GS Note: It's truly, truly done. Despite a few obstacles and a massive period of hating this story, I kinda like it now. I'm glad its over though. Another completed story under my belt. I'm beginning to actually feel like an author!

The sequel might be a while coming. I'm going to start working on the Tale Arc more seriously again with Heero's story in progress and Trowa's on the way. I found this awesome little plot bunny though, on Gwyaoi.org and I really want to write it. I'm going to see how Heero's and Trowa's stories go and if they are flowing nice I'll see if the sequel and the other story I want to write will fit into a schedule. I seriously do plan on making one of those! Really.

Neko officially hit 100 reviews. That's amazing. Reviews aren't the most important thing but they are really nice to have! This is the second story of mine to hit the triple digits. I've been writing for a long time and this story plus My Kind Fairy Tale have roped in a ton of regular readers. Closet and open readers are the best to have. Obviously, I appreciate all the reviewers but even if you haven't reviewed at all, thanks for reading ^_^!

(If you haven't guessed (which most of you probably haven't) the story takes place in the back allies of London, England. Jolly good time chaps!)

I decided to keep that author's note up before, jut cause ^_^ No reason really…Since no one has yelled at me for withholding, I give you this! The revamped, fully formatted epilogue! I'm leaving for an OSFL conference in London today so don't disappoint me! ^_^

Neko

Epilogue

            The first rays of light were all ready flooding the polluted sky when the worn, old house was spotted. Dorothy gave a sigh of contentment as she paused by the muddied street and cautiously listened for cars around the narrow corners. Deeming it safe, she trotted across with Auda, Rashid and the other tomcats faithfully following.

            Duo was about to step off the curb when she heard the rumbling of a truck nearby. Deciding she'd rather be safe then sorry, she sat back to wait for the sounds to be gone. Dorothy and the toms disappeared under the high wood fence to the open window in the back that Duo had escaped from earlier.

            "Are you happy to be going back?"

            It was the first words Heero had spoken since they had left the Dragons. Duo glanced at him, a drained yet happy smile on her face.

            "Yea, in a way I am," she sighed and looked at the house for a moment before continuing. "Square meals a day, no perverted cats on my tail, safe… It has its high points. I don't really like the idea of giving up my freedom but…"

            Heero waited for her to go on but she didn't. He looked at the back of her head questionably. The truck had gone down another street and the roads were silent again. The two chocolate cats wearily crossed the road and ducked under the fence.

            Climbing up the window proved to be a challenge. It was well over five feet from the ground and with the sill slick with rain, even Duo missed her footing. They eventually managed it when Dorothy hopped on a lowered part of the fence and stepped from there onto the sill.

            Filthy, soaked and exhausted, they stole through the tranquil dim house and into their respected rooms. Heero looked at Duo's retreating back as she slipped into her own wing and closed the door tight. She was confusing, that was for sure. He shrugged and smirked. He wouldn't have it any other way. Standing, he trotted off to his own room and jumped on the couch for a well-deserved sleep.

            Duo and Dorothy said a silent farewell as Dorothy parted to her kittens and to inform Quatre of that night's happenings. Duo slunk into the other room, tiptoeing around the sleeping cats to a clear spot on the floor. Still covered in mud and grime, her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed, asleep before she hit the ground.

            Trowa was awake as Dorothy opened the door of the dark room and closed it quietly. Quatre had long ago worked himself into a nervous frenzy and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. The white Persian leapt silently into the box without disturbing the tom. Trowa moved away from the kittens slowly as Dorothy took her place before the babies could protest.

            "How did it go?"

            Hungry, the kittens were waking up to the smell of milk from their mother and Dorothy rolled over on her side so they could access the food. The fatigued, old cat looked up at Trowa's striped face. "Mission accomplished."

            "Was there any trouble?"

            "Some," Dorothy whispered back. "A good person died. But so did a horrible one. It was a long night."

