Disclaimer: I own nothing of Eyeshield 21.

Warnings: This fic contains explicit mention of homosexual relationships, as is mentioned in the earlier chapter. This is your FINAL WARNING. If you don't like the idea of two boys hooking up, then please TURN AWAY NOW! If you are still reading this fic, and still decide to flame me, I will be more than happy to address any and all of your concerns.

AN: As usual, my most hearty thanks to PocketAces, without whom, none of this would be possible in the slightest. I'm collaborating with her on her fic Eyeshield27, which is a wonderful yarn, and I highly recommend it. Be that as it may, I am posting along with her, and her current chapter is rather long. So, as an apology for both my negligence posting, and the fact PocketAces put up a huge post, I present to you multiple chapters.


Beginnings

Sena let out a resigned sigh as his favorite feline perched resolutely on his shoulder, ignoring any and all attempted hints indicating that she should move. Pitt hadn't become too much larger since the day he had first rescued her from Shozo, Koji and Kazuki, but she had apparently put on weight somewhere, because she always felt heavy on his shoulder. Not that he would ever say that. Sena enjoyed life.

"Sena!" his mother barked out before the teen could sneak through the door, "No getting into fights on the first day of school!" she practically roared.

Ever since Sena had started hanging out with his three best friends, the above mentioned ruffians, all those years ago, his mother threw fits upon fits every time her precious son threatened to step out the door. To be more accurate, she had started the fit throwing after he had come home badly beaten up after staying out particularly late with his three friends. He didn't like to fight. In point of fact, he hated unnecessary fights, but hey, Koji had a temper, and there wasn't much Sena could do to curtail that particular feature of his friend.

"Yo, Sena" Kazuki greeted as he stepped out the door, his mother's angry voice trailing after him, admonishing him to do things all sweet, noble children should do. He scoffed lightly. He didn't like fights, true. But when had he said he liked being good?

Sena gave his friends a warm smile, out of the four of them not only was he the smallest of the group, but he was also the shyest and the most tentative. But apparently he was still pretty useful in a fight, or at least, that's what his friends said each time they did get into a fight.

"Hey Sena, did you want to check out that new arcade later today?" Koji asked curiously. He had a thing for arcades, Sena swore…

"Ma, I don't see why not. It is the first day of school after all, what's the harm in going for some fun afterwards?" Sena agreed while peering over Shozo's shoulder to read the latest issue of Jump along with his friend.

Pitt whined at the instability, and instead chose to use Shozo's head as her new perch, "Oi! Cat! Get off of me!" Shozo said before seeing Pitt crawl onto his shoulder and edge her sharpened claws as close as possible to the magazine without actually touching it. The four humans could swear that she was wearing an evil smirk.

Shozo immediately settled down, grumbling under his breath about damn cats being too damn smart for their own damn good.

Kazuki, however, wrapped an arm around Sena as they approached school and started to grind his knuckles into the smaller boy's temples. That is, until Pitt decided to jump on Kazuki's face and begin to tear it up with her claws.

The three cat free humans burst into immediate and unadulterated laughter at their de facto leader's expense. This was how it had been for them ever since Elementary School when Sena, who was still just as caught between cowardice and random acts of bravery, had actually stood up to the three school yard bullies. Only the gods know why they were actually friends.

But, no matter how much Sena hated fighting, and no matter how badly he sucked at it – in his mind anyway – he would still fight for their sakes, and did, whenever Koji's temper got them into a sticky situation that Sena's nervous smile and innocent charm weren't able to get them out of.

Kazuki eventually succeeded in ripping the offending cat off of his face, which was now covered in shallow scratch marks. Pitt had never done serious harm to him after she had first given him that X-shaped scar. But she still didn't like him. And everyone but Sena knew why.


Pitt watched as her human engaged in his typical daily excursions with his mutated-ape friends. She even joined in now and again.

Especially when Scar-Ape involved himself.

He was still chasing after her Human! Even after all these years, he still hadn't given up.

She admired his tenacity. Unfortunately for him, however, her Human was just as oblivious to his advances as ever. She frowned as Scar-Ape slung his arm around her human again. Her Human only ever allowed such contact from Scar-Ape. She had to admit, though, her Human allowed Book-Ape and Fish-Ape to jostle around with him on numerous occasions, but he never really let the same level of affection slide that he had with Scar-Ape. She didn't like it. It took away from her cuddle time with her Human. However, Scar-Ape was certainly a much better candidate for being her Human's mate than the other monkey rejects she had seen.

