Chapter I – Mew!

[An idea out of bloody well no where. O_o; I'm not sure if anyone has done
it yet... but... here goes... Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.]

Sasuke sat at the base of the tree in the park, leaning his back against it and his hands were folded behind his head as the dogs he was walking ran around in yippy little circles on their long leashes. Yet again, it was one of those D-Level missions that didn't require much... Pulling weeds, babysitting, picking up groceries... All things that were starting to get to the Uchiha boy quite a bit. He watched with an annoyed expression on his face, as Naruto was being himself as usual picking the biggest dogs and offering to walk them no problem... Right, and the sky was green with pink polka dots. He didn't bother keeping count how many large circles the overactive blond Genin was being dragged in... He lost count at about twenty.... Twenty dozen, that is.

"Naruto, why are you being such a showoff?!" Sakura yelled at him.

"I'm just taking them for a walk!" Naruto replied before the dogs took off after a squirrel, yanking the boy clear off his feet.

"... This... is a waste of time..." Sasuke said boredly as he sighed heavily, shaking his head.

He gave the leash a small jerk as the small dogs tried to after the same animal but then quieted down from the lead. He heard a loud bang as he glanced to the side, finding Naruto sprawled on the ground, apparently after having quite a sudden introduction with the tree. Sasuke just wondered how much longer he would be able to stay sane with the... stupidity...

"It's been an hour..." Sasuke said as he got up, the dogs revving back up. "I'm sure the owners would prefer to have their dogs back on time..."

He started walking off with his set of dogs while Sakura took off after him, Naruto being dragged across the cobblestone path by the oversized canines as they more obediently followed their other human masters.

"So... Think we'll get any time off, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked the other, trying to strike up a hinting conversation.

Sasuke remained silent, keeping his dark eyes forward and not bothering to answer the pink-haired girl at all. Truthfully, he didn't want time off. Time off meant more pestering by the girls of the village... mostly Ino and Sakura who were in a never-ending competition over the Uchiha boy.

"Well..." Sakura thought again, trying to think of something else to talk about. "What do you think of Ino?"

Sasuke's face remained the same and he mentally scowled, again ignoring the girl. He did not want to answer that... He knew that it would lead to a topic that he wouldn't be able to get himself out of and Sakura would trail after him more. He also knew that it was starting to irritate Sakura by not answering her and he smirked very slightly but not noticeable to the girl. That was the end of that and he was glad.

"OI!" The dogs that Naruto was walking... or rather them taking him for a walk... bolted forward at the sight of their true masters and pulled the boy through Sakura and Sasuke. "Stop! Heal! Something!"

"Baka..." Sasuke muttered as he walked forward and handed the leashes calmly to the owner of the little mutts.

After a few last words from the dog-crazed people, Sasuke left without even saying anything, his hands in his pockets and continued on his way home.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called after him, causing him to almost visibly cringe. "Matte!"

Of course, Sasuke didn't bother stopping... but then again, neither did Sakura as she ran up to catch up with him. Naruto trailed after her, all the scratches visible from being dragged across the pathway and the grass.

"That wasn't so hard." Sakura said as she walked alongside the Uchiha boy.

"Easy for you to say..." Naruto mumbled as he rubbed his head. "Those dogs aren't trained, damn it! They're uncontrollable!"

"If you weren't so idiotic, you wouldn't have taken the heavier dogs..." Sasuke said plainly, keeping his eyes forward. "You just don't know how to control them... Make them know who's boss... It is common sense..."

"Nani?!" Naruto yelled, forgetting about his pain for the moment. "At least I walked my dogs more than you did!"

"You were dragged for the entire hour... I'm sure there is a clear mark on the lawn of where you were eating dirt..." Sasuke glanced back out of the corner of his eye, an amused smirk on his face.

Naruto held up a clenched fist and pointed at Sasuke with his other hand. "You shut the hell up! At least I did more than you did!"

"Che... I prefer to walk the dogs than to have it the other way..." Sasuke said before he waved back with a single hand. "Ja..."

