Disclaimer : Naruto © Kishimoto
Genre : Humor/Fluff
Pairings : Nejiten
Word Count : 803
A/N : This is a 2-parter... tomorrow's will be in Tenten's POV... oh and yes, no Kibahina this time around... but maybe the one after next will be exclusively Kibahina.

Did you just growl at me?

As much as he hated to admit it, mostly because of a certain fang-faced boy, when it came to cats and dogs, Neji was a dog person. It wasn't because he liked dogs, or that he disliked cats, it was just that dogs had a reputation for being loyal and friendly. And to the Hyuga, loyalty was perhaps the single most important trait one could possess, followed closely of course by hard work and determination. Cats on the other hand, were notorious for being standoffish and lazy, neither of which were particularly appealing traits to the white-eyed prodigy. So it came as a surprise to him that when he met the filthy little white kitten meowing incessantly in the dark corner of an isolated alley on his way home from training, Neji had actually stopped to pick it up and take it home.

When he asked himself why later, the Hyuga couldn't quite answer. He certainly didn't like the noisy little creature dirtying up his perfectly clean robes as he carried it back to the compound and into his room. And he didn't like that it hissed and clawed at him after Neji washed it to help rid it of it's filth. And it's endless meowing until he fed it quickly got on the Hyuga's last nerve. But there was just something about that tiny little creature that pulled at the Hyuga's heartstrings. Maybe it was because it was rather cold out and the kitten would clearly freeze to death if it hadn't found shelter for the night, or maybe because it seemed to be near starving, or maybe it was those huge golden-honey eyes that looked up at him with absolute trust and devotion that Neji just couldn't help but be drawn in. There was just no way he could leave it out in the frigid winter night to die. The only problem, however, was the fact that pets were not allowed in the Hyuga compound, which meant that the little guy would have to be hidden until Neji figured out what to do with it.

"This is just for tonight, got it?" the white-eyed shinobi sternly informed the purring kitten as he held it in front of him between his right index and thumb, picking it up from the fur on the back of it's neck and holding it at a distance to avoid it's claws.

"meow" the kitten replied, almost as if it understood what Neji had said to it. And then almost as soon as it responded, it began to playfully bat it's little paws around as it swung in mid-air between the Hyuga's pinching fingers.

"Stop that," Neji warned, glaring at the little kitten, who all but completely ignored him and continued to spin in circles as it attempted to claw at the Hyuga's hand. "Do you want to get kicked out?" he growled at the little fur-ball. It immediately stopped and looked up at the prodigy with wide-eyed curiosity. And then moments later it replied with a growl of it's own, though the expression on it's white little whiskered face look more playful than threatening.

Defeated by the adorable look in the kitten's eyes, Neji shrugged and tossed the puffy white ball onto his bed, ignoring it as it kicked around, twisting and turning like a crazed fluffy cloud on the pale grayish blue bed-sheets. For a moment the Hyuga stared at it thinking it oddly reminiscent of a furry funnel cloud twisting around in a stormy sky.

It dawned on him then just exactly who the little monster reminded him of. It was all in the eyes of course, and he knew instantly what he could do with the kitten. Neji had been searching for months for the perfect christmas gift for his bun-haired girlfriend. He had a few ideas in mind already, and more than a couple of items, weapons specifically, bought for the actual day. But there was nothing that really stood out as special and heartwarming.

Though he wasn't exactly fond of the little white ball of fluff currently chasing it's tail on his bed, Neji had to admit to himself that it was quite cute. "But if you scratch her I'll toss you back into the streets, got it?"

"meow," the kitten purred, stopping it's tail chasing to look up at Neji with it's big brown eyes. If a cat could smile, this one seemed like it was doing just that, and for a moment, the Hyuga almost thought he was actually being mocked by the little ball of fluff.

"agh... you two will definitely get along," he groaned, picking the kitten up with his two fingers again and snuck him back into his robes, walking out of his room, headed for his girl's apartment.

TBC