When the Senshi are Away, the Cats Will Play

Chapter 3

Artemis was sitting on Usagi's bed, a week later, thinking about Koneko. The two cats had visited her every day since the first, at her home. Mostly they did it to stave off their own boredom.

Artemis mostly played with the girl. He rather liked her youthful enthusiasm for whatever game he came up with, and he rather liked coming up with something interesting for the girl to do.

Luna, on the other hand, while not exactly disliking play, was also playing her 'teacher' routine. Among trying to help the girl with normal five year old things, she was also trying to teach her "Proper Etiquette" From the Silver millennium. "Someone should know this, and the girls ignore me every time I bring it up." Luna had said when he asked why.

Artemis looked up at the closet with a mildly puzzled expression as he heard a thump. Luna had gone in there about half an hour ago, but the door was open and she wasn't crying out for help, so he ignored it.

Returning to his thoughts, he was considering how sad Koneko seemed, when the cats had just gotten there earlier that day, and she hadn't seen them. He had asked her why she was upset, and she had told him she missed her friends, but they couldn't come over to play, and she couldn't go over there.

The white cat understood this, since a kidnapping victim wasn't exactly the best play mate, if there was any chance of her being snatched again. No parent wants their kid caught in a cross fire, after all.

"To bad Chibi-Usa and Usagi aren't around. Usagi would let her play, and she isn't that much older then Koneko. And I would LOVE to see what would happen to THAT kidnapper. Ten to one, the Fire Soul would get him before the Frisbee from hell." He chuckled.

THUMP. " What the...?" Artemis finally got curious, and hopped down from the bed, walking over to the closet. "Luna, what are you doing in here? And WHERE did all this crap come from?"

The crap, in question, was a rather large pile of hair brushes, small items, hankies, and assorted minutia that was covering the floor next to Luna. "Hush Artemis. First off, this is not crap, as you call it. Second, your computer reminded me of a compact I had in my storage space for the Princess, from the Silver Millennium. It got me wondering if I had anything of use or value for the girls or ourselves in it that I had forgotten, so I decided to empty it and have a look."

Artemis, using his fore claws, grabbed what, except for the Silver Millennium script, would have looked like any other ball point pen. "What, like the oldest pen on the planet?"

"Actually, yes!" Luna replied, pushing a highly decorated, almost gaudy, pen out of the pile. "Seems I have a spare disguise pen."

"Hey, that's the old model isn't it?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. Its a very old model, actually. it doesn't provide any equipment appropriate to the disguise, only clothes and form."

"Yeah...but does it even work? its been out of service a while."

"Try it!" With a chuckle at Artemis's odd look, she continued. "It doesn't have the lock out, the later models had. Anyone could use it, thus the reason it was fazed out." Pushing it over, she motioned for him to try it out.

"Fine...hmm. Make me a black cat like Luna." Artemis said, lifting it with his claws like the other pen. With a light show, and a flash, he was no longer white, and quite nearly identical to Luna, except for a slightly larger frame. "Nifty!"

"Quite. I remember using it when the Queen and Princess dragged me along on ski trips. I used it to become a long haired cat." She said this with a bit of embarrassment in her voice.

"So that's what was different! I wondered why you looked so odd on those trips!"

Luna graced him with a very dirty look.

"NOT BAD...Um, you couldn't look bad if you tried!" The now black Artemis said, with a little sweat on his brow.

"Flattery will get you no where."

Changing the subject, Artemis pushed it over to Luna. "So, your turn."

"What?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "We already know it works, why would I want to use it?"

"Come on Luna. Its not like we are going to burn it out or anything. Besides, the girls have the better one."

Luna frowned, then shrugged. "Oh, why not." Picking it up she thought for a moment. "Make me a gray cat!"
Another light show, and another new look. "Hmm, I suppose Diana does take after you, Luna."

"Good, I would hate for her to pick up to many traits up from you." Luna said, with an evil little grin.

Artemis feigned pain. "That hurt, lady."

"I am sure you will recover." She said, then Artemis grabbed the pen.

"Make me gray, too!"

Luna looked him over. "No, that color doesn't suit you at all, Artemis."

"I agree. I look like I haven't bathed in several days!" he said with a sour expression. Quickly he changed back to his normal form.

Luna, getting into playing with the pen, in spite of her self, grabbed it. "Okay, one from Usagi's Manga. Make me look like Shampoo's Cursed Form." And with a nice light show, and a flash, she was suddenly a pink and white cat, with purple highlights, and interesting ornaments.

"Shampoo?"

"Some series called Ranma 1/2. The girl named that changes into a cat."

Artemis nodded. "Lucky girl." 'Luna looks hot with those hair things.'

