Author's Notes: Like I would really kill Ginji. Fake a death, you betcha, but actually kill him? Perish the thought! He's just too cute!
Where was I? Oh, yeah.
Disclaimer: Insert the standard one here. My hands hurt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Do you really think this will work, Ban-san?" Felis asked an hour later. The Get Backers and the X-Man were in her hotel room, one of the nicest the retrievers had ever seen. Akabane had disappeared after the standoff with Mystique, tipping his hat and offering his services for the ruse. Ban and Ginji had turned him down flat. Felis had been amused by their reactions. Akabane's whisper in her ear had made her canines ache with anticipation. She was really looking forward to midnight.
"All I need is a second to look into his eyes. The Jagon will give him any dream I want."
"But it only lasts a minute, you said."
"Yeah, which is why we'll have to continue the dream until he leaves."
"Will you know the dream?"
"Yes. I'll make it good." Ban gave her a toothy smile.
"I'm not comfortable with this, Ban-chan. Can't we just talk to him?"
"You can try, but I don't know if he'll listen, Ginji-san." Felis was very pleased they let her call them both by their first names.
"If he does, so much the better. If he doesn't, we have a back up plan," Ban said, reaching for his cigarettes. Felis pointed at the balcony. Ban sighed and stomped to the sliding glass door. He pulled it open a crack and lit up. Ginji frowned at his partner, then turned back to the cat-woman.
"Can you do it, Ginji-san?" She asked.
"Yeah. I can hold my breath just fine. I just don't like the idea of dying, even a fake dying, you know? Ban-chan's given some people really nasty dreams, but I never knew what they were. Now I do and I don't like it."
"I can understand that. It's an impressive power, even with the limits attached." Felis sat back, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The sunglasses were tossed carelessly on the table.
"Are you ok, Neko-chan?" Ginji asked, using the nickname he had come up with in the car. Felis let her head rest on the back of her chair, smiling at the ceiling.
"I spent the last two days in cat-form, wandering the city and listening. Now my human-form aches. I did a LOT of walking." She and Ginji chuckled. Lifting her head, she cocked it to one side.
"Hey, Ginji-san. Could you do me a really big favor?"
"Uh, sure. What is it, Neko-chan?"
"Pet me?" As Ginji babbled in shock, Felis shifted into a dark brown housecat. Only her purple eyes remained the same.
"Oh, oh! That's what you meant. Sure, Neko-chan! Come on over." Ginji patted his lap. Felis hopped onto the table, then onto his legs. With a happy sigh, she curled up in his lap. Ginji began rubbing her ears and she purred. Ban snorted as he walked over and flopped down beside his partner.
"Well, that didn't take long," He drawled, eyeing Felis. "I knew you wanted him."
"Ban-chan!" Ginji protested, blushing bright red. Felis reached out and swiped Ban's hand, leaving four painful scratches.
"Hey! That wasn't nice, Neko."
"Well, you weren't being nice either, Ban-chan. Guess you shouldn't forget Neko-chan can defend herself." Ginji kneaded Felis' shoulder and stroked her sides. The shapeshiter closed her eyes in bliss, yawned and put her chin on Ginji's other arm.
"Aww. She's taking a catnap!" Ginji giggled at his own joke. Ban snorted and put his feet on the table.
"Man, I can't believe this day. First no work, then a cat-woman buys us lunch and tells us you're in mortal danger from a bunch of souped-up humans bent on global domination."
"Hey, Ban-chan? Do you think we should have told the others? I mean, Shido might be considered a candidate for this Brotherhood. He is a Beast Master."
"I'd be more worried about the Brotherhood talking Akabane into joining them."
"Oh, I don't think they would. He's not a mutant."
"Talking to animals isn't a mutant trait either. Monkey-brain learned how to do that. Akabane had something done to him to make that scalpel trick work." Ban folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. "No, Ginji, the only one who qualifies as a mutant that we know is you."
"That's not true. You count too, Ban-chan. Your Jagon is genetic."
"Yeah, but they don't know about me. I've managed to keep something of a low profile. This Brotherhood is looking for super beings. That's you." He grinned at his partner, still petting their new friend. Ginji squirmed, disturbing Felis. The cat yawned, stretched and opened her eyes. Looking from one to the other, she sauntered off Ginji's lap and plopped down on Ban's.
"Hey! No! Get off of me, you freaky woman!" Ban started to stand up, only to feel twenty claws dig through his pants and into his skin. He sat back and the claws retracted.
"Bitch." Felis purred and nudged his hand imperiously.
"Pet her, Ban-chan! She really likes having her ears rubbed," Ginji encouraged. Ban rolled his eyes.
"There is no way I'm petting this creature. She's a shapeshifter, for gods sake. What if I start rubbing her ears and she changes and then I'm rubbing something I'm going to get hit for?" Felis nudged his hand again, harder.
"I don't think she's going to stop, Ban-chan. Hey, Neko-chan? Can you talk when you're like this?" Ginji asked, bending over the cat. She looked up, shook her head and wormed her nose under Ban's fingers. Ban snatched his hand away.
"But you can understand us. Hey, that's cool! It's like having the perfect pet!" Ginji happily rubbed Felis' ears again.
