So far, this is the last chapter I have for this story, but hopefully I'll start writing this again soon. Anyway, enjoy, and maybe I'll see you guys around!


As the five girls sat down in their normal booth, Minako gave the moon princess a demanding stare. "All right, Usagi-chan," she said, her tone deceptively soft, "now that we're here, it's time to tell us what happened last night."

"And don't leave anything out," Makoto added, pounding a fist on the table.

Usagi giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. After accidentally mentioning that morning before class that she had helped their new history teacher move into his apartment, Minako and Makoto questioned her nonstop about it. Not wanting to garner the attention of their female classmates – who she knew would also be interested to learn where the redhead lived – she promised to tell them about it after school.

"There's not much to tell, really," she replied slowly. "We took stuff out of boxes, Minamino-sensei told us where to put them away. It got late, and then Mamo-chan took me home."

"Oh, c'mon, Usagi-chan!" Minako whined. "You were in his apartment for four hours! You must have learned something about him!"

The dumpling-haired teen hesitated for a moment; she knew she should be careful about what she revealed to her friends, especially considering what happened last night. "Well…" she finally answered, "I learned that his mother got remarried three years ago, and he has a little stepbrother."

"No way!" Makoto said. "How'd you get all that?"

"I was…kinda looking through one of his photo albums."

Minako and Makoto leaned across the table, staring at their friend. "No way!" they exclaimed.

Ami and Rei could only sit and watch as the rabbit gradually disclosed more details to the two eager listeners. After taking a sip of her soda, the blue-haired girl sighed. "Most of the other girls at school could only talk about Minamino-sensei too," she commented with a shake of her head. "Even if he wasn't in school today, he left quite an impression among the students."

The temple Miko stirred her iced tea with her straw, listening more to the ice rattle against her glass than to what the other three were talking about. "So what's so special about him?" she wondered, though wasn't really too interested.

"Only that he's one of the most amazing people ever," Makoto replied, wringing her hands and staring at the ceiling dreamily.

Minako sighed longingly as she joined the brunette. "His long, crimson hair and brilliant emerald eyes…that gorgeous smile that can make your heart melt…He's thin, but strong, too, I can tell…And he's smart. Ami-chan even said so."

Ami smiled a bit and glanced out the window with a distant look in her eyes. "He is intelligent," she conceded. "And he's polite, too. He also seemed ready to help those who have trouble in class."

Usagi giggled softly. "It sounds like Ami-chan is interested in Minamino-sensei, too," she quipped.

Blinking back to reality, the soldier of wisdom blushed slightly. "It's not like that," she protested, though kept her eyes averted. "Besides, no matter how many girls are interested in him, he's still our teacher. It wouldn't be right for him to –"

"Hey!" Minako said, waving a finger in her friend's face. "Even though he's our teacher, he's still young! Besides, he's only about two years older than we are! I bet he's looking for that right girl. And I'm gonna 'help' make sure he finds just the right one," she added, placing her hand to her chest.

"Not if I 'help' him first," Makoto challenged, and the two playfully glared at each other, kicking off the new friendly rivalry for their teacher's attention.

Rei rolled her eyes a bit before turning to look at the Venus girl. "I thought some girls don't need a man," she softly reminded her friend.

Glancing at the raven-haired girl, Minako winked. "Even if some girls don't need a man, it'd still be nice to have one."

At that, Rei couldn't help but smile. Even though she herself had no interest in men, she had to admit that she admired Minako's courage to continue searching for someone despite the odds mounted against her.

After the ordeal with Chaos, Minako had confided in her about the ominous fortune she received from Adonis – how he predicted that she would never find love. She remembered the forlorn look in Minako's eyes, and could feel the heaviness in her heart. And it was strange to think that the protector of love would never really have a chance to truly experience it herself.

But even with that dark prophecy drifting over her life, Minako didn't stop trying. She kept looking for someone who she might give her love to, someone who could give love in return. She sought for someone to accept her, and to share in the kind of beauty that Usagi and Mamoru have; perhaps it could never be as strong as the love between the prince and princess, but it could still be wonderful.

With things as quiet as they've been for the past year, Rei hoped that maybe Minako could finally have that chance to find someone. Still, she knew that even if Minako did find someone, it would be a strained relationship since the Senshi could never give herself completely to anyone else. Their duty remained with their princess, and they've committed their lives to her. It would be difficult to find any guy who she could reveal her whole self to, and who could absolutely understand that; knowing that he could never be anything but second in the Venus soldier's heart. The same would happen in any romantic relationship Minako pursued, and Rei just didn't want her to get hurt.

