Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me, nor will it ever belong to me. This is done for pure entertainment and not profit.

This fic is dedicated to Akuma, Jana and Syn - my online chat buddies who never get sick of my bad jokes, habit of singing, and constant bombardment of fic ideas, and instead encourage them! This fic is also dedicated to SapphireKitten for her wonderful fic entitled First Impressions - it gave me the idea of Duo bonding with a pet. And Shinigami deserves a unique one!

This part is dedicated to Misuzu for her multiple thwaps and encouraging remarks, as well to everyone else who has been asking about this fic. I never expected it to generate a response like it did, because even in my own mind, the storyline sounds a little farfetched, but oh well! You like it, you get more of it!

Thank you also to Blue Lemmings for doing the archive work at GWAddiction and always having a kind word, even when i seem to drop off the face of the earth with nothing more to show for it then a picture!


Mind Over Matter
Part 3


" Ya know, I should call ya Shi-chan," I said thoughtfully. " `Cause I'd bet anything that's what the guys will be expecting any pet of mine to be named."

It was after lunch and I was relaxing on the couch, the creature curled up on my chest, staring at me. She wrinkled her nose at the choice of names and I laughed gently.

" I agree with you," I said, idly scratching her ears, feeling her push against my hand as if to encourage me to keep doing it. " Death is a fine name for me, but not a golden creature like yourself."

I thought about that for a minute. I remembered back when I was working both with and for G in his lab and he had insisted I read about things other then just manuals and blueprints. By learning of of things like culture and history I could have a better understanding of people, where they come from, what they're like. This could be better translated into ways of destroying them but I had chosen to ignore that at the time, focusing more on the fables and myths. One culture in particular had fascinated me. Egyptian history – I mean, to the God of Death, what was more interesting then a culture that spent most of its living days preparing for and honouring death? I was enraptured with the ancient civilization and now, my mind began shouting a me about one of the goddesses in particular. There was one, the unofficial Queen of the Dead. She had resurrected her husband Osiris, being a gentle, healing type goddess. I looked at the cat-creature I held and saw the accepting nod as she read my mind, seeing the name I chose for her.

" Glad ya like it," I murmered. Then a beeping noise went off and I started slightly. I checked my watch – jeez, the other guys were due back any time now. As if to agree with me, I heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. By the sound of that engine, it was most likely Quatre in the jeep tracker he had had waiting at the safehouse when we arrived.

:: Fear ::

" Hey, don't worry," I murmered soothingly. " Quatre's a friend – I promise you. Okay?"

Big limpid eyes stared back at me, full of trust and acceptance and I moved smoothly to my feet to meet his blondeness at the door with her following behind me.

The handle turned and I leaned back against the banister that ran along the stairs. Quatre Winner entered the house and blinked at me.

" Duo! Welcome back! How did it go? Are you oka—" His voice trailed off as he saw movement down by my feet and I swallowed a wicked grin. His mouth was moving silently as my new pet stepped out of the shadows and curled up at me feet. Quatre tore his eyes away long enough to flash me the universal look for "what the HELL?!?" before returning his gaze to my feet. I grinned – I always did enjoy shocking the hell out of people.

" Quatre, meet Isis. My new friend."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

" A flying cat."

I shrugged. " Close enough."

I think I spooked the poor blonde. From the moment I'd introduced him to Isis, he'd done nothing but sit, stare, and make the occasional obvious comment.

" It has wings."

" So THAT'S what those were!" I snapped my fingers. " I was thinking "drag chute" but wings make a lot more sense."

Quatre shot me a miffed expression. " No need for sarcasm, Duo."

I sent him what I deemed an appropriately contrite expression. It maust have worked because he stopped glaring at me and returned to staring at the cat. Isis, by the way, was thoroughly amused and stalked around the room, ruffling her wings and swishing her tail back and forth. I grinned and picked up a light pillow, tossing it at her.

" Show off!" I grinned at her. Quatre looked confused, so I elaborated. " She's preening for you."

:: Pretty ::

" Huh?" I could feel the disbelief in her voice as she glanced at Quatre and then back to me. " Who?"

:: Me ::

It took less then a minute for me to out her emotions and words together and I smiled softly at her. " Yeah, he thinks you're pretty. So do I."

Isis purred and leaped at me, nuzzling my chest and curling up in my lap, face aimed at Quatre's hand for immediate petting gratification. Quatre took the bait and lightly stroked her head.

I had already told Quatre the details of my mission while he was in shock, but I know he absorbed most of it and now he looked at me with a serious expression.

" You aren't planning on keeping her, are you?"

I didn't like that conversation starter one bit. " What if I am?" In my arms, Isis tensed and I automatically shifted my grip to hold her closer. Quatre sighed and sat back against the couch, his eyes never leaving mine.

" Duo you should know I'm on your side," he chided me gently. " Don't get defensive on me – it's the others you're going to have to worry about."

" What could they possibly have against Isis?" I was confused. " She's my responsibility, not yours. And I highly doubt she's going to spill all our secrets."

" For Allah's sake Duo – look at her!" Quatre pointed at the wings now tucked securely against the lithe body. " She's got WINGS for heaven's sake. She is obviously not a normal creature – those disks you brought back are probably going to reveal some big-time stuff about her and what kind of secrets Oz has cooking. You don't think they're going to be looking for her?"

I shrugged. " I totalled that base Quatre – no survivors besides me and Isis. They'll probably think she was killed in the blast."

" Duo, they'll earch it top to bottom with an ace forensics team to find out for sure. She's got to be valuable – imagine Oz letting loose hundreds of telepathic animals to spy on the opposition! "

I had to admit the Quat-man was talking a lot of sense. Of course, that didn't mean I had to like it.

" I'm not giving her up," I said finally, looking down and meeting Isis' eyes squarely. I felt her tenseness ease up a bit at my declaration. She could feel my conviction. " I know what it's like to be the last one left, like she is. She was a lab animal – God only knows what they were doing to her in there. I don't care what the others say." I stroked Isis firmly, feeling the rippling play of muscles along her spine and listening to her purring increase. " She stays with me. "

Quatre looked at me for a minute before nodding once. " Very well." He sighed and stood up. Isis and I both blinked at his sudden move.

" Where ya going?"

" To start dinner," the blonde threw over his shoulder back at me. " The others will be back very soon, and you yourself have got ot be starving."

Good old Quatre. Always could read me like a book. Isis rumbled in agreement and I felt her contentment wash over me like a soothing wave. The events of the day were finally catching up to me, and I was sinking fast. Some no good son-of-a-gun must have tied rocks to my eyelids when I wasn't looking because they suddenly weighed a thousand pounds and refused to stay open any longer. I gave in, sinking into the darkness willingly, Isis's mind a calming influence on my psyche, and before I shut down completely, I shifted on the couch so I was more or less curled up on my side with a golden, winged blanketcuddled up to my chest. I yawned and fell away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Of course. For once I fell asleep without the use of drugs, painkillers or a blow to the head. So naturally when I woke up, it would be with glaring cobalt eyes directly in my face and a gun aimed at Isis.

" What the HELL is that?"

Baka Hee-chan. Isis lay limp against me. Odd, I couldn't feal any fear coming from her at all like there had been when she'd met Quatre. And Camel-boy hadn't been holding a gun at the time. I sat up slowly and Isis sprawled across my lap, smacking her lips and going right back to sleep. Heero's gaze shifted from her to me with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

I yawned again.

" Heero, meet Isis. Isis meet Heero."

" Hnn." Typical Heero.

" *snore* " Typical cat. This was going to be interesting.

to be continued

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