Chapter 1
In Heat
The muscular silver female sat on the balcony rail, looking down into the alley below with longing. If it had been half a year before, she would have leapt down with no hesitation and wandered the small street looking for someone to fight. But lately, she had something more important to take care of...
"Miaka-nee-chan!!" a yellow kitten shrieked as it ran around the corner and came to a skidding halt.
Miaka grabbed the ruff his neck as she jumped down and carried him inside the apartment, then sat him down on the floor.
"Naruto, I've told you never to come running onto the balcony. You don't have the best of brake-pads yet," she stated, closing the balcony door with a push of her paw. "Understand?"
"Sorry, Miaka, but I woke up from my nap and I didn't know where you were and you always come out here when you need to think-"
"Whoa. Speak like a normal cat."
"Mew?"
"Not what I meant. Talk at a slower rate."
"Sorry, Miaka-nee-chan. Will you play tug-o-war with me?" the kitten pleaded, looking pitiful.
The silver female sighed, but nuzzled the kitten. "Maybe a round or two."
"YAY!" the yellow kitten ran to find the ribbon that Miaka had been wearing when she had rescued the squirt, while the female walked over to her water dish and lapped quietly.
I wonder if this is what Mom and Dad expected me to be? She thought, looking down at her reflection in the water. She understood she was in fact of strong heritage and a rare breed and coloring, but her parents had continuously moved dens when she was the last kit left so she wasn't found, but she had been. A housecat and a nanny to an mongrel who is so dependant on me it's almost as if he's my kit? That would give them a heartattack.
A soft snap sounded, and Miaka spun and caught the end of the ribbon and held on as Naruto tried in vain to shake it out of her mouth. She tugged the piece of cloth half heartedly, just enough to make Naruto try harder.
After roughly half an hour, Miaka dropped the ribbon and mewed loudly as she ran to the door and jumped at the brunette man as he entered the apartment. "IRUKA!!!"
"Hi, Miaka. How have you been?" Iruka asked, cradling the cat in his arms.
"Bored. Can I-"
"We've talked about this, Miaka," the man snapped, then sat her down and scooped up the yellow kitten as he came to a halt. "Hello, Naruto. Have fun?"
"YEP! Nee-chan was daydreaming on the balcony again!" Naruto squealed, letting the word out.
"Traiter," the female growled as Iruka slowly turned to her.
"Miaka-" Iruka started.
"I was just sitting on the balcony while Naruto took a nap, okay? I'm a feral-born. I like being outdoors," she snapped, standing. "I hate being cooped up all the time, Iruka. I have more energy than I can excess here without hurting Naruto. I need to go out."
Iruka sighed. He knew the silver female was right. Since she was feral-born — he barely understood that part of the whole breeding thing — she tended to want to be outside more often than not. But he didn't want her to come home again covered in blood and acting as if it was just mud.
"I'm sorry, Miaka. But I can't afford you getting hurt."
"So what if I get a few scratches?!" she snapped.
"Miaka. I had a hard day. Can you please stop?" Iruka asked softly.
The female stopped immediately and nodded. "Sorry, Iruka ..."
"It's okay, kitten."
The kitten was put down, and the female walked over and began to give the young one a thorough tongue bath as the human began to cook supper. This was a normal setting for the trio. Once Iruka left to teach at a local school, the silver female was in charge of making sure the younger male was well cared for. In the evenings, the human would prepare a meal for each of them, and then they would all get ready for bed.
"Miaka. Naruto!" Iruka called the next morning. "Breakfast!!"
The kitten flew from the bedroom. Still in his pajamas — they didn't have the best heating system, and both cats were short haired — he dug into his kitten food like a cyclone. The silver female didn't appear.
"Miaka?" Iruka called again.
A muffled, painful meow responded, and Iruka rushed from the kitchen to the bedroom, worried. Miaka was never sick; she was always healthy.
He kneeled beside the basket at the foot of his bed, and gently put a hand on the silver cat's back. She was feverish. A painful mew sounded, and Miaka looked at him pleadingly.
"Iruka ... make it stop... it hurts..." she moaned as she curled into a tight ball.
Iruka picked up the cat and cradled her in his arms as he rushed to the phone, dialed the number for the school, and told them he couldn't come in because Miaka was ill.
The receptionist understood-the staff was very fond of the two cats; Iruka brought them in every so often for the children to play with- and said she'd arrange for a sub for him.
Iruka hung up, then grabbed his car keys, put down an extra dish of food, informed Naruto he was taking Miaka to a doctor and would be back soon, and left.
The nearest vet for Hybrids was in Kohona, but he couldn't afford the drive, but there was a breeding clinic near the park that specialized in the strange pets. Surely they would have a vet there? Just in case one of the animals got sick?
Upon entering the clinic, Iruka was greeted by a young woman who he assumed was the receptionist.
"Uh, excuse me, but-" he started.
"Good morning sir. Welcome to Fire Country Hybrid Breeding. Are you purchasing-" she noticed the female curled up in Iruka's arms. "Are you looking to breed your pet?"
"No-"
"Grooming? We can arrange it-"
"Do you have a vet here?" Iruka interrupted. "I was getting ready to leave for work and my cat was sick. She's running a fever, and I'm not sure what to do."
"Well, I'm sure it's nothing but a fall cold, but if not, you'll have to take her to Kohona. Just down the hall to the left is the vet's office. She can help you," she replied.
"Thank you, Miss..." he quickly looked at her name tag. "Anko."
