Eine Woche in der Klasse 8b

Montag:

,,Die Quadratwurzel aus b ist die des Summanden aus c, bla, bla, bla..." Barbara versank langsam in einen Wachschlaf, in dem lauter Quadratwurzeln und Zahlen vorkamen. Mittendrin war sie mit ihrem geilen Abendkleid von Tiffany, welches einen seeeeeehr tiefen Ausschnitt hatte, und ihrem neuen Lover Lisa Bahlensiefen, die in Wirklichkeit ein Junge war, der sich einer Geschlechtsoperation unterzogen hatte, sein edles Stück jedoch behalten hatte. Sie rammelten zusammen in einem Zahlenmeer, das langsam einem Samenmeer wich. Doch plötzlich erschien Barbaras Mutter, die aussah wie Hr. Hilger, nur mit einer Perücke, einer Damenhandtasche, einem Korsett, einem Push-Up-BH und viel zu viel Schminke im Gesicht. ,,Mein Barbie-Baby!", schrie Hilger-Mami aus voller Kehle. ,,Wie kannst du es wagen, sie zu rammeln, du Transe! Na, wollt ihr euch nicht mal mit Quadratzahlen mal nehmen?" ,,Hä?", machte Barbara und wachte verdutzt auf. Vor ihr stand Hr. Hilger. ,,Was´n los, Hilger-Mami?" ,,Wer?!?", fragte Hr. Hilger verwundert und sah mit großen Augen nach unten, besorgt, dass Barbara sein rosa Tütü gesehen hatte, das er so gut unter seinen Jeans versteckt hatte. ,,Oh... äh... nichts, nichts.", sagte Barbara schnell.

Eine Reihe weiter hinten saß Lisa Keilbar, die Namen aus dem Buch Harry Potter verunstaltete. So wurde aus Mc Gonagall "Mc Gonageil", aus Snape "Schnapp", oder aus Hermine Granger "Hermoane Geiler", oder aus Crabbe "(Hintern)krabbler". Aus Tonks wurde sogar "Trompe".

Dann nahte die zweite Stunde, Erdkunde. ,,Gute...", kam es noch aus Fr. Wieses übergroßem Maul, da flog sie schon in das Samenmeer, das Dennis Köhl in der 5-Minuten-Pause in der Nähe des Pultes fabriziert hatte. Aus Versehen schluckte Fr. Wiese etwas davon, bevor sie aufstand, herzhaft rülpsteund hauchte: ,,Leeeeeecker! Muss ich mir merken!" Fr. Wiese war ein kleines verhutzeltes Etwas, das anscheinend schon mehrere Jahrzehnte scheintot war und zu glauben schien, sie sei das Schönste Wesen, das Gott je erschaffen hatte. Fr. Wiese säuberte ihren immer noch leicht mit Samen besudelten Mund wie eine Katze, dann setzte sie sich auf den Stuhl am Lehrerpult und begann mit dem Unterricht. ,,Heute fangen wir mit Erdbeben an.", verkündete sie. ,,Kann mir jemand sagen, wie sich ein Erdbeben anhört?" Christian zeigte auf, ein Wunder für sich. ,,So hört sich ein Erdbeben an!", sagte er und drückte auf einen Knopf. Krach!! Peng!! Schon flog eine alte Oma mit Rollstuhl durch die Luft und trällerte voll Begeisterung I believe I can fly. Alle liefen zum Fenster, um zu sehen, woher die Oma geflogen war, nämlich aus dem Altenheim. ,,Ja, so hört sich ein Erdbeben an.", stimmte Frau Wiese zu. ,,Eins plus." Christians Mutter würde in Ohmacht fallen.

Während der Stunde fing es heftig an zu müffeln. ,,Baaah! Hier stinkt es, als hätte jemand in die Hose geschissen!", rief Viktor angeekelt. ,,Also Waaaaaahnsinn!", rief Fr. Wiese begeistert. ,,Dass du das herausgefunden hast, was ich gerade gemacht hab, Viktor. Eins plus!" Auch Viktors Mütter würde wohl in Ohnmacht fallen.

Den Rest der Stunde besprachen sie, was aus einem Vulkan hervorbrach, und Fr. Wiese behauptete felsenfest, dass ein Vulkan bei einem Ausbruch seine Tage hätte. Bei diesen Worten bekam Fr. Wiese selbst einen Vulkanausbruch, bei dem die gesamte 8b unter lautem Stöhnen zusammenbrach, so dass Fr. Wiese den Rest der Stunde damit verbrachte, die Klasse mit Riechsalz wieder aufzupäppeln, wobei sie sogar noch einmal von vorne beginnen musste, weil sie zwischendrin noch einen Ausbruch erlebte.

Latein: In Latein begannen die 8b und 8c zusammen mit dem geilen Hannes, alias Hr. Philippek Senior, mit den Relativpronomen "qui, quae, quod". Nachdem der geile Hannes mit seinen feuerroten Schwanz die Formen an die Tafel gespritzt hatte, sollten die Schüler diese nachsprechen. ,,Also, fangen wir an.", sagte der geile Hannes. ,,Qui, quae, quod." ,,Quiek, quaek, quatsch.", sprach die Klasse nach. ,,Nein, nein, nein!", tobte der geile Hannes und geilte sich zur Beruhigung erst einmal an Kathillac und ihrem bösen Stern auf. Nachdem sie dann endlich die Formen hinbekommen hatten, - 10 Anläufe und 10 Mal an Kathillac aufgeilen waren nötig - spielten sie ein lustiges kleines Spiel namens Lateinisches Kamasutra-Taschenbillard. Diese superbe Spiel bestand darin, dass ein Schüler einen anderen männlichen Schüler am Schwanz hochhob und ein anderer an ihm rumspielte und ihn auf Lateinisch beleidigte (,,Gib mir Tiernamen!" ,,Böse Hummel! Fieser Schmetterling!").

Nach diesem äußerst amüsanten Spiel gab es dann erst einmal die 5-Minuten-Pause, die der geile Hannes nutzte, um sich Enzo zu schnappen und ihn in einer stillen Ecke zu vergewaltigen.

Dann ging es weiter mit Strip-Poker mit Anfassen. Kathillac verlor gleich ein Dutzend mal gegen den geilen Hannes und unterlag in der zweiten Runde Hannes Gewicht beim Decken und musste erst einmal ins Krankenhaus geliefert werden.

Die zweite Große Pause: Im Lehrerzimmer standen die Lehrer Schlange, um sich an Nutte Ella, einem Nutella-Glas, aufzugeilen. Auch Fr. Radig stand in der illustren Reihe und wartete auf ihre Befriedigung. ,,Was willst du denn hier?", fragte der geile Hannes. ,,Ich möchte, dass Nutte Ella mal was anderes vor die Fotze bekommt als eure kleinen Pipetten. Meine Schweitzer Berge werden ihr sicher gefallen.", erklärte Fr. Radig vergnügt. ,,Du meinst wohl eher Schweitzer Täler.", sagte Hr. Goris. Fr. Radig wurde sogleich zornrot und rastete vollkommen aus. ,,Und jetzt beginnt der einzigartige Kampf zwischen Gib´s-Ihm-Goris und Relaxo-Radig! Oh! Jetzt setzt Relaxo-Radig ihren Bodycheck ein! Und jetzt die Kratzfurie! Und ein..." Doch weiter kam der Pokémnon-Freak Hr. Domine nicht, denn es klingelte bereits. Die Lehrer, die nicht zu ihrer Befriedigung gekommen waren, gingen lautstark murrend zur nächsten Stunde.

Politik: In Politik gab es heute Vertretung. Die Vertretung gab Fr. Dr. Wolff, die sadomaso-lustige Tante. Sie betrat die Klasse mit ihrem luftaschneidend engen Latexkleid und ihren "Oh-Mein-Gott-Sind-Das-Große-Absätze-Die-Sind-Ja-Größer-Als-Mein-Dödel!"-Leder-Latex Schuhen und peitsche mit ihrer mit Dornen versehenen Lederreitpeitsche in die gröhlede Menge. Sophia und Barbara wirkten völlig entzückt von solcher Schönheit. Wie bereits der geile Hannes, hatte auf Fr. Dr. Wolff einen Namen, nämlich Dr. Müller. Während sie mit der Peitsche weiter wild um sich peitsche und das Blut vom andauernd getroffenen Moritz nur so spritzte, stöhnte sie lautstark: ,,Reiß dich endlich am Riemen und ruf mich an, du Schlappschwanz! Willst du scharfe Bilder von mir aufs Handy? Willst du zu mir nach Hause auf mein Nagelbett der Stöhnenden Bestrafung? RUF (*peitsch*) MICH (*peitsch*) AAAAAAAAAAN!!!! (*peitsch*,*peitsch*,*peitsch*) Ich mach dich geil ich mach dich wild, ich mach dich fertig! Schick nur ´ne SMS mit Dr. Müller, die Sau für alle Fälle und 01901234567676, komm spiel mit mir!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Dr. Müller redete noch ungefähr 20 Minuten so weiter. Dann war ihr Hals schließlich so trocken, dass sie erst einmal ein Röhrchen nahm, sich das eine Ende ihn ihre Vagina eiführte und das andere Ende in den Mund. Sogleich begann sie zu pissen, und die Pisse gleitete durch das Röhrchen in ihren Mund. ,,Also Waaaaaaaaaaaahnsinn!", rief Janina, die nun vollkommen grün angelaufen war, schwang mit ihrem Körper hin und her und kippte mit ihrem Stuhl bewusstlos um.

