Part Five

      It was almost night as Rukawa returned from his usual individual practice on the nearest court.

     Half-dozing, he paid no attention to the surroundings. Only approaching to his house, he lifted his eyes and blinked surprisingly. There was no less a person than that annoying do-aho, standing at Rukawa's house front door.

       "What are you doing here, do'aho?" Rukawa asked in his usual ice voice.

      And immediately, Hanamichi reacted to the insult.

       "Why you, kitsune!" but he have not got any word in reply, so he fell silent and stared at the ground with confusion.

       "Well. . . mmm. . . here."

        With that Hanamichi pulled the red kitten out off his jacket and handed it to the dark-haired boy. Rukawa's eyes become wide with surprise.

       "H-how . . ? What's this?" he asked, looking at the pet.

        Hanamichi smiled nervously.

       "This is a new Tensai. . . For you."

       "How did you know?" demanded Rukawa, stroking absently the kitten to big pleasure of the latest. The redhead boy started to shuffle one his foot on the ground.

        "Mmm. . . It's a long story."

       Rukawa warily looked at the redhead. Then he passed by Hanamichi, opened the front door and walked in. After that he turned to face the redhead.

        "I have my time," he said coldly.

        "Huh?" Hanamichi lifted his head to look at the fox-eyed boy uncertainly, who was standing at the door, waiting.

        "Do-aho," Rukawa rolled his eyes and went into the house, leaving the door open.

        'Is it an invitation?' wondered Hanamichi. Then he ventured and came into the Fox' residence, shutting down the door behind himself. He took off his shoes and walked after Rukawa into the sitting room. Rukawa took a glance at the redhead and said nothing.

       'So he really doesn't raise no objection to my presence here,' Hanamichi thought and followed Rukawa into the kitchen. It was the same clean and orderly kitchen the redhead used to see some days ago.

        "What will you eat, Tensai?" Rukawa uttered, looking into his refrigerator.

        "Meow?" two replies sounded synchronously.

        Rukawa looked about and almost burst in laughter. The sight of embarrassed redhead, who understood what he did right now, was fun enough. Amused, Rukawa raised his eyebrow and looked at Hanamichi, waiting for an explanation. Hanamichi blushed.

        "Eh. . . As I said it's a long story. . . Maybe we will have a tea for a beginning? And, please, give something to Tensai. He's hungry. "

         With that he pointed at the red kitten that was sitting on the chair and curiously eyed all around itself. Rukawa nodded and started to do a tea for himself and his enemy, not forgetting to give some milk to his new kitten.

  *  *  *  *  *

         Later, sitting on the sofa in the living room, Rukawa was carefully listening to Hanamichi's story. Although his face remained fixed in his usual cold mask, and one of his hand absently stroked the kitten, that was sitting on the dark-haired boy laps, Rukawa missed no word from the redhead's story.

        Hanamichi sighed, taking breath after finishing his tale.

        "Do you believe me?" he asked with a flutter, waiting for reaction. 'What if the kitsune will say that he doesn't believe me? It would be disappointing . . . But what if he'll say that he believes? That would be embarrassing. . .'

        But Rukawa kept silent, gently stroking the kitten's tummy.

        'Had he listened me at all?!' Hanamichi flew into a rage.

        But when he was about to burst up, injured by Rukawa's silence, the fox-eyed boy lifted his head suddenly and looked at the redhead.

         A moment after, Hanamichi's jaw dropped to the floor with a shock. Because Rukawa fell face down onto the sofa and started to laugh hysterically. While Hanamichi was staring in awe at the extraordinary scene - the laughing Mr. Ice King - the latter tried to utter something.

        "And I was. . . wondering. . . why. . . that kitten. . . looked. . . on the verge of. . . of fainting fit every. . . every time I undressed. . ."

        Hanamichi turned as red as tomato.

       "Baka kitsune," he muttered, confused, looking at the shrieking with laughter the fox-eyed boy. Through laugh, Rukawa managed to say in reply.

       "Do'aho."

       "Teme kitsune!" the redhead burst up immediately. "How dare you call me by an idiot! I'm  Tensai! And remember, you called me so yourself as I was in a cat form."

        Rukawa sniffed, calming down, but a mischievous smirk had not left his face.

       "Well," he said. "It's true, as a kitten you was genius. But as a human you're do'aho."

        "Teme kitsune!" Hanamichi yelled.

        He intended to jump onto the sofa, but tripped over his own leg and fell face down on the floor.

        Seeing that, Rukawa started to laugh yet more.

        "Clumsy do'aho."

  To be continued...    

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