Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters presently linked with Black Cat at the moment. Everything else you see here is a figment of my imagination.

Strange Circumstances

A Hospital Visit

The school trip was boring. Really.

Kyoko was bored. Really bored.

Who goes to hospitals for a school trip? Her school was clearly desperate for a location.

Maybe she should ask for a transfer.

The teacher, already a weak character by his students' callous and uncontrollable behaviour, meekly ordered the students to stay behind him and not to wander about the hospital.

Needless to say, no one listened.

Kyoko Kirisaki just yawned. Her classmates were gossiping as usual. Doing what girls do. Talking about boys. Which brought her mind back to –

Black Cat.

Kyoko sighed with starry eyes and a stupid, dreamy smile plastered across her face. Her classmates noticed this and asked her about it.

"Black Cat," she sighed.

Raised eyebrows from all her classmates did not manage to shake off the dreaminess that overcame Kyoko.

"Here are some of the wards. Would anyone like to enter?" the teacher asked.

No one volunteered.

"How about you, Kyoko?"

"Yeah, whatever," Kyoko sighed, still dreamily.

"Are there going to be hot chicks there?" One vulgar classmate – a guy – asked. The teacher, afraid, responded.

"I'm not sure. But everyone is dressed in hospital clothes here."

"Ooh, hospital clothes. Kinky!" another guy hooted.

One of Kyoko's friends from class stared at her. "Why'd you say yes, Kyoko? Now you're stuck with the Perverts from Hell."

"No way, babe. We're the Hot Perverts In Your Class!"

The 'Hot Perverts' cackled.

Kyoko was still dreaming about Black Cat.

Stuck with the Perverts from Hell. Seriously, do they have no life?

Kyoko Kirisaki was annoyed. As in, very annoyed. As in, 'if-you-don't-shut-up-now-and-let-me-dream-on-about-Black-Cat-I-will-engulf-you-in-flames' annoyed.

That's how annoyed she was.

"Oh, whoa! Hottie at 12 o'clock!" one of the vulgar boys (wait, they were all vulgar!) yelled.

Kyoko was very annoyed indeed, but she too, followed that pervert's line of vision.

It couldn't be denied, though, the patient was extremely beautiful. She looked pale, but that could have been because of her condition. She had short black hair with azure blue eyes. She seemed not to belong here.

Kyoko poked at one of the nurses. "What's her story?"

"Mighty tragic, that one," the nurse told her. "She entered, close to death, found near the fires of the warf. She must have been limping from the harbor after she was injured, because she was clutching her chest – she was shot, you know – and she was lucky to have been found before the fires engulfed her. She was babbling about some children on board with a young man, although no one knew what she was talking about, it was impossible that anyone survived, although we did hear later rumours of a young man being found with two children. She was moved from several hospitals, each one because she was only a Jane Doe, you know. She was in a coma and would have been taken off life support. Someone identified her as one of the local sweepers, and the government decided to fund her medical costs, since she had served the government."

"Oh," Kyoko looked at her in amazement. "She looks hardly strong enough to get out of bed, let alone to wield a gun."

"Don't let appearances fool you. This girl's mighty strong, considering the extent of her damage. She came close to death numerous times, and her heart stopped for several, and still she held on."

"I wonder why," Kyoko told her. "Any sweetheart? It's a pity if she died before she found true love."

The nurse was amused. "No, I don't believe so. Do you have one?"

Kyoko sighed with happiness, "Yes, I do, and he's marvelous."

A loud cackle from the boys in her class distracted her momentarily. The nurse frowned, when seeing them crowd around the girl's bed. "Excuse me, young men, please be kind enough to leave."

The nurse was now walking briskly towards them, and unhappily, they were forced to leave the 'hottie'.

Is that a new friend I'm making?

"Thanks so much, nurse," the girl smiled breathtakingly as soon as the nurse managed to remove those horrible perverts from her bedside. Kyoko was jealous of the radiance that lighted her face when she smiled.

"No problem, Saya."

"Saya? That's your name?" Kyoko asked, a little interested. This girl was very pretty, and seemed to have been well-off before she was admitted into the hospital, if the silk yukata printed with flowers hanging at the bedside was anything to go by.

The girl who was called Saya smiled. "Yes, it is."

Kyoko introduced herself. "My name's Kyoko Kirisaki."

"Hello, Kyoko!"

"Must suck to stay in a hospital bed the whole time," Kyoko frowned, attempting at conversation.

"It really does. Especially since I don't have target practice."

"Are you any good at wielding guns?"

Saya laughed. "I hope I am! I'm a sweeper after all, though I try not to shoot if not necessary. My favorite gun of choice in a Beretta 39R."

"Cool," Kyoko said, knowing nothing of guns.

"I just wish I could leave the hospital. My condition is stable, but they won't let me leave, not without the permission of a relative if I'm suspected of relapsing immediately. But I haven't relapsed in at least!"

"Why don't you tell your relatives to bail you out?"

Saya sighed. "I've none."

Kyoko smiled. "Why not I pretend you're my cousin?"

"You're too kind, but I doubt anyone will believe you. I mean, you asked nurse for my name!"

"We're about the same age, aren't we? You're about Black Cat's age, aren't you? And I'm seventeen! There's not much difference!"

"Black Cat?" Saya furrowed her eyebrows.

