Genre: AU, Fantasy/Drama/Romance

Pairings: 1x2, others

Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, language (the usual), peril, violence, animal shamans, neko Duo, king Heero, impending war

A/N: Due to the request of an overwhelming majority, this chapter will also be pure fluff. X3


Watching You Grow

It took about three more weeks before Duo got to a size and strength where he could freely roam about the bedroom. He started jumping on the bed, the chairs, and all the furniture before Heero decided he was old enough to venture out of his room and into the corridors beyond. He rose from bed with a sense of purpose for the day - and barely after dawn at Duo's insistence.

As soon as the sun rose Duo pounced on his face and relentlessly pestered him until he got up, laughingly wrestling the kitten to the bed. As soon as he released Duo the leopard Shaman streaked away, plopping himself down in front of the door, looking at it and Heero intermittently. He let out a little mew of inquiry, looking up at Heero with such a hopeful look in his big eyes that Heero smiled and gave in.

Those eyes had gotten a little darker over the course of the last few weeks. They were a pale violet now instead of lavender, and Heero found himself wondering what hue they would settle into. His fur also continued to darken, and some of the indistinct blotches were beginning to look like spots.

After washing and dressing, during which time Duo followed him around with insistent little meows, Heero smiled and opened the door. Duo streaked outside into the hall and pounced on the first thing he encountered: the enormous velvet drapes on the windows. Heero laughed. The kitten had become quite the pouncer since opening his eyes, and he had an insatiable appetite for mischief.

"Come on, little kitten," he called. "Breakfast?"

Duo immediately abandoned the drapes to scamper along at his side. He was about the size of a small hound now, approximately twice the size of a normal house cat. His kitten roundness was already falling off, probably due to all the running around the silly thing did. Heero was completely enamored of him, and Duo seemed equally fond of his guardian. He came whenever Heero called, running to him as soon as he entered the room.

A week ago, Heero had started leaving the room. He always returned to find Duo sitting on the bed staring at the door with singular intensity. His near-ecstatic greeting when he saw Heero always made the young king feel extremely loved. It was a good feeling to be able to take Duo with him when he left.

When they reached the stairs Duo paused, peering down the spiral well with his ears perked and eyes alert. With a growling mew he proceeded to bounce down with the excitement of a new experience. He vanished around the corner, and a few seconds later he came traipsing back up only to bound back down. By the time Heero reached the bottom, unable to contain his amusement, Duo had run up and down the stairs probably a dozen times. When Heero stepped onto the ground floor, Duo promptly pounced on his feet, nearly tripping him.

Grinning, Heero nudged him away. Duo streaked down the hallway only to come racing back, looking very happy with all this newfound space. He stuck his nose in everything he came across, always pausing to make sure Heero was still following him as he progressed down the hall. Heero went to the huge kitchens, pausing before opening the door as Duo froze, nose twitching.

Heero chuckled. "Lots of smells coming from in there, aren't there little kitten? Come on, let's greet the staff. Be prepared for lots of female fussing."

Duo bounded inside and once more froze on the threshold, trying to look every which way at once. It didn't take long for all eyes to fall on them, and several of the serving girls squealed with delight to see the kitten. Duo's ears flattened to his skull, as yet unused to any voice but Heero's own.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" they giggled, immediately clamoring. "Oh, he's so adorable!"

Leaning down, Heero picked Duo up when the kitten looked torn between bolting and curiosity. That seemed to help his confidence a great deal, and he stretched forward to sniff at the offered hands. He didn't let any of them pet him, but they seemed satisfied with the tentative touch of his warm little nose.

Muriel descended on them with a huge soup ladle. "All right you silly doves," she said in a booming, stern voice, "back to work! Stop botherin' the king! Heero, be a lamb and sit, would you? I'll whip you up a tasty breakfast. And will you be takin' that little darlin' outside today?"

"Yes, I think so," Heero said, sitting at the indicated table.

Duo wriggled free to traipse across the tabletop, sniffing at everything he encountered. When Muriel brought breakfast, Heero called to him and the kitten came scampering back, butting his head against Heero's cheek and purring. Smiling, Heero pushed the bowl of warmed milk toward the kitten, turning to his own meal.

As of yet, Duo was still not very at drinking this way. Heero was trying to get him to learn, but every time it frustrated Duo he would turn to Heero with his eyes wide and soulful, and Heero would relent and pour it into a bottle for him. Needless to say, Duo had yet to really drink milk from a bowl. And today was no different. Duo climbed between Heero's arms and stuck his face right in Heero's, mewing.

Laughing, Heero pushed his breakfast aside to feed Duo. Duo happily climbed into Heero's lap, eyeing the bottle but waiting patiently until Heero filled it and held it up for him. Thus satisfied, Heero went back to eating. Once he had his fill, Duo nudged Heero's hand and watched him eat. Eventually Heero could stand it no more and chuckling, put the kitten on the floor.

Duo didn't go far. Opting out of exploring, he flopped over on Heero's feet to chew on his soft boots. His bid for Heero's attention quickly succeeded. Making a sound lost between amusement and vexation, Heero pushed his mostly-finished meal away and picked Duo up.

