A/N: Why hello everyone! Welcome to the newly updated 'Saving Anna: An Akatsuki Cat Story'!

Just as explained on the old version of this story, I have decided after a good long while of sitting in doubt of where to go, to re-write some parts of the story. To more or less create it into what I originally wanted it to be. Don't get me wrong, I still love the old one with all my heart – it just wasn't what I had in mind when I started this story

Much of the first few chapters will remain the same – however I will be going in, editing parts here and there, as well as adding small sections to spruce things up for new readers. When new chapters with new content start coming out, I will be sure to underline it within the authors notes.

Anyways, enough with that! I have downgraded the rating of this story to 'T' for the time being and upgrade it once some of the adult bits start coming in (If the do.) With that said, if I do continue forward - This story will contain drug use, suggestive and dark themes, eventual romance and foul language. Though most of these themes will be maintained to some degree throughout the story, some will drop as this is a story about recovery, and learning to live and love again.

I give a warm thanks to those who have stuck around with me during my ups and downs of this story. This update is for you guys as well as myself, and I hope you will continue sticking with me until the end. Cheers everyone!

When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale

I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide

Imagine Dragons - Demons

First Person

"...-Honestly Anna, I'm telling you. Lucas is a total d-bag, I don't understand why you put up with him."

I gave a slight nod, my unfocused eyes turning to look towards the girl who was speaking. Suppressing the chills that threatened to shake my body, I clenched my fists ever so slightly and gave a light smile, attempting to pull any attention that was on my body away and onto my face. "He can be sometimes, I won't lie about that. Then again though, who isn't?" Though my voice was calm and collected, it held a slight firmness.

"I swear, one of these days I'll get through that thick skull of yours Annabelle. Just you wait." Jacklyn gave a sad smile, placing her hands on her knees as she lowered herself to down to the paved curb in front of our workplace. "There is a difference between being a douche sometimes, and being a douche all the time."

I pressed my lips, not responding right away as I started to toy with the pockets of my pants. Finding a large lump residing in my left pocket, I pulled out a large pack of cigarettes and opened its contents. pulling out one of the paper sticks, I rested it between my fingers. "I don't understand why you attempt to bring yourself into my love life Jackie. I love you like a sister, you know that, but you also need to understand this from my point of view. This is 'my' boyfriend we are talking about." I made sure to emphasize 'my'.

The blonde gave an audible sigh as she adjusted herself alongside the curb, her short wavy hair rustling with her movements. "I understand your views on this, but you also need to understand it from mine as well. I love you, and I can say that from my eyes, this guy treats you like trash." The displeased look on her face sent a nudge to my heart as I put the pack of cigarettes back into my pocket, attempting to avoid her eyes. "I have been in a similar relationship myself, and you know how that ended."

"Beaten and bloodied, yes I know." I let out a hard breath though my nose as I brought my hands to search my pockets again for a lighter, only to turn up empty with my quest. "Do you have a light by chance?"

Dipping her head, Jacklyn reached into her coat pocket pulling out a blue bic lighter and threw it in my direction, landing softly on my lap. "Thanks." I muttered, picking up the lighter. Bringing the cigarette to my mouth, I igniting the lighter with ease and pressed it to the end of my cigarette, lighting it. Inhaling sharply, I felt my body melt as the tobacco filled my lungs, helping to ease the chills that threatened to show in front of my friend.

"You know, I only carry around lighters for you." Jackie gave a small smile, playing with the toe of her right shoe. Pulling the cigarette away from my face, I arched a brow as I exhaled, a thick cloud of smoke departing from my lungs into the frosty air. "Don't give me that look ya silly goose, you know how I feel about smoking."

Dropping my raised brow, I nodded lightly. "I completely forgot about that." I took another drag from the cigarette, giving a light yawn as I attempted to warm myself. "You hate smoking."

"That I do." She gave a light grin, bringing her knees closer towards her body. "Cancer sticks. Honestly, I'm shocked you even picked up the habit, but then again your father was a heavy smoker."

