Title: Points of Connection

Author: Galanthus

Translation: 7toublesome

Beta-reader for Russian version: Никарина

Paring: Sasuke U./Naruto U.

Genre: Romans/fantasy

Status: finished

Permission for translation and posting: officially given by the Author (Many thanks, dear Galanthus!)

Disclaimer: Kishimoto

Warning: AU, OOC, Sasuke-neko

Autor's note: It was written for myself. The Author is not a philologist.

1) Before reading it is recommended to consult the warnings and the heading.

2) There is only the name and appearance of neko.

Interpreter's note: un beta'd

Chapter 4

Next morning Naruto could not bear it any longer and dragged Baby to clothes shopping. He was never attracted to guys and the neko was not such a great temptation, it was just… to see the men genitalia constantly in plain view was annoying. Baby was choosing clothes very thoroughly, thoughtfully even. He liked silk. The neko was mesmerized by the fabric and couldn't help to admire it. It turned out later that kimonos were also to the neko's liking. Baby decided to choose restrained colours, liked blue and white colour, and it took him long enough to decide which colour to choose, but finally he took black kimono with red ornamental pattern at the hem. He liked new clothes so much that he decided to put it on immediately, not a tiny bit confused about all the present customers or sales persons. Before Naruto even knew it Baby stood totally naked in the middle of the shop considering which of the kimonos to wear. The girls present were embarrassed and tried to look away, but secretly stole some glances at him admiring the incredibly beautiful creature. Naruto stood there a bit confused and lost but there was nothing he could do. Finally Baby made his choice and put on the blue kimono with big white flowers. He was so impressed by silk that after feeling it on his skin, that he made a long contented sigh. The kimono was becoming Baby immensely, and even Naruto was ready to admit the fact. On the way home they also dropped at a small footwear shop. It turned out the nekoes knew and wore footwear. Baby chose light leather sandals with open front. So Baby decided to change snickers to sandals immediately, he put them on and now looked almost happy.

While making their way back home they stopped at the food market. Baby was already feeling at home there and picked the necessary foodstuffs by himself. Shrimps that just arrived caused the neko's immediate interest. His belly grumbled loudly. It was necessary to hurry home in order to feed him, but Naruto dropped at another small shop and bought some dessert. Baby looked with unhidden interest observing white ball of ice cream in a cup he clutched in his hands and couldn't resolve himself to make a bite. Naruto smiled reassuring way and made a confession:

- "This is the best invention of the mankind, it is ice cream. Eat, it is very tasty. I am not going to buy that you don't like it".

Baby brought himself to taste the white substance, had bitten a tiny bite and carefully explored the new taste. Tasting and liking the offered treat, Baby smiled and made a grateful meow. Naruto took a note that the neko was making a meowing sounds very seldom resorting to them only when he decided to express his strongest emotions. Naruto smiled in understanding and lightly caressed Baby's hand.

- "Told you, it's tasty. It is vanilla ice cream, my favourite kind, but we will definitely try the other kinds too".

Once again he was assigned the task of cleaning, and this time he was not trying to offer the neko to share their chores any more but he chose to grumble a little in annoyance.

- "So, you are sitting here, licking your mouth as if nothing were wrong and pretending not to understand a thing. Some cheater you are".

Quite naturally, the neko chose to ignore such bullying.

They decided to put aside the toy named "TV" for the present evening. Naruto pulled out encyclopedia on animals with colourful pictures and at the moment they were busy examining it very attentively. Why he had chosen to breach the topic of animals, Naruto couldn't get it himself. However, he vaguely had a desire to see the neko's reaction to feline. Nothing happened though. Baby had paid not so much of his attention to felines, he was much more interested in primates. The point of his interest had reached such intensity that he started to shift his gaze from the picture of chimpanzee to Naruto and back evidently looking for similarities. That was funny indeed. Naruto compared the neko with feline and the neko compared him with apes. One could only conclude that their mental schemes coincided. Naruto thought to be useless to prove to the neko that he was not an ape, on the contrary he retold him the idea of Charles Darvin's theory of evolution. Naruto was so carried away with the topic, he even pulled out specialized literature. Maybe Baby didn't understand him fully but to Naruto it seemed he got the idea at most.

Not long before supper the phone rang.

- "Hi, the Child".

That was his mom. Only she was calling him so because she was the mom.

- "Hi, mom".

- "Still babysitting?"

- "Yep."

- "We with your father thought a bit and decided to invite you both to dinner. Let's show the neko some human family. He started his meeting with our world in a wrong way so he needs to be shown the more good things the better".

- "And we have some good family?"

- "It is ideal even. Say otherwise and I'm gonna tug your ears."

- "Yeah, yeah, you are the ideal mother of ideal family! I agree, we will go, but don't invite all our relatives, especially distant. I understand, of course, that he is a wonder, and everybody is anxious to see him, but you all have to remember: he is a living being, capable of thinking and feeling."

There was a merry laughter at the other end of the line.

- "All right, all right, close family only," – his mother promised. – "You are such a clever boy of mine! Hell year, I did such a good work raising you, and raised you such a good boy, I really need to be praised to the skies!"

Naruto was now laughing himself but suddenly an idea occurred to him.

- "Look, mom, but what if he gets upset?" – he asked thoughtfully. – "He understands everything and what if we may remind him of his own family? I am trying to do my best in order to keep him feel good, but we are so different still and our world is not his own home one."

- "He may get upset of course" – the woman answered seriously. – "But I think that his curiosity will win in the end. He has been here for not long and he must be curious."

