A/N: Written for the digimon_100 challenge for the pairing Kouichi/Miyako and prompt #053: cats.

And yes, the "Kouji" main character is on purpose. You'll see why when you read on.

And please check out the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges Forum if you have a moment; I really need more activity there.

Reincarnation Litter

Hikari always spoke about the numbers of abandoned animals left around her campus. Within her freshman year, she had amassed enough strays to use the money she had collected from her part-time and her scholarship grant (of which she had a reserve simply because she still lived at home and therefore had no rent to pay) plus collecting loan and a few other favours, to open up an animal shelter.

So whenever I found a stray (or any of us really), I would take it to her. Sometimes it seemed she had too much on her plate managing the lease (especially in those early years) but it was enough to make her happy seeing one more animal safe and sound. And she could manage it; she had for four years, though now she's a qualified teacher and happily married as well, so it was no longer a university student wobbling on the balance of the world. She was though the only person I had ever met who was so dedicated towards others. I mean, just look at her: co-owner (her husband brought out the other half) of an animal shelter, and a successful teacher helping young minds grow.

The thing was though, there weren't a lot of strays around my campus this year. I'm in my final year, so spending four years on the same campus (even one as large as this) allows one to see certain consistencies – and certain irregularities. And because strays were such a sad reality of life – and abandoned digimon were climbing up to join them – it meant that there was someone on campus who cared enough to remove them.

Naturally, I was curious, and that's how I met the freshman legal student, MinamotoKouji. Although it was more of a coincidence, that.

Now, I'll be honest. I'm a very judgmental person, and I don't think that's ever going to change. It's not that I can't admit when I'm wrong – I can – but I have to make an image before working with it. I'm not like Iori, who always waits until he's got all the information, and he's rarely wrong. Maybe I'm more impatient. It's fine for who I am though, even if I've stuck my foot in my mouth more than enough times as a result.

Anyway, when I met the guy, he was having a staring contest with a kitten. Almost literally; his books were in a neat pile on the ground and he was crouched beside it, and he was just staring at the cat curled under the dustbin. And the cat was staring back, with its black fur hard from mud and its blue eyes wide and fearful.

I'd be more likely to just grab the little critter from its hiding place and wrap it up nice and snugly. Hikari would spend half an hour coaxing the frightened cat out. But this guy was just staring at it, and honestly I didn't see how that was going to accomplish anything.

'Are you going to take that cat?' I asked him.

He gave the cat one last look and sighed, mumbling something under his breath before replying: 'I'll just drop her off at the shelter.'

I took a closer look. He was right, it was a female.

'I'll take her,' I offered. 'It's on the way and my friend runs the place.' And here's where I kind of stuck my foot in my mouth again. 'But why were you staring at her like that?'

He stood abruptly and scooped his books up. 'It's none of your business,' he snapped, before rushing off.

I thought initially that he was embarrassed. The closer truth was that I had touched a bit of a nerve.

The next time I met him was, funnily enough, at Hikari's animal shelter (though she's too modest to call it that). He had a rather large tabby cat in a recycling box, along with what looked to be her kittens. And Hikari was smiling and tending to them while thanking the guy.

Of course, Hikari's got one of those chimes that tinkles every time someone opens the door, so they both looked up when I walked in. Hikari looked pleased to see me – she always does – but the other guy looked a little embarrassed, and said nothing while Hikari greeted me and asked how my day was and so forth…

'…and do you know Minamoto Kouji?' she asked. 'He's in Iori's class.'

Which was how I found out he studied law.

'We've…sort of met,' I replied. 'He was the one who found that black cat from earlier.'

'Oh yes,' she said sympathetically. 'The poor thing.'

'How is she?' Minamoto-kun (since we're still no-where near friends and acquaintances at best) asked quietly.

'Oh, she's doing fine now,' Hikari replied. 'She'd come down with a cold and kept throwing up anything we gave her for the first few days, but a nice warm bath, some medicine and a nice bowl of milk fixed that up.'

He nodded, and then abruptly left, leaving Hikari looking somewhat amused.

'He reminds me a little of Yamato,' she said.

'No way,' I denied. 'Yamato's way cooler.'

'Yamato also still has Takeru. Minamoto-kun's brother died when they were both children.'

