So another "quick" update. Two weeks! Hopefully I can keep up with this trend and do some more writing. I can't guarantee it though, finals are coming up pretty quickly; I'm also about to get a new job. Ugh. I also am now addicted to creating CG art. Check out my deviant art site! Unfortunately, no GW there; I only do originals so far… But I –might- try some stuff by request . Erm, yeah, please read and review, and enjoy.

Dedication: Bunch-o-nuts. For she (hmm.. I guess that's an assumption...? I'ma feel soooo stupid and bad if I'm wrong, but this IS mainly girl readers sooo) is an awesome person. Welcome aboard, my friend.

I'm on a C2 list! It's to pretty! I'm so happy! My only C2! lol

Chapter 25: Fifty Minutes Later

:Entry #990: I couldn't find a pen to write in here with once we got to the car. For some reason I started crying. It was so stupid and embarrassing. He held me and said everything would be okay. Finally he let go—thank goodness. But He took me into a drugstore and led me back to the area with all the pens. Me being stupid me, immediately started playing with these cute little furry pens that had little soft plush kitties on top. They have arms and legs like a rag doll. He bought me two of them. That's what I'm writing with now. When He did, I started blushing like a maniac. Gad, I'm so stupid. But then a weird thing happened in the car when I was twirling one of my pens around to watch the cat's rag doll arms and legs fly around—He smiled. Then I realized I was smiling a little. Of course I immediately stopped—Shinigami doesn't deserve to smile—and started writing. (end journal entry)

Heero's smile lingered on his lips and an idea formed in his mind as he eyed the little plush cat on top of Duo's pen. "Hey Duo… How about we go down to the animal shelter?"

Duo's head shot up, confusion shining in his eyes. "Huh? What?"

Heero thanked his mind for being quick enough to make up an excuse for going. "I was thinking about getting a guard dog."

Duo's head went back down. "Oh, okay."

Heero had noted Duo had picked out the two cat pens; not touching the dog-topped ones at all. Heero didn't say a word as he continued driving. Then they pulled into the shelter's parking lot and walked into the odd-smelling building. Duo stopped to stare into the window just inside the entrance that showed the kittens.

Heero shook his head and signed both of them into the required guest book. "Duo, want to go take a look at the kittens for fun?"

For a second Duo stared at Heero with an incredulous look. Heero almost winced. Yeah, since when has Heero Yuy said something like "kittens" and "fun" in the same sentence? Never. But Duo recovered and closed his gaping mouth. "No… that's okay…" Duo began sullenly, only to find himself being tugged into the kitten room by Heero.

Duo sat down on the middle on the floor. There were eight kittens in the room, all were running around in an odd form of cat-tag. But Duo started playing with a black kitten; Heero watched, sitting on the room's bench. Then, slowly the kittens started angling their way over to Duo's lap. Five curled on top of his lap while a sixth was cuddled in Duo's arms. Duo was smiling, a sight rare enough that while Heero wanted to keep watching, the Japanese man knew what he had to do and silently left the room to talk to the woman in charge of adoptions.

"I think I'd like to adopt one of those kittens." Heero was intent on being polite for Duo's sake.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Those kittens have already been adopted. Their new owners are coming to get them tomorrow." An old plump woman informed the Prussian blue eyed man.

"What do you mean they're all adopted?" Heero began to focus a death glare on the woman.

"I'm very sorry, sir." The woman looked afraid and stuttered a bit. "But they're adopted. I can't do anything about it!"

Heero glared again, but slipped back into the kitten room; Heero really did enjoy watching his love happily covered with kittens. Duo looked up when Heero came in and started shooing the sleeping kittens off of his lap before standing up.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to make you wait…" Duo squeaked out.

"Shh.. Duo, it's fine." Heero frowned slightly, upset he hadn't been able to get one of the kittens for Duo. "Ready to go?"

Duo nodded and walked out after Heero, giving the kittens one last longing glance before he walked out and fell into Heero who stopped mid-step, eyeing one of the shelter workers, listening to what she said.

"We're probably going to have to put this one down—it's been brought back three times now. " A petite blonde sighed.

"But she's still a kitten." The brunette worker frowned.

"She's been abused…" The blonde sighed again.

"Oh… poor thing. Any chance at all for it?"

"I don't think so… We can barely handle her. Jason nicknamed her 'devil-cat'."

Just then, a tiny Siamese ran hell-bent out of the back room. The blonde screamed and jumped out of the kitten's way. Duo didn't. The ball of fur ran into Duo's foot before trying again and climbing up his leg. Duo winced, but calmly pulled the "devil-cat" off of his leg and set her on the floor. Duo sat down and let the kitten sniff his hand. Heero watched wide-eyed as the kitten slowly stopped hissing and let Duo pat it. Then, when the beast was a melting ball of purrs, Duo slowly picked the kitten up, only it refused to sit still in his arms; she crawled onto Duo's shoulder, half-hidden by Duo's chestnut braid.

"How much for the Siamese kitten?" Heero asked somewhat warily.

"I'm sorry, sir." The petite eyed Duo with a gaping mouth. "She's not for sale. We have to put her down…"

"Why?" Heero glared.

The blonde cowered and shuddered. "Be..because she's an abused, ill-mannered beast…"

"It's purring on my friend's shoulder. How much?"

Heero let an awed Duo hold the kitten in his lap the trip home. Heero wondered if the abused stray didn't have a few things in common with Duo, but the kitten had also let Heero touch her before he paid—the blonde wouldn't let him buy the kitten until he proved it wouldn't attack him as she had done to everyone besides Duo.

"I'm going to call her Shinigami!" Duo earned a fit of purring from her. "She likes it!"

Heero glanced at the kitten. "Sounds about right."

Half an hour later found Duo dragging a string around the living room with a kitten chasing it as if it was the most important thing in the world. Wufei had quickly learned to keep out of the tiny kitten's way when it was playing; kitten claws were sharp on bare feet. Heero watched from the kitchen as his fingers flew across his laptop as Wufei stormed back into Duo's room. Quatre and Trowa had moved out of the apartment and were sharing one nearby; however, Heero wasn't sure whether he was glad that Wufei hadn't left yet or not. Heero rather liked sleeping next to Duo.

Another fifteen minutes and Shinigami collapsed on the floor panting before crawling to Duo and passing out on his lap. Duo picked her up and laid across the couch, petting her as he flipped through the TV channels. Heero walked in with a DVD and held it up for Duo to look at. It was The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. Duo started to reach for the DVD, but remembered Shinigami.

"I can't get up because of Shini…"

"I'll put it in." Heero murmured as he crouched in front of his DVD player and started it up. Wufei took the other chair just before Heero could claim it as his; that left Heero with the chair with the bad view of the TV, a hard wood chair from the kitchen, or the end of the couch with Duo's feet. Duo moved his feet as Heero sat down. Shinigami didn't budge from her spot on Duo's stomach.

I like that cat. I really, really like that cat. Especially when… Not telling! R&R please