I don't own Animal Crossing, or any of it's characters.

–
Sunday
9:10 P.M.
Carniven City – Inside Katrina's fortune shop.
–

"You're what?" Katrina repeated, still believing her ears were malfunctioning. Or something. She really could not have heard that right. Slowly reaching up and removing Redd's paw from the door, she turned to face the fox, wide cat-eyes blinking in disbelief, like she'd just seen Bruce the Shark. He kept a steady gaze on her, though he released an annoyed sigh at her reaction.

"How many times do you want me to say it, Katrina?" He mumbled quietly, surprisingly in a bit of an awkward tone. It was obvious that Redd, himself, wasn't quite used to admitting things like this... in fact, he seemed out of place in so many different ways at the moment. All he was met with was silence, though, as the ditzy fortune teller tried to process all of this into her mind.

She wasn't sure how to respond.

"You're..." Katrina ended the sentence before it even started, causing another bit of a pause between them. Eventually, she picked it up back, however. "You're... jealous... of... Kicks?"

"Yes."

He didn't have to be so straight-forward! Katrina got a surprised look, finally expressing some kind of emotion, at least. "W—What? Really? Why!" At this, Redd simply chuckled, raising his paw up and resting it on her head, careful not to hurt her pointed ears in doing so. He didn't answer. She really was oblivious, it would seem... shameful.

For a swift moment, the cocky fox's gaze softened, then he gently moved the cat of his way. "Goodnight, Katrina," he stated simply, his voice regaining the same slick, smooth tone it'd always had. Opening the door on his own this time, he stepped out and closed it behind him. "Heh heh..." He swished his tail behind him, then went on his way to go home.

Leaving a very confused cat behind, mind you.

–
Monday
6:00 A.M.
Carniven City

–

"Hello? Earth to Katrina? Helloooo?" Labelle's voice penetrated the black cat's thoughts, immediately causing her to turn and look at the other.

"I'm sorry, what?" She tilted her head, blinking obliviously. The porcupine got an agitated look, clearly not happy with her friend's inability to pay attention at the moment. Usually she'd be happy to bug her about whatever was plaguing her mind, but after the party that took place over the weekend, she was still almost ready to fall flat on her face. How Gracie hadn't fired her for it yet, she would never know.

Labelle guessed she should be thankful said Giraffe barely ever comes in.

"Wake up! Geez, you've been stumbling around like a ghost all morning. I mean, I understand being tired and all..." She trailed off and rolled her eyes, going back to messing with a few of the clothes that were scattered about, putting them back up on display, in a perfect fashion. "Did you sleep well over the weekend? I mean, you actually slept, right? Some cats are nocturnal, so I've heard, but–"

Katrina tuned out again, leaning against the cashier desk as her friend babbled on. She watched the rain pouring down from outside... at least Kicks wasn't there today. She didn't want to face him... not yet, anyways. Not until she knew what the heck was going on. How her life had gotten so complicated in a matter of seconds, she'd never know. As if the symbol weren't enough to plague her mind.

Closing her eyes, she slid down to a sitting position, leaning her head against the back of the desk as well. Labelle didn't seem to notice, though.

"...And I'm going to the theater with Tom this upcoming Wednesday. Shrunk has a show playing that I'd like to see, even though it'll probably be as funny as a rock. He seemed interested, so I figured it'd be a good time to see if he's acting strangely. And to try and get my discount on clothing, of course." She paused and finally noticed Katrina wasn't listening. Twitching, she groaned. "Ugh... Katrina!"

Said cat jumped, quickly looking up at the porcupine. "S-S-Sorry! What now?"

Labelle just sighed. "Oh my..."

–
Monday
8:00 P.M.
Carniven City
–

Katrina locked the door to her store, sighing. It was barely dark out, and she was already closing... by now, some of the people that came often had to know she was acting strangely. She was preparing herself for an endless stream of questions of which she could not answer. She knew they'd come sooner or later. Turning her back to the door and leaning against it, she looked up at the partially darkened sky, raising her paw up and fixing her fur slightly. "I'm losing my mind," she muttered quietly, shaking her head.

