Thank you guys so much for the support! I'm gonna cut my rambles short! Please enjoy! This chapter is gonna be a fluffy one!

Xxx Disclaimer: Naruto nor Ao no Exorcist belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto and Kazue Katō xxX

Eighth Drabble: Neko (Inspired by the fact that Hinata and Konekomaru seem like real animal lovers.) Rated K

Btw, sorry in advance if I don't get the full backstories right. It's been a while since I've brushed up on Konekomaru's past.

Summary: Konekomaru owes his future to this beautiful fluffy creature.

Being at the temple as a young boy surrounded by monks and priest in training was a bit overwhelming at times. Especially if you were the son of one of the heads of the temple at that. There was hardly any time to ever act like a kid with children your age since most if not all of them had strict schedules and parents. He was lucky that his father and three of the other priest were kind enough so that he could be friends with Bon and Renzo. They actually made temple life kind of fun.

This isn't to say that he wasn't proud of his family or that he rejected the beliefs and ways of the temple. In fact, when he grows up, he wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a great exorcist as well. But for now, he wants to be a child. He wants to be a kid. He wants to enjoy his youth before he realizes the harsh realities of life.

"Koneko-chan! Don't stay out too late okay? Bon and Renzo aren't going to be around much longer since they need to train so I don't want you to be out there alone."

"Yes, mama!"

Small, energetic, and full of pep, a 5-year-old Koneko puts on his sandals and rushes off to meet his friends in the forest surrounding his home. As mentioned by his mother, his friends won't be able to hang out for long since Bon is going to be watching his father's prayer, and Renzo is going to be dealing with Shima family affairs. But even if their play time couldn't be extended, at least they'd have a few minutes together.

As he makes his way over to their usual play spot, he spots something furry and brown from the corner of his eye. He comes to a tumbling halt, falling onto his knees when he accidentally trips over a branch while doing so.

"Ow~." The boy whines as he rubs his aching knee. He does his best to ignore the pain when he remembers the reason he stopped in the first place.

When the bald boy turns around to see what caught his attention, he yelps in surprise when the furry creature has its soft face sniffing his with curiosity. He jumps back at first, startling the poor thing, now making it wary of him.

Koneko instantly forgets about his scratched knee as he puts his chubby palm out towards the animal.

"It's a cat!" He cheers, a redness coming to his cheeks as he grins.

Because of his previous outburst, the cat is still cautious of him, so he begins to call out to it.

"It's okay. You don't need to be afraid. I'm sorry about before. You scared me is all." It takes a few before the cat begins to warm up to him again and starts rubbing his furry head into his hand. This makes the small boy extremely giddy.

"Aww~ you are so cute! Do you belong to someone or are you a stray?" Koneko obviously doesn't expect the animal to respond to him, but asking made him feel better still. "I wonder if mama and papa would let me keep you?"

A minute or two goes by as the youngster lets his thoughts run wild as he continues to shower the feline with affection and praises. It's then that he and the cat are startled by rumbling in the bushes, soon accompanied by the cries of another voice.

"Himawari-chan! Himawari-chan where are yo-oof!"

Out from behind the bushes drops another small child with dark blue hair cut short. Despite the boyish cut, the voice and the face of the child show to Konekomaru that he has come face to face with a girl that he has never met before, but whose family lineage is obvious due to her moonlike eyes.

Lifting herself up from the dirt, the small girl rubs the dirt and coming tears from her eyes as she sits back on her feet. When she blinks to adjust her sight, her eyes brighten when she finds the one she's been searching for.

"Himawari-chan!" She calls, and the cat's ears perk up and it meows back in response. That's when the girl's eyes land on the boy next to her beloved pet and she tilts her head to the side. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! Thank you for finding Himawari-chan and keeping her company."

Now it was Konekomaru's turn to blink as his cheeks turn pink when the girl smiles at him. "Y-You're welcome…"

He's caught off guard when the cat's apparent owner reaches her hand out towards him. "My name is Hinata Hyūga."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... eh…" When Koneko doesn't respond or make an effort to take her hand in greeting, the Hyūga's entire face lights ablaze as she nervously sweats and tears prick her eyes. "I'm sorry!"

At her sudden outburst, Konekomaru finally comes out of the daze this girl has managed to put him in with just her kind smile. Seeing her retract her hand, he realizes just how rude he had been when she was introducing herself to him like a proper lady.

He quickly begins to wave his hands frantically in apology as he too beings to shout awkwardly.

