"Mixed Blessings a Cat Tail "

Written By: Kaeru Shisho

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: AU, male/male pairings of a most ridiculous nature; told from Quatre's point of view, so beware the fluff.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4

Summary: The GW boys are all cats finding their little paws in the big, bad world. For Dyna Dee.

A/N: The author needs her head examined, as does her friend and editor, Waterlily, who suggested it, but I wrote it just the same in order to make you laugh and as an eleven chapter gift to Dyna Dee!

" Mixed Blessings a Cat Tail "

Cats are the ultimate narcissists.
As exemplified by all the time expended
on personal grooming.
Dogs are not like this.
A dog's idea of personal grooming
Is to roll in a dead fish,
Which is not the worst thing.
— from the poetry of Chang Wufei

(original source ~James Goreman)

Chapter 6 - Nine Lives

Trowa stayed by my side until the others left. They all said nice things to me on departing, even Wufei managed to thank me, ending his silent treatment.

"You were most generous and the fish... spectacular."

I wondered how many he'd captured before the one I'd seen hanging from his mouth. I wondered, but not much. Trowa was there!

The two of us sat and watched the moon rise. I'd missed dinner, but was too afraid to go back indoors and find out what had happened, especially since we heard the car leave the garage and not return. That couldn't have been a good thing. It would have been nice, though, if Miss Iria had come outside to see if I was all right, but she hadn't.

I was thinking about that when Trowa grumbled in his throat and then said, "I don't want you to love me out of some obligation."

Where had all that come from, I wondered? What had I said to bring that on? He'd proposed to do some presumptuous things, which had surprised and embarrassed me. Was that what 'love' meant to him? I must have reacted badly and wounded his feelings, I decided. If I tried, I could feel his hurt, the feeling of being let down mixed up with some shame, rolled off him like a coat shedding water.

"Oh, I'm sorry! That was wrong of me. I do want to be closer, I-I'm just not sure I'm ready to try... everything you suggest."

Immediately I was encircled by him, nuzzling into my longer fur. "I know, I know. I shouldn't push you. When the time is right, you won't think. You'll just do."

A heavy thump and rustling overhead brought us both up short. I jumped and Trowa took an aggressive stance and looked up.

"Who goes there?" Trowa chirped in warning.

"Well, if you're done romancing, I'd like to amble off to bed, if you don't mind."

"It's the raccoon!" I cried out in alarm.

"Yeah," Trowa agreed, but he seemed to relax at that news. His fur settled back down and the tension melted from his body. "Hey, Randy! A little more warning next time, okay? No sneaking up on us!"

"But you two were so, I don't know, adorable, heh, heh. I didn't wanna disturb ya." The big old raccoon climbed off him limb to the ground. "It's been quite the day, huh?"

I didn't know what to say. This animal had terrified me once outside in the tree, and here he was again, after running through my house, big and wild and up close! I wanted to run away, but with Trowa happy and oh-so confident at my side everything was different. I felt safe; it was as if we were all old friends.

"Hi, I'm Randy."

"The bandit!" I squealed, almost. I think I kept my voice to a squeak before gaining complete control of myself. "I'm sorry. Rashid, a friend of mine, calls raccoons 'the bandits of the animal kingdom'."

"It's because of the mask," Randy said with a sigh of concession. He raised a paw and swept it across his eyes, pointing out the dark fur there.

"I don't understand," I admitted.

Trowa chuckled in his chirpy voice. "At the circus, there's an act in the show where guys ride around with masks as disguises doing stupid shit. One of them's name is Roary Bandito."

"Hey, I could be Randy Bandito!" the raccoon said offering me a sharp, tooth-filled, grin.

I backed up a pace, smile or no smile. "R-Randy Bandito! That's a fine name."

"For a fine friend," Trowa said. "Let me explain to my little Catling here."

"I'm not-!" Oh, why fight it? I decided to allow Trowa that nickname for me, since he was going to use it anyway. "Explain what?"

"Randy here did us a favor today, running around in your house to take the heat off you and your cat chums."

"Quite a party you had in there," the raccoon said. "I'm impressed with the complete lack of restraint I saw."

"But you had Duo and Heero chase him," I said, trying to picture who had done what.

"Took all three to roust me from my nap. I'm an old coon... need my 20 hours a day. Oh, your kibble is very tasty, what I confiscated off the floor on my way out. The best I've had."

