Chapter Text
Suzaku looked towards the cat who was glaring at him from the ground. Not a very threatening look. He had just gotten back from the vet, checking him over to make sure that it had no diseases and was not microchipped. The staff working at the clinic doted over the cat, examining its purple hued eyes closely. Apparently, they had never seen anything like it. They were sure it wasn’t even possible before.
When he was asked what he would name the cat, Suzaku panicked. He had thought it over all day, but none of the ideas had stuck. He glanced down at the paperwork they gave him, noticing the patient number in the details of the page. Patient #00001259.
“His name is Zero.” Suzaku said.
And that was it. In a moment of anxiety, he named his cat after a number from a patient log.
Suzaku had never owned a cat, or even a pet at all. He didn’t even know what to do with it. Zero never reacted to any of the toys Shirley had given him, he didn’t even like treats; a trick Suzaku thought would have no chance of failing. He barely even saw the cat, as it preferred to hide in corners or behind furniture to get away from him.
The only thing that changed in his life after adopting Zero was his morning routine. Now, he had to go and find the cat every morning. Each day at six ten precisely Suzaku would gingerly snatch the cat from its designated hiding place, and place it in front of a bowl of warm food. The cat was especially picky, so he gave extra care in preparing its meals. Suzaku often wonders how the hell this cat survived so long in the alleys? Zero was a spoiled boy, even though he had only spent a week in Suzaku’s care.
Zero was also surprisingly intelligent. He would respond every time his name was called with interest. He would hesitantly poke his head around walls, searching for Suzaku. The most unnerving thing of all, though, was that he looked at Suzaku like he understood. When he would absent mindedly talk about his day, Zero would listen, tilting his head occasionally when some word caught his ear.
When Zero felt particularly brave, he sauntered to the living room while the TV was on. He watched it like he knew what the news anchor was saying, like he understood the random flash of images. When the news started to show Suzaku’s favorite segments, the community events, he would always coincidentally step on the remote. It felt like Suzaku was living with another human, rather than a strange black cat.
Suzaku and Zero only cohabitated; rarely ever interacting. They only communicated when Zero saw fit, which basically meant never.
So, it was quite surprising to Suzaku to find the cat curled up on his chest when he woke up. Zero was laying in a tight ball, shivering slightly. The world seemed to go quiet during this moment, the cat purred quietly. Rain tapped on the window, thunder clapped violently in the distance. The clouds and the sun had a silent battle for superiority in the sky, blocking out the sun’s rays from ever reaching Suzaku’s apartment.
Zero was afraid of the rain.
When he eventually woke up, he even looked slightly embarrassed. Suzaku never knew cats could be embarrassed, but this cat would always find a way to surprise him.
Things changed between them after this incident. For a few days, Zero avoided Suzaku completely. He didn’t even respond to his name being called, which made finding him in the mornings way harder.
But after those first few days, Zero seemed to overcome his shame. Since when did cats have these emotions? It didn’t matter, because now Suzaku woke up every morning with a cat curled onto his side. He was so grateful for the decision of taking Zero in – because he was the cutest thing to ever grace Suzaku. Gone were the nights spent in solitude, now he had the greatest company he’s ever spent time with.
Sometimes, Suzaku would find him curled up under the covers, head on the pillow. Of course, he snapped several photos to send to Shirley. When he was woken up, he would look at Suzaku and meow quietly. Then, he would yawn, stretching his small jaw to the fullest.
Zero even acted like a human. One day, Suzaku left his phone unlocked on the counter. He came back to find the cat pawing at the screen, looking like he was trying to type a number in. Even stranger, Zero hissed when the phone was taken from him. Afterwards, he looked dejected the whole night.
He seemed to inspect things laying around the apartment. Zero looked curiously at Suzaku’s work papers, as if he was reading them. He was caught a lot of the time peering at documents containing information about the ‘Sword of Akasha’. In truth, Suzaku hadn’t known a lot about the project. The only thing he knew was that it was a weapon meant for something and something big. Also, the project was highly classified. Was he breaking the rules by letting his cat read the paper? Call him paranoid, but Suzaku really thought the cat was reading them.
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