Disclaimer: I do not own any of Masashi Kishimoto's work nor do I own any of Inuyasha's characters. If you see a name you don't recognize then it is OC.

Chapter 24

Minako woke up with it dark outside. Looking over, she found that the nurse had left the door open. Slipping out of the bed, she slipped a peek at Raido and Genma. They were fast asleep. Minako transformed into a brown cat. Slipping out of the door, she went around the hospital, enjoying her freedom. Trotting to one section of the hospital, she found out it was the children's ward. Walking down the hallway she found one door slightly open.

Pushing through, she found a boy awake, sitting up in bed, looking really sad. She leaped up onto the bed and sat down looking up at him. Looking up suddenly, he had a fearful look on his face. She sat there quietly, waiting for him to decided what he was going to. The boy, seeing that she wasn't going to hurt him, tentatively touched her head.

Closing her eyes, she started purring. The boy smiled and stroked her ears. Minako tilted her head and purred louder. The boy started to chuckle. Minako got up and walked closer. He ran his hand down her back and stroked her. She continued purring. She laid down in his lap and let him stroke her fur. Finally he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Getting up, she gave him a cat kiss on the nose before leaping off the bed and rushing back to her room.

Trotting back into the room, she was so tired from running that she forgot which bed was hers. Leaping onto a bed she curled up at the foot and fell asleep.

Genma sat up the next morning and found the cat curled up at the end of the bed. Reaching down, he gently stroked the cat's head. It started purring. Looking over at Raido's bed he saw that he was also sitting up. Raido pointed to Minako's bed. Genma looked over and smiling, picked the cat up and laid it in his lap.

As the sun came up, a nurse came in with the breakfast tray. Seeing the empty bed, she sighed in exasperation. Placing the tray down, she said, "Here is breakfast. I'll go look for Minako." Then seeing the cat laying in Genma's lap, she looked up at him, "Why is the cat here?"

"It came in the door, I guess." Genma shrugged his shoulders. "Just leave Minako's breakfast here."

The nurse placed the tray down and left. The cat opened her eyes and seeing the tray of food next to Genma stood up and stretching, she yawned. Genma laid Minako's tray in his lap and watched the cat eat the food.

Smiling, he said, "If you are Minako. I think I like you in this form."

The cat looked up at him. Shikamaru came in just as they finished eating.

Looking over at the empty bed, Shikamaru asked, "Where's Minako?"

Genma pointed to the cat that was now sitting at the end of the bed. The cat was looking intently at Shikamaru.

"Are you telling me that as a joke?" Shikamaru frowned.

Genma shook his head. The cat leaped off of the bed and raced over to the table with the shogi board. Jumping up onto the other bed it nudged the board until it fell. Getting a running start it leaped from the empty bed to Genma's. Turning around, it sat down.

"I think it wants to play shogi against you." Raido said.

Shikamaru picked the pieces up and carrying it over to Genma's bed laid the pieces in their places. They played until the cat won.

Shikamaru looked at the cat, "I can't believe I lost to a cat."

The cat's tail twitched. Genma watching it, gently caught it. Suddenly the cat disappeared and they found Minako sitting on the bed.

Shikamaru pointed, "You can change into animals?"

"Well, it's called henge no jutsu." Minako stated.

Frowning, Shikamaru laid his head on his hand, "I know what it's called." getting up he said, "I need to be going home."

After he left, Minako walked back over to her bed and sitting there she got real thoughtful. Raido seeing her face said, "Don't even think about it."

Minako smiled, "I already did." Holding her hands up, she said, "But I won't do it right now. I'm really tired." Minako laid on her side and covering fell asleep.

Raido said, "It must tire her to be in animal form."

"I bet." Genma said.

Tsunade came in to see how they were doing. When she checked Genma she looked at him and said, "One of the nurses told me that you have a cat here in the hospital. Do you remember that boy who was really sick and wouldn't talk?"

Genma nodded. "This morning when she checked on him, he was smiling and told her all about a brown cat that had come and visiting him in the night."

"He started talking again?" Raido asked with awe.

Tsunade smiled and nodded, "Yes, he told the nurse that this cat came and sat on his bed waiting for him to pet it. What made him so happy was the cat purred as he petted it. And I want to thank you for letting your visitors bring it in."