            Trowa settled down beside Quatre satisfied that all was well and closed her eyes. She vaguely wrinkled her nose as the smell of the alley finally registered but was too tired to really say anything.

            Dorothy stayed awake for a while longer, babying her kittens until they all dropped off to sleep, their bellies full. She noticed that one of them was all ready starting to open her eyes. Pretty soon they would be leaving her. She nuzzled the one affectionately as it yawned and tangled with her brothers and sisters.

            Home wasn't always where you want it, Dorothy thought as she too started to settle down to sleep. But it was home none the less and if she ever were to leave, she would probably miss it. Then she snorted at the sudden philosophical as she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

***

            It was weeks later when Heero was woken out of a sound sleep by the creaking of his door. He waited patiently as the small marmalade cat tried to stealthily sneak up on him. His face was the only lit object in the room from the sliver of light in the room but the female failed to see the amused glint in his blue eyes. She focused on his dangling tail for a moment before pouncing and biting it viciously.

            Heero had been expecting an attack but the stabbing pain up his spine was more then he was bargained for. He yelped and jumped, whirling to glare at the tiny feline. Mariemaia started to laugh madly at his expression but got her giggles under control. After all, she was a cat on a mission.

            "Miss Wufei said she wanted to see you," Mariemaia was still snickering under her breath as Heero turned to inspect his bruised tail and even sorer ego. "She's in the front hall and we said to hurry or she'll beat you up or something, I didn't really get that part but you know Miss Wufei, she's always beating up something, or someone but you really can't tell with her, people and thing are the same thing, right? But anyway, you should hurry before she really gets mad—"

            "I'm going!" Heero growled, efficiently silencing the cat. She grinned at him, her jaw firmly closed and her eyes dancing with mirth. "Now go away!"

            He jumped lightly off the couch as the pint-size kitty dashed from the room. Determined, he trotted down the halls not really cautious of people around. Only Hilde was here today and she never really wandered through the halls. He turned another sharp corner and saw Wufei sitting anxiously on the windowsill. She stared out into the yard, her seal-coloured tail whipping violently and her dark eyes narrowed. Heero wasted no time before jumping up on the sill beside the alert cat and looked out too.

            In the freshly rained on ground, three strange cats sniffed the grass around the edge of the house, looking or waiting for something.

            "Do you know who they are?" Wufei never turned her eyes away. "I would have asked Duo or Dorothy but Mariemaia was banned from that section of our wing."

            Heero took a closer look before relaxing. "I know that black one there. His name is Solo. Don't worry, they're friends."

            "You'd better warn them about the dogs," Wufei sighed and turned from the cold window to leave. "Hilde is about to let them out for their morning run."

            Heero nodded and pushed the window open with his paws. The three cats stopped investigating and glared cautiously at the opening window. They softened their stance somewhat when they saw Heero's chocolate fur.

            "Hey ya, super Hero," Solo winked. Heero couldn't help but notice the stiffness in the way Solo stepped. His ear was still badly torn but healing. Heero couldn't help but grin, She had had a fit when She had found Heero torn and bloody on the couch. He still moved with some care but with the top of the line medical equipment on his side, Heero would barely have a scar.

            "Solo," Heero greeted back. "I'm afraid there is no time for pleasantries, one of the humans is going to let out the two dogs and one of them doesn't take kindly to cats."

            "This won't take long," Solo smirked. "I just thought you might want to know something. You remember that Alex, Dekim's flaky? Well he confessed to more then a dozen deeds he helped Dekim commit and needless to say, Alex won't be helping in anymore crimes. Relena, however, is still at large. We are hoping to track her down soon but she seemed to have a personal vendetta against our darling Duo. Just keep an eye out, all right?"

            Heero looked Solo up and down for a moment before nodded slightly. "I will. Thank you."

            "No prob, bro," Solo winked. "I'll be seein' ya soon if we do end up catching her. She's one slippery chick. Remember, one eye open!"