"No, no, no, no! Don't be sorry! I should be apologizing! I was being rude!" He stammers, shaking his head until he abruptly leaps from his spot to bow to her with his forehead to the ground. She gasps at the sudden display and her briefly ignored cat hops to her side with confusion at the boy's actions too. "My name is Konekomaru Miwa, heir to the Miwa family."

"Oh." Koneko peers up in time to see the surprise dance across her round face. He begins to sit up straight once again with a raised eyebrow which makes her blush. "Y-You're a member of that place called the cursed temple, right?"

"Huh?" His mouth is dropped, perplexed since he's never heard his home ever called that before.

"M-My father tells me not to go near there all of the time." She looks down sadly. "But that's where all of the other children my age are. Ones that might actually play with me…" She mutters the last part, but he managed to catch it.

Was this girl in the same boat as him when it came to wanting to be a kid?

"You said your name was Hyūga right?" Konekomaru has heard of this family name before. The clan with the moonlike eyes that have a history of seeing spirits and exorcizing them. It was something about their eyes which have been supposedly passed down from an ancient god that gives them an edge over the average exorcist and priest. That part was just a rumor, of course, but it would kind of explain why each and every member supposedly has the same exact eyes. He also heard that their temple wasn't too far from his own, so for her father to forbid her from coming to his was kind of strange.

"Y-Yes. My father is the head priest of the Hyūga clan. He is a… very proud man." The small girl brings her hand to her trembling lip, making the boy feel for her. He knows plenty of other fathers like that at his own temple. It can be difficult.

All of a sudden, a loud meow is heard followed by a line of fluff swatting the two across their faces. Both tut at the wad of fluff from the Himawari's tail as the feline struts between both children, releasing them from the serious tone they were putting themselves in unintentionally.

"So, this cat is yours, eh?" Koneko chimes, instantly petting the needy animal.

"Yes. She's usually an indoor cat, but she somehow runs off sometimes. Sometimes no one goes looking for her, so I do." Hinata smiles as she watches Himawari rub against the small boy. "She really likes you."

"She's very friendly. I wish I had my toy with me so that we can play with her."

Hinata giggles and rubs her pet's head when she comes over to her. "Maybe we can do this again some other time. You can bring your toy and I can bring Himawari-chan."

Konekomaru blushes at the suggestion, realizing that he may have just made more playdates with a girl. Seeing his red cheeks makes Hinata's own brighten as she too comes to understand what she has just done. However, neither have time to dwell on that fact when the sound of an older male voice calls out for the Hyūga girl.

"Hinata-sama! Hinata-sama!"

"Oh no…"

Hinata quickly stands and grabs onto her cat, Koneko following her lead. "Who is that?"

"That's my… bodyguard, Ko. Father must have sent him to look for me. If he finds me here, he will be upset." Hinata replies as she looks in the direction of the voice.

Before she can rush off, Koneko calls out to her, making her pause. "Will we still meet here to play like you said?"

Her cheeks flush as she spins around to look at him, Himawari calm in her arms. Her mouth is agape before she closes it with a kind smile.

"I hope so. Thank you again for playing with Himawari-chan. It was nice to meet you, Konekomaru-kun."

The small red-faced boy waves excitedly as Hinata rushes through the bushes to her guard. "B-Bye Hinata-chan! It was nice to meet you too!"

After she's long gone, he finally puts his hand down and makes his treck back home.

"How was your time with the boys, Koneko-chan?" His mother asks upon his arrival. "It was shorter than I thought it would be, but it appears that you must have had fun if that grin is anything to go by."

That day, he never told his mother or anyone about the girl from a prestigious temple that he met. He never told anyone about their continuous secret meetups, even after his family had perished on the Blue Night, leaving him the sole survivor and head of the Miwa family. He never said a word of who it was he was writing to when he moved to go to school at True Cross. Or when he and his friends came back to Kyoto for that mission that ended with them defeating the Impure King. He never led on to where he would sneak off during those free nights. Nope. He never said anything to anyone until all of the chaos was over and everything was finally semi-peaceful. It was then that he finally introduced everyone to his fiancée and their baby girl named after the one precious thing that brought them together. He was happy that no one was mad about it.

"Everyone, this is Hinata and our daughter Himawari."

So… This was not at all what I had planned for this title… BUT… I do like what I came up with on the spot better. Do I like how it all came out? Not my best, but it's better than the trash that was going to come out with the concept I had set for it before. Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed it. If so, please review, follow and/or fave! Thank you so much! Let me know who you would like to see next and as what! Until next time! Have a great day/night!