That was the point of Adonis's final message, she knew. Yet she thought that maybe – just maybe – he was wrong, and she even wished that Minako would find someone. Because they deserved to be happy too.

Didn't they?

Everyone jumped a little when Minako suddenly slammed her hands down, the table and their drinks rattling as she abruptly got to her feet. "No way…!" she said.

"What is it, Minako-chan?" Ami wondered.

The blonde didn't answer and ignored the curious looks of her friends. Instead, she started waving one arm in the air, cupping her mouth with her free hand as she called out, "Minamino-sensei!"

The other girls looked across the Crown Fruit Parlor to see the red-haired man standing at the entrance. Hearing his name, he glanced in their direction, his emerald eyes blinking in surprise. Then a small smile appeared on his face, and he slowly approached them.

Somehow, Minako managed to slip out of their booth and met him as he stood at their table. "Hi, Minamino-sensei!" she said, unable to contain her excitement.

"Good afternoon, Aino-san," he greeted with a polite nod. Then he turned to his students still sitting at the table. "Hello, girls."

"Good afternoon, Minamino-sensei," Ami, Makoto, and Usagi all greeted.

"Are you all done with your classes today?" the rabbit wondered.

"Not yet, I'm afraid," he said, a sigh faintly trailing his response. "But I had some time to kill before my next class, so I thought I'd take a look around and try to learn where everything is."

"Well, you found a good place!" Minako grinned, presenting the small café with a wave of her arms. "Welcome to the Crown Fruit Parlor. Their sodas are especially tasty and are a great way to uplift any weary or gloomy mood."

The teacher chuckled softly. "So this must be a popular place for students to hang out, huh?"

"Sure. High school and university students come here all the time."

"I see." Brushing back crimson strands from his eyes, he then glanced at the raven-haired girl who quietly stared at him. "Oh…Excuse me," he said, turning to face her completely. "I don't believe we've met."

"Oh right!" Minako said. "Minamino-sensei, this is our friend, Hino Rei-chan. She goes to T.A. Private Girls School."

"Ah hah…That explains the uniform style," he replied. With a polite bow, he then extended his hand to her. "It's nice to meet you, Hino-san."

She nodded as she accepted his hand, trying as hard as she could not to narrow her eyes as she watched him. Though she was startled to be so amazed by his attractive features, her mind cleared quickly when the sudden eerie feeling penetrated her senses with painful clarity. She knew…something was not right with this man.

"Would you like to join us, Minamino-sensei?" Makoto asked, motioning to their table. "We could always make room for one more."

"Oh, that's all right, Kino-san," Shuuichi replied. "I think I should look around for a bit more before I head back to campus."

"Would you like someone to show you around?" Minako offered eagerly.

Looking at her, he smiled gently. "Thank you, Aino-san," he said, "but I wouldn't want to trouble you. Besides, shouldn't you girls be studying?"

Minako, Makoto, and Usagi averted their eyes sheepishly, but Ami answered for all of them, "We will, Sensei, as soon as we're finished here."

With a soft laugh, the redhead gave her a wink. "Make sure these girls study hard, all right, Mizuno-san?"

She smiled her response, and Shuuichi quickly glanced at his watch. "Well, I better get going, then." Slipping his hands into his pockets, he turned to his students. "I'll see you girls in class tomorrow morning."

"Bye, Minamino-sensei," the four girls responded, Makoto and Minako more enthusiastically than the other two.

Turning to the priestess, he bowed again. "It was nice meeting you, Hino-san," he repeated.

"Mmm…" she said softly, watching as her friends' teacher turned and walked back towards the doorway. Just before he headed out, however, she saw him glance back in their direction, meeting her eyes with unreadable emerald depths. Then he disappeared from sight, yet the heavy feeling still lingered over her.

With a satisfied sigh, Minako plopped back down into the booth next to Rei, a large grin spreading over her face. "Well?" she asked her raven-haired friend. "Whatcha think?"

"Isn't he awesome?" Makoto swooned, glancing out the window to get a glimpse of him heading down the street. "I never thought we'd run into him here."

