The Funniest Bunny

Shinibu's eyes lit up at Jake's words. "Well, actua- oh..."

It was hard for him to interject but that was ok. They needed to catch up. "I do know a few starlets who are looking..." He managed with a wry smile. However, soon Jake was in bed and Cassie and him were alone once more. He smiled as she leaned against him and the thoughts of their attempted passion came back to his mind. Shinobu sighed but wore a pleasant smile. The moment had passed and right now it was just nice to be alone with Cassie.

Shinobu reached his free hand out and ruffled Cassie's hair, running his fingers through it as she leaned against him. "Ahh, I'd stay until you fell asleep but then I wouldn't get a goodbye kiss." He said with a coy smile.

And, I should be going anyway. Your brother probably saved me from a terrible scolding. If I didn't come home until the next day, then there's no doubt she'd have my head..." Shinobu said and stood up, easing Cassie off of him.

He slipped to the entrance way and slipped his shoes back on. "Not to mention my poor driver." He said and took out his phone, buzzing a text to the driver. His phone was filled with texts and voicemails. Shinobu sighed. Whether or not he stayed the night, he was definitely in for something when he got home. It wasn't going to be pretty but he was prepared for it.

Shinobu looked up and beckoned Cassie over so they could say goodnight.

Ha. Poor driver. Jeez. Cassie thought for a moment about how little she and Shinobu really had in common... outside of being generally nice people. Who were attracted to each other.

Or at least, Cassie hoped he was attracted to her. Maybe she didn't quite measure up to the elegant and glamorous starlets that he was used to, and maybe she was sort of a nice change of pace or something. She hoped she was good enough.

But he had never given her any reason to doubt that. Even if other people had.

She slipped off of the couch and shuffled over to Shinobu with a sleepy smile. "Thanks for coming to the zoo with me. You're a good sport." She wrapped her arms around him and put her cheek to his chest. "I know you're busy, so maybe just call me when you're free?"

Without breaking the hug, she put her chin on his chest and peered up at him.

Shinobu embraced Cassie tightly and rubbed his hand along her back. "Nothing sporting about it, Cassie-chan. I did enjoy myself. Maybe we could go back sometime too or maybe we could find a different one." Shinobu said with a wry smile. He looked down at Cassie. "Maybe you can find the biggest, best petting zoo in the whole world and we can go to that one." Wouldn't THAT be something? So far Cassie and Shinobu had mostly done little things. Going here and there. Shinobu was a wealthy man but didn't like to flaunt it. However, he was thinking that maybe it would be nice to enjoy it WITH Cassie. Why SHOULDN'T he be able to spend the money how he liked?

Shinobu leaned forward when Cassie peered at him. As he lowered his lips, he spoke. "I'll call you as soon as I can. Hopefully tomorrow, even if it's just to talk." He let gravity do the rest and let his lips push into hers. Then, then opened and he slowly deepened the kiss.

****

Shinobu was sad to depart from Cassie's house, however, once he left, he was grateful to just get back to his own home. About an hour after his departure, Cassie's phone would ring, the number on the phone was Shinobu's.

Cassie paused at the door as Shinobu left. She resisted the urge to watch him out the window as he got in his car. She went upstairs.

She peeked into her room, at her sleeping brother on her bed, and snuck inside. She tip-toed up to the bed, and then put her hands on Bucky's shoulders and began to shake him and bounce him up and down on the mattress.

"Buckyyyyyy! I'm so glad you're here!" Shake-shake-shake. "Now go to sleep! don't you know it's late?"

Jacob made a tired noise and pawed Cassie's hands away before rolling onto his side, facing the wall. He wore a faint smile as he quickly drifted back to sleep.

Cassie brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas, and made it into Akashi's bedroom with the door closed before the phone rang. She saw the number and instantly answered.

"H-hello?"

<Who is this!? Are you the one who has stolen Shinobu-kun's favorite scarf!? What else of his have you stolen!? Tell me everything and then leave him alone! He is not interested in a thief!>

Came the high pitched voice of a very angry sounding Japanese girl.

"Er..." Cassie's Japanese wasn't very good. "Shinobu?" She said, but it was clearly not Shinobu.

"Ummm... kon'banwa? Hello? S-sorry, I don't really speak Japanese very well..."

"Yankee?" Came the confused English for a single moment before the rapid and angry Japanese picked back up. <You are calling him "Shinobu" already!? I am certain you think you can also get away with calling him "Shinobu-kun" as well when you're not talking to me! isn't that so!? Thieves are not allowed to be so formal! You address him as "Fujiwara-san" and only to apologize and give him his favorite scarf back!>

"You understand, yes?" The broken English said again. "No Thief! I keep eye on you. You go away!"

Then she spoke one word that Cassie could probably understand well enough.

"Sayonara!"

The phone clicked off.

"But... but..."

Call ended.

Cassie put her phone down next to her on Akashi's bed and stared at it. That wasn't Shinobu. Or Fujiko. It wasn't some crazy jealous fan, because it was Shinobu's phone. Who would have Shinobu's phone?

Her first thought, though it was one she dreaded, was that it was another girlfriend. But that being the case, why did she call her a thief and not something more... explicit? Well, the language barrier, for one. Maybe she thought that Cassie was thieving Shinobu away.

She wished she actually spoke Japanese! Argh!

She had been so busy with training and Friction and college that she had just never found the time to really learn the language. She had only a passable grasp on basic, day-to-day Japanese, and couldn't carry on a conversation.

She thought about just calling Shinobu back, but she opted against it. She carefully hung her new purple scarf on the back of Akashi's bedroom door, and then set about neatly making up the bed before climbing into it. She turned out the light and pondered the shrill mystery girl for only a few minutes before sleep took her.