"I thought so, too." Luna was answering the statement, and not the thought, of course.

Artemis grabbed it, again. "I know! Disguise pen, make me a Tiger!"

"You always where a wild one....BY THE MOON!" Luna yelled, hopping out of the closet as Artemis changed into a tiger, a five FOOT tiger.

"What the heck?" Artemis said, his voice, perversely no different for his larger form.

Luna was just as stunned, looking up and down the rather large Moon Cat. "Well, it doesn't hide the Moon on your forehead, and your a white tiger, to boot. " Picking the first thing she thought of to cover her surprise, to mention.

Artemis looked at the still pink and purple cat like she was insane. "Are you nuts? I'm a full grown TIGER? What the heck is going on?"

"Apparently, it can increase mass. It makes sense, really, since it can make Usagi's hair shorter, or at least the other one can.

Artemis looked at her with a frown, oddly not much relaxed at all. She looked thoughtful then spoke. "Use it and change back. I am curious about something."

"Sure...Disguise pen, I want to be ME again." and quickly he is changed back, and very relived looking white cat replaced the tiger.

"Okay...Now no comments from you Artemis, I just want to see if this will work." Artemis nodded, wondering what the heck she was talking about. "Okay then. Disguise pen, Make me Princess Kaguya!"

Artemis was about to say that was stupid...when the light show began. Soon, Luna, in the human form she had only worn for a few minutes before, and was standing in the middle of the room. Quickly she moved over to the door (Or stumbled more accurately.) and fumbled with the lock so no one would walk in and surprise them.

"Okay, that is weird!" Artemis said, hopping up on a shelf, looking over the human Luna. Or maybe MOSTLY human would be a better statement as he noticed something peeking out from the back of her dress. "Luna, you still have a tail."

Luna who had been looking in a mirror, with a fair amount of surprise showing on her face. "I didn't really thing that would work...Wait, did you say tail?" Looking behind her she found the tip of said tail coming from under the hem of the skirt. It was mostly hidden, and if she paid attention to what she was doing it was easy to hide. "I suppose it couldn't hide limbs any more then our Moons."

"Makes sense. I would have worried if it did!" Artemis said.

Luna looked over at the white cat. "As if you aren't worried NOW! Please Artemis, your fur is standing on end."

"Luna, your kinda HUMAN right now. Allow me my surprise."

Luna shrugged, then fell down while trying to take a step, landing on her butt. "Ouch."

Artemis chuckled, looking over the shelf. "Been around Usagi WAY to much Luna."

"You try walking on these stupidly long legs and then talk. They don't even bend the right way!"

Artemis shrugged and pushed the pen over to her.

"Change back. Why did you try that, anyway?"

Luna quickly used the pen, and looked at it thoughtfully. "Actually, I didn't have a reason when I did it, but I can't help but think that it is useful."

"Why?"

"Think of all the times we couldn't go with the girls, because we are cats! This little trip they are on is a prime example. If we could be human, even for short periods of time..."

Artemis nodded. "I get it. Then we could go with them. My tail would be a problem, though. I am not wearing skirts."

"Then wear a long coat or something, Artemis. Far be it for us to wound your masculine pride! Its not that hard to hide after all. At least for a short time." She pushed it over to him. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead what?"

Luna looked at him like he was an idiot. "Turn human! I want to see what it looks like."

"Oh fine. Disguise pen, make me..." then an idea hit him. "A five year old boy."

And with a flash of light, he was standing over Luna, his white tail sticking out of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with his own face on it. "Gotta love the clothes."

"Yes, shows your ego quite well, I must say. The tail is an issue in that outfit though. Little boys don't usually wear long coats.

"Rain coats, though... And actually I was thinking, Koneko has been without a playmate her age...and since this works...."

Luna rolled her eyes. "You are obsessed."

"No, just concerned. Besides, it would let us practice walking with these stupid legs." this was said after he tripped and did a perfect face plant.

"That is true, I suppose."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Yes sir, I understand." Said the dark man, who then hung up the phone. Looking at the pictures in the manila folder that had been delivered earlier. One was of a man in a police uniform, the others were of his wife and child. "All three of them, eh? Oh well. It's a shame about the kid, though."

The assasain known as The Gaki stood, and started looking over his weapons. Seems that the job was for tomorrow. He hated rush jobs, but Kuragi was willing to pay the extra fee, so tomorrow the Shimaka family died.

AN: Yes I know the Cats getting a human form is classic Shtick, but what the heck. Besides I have plans, and they aren't exactly all human after all. And as for The Gaki...well it can't all be cute kids and moon cats now can it. Mwahahahahahahahha