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"Mixed Blessings a Cat Tail "Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, male/male pairings of a most ridiculous
nature; told from Quatre's point of view, so beware the fluff. Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 Summary: The GW boys are all cats finding their little paws in the big, bad world. For Dyna Dee. A/N: The author needs her head examined, as does
her friend and editor, Waterlily, who suggested it, but I wrote it
just the same in order to make you laugh and as an eleven chapter
gift to Dyna Dee! " Mixed Blessings a Cat Tail "
People
who hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life. Chapter 11 - Yowl Come Back It's funny what images you remember following a terrifying experience. Thinking back, I could no longer even recall the last spurt across the grass to the hedge or passing the through; although, you'd think I'd remember that annoying snag of twigs on my long fur or coming to a standstill in my own garden. The relief at being home safe! I think my mind had problems concentrating on all the chaos going on around me, and so I'd grab hold of one thing and just stare. There were many cats lounging helter-skelter, many white, and looking for all the world like they belonged there—or, as Duo would say, "right here in my own backyard." One of the funniest sights, I recall, was that of Rashid in the window looking out, seeing us, and then hopping back and forth, frantically, from foot to foot on his perch. My mind supplied the circus calliope music and, oh, it was very, very funny! I could almost hear his screeches and calls, too. And then, I could! I really could hear Rashid, outside! His excited calls cut though the cacophony of other noise, mostly of humans talking; he just appeared outside on Miss Iria's shoulder. "Cat?! Cat! It IS you! And you... you are all right! My heart, it shall never be the same!" A feeble wave of my paw was all I could manage, but it seemed to satisfy Rashid and he calmed down and stopped shrieking. "Thanks for that." I heard those words spoken in a gentle voice, warm and soft, right by my ear. Trowa. And there was Heero's Odin! He was standing very close to Miss Iria, interesting enough. The security man laughed and patted her back, like they were old friends and shared a look of relief. "Like I told you," Odin said. His voice carried to my ears so clearly, "there they all are! All the cats! Good, Lord! How many are there? Two, four, six... Why is my cat licking that over-sized hairball?" Poor Duo, I was thinking, his lovely fur was a bit mussed, but he looked so alive and happy. Heero paused in his licking to scan the cats, glowering in the direction of the new ones. He looked tired. I wondered how far my friends had travelled to save me. Someone had gone to collect Trowa. So far. My dear, dear friends. Go ahead and glower all you like, Heero! You've earned the right. I didn't care as long as that crazy Dorothy cat kept her distance from me. Oh, what an awful whine! Sirens! That hurt my ears! Even my teeth ached! I think Miss Iria wanted to pick me up, but Rashid was a trial, picking at her hair. "You all right?" Trowa nudged me slightly. "You're too quiet." "I didn't eat," was all I needed to say. "Lean on me. Rest." My muscles obeyed his command and I sank back onto his firm shoulder. "But aren't you tired as well? You had to have run all the way from the circus—" "That was last night. We stayed at the Koi ponds to talk strategy." Trowa purred like a car's engine, loud and strong. And then Mr. Tam just appeared... I hadn't seen him a long time, I just realized. He held another source of annoyance, and noise, the dog. He looked angry, both the man and his dog. "—Just came for Ruggles. Look what I find! More cats! Is there no end to your fixation on these animals?" If there was an answer, I missed it. Mr. Tam wasn't done with his rant, though. "The Khushrenada estate has emergency vehicles going up the drive! What have you done, Iria?!" "She has done nothing. Watch your tone of voice!" That was Mr. Odin chastising Mr. Tam. I didn't understand why Duo was so curious about Mr. Tam, but I noticed him smoothing up to the man's jacket when Ruggles growled. That annoying dog could be tough when held safely four feet off the ground. From my vantage point, Ruggles appeared very small and helpless. But noisy just the same. Mr. Tam pushed Duo away and not gently. "You nasty cats and