That was a shock in a variety of ways. One was how she obtained that information, but naturally that wasn't the first.

'Iori told me,' she said by explanation. 'He found out from some guys who had gone to school with him through junior high.'

The third time I met him was – you guessed it – in a situation involving an animal again. This time though it was no stray, but his own pet it seemed. A rather large German Sheppard who was bouncing around his heels as though it was a puppy. I was fairly sure it wasn't a puppy though.

He looked up and saw me, sighed, and then waved me over.

'Why do you keep popping up?' he muttered. I'm not sure whether I was supposed to hear that, but I did.

'Well, excuse me,' I responded, a tad affronted. I mean, wouldn't you be? He sounded rather rude…for someone who didn't know him anyway. Taichi and Yamato tease each other in the same tone, but they've known each other for years.

He looked at me. 'I didn't mean anything by it,' he said by explanation. 'It's just that – ' He shook his head. 'Forget it.'

The dog woofed as if laughing.

'You shut up.'

And this guy wants to be a lawyer?

'I do hope you've got a better sense of words behind the bar,' I commented.

'I can argue fine as long as it's not personal,' he replied, but not with the vigour Daisuke would have given me. Provided he understood what I meant by "behind the bar" of course.

'Hmm…' I'm not the sort who gets awkward in conversations, and that's a good thing at that point or else I would have been feeling quite awkward. 'So you're a dog person?'

'So?' Now he sounded defensive, like when I had asked him why he had been staring about the cat.

'The cat,' I explained.

'You're persistent.' And he turned away from me, crouching to pet his dog who rubbed against his knee. 'It's personal…and stupid.'

Now, I would have left it, if he hadn't added that second part.

'Stupid?'

He made an annoyed noise. 'I was kind of thinking my brother might be reborn as a cat,' he mumbled.

I just blinked at him.

'You know.' He waved a hand, even though his back was towards me. 'How cats have nine lives and all, and his digital form was a cat…well, more of a lion…'

That's when I realised I was talking to one of the legendary warriors, who unlike those of us who had digimon partners, had transformed into digimon themselves.

And what he said was rather sad, because it reminded me a little of the picture Ken has in his room of his brother, and how he's saved everything of his. Almost like he could come back to life and continue on again.

That night I came across a kitten huddled under a bench at the bus-stop. It was black with blue eyes and deaf too it seemed because I tried to coax it out to no avail. In the end I picked it – him after a quick check – up and wrapped him in my coat.

That's when he started struggling, and nothing I said – or no noise I made – could quieten him. So I patted him instead, though the dirt and mud and scratches, and he calmed.

Hikari's shelter was closed by that time, so I took him home with me. Eight years of hanging out with her means you just can't turn away an animal or digimon in need, and this kitten didn't look to be in any condition to be chasing after Poromon, like the Yagami's cat Miko tended to do.

And so I took it to my apartment (I'd moved out of my parents as soon as I could afford to, since it was a little clattered with my brother's marriage around the same time). About an hour late the kitten was up and trying to untangle himself from my coat.

I'd tried to clean him up a little, but once he had a little milk I decided it was time for a proper bath. And of course, like all cats, I expected him to flee from the water. Funnily enough though, he didn't. Instead, he looked quite content playing about, although he gave the impression of being embarrassed. Nothing like Poromon though, when I toss him into the bath and scrub him pink (a figure of speech obviously) after he gets covered by chocolate.

'Stay still,' I scolded. 'Unless you want to wash yourself.'

Funnily enough, I got the feeling he probably would have preferred washing himself if he could hold a sponge and a towel in his paws. He certainly tried, but the sponge is one of those webby ones, so he just got his claws tangled up.

He looked really cute though, so I snapped a picture for Hikari (who would probably edit it and put it into her scrapbook) and then untangled the paws. And then I gave him the bath.

He let me this time, looking properly embarrassed. Though once I had dried him off and he'd licked him fur down like a typical cat, he was starting to look drowsy. I was expecting an adorable little yawn, but he seemed to be holding out on me.

I shot him a pout as I fished out my own pyjamas. Poromon was already on his spot at the end of my pillow and I put the nameless cat there as well. He curled up quite easily, apparently having no problem in sleeping next to a bird.

