Chapter 5 Adventures With the Girl
Yumi stared down at the kittens who were sharing the gaze. Is it me, or are these kittens examining me? Yumi thought. She looked at Akame. He looked at her. The young woman looked down at he feet to see Kietsu's bright eyes and happy expression. His tail wagged and he rubbed his head on Yumi's ankle. She pulled a disgusted face and shifted her ankle causing Tobi to drop onto his face. He mewled in protest and was dragged away by Zetsu.
"Do what you want now, because I'm going to do my paperwork, "Yumi told the kittens.
"This girl doesn't know anything about caring for cats, does she?" Itachi mewed. He licked his paws and washed the back of his ears. The strawberry blond saw this and squealed; then, she scooped him up and walked away with him.
"How come Itachi gets to go with the pretty lady and not us?" Tobi pouted. His eyes squinted and the Akatsuki backed away as a jealous aura radiated his body.
"Uh, you okay Tobi?" Deidara asked nervously. "It's just a pretty woman who that Uchiha b****** gets to hang around with!" he meowed with increasing anger. The blond and brown kitten dug his claws in the carpet and growl rose into his throat. Tobi's envious aura dissipated as he peered at Deidara.
"Senpai, are you jealous too?" he mewed. His eyes shone with a mischievous light, and he jabbed Deidara in the ribs. The blond and brown kitten hissed in fury.
"Stop it! Leave me alone!" he yowled. Deidara pounced on the dark cat and they wrestled each other until Yumi came in to see what was going on.
"Will you cats be quiet? I am trying to do paperwork here!" she hollered. Itachi looked at them smugly from where the strawberry blond was holding him. Yumi quickly rushed into the room where she was working.
"Let's she what she's doing in there," Pein announced. He padded towards the sound of pen on paper. The rest of the Akatsuki followed in tow. All of them peered into the room and saw Yumi writing on her documents with Itachi purring on her lap. Tobi and Deidara began to fume at the sight of the black, white, and red cat. Both of them growled in unison.
"Calm down you two," Pein commanded.
"But he's!" Deidara began and was silenced by his leader's hard gaze.
"You really like that woman, kid?" Sasori mewed.
"Kid? What do you mean? I look about the same age as you!" Deidara puffed in annoyance.
"You are a kid if you are getting jealous of Uchiha," the red tabby mewed plainly.
"You're one to talk! I saw you get jealous when you see me with Tobi."
"I was just worried you'll kill the idiot."
"Mm hm. Sure,"
"Hmph, whatever. Well, while you're there probing into my life, I'm going to look at what Yumi is writing."
"Fine, run away like you always do when we're arguing. By the way, art is a beautiful fleeting movement!"
"Will you cats SHUT UP? I'm trying to finish my paperwork for my boss! At least Akame is being quiet!" Yumi screamed. "I think Nekki is being too soft on you guys, you're all big trouble makers and hindrances. I'm going to tell him that and I'm also going to ask him if I can adopt this cutie!" she decided, petting Itachi on the top of his head.
"Not good if she separates out group. I'm pretty sure he would want to stay with Yumi. We can't afford to lose a member here in this world," Pein mewed.
"But how do we convince her not to take Itachi home with her, Pein-sama?" Konan asked. She tilted her blue head in inquiry.
"I have an idea for that b******," Hidan mewed with a malicious grin. He ran towards Yumi and yowled at her. He then to proceeded to clamber onto the couch and he pounced on Itachi. Both of them were knocked off of the strawberry blonde's lap and tumbled to the floor.
"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Itachi spat in Hidan's grinning face. The dark and light gray kitten swatted the red-eyed kitten's ears in response with his claws unsheathed. Blood trickled out of the wound and spilled onto Itachi's eye blocking his vision. He stared in horror at his sight and launched himself at Hidan with a yowl. The two kittens hissed and spat with blood splattering the carpet.
"You two are ruining the rug! What am I going to tell Nekki?" Yumi complained. She put her hand on forehead and sighed. "How come I can handle a grumpy boss who makes me work overtime and treats me like a slave and not be able to handle a few kittens?"
"Let me go! Let me go!" Itachi screeched as he pried himself from Hidan's teeth and claws. The knot of fur separated and left the two cats panting and dripping with blood. Hidan had a look of ecstasy on his face, his magenta eyes wide in delight. He had wounds on his ear and flank while Itachi had wounds on his ears, belly, flank, and thighs. The former immortal began to laugh maniacally at the pain in his wounds.
