Genre: AU, Romance

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Serious fluff, sap, silliness, animals talking, adult situations, some language

Disclaimer: Forgot it in the first chapter, so here it is. Don't own nothin' but these words!

Chapter 10 / The Training

"I'm a little ticked that I have to do this," Heero grumbled, parking his truck and getting out. He held the door for Duo. "You don't need a leash, so why should I have to put you on one?"

Duo jumped lightly down onto the sidewalk, looking up at his guardian. Sighing, Heero stroked his velvety ears. Duo had assured him he didn't mind being on a leash for the training and shows, but Heero still didn't like it. He'd never liked the idea before finding out Duo could change his shape. Now it just didn't seem right.

But he couldn't very well tell that to the judges, now, could he? Locking the truck up, he strode to the vet's office. Hilde looked up when the bell above the door tinkled and smiled.

"Back so soon?" she teased.

Heero gave her a long-suffering sigh. "I have to buy a collar and leash for Duo. It's not like I mind buying him things, but Duo doesn't need one. He minds perfectly well without it."

"Oh, for the shows, you mean," Hilde said, nodding. "Well, I can recommend a collar for him that will be as comfortable as possible. In fact, he won't even know it's there."

Heero walked to the counter, leaning against it and nodding. "I'd appreciate it."

She rummaged behind the counter. "Okay, this is a standard choke-collar." She draped the chain over the smooth surface. "I would never recommend this for excitable dogs that are always trying to greet people and tug on their leashes but—" she grinned—"I don't think Duo will ever have that problem."

Snorting, Heero picked the chain up and turned it over in his palm. "Not likely."

"So in his case he will just have the excess length draped unobtrusively around his neck," she explained. "It will look wonderful against his dark fur, too."

After a brief consideration, Heero slid the loop over Duo's head. Hilde was right. It did look good on the black and rust fur. Duo, sitting perfectly still at Heero's feet, looked up at him with ears perked and alert eyes.

"How do you like that, hmm?" Heero asked, brushing his hand over the soft fur of the dog's cheek. "Is it unobtrusive, like she says?"

Duo stood up, huffing a little, tail waving. Hilde laughed in delight. "I have never seen such a fantastic dog. You know, Mister Yuy, I really think you will win. Everything. Anything you enter, you will win."

A rare, uncharacteristic smile passed over Heero's face. "Thank you, Hilde. What kind of leash would you recommend?"

"Um, let's see," she said to herself, looking over the office's supply. "Hmm, you'll need one that's short enough it doesn't get tangled in his legs and drag, but long enough it won't tug. Here, try this one. It might be a little too short for a dog his size, but we have to start somewhere, right?" Her eyes sparkled.

Heero took it and clipped it onto the chain collar. Keeping his eyes on Heero, Duo obediently followed him around the office, staying so close he brushed against Heero's leg. He led him back to the counter.

Hilde frowned. "Nuh uh, too short. Here, take that off and try this one. It's six inches longer."

The silly girl fussed and fretted until she found the exact perfect length, width, and color. It had to be a pale color, she informed him, because Duo's coloring was dark. To stand out a little and look extra sharp, it needed to be a color that contrasted tastefully with Duo's fur.

"It adds a little flare, you know?" she said, finally settling on a leash the same color as the collar.

Heero thought metallic silver was a bit much, but it did look nice, so he bought them both.

"What did Doctor Winner tell you about him?" she asked as he handed her some cash. "I mean, concerning his body and stuff? Duo doesn't have any scars or anything that might be counted against him, does he?"

Heero shook his head. "No."

"That's good," Hilde chirped, her bright smile returning. "I can't imagine what he must have been through with those horrible people. I sincerely hope that karma comes around and hits them good and hard!"

Giving her a nod of agreement, Heero grabbed the little bag and headed out. Duo followed, tail flowing out behind him. "You ready to go see Catherine, love?"

Sunlight glinted off the chain collar, attractive to the eye. Duo barked once, dancing around Heero's ankles. Very aware of the looks they were drawing, Heero felt a by-now familiar flash of pride. He calmed his companion with a gentle hand on the back of his neck, just resting there. Duo rubbed his head against Heero's thigh, making him smile.

