Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, though I think more then half of the characters in this series are actually original to me. Use them if you wanna though, I don't mind.

One Year Ago:

The Cargo hold was filling with smoke, even as the flames spread from the Gaki's discarded coat. Artemis had his back to barrels while he watched the assassin who was glaring at him from some distance off. Both were bleeding from many wounds from the battle on the ship's deck and the fall through the gasoline fire into the cargo hold. Both the human and the Man-Cats noses burned with the stench of burning petroleum, and both limped now, both tired but neither ready to give up.

Artemis blinked, his eye caught by the red warning label on one barrel, spared one instant to look away from the Gaki. 'Ether! We are fighting in a BOMB!"

That moment of inattention almost killed him, as the Gaki's knife swung in for his throat. The cat, catching the flash of steel out of the corner of one eye blocked with leather sheathed arm, screaming as the blade bit through the leather, cutting a shallow but long line of blood from his arm. The Gaki's body followed, and as had happened to the assassin so many times, Artemis found himself beneath the man, grappling with the knife even as his injured but still fighting fist pummeled the cats chest and stomach.

"This place is going to explode! We have to get OUT!" Artemis yelled, between grunts of pain.

"To bad! I suppose you'll only lead me into hell by a few instants!" The crazed assassin screamed forcing the knife blade against the cat's throat, a small trickle of blood escaping the shallow nick.

Artemis growled and yelled all at once. Closing his eyes he looked for the strength to push the man off of him. His closed eyes meant that only the Gaki got to see the moon on his forehead glow blindingly silver, instead of its normal gold. Then an implacable wall of force slammed into the killer, and drove him into the bulkhead across the hold.

Artemis opened his eyes, not having any idea how he had thrown the man so far away, and not even caring. Seeing the Gaki stumble to his feet, wiping blood from his lips, he made a decision. "Later Looser!" He yelled, then jumped with his thick, feline like legs, landing on top of the Pyramid of explosive liquid, then jumping from them in a display only a cat could give to catch the ladder and scramble free of the cargo hold.

"GET BACK HERE CAT!" The Gaki yelled, running to the ladder, not realizing the barrels had started to topple, nor that he was in the path of the top most drum's fall until it hit him, and the flames at his feet.

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Artemis gasped for breath, stumbling as the first small explosion rocked the ship. "Just a few more steps...just a few more..." He chanted to himself as he ran. Then reaching the rail surrounding the ships deck he leapt over the side into the storm tossed ocean. The next several minutes were filled with the sounds of explosions and the orange haze of a fire. He couldn't figure out how he finally made it to sure, or how Luna, in her human form, found him.

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The Gaki screamed in pain as he dragged himself out of the water, the gray light of false dawn finally fading the surreal effects of the police lights on the dock. The pain of the burns covering his body drove all logic from his mind, but the chilling cold waters of the Pacific Ocean numbed the effects enough for him to drag himself onto the concrete shore of a pleasure boaters marina. Using the last of his strength he pulled a cell phone free of his coat, and pushed its power, gasping more then sighing in relief when the abused device worked. "I need a pick up... Yeah, where we planned it for last night."

He was still conscious when the black van with the only member of his team not on the ship pulled up, and the younger man pulled him into the van. He remained awake long enough to give him a name and address before finally fading from consciousness.

It wasn't until he regained consciousness several days later that he discovered the loss of both his legs.

Moon Cats, Fearful Symmetry

Chapter Eleven

The Present:

Artemis Groaned as he pulled himself up off the mats, dusting off the Gi pants covering his currently human legs. He glared at the older man across the mat from him, who just returned the look with a smirk. "Damn it Hibuki. You know this isn't my natural form. Couldn't you take it a little easier on me?"

"You're the one who asked me to train you in hand to hand combat, kitty-cat. Don't blame me if you get a little bruised now and again." The leader of CAPPA, the Central Administrative Police Preternatural Agency, replied. "What the heck inspired this, anyway? I swear I don't know how you took the Gaki, you stink!"

Artemis managed to hide his flinch at the assassin's name. "Way to be supportive, boss. What's next, you gonna kick me when I'm down?"

"That's not for a few lessons yet."

"Gee, thanks."

The chuckle of a female voice broke into the conversation, and both men turned to see the most important woman in their lives. Granted, it was for different reasons, but Luna "Tsukino" basically stood as the stable center of both men's universe as both the 'Administrative Assistant' to Lt. Ichiro Hibuki and as the sometimes confusing Significant Other to CAPPA's sometimes human second in command. "Lieutenant, there is a phone call for you. It seems that the Mad Graffiti Artist we've been hearing about on the news has been captured."

"That's good, he painted a big mural of seahorses at play in pastels on my favorite restaurant last week, but why is someone calling me about it."

"Seems that it's a robot, Sir."

Both men blinked, and then the older man looked at Artemis. "Does that actually qualify as Preternatural?"

