When the Senshi Are Away, The Cats Will Play
Chapter 8
"Sir, I'd like to take them something to eat." Taro said, looking at his boss, the man known only as the Gaki.
The assassin looked at the younger man, remembering their discussion the morning before in the car. 'He's going soft. This will be the last job with him.' The man shrugged. "Sure, take them something, and a bit for the cat." He chuckled.
"Um... Yes sir." He dished out some stir-fry and into some bowls.
"Oh, and Taro... Don't let the cat loose, and if she says anything, ignore her."
Taro, who knew nothing of Luna's true nature by the Gaki's own desire, looked at his boss and nodded. He carefully kept his thoughts from his face 'He is completely insane!' he thought as he walked through the corridors of the small ship, carefully avoiding the still damp red-brown stains on the floors and walls. Soon he entered the cargo hold, glancing at the prisoners as he cleared a table, through the expedient act of shoving all the papers and files off the surface.
Setting the food down, he crossed to Mrs. Shimaka, and with a key removed one of her wrists from the handcuffs binding her to the chair. He stepped away, returning seconds later with the food and handing it to her.
"It's cool enough to eat with your fingers." He said, before walking to the cage, stopping to pick up the other two bowls on the way.
Carefully, he opened the door opposite the cat-gripping Koneko, slipping the two bowls of stir-fry into the cage, and shutting the door. His eyes never left the cat, making sure it didn't charge the door. "He looked at the girl, then, and said "I brought some food for you and your kitty. Okay?" He asked. He really did not like the girl being there. He nodded when she didn't say anything in return, and stood, starting again for the door.
"Let us go!" The mother screamed, finally working through her fear, to anger.
The young man looked back at her, but didn't speak. Stepping through the door, he shut it with the finality of a bank vault.
"You bastard! LET US GO!" She pulled back her arm to throw the bowl into the door,
A sharp voice stopped her. "Stop!" Luna yelled. "Eat the food. Do not throw it away."
"Why?" Snarled the angry woman, who turned her glare to the Moon Cat.
Luna glared right back, unimpressed. "Because you have been under a lot of stress and crying, nearly non-stop, and will need the strength from that meal when your chance comes to escape!"
"What chance?" She rattled the chains holding her to the seat.
"One will come, Mrs. Shimaka." Luna wiggled free of Koneko's grasp, and bent over her own food beginning to eat. 'I hope!'
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Artemis dug his claws into the upholstery he sat on, ripping a small hole in Mamoru's rear seat. "Where the hell IS he?" He yelled, looking out the window at the Shimaka home.
Mamoru and Artemis had arrived, three hours ago, to the Shimaka's house. Mamoru had gone inside, telling Artemis he would come out and tell him what was going on as soon as he had a chance. Artemis hadn't seen the dark haired man since then.
The cats eyes scanned the house for the thousandth time, futilely looking for any sign of the once and future prince of earth. He hated not being able to do anything when he spotted the bush where he and Luna had hidden.
"Hey." He muttered, spotting a glint of gold. "We left the pen!" He jumped out of the car, wanting that pen back, since it was the only connection between him and Luna.
Of course, his focus on he house had made him miss the animal control officer. The officer didn't miss him, however, and soon had him caught in the cat net he had in his hands (Someone had complained about strays getting into their garbage.) The man had seen Artemis jump from the car, so he took note of the car and the spot it was parked, then turned back to walk to his truck. "Don't worry kitty. I will come and leave a note on the car, so your owner knows where to come pick you up. Careless of him to leave the window open."
Artemis wasn't listening, being to busy berating himself. 'Stupid! What the hell am I going to do for Luna, if I am stuck in the pound!"
"Hey, you...Wait!" The yell caught both man and cat short, Artemis swearing he knew the voice but not placing it. He struggled to flip over in the net so he could see who was speaking.
"Yes? Is this your cat?"