"No problem!" she said, waving as he walked down the hall. He was a cute one...
Iruka open the door Anko had indicated, and sighed in relief when he saw a blonde woman standing in a corner.
"Excuse me for intruding, but my cat here is sick, and I'm not sure what to do," he said, and the woman turned. "She's normally very healthy.
"I see, bring her here. By the way. My name's Tsunade."
"My name is Iruka," he replied, setting Miaka on the table.
"Iruka, I think it was nothing. I'm fine now," the female said, slowly standing on wobbly legs. He doesn't have the money to pay a vet bill for me. I have to convince him it's nothing!
"Oh, she is a Hybrid. I wasn't sure, but she looked like one," Tsunade said, scratching Miaka behind the ears as she felt her for any signs of sickness.
After ten minutes, she was about to come to a conclusion, when the door slammed open, and a silver haired man carrying a black cat about the same age and size — maybe a little larger — by his scruff, and the cat had his front paws crossed like it was no big deal, even if he had a bite mark in his ear.
"Tsunade. He did it again," the man said, roughly dropping the cat on the table. "I can't believe he's causing this much trouble for his second heat! Maybe we should neuter him-"
"You know we can't neuter him. He last of a great pedigree! We need to keep him like this until we can at least mate him!" the blonde replied.
"And even if she did agree, Kakashi, you know that I wouldn't go through with it without a fight," the black male agreed.
He has a fighting spirit... I like it, Miaka thought as she watched.
The male noticed, looked over her once, then smirked. "Who's the old hag?"
Without hesitation Miaka crouched back on her haunches and lunged at the male Hybrid, knocking him to the floor and taking a firm hold of his tail and spinning him once before sending him into a wall. The male stood, then ran forward with his teeth bared, only to miss the female due to her jumping over him and biting down on his tail again.
Miaka held the advantage. She had been in so many fights it wasn't funny, but she still knew how to hold her own. This cat was obviously just a snobby, spoiled kitten who had no idea what he was doing.
She yanked on his tail, making the male spin and then she brought out her extra long claws when the male unsheathed his puny normal length ones. "You want to play paddy cake, kit?"
The male was looking from his claws to hers, unsure whether it was worth it.
"Okay, that's enough fights for one day, Sasuke," the silver haired man snapped as he picked up the black hybrid.
Iruka stomped over and picked up Miaka with a firm look. "Miaka, you know how much I hate it when you get into fights! When we get home you are in so much trouble!"
Miaka just flattened her ears to the side and glared at Sasuke. Great, now he got me in trouble. I so did not need this!!
Kakashi sat the male at one end of the table, and Iruka sat the furious female at the other. The two men acknowledged each other, having met a teachers's meeting before, then each held on to his pet.
"Iruka, all that's wrong with Miaka is that she is in heat. I assume it is her first?" Tsunade asked.
"As far as I know-"
"It's my second. I matured early. About six months ago," the female replied, beginning to clean herself.
The black male watched as she moved her head gracefully down her on shoulder, a soft pink tongue gently combing with each stroke. Whoa... If she's in heat... maybe I could... oh yeah... payback city...
"I see. Then your options are to either have her mate or have her spayed."
Miaka jumped at the word 'spayed'. Oh-no!! Anything but that!!
"I really don't want to get her spayed... she probably wouldn't take care of my kitten as well if she was..." Iruka said. "And I don't have the money. But, if I can find her a mate that's her size and age... I think I can afford it..."
Miaka spun. "No! You can't do that, Iruka!! It's not worth it!!! What about that vacation you wanted to go on?!?!"
The brunette man just gently stroked her head. "Don't worry about it, Miaka. I can always raise up the money again. If you're happy, that's all I need."
"I'm happy!! Don't waste your money! I don't need a mate!!!"
The two Hybrid experts were astonished at how the silver female was trying to talk Iruka outta getting her a mate. She was either unsure about mating, or wanted him to not waste money on her. The black male, however, just smirked.
"Miaka, you said last night you can't excess all your energy without hurting Naruto-"
"That's because I'm a feral-born!!" the female yowled. "I need to be outside more than once a week!!!"
Tsunade dropped her clipboard, and Kakashi spun to face the pair. feral-born?!?!
Sasuke had no clue what the female meant.
"And who would watch Naruto when I'm at work, Miaka?" Iruka said quietly as Tsunade rushed to her computer. "He needs you. He's afraid that you'd abandon him if you go outside. Don't you remember what he told us about what happened to his parents?"
The female bowed her head. "Yes..."
"Alright. We need to keep him happy, so I need to get you a mate that will help take of him. Someone who will look out for you too," Iruka said, stroking her head gently.
"But I don't want a mate..."
Again, the experts were astonished.
"All a mate is good for is a good lay, but that's about it. Especially these days. No one is born like me in this entire center. None of them are worth even looking at," Miaka said.
While they were talking Tsunade looked up feral-born Hybrids, and discovered that the last feral-born sold was a year before, and the description of the kit matched Miaka's appearance.
"Not to appear rude, Iruka-san," Tsunade said, standing and turning to the room. "But I suggest you go on and find her a mate. A feral-born needs a mate as soon as they're first in heat, unlike most Hybrids. Since I figure that in her first heat, she didn't want anything to do with mating, this is the chance she has."
Iruka looked down at Miaka, whose eyes were begging him to just let her get on with her life, then looked at Tsunade and nodded. "Alright."
Miaka sighed and put her face against his neck as Kakashi led them to the mate pens.
