"Aaaw, poor little Kame," Kouyou ran her fingers through Kat's fur, along her back. "How long did you say the stitches have to stay in?"

Kat sat patiently while Kouyou paid attention to her. She was perched on her favorite window-sill in Chuuya's executive office. Chuuya had stacked a chair and few books so she could climb up and down at will. Ever since she'd been hurt last week he had been spoiling her. He carried her too and from work, and around the apartment he floated her more often than not.

"A few more days," Chuuya barely looked up from the file she'd given him. His brows were furrowed. "Then they'll come out."

"Her fur is already growing back out. It's quite remarkable. But, while it's still this short, I brought her something to keep her warm."

That got his attention. Chuuya looked up, and so did Kat, when Kouyou pulled out a little black and red vest. An 'X' went over the chest. It looked a lot like Chuuya's normal outfit.

Kat narrowed her eyes at it. She'd always though that sweaters and vests on cats were kind of dorky. Now they wanted to stuff her into one?

She was not interested.

"Where did you get that?" Chuuya looked somewhere between amused and embarrassed.

"Hmm? Actually, it was Mori and Elise's idea."

"...Why does that not surprise me?"

"Hold still now, dear," Kouyou ordered. Kat lifted her chin up while Kouyou slipped the vest over her right leg, then her left, and fastened it in front of her. Kat glared balefully at her, but she didn't Kouyou. Partially because she was still drugged as fuck. Chuuya didn't even have to trick her into it. The pills tasted disgusting, but Kat wasn't a fan of being in pain.

"There. Lovely, of course. It's too bad about that ear. Maybe we should get you a hat, next."

Kat nipped at her finger tips while Chuuya said, "Don't you dare."

"Fine, fine. But if our boss decides to get her a hat to match yours, don't blame me. It's a good idea."

Kat touched her paw to her ear. The long cuts that ran down her side could be covered, but she was missing a part of her ear, too. The very top had been cut off during her brief fight with the Ability user. From what she understood, he fared even worse than she did.

"Whatever," Chuuya waved her off. He was much less temperamental than Kat had ever expected. Or maybe it was just that she usually saw him around Dazai, or in dangerous situations, and Dazai was of course a master of getting under people's skin.

She bowed her head. She still hadn't seen Dazai.

"By the way. How are you?"

"Hmm?" Kouyou covered her mouth. Her eyes were deceptively soft and clueless. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Kyouka. The Armed Detective Agency has her now. Are you doing okay?"

Kat perked up. Oh. Oh, that was where she was. "Mrow?"

Kouyou turned away from Chuuya, but Kat could still see the way her face twisted in pain when no one was really looking. That was right. She really did care about Kyouka, in her own very messed up way.

Everyone here was pretty messed up. Mafia and all that.

"She will return to us, eventually. The light may draw humans as moths to a flame, but just as easily it will burn them. I will bring her home to the darkness, where creatures such as she and we belong."

Kat meowed up at her.

"And you, too, Kame. Forgive me," she scratched Kat's head. That wasn't what she meant, at all, but whatever.

When I go back to being human, I'm gonna be so touch starved.

"Speaking of. How are you, Chuuya? You came back to an… interesting situation."

"That's one way to put it," Chuuya grimaced. He tossed the file onto the desk and glared at it, like his Ability would light it on fire.

"That jack-ass is tied up in the basement right now. And I'm gonna go beat the shit outta him. Simple as that."

Kouyou looked sad again, where Chuuya couldn't see her. Kat couldn't jump up onto her shoulder, so she settled for bumping her nose against the woman's long, elegant fingers. Kouyou scratched under her chin.

"Nothing is ever that simple here. Especially not with that man."

Kat leaned her head into Kouyou's hand. Dazai. He was down in the basement right now. If she went down and touched him, what would happen? She would turn back into a human, surely. And it would probably send her home.

But, what about everyone here?

The shit was about to hit the fan in the worst way, and she knew that everyone was strong, and they would be okay, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

(Even if she was worried, what could she do? She was just a cat, and even outside of that, she was just a girl. Her most useful skill was rock climbing, for god's sake. Compared to them, she was a speck of dust. Chuuya was a literal fucking god.)

All the same. She had to go home. She had to go to Dazai. That was what her entire journey here had been about. And she liked Chuuya, she did. She was glad she got to meet him.

But.

It was just a pleasant dream. And with Dazai in the basement, it looked like it was time to wake back up.

Kat nuzzled Kouyou's hand again and climbed carefully down onto the ground.

She trotted to the door and looked at Chuuya expectantly. Both executives stared at her with their mouths open.

"Well. That appears to be your cue, Chuuya."

Chuuya shook his head and picked up his hat. "What's the world coming too when the Mafia takes orders from cats?"

That didn't stop him from following her.