Chapter 2

"Oh? Splendid, splendid!" Romulus cheered, moving to the desk in the room, "Who do you want me to sue, eh?" He laughed.

"Oh come now, Romulus," Katyusha began, a little irritated, "I don't wish to sue anyone, I simply want to make my will."

"Will, eh? Will, will." Romulus began, getting out pen and paper, "Now then, who gets the fortune?"

Katyusha began, "Well as you know, I have no living relatives, so naturally I want my beloved cats to always be well cared."

Meanwhile, her conversation escaped through a call microphone that led up to Roderich's room, meaning he could hear the whole conversation. At this time, he was ironing his clothes.

"Certainly no one can do this better then my faithful servant, Roderich."

To the sound of his name through the microphone, Roderich turned towards it and listened.

"Edgar? Katyusha do you mean you're leaving your vast fortune to Roderich?" Romulus could be heard over the microphone. "Everything you poses? Stocks of money, this mansion, your treasures and, and-?

Roderich blew a kiss to the microphone and did a small victory dance. But then it was ruined.

"Oh no, no, Romulus, to my cats." Katyusha corrected him.

"To your cats?" Romulus asked.

"Cats?!" Roderich cried in disappointment. Roderich sat on his bed and looked down sadly.

"Yes, Romulus." Katyusha began, still being heard over the microphone, "I simply wish to have inherit first. Then at the end of their lifespan, my entire estate with be given to Roderich."

Roderich looked up when the conversation over the microphone had ended. He wasn't pleased.

"Cats inherit first?!" He yowled disapprovingly, "And I come after the cats. It-it's not fair!" He jumped up and hit his head on the microphone, "Ow!"

He continued to rant to himself, "I mean, each cat will live about twelve years; and each cat had nine lives! That's…four times twelve…multiplied by…nine times…" He got mixed up in the frustration. "No, no, anyway! That's longer then I'll ever live!" Roderich drooped his head.

"I'll be gone." He said in a worried tone. Suddenly, a devious idea popped into his head. "No…no, no, they'll be gone. I'll think of a way. There are many reasons why I should!" He cheered. "All of those dollars. Millions….Those cats have got to go!"

….

Meanwhile, outside, the kittens ran to the cat door at the house's front door. They raced down the block.

"Wait for me, wait for me!" Mathias called.

"Me first, me first!" Natalya declared. And then they all jumped through the small cat door altogether, getting stuck.

"Why should you go first?" Lukas asked with attitude.

"Cause I'm a lady, that's why." Natalya said with prowess.

"Ah, you're not a lady." Lukas retorted.

"You're nothing but our sister!" Mathias growled, pulling her tail back and making her hit the door.

"Oof!" She cried. She watched her brothers run off ahead of her. She fumed with annoyance. "I'll show you if I'm a lady or not." She raced after them. Lukas hid behind a chair and let her chase Mathias. Mathias turned her over and began to tickle her belly.

"Get her, Mathias, get her!" He cried. Suddenly the kittens came running back towards him. Lukas ran away and jumped on a table above them, holding onto a candlestick. Below, Natalya had grabbed Mathias' ribbon with her teeth and tried to pull it off.

"Stop it!" He snarled.

"Females never fight fair!" Lukas called. Suddenly the candlestick slipped from his paws and hit Natalya right on the head.

"Ow! Now that hurt." She snarled. "Mama, mama!"

Elizabeta walked into the room. "Natalya, darling, Natalya you must stop that, this is really not lady-like." She scolded softly. "And Mathias, this behavior is most unbecoming to a lovely gentlemen."

"Well, she started it." Mathias retorted, giving a swift glare to his sister.

"Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!" Natalya snarled. Mathias grew angry and stuck out his tongue.

"Mathias; now don't be rude." Elizabeta warned softly.

Mathias glanced at her, "We were just practicing our biting and clawing." He grinned.

"Aristocrats, do not practice, biting and clawing and stuff like that is just horrible!" Elizabeta said with a nervous tone. Lukas looked down at them and grinned:

"But some day, we might meet a tough alley cat." He snarled playfully, wriggling his rump to pounce. He jumped down and hissed, pretending to be a fierce stray. Elizabeta laughed at the adorable scene.

"I guess so." She mewed, trying to please them, "It's time we concerned ourselves with self- improvement. It's so you can grow up to be charming ladies and gentlemen. Now Lukas, you go and start on with your painting." She nodded to a large stool which stood in front of a large canvas.

"Yes Mama." He mewed, running to the stool. He jumped up excitedly.

"Mama, may we watch Lukas paint before our music lesson? Please?" Natalya asked pleadingly.

