CHAPTER TWO
Kaori and Souchi were preparing to create a second daughter while Hotaru and Mikuji were spending quality time together in Hotaru's room. The professor had just injected his wife and extracted a bloodsample when they heard footsteps approaching. "Is that you Eudial?" Kaori asked.
"Yes and I have brought Byruit with me," answered Eudial and the scientists turned to behold the two witches enter the lab. Byruit's hair was pure white in contrast to Eudial's flaming red.
Byruit said, "I have come to take the second pod on my outing. Is it ready yet?"
"I'm just about to prepare her now. It won't take long." Professor Tomoe mixed Kaori's blood with the chemicals while the two witches watched. As soon as the test tube burst Byruit carefully levitated the pod into her bag.
"Don't be worried. She'll be safe with me." She spoke kindly to ease the scientist's tension, though her words were insincere.
Professor Tomoe hugged Kaori to help calm her. "It's fine dear. They looked after Mikuji. They will bring our new child back safely too."
The witches smiled at each other. This time Mistress 9 was going to accompany Byruit and protect the creature from their unknown enemies. This time they hoped to capture a heart for sure.
Meanwhile Serena was sitting on a public bench with Darien tossing breadcrumbs to the birds while they quietly talked. They had been discussing each other's thoughts on the events of the other day when suddenly their good friend Catzi came strolling merrily along.
"Why hello Serena and Darien."
"Oh hi Catzi," said Serena with a smile.
"Where are you going?" asked Darien. "Usually you're very busy all day at your Beauty and Cosmetics store."
Catzi explained. "My sisters, Sapphire and Rebecca are managing things without me today. I've decided to volunteer once a week at the Animal Shelter. This will be my very first day."
The Animal Shelter was the place where the Black Moon Clan had set up one of their schemes. All the stray animals there had been under control and had been made to attack the Sailor Scouts. Fortunately they had been successfully contained without causing them harm by the Scouts powers. Serena was thrilled to hear Catzi was going to work there.
"I hear there's a large number of stray cats recently handed in. Would you and Darien like to come with me and see them Serena?"
"Oooh! I love cats! Come on Darien!"
She practically dragged him along by the hand and he said, "Okay. I'm coming," as they followed Catzi.
When Catzi arrived she introduced them to the veterinarian surgeon in charge. "I brought my friends, Darien and Serena to meet the cats. Is that okay?"
The vet smiled. "Of course there's no problem with that Catzi. You can feed them while they look at them. They're just inside the third doorway down the left corridor."
Serena could barely contain her excitement. "Thank you very much. Let's go say hello to the darlings Darien."
Again she almost pulled Darien off balance seizing his arm. He just managed not to stumble over his feet as they left the vet at her main desk.
Serena's face glowed with radient joy at the sight of all the cats. There were many various colours including ginger, white, black, grey and also combined patterns. Catzi filled three bowls full of cat food with the help of her friends. They each set one down and the felines all circled around them.
"Don't worry. There's plenty for all of you," said Catzi. "Afterwards we'll pour you out some nice milk."
"You're very sweet to volunteer to look after these adorable kitties Catzi," said Serena.
"I love these animals Serena. It's a pleasure to have this opportunity."
Darien chuckled. "Cats are so wonderful. They give you such a heartwarming feeling."
They were all mewing softly while they took turns to eat from the big bowls enjoying every mouthful.
But just then the witch Byruit entered the main entrance and on her way along the path to the building Mistress 9 spoke. "Byruit use your power to make the cats go wild and attack whoever else is present while we infuse the pod andtake the heart of the person I direct you to."
"I am at your service Mistress 9."
The vet was immediately turned like a statue of flesh and blood before she could even ask what Byruit wanted. Then the demon led the witch towards the room full of cats.
Darien gasped. "Serena! My sixth sense tells me that an enemy is coming! We must transform to protect Catzi."
Catzi gasped in horror as Darien magically spun around to become Tuxedo Mask and Serena cried, "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
She transformed just as the doorknob began to turn.
As soon as Byruit stepped through she gestured with a wave of one arm and all the cats started to turn on Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask hissing and snarling. Sailor Moon gasped and backed away. "Yikes! What's happening?"
Byruit shouted in triumph. "If either of you try to pass or even touch those cats, they will claw and bite you savagely."
Even Tuxedo Mask backed up. "We are surrounded Sailor Moon. You can still fight from where you are though."
Sailor Moon was all shook up and trembling. "W-w-what do you mean Tux-tuxedo M-mask?"
In disbelief he made no effort to hide the scorn from his voice. "Your scepter of course."
All this time Catzi was getting very frightened. Byruit was standing in front of the exit and the cats would not allow her to go the opposite way to join her friends. They raised their paws at her extending their claws threateningly.
