki away, my cheeks burning.

Elder Gushoshin had an annoyed look on his face as he stared at my partner. "Tsuzuki-san," he said. "What part of the word 'banned' do you not understand?"

"But Gushoshin, I haven't done anything wrong." Tsuzuki protested. "I just came to visit Hisoka."

"Don't drag me into this," I snapped at him. "I'm sorry." I quickly apologized before Elder Gushoshin rounded on me. "I don't know how he got in here."

"Daijoubu, Hisoka-kun," Elder Gushoshin assured me before turning towards Tsuzuki. He frowned. "You've done enough damage to the library, Tsuzuki-san. We don't need you doing anymore, so get out." He pointed in the direction of the front doors.

"But-"

"Now!"

"Hai, hai," he sighed. "Ja ne Soka." My partner flashed me a warm smile before leaving with Elder Gushoshin at his heels. I watched the pair leave, the sound of their bickering fading as they moved further towards the front of the library. I slumped against the bookcase behind me and sighed with relief. Thank Enma that was over.

About an hour later, I had finished my work for the Gushoshin. I picked up the cat in one arm and threw my jacket over it, making sure it was completely hidden from view. I said goodbye to the pair of brothers and left the library, making my way towards JuOhCho's main entrance. I stepped outside and froze as I reached the front steps. Tsuzuki stood at the bottom of the steps, talking animatedly with Wakaba. Tsuzuki and I always walked home together after work, how could I have forgotten?

Okay, don't panic. Tsuzuki and Wakaba hadn't noticed that I was standing at the top of the steps. Maybe I could slip back inside until I figured out a way to avoid them. I carefully took a few steps back and turned towards the door.

'Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't-'

"Hisoka-kun!"

Crap.

I resisted the urge to wince and turned around again.

"Konnichiwa," Wakaba said cheerfully.

"Konnichiwa, Wakaba-chan," I smiled faintly.

"Ready to go home?" Tsuzuki said.

"Um," I faltered for a second as my mind rushed to think of an excuse. "N-not really. The Gushoshin asked me to stay a little longer and I'm not sure how long it's going to take. . ."

"That's fine." he replied. "I'll just wait in the office until you're done."

"No," I quickly shook my head. "That's okay. Just go home, don't worry about me."

"It's alright," Tsuzuki assured me. "I don't mind waiting."

Oh for kami's sake. Why did Tsuzuki have to be so nice? Couldn't he agree with me for once and just go home?

"You really don't have to," I said. "I don't want you to waste the rest of your afternoon because of me. So just go ahead without me."

Tsuzuki started to protest but was thankfully interrupted by Wakaba.

"Tsuzuki-san, I could walk home with you if you want." Wakaba smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes, we both go in the same direction anyway." she nodded. "Besides, I've been meaning to ask you if you wanted some cookies I made yesterday. I can't eat them all and Hajime-chan doesn't really like sweets, so I can't give them to him."

"Yes, of course!" Tsuzuki's expression immediately brightened at the mention of Wakaba's desserts.

"Great!" Wakaba turned towards me and gave a small wave. "Good luck with the rest of your work, Hisoka-kun. See you tomorrow!"

"Thanks," I muttered, giving a lame wave back. 'Please just go.'I silently pleaded, shifting my arm. The cat was beginning to get restless and I could feel him squirming underneath my jacket. I really needed to put him down or go back inside at least. Because I could only stand here for so long, shifting my arm around before I started to look like a complete spaz.

"Hey Hisoka," Tsuzuki said suddenly. "You never answered my question."

"What?" I said distracted.

"About tonight?"

"Oh," I blinked. I had almost forgotten Tsuzuki wanted us to go out tonight. I had to admit the idea was tempting. But then again I didn't want to leave the cat alone at my house. "Um, I'm not sure, Tsuzuki. I don't really feel like going out tonight."

"Well we don't have to go out if you don't want to." he replied. "We could just stay home and order take out."

"Gomen, Tsuzuki," I apologized. "I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll just go home and rest."

"Ah no, that's okay." Tsuzuki smiled, though I could hear the slight disappointment in his voice. "Well maybe we could go out later this week?"

"Y-yeah," I nodded, shifting my arm again.

"Well we don't want to keep you," Wakaba said cheerfully. "The Gushoshin are probably waiting for you."

"Right. . ."

"Matta ne, Soka!" My partner grinned. I gave a half-hearted wave and watched as they began to walk down the street. I sighed with relief and went back inside. I quickly lowered the cat to the ground and watched it run around for a few minutes before settling down again.

"Come on, neko-chan," I slipped my jacket on and pushed open the front door. The cat's ears twitched at the sudden noise and it darted past me towards the front steps. The glass door shut behind me with a soft thud as I stepped outside. I watched in amusement as the cat played with the cherry blossom petals that covered the ground. I began to walk, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the cat was still following me, rather than wandering off. Ten minutes later, I reached my house without any problem. . .Unless you counted when the cat had tried to attack some birds swimming in my neighbor's bird bath. Luckily the birds had flown away in a panic before he had gotten the chance to do any damage.

I unlocked my door and stepped inside, the cat at my heels. It immediately began to sniff and paw at everything in sight. I hung up my keys and jacket before padding into the kitchen. Taking out a bowl from one of the cupboards, I began to fill it with water. The cat poked its head into the kitchen and gave me a curious look. I kneeled on the ground and placed the bowl in front of me.

"Neko-chan," I called and motioned for it to come. The cat wandered over and sniffed the bowl before it began to drink the water. "You need a name." I said, absentmindedly stroking its fur. "I can't keep calling you 'neko-chan' for the next few days."

The cat finished its water and looked up at me expectantly.

"You're probably hungry, huh," I watched as the cat nudged its bowl around. "I don't have any cat food though," I bit my lip and glanced around my kitchen. ". . .And I doubt I have anything you can eat without getting sick."

I sighed and stood up. Naming the cat was going to have to wait, feeding it was more important at the moment. I grabbed my keys and slipped my jacket on again. The cat meowed and nuzzled my leg. "You can't come with me," I said, nudging the cat away. "Try not to destroy my house while I'm gone, okay?" I leaned down and scratched the cat behind its ears before stepping outside.

A/N: I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun to write. Please remember that reviews are greatly appreciated. Arigatou gozaimasu!