Cat and Ken entered a small furniture store a few block away from the flower shop. She gazed around the shop and frowned. The furniture was beautiful but it was all very spartan  and not what she was looking for at all.  She frowned  as the store owner smiled at her from behind the counter.

"See anything you like?' Ken asked, peering at a table in a corner.  She shook her head and sighed. "What exactly are we looking for then?" He asked turning to face her.

"I need baby furniture. Plus I'd like a bed for myself, a dresser, a make up table, a bed side table, and I want a more Canadian style of furniture. Know anywhere I can find anything like that?" She asked, turning to leave the store.

"Not really. I don't shop much. I have clothes, and when I need new ones, I go to a store downtown. Shopping isn't my area of expertise. I'm better with soccer and kids." Ken admitted, closing the door behind him.

"You don't shop? How can you get by with out shopping? I love to shop. Back home I know where all the good shops are, in both my home town and the capitol." Cat smiled at Ken and he found himself blushing. "Anyways, lets head downtown, I think I remember a nice big furniture store that I saw last time I was here that had the sort of things I'm looking for."

"What were you doing here the last time you came? Manx didn't give us any details. I mean if you don't mind talking about it. If you don't want to you don't have to." Ken asked, as they headed for the subway station.

"No its alright I guess, I was here for my last year of high school. We were at Furiken High on the other end of town. Me and my sister both came, and ended up living just up the block form each other.  We were at the same school and ended up in a few of the same classes. The year went by pretty fast. It was great to be here, using a new language, learning about a different history. Plus the fashions over here are great, way ahead of home. Towards the end of the school year we started going clubbing with a few friends. We were about a year older than most of the people in our classes, so we  could get in easier than them. Plus the bouncers.. well they let us in more often because we looked so different." She paused as they stepped onto the subway train and was silent for a second.  "Exams were over when we met them. Schu and Brad I mean. We were in a bad part of town, completely drunk and extremely lost. The people who we went out with were looking for a dealer, and we were so drunk we didn't care. Our parents had arranged that we stay for a few extra weeks, so that we could have a bit of summer vacation with the friends we had made.  We just wanted to have a good time. Then my friend Kuno found this bar. It was a dive, there were a bunch of people there who looked a little rough. We went in, unaware that we  were screwing our selves over. Not even five minutes passed before people started trying to pick fights with the people we were with.  After ten minutes, the only ones left stand were me my sister and two other girls.  I was so scared, it sobered me completely. Thats when the one guy pulled a knife on us. I think that if I had gotten to him first, we would have been fine, I mean I've had so much training in knife fighting.. but one of the other girls went after him with a broken bottle. He cut her bad. I started to freak, because it was me my sister and our friend Haruka left standing, and Haruka wouldn't have been able to fight for a million dollars." She lowered her voice as more people got on the train. "So I did something stupid. I threw myself at the guy with the knife. I didn't have any weapons, but I thought that if I kept him my sister and Haruka would be able to go get some help.  Unfortunately it wasn't just him. There were about 10 of them, and we had no chance.  The last thing I remembered was screaming at them to leave me alone.  Except that I wasn't screaming. One of them had his hand over my mouth, but I thought I was screaming. After all I could hear myself.  Schu and Brad were on their way home when Schu heard me. He said that I hurt him, and it took him a minute to raise a shield against me. They saved us. Took our friends home, or to the hospital, and took care of us. I woke up in Schus' arms sometime that morning. We were at the hospital, and I ached all over… but he was telling a nurse that he wasn't going to leave me there with people who wouldn't be able to take care of me. She thought he was crazy, but later on when I figured out what he actually meant, I knew that something had happened. He let her check me over, but he wouldn't let go.." Cat trailed off, and then stopped completely.

"Cat?" Ken asked, worried that she was going to cry. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it just that we're almost at our stop. How about we finish this conversation after we get all the furniture picked out? We can do something absolutely frivolous like get some junk food and I'll tell you the rest while we get me moved in."

"Junk food? Why junk food?" Ken asked as the train slowed to a stop.