"It's just like that night when I ran into him!" the warrior of love exclaimed.

The Jupiter girl laughed. "Except that you didn't crash into him this time."

As the blonde stuck her tongue out at the taller girl, Rei looked at her. "You've run into him before?" she wondered.

"Literally," Usagi giggled.

"Can we drop that, please?" Minako moaned.

"Minako-chan," the warrior of flame said, "I think you better be careful around him."

The other four girls looked at the Miko curiously. "What?" Minako asked. "You mean Minamino-sensei?"

Ami watched their friend with a serious frown. "Did you sense something, Rei-chan?"

Rei nodded. "It felt like he's hiding something…wrapped in an aura of darkness."

"Minamino-sensei?" Makoto said doubtfully. "No way!"

"Darkness…" Usagi whispered slowly, placing a hand to her heart. "Actually…Mamo-chan said he felt something like that about Minamino-sensei too…"

Minako turned to the moon princess with wide sapphire eyes. "Usagi-chan…?"

Violet eyes narrowing, the warrior of war looked at her glass. "We better be cautious around this guy…He's definitely not what he seems."

Minako and Makoto exchanged uncertain expressions. There couldn't…there really couldn't be anything wrong with their teacher…

Could there?


"Artemis," Luna said softly, "I think I found something."

The white cat bounded slowly over, jumping up onto the computer consol next to the other. While the girls were still at school, the two felines were in the command center trying to turn up as much information as they could find.

"It took a little while, since he's not from Tokyo," she admitted when he sat next to her, "but I think this is everything I could get."

He combed through the pages that came up, his eyes searching through medical files, academic records, and any other important documentation that came up under Minamino Shuuichi. After a moment, he scoffed. "He seems pretty normal to me," he muttered.

Luna nodded in agreement, though continued going through his information. "Usagi-chan said that both Mamoru-san and Rei-chan felt something strange from him, though." She turned to her companion. "What if he's another enemy?"

Artemis sighed, his tail twitching behind him. "Then Uranus and Neptune picked a bad time to travel."

The black cat frowned, but knew there was a grain of truth in his otherwise casual remark. Some months ago, after Mamoru returned, the two outer Senshi decided that they also wanted to spend a portion of their senior year spending a semester in an American high school. Since the past year had transpired without any incident, they felt it was a perfect chance to take some time to study abroad, and wouldn't be returning until the winter vacation. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but now…

"If anything does happen, we could always contact them, couldn't we?" Luna asked. "And Sailor Pluto and Saturn are also available to help if we need them"

Artemis winced a little. "Yeah, I guess…but maybe we should check him out for ourselves first before jumping to any conclusions."

She looked at him, curiosity in her crimson eyes. "What if he's dangerous?"

"Well, what if he's not?" he replied.

Luna blinked. "What's gotten into you, Artemis?" she wondered. She had never seen this kind of hesitation in him before.

For a moment, he said nothing and instead only looked away. Finally, with a sigh, he replied softly, "It's just…Mina really likes this guy…y'know?"

Her ear twitched slightly as she recalled what the princess mentioned concerning the new teacher. "So do most of the girls at their school, so I'm told."

He shook his head and his tail seemed to sag as he glanced at the picture of the red-haired man on the computer monitor. "I think…Mina feels there's something different about this guy too…Just in a whole other meaning…"

-

As he entered his partner's room, he couldn't help but blink as he stared at the high school girl sitting hunched over at her desk. Slowly he approached, and eventually could make out the heavy textbook she buried her nose in, her brow furrowed as she tried to concentrate, and it confirmed his suspicions. But he still couldn't help but ask.

"Mina…" he began slowly, "are you actually…studying?"

Leaning back, she sighed softly and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah," she replied, picking up her pen and grabbing a notebook, "but I'm not sure how much of this is sinking in."

Artemis jumped up onto her desk as she began taking some notes down. Glancing through her textbook, his whiskers twitched a little. "History, huh?" he asked, sitting down beside her elbow. "That figures."

She stuck her tongue at him. "So? You should be glad that I'm studying."

"Well, yeah…But we both know that you're only doing this to impress that Minamino guy. He's teaching your class tomorrow, isn't he?"

"Well yeah…" Minako frowned, scratching out a line in her notebook and trying to rewrite it. "But at least I know that he will be impressed."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Oh c'mon, Mina. You don't have to impress this guy to do well. Haven't I told you before that if you try hard, you'll be fine?"