Hearing of my father, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in my heart, but I refused to let it be shown. I grunted in response, throwing the lighter back in her direction. Catching it quickly, she dipped her head in thanks, placing the lighter back in her jacket. After a minute of silence I sighed, taking one last puff of my cigarette before throwing the bud on the ground, squishing it underneath my foot. "What a silly habit.." I mumbled, standing up.

"Don't think you are going to avoid this conversation miss." Jacklyn said, voice booming slightly. I couldn't help but wince at the sudden upturn in her volume, but I gave her a light shrug, turning to look at her fully. "...I'll drop this for now but really sweetie, if I ever catch Lucas hurting you more than he already has, let me just say." She gave a soft smile, tilting her head to give off a serious yet loving vibe. "His ass will be grass."

"You're cute Jacklyn." I mumbled, letting a smile creep onto my face. Bringing my hand up, I placed it on her short blonde locks, and I ruffled her hair ever so slightly, earning a puff of annoyance from said Jackie. "...Thank you."

"It's what un-biological sister's do baby cakes." Grabbing the door, Jacklyn threw it open as she made our way back into the work place with myself closely behind.

It was a simple job, one that didn't pay that well but allowed me to get experience in dealing with annoying customers all day, as well as being quick to deal with them . In the end, money is money. This was something I needed to do in order to partake in some of the activities I do at home. What was this job?

McDonalds.

Yes, one of the biggest fast food giants of the world. Crappy pay even with hours and hours of working. It isn't as bad as what everyone makes this job out to be though, in the end I do what I have to in order to get paid, even if it means serving customers who are buttheads and dealing with managers who are assholes.

When I am having one of my bad days at work such as this one, I can always rely on one of my closest friends who also works here. Her name is Jacklyn Marie Brookes. We go back many years, however the date of when our friendship established is unknown. We always were together, myself unable to think of a time that we weren't. Our parents were close friends to the point where they considered each other family.

Both of our mothers fell pregnant close together, thus why me and Jackie are only a couple of months apart, she being younger then me. The moment we met however, we became inseparable. I couldn't imagine my life without her.

She was an angel sent from heaven if I had to put something to her name. She wasn't the smartest, but she was bubbly and kind – the type of friend everyone wants and should have. She was that friend you came just to lean on, that friend you can come crying to if you needed to let off steam. Hell, you didn't even need to be her friend in order to do that. Jackie was something special. I on the other hand would often find myself doing the same for her, though I wasn't the type random strangers could come to. No, that was Jackie's specialty. I was never good with strangers.

The cherry on the cake though was the fact that Jacklyn is beautiful. Short yet skinny, her body radiated with love and support. Her skin was honey toned with the tan that she sported, and her hair was a beautiful golden blond that fell into beautiful short waves, resting just above her shoulders. Her forehead was covered by long side bangs that curled perfectly around her face, framing and enhancing her beautiful features such as her eyes and her tinted lips. Talking about her eyes, they were a beautiful pale grey, one that was warm and shimmered in the day time. The best way to describe them would be that they looked like lake water on a calm day. Her nose was littered with pale freckles that complimented her skin tone.

To be completely honest, she was perfect. Everything from her body to her soul.

Then there was me.

I knew I wasn't terrible looking, but compared to Jackie though, I looked like the ugly friend. I wasn't tall, but I wasn't short. I was a good 5'6 if you were to put a number on me. I was also very very skinny. My hair an ashy dark brown, almost bordering black. It was long and thick, falling into various choppy layers, including my very misplaced bangs. I was never good with hair maintenance, so I often let it grow out untouched, only throwing it into a pony tail and confined to a hat while at work.

My skin was bordering a sickly pale, but I often found myself content with its color. I was never one to disown pale people – I often found them gorgeous. Sometime though I found myself wanting to tan, but I knew that wouldn't be possible for I was one who burned more then I tanned. It was a curse really. I often found myself having issues with finding a white enough foundation color, that is how pale I really was.

Even pale concealer couldn't save me.

