Edward Elric was in a foul mood.

Not only did he have to put up with Mustang for the past hour or so, he'd spent the better part of thirty minutes running from Major Armstrong who was trying to use the "cheering up methods that had been passed down in the Armstrong family for generations"! Ed made a mental note to never look in any way depressed around the man ever again. But it wasn't his fault! Mustang had put him in a bad mood! He was such an arrogant, pompous, morally corrupt, manipulative, egotistical…

A timid meow brought him back to the matter at hand. Oh yes, that… To make a long story short, Ed's day had been rough enough without the added headache of his brother's tendency to pick up stray cats. And said brother wasn't even here to be yelled at for it! It just made him angrier because he had nothing to take his frustration out on!

From her place on the floor, Taylor took a step back from Ed. Seeing the elder Elric so riled up wasn't that uncommon. However, his ire had never been directed at her this severely. It made her duck her head and meow an apology, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

Ed blinked down at the cowed feline. It almost seemed like the cat was afraid of him. The idea made him slap his forehead and groan, "Great, now I'm scaring animals." The cat's ear flicked in his direction, her tail swaying in a nervous manner. He kneeled in front of it, expecting the cat to either run and hide or lash out at him. It was the instinct of a cornered animal and, although this one certainly looked like one, she merely watched him with bright green eyes. Ed's own eyes narrowed at the tiny creature, "Okay, so it's not your fault I'm having a bad day and that my brother has a bigger heart than a brain. But seriously, how does he keep finding you guys? Is there catnip hidden in his loincloth?"

Taylor stared at him, unblinking. What should she do? It's not like she could tell him the truth. She lacked the proper vocal cords for that. Besides, it'd mortify her if Ed realized it was her. He'd tease her to no end. She knew because she did the same thing when Ed himself had experienced close encounters of the feline variety. That left her with her only option: sit there and look cute.

Edward frowned at himself while the cat showed no reaction. He wasn't sure why he was talking to an animal, but for some reason it made him feel a little better. "Here's the deal, Cat," he declared, pointing at the feline. "I'll let you hang out here until Al gets back. But only until then! I'm telling him to put you right back where he found you, got it?"

"Meow?" Taylor said, somewhat amused.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?"

"Meow!"

"…"

Ed stood, trudging over to the lone couch to flop onto the light blue cushions. He went to prop his feet on the coffee table when he noticed the stack of books there. Expression turning curious, he slid to the edge of his seat and examined them. All the novels were on alchemy. More importantly, they were related to the subject him and the others had been researching all week. If the cat wasn't proof that Al had come back here sometime in Ed's absence, this more than confirmed it.

"So where's Al and Taylor?" he asked, at first to no one, but found his gaze straying over to the cat. She sat on her haunches in the middle of the room, cocking her head to the side to stare at him. Ed propped his elbow on his knee and settled his chin on his palm, watching the cat glumly, "I swear, they better just be out grabbing some grub."

Taylor rolled her eyes. So typical Ed behavior, to think of his stomach.

Edward didn't catch her very human-like eye roll, having gone back to the stack of books and completely ignoring the kitty. He scanned through the various titles again, sight honing in on one particular thick and worn brown tome. Swiping it up, he held it in his automail hand as he began to skim through the pages to find the interesting bits. One good thing he had discovered over the years was that automail never got tired. So he could hold a book up for hours without the limb ever wearing out from the strain.

The blonde alchemist had sifted through a quarter of the book when he went to turn another page and was startled enough to jump. A furry head with two large ears peeked over the seat of the cushion to his left, two narrowed eyes watching him with glinting mischief. Ed couldn't be certain but he had the feeling the cat had been sitting there, watching him, and waiting for him to notice her. And his surprise only seemed to amuse the feline.

Ed scowled at her, "What are you, a ninja cat?" He hadn't even noticed when the cat had moved from the middle of the room over to his sitting place.

"Mew," the cat said innocently.

He remained silent, choosing to go back to his book and studiously ignore the cat again.

