"No. Take it back."

The look on Kaizuka's face would have almost been comical under different circumstances. It was a strange combination of befuddlement and reproach, all while maintaining his characteristic nonchalance. Not that Slaine enjoyed anything about Kaizuka, but he wished the circumstances were more optimal to appreciate it.

As it were, he found his current predicament very difficult. For one thing, Eddelrittuo was fiddling with the medical equipment next to him, and he had to work hard not to look at her. As if this whole thing wasn't hard enough, he could practically feel her disapproval, and he was suddenly reminded of how horribly he hated disappointing people. In his interactions with Kaizuka and everyone that now inhabited his poor, pathetic excuse of a life now, he had easily been able to categorize them as enemies (they were) and he had little remorse in their disappointment. In fact, he endeavored to have no emotional attachment to them at all, and he'd been rather successful, with the exception of Kaizuka himself, and the woman of course. Now, he felt the sting of Eddelrittuo's disappointment, and it hurt terribly. It was a sense of hurt he hadn't had in a long time. There was a difference in being ashamed of himself for what he'd done. It was an entirely different matter to have someone who genuinely cared about him concerned and disappointed. He thought, hypothetically, that if the Princess had just looked at him the way he knew Eddelrittuo was right that moment, and there had never been a gun between them, he never would have been able to deny her. He supposed it had been luck, or bad luck, or perhaps something as nefarious as fate.

He also was pointedly not looking at the adorable little creature in Kaizuka's hands. He'd gotten a good look at it as Kaizuka had hobbled into the room. It's big, inquisitive green eyes had peered out at him from the little carrying case. He'd instantly remembered a menagerie of strays in his life that he had befriended, adored, and had to abandon. He had to work to only look at Kaizuka, and to look directly at him for that matter, because if he didn't, he knew his eyes would be on the kitten. He'd caught himself already, and he couldn't afford a repeat. Focusing on Kaizuka, and his infuriating face, was much easier.

"Her." Kaizuka finally said after a long pause. "Not it, her. The kitten is female."

It would be like Kaizuka to argue semantics. "Take it back."

Eddelrittuo finished what she was doing at his side, and moved away from him. She walked slowly towards the door, pausing next to Kaizuka as she did. Her eyes lingered on the small bundle of fur, which mewled up at her. He implored her to say nothing, to do nothing, as a good servant should. She gave him one sad, disappointed look, and quietly left the room. It was enough to make his nausea worse, but he swallowed down the feeling, and did his best to ignore it.

Kaizuka was looking at him in that stubborn way, that guaranteed that he was not going to be outdone. "I'm allergic."

"You are not." The statement was as level as most everything Kaizuka said, but there was an edge to it. "I procured your complete medical records earlier this week. You are not allergic."

He didn't have a complete medical record. It didn't exist, and thus, Kaizuka shouldn't have it. I was a bluff, a strangely specific bluff, but a bluff none the less. As if reading his suspicion, Kaizuka elaborated, as he often did. "I first sought to find your records through Vers records. They perform conclusive medical examinations on all Terrans going into Vers, and likewise on military personal that have been on Earth."

He knew that. It had to deal with prejudice and paranoia on Vers of the multitude of Terran diseases that had not yet reared their ugly heads on Vers. Despite that, Kaizuka's statement was not enough to convince him. Vers might have performed an initial exam on him, but as long as they hadn't found anything, they wouldn't have kept that report. Such thing would have been long lost.

As if knowing his skepticism Kaizuka gently reached over, and placed the kitten in his lap. Oh good god it was warm, and he had to fight not to look down at it, as its big eyes looked up at him. He fisted his hands in the sheets at his sides.

"Unfortunately, those records seem to have disappeared. Vers kept all of your father's belongings and research, in hope that something would be useful towards furthering his studies, but no such record was found there either." Kaizuka looked at him, and cocked his head to the side. No surprise there. His father hadn't dealt much with either of their health.

"We were at an impasse at that point." Slaine noted the 'we' and narrowed his eyes. The cat in his lap was rolling around, trying to find the most comfortable position, and it kept looking at him. "Aide came from an unlikely source. The Emperor himself suggested a solution I would not have anticipated. And from the look on your face, neither did you."