all your fur! Go away!" I'd never seen Mr. Tam so angry before. He traded Ruggles to his other arm and shook a finger at Mr. Odin. "Odin Lowe, butt out of this. I passed vans of news media crew heading up this way! Iria!" "Is that all?" said Mr. Odin. "From what I know, the police ought to be putting in a show any time." "I thought that Tam guy and your Miss Iria were friends," Trowa said. He looked moderately interested in the goings on of my household. I couldn't really blame him. I'd been so involved in meeting new friends and my own life. Miss Iria being so distracted meant I could sneak out of the house to meet Trowa. I'd neglected to notice what was happening inside. "I guess I was vaguely aware of some shouting. Rashid had mentioned a few arguments." "Humans. What nonsense." Trowa sighed with the sound of exasperation. "Greetings. I couldn't help but overhear." I smelled fishy breath and looked up into the face of my Siamese friend. "Hi, Wufei. Join us, please. Thanks for coming after me." He sniffed. "No thanks is necessary." He shrugged off any argument I might come up with and seemed eager to comment on what Trowa had said. "Nonsense describes most of what they trouble over. If humans would basically do as they are supposed to and simply meet our important needs, the world would be a better place. Who cares about their silly problems?" "Only when they involve us," I put in. I welcomed Duo and Heero as they joined us. "Hi! My heroes!" "The world is our oyster—" Wufei rhapsodized. "More like our can of tuna," Duo corrected with good humor. "And people are just there to serve it up. Am I right, 'Ro?" "For the most part. They often act to relieve tedium, but..." Heero's voice faded as his head turned away. "Isn't that Howard?" We all turned to look. The only person I didn't recognize, and, so, had to be Duo's Howard, wore a big grin and a wild flower-print shirt. I mean it was bright enough to rile Rashid, who started squawking from Miss Iria's shoulder. "It sure is!" Duo wailed, loud enough to make Wufei jump out of his skin, so to speak, and bring Milliardo our way from the other side of the garden. "Must be a real hullaballoo to bring Howie out of his lab." Duo hopped to his feet, that luxurious tail swishing through the air in an upward sweep. It was so sad to see it looking a little scruffy with burrs and grass caught up in it. Obviously he'd run through the fields, probably with Heero to warn Trowa of my absence. "Oh, your beautiful tail is all mussed," I said to him. I felt light-headed. Everything was dream-like the way people and cats drifted in and out of my view. Lack of sustenance must have made me a very pitiful cat. I did notice it was quieter. No dog! No Mr. Tam, either. Unexpected but a huge relief. I didn't know how long it would last, so I decided to enjoy the improvement. I must have said some of that out loud. With a wistful tone, Wufei asked, "I wonder if he left the fish?" "I believe Odin likes Miss Iria." It was Heero's voice, but the flat tone didn't give me a clue as to whether or not he cared that his human had a possessive-looking arm draped across my human's shoulders. "That would be nice," I said, "maybe you and he will move in here with us?" I thought that sounded lovely and didn't understand the undercurrent of grumbling I could hear from Trowa and Duo. Heero just looked down at me kindly and licked one of my ears. "Since you're all here," I said, pausing to yawn and stand for a change. "I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming to my rescue." My voice sounded as if it were coming from another cat. I'd never before felt so addle-brained; I was suffering now. Too much sun, excitement, and stress and too little food, fun, and all the comforting love I felt around me now. Whatever I'd said generated a murmur of meowing "no trouble" and "you would have done the same" kind of comments. Over the other cat voices, came Duo's. "I bet you're curious how we all knew what happened to you?" He pawed me on a leg. He was gentle, but it nearly knocked me over. "Maybe you should sit before you fall," Trowa suggested. "I-I think I will." Suddenly, or so it seemed to my muddled brain, I noticed that Duo and Heero had left. Trowa must have guessed why I looked confused, because he was right there, purring into my ear. "Duo was gloating about knowing his way around your kitchen, so I sent them to find you some food." "Oh, that's very thoughtful." I accepted his nuzzling