There wasn't anything special about my face to be completely honest, but I did find myself in love with my eyes. They truly were my best feature. I had abnormally large rounded eyes, the color of beautiful shimmering emeralds set out in the sun. That is what my mother use to tell me. Jackie always said the eyes are the window to the soul, and honestly I could understand why...

That is why I often found myself training so that no one could understand how I felt.

I often found people comparing myself to a very quiet and peaceful girl, striving for the best in life, but I knew deep down that this image was far from the truth. Honestly, if I could I would try to fill the shoes of this girl, but I often found myself ignoring the image in an attempt of trying to figure out the real me.

Jacklyn always knew there was something more to me, but she even said herself that she couldn't put her finger on it. She was right in the end, for I often found myself hiding much of the real me for very personal reasons. Jackie never pushed though, for she wanted me to come to her on my own terms and inform her of what was going on, but I was never going to let that happen.

No one was to ever find out who I was behind closed doors, and this was a significant task due to the fact that I lived with the beautiful blonde.

I wasn't the average 19 year old, fresh out of school barley making any income and trying to support herself with whatever job she could find while she went off to college.

No, I was Annabelle Jayne Harris. A 19 year old drug addict with a variety of un-diagnosed mental and health problems who wanted nothing more in life then to figure out who she really was. No one is to ever find out my secret.

Behind the closed doors of our shared apartment, I would often find myself hiding in the bathroom connected to my bedroom, hiding out from my best friend as I took a hit from my well hidden stash of very illegal; controlled substances.

Heroin was life support, and marijuana was a 'to go' package.

Now, a lot of people would as how a once very sweet girl got into hard substances that controlled one's life. Weed was something I had always smoked. That was the one that Jacklyn knew I did on a regular bases. I had various medical issues, and this was one of the ways I dealt with pain. I had a medical card, and I often found myself in Jackie's and my shared car during breaks and hitting up, making sure I had my card in hand. She understood this, and she let it go after she found out the reasons of why I turned to the green herb. Hell sometimes she would even join me, but that is another situation that will be explained later.

Heroin on the other hand was my dirty little secret, something in which my boyfriend got me hooked on the moment we started dating.

Lucas was an infamous dealer for those who knew his name, often patrolling the streets of my city, knowing who sells what and how to make the best stuff for the cheapest price. Because of the fact that I was with him, I often found myself in his apartment hitting up in the middle of his living room, almost passing out due to the wonderful high we often experienced. It was a way to escape my troubled life, the way it created outer body experiences, slowing my thoughts and calming my mind.

It was dream like really, and though I knew the drug would one day end up killing me, the need for that high got me through the day. That's the best way to explain it.

When I wasn't with Lucas, I was at home shooting up or smoking in my private bathroom, bedroom door locked behind. Within closed doors, I would often reach for the emptied bottle of 'febreze' that I kept hidden underneath the sink, far away from all the other bottles that were kept in the front to keep everything looking normal. Inside the bottle, underneath the label in the cut back, you would find my secret stash. Needles, pipes and drugs all neatly placed inside a container no one would expect to look in. Jackie and I had scent allergies, and my brother had left the bottle here when he came to visit me a year ago, and we both knew visits were few and far between.

Here in my bathroom, I would find myself either smoking or injecting into my arms within the comfort of my bathtub, often stumbling out shortly after forcing myself to clean up, wandering to the comfort of my bed which sung my name so peacefully. Here, I would find myself in a daze for hours, drifting to sleep peacefully until my high wore off, and that's when I would re-enter the living room to re-join my friend, and help her with whatever she wanted to do that day.

If Jacklyn ever noticed something off about me, she would never let me know. She didn't ever ask questions like why I would be locked up my in my bedroom for so long, or why I would be sleeping during the afternoon. She fully accepted my answer of "I just get very tired, and I need some alone time to wind down.", and I was grateful for that, but I knew she probably wondered deep down what I did behind closed doors. I wouldn't blame her, I would disappear for hours only to come out and place my butt on the couch in the small living room we shared to take a hit from my trusty bong that resided beside my claimed spot. I know I would be curious myself.