"Well, yes my love but, we must be very quiet." She answered. In the meantime Lukas was spewing paint onto the table, and some fell to the floor and almost hit Mathias, who glared up at his brother.

Lukas cleared his throat and began to mix the colors together. He jumped to the canvas and began to paint. He spread pink and all the other colors all over the canvas to make a strange face. He painted a butler with a large cowlick.

"Yeah." Lukas stopped, his painting finished.

"Heh, heh, it's Roderich!" Natalya laughed.

"Yeah, Roderich!" Mathias laughed.

Elizabeta couldn't lie, it looked funny. She let out a little giggle. "Oh, it is a little funny."

Mathias doubled over in laughter, falling onto the floor.

"Now, Mathias, that is not kind. You know Roderich is so fond of all of us, and takes very good care of us." She smiled.

….

Meanwhile a certain 'man who takes good care of them' was preparing a special dish of milk for the cats. Holding a bottle in his hand, which contained sleeping tablets.

"Rock-a-bye kittens, bye-bye you go. La, la, la, la, and I'm in the dough." Ha sang. "Oh Roderich, you sly old fox." He complimented himself. He continued to mix ingredients in the pot and stir them with a spoon. He lifted up the spoon to taste to see if it was read.

"Whoops! Oh, man." He breathed, realizing he almost put himself to sleep, "Drink up a little and it's off to dreamland. I say that's not all bad. Gives you a good sleep." He chuckled.

….

"Now let's leave Lukas to his painting." Elizabeta mewed. "Natalya, you run over to the piano dear, now come on, both of you, go ahead." She nudged Natalya ahead.

"Yes Mama." She mewed, flicking her tail in Mathias' face.

"Yes Mama." He snarled softly. He jumped on top of Natalya and they began to wrestle their way to the piano, to see who good get there first. Mathias jumped on the seat but was pulled down by the tail by Natalya.

"Ouch!" He snarled, falling to the floor on his butt.

Natalya raced up to the top of the piano and sat down, glaring down at Mathias. Mathias in turn, to annoy her, he began to crack his knuckles, getting on her nerves.

"I'm ready, maestro." She mewed. Mathias got himself ready. He slid his paws across the piano keys and had them squish Natalya's tail. "Oh!" She cried. "Mama, he did it again!" She looked at her squished tail.

Mathias glared at her. "Tattletale." He grumbled.

Elizabeta jumped up onto a chair next to them. "Now Mathias, now please darling settle down and play me your pretty little song."

"Yes Mama." He replied. He began to play a nice song on the piano, which Natalya sang along to. It didn't take long for Lukas and Elizabeta to join in, and the whole room was full of singing.

Once they ended, they heard the door open, revealing Roderich. "Ah, good evening, my little ones." He smiled. He walked in, and the kittens ran up to him and padded at his feet.

"Your favorite dish, prepared a very special way." Roderich grinned, placing the bowls on the floor. "It's crème de la crème al la Roderich." The kittens rushed to it and began to lap at it hungrily.

"Sleep well-I, I mean, eat well, of course." He smirked, walking out of the room. The cats began to continue to lap at their meal, enjoying the sweet taste.

Further in the room, from a small hole in the wall, a small mouse scented the smell of the sweet dish. He sniffed the air and smiled. He grasped a cracker in his small paws and raced over. He cleared his throat, "Good evening, Elizabeta. Ciao, kittens!"

Natalya turned and smiled. "Hello, Feliciano!"

"Hi, Feliciano!" Mathias smiled.

"Good evening, Feliciano." Elizabeta dipped her head in welcome. The little mouse sniffed the air.

"Something smells good! What's that smell?" The little mouse squeaked.

"It's crème de la crème a la Roderich!" Natalya grinned.

"Won't you join us, Mr. Feliciano?" Elizabeta asked with a smile.

"Well yes-I, I mean I don't mean to interrupt, but…it just so happens that…I have a cracker with me." He grinned.

"Come on, Feli, have some!" Mathias called.

The little mouse rushed over. "Oh, thank you!" He cheered. He dipped his cracker in the dish a few times and began to munch it. "This is great." He grinned.

"Mm, this is yummy." Natalya grinned, shaking the water from the dish off her nose.

"That was wonderful." The Italian mouse squeaked. "This calls for another cracker. I'll be right back!" He said, running to the hole in the wall.

The cats continued to eat, but then Mathias let out a large yawn, followed by the others.

The sleeping tablets were taking their affect.

Feliciano yawned as he walked. "So…that's…crème…crème…a la….Roderich…" He sighed, falling to the floor, falling fast asleep. And the cats did the same.

Author's note!

Just picture Feli as a small mouse. Aww.

Anyway, the adventure part comes next chapter. So, tomorrow the adventure begins!

See you in the next chapter! :3

Tails