Rating: Uh... PG13, I guess.

Dedication: To Alicia McKenzie, because she inspired us all. :)

This is... the tenth, I think, chapter in the Kitten Saga. Reading previous installments should make things clear, although I think it's easy enough to read... Feedback can be sent to: persephone_kore@yahoo.com and shreelana@yahoo.com

Kyrin lightly tapped on the door, listening to the movement within. It sounded like the march of enemy troops for a moment, then a slight sniffle, and Stryfe calling out, "Come in."

She peered around the edge of the door and grinned. Three of the kittens were chasing each other around the room. And they were completely heedless where they ran. As she watched they galloped over the still-prone Stryfe, then skittered under his bed, then out again to tumble across the floor and land on her boots. "Morning."

"Is it?"

"I watched the sun rise on my way back." Kyrin's assignment had gone well and uneventfully, and she was now returning to intermittent babysitting/bodyguard duty, which suited her very well. So did the fact that her shift didn't actually start until afternoon, which meant she could do... this.

She closed the door carefully behind her and counted kittens. All present and accounted for.

"I wouldn't know." He fought down a sniffle, and hrmphed.

"Didn't sleep well?" she guessed.

"I slept very well, except every ten minutes when a kitten would pounce on some portion of my anatomy." He scowled. "I think I'm black and blue all over."

"Awww. Poor Stryfe." She walked over and laid a hand on his forehead. "Well, at least you're not feverish."

"...I'm getting well." It was awkward to lie on his stomach and have her feel his forehead, so he rolled onto his side, then scrunched up his nose in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt not to sneeze. "I shouldn't be--be--*choo!*--feverish." Sniff.

"I should hope so, by now..."

He sniffled again.

"If it helps any, Tyler is completely well now. You should be soon, too."

"I am." He sat up, a martyred expression on his face. "I'm even well enough to be put back on a work detail."

"Uh-huh." She looked unconvinced, "And the sniffling?"

"I'm tired, aren't I. Kittens' fault." He glared at them. They had begun climbing Kyrin's legs industriously, though they kept falling off about waist-level.

She nodded understandingly. "And the sneeze was just because a bit of fur tickled your nose?"

He sniffled. "Of course." And it was doing it again. Of course. He sniffed some more.

"Mm-hmm." She didn't believe a word. "May I sit down?"

He shrugged, "If you want."

She sat next to him, careful to remove the kitten from the spot first. She stroked the creature for a moment before it squirmed away to pounce on a sibling. Stryfe sniffled again, and she handed him a tissue.

For a moment he didn't take it. Then another dribble began making its way to join the tickling fur, and he grabbed it.

*sneeze*

"So *have* you been assigned to a work detail again?"

He sniffled and debated whether he could answer without another sneeze escaping. "No." Well, that had worked... mostly... He ventured to elaborate, and regretted it. "Not--*choo*--not yet."

Kyrin raised an eyebrow. "So eager to get back to it, then?"

"I'm bored." He was lucky not to sneeze this time, but he could feel it, hovering. Awaiting the right moment to erupt.

She laughed and asked sweetly, "Should I be insulted?"

Yes. Then she would go away and leave him in peace. But... he was bored. Company, even Dayspring's, was a welcome diversion. "I didn't mean you."

"Ah. In general, then."

"Yes."

"The kittens don't keep you entertained?" She watched him blink unhappily and added mischievously, "Or is the fur too much?"

He sniffled again as the tickle built, and wondered whether blowing his nose on the tissue would get rid of it. He'd stopped waking himself up quite as often as the kittens did, the past night or two, but mornings seemed determined to make up for the lack...

Kyrin patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be given something else to do... reasonably soon."

"I can hope." The pressure in his nose was escalating, the need to sneeze rising as he fought against it. He was better. This was merely a cold, it could NOT best the Chaos-Bringer!

"Weeding, perhaps," she suggested brightly.

"Hate plants."

She studied him for a moment, then grinned mischievously. "I know! You could take shifts in the nursery."

Stryfe looked horrified, then cautious. "You're joking."

"Whyever do you say that?"

