Wai! I have begun the sequel to Puppies and Owls! I hope it will be as good as first one but as they say about sequels: they often seem to be modified copies of the first fic.

I have decided to involve new characters, ones that weren't in the old fic. Loose ends will also be tied together in this fic.

HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!

Xxxx

Paw prints and Feathers!

Chapter one: A fox in a chicken suit?

Xxxx

"Hi, Hisoka! Have you seen Poko?"

Hisoka let the newspaper drop. Looking at Tsuzuki he raised one eye brow. "Poko?"

Tsuzuki nodded and sat down with a sigh on his chair. "Yeah. Poko, my budgie" he said. "He flew out from my room this morning and I have been searching all over the place for him"

Tatsumi sipped his coffee and peeked over his paper. "Look down at the table. A little to the right of your coffee cup" he said and disappeared behind his paper again.

Tsuzuki blinked before looking down where Tatsumi had told him to look. His frowns turned into confusion. Was his eyes lying to him?

Struggling for all it was worth, the small 'lost' budgie tried to drag a vile over to Tsuzuki's cup. Its white wings flapped madly as it managed to drag the vile over to the cup and tilted it up before trying to open the plug. The vile had a label: DANGER! DO NOT DRINK! On it.

The three persons around the table knew that hated potion well. It was the same blue liquid that had pushed them several steps down the food chain.

Tsuzuki smiled and picked up the budgie from the table, making the animal drop the plug in the process. "There you are, you little rascal! I have been so worried" he said and hugged the small animal.

Poko chirped and settled on Tsuzuki's shoulder to polish the amethyst eyed shingami's chin. It seemed to have forgotten all about the vile that now rested on the table.

"Where is that little thief! I'm going to pluck him! that is the sixth time he has snatched something from my lab! Where is he!" Watari growled as he stormed into the kitchen.

"Good morning to you to, Watari. Tea or coffee?" Tatsumi asked as he got up from his seat. He and the rest of the staff had gotten used to Watari's hot temper that he had gained lately.

Who could blame him? Ever since the 'animal potion' accident things hadn't gone smoothly for Watari. Since Tsuzuki had gotten that bird from hell from Muraki Watari's life hadn't been the same. The small white bird had been escaping to the blonde's lab every day for the past month and basically destroyed most of the scientist's potions and equipments by pushing them from the shelves. Poko had even once gone straight for Watari's breast pocket and snatched the plans for his next invention.

"Tea. I'm in no mood for coffee" the scientist sighed and sat down. He threw the white budgie a glare and grabbed a sandwich that Hisoka had made for him before he had stormed in. "Tsuzuki, haven't I asked you a million times to buy a cage? I'm going bankrupt if he's to continue his demolition streak" he said and took the warm cup Tatsumi handed him. He reached over the table and retrieved his vile. "I have no idea how he managed to get this from my lab. I wonder what he was going to do with it. It is not the first time he has snatched it."

Tsuzuki looked at Watari with huge puppy eyes. "But, Watari… I can't put him into a cage. It is just so unfair" he said and petted the small bird. "And as for the vile, well, budgies are curious animals. He probably thought it was a toy or something" he said and looked at the white feather ball on his shoulder. "Isn't that right, Poko? You were just bored, weren't you?"

Hisoka huffed and closed his paper. He decided that the morning peace was ruined anyway. "Unfair to who? The bird? It is only an animal, Tsuzuki" he said and finished his drink. "Besides I don't think the bird could be that bored. He follows you around where ever you go even into the shower, and that is nasty by the way"

The amethyst eyed man shook his head. "Poko is not just an animal. Do I have to remind you of our little adventure? Were we just animals?" he asked.

The blond youth sighed. "That was different. We still thought as humans"

"I think that Tsuzuki is referring to the animals we met during that trip. Remember the rat that Watari tried to eat? He was quite intelligent and he was an animal" Tatsumi said and grabbed the unsuspecting budgie from Tsuzuki's shoulder. The small bird didn't like that anyone touched him unless it was Tsuzuki who touched him.

Poko bit and squirmed in Tatsumi's hand. Chirping loudly he protested as Tatsumi sat down and held him upside down under the kitchen lamp.

