As a little treat to the wonderful readers who have encouraged me since the finale of Partners, I decided to keep with the spirit of the Anime and release a bonus chapter to keep you busy while you patiently wait for Partners 2. So, without further adieu...
POV Midorima
It is bitterly cold, but we still have four blocks to walk from the subway station. If the weather reports are accurate it is -25° Celsius. I believe that I am at my limit; it is so cold that I've lost the ability to judge how cold it is anymore. The window whips through the buildings so fiercely that I have to cover my face with a scarf in order to breath. My hands are covered in gloves, covered in mittens, and I have Lycra warm-up pants on under my corduroy outer pants. Takao is dressed equally as warmly with a trench coat that comes down to his ankles.
We are at a crossing, waiting for the light to change, when we both clearly hear a small animal sound. I don't like cats, so I know that this is what the sounds comes from, but Takao is a softy, and he lets go of my hand and turns to look for the source of the sounds. The light changes and I want to go ahead without him, but I know that it will be an argument if I don't help him. He is already down the alley searching through the cardboard boxes when I catch up to him. It is so cold tonight that even the transients have gone indoors, so when I see a box move, I over turn it. There in the middle of balled up newspaper are three gray kittens, two of which are cold and dead, the last shivers.
"Kazu," I call to him. I think of him, at least in my head, as Takao. Out loud I have begun to refer to him as Kazu, unless we are in bed, and then I call him Kazunari. It is complicated, as always inside my mind, even though our matching rings tell a simple story. He swoops in and carefully picks up the kitten. The little thing is hardly larger than his two cupped hands and he pulls off one glove with his teeth so that he can manipulate the buttons of his coat. The kitten is secured into the inside pocket and he covers the two of them. At least it is too cold for fleas.
"You know that I am not fond of cats...," I say, knowing that it is already a lost cause.
"Shin-chan," he sighs, walking back down the alley to the corner. "You had a bad experience with one cat. Yes, it scratched you, but that doesn't mean all cats are evil."
"There was also that black one that set off my most unlucky day," I say.
"What's the apartment's policy on animals?" he asks, ignoring my further protests.
"A security deposit and monthly fee," I answer. I know that he has wanted to adopt a pet, but has hesitated because of our temporary status in this country. I'd hoped that when he finally gave into the temptation to own a furry companion, I could convince him of the value of a hamster or other small thing that is kept in a cage, but I know that is moot now.
"Take Neko-chan home, keep her in the bathroom until I return with supplies. If she pees on you or the floor, she is your responsibility," I say, turning back up the street into the wind as Takao stands stunned for a second before continuing home.
The market Roxanne and I shop at is a small ma and pop place and has only the barest things, but the owners give me directions to a pet boutique two streets over. My eyes feel frozen by the time I arrive and the place is far ritzier than I had wanted.
The flamboyant sales person comes from behind the counter and welcomes me as I pushed into the door, fighting against the wind.
"New kitten," I explain in my broken, halting English.
"Aw," he squeals. "Boy or girl?" I shake my head, I have no idea. He looks at me as if he is disappointed, but the smile comes back and he hands me a checklist.
"First you'll need a carrying case…"
By the time I am done, I have spent more on this animal than I had on my last pair of basketball shoes. I have a soft-sided case, so we can take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Inside it, the clerk packs stainless steel bowls, one for water, one for food; a grooming kit, including shampoo; a heated bed; a scratching pad; and sleeve of toys. The whole package weights almost ten pounds. In the other hand I have a bag containing a litter box and the clay to fill it, two can of kitten food, a bottle of milk and dropper, and a small bag of cat food that costs more than what Takao and I had had for dinner that night. It weighs more than the other package.
I take the elevator because between my winter clothing layers and the supplies, I don't trust myself on the stairs. I kick the front door, hoping that Takao will hear me because I can't find my keys. I hear him running and then the door opens, and I fall inside.
"Did you buy the whole store?" he laughs and if this cat is the reason for his good humor, I will learn to love the thing. The cats peeks out from inside the V of Takao's hooded sweat shirt.
"Don't ask how much I spent; I'm nauseated by the idea."
"She hasn't peed on me yet, so how about you give me that stuff and I'll unpack it?" I gladly give over the bags and divest myself of all the extra layers until I am standing in the first floor bathroom in nothing but a t-shirt and Lycra pants. Takao folds up the drying rack that we use only on rare occasions, puts the litter box down, and fills it with clay. He puts her in the box and she uses it immediately.
"Someone dumped them," Takao says. He is angry. "What kind of bastard does that?"
"A heartless one," I say, knowing that I am equally as heartless. I would have left it there. "Did you say it is a girl? I can't keep thinking of it as an it."
"I think it's a girl. It doesn't have little boy parts, but I'm no cat expert."
She falls out of the litter box and it is endearingly cute when she makes a little cry that sounds like she is embarrassed. He scoops her up and pushes her at my chest.
"Here," he says, and I panic. "Just hold her for a minute."
Takao leaves the room with the rest of the supplies and I take off after him. I feel like I have a live grenade in my hands. At least there are bandages over the fingers of my left hand.
The bowls are laid out in the kitchen, with a dish towel as a placemat. He puts a small spoonful of the wet food in one and fills the other bowl with water. She devours the entire spoonful while we crouch nearby watching her. She licks the wet food from her whiskers.
"Ok, that's kind of cute," I say and Takao smiles.