"You're dead meat!"

Cathy watched in horror as Vector approached her. She knew she was going to die, right then and there, and nobody would be able to save her neck this time. The girl shut her eyes, ready to embrace death...

"Get away from her!"

Now she jolted up. No, it couldn't have been him, could it? But it was him! Cathy gasped when Durbe came jumping in between her and Vector, taking a blow meant for the girl and being sent flying into the air. She gulped when Vector went after him instead.

"And you, Durbe. You shouldn't get in the way when I'm busy being insane."

"You're already insane! Now leave Cathy and I alone!"

"You know what? I'll leave the pitiful human alone. But you jumped in and interrupted. So instead, I'll kill you."

Cathy gasped and stood, ready to defend the person she thought of as a brother. They got along much better now that they knew more about one another, and actually began to think of each other as siblings. Both saved one another constantly, defending the other from everything from bullies on Earth to Vector on Barian World. And right now, Cathy wanted to defend Durbe.

She wanted to defend the one she thought of as a brother.

"Durbe! Let me help you!"

"No!"

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean NO! Just run Cathy! Run back home and don't stop until you get there!"

Durbe didn't give her much of a choice. He opened a portal that led back to Heartland City right underneath her feet, and listened as Cathy shrieked and fell through. She clutched the side, however, and watched in horror as the wisteria colored Barian was stabbed by the insane gray one. Durbe screamed in pain, then cried out when Vector sent him flying through the air. Cathy couldn't watch anymore.

With tears streaming down her cheeks that mixed with the spattering blood from Durbe's wounds, she let her grip on the edge go, just tumbling back down to Earth as the portal's entrance closed before her eyes...

XxXxXxXx

It had been almost a year since the day he'd died. Cathy could still hear Durbe's screams of pain from it all. That was all she heard in her dreams, and it was all she saw as well. Yuma and the others had tried to coax her out of it, but nothing seemed to work. Her friend had been murdered by Vector, and she knew she'd never see him again.

Well...I still have my cats, Cathy thought to herself. She stroked the cat that was nearest her, then got up from her spot on the bed and walked away. The gray-haired cat fanatic stared out the window of her mansion. Her eyes looked around at everything, taking in all the scenery. Everything was perfect. But what Cathy saw next to the road made her shriek in terror.

By the side of the road lay a small kitten.

"Oh my goodness! Who would do something so terrible?!" Cathy ran out the door. She nearly tripped over one of her many cats as she did, then knelt beside the kitten when she got there. The girl gasped when she felt a pulse on it. Cathy didn't dare wait even a second longer to lift the kitten up and run back into the mansion. She gently set it on the couch, then checked for broken bones. The only one (If any.) she could find was the tail.

Cathy was relieved. She would've gone into mental shock had there been any other injuries. It had to have happened only recently, for when Cathy lifted the kitten's tail, she got blood all over her hand. With a snort, she lifted the kitten and examined the rest of it.

"So you're a boy. Well you're very wise to have played possum like that by the road after getting your tail squished." Cathy giggled. She stared at the kitten in her arms. He had a very unusual pattern on his fur. Most of it was pale, like her skin, but past his neck and a bit down the shoulders, it was white. On top of that was black. Almost like a vest and shirt. And his ears were light gray.

Cathy couldn't help but stay glued to her new little companion. He was so adorable. The gray-haired girl set the kitten down, then watched as his eyes opened slowly. Cathy couldn't believe what color they were. They were smokey-gray, with a small hint of wisteria in them.

All he's missing is the glasses, Cathy thought. She shook her head quickly, telling herself not to think about...him too much, and pay attention to her kitten. A small smile crossed Cathy's lips. She had been doing studies on different versions of Durbe's name days after he had died.

And now, she had the perfect name for this kitten.

"I think I'll call you Dumon," Cathy whispered. She watched in amusement as Dumon's eyes lit up. It appeared he liked the name. The kitten rubbed against Cathy's side, mewing and purring in delight as the girl ran her hand through his fur. Cathy chuckled, deciding Dumon needed something that would mak him stand out from a distance from all the other cats and kittens. The gray-haired got up and ran off for a moment, then came back with a scarf. It looked like the much smaller version of Durbe's. With a smile, Cathy tied it around Dumon's neck without him even struggling.

He purred instead.

Cathy giggled as she lifted Dumon up. She had a feeling they would get along just fine.

XxXxXxXx

"Come here, kitties! Time to eat!" Cathy called, setting down multiple bowls of cat food. She watched all 200 of her cats come running, which jumped down and started eating from the bowls. Cathy smiled, then frowned when she noticed something was missing. No, not something, someone. Only 199 of her cats were there, now that she thought about it and looked around. The girl gasped when she realized who wasn't there.

Dumon had not joined the other cats and kittens for dinner.

"Where could he be at?" The gray-haired girl walked out of the room. She looked everywhere, trying to find the kitten she had fallen in love with recently. It was hard to believe a week had already passed by. Cathy was, for some reason, closer to Dumon than any of her other 199 cats and kittens. Maybe it was because he looked so familiar...

No! Stop that kind of thought! Cathy told herself. She looked in the library of the mansion, then gasped. Dumon was on the table, nose buried in a book. Cathy couldn't believe it.

The kitten was reading a book.

"How...is that possible? You know what, it's not. I bet I left it out and it was open the whole time." Cathy set the bowl of food she'd brought with her next to Dumon. He glanced at it, then scooted it a little farther and continued to read. Cathy was stunned. She placed the bowl on the ground, mumbling something in a confused tone and closing the door. Dumon meowed and returned his attention to the book completely.

Though she'd ever admit it, Cathy had been right when she thought Dumon had gotten the book himself. He had literally climbed onto the shelf and knocked it onto the table, then began to read.

But it wasn't like Cathy would ever really believe that thought.

XxXxXxXx

The bowl Cathy had set out for Dumon was still full when she walked into the library to check on him. One hour had passed, and the kitten still had not even touched the bowl. He was still buried in the book. As Cathy took a closer look at it, she recognized what book it was. It was the one Durbe had been reading right before he died.

"Oh my god...it's not possible. It's just not possible."

Cathy was wrong though. It was possible. She refused to believe it, but the truth was in front of her eyes. The one she'd come to think of as a brother had been brought back one final time, as a kitten that nearly got killed anyway. Dumon stared up at her with his wisteria and gray eyes. He blinked, then purred and shut the book. To make Cathy happy, he jumped from the table and began to eat the cat food she had placed out. Cathy stared, motionless for a second, then smiled, all thoughts of Durbe coming back as Dumon evading her mind completely. Maybe it was a crazy thought, but Cathy knew it was true. Deep down in her heart.

Though, she would never admit it to anyone, not even herself.

Okay, so I may make this a chapter story. If it gets up to 5 reviews, I'll make it a chapter story. SO REVIEW IF YOU WANT A CHAPTER STORY!