BTW, it blew me away how many of you didn't like the idea of Cat talking, I thought you guys would like it..shows how much I know huh? lol. Well anyway I hope you cont to read and give me a chance to redeem myself.
Reactions to Events
Now most people would say that the guys had taken the news about their cat pretty well. Each had arranged to have a C.A.T scan done and did a thorough once over of the house, looking for anything that could cause them to either hallucinate or affect their mental state. Of course the fact that Cat continued to talk to them all through this went a ways to confirming that she was in fact a talking cat. Once that was accepted it was hard not to accept the rest, especially after they had her x-rayed for plants or any mechanical presence in her body that could be doing the talking. In other words there could be no doubt that she was an ordinary cat...just like millions of other cats in the world. Only this one could talk. Taking that into account they thoroughly researched her story and found articles and information to back things up. They even quizzed Sassy about facts they'd found about Catherine Rorake online, not that there was much. In the end it was harder to say if Cat was more pissed off at the questioning or that their was personal info to be found online for any experienced hacker. But she got the questions right and so the boys had no choice but to book a flight to Spain to see Catherine Rorake for themselves. Cat personally didn't see why they had to go but since she was kinda interested in seeing herself too she didn't complain as loudly as she would have normally. In the week coming up to the trip each of the boys prepared for it in a different way.
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Duo went searching and found his old bible and began reading it diligently every night without fail. Now that he knew there was going to be an actual judgment day he figured he should prepare for it, especially since he didn't want Father Maxwell and the sisters there tearing strips off his hide. It was a comfort too, to know he'd be seeing them again and so he also started making a list of all the things he wanted to say, to thank them for so that he wouldn't forget anything. That in mind he'd also decided he should really make the effort to go to church more and had gone to one service already. He'd forgotten how boring they were but he made a pact to stick it out so that Sister Helen wouldn't box his ears the way she use to when he skipped out on services. He was also going to do some more charity stuff, like Cat was supposed to be doing since he knew there'd be hell to pay if he didn't get into heaven. Literally. His father and the sisters had worked hard to give him the best home possible at the church, he couldn't very well just sit around and let all their work go to waste. He was going to become a better person if it killed him.
Heero, being Heero didn't really do anything once he confirmed he wasn't going crazy along with the others. To his way of thinking all this proved was that somewhere there was an unfeeling, heartless God who preferred to stand back and let his creations kill each other. He did take some time to consider that odds were high he'd end up going to Hell right after Cat but the thought didn't overly trouble him since that was where someone with a great deal of blood on his hands belonged. In fact he'd likely be quite busy down there dealing with all the other people he'd sent there before him. The fact that the cat would be there wasn't much of a comfort either but he figured the two of them could team up and cover each other's backs while they faced off their respected revenge seekers. As it was the satanic little demon would likely try to take over the place and kick Lucifer off his throne in no time. The idea amused him and he even discussed the idea with Cat who was already plotting that very thing so that she could get the chance to assassinate God if possible.
Wufei, for his part was quite skeptical about the whole thing but being the most read and intellectual of the five he turned to books for his answers. Having read countless books on religion and beliefs about life and death he came to the conclusion that perhaps everyone had gotten some points right. Resolving to dig deeper into the complex but surprisingly similar religions of the world in the hopes of better understanding things Wufei tried not to think too much about the fact that their cat was really a person. There was also a comfort in knowing that there was an afterlife, a place of peace where one could live on without pain or suffering. To know that his wife, that Nataku would be there, happy and at peace in such a place was of great comfort to him. He had no doubt he would meet her there and find her as fierce as ever, yanking on his ponytail and likely giving him hell for nicknaming his Gundam after her. Women were weird that way, Nataku in particular. But just to be safe he decided to make it a point to be a little nicer to people and more inclined to give to charity. Just in case.
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Trowa had always thought that their cat was odd and so having it confirmed was no great surprise to him. The fact that she was a cat with the soul of a fellow being on the other hand had been a bit more of a shock to his system. Never a religious man or really exposed to religion in his life he had never really thought about the existence of a God or what his life would be like once it ended. Really he'd assumed that it would end and that was it though it would appear that wasn't correct. In other words there was a God and he would one day face judgment, in all likelihood ending up in the fiery pits of hell with at least Heero and Cat for company. He couldn't say he liked the idea of a higher being in control of everything, then again look at all the war and the bloodshed he'd seen in his young life. Trowa only briefly considered taking more of an interest in religion but since he didn't think getting religious for the sake of getting out of hell would go over well with God he ditched the idea. As far as he was concerned he'd continue to live his life as he always had and no one, least of all a merciless God, had the right to judge him...even if that was precisely what was going to happen.