- "Well, probably you are right. And how's Shikamaru doing?"

- "The same. They were working day and night but with no apparent result."

- "It's all right. We will find a way to return Baby home, we will think of something."

- "Yes, we will for sure. So, we are waiting for the both of you for dinner tomorrow."

- "Bye, till tomorrow then."

All the time while the phone talk lasted Baby was watching Naruto with tense gaze as if he knew himself being the main topic of the conversation.

- "We have been invited to our family dinner by my parents."

Naruto saw no reasons not to tell the neko about it, quite on the contrary, he took out a family album, sat beside Baby and showed him his family photo.

- "There is my father, this is my mother, this is my younger brother Akeno, he is nineteen, this is my younger sister Sashi, she is fourteen, and this is me."

Baby watched the photo for a long time and it seemed to Naruto that his eyes got a hint of sadness and hidden depression. The human quickly hugged Baby, stroking him as a sign of support and consolation.

- "We do return you home, believe me."

Baby gratefully licked his cheek.

The supper made him a bit lively. He liked shrimps so much that he even smiled.

- "I get cheerful because of good food too," – Naruto supplied. – "We are not so much different after all".

And he immediately remembered his recent lecture on the theory of evolution and suddenly he laughed.

- "But you are a cat and I am an ape".

His own joke caused him to laugh eve more. Baby watched him, totally mesmerized.

- "You don't understand, what is it with me? This is laughter. When we are cheery, we laugh. Do you know how to laugh? It doesn't matter, probably I can't do a lot of things you can".

The neko decided to wear black kimono to the dinner at his parents'. Immediately after breakfast he asked with gestures for Naruto to give him a nail file as he obviously wanted to get his nails in order thus destroying one more legend about furniture and wallpaper, all tore up. He seemed to have a presentiment or something because he was a bit nervous while trying his best not to show it.

The way to his parents' took approximately half an hour. The landscape behind the window distracted the neko for long. Sashi opened a door for them and with merry yell launched herself at Naruto, hugging his neck. Such wild greeting scared Baby to some extent and Naruto had to pat his hand soothingly. The mom was right: the neko's curiosity got the better of him. The neko watched everything with unhidden interest. Naruto repeated the introduction of all his family members just as he did the previous time with the family photo. Their family was not at all ideal, but they all loved each other dearly, their love was important above all else. Using his elder son's information, Naruto's mother cooked some dishes for the neko which he appeared to like. Baby held himself confident and independent and even if he was nervous at the beginning of the dinner, he slowly relaxed by the end of it.

Everything was great till the very moment when their pet, the cat called Dandelion, proudly entered the dining room. Dandelion was already ten years old, he was very lazy and preferred to lie or sleep. The appearance of the pet shocked Baby to bits. He was watching it with wide opened eyes and couldn't believe that was possible. When Sashi took the cat into her arms, Dandelion, who was known for his quarrelsome behaviour, had bitten her hand and then licked the abused place. The cat was in a good mood so he showed all he got – purred, meowed and stretched. Black eyes of the neko narrowed dangerously. Naruto immediately got the impression the Baby was offended. So he wanted to pat gently his head, but Baby hissed in anger and dodged his hand. Unfortunately such reaction caused the attention of Dandelion as well and he also hissed. Baby abruptly stood and headed to the door. Naruto rushed after him. Finally humans understood what tactlessness they had committed. The dinner was hopelessly ruined.

Naruto was afraid that the neko would try to run away, but his fears turned out to be pointless as the neko waited for him near the car. The car ride was silent. Baby pointedly looked out of the window, the tip of his tail constantly twitching. After getting home he immediately went to the room, found animal encyclopaedia and pulled it out. He was turning the pages jerkily, not paying the slightest attention to the safety of the book, when he found the right page, the one with a picture of a cat, he tore it out. Carelessly putting the book in place, he turned to Naruto and looking him straight in the eye, eyes full of anger, hurt and fury, pointed his finger at the picture and tore it to tiniest bits. Naruto walked up to him calmly and hugged him to his chest, totally ignoring dangerous hissing. Baby hadn't bitten him as he probably was still under impression after meeting the pet, but all his body stiffened. He was not going to give in easily.

- "You are definitely NOT a pet, I know it, and you are definitely NOT a cat. You are you. But to humans you are the neko, and you are Baby to me. It is difficult for you, I know, but such situation is temporary and we are searching for your home dimension day and night. So take just a little bit of patience. And stop pouting. I wasn't pouting when you had compared me with an ape".

It was unclear whether Baby understood him or not, but soothing intonation in Naruto's voice took away the neko's tension. He broke away, looked in blue eyes, trying to find understanding and help there, then put his head on Naruto's shoulder and made a long sad sigh.

Naruto petted the long silk locks.

- "And please, conduct yourself as you did before, there's not need to be shy".

While lying in bed Naruto voiced his disturbing thoughts.

- "I really don't know what to do with you. Taking a bath together, sharing a bed… People mostly don't behave in such way. When you get home, probably you'll have a nice little pussy cat for such purposes. And you are going to live not caring a straw – it is just a wording, you know, - and I am going to miss you because I already got attached to your silly self. Well, I can get me a girl or a pet at worst, but they will be not you. Do you get me? Nope, you don't get me, and it's for the better, because I'm being selfish and thinking only about my own needs. It's just… I'm so relieved and calm around you and not because you are an unstudied specimen, but because you are as you are".

Baby gave him no answer, he only placed his head under his caressing fingers.

- end of chap 4-TBC-