Work, work, work. That's all that seems to be on my mind anymore. I used it, for a while, as a coping mechanism for the lonliness I had when my cat passed away but now it just seems to voerwhelm me and take over my fucking life. Wake up late, work myself to the bone with overtime on top of my 8-9 hours, eat, shower, watch anime for an hour or two and repeat. I don't go out with friends anymore, I don't have much of a social life anymore…it's all just the same. Maybe I should just…leave on time today? It is a Friday, after all. What better way to start the weekend than treating myself to leaving on time and maybe getting a drink or two at the bar later on tonight?

Yeah, maybe that's what I'll do. Sounds like a reasonable start to getting back out there. Maybe if I'm ballsy enough, I'll start up my dating apps again and try putting myself back out there. It's been a good year or two since I've had a date or even been laid, for that matter.

Sighing, I pull myself from my thoughts and start to file the papers I just indexed and imaged, tucking them away in the cabinet to never be seen again until we get audited by headquarters or it comes time to throw them out. I don't know why we just don't go paperless at this point. It's less time consuming, less wasteful, and less money spent on all of these unnecessary steps we have to do. We could get rid of the imager entirely and the replacement parts for it, cutting costs and allowing more efficient processes to happen. I could bill and sort everything so much faster since it would all come through digitally and then-

"Alyssa! I've been talking to you for a minute straight." Alexis says, shaking my shoulder and I tense up. I hate my shoulders being touched and she's always been such a handsy person. Gross.

"Sorry, sorry. I've had a lot on my mind today. I guess it's just in the clouds." I sigh, tucking the pages away in their proper colored folder and closing the cabinet.

"Clearly. Have you filed away the security log in papers for today?"

"Just did that."

"And the bills?"

"Any that we've received up until now? Yes. If we receive more, I'll be imaging them and billing them out before I leave." I don't know why she's asking me. I'm head of the department and work in accounting. She's just a check-in clerk. A snotty brat of one, but a check-in clerk nonetheless. She acts so high and mightier than thou when she's been in the same position for 10 years with no wage increase and bitches how much she hates it. If you hate it so much, just leave already and stop dragging us all down.

"Why all the questions, Alexis?"

"Just making sure everyone's doing their part. There have been some people slacking off recently." Bitch.

"Certainly not me since I've been pulling overtime. Hey, didn't you have to leave early a few days ago for your kid's something or other? I saw on snapchat that you weren't at Davidson Elementary though. My friend was there picking her kid up and your kid was stuck waiting outside with the security guard." I hummed, looking at my nails and picking at some cuticle skin leftover from the other day when I got them done.

"And then you screeched in with this new haircut of yours and some Starbucks, practically running over some other kids in the process. I thought you said you were "working yourself to the bone" this week but… you had time to leave early "for your kid" and get your nails and hair done AND Starbucks….and yet…it's Friday and you haven't even made your full 40 hours without the approved time off from the other day." I mused, hearing Kim in the other room choking and coughing. Snoopy bitch, always listening in. Good, I know she'll spread that around the office later on.

"Are you accusing me of something?" She sneered, making me blink with wide, innocent eyes.

"Me? No. I don't make accusations, I just notice things. I'm not accusing you of being a bad mother or being a liar at work or anything, really. Just curious who you think is "slacking" off in the office when most of us are doing our full 40 hours and then some, especially on my behalf." I turn back around, opening a new cabinet and looking through it to pull out a new security form to lay out for Monday.

"By the way. It always manages to be forgotten. Here's Monday's security log form. You can fill this out and place it on your desk so it's done ahead of time. I'm leaving on time today but, I'm sure you have a few spare minutes of your own to fill this out since you do the log forms, not me, right?" I hand it to her and squeeze past her to head to my office. Stupid bitch, I hope she chokes on her bland, unseasoned ass chicken tonight that she forces her family to suffer through.

"Jordan will hear from me." She seethes, staring me down.

"He always does Alexis. You're the reason he's 39 and has a head of grey hair already. You suck the life out of people like a leech or a dementor." I huff, closing the door to my office and slumping down in my chair.

Instead of one or two drinks, maybe the whole fucking bottle will do. It'd be cheaper to drink at home at this point, with how much booze I want.

Itachi

"We have to keep moving you two. Stop fighting." Sasori huffs, looking behind him at the two men, if you could call them that anymore, spitting at each other and their hackles raised. If we keep stopping at this rate, we won't find somewhere to rest, that's relatively safe, before this rain comes.

I overheard a passing woman talking about severe thunderstorms that were coming and the sky is a dark, foreboding grey that worries me. We're small kittens now, storms as bad as the one she mentioned will be quite the feat to deal with. Cats can't regulate their heat when wet, we could easily die being trapped in a storm like that.

