tess4aria - Thank you!~ here's more, a nice shinny new chap 83

Dannichigo I blame seeing my friends cat on catnip and deciding that it was the cat worlds version of alcohol ^^'

Crystal Nephesia Hawklaw – I couldn't bring myself to leave poor Kai-chan in the dark any longer DX

Ren. Mazda – I WILL get to work on Black Phantom... eventually ^^'
BTW i know your name dosent have a space but for some reason it wont let me type in your name without it :/

Fragile Dreams XD – I've got the same poll on but each time I update a different story I'm putting that message on so people who only watch one story will see the message.

LMeg9.20 – Thank you for saying so!

angelwingsonline – That's because Shin-chan is a cute little neko X3
Well the name came from typing different words into a translator and picking Kibou when I typed hope because I like the sound of it, but I supposes with double meanings like 'ruse' and 'trick' it's a very appropriate name with Kibou existence being a trick to hide the fact Shinichis alive.

YueLilianPotter – Thanks, hope this update was soon enough! ~

MyNameIsWren – Something like that basically, we'll be having a proper explanation later 83

Chapter 6

Shinichi frowned in frustration as he grabbed the front of his cap and pulled it back down. His ears weren't centred on his head, more like they came out from the sides. This made wearing the cap veryuncomfy as it forced him to cross them over and flatten them under it. Of course a cats ears move and so did these, often turning whenever he listened out for... anything really.

Kaito glanced at Shinichi, seeing him frowning "Shin-chan, what's wrong?"
Shinichi turned to Kaito, his voice muffled but he could still understand what he was saying clearly. He then frowned and pulled the cap down again, "It's my ears" he explained quietly "whenever they move they nudge my hat off a little. It's a bit annoying..."
Kaito nodded, "Then we should only pick up a few things then, just enough for now. We could order more food when we get home."

Shinichi nodded as they walked around the corner and the store came into view. It wasn't massive, but it wasn't particularly small either. It was only a short walk from Shinichis though so they often came here.
"Why don't you go get drinks and veg kai, I'll go get bread and meat. I've brought my money so we'll meet up outside." Shinichi suggested, wanting to save some time.
Kaito nodded, "Ok, I won't be too long." and then Kaito slipped inside the building. Shinichi sighed, then he walked in after Kaito and went to the stores opposite side.

Shinichis walk around at first was mostly uneventful, he picked up two loaves of bread to make sure they had enough, he hovered over the snacks before picking up a box of chocolate brownies for Kaito. Then, he had gone to the meat counter.

The meat counter was done so it was all in one large glass case with butchers behind it cutting up the food and wrapping it tightly in paper and handing it to the customers. Shinichi got his food from here so often he was familiar with the butchers and they smiled friendly at him when he walked over, "Hey Kudo!" one called out placing his knife down as he finished cutting the meat he had, "Your boyfriend not with ya?"
Shinichi glared at him as he snickered, none of them where against him being with Kaito but they enjoyed trying to embarrass him at every given opportunity. "No, he's off getting the rest of the stuff," Shinichi said glancing up and down the case, "Can I have some of this?" he asked pointing out the stuff he wanted.

As he watched the man wrapping then up his nose twitched and he felt the tip of his tail twitch against his leg. He glanced over to the recently cut meat, it was cut up into a pile of cube shapes and at a glance you couldn't tell what it was. But if it was making Shinichi cat side act like this he had a good idea what it was,
"and can I have a small bit of that?" Shinichi asked, nodding to the pile

The man looked up from his wrapping and raised his eyebrows, "that? Did Kuroba offend Sherlock Holmes or something?" he asked in disbelief.
Shinichi rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Part of him felt guilty and a tinny bit like he was betraying Kaito, but as long as he kept it out of sight it will be fine right? Besides all cut up like that it hardly resembled what it was anymore.

Shinichi gladly took the wrapped meat from the butcher when he passed them
Over, paying for it here as it was a separate checkout to the main store. He then slipped the meat he bad bought for him into an inside pocket and made his way down to the tills. While paying for the bread and brownies Shinichi glanced around but couldn't see Kaito anywhere. That meant, due to butcher counter normally taking longer, that Kaito was likely already outside.

A few minutes later and Shinichis deduction was confirmed as he walked out and spotted Kaito with two lightly filled shopping bags.
Shinichi smiled as he walked up next to him "Shall we head home then?"
Kaito nodded and bounced next to Shinichi, still smiling widely.

The streets where more full now, people walking around and hurrying around in their everyday lives. Shinichi moved nervously, pulling his cap down low over his eyes every few minutes. It was clear being attacked by those men in black was still on his mind, and with good reason. Kaito moved one of the bags so he was carrying both bags of shopping in the same hand then he reached out with his now empty hand and took Shinichis handing his.
Shinichi tensed up for a moment, then he relaxed and gently squeezed his in return.