Trowa leaned on me. "What do you say?"

Did he want the brand name of my cat food? He certainly couldn't order it out here-. Trowa bumped me harder, enough to knock some sense into me. "Oh! Thank you very much, Mr. Bandito, for helping me today."

"And-?" Trowa prompted me. "What can you offer him by way of showing just how very grateful you are?"

What would Randy like? Food, of course! "I don't eat nearly as much as my owners put out and the excess just gets thrown out in the morning. Would you mind if I scattered it out my cat door each evening?"

"Mind? Oh, no, that would be a treat to savor. Yes, a great treat. I thank you for thinking of me and including me in your party; however, I'm getting too old for that kind of sport, so don't make me participate too very soon again."

"Oh, I won't. I don't think I'll be able to have another very soon."

"Well...now, to the shed I go. Good night."

He gave us one last grin before turning away. Funny, but from this angle I could see gaps where he was missing teeth. His gambling gait included a limp. He wasn't as fearsome as I'd once thought. I think we see what we want to see sometimes. Friend or foe, often it's only distinguished by one's point of view. I would have to share my new-found wisdom with Rashid. He might appreciate it.

Trowa's ears twitched. "It sounds safe for you to go inside," Trowa said.

"It's quiet."

His tongue wiped my face, lingering on my mouth until my own tongue slipped out. The touch sent a thrilling sensation all through me. My purring became so loud I couldn't hear his!

And then he stepped away. I felt cool air separating us. "You're not going!" I cried out. I didn't want him to!

"Catling, I must."

He must have performances to give, people who counted on him. "Of course. I know. But I'll see you soon? Tomorrow night?!"

"Before I go," Trowa's voice sounded rough, like he was choking on something. "I want you to know I still care about you even if I don't see you so often."

"You won't see me? Why not? If it's something I've done, please, let me make it up to you!"

"Oh, no, that's okay. It's not you. It's the circus. There are shows with acts only I can do, some are at night. I'll be busy."

"Oh, I see." I did, but I couldn't keep the hurt and disappointment out of my voice. "I'll miss you terribly."

"Feeling's mutual, believe me. I'll come by whenever I can. In the meantime, take care of yourself and you know where Randy is, if you need a standup guy to defend you. Just in case."

"All right." I agreed, but I was certain I wouldn't need a raccoon again to protect me. "I'll stay in the house most of the time, but each night I'll sit right here and listen for you."

One more lick, a purr, and then a leap and he disappeared into the darkness.

(o)

"It is the balance of life," Rashid extolled his views one day from his perch high above the fray. "One cat goes, a dog fills his place."

"That is not how it works!" I was angry that he could think it was possible to explain away the dog's arrival that simply. And Trowa had not gone, he was just a rare sight. And Trowa's not being a routine visitor had nothing to do with the dog being in my house. Yes. The DOG. Ruggles, the cause of the fray in the house.

"Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God," Rashid opined, "But only birds fly. Complain no more to me, young Cat."

"The dog is here to keep away the raccoon," I told him. "Miss Iria believes the raccoon opened the back door, so she had the handle changed and bought a dog to guard it."

"So you say. I see it differently. The way Mr. Tam gushes over that smelly, drooling beast, I am of the opinion that it was his choice and completely independent of the raccoon incident. It is, I repeat, the balance of life."

I stopped arguing. I'd heard of the "circle of life", but this was the first I'd heard of any balance to it. I thought, for the first time, that Rashid was very likely making up some of his wisdom on the fly, so to speak.

There was no proof of anything cats or raccoon related- not even the security camera caught the other cats entering the house. That camera had somehow been pushed to face into the supporting stake rather than at the door. I even got to see "the feed" replay at Heero's house, but I couldn't explain that to Rashid. There weren't words I could use to explain wires and feeds and the particulars of security systems to Rashid, and he wouldn't leave the house to see the equipment himself. No, it was information I couldn't share.

Actually that excursion was a fun, or more accurately, an interesting visit to Heero's home again. A bright spot in what Rashid so aptly called "the dog-days of summer". Duo accompanied us. While Heero wouldn't put forward a personal question concerning Trowa, his furry friend would—and did.

I was avoiding talking about the dog. Not pretending. Not being evasive. I pointedly tried not to think about or talk about the dog. Imagine having an invading species purposely brought into the house! A competitor for my owners' affections, Mr. Tam's in particular. I don't think Miss Iria cared for the "noisy mop" very much. I certainly hated the dog from the instant I smelled her nasty doggy scent and heard her irritating doggy yips and saw her perfectly horrid doggy ugliness.