Deutsch: ZENSIERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEWARE OF KERAMIKFRESSE POTTHAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neko Neko Part 5

Danielle Yuy blew over the top of her cup of tea as she read over the reports for her troubling case. Having to defend a very high profile politician, like Mark Johnson, against first degree murder was proving to have its challenges.
While one would have thought that such a man could not be touched, the prosecution had gathered quite a bit of incriminating evidence that they considered evidence that may sway the jury the wrong way... at least the wrong way where she was concerned.
Chuckling deeply, Danielle sipped from her tea, her curly red ringlets of hair falling off her shoulders. She continued to read the files of the case built up against her client.
Of course, Senator Johnson had killed his wife, and the man with whom she was having her little affair. Danielle knew that her client was guilty. Having gone through all of the crime lab results and clues that had been sloppily left behind, there was no question in her mind that the man was guilty.
Still... for the amount of money that a victory in this case would bring to the Yuy firm, Danielle would have him painted off as a saint by the end of the trial without batting an eye.
The prosecutor's head would spin, what happened to the case they had built against the clear criminal. No one would be after the Senator when this was done, and none would see him as anything but an innocent man who was charged for a crime he did not commit.
This was the way in Danielle's line of work. It was what brought such a luxurious lifestyle to her and her late husband.
Lowering her cup and removing her wire frame glasses from her nose, she looked up from the reports and sighed deeply. Odin. In one week, it would be the anniversary of his passing. It would be one year already.
Knowing that if Odin were able, he would come back just to tell her to stop sulking and continue working, Danielle placed her glasses back on. Of course she missed her husband terribly, but death was just a part of life.
At least when he passed, Odin had everything that he could have ever dreamed of owning. Not many were as lucky as they had been. And Danielle was determined to see that Heero followed in his father's footsteps, as they had planned from the time he was born.
Nothing was going to keep Heero from the path that was set for him. He was destined to be just like his father.
Sifting through the reports on the table, Danielle felt something brush up against her leg. Looking down, the redheaded woman found the brown kitten that her son had brought into the house. He was rubbing the side of his furry body against her leg as his violet eyes looked up at her.
It had been almost a month since Heero had asked his mother to allow him to keep the feline. Coming home from her business trip in relation to the Johnson trial, Danielle was pleasantly surprised to see just how true to his word to her had been in taking full responsibility for the kitten.
The kitten continued to look up at the young woman with those brilliant eyes wide open in curiosity. While she never liked being disturbed when she was working, Danielle couldn't help the small smile on her face. "I take it this is how you got Heero to want to keep you so badly," she chuckled.
Unable to understand what she was saying, Duo sat and tilted his head, his nametag jingling softly with every movement of his neck. Those eyes were the most remarkable things that Danielle had ever seen on a cat before, she had to admit. With their violet shade, they seemed alluring yet there was something haunting about them at the same time.
Reaching down to pat the top of his head, Danielle sighed, "Well, I suppose you bring him the companionship he needs, so I shouldn't complain." Duo purred deeply as he nuzzled his face against her hand.
There was something very special about this particular kitten, Danielle was convinced.
She had been certain that when she returned from the business trip that she had been on while the feline was brought into her house, she would regret ever allowing such an animal to live there. Instead, she actually felt a certain fondness for him, even if she would never admit to it.
Heero came into the room, looking around anxiously. Danielle smiled at him and pointed down to the floor beside her. Looking under the table, he recovered his missing pet and frowned, "Duo."
Startled by the sound of his owner's voice, the kitten turned quickly to face him. When their eyes met, Duo ran up to the teenage boy as he was scooped up easily with one hand.
Still frowning, Heero said quietly, "Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean for him to get away to disturb you." He glared down at the kitten, only for his scowl to fade when Duo meowed innocently up at him.
His mother chuckled deeply and waved her hand nonchalantly as she replied, "It's all right. He doesn't interrupt me all that often at all. You've been true to your word to take care of him." At that, Heero smiled in relief.
Looking to her watch, Danielle added, "I am going to be leaving for another meeting again soon, anyway." She gathered up the loose papers from the table before stacking them neatly and placing them in her leather folder.
"Be a good lad and see to those odds and ends that I need to have worked out before Monday," the young woman told her son in a firm, but affectionate tone.
Heero nodded firmly, "Of course. I am finished with more than half of the projects now. They'll be finished before long."
A proud smile appeared on his mother's face as she approached. "That's my good boy. I never have to worry when I have your assistance," she said sincerely as she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek.
Jumping up onto Heero shoulder, his usual perch, Duo blinked his wide eyes at the boy's mother. Danielle laughed, "All right, you too." She reached up and patted the top of his furry head to be rewarded with another nuzzle and a round of purring. Heero chuckled deeply.
Zechs stepped into the living room, his long black chauffer coat on, as he announced, "The car is ready, madam."
With a nod to the tall man, Danielle finished closing her briefcase and replied, "Thank you, Zechs." Quickly mentally checking off what she needed, she was satisfied that everything was at her disposal.
Pulling her suit coat on, Heero's mother kissed his cheek again as she told him, "This will most likely run pretty late. I am going to be having dinner with the board members after out meeting, so I will see you tomorrow."
"Okay," Heero replied, rubbing the top of Duo's head as the kitten continued to lie stretched across his shoulder. "Have a good night."
Giving him a wink, Danielle stepped out of the house, Zechs holding the door open for her. Following her out, the tall man closed the door behind them.
* * * * * *
That afternoon, walking into the living room of the Barton residence, Heero found his three friends.
Quatre was watching Trowa and Wufei in amusement, as they grunted and yelled, trying to get their space ships to take their opponent out. They were both lying on the floor in front of the large flat-screened television, playing one of the many video games that Trowa owned.
The Arab looked up from where he was chuckling to himself. His smile grew as he waved and greeted, "Hey, Heero." Wufei and Trowa paused the video game as they turned back to welcome their friend.
Heero smirked and removed his backpack from his shoulder. Tossing it onto the floor, he spoke to the tallest of the group. "I hope you don't mind me just stopping by like this."
A friendly smile bloomed on Trowa's face as he answered, "You're welcome anytime, you know that." Gesturing with his head to the book bag on the floor, he asked, "More assignments from your mom?"
"Yea," Heero nodded, "This case that she is preparing is pretty...what the-" He stopped in mid sentence when the book bag began to stir. His friends all watched with wide eyes. Through the opening at the top of the bag, a furry little head poked out, gazing around at its new surroundings.
Quatre, Trowa and Wufei fell into laugher at the sight of the kitten, who looked up to his master and gave a small meow. Duo's wide, violet eyes were filled with mischief.
It was a similar scene to a child giving as pitiful a look as they could muster to make their parent forget that they were sneaking into the cookie jar when they should not have been.
Sighing deeply, Heero couldn't help but smirk, "Duo, you little stowaway." Bending down, he pulled the zipper down more to make the opening at the top of his book bag big enough for his pet to jump out.
From where he sat on the floor, Wufei barely managed to contain his laughter as he commented, "Well, he'll have a better chance at beating me at this game than Trowa is having right now."
Beside him, Trowa snorted, "Well, I might not win this, but it looks like you're going to be losing our little bet that we made."
Sitting beside Quatre, Heero leaned forward and asked, "Merian still not giving you the time of day, Chang? You only have a week before the dance."
Duo curled up on Heero's lap as he watched the video game being played on the large thing that looked like a window to him. Normally, the furry creature would have found such a new place something that he needed to explore, to learn. Somehow, however, he was always content to be around the human that had given him a home.
Quatre folded his arms behind his back and grinned, "My sisters are willing to help when the loser is decided, since I had a chance to warn them in advance."
The blonde youth smiled at Duo as he reached over to pat the top of his head and commented, "You don't want to have to face another defeat like the last time do you?"
Lowering his controller, Wufei yelled, "I'm working on it, alright!"
The heads of his three friends fell back as they laughed out loud in disbelief of his strategy. Glaring at Trowa, The Chinese teenager growled, "You're lucky I consider you a brother." At that, the others just laughed louder.
Trowa snickered as he crawled over to the couch behind them to pat the kitten's head. Duo all but fell into the touch as he nuzzled his face into the hand of the tall teenager and purred loudly.
As if he was speaking to a child, Trowa smiled and cooed, "Hello, Duo. Uncle Wufei is pwetty scared that he is going to lose another bet, isn't he?"
"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Wufei said with a roll of his eyes before moving to the couch as well. Once Trowa allowed him to get a hand in to pat the kitten, the Chinese teenager smirked at the furry little stowaway as Duo leaned into his touch.
Chuckling, Quatre shook his head and sighed, "Finally, something to keep the two of you from your constant bickering." His smile turned wistful as he said, "It is something, having an actual kitten in the group."
Both Trowa and Wufei gave their own nods of agreement, their prior argument forgotten altogether. Duo stretched as he rose from his owner's lap and walked towards the three teenagers, who looked ready to play with him.
