Rei groaned as he crumbled to the ground, burying his face in his hands as a blur of blonde flew past him, continuing to ruin his one spotless apartment. He didn't know why he had taken in the stray cat but now here he was, watching as Nagisa got 'familiar' with his new environment.
The cat bounced happily, looking around in every nook and cranny of his new home, wanting to know where everything was. Since he only stood at about three feet, he figured he'd be able to play hide and seek easily with Rei, even if the other was unwilling to participate.
This had all started when Rei was working home from work on a cold, rainy night, having come by a soaked box with the words 'free to good home'. Perking his interest, a bit, he checked the box, seeing only a small cat inside. Only he wasn't really a cat per say. It was a small blonde child with equally yellow ears and tail. At first this confused Rei and he initially figured the child was simply dressing up and lost, but he couldn't leave a child out in the rain.
So, he scooped up the little blonde, wrapped him tightly in his own jacket and walked home. When he got home though, he quickly figured out this wasn't the case. Nagisa was indeed a pet, and did not have a home or parents to speak of. This saddened Rei, to the point where he eventually convinced himself that having a child like pet wouldn't be the worst thing.
With his mind settled, he began to do research. He found that Nagisa wasn't some rare creature sent from above. Nope, in fact these so called 'pets' were common in Tokyo. They were always small, never growing to be more than 3 feet tall and showed traits of the animal their ears and tail matched. In this case, Nagisa was a cat, but if Rei was honest, he acted more like a puppy.
He found there were even places that offered to care for pets while he worked, and it wasn't all that expensive. Rei figured this was an alternative to children with only having to care for them like animals.
That night, Rei ordered everything he would need for Nagisa online, wanting to make sure he didn't neglect any needs Nagisa might have. Despite his hyper energy, Rei already felt somewhat attached. This changed though, after feeding the bathed cat, Rei probably realized why he might have been abandoned in the first place. With a new burst of energy, Nagisa almost destroyed his apartment as he explored it all.
"Nagisa! Please! Stop running around and calm down!" Rei chased the small blonde, eventually trapping him in a thick mink blanket. The cat immediately stopped his tirade and purred loudly as he snuggled up into the blanket, making Rei sigh with relief. "This is going to be harder than I thought.
As the next day rolled around, the things for Nagisa arrived and with a whole bunch of toys to occupy him, Nagisa was calmer. This was a big relief for Rei, even if it was a weekend he had a lot to do for his work. On top of that, he was cleaning up the mess Nagisa had made from the night before so that when Makoto came over it wouldn't be in the way.
Rei had texted Makoto to tell him all about the night before, earning a rather gleeful response from Makoto who also seemed to have one of these so-called pets. This was news to Rei of course, Makoto admitting he wanted it to be a surprise. Rei then figured Makoto might have more knowledge about how to care for them properly and so invited him and his pet over.
When Makoto arrived, he held a small ravenette cat in his arms, the cat looking rather shy as he clung to the tall brunette. "Haruka, this is my friend Rei and his cat Nagisa." The timid cat waved and quickly buried his face in Makoto's neck. Despite the shy aura Haruka was giving off, Nagisa stared up at him with amusement, clearly wanting to play. "Haruka, looks like Nagisa wants to play … Do you want to go?"
Haruka glanced down at Nagisa, obviously debating whether or not it would be safe to play with this obviously energetic cat. Slowly, he nodded and wriggled out of Makoto's grip. Nagisa's eyes lit up as he took the others hand and dragged him to where he'd set up his toys. Rei sighed and offered Makoto a defeated smile.
The two sat and spoke about their pets, Makoto clearly knowing a lot more than Rei. "I did a lot of research before I got him … I think I lucked out with Haruka though, he's easy." "I wish I could say the same about Nagisa … he has so much energy, I might as well have gotten an actual child." Makoto chuckled and nodded, taking a sip of the tea Rei had served. "It's nice though, having the company, plus I hear chicks dig guys with pets." Rei rolled his eyes at Makoto's comment and watched as the two cats played.
After a while it was clear that the two were running low on energy, almost falling asleep against one another. Makoto took plenty of pictures of this scene before lifting Haruka and heading out. As Rei put Nagisa to bed he couldn't help but smile a bit. It was odd having this new creature in his life, but he didn't mind it.
Once the weekend passed, it was time for Rei to head back to work and Nagisa to go to pet care. The blonde wasn't nervous of course, being a rather social cat. So, when he arrived he quickly made friends with the other pets. Besides Haruka being there, he met another cat by the name of Rin, who was rather clingy to Haruka.
The three of them sat in the sandpit, building a castle that Nagisa felt was fit for a king. "Haru, Haru! Pass me the shovel!" The raven-haired cat handed the blonde the shovel that sat next to him without a word, Rin bringing over a large bucket of sand. "I got more sand! Now he can build it as big as Sousuke!" "Whose Sousuke?" "He's my master, he's really big." Haruka nodded in agreement to Rin. "He's bigger than Makoto." "Whoa … Really? Rei is pretty small compared to them I guess then … He's really nice though!" Rin smiled and began to pile on the sand.
"How old were you when Rei got you?" "He only found me yesterday!" "Yesterday? Found … You didn't get adopted?" Nagisa shook his head and patted down the sand, making it nice and smooth as he began to draw in it. "Nope! My old owner left me in a box and then Rei found me!" "Oh ... that's weird … isn't it?" "No … it's not weird!" "Yes, it is!" "No, it isn't!" Nagisa gritted his teeth and stood, pushing Rin over, who toppled out of the sandpit.
As Rin began to cry from scraping his elbow, Nagisa ran off and hid in a nearby tree, refusing to come down when he was told to by the pet care workers. Eventually, Rei was called to come and get him, the carers hoping he would be able to get Nagisa down. Makoto and Sousuke had also come, Sousuke telling Rin off for saying mean things to Nagisa. "But it is weird, he was found in a box!" Sousuke flicked Rin's ear softly and shook his head. "When he comes down you will apologize.
Rei stood at the trunk of the tree and frowned, looking up at Nagisa. "Nagisa … come down please, you have to apologize to Rin for pushing him." "But he was saying mean things!" "That's not the point, you pushed him over … now come down." The blonde eventually gave in and climbed down, clinging to Reis leg as he walked back into the centre.
Rin and Nagisa stood in front of each other, both of their eyes being red from the tears they cried. Nagisa tugged his shirt a little and bit his lip. "I'm sorry for pushing you Rin …" "I'm sorry I said you were weird Nagisa … Friends?" The blonde's eyes lit up and nodded, rushing to hug the other cat. Haruka sighed as he watched them, making Rei, Sousuke and Makoto chuckle. "Why don't we call go out for dinner?" The three cat's eyes all lit up as they nodded. Rin and Nagisa cheered together as Haruka said it sternly. "We want fish!"