A/N: I realize that it has been a very, VERY long time since I updated this story. I haven't written in such a long time I just gave up on it. As a matter of fact this update is actually something I wrote back around the time the story was published here but never made the addition because I felt the chapter was too short. I am finally adding it here anyway, short or no, and I hope to try to pick the story up again. It may read and look different than it did many years ago in following chapters, but I will do my best. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or anything associated with it. Dangit!

It had been about an hour since the great change had happened and no one was any closer to figuring out what to do than they had been right after it happened. All they'd succeeded in doing had been to borrow a cat cage from the neighbors for Heero/cat so he didn't shred Duo/book into paper strips. Duo/book was just wishing he'd been a little pickier with what he had jokingly boasted about that fateful day when he'd urged Heero/cat to buy that blasted bottle. He could only hope that when they managed to somehow find a way to turn themselves back into humans that he would retain the knowledge he had right now, because he was almost just bursting with information that was currently useless to him. He moaned. "It's not fair" he muttered.

"Not fair..." Heero/cat glared at him balefully through the bars of the cage. "Not fair he says. I'm sporting fur and a tail, stuck in a cage and you're complaining about fairness?!" He growled quietly at the thought as the fur on his tail puffed up slightly.

"Now Heero, calm down, we're all in this together. Four heads are better than one right?" Asked Relena as she looked around at everyone.

"You might want to make that 3 heads." Added Hilde. "That book over there is no help at all."

"I resent that! I'm the best book of love in the world!"

"We could use a little love right now; this room seems to be a bit on the cold side." Relena pointed out, glaring at Heero/cat.

"Don't look at me, he started it." Heero/cat quickly replied.

"I thought cats were supposed to be sophisticated" Duo/book smirked. "You sound more like a scruffy kitten."

Heero/cat launched himself at the bars of the cage in abstract rage, hissing and growling and rattling the bars gripped tightly with his sharp clawed paws.

Relena stood up and stormed over to Heero/cat's cage, giving it a hard shake and knocking him off his feet. "YOU!" She yelled. "Calm down!" She whirled around to glare hard at Duo/book. "As for you, CAN IT! I don't want to hear another word from you unless it's completely useful and relative to the situation. GOT IT?!" She aimed her glare towards Heero/cat as well. "You two will just have to get along until we get this figured out or I swear I'll send you to the pound Heero, and Duo, I'm pretty sure there's a recycling plant somewhere near here!" Hilde nodded emphatically. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

If it's possible for a book to look apologetic, Duo/book managed it. He looked over at Heero/cat, who was currently hunched on the floor of the cage swishing his tail in agitation with his ears half flattened to his head. He sighed. "Hey I'm sorry pal. I'm just having a hard time controlling myself here. I'll try a lot harder I promise."

Heero/cat stared fixedly at an invisible point on the wall for a little while saying nothing at all. The women thought it best they kept their mouths shut right then so both moved quietly into the kitchen. Suddenly he spoke. "No more mocking me. Harmless occasional teasing is one thing, but you've taken it too far."

"You're right..." Duo/book looked down at the table on which he sat. "We're in this together, you're my best friend and I've been pretty rough on you. I'm sorry." He looked up at Heero/cat in hopes to catch his eye to assure him he was sincere. "No more mocking, but I can't ever promise that I won't occasionally tease...it's my nature...you've known that from the very beginning."

"I know, that's why I said what I did. I can tell the difference." He stood up and stretched in a decidedly feline fashion and Duo/book bit his papery tongue before another tease slipped out and managed to find a way to wiggle off the table without doing himself bodily harm and tottered (he was still unused to balancing himself in his new form) over to the cage where Heero/cat was and fiddled with the latch until he managed to unhitch it, backing up slowly while he opened the door. Heero/cat walked calmly out as if he didn't care whether he got out or not, but in real life he was greatly relieved. The cage had been a very ...trying experience.

Heero/cat sauntered over to the couch and hopped up onto it, settling himself comfortably on one of the cushions. Duo/book made his unstable way back across the room over to where Heero/cat was and tried unsuccessfully to heave himself onto the couch next to his feline friend. After struggling for what seemed like an eternity he looked exasperatedly at the cat that seemed completely unconcerned about the whole proceedings.

"A little help here please!" Duo/book asked, by then slightly desperate.

"How do you expect me to help you?" Heero/cat asked, cocking his head to the side and staring at Duo/book with a jaundiced eye.

"I don't know!" Duo/book exclaimed, "just do something! Please! I don't want to sit on the floor..."

Heero/cat finally felt a little pity for him and hopped off the couch and walked up beside Duo/book and half crouched, half sat on his hind legs, cupping his paws together. "Here" he said. "Use my paws as a step and I'll hoist you up onto the couch.

"Thanks pal, I knew you'd come through for me!"

"Don't thank me yet." Heero/cat mumbled as Duo/book stepped gingerly into his cupped paws, keeping a hold onto the couch cushions. As soon as he had most of his weight on that small foot Heero/cat gave a strong heave and Duo/book sailed through the air, his back hitting the back cushion of the couch and dropping to land face down on a seat cushion with an "umph!" as the 'air' was nearly knocked completely out of him. He slowly raised himself up gasping for air and situated himself in a sitting position. "You didn't have to toss me like a volley ball you know." He looked sideways at Heero/cat who had already jumped back onto the couch and was again settling down comfortably.

"Guess I don't know my own strength" answered Heero/cat with a slight lifting of his feline shoulders in the simulation of a shrug.

"Yeah, that's it for sure."

They sat side by side for several minutes neither saying a word, each lost in his respective thoughts. It seemed that this was going to be harder than they thought.