"Its a chick thing. We can't talk or gossip without chocolate. Plus its been a while since my hoard of pocky disappeared down my sisters throat." Cat led the way from the subway train and up to the street. "ok we go left here."

~~~~~~

Three hours later Kens arms were full of bags and he hated shopping with a passion.

'I don't know how you find this so enjoyable.   " He muttered as Cat dragged him into yet another store. "What are we looking for now?" He asked noticing that the store they were in held no furniture or clothing. "This is a music store."

"I know. They have anime here too. I want a few cds to go with my new cd player and a few movies to go with my VCR." Cat paused, and then squealed happily, "Look! They have Glay's new cd!" She dove at a rack, and then wandered into the next aisle chortling happily over the cd selection. Ken shook his head and then followed along in her wake. In the end she bought 6 cds and 4 tapes, saying she would have to come back soon.

"OK, now we get the junk food and go home." she said as they left the cd store. "And we can pick up the junk food when we get off the subway. Are you sure you don't want me to carry some of those bags?"

"Your pregnant." Ken said. "Besides they aren't all that heavy." 'Its just the three hours of carrying them non-stop.' he added silently.

"I'm pregnant not a freak. I could carry two or three bags you know." Cat said with a soft frown. Then she smiled. "Thank you for being a gentleman Ken. Lets go home." They turned to head for the nearest subway station when Cat suddenly stiffened and swore.

"What's wrong Cat?" Ken asked scanning the crowd around them.

"Its my sister." She paused, "and she's with Crawford."

 "Damn. Well, we'll just avoid them." Ken said moving forwards.

"I doubt we'll be able to. She just saw me and she's headed this way, towing Crawford along behind her." Cat stiffened her back and got ready for then eventual confrontation. Ken shifted the bags so that he had an arm free to fight and watched as a girl who looked kind of like Cat dragged one of his enemies over to them. She gave Ken a look and then dismissed him before turning to her sister. Watching the two face off Ken saw the similarities between the two. They had the same body build, facial structure and the same eyes. Aside from that Ken decided that Cat was the prettier of the two. Her sister's hair had been dyed to a bright cherry red and she wore clothes that were mirror images of a billboard add near the airport. She carried a tiny purse and walked with an odd gait that he realized came from the enormous platform shoes that she wore.

"What do you want Steph?" Cat asked softly paying more attention to Crawford's face than her sisters.

"I don't want to fight you." Steph said softly "Why do we have to be on different sides? Why do you have to side with them? You don't know the things they have done, the crimes that they have committed."

"I don't want to fight you either. But I do know what Weiss has done, and I have seen what Crawford and Schuldich do with my own eyes. I would rather die that side with people who commit such atrocities." Cat said heatedly.

"That can be arranged." Crawford said softly. Ken gave him a look.

"It would not be easily done." He shot, noticing that Cats hands moved into a protective hover above her abdomen.

"Cat would you think for once?" Steph asked heatedly. "Your pregnant. Why don't you talk to Schu?"

"I have nothing to say to him." Cat said softly.

"He's the father of your child." Steph reminded her sister softly. "Doesn't that give him something to say?"

"Being a sperm donor doesn't make him a father. I have nothing to say to that man." Cat spat icily. "I have made my choice. There is nothing to discuss."

"You have then have you?" Steph asked. Cat nodded. "Then I have made my own."

"Live a good life sister." Cat said softly.

"Do the same." Steph returned. "When we meet again we will be enemies."

"I know. I will tell my daughter if the woman that you used to be. But never of the woman you have become." Cat said softly. Ken became aware that the air was full of deep sadness as the sister's spoke in a way that was almost ritualistic.

"The woman that you have become is dead to me." Steph said her voice tight.

"I no longer have a sister." Replied Cat gently.

"Then we are strangers and our paths part freely?" Asked Steph.

"We are strangers and our paths part freely." Cat agreed. Neither girl moved for the longest second before Steph turned away. Cat was still as Crawford and her sister moved away. After the two were lost in the crowd she sighed softly. "Lets go home Ken."

Cat was silent all the way through the subway. When they got off and entered the corner store, she was still silent, only grabbing a couple pocky and some American chocolate bars. She walked back to the flower shop in a daze, and then stopped at the doors, which were locked. She looked at Ken and blinked twice.

"We should go around the back." He said and took her by the elbow. He steered her around the store to the back door. It was unlocked and she headed directly for his apartment. "I'll be right up. I just want to talk to Aya." Cat nodded and entered his apartment. Ken went into the flower shop to see Aya peering out the door. "Why are we closed?" He asked softly, setting Cats bags down.

"Manx was here. We have a mission." Aya replied turning from the door to peer at Ken. "Where were you?"

"Shopping, running into her sister and Crawford." Ken replied matter of factly.

"What happened?" Aya asked.

"It was weird. They had this argument." Ken said trying to explain the way Cat and Steph had acted. "And then it was like a ritual. Cat said that she had made her decision and that there was nothing to discuss. They both were, shuttered all of a sudden. Every word that they said was measured and replied to in this same sort of way… it was like watching a play or listening to a prayer. Almost like it was something that had happened before, but not to them and they knew it was coming." He shook his head. "Anyways when it was over Steph just walked away. And Crawford went with her. He didn't say anything at all. That's when we decided to come back.  She's been in a daze, hasn't said anything. She's upstairs, I told her I'd be up in a minute."

"Your folders are in my apartment, grab them on your way to her." Aya said. "I'm going to re-open the shop."

Ken grabbed the bags and left, wondering about the new mission.