and purring and licked his muzzle in return. "Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep." I chuckled softly and to stare in the direction I'd last seen Duo, my eyes alighting, instead, on Wufei. He must have been the one talking. He could say the funniest things when he was meaning to be serious. His expression combined being offended and his usual look of having acquired the wisdom of the ages naturally. "What are you staring at? It's a Chinese warrior saying!" Milliardo smoothed up the entire side of the Siamese cat, setting them both to purring loudly. "If I sit in the sunshine for another hour or so, I think I shall be satisfied." "Yes. It is a fine day for sunning," Wufei agreed. All traces of irritation vaporing in the glow of Mill's admiration, and the sunshine. I closed my eyes and let the sun bake me a little. Everything was wonderful. "Oh, aren't they just dear?" I heard Miss Iria telling someone. "Oh! And will you look at that?!" A voice I didn't know at all laughed heartily and then said, "Well, now I know where Duo hangs out all the time," the man, who I now assumed to be Howard, laughed some more. "I'd seen the brown cat of Lowe's around, but, heh, heh... He's found your stash!" Heero, who'd apparently done the carrying, dropped the bowl of food at my feet and sat to clean his face with his paw. Duo spit a mouthful of dry food out, near the bowl. "There! Some fell out." "Thank you so much." I stuck my face in the bowl and automatically starting gulping. "Slow down," Trowa warned me. "Chew." I did. I could hear loud crunching that wasn't from me and cast about for the source. Heero was glowering to his right. "Duo, what are you eating?" he growled. "Nothing? Oh, some of that kibble crap stuck to my tongue, you know?" "Our friend's starving and you're snacking on his first food in days." "Hey! I wasn't snacking! Just... cleaning up the debris. Wouldn't want Miss Iria to think we were mess-makers, would we?" No, we wouldn't, but Duo's wide-eyed innocent look fell short of complete honesty. No one cared, though. Even the grumpy-looking Heero pressed up against him, all forgiven. When I'd eaten all I could, I cleaned my face. There was more "Cute" and "Adorable" talk going on around me. Duo warned me, "Incoming cuddling!" I tensed, ready to have a human lift me off my feet, when Rashid let out a testy screech. "Don't lean over that way! I shall lose my footing!" the bird had said. Miss Iria, straightened, somehow knowing what he meant, or maybe his claws were grasping her shoulder a little too tightly. In any case, she gave up her plan to grab me. The arrival of three men and a woman, all strangers and all in dark uniforms, caused a new stir. This possibly had been the source of Miss Iria's distraction as well. "Investigators," Heero explained. "If they do their job, they will sort everything out and arrest the guilty parties." "Look! It's your Mr. Odin that they want to talk to," I pointed out. "I should think so," Heero said. "He called them after I pointed out the obvious." "It was 'Ro who went over the recordings after you didn't show up the other day," Duo told us. "You know the security recordings?" "I do, but the cameras are in my territory, and I was captured... trespassing, I suppose, on the property of the OZ breeders." "Heh, heh, yeah, well... 'bout that. 'Ro an' I did our own repositioning of the cameras after Mill came over looking for Relena." "I didn't like what he had to say," Heero said defensively. "You didn't like him coming over, but, yeah, Relena wanting to run away from the place—" "They were wearing tracking devices!" Heero yowled a little louder. I think the notion that you had to keep locators on your cats to keep them in line really spoke to him, in a bad way. "And sent men after them. I didn't like their operation." "And it's a good thing you didn't," Duo said sweetly, mollifying his buddy somewhat. "Considering... how it all turned out, and all. There! He's taking the uniforms to the hedge camera now." We all watched as Mr. Odin gestured up to the surveillance camera. I could make out a few words: "—wind, squirrel, something knocked it out of kilter. All I know is—" "I understand, then, that there are security tapes of what happened," I said, and Heero nodded agreement. "And that you made Odin aware of it." "I reviewed the recordings, as I'd seen him do, located the capture frames, and caused it to loop through the most incriminating images." Heero