A small girl with pink hair who was eerily familiar bathed her. Lulu hissed, whined, and clung to Suzaku for dear life. He didn't protect her. "Lulu. You are covered in your own urine. You need a bath, and I need a shower." She whimpered, shook her head, and licked his ear. "I told you not to do that it's weird."

"I don't want to." She complained. Whether she meant showing her affection or the bath, Lulu didn't know. She was so mad at him for leaving, and just as happy for him to come back. Until he wanted her to get in water. "It's too cold."

"I promise. The water won't be cold."

She shook her head again. "You too."

"I am am bathing too."

"With me."

"Uh... Um..." He stuttered, and looked at the girl for help. Lulu watched the young human out of her peripheral vision, not fully trusting her. Truth be told, she didn't trust anyone other than Suzaku and he was testing that right now. "Lulu. I'm a boy, and you're a girl. We can't bathe together."

"I'll bathe with you." The girl offered. "You can call me Anya. I've been looking forward to seeing you." She reached out to pet Lulu, treating the half-cat differently than the rest. Lulu leaned in when she ran her fingers through the short strands of her hair, and not fur. She gave a quizzical look, not remembering being treated this way before. Anya smiled, and held her hand out. "It will be fun. Just us girls."

A knot formed in her stomach. Something was nostalgic about being treated like an equal and not an animal. Lulu let go, and let her paws touch the floor. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she should attempt to walk on her bottom paws, or on all four. Thinking it was better to do whatever was most comfortable, she creeped closer, cautious. Suzaku looked weird. She glanced back at him and his face was impassible, but she read his body language. He had stiff shoulders, and he put more weight on the balls of his feet. She faltered, and used the side of the wall to lift herself up, locking her heels the rest of the way.

This bathroom was too big. Anya smiled, and told Suzaku to "close the door." Lulu felt the fur on her back lift up as she looked at the ominous water in the porcelain tub. She watched Anya undress, curious of the similarities in their bodies. Why did she think herself a full fledged cat until just now? Somehow she knew that cats couldn't talk, couldn't read, and definitely didn't have hairless voluminous breasts. Anya's were small but they were still there. They existed enough for her to deduce that she wasn't the same as Arthur.

"Your turn!" The girl smiled. "I need you to bend down for me though." Lulu lowered to sit on the floor, and lifted her arms. "You're beautiful, you know? I loved you before and I love you now. I think you will be happier this way though."

Something about the explanation tugged at Lulu's heart and she nodded. When she stepped into the bubble filled tub she flinched; Anya's smile gave her comfort. There was something about the way the girl's lips curved that reminded Lulu of how a mother treated a daughter.

"See?" Anya said, and got in next to her, sinking down. Lulu sat straight as a rail, determined to let the liquid touch as little as possible. "You used to love baths, you know."

"I did?"

"Uh-huh." Lulu's ears flattened when Ayna rubbed pumpkin spice scented soap on her chest. "What? I'm a basic white girl in the fall. Pumpkin spice all the things!"

Suzaku was out of his shower and dressed in casual clothes by the time they finished. Anya insisted on washing every last inch of her it seemed. It was the first time she could remember seeing him outside of his Knight of the Rounds uniform. He looked cute in sweatpants and a crew cut t-shirt. Cuter than she in the red romper that Anya made her wear.

"You smell like Pumpkin Spice." He pointed out when she crawling to lounge on his lap. Suzaku sat on the sofa, watching something he didn't seem to enjoy based on his body language. She butted her head against his chest, demanding he made the stench go away by making her smell like him. "Ok. Ok." he laughed and scratches her ear, running his hand over her exposed fur.

"Whoa. That's the first time I've heard you laugh, Suzaku." A blond boy she both noticed and completely disregarded said from a reclining chair. "Or smile. I was about to name you stone face. Hey, love. I'm Gino. Nice to meet you."

Suzaku paused at the start of the material, and picked back up again at the hole Anya cut out for her tail. Lulu blushed, and turned her head away from Gino. "Pleasure." She said against Suzaku's shirt. Suzaku wasn't paying attention as he scratched and stroked her sensitive spot, at least not like before. The last time he touched her there it was the most intimate thing she could think of, besides how he didn't let her kiss him until after she came. At the moment they were in a room with other people.