"No." The other man said. "But I would appreciate it if you'd let him go, anyway."
"Why?"
Artemis finally managed to get a look at the man, and gasped.
Sgt. Hibuki held up his badge and police ID. "I'd consider it a favor." He turned his gaze to the stunned moon cat. "This cat saved my life, once."
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Taro returned to the hold nearly an hour after his first appearance. He was rather surprised to see they had all eaten their food. True, Mrs. Shimaka had apparently hurled the bowl into the door, after eating, but the shards of ceramic had no food mingled in with it, so she must have eaten first.
He walked over to the cage, and the sleeping cat and girl inside. He quietly opened the door, and reached into the cage silently, not wanting to wake either occupant up. Of course, he did this unaware that Luna was intelligent and was only pretending to sleep.
She pounced on his lower arm, howling like a banshee and digging all four claws onto his bicep. She held on for dear life as the screaming man pulled his arm from the cage, but quickly dropped to the floor when she was on the other side of the wire door.
Taro couldn't stop his hard punch, slamming his fist into the tortured arm even as Luna fled it. He howled in pain from his own strike. Luna smiled savagely at what she thought was a wonderful sound.
She jumped onto the man again, ripping her claws into his thighs then launching herself onto his face. She ricocheted off the mans face and into Mrs. Shimaka's Lap, where she paused and turned to face the young assassin.
The moment he started towards her, Luna jumped free of the woman's lap, heading straight for his neck, but her luck had finally ran out. His fist caught her in mid air, and launched her across the bay, and into a large cargo drum. The last thing Luna seeing before falling unconscious being the label "Warning...Ether."
"What the hell is going on!" Gaki yelled, a highly illegal handgun gripped in his left hand. Spotting the unconscious Luna, he ran over to make sure she was still breathing. He sighed when he confirmed she was still alive.
He looked up at the bleeding and cursing Taro. "Toss me that pet carrier, Taro."
The younger man growled, and threw the plastic cage at Gaki, who just chuckled as he caught it. "Why didn't we put her in there, in the first place?"
"You didn't want to take the little girl's kitty." Gaki snarled his mood changing dangerously fast, and the red dot of the pistol's laser sight finding Taro's right breast. The young man froze in terror. "Your heart is getting soft, my friend."
"Not to mention, you tossed one of the most perfect women in the world across a room!" His boss shook his head, then chuckled and holstered the weapon. The loving way he looked at the cat, and gentle movements used to put her in the cage scared Taro more then the gun did.
"Gaki...It's a cat." His mouth spoke without his mind's permission.
The more skilled assassin shrugged. "Okay, so she isn't completely perfect." Gaki picked up the small cage. "Oh, bring the girl. Her father will want to speak to her when I call in a few minutes."
Taro grabbed the cage, lifting it carefully, ignoring the girl inside as she cried for her mommy and "Ms. Luna". As he left, he glanced at Mrs. Shimaka, wondering why she was so quiet through the entire affair.
He didn't notice the absence of his keys, or the shine of metal in the quiet mother's lap.
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'Okay, its been five minutes, they aren't coming back.' Kasumi Shimaka thought to herself, then grabbed the keys in her free hand and started undoing the locks holding her down. There where times she was happy her husband was a cop, and this was one of them. Handcuff keys are distinctive, if you know what they are, after all.
She stood, and started for the door the killers had walked through, but stopped. She wasn't sure how to proceed. She was a mother, and wanted to go after her child...her daughter. But she knew she couldn't take on two, or more, trained killers. But she wanted to save her daughter.
"Because you have been under a lot of stress, and have been crying, nearly non-stop, and will need the strength from that meal when your chance comes to escape." Luna's words came to her.
'She PLANNED this?' The woman thought, not knowing the cat had come up with the idea on the fly. 'She meant for ME to escape without them? But what about Koneko?' The woman looked up and saw the trap door atop a ladder leading to the deck doors of the hold. 'No, she must have meant for me to get my husband!' She thought. She pulled off her skirt, and tossed it onto the chair, glad she had worn "Respectable" under things today.