            Without wasting anymore time, they darted under the fence, running from the house like it was contaminated. Heero stared at their retreating tails before shaking his head in wonder and climbing back onto the fence and in the window. He briefly considered closing the window but sighed and left it. Hilde wouldn't think too much of it.

            He might as well tell Duo, it was about her after all. But there was no need to inform the rest. There was probably going to be nothing coming from this. He jogged slowly down the halls, recovering muscles starting to protest in the damp weather.

            After all, what could Relena do?

***This little extra bit came straight from Jack, who e-mailed me with this idea and it grew from there!***

            Unseen by Heero's retreating back, a cream coloured claw dug frantically onto the top of the wooden fence. Slowly, another joined it and together they pulled a face. The cream cat was panting horribly, her hairless and scarred face faulting her vision as he dragged herself over the top then dropped painfully to the damp ground.

            She rested there for a moment to catch her breath. After she was significantly recovered, she looked up with her one good pretty blue eye. She spotted the open window. Grinning wickedly to herself, she pulled her trembling legs under her and staggered over to the window and examined it carefully. Seeing no other way, she gathered her losing strength and jumped. Her claws scrambled wildly at the chipped soggy sill before she got one good grip.

            She hauled herself up slowly, her ragged and wet cream coat weighing her body down even more. She didn't bother to be stealthy as she sniffed the clean air deeply and started down a carpeted hall after a scent.

            She turned a corner and barely stopped herself from slamming into another cat.

            Heero paused by the open creak in the female's wing door. Wufei hooked her claws under the door and pulled it open so they could talk a bit better.

            "I need to speak with Duo," he repeated, impatiently.

            "She's busy," Wufei snorted. "Just give me a message."

            "I can sneak in you know."

            "And I'll maim you for it."

            The cream cat could barely resist tightening her claws at that word.

            "Fine," Heero concented thinking about the warm bed in his room that awaited him. "Tell her our old friend Relena is looking for you."

            The hidden cat almost gave herself away with a small snorting laugh.

            "I will," Wufei gave him a funny looked. "Now get lost."

            Heero didn't reply but left muttering about Siamese cats and their moods. Wufei snorted after him and closed the door tightly.

            "So they know about me," the cat giggled gleefully. Her blue eye twinkled in the shadows. "Good, I hope they never forget the name, Relena!"

            With a dramatic flourish, she turned and left the empty hallway. Now that she knew her way around there was no need to hurry. It was time for a plan. The open window was still there as she leapt gracefully onto in, her exhaustion lost in a fit of pride. Without worry, she dropped to the ground.

            She immediately knew her mistake. It had to be the leaping before she looked.

            A massive muzzle sniffed then snapped at her. A low growl froze her on the spot as a huge dog began to circle. His ears were laid back in excitement as his yellowed teeth were bared. Relena unlocked her jaw and hissed.

            "ROWR!" the dog leapt at her tiny body. Relena hurled herself away from the canine, a blur as she raced across the lawn. The dog tagged at her heels, barking madly. Faster then she thought possible, Relena clawed and scrambled up the side of the fence and dropped out of the dog's sight.

            The Newfoundlander settled back on his haunches and stared at the spot she had disappeared.

            "What was is, Walker?" the German Shepherd looked tiny as it settled next to the mammoth dog.

            "A cat," he snarled then licked his lips at the loss. "Damn, and she wasn't even one of ours. I'll have to watch for that one, she looked tasty."

            Otto almost snorted in disgust but caught himself in time and instead, hurried away to play with the ball Hilde had thrown to them.

GS Note: I bet you all think you know what the sequel will be about, right? You are all thinking the same thing, Relena is somehow going to break into the house and get at Duo or Duo's family and it's going to be a standoff until I kill someone else off and Relena is killed in a blind rage, right? Well think again! This won't be your regular sequel!

Wufei's going to America!

Watch for the exciting sequel, Gato in the following months!

(PS: Please feed the muses on your way out! Reviews welcome!)