Taylor watched him for a minute, smirking at how badly she had surprised Ed. Turns out, cats could be very quiet and sneaky when they wanted to be. Who knew being one would have advantages?

The girl-turned-cat contemplated what she should do next. Just because she had to wait for Al's return and just because she didn't want Ed to find out the truth didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun first. She could do anything without any consequences cause she was supposed to be a regular cat and cats had no nefarious intentions… Okay, maybe there were some limits. She didn't want to piss Ed off to the point where he'd throw her out. It's not like he knew it was Taylor underneath all this fur. So what could she do that wouldn't bring the repercussion of being kicked out?

Taylor's eyes roamed over Ed's form. Despite his feathers being ruffled when he first came in, the presence of a book relaxed him like nothing else could. This was the perfect time for Taylor to strike.

Ed caught a blur of movement in his peripheral vision and glanced to his left. On the couch beside him was the ginger haired cat, watching him intensely as if she were strategizing. The very thought of a cat strategizing almost made him snort. He shook his head and went back to his book yet again. His attention didn't stay there for long.

The cat decisively walked to him, onto his lap, and plopped herself over his thighs. Ed's eyebrow raised at it, seeing it lying in such an odd position with her front legs stretched out in front of her and her hind legs stretched out far behind her. It was nearly comical.

"Do I look like furniture to you?" Ed muttered at the cat.

"Yes, very pretty furniture," Taylor smiled to herself.

Edward grumbled again but surprisingly didn't push her away. She glanced up to his face to find him reading once more.

Heh, guess he's okay with it, Taylor mused, pulling her limbs to her body in a fashion she had seen a million cats lay in. She even wrapped her tail around herself for good measure. It was becoming very easy to control this new body the longer she spent in it. Although, that might not be a good thing…

With Taylor right where she wanted herself, she snuggled into Ed's black clothed torso. She rubbed her head against the toned muscles of his stomach, enjoying the firmness that held just the right amount of softness. She wondered how it would feel if Ed had his shirt off. Then she considered ways to crawl under his clothes. Hey, she was a cat, remember? She could totally get away with it!

For now though, Taylor settled for basking in the heat Ed's body exuded. He was so pleasantly warm. She had always liked being warm, since Taylor's body didn't run as hot as most people's did. That yearning only increased with this new body. Cats were attracted to warm places, and Ed was hot.

"Fine! I'll scratch you, you persistent fur ball!" Ed exclaimed, having had enough of the animal's fidgeting. Truthfully, Taylor hadn't been asking him to scratch her. But she supposed that her behavior could have been misinterpreted. She had looked like any other cat seeking affection.

Taylor's thoughts screeched to a halt as a gloved hand rubbed down her spine, sending tingles of pleasure through her small body. Her back arched of its own accord into the touch, seeking more of that feeling. Ed's hand ran over her sleek fur again and again and Taylor just melted. Oh, and when those fingers scratched roughly at her ears? Her brain imploded.

A vibration rumbled through her chest, making Taylor distantly wonder what it was. She dismissed it as unimportant and chose to focus on the wonderful feelings Ed's hand was bringing her. From the sound of his voice, Ed seemed to be smirking at her reaction, "Spoiled cat."

"Meooooow," the cat replied, purring up a storm. Edward shook his head at it, deciding that the furry beast wasn't half bad. He continued to run his fingers through the cat's coat as he returned to his book.

This went on for…Taylor didn't know how long. She was too busy eating up the attention Ed was bestowing on her. Her eyes were closed in absolute, blissful contentment as her claws lightly pawed at the leather of Ed's pants. Scratchies…who knew?

Edward sighed, suddenly lifting the cat off his legs and sitting her on the couch. Taylor meowed, confused.

"Alright Cat, I gotta go get a shower," Ed grunted, sauntering toward the small bathroom. Taylor, slightly peeved, got up and trailed after him.

"Noooo, scratch me some more! Don't leeeeaaavve mee!"