"I think Preternatural means 'Anything Strange enough to inspire a call' boss. Remember the rookie that brought that Albino Pickpocket to us? I'm still dealing with paperwork from that one."

Hibuki shrugged. "You're the one who put him in a holding cell with someone claiming to be infected with a Daemon egg. You'd think of all people YOU'D know better."

"I thought he was just nuts! How was I supposed to know it was dormant!"

"You just better be happy that was a day that Usagi was working."

"Yeah, yeah.. Well I scan everyone else since then don't I? And it wasn't like he was hurt...just drained. I guarantee you he'll never pick another pocket."

Hibuki chuckled. "Lead me on to the phone Luna. Let's find out what we have to deal with now."
The white haired man watched the other two leave, then sighed and looked into the mirrors. The bags under his eyes were barely hidden by the disguise pen, which Luna more then likely had forgotten completely about by now. Both cats had gathered a rather respectable collection of clothing for every occasion and didn't really need the device anymore, but he'd been using it to conceal the signs of lack of sleep from his somewhat girlfriend and co-workers. The dream, the images of the final battle with the Gaki, had been coming back to him recently and he didn't know why. All he knew was between the images and the knowledge that he had killed the man, no matter how much he had deserved it, was keeping him from sleep. He tried to shake off the sense of foreboding that seemed to fill him whenever he wasn't keeping himself busy and headed to the small gyms showers. "Guess I'll tackle some reports then."

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"How much longer!" The Gaki demanded, glaring at the young man, really little more then a teenager, bent over a worktable.

"I don't know! You're asking me to build robotics beyond what anyone has ever designed before!"

"Yes, I am...and that robot you tried to get help with really was a wonder of technology." The Gaki pulled a nine-millimeter from the holster mounted on the arm of his wheelchair. "It took three rounds and kept going. Lucky for you that it didn't get any messages out... Though I did like the lovely painting of a naked woman it did on the Sony building. Very artistic, Arturo."

Arturo Uamasai slumped in his office chair, and groaned. "I finished some of the other... Devices you wanted."

"Good." The Gaki growled evil pleasure in his voice. "I assume you made them as easy to program as I asked?"

"Of course. I'm too much of a coward to do otherwise."

"Good of you to remember that, Arturo. Very good." The Gaki laughed. It was not a joyful sound.

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"Man, are you sure we can't borrow that think? CAPPA HQ does still need some remodeling, after all."

"No Artemis, I don't think they'll let us." Hibuki muttered, looking through the now multi-colored bars of the 12th precinct holding cell. "They still aren't sure rather they should book this thing as a suspect, or lock it up as evidence."

The white haired man nodded, slipping a hand into a coat pocket to grab what looked for all the world like a small PDA. He tapped the screen a few times, and the spider like robot they were observing shut off, its meter long and wide frame clattering to the floor like a puppet with its string cut. "Evidence I'd say. It's AI is pretty sweet, but it's not self aware."

"Nice to know. What else does that magic box tell you?"

Artemis shrugged, slipping the so-called 'Artemis Computer' Back into his pocket. "There's some damage to its memory, and it's using mostly back up processors. I can't guess as to what caused the damage without looking it over, but now that it's off that should be easy."

"How do we explain it turning off suddenly?"

Artemis chuckled. "It's amazing what the Tazer that the camera just saw me use can do. Took it out in one shot."

"Nice." Hibuki nodded. "Guard! Come here and open the cell."

Less then two minutes later both men were looking over the robot, and had found the damage. "These look like bullet holes to you too?" Artemis asked.

"Oh yeah, and the cops who grabbed this thing weren't packing." Hibuki replied. "They just grabbed the thing while it was painting a sidewalk. It didn't even fight, just kept flailing around."

Artemis looked over the robot. It's ten legs brought to mind a crab or a spider, an image added to by the fact that it had demonstrated an ability to climb walls or even the ceiling. In spite of that impression, Artemis saw nothing that even remotely made him think of weaponry. "Maybe it was painting some Yakuza's car?"

"Maybe." Hibuki muttered. "Either way, I think this case just got ugly. Call Luna and tell her we're going to need one of the basement labs cleaned out, and get her to see if Ami can skip Juku tonight. She's the only person on even our staff who I think can figure this one out."

"Sure boss." Artemis reached for his cell phone, but paused. "Ichiro... I've got a bad feeling about this one for some reason."

"So do I, cat. So do I."

Authors Notes: I'm BAACK! Sorry for the long delays between chapters, and sorry for the short one. I've just been busy, and life's been hectic, and I'm even trying to write actual original fiction novels to boot. However I am back and will be back to write more for you Fans of the Moon Cats Saga.

Ironically it shouldn't even be a Saga. I wrote the first chapter of the original Moon Cats, or "When the Senshi are Away, the Cats will Play" as a ONE SHOT story. That one went something like eleven chapters. Now I'm on chapter eleven of the third in the series, and I'm no where near what looks like a stopping point. Ironic eh?