When I did finally come to my senses, myself and Jackie would often watch one of our favorite shows together, bringing out our laptops to rest on our laps as we would laugh the night away, or watch the show in interest. What show did we watch?

Naruto Shippuden.

I loved just about everything regarding show, the plot, the characters, just about everything. It was one of those shows that I have watched for so many years that it has just become a part of me. Jackie was in the same boat, and often we would read the new chapters or watch the new episodes together. This was one of our various bonding moments that we went out of our way to maintain. Though we would watch other shows, this one had become a part of us, allowing us to migrate and enjoy the community to its fullest.

One of the things we enjoyed doing besides watching the show was reading and writing fan fiction about our favorite characters. We didn't have a lot of money, so this was something that we enjoyed to the fullest extent, allowing us to participate fully without having to pay anything. Jackie enjoyed writing stories involving couples, such as Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto and Hinata, all the classics. Romance was her specialty, and I respected her for that. In many ways, it allowed her to mature in situations where people required a love guru, and Jackie fell right into the part.

I on the other hand found myself writing a little bit of everything. I hated reading angsty sad stories for I would often find myself in a puddle of my own tears, and that would often ruin my high. Instead, I specialized in a little bit of everything, though I did have a guilty pleasure of writing dark and twisted stories.

My favorite characters to write about were the Akatsuki. Each and every one of the characters that existed in the group had their own distinct personalities and views. Some of them were blood thirsty killers with a psychotic mind while others were troubled souls with a terrible past, wanting nothing more then to protect certain people. Such as one of my favorite characters, Itachi Uchiha.

I would often find myself in tears, reading his back story over and over again while trying to figure out who this man really was. Yes he was a character, but I respected him to the fullest extent. What he did, how he was treated, and how he felt absolutely broke my heart. He was my guilty pleasure to write about, even sometimes during my drug induced hazes. It was silly to think how much a character could affect someones views on life and on various other things, but his character was one who I felt truly sorry for, even if I knew his character wouldn't want anyone to feel that way about him. He really was selfless, which was a rarity in this world.

Though Jackie wasn't as fond of the Akatsuki like I was, she respected my decision to base most of my stories around the group of misfits. She would often find herself reading a handful of my stories during a binge, and she often admitted that some of the scenes I would write about were either funny or touching, but I knew she was more a fan of Konoha ninja rather then like me, a fan of the social outcasts.

I let a sigh pass my lips as I returned to my station behind one of the cash registers that were located near the front of the store. Nodding towards my manager, I returned to work, scanning the orders of various people, receiving my daily dose of insults and complaints with Jacklyn by my side, working her own register. One of the plus sides of working with your best friend is that when it calms down in the store, I have someone to talk with who I know I can actually have a real conversation, not cheap co-worker chit chat.

"You heading home after work?" The sound of Jackie's voice startled me as I passed off the grease soaked brown bag to a customer, finally catching a break from the mid-day traffic of consumers.

"I will after I stop by my boyfriends place." I said, placing my hands on the counter in front of me to catch my balance. My muscles were aching and my stomach churned, but I attempted to push through, knowing that I was going through minor symptoms of the withdrawal I was feeling. "Need to pick something up. After that, I'll be home."

"You are always picking stuff up from his place." Jackie gave me a slightly annoyed look, and I couldn't help but give a soft smile in an attempt to stifle her upcoming attempt to insult Lucas. Noticing the look on my face, she grumbled something under her breath as she turned in my direction, crossing her arms. "It's probably the sex isn't it?"

Choking on the air around us, I noticed a few of our co-workers turn their ears in our direction, curious to our conversation. "J-Jackie! Not at work..." I stuttered, shock in my voice clear.

"Whatever, whatever." She waved a dismissive hand, plastering a fake smile as another customer came to her cash register, intent on having her alone help her. Quickly she entered her order and served him up, attempting to get back to our conversation. "What you do in your own time is none of my business, but you know I enjoy juicy conversations like this. I may not like the guy, but I need to know. Is he good in bed? That's probably the reason why you keep him around, ne?"

