Title: Jihi
By: Fiara Fantasy
Pairing: gen
Rating: G
Summary: Today is Toshiko's birthday. It's not like she thinks anyone will notice, but is she right about that?

***

Toshiko walked into the hub like it was any other day, smiling a greeting to Ianto before heading to her desk to get some work done before any crisis came up. She dropped her bag on the floor beneath her desk, hopefully out of the way of careless co-workers and a curious pterodactyl, but then her eyes caught a red box sitting unobtrusively on her keyboard.

No one could know, could they? She hadn't said…

Toshiko glanced around before taking the lid off the package. Then she dropped the lid to the floor.

"Oh!"

Inside the box was a tiny Silver tabby kitten. It blinked up at her solemnly with jade green eyes and mewed. She picked it up and cradled it, running her fingers over the soft fur and thin black stripes. A tag was hanging from around its, her, neck with the kanji symbol for mercy on it.

"Jihi," she whispered. Jihi mewed and batted at her fingers with tiny white-socked paws. She could hold her in her own cupped hands she was so small.

The tiny clink of porcelain on desk top startled her out of her reverie. Ianto stood in front of her, smiling a little smugly.

"I thought you'd like her."

"How did you know? I mean thank you, she's beautiful, but…"

"Despite Owen's job description, I actually end up doing everyone's medical paperwork. Besides, it's my job to know everything."

He smirked for a moment and she smiled back a little shyly. It was hard to know how to act around Ianto sometimes, well all the time really, especially after being in his head and hearing what he was thinking behind the quiet smile and perfectionist outward personality.

"I thought you could probably use a reason to go home and some company. I found some boys trying to drown it in a ditch, it was a runt and no one seemed to want it, but you seemed like a cat person."

The kitten rubbed its head on Tosh's palm, then sat to wash its ears.

"She's perfect."

Ianto gave a small smile. "Happy birthday."

He turned to go.

"Ianto?"

He stopped and looked back. "Yes Toshiko?"

"Why the name?"

He smiled again, but this time there was more warmth to it, more of Ianto.

"Because mercy is why you're holding that kitten and sometimes life chooses to show a little too. I thought you should know that."

Toshiko was touched more then a little. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Tosh."

Info: You probably already know this, but if you don't have a clue what I was talking about kanji are those pretty symbols that you see used it tattoos and henna a lot. End of info. I hope you enjoyed the story!