Ed turned around and watched, bemused, at the cat who followed him, meowing in a way that could only be described as forlorn. He cocked an eyebrow, but continued to the bathroom. Leaving the door slightly cracked, Ed removed his jacket and shirt, grabbing a towel from the nearby shelf. He turned to see the ginger haired kitty watching him intently from the cracked door.

"Cat, you're freaking me out. I wish you wouldn't watch me like that. It's unnerving." Ed turned his back to the cat, who blinked and continued its stare. It's just an animal, it's not like it's checking me out or anything, Ed thought, shrugging.

Taylor watched, awestruck, as Edward started removing his typical leather pants. She was dumbstruck that he was really taking his pants off in front of her. But then again, in her new cat body, Edward would never know she was the one watching him undress. If she could've smiled, she would have, maliciously.

She watched as Ed slid deftly out of his leather pants, standing in his boxers. Taylor found that even in her kitty form, her mouth could still water. She looked over the smooth expanse of his back, darkened and toned from spending so much time sparring in the sun. Her eyes trailed down his back, over his loose boxers, and down to his legs, his flesh leg toned and thick with muscle, his automail gleaming. Taylor drank in the sight of him, finally letting his guard down in front of her.

Ed took one last wary glance at the cat, still gazing intently at him, as though she were waiting. He chided himself for letting a silly animal make him feel like someone like…Taylor was watching him. Ed laughed at himself and looked at the cat. "You're just a dumb animal, I don't know why I'm acting all shy."

Before Taylor could hiss at Ed about the "dumb animal" comment, he turned and shimmied out of his boxers, giving her a full view of his behind. Funny, Taylor thought, I thought it was characteristic of dogs to drool.

Giving the cat one last glance, Ed stepped into the shower. Letting the warm water trail over his body, he let out a long sigh. Edward loved showers. They were a place for him to let down his guard and simply think.

Taylor, wishing she could just jump into the shower with Edward, quickly grew bored with watching the shower curtain and turned to find something more entertaining. She padded back to the couch, hopping onto the spot Ed had recently vacated and discovering some of his warmth still clung to the cushion.

"What now?" she asked herself, sprawled out on the cushion while listening to the tapping sounds the shower made from the bathroom. Scratchies would have to wait until Ed reemerged from his shower. The cat girl didn't find much else entertaining at the moment so that left her with…nothing. She couldn't draw, couldn't play her flute, couldn't even read the alchemy books in front of her! Not having opposable thumbs was frustrating!

Taylor sat up into a long, languid stretch. Unbeknownst to her, this caused her claws to dig into the sofa. When the stretch ended and she attempted to retract them, the claws remained embedded in the material.

"Crap," she muttered, tugging. The material rose but didn't release her. She glared down at her captor, "You stupid couch! Give me back my paws!" She struggled fiercely, all the while thinking in the back of her mind how ridiculous she must look. Cats stretched all the time and they didn't get their claws stuck! Why her?!

Growling, quite literally, she pushed down onto the cushion, extending the claws further. And then she retracted them. This time, they complied.

Taylor glanced from her paws to the cushion, "Hmmmm…" She knew it was stupid, but the curiosity had taken hold of her. She couldn't help but press down upon the surface of the soft cushion and sink her claws into it as far as they would go. She pulled one paw up and pressed it back down as she brought the other one up, repeating the action over and over. For some reason, the more she did this, the more her instincts screamed at her to do it again. It felt…good. To have her claws sink in and rip. Tear. Shred! Must shred!

Abruptly, Taylor ceased all movement. As the realization of what she was doing came to her, she stared down in horror at her paws. Swiftly, she jerked her paws out of the cushion and jumped off of the couch and onto the coffee table. Shaking herself, her mind remind her, You are a human! Humans don't knead their claws into objects, especially defenseless couches! Don't give into temptation!

Right! Taylor agreed with herself. With that decided, she put her efforts into acting less like an animal and more like a human. She glanced around the room, eyes searching for something she could do that would remind her of her human nature. Her sights fell on the books, scanning over the titles. It pleased her to find that being a cat did not affect her ability to read. Opposable thumbs she did not have, but brain power she did!

