A story of the death of Fu's guinea pig
"A guinea pig?" said Duo.
"Ah."
"Not a cat or a dog?"
"No."
"Heero... "
"A guinea pig."
As Duo and Fuyuka walked towards the pet shop, Duo noticed that there was this huge tent near a church. Underneath it was a large number of people playing bingo. "A37," said the announcer, holding up the ball.
"BINGO!" screamed a senior citizen, who ran up to the stage to confirm his card.
"Dad, let's name the guinea pig Bingo," said Fuyuka.
"Why?"
"Because he seemed so happy to have won."
"Your pet, you name it. Bingo, it is."
Fuyuka walked inside and saw some Alaskan Malamute puppies. "Oh, they're so cute! Daddy, I want a puppy!"
"No, Fuyuka, no puppies." Duo gently pulled her away from the glass enclosure and the fuzzballs with the wagging tails.
Then Fuyuka saw a grey cat that was sleeping. "Oh, look! It's a kitty! Can we buy that, too?"
Next time, thought Duo. I'm going to have to get her a blindfold.
Finally, he plopped her in front of the guinea pig cages and crouched down next to her. "Look, Fuyuka, those are guinea pigs."
"Oh, oh, I want the white one with brown spots."
"Actually, we should see if he has a good personality. Let me get the salesperson. We'll also have to get food, a cage, some stuff for the bottom of the cage, a water bottle... "
"He can't sleep with me in my bed?"
"No, Fuyuka, he's too small and he's liable to hop off the bed and get lost. And he's not a plushie so you can't squeeze him or pull his ears." Duo stood up and waved at the salesperson. "Hey, we're interested in a guinea pig."
"Hmm, it looks like someone new is moving into the house next door," said Duo.
"... " said Heero.
"It looks like a guy, a woman and I think I saw a little carrying case for an animal. I couldn't tell if it was a cat or a dog. No kids, though. Maybe we should introduce ourselves."
"Maybe," said Heero, shrugging. "How is Fuyuka doing with the guinea pig?"
"Bingo? She likes him of course. What could be better than a plushie that moves around by itself?"
"Is she taking care of him or are you doing everything?"
"Well, I help her out but I make sure she's the one who puts in the water bottle and the food."
"I think you're the one who really enjoys the guinea pig."
"Hah!"
A month later
"Daddy?"
"Yes, Fu?" said Duo as he was making tuna sandwiches and chicken soup for lunch.
"Can I go to the backyard with Bingo?"
"Bingo should be in his cage, Fu."
"But I want to see him play in the grass."
"Fu... "
"I promise I'll be careful."
"Only for a few minutes, lunch is almost ready."
A few minutes later
"NO, STOP!"
Duo immediately ran out the back door to see Fuyuka running into the bushes. "What happened?"
"It took Bingo!"
Miguel was sweeping up his front yard when he saw the cat coming towards him. "Oh, man, not another one," said Miguel as he saw the cat approach him with something in its mouth. As much as he was happy that the cat liked him, he really didn't care for the "tributes." Then he took a closer look at what was in its mouth. "Dude, I think you killed someone's pet!"
"Mrowr," replied the cat as he laid the guinea pig down at the man's feet and expected to be praised.
The man gingerly swept it unto his dustpan and wondered what to do about it.
"Waaaaahhhhh!" wailed Fuyuka. "Bingo's gone!"
"What happened?" said Heero as he ran into the kitchen.
"Fuyuka was playing with Bingo in the backyard when a cat came in and ran off with him."
"Fuyuka... It didn't scratch or bite you, did it?" said Heero, carefully examining her hands, arms and face.
She shook her head.
"Well, that's good. What was he doing in the backyard?"
"I wanted to play with him outside of his cage... Are you going to yell at me?"
"No, not now, anyway. Where did the cat disappear to?"
"There's a small space under the fence that it must've squeezed under. I'd guess it's the new neighbor's cat."
Heero stood up and said, "Neko, omae o korosu!"
Heero, Duo and Fuyuka walked over to the neighbor's house after they had wiped Fuyuka's face and nose. Heero pushed the doorbell.
A man opened the door and said, "Hello?"
"I am Heero Yuy-Maxwell and this is my partner, Duo. We're looking for a small guinea pig."
Miguel sighed and said, "Come in."
They all walked in and sat down on the couch. "I'll get your cavi now."
While he walked into the kitchen, a cat walked into the room. They all turned to look at it.
When Heero saw the cat, he felt pity enter his heart for it was one of the ugliest cats he had ever seen. The guilty party was looking at them with one blue eye and one yellow eye. His tail was only four inches long while half of one ear was missing. Heero noticed that the cat's front feet had an extra digit each and that the cat looked as if it had been in too many fights. The cat then closed its eyes and promptly hacked up a hairball.
"Ewwww!" cried Fuyuka.
"What's its name?" said Duo.
"It's name is Fortunado," the owner said, coming back in with a Tupperware container.
More like Unfortunado, Duo thought as he opened it to see the freshly killed Bingo. He quickly closed the lid to the container.
"A Tupperware container and it's cold," he noted.
Miguel looked defensive. "I didn't want it to get rank and smell up the place."
"What happened to the cat?" said Fuyuka.
"It was like that when Isabella and I picked it up from the pound. I heard it had been found after a bunch of dogs had attacked it. As for the rest, it was born like that. I'm sorry my cat killed your guinea pig, but Fortunado's used to being an outdoor cat. We've tried to keep him in but he starts to shred stuff. Before he came home with us, he used to hunt for a living. I guess he thought the guinea pig was a big rat."
The cat purred and began rubbing itself against Heero's leg. I can't kill this cat, thought Heero. It's much too pathetic.
"So, how much do you want to replace the guinea pig?" Oh, I want all of this to just go away, he thought.
"I don't want your money," said Heero. "I want you to apologize to Fuyuka since it's her pet and patch the hole in the fence that let the cat slip in. If you do this, we will let the matter drop."
"Agreed."
"What happens to people after they die?" said Fuyuka as they buried the poor little bugger on a nearby hill.
Duo sat down on the grass and thought for a second. He patted down the place next to him.
"When I was your age, Father Maxwell told me a story about a place called Heaven... "
"Duo?" said Heero as they lay in bed together that night.
"Yes, Heero?"
"I never thought that after the war that I would be worried about a dead guinea pig named Bingo," sighed Heero, playing with the hair near Duo's ear. "Back then, I wouldn't have thought anything of it."
"It's not Bingo you're concerned about, it's Fuyuka's feelings. She may be down now, but she'll perk up, you'll see."
"I suppose so."
"Heero?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I did the right thing in telling her the story about heaven when I don't know if it's true or not?"
"I like to think that good that the people we've known lives on somehow. Whether it's in the form that your Father Maxwell told you about is debatable, but... no, I don't think you were wrong."
"Thanks, Heero."
"Shhh, go to sleep." They kissed each other and went to sleep.
The End
Sister Helen and Father Maxwell were drinking tea at the café near the main administrative building of Heaven. "The Heavenly Transition Center for orphans has had to process a lot less children ever since the war ended," noted Sister Helen.
"Yes, I am most glad about that, too," said Father Maxwell. Suddenly, a guinea pig appeared on their table. "What the... "
Sister Helen read the note stuck to its collar. "Please take care of me. I used to belong to Duo's daughter. My necessary supplies are in the transition center. Love, Bingo."
The priest and the nun look surprised then smile.
The End
(:./mk/fym3)
