Wow, I'm on a roll. Four chapters in a week! Of course, after this update is the dreaded fight between our beloved principles and frankly, I'm a little scared. I can see it in my head, all pretty and animated and looking really kickass, but translating those pictures into words? Hard, hard, hard. So please bear with me. It'll probably be another week or so. I'm not going to do another poll on who should fight who, but I will let my loyal readers choose which fight they want to see first. Later.
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I don't own GB, X-Men or Cats. I do own a copy of "Book of Practical Cats" and I used to own the video release of the musical. I don't know what happened to the video.
Felis followed the Get Backers into the Honky Tonk, feeling quite pleased with herself. Having her tail handed to her was worth the knowledge gleaned. Ban and Ginji not assaulting her delicate nose always a plus. Their clothes had been cleaned in record time, thanks to the large tip she had pinned to the laundry. As for her, well, a regular pair of loose pants and a tunic would just have to do. She had room to move, that was the important thing. The breakfast her companions had devoured should be enough to keep them going for a while and she was full for the first time in days. Living as a stray cat was not conductive to eating well. She'd have to find a different way, something that allowed her to hunt without the casualty rate of wild animals. Or being locked up in a cage.
Fwoosh. Clink. Fwoosh. Clink. Fwoosh. Clink. The sound of a lighter being played with. Felis' eyes narrowed at the dark haired man sitting at the counter, watching the flame of the silver Zippo appear and vanish. Ban and Ginji ignored him in favor of teasing Hevn, who was sitting in a booth. Felis yawned and strolled over to the newcomer.
Fwoosh. Clink.
"Having fun, Pyro?" She asked softly in English, hopping onto the next stool and leaning on the counter. The brunet glared at her from under his eyebrows.
"You just had to interfere. There wouldn't have been any problems if you and your stupid team didn't insist on getting in the way," He responded in kind, turning back to his toy.
"Life's a bitch and then you die. What was Maggy smoking when he cooked up this little scheme? Did he honestly think a Lightening Emperor would agree to be ruled?" Felis mocked. Pyro snapped the lighter on and gathered a small ball of flame into his palm. Felis slapped her hand over the mini-fireball, not even hissing as the heat scorched her skin to extra crispy.
"Not here."
"Bitch."
"What is wrong with you people? I'm a cat, not a dog!" She pulled her hand away, frowning at the blackened muscles and ligaments. Pyro threw himself off the stool and faced her.
"Where. Is. He?" The man bit off. Felis waved towards Ginji with her wounded hand.
"The blond. But I don't know if he speaks English."
"Doesn't matter. I'll see you later, chewtoy." Pyro stomped over to the booth, slapped an envelope down in front of the astonished Ginji and left the café. The Get Backers and Hevn exchanged looks, then stared at her. Felis shrugged and began gently licking her burns.
"That…was…Pyro," She said between licks, switching back to Japanese. The trio in the booth stared at the paper nervously.
"Don't worry. He can't make things spontaneously combust. He needs a source."
"I guess you'd better open it, Gin," Hevn said, sounding a little nervous. Ginji nodded and ripped the envelope open. A single piece of paper fell out, covered with numbers.
"Huh? What's this?" Ginji asked, holding the paper up.
"It's coordinates," Ban growled, taking out a cigarette. Hevn got up out of the booth and walked around to peer over Ginji's shoulder.
"Date and time too. Looks like you're supposed to meet them this evening," She observed. Ginji turned the paper back and forth.
"I can't read this! Hey, Master? Can you show us where this is?"
"Are you going to pay your tab?" The redhead asked behind his paper.
"This isn't a job, sir," Felis cut in, wiping her now-healed hand with a napkin. "They're not going to get paid for preventing a war." She boosted herself onto the counter and strolled over to Paul, looming above him. The trio nearby watched with open mouths. Felis crouched and pushed the paper down with one finger, making Paul look in her direction.
"If you are unwilling, perhaps you could suggest someone else?" She purred.
"MakobeX," Paul said and rattled his paper. Felis smirked and took her finger off the periodical. Hevn frowned.
"Paul! You know how impossible it is to get a hold of MakobeX! Your laptop is under the counter…"
"It's ok, Hevn," Ginji said, cutting her off mid-tirade. He had his cell phone out and was punching numbers.
"Nobody else should be involved." That made Hevn's jaw drop again. Feils snickered.
"So noble. You would sacrifice everything for a friend, wouldn't you, Ginji-san?"
"Of course! How could I not?" Ginji responded, hitting the send button. Ban nudged him out of the booth so he could get up and pace. Felis remained on the counter, tail lazily swishing. Ginji coaxed Hevn back into the booth to talk while Ban muttered to himself. Felis looked at Paul.
"Are they always like this?" She asked casually.
"Yes and get off my counter," He answered. She oozed her way onto a barstool and resumed her crouched sitting, fingers curling against the edge of the cushion. After a few quiet minutes, the cell phone beeped. Ginji picked it up and punched a button. Ban and Felis joined him and Hevn to peer at the tiny screen. A map was displayed, with one red dot near the center. Ginji hit another button and a lot of text appeared. Three people hissed, leaving the gaijin confused.
"He's insane!" Hevn gasped, sitting back. Ban growled low in his throat. Felis looked at Ginji, who was starting to spark a little.
"Where is it?" Felis asked.
"Inside the Limitless Fortress. It's where I used to play as a kid," Ginji whispered.
"Oh. That makes sense." Felis stepped back, blinking at six eyes giving her similar glares. "Choose the battlefield that enhances your strengths and your enemy's weaknesses. Sun Tzu. Not a direct quote, but the idea is the same. Magneto has lots of metal to work with and Ginji-san has the memories to work against. He wants Raitei."
"He's not going to get him," Ban growled. Felis shrugged.
"That's up to Ginji-san. I'm going to see if I can catch Mystique and wring some more information out of her. I'll meet you here in four hours. Sir? Please feed the Get Backers if they ask. I will pay for today."
"You sure about that?" Paul asked. Felis tossed her hair and headed for the door.
"Of course! Must have them at peak efficiency, after all!"
"Wait, Neko-chan!" Ginji ran after her and grabbed her arm. "You're not coming with me."
"Of course I am, Tugger!" She ruffled his hair and grinned. "Jellicle cats always dance together. Besides, you think your partner would let you go alone?" She jerked free of his grip, ruffled his hair again and skipped out the door.
"What was that all about?" Hevn asked, arms folded across her chest.