"Jackie please, this isn't a conversation for work." I mumbled, serving my own customer. "I'll tell you when I get home, but for now please keep it professional." I smiled towards the lady who I was tilling and she smiled back, and as quickly as she came, she left.

"Fine, gosh you never allow me to have any fun." She grumbled, giving a soft huff. I couldn't help but give a light smile towards the energetic blonde. Jackie was a truly interesting girl. I was lucky to have a friend like her.

The day slowly went on and eventually work ended without a hitch, which was a nice way to end the afternoon. Our boss was nice enough to acknowledge Jackie's and my relationship to the point of giving us shifts together. As long as we worked well he was very happy to have us working, but I did notice that he mainly did this to gain Jackie's attention. Almost every man who came into our McDonald's ended up falling head over heals in love with the beautiful Jacklyn, it was almost to be expected at this point. I found it rather funny, and Jackie didn't even have a clue half the time it was happening, so it worked to both of our advantages. If Jackie was happy with me, then Jackie was happy to everyone.

Two pea's in a pod happily co-existing.

Walking out of the employee room, we both turned in the direction of the outside door, intent on leaving as soon as possible. The smell of fries and burgers was something someone could only handle so much.

"Do you want me to drop you off at his place, or are you going to walk there?" Jackie spoke. I turned my head to look in her direction and gave a small smile.

"I can walk. Though if you could pick me up after I'm finished, that would be lovely." A bright smile slid onto her face as we both walked out of the fast food joint in the direction of our shared car. Having a set income had its ups and downs, and one of those downs was we only had enough to buy one car which we both shared regularly. We had to make plans beforehand if we need to go and be somewhere.

"Alright, no worries. I'll pick you up around five then, alright?" I dipped my head in response as I passed her to head in the direction of Lucas's home. Giving a light wave, we exchanged our goodbyes for the moment and soon both went on our own ways.

The walk was rather peaceful and I enjoyed the outdoors' air that were cleaning out my abused sinuses. I personally wasn't a fan of the smell of McDonald's, so the slightly grungy Oshawa city air was a welcoming scent. Breathing through my nose, I gave a soft hum as I reached into my pockets, pulling out my cigarettes and taking one out, placing it in my mouth without a second thought. I snapped open my purse and rummaged through the contents, finally finding and pulling out a half used lighter and throwing the pack in. Lighting the cigarette, I gave a light drag as I continued my journey to Lucas's place at a decent speed, enjoying every step.

Eventually I arrived to his run down apartment, and I looked around the old building until my eyes landed on his apartment door. It was a dark brown, the paint chipping ever so slightly. Whatever piece of metal that was exposed, whether on the lock or the hinges that held the door in place showed signs of rust and age. It was a old building, showing a fair amount of abuse, but in the end it was sturdy, which is all someone could ask for in this part of town.

Walking up the thick cement steps to his apartment, I gave a light smile as I brought the bud between my fingers, squishing it out as I threw it at a trash can that passed up beside me as I continued forward. Finally stopping in front of his door, I gave a hard knock, waiting for the door to be answered. We had only been dating for a few months, and even though I was over often and held a couple of outfits here, I didn't have a key to his apartment. After a few minutes of silence, and a few tries, I felt a sigh leave my lips as my mood dampened with every passing second.

"I guess he isn't home..." I whispered after letting another minute pass. Quietly I brought my purse out again and rummaged around before finding my phone, sliding my fingers across the screen and entering my password as I searched through my contacts to make a call.

The faint beeping started through the other line as I brought the speakers to my ear. After three beeps, I felt a smile cross over my features as the sound of someone picking up hummed through the speakers of my phone, and a rusty sounding voice spoke on the other end. "Hello?"

Patting my feet on the pavement below, I felt my body sway unintentionally as my loving girlfriend mode kicked in. In the end, I was a teenager – one in love at that. "Hey there babe! How are you doing today?"

"Anna?" The sound of shuffling and mummers were heard on the other side as Lucas attempted to move around. I felt my brows scrunch a bit as I attempted to pick up the voice in the background, but the attempt failed. "Oh, I'm doing fine. How come you're calling?"