With a sniff to the sky, I hear more hissing and it takes everything in me not to sigh. At this rate, we'll need to be stuck under one of these moving metal "cars" I overheard another person mention. They're large enough to keep us dry until it passes, so long as it doesn't move.

"Fuck you Deidara! Jashin is still there for me, he's testing me with this shitty condition we're all in! You'll see!"

"FUCK your God, hm! This isn't to do with him! This is a punishment for all of us!" I almost want to agree with Deidara but that will get us nowhere. Could Kakuzu and Sasori reign in their partners already?

"The rain is coming, you two. We need to leave before it starts. Find shelter. Cats cannot regulate the temperature in their bodies properly when wet, we can die, again, if stuck in the rain." I speak up, Kisame stretching off to my right and snickering under his breath.

"Let those two die, why don't we keep moving?" He says, taking another few steps and now in front of Kakuzu, surveying the large paved area we're in. A few humans approached us earlier, a group of girls, but we cannot trust anyone in the state we're in. Who knows who is an enemy in this unknown territory. The technology here is far past Amagakure's standards and there's been no sign of a chakra signature since we woke up days ago.

"Hidan, enough. Get moving or we leave you behind to die in the rain alone. We don't have time for fighting." Kakuzu hisses, glaring at his partner and walking again. With a few grumbles, Hidan sends one last insult Deidara's way and we begin walking across the pavement.

It's hot out, summer I'm sure, and this pavement hurts the sensitive pads on my feet. I'm sure it does for the others too but we have no time to complain about it. Every second counts.

"We need to find somewhere and fast. I'm starving at that shit cat food some person left out for us at that last stop is not gonna' hold up." Hidan groans, ears flat against his head as a particularly loud car drives past the lot. I have to agree with him there. Desperate times call for desperate measures and we ate what we could swallow down but it was not the best thing for us to eat. I could barely stomach it. Two bites and I was feeling sick. How it was that Hidan or Kisame could withstand more than that is beyond me. Ninja or not, there are standards.

"We'll figure that out once we find a spot. For now, shelter is the prerogative." Kakuzu adds, standing still as one of the cars moves and drives away from the lot where it once was. We're getting closer to the cars and the building, perhaps there is somewhere to hide outside of the building for the night. Somewhere cooler and not paved. If we're on this lot any longer, I fear blisters will start on the paw pads of us all and then walking will be a thing of the past.

"Bye Alyssa! Have a good day! DON'T come back either! Enjoy your weekend, you workaholic!" A girl yells from the door with a large smile, her short, robust figure waving her arm wildly in the air as another walks away from the door where she was.

As if to torture us, the rain drips down slowly, then with a loud clap of thunder it comes down in a blanket, effectively soaking us all.

"Shit!" Hidan yells, looking up at the sky and bearing his fangs. This is not a good situation. Far from one.

"Fuck!" The girl, Alyssa, yells as she hurries to her car. It beeped next to us, being the car closest to us as her umbrella flies open and she starts putting some bags in the car. As she closes the passenger door, she turns and locks eyes with me, making me tense up. She could be an enemy, she could kill us. It wouldn't be the first cruel act I've seen committed against an innocent animal before.

"Oh my God…you poor things. It's downpouring out here- are you lost? Strays?" She asks, squatting down and keeping the umbrella close to her so she doesn't get soaked as well.

"We should find somewhere." Kisame speaks up to my right, making me look at the others that were all staring at the girl in varying forms of distrust. Albeit we should leave, now, I have this feeling about this girl. A ninja should always trust their instinct, true, but they shouldn't trust one so easily.

"I won't hurt you guys, I promise. I'd kill myself before I ever harm an innocent animal…unless, of course, it was self defense. That's a different scenario." She mumbled the last bit, outstretching a hand to the closest of us 6, Deidara, with a small smile.

"Come, please. I'll give you some food and somewhere to sleep for the night. I won't harm you baby, I swear on my life." She says, keeping it held out to Deidara as we all wait with varying looks.

"...she's our best bet out of this rain and to have decent food." I speak up, looking at Deidara. She's reaching out to him, he has to make first contact so she can take us in.

"What? You want us to willingly trust this woman?"

"We can always escape later if need be. There's no proper shelter around here and unless we want to scavenge for garbage during this storm, it's our best bet. If a stray dog, coyote, or fox comes by, we won't stand a chance."

"Shit.." Kisame mumbles, looking ahead at her, the girl staying in the same position but shifting her left leg a bit with a wince. An injury?

"I promise."

"Sasori, my man?"

"I have to agree with Itachi. It's our safest bet."