Sailor Moon, jolted into action by Tuxedo Mask's rebuke, grabbed her tiara and it changed into the Moon Scepter. Before she could fire at Byruit though, Mistress 9 warned her and the witch sent it flying out of her grasp, spinning backwards hitting the wall.
"Wh-what do you want with me?" she was terrified.
Byruit didn't answer. Just took the pod out of her bag and threw it to the floor next to a cat. It broke and the small black winged shadow inside passed into the animal's body and both Sailor Moon and Catzi screamed at what happened next.
It grew into a humanoid creature as big as Catzi, only it had distinctive feline features. It was clearly a woman, irrespective of whatever gender the cat had been, and she had pointed kitty ears sticking out of her black hair, a cat's face with whiskers, long black nails resembling claws on her hands and a tail that was as purple as the rest of her body.
She even made soft mewing noises as Mistress 9 directed her to slightly lift the edge of her frilly white skirt with black and orange polka dots in front of Catzi. Another black star, like the one that had materialized on Mikuji, appeared on her exposed leg just above her nylon stocking and it shot a beam out pinning Catzi to the wall slowly extracting her heart that was beating with terror before her horrified eyes.
Sailor Moon was also horrified. "Oh no! CATZI! I wish the others were here."
The cat lady had her hand outstretched to take the heart as it approached. Mistress 9 and Byruit were eagerly anticipating victory.
But all of a sudden what appeared to be two blazing balls of fire came soaring down and enveloped the cat lady who shrieked just like a scared kitty. The heart landed on the floor as the beam was cut off and Byruit, after a moment's shock, tried to run over and pick it up. She had barely moved when a giant tidal wave swept her off her feet. It disappeared as fast as it had appeared. However she was still left soaking wet lying in a bedraggled heap on the floor.
Before Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Mask could do anything she vanished where she lay and the cat lady was gone too.
The cats were back to normal and a couple of them ran over and dangerously sniffed at Catzi's heart thinking it was meat for them.
Fortunately before they could start taking bites out of it, two figures jumped down from an open window above landing as agilely as cats themselves and one of them quickly snatched it up safely.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask couldn't believe it. They were two girls and they were dressed in Sailor Scout uniforms.
Sailor Moon started to ask who they were but the one with short blonde hair held out the heart and shouted. "Never mind about us. We are on our own mission and we will only cross your path as far as necessity calls for it. Don't waste time. Return this poor woman's heart to her."
"Oh yeah right. MOON CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!"
As Catzi's heart went back she returned to normal and the two strange Scouts went leaping up and out through the same high window. Tuxedo Mask changed back into Darien and told Sailor Moon to do the same.
After making sure that Catzi was all right, Serena and Darien found the vet was okay. She didn't know a thing about what had happened after being frozen and thought she must have imagined the woman she had briefly seen. So Catzi said nothing either though she was very grateful to her friends. She knew nothing about the other two while she'd been in a trance without her heart. She just assumed Sailor Moon had saved her.
Serena and Darien made their goodbyes then and departed. They spoke quietly to each other as they walked along. "Darien we must hold an urgent meeting with Luna and everybody else. Who are those two strangers and who are our new enemies?"
"Good questions Serena. If they really are Scouts they may be Sailor Pluto's comrades, the warriors of the planets Uranus and Neptune. But if so what are they doing here? They should still be helping Pluto search for their long lost leader.." He rubbed his chin. "We all have a big puzzle before us and we must help each other find where the pieces fit into place."
Serena pondered these things in her mind hoping they would have good luck. She felt they were going to need plenty of it.
Meanwhile Byruit found herself back outside the mad scientists' home with the cat lady. Mistress 9 said to her, "We are up against tougher forces than we thought. We must quietly meet with Germatoid and the rest of the coven and plan our strategy better. Twice we've failed to get a heart and it's a major setback to our plans. But for now we'll give our gullible allies their new plaything to keep them happy." Byruit nodded in agreement.
Professor Tomoe and his wife were delighted with their beautiful kitty girl. They called her Nekonelle and introduced her to Hotaru and Mikuji. Mikuji gently stroked her neck as she purred. "I'm your older sister Nekonelle and this is our oldest sister Hotaru. She and I will help our Mummy and Daddy teach you everything you need to know. Our parents love us all so very much and we love you too. Don't we Hotaru?"
Hotaru laughed and hugged Nekonelle with Mikuji. "Yes. We will be a happy family. I think we might call you Neko for short."
"I like that too," said Mikuji. "Welcome Neko."
The Tomoes were very happy and Nekonelle did learn to talk and to feel loved by her family, though she still made occasional cat noises. But the witches were being heavily briefed by their masters and the Sailor Scouts were likewise so by Luna and Artemis. Things were beginning to heat up.