While his friends entertained his pet, Heero smirked as he picked up a few of his folders from the backpack and he set back to work on the assignments that his mother had left him.
As he worked and talked with his friends, he would look up from the papers that he was focused on to smile as he watched the kitten.
* * * * * *
Noin had just finished setting the table when Heero returned with Duo. She shared a concerned look with Zechs before they took their seats. As the boy approached, the blonde man frowned deeply and began, "Heero, we've been looking everywhere for Duo and-"
Before Zechs could finish his sentence, Heero just smiled at him and Duo's head popped out from his backpack over his shoulder.
When the kitten meowed innocently at the wide eyes of the chauffer and young maid, Heero broke out into a full belly laughter. Both Zechs and Noin sighed deeply as their tense shoulders sagged.
Reaching over to gather his kitten into his hand, the teenager smiled, "Somehow, he managed to sneak into my backpack before I left for Trowa's."
Both guardians fell into laughter, both in their relief and at the sight that the kitten made when he suddenly appeared from the bag. For the last few hours, they had been dreading having to tell the boy that his kitten was missing.
Heero lowered the kitten onto the floor carefully. Without hesitating, Duo scurried over to his filled milk and soft foot as he ate happily after his exciting trip. Around him, the humans sat at the table for their own meal.
After eating in silence for some time, Noin decided to start a conversation. "I am sure that your mother will be happy when this trial finally begins in three weeks," she stated.
Nodding as he sucked on the end of his thumb to remove some of the meat sauce that gathered there, Heero replied, "With a high profile cast like this, she has to make sure that she isn't overlooking anything. I haven't seen her as busy as she has been these last couple months in a while."
As he cut into his slice of pot roast, Zechs told him, "I know that your mother appreciates all of the help that you've been providing. A case like this will mean a lot for the firm."
"Well, I should have everything that she gave me finished tomorrow," Heero said. "My school assignments are finished and I am still ahead of what's being taught in all of my classes."
Noin tilted her head as she inquired, "In speaking of school, there is only a couple of months left. I haven't heard you mentioning anything if there is going to be a Freshman dance."
A deep frown fell on Heero's face as he cleared his throat before answering quietly, "There is one. It's next Friday night." At that, the eyes of his guardians widened.
His head lowered, the boy shrugged and admitted, "I told the others that there was a board meeting that I had to attend, so I couldn't make it. Besides, with this case and all, my mother would never have allowed me to attend such an event."
While that end of it was true, Noin was still trying to find her voice. Finally, she whispered sadly, "I-I'm sorry, Heero..."
Meeting her gaze, the Japanese teenager assured her, "It's all right, Noin. I know that you had no idea." As he rose from his seat, Heero forced a smile and said, "Dinner was very nice, thank you. I should head upstairs and return to my research."
Before the others could reply, Heero left the dining room. Duo was in the middle of grooming himself when the boy quickly departed. Lowering his front right paw from his mouth, the kitten sprang up and ran after him as the boy made his way up to his room.
Noin lowered her head with a deep, saddened frown. With a small, reassuring smile, Zechs said quietly, "You don't have to feel bad for anything, Noin."
The dark-haired woman shrugged, "I just feel like a heel for how I brought up the whole thing. I never wanted to make him upset."
Folding his arms, the tall man replied curtly, "Well, you should be sorry. Think of the pain that you caused Heero without realizing that you were doing it. I don't think he'll ever be able to forgive you." Noin looked up at him with a half-hearted glare that faded into a small grin as she threw her cloth napkin at him.
Zechs caught the napkin easily as he laughed, "At least I made you smile." He became serious again as he said sincerely, "Don't worry about Heero. He just needs some space and time to himself to deal with this."
"You're right," the young maid finally agreed with a small smile of gratitude on her face. "We might as well start clearing the table."
An indignant look on his face, the chauffer all but shouted, "I am not helping the likes of you, walking over people's feelings without any regard!"
Noin smirked at him as she growled, "Zechs. Don't get me started." With another full laugh from his lungs, the young man relented from his game and rose to assist the young woman whom he knew he had fallen for.
* * * * * *
Upstairs, Heero closed the bedroom door behind him, only a small slither left open for Duo, as he ran in just in time. He was so lost in his thoughts that he never saw his pet enter make his way inside.
Quickly going to his desk, the human removed the folders from his backpack that he gathered before leaving the living room. Sorting through the reports that he had to look into, he dove into his work.
On the bed on the other side of the room, Duo lied down, his head just hanging over the side of the mattress as he watched Heero working at his computer. The rapid clicking of the keys on the keyboard painted the image of how fast the teenager's fingers were typing.
While the kitten was used to the routine of his owner working every night, he could sense that there was something wrong. His toys forgotten, Duo just waited and watched his owner patiently. This was more important to him.
Heero lost track of the time, losing himself in the work left for him. When he finished with the tasks that his mother needed finished, he emailed her associates to send more work. Attacking the reports that were faxed in, his thoughts were beginning to catch up with him.
The dance was the furthest thing from Heero's mind, whether or not he would have been allowed to attend. Getting to experience such social events were never a commodity to him in the first place, so it wasn't as if he was really missing out on anything he had been used to.
What was on Heero's mind was that the night of the Freshman dance was the first year anniversary of his father's death. It hardly seemed like it was already approaching a year since the accident that had changed everything.
Shaking his head to clear his mind again, Heero went back to his work. If there was anything good that came from having so much to do, it was a good distraction from having to face reality. Having to deal with his conflicting emotions was something he did not want to have to cope with now.
* * * * * *
It was late in the evening before Heero finally tired in his efforts. He looked over at the clock at the edge of his deck to see that it was 12:36 am. Rubbing his eyes, the Japanese teenager sighed deeply before stretching.
There was a soft meow from the floor, making the boy's head look down quickly, to see his tiny kitten sitting at his feet. The bright violet eyes watched him intently as his tail swished from side-to-side. Blinking his cobalt eyes in surprise, Heero whispered, "Duo?"
As the mention of his name, the kitten's legs parted a bit as his bottom wiggled before he leapt gracefully into Heero's lap. Duo placed his front paws on his owner's chest as he stretched up to get as close to the teenager's face.
With a sad smile, Heero raised his hand to pat the top of the furry head as he said quietly, "I didn't know that you were in here this whole time." Purring deeply, Duo leaned into the gentle touch and closed his eyes.
Carefully, Heero rose with the kitten in his hand as he shut down the fax machine and computer. Placing Duo on the bed so that he could remove his shirt and change into a pair of grey sweatpants, he climbed onto the mattress, himself. As he settled down, pulling the blanket over himself, he watched as Duo curled into a ball beside his head on the large pillow.
Sighing softly, Heero reached up and gently stroked the kitten's soft brown fur. When Duo looked up, he uncurled himself and leaned his head forward, licking the boy's cheek with his small tongue. It was only then that Heero realized that he had been crying. He gave a small grin to his pet when he finished licking the tears away.
"You know the strange thing," the teenager began quietly. "I'm crying over the loss of someone I never really knew." Duo just moved closer, nuzzling his own face against the damp cheek before him.
Heero's smile grew and he placed a soft kiss atop the kitten's head before closing his cobalt eyes. Content only when he could tell that his owner was sleeping peacefully, his companion moved. Curling back into a ball with the humans hand gently lying on his furry body, Duo sighed softly before falling asleep.
* * * * * *
Quatre snapped another picture with his digital camera as he exclaimed excitedly, "Aw, that one is going to turn out beautifully!"
Beside him, Heero was snapping yet another picture for himself with his own camera. "I still can't believe that you pulled it off, Wufei," he complimented. Duo ran past their feet, chasing a butterfly as it flew close to the ground.
Nodding, the Arab looked back to his Chinese friend and asked, "Yea, how did you manage to get Merian to agree to go to the dance last night with you on such short notice?"
His arms crossed, his back leaned against the house siding, Wufei chuckled deeply, "A healthy dose of groveling does wonders. Not to mention a promise to show her the pictures from today."
"Damn," Heero chuckled deeply, "I wish I was there to have pictures of *that*. Wufei Chang begging. That must have been a sight." Quatre was laughing and nodding his agreement.
A smug smirk on his lips, Wufei shrugged, "Hey, whatever works. It helped me win the bet. And now my parents have a freshly cut lawn." Craning his neck, he called over the sound of the motor, "You missed a spot, Trowa!"
Quatre cupped a hand to the side of his mouth as he called, "And smile for the camera! I promised Iria that she would get to see what we've been up to!"
"Go to hell!" the tall teenager yelled back, his friends laughing all the louder.
Sighing deeply, Trowa grumbled to himself as he adjusted the dressy sunhat over his brunette head. He had to adjust the skirt of the pink dress that he was wearing to be able to make another turn on the lawnmower.
Heero snickered, "Sad thing is, he looks better in that dress than your sister."
Beside him, Quatre nodded, "Yea, but I'll never tell Iria that. I value my life."
As the lawnmower continued to make its laps around the many acres of grass of the Chang backyard, Heero spotted Duo as he continued to lead and run after the butterfly floating by. The boy smiled warmly.
Wufei finished taking yet another shot with his camera before announcing, "Well, he only has one more lap to go before he's finished."
"Yep, better get a head start to hide the evidence," Quatre suggested.
At that, the three teenagers took off in a rush as Trowa's voice shouted after them, "Hey! Get back here with those pictures!"
TBC...