It was as they where walking down a path not far from Rans house, the detective agency, that the two boys heard a noise. There was a clattering sound of a metal bin lid hitting the floor then a clang as the whole bin fell down with it.
Kaito was about to walk on, figuring that maybe a kid kicked it over for a prank or a stray dog was looking for food, but something shot out if the alley and stopped infront of them.

It was a tinny light grey cat with large green-blue eyes which looked up at them with what seemed like fear. The kitten looked like it was about to run away but Shinichi kneeled down and made a low chirp like noise and blinked his eyes slowly, letting the kitten know in its own language that Shinichi wasn't a threat.

'Calm down, I won't hurt you,' Shinichi told it, forgetting about Kaito and the fact that he was now mewing to his ears, 'What's your name?'
The kitten tilted its head, 'Y-you're a human but you know how to talk Cat?' it said in a still fearful but child sounding voice. 'I'm Isamu'
'And I'm Shinichi. Now, what where you running from?'

At once Isamu began to panic again, his wonder at a cat-talking human gone, 'It's... A pack of them! A pack of humans, they where drinking then they saw me and mum talking. They said something to each other then they started to throw stuff at us! Mum pushed me away but i think that she's still there!'
Shinichi glanced at the ally, sure enough he could hear teenagers laughing, 'what's your mothers name?' Shinichi asked, planning on calling to see if she was still there.
'A-Aki...'

Shinichi stared down at the kitten suddenly, his breathing caught. Isamu looked just like the cat he had met the other day, the kind cat that he had spoke to on the very bin that was likely on the ground. He then frowned and a small growl escaped him as he stood up,
"Shin-chan?" Kaito asked, worried and confused as to what was happening. Shinichi didn't answer, instead walking into the ally determined. The kitten looked up at Kaito, let out a meow, and then it ran after Shinichi.

Further in the ally a boy about 15 or 16 laughed as he threw a bottle at the paw that tried to slip out from behind the fallen bin, his friends erupting into laughter.
Then one of them spotted something from the ally. It was like a faint glow, two deep blue eyes where staring at them. The person then walked forwards and a hat fell to the floor as two ears moved under it causing it to fall off his head as they moved into a flat position on his head. He then bent his knees and crouched, hissing at the teenagers as he moved between the bin and them. One of them, sure it was a hoax, reached out to push the 'freak show' away.
He then yelped as Shinichi threw his until then human hand out and slashed across his hand with a set of string claws which had slid out from hid nails.

Shinichi hissed again, this time far louder and showing his partly pointed cat teeth at them. Drunk on what they had been drinking the last of the teenagers courage slipped out of them and they ran out of the alley shouting about a bakeneko.

Once sure they where gone Shinichi spun around behind him and shoved the bin so it rolled away dropping a small trail of garbage behind it. Behind it was a very scared looking Aki, her back paw caught under a to Shinichis size small wooden crate.
Shinichi reached out and gently lifted the crate freeing the paw,
'Aki, are you ok?'
Aki stared up at him, then she sniffed the air, '...Shinichi, is that you?'

Shinichi nodded, his communication partly limited as cats spoke with their bodies as well as voice and his tail was hidden away, 'I'll explain later, can you walk?'
Aki slowly stood up, testing her back paw on the ground before lifting it and wobbling slightly, 'It hurts as soon as pressures put on it, but not when it's in the air...' she then blinked in panic, 'Shinichi, have you seen my son Isamu? I told him to run out...'
'I'm here mum!' the small kitten ran up to Aki and she instantly muzzled him, licking him while looking him over for any injuries.

Shinichi smiled softly was he watched, one ear swivelling to Kaito who was walking up to them.
Aki saw Kaito walking up and tilted her head, 'Kaito? What's he doing here?'
'You know Kai?'
Aki nodded, 'He sometimes visits my human and her father, though she sometimes chases him out of the house with my dinner...'

"Is that Haruki?" Kaito asked slowly walking over to Shinichi andkneeling next to him.
"Nya..." Shinichi didn't notice the sound he made until Kaito raised his eyebrows at him, "Err I mean yeah, at least she says that's her pet name. How do you know her?" though Shinichi had a good idea...
"She's Aoko's cat, I've seen her around when I visit her."
Shinichi nodded then turned back to Aki, 'I'll rake you to my house. You can rest there while Kai gets Aoko to come.'

With a nod from her, Shinichi placed the cap back of and very gently lifted Aki up. Kaito watched as the small kitten meowed at Haruki, then when Shinichi made a sound it turned around and pawed Kaitos leg,
"Would you mind carrying Isamu home Kai," Shinichi asked, "We can call Aoko to pick them up."
Kaito nodded, and then kneeled down to the Kitten. He moved him so he cradled him closely to his chest securely in one hand while he carried the shopping in his other then he followed Shinichi.