Laika sighed as he walked the short distance from the military base to the Chinese food place. He mulled over in his mind what he should get Netto on the way there. He was so used to living alone that he totally forgot to even ask Netto what he might want. Regardless of that he went into the small shop and waited at the counter for someone to take his order. "Yes, solider?" the woman behind the counter asked him.

"I'd like Mu-Goo-Gai-Pan and…" he thought about what Netto would like, some kind of seafood maybe? "Shrimp kew?" he asked.

The woman nodded warmly at him and wrote down his order, "Is that all?" she asked.

Laika nodded.

"All right, it will be ready in about fifteen minutes," she said.

Laika sighed and left the shop to wander in the streets. Somehow, at one point he found himself in a pet shop of all places. "Hello!" a girl greeted him cheerfully. "Are you interested in purchasing a pet?"

"Uh, no…" Laika said while looking at the assortment of fish, cats, dogs, reptiles, birds and rabbits that currently inhabited the place.

"Oh…" the girl's smile faltered a little. "Can I help you in any way?" she asked.

"No," Laika said. "I don't even know why I'm here," he muttered as he turned on his heel to go pick up the food he had ordered. As he walked out a small pouch filled with dried out green leaves caught his eye. "What's that?" he asked.

The girl came over, hoping to have a customer. "What's what?" she asked.

"That," Laika said, pointing at the small bag.

"That's cat nip," the girl said cheerfully.

"What?" Laika asked.

"Do you own a cat?" the girl asked incredulously.

"No," Laika said. "I'm just curious."

"Well, it's a plant that acts as a stimulant for a cat. It makes them hyper and playful but normally after its effects wear off the cat is pretty tired. My cats have a few catnip toys," she added cheerfully.

Laika blinked at it and sighed. A few minutes later he walked out of the store to go pick up the food and walk back to his dorm before the sun set.

"I'm back!" he yelled into the room.

"Finally!" Netto said practically pouncing on Laika when he got as far as the rug that lined the front door to keep the cold out. "I'm starving," he said.

Laika gave Netto a tiny grin and pulled out the cartons. "I didn't know what you would like so I got you shrimp, is that okay?"

"Fine with me," Netto shrugged.

"As long as it's food Laika-san," Rockman said, "Netto-kun will eat it."

Netto growled at Rockman and took his food. "Hey, you can't really say anything cause you've never eaten," Netto huffed.

"I know," Rockman said. "Doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."

Laika noted with a touch of amusement that Netto's tail puffed out slightly when Rockman said this but Netto showed no other outward sign of being distressed over the comment. He just took a pair of chopsticks and began to eat.

Laika let the amused grin slide from his face and he took up his own food and began to eat it. Netto sighed and continued to eat and to Laika's amazement he didn't talk at all. "Netto?" Laika asked.

"Mm?" Netto asked back with a piece of shrimp sticking out of his mouth.

Laika stared, blushed and shook his head, "Never mind."

Netto swallowed the shrimp and shrugged, "All right."

After they were done eating, Netto stretched out on the couch and was asleep in a matter of minutes. Laika eyed him and cleaned up making sure to carefully put the left overs away.

"Searchman?" Laika asked while he was cleaning up. There was no reply and he frowned at the absence of his normally ready to serve navi. "Searchman?" he called out.

"Over there," Netto said sleepily as he pointed from the couch to the monitor by the television.

Laika walked over and peered into the monitor to find Searchman asleep and curled up around Rockman. "They fell asleep awhile ago," Netto giggled.

"Oh…" Laika said and walked over to the couch. "What about you?" he asked.

Netto yawned, "I fell asleep when you started to clean up the dishes."

Laika frowned and left the room. "What did I say?" Netto asked.

"Nothing," Laika called. He went into his room and looked around for a few things to try out his next plan. He found the bright red string and also a bright yellow piece of felt from the same kit, then as par the instructions the girl at the pet shop gave him he put some cat nip in the felt and pinned it closed. He frowned at it wondering at what the consequences would be if Netto really was affected by the harmless drug. "Only one way to find out," Laika said.

He went back into the room and tossed the piece of felt onto the sleeping Netto and ducked behind the couch so he wouldn't be seen. He twitched it slightly and he heard Netto shift in his sleep. He twitched it again and this time Netto woke up to glare at it with one eye. "What?" he asked in a slightly confused voice.

Laika jerked the string sending the makeshift toy spiraling into the air and with a moments hesitation Netto soon followed. He pounced on it and pulled on it viscously to see who or what was at the other end. In the dim recesses of his mind he knew who was behind it but this battle was all instinct now.

The small yellow pillow was giving off a faint odor that Netto couldn't quite place. Whatever it was it was making him feel very giddy and he kept on chasing the hapless toy around on the couch never quite managing to secure it in his hands.