Neko Neko Part 4

As Duo continued to explore the bedroom, Heero got dressed, watching his new pet in amusement. The teenage boy chuckled deeply in amusement when the kitten returned to sit at his feet, sniffing at the bottom of his blue jeans.
When Heero sat on the edge of his bed to put his socks on, Duo jumped up onto the mattress to sit beside him. Finished with changing, the Japanese youth smiled to his pet and gently patted the top of his head, rewarded with a deep purr from the furry creature.
Carefully scooping the kitten easily in one hand, Heero smiled, "Now I can officially introduce you to Noin and Zechs." He rose to his feet and made his way downstairs.
The smells of pancakes and bacon filled the air in the living room as he entered. All the while as he moved, Duo's head and eyes scanned the new surroundings, Heero imagined, trying to get a feel for the place.
Zechs was sitting at the dining room table, reading through the daily newspaper on his handheld monitor. Looking up from the screen, the tall man smirked, "Well, look who's awake."
From inside the kitchen, they could hear the hurried sounds of cooking utensils being lowered as Noin's voice called, "Let me see!" She ran out into the room, beaming at the sight of the kitten in Heero's possession as she exclaimed, "How adorable!"
Grinning and shaking his head, Zechs rose from his place at the table to get a better look at the new member of the family.
Duo seemed a bit nervous for a moment, seeing two strangers who suddenly appeared before him. However, when Noin gently ran her hand over the fur of his back, he closed his eyes in enjoyment and purred loudly.
"Hello, Duo. Oh, he is such a sweet little thing," Noin gushed, allowing Zechs to get a chance to observe the tiny animal.
Zechs stroked his pointed finger under the kitten's chin, feeling the soft rumbling from the purrs. He chuckled deeply, "Yes, I have to admit that he is that."
He gasped along with Noin when the kitten's bright eyes opened to look up at them curiously. Blinking in shock, the blonde man said quietly, "You're right, Heero. His eyes certainly are violet."
"I've never seen eyes like those on a kitten before," Noin commented as she watched that penetrating gaze in awe. "They're beautiful," she finally managed to say, Zechs nodding his agreement.
Heero smiled down at his new pet, who was now looking up to him, raising his front right paw up towards his face as if to try to tell him something. He couldn't help but be proud to own such a rare commodity.
Running his free hand over the little one's head, he shrugged, "I've never actually seen any cats before, myself, so I wouldn't know what eye colors are normal. But, they were the first thing that I noticed about him the first time I saw him."
Noin smiled, "Well, I can see why." Her eyes widened for a moment before she ran into the kitchen again, muttering, I almost forgot.
When she returned, the young maid held a small dish with chicken slices in it. "The poor thing must be starving after it was living out on the streets."
Almost the moment Noin had entered the dining room with the dish, Duo sat up in Heero's hand, sniffing the air and stretching its thin body towards the food. Heero lowered the kitten onto the carpeted floor just as the tall woman placed the dish down as well.
Duo all but ran the short distance to the food, sniffing at the chicken strips a bit more before quickly eating what must have seemed like a gourmet meal compared to what little he must have found on his own.
While the kitten ate his own meal, Heero joined Zechs at the table as Noin placed their own food on the table.
Every few bites of his pancakes, the Japanese teenager would glance down to his pet, a small smile appearing on his face as he watched Duo licking his paws as he lied at Heero's feet after his chicken had been devoured.
When the boy was not looking, Zechs and Noin would give each nervous gazes, silently carrying on a conversing and gesturing to the young man without his knowing. When Heero would look back up at the table, the pair would quickly lower their heads.
As Noin and Zechs cleared the table, Duo leapt into Heero's lap, nuzzling his head against the human's chest, purring in content.
Walking back into the room, the tall chauffer smirked, "It's almost as if he's thanking you for saving him. He's yet to leave your side."
Shaking his head, Heero replied, "I think that he's just so starved for affection that he wants to stay close to somebody right now."
The Japanese youth bent his head to place a gentle kiss atop his companion's furry head. "From what the vet said last night, Duo's only three weeks old, but there is no telling how much of that time he spent on his own." Rising on his hind legs, Duo placed his front paws on Heero's chest, sniffing up at him adorably.
As she wiped the table down, Noin suggested, "Well, you should get ready for our excursion. The nearest town with a pet store is Waupan, and that's about an hour's drive away. Duo can come along too, since this place recommends owners to bring their pets along to try their items out."
Heero grinned at that and rose from his seat, lowering Duo to the floor as he walked from the dining room to gather his coat and shoes. Duo watched his departure for a moment before running off after the boy, quickly catching up to his heels.
Noin chuckled deeply and shook her head, "They certainly make quite the pair." Zechs hummed his own amusement and nodded.
* * * * * *
Duo's little head peeked out over the zipper of Heero's blue windbreaker as they entered the large pet store. Like his kitten, the boy's eyes widened as he scanned the large area filled with toys, beds, grooming materials, anything that pet owner could possibly want or need for their animal.
At the sight of some of the other cats, along with several dogs, led around by their owners, Duo began to tremble with fright.
Heero frowned as he took the small kitten into his hand, removing him from his coat. "It's all right, Duo," he cooed softly to the shaking animal as he stroked his brown fur with his free hand, meting the kitten's eyes.
What a few more pats, Duo calmed, leaning his face into the touch and closed his eyes. Behind them, Noin and Zechs entered, followed by a robot pushing a cart beside them. "Where would you like to go first, sir?" the mechanic voice asked.
"Bedding," Zechs answered simply.
The robot replied, "This way, please, sir." With that, they were led by the assistant towards the middle of the store.
When they reached the isles filled with a wide variety of bedding, Heero blinked his wide cobalt eyes and asked, "Where do we even start?"
Noin's own awe filled eyes took in the selections as she shook her head, "I'm not even sure. To think that this is just the bedding section in here, too. It's a good thing we have the whole day."
Beside her, Zechs stated, "Well, considering this community has a great many households with pets, they need a large pet store such as this one, to take care of all of them. Since there are no pet owners in our own city of Compton, we don't have the need for such a store there."
As he walked down the first isle, Heero's head was still swimming as the reality of just how different he lived compared to most people sunk in.
In this city, Waupan, the houses were much smaller than the ones in Compton, and they were much closer together. In some places, there was litter in the streets and children walked and ran through it, not seeming to notice it was there.
It was one thing to understand the notion of how privileged a life he had; to actually come face-to-face with the reality of just how opposite that world was to a community such as this, was quite starling.
When he really thought about it, Heero realized just how long it had been since he was even outside of Campton. When he was a child, he remembered his father visiting a town such as this with him.
That visit had been such along time ago that it was difficult to recall just how those families in the neighboring towns actually lived. Any accounts of those societies were relayed to him by his parents, and they were not too fond of other places.
With a mischievous chuckle, Noin picked up a pink bed with blue dogs painted on it. "I would say that the colors of this would go well with Duo's eyes, but I don't think that it's very fitting for him."
Just out of curiosity, she held the bed out to the kitten. Looking from the bed to Noin and back to the bed again, Duo swatted his front right paw at the bed, as if trying to bat it away. The three humans laughed. "I agree, Duo," Heero snickered as he patted the animal in his hand.
After crossing a few isles and examining a few possibilities, Zechs located a simple bed with a wicker base. Compared to most of the other beds, it was a relatively simple design. Somehow, it just seemed perfect because of that.
The bed was more than big enough for the kitten at the size he was now, leaving enough space for him as he grew. The bedding was a soft, woolen material that was dyed a deep purple. Holding it up, he asked, "How about this one?"
Both Noin and Heero appraised it with satisfied looks as Zechs lowered the item to the floor. Setting Duo down, the Japanese teenager told him quietly, "See what you think, little one."
As if understanding the whole concept, the kitten walked over to the bed, slowly climbing over the brown wicker siding and onto the bedding. The inside was easily four times bigger than he was.
Once on the soft material, Duo all but fell onto his side, nuzzling his face into the wool, purring in content and rolling onto his back as the humans watching over him laughed and chuckled.
"Looks like we have a winner," Heero grinned, picked his kitten up again. Once back with his owner, Duo looked up to the boy, resting his front paws on his chest again.
Heero lifted him so the cat could climb onto his shoulder. Wrapping his lithe body behind the Japanese youth's neck so that his front paws and back paws hung on either side, the kitted rested his head on the human's shoulder with a small sigh of content.
Gathering the bed, Zechs handed it to their robotic assistant and held the bed out and said, "We'll be purchasing this."
The robot accepted the bed in its metallic hands and replied, "Very good, sir." As it lowered the item into the cart, it asked, "Would you like to see any other departments?"
Noin answered with a nod, "We should visit the toy section next."
"Very good choice, madam," the assistant said in that metallic voice. "This way," it directed, pushing the cart ahead of them.
As they made their way to the half of the store designated for toys alone, Heero looked to the kitten on his shoulder and noticed how his pet's violet eyes widened at the sight of the wide selection of things to chew, chase, anything his little heart could desire.
He chuckled deeply, "This ought to be fun."
* * * * * *
Four hours later, Heero, Noin and Zechs entered their house again, each with their arms filled with bags stuffed with items from the store. The door automatically closed after the voice at the entrance greeted them all.
Heero would never have imagined how much of an affair it was to care for a pet, how many things were needed to see that an animal was kept healthy and happy. He was fortunate enough to not need to worry about the financial responsibilities. For that, he was grateful.
Along with the realization of what was included in caring for a pet, what had been even more of a surprise to Heero, was being in a different city and the way people lived in a society that was not as well off as the one in which he lived.
The day's events had been as much of a learning experience, as they were quite enjoyable to him. Along with a new understanding of the world around him, Heero was finally taking responsibility for something that he actually wanted as his own.
Recalling the visit to the veterinarian that worked at the store for check ups and shots that were needed for any visitors, Heero did feel bad for Duo in thinking back to the fear of the small creature.
It had taken a lot to finally get the kitten to relax enough to get his shots and have his eyes and ears checked out. The doctor had been kind enough to show Heero what to look for as warnings for any infections.
Once the check-up was all over, Duo all but leapt back into Heero's possession. If anything, the teenager could find relief in knowing that his feline was given a clean bill of health and all of his needed shots.
Duo was perched on his owner's shoulders again, trying to peek down into the bags in the boy's hands. Around his neck, he wore a new, red collar. Dangling from the collar was a gold plated tag with the name 'DUO' written in a lovely script.
"Well, that was a nice change of pace, I must say," Noin smiled as she lowered her bags onto the large living room sofa.
Following her lead as he relieved his arms of his own items, Zechs and Heero expressed their agreement, putting everything they had purchased away. Once the bed, food, leash, brushes, and most of the toys were put away, Noin looked to the clock.
The young maid's eyes widened slightly in realization of what time it was and she announced, "I should get dinner started before our guests head over."
Zechs spoke up almost immediately to offer, "I'll help."
Shaking his head, Heero wondered when his two guardians would finally stop dancing around their obvious feelings for each other and just come right out and say how they felt. Instead, they continued to make excuses to be around each other.
Heero turned his head to smile at his personal neck warmer and replied, "All right. I'm going to take Duo upstairs along with his bed and some of his toys."
When the boy moved to gather a handful of toys, Duo leapt from his shoulder and tried to get at his new play things before Heero scooped them up. "In a minute," he smiled, patting the top of his kitten's head. Taking the bed in his free hand, he gestured to the stairs, "Come on."
As Heero rose up the stairs with his faithful pet hopping up the steps behind him, his guardians smiled as they watched. Noin turned to face the tall man beside her. "I've never seen him so happy before," she commented quietly.
Shaking his head, Zechs couldn't help but grin as he replied, "Nor have I." He sighed deeply and folded his arms as he said, "I am still shocked that Danielle allowed Heero to keep that kitten. I just hope that this might mean she realized she is putting too much pressure on him."
"I have a hard time seeing her admit to that," Noin frowned. "From what I understand, she was brought up the same way, just as her husband had been. Then, their parents before them were the same as well. A cycle like that is pretty hard to break."
Zechs chewed on the inside of his lip, looking up the stairs as he thought a moment. Finally, he stated, "Agreed, but Heero is nothing like either of his parents. He takes things in and considers what he can learn from them. His parents only concerned themselves with what was of importance to them."
Lowering his arms, the blonde looked back to the dark-haired woman as he asked, "Did you see the way he was focused on taking in his new surroundings in Waupan when we drove through today?"
Noin took a moment, but actually did remember seeing the boy all but glued to the back seat windows of the stretch car. At recalling that, she nodded, "He did seem intrigued by the whole visit. But I thought that would have been a normal reaction, since he had never been out of Compton in years."
"Ah, but that's the difference between Heero and his parents," Zechs began, a slight smirk on his face, a raised finger in the air to halt Noin's thoughts. "No matter where they went, whether it was their first time there or not, his parents' eyes were glued to their laptops and to the newspaper, their reports, anything but what was around them.
"Instead of believing what his parents said, Heero was still too curious to see it for himself. Instead of focusing on what only concerned him, his career that his parents have lined up for him, he wanted to see how other people lived."
Obviously wanting to get all of this out, Zechs began to pace as Noin watched him intently. He continued, "I have a feeling that Heero had what he needed to gain right amount of leverage in talking his mother into allowing him to keep Duo. Getting his mother to allow such a thing was a near impossible feat."
Finished his pacing, Zechs met Noin's wide eyes and smirked, "I have a feeling that he had been saving whatever he used to get her to accommodate his wishes. If that's the case, it just backs up my statement, that he takes everything in, even things that may not directly effect him, to learn from them and use them when he can.
"These are all reasons I think he could be a ripple in the current that his family and their families before them have lead." Pointing up to the ceiling, to where Heero's room was over their heads, he concluded, "He could be the one to break the cycle."
Noin smiled at last, in taking everything that Zechs had observed about the boy. What he said did make sense. If Heero truly wanted to learn about the world around him- whether relevant to his own life or not- he would have the advantage no one in his family had...
"Heero's curiosity would finally catch up to him," Noin stated. "Eventually, he'll actually want to experience life... what life really is outside of the bubble that those before him created around him."
Zechs smiled back, "Exactly. If we're right in this theory, it may not take much for him to turn around and actually have a say in his own wishes, hopes, fear, his life. This could be the start of what we hoped for him."
Unable to contain her excitement, Noin laughed and threw her arms around Zechs in a tight hug. Zechs' initial response was to return the embrace. The moment it registered that they were holding each other, they both stiffened, wide-eyed.
Pulling back in a rush, Noin blushed fiercely and lowered her head. Running a hand through her hair, she suggested quickly, "We should get that dinner started."
With her head lowered, she missed the fact that Zechs was blushing almost as badly as he brushed a hand down the front of his shirt to straighten it. "Good idea," he replied just as quickly. Together, they made their way to the kitchen.
* * * * * *
Looking up to the monitor, Heero chuckled deeply to himself when he saw his friends standing outside the front door. Duo was grooming himself; lying in his bed, with his eyes closed, he licked his front right paw and brushed it over the fur on his back.
"Time to meet the guys, Duo," the teenaged boy smiled as he scooped the kitten up. Only slightly surprised by the sudden change of altitude, the violet-eyed feline looked up to his owner in what could only be considered confusion.
When he reached the front door and opened it, Heero watched as his three friends' expressions went from smiles of greetings to shock, when all of their eyes fell onto the furry creature in his hand.
For a moment, the Japanese teenager just grinned at his three frozen comrades. Breaking the silence, he gestured to the kitten and announced, "Everyone, this is Duo."
"Is that really what I think it is?" Wufei questioned, being the first to find his voice, pointing at the kitten.
"Where did you find him?" Quatre inquired immediately after, his wide eyes turning up to look at his friend.
"How the hell did you manage to get your Mom to keep him?" Trowa asked immediately after.
At their sudden barrage of questions, Heero laughed before replying, "Yes, he's an actual kitten, I found him in the street last night and my Mom is a long story."
Satisfied with those answers, his friends came to life again as they moved forward to get a closer look at the kitten. Duo just ate up all of the attention as he was patted and caressed by each of Heero's friends. Even Wufei was enthralled by the little one.
"He's so cute!" Quatre exclaimed with his eyes filled with wonder.
Heero smirked, "Well, before you all smother him, let's go inside. Dinner will be ready in a little bit. You can all take turns holding him while you're here." With that, he led them all into the house.
* * * * * *
With a wide yawn, Duo lowered his head onto Heero's shoulder, where he had taken his perch again. Heero chuckled deeply, "Yes, it's been a pretty exciting day. You made quite an impression on my friends back there."
Closing the bedroom door behind him, he carefully picked Duo up from where he was wrapped around his neck and lowered the kitten onto his new bed before removing his shirt. The shocked looks on his friends' faces came into the teenager's mind again and he smiled.
The evening had been quite memorable for them. Each expressed their jealousy that Heero came across such a rarity. In the short time they spent with Duo, they quickly realized the advantages of having an actual animal for a pet as opposed to their robotic canines.
Come the next night, Heero knew that it would be back to business as usual. By then, his mother would have gathered enough work for him to keep busy. He was fully prepared to returned to his normal life, the only one he had ever known. Still, the distraction had been pleasant, while it lasted.
After pulling his sleep pants over his waist, Heero walked over to his pet's bed, where the kitten lay watching him all the while. The youth bent at the waist and patted the top of his head as he said quietly, "Good night, Duo."
Turning the light out, he crawled into his own bed and pulled the covers over him. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply. His cobalt eyes suddenly snapped open, when he felt something land on the mattress beside his face. Sitting up slightly, he watched as the little kitten walked up to the large pillow where the boy had lain his head.
Heero chuckled as the little one rolled into a tight little ball just by the human's head and closed his violet eyes with a small sigh.
'So much for the bed,' the teenager thought to himself, a smirk on his face. Still, he couldn't complain. Lowering his head back down beside his pet, Heero closed his own eyes and drifted off to sleep.
TBC...