narrowed his eyes and straightened his back, and then stretched luxuriously. "We believe you," Duo said. "Gotta admire how you've really upped your skill level with that stuff." I shared the same opinion of impressive Heero's abilities. "And Odin understood immediately what had happened?" "Yes," Heero said, taking up the story again. "I knew he would review the other logs to find views of us checking the perimeter of your territory and see that you were no longer on the premises. He would follow up, because that is his expertise. That left Duo and I to gather help to free you." "I'm so glad you didn't try to do enter that place, just the two of you." "Too dangerous," Trowa said. "You got that right. Two cats like us would stand out like crows in a dovecot..." Duo looked thoughtful for a moment, like he was re-living an event from his past, "... which really are conspicuous, believe me. So, we hustled it out to 'Fei's, and low and behold found Mill there. He'd seen the whole thing, of course, and didn't know how to find us, but he did remember the way to the ponds." "I had to wait to get away," Milliardo said. "I hid in an out building until the guardsmen weren't canvassing the hedges, and then made my way to the Long Clan Koi ponds." He looked directly at Heero, daring him to find fault. "An all-white pelt has its drawbacks." "Not many," said Wufei, his voice unusually ragged. "I can think of several positive features right off the top of my head." "Hmm, really?" Mill swooped around, fur feathering the air in a silken veil, his tail blanketing our favorite Siamese. "Tell me more—" "I ran into that lot coming out of the pipe," said Trowa. "They were about to enter." "You were on your way to see me?" I asked. He had to be if he was already that far from the circus. "Yeah." Trowa didn't meet my eyes. He concentrated on some distant point over my shoulder. It must have been fascinating, because he kept on staring even after I reached out with my paw and patted his neck. "You'd missed me already?" "Missed you?! Daredevil Cat here was leaving the - urk! Hey, 'Ro! Whatcha go and hit me like that?" Heero hadn't actually hurt Duo; it was clear to me and everyone else that Duo was about to tell me something that he wasn't supposed to, and Heero had silenced him in the fastest way. By this time Relena, Sally, and Dorothy had joined our all-male contingent. The sun had moved behind the trees. Overhead the leaves rustled in the breeze. It was very pleasant. Now that they were close, I noticed something different, something missing. "Your collars! They are missing!" I said. "Heero removed them," Relena said, "like he did for Mill and me." "When-?" "Soon after we all gathered here," Heero said. "Tracking devices, remember?" He did have thing against those; I did remember that. "Where did you put them?" I asked. He directed his glower towards his friend. "I gave them to Duo to get rid of." "Duo? You didn't..." I hesitated, scanning the little watering stone for pink collars. There were none visible. "Don't get you whiskers in a frazzle," Duo said. "I stuffed them in a pocket. Mr. Tam's, oh, and I may have crushed them so they're permanently out of commission. You don't want them, do you?" Sally and Dorothy actually laughed. No, none of us wanted the collars returned. "Mr. Tam might have a difficult time explaining how he got them, should one of those investigators ever track him down," I noted, but, honestly, I found it difficult to care about him. Everyone was watching me, for some reason. "They're telling me about their rescue operations," I filled in the newcomers. "Good," Sally said. "We've got something to add, when the time comes." I waited for the white fur to settle a moment then asked, "So, what did you do next? You couldn't have come after me right away. I know I was caged through at least two sleep cycles." I couldn't say how many, though. Cats just don't keep track of time that way. "No," Heero said. "We gathered in my lab and reviewed the tapes. Milliardo told us what he knew and we drew up a plan. He and Relena knew the building layout; she, where the female cats were housed, and he, the male. We decided how to enter, divide up, and attack." Heero wasn't one to embellish a story; he didn't waste words or get sidetracked. I noticed everyone else seemed satisfied with his recounting and let him continue without comment. "Milliardo and Relena led us in, using a route known only by the cats. Duo and I ran