"Oh s***, I have to call Nekki," Yumi gasped as she reached into her purse. Just as she was about to dial the Asian American's number, her phone began ringing.
"Hello? Alright, I'll be there. Give me a few minutes. I'm at my boyfriend's house babysitting his kittens. No, why would I dump him? Well, that is true that he is spacey and a fool. I'm dating him because he treats me like a person, not a robot! I'm not desperate, he's a good person to me. Stop judging my boyfriend! Yeah, I'm backtalking you, get over it!" Yumi yelled into her phone. She clicked on the end call button on her phone with a huff. The strawberry blond then remembered to call Nekki. She dialed his number and listened to the ringing. He picked up in two rings.
"Nya hello?" the Asian American said in a cheery voice.
"Nekki, how do you heal a cat that has deep scratches?" Yumi asked frantically.
"Why? Did you scratch them with your perfectly manicured nails?" Nekki joked.
"I'm serious! Two of the kittens were fighting and now both of them have really deep wounds. Not only that, they got blood on the carpet!"
"Not the first time someone or something got blood on my rug!"
"W-what? Are you talking about me?'
"What? What gave you that idea? I got blood on the rug when I cut my head after falling down the stairs from tripping on those guys!"
"Enough idle chit-chat! How do I heal them?"
"Oh it's easy. First you wash their wounds, then you put a cream labeled 'nekosporin' onto the scratches, and then you wrap them in a bandage. The bandages can be found in the closet above the toilet. Make sure you only use enough of the cream that it covers the wound and that it doesn't have an excess amount," Nekki instructed.
"Okay, thanks kitty," Yumi said.
"You decided to give me a pet name? Cute!" Nekki mused.
"Good bye," Yuki sighed.
"Buh-bye, commander!" Nekki said sweetly, and then hung up. Yumi turned to face the kittens that were looking at her, goggle-eyed.
"Okay, I'm going to treat your wounds and oh my God I'm talking to cats," Yumi said in disbelief. She carefully picked up Akame and Obake and brought them to the bathroom.
"Ugh, my hands are covered in blood!" the strawberry blond said in disgust. She placed the now crimson kittens into the sink and turned on the faucet. Both kittens began to mewl in protest and crawled back into her hands.
"Stop that! You're getting a bath whether you like it or not!" Yumi said scowling. The strawberry blond turned the faucet and washed the bloody kittens despite their cries and adorable kitten faces. She washed them in cold water because it is better for getting blood out of things due to her several experiences. When the red had been washed out of Akame and Obake's fur, Yumi got a towel from a rack and dried them off. Fresh blood smeared the white towel and the strawberry blond snorted in disgust.
"Do you know where the medicine cabinet is, cats?" Yumi asked. Pein and Konan turned and faced the shelves of cat medical treatments diagonal from the sink.
"Thanks…" she trailed. Yumi walked over to the cabinet and plucked the 'nekosporin' and the bandages from above the toilet.
Why does he keep the cream on a different shelf from the band-aids? The strawberry blond thought to herself and rolled her eyes. She roughly grabbed the bleeding kittens and carefully dabbed the cream onto the scratch and bite wounds and neatly wrapped them with the beige bandage.
"There, all fixed up!" Yumi said in triumph. Itachi and Hidan stared at her with sarcastic expressions. Their fur was sticking up at strange angles like fluffy pine trees and the wrapping made them look like mummies in places.
"What? Don't look at me, you little nuisances! I'm surprised Nekki hasn't gone bankrupt from you cats!" she ranted. The strawberry blond continued to say how Nekki really is amazing for surviving this long, etc.
"Why did you guys do that? I think she liked me and now Hidan here ruined that!" Itachi hissed, whirling to face the purple-eyed kitten.
"Well had to do something to break your lovey-dovey s***!" Hidan retorted. He flicked his tail in red-eyed kitten's face, which resulted in an annoyed hiss.
"Enough you two. Hidan was right about ending your bond with Yumi. We made a plan that we should stick together until we figure out how to get back to our world. Do you understand, Uchiha?" Pein instructed. Itachi flinched at his last name.
"Yes, I understand Pein-sama," the red-eyed kitten mewed meekly, bowing his head.
"I'm home guys! I bought you a gift Yumi, darling!" Nekki shouted as he entered the house.