AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you all enjoy this! Hope it was worth the wait!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em, never have, never will...(sadly)

Chapter II: Confusing Times

Duo yawned hugely as he entered the darkened living room. He walked towards the drapes, tripping on the edge of the couch and stubbing his big toe on the coffee table and banging his knee on the corner of it at the same time. "Sun OF A........" Duo's swearing. Limping slightly over to the curtains, he pulled open the drapes. He winced at the bright sunlight. Before he didn't pay attention to which way this window was facing, but he got a face full of sunlight.
Muttering he limped over to the nearest couch and plopped down. Instantly he was catapulted up and over the coffee table by a hissing, spitting cat. He groaned and stared at the cat. It looked very upset, and still growled at him. It was a small orange, black, and white calico. After a few minutes, the calico settled down and started cleaning it's paws, its sapphire eyes staring at him intensely. Duo pulled himself onto the couch opposite the couch the cat was on, across the coffee table. He brushed his hair and braided it swiftly with his practiced hands. The cat, which had been watching him the whole time, jumped onto the coffee table and padded over to him.

"Nani?" Duo asked it. The cat stared at him for a second, then leapt into his lap. "Hey! Who invited you?" The calico ignored him and started to kneed his leg, and settled down, as if to say: 'Shut up and let me sleep.' It covered its nose with its tail. Duo sighed, exasperated

A short while later, Trowa and Heero entered the room, followed by Wufei. The cat immediately got up and wandered to each of them.

"This Quatre's cat?" Heero asked. The little calico rubbed up against Trowa's legs, and he bent down and picked it up. It was then that he noticed the cat was male.

"I bet it is his cat...it's male."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Duo asked.

"Male calico's are rare."

"Oh...I knew that..." The cat jumped onto the couch next to Duo and lay down next to him again. "So where's blondie?" Duo asked casually.

"Hn..."

Trowa shrugged, and Wufei looked thoughtful. Soon the calico started purring and the gundam pilots migrated out of the room, one by one. Duo went outside into the woods to think, Wufei went into the horse barn, and Heero went out by the lake. Trowa stayed in the living room, waiting for Quatre to rise.

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Duo pushed open the screen door and something jumped up onto his back. "What the!!!" He came face to face with the sapphire blue eyed cat. "Oh, and I suppose you want to come along?" Duo plucked the cat off of his shoulder. "Well, all right, only if you can keep up." Duo walked a ways into the woods, thinking.

"You know what cat? I've been thinking...what would vampires want with Quatre? So they can sacrifice him?" Duo sat down on a rock and petted the little calico when it wound around his ankles. Absentmindedly petting the cat, Duo didn't notice the shadows closing in on him.

Suddenly the cat hissed and spat, climbing onto the rock behind Duo. Duo immediately looked up and came face to face with the lead vampire. It snatched him up by his shoulders and lifted him off the ground so it was more difficult to wriggle free.

"You will give up the blonde to us eventually you know. He will not be hurt much...if you hand him over without a fight."

"Yeah sure whatever..won't be hurt *MUCH*. Does that mean you'll kill him quick? I *never* give up without a fight, it's against my nature."

"Then you will die..." another one of the vampires tugged on Duo's braid, pulling his head back, exposing his throat. The lead vampire bent his head. His lips touching Duo's neck.

Just as his teeth scraped Duo's skin, a yowling cat leapt onto the lead vampire's face, scratching, tearing, and biting him. The whole clearing darkened...but not by rain clouds. Soon it was pitch black. Duo could see perfectly fine, but could tell it was so dark. He lashed out with his foot, catching one of the vampires in the throat. He elbowed the vampire behind him, and kicked it into another of its kind. Lightning flashed in the clearing, blinding the vampires even more as the darkness swallowed them up again. Duo could see perfectly fine.

After a few minutes, there was disturbing silence, and Duo could no longer see the vampires...except one. It stood, looking away from him. Slowly, the darkness dispersed. The blonde vampire finally turned and looked at him....It was Quatre!...except Quatre would never leave his house...uh...without his clothing...Quatre blushed when he saw Duo standing there and turned away. Duo looked away from Quatre as well, and suddenly felt a cat rubbing up against his legs again. He picked it up, and when he looked up, Quatre was gone.

