Disclaimer: The only two things I own in this short are Miranda, and the cat.

In general, Miranda Creed didn't consider herself an animal person. Growing up in an orphanage, she figured, would do that to a person; certainly, the building had had its share of cats to handle mice and other small rodents that tried to sneak in during the winter, but as a rule of thumb it was considered best to avoid the hunting toms, instead of trying to befriend them. So cats had never been much of an option to her. She'd interacted with her fair share of dogs over the years as well, but nothing had ever touched her in any particular way about the animal, and so she saw no reason to become attached to one.

Simply put, Miranda hadn't grown up with animals, and largely ignored animals. She had never considered it a serious problem, compared to other things.

Unfortunately, now she kind of was.

"Alphine, where did you get that cat?"

The fifteen-year-old girl blinked, glancing up at her mentor; leaning back against the headboard of one of the beds in the motel room, the summoner was absently stroking the back of a fluffy white kitten, the small animal purring contentedly, its tail wrapped tightly around its body.

"Um…." The younger Shadow seemed to fish for a decent excuse before she gave up. "Well, when we completed the mission and left headquarters, it was raining, and I saw him huddled up in some boxes off to the side…" She shrugged, moving her hand up to scratch the kitten behind the ears.

You're too sweet for your own good, kid.

Frowning slightly, Miranda crossed her arms over her chest. How had she failed to notice the animal until now? Certainly, it had been dark outside, and raining rather hard, and they'd been in a rush to leave the main home of the rebel faction challenging the TSAB control on this planet, so it wasn't like she'd had a moment to notice or hear any cat. From a hiding perspective, it was possible Lutecia had simply tucked the kitten into her jacket, or under her arm; keeping him hidden and silent would have been simple.

"Um… Miranda?"

Snapped out of her thoughts, the black-haired woman shook her head. "Sorry. I was just wondering how ya managed to sneak 'im in…" Wait. "Alphine, how do you it's a male?"

Another shrug was her reply. "I haven't checked. It feels weird to call him 'it', though."

…

They would need to have a long, long talk about attachment issues when they were safely back in NSIS headquarters. Miranda wasn't looking forward to it.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft, steady rumble of the kitten's purr; clearly, it was enjoying the attention it was getting from Lutecia. Biting back a grumble, Miranda crossed the room and sat down on her own bed. "I never took ya for a cat person," she said, a way of starting the conversation.

Lutecia shook her head. "I don't know what kind of person I am," she admitted sheepishly, blinking when the kitten rolled over onto its back and lifted its paws, batting at her fingers. "I just thought, he was wet and cold. He shouldn't have to be stuck out there."

Of course, now the question was what to do with him; Miranda pushed it back for the time being. "You like animals?"

The summoner seemed to think about it, lightly tickling the kitten's belly. "I don't hate them," she said at last. She paused before she spoke again. "You know Garyuu, right?"

"Yep." Who couldn't know Garyuu? Only two years as a Shadow, and already the girl's summon was developing a legend of his own as her fiercest, most loyal protector.

"I raised him from scratch." Lutecia opened her palm, and the kitten's paw pressed against her skin gently. "He was about this small when I first summoned him. I guess I have a weakness for seeing little things left alone in the cold."

The older woman blinked. Well… that had been unexpected. While not secretive, Lutecia had never mentioned much about her past prior to becoming a Shadow. Certainly, Miranda knew her partner's past, but she only knew the bare bones; she only knew the simple facts that everyone else knew. After two years of working with the girl, she had resigned herself to the fact that Lutecia would never talk about it.

It certainly goes a long way in explaining Garyuu's intelligence and loyalty, though…

Catching hold of that thought before it wandered too far, Miranda finally decided to address the most pressing matter they currently had at hand. "So," she said, drumming her fingers lightly against her knee, "what are we goin' to do with 'im?"

Lutecia blinked. Honestly, she hadn't thought that far. "Do with him?"

"Alphine, we're flying back home tomorrow morning. They won't let him by security unless one of us claims him as ours, and I doubt your mom would appreciate you coming home from your mission with a kitten."

The younger girl cringed. Oh, yes, she hadn't thought that far. "I… I was thinking maybe I could just sneak him through."

"More trouble than it's worth." Miranda flopped back against her pillows, mimicking her partner's relaxed appearance. "And you can't go back out into that storm to try and find someone on the planet to take him; we need to lie low until we get home."

Lutecia grimaced, slumping a little. As if sensing her distress, the kitten mewled softly and rolled over again, gently nudging her hand with its nose. It nudged its way gently under her fingers, rubbing against her, and purred. The purple-haired girl lightly patted its head before getting off the bed, setting it down.

Miranda perked up. "Where are you going?"

"To get him some water. I can just fill a plastic cup up and give it to him. He'll get thirsty."

And with that, she disappeared into the bathroom. The door closed, and Miranda heard the sound of running water.

Blissfully unaware of its predicament, the kitten once more rolled over onto its back, flopping its legs over. Opening golden eyes, it peered at Miranda upside down.

Dammit. She was starting to see why the kid had taken pity on the animal.

Miranda sighed, shaking her head. "You know," she murmured, "you're making it very difficult for me to convince her to just leave you outside."

"Mew."

Originally was supposed to be a three part "Shadowcat" saga, but since I can't think of a satisfying conclusion for the little guy, the next part will probably be the last unless a resolution occurs to me. In the meantime, enjoy how two Shadows are completely disarmed by a little kitten!