'Thank god I was a member of the swim team!' she thought, even as she started climbing the ladder, hopping they weren't actually out at sea.
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Sgt. Hibuki and Artemis stood on the sidewalk staring at each other. "Meow?" Artemis tried gamely.
"No way, tomcat. I ain't buying what you're selling." The cop said. He would have crossed his arms, but the sling his badly sprained wrist was in prevented the movement.
Artemis looked around, then sighed. "You got out quick. How's your partner?"
"They say he'll pull through, but it was touch and go for a while." He gestured to the bandage on his head. "This little dent in my skull, and the shock I went into from it where the biggest deal for me. I made them let me out of that living hell they call a hospital this morning." He looked at the white cat. "My partner and I probably owe you our lives. Thanks."
"Just don't tell anyone about me, and we're even." Artemis said, turning towards the Shimaka house.
"Don't worry. They wouldn't believe me anyway. Heck, I am wondering if I have finally cracked."
Artemis glanced up, almost smiling. "That is the first sign that you likely aren't insane...Asking if you are, that is."
"Ah... Thanks for telling me."
Artemis ducked under the bush, and grabbed the disguise pen. He then did the flip required to make it disappear into his sub-space pocket.
"So, you're a magical cat, eh?" The grizzled cop said. "By any chance, do you have any magic to find the girl and her mother?"
Artemis sighed, and looked at the house. "Nope. I can't find them, and I can't find Luna."
"The other cat?" At the cat's nod, the Sgt. continued. "Not easy, is it."
"Not in my experience. Never is."
"So what are you doing here?" They both asked at once.
Artemis chuckled, and answered first. "I found out that the guy who nabbed them all is calling and giving demands. I wanted to know what was going on, but I can't get inside."
"I wanted to apologize for loosing the detective's family." Hibuki answered after Artemis. "Maybe I can help you?"
"How?" The cat asked.
The Sergeant bent down, and picked up the white cat, holding him up to the sprained wrist. "There enough room for you to hide in there?"
"Yeah...hope you aren't allergic to cats."
"Naw...had been thinking about getting one lately, actually." The cop said, walking to the door, and knocking. Another detective answered. "Sarge? What are you doing out of the hospital? I thought you where out for a couple of days at least!"
"What, and eat THAT food? You must be kidding." Hibuki smiled, but soon sobered. "Is Detective Shimaka available? I think I owe him an apology. "
"Come in, but you know he doesn't blame you."
"He doesn't have to. I blame me enough for the both of us." Artemis nodded in his hiding place, relating to the sergeant.
They stepped into the living room, where three more plain-clothes cops, and Mr. Shimaka, sat with all sorts of electronics. Mr. Shimaka was playing a tape with the Gaki, his voice distorted, speaking. "You have my demands, Detective. You don't testify, and come to warehouse ninety-three in the Tokyo Business Harbor at midnight, and I will let the girl and her mother go."
"And what about my daughter and wife. You haven't proven they are alive yet!"
"Just one moment, Detective." The sound of another phone being picked up, and a muffled voice. Then "Daddy?" Koneko's voice came through clear and scared.
"Koneko! Are you all right? Is your mother hurt?" The frantic father, not the detective, answered.
"Momma is okay, but they hit Ms. Luna really hard." The girl was crying. "She tried to fight one of the bad men and they hurt her bad!" Her sobs where heart wrenching to the injured cop and moon cat alike, the mans only action while listening being to reach into the sling and force Artemis's claws out of his skin.
The phone was hung up, and the distorted voice spoke again. "Midnight, Detective." Then the click of a hung up phone.
"So what's the plan...Sarge?" Mr. Shimaka stood up, gesturing to a seat. "Sit down, Sarge. You shouldn't be out!"