"No one," sniff, "in their right mind would leave their children with me unsupervised."

"Who said anything about unsupervised?"

"I'm sure finding someone would be difficult." He pointed out, "After all, I am the enemy still."

"I could supervise you."

"Aren't the children enough trouble on their own?"

"You're not trouble. Unless you like to eat paste, not share, and throw stewed peaches at people."

Stryfe pondered for a moment, "Well, the image of Dayspring covered in peaches is slightly frightening, but highly enjoyable."

"You may not throw stewed peaches at Dayspring."

He started to sigh, and the sneeze broke through. The sound echoed in the small room loudly. All the kittens paused in their travails to stare up at him in wonder. He glared at them and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

"Yes, I think you'll fit right in with my other charges." Kyrin noted in amusement as she handed him another tissue.

Stryfe took it, glowering at her with the uncomfortable feeling that it was difficult to glower impressively with a runny nose.

Eyes tended to work better, for one thing.

"I am not a child." He wiped off his hand, so as not to give the Askani more cause than necessary for sarcastic comments, then blew his nose--which *still* left him sniffling, and it started to tickle again.

"That isn't what I said."

"You implied it."

She shrugged, "You have to admit you act childishly on occasion."

"I do not." At least, he didn't have to admit it...

"Mhmm." She left that subject for the moment, absently stroking the kitten who'd collapsed in her lap. "But you still haven't answered me about the nursery assignment."

"What, are you suggesting I'd be given a *choice*, Askani?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"I'm a prisoner. They order me, I do it." He sniffed. "I had to wash dishes, remember?"

"Poor baby." She tickled the kitten under his chin, and elicited a soft purr.

Stryfe pondered, then decided to try a tactic he'd thought of earlier. "I purr."

Kyrin raised an eyebrow at him. "Really."

"Yes. If you stroke me the right way..."

"...Are you flirting with me?"

Stryfe raised a matching eyebrow. "You have to *ask*?"

"Ah... fair enough. *Why*?"

"Because I'm hoping to gain some level of favor or advantage by seducing you."

Kyrin blinked several times. Aside from the intrinsically disturbing aspects of that statement... "Isn't it somewhat counterproductive to *tell* me that?"

"Not particularly. You are a telepath and, unfortunately, currently I might as well *not* be. Therefore I have to assume that you can tell if I lie to you."

"You know, Stryfe... currently, for an enemy, I am inclined to like you." She leaned closer. "I think you might want to consider dropping this particular strategem and its rationale if you would like to maintain that state of affairs."

Stryfe opened his mouth, then closed it again, somewhat disgruntled. He couldn't be *that* distasteful or she wouldn't keep turning up. He swallowed the inclination to complain. "Very well." Not wise to pursue after that sort of response.

"Good."

"You have to admit, it was worth a try."

"Not really."

The look she was casting him made him shut his mouth, swallowing his reply. Silence fell for a moment, as she studied him. Two of the kittens cavorted across the bed, claiming the space between them as their battlefield.

A third climbed up and tumbled into Kyrin's lap, sprawling happily in anticipation of a belly rub. It got one. "Why," the Askani asked after a long moment, obviously addressing Stryfe despite the fact that she was now looking at the kitten, "did you think it might be?"

"Well... you think I'm cute? It's a normal reaction for a prisoner?"

"Against a telepath?"

"...I'm an idiot?"

Kyrin pressed the back of her wrist against her mouth, not doing much in the way of concealment but at least a token effort against laughter. "I don't know, at least you were open about it."

"So I'm horrible at being devious." He sighed, "Or subtle."

"From what I've heard, your life was all about massive displays of Power, anyway."

"Yeah." Stryfe huffed, "Apocalypse wasn't much for subtlety. He liked his underlings to see his results."

"If they lived."

A flash of memory touched him, and he winced away from it. The image of a young woman buried to her neck in scorpions as a punishment for... something. All those scaly things crawling over her, chittering their tiny claws as they fought for the choicest morsels of her flesh. Tiny kitten teeth sank into his finger, and he winced, glaring down at Sapphire.

