Chapter 31
Loved and Chased: Luna's Worst Day Ever.
On the streets of Juban, things were peaceful, save for a loud yowl from Luna who was being chased by a stampede of stray cats, while one clung onto her tail. When she reached the parking lot, she found that she was now trapped, as a tiger striped cat slowly stalked towards her. Then suddenly, a fish bone suddenly embedded itself onto the ground, causing them all to look up. There on top of a track was a chubby cat that made Luna cringe. But when he looked at the other cats, they slowly backed away so that they wouldn't cause any more trouble for Luna. Then the last cat that clung to Luna's tail with her teeth, walked slowly away, making her look bewildered, until the chubby cat licked her tail, so that it could be nursed back to its former glory. When he looked upon Luna, she started to feel uncomfortable again.
"Rhett Butler, where are you?" called a little girl's voice.
Rhett Butler, lumbered away from Luna to find where the voice came from. Then Luna followed him, and noticed the little girl picking him up and carrying him back home.
"Isn't my idea of what a Rhett Butler would look like," muttered Luna.
At the same time, Zoisite was looking at an image of the little girl and Rhett Butler being projected from the Dark Crystal.
"Oh my. I never would have guessed that our last target would be a cute little girl. But she's got the seventh Rainbow Crystal, and this one will be easy to get," he mused.
Poor Luna was still feeling sore about the unrelenting stampede she endured, as she placed the swollen tip of her tail into the fountain water.
"Sounds like you had one hectic morning," said Ami.
"Tell me about it. I don't want anything more to do with stray cats, their turf wars, or whatever else they're doing," replied Luna.
"I hear you, Luna. But like I said, Simba told me about how his uncle Scar tricked him into waiting in the gorge, after he lied about the surprise his father had for him. It turned out, it was all a ruse, just so the Hyenas could stir up the wildebeest herd, and have them stampede towards Simba in order for Scar could dispose of them. In the end, Scar's demise was because he tried to deceive Simba into thinking the Hyena's were the real threat, but it backfired, and led to his destruction," said Sora, as he heard Usagi, Makoto, and the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts arrive.
"Hey, where's Rei?" asked Makoto.
"Probably off on another Sunday date with Mamoru again," answered Axel, which made Usagi mildly annoyed as she glanced at the phonebooth Rei was in.
She was trying to call Mamoru in his apartment, but was asked to leave a message, while he stood on a balcony, wondering where the seventh Rainbow Crystal was located, and how he could acquire it.
"So, what are you doing there, Ami?" asked Makoto.
"I'm trying to track down the seventh Rainbow Crystal," replied Ami.
"That's odd, my Moon Stick isn't reacting one bit," said Usagi, as she looked back at her backpack.
"You're right. Even though it can pick up any traces of a Rainbow Crystal within someone, Ami's using her computer to see where it's located for now. Until then, all we can do is wait, until the location is revealed to us," replied Sora, putting Luna at ease.
"All done," Ami said.
"You finished inputting the data, huh?" said Luna.
The screen then showed a map of Juban and the location of the final Rainbow Crystal.
According to this, the seventh rainbow crystal is right there," she said to her friends.
"Wow," whispered Usagi.
"Alright, let's go," said Sora.
After a bit of walking, they soon arrived at the house where they believed they could find the final crystal.
"So you think the Rainbow Crystal is somewhere around this house?" asked Usagi, when they arrived.
"If the data's right, it should be," replied Ami, as Luna seemed more nervous than prepared.
Suddenly, she saw Rhett Butler at the upstairs window, and was rather upset that he did live in that house.
"Let's go, come on!" said Makoto.
"You go on, I think I'm just gonna hang back," suggested Luna.
"Huh, but what for?" asked Ami.
"I got stuff to do," replied the cat.
"It's like you said, Luna, we have a very important job to do, and we need to follow it to the letter," said Sora.
"Well said, Sora," smiled Luna.
"It'll be fine, Luna. We'll do some investigating and see if we can come up with some clues that'll draw out your curiosity," said Riku.
"Thanks, Riku," replied the dark-colored cat.
"Wait for us here, so we can find you," called Ami.
"And if you see any stray cats coming after you, you can return to the safety of Usagi's house," suggested Sora.
"Good idea," remarked Luna.
They slowly went inside, but Luna started to feel grumpy.
"Frankly I wish Usagi would show some initiative," she muttered.
But the moment didn't last long as the stray cats had found her, making her run to Usagi's house as fast as her little legs would carry her. Meanwhile, Sora, Usagi, and their friends stood waiting near the front door of the house when Ami rang the doorbell.
"Yes?" asked the little girl who answered it.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. Is your mother or your father home?" inquired Ami.
"No, they're not. They won't be home until tonight," replied the girl who held Rhett Butler.
Suddenly, the Moon Stick started beeping, making everyone surprised, while Sora said, "Bingo, the final Crystal."
"I know, my stick's reacting," replied Usagi.
"Could that little girl be a monster?" asked Makoto.
Suddenly, Rhett Butler leaped out of the girl's arms, ran down the stairs, and down the street.