Quatre, who'd been raised to believe in God, in all the ideas and beliefs about heaven and hell was the most accepting and at the same time the most shocked by everything that had happened since they'd found out. The idea that there was a God, that he would be judged one day for his actions was expected but the fact that his beloved cat was a person who'd been judged and found lacking was one hell of a blow to his system. He'd always tried to live a good life, to do what was right and so now it became his mission to install those ideas in Cat without any real success. She was determined to go to hell and of the few good things she'd agreed to do they were always because he nagged and bribed her into it. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't fight to go to heaven where everything was peaceful and happy, where her family would be waiting for her to join them. Not about to give up her though Quatre continued to try, also putting more of an effort into bettering himself as well. He didn't know how he would measure up in God's eyes but he did want to be able to face his parents and family, to have them be proud of him. Especially his mother.
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On the day they were scheduled to leave Cat sat on her phone books in front of the dinner table with her breakfast in front of her. Since she was technically a person Cat had argued that she should be allowed to eat with them too so she'd been giving a place at the table and a chair with four phone books on top for her to sit on to reach table height. Her plate filled with very well cut up pancakes and a small bowl of milk Cat was glad she could talk if only for the fact that it mean no more cat food. "So we're leaving in two hours right?" Cat wanted to know as she looked to her left where Duo was covering his pancakes in syrup.
"Yup, on the dot." Duo said as he passed the container of syrup to Wufei who put a little on his before passing it to Quatre. "So have you figured out yet how you warranted the private digs yet?" Duo added as he started to cut up his breakfast. Cat had been shocked to find out that her body was being housed in the most expensive and private room the hospital had to offer. Apparently her in a deep coma body was being given top of the line medical care and only the best medical treatments.
"Not yet. I mean I've been hired by people that have that kind of money to throw around but I can't see any of them putting this kind of money into keeping me alive much less caring. There are plenty more of me where I come from." Cat said as she licked some of her syrup off her pancakes before eating a bit then continuing. "Plus I don't have any friends who could afford it either. Well there is Sebastian but there's no way it's him..it better not be him anyway."
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"Who's Sebastian?" Heero asked, this being the first time she'd mentioned that name.
"This guy I know. I hit his father a couple years back and he's been after me ever since. At first I thought it was the whole get revenge for the father thing but turns out he wanted to thank me all along or at least that's what he's saying. I've only met him face to face once and since he started off hitting on me I didn't stick around to chat." Cat said with a gradually darker look on her face. "So if it is him it would either be a case of him wanting to kill me himself or his way of saying thanks for offing his old man so that he could inherit everything. Then again since I'm going to be dead shortly it doesn't really matter, it wasn't like I asked him for help or anything."
"So did someone pay you to kill his dad or was it personal?" Trowa inquired, wondering just exactly how long she'd been in the business and for that matter why.
"Well someone paid me to do it but the guy had it coming." Cat said defensively then seeing the look on Quatre's face felt the need to explain. Only Quatre could make her feel guilt without even a word, Cat thought with an inner sigh. "I only kill people who deserve it for your information. Maybe I take contracts laid out by others but I only take them if I think the guy deserved to die in the first place. Sebastian's dad was a cruel, corrupt, slumlord with a taste for violence and a love of inflicting pain on everyone, including his own wife, children and mistresses. Believe me when I say that no one really mourned his passing." Cat said with a defensive hunch of her shoulders, daring anyone to disagree. "And it's not like I torture my targets or anything, a lot of assassin do ya know. One clean shot through the head, it's better then what they deserve to get which is a round in the gut often enough." Cat added, just for good measure.
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"So you researched your targets thoroughly before you hit them." Trowa said with a considering look, understanding assassin to assassin.
"You better believe I do." Cat said hotly, more then ready to defend herself. "I always make sure to double check all my sources and I never hit a target without making sure I'm doing the right thing. I almost didn't go after the last target I had because he had a wife and a little boy but he was cheating on the wife and he didn't spend any time with the mom or the boy so it wasn't like I'd be removing someone vital from their lives. The guy had serious mob ties on his mother's side and he was using them to get ahead, trampling all over everyone else to get to the top of his game. There isn't a lot of crime he hasn't been involved in though I couldn't find any proof that he killed anyone, at least not my his order though plenty of people have ended up dead that were in his way. Speaking of the bastard I wonder if he's still alive." Cat said thoughtfully, lapping up a fair bit of her milk as she thought about it.
