Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

A/N: I found quite an awesome potential pairing between Yugito and Killer Bee. Yay, minor OTP!

Five things about a cat and a bee they never told anyone else...

The Cat and the Bee

Two Taunts

That woman always called herself 'second best'. It had always annoyed him because of how it could be mistranslated.

"Second best to what, hey, Nii?" He'd ask whenever he heard she had used the phrase again. "To the Raikage, or to yours truly? You'd be getting all unruly, spouting shit like that."

"Don't waste my time with your pointless sessions, Killer Bee." That woman and her eyes – she was in a class of her own. Despite the claim perhaps meaning second best to him, she still looked down her nose at him. She really was one of the few that could leave him speechless for a moment. And always… always she would do the same thing, just as he did when she used that phrase. She'd turn away a little with the tiniest of smirks on her face. "What's wrong, Killer Bee? Cat got your tongue?"

"Tch, stop cutting my rhymes off, bitch, can't you see I'm in fine form?" He paused, taking out the little notebook he was so fond of. Muttering to himself, he jotted down words. "I'm in fine form… I'm an electrical storm, a meteor swarm. Make sure you conform before I go and perform. Ladies and gentlemen, Killer Bee's on the stage. Shit yeah."

Yugito would merely shake her head with that same smile at the edges of her mouth.

Keeping the Peace

It was rare that they liked to talk seriously. But being who they were, they couldn't help but feel a connection of some sort. Every now and then, without saying a word, they would meet atop the cliffs where the wind would send ripples out across the lakes below and the reflected clouds would distort with every gust.

They didn't exactly talk, it was something without words. They would merely sit at the edge of the cliff with eyes closed. Sometimes, they weren't even sure it was them that were doing the talking. Taming the beasts within them, sometimes letting them have a little freedom to talk to one another seemed a better idea than bottling them away with all their rage and lust for destruction.

The two Jinchuuriki didn't need to say anything to each other. It was probably even better that nothing was said at all. Despite their appearances, with their harsh words, cold looks, and high expectations, there was that one thing within them that was weary of all that. It was comforting to just sit there without saying anything knowing that there was no such thing as judging and expectations. Not in that moment at least. This moment was just to feel liberated.

"Killer Bee's feelin' free."

"And so is Yugito Nii."

"Bitch, that didn't fit the beat right."

"Oh shut up and enjoy the moment."

Respect

Wide-eyed, when Yugito first met the older boy she instantly admired him. Today was their first training session together.

"I demand respect from all my students," he huffed. "So you'll call me Jinchuuriki-sama, got it?"

Yugito pouted at him. "But I'm your only student! And if you're Jinchuuriki-sama, what does that make me? I'm one too you know!"

Killer Bee flicked her on the nose. "I'm angry like a bee, so if you're gonna talk back you're gonna get stung." He ignored the scornful look on her face and folded his arms. "And 'cause of that, you'll get called Chibi-chuuriki."

She stomped on his foot. Perhaps admiration was too strong a word.

For Curiosity's Sake

They'd spent a night together, for curiosity's sake. There was nothing fantastic about it, or terribly wrong. It was just… well, that was that. In the morning he'd woken up to find the cat had slinked away in the night. She was never one to stick around, it seemed.

Funny, because it was her house as well – Killer Bee dressed and stood on the balcony overlooking the village. For once, his mind wasn't buzzing with new rhymes and rhythms. True to what he knew, that woman left him speechless.

They never talked about that night again. It was probably better that way.

Never got to say...

In that white space of death, Yugito felt the life drain from her. She had failed – all those years of training only to end up here. She could almost hear Killer Bee's words ringing in her head about what a bitch she was to get herself into a situation like this.

The Nibi was screaming as it tried to cling to her. In the years after she'd tamed the beast, she often heard it purring in her dreams – a stark difference to the unstable times before where it would scratch at the edge of his mind leaving her dreams as frayed ribbons. But now was more than she could bear. She had somehow become fond of this beast. And in this time, drifting into the eternal sleep, this parting was far from a sweet sorrow. It was terrible and tragic and a bitter nightmare.

Before they parted, she held the creature's head in her hands. Its stark-white eyes were pitiful.

"I'm sorry I couldn't let you see Hachibi one last time," she whispered softly to it.

"Or say goodbye to that man," it replied with a voice much softer.

Slowly, it turned to ash in her palms. Yugito knew her time had come too. But she couldn't help but wonder about how her death would affect him. He'd probably put up that strong façade like always, saving the grief until he was alone when he would destroy everything around him. It wasn't one of his best traits, but she still forgave him for it. They were only human after all.

"Let him live," she muttered to the white space of death. "Please let him live."