"While they lived, at any rate," he muttered.

Kyrin reached over and gently pried Sapphire's mouth open. "You already had lunch, little one."

Stryfe extracted his hand, a bit puzzled at the rescue (such as it was), and jumped when it brushed across Kyrin's.

She raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think it'd be a very effective seduction if you flinched every time we touched anyway."

The kitten gave Stryfe a Look, then flopped backwards in his lap, purring and batting at nothing. Stryfe found himself dangling his fingers for her amusement. "Shouldn't you be going?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Soon."

"When?" he asked irritably.

Kyrin looked amused. "Eager to get rid of me now?"

"If my company's that distasteful..." Stryfe realized somewhat belatedly that this would only have made real sense in an earlier context. He was not entirely sure it was fortunate that Kyrin appeared to understand anyway.

"So did anyone ever try that tactic on you?"

"Most were either to frightened of me, or hated me to the point of rather wanting death before their dishonour."

"Or didn't think it would work--or does that qualify as frightened?"

"Probably."

A sound echoed in the room, and Stryfe blinked down at his midsection.

"Hungry?" Kyrin asked, amused.

"Apparently." He scowled at the kitten in his lap.

"Hm." Her eyes went unfocused for a moment--either that or she had developed the ability to see through the far wall--before she shrugged. "Close enough."

"...To what?"

"Mealtime."

Stryfe sneezed. "I wonder if they'll remember to feed me."

"Don't they always?"

"Yes."

"Then why ask?"

"Because I'm hungry."

Kyrin laughed at him. "Somebody's on his way. I asked a minute ago."

Stryfe looked rather startled. "Why?"

"Now that's a silly question..."

"Oh." He considered, "Would you like to have breakfast with me?"

"Certainly. As long as you're not going to turn it into another silly seduction attempt."

Stryfe stared at her for a moment, his cheeks actually reddening. He couldn't believe it. He, the Chaos-Bringer, blushing. "That wasn't on the menu." He replied stiffly.

"Good to know."

"That is NOT flattering," Stryfe grumbled.

It wasn't flattering that the Askani promptly doubled over in laughter, either, and he *still* knew better than to try attacking her.

Kyrin finally sat up, eyes still sparkling with mirth. "You *are* cute," she admitted. "I won't deny that. But I'm not going to get involved with a prisoner."

"That's a very intelligent decision."

"Thank you." Her eyes twinkled, "Now. Breakfast is here."

His stomach rumbled again as a knock came on the door.

Oddly, there didn't appear to be anyone there. Stryfe concluded that whoever was delivering breakfast must be invisible about the time Kyrin pleasantly thanked the air at something slightly above the level of her own head. It didn't answer, but the tray stayed and the door closed a moment later.

Sapphire noticed the tray, and seemed to be trying to decide whether to pounce at it or not. Especially since it was still up very high. She appeared to decide on climbing Stryfe, first, since that would give her height. Stryfe pulled her off his shoulder and set her on the floor. She protested with a squeak, then scampered off.

Stryfe eyed the contents of the tray and prepared himself for further kitten-assaults. This seemed to be one of the days apparently randomly selected for comfort food--although alternatively that might have more to do with Kyrin.

It was probably fortunate that she took the tray and was the one setting it down when he sneezed again. Violently.

"Bless you."

"Thanks." He applied the tissue to his nose vigorously.

"You should be over that soon," she remarked. A kitten leaped at the tray and was gently deflected in midair and returned to the floor.

Stryfe opened his eyes and looked at her warily.

Kyrin sighed. "That was an observation, Stryfe, and one meant to be reassuring. It was not an order."

"Ah." He shrugged, "We should eat before it gets cold."

"Good idea."

Stryfe told himself firmly that he was going to enjoy this. Embarrassment was irrelevant. He had good food which was not being periodically adorned with kittens, and the reason for the latter characteristic was the Askani sitting across from him, who was, despite being Askani, an interesting conversationalist and certainly better than no company at all.

He did, however, wonder when he'd decided he wanted company that much.

