[A/N: I started making graphics to go with my stories, so Feline Conundrum has a cover now! What do you think?]

9.

With Tora barely a whisker-length behind, Itachi dashed across the street, hoping he might be able to duck into an open store before the much larger and more vicious cat could catch him. Luckily, he was somewhat more agile than the ponderous beast pursuing him, so he could thread his way through the passers-by in the street more easily.

"Hey, there's Tora!" Itachi heard a child shout behind him, and paused, turning to look just in time to see a trio of genin pounce on the cat. Tora yowled furiously, and Itachi decided to take the time to sit down just in the other cat's view and yawn mockingly, pretending he hadn't been scared out of his wits two seconds earlier.

He didn't recognize the children, which was unsurprising considering how long he had been out of the village, but they had done an admirable job of apprehending Tora.

"Good job, Hanabi!" someone said just behind him. Itachi jumped, but reacted too late to avoid being scooped up.

Hanabi replied to Itachi's captor with nothing more than a small nod of acknowledgment. "See you later, Nee-san," she said before she and her teammates hurried off with their prize.

Okay, so I recognize the name Hanabi, and if this is Hanabi's older sister than it must be…Itachi looked up and confirmed his suspicions as Hyuuga Hinata looked down at him, smiling gently. "Tora was chasing you, wasn't he?" she said in a soothing tone, rubbing behind his ears with soft touches that made him purr. "Poor little thing, you're trembling. Don't worry, you're safe now."

Ordinarily, Itachi would have thought being called a 'poor little thing' very condescending, but he had to admit he fit that descriptor very well right now. Besides, Hinata was so far being much nicer and more considerate than anyone else he had run into so far. I'll at least stick with her until she feeds me, he decided. In order to hurry this along, he looked up at her with the most pathetic expression he could manage and mewled piteously.

"Are you hungry?" Hinata asked, pausing in her petting. Itachi nodded vigorously and meowed again. "All right, I'll find you something as soon as we get home," Hinata said, shifting her hold on him so that it was easier for her to walk. Instead of nestling in the crook of her arm as he had been, he found himself settled securely against her shoulder. She was still stroking him, and soon Itachi began to relax more than he had been able to ever since he woke up in this body.

How long has it been, anyway? Around two weeks, I think. But I don't know how much more of this I can take.

While he would be glad to receive Hinata's care, he couldn't afford to stay with her very long. He would have to get to the Uchiha district soon and find out if there was any chance of getting back into his real body. If he couldn't…Itachi wasn't sure what he would do then. While parts of being a cat hadn't been terrible, and it was interesting to get to know people when they didn't know it was him they were with, he didn't think he could stand being like this permanently. Considering that he had started out as a youngish kitten, the rest of his feline life could be along the lines of fifteen years or more. Even a couple of weeks were already driving him to distraction.

If it comes to that, I might have to test whether cats really do have nine lives, he mused.

"We're almost there," Hinata announced. She prepared to cross a street but froze suddenly, staring at one of the pedestrians on the opposite side. Itachi followed her gaze. What's her problem with Uzumaki Naruto? he wondered.

Itachi was soon going to find out, for Naruto had seen Hinata by this point and was crossing the street towards her. "Hi, Hinata-chan," he said.

Hinata blushed and buried her face in Itachi's fur. Her breathing tickled a little, but not unpleasantly. "Hello, Naruto-kun."

"Is that a cat? I mean, of course it's a cat, but is it yours?"

"He's going to be," Hinata replied. "I just found him."

"What're you going to call him?" Naruto asked.

Hinata has been nice so far, but if I end up with a name like 'Mr. Snuggles' again that's going to be a dealbreaker, Itachi decided.

"Um," Hinata began. "I hadn't thought about that yet."

"Ramen!" Naruto suggested eagerly.

"I think I'm going to call him Hashirama," Hinata stated.

What? Well, it's better than 'Fluffy' or 'Mr. Snuggles,' that's for sure…

"Hashirama? That's okay, I guess. Big name for a little cat, though. Anyway, I gotta go or Sakura-chan will be mad at me. Bye!" Naruto dashed off, leaving Hinata standing alone on the sidewalk.

"He's so cuuuuute," Hinata sighed into Itachi's fur.

Was that what all that was about?

After that interruption, it only took a couple more minutes for Hinata to arrive at the Hyuuga family compound. To Itachi's delight, she made a beeline for what Itachi could tell from the scent had to be the kitchen.

The kitchen was deserted when Hinata entered with an armful of shopping bags and kitten. Setting the bags on the floor, Hinata deposited Itachi on the counter by the sink. "Stay there, Hashirama-kun," she said, tapping Itachi's nose gently before turning to the task of putting away the groceries.

Itachi curled up on the counter to wait for her to finish. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere until I get some food.

Hinata worked efficiently and it was only a short time before all the groceries had vanished except for a small tin of smoked fish. Itachi stared at it eagerly as she approached him again.

"I'll feed you in just a bit, Hashirama-kun. First, though—" Itachi jumped back as Hinata turned on the faucet, and realized what she was up to just too late to avoid being scooped up.

I can handle personal hygiene just fine on my own, I don't need any girl to bathe me! Itachi thought furiously as he squirmed in Hinata's grip. She was determined, however, and a few seconds later Itachi was sitting in a sink full of soapy water.

"I'm sorry, Hashirama-kun!" Hinata said when Itachi nipped her thumb to show how frustrated he was with the situation. "You got so dirty while Tora was chasing you…I can't have you leaving pawprints all over the house."

Itachi remembered diving under the garbage can and decided that she had a point. He didn't have to be happy about it, though, and so he sat stolidly in the sink as Hinata scrubbed his fur.

Finally she lifted him out and set him on a towel. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it, Hashirama-kun?" she said as she emptied the sink.

Itachi sneezed in response and she moved quickly to dry him off. "Look how fluffy you are!" Hinata giggled. "I couldn't tell before. Now, I bet you were waiting for this…" Itachi watched eagerly as she opened the tin of smoked fish and turned it out onto a small plate. As soon as her hands were clear, Itachi pounced on the food. He hadn't eaten anything since Deidara's dango, and while that had been tasty he knew that fish was much better for cats.

After the fish was gone, Hinata pulled the dish away, ignoring Itachi's attempts to chase down the last few tiny scraps. "Don't worry, I'll feed you again soon," she said reassuringly as she picked him up and headed for the door of the kitchen.

Before Hinata could reach the door, it opened to reveal a slightly older Hyuuga boy. "Neji!" Hinata exclaimed. "You're back—you must be hungry, there are groceries—"

Neji began sneezing before Hinata could finish her sentence.

"Neji, are you alright?" Hinata asked, taking a step forward.

Neji waved her back. "Cat!" he gasped between sneezes. "Sorry, Hinata-sama. Don't worry about me, I'll be—" he broke off for another series of sneezes "—fine." With that, he turned and fled from the kitchen.

Itachi looked up to see Hinata's devastated face looking down at him. "Sorry, Hashirama-kun," she murmured. "It looks like this just won't work out."