"He's my one true love! He's so gallant! I wish you could meet him – which you can, if you go according to my plan."

"I doubt that will happen," Saya smiled at the younger girl. "But you're very kind to suggest it."

"No doubt. I can definitely get you out – if not by false pretenses, then by my Tao Power."

The air in the room suddenly went up a few degrees.

"Interesting. What is this Tao Power of yours, anyway?" Saya remarked.

"It's called Heat. You see, I was a member of the Apostles of the Stars, but that's another story."

"I'd love to hear it," Saya said, interested. "After all, if you're stuck in a coma for nearly two years, you get kind of bored, not knowing anything about the outside world."

"I could introduce you to my friends, you know!" Kyoko continued excitedly. "And you'd have to meet Black Cat! I'm sure you'll be jealous of me when you see him – he's real eye-candy!"

"I'm sure he is," Saya said. "What's his name?"

"Well, he's –" Kyoko was about to say something, but suddenly, her teacher called them all to go.

"Oh," Saya said. "I suppose you need to go."

"So do you," Kyoko said mischievously. "Sir, my fr – I mean, cousin Saya has to be checked out today, because I won't be able to see her soon. Do you think she can follow us back?"

Kyoko's friends stared in shock. They'd certainly never heard of any of Kyoko's cousins at all, let alone a cousin Saya!

"What are you playing at, Kyoko?" Her friends whispered. Kyoko shrugged off their questions.

"Wh-Whatever you wish, Ms. Kirisaki," the teacher answered feebly.

"Great!" Kyoko flashed a brilliant smile. "Now, cousin-o'-mine, let's check you out!"

Sweet freedom, at last!

In less than a minute, Saya had been checked out of the hospital, and the students headed home. The hospital administrators didn't even seem to be aware that this was a poorly performed charade, all in a bid to get Saya out of the hospital. Even if they knew, they didn't seem to mind, though. This was the problem with government hospitals – overcrowded and under-supplied. They were probably happy Saya left because that would be another one off her plate.

"Where are you going to stay, Saya?" Kyoko asked as they walked together. Saya frowned.

"I don't know. I can't return home –"

"Excellent, so you'll stay with me!" Kyoko finished for her joyfully.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko, but I don't think I can impose so much on your generosity –"

"Nonsense! We're going to be best friends! Mom and dad are hardly around, so you don't need to worry about them. All we need to worry now is when am I going to introduce you to my friends. You see, I was in this sort of business with them about saving the world – but that's another story! Do you want to go shopping?"

"Oh no, I have to go and work first!"

"But you haven't been a sweeper in two years, and you've just recovered!"

"Nonsense, Annette can find me a job to do at her pub."

"Annette?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"I don't think you'd know her," Saya smiled. "Her pub is a sweeper's haven."

"Hey, I have sweeper friends too! Black Cat and Sven and Eve –"

Saya smiled affectionately at Kyoko. "Why not you come with me and visit? If you're going to introduce me to your friends, I might as well introduce you to my friends."

Kyoko yawned and said, "I don't think so. I'll wait for you outside the pub."

Saya smiled. "Well, do as you like. Maybe another time." They headed away from the hospital, and entered the pub, a dingy sort of pub. Kyoko did not like the look on some of the men's faces, all leery and overly interested when they saw Saya head into the pub. Kyoko was glad she opted to stay outside, because if there were strange men all staring outside, then the inside must have worse.

Saya, however, seemed oblivious to it all, and began to happily chat along the way. She asked Kyoko all about her family, about the mysterious Black Cat ("I've heard of him, but I don't think I've met him.") and her life up to the age of seventeen-almost-eighteen ("You're so lucky you have all those memories. I can't remember anything before the age of nine.") and all the little things that made up her life. Kyoko never thought of it at the time, but Saya said nothing about her own past. Then again, she was getting annoyed with all those queer men and trying to answer Saya's questions.

"Well, I'm going in," Saya said cheerfully, as she opened the door to the pub. Kyoko couldn't make out much inside, but she discerned it was all right inside (not that she'd go inside the seedy pub), and Saya could probably take care of herself.

"As I said, I'll wait for you out here!" Kyoko said, cheerily. Saya gave a bright smile.

"Yeah, it won't take long anyway." Saya went in, and it was only ten minutes before she came out, still happy, so Kyoko knew all went well. But she asked how it went anyway.

Saya let out a gurgle of laughter. "It was okay, I suppose. But Annette wouldn't let me go to work dressed like this (Saya gestured at her yukata, which even though it had been washed repeatedly by the hospital staff who attended to her, was stilly blood-stained), so I need to find something else to wear."

"Oh, you can just wear something of mine! Was Annette surprised to find you alive?"

"I don't really know Annette that well, and I'm not really a regular there, but she was surprised to see me again after so long."

"Indeed. You came back from the dead! Like one of those witches who live forever and can't be vanquished" Kyoko laughed. "Well, let's just head off to my place! Maybe we can brew ourselves a love potion! I need one for Black Cat anyway!"

However, Saya didn't join in her laughter. Her mind seemed troubled.

"Yes," she said softly. "I suppose it was very witchlike of me."

Saya was quiet the rest of the way back to Kyoko's apartment on the other side of town, and Kyoko could not help but wonder why.

Author's Note:

I've been editing the story, so that the quality is improved. I may rewrite some parts so that the story is clearer. Anyhow, enjoy!