They drove out to Catherine's house. A man Heero didn't recognize stood in the driveway, washing a red Honda Ridgeline truck. He looked to be about Heero's age, and he looked up when Heero got out, holding the door for Duo and slamming it behind him. He put down his brush and hose.

"You must be Heero," he said, holding out a hand. "My name's Trowa. Maybe Quatre mentioned me."

Willing to be a good deal friendlier with a stranger since it was Quatre's friend, Heero smiled slightly and accepted, shaking his hand firmly. "He did. Nice to meet you. You're Catherine's brother if I remember?"

"Yup. I should tell you I already have a biased opinion of Duo. My sister spoke so highly of him I fully expect him to be able to jump through flaming rings and juggle Katanas."

Heero's lips quirked. "He did steer a boat a week ago or so," he said, resting a hand on Duo's head.

Trowa knelt in front of Duo, only one of his bright green eyes visible. The other was hidden behind a fall of shining brown hair. "You're not a friendly one, are you?" he mused in an introspective voice. "Don't easily give your trust." He reached out and gripped Duo's muzzle, his hold obviously firm without squeezing. "But that's a good thing. No one should trust too easily. You should always make people earn it."

Heero was surprised Duo let Trowa get away with that. Actually, Duo looked equally surprised. When Trowa released him, Duo even let the man stroke his face. Raising an eyebrow, Heero gave the man an appraising look when he stood back up.

"You're the first person besides me he's let touch him like that. Duo doesn't like being restrained."

Trowa's eyes were still trained on Duo. "That dog is really, really smart. I can tell." He looked at Heero. "I'm good with animals. They can sense when a person means any kind of harm, so they react well to me. But your dog . . . I can see why Catherine has such high hopes for him." He dropped a hand on Duo's head. "You'll go far, Duo."

That action made Duo growl a little, but Heero could tell it wasn't even really a warning. When he smiled at Trowa this time, it was a good deal warmer. Trowa led them up to the house and strode inside.

"Thirsty?" he asked. "Catherine made some lemonade. Would Duo like that? Catherine! Your guests are here."

Catherine came hurrying in just as Trowa finished pouring three glasses and one bowl of lemonade. Duo did, in fact, like it. He drank it with enthusiasm but not haste. Duo was never messy.

Catherine was followed this time by a muscular Rottweiler. Duo's head came up at once, and Heero could feel the sudden tension. He smiled at Catherine, noticing her dog, too, looked a little rigid.

Trowa ignored this all, handing Catherine her glass. "I like Duo," he said. "He's a good dog. Good for his guardian. I suspect you won't have any trouble training him."

Smiling, Catherine sipped the cold beverage. "That's what I thought."

Heero started a little when Duo walked around his legs in a tight circle, rubbing against him the whole way. His dark eyes never left the stranger dog, ears perked. The dog came forward once, as if looking for affection from either Trowa or Heero, but Duo's head swiveled, lips peeling back in a growl of warning.

Catherine looked a little startled. "Trowa, will you take Winston out to the run? I get the feeling Duo doesn't like other dogs."

A faint smile teased Trowa's lips. "Heero, would you like to come with me and Quatre on a boat trip? We're going out this weekend with his dogs and mine. Duo is more than welcome to join us if he would find that enjoyable. It'll be a three-day trip."

Heero looked down at Duo and smiled. "We'd love to. He needs to get used to being in close quarters with other dogs, anyway."

The look Duo gave him bordered on pouting. Unable to help it, Heero chuckled and ruffled his ears.

-

"The ideal dog on the leash neither pulls at the lead nor has to be pulled," Catherine said, clipping the leash onto Duo's new chain collar.

He tried not to wrinkle his nose at the smell of many dogs coming off her. It wasn't her fault some dogs were so . . . odiferous. When Catherine stood so did he, watching her for signs of movement.

"This leash is the perfect length, by the way," she commented, looking at Heero. "I like the color, too."

His master smiled faintly. "I had a little help picking it out."

"Duo should stay close enough to your side that you're almost touching, but never quite. After all, dog hair on your nice clothing will look less sharp." She smiled, her pale eyes twinkling.