one hall, distracting people. Milliardo and Wufei took the other direction, leaving Relena and Trowa in charge of the extraction." "But she could have been captured as well if all hadn't gone well. That was very brave of you, Relena!" I told her. "It was nothing, really. Everyone was running madly about trying to catch the intruders. Mr. Khushrenada himself ordered his men to trap the loose cats. I wasn't noticed at all. Trowa is an awfully clever cat and those long legs of his! He could reach door latches!" "I can never tell you properly how terribly happy I was to see you again," I said, looking up into Trowa's face. "I'll bet you can—"Duo began, but, once again, his comment was tromped upon, as well as his paw, by Heero's all-consuming need to finish reporting what had happened. "How did you escape the cage?" Heero asked. "Oh, he heard the ruckus you all were making outside and we rock and rolled the cage to the floor—" "So did I!" Dorothy chimed in. "I did everything they did and all by myself!" "You were very determined to get free," I allotted her that much I still hadn't forgotten the deep scratch she'd given my belly. It still pulled all along the healing line. "When I saw that Trowa was in the door," Relena went on, "I rushed away to where I knew Heero would be. That's when these terrible men started after me! I would surely have been caught if Heero—" "And Duo," Heero added. "—and Duo, yes, of course, hadn't been there to distract them." "I saw part of that, I think," I said. "And Wufei on the stairway! How very brave you were to face off with that awful man all by yourself!" "I knew Mill was on the way," Wufei said modestly. He just glowed with pride, though. "I think Mr. Khushrenada died when he fell," I said. Wufei appeared unaffected. "I should have preferred a more active role in that, but I merely got in his way." "What's important is that we destroyed the command structure," Heero said. "Yep! Nipped it in the bud," Duo agreed. "And freed Quatre," Trowa said. "And us!" Dorothy maintained. "I wonder what's to become of us and the other cats left behind?" Sally said in a wistful manner, not expecting an answer. With so much out of our control, what could we cats do? What was the use of pondering the future? We lived in the moment, eluding the obstacles and accepting the handouts humans set before us. We lay in dappled sun on the lawn and watched the human commotion as another man appeared, one I'd never seen before. He stood out. This one was small, much shorter than Mr. Odin and nearly as slender as Miss Iria. He wore blue coat to his feet. "It's Master Long," Wufei hissed, short of breath. "He never leaves the clan compound." "Apparently news travels fast," Milliardo said. "He just said something about 'hearing the news'." It was the middle of the afternoon, food appeared on the porch, and the people gathered to eat and talk more. "We should move closer," Duo suggested. "Don't expect them to feed you," Heero warned him. Duo stared at his friend a moment, maybe altering what he was about to say a couple times over. "Stuff drops to the ground..." "And you want to hear what they have to say, don't you?" I asked. "Yeah!" Duo seemed pleased with that suggestion and moved on his own. Wufei scooted out of his way with a hiss. I guess he'd learned not to block Duo from his goal, or get bowled over. We didn't move far. Some of us, like me, didn't move at all. I felt comfortable sprawled over Trowa. He made a soft warm cushion. I could hear any important information as it transmitted from cat to cat. "Who is this Hilde person I hear the people talking about. And Noin? Is that a name?" Relena chose to answer me. "Many of us received shabby treatment and at times cruel, always unfair. Hilde was a girl who worked there, who often spoke out against our living conditions. Suddenly we no longer saw her." "What they are saying about her," Dorothy reported, "is that she is filing suit, whatever that is, against the OZ breeders for being unlawfully dismissed from her job—" "Well, that explains that!" Relena declared with a triumphant meow. Dorothy glared at her. "I wasn't finished. Apparently, Hilde was one of several employees, and Miss Noin was another, who have filed a complaint against OZ for inhumane conditions. I told you it wasn't right! I fought tooth and nail against most of the partners they had picked out for me! And the cages! Far too restricted!" she opined. "Well, that sounds like good