"...fine." He sighs, stepping forward and allowing her to touch him, her slender fingers gently running over his head and down his back, making him shiver.

"God, you're freezing. Here, here. Don't run off." She says, hurrying past us with a small limp. It's her left leg again, it has to be an injury. I don't see any wounds but there could be something under her pants that we cannot see.

As the car beeped, the back of it opened up and with a shuffle and some mumbled words from her, she pulled out a box filled with flimsy white paper towels and some colorful rags.

"It's not much but it's something. Just to hold you guys over until we get back to my apartment." She sets it on the floor of the car in the front where she just recently closed the door, turning back and smiling at us.

"Who's first?" She asked, looking around at all of us.

"Me, hn. I'm not staying in this crappy weather." Deidara huffs, stepping forward to her as she reaches down and carefully scoops him up, placing him in the box. We'll all fit, albeit be cramped, but she did say it was only temporary. It's dry, that's what matters most.

One by one we all went up to her so she could scoop us into the box, Hidan being last as he hissed and spat at her the whole way, making his partner yell at him.

"Bitch." Hidan hisses one last time, scratching her hand and licking at his bloody paw. Sucking her teeth she pulled her hand away and began licking the blood up, her eyebrows furrowed. There goes our shelter for the night.

"..it's okay. It's fine. You're just scared and in unfamiliar territory and probably don't like humans…that's okay." She says to herself, looking at Hidan as she licks up more blood and smiles softly. "You'll learn to be nice as time comes. Or…maybe you'll stay spicy and we'll just have to come to a civil agreement. Either one." Or maybe we still have a place for the night after all.

"Tch, yeah right bitch." He grumbles as she closes the door, sealing our fate. I only hope I didn't make the wrong decision, trusting this woman.

As the car hums to life, she sighs and leans back, her eyes closed and she takes in the silence of the car. Six dripping wet cats she has no clue are rogue ninja ready to kill her any second, and she took them in without a second thought. What a strange woman. Clearly she's not a ninja, or she would have left us outside to fend for ourselves. She would have known better. Ninja can take the form of cats, and vice versa, to kill, stalk, or find whoever it is we wish. The only downside now being that we can't change back into humans. We've tried all we could and not a thing worked. We're stuck like this for now. We'll find a way to turn ourselves back, in time, but we needed a safe place. If she proves to be trustworthy, we've found one and then we can focus on turning back into humans. Perhaps we could find a way back to a village we know as well.

I wonder what's happened to Sasuke since my Edo Tensei form died as well. I can only hope he's well.

Alyssa

Six kittens all drenched and soaking wet in my car. What's a girl to do with some soaking wet pussies? Ahaaa~ Andres and Mariana would have appreciated that one.

With a glance their way, the black one looks right at me again and it makes me quirk an eyebrow. He keeps staring at me in a specific way. Looking at me or staring at me is fine, they're strays and most likely untrusting, but there's something else there in his eyes. Something more…conscious. Cats are aware, sure, but this one and his pals..they're something else. They're more aware of their surroundings, of others, of themselves. They're more than just some cats. I wonder how smart they truly are. I'll have to test it out at home.

They're a weird bunch, that's for sure. Multiple different colors, sizes, and personalities. A unique bunch for a fucked up woman, what a match.

A skinny, small black cat with eyes as dark as his fur. He's the one staring at me all weird like. There's something special about him.

A large, very fluffy Russian blue-colored cat. He's the largest of the bunch and towers over some of the others. He's closest to the black one.

A normal sized yellow colored cat with bright blue eyes. His fur is longest around his head and he keeps hissing at meowing at the red cat and the white one.

The smallest cat, the red one, with a very calm demeanor. He only meows at the yellow one occasionally and keeps to himself.

The normal sized white one with short fur all over. He's the one who scratched me and he keeps starting a fight with the yellow one.

The last one, a brown one with a demeanor calmer than the red or black one. He only hisses occasionally and it's usually at the white one when he gets too rowdy. Siblings, maybe?

I should think of names for them too. A car honking nearby draws me from my mind and makes some of the cats jump as well, their ears flattened. I need to go, sitting around waiting won't help me think any less. Driving distracts me. With another sigh, I put my car in drive and make my way home. I'm not even in the mood for music on my drive home, I just want silence and to relax. It's not too long of a drive, only about 15 minutes or so so it shouldn't be that bad. The kittens will survive the drive in that box, so long as that yellow one and the white one don't kill each other.

--

Inside and shaking their little feet all over the place, the kittens explore my house the best they can. I can't waste any time though, I'm a clean freak and I'm not having fleas in my damn house.