In another palace, in another place, surrounded by yet another wasteland, sat a man not inconsiderably difficult to recognise. The white skin and dark hair would give him away, even if you couldn't hear the deep voice full of velvety undertones and a British slant.

He wasn't actually talking, currently. More, thinking, his chin in one hand as the elbow of his arm rested on the armrest underneath it. Dark and dire contemplations went on inside his head, ideas and plots, spiderwebs and intrigues. And all for a reason he used to be so certain about.

Now?

Now he isn't. The old Master is dead, and the children seem to play together well. But it could yet be that hope will die.

And for that, he will be ready.

Breakfast had come and gone, and morning had passed to afternoon. Nathan wasn't sure he was too happy about that, but at least he seemed to be sneezing less. Hope laughed at him every time she saw him, and Aliya was avoiding him, claiming she didn't want the plague. It was enough to drive a man to murder.

Or worse.

Perhaps he should go irritate Stryfe. Of course, Stryfe would be amused that Nate wasn't over the cold yet, but on the other hand, Nate was not power-inhibited or locked in a cell.

It sounded like a better plan than sulking in his room (as Aliya called it), or dealing with stupid paperwork.

Besides. Stryfe was probably bored.

"Good afternoon."

Stryfe looked up at Nathan's overly cheerful voice, then scowled and went back to watching Diamonde teach Cinders to pounce.

Her current target was a stray muffin crumb, left over from breakfast. It had hidden in a corner of the room until now, when Diamonde, being the loving mother that she was, batted it out into the open as bait. She'd had to hiss at the others as they variously attempted to pounce it and eat it.

"Hm. Hunting practice. Has she got you doing it yet?"

"I could teach her a few things." Stryfe muttered.

"You wiggle your butt before you pounce?

"Aren't you supposed to be in the infirmary or something?"

"Not sick enough." Nathan sounded gleeful about this fact.

"So, instead, you're wandering around infecting the rest of your troops. How charming."

"Nope. Only you."

Stryfe looked at him, eyebrow raised, "I've already gotten it."

"While I'd love to believe you were making yourself miserable expressly to deny me the satisfaction of doing it for you, I somehow don't think that's the case. So let's just leave it at the idea that I'm not infecting anyone useful."

"How magnanimous."

Nathan grinned cheerfully. "Aren't I?"

"If you say so."

"You said it first."

Stryfe blew out a breath and scowled more, "You've succeeded in making my day. Happy?"

"Delighted." Nathan sneezed.

"I'd offer you a tissue, but Kyrin didn't leave any." Stryfe almost sounded delighted by this fact.

"I have my own," Nathan replied with a sniff, although he didn't produce one. He looked thoughtfully at Stryfe. "Spending a lot of time around here, isn't she?"

"I hadn't noticed."

Nathan smirked. "You're either very unobservant or very used to her. Or so fond of her nothing seems like enough of her company?"

Stryfe deigned not to answer, instead burying his nose in the tissue as another sneeze erupted.

Nathan's mouth twitched. "Well, which is it?"

"She's vaguely distracting." Stryfe replied, diginity oozing from his pores.

"Mhhmm." Nate replied, "And the fact that she's rather lovely and seems to be nice to you doesn't add anything to that?"

"Nothing at all."

"So you'd still find her amusing if she threw things at you?"

"...probably."

"Hmm. Maybe I should suggest it."

Stryfe scowled at the kitten stalking the ball of fluff on the floor. "She'd do it, too."

"Yes, I rather think she would."

Stryfe eyed him. "Should *you* be noticing that she's lovely?"

Nathan smirked. "So that would mean you agree?"

"You said it, not me." He pointed out.

"So you don't think she's lovely. I'll remember to let her know."

"I didn't say that, either."

"Well, you either think she is lovely or isn't, Stryfe."

"...Why are we discussing this?"

Nathan sneezed, then shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because you should be running your kingdom."

"I'm sick, Aliya won't let me in my office until I stop sneezing."

"Smart woman."

"But you'd rather have me out there dying, huh."

"Yes."

Nate grinned happily, "Sorry to disappoint you."