"We can't keep her, you know, Ginji," Ban said, picking Felis up gently and plunking her down on the couch. She sat between them, looking coldly up at Ban.
"Yeah, I know, but it would still be fun!" Ginji stroked her from head to tail, making her arch in appreciation. Ban glanced from the cat to the opposite chair. He didn't see any clothes left behind from the change.
"Hey, Neko. Where's your clothes?" He asked. Ginji immediately stopped petting the cat and backed away, beet red.
"N…Neko" He stammered. The cat yawned, hopped onto the table and shifted back. Instead of the suit, she was wearing a form-fitting dark gray and blue two piece outfit that completely covered her. A red and black X was on the left breast.
"This is an illusion suit. It takes the image of anything I want it to. It also keeps me from destroying clothes and ending up naked. A friend made it for me." She explained and yawned again.
"You're both welcome to stay here tonight, if you want, even order room service." The retrievers' eyes lit up. Felis chuckled.
"Magneto will wait a day or two to plan his next move. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to take a nap. If you decide to leave, make sure to let me know in a note or something. Oh, and whatever you do, don't split up. Magneto will be watching the streets. Night, guys."
"Hey, Neko-chan? Can we order whatever we want?" Ban asked, eyes gleaming. Felis flopped down on one of the twin beds and curled up.
"Yeah, go ahead. I can afford it and frankly, Ban-san, you look like you could use a few good meals. Night." With another yawn, the X-man fell asleep. Ban and Ginji exchanged gleeful looks and grabbed the room service menu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Felis woke up several hours later, her eyes mere slits. The room was dark and she could hear the Get Backers snoring softly. Opening her eyes fully, she waited for her night vision to kick in. A smirk crossed her face. Six trays were stacked with various dishes, bits and pieces of a lavish meal decorated the carpet and several empty bottles gave testament to her generosity. Felis shrugged, slid off her bed and padded to the bathroom, another smile forming when she saw how the young men were sleeping. They looked adorable, two half-grown cats cuddled together. Slipping into the bathroom, Felis took off her illusion suit and hung it in the special carrying bag it came with. While she cleaned up, the suit was cleaned. Oh, how she missed Beast, the gentle furry giant and brilliant scientist. Maybe after she finished this mission, Professor Xavier would let her back into the mansion. As long as she kept tonight's side trip out of her thoughts. Professor Charles Xavier, known fondly by the X-Men as simply Professor X, was one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet. He knew everything about his team and could even track mutants with a special machine called Cerebro. He could also speak to minds across great distances. Having a telepathic nosy uncle proved somewhat of a hassle. There were times when Felis thought going solo would be better. She wasn't interested in Magento's world-view, but the rules and regs of the X-Men were getting on her primal nerves.
Felis dried off, braided her hair and pinned it up, revealing her large cat ears, covered in soft, dark brown fur. She had time before she had to decide if the X-Men were worth her loyalty. Tonight, tonight was simply for her. She needed the catharsis of a good hunt. She chuckled to herself as she put on her clean illusion suit and drew on a pair of black gloves with holes in the tips for her claws. Her tail, tucked through the special slit in the back of her pants, twitched in anticipation. "Going feral" was Professor X's polite way of saying she was becoming less human and more animalistic. She couldn't help the feline blood in her veins, the product of a sick man's desire to kill her. She had been injected with a potent mix of poisons and stray cat blood. Her regeneration ability saved her life, but at the cost of significant genetic mutation. Hence the eyes, ears, claws and tail she could not get rid of, only hide. And her increasing blood-lust. Fighting a good fight wasn't enough anymore. She wanted to feed, to break the neck of her prey and sink her teeth into a soft belly, tearing out intestines and liver and gulping chunks of meat while blood ran down her chin and dripped on her chest. Felis felt her tail bristle and spent a few moments smoothing it down with her fingers. A glance at the clock sent her tiptoeing to the hotel balcony, dodging around the remains of the feast. Moving silently, she let herself out and studied the placement of balconies along the outside wall of the hotel. She was on the eighth floor, a little too high for a simple leap to the street. However, the balconies were spaced apart by a mere six feet on the side and about ten feet above and below. Felis climbed over the railing and slid down until she was hanging from the bottom edge. Swinging her body slightly, she let go and dropped onto the balcony directly below her soundlessly. She repeated the maneuver until she was on the third floor. From there she simply jumped over the balcony rail and landed on her feet, curving her spine and letting her hands cushion part of her fall. Smiling, she stood and brushed her hand over the red and black X on her chest, making it disappear into a plain black turtleneck. Her pants became black too. Throwing her head back, she tasted the air and headed off towards the Limitless Fortress. Akabane-sama had told her of a certain park not far from the stark, foreboding collection of skyscrapers. He would be waiting for her there. She let her jaw fall open slightly, using her tongue as well as her nose to track the air. Tokyo had the usual big city smells; garbage, human sweat so thick you could choke on it, exhaust fumes, artificial scents humans used in a useless attempt to cover up the sweat, foodstuffs, concrete and steel. All smells she was used to and could filter out easily. Tonight she had only one scent in mind. Old blood and ceramic, the distinctive odor of Dr. Jackal.