"C'mere ya' little spitfire." I huff, grabbing the white one first and holding down his arms so he doesn't scratch me. Immediately I get to work looking around his neck as he yowls and tries to bite me, the other cats immediately tensing up and the brown one slowly stalking closer.

"Calm down. I wanted to get you done first so you can simmer down your anger while I look over the others. I'm making sure there's no fleas or ticks on you, it's for your own good." I say, wincing as he gets a bite in on my one hand and I suck in a deep breath. He'll definitely be the one to test my patience today, that's for sure.

As I narrow my eyes to make sure the one spot of dirt on his neck isn't a bug, the brown one puts a paw on my leg and stares me down. He's protective? Maybe?

"I'm only checking for fleas and ticks. Once I'm sure he's okay, he's free to reign hell and torture the yellow one over there bud." I say, looking him in the eye and flipping the white cat over to check his belly and where his arms meet. Nothing, He has such fine fur and pale skin in contrast that it'd be easy for me to see. Nothing though. Just a speck of dirt or two. He's not even dirty, none of them seem to be. Clean as a whistle.

"There. Done. Not the end of the world, you;re just a drama queen." I set the white one down, quick to retract my hands as he loudly hisses, his fur standing up and claws out.

"Stop." I immediately say, staring him back down with narrowed eyes. Amazingly, he does and I continue to stare at him.

"It was necessary. Stop being a baby. I wouldn't have had to hold you down if you cooperated with me." I say, looking down at the brown one sitting by me and still staring at me.

"Can I look you over next? You seem pretty apathetic to this whole situation, I like you." I say, holding my hand out. He takes his time, looking at me, then his partner, then my hand before stepping forward. He's calm, calculated, and in control. He's much different than the white cat. It's a breath of fresh air to have something so calming in my house. Maybe him, the red one, and the black one will help me stay calm as well.

Slowly, one by one, I look over each cat and set them down, pleased but confused. So clean, so odd, not a single thing wrong with them. Were they just dumped in that parking lot? They seem so well taken care of, why would somebody abandon them? They could have gotten a pretty penny for their looks and odd colors alone. When I looked over the reddish and yellow ones they didn't seem to be dyed so their colors are definitely an anomally. I might have to bring them to the vet to see if there's anything wrong with them genetically but…that's a lot of money I, frankly, do not want to spend on them but they need their shots and to make sure they don't have any deformities as well. What a conundrum. I can't separate them either so what do I even do?

"Well..you're clean. There's nothing to worry about." I hum, standing up with a wince and leaning against the counter. Damn left knee. Next step for them is food. They're dry-ish since they had all those paper towels and rags to soak up the water in their fur from that box in the car. I always tell people to prepare for the worst and keep shit like rags and paper towels and boxes in their cars in the trunk but no one listens to me. No one ever listens to me and then I get to watch them fumble over mistakes that were easily preventable or fixable.

As I make my way to the kitchen, I purse my lips. I don't have any cat food and they're probably starving. Well…for now I suppose I can just feed them some chicken breasts and thighs. I have some I made a while ago but it has a lotta seasonings on it like paprika and stuff not too good for a baby's stomach. I'll rinse them off a bit, that can take some of it off so they won't have explosive diarrhea. I don't want to deal with that today.

"I forgot I was a bad bitch, tragic. Breaking all the rules 'cause they were only habits. Cinderella's dead now, casket. You thought the shoe fit, but I~" I sing to myself, humming the rest as I get to chopping up and shredding the chicken I rinsed off for them, quickly heating it up in the microwave so they could eat a warm meal. I'm not too sure what their previous owner fed them but this should suffice for now. It's only 5, so I might give them a little more when I finally decide I stayed up long enough. Maybe midnight? I'm not too sure if they were recently fed but they seem to be hungry so I can always leave it out for them to graze on while I sleep in for the morning.

I have a few small plates leftover from my past baby, so I get them all their own individual plate so that they won't fight from a communal eating plate. Separating them all with the plates, I allow them time to eat as I finally stretch, cracking my back and strip off my damp shirt leaving me in my skinny jeans and a bra. With my phone connected to my bluetooth speaker, I smile and play some music while I get to work tidying up the house from my frantic running around this morning. I've never been a morning person and it shows by how hectic I am in the morning and how I leave my house when I rush out. I'd never leave it that way if I had a night shift but the billing and accounting got moved to day shift after a few choice decisions I, sadly, had no control over. It helped a bit, I suppose, since I can now watch my Bachelorette episodes when they come on instead of days later when I finally remember to watch their recording but it's not all that rewarding.

Once the kittens are done eating, I'm done cleaning, and I've showered, it's time to name them and God help them all because I will name them whatever my little heart desires today~