Happy with her assessment, Taylor pushed the smallest book from the stack over to the side where she could use her paw to turn the pages with minimal difficulty, the process taking a couple of minutes in her current form. This would have to do for now. So she settled herself on the table to read until Edward came back.

Clean, relaxed, and ready to take on the world, Ed stepped out of the bathroom…only to be met with the oddest sight.

"Cat…are you reading?"

Taylor glanced up at Ed's voice. The book hadn't been particularly interesting. Nevertheless, her attention had been focused on it to where she hadn't heard the shower cut off. Now Edward stood outside the bathroom doorway, the only clothing item on being a dark pair of sweatpants. His hair had been left down, damp and tangled.

Edward stared at the cat as the furry animal stared back at him, sitting there on the coffee table with an open book in front of it and in the middle of turning a page. The cat's paw slowly lowered the page down and slid the book a few inches away as if saying, "No, I wasn't doing anything at all. You're imagining things."

He blinked in disbelief before barking out a laugh. It was just absurd! Cats couldn't read! The cat was probably just mimicking what she saw Ed doing earlier.

The blonde approached the table, bending down to snatch the open book up. The cat watched him as he examined it. "At least there aren't any rips. I guess you like books then?"

"Meow…"

He shook his head, tossing the book onto the stack of others and strolling over to the dorm room's mini fridge (cause there are totally mini fridges in the dorm rooms, or so the author says). Not much of anything was inside, just an apple and a bottle of milk that Al stubbornly insisted Ed should drink. Instead, Ed glared at the bottle and opted for the apple.

Taylor's eye twitched the entire time. Did Edward not realize that it took her a whole two stinkin' minutes to position that book in the right spot? Stupid, inconsiderate alchemist! Oh wait, what was that claws? You still have the urge to scratch? I'll give you something to scratch!

With a battle cry, Taylor leapt from the coffee table, limbs stretched out in a graceful arc, claws extended to slice through the air, ears slicked back, teeth barred, tail fluffed in agitation.

"Mrrrraaaaaawwwww!"

Edward, apple in hand, turned around just in time to see the cat jump off of the coffee table and do an impressive face plant as it landed. The apple nearly fell out of his grasp as he snorted with laughter. Never had he seen a more clumsy act. And to make the situation more hysterical, the cat sat up, shook its head, and glanced around in bewilderment. She sat up and patted her nose gingerly, looking at her paw as if to check for blood.

Where the hell did Al find this cat?

"Ow, that probably wasn't my best idea," Taylor admitted, making sure she didn't break her nose. Not being used to this body, she had underestimated her leg strength and had shot up into the air at an remarkable height. The launch towards the ceiling had freaked her out so much that her descent was made by a series of flails that resulted in a face plant. And here she thought cats were supposed to land on their feet…

Ed continued to watch as he ate the apple, the cat paying him no mind as she tried to walk right. The hit to the kitty's head must have cracked something because she took two steps and fell on her side. He snickered.

Edward choked on his bite of apple when the cat glared at him. Yes. Glared. Since when did cats glare like that? Or at all, for that matter? This one was staring at him like she was threatening him. No, she was threatening him. The cat held one paw up, claws extended as if to say, "Keep laughing. See what I do to you."

Swallowing back his amusement, Edward decided to take pity on the animal by going back for the milk in the fridge, sitting the apple on top to free his hands for the task. They didn't have any bowls in the room so he made due with a small cup, crinkling his nose as he poured the vile, opaque liquid into it. Making sure to hold the cup with his automail hand, he took it over to the cat and sat it down before her.

Taylor took one look at the cup of milk and hissed. Did he actually offer her milk? Had he forgotten about her lactose-intolerance? Oh yeah, she was a cat, duh. That didn't change the fact that she felt offended.

Edward blinked in astonishment as the cat hissed at milk. What happened to all cats loving milk? Was she just not hungry? No, she was glaring at the glass of milk as if it had done her a personal wrong. Definitely some hatred for milk going on there.