She didn't know what was going on anymore. The sooner she could sort everything out in her head, the better.

She pushed further against the door when a drop of rain hit her nose, causing her to shiver slightly. She hated water... it was almost an instinct for her. Leave it to her to forget her umbrella the one day it actually begins to rain. She could tell Winter was coming, at least. That snow would be a welcome guest, though... to some extent.

Taking her gaze to the bus stop that was a few feet away, she frowned. Waiting in the rain would be absolutely horrible... but she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. She almost wished she owned a hoodie now, instead of full belly dancer-styled clothing.

Pushing off from the door, she fully prepared herself for it as she stepped out, the rain falling onto her fur and immediately making her as damp as possible. The headdress managed support for her eyes, at least. Crossing her arms, she stood by the bus stop and looked down at the side-walk below her. Days like this seemed so depressing; she preferred when the sun shined.

She preferred Kicks being there so she could apologize for what happened... even if avoiding him was tempting.

"Hm?" She heard footsteps approach beside her and lifted her gaze. The rain shortly after stop falling onto her. It was a welcome thing, but the person responsible made her look away. "Oh, hello Redd," she mumbled awkwardly, not prepared for the fox to actually approach her. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised though, he was never the one to hold onto things for long... embarrassment being one of those things.

"Standing out in the rain like that could get you sick," he pointed out, a slightly snobby tone to his voice that made her want to punch him. But, at the same time, she didn't mind as much as she usually would. He kept the umbrella he held over both of them, then chuckled. "Going home so early?"

"I'm tired. I didn't sleep much after the party... cat instincts, I guess." At least Labelle gave her something to use as an excuse, but he obviously wasn't buying it. Still, he didn't pressure her for any kind of real explanation.

"That so?" Redd pondered for a moment, then looked down at her. "This is sudden, but would you like to come somewhere with me?"

Katrina looked up at him hesitantly, tilting her head. "I just told you I was tired. Where could you possibly want to take me that would defeat the temptation of sleeping?"

"If you came, you'd see!" He smiled at her, and she sighed, giving in. With a simple nod and flick of her tail, she motion for him to lead the way. This fed his ego to some amount, but he seemed more thrilled than snide about the ordeal. Grabbing ahold of her paw, he pulled her towards her in order to keep her under the umbrella with him as he led the way. Turning away from the bus stop, he changed paths to go to the right, skipping by all the shops and heading straight down the side-walk.

Katrina had never truly wandered anywhere beyond the city square, seeing as the place she rented was on the "dead" side of the county, but nevertheless, she stuck close, too tired to really protest with him at all. It was refreshing, however, even in the rain. With the building lights all turning on due to the sun's rays decreasing, it was starting to look like a true city, and a larger one at that. She'd almost forgotten that there was something beyond the square.

With Redd's paw tight around hers, he led her quietly, not speaking a word as he tried to calculate the directions in his head. It was only about two minutes of walking, though it was enough to get her to lean on him because her paws were killing her. Being that tired and walking anywhere was simply horrible in her mind. Still, he finally came to a stop at a small bench; they were off towards the right side of the city, which was lit up more-so than anywhere else, excluding the square itself.

Blinking at what he'd stopped in front of, Katrina tilted her head. It was a large fountain – larger than the one nearby all the shops in the square. It was lit up just as much as the buildings around them; even the water had lights of color to illuminate them.

"You wanted to show me this?" As beautiful as it was, she was confused. Looking over at the fox, she noticed that he snickered, but in a good-natured way, rather than the deceitful one he did around his costumers.

"Yes, I did. I always come here at night. Well, when I can find the time anyways. It seems so much calmer than in the square. At night time, everyone is buzzing around out there, even when everything is closed... Here, there's still others wandering around, but a lot less than there. Not to mention, the fountain here is so much more..." He trailed off and shrugged, looking at her. "You don't agree?"