"No, she's not the one Zoisite is looking for," Sora said to them, as she ran after him into a dark alleyway, only to be ambushed by Zoisite.
"Ugh, me and my big mouth. Let's move it, guys!" he said.
Meanwhile, poor Luna was now surrounded by several stray cats, when Rhett Butler arrived, and carried her to safety. The other cats watched in shock as they saw Luna and Rhett Butler, who fell off the fence, bounced off a garbage can, and disappeared down the manhole into the sewers below. Back in the alleyway, Zoisite began using the Dark Crystal to see if the little girl had the Rainbow Crystal within her. To his utter surprise, there was no reaction. But he remembered that Rhett butler was the target, not the little girl. He stopped his efforts, and took back the Dark Crystal.
"The final great monster was reborn as an animal, not a human!" he seethed with fury.
"That's right, Zoisite!" Sora said.
Zoisite looked up to see everyone was now in the cramped alleyway.
"Now that we've arrived, you won't be getting your way Zoisite!" cried Sailor Mercury.
"Hold your horses, guys! The real target was the girl's cat, not the girl! Sailor Moon's Moon Stick must have reacted to that chubby cat she was holding!" Sora explained.
"As much as I hate to say it, the boy's right. We've both been after the wrong target this entire time!" agreed Zoisite, who teleported away.
"Ugh, way to go, Sora, we let him get away!" groaned Sailor Jupiter.
"Enough! We were all fooled, because this girl wasn't the monster Zoisite was after!" interjected Aqua, making everyone embarrassed.
"Sorry," they all said.
"For now, let's get the kid to safety," said Axel.
Deep in the sewers of Juban, Zoisite soon began his search, but the horrible stench was starting to get to him.
"Ugh, it smells really rotten down here! Why does that ugly fat cat have to hang out in such a stinky place? This is exactly why I hate non-human monsters!" complained Zoisite.
He was about to press on, when he slipped and submerged most of his boot into the sewer water.
"Oh no! This might be the greatest challenge that I'll ever have to face!" he cried in dismay, as he sought out his prey, unaware that Luna was with Rhett Butler.
In the girl's house, Sora's friends were now confused as to why the final Rainbow Crystal wasn't inside of the little girl, but in Rhett Butler.
"I wonder where Luna went. It's been a while since we saw her," said Makoto.
"Even though we told her not to move, I hope she made it back to Usagi's house," replied Sora.
"Sora's right, Usagi. I'm worried something might have happened to her," agreed Ami.
Suddenly Usagi noticed that the girl had a copy of the Sailor V video game, and decided to play it.
"I know you're excited about that game, but I'm gonna find Luna," said Sora as he prepared to walk out of the house.
He turned to Riku.
"Riku, you're in charge until I get back with or without Luna," he said.
"You don't mind?" Riku asked in surprise.
"Should I?" replied Sora.
"All right. I'll take care of things, I promise," said Riku.
Once Sora left, the others decided to wait, as he went on his patrol to find Usagi's cat.
"I still can't believe that Sora said the girl wasn't the target," said Ami.
"Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are Ami," agreed Makoto, while Usagi played the game.
Meanwhile, Zoisite was searching the sewers for Rhett Butler, when his crystal began reacting to the presence of the Rainbow Crystal.
"It's so close. That ugly fat cat is quite nearby now," he said with pride.
His hand pressed against something that felt warm, but didn't feel like a cat's fur at all. To his horror, he was surrounded by rats, and his scream echoed everywhere, making Luna react to the sound of Zoisite's voice as he ran for his life.
"I wonder where Mamoru went, I was sure we were getting together today. This isn't how I wanted to spend my Sunday afternoon," complained Rei, as she walked through the Shopping District.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Yuuichirou's voice who had arrived.
"Yuuichirou! Hey you, looks like you have today off too, am I right?" she said.
"Yeah, I'm just sorta hanging out. Would you like to have a cup of tea with me?" asked Yuuichirou, who rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Ah, well, I'm not sure. I may have other plans," replied Rei.
"Oh, yeah, well, what was I thinking, since I sprang this on you last minute. A beautiful girl like you is probably all booked up," said Yuuichirou.
"Huh, yeah, I guess…" Rei said hesitantly.
"Ah, well, got it. Well, then have a nice day," replied Yuuichirou as he left.
"Oh, wow, he sure took off in a big hurry. He's just gone with the wind," she sighed vehemently.
"Luna, where are you!?" called Sora.
Rei suddenly turned and saw Sora walking down the streets of Juban searching for Luna.
"Sora, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Searching for Luna," replied the brunette Keyblade wielder.
"Why, what happened?" Rei asked again.
"I think she's in trouble, because Zoisite is after the final Rainbow Crystal that's in an animal, instead of a normal human being," explained Sora.
"Oh, I don't see an exit anywhere," complained Luna, as she and Rhett Butler walked through the sewers.
She decided to take a rest, until she noticed that Rhett Butler's leg was injured.