"No. You aren't."

"Well, obviously. Sorry has no meaning, remember?"

Stryfe scowled at him. "What is, is. Askani teachings." He sniffed, "Weak teachings."

"We defeated you."

"By chance."

"Maybe."

Stryfe glowered. "The opportunity was, you have to admit, improbable."

"But you gave it. And we took advantage. There's always *some* element of chance."

They'd probably had this conversation a thousand times now. Well, hundreds. But Stryfe found that he was oddly exhilerated to have this common argument with the Askani'Son. As if, in some way, it was... home. Which was highly ridiculous. Of course, the Chaos Bringer having a cat with five kittens was even more ridiculous.

Nathan sneezed. "You'd be happy if I were allergic, wouldn't you."

"To me, yes."

"To the cats." He corrected with a grin.

"Yes, again."

"You're jealous that they like me." As one was currently sitting on his foot and purring, and Stryfe was glaring at it, this was a little hard to argue with.

Stryfe didn't reply, instead scritching the kitten perched on his leg with great attention.

Nathan smirked.

Stryfe looked at him, "What?"

"Oh... nothing."

Letting it drop, since he didn't feel like getting teased further, Stryfe sighed and leaned back against the wall behind the cot.

"Relaxed?"

"Probably."

Snorting, Nathan imitated him, mirroring the sigh and pose of relaxation perfectly.

Stryfe eyed him. "Copycat."

"Looked comfortable."

Stryfe grunted.

"I find it so," Nate continued. "You look a little unhappy still, though."

"You're here."

"Ah yes. I'd noticed that."

Stryfe closed his eyes, wondering if Dayspring would go away if he just ignored him in favour of sleep.

"Anything interesting in there?"

"In where?" He couldn't resist asking.

"Your eyelids."

He popped one open. "No."

Nate grinned infuriatingly, "So I'm more interesting?"

"No."

"Ah. Better go back to sleep then, you'll heal faster."

"Thank you." Stryfe closed his eye again.

Nathan didn't move.

"Go *away*, Dayspring."

"In case you've forgotten, this place is mine now."

"Yes, but you're usually slightly more considerate than this."

A shrug shook the cot slightly, "I don't feel like being considerate."

Stryfe eyed him. "Petulance doesn't suit you."

"I'm not being petulant."

"Oh." Stryfe opened his other eye. "Well, why won't you go away, then?"

"Do you give the orders here?" Nathan snorted, "I don't think so." He caught one of the kittens, "Besides, I like the cats."

"Of course." Stryfe sighed.

"You could just go to sleep with me here, Stryfe."

"No."

"Why not?"

Stryfe gave him a Look.

"Oh. Right. Captor, captive." Nathan gestured between the two of them.

"Yes." As if the reminder had bothered him, Stryfe stood stiffly and walked towards the door. "Leave."

Nathan sighed. "I don't," he pointed out gently, "take orders from you. But I assure you, if I wanted to kill you in your sleep, I would have gotten around to it by now."

"Good." Stryfe crossed his arms, "Please."

"The magic word," Nate smiled crookedly, "If it means enough that you're saying please, I guess I could."

Stryfe looked mildly hopeful.

"But, on the other hand..."

A knock came from the door, and both combatants blinked at each other before the door opened on its own accord. Aliya stood there, Tyler on her hip and her bodyguard behind. "Ah, there you are, Nathan."

Nathan slid off the cot and to his feet. "Indeed. You were looking for me, beloved?"

::Stryfe has been... projecting irritation. I figured I'd find you provoking him.::

He gave her an innocent look. ::Me?::

::Yes.:: She smiled at Stryfe, "Yes. I need you to take Tyler for a while."

"But I'm sick." Nathan pointed out.

"So was he."

"True." Nathan accepted the child, who made delighted noises.

A kitten pounced on Aliya's boot, batting at the tassle. She leaned over and scooped it up. "Hello."

"Mew." The kitten replied, then squirmed free and climbed onto her shoulder.

Aliya grinned and turned to look at it, a bit cross-eyed. The kitten batted at her nose, claws in.

