[Note: sorry for such a long gap My co-writer was swamped under by her work load and my computer decided to throw a fit and had to be sent away for repairs. So, once again, I'm sorry for such a long gap. Could all the happy fans please review some support for my co-writer, RandomFanGirl247. Happy New Year!

Chapter 26

Everyone sat in silence, letting Yuki's words sink into their being, their core. Yuki had come alive when the diary was read. They had felt what he had, had hoped for his hope, felt sad at his loss. It felt as if Yuki was standing there telling them of his past himself and not by someone reading his words and thoughts. Yuki had been brought back to life for those few precious moments.

Duo took the diary out of Heero's hand, turning to the last pages. "There's no more, nothing to tell us what happened after Yuki and Kyo returned."

"But if what Memso said is true, Yuki and Kyo both died three years later," softly added Wufei.

"Kyo returned to his cage. Yuki most likely didn't fare much better himself," Heero thought.

"If those last entries were anything to go by, Akito was a force to reckon with," supposed Duo.

Wufei snorted. "You're one to talk. You and Akito could both do well with anger management classes."

Heero gave a small smirk.

"At least I haven't taken it out on undeserving people," Duo defended.

Wufei thought it was best not to bring up Duo being in Shinigami mode back when Heero told Duo he couldn't tag along on this trip. "I want to find out more about this Akito person and the other people Yuki mentioned, especially Tohru and Kyo."

"Perhaps a trip to this Shigure's house will be in order," Heero mused.

"Like hell you're going to be leaving me behind this time," Duo declared.

"I don't think my apartment could handle it," said Wufei. "It still is in one piece, right Maxwell?"

"It's still standing."

Memso and Hitomi looked at each other at the way the three guests were interacting with one another. Their mannerisms suggested that they knew each other well, faults and all.

"Do you mind if I borrow Yuki's diary?" Memso asked.

Heero nodded, thinking back to what he found upstairs while Memso was out. Memso took the diary, handling it like the valued treasure it was, and settled in a chair to reread Yuki's diary and ponder what was learned.

Much to Wufei's ire, Hitomi decided to stay close to him. Hitomi had taken a liking to him and it didn't seem like she would leave him alone. If this was what she was like constantly, it was no wonder why Memso had greeted him and Heero the way he had.

Hitomi, upon standing, had grabbed his hand and was now trying to pull Wufei up from his seat. Too bad Wufei had no intention from moving from that spot. He raised an eyebrow. "Ready to give up yet?"

Hitomi just smiled. "Not on your life. Now… get… up." Once again, she was pulling with all of her strength to try and get Wufei up while her struggles became less forcible. Soon, she was slightly panting from the effort. Wufei just made himself more comfortable while smirking on getting one up of the girl pestering him.

Meanwhile, Heero and Duo had left the room and headed upstairs. If one were to look for them, one would have to wonder down the upstairs hallway and enter the fourth door on the right. Inside that room, Duo wasn't paying any attention to what Heero was saying, which was getting on Heero's nerves.

"Duo," Heero voice was a warning in and of itself. "Just how long have you been following Wufei and me?"

Duo gave that coy smile of his. "Um… not that long. But guess what I found."

Heero gave Duo a mild to medium glare. "And why did you feel the need to follow and spy on me?"

Duo flopped down on his bed. Clearly, he wasn't getting anywhere with Heero until Heero had his rant with him. Might as well as get this over with so he could share his discovery.

"Because you've been so damn secretive lately. You were hiding something from me. What was I suppose to do when you weren't talking to me but rather Fei? You two were being all secretive, sharing those looks and all. What was I suppose to do? But I guess I would keep it on the down low too if I didn't want anyone to know that I changed into an animal."

Duo could see some of the fire die within Heero. "And then finding out about how that curse affects both you and Fei and how it affected that Yuki character, I would hide the fact too."

Heero walked over to the bed Duo was on and sat on the edge. "I learned more while Wufei was sharing our secret with you, about my mother and about the… cat."

Duo moved so he was sitting next to Heero, his arm going around Heero's tense shoulders, holding his lover close. "Are you the thirteenth animal than? The cat?"

Heero gave a short nod. "Things haven't changed much from when Kyo was alive. If what Memso said is true, T'lenna won't stop until the Cat is back under her watch."

"T'lenna?" Duo asked.

"She is the head of the Sohmas."

"She is going to want to meet both you and Fei." Realization dawned on Duo. "And she'll want to know which animals you two turn into. If she finds out…"

"But she won't. We just have to make sure that we leave no suspicion about me being the cat, she can't have any suspicion that I have the mark."

"The mark?" Duo asked. "What mark?"

Heero turned to look at Duo. "The cat is cursed with two forms. The first is being a cat. The second…" Heero took a deep breath. "The second form is why the cat is hated and caged. When the cat looses the mark, it transforms into a monster and will remain in that form until the mark is returned."

"What is this mark?"

Heero looked down to his right foot where the bracelet was hidden by his sock. He pulled up his leg and lowered the sock just long enough for Duo to get a clear view of the white and black beaded bracelet worn as an anklet. "No one can know of this."

Duo started to run his hand up and down Heero's arm, trying to sooth his lover's nerves. His hand soon found Heero's and he gave it a squeeze, silently letting Heero know that all would be okay.

Heero drank up the comfort that Duo was offering. So often he was the strong one, the one that everyone turned to. Not that he would ever admit it, but sometimes it was nice to take a break from being the pillar of strength and seek comfort from others.

"Hey, Heero?" Duo asked quietly.

Heero tried to move from his position of leaning on Duo's shoulders but stopped when Duo held him there.

"I uh.. sorta followed you and Fei to that summer house."

Heero closed his eyes, not out of regret but of weariness, wondering what other surprises his lover had for him.

"I found Tohru's diary."

Heero's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"It's in my bag. Ya know, at first I thought that Tohru chick was crazy, talking about how people turned into animals. I don't think she's so crazy now though."

"Did you find anything else?"

"Just a few pictures. You and Fei picked the rest of the place clean."

"Does anyone else know about Tohru's diary?" Heero asked as he finally sat up. He then retrieved the diary from Duo's bag.

Duo smiled. "Give me some credit. Ya know, when I'm good, I'm good."

Heero couldn't help but to stop and think about some of the exploits concerning the braided pilot. "Just try not to go into Shinigami mode."

Heero received a pillow sailing towards his head for his effort.