Neko Neko Part 3

"He should have been back by now," Noin frowned as she noticed that it was after five o'clock. "I'll have the ham ready in less than thirty minutes once I put it in the oven."
Zechs peered out the window to watch the downpour for a moment. Finally, he made his way from the back patio and stated, "He said he would call before he left if it started raining. I'm going to call Quatre's to see if he left yet, he might have been caught in this downpour." Noin was quickly on his heels.
"Welcome home, Heero," the mechanic voice in the entrance greeted as the front door opened in recognition of the boy's identity.
Drenched from head to toe as the rain continued to pour outside when he ran in the house, Heero yelled, "Noin! Zechs!" It wasn't a heartbeat before the two ran into the living room, concern on both of their faces.
Before they had a chance to ask any questions, Heero removed his hand that was inside his light coat, revealing the small kitten that he had recovered from the street. Noin's eyes widened as she gasped, "Oh, the poor thing."
Removing the dish towel that was draped over her shoulder, Noin made a hammock out of it between her hands as she said, "Let me see." Carefully, Heero laid the soaked, unconscious animal onto the towel. Noin gently wrapped the ends of the towel over the kitten and ran towards the kitchen.
Zechs looked over at the sopping teenager and frowned, "You better get into some dry clothes before you catch a cold. We'll talk when you come back downstairs."
As much as he wanted to check on the tiny feline, Heero knew better than to argue with him. With a firm nod, he hurried upstairs. Once he was in his room, he shed his jacket followed by his shoes, socks, t-shirt and jeans. Quickly toweling himself off, he threw on a pair a gray sweat pants, a dry pair of socks and a plain red shirt before running back downstairs.
When he reached the kitchen, he found Noin watching after the kitten, gently rubbing it down with the towel in an attempt to warm and dry it quickly as possible. Zechs watched from not far off before he looked up when Heero entered to see if he was dried off.
Not giving them the opportunity to ask, he explained, "I was already about a block away when it started raining. Otherwise, I would have called for a ride back." Zechs's face relaxed, satisfied with that.
Gesturing to the small ball of fur on the counter, the boy continued, "I found it in the middle of the street like that. It must have been hit by a car or something. I couldn't just leave it there."
Noin chuckled and looked up from her patient and corrected, "Well, this 'it' is definitely a he." Looking down on the sleeping animal, she frowned deeply, "I don't know of any veterinarians around here who could look after him to see if there are any injuries I haven't picked out. Everything seems in place here, as far as I can tell."
Running a hand through his bangs, Zechs commented, "No one around this area for miles owns a conventional animal for a pet, so there is no need for a veterinarian." Looking at the injured creature, he thought aloud, "But I think that I can contact one tonight."
Without another word, he went to the video phone and opened it. Turning the link on, he said, "Information." When he was linked to information, he explained his needs to speak with a vet and where he was located.
Via video phone, Noin and Zechs spoke and worked with a veterinarian several cities away who kept their assistance line open late at night. They were then able to show the kitten's condition on the screen along with following the kind man's instructions on how to find if there was anything serious that would require immediate attention.
Heero waited in anticipation on the other side of the living room as he watched and listened. Finally, the kind man who had been examining the kitten with Zechs and Noin's help deemed that as long as he made it through the night, he would come out healthy. Even if the kitten was brought in to be looked at, any fatal injury would take him before he could be cared for. Somehow, Heero was certain that the little creature would make it through.
"That kitten's very lucky that he was found when he was," the man said. "Had he been left in the cold and rain unconscious like that, his little systems would not have been able to handle those conditions along with the trauma that he went through. Just keep him warm tonight and he should wake up a bit dazed, but well. If he has any problems moving about, give me a call."
With their thanks and a transfer of funds for his work and the medicines that would arrive first thing in the morning, Noin and Zechs ended the call. Sighing deeply, the young woman caressed the kitted through the fresh, blue towel in her lap. It's tiny head was all that peeked out from under the fabric.
"This little one shocked even the vet, having come out of his accident without anything more than scrapes and bruises." She smiled as the kitten stirred slightly in his sleep. "I wonder how he ended up out here?"
Heero sat up in the chair he sat in as he informed, "I found him on our front porch early this morning. He ran off before I could get too close." He moved to kneel before Noin, smiling slightly as he watched the small, mysterious creature. "You should see his eyes when he wakes up," his voice almost took a wistful tone. "They're the most amazing violet I ever saw."
"Violet?" Zechs asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure that it wasn't just a strange reflection of light? I have never heard of a cat having violet eyes before."
Shrugging, Heero replied, "They looked perfectly violet to me. I guess we'll see when he wakes up." He bit his bottom lip, already knowing that Noin and Zechs were planning on taking the kitten to an animal shelter out of town without their even needing to say it. Taking a chance, he looked up to them and asked, "What should I name him?"
As he expected, they both straightened and Zechs shook his head, "Oh no, Heero. You know that your mother would never allow an animal in this house. She would have our hides if she came back from her trip to find that we took him in without discussing the matter with her first."
Rising to his feet, Heero reassured them, "Let me talk to my mother tomorrow. She won't be angry with either of you." Surprised at how much he was hoping to keep the kitten, he finished with a quiet, "Please."
Both Zechs and Noin looked to each other for a moment. Unable to read their expressions, Heero waited quietly as he could only assume that they were having a private conversation with their eyes. Finally, Zechs looked up at him and sighed, "All right. Talk to your mother later tonight. She'll be expecting a call from you later at any rate."
Noin smiled up at the teenager and winked with a knowing smile. Somehow, Heero knew that he had her to thank for Zechs's agreeing to even that much of it. He smiled at them both and replied sincerely, "Thank you."
As she stood, Noin carefully handed the little bundle over to the boy as she said, "Just to be sure, you should wait until your mother agrees to keeping this little guy before naming him. That'll give you time to think of something appropriate for him."
With a nod of agreement, Heero accepted the small kitten in his arms. He smiled down at him, already thinking of what he was going to say to his mother when he called her the next day. "I'll keep him in my room tonight. That way, I can keep an eye on him if his condition changes."
Zechs stood and agreed, "Very well." He looked up at the clock to see that it was already almost seven o'clock. Dinner was going to be late in the Yuy household for the first time in years.
Even Noin showed her surprise when she noticed the time. "Well," she shrugged. "Since it's too late to finish preparing what I was cooking, why don't we order out for a change?" Looking to Heero and Zechs, she asked, "Pizza all right?"
Unable to recall the last time that they had ever ordered out, Heero smiled at the prospect of something different. He nodded, "That sounds good to me." Zechs gave his own affirmative to the suggestion.
The three ate together in the dining room not long later, laughing at how the delivery man had passed the house twice in not ever having to deliver there before. For such a simple, unplanned dinner, it was one of the most pleasant meals they had in quite some time.
* * * * * *
Not long after dinner was finished, Zechs was helping Noin set the few dishes left over into the dishwasher. "You've known Danielle longer than I have. Do you think that Heero' will ever get his mother to agree to letting him keep the little one?" the young woman asked.
Sighing deeply, the tall chauffer replied, "It's going to be a difficult sell for him to make." Looking up to the ceiling above, where Heero's room was, he chuckled deeply, "But, I've always known Heero to be the kind of person who could sell ice to an Eskimo."
* * * * * *
Meanwhile, in the bedroom over their heads...
"Absolutely not!" Danielle Yuy shrieked over the video phone. "I do not want a cat running about the house! You know how busy we both are! How would we ever have the time to care for one?"
Recovering from his wince at the piercing shouting, Heero frowned at the quick refusal. Not allowing himself to be deterred so quickly, he replied, "Actually, I've researched on cat behavior just now and they're quite self-reliant. As long as we keep food out for him and a self-cleaning litter box, he'll more or less take care of himself."
His red-haired mother sighed deeply, "Heero, I had offered on many occasions to get you one of those robotic pets, but you always declined. We could always pick one out for you when I return home."
Lowering his head slightly, Heero shrugged, "I know I did. I've seen the pets that Trowa, Quatre and Wufei have. It's just that there is almost something... missing from it all."
Danielle nodded, "Like the responsibility and all the problems that come with owning an actual animal as a pet." Quickly, she added, "Besides, owning an animal for a pet suggests that you're not well off in society."
"Mother!" Heero shouted, his eyes widened in disbelief that the words actually came from her. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew that she was right. Owning such an animal was for families in the rundown areas, miles away from where they lived. Still, it did not sit so well with him to actually hear his mother suggesting that they were better than other people.
With a raised eyebrow, his mom retorted, "You know the truth in that, son. If we are to have the respect that we have worked for, we must follow the conventions of our privileged lives." She leaned forward, asking quietly, "What will our neighbors, not to mention my colleagues, think if they came to find that we owned a cat?"
Taking a deep breath and sagging his shoulders, Heero frowned, "You're right, mother. I'm sorry." He reached up and made circles on the edge of his desk.
Finally, he decided to play the one card that he had been hoping he would never have to use. Knowing it would only work once, he resolved to make it work just this one time. Regardless of how much he did not like the thought of using what was up his sleeve, he knew that there would be no swaying his mother otherwise.
When he looked back up, he spoke quietly, "It's just that I've never wanted anything enough to be compelled enough to ask for it before." At that, he could see that his arrow pierced its target. The red-head's cobalt eyes widened, saddening at the same time.
Danielle sat back, folding her hands before her as she lost herself in thought. From the time that Heero started to talk, up to his now fifteenth year of life, she knew all too well that her son never asked for anything before. Now, the one time that he truly wanted something, she was rejecting him without giving him a real say in the matter.