Laika was torn between amusement and a voice in the back of his head telling him that he needed to stop before Netto hurt himself. He kept on pulling at the string with Netto falling on top of it and Netto trying to catch the damn thing but it somehow always escaping him.

Finally with one final pounce Netto managed to secure the toy and he fell on top of it panting. Laika peeked over the couch just in time to see Netto hold up his prize and watch in horror as it burst open and the now extremely fine cat nip fall all over his friend.

Netto fell into a sneezing fit while Laika ran over to try and dust the plant off him. "Laika…" Netto sneezed, "What in the hell…" he sneezed again, "were you doing?" he sneezed several more times.

"I'm sorry," Laika said coolly while still trying to brush Netto off. "I was trying to see what the Neko Virus did to you."

"Isn't that…" Netto sneezed one last time. "Already damn obvious?"

"No," Laika said while shaking his head. "It's not, or why would you be affected by cat nip?" he asked.

Netto stood up to try and attack Laika but all he managed to do was fall forward into Laika's arms. "Too…much…" Netto said.

Laika scooped Netto up and set him back on the couch. Not that it mattered there was cat nip on there as most of it got on Netto anyways. Laika walked into the kitchen and wet down a wash cloth and returned to Netto to try and get some of the excess off him.

He pulled Netto into his arms and started to get the cat nip on him even though Netto winced while he was doing so. "You're afraid of water," he said.

"Yeah, so?" Netto asked with his eyes half closed.

"You can't help but to attack things that are brightly colored and such, meaning there is some kind of instinctive programming telling you what to do."

"And?" Netto asked finally just going limp and letting Laika clean him off.

"And you're completely helpless after exposed to a plant that does nothing to humans," Laika finished.

"Whose fault is that, I wonder?" Netto hissed.

Laika sighed, "Look, all I'm saying is that you need to be a little more careful all right. There might be other… surprises."

"Joy…" Netto said as sarcastically as he could.

"Can you move yet?" Laika asked while putting the washcloth down.

"No…" Netto said.

Laika sighed and resolved to keep an eye on Netto until he was able to move on his own, lest anything else happen.

Netto, feeling oddly content in Laika's arms found himself almost unwillingly snuggling closer to the older boy. Laika looked down at Netto who was still half asleep and rather quite out of it in surprise. Netto never really struck him as someone who was 'cuddly' by any means.

'Cat's like attention though…' Laika mused. 'They like to be cuddled and since he has no control over his body's actions right now the Virus programming must have taken control.'

Laika could have just put Netto down and turned on the TV and waited for the cat nip to wear off but instead he found himself pondering other things. What else could the virus make Netto do, as he obviously wasn't thrilled with his body's actions? 'What else do cat's like?' Laika thought.

"Netto?" Laika asked.

"Mmm?" Netto replied.

Laika looked down at Netto who had by then completely wiggled himself into Laika's embrace and saw his ears twitch slightly. "Do you have any idea how sensitive your ears are?" he asked.

"No clue," Netto said.

Laika shifted his weight and thought, 'To hell with it,' and pulled Netto into his lap. "Laika?" Netto asked his ears stiffening a little.

"Yes?"

"What in the hell are you doing?" Netto asked.

"Keeping you from falling off the couch," Laika said truthfully as Netto had earlier been in danger of falling off the couch because of the position his body was curling into.

"Oh," Netto said and his ears went lax.

Laika had never noticed it before but Netto's ears, and probably Searchman and Rockman's ears as well gave away their feelings. Laika was somewhat amazed that Netto was so relaxed in his arms. He had after all inadvertently drugged him and was now analyzing him, even if in the end it was all for his own good.

Finally, Laika couldn't help it. Sharro Solider or not his mind burned with more and more questions that centered around the thought of 'What would happen if I scratched his ears?'

Knowing that if Netto was fully conscious he would die for trying what he was about to do only made it more appealing to Laika for some reason. He tentatively reached over and touched the furry ear, almost as if he still couldn't quite believe it was real. Netto just sighed and leaned into the touch which surprised Laika even more. He looked at Netto who was now just looking happy to be awake and realized that he was on the current energy downfall the girl at the store had warned him about.

He reached behind Netto's ear and started to rub it. Netto happily obliged the action by leaning into the touch. "You're being awfully mellow tonight," Laika murmured while scratching Netto's ears.

Netto sighed, "It feels good," he admitted. "And I swear to god if you tell anyone…" he muttered.

"I won't," Laika said quickly. "I promise."

Netto grinned, "Good," he said and let his eyes slowly close. After a few more minutes Laika could hear a low rumbling sound and he stopped scratching Netto's ears, in case he was growling at him. Instead after another minute or so Laika was finally able to place the sound.

"He purring," he murmured. "He can purr…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

. . Fluff, and lots of it. Hope you enjoyed it people.