Kuroko placed the hare that had been in his animal hospital the day before onto the ground. Its leg was fully healed and thus, it could go back into the wild. "Okay, rabbit-san," Kuroko spoke gently. "You be careful now, alright?"

When the hare's legs touched the ground, it scampered away. Kuroko watched as the hare disappeared into the bushes.

Suddenly, Kuroko felt fur brush against his ankles and a soft meow. He looked down to see Tama affectionately rubbing against his leg. "Tama?" He bent down to pick the cat up. "Are you here alone again?"

Tama meowed, her tail swishing back and forth.

"Do you perhaps want more fish?" teased Kuroko, cradling Tama with one hand and scratching the bottom of Tama's chin lightly with the other. "I'm sorry, but I don't want Akashi-kun scolding me if you get too fat."

Kuroko looked towards Aomine and Kise, who were playfully wrestling. They weren't allowed to roughhouse inside the cottage, so they were playing outside. The black panther had pinned Kise down onto his back and was licking the leopard all over his face. Kise was not putting up much of a fight. In fact, he was enjoying Aomine's ministrations, as it looked like Kise was laughing in delight.

"Aomine-kun, Kise-kun," said Kuroko, walking towards the big cat pile on the ground.

Both Aomine and Kise froze. Aomine looked over at Kuroko.

"You remember Tama, don't you?" Kuroko held up the kitten. "Can you play with her until Akashi-kun gets here to collect her?"

Aomine got off Kise, while Kise rolled over and got onto his feet.

Kuroko placed Tama in between Aomine and Kise. The feline immediately dove towards Aomine's swinging tail.

Kuroko watched in amusement as Aomine jumped up in surprise when Tama managed to latch on to his tail, and Kise took this opportunity to tackle Aomine to the ground. Well, cats were cats, no matter the size.

Kuroko entered his house to tidy up the animal hospital. It wasn't that the animals he kept there were messy, but he had to make sure that the beds were clean for the next animal to use. It wasn't a proper hospital where disinfectant and alcohol were readily available, but Kuroko kept it as sanitary as he could.

Not long after, there was a knock on Kuroko's front door.

When Kuroko opened the door to greet his visitor, he was met with Akashi's apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, Kuroko, but is Tama here?"

Kuroko chuckled. "Yes, she is. She's playing with Aomine-kun and Kise-kun."

"Huh?" the red-head looked alarmed. "Is it safe? I mean… they're such big creatures…"

"Oh, don't worry," Kuroko assured Akashi. "Despite their size, Aomine-kun and Kise-kun really are big softies. Except to their prey, perhaps…" he added as an afterthought. "But come and see." Kuroko led Akashi out of the cottage through the back.

The three cats were running about. Aomine and Tama were chasing Kise around in circles. No doubt, they looked like they were having a good time.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Kuroko told Akashi self-assuredly.

Akashi was laughing heartily. "You're right. They are getting along well, aren't they?"

"Indeed," replied Kuroko with a smile. After a brief pause, he asked Akashi, "You have time to spare? You're free, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"I want to take you to my favourite place in this forest. It's a clearing with the most beautiful flowers."

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad… THIS IS REALLY REALLY BAD! Kuroko was curled up in his bed, buried underneath his blanket. For the past three weeks, Tama had appeared at his house every day without fail. And Akashi would come to bring her home. As Kuroko came into contact with Akashi, he found himself learning a lot about the red-haired author. Likewise, he found himself opening up to Akashi about himself. Kuroko was beginning to understand that he liked Akashi very much, even to the point that he might say that he had developed some sort of affectionate feelings for Akashi.

That wasn't how it was supposed to turn out! Kuroko lived in the woods to avoid human beings so that he wouldn't become attached to them. Besides, he promised himself that he wouldn't give his heart to anyone ever again. But it looked as though what Kuroko didn't want to happen was indeed happening.

Akashi was a kind man, judging from the way he treated the animals in Kuroko's animal hospital – he was always so gentle with them and gave them respect. When he found out that Kuroko was keeping animals in his home to recuperate, he had offered to help out any way he could. Even with Aomine and Kise, Akashi was always very pleasant towards them and greeted them warmly whenever they approached him. After all, Kuroko truly believed that the true character and the heart of a man could be judged by his treatment of his fellow animals.

Akashi also had a nice personality and was charming. He was an entertaining person to talk to, and never ran out of things to talk about. Speaking of which, from their conversations, Akashi seemed to be very knowledgeable, and Kuroko thought that he must be very smart.

Kuroko threw the blanket off his body. He sighed. It was no use brooding about his feelings for the red-head author. He just hoped that he could pull off a straight face without blushing too much and giving away what he felt while talking to Akashi later.