I tried, I really did! I approached the dog with a non-threatening language and said a proper "Hello."

She responded by kicking up a fuss, barking, yipping, snarling, and once she broke free of the hold Mr. Tam had on her, chased me around the kitchen until I turned and clawed her nose. That stopped her with a "Yelp!"

"Very satisfying", to quote my friend Heero.

On the walk over to Heero's house, Duo smoothed up against me to get my attention. "So, figured it out yet?" he asked. The twinkle in his eyes signaled how clever he thought he was being.

"Yes." My answer was brief. Trowa was the secret admirer we'd wondered so much about, so what?! I didn't want to talk about dogs or Trowa. Both were currently sensitive issues for me.

"I mean about the strange cat being your—"

"I said yes. I figured it all out. Thank you."

"Oh! Okay. Sure. I mean, odd character, huh? I'd seen him around, who could miss those long legs, am I right? But it was way far over by where I live and once out at the cow pond. Sure roams far."

"Yes, he does. He's a Savannah and they do that."

"Seen him since the—?"

Party? "No. He's got a great many more important things to do than to visit a boring little cat like me. He works for the circus, if you didn't know."

Heero stopped at that. His hearing was very good, especially when he kept one ear cocked our way. "What kind of work?"

"He's a performer."

"Man! That's gotta be like the most exciting thing!" Duo was enthralled with the idea and talked about it at length all the rest of the way. "I wonder... I saw a poster of a lion jumping through a burning ring—would he do that? I sure wouldn't. One slip up and I'd be a fireball instead of a furball, heh, heh... which reminds me. Cat? You ever take anything for furballs? They are the worst. I had to hack up one the size of my paw last night. Mostly, I just eat grass and that helps settle things a little. Man, in the circus! That sounds so cool, ya know? I tried standing on a ball once. No can do. Not my thing. 'Course, he might have super balance powers. Wonder if he wears a costume or one of those feather hats? Saw a picture of a cat wearing a hat once. It wasn't too bad a look, but that would depend on the hat, naturally, and Bread Cats! Do not get me started on that travesty!"

Neither Heero nor I said anything. Heero, I could tell, was thinking things over. I wouldn't share exactly what acts Trowa performed. If he wanted to tell the others, he could or would have already. And there was a good reason why I wanted to keep the fact that he liked water to myself: I was afraid the others would consider that just too strange a behavior for a cat and not accept him into our pride of friends.

There were things that defined cats and different things that defined dogs. Rashid drove that point home the first day the dog and I were left alone with him in the house. "Stay within your species and the lines of communication, they will not tangle, you understand the significance? No uppityness. No malice. And above all, no surprises, and we will all get along."

I could have added a lot more "no's" to his list, but I held myself in check. I also could have pointed out that he and I were in no way the same species and that we got along, but I didn't. Good Cat. No one said I had to be friendly with the dog, however- just tolerant. I went as far as polite; she ran around me and yip, yip, yipped her stupid doggy head off until I fled to top of the refrigerator. I hid behind a giant cookie jar and fell asleep where it was warm and dark and safe.

I hated that dog from her cold wet nose to the tip of her ridiculous plumy tail.

Rashid wasn't fond of her either. He didn't share his wisdom or stories with her. He kept to his perch way high above where she could get to and dropped the empty shells of sunflower seeds on her head.

I started making plans to get rid of her as we approached Heero's house. Suffocated in bubble wrap? Smashed by a falling bookcase? Poison, loomed large in one of my daydreams. I had seen RAT poison in the shed. Randy told me to stay away from it, that enough could kill a cat. Ruggles wasn't very large at all. During breaks in my creative-kill thought processes, I also thought about Trowa.

It wasn't a good combination.

"Here we are," Heero announced. Heero and the security system. He looked eager to show Duo and me what he could do. He'd been studying the equipment diligently as he'd promised.

I put in some effort and worked up a little show of enthusiasm. "So, what you've been up to?"

"A great deal. Let me demonstrate." Standing in front of the "computer monitor" allowed him to tap on the keyboard and point out changes in the screen. This he called "data feeds".

"I watched Odin pull up feeds until I recognized your house. Your friend, Trowa, said he knocked out the camera by the back door so no one would discover that he could open the back door, and I could see that he was correct. Odin sent a repairman over to fix the camera."