Heero never gave her any grief, never did anything but follow her lead without question. Thinking back quickly on her son's life, Danielle realized how much she had taken, without giving anything back. While it was all for his own good, the knowledge of that did not make it easier to realize how she saw her own wishes more important than those he might have for himself.
Knowing fully well that this was a line Heero had been saving for the one time he really wanted something, Danielle Yuy smiled inwardly. She could allow him this one victory. As wise as her boy was, she was all too aware that he knew he could only use this against her once. Even if it was not something she was particularly thrilled with, she would give it to him.
After a long pause between them, the red-haired woman at last smiled warmly. Her voice filled with sincerity and almost amusement, she nodded to him, "All right, Heero. You can keep the kitten."
His cobalt eyes widening, Heero felt his jaw drop. He knew that his card was a good one, but he was still sure that his mother would never agree even with that. Realization filled him at her response and her smile that she must have been expecting it to come out at some time. At least now that it was out on the table, he wouldn't have to try to manipulate her with it again.
A bright smile lighting his face, Heero replied, "Thank you, mom. I promise that I'll take full responsibility for him."
Chuckling deeply, his mother grinned, "I don't have any doubt in that, Heero. Otherwise, this would have been completely out of the question."
Heero sat back in his leather seat folding his arms as he thought aloud, "Now that he'll be staying, I have to think of a name for him."
Danielle laughed, "Well, seeing how you've given him a second chance, it should have something to reflect that." Tilting her head to the side, she commented, "Well, since we have a new guest, at least you're making him feel at home will give you something to do for the next couple of days before I am able to come up with some work for you."
Brightening again, Heero nodded, "I thought about that, too. I was nearly going mad thinking of what I was going to do with so much free time. I can't remember the last time I had a couple days for myself."
"All part of the joys of the lives we lead," his mother replied. She yawned, covering her mouth. "Well, I should be getting to bed. My team and I need to wake up early to look into these reports again."
Heero straightened in his seat as he said, "Have a good night, then." He smiled warmly and finished quietly, "Thank you, mom."
With a wink, Danielle smiled back, "Of course, son. I'll get back in touch with you in a couple days." At that, the call ended.
Sighing deeply in relief, Heero all but fell back in his chair. Staring at the blank vid screen, he was still reeling from disbelief that he was able to convince his mother to allow him to keep the kitten.
Suddenly, the video phone rang again. Quatre's image appeared on the screen when Heero clicked the 'Accept' button. With concerned-filled eyes, the Arab began, "Heero, I tried to call earlier but your line was busy. I knew that you must have been caught in that rain when you left my house, so I wanted to make sure you got home all right."
Realizing that his friend must have been trying to call during the conversation with the veterinarian, Heero smirked reassuringly, "Don't worry, Quatre. A little rain never hurt anyone before."
The blonde blushed slightly and smiled, "Well, it was a pretty nasty storm. Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're all right."
"Hey, if you and the others aren't busy tomorrow night, you should stop by here for dinner," Heero said suddenly. "There's something that I want to show you."
Quatre tilted his head and asked, "Oh yea?" He smiled, "I'll call the others in the morning, before their appointments. I'm sure that we could arrange a meeting at your house tomorrow."
Smiling in anticipation of revealing his new pet to his friends, the Japanese student replied, "All right. I'm sure that Noin and Zechs would enjoy the company for dinner. It's been pretty quiet here, what with my mom being away."
His smile growing, the Arabian questioned, "Would you mind asking Noin to make her famous lasagna? That's a favorite for all of us."
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Heero answered with a slight chuckle.
At that, Quatre grinned, "Well then, we'll see you tomorrow night." They ended their call with polite 'good nights.'
All but running down the stairs, Heero found Noin and Zechs watching television in the living room. In her lap, Noin held the tiny kitten protectively. Looking up in anticipation from where they sat on the couch when they heard him approach, the young woman asked, "So what did she say?"
Heero smiled, "My mom said that I can keep him." At the shock on their faces, he couldn't help laughing. He wished that he had a camera at that moment.
Zechs smirked as he looked over at the sleeping kitten in Noin's lap. "Well, well," he said at last. "So we have a new addition to the family." He gently stroked the top of the animal's head.
Recovering from her shock, Noin beamed, "Well, now that's going to be staying, you can give him a name."
Sitting on the other side of her, Heero relied, "Well, my mother said that it should somehow reflect the fact that he was given a second chance." He shrugged, "I've never had to pet to give it a name, so I don't imagine I would be any good at it."
There was a brief pause of silence as they all considered options for a possible name when Noin shrugged, "Well, you could always just call him Two, since Heero also translates to the number one in Japanese."
Wincing slightly, Zechs shook his head, "I don't know that Two would suit a cat very well." Rubbing his shin, he asked, 'What about Duo? It's basically the same concept, but I think it'll work better."
At the sound of that name, both Heero and Noin smiled. "I think Duo will work for him," the teenager replied with a nod. The young woman nodded her own agreement as she handed the kitten over to the boy.
"Tomorrow, we should go out and pick up some things for him," Zechs suggested as he folded his arms casually. "I know a few cities a good distance away that have pet store where we can get some items."
Turning to him, Noin commented, "It's been some time since I had the chance to get out of this city. It'll be nice to explore for a little while."
"And I'll finally have something to do for the next few days while getting Duo settled in," Heero added, testing out the name of his kitten. He smiled down to the furry little creature in his lap. He had to agree that he did like the name 'Duo' for his new pet.
Straightening, the Japanese teenager looked over to the others and told them, "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Quatre, Trowa and Wufei to dinner tomorrow. I was hoping to introduce them to the kitten."
Noin and Zechs smiled warmly as the tall man nodded, "That's fine, Heero. Your friends are always welcome over. Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing their faces when they see Duo for the first time."
The young woman beside him chuckled, "I couldn't agree more. Besides, now I have an excuse to make my lasagna again, since I know how much they all like it." Heero laughed, explaining that it was the first thing Quatre asked for, when he heard of the invitation.
Staying up for only a little while longer, the trio decided to retire for their night with their plans for the next day set. Gently, Heero carried Duo upstairs with him.
* * * * * *
Yawning widely, Heero fought to keep his eyes open as he lied in his bed. He was lying on his side, facing the kitted that he kept wrapped in the warm blue towel that Noin had found for him. Gently, he began to rub the back of the tiny feline through the material. The light from the moon pouring into his room was more than enough for him to watch the animal perfectly.
He had waited late into the night for the furry creature to wake. Other than a few small mews that came out more as squeaks, there was no sign of life from him. The small rising and falling of his chest pushed the towel up and down over him as he continued to sleep deeply.
For the first time in his life, Heero could really say that he owned something that was really his own. Everything else that he had, his parents had earned to keep. His own life was not his own in so many ways, but the property of his parents from the time that he was born.
With a small smile, Heero said quietly, "Sleep well, Duo." Finally, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, Heero let himself drift off to sleep.
* * * * * *
The next morning, Heero awoke at six o'clock in the morning, like every morning from as far back as he could remember. Rubbing his closed eyes, he sighed quietly, already feeling the effects of the little sleep he allowed himself the night before. Sitting up, he stretched and yawned loudly.
Suddenly, his cobalt eyes snapped open when the previous night's events returned to him. He quickly looked to the blue towel beside him. It was empty all for a small imprint left from where the kitten had been sleeping.
Scanning the room for any signs of his newfound pet, Heero's eyes finally fell on the tiny kitten beneath the large window to his right. The long tassels of the line, that would be pulled to draw the curtains opened, was swinging just a few inches above the floor.
Sitting up on his back paws, the brown kitten was playing with the tassels, batting at it with his front paws in an attempt to catch it as it always swung by, always just beyond his reach. In the sunlight peeking from beneath the curtains, Duo's fur shimmered with its red and gold highlights mixed in with the brown.
Heero had to fight the chuckle that wanted to break free, not wanting to startle the kitten. He just enjoyed watching the vibrant animal playing, making his own fun in a space that was unfamiliar to him. The game continued as the kitten mewed in surprise when the tassel swung back, quicker than he was ready to intercept it, hitting him gently in the face. Shaking his head for a moment, Duo regained his balance as he went for the swinging 'toy' again.
After a moment of watching a bit longer, Heero said quietly, "Hey." Falling onto his front paws, the small creature looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise. Again, Heero was taken aback seeing shade and intensity of those violet eyes. He never forgot those eyes form the first time he saw them just the morning before.
For a time, the kitten remained frozen, as if frightened and unsure of what to do. Heero sat up on the bed and gently tapped his fingers on space of the mattress beside him. Then, very slowly and with cautious movements, the kitten approached the bed, its tail flicking behind him. Looking up at the bed as he sat back just beside it, the furry creature's bottom wiggled the slightest bit before he leapt up, landing with grace and ease onto the spot beside the boy.
Heero reached forward slowly, noting the slight duck from the kitten as his fingers came close. Gently, he stroked the top of the furry head. The hesitation from the animal vanished almost instantly as he leaned into the touch, nudging the boy's hand with his nose for more. His violet eyes closed at the gentle patting, a deep purr of content rising from his tiny throat. Heero smiled warmly as the kitten moved forward, climbing up his bare chest as high as he could, sniffing up at the boy in curiosity.
"Welcome home," Heero told Duo quietly, a bright grin on his face. As he held his palm out to the kitten, the little one wrapped his front furry paws around his hand, gently licking his fingers with his tiny tongue.
In that moment, Heero suddenly realized how quickly his life of routines was going to change. Caring for such a small animal was going to come with its unpredictable, unstructured moments. Life as he knew it was not going to be the same again.
And he was not frightened by it in the least.