Plus the Scar-Ape was useful in a fight. And speaking of fights…

As her Human and his friends passed the last dark alleyway (She still didn't understand why humans even created such things if all they would be used for was the ambush of their fellow creatures…), a loud and rather arrogant laugh emanated from the narrow gap between buildings.

It was…a monkey thing. She never bothered to remember all the names of all the monkey things that Fish-Ape managed to anger. She eyed the thing as it continued to cackle and launch into a rather prosaic dialogue concerning territory and debts and fights and what not.

Her Human attempted to convince his companions to leave well enough alone, and have his friends merely go on their way. She was slightly disappointed. Despite her Human's mother's admonitions, Pitt really did enjoy sharpening her claws every now and again on a random hapless monkey thing. Scar-Ape was about to agree until the words "fairies" and "faggots" came up. She still didn't understand why humans insisted on representing homosexual tendencies as either mythical creatures or sticks. She might get the mythical figures, but sticks?

Be that as it may, the leader monkey of the monkey things was about half way through the remainder of his supposedly fear inspiring monologue – these monkey things were such long winded bastards – before Scar-Ape forewent any sort of pre battle ritual associated with the monkey things, and hit him in the face.

Hard.

Very hard, in point of fact, she didn't think the monkey thing leader would be getting up any time soon. Her feline eyes swept the length of the dark alley as she counted the rest of the monkey things. There were only five left. What luck, one for each of them, although she had to admit the monkey things probably didn't see it that way.

She heard the Book-Ape go ballistic over the damage done to his precious sheaf of papers. That particular monkey was about to start wishing its ancestors had remained arboreal.

Fish-Ape was having fun, no worries there. That particular monkey was about to wish it's ancestors had remained retard-fish-squirrels.

Scar-Ape was letting off steam, no worries there either. That one was probably wishing its ancestors hadn't evolved in the first place. She noticed that Scar-Ape always got upset whenever homosexuality was mentioned. That was to say, whenever anyone other than her Human mentioned it, that is. Her Human could be so dense sometimes, but that only made him cuter, and more fun to snuggle with. It bugged Scar-Ape more that way, too.

The subject of Scar-Ape's sexual frustration was currently trying to reason with his opponent. He was such an idiot sometimes. But then that, much like his density, made him cute. Her Human was backed up into a corner while she watched from atop a trashcan. She had moved there a while ago, but she doubted anyone really noticed. She'd give her Human a little more time before she intervened.

Her Human apologized profusely and sincerely, confusing his opponent immensely. Never mind then, she didn't have to worry much about that one either. She did want to watch though, this was always funny.

Her Human braced himself. The next moment, he blurred, and almost faster than even her eyes could follow, dashed strait into the monkey thing, embedding his shoulder into the monkey thing's stomach. While the pitiful monkey thing was doubled over, her Human managed to dash around him, wait, when had that open trashcan been there? Not that it really mattered, her Human had a tendency to grab things almost faster than her eyes could apprehend, and more often than not, did this with multiple objects at once so she often lost track of what was where.

But she digressed, her Human was now behind the monkey thing, which was still clutching its stomach, and then shoved, which landed it face first into the trashcan.

She frowned suddenly. Where was the fifth one?

She saw the last of the monkey thing group sneak up on her unsuspecting human, who was again apologizing both profusely and sincerely to a most likely unconscious opponent. Stupid Human morality, it was yet another reason why the entire species was idiotic.

But for a monkey thing to attack her Human from behind, her Human? It must have had a death wish.

Pitt jumped in one leap from the trash can to the offender's own back, and proceeded to rake her claws down it, causing it to clutch at its back vainly while letting out a cry of surprise and pain. Oh, that was only the start of it.

She quickly crawled over so that she was in range of its eyes, and then abruptly tore into them with all she had.

It fell to the ground clutching its eyes screaming about its loss of vision.

Stupid Monkey.

Pitt heard strange laughter (or cackling, yes, it was more like cackling) and caught the scent of a dog. She spun around just in time to see a pointy ear and a shock of fine bleached fur slink behind a wall and dart away from the alley.