Red Whiskers (1)

Migoto had her head on her chest, staring at the cold stone floor. The silhouettes of the thick metal bars that were her cage flowed over her slim figure, making dark, thin shadows going over her body. Her short red hair was messed up and uncombed, and her cotton long-sleeved shirt that she wore like a dress was wrinkled and dirty.

She sighed, and lifted her head a little. Her huge, loving light orange eyes surveyed the room she knew so well. A big door on the left wall, an observing table in the middle of the room, and her small, damp cage in the corner. The room was dark, and the only light that came into it was the dim spotlight over the observing table.

No windows.

No room to play.

No escape.

Just as Migoto was feeling even more bored, the lock on the door gave a small, *click*.

Migoto eagerly stood up, almost hitting her head on the roof of the cage. She earnestly stared at the big door, which slowly opened.

Kabuto emerged, a smile on his face, plastic gloves on his hands.

Migoto started to eagerly wag her tail.

"Meow!!!" she called, smiling.

Kabuto sighed, and said, "Time for your daily check up, Migoto."

Migoto started to flick her bushy red tail back and forth, meowing loudly.

Kabuto came over to her cage, and fiddled with her lock for a moment. When he finally unlocked her door, he opened it, and Migoto came bounding out.

"K-Kabuto! Kabuto! Kabuto!" she squeeled, prancing around the room.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Wait, I thought this was some kind of animal.... How is it talking?"

Well, you'll find out in a moment.

Anyways, Kabuto gave an exasperated sigh, and ordered, "Migoto, if you don't get on this table right now, you're not going to get any supper."

Migoto immidiently stopped running around the room, and hopped cat-like onto the table. She obediently looked around at Kabuto, waiting for directions.

"Let me see you're tail." he ordered

Migoto nodded, and turned around, making her backside face Kabuto. He inspected it with a gloved hand, making sure no fur was coming out and it was still attatched to Migoto's skin.

"Alright... Migoto, let me see your ears."

Migoto turned back around, and bowed her head for Kabuto to look.

Kabuto sighed again, thinking, I don't get paid enough for this..... And felt Migoto's ears.

When the examination was done, Migoto was given her dinner, and five minutes to run around the room. When her time was up, she was shooed back into her cage, locked in, and left in the dark room alone.

Again.

You see, Migoto lived a very lonely life. When she was first born, she was stolen from her mother by a man Migoto thought was named, Orochimaru, or something like that. This person who stole her did various experiments on her, and one day, his experiment resulted in a mutant.

Half a girl.

Half a cat.

Migoto sighed and flicked her tail side to side. The only reason she knew all this was because Kabuto had told her. He didn't tell her the specifics, but he got the main point across.

Wondering what her mother looked like, Migoto rolled over on her back, and curled up into a ball, resting her tail over her hands, and folded her ears down.

~*~

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!" Shizune called, running into the office. She seemed flustered and worried.

"Shizune, what is it?" Tsunade looked up from the stack of papers she was going through.

"We have just recieved word where Orochimaru's headquarters might be located." Shizune replied breathlessly.

"WHAT?!?" Tsunade stood up, slamming her hands on the desk, an unbelieving look in her eyes.

"Lady Tsunade, we learned from citizens of the Sound Village where Orochimaru's headquarters is!" Shizune said uncomfortably. Getting Tsunade riled up was risky.

"Good work Shizune. I want a Jounin squad to leave immediently!" Tsunade slammed her fist against the desk when she said the word, "Immediently."

"Yes Ma'am!" Shizune practically ran out of the room.

Tsunade settled herself back in her seat, closing her eyes. Finally she got information on Orochimaru's hide out.

And maybe even Sasuke Uchiha.

Just then, a small, *creak* entered the room. Tsunade growled, stood up, and threw a kunai at a panel in the ceiling.

Out fell Uzumaki Naruto, landing on the ground with a loud, *THUD*

"OW!" Naruto hollered.

"Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you not to spy on me? You little sneak!!!"

"Granny Tsunade! People are going to Orochimaru's headquarters?!? Well, I'm going too! I'm going to help find Sasuke! Believe it!" Naruto said determedly.

"NARUTO, I FORBID YOU FROM LEAVING THE VILLAGE!!!" Tsunade screamed back.

"Granny Tsunade! THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!! I NEED TO FIND SASUKE!!!!"

"Naruto, this mission is way too dangerous for a Genin! You are prohibited from going!" Tsunade was really ticked now. A vain began pulsing in her forehead.

"Granny Tsunade." Naruto was suddenly serious. This sudden change in personality made Tsunade widened her eyes and stare at Naruto.

"I need to do this. Sasuke..... Sasuke...... I need to bring him home." He then looked down at the ground, and tightened his hands into fists. "I promised Sakura."

Tsuane sat back in her seat, and considered Naruto for a short moment. Finally, she sighed, and said, "Fine. Meet the other Jounin at the gate."

"ALRIGHT! tHANKS, GRANNY TSUNADE!!!" Naruto yelled in delight, running out the door.

Tsunade's forehead vain started pulsing again, and she screamed after him, "DON'T CALL ME GRANNY!!!!"

~*~

Migoto sighed and started to lick the back of her hand, and then rub the wet hand over her tail to clean herself. Kabuto hadn't come back for three days now, and things were getting boring.

Then, so suddenly it made her start, there was a small, *click* coming from the door. Migoto hopped up, expecting Kabuto.

But it wasn't Kabuto.

It was some boy she had never seen before. He had raven black hair that stuck up in the back, and something really weird on his feet. Kabuto wore those things, too. They covered the bottom of your feet, but still let your toes poke out. They looked uncomfortable.

The boy walked into the room, looking around. He seemed really bored.