Slaine would have glared, but thought it better to keep his irritation to himself. He attempted to keep his face blank, but it obviously wasn't working. Kaizuka had that self assured look on his face that Slaine absolutely hated. Had he lost his ability to hide his emotions, or was Kaizuka just able to read him better now? Either option was not a good scenario.

"On his suggestion, we checked with clan Saazbaum. To my amazement, it seems like your late, adopted father, had very detailed medical records for you. Suspiciously detailed, actually. We now have surprisingly comprehensive medical records for you." Saazbaum. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Because it was painful. The thought was disgustingly painful. He looked away from Kaizuka, but his eyes went straight down to the kitten, with its tail flicking, and its wide green eyes peering up at him. He had to look away from that too, so he settled on the blue roses. They were safe. Or at least, much safer than most of the things in this damned room.

Kaizuka had obviously expected him to say something, because the silence stretched between them for a much longer time than usual. But Slaine had no intention of filling that silence with sound, even if in its absence, the kitten in his lap was making the most adorable noises. Finally, Kaizuka did speak, and he was almost happy for the sound. "Thus, I can say with confidence, that you are not allergic to cats. Should you have any valid objections or concerns, I will hear them now."

There wasn't much he could say. He already liked the little thing squirming in his lap. He'd always wanted a pet, but he'd always wanted a pet sort of like he'd always wanted to be normal. The world didn't work that way. There was also the fact that the whole situation was entirely wrong. Attachment wasn't what he needed. He'd wanted it for most of his life, but that part was over now. He knew what it meant to get attached to things; it brought fulfillment and pain. One outcome so worth the other, that it hurt to deny it. But deny it he did.

As different as a kitten was from the cello, it would amount to the same thing. They would use it against him. If he didn't eat properly, they'd take it away, or worse, they'd hurt it. There would be nothing he could do, but comply. By taking it, (He knew better than to think his opinion mattered. Kaizuka wasn't going to take no as an answer.) he was giving away that choice. He'd never deny them anything now out of fear. But of course he couldn't tell Kaizuka that, and he couldn't tell Kaizuka no, either. Kaizuka had gone and picked a commitment for him, and one that could live for 20 years. There was no way this wasn't a planned, deliberate attempt to make him commit to something, when he'd refused all other ventures. There really were no questions, or objections to be made. Kaizuka wouldn't accept any of them, even if he had valid ones. He really only had one card to play.

"What would you do if I killed it?" Saying it made the nausea worse. It was an empty statement, he would never do anything of the sort, but Kaizuka didn't know that. He'd tried to murder Kaizuka. He'd used the Princess against her will. He'd murdered countless people on the battle field. Kaizuka doubtlessly knew all of these things, and perhaps more. He was a deplorable person; there was no argument - and no jury - that needed to be swayed. How could Kaizuka responsibly just hand him something innocent and trusting under such pretenses? It implied that Kaizuka either knew he would never hurt the thing, or that Kaizuka didn't care about the animal either. Slaine didn't want to seriously consider either option.

"I would have to reconsider how you're being handled." Kaizuka made no attempt to clarify his words, and Slaine figured he didn't need to. It was clear enough.

With a shallow exhale of breath, Slaine looked down at the small, adorable creature in his lap. Once it had realized it was being ignored, it had curled up into a ball, closed its eyes, and nestled itself into his lap. He slowly reached down, and pet it. It was so small, had he ever felt a cat this small before? He couldn't remember. Maybe he was just bigger now. He hadn't seen a pet since his time on Earth with his father. It had been so long ago. Its big green eyes opened, and looked up at him, before closing them, and starting to purr. He remembered reading in a book once that cats purred so that their mothers could find them. Now that he thought of it, he'd never heard any of the strays he'd met in his life purr. What a horrible thing Kaizuka was doing to both of them. The sweet thing in his lap had no idea that she was just another tool to manipulate him. She had no idea what was happening. She'd just been taken from her real mother, and wanted a replacement. Life wasn't fair.

"Her name?"

Kaizuka blinked at him inquisitively. "Excuse me?" It was only as Kaizuka inquired, that Slaine realized he'd only whispered the question. He shook his head, and looked up at Kaizuka more boldly than before.

"What is her name?"

Kaizuka tilted his head ever so slightly for a second, before speaking. "It is common practice that the person who owns the pet is the one that names it."

Slaine looked down at the kitten again. "I see." Well, he thought, he'd have to come up with something appropriate.