Disclaimer: I don't own Phillip Jackson, Sequential Art, Collected Curios, Kat, Art, Pip, or Hilary.

A/N: Kat Vance is a badass. Mindless fluff, I suppose, even though I should be working on my other fics. And as I'm re-reading this, just, wow! Kat is really OOC. I suppose she probably has a tender side, but this might be a little much. Whatever, it's cute.

This is, chronologically speaking, the first part of my Sequential Art series, you should read the others too, because they're even better.

Old Friends, Old Enemies

I stood there, seething with anger at the bitch that had tormented me every year of high school. I could practically feel my fur standing on end. But if Hilary felt the anger in me directed at her, she didn't notice. Art, however, did.

"Hey Kat, what's wrong?"

I liked Art, he was a bit of a perv, but he was a guy. What did I honestly expect? Other than that though, he was talented, and funny, and really nice. Not to mention he was pretty cute, not that I would ever tell him that, of course. All of this, however, was at the back of my mind as I glared my trademark combination of lasers and daggers into that evil bunny's back. Unfortunately, my lightsabers had no effect, so I did the next best thing.

"SLUT!"

Only then did she turn around, one fake eyebrow raised in confusion. However, her eyes narrowed and she grinned evilly as she walked over to me.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Hello Kathleen." She said, sneering when she said my name. Only Art's calming hand on my arm prevented me from kicking her ass right then and there.

"I was wondering if you were going to be here. I'm amazed you're willing to show your pathetic excuse for a face around here. I certainly wouldn't have."

She turned to Art and with a sickeningly seductive smile on her face spoke to him,

"You must have walked in at the wrong time, handsome. It's a shame you had to breathe the same air as that thing" snorting at me before continuing, "why don't you come with me? We'll have a real good time."

My anger prevented any kind of verbal response, and my muscles strained, eager to punch that whore right in her ugly face. Luckily, Art stepped in for me, putting his arm on my shoulder protectively. I would hate to be arrested for murder during my high school reunion.

"I'd ask who you are, but I really don't care. You're not worth my time, much less Kat's, so why don't you just hop away before you spread whatever you have around."

The expression on her face was something that I will treasure for as long as I live. It was the perfect mixture of anger, shock of rejection, and envy. It only lasted a moment, before that sickly sweet smile reappeared, and she turned around and stalked away. I finally relaxed enough to look up at Art and smile as he muttered "What a whore!"

Then he looked down at me and asked me, "So other than being a total bitch, what'd she do to you?"

At this, I was instantly brought back in time to one particular incident. I don't know why my mind picked that time; it certainly wasn't the worst thing she'd ever done to me, but it was one of the more memorable ones.

'Hmmm, looks a little bit crooked, turn it to the left just, a, bit... There we go! Now, on to the next-'

*Pst! Commando.*

"EEEEEE!"

"Hey, no she's not!"

"... Kat? Kat? Hey! Kathleen!"

I shook my head, startled,

"What?"

"Look, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be doing that with your teeth. It's not healthy."

I suddenly noticed that I was grinding my teeth, and it was starting to hurt my jaw, so I forced myself to close my eyes and take a deep breath to try to relax and let go of my anger. It was just starting to work when I nearly jumped out of my skin, feeling a pair of smooth hands come into contact my shoulders, then calmed when they started rubbing, massaging my neck fur.

I sighed deeply, "Thanks Art. I just... thanks."

And then my heart skipped a beat as I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing him smiling down at me with the most gentle and... caring smile I had ever seen. Best of all, his eyes stayed focused solely on my face, no easy feat considering the dress I was wearing. We stood there for an eternity that was far too short, then he seemed to realize where we were and awkwardly stepped away from me, coughing slightly to cover his embarrassment. I smiled at him shyly, and he spoke, still blushing slightly.

"Ummm, where's everybody going?"

"I don't know, why don't we follow them and find out?"

He cleared his throat and, much more composed than before, headed off towards the building that most of the former students, were converging on. I followed him, just a bit closer than before, glad that I had decided to come to this after all.

I don't know what I was thinking, there was no way she thought of me like that. It's just, she looked so stunningly beautiful with the moon on her face, staring up at me with her wide, cute eyes. I shook my head to clear it, this was neither the time nor place to think about it. But damn, she was hot when she was angry.

We finally reached the auditorium and sat down for some kind of presentation. The bunny bitch, Hilary, walked onto the stage and searched the crowd before finding Kat and I. She grinned evilly, and I knew that whatever was coming next was going to be unpleasant.

