Unlucky Cat

Unlucky Cat - Chapter 2
--------------------------------
Hello again! Here's the next part of the story. It's not action-packed yet, but it will be soon! Thanks to everyone who commented on my story; here is chapter 2! ~Atsuhita
--------------------------------

"Yeah, you know, Katsuya's friends ..."

"Oh, yeah..." Ulala knew that Katsuya brought cats home, despite his allergies. "Okay, see ya later."

"Bye?" Tatsuya hung up surprised, then he carried the cat and set it on the floor in the kitchen. "You sit here while I make you something to eat."

[I'm not hungry...] Katsuya trotted upstairs to his room. When Tatsuya opened the can and glanced down, his cat was nowhere to be found.

"Kat....here Kat! C'mon out and eat!" He looked under the sofa and table, walking around. "Katsuya's gonna be pissed if I don't find him..."

[Ahhh...bed....] Katsuya was comfortably nestled under his bedsheets, ready to sleep. His little brother came in, and yelped.

"Kat! Bad kitty!" He snatched Katsuya up and scolded him. "No bed. If Katsuya has fur on his sheets he'll get sick....I thought you wanted some tuna..." He held the can in front of him.

[I hate tuna!] He jumped onto Tatsuya's head and tried to keep balance.

"Hey! C'mon kitty..." He set the can down and grabbed the cat. "I promise I won't punish you. You're just a baby."

[Hardly...I'm not a child...] Kat's stage in the life-cycle was transferred to that of a cat's, so Katsuya was still somewhat of a kitten instead of a full-grown cat.

"Let's go see Ulala! She sounded bored. She seemed interested in you."

[Come on, Tatsuya! You don't take cats to people's houses! I'm not a dog!]

"I'll stick you in this basket...ok....there! Let's go surprise her." Tatsuya tossed a sheet over Katsuya's body, and walked out the door of their house and down the sidewalk.

---

Ulala sat on her bed, phonebook open to all of their allied rumormongers. She had been calling everyone to see if they saw the little red-haired cat in the city. Sadly, no one had seen anything, except for the Shiraishi Lady who found a calico in the garbage bins outside her shop.

"Damn it...finding Katsuya is like searching for a needle in a haystack..." She slammed her fist against the book, and tossed the phone behind her on the bed.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and she curiously approached it and stared through the peephole. She saw the black 'X' on top of the red material, and immediately confirmed the visitor an ally. She opened the door and greeted Tatsuya.

"Hello..." she said, softly.

"Hi!" Tatsuya was trying to be cheerful. "I brought the little 'friend' with me."

"Oh?" Ulala would have been happy with any feline at the moment. It seemed like one of those days when things you could find easily one day were not available when you needed it.

Tatsuya pulled the sheet off of the basket to reveal his stowaway. "Isn't he cute?"

Ulala's jaw dropped; there lay Katsuya, asleep. She covered her mouth, and turned, unsure of what she should do or say. She recollected, and faced Tatsuya again.

"Are you okay, Ulala?"

"Yes, I'm relieved, in fact. Maybe you should sit down for this." Ulala took the sleeping kitten and set it over her shoulder. Katsuya woke up and meowed, confused.

"Good morning kitty..."

[Hey! What's going on?!] He sleepily eyed the green material and bright-red hair. [Ulala...Ulala! You found me! Where's Maya and Baofu?! Where? Oh, who cares, I'm just glad you're here!] He rubbed his face against Ulala's cheek affectionately.

"I think he likes you, Ulala." Tatsuya stated.

"Tat, you're open to weird things, right? Of course you are, you're a Persona user, so this couldn't be any stranger than that..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well..." Ulala stroked the cat's back. "This is Katsuya."

"How'd you know?" Tatsuya laughed.

"What?"

"I named it after Katsuya. It was great, he had Kat's glasses on his neck, and he reminded me so much of him! I-"

"Tatsuya, this cat is YOUR BROTHER."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Seriously! Look at him!" She held the kitty up in front of his face. "THIS IS KATSUYA."

Tatsuya sat silent, staring at the cat's face. The more he stared, the more it made sense.

"Katsuya....oh damn...." he rouged.

---

"I'm getting tired of this! Where's the fuckin' cat?!" Baofu growled.

"Baofu! Not so loud! You'll scare him if he's here." Maya looked under the bed in one of the rooms.

"I don't care anymore. I'm tired of chasing animals."

Baofu felt his coat pocket vibrate, and he pulled out his cell phone.

"Who is it?" Maya asked.

"Hello?" he answered the phone. "Oh!........yeah....uh-huh....good....I was getting tired of this chasing.....okay, we'll be there soon."

Baofu turned his phone off.

"Ulala and Tatsuya have him."

"Oh my gosh....I'm glad...let's go."

---

"Good! You made it!"

"Yeah....stupid Harpies found us though. We would have been here sooner." Baofu took off his tattered jacket. "Too bad you can't trade Tarot cards in for money...my coat's done for."

"Where's Katsuya?" Maya asked curiously.

"Right here." Tatsuya was holding him in his arms. Katsuya looked at Maya and meowed.

[Ms. Amano! You're okay!]

"Hey look, he's talking to you." Ulala laughed. Everybody else laughed too, but Katsuya found nothing humorous about his speech.

"Let me see him!" Maya took the cat from Tatsuya. It seemed like everyone had forgotten that the cat was really a human being trapped in a micro-sized four-legged body. "You had us so worried!" She hugged him, squeezing Katsuya in between her arms.

Baofu stood in front of the coat rack, still pouting about his coat. "This thing cost me hundreds of dollars, dammit!" He realized nobody was behind him, and glanced over at his friends who were playing with the cat. He walked towards them. "Okay, we have the runt, now we have to get him back to normal. So how are we gonna do it?"

"Well, Tatsuya suggested going to the Velvet Room."

"Then let's go!"

"No! We can't take Katsuya out, if something happens to him we'll be in big trouble."

"Here!" Maya smiled, placing Katsuya in Baofu's arms. "You can stay here and watch Katsuya. We'll go and get a remedy." Maya stood next to Ulala and Tatsuya.

"WHAT? I'm not babysitting a cat!" His cigarette butt fell out of his mouth and landed on Katsuya's head, scaring the cat. Katsuya clawed into Baofu's arm. "GAH!!!!!!! Stop it!" The wire-tapper clenched his arm as Katsuya leapt down and ran behind the others legs for safety.

[Don't leave me with him! He'll kill me!]

"Relax!" Ulala picked Katsuya up and stroked his fur. "You don't have to keep him in a cage." She cleared her trash from her PC in the living room and pulled the swivel chair out. "You can do your computer stuff, and Katsuya can run around and play in the living room."

[More like hide and hope I don't get killed...]

Katsuya clenched Ulala's clothes, and she took her free hand and rubbed the top of his paws. "Don't claw me, kitty...I've got you....so Baofu, do we have a deal?"

Baofu eyed Katsuya, then glanced at the computer. He hadn't updated his website in a while, and plus his clothes weren't in the best shape to be going out in public in. He sighed and took the cat. "Deal. But if he pukes on the carpet I'm not cleaning it up."

"Don't worry about it..." Ulala eyed Baofu, then looked at Maya. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"See ya Baofu..." Tatsuya politely bid him farewell as they filed out of the door.

When the door shut, Baofu glared down at Katsuya.

"You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours." He set the cat down on the floor, and noogied his head. "Now go...do cat stuff." He approached the computer, beaming.

TBC