Disclaimer: No. Not owning the characters of Eyeshield 21 - they belong to their respective creators. But I do claim this little story as mine.

Shout Out: Well, this is unexpected, but I am trying to get back into the groove, and as promised, interlude finished and posted. Sadly, MHB is missing in action, as I've yet to hear from her, but hopefully she is busy with the monster of Who We Are I sent to her previously. If not, oh, well. Life happens. As it is, writing again, and I will try to flesh out this little story a little bit more. For the masses, I am writing, though sometimes it can take me a long while to update due to Real Life - you know how it is.

Warnings: AU-verse, as always. Kittens being kittens and Yamato being a whipped little kitty, proverbially speaking. Of course, there is something sinister going on in the background (when it isn't?). Their first foray into the world is not as smooth as they had planned it to be, either.

Kitten names (for reference):

Akaba – Ichigo / Guardian / Strawberry

Kakei – Aoshi / Blue

Yamato – Raiden / Lightning

Shin - Haku (Some kind reviewer told to me it basically means 'Tool' Thanks!)

Mission impossible act one

The breeding center was in chaos. Somehow, the employees managed to mix up the orders, and the head bosses were not amused.

While it was true that the Center was breeding exotic species of animals, it was also doing forbidden research. A taboo research, if you will.

And they were selling the results of that taboo research to the rich and famous people who wished to have a pet, companion, and guardian, all rolled in one.

The business was literally booming, what with the Teikoku breed being in high demand, but Oujou and Kyoshin didn't lag far behind either.

Anyway, someone had messed up an important order - very important one, as the customer in question wanted the best of the best from the noted species, four kittens total - but the package had… vanished without a trace. It should have been impossible for it to vanish at all, what with all the precautions and security measures, but it had, and someone was bound to pay for this gross oversight.

"How could it happen?" A deep male voice asked the cringing head of the security team softly. Nobody of those who were witnessing this major chew-out dared to mistake it for a sign of forgiveness. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

"We're still researching it, sir." The man in question replied stiffly. He was whipcord thin with crew cut and clothed in dark blue security uniform. He was fairly unremarkable if it weren't for his light gray eyes - they were so light they could be mistaken as white if not for the black pupils. "As far as we known there was a security breach from either inside or outside. The cargo had been tacked appropriately, all papers in order – "

"Then you haven't done your work thoroughly enough. " The listener interrupted the subordinate coldly. "Find. Them. Soon. I suppose you know the 'reward' if you fail."

The security chief paled a stark white.

"Y – Yes, sir! I'm on it, sir!" he barked out before saluting and turning around to rush out if the shadow-filled room.

He would have to find both the culprit and cargo soon… or die trying.

Literally.

Meanwhile, the four missing troublemakers had an entirely different problem on their paws.

Two words…

Cabin. Fever.

Living with their owner was all good and dandy, but they were going stir-crazy from being cooped up in one place.

Going out in their kitten forms provided to be a traumatic experience - females of all kinds, sizes and ages shamelessly took up the liberty of squealing and cooing over them, and that was, for big, macho male, adorable little kittens… a nightmare. Their other form was just too eye-popping, so they had to resort to their smallest one to get around.

Not that it was bad deal - they were able to schmooze into Sena's bed that way - it was a simple affair - big eyes, some piteous mewls and their owner had folded like a wet tissue paper. But still, back to the original issue.

They just had to get out, one way or another, because otherwise, Sena's wardrobe would end in a very sorry state, and Shin was already at the limit of doing all the body exercises he could in the cramped apartment as a cat. Nothing, beat good ole running, after all.

Going out in their tiny kitten form was a no-no. Their second form was also a no, because they would've been seen as escaped biological experiments - well, they were experiments, kind of, but neither of the quartet relished going back from the sterile, cold prison they managed to escape by a sheer dumb luck.

Their third form…. Had some complications. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and even if their last form was troublesome, it was also the least suspicious one.

So after some careful planning and executing the said plans, the quartet was prepared to venture into the wide yonder world.

(Let's just ignore the complaints of the random articles of clothes disappearing into the night, shall we?)