news," Milliardo said. "It appears that the OZ breeders have been shut down." "Well done!" I said. I felt like cheering, but I knew how people frowned on cats making too much noise, so I settled for a lot of purring. "Don't get too excited," Heero warned. "It appears they are sorting out what to do with 'the cat problem'." Meaning us. We were all quiet now, listening for clues as to our futures. "The cats could be distributed around the neighborhood." I don't know who proposed that, possibly Duo's Howard, but it was debated for few minutes. "I suppose that male white cat and one of the females could come live with me." That had been Odin who made that offer. The look on Heero's face was, not pleased, frightening, actually. Heero seemed to like Odin, admire his work; at least he seemed impressed by the man's competence. I'm certain Heero had worked very hard and trained the man well, so I could imagine how disappointed Heero must have been to hear him utter those words. Luckily, that situation never came to pass and another offer held up. "I could house the Angoras at the Zen Garden," Master Long offered. "Just these four. They seem to get along very well with my Siamese, especially the male, which can be tricky." "Zen Garden?" Sally spoke up, "So, you have an out-of-doors to enjoy?" "He has practically all the out-of-doors, and some very attractive water features," Mill said. "To protect!" Wufei insisted. "You would have a duty to protect the ponds and all the territory." Dorothy extended her impressive claws. "I can do that." "It sound perfect to me also," Sally agreed. "How about you, Relena?" With one last lingering glance in Heero's direction—he was totally immersed in cleaning Duo's ears and paid her no attention—she sighed a heavy sigh relinquishing her claim, yielding defeat, at last. "It sounds like a lovely place, Wufei." "Oh, yeah," Duo said. "And with Mill to entertain him, 'Fei wouldn't be such a fish-killer! Heh, heh..." "I am not a—I improve the stock by culling the weak and inferior!" "Of course you do," Milliardo purred soothingly. "And I'll help to bear this great burden." The white cat's goings-on so amused me that I missed all the other excitement until Trowa nudged me to get up. Heero's fur stood on end, and Trowa's tail twitched like crazy. What had I missed?! "Whoa, 'Ro, sounds like you'll be getting a family to live with, huh?" Duo said. He sounded pretty happy about it. "Doesn't sound as if Howie minds if I move in, too, eh? Pretty cool." As we understood, and what was explained to me, was that Mr. Odin was suggesting that Miss Iria and he cooperatively buy out the OZ breeders. "Does that mean Kitty-Cat here will get thirty or so new brothers and sisters?" Duo asked. Yay? "Oh, that's not possible!" I said, trying not to whine. "I mean, I'd treat them all kindly, of course, the poor cats, but I can't lie to you. I'd be looking forward to them moving on to new homes." "No I believe what they are proposing, he and Iria, is that he move in with her, including me," Heero said. "The other cats wouldn't move in. There's would be a cattery or they'd be shuffled out. I don't know." Heero didn't elaborate further. We were all confused. The people were getting up and collecting there things. Howard and Iria helped Master Long gather the white cats, while the small man called Wufei to his side. "Well, goodbye, Wufei!" I said with all our friends. "See you later." He waved a paw as he was lifted from the ground and carried off in the arms of the one man he admired. "There goes the white fur collective," Duo said. "That'll keep Wufei occupied." "Dorothy is a very scary cat," I said. "She alone will keep him in line, plus all the other cats at the ponds." "Howard's leaving," Heero observed. "What are you going to do?" Duo shook his head. "Stay here for now. You all going inside? I could use a bite to eat." I watched Mr. Odin giving Miss Iria a hand with the last of the glassware, both people heading for the door. What was that? When had Rashid migrated over to Odin's shoulder, I wondered? "Quatre?" Heero meowed to get my attention. "Of course!" Where were my manners? "No one seems to care about what we're doing right now. We should go in and refresh ourselves." "All of us?" Trowa asked. He was holding back. "Certainly!" I made sure that Trowa didn't trail too far behind as we trotted through the garage, through the cat door, and into the kitchen. I was gracious if nothing else today. "You've been