Genma sat there looking puzzled, but then he mentally shook himself. Tsunade walked over checking on Minako. Walking to the door, she said, "I believe y'all will be able to leave tomorrow."

Later that day, Kakashi and Yamato came to visit. Kakashi sat down in a chair and looking at Genma said, "So, we've heard from Tsunade that Minako keeps vanishing. Is that true?"

Genma shook his head, "Yes, she vanishes for awhile, but then comes back."

Kakashi, looking bored, pulled a book from his pouch, "Tsunade has assigned us to guard duty for tonight."

Yamato was talking to Minako, when a nurse came in with lunch. Kakashi and Yamato decided it would be best to sit out front quietly. Walking to a convenience store they got their lunches.

Sitting down, Kakashi asked, "Did you tell Minako what Tsunade said?"

Yamato told him, "Why would I do that? We're supposed to be keeping her in."

Kakashi leaning said, "I was just making sure."

00000000

That night, as Yamato and Kakashi were sitting outside the hospital door, Yamato complained, "We were ANBU at one time, so why are we doing a D rank mission?"

"Because, Minako has become the missing-nin of the hospital." Kakashi leaned back reading.

They sat quietly for what seemed like hours when a cat came from the room. Kakashi and Yamato watched it trot down the hall.

"I wonder if that is the cat that Tsunade was telling us about." Kakashi got up and put his book back in his pouch.

"There's only one way to find out." Yamato was about to get up, but Kakashi gestured for him to stay put.

Kakashi walked down the hall following the cat to the children's ward. The cat trotted to one of the doors, but it was closed. The cat sat down and angrily twitched it's tail. But then it pawed at the door, pulling it open. Kakashi watched it slide in, walking to the door he peeked in and saw the cat sitting on the bed being petted by the boy. The boy picked the cat up and placing her on the window sill pointed to a star. Kakashi couldn't hear what was being said, but he smiled realizing this was the boy Tsunade was telling him and Yamato about.

He sat down against the wall just outside the door. Close to midnight he started nodding off, when the cat walked out of the room and trotted down the hall. As the cat turned the corner Kakashi got up and followed it.

The cat got back to the hospital room that it had come from, but found the door shut. Trying to open the door, she found out she couldn't, Sitting down angrily, she mumbled something. As she stood up, she felt hand come around her middle. The person picked her up and looked at her. It was Yamato.

"You are in big trouble, Minako." Yamato said with a small smile.

The cat crossed her front legs and stuck her nose in the air, "And why would I be in trouble?"

Kakashi came around the corner to hear Yamato's answer, "You would do this even as a child. But that isn't why you are in trouble. You have had the nurses worried about you."

Minako peeked at him, "I didn't ask them to be worried. And besides, I have been keeping out of trouble."

Yamato just looked at her fondly, "I think I liked you better as a brown fox."

Minako turned her head to look at him, "Really?"

Yamato nodded. Kakashi leaned against the wall to listen to the siblings talk.

Yamato, hugging the cat, said, "You want to know something Minako?"

Minako placing her legs around his neck said, "Yes, I want to know."

"I love you." Yamato said as he placed his hand on the cat's back.

Minako transformed back to a human. She then whispered, "I love you too, Yamato."

Letting her go, he pointed to the room and said, "Now go back to bed so the nurses won't think we've abducted you."

Minako obeyed him. Closing the door, Yamato sighed.

"That's not like you, Yamato." Kakashi said walking over.

Yamato turned to look at him, "What do you mean?"

Kakashi looked at the closed door, then looking back at Yamato said, "You don't usually show your emotions."

"Oh, that." Yamato embarrassed rubbed his head, "You saw that?"

Kakashi nodded, "I also heard all of it."

Yamato looked at Kakashi, "All of it?"

Kakashi nodded again, "All of it."

"Oh, I guess it's because she is my younger sister." Yamato sat down. Looking at the floor, he placed his arm on his knee. He was silent and had no emotion on his face.

"So, how did y'all end up so close?" Kakashi sat down across from Yamato.

Yamato looked up and seeing that Kakashi was going to be persistent told Kakashi about Minako when she was a child.