Tatsumi studied the budgie closely. The small bird sent out bad vibes and it bothered him. Not only was the bird a gift from Muraki, but it was causing lots and lots of trouble. The repair bills were getting longer and longer and as long as the bird was free the bill would never stop growing in length.

Tsuzuki was startled when Tatsumi grabbed the bird but didn't move to take Poko back. He knew that Tatsumi wouldn't hurt the small being. 'He probably remembers when he was a bird himself. I wonder if he misses being a bird? I don't miss being a dog but who knows about the others? Why am I asking myself so many questions? I better stop now before I get a nose bleed or something. Can you get a nose bleed from thinking to hard? Ack! To many questions!' he thought and rubbed his temples.

Watari looked at Tsuzuki as he finished his drink. "Tsuzuki is in his own little world again. I guess we'll be able to contact him in about two hours"

Tatsumi frowned, both at Watari's comment and something else. "Tsuzuki, have you ever noticed something odd about this bird?" he asked and pushed his glasses up. His sea blue eyes never left the little being in his hand.

"No, why?" Tsuzuki asked as he snapped out form his 'world of thoughts'. "He seems like a perfectly normal budgie. I mean, I have used fudas and other spells to see if there was something wrong with him but I haven't found anything" he said and scratched his chin.

Hisoka leaned over and studied the budgie more closely. He couldn't see anything different about the bird. Looking up he said "Excuse me" and took Tatsumi's glasses and put them on. He returned his gaze at the budgie that had stopped struggling. Taking off the glasses he looked up back at Tatsumi. "You are right. How could we have missed that? I mean, it really sticks out" he said and handed the secretary his glasses back.

Tsuzuki frowned. "What is so odd about my budgie? What can you see that I can't?"

"Yeah. What did you see, tell us tell us!" Watari said. He really hoped that the two had seen something that would force them to lock the feathered disaster behind bars. If so he would buy a huge cake for the whole office.

Hisoka looked at the two. "This bird has the same eyes as Muraki. The same duo coloured eyes" he said shortly.

The silence in the room could scare a shadow.

The edges of Tsuzuki's lips twitched. They twitched some more before a loud laugh bubbled up from his throat. "Ha ha ha ha! Are you kidding me! Poko isn't Muraki! Not even I think Muraki would sink that low as to disguise himself as a bird! Get real Tatsumi!" he said and stood up, still laughing hard. "I'll get some cake while you try to get that ridiculous idea out of you head. I mean, I have slept in the same room as him for over a month now. If he was Muraki I would feel it in my guts" he said and left the room.

Watari couldn't help but giggle himself. He could feel Tatsumi's glare and lifted one hand. "Sorry, sorry but I need to see the proof myself before I can believe you" he said and adjusted his glasses and leaned over the table. His smile dropped. Surly enough, the budgie had a silver and blue eye. "Um… I guess you can be right. I mean, just because he acts strange and has eyes like Muraki doesn't mean that he is Muraki" he said and sat back, crossing his arms across his chest. "It might be that Muraki sent the budgie to Tsuzuki to do something to him" he mused.

Hisoka nodded. "Can be. But what can a budgie do?" he asked the elders.

Tatsumi frowned before looking up. "The bird has tried to steal your potion several times. It might be that he is sent to poison us all" he said as he remembered 'Poko's' little stunt earlier that morning.

The small blond looked at the secretary. The mention that he was under threat to become a bunny again made him feel uneasy. "Yes but remember that he has tried to steal plans for some inventions as well. It might just be a coincident that he manages to snatch the same potion all the time" he said.

Watari paled. I mean, really turned white as a sheet. He looked at the door where Tsuzuki had left and gulped. "Then I guess it might be a little late to tell you all that Poko has been in the kitchen yesterday…" he said and returned his gaze to the two before him.

Hisoka frowned. What was Watari going on about? "What so bad about that? If he poisoned the food it is alright, I mean, we can't get sick"

The older blond nodded once. "We aren't affected by ordinary poison… but the potion Poko has stolen so many times can"

Tatsumi and Hisoka stiffened as they heard this. Did that mean that…?

"AOUUUUUUUUUU!"

The three jumped two feet into the air as the fearful shriek rang out through the building.

Xxxx

Sorry about the lousy short beginning but I have writer's block. Besides I promise that this story will become better! R&R