"I am out, and I am apologizing. I should have seen that stupid car coming and done something. I screwed up and you're paying for it."
"No! I should have sent them away sooner! It's MY fault."
"Sergeant! Detective! IT is NOT your fault. It's this scum suckers fault and the guy who hired him! Got that?"
"Yes sir."
"Yes, Captain."
"Now, lets focus on planning..." He was interrupted by the phone ringing. The cops around him scrambled, typing on a computer, and switching on recorders and other such actions. Mr. Shimaka picked up the phone on the third ring.
"Yes?"
"Hiroshi?" Came the voice of the detective's wife.
"Kasumi!" The detective gripped the table. "Where are you, what's going on?"
"I'm in a phone booth, on Seventh Street!" She was yelling and weeping. "Oh god, they still have Koneko!"
"Kasumi...dear...I need you to calm down. Where are they?" Detective Shimaka wanting to know if his wife was going to be safe where she was.
"On that ship! I can see it from here!"
One of the cops had already called up a map, and glancing at the trace information. "Got it, sir. She isn't to far from an old food warehouse. It hasn't been running for twenty years or more, but it has a derelict ship moored at its dock. That must be where they are." He said in a whisper.
The detective nodded. "Honey, is there a warehouse with a dock that the ships at?"
"Yes! Get Koneko and Luna away from them! That man is insane!"
"We will dear...now I want you to find a place to hide, and a black and white will be out to get you. I'll send someone you know to get you." He looked at the sergeant, raising an eyebrow.
The grizzled cop's eyes said 'Like you had to ask.'
"You remember Sgt. Hibuki, right?"
"Yes...but they killed him!"
"Seems Sergeants don't die, dear. He'll be along in a black and white, don't come out of hiding for ANYONE else!"
"Okay...I love you!"
"I love you, too."
The captain had already pulled out his keys, even as his other hand was dialing on his cell phone. "We're going to need swat for this. Take my car." He pointed to the garage. "We parked it in there so they wouldn't see it here."
"Right, Captain...I'll even try not to crash it, for you."
"Right." The Captain turned away, barking commands into the mobile phone.
"Mr. Chiba." Mr. Shimaka said, walking into the kitchen, where a female officer and Mamoru had been sitting all this time. "Seems it's almost all over. I am sorry we had to keep you here."
"I understand." He said, noticing the injured cop, and the passenger in his sling with widened eyes. "Can I leave now? Or do you need me to stay?"
"Yeah, though this Officer and her partner will go with you. When are you expecting your family back from Hokkaido?"
The sometimes hero's eyes left the door to the garage as it shut. "Soon, I hope."
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Hibuki pulled up to the corner the electronics man had told him, barely having stopped before the door was thrown open and the half naked form of Mrs. Shimaka was in the seat. She was shivering and wet. "Holy...here!" The Detective said, pulling off his jacket for the woman.
Artemis hopped out from the floorboard and was going to go through the window, when Mrs. Shimaka yelled "ARTEMIS?"
The white cat paused, instinct making him look back. "My god, you did come?" The woman said, looking at him like she expected an answer.
"Yes..." The white cat said, and sighed when she didn't look surprised. 'The girls are NEVER going to let us live this down.' "I take it Luna spoke to you?"
"No, she spoke to that Gaki bastard." The woman almost spit. "She said you'd come...and I hope she's right about the other part."
"What other part?"
"I hope you kill him!" She snarled. The Sergeant and the white cat flinching at the hate in her eyes.
The sergeant looked down. "I can't say I disagree with the lady."
Artemis just nodded, and hopped out the window, running for the dock.
"Your wish, is my command, Luna!" He snarled, even as his feet found the rotting wood of the dock. "Your wish, my command."
AN: Let's see...One evil, nut job assassin? Check. One injured fair maiden (Well, assuming cats can be called maidens.)? Check. One Knight on a white horse? Um.... No. I got one seriously pissed off white cat, though!