Chapter Four: Housing:

    Since Naoko had nowhere to go, he and his new doll stayed the night at the police station. Pandora sneered at the whole idea.

    "This is sure a downgrade from what I'm used to!" she hissed. "I've slept in nicer places than *this* dump! They could've at least put us in a cheap motel! The beds are *much* softer than these chairs here!"

    "Hey, I have no money!" Naoko pointed out, complaining. Pandora stared at him still sneering at him.

    "No money at all?" she asked. The mouse should his head. The kitty sighed some.

    "Figures!" she mumbled. "Still, better than living on the streets tonight." Then another crossed her mind. "Hey, Naoko," she said. Her new owner looked up at her.

    "Yeah?" he asked. Pandora sat up a little bit.

    "How have you managed up to this point?" she asked. "I mean, did you live on the street like before?" Naoko shook his head.

    "Just," he began. "I make do with what's at hand. Sometimes I sleep in shelters. Other times, a stranger is kind enough to stay in their house for a couple of days until I leave again. It's just a matter of what I run into." Pandora stared on at him in silence. Naoko noticed her face.

    "It's not really that bad," he said. "I meet all sorts of people and see different stuff." Pandora still wasn't too keen on the idea.

    "So you planning to leave soon?" she asked. "If so, do I *have* to go with you?" Naoko shrugged and shook his head.

    "By the way things are looking," he answered. "It doesn't look like I'll be leaving any time soon." The mouse paused for a moment. "Why do you care so much?" he asked. "I thought you hated this city so much." Pandora sighed.

    "I can't," she replied. Her master looked at her oddly.

    "Why can't you?" he asked. Pandora sighed as she shrugged at him. Could she let him in on the plan now? It seemed a little too early to do all of that. But, something told her that he wasn't going to let up on her that easily. So, what to do? What to do? The kitty nervous bit her lip. Well, here goes!

    "I can't tell you that," she replied. "Not just yet anyway." The mouse raised an eyebrow at her.

    "It's just..." the doll began again. Suddenly, the lights went out around them. The pair looked up right away. Pandora felt a little better.

    "Oh, look at that!" she said. "Lights out already!" Naoko didn't let up so easily.

    "What do you mean not just yet?" he questioned in suspicion. Pandora didn't answer him at first. She lied down on her side.

    "If you insist on knowing that badly," she replied at last. "I will tell you when the time is right. Go to sleep for now." The kitty shut her eyes to follow her own words. Naoko looked at her blankly.

    "Beside of you?" he asked.

    "No!" Pandora snapped. "Stay right where you are!" Naoko looked on at her nervously.

    "Okay then..." he said. Then, the mouse curled up on his end and went to sleep. The next morning, Naoko and Pandora were assigned a new place to live.

    "'Bout time!" Pandora snapped. "I have always hated police stations! I always end up getting dumped off there by some jerk in the end!" Naoko looked at the cop driving them to the new place.

    "Excuse me," the mouse spoke up. "Can you tell us exactly where we are going?" The cop looked at them through the rear mirror.

    "Oh," he replied. "Just a nice apartment complex in the city." Naoko looked at him confused.

    "How will I be able to afford such a place?" he asked. The cop gave him an evil smirk.

    "Oh, you'll find a way to pay for it!" he replied with a sinister tone. "Trust me!" Pandora and Naoko sat in the back seat silently. They didn't like the sound of that! In three hours, they came to the place that they would now call home.

    "Here you are!" the cop announced. "Welcome home! Make the most of this place, you two!" Naoko and Pandora looked out the window. Shock was painted all over their faces.

    "WOW!" they said in unison. This was no ordinary apartment complex. This building could put the Hilton Hotels to shame. Old and new elegance had bred to produce this slice of Heaven on Earth. The bricks looked as white as the snow in winter. The color was so clean, that the sun reflected off of the surface. The gardens looked so green like new money. The granite statues completed the Zen look that the apartment was trying to achieve. A smile came onto Pandora's face.

    "Now, this is more like it!" she boomed. Naoko still looked on uneasily.

    "How will I be able to afford it?" he asked. Pandora slapped him hard on the back.

    "Worry about that later!" she boomed. Naoko flinched in pain.

    "That's right. Now get out of my car!" the cop commanded. The pair did so silently. Once they were out, the cop sped off to the station. Naoko turned to his doll.

    "Ready to do this?" he asked. Pandora nodded once.

    "Sure," she said. The mouse pulled out a folded up sheet of paper. He opened it up and read the information. Pandora read on with him.

    "Let's see," her master said. "We will live on the top floor in apartment 902."

    "Okay, let's go!" the doll said. The mouse nodded. He took the key that was taped down off of the sheet of paper and held it tightly in his hand. They produced inside. The lobby resembled one of a college dorm mixed with a hotel's. The pair took a quick look around before going onwards. They made it to the elevator. Naoko pushed the up button. When the doors opened, the pair walked inside. They rode all the way up to the top. They got off and walked all the way down the hall. When they came to apartment 902, the mouse unlocked the door. The pair looked inside the empty apartment. Pandora mouthed "wow" as she looked around. Naoko looked around, still feeling out of place. "I'm home... I guess..." he thought. Welcome home, cat and mouse!