"No, no, I do, I just never pegged you as the sentimental type."

"T—That's not what I said!" Redd was quick to protest, lighting up with something of a dignified pride. He was a cocky business man... apparently he didn't want to be known as anything but. Katrina didn't buy that, though. Well, at least, not anymore.

"Uh-huh," she muttered in reply, getting a questioning look. Shaking her head, she looked back at the fountain, smiling. "It is pretty, though. A lot more so than the one I see every night when I close..."

"Indeed." Redd beamed with triumph for a moment, as if he'd gotten her to admit something amazing. He calmed down, though, and reached into the pocket of his business sash, pulling out a single bell. Handing it to her, he smiled. "Make a wish, why don't you?"

It was surprising; she didn't think he ever parted with his money – not a single bell – for something so simple. And, yet, here it was. Hesitantly taking it from him, she closed her eyes and held it in her free hand, muttering something under her breath. It was inaudible to his ears, so quiet, it was. Once she was done, she flicked it into the fountain. She didn't get to hear it plop because of the rain, but she still watched it sink to the bottom.

"What'd you wish for?" Redd chimed, curiously.

"Can't tell you, or it won't come true! You know that!" Katrina nodded in a serious manner, then tilted her head. "Aren't you going to make a wish?"

The fox stared at her, then smiled. "I already did," he answered, a certain kind of knowing in his expression. Confused, the cat was about to question him, but he stopped her, tugging on her paw. "Let's go back to the bus stop. Hope I didn't make you miss it. I'd hate for you to have to walk all the way back... in this rain, you'd probably fall flat on your face!"

Redd laughed at her as soon as he ended that sentence, causing her to get an agitated look. Still, she didn't insult him back. Not this time. She honestly didn't think he was insulting her in the first place.

He led her back to the bus stop after that, just as quietly as when he'd taken her to the fountain. With nothing more than a goodnight, they boarded the bus, sitting down in separate seats. When Katrina's stop came, she briefly glanced at Redd as she got off. He looked back at her and held the end of the umbrella out for her to grab. "You need it more than I do," he commented.

"...Thanks," she whispered, attempting not to wake up any of the sleeping animals on the bus... including the some-what coherent driver. Taking the umbrella from him gently, she descended the stairs and opened it up, hovering it over her as she ran up the side-walk to make it to the small hotel in the middle of nowhere.

Redd watched her until she disappeared inside, in which he took his gaze down to his lap. "Katrina..." The forecast called for the sun to return tomorrow. Kicks was going to be back in the square, and she may not see it, but he could tell with his eyes closed that the shoe-shiner had a crush on her. Glancing outside once more, briefly, as the driver jolted himself awake, managing to once again legitimately drive the bus... kind of, Redd leaned back in his seat.

He was an animal of greed and trickery that cared for no one but himself. At least, that's what he'd always prided himself on. He always got what he wanted; whether it be objects of interest, or money in general. But now something else was plaguing his mind. But why her? Why her, of all the other animals that visited the square daily?

Redd sighed. He didn't know the answer to that, but he knew one thing for sure... He wasn't going to lose her.

Not to Kicks. Not to anybody.

Who else thinks I need to finish this story and stop being lazy? I know I do!

Sorry for the long wait, I really had no idea how to do this next chapter, so I hope this came out at least likable. I'd like to post two chapters when I update next to make it up to you. Especially now that my creativity is back. Thank goodness for role playing!

I'd like to thank my friends for role playing with me, actually. You all got my creative mind to work again... and I'm even more of a hopeless romantic. Darn Antoinette/Blade pairing! You're too perfect!

Anyways, I've now fully decided the fate of all characters in this story. Thank you all for your opinions, but you're going to have to wait until the final chapter, which is a good ways away, to find out what happens. Suffer xD!

And thank you to those who pointed out the "your" "you're" thing. I've always had trouble paying attention to that... Hopefully I did better this time.

Kicks comes back in the next chapter. With his own fluff scene this time! GASP?

...Yeah, please review. I'll give you a cookie.