He jumped when I tried to lay down next to him though, and I spent a good five minutes coaxing him out from under the bed (or asking Poromon to chase him). When I did, I grabbed him, tucked him neatly into the crook of my arm and tossed myself onto the bed.

Poromon looked mildly jealous, but decided he would much rather not get the life squeezed out of him…as he complains I do on numerous occasions. The cat on the other hand struggled uselessly for a bit, then gave up. He made it a point to stay as far away from my chest as possible…even if there was a pillow between us just in case he got the idea to try and scratch my eyeballs out.

I doubted he would, but you never knew.

I woke up to something really soft near my cheek, and I nuzzled it.

There was a mortified purr and I opened my eyes, finding the cat trying to scramble off my pillow. I blinked blurrily, then laughed wishing my camera was in reaching range.

The snapping of the shutter told me Poromon had the same idea. It didn't matter after all if Hikari saw my bed-hair.

Half an hour later I was more awake, dressed in a blouse and skirt that went to my knees and being looked at properly by the cat again. I almost started laughing again; he was acting more embarrassed then Ken did, but it was even cuter on a cat than one of the cutest boys in Japan and that was really saying something.

'Time to drop you off with Hikari-chan,' I announced, getting the milk and pouring a glass and a bowl. 'I've got enough time before my first lecture.'

The cat just cocked his head at me.

'Right, you wouldn't know Hikari-chan.' I paused, wondering how to describe her. 'Let's see, she's my best friend, the owner of a pet store that doubles as an animal shelter and has the biggest heart I've ever seen.' Backtracking a little, it didn't seem like the fairest description I could give her, but it was hard to know what to mention about a person. 'Don't worry though; she'll look after you great, and she'll make sure you find a great home somewhere.'

Was I getting puppy-dog eyes? Nope. Good; I wouldn't have to explain why I couldn't keep the cat then.

I ate the breakfast and chugged down the glass of milk as fast as I could, and Poromon did the same. The cat was slower – much slower. Too slow really and I had to snatch it away from the half-finished bowl otherwise we didn't stand a chance of dropping in Hikari's before class.

As it turned out, I didn't have a chance anyway, because I managed to run straight into Minamoto Kouji. And you know what that cat did? It jumped straight out of my hands, into his and purred like a happy little motor engine.

I was the tiniest bit jealous. It hadn't been that happy with me, even after I'd fished it from the dirty cold and given it –

Hang on, did the guy just say "Ni-san?"

Yep, he did. And now he was hugging the cat so hard his tail had gone straight.

'Um…Minamoto-san?'

He looked at me, suddenly appearing completely different, like masks over masks had just fallen away. He still looked a tad annoyed; I was interrupting their heartfelt reunion after all…though how he could tell this cat from every other one in the world was beyond me.

But he looked sure, said he was sure, and the cat looked thrilled as well, draping himself comfortably on the other's shoulders and tickling the neck with his tail.

'Don't do that.' Kouji gently swatted the tail away; it flicked back at him in response. 'Ha ha, just wait until we're back home.'

'You're done already?' I asked, surprised. I know I started reasonably late that day, but seriously? Done at university by eleven?

'Yeah, back to back since eight.'

That sounded bad, though it's never happened to me. Three classes in the row and having to wait up at five? No thanks.

I realised they were leaving suddenly.

'Hey! Wait!'

Kouji turned. Stared at me.

'Uhh…would you mind if I come visit?'

More staring.

'Your cat – err, brother I mean?'

Kouji looked down at the cat, who purred.

'I guess so.' He sounded a little doubtful, but fished around in his bag for a pen. 'Here's my address.'

Blue eyes snuck a peak as he passed it over to me.

'What are you looking at? You'll see the apartment when we get there.'

'Meow?'

'Of course not. I lived in houses all my life.'

'Mer–merrow.'

'I know you didn't, but you didn't exactly say you were coming, now did you?'

I blinked at them. How either of then were following the conversation was beyond me, especially Kouji considering cats didn't speak Japanese.

'His name's Kouichi,' Kouji added as I took the scrap and read the address…and the phone number beneath. 'Call ahead when you're coming.'

'Sure thing,' I said, tucking it into my notebook and then waving them off, getting a flick of a wrist and a tail for my troubles.

Was I ever going to go? Maybe. Probably, especially since I'd asked for the address.

Turned out I saw them both at Hikari's before I even got the chance.