"So, we were digging through old school records and we found a few interesting things: old school pictures!"

I didn't see what the problem was, but I heard Kat gasp and mutter under her breath "Oh no..."

As the slideshow began playing, I turned to Kat to ask what was the matter, but was interrupted by the speaker's obnoxious voice,

"And here's little Katty Vance in her first year here! Doesn't that oil-derrick in her mouth make her look adorable?!"

I heard laughter from the assembled audience, and looked over to see Kat with a pale face and an expression of sheer horror at the sight. She slowly put her hands over her face, shuddering slightly. I didn't know what the problem was, I thought it was incredibly adorable, but I heard her whisper, "Oh God, not again..."

"So Kat..."

She looked at me, unshed tears glittering in her eyes.

"I didn't know you were so cute in highschool."

She froze, then slowly wiped her eyes and asked, "W-what?"

I shrugged, "You. In high school. You were really... good-looking."

She simply sat there looking stunned, then managed to force out a very small, "Really?"

I smiled at her reassuringly, "Well yeah. I mean, what's not to like?"

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree with a beautiful and unforgettable smile, but then she stopped and hesitated,

"But what about the... Ya know...", she said, gesturing hopelessly towards her mouth,

"Oil-derrick?" I finished for her, grinning mischievously.

She just nodded and I shrugged,

"I think it's adorable."

She smiled brightly and snuggled up next to me, clutching my arm tightly. Overall, I think it was a pretty good night.

At the end of the night, Art and I walked back to the car, arm-in-arm, quietly enjoying life. I didn't say a word the whole drive back, and I caught Art glancing at me worriedly a couple of times, but he didn't say anything, which I was grateful for. When we finally arrived home, I quickly showered and tried to go to bed, physically exhausted but mentally restless.

Eventually, I headed up to the roof where I sometimes went when I couldn't sleep, but when I opened the trapdoor to the roof, I was surprised to see Art sitting up there too. I didn't want to disturb him, so I began to climb back down, but stopped when he quietly called to me.

"Come here, Kathleen."

I was mildly surprised, he rarely used my full name, and slowly walked across the roof and sat down as close to him as I dared. He startled me by putting his arm on my shoulders and pulling me close. I blushed furiously and hoped that he couldn't see in the night, then relaxed and put my head on his shoulder. We sat like this for a while, simply observing the stars, but then he spoke,

"So, why can't you sleep?"

His concern made me smile slightly, but at the same time, I wasn't quite certain how to answer.

"I don't know. I was thinking, I guess."

I felt him nod, "About what?"

"Tonight, I guess. I mean, the whole thing would have sucked if it weren't for you. I mean, first I had to deal with Hilary, and then there was that whole braces thing... I just... Argh, dammit, I'm not good with words!"

I stood up and started pacing. Art looked unconcerned by my agitation, but eventually, he stood up and walked over to me. I wasn't certain what he was doing, so I tensed and blushed when he enveloped me in a tight hug. Pretty soon, I relaxed and put my head on his chest, sighing in content. He began rubbing my back, causing me to unconsciously purr. At this he stopped and, with a bit of amusement, asked me

"Are you purring?"

I noticed and smiled softly

"Maaaybe..."

He laughed slightly, then resumed his massaging. I sighed,

"I guess what I'm trying to say is... Thanks. For being without a doubt the kindest, sweetest, most caring... Well, whatever. You get the idea."

He squeezed slightly, showing that he understood, then I yawned widely and he looked down at me and asked,

"Tired?"

I nodded, suddenly feeling my exhaustion, and moved to escape his embrace to head downstairs, but he would have none of that. He swept me up, bridal style, and carefully climbed down off the roof, carrying me to my room and setting me down on the bed. He tucked me in, very gently, and I smiled as he said goodnight and quietly closed the door. He was the last thought I had as I fell into a deep, wonderfully comforting sleep.

I wasn't certain why I had agreed to go to that reunion, I guess when Kat does the big eyes thing, I just can't resist, but I was glad that I did go. It was definitely the most fun I've had in a while, entirely due to Kat of course, and seeing her without her barriers is a rare and beautiful thing. I doubt she thinks of me like I think of her, but I'm happy seeing her happy. I don't know what possessed me to do some of that crap, I certainly didn't want to screw up what we already had. Still, the last thing on my mind as I fell asleep was her beautiful, smiling face.

A/N part II: The opinions in this story definitely do reflect the opinions of the author. I hate the peppy slutty cheerleader types at my school, and I do think that brace-faced Kat is super cute.