Warning!!! Slight OOC!

Neji’s Kitten
Chapter 1

It was officially the last day of missions and training for the summer. Team Gai was no exception to the excitement of Summer Break. Gai had scheduled for his team to get together that afternoon and he would treat them all to Ramen and ice cream, and then all the gennins, chunnins, and even the jounins were going swimming at the pool in town.

It was a good day. Team Gai met up with Team 7 at the ramen shop and they proceeded to head to the pool together, where the subordinates played four games of chicken and then a game of Marco Polo. Meanwhile most of the jounins watched from the side, with the exception of Gai, who insisted on joining in on a game of chicken.

The sun was going down by the time everyone was out of the pool. As Neji was about to leave he heard someone call to him. “Wait, Neji!” he turned around and saw Tenten running towards him. As she reached him he realized that he hadn’t seen her a lot in the pool. Had she ran off?

She looked tired as she stopped and panted for a moment before saying, “I…I want to give you something.”

Neji raised a brow. What could Tenten possibly want to give him? At that point he notice that she was cupping something in her hands. “What is it, Tenten?” he asked, not having the slightest idea and not really caring enough to use his byakugan.

She smiled and stood up taller. She held out her cupped hands in his face and his curiosity got the best of him. His eyes got wide as she slowly opened her hands to reveal a little ball of fur. Neji blinked, and he was about to ask what it was when suddenly a little furry head popped out. “A cat?” he said, looking up at Tenten with a surprised look.

Tenten nodded, looking a little embarrassed. “Ya, you see a neighbor of mine had a cat who had some kittens a few weeks ago and they’re trying to get rid of the litter. She’s the last one.”

Neji looked down at the kitten again. It was a white kitten with big light ginger splotches and big green eyes, and she fit perfectly right in the center of Tenten’s hand. As he examined it, it gazed back with those big green eyes, causing them to twinkle in the setting sunlight. Then it slowly stood up on Tenten’s palm, wobbling for a second, and carefully stepped onto his shoulder. As soon as it was steady it raised onto hind paws, put one paw on Neji’s cheek, and proceeded to paw at the belt strap hanging from his headband. He couldn’t help but smile.

Tenten laughed. “She likes you, Neji,” she said cheerfully. “Would you please take her home?”

The smile faded slowly from his face as he thought for a moment. Could he take care of a cat? He didn’t have any place to keep it. He didn’t have anything to feed it. He took the cat by the scruff and held it out in front of him. Its legs curled close to its body and its tail curled between its legs. It let out a soft purr and blinked at him. He had to admit, it was kind of cute.

He closed his eyes and made the slightest nod physically possible. Tenten picked up on it and let out a gasp of delight. “Thank you, Neji!” she said excitedly as Neji opened his eyes again. He held the cat up to his chest, still holding onto its scruff, and supported it with his other hand. Tenten laughed. “You know, if you weren’t gonna take her I was gonna give her to Lee. Think of what would happen then!”

Neji shuddered. A vision of a cat in green spandex standing next to Lee and Gai with twinkling smiles came to mind. He felt as if he had saved this cat’s life.

“I also have some stuff for her, too,” Tenten said, bringing Neji back to reality. He watched as his bun-haired teammate took a small backpack off her back and went through it. “I have some food, a litter box, and some fresh litter.” After she said this she zipped up the bag and handed it to him.

He let go of the kitten’s scruff and took the bag, slung it over his shoulder, and put his hand on the kitten’s back. With that he thanked Tenten shyly and headed home.

Suddenly it hit him.

How the heck am I going to explain a kitten to Hiashi?