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: Mmm. I'm so happy. I love you all. On the side, quite a bit of time has passed. Months, maybe.

My Kitten, the Shaman

Duo woke that morning feeling strange. Not unwell, just . . . strange. For the first time since he could remember he not only wanted to be alone, but he knew he needed to be, as well. In the last many weeks he had gotten taller, the top of his head reaching Heero's chin. He didn't understand a lot of the emotional change he'd undergone during that time, but he'd become rather adept at controlling his powers. He could summon a storm at will, and he was working on summoning the different aspects of a storm without an actual storm.

So this particular morning he untangled himself from Heero, his beloved guardian, placing a light kiss to his throat before dressing and taking to the outdoors. He immediately made for the forests at the base of the mountains. After some hunting he found a nice place to settle down and curl up. The sun streamed down through the trees, dappling his skin with golden warmth.

Because it was late summer, the ground was dry and warm, too. He coiled himself into a small ball and closed his eyes. Something was changing again. But this change wasn't alarming. It felt completely natural, just like when he was a kitten and knew he needed to change into this form. It had been five months since that time, and he knew change was nigh again.

So he closed his eyes and simply rested, because somehow he knew that's what he needed to do. He felt somewhat lethargic, though not actually tired. It felt almost like a need to conserve energy. Concentrating on nothing was easy in the warm rays of the sun. sighing, he let his thoughts drift away.

o8o o8o

Heero couldn't explain it, but when he searched for Duo that morning and couldn't find him he knew something was off. Having spent the last two-and-a-half years watching his kitten grow, he just knew when something was wrong. After giving it some thought, he wondered with giddy excitement if today was the turning point. Duo was at the age where he would mature at any time. Be able to transform at will.

During the last month, Duo had shed some of his kittenish behaviors. Some of them, Heero was a little sorry to see go. Including his jumping on everything in sight. In short, he was emotionally maturing, too. Heero couldn't wait to see what kind of adult he would be. What he would look like. His leopard form.

And what the Shamans would do then. That made his good mood slip a little. What if Duo decided he wanted to go with them? Heero had a feeling the Shamans wouldn't care much what he wanted when they came for Duo. Sighing, he dropped his head in his hands.

"Come home soon, Duo," he whispered.

o8o o8o

It changed frequently. He was sure that was natural. Duo had not spent a great part of his young life insecure. The perks of being raised by a king, he supposed. His feelings toward his guardian changed all the time, and he had long ago gotten used to it. At first, Heero was safety, comfort, and warmth. When he grew, trust and security were added in. Affection. Love. Even that love had changed. Going from the innocent child-like love of youth to something deeper. More enduring. Stronger.

He knew he loved Heero. He'd known that for a very long time. Most of his life, in fact. And while he knew very little of these things—Heero was practical in the reading material he chose for Duo—the young Shaman was fairly certain he was also in love with Heero. If the definition of such was a deep disliking of being away from him, a desire to monopolize all his time, and the need to see him happy, then it was a sure thing.

But there was a big, big obstacle in the way of those developing emotions. How did Heero feel about him? Did his guardian see him as a kitten, his pseudo-son? He knew Heero loved him. But could Heero actually . . . love him? He didn't know. He didn't really know if he was in love with Heero.

He only knew one thing. He wanted to spend his entire life by Heero's side.

o8o o8o

Heero tried not to be worried when dusk settled in, cooling the relentless heat of the day. He busied himself in his study, and it wasn't yet true dark when Duo quietly came in. His kitten looked utterly exhausted, and when he snuggled into Heero's arms his skin seemed way too warm.

"I want to go to bed, Heero," he mumbled, his lips moving softly against Heero's neck.

Heero rose at once, keeping Duo tucked against his side as he led him upstairs. He could still easily lift Duo, but lately he had refrained for fear Duo no longer wanted that kind of fussing. After all, his kitten wasn't really a kitten anymore.

"You feel all right?" he asked quietly, settling Duo down on the bed.

Duo nodded, lying back and not stirring. Heero carefully undressed him, undoing his long braid to brush his lovely, pale auburn hair. Then he braided it again, noticing Duo was mostly asleep. Pressing a kiss to his temple, Heero let him be.

o8o o8o

Morning dawned as bright and warm as the day before it. Heero woke to find himself alone in the bed for the first time since Duo had entered his life. He didn't like it much, but after a moment, he heard movement in the bathroom. Relaxing, he sat up and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Duo?" he called. "You all right?"

"Mm," drifted back. A few minutes later the door swung open, and Heero could only stare.

Duo had changed. His adorable little kitten had grown into the most beautiful youth Heero had ever in his young life seen. He looked like a nineteen or twenty-year-old human now. His hair had darkened from auburn to a warm, cinnamony-chestnut, and his eyes had settled into a deep, indigo-violet. His skin was ivory pale, flawless perfection, and his skinny proportions had smoothed out to slim, lean lines almost willowy. The ears and tail were gone, too. For all intents and purposes, he looked . . . human.

And, Heero realized, he was staring at his kitten. His Shaman. "Wow," he murmured. "You grew up overnight, didn't you?"

Duo glided across the floor, smiling. "I knew my last transformation was eminent. I feel . . . different now, Heero."

Heero opened his arms when Duo coiled himself down on the bed, pressing himself against Heero. Making the young man suddenly and painfully aware that Duo was completely naked. And his skin was smoother than silk. He caressed Duo's back and shoulders.

"But do you feel better?" he asked a little belatedly.

"Yes," came the amused-sounding answer. "That feels nice, Heero."

Silently berating himself, Heero stilled his hands. "You can transform into a leopard now, right? Will you show me?"

Pulling back with a grin, Duo slid off the bed and closed his eyes. Moments later he phased into a sleek leopard. As a kitten, his fur hadn't been much darker than his hair. But now, it was a wonderful deep auburn, covered by jet black spots. He was the most beautiful animal Heero had ever seen, too. Had Duo always been this beautiful? Had he just not noticed? Was it possible for feelings to change overnight? Or was he simply reacting to Duo's incredible physical appearance?

Sinking down to his knees, he wrapped his arms around Duo's neck. "You're beautiful, Duo," he whispered.

o8o o8o

Duo felt his heart sing at the praise. Maturing into an adult hadn't necessarily made him wiser overnight, but he did feel more confident in his assessment that he was in love with his guardian. Now his companion. And he could tell Heero was having a hard time controlling his reactions. He could smell the sudden desire. It made him senselessly happy.

Quickly he phased back into his human form so Heero was now holding him. He loved the feel of those strong, warm hands on his naked skin. He nuzzled Heero's throat. "I'm hungry," he said. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah, actually," Heero said, sounding a little bemused. "Just let me . . . get cleaned up."

Smiling, Duo rose from his embrace. While Heero was busy, he rummaged through his companion's clothing for something to wear. He was almost a head taller now, shorter than Heero by only one or two finger-widths.

Things were going to change again. He could feel it. And he was fairly certain he knew what they were changing into.