"All right, you little pest. I'll take you outside."

Muriel called them a good day as they left, Duo making excited little noises, his eyes darting between Heero and the passing palace. Out in the courtyard Duo's gaze immediately went up, staring at the sky in open wonder. He made no attempt to free himself from Heero's hold, but he looked amazed and endlessly curious. Heero suspected he was a little nervous, too.

He told the stableboy to saddle his tall black mare, a lithe pure-blooded wonder named Sky High Dreamer. Heero usually just called her Sky or Dreamer, because that was a mouthful. But his niece had named her, so the name stuck. Dreamer nuzzled him while he waited, curious as to the bundle in his arms. For his part, Duo squirmed until Heero let him see her, and they sniffed noses. Duo seemed more comfortable with her than other humans, which Heero found amusing.

Heero took Dreamer into the heavily wooded area behind the castle. These long forests actually grew up into the foothills of the Dragon's Spine, eventually. Heero had never ridden up there, mostly because Dreamer was a racer. She was not meant for the dangerous, uneven terrain of mountain travel. And the lovely mare got jealous when Heero rode other horses.

"All right, Duo," Heero murmured, kissing the kitten's head, "don't you run away on me, okay?" He dismounted and lowered Duo to the forest floor.

Here the trees were still thin and the palace readily visible. Duo's senses seemed to go into overload, and the poor kitten didn't seem to know which way to go first. He looked absolutely torn, eyes darting back and forth, body quivering with the desire to run. Eventually he just pounced on the first thing that moved: some dead leaves on the ground.

After that, Duo went wild. He raced all over the place, bounding inside hollow logs, jumping onto stumps, pouncing on anything that moved. He about came unglued when he found his first live thing to chase, a hapless squirrel. It raced to a nearby tree, only pausing at a safe height to scold Duo in hysterical tones. Duo stopped at the base of the trunk. He had never seen a tree before, but instinct was stronger than his confusion. He hunkered down and leaped, claws extending and dig into the bark.

Heero watched him in surprise as the kitten climbed up the trunk like a pro. His pale violet eyes remained glued on the squirrel, who looked surprised and leaped away. Duo paused, momentarily confused. But he climbed onto a branch lower to the ground and looked down at Heero with a meow, his request obvious.

Smiling, Heero held up his arms. "You're going to have to jump, Duo. I can't reach you."

Duo hesitated a moment, his head canting to the side. Heero watched his little muscles bunch, and proving his intelligence right there (no cat he knew would jump out of a tree!), Duo leaped off the branch at Heero. He hit Heero's chest with a solid thump, and Heero gently lowered him to the ground. Unfazed, Duo went on exploring.

Though Heero still didn't like Duo out of his sight, he let the kitten be. He did want to test the strength of their bond, so he gave Dreamer a little exercise while Duo romped out of his sight. Dreamer daintily picked her way through the woods, snorting now and then as if to let her rider know she did not approve of the rough terrain. Smiling, Heero patted her neck.

After probably an hour, Heero missed Duo too much to handle. So he slid out of the saddle and looked around for his kitten. No leopard was plainly visible, so he cupped his hand around his mouth. "Duo! Where are you? Time to come back!"

He couldn't help it. When he didn't instantly see his little bundle of fur and joy, he felt a tightness in his chest. Would his precious kitten not come back? Would he never see the little thing again? The one who had so easily become the center of his life, his world, his universe? The one he was quite certain he could no longer do without? What would happen if Duo ran away? Who would take care of him? What if he got killed by a Lesser animal, a predator?

All this took about five seconds to run around in his mind like panicked squirrels. Then Duo came bounding out of the underbrush, his bright eyes locked on Heero. The relief that flooded the young king was incomparable; letting out a deep breath, he leaned down to scoop his kitten up in his arms, right where he belonged. Duo immediately started purring, nuzzling Heero's neck.

Sighing, his tension draining away, Heero climbed back into Dreamer's saddle and headed her toward the palace. She broke into an easy canter, and Heero started laughing when Duo began licking his neck. He seemed intent on reassuring Heero he wasn't going anywhere. When they returned to the palace, he didn't try to get down out of Heero's arms.

Not ready for another stressful jaunt outside, Heero instead let Duo run around the courtyard. Duo seemed just as content here, sticking his curious face into everything. Heero couldn't help it and called Duo back to him, wanting his kitten close. When Duo instantly came, Heero rewarded him with his undivided attention, playing with him and chasing him all over the courtyard.

When Duo flopped down on Heero's foot and refused to move, Heero smiled and scooped him up. "Lunch?" he murmured, kissing Duo's head.

Duo gave him a contented purring trill, licking Heero's cheek as though to return his kiss. Laughing, Heero carried him into the kitchen. Muriel greeted them with smiles and warmth, fixing them a meal fit for a king and his leopard kitten. Duo eagerly drank the bottle down, but as soon as he finished he collapsed across Heero's lap and didn't stir.

Smiling, Heero tenderly gathered the kitten in his arms and carried him back to the safety of their room. Once Duo was tucked warm and safe in the bed, he quietly left him alone to see to some matters of state. Things he continually put off because somehow, Duo had become more important.