Naruto was about to yell something back but was interrupted by his stomach making its presence known. Of course, walking dogs for a whole hour does make that blue-eyed Genin hungry. What better way to celebrate a completed D-Level mission, or any mission at all, with-

"Ramen!" Naruto said enthusiastically as he walked off in a different direction towards the usual place where he got his favorite food.

Sasuke continued along the street quietly, barely taking notice of the people he walked past and after a few moments longer as the next street was bare, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a small innocent sound.

"Mew!"

He kept his gaze forward and ignored the small animal until he heard the small mewl and felt soft fur rub against his shins.

"Shit!" Sasuke swore quietly as he took a step away, looking down at the small kitten that looked at him curiously.

Sasuke wasn't one to admit anything to anyone...but in his mind, he was reminded about one tiny teensy wincey detail... He wasn't too comfortable around any sort of feline and he slid another nervous step back away from the small bundle of fur as he padded towards him.

Sasuke glanced around, glad that no one was there to see him like this. "Get out of here!"

The kitten's baby blue eyes blinked at him and it tilted its head to the side, not quite understanding the boy's commands. It seemed properly groomed with the fur a raven black colour with white paws, a white-tipped tail and a blotch of ashen fur over one eye. Sasuke could feel a bead of sweat slide down his face nervously then almost jumped a mile when he heard someone calling for him.

"Sasuke-kun!" A wave of dread swept over Sasuke as he recognized the voice and continued to side step away from the kitten as it continued to follow him.

"Get out of here!" Sasuke hissed, flicking his gaze around to make sure Sakura didn't see him yet. "Go on! Go home!"

The kitten seemed to look sad then Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as the small animal seemed to have a mischievous look. The cat scrambled after him and jumped up onto Sasuke's shorts, clinging to them with its claws and started climbing up. Oh, but at this time, Sasuke was far from comfortable...

"No! Go the hell away!" Sasuke hissed as he tried to pry the cat off.

Not being successful of catching the speedy little devil, the small kitten crawled up his shirt. Now, he officially had a problem... He desperately reached into his shirt to grab the kitten but could feel the small animal crawl around his middle and onto his back... to an unreachable spot.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she stood a few feet from him, a puzzled look on his face.

Sasuke snapped his arms back at his sides and looked at Sakura, not being able to completely hide the look of discomfort from his face.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

"Of course not! Why would you ask tha-AHH!" Sasuke felt the small claws of the kitten dig into his back and he put aside his pride for a moment, trying to reach at the creature that clung through his other shirt and onto his back.

"Eh?" Sakura blinked a few times, watching the Uchiha boy desperately try to get something.

She walked a few steps closer, trying to get a closer look then saw a little fuzzy head peek out at her from the collar of his shirt. Now something didn't add up... Sasuke Uchiha... and a kitten... but it was just too cute to resist...

"Aww!" Sakura said as she smiled. "How kawaii!"

"Take it..." Sasuke said in a menacing tone as he grabbed the kitten by the scruff of the neck and dropped it into Sakura's outstretched hands.

Sakura hugged the small kitten, which in turn purred contently at the attention. "I'm going to take it home and keep it as a pet! I've always wanted a pet!"

Sasuke muttered under his breath and shoved his hands back in his pockets. "Take the little creature from hell then..."

"Thanks for the kitten, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gushed as she lightly rubbed her cheek against the kitten's fur.

'Ino pig will be jealous!' Inner Sakura said, holding her hand out with the victory sign.

Sasuke scowled and walked off, keeping his shoulders hunched down slightly from the all too close contact with the little hell-raising fur ball, as he put it. Sakura, on the other hand, was a happy as she could be as she walked home, gently petting the kitten lovingly; getting content purrs as a response.

"Such a kawaii little neko!" She said as she scratched it behind the ears gently and walked through the door of her home.

"Sakura? Is that you?" Her mother asked from the kitchen.

"Hai! You'll never guess what happened today!" Sakura said enthusiastically as she walked into the kitchen, presenting the bundle of fur to her mother.

"Sakura..." Her mother frowned. "You aren't thinking of keeping it, are you?"

Sakura blinked, her smile fading. "Hai... is there a problem?"

"You already know that I'm allergic to cats..." Her mother sighed. "We've been through this..."