"Smart. Without proof otherwise, Miss Iria thinks the raccoon did it," I told them. "Trowa tricked her. She doesn't blame cats at all."

"He left no evidence. That was quick thinking on Trowa's part," Heero said. From his tone I knew he admired Trowa.

"It seemed so at the time, I'm sure, but now there is... a dog in my house."

"Oh, no!" Duo howled. "That is so not cool, Kit-Cat."

"Miss Iria thinks the dog will chase away the raccoon, but all the dog chases is me."

I got pity-purrs from my companions, which made me feel better. "Oh, I'm all right, I suppose." And I realized how much better I really did feel sharing my pain with them. "Oh, did I tell you that the raccoon's name is Randy Bandito and he's a friend, too, now? I give him my food at night."

"That's sweet, but, um...it isn't a relative of mine, not even distant, if that's why..." Duo said quickly.

"Oh, I know."

"Just saying, in case that's why you're being so nice to him."

"Oh, no! It's not that way. He's really just an old raccoon living under my shed."

"You seem sad," Heero said after having stared at me for several minutes. He was very perceptive. "And it's not only about some dog in your house."

"I am."

No one said a thing. They were waiting for me to choose if I wanted to say more or not. "I miss Trowa. I do. So much!" It just popped from my mouth.

I had to endure Heero and Duo exchanging knowing glances at one another. I just knew they'd tell me to get over him.

"Um," Duo started in, "Don't get your hopes up, is all."

Heero had his own advice to share. "Circus cats aren't known to be trustworthy."

"He might go on the road and never return," Duo added.

They assumed that I probably wouldn't see Trowa again. I felt awful. I didn't want to believe any of that and I must have looked pathetic.

"Well," Duo said more brightly than I thought the occasion required, "if he can't get to us, then we'll just have to go to him. Whatcha think, 'Ro? Know the way?"

"Oh, can we?" I hopped up and down in anticipation. I'd been totally unprepared for that kind of support.

"The circus tents are visible past the Long Koi Ponds. Wufei said he could see them from the roof of one of the shrine buildings. That would be several miles, but I don't know the way," Heero said.

"Oh." I let the disappointment trundle over me, taking all the happy inside away as it rolled. I might never see Trowa again.

"Don't worry," Duo said. "It may take a few days but we'll figure it out. Maybe he'll stop by before that? If he does, get directions, 'kay?"

"I will! Thanks for believing in him!"

I loved my friends. How would I have survived without them?

(o)

I spent more time outside, what with Ruggles barking at every fly, each creak on the stairs, and disturbing my napping. It was summer with long days and warm nights, perfect for evening activities anyway.

Relena stayed away when Randy was around.

I ran into Randy, who always gave me a polite bow now and a "thanks for the chow," but one time he seemed excited.

"He's here, your sweetheart, waiting for you. Best hurry."

My sweet-? "Oh, Trowa!"

He pounced on me and we rolled across the freshly mowed lawn, his face sinking into my plush fur ruff. I felt so happy I nearly burst with purr, and Trowa's purr was a loud rumbling like a motor car. There was no hiding how we felt.

It was a lovely reunion.

We groomed one another and talked in quiet voices. I told him about the dog and updated him about our friends. How Relena from next door hadn't been seen since Randy rambled the perimeter, frightening her. When prompted to tell me about the circus, he wasn't very forthcoming on the subject; in fact, I'd say it turned him melancholy.

"I can't stay long. In fact, I should be there, but I had to see you. See if you were all right."

"I'm fine, better with you here!"

"I missed you."

"—me too! So much!"

That led into some mutual licking and, oh my whiskers, so much contact it left me breathless.

"I do not want to leave," he moaned.

"Why don't I walk a ways with you then!" This was a marvelous idea, I thought. I could learn the way to the circus and surprise him with a visit!

"You'd get lost getting back."

"Not if I stopped to collect—Oh! I forgot! I was supposed to meet up with Duo and Heero and from there go visit Wufei. We hoped to talk Wufei into letting us up on the roof tops to get a look at the circus tents."

"Why would they want to do that?"

"To make me feel better. I missed you and just getting a look at where you were... we all thought it would be better than nothing."

"Ah my Catling, you're... a wonder," he said. "I can't believe I attracted a sweet soul like yours."