Sena eyed the foursome suspiciously. The kittens were very…. restrained today. Raiden wasn't his usual crybaby self when he was preparing to go to the classes, even if he was possessive of Sena's person as ever. Ichigo didn't sleep. Which was almost a crime for the red-furred kitten, because along with listening to the music, Ichigo got into the habits of almost uninterrupted napping, and Sena believed that there was one day that Ichigo has snoozed through for whole twenty-four hours, and making him panic in the process when he thought Ichigo could be sick with something. After a frantic call to the vet it turned out that Ichigo was only a very, extremely, impressively lazy cat. Haku's usual daily routine of his gymnastics on the rope Sena had hung in his room to get the kitten stop scaring his visitors (namely Monta,) with his kamikaze attacks, and instead, seemed to play with some kind of an invisible laser light along with Aoshi. The furry feline aristocrat usually never deigned to playing 'games' with any of the bunch, and Sena was once a witness to Aoshi outright flipping Raiden on his back in some kind of a cat kung-fu when the former attempted to ambush him.

So…. Honey brown eyes narrowed. "What are you up to?" He addressed the kittens, making them freeze in the mid of the motion.

'Crap. He knows.' Yamato eyed his three compatriots with wide eyes.

"Mreow?" A cute squeak emitted past his lips, and Sena's eyes zeroed on him, making his body curl tighter around the boy's neck. A gentle hand reached for the scruff of his neck and slowly peeled him off of his usual perch, making Yamato grumpily set his ears tightly against skull to show off his displeasure as he was held by the scruff of his neck in front of his owner.

"Don't play cute with me, you are planning something." Sena addressed him, Yamato's big kitten eyes meeting the human ones in clueless question. "You are not even attempting to hide in my school bag."

Kitten eyes widened. 'Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap. I knew I forgot to do something!" He tried to wiggle out of the hold, his paws flying in the air comically in an attempt to persuade Sena to let him go.

"Meoooow!"

"You trying to learn froggy swimming now, Yamato?" Kakei asked him dryly as his tail swished lazily behind him while he watched the funny spectacle.

'Shut up and help me!' Yamato sent back, only his bark was disguised in the series of pathetic squeaks and yowls.

"Nyow." 'Froggy swimming later, if you please. Now do something about him leaving, will you?' Akaba snarked while he jumped off the bed and nuzzled against Sena's legs, even going so far as to attempt to climb on the boy.

"Aww, you are so adorable." Sena ignored Yamato in favor of Akaba to scratch that heavenly spot under the red-furred kitten's chin, making Akaba purr smugly against Yamato's glare.

"Maybe you are just bored. Tell you what, I will bring back a toy or two for you, what do you say?" Sena smiled at the kitten he was petting, making it emit a purr of approval before settling a pouting Yamato on the floor.

'Akaba, that was uncalled for.' Yamato grumbled as he eyed his rival grumpily as he sulked on the spot.

'Uncalled for? No. Necessary tactics? Yes. While we are at that, get going into Sena's bag, will you?' Shin finally voiced out, making the Teikoku kitten sulk off - if that was even a word - into Sena's bag while Sena was occupied by his three traitorous hanger-ons.

The meanies.

He snuggled against the dark, paper-smelling warmth, and closing his eyes. He would get them back, oh, yes, he would.

Revenge would be sweet. Mentally, Yamato cackled with delight. Oh yes, it would.

Meanwhile, Sena had to contend with the overly fond threesome of purring delight. Finally, he managed to extract himself from the feline distraction and looked at the clock. "Oh shi - I will be late, guys!" He called out in alarm. Hurriedly, he made a way for the bag and shoes with jacket. Breathing a sigh of relief, the slight boy tugged the jacket on without any furry problems in the sleeves, even if he stumbled slightly with the shoes. "Be good!" He called to the suddenly frozen kittens as he groped for the umbrella and clutching it in one hand. Grabbing a bag with the other, he paused, but another look on the clock, and he was out of the room faster than a bat outta hell, not knowing about the blind passenger being jostled rudely in the process.

A loud bang of the doors later, the three kittens stared at the place where the bag used to be.

'Did Yamato just hitchhiked a bag?' Kakei asked, cat-slit aquamarine eyes wide with disbelief.

'I believe he did.' Shin, succinct as ever, as he curled his tail around his paws elegantly, dark eyes looking at Kakei briefly before zeroing to their secret weapon, his mind already calculating the new parameters of the mission.

'That lucky bastard.' Akaba grumbled. 'He gets to be outside while leaving us with the task of saving him. I didn't conscript to be his Prince Charming. He makes for one very buffy lady in distress.'

The trio cringed when the memories went through their collective minds.

What was supposed to be a mission to get out and have their merry time before Sena came back home had instead shaped into a mission to save one furry and buffy (not) dame in distress.

To Be Continued