She sighed in aggravation, rereading a page in her textbook. "Yeah, Artemis. You've told me that before…my parents have told me that, my friends have told me that, and I know you guys mean it and everything, but…"

He blinked, watching her curiously. "But what?"

Minako looked down at her notebook, doodling a bit at the corner of the page. "Well…you guys tell me all that because you know me. But Minamino-sensei doesn't really. And…I guess hearing it from someone else makes me feel more… sure of it."

She smiled then, resting her chin in her palm as she stared up at the ceiling. "It's kinda nice, y'know…knowing that someone like him could believe in someone like me…"

-

Artemis sighed again, his gaze focused down as his tail wrapped around him. "She just really believes this guy…and I guess I just don't want her to get hurt again."

Luna frowned as she watched her companion. She remembered what Artemis had told her of Minako's time as Sailor V before the others' powers were awakened. The very first battle had been especially hard for the warrior of love: Even if it was only a crush, and even if it was an enemy…having to destroy him was difficult for a young girl who was just learning of her destiny. And having to push her to do it… it was something that Artemis, to this day, never forgave himself for.

He couldn't protect her from everything. Minako was bound to endure more hardships and heartaches. But as her partner, Artemis was determined to do his best making sure she suffered as little as possible.

Slowly, the black cat inched up to the other, and when she was close enough she gentle nuzzled up against him. He turned to her in slight surprise, and having his attention allowed Luna to say softly, "We'll investigate him a bit more…try to see what he's really like. Then we can decide from there, okay?"

He managed a grateful smile as he nodded, his tail gently entwining with hers. "Okay," he replied.


It had been an hour or two since the girls finished their after-school activities and left for home, never noticing the two felines hidden in one of the trees on school grounds. That was the point, however; not to be seen by the girls while they were waiting for their true suspect.

The red-haired teacher, Minamino Shuuichi, eventually emerged from the school along with a few other teachers, just as the sun was beginning to set. As the group of educators parted ways, the two Lunarian cats followed after their target, keeping a good distance between him and themselves so they wouldn't be seen too soon.

They found a perfect opportunity, though, as he was passing through the park and no one else seemed to be around. But just as they were about to hurry and catch up to him, he stopped in his tracks and turned, finally catching them in his sights.

They hesitated for a moment, glancing at each other quickly. Then, looking back at the redhead, Artemis slowly padded up to him, meowing softly before rubbing up against the human's leg.

Minamino Shuuichi looked on curiously before slowly kneeling down and offering his hand to the white feline. "I'm not too much of a cat person," he admitted, gently scratching Artemis behind the ear. "But if you don't mind, then I guess I don't…"

Luna finally came up behind her companion, purring as she too rubbed up against the redhead. Minamino placed down his briefcase and began petting her with his free hand, watching both cats carefully.

"That's interesting," he stated, mostly to himself. "What are the chances that you both would have a crescent moon marking on your forehead?"

The two only meowed in response, though managed a quick look at each other. Finally, after brushing off his hands, the redhead took up his briefcase once again and rose to his feet. Just as he was turning to go, however, Artemis and Luna both meowed and began to follow him.

Turning back to look at them again, Minamino blinked curiously. He took a few steps forward, watching as they walked and stopped with him.

"I suppose you two would like to follow me home?" he wondered aloud.

They slowly approached and once again rubbed their bodies against his legs, hoping that would convince him.

"Well…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess it would be all right…at least until I figure out if you two have any owners." Reaching down, he carefully scooped up both cats in one arm, supporting their bottom with the arm that held his briefcase. Making sure that he wasn't hurting the felines, he carried them all the way back to his apartment building.

Sneaking them past the main lobby and heading up the stairs with the cats, Minamino slowly walked through the hallway until he came to a stop in front of one of the many doors. Carefully placing them down on the ground, he then reached into his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it wide and stepping inside.

Artemis and Luna slowly entered the apartment as the redhead removed his shoes, glancing around carefully as the human closed the door behind them. As he switched on the light, they blinked rapidly until their eyes focused on the small foyer they stood in, leading down a narrow corridor. On each side there were a few doors, some of them open wide while others just barely so.