Gino sat in one corner, and Bismark, the man who dumped her back in the cell after the Emperor was done with her, was on another chair. The old man stood when the show ended, mumbling about some agreement of letting them "watch their teenager dramas on the big screen after the news." Anya joined and a orange haired boy she instantly hated.

Lulu lifted her head from Suzaku's chest to purr in his ear. The thought struck her that perhaps he was enough of an idiot to not know what he was doing. Should she tell him? She purred deeper, forgetting her embarrassment. If she told him how good it felt, that he was sending shivers down her spine, tingles in her paws, and an uncomfortably wondrous sensation where something no longer existed, would he stop? She was selfish. She didn't want him to do that. Even if he caressed her in front of a crowd it was worth it just to feel his touch. Suzaku's touch. She didn't want anyone else to per her there.

She waited until after her release to lick his nose. Anya leaned over to stroke her slightly sweaty human hair, a knowing glint in the girl's eyes. Lulu blushed deeper and continued to hide.

"I always thought you two were adorable together." The girl said.

"Huh?" Suzaku responded.

"Nothing. Don't mind me. I'm just an ol- young girl who doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Sometimes, Anya, I think you have multiple personality disorder." The orange haired boy said, and ran his fingers over a dagger.

"Can I help you find something?"

The blonde haired and blue eyed sales clerk probably asked that question to hundreds of people a day. It wasn't like Suzaku was special in any way except he needed lots of help, but wasn't sure how to voice it. He thought that going to the biggest pet store in the capital would give him some sort of idea. The moment he stepped on the black rubber mat, and caused the doors to slide open he was hopelessly and completely lost. On second thought, maybe somewhere more modest, and not a two story superstore would have been a better idea.

"Sure can!" Gino exclaimed, taking the reigns. He wrapped his arm around Suzaku's shoulders and smiled broadly at the girl. Her expression became genuine in response. "See my buddy here needs giant cat stuff but is completely dumbstruck." Suzaku couldn't imagine how someone could be so personable.

"Giant cat you say?" She asked. Her lips curled into a small smile. No doubt she thought this was a joke. "Like circus animals?"

"Not really. Actually she's a half cat half hu-"

"She's a house pet and about the size of a Great Dane." Suzaku interrupted. For some reason giving out information about Lulu to random strangers put him on edge.

"Alright then I would suggest looking in the extra large dog section then. Besides the food, a lot of the products are the same, and just differing in sizes. Here, I'll show you the way."

Suzaku was relieved when Gino released his casual hold on him and walked ahead with the teenage girl. The two chatted while they meandered towards the escalators. When Gino said this place had everything, he meant everything. The sign hanging above the moving stairs revealed a basement floor dedicated to "entertainment animals." The first one was for aquariums, gerbils, birds, and other small creatures. Cats was listed there too, but he figured the woman was right that he wouldn't find much for Lulu in that department. Livestock and extra large breed dogs wares were on the second floor.

She dropped them off at the entrance of the dog section, and gave Gino her number, before giving a wave goodbye. He couldn't even blame it on social status; both boys were wearing street clothes. Gino wore distressed jeans and a simple heathered green t-shirt. Suzaku had on jeans, a yellow shirt, and his long brown coat. In The Tokyo settlement anything colder than 65 degrees warranted a light jacket, at least to him. It would seem that since the capital had more varying weather, typically seeing snow the entire winter season and not just sporadically, people dressed as if it were early fall as long as possible.

"So do you have any idea of what you want to get?" Gino asked, looking at the map. Suzaku shook his head. "We'll do you know how long you are going to be gone?"

"Until the war with the EU is over..."

Gino whistled and took out his cellphone to look at a preconceived list on the Internet. "Ok well cat tree is number one."

"I doubt they have any big enough."

"So we will have one custom made. Scratching post?"

"She doesn't have any claws."

"You got her declawed?" Gino contracted the muscles on his chin, and pushed his head back. He looked like he had a double chin for a moment. "I didn't see that coming."

"She never had any... I don't think." Truthfully, Suzaku never thought to ask if Lulu was "born" with them or not. He didn't think removing them would be something Cecile would agree to doing, however, Lulu technically was a class A terrorist. They might have seen her to be too dangerous with them. He shook his head, clearing his mind of the idea. "Bed?"