"I wanted to come and visit you, so I stopped by but you aren't here clearly. I wanted to see if I could get... A pickup." I twisted my feet around as I shuffled nervously. I didn't like having a phone record of me asking for sketchy stuff, for I knew if this addiction kept up there was a possibility I might get caught. "I'm running low."

"Ah... I'm actually out of town right now." The phone shuffled again as the murmuring on the other side continued as if he was talking with someone else. I found myself biting my lip anxiously as I waited for him to continue. "...My brother and his wife are staying over at my dad's place, so I came up to visit him."

"Oh alright..." I let out a sigh as I continued to bite my lip as my nerves jumbled together. "When will you be back?"

"Soon babe. I'll message you when I can, I'll see if I can hook you up sometime tomorrow with a friend, but for now I'm sorry."

"It's alright, enjoy spending time with your brother." I gave a soft smile despite my insides churning as I thought about waiting. I didn't like dealing with anyone else. I had a hard time trusting people and since my addiction started, those trust issues have doubled, if not - tripled. If it had to be, it had to be though, and I just decided to accept it. He wouldn't screw me over – I was his girlfriend right? "Love you Hun, I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to your word then." I could hear the smirk behind his words as the call ended, the line going quiet as he turned off his phone.

Feeling a smile form on my face, I swiped my fingers across the screen in an attempt to call Jacklyn, knowing now I would need a pickup. Dialing her number, I brought the phone back to my ear as I started walking down the stairs towards the back end of the apartment.

After one ring, I felt the phone pick up as my best friends voice chimed through the speakers. "Lemme guess, he ditched on you and you need a pickup?" So straight to the point.

"Nah, he just isn't home, but yes, I do now need a pickup." I heard her sigh as the jingling of keeps sounded through the other side.

"I'll be there in ten, wait up for me by the parking lot near the back. I don't trust that area." Was all she responded.

"'Kay." My phone went quiet, signaling the call had ended, and with that I threw my phone in my bag as I grabbed the railing that lined the front of the apartment, making my way towards the stairs heading down. As I reached the bottom, I looked around the broken down apartment, a new found curious feeling washing over myself as I had about ten minutes to wait.

Walking towards the garbage that sat near the back, the scent of trash burned my nostrils as I came closer and closer. Suppressing a gag, I found myself looking over a large set of boxes, some falling apart and others barely maintaining their shape. "Looks like someone just moved." I hummed, kicking the bottom of the boxes around curious to see if there was anything still inside. I hate to admit, but I am a very snoopy individual. I don't go out of my way to do it, but when boredom hits, I find myself being a little to rough with my curiosity.

As I went along with my ritual, I tapped the boxes with my foot lightly to guess their contents. A large majority were empty, while others sounded as if they were filled with plastic or packing peanuts. Eventually towards the end after finding nothing, I stopped kicking the boxes to retain energy and stood there gazing over them with a bored expression. "Well, they cleaned up well." I mumbled turning to walk away.

Until I heard the faint murmur of meows.

"...?" Turning back around, I looked towards the section of boxes I hadn't kicked around and looked at the curiously. Finding one box in perfect condition, I looked at it with a raised brow. Unusual. Walking towards it, I nearly jumped out of my skin as it started to vibrate, various meows filling the air. "Boxes don't meow..." I whispered to myself, lightly.

Crouching down, I unfolded the top of the box with the want to look inside, and I felt my insides jump as I looked towards the furry creatures that resided in said box. "Cats." Was all I could say as it dawned on me what I was looking at.

Ten pairs of different colored eyes looked in my direction as the box opened up fully, allowing light to shine within. Feeling their stares, I began to feel uncomfortable as I looked towards the colorful kittens and their judging glances. "Who leaves a box of kittens in a place like this?"