So, I talked him into walking that route with me and along the way he told me a little more about shows he'd done, which meant he was feeling better. Just being with him revitalized me!

I hoped my friends wouldn't mind my bringing Trowa along. I knew Duo and Heero respected Trowa in their own ways, but that Wufei didn't trust him one bit. I wanted them all to be friends and to see how good a cat Trowa was. As he told me about some of the hair-raising stunts he'd done, I got an idea for a way to impress everyone with Trowa's skills. I could do it, but I'd have to keep it a secret.

Halfway to the Long Clan ponds, Duo bounded our way, and Heero leaped from the lower branch of his lookout tree, the same one Trowa had used to show me the way back home. Wufei crept out of the shadows. It looked to me that he was pretending he had come upon this reunion by accident.

"Where have you been?" Heero demanded.

Duo, who was closest, spotted Trowa coming out of the tall grass. "OH! Oh, ho! You got the circus cat with you, huh? Well, that explains a lot. Hey, Tro', how ya been? Long time no see!"

I wondered if Maine Coon cats hadn't a bit of wild cat in them, the way both he and Trowa could communicate with those funny chirping sounds. Wufei and Heero trotted along off to the side, listening, heads tilted to the side similarly and looking very much like related breeds, but one with richly colored fur and the other light. I didn't feel like I fit in at all, except that I brought them all together. Entrenched deep in my heart, I had this feeling that if we stuck together we could achieve all kinds of things. All I had to do was make them see how devoted Trowa was to me!

And I had the best, secret idea as to how to do that! However, I knew Trowa would have to leave very soon, which left me very little time to make things happen. I only had to not think too much about what I planned to do.

We had to make this visit at night, so no humans would see us, Wufei had insisted. That was fine with us and it all worked out perfectly now with Trowa along. See?! In winter, Heero and Duo and I were mostly trapped indoors during the night. In summer, Odin and Howie left windows open so that Heero and Duo were free come and go as they liked. The heat of the day radiated off the stones and tile rooftops—so this would be the perfect time for a look at the fish ponds.

"You may only look. No touching!" Wufei snapped, his voice entering the whine levels of the Siamese instantly, which meant he was nervous.

Duo assured him he had no interest in getting even a paw wet, although he might go for a sip of water. That's when I saw my chance. A narrow rock path bisected one of the ponds. Some of the rocks were polished smooth and shined with water sloshed up by tiny waves when the breezes blew. It looked fairly treacherous and my nerve nearly gave out twice as I attempted the crossing.

"That's not a good idea!" Wufei yowled suddenly. A jumping fish having just caught his attention in my direction.

"It's not?" I looked away from where I was walking, took a deep breath, almost changed my mind, and then stepped right off the slippery stone.

SPLASH!

Oh, it was nasty wet and cold!

I couldn't stop from actually panicking! I clawed at the edge to hang on, but my wet fur dragged me down. Automatically, my legs started paddling and my head bobbed up.

I could breathe! But for how long? What a stupid idea! What if Trowa knew better than to risk his life for mine and he didn't dive in?! And if he did, what if he couldn't pull me out? I might drag us both to our deaths! Stupid, stupid, stupid Cat!

The cold seeped in past my insulating fur; my legs felt sluggish. This was it, I thought. I felt the water surge around me, splashing my face. Knowing I was doomed, I cried out my last heart-felt thoughts, "I love you, Trowa!"

There was a tug at the nape of my neck. A warmth at my side. I moved through the water under someone else's power. Trowa! He'd come to save me!

At the risk of his own life. I was ashamed, so ashamed at what I'd done. And I could down myself in guilt if I couldn't do it in water!

My paws hit soft mud and sand and I sank my claws into it, clinging for dear life.

"Pull!" ordered the very, very gallant cat beside me. "You can do it. Here, I'll push from behind."

It was Trowa's head-butting that did the trick. His strength stunned me for a second, but then I was up and climbing through shallow water all because of him. I couldn't have done it under my own power, not with a hundred pounds of sopping wet fur to haul up!

"Are you okay, my love?" Trowa was there licking my face, clearing the goopy, green, slimy water plants out of my eyes.

"Ugh," I coughed. I'd managed to swallow half the pond.

Even over my noise I could hear Duo's worried meows and horrified reaction. "Praise Bastet! He's all right! Oh, gag, that's pretty awful stuff."

"We must get him dry," Heero said. "Wufei, what do you suggest?"

"I'll be right back!"