Neko Neko Part 2

"Hi, Heero! I didn't expect to find you here!" The cheerful voice called from behind him. Heero sighed deeply, his shoulders falling.
Looking over his shoulder, from where he sat at the top of the rock, he replied flatly, "Hello, Relena." Of all the things his mother had planned out for him, at least he could rest assured that who he married was never one of them.
The blonde girl was smiling up at him in her pale green sun dress, with her robotic puppy in the shape of a cocker spaniel at her side. "I was just taking Jasmine, here, for a walk," she grinned. The said 'puppy' yelped as its tail wagged excitedly.
Forcing himself to be polite, Heero rose from the rock to jump down to the grass. He supposed that he shouldn't be so rude to the girl. She really was nice to him, even if it was due to the infatuation that he and his friends knew she had for him.
Meanwhile, Heero never thought of being in a relationship with anyone, really. He had so many other things to worry about, so many other things that his parents had planned for him. While he was flattered that such a girl would be attracted to him, he really didn't know the first thing about what to do about it, nor did he really want to.
Shifting on her feel almost nervously, Relena bit her bottom lip before asking, "So, are you going to be attending the Freshman dance next month?"
Able to breathe a sigh of relief inwardly, he shook his head and answered, "There is an important board meeting that I have to attend with my mother that night. I won't be able to make it."
He could almost hear her heart break as she frowned sadly, "Oh. I see." Sensing her master's disappointment, Jasmine gave a small whimper as she hiked up to place her front paws up on her owner's leg.
"Well, I know that Quatre is looking for a date that night, if you're looking for someone," Heero quickly added, trying to amend having to let her down. While he did not have any interest in having a relationship with her, he never intended to hurt her in any way.
Relena did brighten a little at that and nodded with a small smile, "All right. I think I'll do that." Bending a bit at the waist, she pat the top of her pet's head to soothe it as Jasmine licked her hand with a metal tongue.
The girl straightened again and tilted her head a bit as she commented, "I don't often see you out and about like this without the other three."
The Japanese teenager shrugged, "They're all busy with meeting of some kind until later tonight. Normally, that's what I would be doing, but my mother is away on business for the next week."
Looking at his watch, he stated, "Actually, I should be heading back home. My mother will be trying to reach me soon."
"Well, maybe I'll see you later then," Relena smiled sweetly. "Tell Quatre to leave his card open. I'll call him before Monday."
"I'll do that," he reassured her with a nod and a wave before walking off. If anything, their meeting just helped take care of two problems with one stone.
Heero knew that Quatre would be too shy to just start asking girls if they needed a date, and now he didn't have to leave Relena down and out by having to turn her down. With much trouble involved in just attending a dance, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to go.
* * * * * *
The video phone rang to announce the incoming call, right at the top of the 0100 hour. Heero opened it to see the smiling face of his mother when their cobalt eyes met. "Good afternoon, son," she greeted.
Returning the smile, he replied, "Hello, mother. How are things on Colony D43? Were you able to find what you needed for your upcoming trial?"
Her smile faltered only slightly as she brushed her blonde red bangs from her face. "I have a lot of work cut out for me while I am here. There are a lot of holes in the files that will need to be fixes if they're going to help the defense for the Johnson's trial. I may be even more delayed in returned home than I had hoped."
"Then they sent the right person to straighten everything out," he smirked. "You haven't lost a trial in more than ten years."
Danielle Yuy chuckled deeply, "Ah, Heero, one can never allow themselves to become too confident. But, I thank you for your faith in me, nonetheless."
Heero nodded and asked, "Do you have any assignments for me while you're away? I am already finished up my homework for the weekend."
For a moment, his mother thought it over before answering, "To be honest, I have so many things to sort through here, I am not really sure where to start. I have Julie and David here with me to help me for the time being. I'll probably need your help in a couple days, just making some contacts for me and some faxing for the most part. We'll take care of the bulk of the work here."
"I'm here whenever you need me," Heero told her.
She smiled and replied gently, "I know you are, son. You always have been." Yawning as she stretched, she suggested, "You should enjoy the rest of the weekend. You've been working very hard with me for several months straight now. At least you'll have a few days before I'll need your assistance again."
He was somewhat surprised. It had been a long time since she allowed him some time to himself. While she was gone, he had expected to have a file of work to on in order to help his mother prepare for her client's case.
It had been so long since Heero had any real time to himself, he really wasn't sure what he was going to do with it now. It was a long weekend with a school holiday on Monday. What was he going to do for two-and-a-half days?
"Just don't do anything that you wouldn't do if I was there," his red-haired mother warned in a light manner with a wink. "Remember that Noin and Zechs are still there to keep an eye on you for me."
Shaking his head, Heero laughed lightly, "I wouldn't know how to get in trouble if it fell into my lap." At that, his mother laughed along with him, knowing the truth of it.
When she gained her composure, she said, "Well, I better be going. I need to make some headway in this mess over here. Have a good weekend, Heero. I'll call in a couple days."
He nodded, "Okay. Take care, mom. I love you." She replied the same before the connection was cut off.
Closing the video phone, Heero sat back in the chair at his desk. Here, he had the fax machine, printer, intercom and computer fired up, ready for whatever assignments his mother would have for him. He went about turning everything off in his large, private office as he tried to come up with something that he could do to stay occupied for the next few hours.
Once the office was closed, he want downstairs to find Noin dusting the bookshelves in the living room. Looking up from her work, she smiled and questioned, "Did you hear from your mother?"
He frowned and nodded, "Yes. She said that it may be a while before she'll need my help in the case. I'll have the next couple days off before she'll probably send anything."
"Well, now you get to enjoy the long weekend," the young woman grinned brightly. "I can hardly remember the last time you were able to do that?"
Quickly, he inquired, "Do you remember what I did with myself then? What I did with all that free time? I'm not sure what I am going to do before school starts again."
Noin's face was turned away from him so he missed the sad frown on her face at hearing such a thing. It broke her heart knowing how much he was missing out on because of what his parents had wanted for him. He never had a say in the matter. They never even thought if this was the kind of life he wanted. Noin considered herself like Heero's older sister since she came to work with the Yuy's. It pained her that there was not more she could do for him.
Careful to hide her frown, she turned back to him as she suggested, "Well, Quatre and the others should be finishing up with their meetings, if I remember what you told me yesterday correctly. Why don't pay them a visit when they're available?"
Not used to having the opportunity to visit his friends on the weekend too often, it was not wonder why the idea did not just come on Heero's own invention. He was still disoriented in realizing how much time to himself he had. Thinking it over a moment, he nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. I think I'll do that."
After overhearing part of the conversation as he stepped into the room, Zechs asked the Japanese teenager, "Would you like me to drive you to Quatre's house? I just finished washing the limo and cars."
Shaking his head, Heero replied, "No, I can walk. It's a nice day and not that far. But thank you for the offer, Zechs." The tall man grinned at him and nodded as the boy walked out the door. "I'll be back time for dinner at six as always," he called over his shoulder.
Zechs called over his shoulder, "Supposedly, we're going to get some rain tonight. If it starts before then, give me a call when you're ready to be picked up."
"Okay," Heero answered before the tall door closed after him.
Noin's shoulders fell as she leaned against the back of the sofa, frowning deeply. "That poor kid," she said softly. Looking up the object of her affection, she sighed deeply, "We'll never have wealth of our own, Zechs, but our lives are so much richer than that poor child's will ever be at this rate."
Taking a deep breath, Zechs sighed sadly as well as he looked back to the front door. "I know." He ran a hand through his blonde bangs and frowned, "I feel sorry for him as well. But really, there is only so much we can do for him now."
She folded her arms across her waist, as if suppressing a shiver as she replied, "Still, I wish that we could do more than just sit back and act like this is all right. Heero has no idea that this is not what life is really like.
"His friends have the same fate, so as far as he's concerned, this is all there is for him. I know that their mothers and fathers meant well for him when they made these great plans when their children were born."
The young maid's hand moved about in vague gestures of grandeur as she continued, "Look at everything that Mister Yuy had to enjoy before he passed away. But how happy was he really? Wealth and recognition only go so far."
Another shudder ran through Noin as she rubbed her arms and lowered her head. "I wonder how much of what he owned Heero's father would have given back to have just a few days to really enjoy the simple things that he missed out on." She bit her lip and said in a near whisper, "And now Heero will share the same fate if this keeps up."
Zechs walked over to her and held her tightly against him, rubbing her back soothingly. "I am as concerned for him as you are, Noin. Don't forget that I had known this family for quite some time before you came. While that does not make your feeling less accountable, I know how the urge to do something could consume a person if they have not had experience in matters like this."
When they pulled apart, Noin wiped at the tears that fell as she questioned, "So, you're saying that we just sit back and continue to do nothing? We just let this whole charade go on and let a young boy be led into a life that he has no say in?"
Lifting her chin so that his eyes met her reddening orbs, Zechs said gently, "There are some things that are beyond our control. But, we can continue to be the support for Heero that we have been and hope that he opens his eyes to what is happening to him. He's the only one who can change all of this. We can't push him into realization that he is not ready for."
At that, Noin took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she nodded, "I can understand that... Heero needs to somehow make the choice on his own to change things." She sniffed slightly and whispered, "It's just hard sometimes."