"Quatre?" Duo sighed and walked towards the house, carrying the cat. "You know what cat? I've got to talk to Q-man about dressing properly before going outside..."

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Wufei walked through the barn, patting a horse here and there. He kept getting looks from the people tending to the horses, so he climbed up into the hay loft to be alone...to think. As soon as he got up there, he felt constricted. He forced himself to sit down to meditate. After sitting there for about ten minutes, Wufei gave up. Usually meditating calmed him. He paced back and forth like a caged beast, wanting out.

Finally, Wufei walked over to the loft door and opened it. A powerful breeze blew into his face. Wufei closed his eyes and let the wind caress him. It felt wonderful. Entranced by the wind, Wufei didn't realize he started to lean forward, out of the barn loft until it was too late. Wufei threw his arms out to catch himself, but was already falling. He opened his mouth to yell, but instead a sharp bird cry left his lips...but his lips were no longer lips...they had transformed into a beak. Wufei frantically flapped his wings until he caught a thermal lift. He spread his wings and spiraled upwards. He was a falcon...a red-tailed falcon.

He landed on a tall tree near the main entrance of Quatre's mansion, and watched Duo as he entered the house, then he turned his attention to himself. He had black and multiple shades of gray feathers, with the exception of his red tail. His vision was excellent, and he caught sight of Heero on the edge of the lake staring at something in it. He glided down to his window and looked around. Suddenly his vision dimmed and he was taller. He saw he was human again...he walked over to his closet and pulled on some clothes.

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Heero stared into the swift current under the surface of the lake. He had a sudden urge to jump into the lake and swim with the fish. The sunlight played across the fish, flashing like silver, only to disappear a moment later. He stalked the fish, like a cat. He crouched down and got ready to pounce. A bird's cry startled him and he looked up. A red-tailed falcon glided overhead and flew on. Heero looked back and saw the fish were gone...he also realized what he was about to do. He stood up quickly and turned away from the lake. 'What's wrong with me?' Heero thought. He headed back to the house.

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Trowa got tired of waiting for Quatre. He took the closest hallway and headed for Quatre's room. When he got there, Quatre's bed was empty… Trowa frowned and headed out of the house, in search of Quatre.

"Hey Trowa! Where you headed?" Duo asked conversationally.

"To look for Quatre, he's missing…"

"Trowa? I saw him in the forest…but…"

Trowa turned to Duo, "But what?

"Well….he was….acting…weird….and he was nakie…"

Trowa flinched, and stared at Duo for a second, then left. "I'm going to look for him."

The calico, which had been riding on Duo's shoulder, leapt down from it's perch and climbed up Trowa's pant leg mewing at him. Trowa removed the cat from his leg, and handed it to Duo, then left.

The calico cried pitifully, but got over it quickly, purring and cuddling with Duo.

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"Master…"

"Go to them now…the blonde is very vunerable right now…Even if he is with the 'braided wonder'…capture him as well. We can use him for influence…"

"But Master…."

The young woman glared at the vampire who led their attacks…

"Do as I say!" She growled.

"Yes Master…"

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"I just don't understand him, Kit." Duo told the calico as he scratched its chin. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand me either…nobody really does…"

"I understand…" The cat purred.

Duo's eyes widened and he spun around, searching for who said it.

"Duo…" Duo's eyes darted around.

"Duo, down here!" The calico sunk it's claws into Duo's hand for a second, and then withdrew them.

"Kit?"

"Duo…It's me!"

"Me who? I'm not good at guessing games…Wait! Are you the cat my 2nd grade class had? I was put in taking care of it…" Duo winced, "No…that couldn't be you…he….well, let's just say he's not in this world anymore…" Duo sweatdropped.

The calico jumped out of his arms, as if in fear of its life. "No…Duo, it's Quatre…

"Oh…my…god…"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Really? Thanks! ^_^ I hope you all liked this, and if you did, please read my digimon and MKR fic's! I hope to get chapter 3 out faster then this chapter! ~Akira~