"Doesn't she sleep on yours?" Gino asked.

"Yes but I would prefer not to have layers of caked on cat hair when I come back. I figured she could sleep in the commons. She already spends a lot of time in Anya's room but I feel like that's a lot to ask."

"I don't mind offering." Suzaku glared. "Ok. Ok." Gino lifted his arms in mock surrender. "I won't. So cat/dog bed it is. Probably better than putting a mistress in the commons and Nonette wouldn't be too happy with her on the furniture. Not to mention Bismark still gets watery eyes even on allergy medicine. More toys?"

"Probably," Suzaku responded even though Lulu wasn't very interested in any of them long term.

"I should have gone with Anya to the human stores." Gino grumbled, and walked towards the beds. "This is boring."

"With the way you blab, everyone would think you're looking for a fetish store in the mall. Besides, I don't trust you in a lingerie store."

"She went to a lingerie store?!" Gino bellowed, clearly upset he decided to follow Suzaku instead. A few other shoppers stopped, and gave the boys odd looks.

Suzaku stuttered. "Don't yell that!" He scolded once he regained some composure. "I want to make sure she has underwear. Isn't that where you buy it?"

"Not the kind you would have Lulu wear. Besides why is that even needed anyway? She's a cat. Well cat person but but all she really needs is a shirt. I mean I get your argument that she has a human butt but seriously man, that's the hairiest ass I've ever seen and I'm pretty openly bisexual. Definitely not a sexy ass. Now Lulu's rack..."

"Please stop." Suzaku rubbed his temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "I'm already hesitant to leave. Don't make it worse."

"Then just say no." Gino stated the obvious, and plopped down in one of the animal beds, testing it out. He stood, and grabbed a pillow off the shelf, returning to the same one. "Nope." He pushed himself off, and move on to the one that looked like a low to the ground sofa. "I don't think she could spread out on this."

Suzaku watched his coworker, and possibly friend, play goldilocks with the animal bed. Perhaps the blond teen was right in suggesting Suzaku just keep his room open during his absence. Really, he was more worried that Lulu would just hide in there, and get lonely. He worried too much about her. Maybe if she didn't have a habit of cuddling next to him at night, he wouldn't care. During the day she was elusive as any full blooded feline; at night she became more human. Lulu curled up at his side, and he would wrap an around around her waist. If she were facing him, she would nuzzle his neck and chest, leaving scratchy kisses before she nodded off.

The few days he was gone on a simple mission, she apparently wailed all night, made quiet only when Lucino lost his cool, and dumped water on her. At least the orange haired bastard wasn't going to be back anytime soon. "I can't turn it down. The order came directly from the Emperor. Besides, I want..." He couldn't tell Gino that his plan was to become the Knight of One and take Japan back. "I don't want to commit career suicide here. This is the first mission I've been offered... And I've been a Knight of the Rounds for almost a month."

"No there was that one mission right after Lulu came to live with us."

"Right and I got called back after two days."

"True." Gino said, and flopped down on a navy blue bed that looked like a fluffy futon mattress. "Man this one is comfy! We should get two so I have one for my room too."

Suzaku let Gino pick out the toys too. Lulu rarely played around him, so he wasn't really sure what she would like. Considering her things were never in the same spot, he assumed she did, in fact, get some exercise. All he ever saw her do was sleep. "How about a collar?" Gino asked when they passed that isle. He walked over, and started looking through the various styles.

"I don't know…." Suzaku trailed off.

The thought of putting a collar in Lulu made him nervous in ways he couldn't describe. Would she like it? He never worried over these things with Arthur since the other cat didn't know any better. She didn't care either way, besides simply finding the accessory uncomfortable for the first few minutes. Lulu understood concepts. She would know that there were connotations attached to it.

Maybe.

Ever since she was transferred out of the prison, she didn't seem to mind her odd situation any longer. Perhaps she wouldn't care, but on the other hand, was there a point? It wasn't like she was going anywhere. Even though she had roam of the castle, Lulu still technically was a prisoner. She couldn't leave. No. It was too much of a reminder of what she once was, something Suzaku would prefer not to remember. Lelouch. Zero. They were both dead. He didn't want to open that can of worms. Things were fine now. The last thing he wanted to do was end their tranquil relationship.