Zechs decided to take a chance and placed a soft kiss at the top of her head, noticing the sharp gasp from the young woman. "Believe me when I say that I feel the same. After all, he has grown on us quite a bit." He finished the last part with a small smile. "But you'll see that in the end, it'll be the best for him. And I know you want the best for your 'little brother' as I do."
The dark-haired woman had to fight the blush that threatened to color her cheeks at the kiss that she could still feel, even though Zechs's lips were no longer pressed against her forehead. She smiled warmly up at him and replied sincerely, "You're right. Thank you, Zechs. I am sorry that I let this get the best of me."
His own smile grew as he said in response, "There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I consider that boy as much my own family as you do. For his sake, we have to stay strong for him."
At her firm nod, he stepped back and winked at her before leaving the room. Noin worked to find her footing, now feeling the full effect of a blush on her cheeks. She couldn't help but smile to herself, at knowing that maybe Zechs really was attracted to her. Sighing to herself, she pushed those thoughts aside for the time begin and returned to her work. There was a lightness to her step for the remainder of the day.
* * * * * *
Heero knocked on the door to Quatre's grand home and he heard Treize bark from inside. Looking up into the tiny camera at the top of the doorway, he smirked slightly and folded his arms. A second later, the automatic lock was unhitched and the door opened. No doubt, his Arabian friend was surprised to see him at his doorstep that afternoon.
Stepping inside, he looked down at Treize, the 'puppy' sitting with its metallic tail wagging excitedly when it recognized him. Heero took a moment to bend down and pat the top of his head, muttering, "Good boy." It never ceased to strike him odd at how a robot could really be considered a pet. Still, he played along with it.
Quatre entered the room with a bright smile as he exclaimed, "This is a pleasant surprise! A visit from Heero Yuy on a Saturday!" He extended his hand and the longtime friends shook firmly.
When he pulled his hand away, the blonde teenager gestured for the other to follow as he walked towards the back of the house. "Trowa and Wufei are both out back on the patio. I was just coming inside to get some drinks ready. Would you like anything?"
As they stepped into the large kitchen, Heero shrugged, "I could go for a glass of milk. Thank you."
More than willing to oblige, as always, Quatre punched in four items on the touch computer in the side of the refrigerator. Four glasses appeared in the panel beneath the computer screen. The requested drinks poured down into the tall glasses until they reached near the rims.
After they were filled, the glasses were extended out of the refrigerator on a metal tray. Quatre took two of the glasses, one being his own cup of soda. Taking his own glass of milk and a second glass, Heero followed the Arabian to the back patio.
Once they stepped out into the warm afternoon air, they found Trowa and Wufei sitting at one of the round, white tables shaded by a tall umbrella over it. Looking up to their friends, both young men smiled at the sight of the Japanese youth.
"Well, well. Never would have thought that we would see you here today," Trowa commented with a grin.
Beside him, Wufei nodded, "I can't recall the last time we saw you out and about on a Saturday. Is everything all right with your mother's case?"
Handing his Chinese friend his drink and taking a seat beside him, Heero replied, "There are a lot more holes in the defense than she had thought. She told me that it will be a couple days before she has enough of the load sorted out to start sending me any assignments." He closed his eyes as he took a long sip from his milk. Lowering the glass, he concluded, "So, I have the remainder of the long weekend to myself."
There was a long silence and for a moment, Heero wasn't sure what he had said that made the others all stare at him with wide eyes. Looking from one to another, he finally asked, "What?"
Quatre was the first to speak as he asked, "What are you going to do will all that free time? I can't remember the last time I had a few days where I didn't have to do something or go somewhere."
At that, Trowa piped in with a snort, "I don't think that any one of us can. It's easily been a couple of years since any of us had that much time."
"I'd say more than that," Wufei commented with a deep frown in thought. "It's hard enough for us to meet for a couple hours on a day like this. If Summer hadn't cancelled our date so that I could meet with Doctor Phillips early, I wouldn't have been able to be here now."
Taken off guard by what he had just said, Heero forgot about the subject at hand for a moment and inquired, "Summer cancelled your date to the movies? As much as she was all over you when you were 'officially dating'," he emphasized with gesturing quotation marks with his hands, "as you put it before, I thought Hell would have to freeze over before she cancelled spending time with you."
Rolling his eyes, Wufei stated, "Yea, that was until she found someone else to cling to now that she knows we're just friends. Her new boyfriend is taking her out, instead."
"What are you going to do for a date for the Freshman dance now?" Quatre asked, a sad frown on his face. "It's only a month before the event."
No concern rolled off the Chinese youth as he shrugged, "I'll just talk to Merian. As far as I know, she's available for the night."
Trowa almost choked on his drink. Sputtering, he looked over at the dark-haired boy and half-coughed, half-chuckled, "You mean the same girl that you've been pining over since we started high school who won't give you the time of day because she thinks that your blatant chauvinism is overbearing?"
With an undignified look, Wufei shouted, "I have not been pining over her!" At that, his three friends fell into loud rounds of laughter. His eyes narrowing, His folded his arms and grumbled in admission, "Fine, maybe I have been." Raising a finger to the air, he yelled over their subsiding laughter, "But that is not a sign of weakness."
Drying a tear from laughing so hard, the brunette snickered, "Of course it isn't, Wufei. I wish you all the luck in the world to you getting her to agree to attend the dance with you. You're going to need it."
Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe," Trowa replied, a smirk on his face as he leaned in towards him.
Looking from Trowa to Wufei and back again, Quatre pleaded, "Oh no, not this again, guys. The last time that you two made a bet, I had to swear that I never knew either of you for over a month. I would never have heard the end of it from my sisters, otherwise. Iria wouldn't talk to me for weeks when she found out that I was involved after the fact."
Heero leaned back in his seat with his arms folded behind his head as he insisted in a dry voice, "Let them do it. How often do we get to have entertainment like that? We still have the pictures from the last time."
Wufei sat up in his chair and warned with a threatening glare, "Are you're all dead if any of you show them to anyone else!"
Nonchalantly shrugging, Heero replied, "Only if you're good." The Chinese teenaged growled dangerously at him.
"Shall we make the same bet as before?" Trowa asked, breaking up their little sparring match.
Turing his gaze back to his tall friend, Wufei nodded firmly and answered, "Why not? It'd be good to have justice served after the last bet that you got lucky on." The deal settled, they shook firmly on it as Quatre groaned.
At recalling the Freshman dance, Heero looked over to the smallest of the quartet. "That reminds me. You should be receiving a call some time today, Quatre."
He blinked at him in surprise. "A call? From who?" No sooner had the questions passed his lips did the vid phone ring. Sitting up slightly, he looked to the Japanese boy for an answer.
"That must be her," was all Heero offered.
With his eyes widening, Quatre almost paled as he gulped, "Her?"
"Her?" both Trowa and Wufei asked in their own states of shock. At the next ring, all three boys sprang from their chairs and bounded into the house. Shaking his head with a smirk, Heero followed behind them at a casual pace.
Opening the vid phone, Quatre blinked in shock at the image on the screen as he felt his palms beginning to sweat from nervousness. "R-Relena!?" The young woman smiled warmly at him. Having to remind himself to smile back, the Arabian laughed nervously, "Well this is a pleasant surprise."
"Hello, Quatre," the girl replied kindly. "I hope that I am not calling at a bad time." Trowa and Wufei stood back in the doorway of the living room, leaning closely to hear the conversation without being seen. Heero walked up behind them and listened as well as Quatre insisted quickly that she was not disturbing him.
Relena's smile grew as she said, "Good. I have a favor to ask you." At the boy's wide eyes and moving mouth, that could not find any words, she asked, "Would you accompany me at the Freshman dance next month?"
* * * * * *
As he stepped from the house, Heero chuckled deeply to himself at how shocked Quatre had been to have a girl ask him to be their date to a dance. Recalling how quickly the little blonde had grabbed a pad and paper when he accepted, once he finally found his voice to do so, to jot down everything that he needed.
Relena had been very sweet to his friend, being very patient and helping with all the details that would need to be taken care of for their date. In her voice, Heero could tell that she was more excited about going to the dance at seeing how Quatre reacted to her invitation. He was actually proud of his the Arabian handled himself, never being one to be very comfortable talking to a lovely girl. As nervous as he was, he made it through the conversation and had come across well.
Heero never did tell Quatre or the others that Relena was intending on asking him out to the dance first. That really didn't matter, and he didn't want to dampen Quatre's excitement and joy in now having a date that he did not have to ask out, himself. Content with that choice, Heero left feeling pretty good about how the world was going right about then.
That was when the rain decided to come.
All of a sudden, the rain that had been holding off decided to downpour at that moment, leaving the Japanese teenager drenched in minutes. Cursing to himself, Heero decided to continue to walk home. It was only a couple blocks away, and he was wet anyway. Zechs and Noin would worry, though, if he didn't get back soon. It was almost dinner time.
Quickening his pace, as he pulled his light coat tighter over him, Heero made his way down the streets as puddle splashed under his feet. Rounding the corner to his block, he paused with a sharp gasp. His cobalt eyes widened at the sight of a brown ball of fur that was lying still in the middle of the road.
At the realization that there were no cars approaching, he ran into the street and crouched over the still form. It was the same kitten that he has seen on his front porch that morning. It was sprawled on the ground and looked to have been hit by something. Perhaps the animal was caught off guard in the rain and made a dash for cover, only to be struck by an oncoming car that it did not see.
Placing his fingers over the lifeless kitten, Heero gasped when he heard a tiny, pained meow. "You're still alive," he whispered in awe. Still alive or not, the poor cat was not in good shape. Gently, he scooped the unconscious creature into his hand, shielding it under his coat from the rain.
As quickly as his feet would allow, he ran back to his house.