Wufei actually returned very quickly. "The flat stones are warmest here," he said as he dropped the rag he'd carried and spread it out with a paw. "Can you walk this far?"

I nodded because when I tried to talk I just coughed up more dirty water. With Trowa on one side and Heero on my other, I stood shaking. Trowa just grabbed me at the back of the neck and dragged me over by where Wufei stood with the rag. I no longer cared what anyone thought of me. The situation was entirely one of my doing. All my fault. I didn't deserve their respect. I was lucky it hadn't cost anyone their life.

Trowa lowered me gently onto the waiting towel. It was so warm and it smelled like Wufei. Oh, my, he'd brought me his very own towel, the one he used as a bed. I was very, very touched.

"Well, Tro', that was pretty spectacular," Duo said. "Where'd ya learn to dive like that?"

"I perform every day."

"In water?" Wufei gasped. "What do those villains do to you to make you do that?"

"Feed me." Trowa shook out his fur. And he wagged his tail. I tried not to think "dog" but he could act very dog-like. "I don't mind swimming."

Wufei nearly fainted from the shock, I suppose; at least, he fell silent. Perhaps he was considering how much better at fishing he'd be if he would swim like that?

I felt strong enough to roll around on the towel, the water soaking into it and the hot stone's heat soaking into me. I felt revived enough to hold my head up and mew once. Pathetic.

A lick from Trowa was my immediate reward. It felt so nice in spite of being completely undeserved.

From the conversation that followed, it was apparent that Trowa's act had impressed them all.

Heero seemed very moved. "I couldn't have done what you did."

"You saved Cat's life! That was just plain amazeballs!"

Wufei finally found his voice again. "You must teach me that. The dive. I can see a practical application." He didn't elaborate. I'd been right, though.

"Pounce, front legs outstretched, head low." Trowa looked thoughtful, then added, "Breathe out so the water doesn't enter your nose. That's it."

"Bravery," Wufei whispered. "Mostly that."

"Devotion." Heero's head turned to look me over.

"Yeah, what a cat won't do for the one he loves, right 'Ro?"

"Um, yes."

"What breed are you?" Wufei asked, boldly. "I've been curious since I first laid eyes on you."

"Savanna," Trowa said. "Never heard of it? That's okay. I'm half Serval, a wild cat from South Africa."

"That must be from out of town," Wufei said. "I've never heard of it. So, a wild cat? That explains everything."

"Like the legs," Duo said. "Gotta love long legs. Bet you can run fast. Hey, Cat, if that nasty new dog gets out of your house, have him try and chase Trowa, here. He'd be in... South Africa before the dog would get half down the street, I'd bet!"

We all laughed about that, but it got me to thinking. One more way to rid myself of that dog...

The night sounds were interrupted by a human voice yelling at us, "You cats! Stop that awful caterwauling!"

"We should take this to the roof," Wufei said.

"Lead the way," Duo said.

Now that the crisis was past, I could sense Trowa getting antsy. "You have to leave, don't you?"

"I do."

"First," Duo broke in, "Tell us what route to take to get to the circus, wouldya pal?"

It wasn't so complicated as we had thought. Heero and Duo both seemed very sure they could follow the directions. Trowa and I shared a final lick and glance, before he turned to his path, the one leading him away.

After he left, the rest of us climbed to the top of the highest roof, that of a shrine, Wufei said. There, we watched Trowa's tail disappear into the distance. Further on, the big tents of the circus lit up. It looked so big! And further off than that, in the sky, we watched as the stars came out. The warm roof tiles under foot and the gentle breeze dried my fur. My plan had worked, there was satisfaction in that. My friends all respected Trowa now. But I knew that someday I'd have to tell him what I'd done and hope he'd forgive me. Or maybe not. He probably guessed anyway.

I'd told him I loved him. Had he noticed? Had he known I'd really meant it? He'd called me "love" and not just "Catling"; had it been intentional?

Probably. I shouldn't underestimate Trowa; I should really know that by now! I was very clever, but so was he.

That evening's events had given me a great deal to think about on my way back home. Heero, Duo and I parted ways at the outlook tree and I was proud to find my path to my home all by myself. Of course, it was well scent-marked, but still... When I settled into my basket, the nasty dog, Ruggles, was asleep.

I was the happiest I'd ever been.

TBC

Chapter 7

Back to Kaeru Shisho's Fiction

Back to GW Authors Index.