"So you were killed before you could kill him?" Quatre said as he watched her, wondering how he was going to save her soul when she didn't seem to think there was any reason to try much less be sorry about the things she'd done that had landed her in this situation.
"Yeah, it was his little boy I got killed saving." Cat said with a dark look as she chewed her bit of pancake a little harder then was necessary before swallowing. "Apparently the guy who hired me didn't trust me to do the job since he sent someone else on the same mission. I was at this party the guy was at, going in to slip a tracking device in his pocket so that I could keep track of him when his son came over, daddy lifting him up for some shots by the press just as the other bastard took aim with his gun. I saw it coming and it wasn't hard to see who was going to get that bullet and who wasn't so I went temporarily insane and tackled both of them to the ground and got a bullet in the back for my trouble."
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"But aren't you glad you saved that little boy's life?" Quatre pressed, wanting to know at least that much.
"Well sure, I guess. I mean the kid is only six and it wasn't like he deserved to die just because the satanic bastard, otherwise known as God decided to stick him with a bastard father." Cat said dryly, finishing off her milk before continuing. "And I suppose, in the whole scheme of things the kid deserves to live more then I do. From my research his mom looks like a pretty great person and mother so he should grow up all right, do some good in this world."
"What was your mother like?" Duo asked, looking over at her curiously, wondering what kind of a mother would turn out someone like Cat. Then again given the lack of mentioning of her mother maybe that was why she'd turned out like this in the first place. "Your files mentioned your dead but there wasn't a lot on your mom."
"My mom split on us when I was just a baby, I've never met her that I can remember and that's not something I regret. Then again I wouldn't mind being alone with her in a sealed room for an hour with her to give the bitch a piece of my mind and some bruises to go with it." Cat said darkly, her mother never one of her favorite subjects.
"Speaking of bitches by the way, we had a message about our neighbor next door this morning." Wufei said dryly, the conversation jogging his memory. "Only this was from the ever absent father."
"Yeah, where's the guy been?" Duo wanted to know having often wondered where the father was in the picture since he never saw hide nor hair of anyone but the mother and the kid. "You'd think he'd have done something by now, namely get his kid away from the wicked bitch."
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"Apparently they're separated and he's been fighting for custody though she's not giving him over without a fight. He called to thank us for what we'd done and to ask us if we wouldn't mind writing statements about her treatment of Michael and sending them to his lawyer to use in the custody hearing." Wufei said with a small smile having already started his. "I told him it would be our pleasure."
"I want to write one too!" Cat said loudly then when everyone sent her amused looks she responded by sticking her tongue out. "Okay I'll rephrase that and say that I want one of you to write my opinions for me."
"With your mouth they'll have to remove everyone under the age of thirteen and over the age of sixty from the court room given your flare for words." Heero said dryly, everyone agreeing. Now that she could talk with them hearing her they'd been treated to more then one rant about the woman next door. Cat had quite the four letter vocabulary when she was worked up.
"Oh shut up." Cat said as she considered swatting a piece of pancake in Heero's direction but opted to eat it instead.
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"Anyway I'm done eating so I'm going to double check that everything is in order before we head out." Quatre said as he picked up his plate, loaded down with his cup and utensils. "And Cat, you should find something to do in your cat carrier since you'll be in it for a couple of hours. There has to be a magazine around here that you can read of something."
"I always sleep on planes and if not I'll simply torment the other animals until we land." Cat said with a shrug, sending Quatre an evil look just to get him all worked up.
"Catherine." Quatre began, using her full name for added punch as he stopped in the doorway that led into the kitchen to give her a warning look. "You will behave on that plane or so help me I will..I'll..I'll arrange a play date with Cuddles for you."
"Sadist bastard." Cat said with a hiss as her eyes narrowed at the thought.
"You know it's funny but of all of us she calls Quatre that." Duo said with a chuckle even as Quatre sent Cat a not pleased look before going into the kitchen, dumping his stuff in the sink a little harder then was entirely necessary.
"Well I'd never call you one..you're too girlie to deserve the title."