He turned and looked all around the room, and his eyes finally rested on Migoto. They widened with surprise for a moment, then went back into their bored stare,

~*~

Sasuke walked down a random hallways, feeling bored. Orochimaru was out on a mission with Kabuto somewhere, and they had been gone a long time. So, when he was about to die of boredom, he had decided to explore the various hallways that were in Orochimaru's lair.

Sasuke had walked into a room, that looked empty and dark. Thinking he didn't have anything to lose, he strolled in, his eyes searching for something that might amuse him.

He looked around the dark room, feeling that this just might be a spare room that no one used anymore, until his eyes found a girl.

Sasuke widened his eyes for only a moment, then squinted at the girl. She was about his age, and looked a little..... odd.

Reddish-orange hair was in a messy tangle around her head, and she wore an oversized long-sleeved tan cotton shirt like a dress. A thick red collar was tied around her neck, and she wasn't wearing any shoes.

Sasuke hesitated a moment, then walked over to the girl, and with a jolt, realized she was in a cage.

"Kabuto?" the girl asked unsurly, chocking her head to the side like a crow. Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"No. I'm.... Someone else."

"That's a weird name!" the girl giggled.

And then, the strangest thing happened. As the girl was giggling, ears seemed to unfold from the top of her head.

They.... kinda looked like......

Cat ears.

Then, she rolled onto her back, and a bushy orange tail came into view. Sasuke took a couple of steps back.

"Wha-what..... Are you?" he asked, still backing up.

"Hmmm.....? Oh, I don't know. A human, maybe." the girl said nonchalantly, curling up into a ball. "Speaking of humans, you're the second one I ever saw. You and Kabuto."

"Huh? You've never seen any other.... um..... Humans?" Sasuke asked unsurly. He didn't know what this girl was.

"Nope! But I heard of a couple from Kabuto. There's Orochimaru, the person who brought me here. And then there's mama. The person who brought me to the Earth! So, I know four people. But I only met two."

"Wait..... Orochimaru brought you here?" Sasuke asked, sitting on the observation table.

"Yep. When I was first taken out of my mama, Orochimaru took me here."

Sasuke thought a moment, then said, very slowly, "He kidnapped you."

"What does that mean?" the girl tilted her head again.

"Oh.... It means that he..... um..... well, you know..... How do I explain this? Well.... Um.... Er..... He took you away from your mother against your's and her's will."

"You mean he stole me?!?" the girl looked shocked.

"Basically." Sasuke hopped off the observation table, and walked over to the girl's cage. "Why are you locked up?"

"I live here." the girl smiled. "So, Someone Else, where do you live?"

"Wait..... What did you just call me?"

"Somone Else. Isn't that your name?"

"Er... No.... J-Just.... Just call me Sasuke."

"Oh. Okay. So, Sasuke, where do you live?"

This girl is weird. I barely know her. Why the hell am I talking to her? Sasuke thought...... Well, if I left, then I'll be bored again. At least as long as I'm here, I can talk to this weird.... Cat.... Girl.... Thingy.

"I live here." he sighed, resting his head on his knees.

"Here? Really? So do I!" the girl giggled.

She started rolling across the floor, smiling and giggling loudly. The problem was, her dress/shirt went up as she was rolling, revealing skimpy white underwear that seemed to small for her.

Sasuke, blushing a little, turned the other way until the girl stopped rolling.

When she did stop, she said, "So, when did you move here?"

"Um..... A while ago." he answered, turning back to her. She was staring at him intently through the bars.

"Why did you come here?"

"To become stronger..... To avenge..... People very dear to me."

"Oh. Who?"

"........... I'm not telling."

"AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! THAT'S NO FFAAAIIRR!!!!!" the girl wailed, pulling her ears.

"It's my business." Sasuke said, starting to get annoyed.

"Fine." the girl pouted, crossing her arms across her chest and shutting her eyes tightly.

"So..... What's your name?" Sasuke sighed, crossing his legs.

"Migoto. Cho Migoto!"

"Cho Migoto, huh? Well, Migoto-chan, why do you have cat ears an a tail, again?"

"Orochimaru gave them to me."

"Wait.... you mean he experimented on you?"

"I dunno."

The two talked long after that, asking eachother's questions about their past ad families. Sasuke had described the outside world to Migoto, and she thought it sounded great. Wild flower fields, trees, other humans, animals, shinobi, and most importantly, the food.

Sasuke had described sake and rice, noodles and pork, ramen and vegetables. He decribed the tastes, and how they looked.

Migoto, who had only ate cat food for her whole life, thought it sounded like the best thing in the world.

Just as Sasuke was going into detail about chocolate icecream, a small, *click* entered the room. Sasuke and Migoto both whipped their heads around, to see Kabuto walk through the door.

~*~

Kabuto stopped in his tracks when he saw Sasuke talking to Migoto. Sasuke was sitting cross-legged infront of her cage, his arms propped up on his knees, his chin in his hands. Migoto was sitting on her knees, looking at Sasuke through the bars. When the two saw Kabuto some in, they whipped their heads around, and widened their eyes at Kabuto.

Sasuke stood, and looked uneasy.

"Sasuke..... what are you doing in here? Kabuto frowned.

"I..... got bored." Sasuke answered, looking back at Migoto. She seemed excited.

"Sasuke-kun, you didn't finish telling me about chocolate icecream!!!" Migoto said excitedly.

"Migoto, you need to go to sleep, now. Sasuke, come with me." Kabuto said, walking out of the room.

With one last look at Migoto's disappointed face, Sasuke followed Kabuto.

~*~

< --- Cho Migoto

NOTE: Migoto is Japenese for beautiful. Cho is Japanese for profitable. So therefore, Migoto Cho means, 'Beautiful Profit'.

Just thought you'd like to know. XD