This piece of fan fiction fluff is in response to Snavej's Fluff Week Challenge.

Day 1: Animals

- x X x -

I own nothing . . . don't believe me, ask my cats!

- x X x -

Naru glared at his open door. Mai was late . . . again. Lightning flashed outside. He could hear the rain beating the roof above him. If she hadn't been late, she wouldn't have been caught in this, Naru thought. He got up and walked to the front door again. Still, his assistant was not in sight. Glancing at the clock, he noted she was now 45 minutes late. He briefly thought of making his own tea before returning to his office.

- x X x -

The front door opened. Naru glanced at the clock. Mai was over an hour late. What was worse was he couldn't concentrate on his work because he was worried. He got up and started walking into the front office. A single sneeze caught his attention.

"Mai, you're late," Naru said as he walked toward her. She was dripping on the carpet, her coat clutched to her chest. "Why do you bother with a coat if you're not going to wear it?" Mai looked down at her coat.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to save her. She was trapped." Mai looked up at Naru with tears in her eyes. He moved closer to see what "she" Mai was referring to. A small black kitten pushed her head out of the wet coat. She looked as wet as Mai. Naru sighed.

"Fine, but I need tea." He turned and walked back to his office. Mai smiled slightly. She was afraid Naru would tell her to get the kitten out of his office.

Smiling, she extracted the kitten and hung her dripping coat by the door. She hurried into the kitchen and started his tea. While the water was heating, she grabbed a towel and dried the kitten. She ignored the sting in her arms where the scared kitten had clawed her in fear. With the kitten dried, she put it gently on the floor. It took a few wobbly steps before sitting down. Mai could see it shaking. The teapot started whistling before she could comfort the kitten.

Mai made the tea, keeping an eye on the kitten as it started calming down. The kitten would be safest in the kitchen, Mai thought as she placed two teacups on the tray. She carefully avoided the bundle of fur that had started exploring the floor.

Knocking gently on Lin's door, she heard him invite her in.

"Mai-san, what happened?" Lin asked, taking in her still dripping clothing.

"I rescued a kitten. It was trapped, but it's okay now."

"Where is the kitten?"

"In the kitchen. I'd better get Naru his tea before he gets more upset." Mai bowed slightly and left Lin shaking his head.

Mai went to knock on Naru's door, but was already ajar.

"Don't just stand there, idiot," Naru's voice came from within the room. Mai placed his tea on his desk, hoping to escape quickly.

"I made a second cup for you since I was so late," Mai said.

"Here," Naru shoved dark material in her hands. She held it out. It was one of Naru's black shirts.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"You are dripping all over the office. Change into it and hang your clothes up to dry. You're already shivering." Mai nodded, realizing he was right. The wet clothing was pulling the heat from her body.

She hurried into the bathroom and removed her clothing. She looked at her underwear. They were as wet as everything else. SIghing, she took those off as well and towel dried her hair before putting on Naru's shirt. It was long enough to cover everything. The sleeves went well beyond her own hands. She giggled as she came out, only to run into Naru.

"Let me," he said as he reached down and slowly rolled up one sleeve to her elbow. Rolling the sleeves distracted him from the thought that she looked so small and vulnerable in his shirt. He didn't see her face turning red. Rolling up the sleeves showed the injuries on her arm. Grabbing it, he examined the scratches. "Where is the little monster?"

"She's in the kitchen." Naru rolled up the other sleeve.

"I'll get the first aid box. You get my other cup of tea." Naru said as he moved around her.

Mai nodded and hurried to the kitchen. Returning with a cup of tea in one hand and a kitten in the other, she saw Naru setting out what he needed to clean out her scratches. She put the cup down within reach and pushed the kitten in his face.

"Can you check her first?"

"I'm not a vet, Mai."

"Yes, but she's still shaking."

"She's in an unfamiliar place after a harrowing experience. I'm sure the shelter you take her to will check her out."

"But I saved her," Mai said. "I don't want to take her to a shelter."

"Do you have enough time and money to take care of her?"

"I'll manage." Mai said, her resolute face on. Naru smiled slightly. Of course Mai would take the kitten in.

"Let's fix your arms." Mai sat with the kitten in her lap. It curled into a small black ball.

"So what are you going to call her?" Naru asked, distracting Mai from the pain as he cleaned the scratches.

"Midnight, shadow, something like that. We'll have to see what she likes." Mai said.

As Naru finished cleaning her arms, a loud clap shook the building. The lights flickered and went out. Mai sat on the couch, not realizing she had pressed herself against Naru during the thunderclap. He wrapped an arm around her. The lights didn't come back on. The only sound was of Lin's laptop as he continued to work.

Mai enjoyed the feeling of Naru against her. They hadn't talked about her confession since he returned from England a few weeks ago. She thought he wanted to pretend it never happened, so she had avoided the subject. Now, with his arm around her, she felt like they needed to talk. This would be the best time. She played with kittens fur as the thoughts swirled around her head. Taking a deep breath, she decided to be direct.

"Naru, it's you."

"What's me?"

"You asked me a question before you left. You or Gene. It's you. I just wanted you to know." Mai felt Naru stiffen next to her for a moment. The silence became thicker the longer it lasted. His arm never left its place around her shoulders.

"Mai, I'm not the kind of person who does frivolous things."

"I'm not asking you to change who you are." Naru looked down at her, wishing he could see her face. He lifted his hand and touched her face gently, feeling her soft skin. He stroked his finger against her bottom lip, feeling it tremble slightly. He tipped her head up for their first kiss. The first quickly moved into their second.

Forgotten, the kitten slid to the floor.