Duo gave her a Look, which made her laugh a little. "Your dog's expressions are priceless. I love it. Here, come show me what you two can do. You're such naturals I may have nothing to correct."

Waiting for Heero to take the leash, Duo carefully positioned himself a few inches from Heero's leg. When the two of them started walking, he paid careful attention to the distance, making sure never to brush against Heero. They paused and Catherine smiled.

"He is amazing. I swear he can understand me. Okay, there was only one thing wrong with that. Your body should be at the exact center of his when you walk. This is overkill in the ring, but it really tightens up the overall appearance. Let me show you."

Standing, Catherine put one hand on the back of Duo's neck and one on his rump near his tail. "If this is the beginning and this the end, your body should be right here—" she touched his mid-back—"in the center. Try making another circuit for me."

This time, Duo watched his distance and position. It required more concentration to do these and watch Heero for signs when to turn. When they got back to ground zero, Duo sat down and looked up at his master with a frustrated huff. He'd brushed against Heero twice.

Heero just gave him a reassuring smile, caressing his face. Catherine merely had them try it again until Duo got it perfect—which was only two more circuits. Satisfied, he sat again near Heero's feet and waited for her to continue.

"Good," Catherine said. "Next, I think you should know a little bit about the body of the perfect German Shepherd. I normally don't breed this dog—usually I breed toys or small dogs—but every trainer and breeder has a rudimentary knowledge of most dogs.

"For starters, let's take a look at size." She held up a rolled tape measure. "The perfect German Shepherd is about twenty-four to twenty-six inches at the shoulder. Duo is—" she dropped the tape to the floor—"twenty-four and about five-eighths. Good. Perfect. Judges won't have measuring tapes out there, of course, but their eyes can pretty accurately judge these things. After all, every single one of them will have years and years of practice and experience."

"Do they start out as breeders, too?" Heero asked.

Catherine nodded. "A lot of them do. Next, length. This breed should be longer than it stands tall, at a proportion of ten to eight-and-a-half. Approximately. So Duo has a length of . . . twenty-six and three-fifths. Excellent. Next, coloring. Most colors are acceptable, but richer colors are preferred. Duo's coloring is wonderful, and German Shepherds should have predominantly black muzzles, so again Duo is perfect. Any questions so far?"

Heero shook his head.

"Good. Next, that perfect, amazing pose the German Shepherd adopts that we find so striking. Duo does a good job taking one naturally, but I'll show him how to make it perfect."

Duo patiently waited while Catherine arranged his body to her liking. "One leg should extend farther back than the other. The back should have a very slight, gentle downward slope at the shoulder. Tail should fall gracefully to the floor, loose and relaxed."

Through all this Duo paid very close attention to what she said. Focusing on how things felt lined up like this, making mental notes so Heero would not have to help him at all. When she finished, she had them make several circuits, at the end of each one finding the pose. Duo got the hang of it almost immediately, holding himself perfectly without any prompting from Heero.

When they finished, Heero laughed and dropped to his knees, throwing his arms around Duo's neck. "Smart, smart boy. You're doing all the work, I don't have to do a thing!"

Duo waved his tail, licking Heero's face.

Catherine smiled.

-

"This went very well today," Catherine said, putting a hand on Heero's arm as she guided him toward the door. "Duo is an amazing dog. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Heero nodded. "I think he's having fun."

She smiled. "There is one major thing we need to work on. In fact, I think it's the only big thing we need to work on. Duo is too tense. I can tell he's not a naturally friendly dog, and judges will fault him for signs that may suggest aggression. The only person who will be handling him will be you and the judges, but if they think he has aggressive tendencies, they will dock him."

Glancing down at his companion, Heero nodded again. "Yes, I know you're right. Before I've never had a reason to work with him on that. But we'll work hard, won't we, love?" He smiled down at the dog.

Duo rose to his feet, ears perked, eyes bright. Catherine laughed softly. "What a wonderful dog. All right, I'll see you both tomorrow. Duo, good work today. Make Heero spoil you a little tonight."

Chuckling, Heero led the way back to his truck, picking Duo up and setting him on the seat. He never needed an excuse to spoil his love, but he would always use one. Climbing into the driver's side, he started up the truck and drove away. He already had ideas on how to make tonight special.