Yo peeps! If you haven't heard, this is the revision of my old fic of the same name. It was going nowhere fast and it felt...unrealistic. This version will hopefully be better than the old one. I'm working on the second chapter as I write this, but I probably won't update until at least next week. I've got AP finals after all.

Cats are great animals. They don't require much more effort than a dog and they're such great companion animals. I adore cats like little girls adore horses. Seriously, ask anyone I know. They'll tell you how much I love cats. If you have a cat, you can bet I'll be petting it and probably stroking its ego as well.

And this is where the train comes to a stop.

I may love cats more than a normal person should, but it didn't mean I was prepared for taking care of more than one. I've had my cat Alice for about four or five years. She gets me in ways that most people just don't. Another reason to love cats, they don't judge(too harshly, that is).

I'm not really explaining this thing right, am I? Sorry, I know I can go off topic when I'm nervous. See, the thing is, I really wasn't prepared for taking care of more than one cat.

Or should I say kittens?

It all started on a Saturday morning. As usual, no one was home but myself. I slowly did my morning ritual. You know, letting the dog out, eating breakfast, the whole shebang. Now, usually, I don't go outside unless it's to get the dog. But something compelled me to walk out, just to see if it was as warm as it looked. I plucked a pair of sunglasses from their resting place and shoved them onto my nose. They rode up and covered the better part of my upper face. My relatively short bangs fell over the plastic, annoying the hell out of me. Sighing, I shoved my feet into an ugly pair of green flip flops and opened the side door.

It was about eleven in the morning, so I'd figured I'd get the mail. I was already outside so I might as well do that one small thing. I stalked forward, passively checking the mailbox and grabbing the junk mail that appeared. I idly flipped through the mail, my eye catching my name on a fancy looking letter.

I stopped and turned my head slightly. Something was setting off alarm bells in my head. I didn't know what was wrong, just that there was something wrong. I heard a scratching sound above the soft lull of nearby traffic and turned around. The sound persisted and my eyes swiveled to stare at a simple cardboard box sitting innocently on the front steps.

Cautiously, I approached it. The scratching was definitely coming from the box. I delicately touched it, my fingers roaming the surface, searching for something to identify this box with. There wasn't anything on it other than tape to hold the box closed. Weighing my options, I sighed and picked it up. I juggled the box and the mail in my hands, somehow managing to get into the house using my feet and shoulder.

Slightly winded, I dropped the box gently on the table in the kitchen. I fell sideways into a chair, pawing through the mail for the letter I'd received. It was heavy and the front was laced with a gold border. My name stood out painfully against the creamy color, heavily inked and written in a beautiful cursive that made me want to cry.

Without any sort of hesitance, I ripped the letter. I was never any good opening letters anyway.

A card fell out, as did a sucker. Absently unwrapping the treat, I stuck it in my mouth and opened the card. Once I finished reading, I paled.

The card read as follows:

Dear Sara,

Greetings. I am sure you must be wondering what is in that box by now. Do not fret child. All will be clear once you open it. I have run into a bit of a problem and I ask that you look after the items in the box until I return for it. Please care for them as you would your own. Enjoy your treat!

There was nothing else. No signature or anything that identified the writer. Feeling a little disturbed, I stood and grabbed a knife from the sink, wiping the excess water off on my shorts. With a sinking feeling, I cut off the tape carefully. The scratching, which had been a constant background noise, abruptly stopped. Slowly, I opened the flaps on the side.

Ten pairs of eyes stared back at me.

Pein moved first. He jumped out of the box neatly and gracefully, darting out of the room quickly. Taking his cue, the other members of Akatsuki followed suit. Only Tobi remained where he sat, tail sweeping behind him from side to side.

"Fucking damnit!" The secret leader of Akatsuki watched the tall girl curiously. She groaned and peeked at him through her fingers, blue eyes following his every move.

"Please don't run little kitty," she begged, sprinting after the closest kitten, Deidara. It was hard for him to run on his hand paws and it caused shooting pains to race through his legs. The girl scooped him up, cradling him carefully. No doubt she'd seen his difficulty.