here before." While Duo and Heero filled the bowl with kibble, I tried snuggling up to Trowa. He felt very strung out. I hoped nourishment would help. When I urged him to eat, he did, ravenously. To make light of all that was happening, or had happened, or might be happening, I started rambling. "I think it will be very good for Heero to live in a nice home with other cats for company. And you know Duo will move in if at all possible." My words did not bring Trowa the comfort I'd hoped they would. He still seemed very tense. "Trowa? Is there something I can do? You seem so... tense." "Oh, Kitty-Cat," Duo chimed in, "I'll bet there is-!" I couldn't ignore Duo's noise or Heero's paw smacking his mouth to shut up his dear friend, but I tried. Trowa snorted either in response to Duo or just all the little irritations in general. I did think of something else that might have been troubling him. "I'm sorry, Trowa. You must be feeling left out of all this. You know how important you are to me, don't you?" "I leave you on your own for a few days and next I find you've collected a harem." "Oh, no! Now, you know that's not what... they just followed us out-!" I stopped babbling, coming to the realization that possibly Trowa was teasing me, and just played along. "Well, meet the new me." I spun around so he could admire me from all angles. When I stopped, I made a serious issue of looking him over carefully. "I see you managed to assemble an entire posse of mercenaries to come after me." "To save your ass," Duo pre-empted, before being silenced by Heero with a tongue swiping. I led them out of the kitchen. I wanted to demonstrate to my friends how I could sing and play. We stopped in front of the newish piano and I hopped onto the bench. Trowa's tail twitched. "And now I'm supposed to be excited to have half the cats in the neighborhood moving in on my territory?" he growled. I wondered how serious he was, how bothered he was. I tried a little more teasing. "Your territory? It's my house—oh!" His ears flattened and he appeared terribly distraught! He must really have been afraid I was replacing him with all my new friends! "Oh, Trowa! You're always welcome here, you know." "That's good to know, I mean, you already settled all that, didn't you?" Duo asked Trowa. "Ah, you told Kitty-cat about your plans, didn't you?" No, he hadn't. I gazed up at Trowa and waited politely for him to speak. He'd swiftly gone mute, and it was definitely Trowa's turn to say something. I waited. Duo and Heero waited. I could tell he was ready when he gazed into my eyes and his ears flickered. "I couldn't just..." He spoke haltingly. I could tell he was very emotional. I hurt inside for him. "...just hope to see you every so often, could I? Optimistically, that wouldn't be very often while the circus was on, and, worse, it was preparing to leave. You know, go on the road, for the rest of summer." "What? Oh, no1 I didn't know!" How could I? I knew nothing about his life as a circus performer. "How horrible!" "That's what I felt, too. I'd never see you then or... maybe ever again. I couldn't live that way! So I made a decision. I left the circus that day. I was coming to find you and tell you, when I ran into... the others and they told me how you'd been... abducted." What he meant finally soaked in. He'd left his job to come to my rescue! I was so surprised I couldn't breathe! "Quatre, did I make a mistake?" Breathe! "Oh, Trowa! No! I mean I'm so happy you're here... here to stay! You mean to stay, don't you?! You are welcome to live here. We'll make room!" "You know, you outta stop the pussyfooting around and just tell each other how crazy you are about one another!" Duo insisted, adroitly avoiding a sideswipe from Heero with some fancy footwork. "Oh, well-I ah..." I didn't know exactly if this was the time or place for intimate discussions. Trowa leaped from the floor to the piano lid and peered over the side at me. "If that's what it takes to secure my place," Trowa said with a very arousing growl. "You're not my first love, but you're my last." "I am?! Oh, that's... wonderful !" We walked over the piano keys together; a tune tapped out and a harmony added in stride. We made the loveliest music I'd ever heard. And no one shouted at us to stop. And that's everything, including the cat's meow. The End. I did have the breeds in mind for the story and, if you are curious about how I see the cat-boys, here are some urls : Quatre:Birman |