"So you like to read and you don't like milk?" he asked the feline. In answer, the cat stretched a forepaw to push the cup back towards Ed. He chuckled heartily, bending down to swipe the cat up. He held her suspended in the air, smiling at her, "You're a cat after my own heart, ya know that?"

The cat stared at him dully, then used one paw to push on his nose. "Meow," the cat said, her tone saying how she thought Ed was a dork.

He grinned and shook the paw off, "You're one odd cat. You'd fit in around here." In his mind, he pictured the kitty with the three of them. He could see the cat riding around on Taylor's shoulders, the two of them making the perfect pair with their red hair and green eyes. They both had personality, that's for sure. Come to think of it, this cat acted almost as sarcastic as Taylor.

Can cats even be sarcastic? Ed wondered. Then he shook his head. What was he thinking? He'd said it plenty of times before; they couldn't keep a pet.

"But if we could, I'd make an exception for you," he told the cat, bringing it to him to cradle it in his arms against his chest.

Taylor briefly puzzled over what Ed was going on about. But then his fingers began scratching under her chin and all of her thinking capability flew out the window.

Ed smiled down affectionately at the purring cat. He had to admit, she was pretty…cute.

Forgetting about his apple and hungry stomach, Edward carried her to the couch and laid down with her resting on his chest and stomach. She made no complaints, her eyes shut tightly. A smile seemed to touch her features as his fingers scratched all through her fur, running up and down her back, sides, and lowered ears. Ed let himself wander in his thoughts, enjoying the company of his feline companion.

Taylor didn't think anything else in the world could feel so inexplicably good. Ed's nails were raking over her body with just the right amount of roughness and she relished every bit of it. No wonder cats could be such attention whores.

The alchemist underneath her had said nothing for quite some time, this fact registering in her drowsy mind after awhile. One of Taylor's eyes opened to see what he was doing. Ed wasn't really doing anything, his scratching motions having become absent minded. His gaze settled somewhere above her ears, the blonde appearing to be lost in thought. She wondered what he was thinking. It couldn't be anything bad, his expression was too relaxed for that. Maybe he was daydreaming? Hm, what do Edwards dream of?

Taylor rolled her eyes and snuggled against his chest, loving the feeling of his bare skin and the clean scent of Edward-ness. His hands raked over the contours of her spine, causing her to clench her jaw and stretch somewhat. This made her accidentally prick her lip with one of her fangs, drawing a small amount of blood, but she was too far gone to care. Heaven really was a place on Earth and it was here in Ed's arms. The only thing that would make this better would be if she was human enough to fully embrace him.

Ed snapped out of his daze when the purring fur ball lying on him began to emit a flare of heat. Perplexed, he glanced down to the cat and his eyes grew as large as saucers when she began glowing. If there was one thing Edward Elric was sure of, it was that cats do not glow. And yet, this one was. It started off as a slight glow, accentuating the cat's russet colored fur. Then the glow intensified to a bright red light that kept getting brighter and brighter as a hum filled his ears. Crackles of energy came forth from the small body, reminding him of alchemy. Edward was too in shock to push the cat away from himself or jump away. All he could do was gape in alarm.

Taylor frowned when she felt her lip sting suddenly, the taste of blood leaving her mouth as heat struck her body. She opened her eyes only to be blinded by a flash of light.

When the light dissipated and both of their vision focused, they found themselves to be in a very precarious position. The ginger haired cat had disappeared and in its place lay a very naked Taylor.


Oh I am so evil for leaving it off there. XD See how far I'm getting carried away? Well, I'm going to get even more carried away in the next chapter...if you catch my drift. ;)

Truthfully, Taylor wrote a small section of this. Can you guys guess which part? Was it the ninja cat part? The part where Ed goes to get a shower? Ed finding Taylor reading? Ed offering Taylor milk? Or was it the very end where she transforms back into her human self? I'll give you a hint, it's one of the five parts I mentioned. Speaking of Taylor transforming, it's pretty obvious what changed her back but if you don't get it, it'll be explained in the next chapter.

Um, no idea when the next chapter will be out. It'll be, uh...difficult and new for me to write. Again, if you catch my drift...