"Oh shhh, it's ok sweetheart," she cooed, inspecting his paws. She frowned at the small slits adorning each soft paw. "Hmm, they look clean enough that I don't think there's a chance of infection. But I don't like these cuts." The girl kissed the top of his head, striding back toward Tobi. She placed Deidara in the box next to him, closing the lids gently and hefting it up. It was easier to lift with only two bodies in it.

The girl bit her lip absently as she walked deeper into the house. She could feel several eyes on her but she ignored them for the moment. Her long legs shortened as she climbed a set of stairs. She turned right and opened the door to a small, blue room.

Old CDs and music equipment sat abandoned on the floor. A stack of miscellaneous items sat in a corner, piled there for lack of space to put them. The girl toed the door closed and set the box on the ground. She frowned at the hot, heavy air and took three steps toward the window. With a heave, she lifted the frame up, letting in fresh air through the screen.

Tobi poked his head out of the box, watching. The girl sighed and crawled toward him, a hand outstretched.

"Come here kitty, I won't hurt you." Tobi bounded happily out of the box, nuzzling her hand and sniffing it curiously. The girl giggled and scratched his ear. Her hand gently made its way through his thick black fur, careful of the obvious scarring. Tobi purred as his back arched to fit the palm of her hand.

Deidara gazed suspiciously with his one good eye. Tobi simply chirruped at him, telling him that it felt nice. Cautiously, the blonde(now white)bomber stalked forward, glaring the entire time. The girl held her other hand out and allowed him to sniff it. Finding it acceptable, he nuzzled her palm. She scratched the top of his head and ran her hand down his spine, forcing his butt into the air as she scratched the base of his tail.

"See, it's not so bad kitty," she said, smiling with crooked teeth. Deidara only purred louder at her ministrations.

Suddenly, she pulled her hand away. Well, it wasn't sudden, but it was fast enough for Deidara to think so. The girl frowned and loomed over him, kissing his head. She did the same with Tobi and left the room, closing the door behind her.

...

..

.

I rounded up the rest of the kittens(which wasn't an easy feat)and collapsed onto the soft carpeting. The kitten who hadn't run when I first opened the box decided that was his(and I was sure it was a he)cue to come sit on my stomach. The white-ish kitten padded over and plopped his little butt on my chest, nearly restricting my breathing.

"Hello, yes, need to breathe here sonny boy," I said, sucking in air breathlessly. The kitten seemingly grumbled and moved off my chest and padded over to sit on my legs.

I looked at the other kittens, who were slowly but surely warming up to me. They were kittens after all. They didn't really have to be wary of strangers. Besides, cats can sense intentions. If I'd had any ill ones, they'd be so much more wary of me. I laid out both my arms, my eyelids drooping closed. Looking for all those kittens was tiring. The little rascals were pretty hard to find and catch.

I drifted off slightly, not even caring that several of the kittens decided to partially climb on me, resting their cute paws on my face and neck and stomach.

My breathing and heart rate slowed and I let out a big breath of air, curling slightly into a ball. Within moments, I was out.

Itachi squinted at the girl in front of him, studying her face. She was sleeping peacefully but every few moments she would mutter something in her sleep. Her dark frames slid off her nose and she pushed them off, proving she was still fairly awake. Bravely, the lithe black kitten moved toward her head, tilting his ear to hear her better.

"Mmmnnn, no don't pull that tooth out! I need it!" Internally sweat dropping, the Uchiha relaxed his shoulders and sat down beside her head. She unconsciously nuzzled his spine with her nose, sending pleasurable tingles down it. Itachi purred, his eyes flickering to red. He suddenly sprang up, alarmed at what he was seeing. His fur stood on end and his tail puffed up. The girl didn't seem to notice.

The rest of the Akatsuki stared, curious and also alarmed. Itachi quickly explained to them what he had seen with his Sharingan and they too hissed at the information.

If they weren't turned back to human form soon, they would degrade and spend the rest of their lives as cats.

So that's it. Like it? Hate it? Leave a review and tell me what's what! I hope that it has improved from the old version at least. Well, I'm to destroy everything my brother loves b/c he's a sexist piece of shit.