Suddenly some of the cats started meowing very loudly as they continued to look at me, eyes never wavering. Looking over their bodies and faces, I felt myself gasp as I looked at the condition some of the cats were in. "You poor things..." I mumbled softly, picking up a bright blue kitten with black markings on its face, watching it try to escape my grasp. "Who could do such a thing to you? Coloring your fur with such un-natural colors..." I ran my fingers on top of it's head in an attempt to calm it down, itching behind its ears. The other cats meowed below, but I smiled lightly as the blue cat started to slump in my hands, purring softly. "Don't worry little guys, I'm not going to hurt you..."

Slowly their meows turned quiet as I continued to run my hand over the vibrant blue cat's ears, massaging over the tender flesh with care. "I'm sorry for whoever did this to you guys... Cruel bastards." Stopping my hand, I placed the blue kitten with the rest of its group, watching as a few surrounded the cat as if they were chatting with each other. The sound of a car pulling up caught my attention as Jackie pulled into the parking lot close by.

"Seriously Anna, you owe me for this. I had just gotten undressed when you called me." Her irritated voice echoed through the side of the building as she approached my slouched position. "What are you do-"

"I found cats." I said calmly, watching the felines as their ears perked at another female's voice.

"Cats?" Her eyes seemed to sparkle as her pace picked up, soon ending up by my side. "Aww! They are so cute!"

She brought her hands into the box and scooped up one of the kittens, a blonde one with bright blue eyes. "I have never seen a kitty look like you! You look beautiful!" The cat started to hiss and paw at her hands, but she paid no attention, doing the same motions I did when I picked up the blue kitten. Slowly the kitty calmed down as she started massaging his head and ears, soon lulling the kitten into a dazed state.

"They look as though they have been abused. They were by the trash, their meowing caught my attention." I spoke, watching her eyes turn to mine, sparkling with excitement. I could feel a sigh threaten to spill as I knew exactly what she was thinking.

"If what you say is true, we are KEEPING them." She giggle lightly as she brought the kitten to her chest and started snuggling it. Looking at the cats face, I noticed a gleam in its eyes, but I paid no attention to it.

"We don't have enough money to raise ten cats, Jackie." I mumbled, bringing my hand to rest inside the brown box of kittens, grazing the heads of a few of them.

"I don't care, I'll pick up a few more shifts. We are keeping them." I pressed my lips, deciding not to respond. If she wanted to keep the cats, that was fine, though she did worry about their money situation. After a few minutes of looking over the kitties, I found my heart starting to melt. I'm a fucking sucker...

"...They are pretty cute..." I sighed, picking up a black kitten with an orange face, noticing one of it's eyes closed. Was it injured? I couldn't tell. The black kitten seemed excited as I picked it up, and started to snuggle itself into my hand as I attempted to examine the kitty. Looking at me with a loving eye, the kitty mewed, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I'm a softy for kittens.

"..." I looked towards Jacklyn who had now brought a silver kitten out of the box, also snuggling it into her chest. Said kitten had beautiful magenta eyes, and I couldn't help but give a smile as I looked at its reaction. "...Fine."

"YAAAAY!" Jacklyn plopped the kittens into the box without warning and picked up the box with one swift movement, not waiting for me to follow as she made her way to the car. I couldn't help but smile at her antics but I let out a sigh, shaking my head.

"That girl is something." I scratched the kitten behind the ears and made my way to follow my energetic friend in an attempt to make sure she didn't drop the box. "Don't mind her, she can get a bit excited when it comes to animals." I smiled towards the black and orange kitten, feeling it snuggle into my body as I pressed it into my chest as we continued walking.

Little did I know, these kittens would change my life forever. I really had no idea what was coming, and whom I was bringing home with me.

What did I get myself into?

A/N: Thank you guys for checking out the first chapter of this re-make! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!

You know, it's quite funny how many mistakes I skimmed over the first time. Things that didn't line up with the later story and such, but they are all now fixed. If you were to read both of the first chapters side by side, you could easily spot out the edits of this new chapter, and now I am quite happy!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this new first chapter! I love you all, and thanks again for sticking with me even while re-writing. I love you all – and I will see you guys next chapter. Cheers!

Question of the Chapter: Who is your favourite original character from this story? Anna or Jackie? Let me know! Cheers :)