The two cats slowly followed the redhead through the hallway, taking note of the rooms as they passed. Minamino stopped at the first room on the right, opening the door wider and revealing what looked like a study, placing his briefcase against the wall by the door before continuing down the hall. Further down and to the left was an area that had no door, revealing the washer and dryer that sat in the dark middle. On either side of the machines was a door; though both doors were mostly closed, the door on the left was open enough to reveal the bathroom sink.

The walls of the narrow hallway soon spread out and led into the kitchen. A table with a few chairs rested in the middle, surrounded by the counters and appliances along the wall. On the table was a blue vase where a bright crimson rose was tucked inside. Beyond the kitchen were two more rooms almost side-by-side; one room was hidden behind a wooden door, but the other lacked a door and freely exposed the living area.

The two cats sat on the kitchen floor, watching as Minamino opened one of the cabinet doors and pulled out two bowls. Placing them on the counter, he opened his nearly empty refrigerator and pulled out a container of milk, pouring some into the two bowls. After placing the milk away, he then placed the two bowls on the ground in front of the felines.

"Here you go," he said with a small smile. "I hope this is all right, but I unfortunately don't have much else to offer you."

Both cats meowed softly, and happily began lapping up the offered treat. Satisfied, the redhead rose again to his feet and headed for the closed room, opening the door and revealing the bedroom. Rummaging around inside for a moment, he returned with a small bundle in his hands before heading down the hall and disappearing into one of the rooms.

Artemis and Luna waited for a while, drinking the milk that was given to them until they heard the unmistakable sound of running water. Their ears twitching to the sound, they lifted their heads to look at each other.

"So what do you think?" Luna asked softly, glancing towards the way the redhead disappeared.

"He seems like a pretty normal guy to me," Artemis admitted. "I'm not getting any bad feeling from him."

The black cat frowned, puzzled. "Neither do I," she said. "I don't suppose it would hurt to take a look around, though…"

Artemis nodded, and the two bounded into the rooms nearest the kitchen. He carefully slipped through the opening that led into the bedroom, glancing around even though there wasn't much to look at. The bed rested at one end of the room along the wall, underneath an open window where the cooling air of the coming evening gently blew in. Beside the bed was a nightstand where a picture frame and a small lamp rested. On the opposite wall was a wooden dresser where the redhead placed his wallet, keys, and cell phone, and by the foot of the bed near the doorway was a large closet.

Next door, Luna was in the small living area, which again didn't have much. A small sofa sat against the wall that separated it from the bedroom, and in front of it was a wooden coffee table where another picture frame and two remotes were neatly placed. Against the opposite wall was a small television set on a black wooden stand. The glass door protected the inner electronics and DVDs.

The two cats met once again in the kitchen before heading back down the hallway together. As they passed by the area where the washer and dryer were, they could see the light underneath one of the doors.

The door to the study was still open from before, giving the felines a chance to look inside. A small bookshelf rested against the farthest wall; each shelf housed a various number of books as well as another picture frame. Across the doorway was a chair neatly pushed into a wooden desk, and from where they stood they could see the open, dark laptop screen beside a small pile of textbooks.

Backing out of the study, the cats took a look at the foyer again, noting the hooks for coats that hung by the wall adjacent to the door, and the pairs of shoes lined up in the lower wooden step. All in all, it seemed like a normal apartment belonging to a normal person.

"There aren't even many places to look around in," Artemis huffed, shattering the heavy silence between them. "Unless you wanna search his closet, or sock drawer or something…"

Luna shook her head, leading the white cat back into the kitchen. "I don't think that would do much good either," she acknowledged. "If he did have something to hide, it probably would be difficult for even us to find."

Artemis shrugged, returning his attention to his bowl of milk when the creaking of a door reached both their ears. They looked up to see Minamino reentering the kitchen, dressed in a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt and black sweat pants. A white towel was draped over his head to dry his long crimson hair, as well as keep the wet strands out of his face. With a soft, content sigh, the young teacher was about to sit at the table when a dull buzzing echoed from the bedroom.

The cats watched curiously as Minamino opened the door wider and headed for his dresser, picking up the small cell phone, opening it and placing it to his ear. "Hello?" he stated. After a moment, his emerald eyes lit up as a small smile spread across his face. "Ah! How are you, Kaa-san?"

The black and white felines glanced at each other as the redhead listened to the speaker on the other line. Then he replied, "Yes, I'm doing fine. I'm sorry I haven't called, but I've been busy trying to settle down over here." He paused again, then laughed quietly. "Yes, I know you warned me that this would happen. I'm managing, though, so please don't worry."