What happened to you? Your leg is hurt! Did you injure it when you leapt down from that high wall to rescue me?" she asked.
Rhett Butler stared blankly at her.
"Come to think of it, you risked your life two times to help me. Does that mean you like me or something?" inquired Luna.
Again, Rhett Butler stared blankly at her, but he meowed at her. Suddenly she heard the sound of rats squeaking and glanced back to see a panicked Zoisite running towards them with rats close behind him.
"I've found him! The seventh Great Monster!" he cried out, despite his fear of the rats.
"What!? You have the seventh Rainbow Crystal that we're all looking for!?" Luna asked, in shock and dismay.
Quickly she urged Rhett Butler to flee, with Zoisite in hot pursuit, and the three-way chase was on. As they crawled through the narrow hallway, Luna glanced back at Zoisite, who was now being overtaken by the rats, until she and Rhett Butler reached the exit.
"Hey, thanks for sticking by my side Sora, even though we weren't dating," said Rei.
Sora nodded, until they spotted Luna and Rhett Butler.
"It's Luna!" they said.
"I didn't know she had a boyfriend," continued Rei.
"No, but like I said, she could be in trouble," replied Sora.
And he was right. Out of the hole, came a large swarm of rats, making Rei react in shock as to what was going on. Back in the house where Rhett Butler left, Usagi was playing the Sailor V Game when Ami gasped in shock.
"We should have listened to Sora! The Moon Stick isn't reacting! There's no reaction at all" she cried.
"Then that means, the kid wasn't the carrier. Which makes that chubby cat, the target we've been searching for," added Makoto.
"Then that must mean, Rhett Butler was protecting Luna from those strays! Therefore, the cat was the target, not the girl!" replied Riku, as Usagi got a game over.
Back at the canal, Luna and Rhett Butler were running for their lives, when the tidal wave of cats knocked them over to a lower part of the canal.
"It looks like my disaster has turned into my good fortune. And in the end, everything has worked out to my advantage," Zoisite said from beneath the rats.
"Mega Flare!" cried Sora and Sailor Mars, forcing Zoisite back, but sent Luna tumbling down.
Zoisite looked up, as the rats retreated back into the sewers.
"Hey Zoisite, having a little rat infestation?" Sora asked in a joking manner.
"Oh, ha, ha, very funny!" snapped Zoisite.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" demanded Sailor Mars.
"Oh, ye of little faith," smirked Zoisite, and he summoned the Dark Crystal.
Sora knew what that meant, as he watched the final crystal be revealed, and bore witness to Rhett Butler's transformation, just as Sailor Mars slid down to Luna's side.
"Now, get rid of them, Great Monster!" commanded Zoisite.
The creature turned to Zoisite.
"They don't have any back up! It's a piece of cake!" he said with triumph in his eyes.
But a rose, sent the crystal flying out of his hand, only to be picked up by Tuxedo Mask, who fled the scene, making Zoisite pursue him. Then the transformed Rhett Butler started to lumber away from them.
"Oh no, it looks like he's heading into town!" cried Rei.
"Stop!" called Luna, rushing towards the demonic cat.
"Please just stay still! My friends will come to help you soon, I promise!" pleaded Luna.
But the dark colored cat started tumbling down.
"Luna!" called Sora and Rei.
Then suddenly, an unexpected thing happened. The transformed Rhett Butler caught Luna in his paw, making them surprised.
"You saved me again," she said.
She noticed that he still had the scar on his left leg.
"It'll be alright, Usagi and the others will be here soon, and turn you back to normal," Luna assured him.
"I knew it, those two are madly in love," sighed Sailor Mars.
The moment didn't last long, as Sailors Mercury, Jupiter, and Moon arrived, along with the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts, who kept the Heartless Zoisite had summoned busy.
"Ugh, way to ruin the moment!" groaned Rei, when she saw Sailor Mercury using the Bubble Spray attack, allowing Makoto the opportunity to grab Luna.
"Sorry we're late!" she called.
"Hey, Hakuna Matata, remember?" replied Sora.
"What the heck is Hakuna Matata?" asked Rei.
"From what Sora told us, it means no worries!" replied Ami.
"Yeah, Sora said those words to Reika before she left for Africa," added Makoto.
"By the way, sorry we didn't listen to you Sora," Ami said apologetically.
"Well, the good news is we found our final monster. So let's revert him to normal!" replied Sora, who leaped up to Sailor Moon's side.
"Rhett Butler, it's time for you to face the light!" he cried.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" called Sailor Moon.
In a flash, Rhett Butler was now back to his chubby self.
"Hey, Sora, thank you," Luna said, jumping out of Makoto's arms and into Sora's.
At long last, when Rhett Butler returned home, the girl was so happy, as everyone watched her.
"She's so happy to have her kitty back," said Usagi.
"Yeah," agreed Sora.
"Well, at least this family is happily reunited. Guess we can set the gossip of Luna being in love aside," said Riku.
"Much appreciated, Riku," smiled Luna, but deep down, she was happy that Rhett Butler was her guardian angel, as she said goodbye to him, despite her embarrassment.