"May I ask the occasion?" Stryfe inquired drily. "Obviously it's not *too* urgent..."

"Just another of the endless round of State Meetings. We'll probably spend three-fourths of it arguing over what type of table to have at the next one." She sighed and removed the kitten to the floor. "But, I must go. Table discussions, chair cushions, and cloth wall-coverings await our every command."

Stryfe stared at her. "You're joking. Of course, I almost hope you're *not*..."

"Maybe." She grinned at Nathan, "He's expected back in the nursery in about ten minutes. Hope may stalk you if he doesn't appear."

"What about Kyrin?" he asked, giving Stryfe an arch look.

The Chaos Bringer rather glowered at him.

"She's doing something in one of the wings right now." Aliya headed for the door, carefully dodging the playing kittens.

Nathan waited until the door closed to direct an amused look at Stryfe. "Too bad, then."

"I'm sure." Stryfe curled up on the cot, a kitten flopping immediately on him. "I suggest you go to the nursery. Please."

Studying the curled man for a moment, Nathan thought of pointing out that, really, he didn't have to do what Stryfe said. But there was a quiet exhaustion in the figure he made on the cot, so he didn't. Tyler gurgled as he stood, the child tucked under one arm. "I'll leave you to the kittens."

"Thank you."

"And I'll make sure to let Kyrin know you don't think she's lovely," Nate added as he stepped out the door, a telekinetic shield keeping the kittens from dashing out into the corridor.

Stryfe sighed as his captor disappeared. This provoked the kitten--almost grown now, actually, but the generational distinction was convenient, or perhaps he just hadn't bothered to break the habit--to walk over him and peer into his face.

Pathetic.

Nathan had left out of *pity.*

And he had encouraged the impression.

It was later in the evening, Tyler was asleep, and Aliya was stretched out on top of the covers happily watching Nathan get ready for bed.

He looked at her in amusement, "How'd that meeting go?"

"Fine. We decided on green tablecloths." She rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin on her hands, elbows placed on the bed below. "Why do you annoy Stryfe?"

"It's entertaining." Nathan paused for a moment, then added, "And he's a surprisingly good conversational challenge under the circumstances."

"Yes." She paused, trying to find a way to word what she was thinking correctly. "And, he's a prisoner. With a lot of enmity against him."

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"And, I just worry. What if... What if someone decides to take matters into their own hands, and remove him. Permanently?"

"It hasn't been all *that* long since we'd have been delighted at the idea of *anyone* killing him," Nathan pointed out.

"Then why did you decide to keep him? We've spared as many as we could, but that's partly because most people have to take a side whether they want to or not..."

Nathan sighed. "I still have the feeling... that it's somehow my fault he was ever Apocalypse's, that I should have been able to do something--I might have, maybe even without too much real mind-twisting, not that I really knew how back then--when I was thirteen, but I dropped him..."

Aliya said quietly, "It was none of your doing."

"No, it wasn't. But I think I still should have *tried*." He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking into the past. "And I didn't."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his side. "Yes. But if you could change that, you would. Just like you would change other things, even the loss of your parents."

"At any rate... fair or not to anyone else, which it isn't, I didn't want to kill him out of hand." Nathan smirked faintly. "His distaste for Haight didn't hurt there, I admit. And we've kept him safely enough..." He stroked Aliya's hair. "I sometimes think it may be changing him--not just the way being imprisoned normally would have to, that is. Maybe it's the cats."

"Maybe it's the good genes you inherited from him finally coming to the fore." She teased gently.

Nathan snorted. "And there we thought I'd taken them all."

"Do you think he'll ever trust us?"

"I think the real question is, do we ever trust him?" He sat further back on the bed, pulling her along with him. "I actually don't know."

"It's easy enough to scan him, as he is. The day I can't sneak past the shields on a damped psi without getting his attention..."

Whether that was ethical or not, the man they were discussing was a prisoner. Before the quirk of time that had allowed his capture, he'd waged war against them, and taken over the scattered remnants of Apocalypse's regime. Nathan half-smiled at her. "So, we wait."

-tbc-