Minamino stepped out of the bedroom and entered the kitchen once again as he listened to his mother speaking. "No," he said, "I just arrived home a few moments ago…Oh, no, today was a teaching day. Tomorrow I have classes."

Pulling the towel off his head and over his shoulders, the redhead nodded a little to whatever his mother was telling him. "I'm fine, Kaa-san, honestly. When I have more time to settle, I promise I'll call. Although with Shuiichi-kun to take care of, you'll probably forget all about me." Whatever the woman's reaction, Minamino laughed once again. "It was only a joke, Kaa-san."

He was quiet again as the other spoke, leaning against the table as he listened patiently. "Yes, I know. I'm okay, I promise…Yes, I will…All right. Please give Hatanaka-san and Shuiichi-kun my regards…I love you, too. Good night, Kaa-san." Taking a breath, he closed his phone and placed it down on the table.

Glancing at her companion, the black cat then looked up at the redhead and meowed softly. Kneeling down, he smiled as he gently scratched her head.

"My mother tends to worry sometimes," he explained. "She's especially worried now, since this is the first time I've lived on my own. She'll relax eventually, though…" With a small laugh, he added jokingly, "At least I hope so."

The door chime sounded throughout the apartment, and the redhead looked up curiously. "What now?" he wondered as he slowly rose to his feet. Luna then padded back over next to Artemis, who was just finishing up his milk as Minamino headed back through the hallway towards the front door. The black cat began lapping up her drink when they heard the redhead state in surprise, "Eh? Chiba-san?"

"Good evening, Minamino-san," they heard the familiar voice of the prince respond. Their position, though, blocked them from seeing him or visa versa. Instead, they could only listen to the conversation he and the redhead were having. "I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

"Not at all," Minamino assured. "Would you like to come in?"

"I can't stay, to tell the truth," Mamoru replied. "I only came by to drop this off. I wasn't sure if you've had any time to pick up anything yet…"

"I haven't, actually," the redhead stated. "I've only been able to buy a few minor things, so this is in fact a pleasant donation. I really appreciate it, Chiba-san."

"Well, I was worried that you hadn't had time to buy anything to eat, and I'm glad I could help."

The redhead sighed. "You're right, unfortunately. I've only managed to buy things day to day thus far, though I hope to have time to get more supplies later in the week." There was a small pause, followed by the redhead clearing his throat. "Anyway, I suppose I shouldn't keep you if you have somewhere else to be."

"Right," Mamoru replied. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right. Have a nice night, Chiba-san."

It was only after the two bid their goodbyes that Artemis carefully peaked around the corner, looking down the hallway to see Minamino closing the door. As the redhead came back toward the kitchen, the white cat could see the bento box he held in one hand. Noticing that the teacher caught him, he meowed as curiously as he could.

"My next door neighbor," the redhead explained, placing the bento box on the table. "I haven't had the opportunity to get groceries, so he was nice enough to buy me something for dinner. I'll have to find a way to pay him back…"

As the redhead sat down to his meal, Artemis and Luna exchanged uncertain looks, both unsure of what to think of this Minamino Shuuichi. After all, even the most convincing evil creature disguised as a human would never talk about repaying an act of kindness, especially when the only ones who'd hear of it were two seemingly-normal cats.


Kurama wasn't entirely sure what to think about those cats.

He knew there was something strange about them. Aside from the crescent moon markings on both their foreheads (which he knew couldn't have been a coincidence), he visited Kuwabara's residence and spent enough time with Eikichi to realize that these two didn't behave like ordinary cats.

He was used to seeing a cat watching him, and he'd seen Kuwabara's cat staring at him more than once. However, he was a little surprised to notice the more…thoughtful expression in the eyes of these two felines. He caught the covert glances they tried to give each other, trading unspoken questions when they thought he didn't see them. He also wasn't used to cats studying him the way these cats did so, as though they were waiting for him to do…something.

They also seemed to be aware of what he was saying, and he recognized the understanding in their eyes as he spoke to him. They listened to everything he said…rather well, in fact, and it made him wonder…

The palace of the Millennium Kingdom was once protected by special cats…

He was a little hesitant about leaving them in his apartment while he attended his classes. As he set out that morning, the cats refused to follow him as they did the night before. He did end up leaving them, but he worried a bit throughout the day. During the lengthy break between classes, he took some time to buy some proper food to feed the cats before returning to his apartment, and he was glad to see the place still in one piece with the two cats curled up at the foot of his bed.