"Demo... it's just a tiny little thing..." Sakura held up the said creature, trying to make it more adorable.

Again, Sakura's mother sighed. "Sakura..."

"Onegai! I'll take care of it and everything!" Sakura pleaded.

She looked expectantly at her mother and waited for a reply. "... I really don't think it is a good idea... Besides, have you talked to your father about this?"

Sakura hung her head slightly. "Iie... he doesn't know... demo... I'm sure things'll work out! You're not deathly allergic and it won't be that bad!"

Her mother only shook her head. "Until your father and I talk about this, there will be no cats in this house..."

Sakura hung her head, cradling the kitten in her arms as it mewed quietly. "Hai..."

She walked back outside and sat on her doorstep, petting the small animal as it tried to crawl up onto her shoulders. There was no possible way that she could convince her mother to keep the poor innocent thing... so she started thinking of who could hold the kitten until there was an agreement.

"I can't hide you, little guy..." Sakura said quietly as she watched the kitten bat at her long hair playfully. "I don't want to give you to Ino... she'll be too busy in the flower shop... Maybe Naruto?"

She paused, thinking for a moment and imagining what it would actually be like for Naruto having a kitten around. She could see Naruto chasing the poor thing until it couldn't run anymore or even see if it could get him some free ramen.

"... That would put your safety at risk..." Sakura concluded with a nervous sigh. "Kakashi Sensei?"

Sakura immediately sweatdropped at the thought of their weird teacher. She didn't think that Kakashi's pastime of reading... ahem... those special 'Do not read unless you are eighteen or over' books would benefit the kitten much...

"That's not a good idea either..." Sakura sighed sadly then got an idea.

She got up from the doorstep and carried the kitten over to Sasuke's home. She knocked on the doors a few times, hearing nothing for a while then the door finally clicked and was open a crack.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with her hands behind her back. "Can I ask you a favor?"

Sasuke stayed silent and took a cautious glance, not seeing the troublesome kitten with her and opened the door more, watching her boredly; an action urging her to continue.

"Well..." Sakura trailed off at the first word, looking off to the side.

"... Well what..." Sasuke asked calmly.

"My mom won't let me keep the kitten you gave me and I don't know what to do! I don't trust Naruto with it because I don't think he knows much about taking care of little animals and I'm not even sure if he'll try to eat it or pawn it off for ramen! I'm not sure about Kakashi Sensei because he's... Well, there's no words to even say it!" Sakura said quietly, holding the kitten out in front of Sasuke's face. "Onegai, Sasuke-kun! Just until my mom agrees to keeping it!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the kitten that was in front of his face, nervously tolerating the presence of the troubling fur ball that was bothering the living hell out of him just not too long ago. Another fact being, he technically didn't get the kitten for Sakura... it just followed him. The kitten mewed innocently, pawing at Sasuke's face playfully and he leaned back slightly.

"Onegai?" Sakura asked again, still holding out the kitten.

Sasuke clenched a nervous fist, his eye twitching slightly as he contemplated the worse possibilities. "... Whatever..."

"Arigato!" Sakura smiled and handed the kitten over into Sasuke's reluctant hands. "I promise, it won't be for long!"

Sasuke continued to glower at the kitten and resisted to urge to drop it to the floor as Sakura walked off again. He kicked the door shut to his house and set the kitten on the living room table. The kitten padded along the table curiously, looking around at its new surroundings and Sasuke still glowered through narrowed eyes.

"You... stay right there and don't move until I tell you to..." He said to it in a commanding tone, getting a curious look from the animal. "... You heard me... Stay..." Then he walked off to the kitchen.

"Mew?" Sasuke froze in mid-step, glancing nervously back at the kitten out of the corner of his eye.

"..." He continued walking to the counter and the kitten bounded after him. Again, he stopped and so did the kitten. "I said stay..."

"Mew!"

Sasuke scowled, hunching his shoulders slightly and sweatdropped. "Don't you mock me..."

The kitten stayed silent this time, staring at him in wonder.

[Gaha... I couldn't resist actually starting this fan fic... If there are any spelling errors, I've probably missed them... The usual.]