After they ate, however, they began acting a bit strange once again. They pawed at the door for a bit, asking to be let out, so Kurama opened it and led them down until they all stood before the apartment building. But when the cats began to head away, they both turned back to look at him and waited. For a brief moment, he was a little confused about their actions until he caught the clear expression in the white cat's eyes.

So he followed behind the two felines as they led him down the streets and through the city, wondering where they intended to take him. He recognized some of the places they passed, but it took him a while longer to realize that he had been in this neighborhood before.

He identified the building that he visited the previous day, and the chance meeting with the girls at the Crown Fruit Parlor. The cats, however, sat at the entrance next door, under the sign that read 'Crown Game Center.'

As Kurama finally reached the spot where the cats were, and vaguely wondered why he never noticed this building before and if it was owned by the same management as the Crown Fruit Parlor, the automatic glass door suddenly opened as a familiar blur of gold and red dashed out of the center. The redhead stiffened a bit when the figure knocked into him, but he quickly grabbed the girl's shoulders to keep her from losing her balance…again.

The blonde gasped. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to –!" When she looked up at him, her sapphire eyes widened. "Minamino-sensei!"

While at first surprised and amused for once again running into this student by chance, the feelings quickly gave way to concern as he noticed the anxious expression on her face. "Is anything wrong, Aino-san?" he asked.

She blushed slightly, pulling away from him and rubbing her arm. "Uh, well, sorta…" she stuttered a reply. Struggling to form an explanation, she averted her eyes toward the ground and found the two cats that rubbed against the teacher's legs. "Luna! Artemis!"

Kurama took a step back as the girl knelt down, scooping both cats into her arms and hugging them to her. "Are these your cats, Aino-san?"

With a relieved smile, she jumped up to her feet. "Well, only Artemis," she said, motioning to the white cat in one arm. Motioning to the black cat in her other arm, she added, "This is Luna, and she belongs to Usagi-chan."

Slipping his hands into his pockets, the redhead smiled a little. "Luna and Artemis, huh? So you and Tsukino-san gave them those names because of the crescent moon markings on their foreheads?"

"Uh…yeah, that's right." She laughed a little nervously. "Artemis was named after the Greek goddess of the moon, but it…wasn't until much later that I found out he was a boy cat…" She looked up at him cheerfully. "When they disappeared yesterday, we didn't think too much of it, but when they didn't come home this morning, we were so worried. Thank you so much for finding them, Minamino-sensei!"

Kurama shook his head slightly. "Actually, they followed me home yesterday afternoon…" He looked at her apologetically. "I wasn't sure if they had any owners, and I'm sorry for any apprehension I might have caused you or Tsukino-san."

She giggled and gave a small shrug. "It's not your fault, Minamino-sensei. You didn't know. We should probably put a collar on these two," she added with emphasis, looking down at the cats with almost a threatening glare. The felines meowed in protest. She laughed a bit, looking up at him again. "But anyway, thanks for taking care of them, at least."

He smiled and returned with a nod. "It was no problem. I'm glad I could help." Looking down at the cats, he gently scratched both their heads. "Thanks for keeping me company last night. Perhaps we'll see each other again, ne?"

Minako looked down at the cats as they meowed, then sighed softly. "I guess I should get Luna back to Usagi-chan. You're…teaching tomorrow, right, Minamino-sensei?"

Kurama nodded. "Right. So I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"All right." With a quick bow, she turned and quickly headed down the street, calling over her shoulder as she disappeared, "See ya later, Minamino-sensei!"

The redhead stood and watched as she left, waiting until she completely vanished from his sights before finally turning and slowly heading back to his apartment. A thoughtful frown tipped the corners of his mouth as he carefully turned each thought in his mind.

If that were the case, it would make sense. The feeling he had whenever he was around Aino Minako or Tsukino Usagi…maybe even the other girls and Chiba Mamoru; the faint sense of power and the unusual energy that he sensed from each of them; Aino and Tsukino's cats with the crescent moon marks on their foreheads and atypical cat behavior…

If they all were connected to the Silver Millennium, as he suspected they were, then everything would make much more sense…

TBC