Focused on Him

Arden limped all over the house. The pain from the poison spike had gone, so she was facing a side effect. She limped through her house, with Hiram noticing.

"Arden, are you alright?" he asked. Arden looked at him.

"Not really, Hiram. The poison spike must be having side effects," she replied. Arden turned away from him. Hiram looked worried.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, now that time has gone by, I should start focusing on…well…you know...I've got to stop trying to not think about my life! I've had enough of trying to ignore it. I can't help if I'm suffering!!" cried Arden. Hiram was wide eyed with curiosity.

"Well, what do you plan on doing?" asked Hiram. Arden thought for a moment. She walked out of the moment and thought long and hard. As she thought, Hunter and Daren rushed in. Daren held twelve buckets, with six of them both in his two paws. Arden noticed.

"What are you two doing here, and what's with the buckets?!" she asked surprised.

"Hiram wanted twelve buckets to use, and, well, here I am!" cried Daren with a silly grin. Arden rolled her eyes.

"He's in the other room," she explained. Daren's grin grew wider. Arden glared.

"Wipe that silly grin off your face," she protested. Daren came closer.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I have two things to say to you! The first thing: GET STUFFED!!" he yelled. Arden went wide-eyed. She had never been so angry before.

"Why, you cheeky little as-" she replied.

"Arden...before you start cussing, Daren should get going with these buckets," interrupted Hunter. The two mouse boys were walking towards the other room when Daren turned to Arden.

"And the second thing, if you shake these buckets, you can make music out of them!" he said. As the two left, they shook the buckets and started singing. As Arden watched them sing and shake the buckets, she collapsed onto the couch. She rubbed her head with the sleeve of her blouse, and started twitching. She'd never felt like this before. Ratigan came to mind. Her life had been a nightmare because of him. While the friends she knew had a normal life and had nothing to worry about, she had been running for her life. The door opened, and a voice was heard.

"ARDEN!! ARDEN!! YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS!!" cried the voice. Arden looked and Basil, Dr. Dawson, and Allyson rushed in. Arden jumped over the couch ad rushed to them.

"What's up!" she cried. Allyson opened the newspaper. It showed a newsflash about a case Basil had just solved. The case was about the disappearance of Scotland Yard's Detective Mousington. It turned out that Detective Mousington had to leave Scotland to go to London for a Scotland Yard business trip. He disappeared, so it was a detective-searching-for-a-detective case. Ratigan was behind the disappearance, which was not a surprise to Arden.

"Arden, I need you t help me!" implored Basil. Arden went wide-eyed.

"What's this got to do with me?" she asked.

"Well, it says here..." said Basil pointing a finger at the bottom of the newspaper. "...that Ratigan was last seen coming here!" Arden jumped.

She had always worried about something like this. She went pale. Dawson noticed.

"Arden, whatever is the matter? You've gone as white as a sheet of paper," he asked. Arden's heart started beating faster than usual. Daren's head appeared.

"Did you see a ghost?" he asked. Arden turned and glared at him. She threw the newspaper on the ground and chased him around.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" she yelled coming after him. Daren ran away from her. Arden chased him and chased him. When Daren came to a wall, he bounced off it, and started chasing Arden. Arden suddenly stopped and turned to him.

"Wait a minute! I'm supposed to be chasing you!" she cried. Daren squealed and now was being chased by Arden again.

Bend me, shape me, misdirect me
It's all the same to me
Look at all this useless talk, look at all this useless talk, look at all this useless talk
Upon the cross

After running for 15 minutes, Daren ran out the door, and Arden fell on the couch, and Basil came to her in his detective attire.

"Arden, we really must be going. It's only a matter of time," he said in a warm peaceful voice. Arden looked at him. She looked at him. She stood up, and put on a red jacket and green scarf.

"Let's go," she hissed. Arden and Basil jumped out the door, and Basil whistled. Familiar barking was heard. Toby came around the corner. The basset hound licked Arden, for he trusted her, unlike most. The only one he did not trust was Dr. Dawson, but that was normal for everyone. Basil took out a used handkerchief and showed it to Toby. Toby started to growl deeply. Basil's serious glare turned into a smile.

"Got it, Toby?" he asked. Toby nodded.

"Good boy, Toby!" cried Basil. He took Arden by the arm, and off they went. Arden was confused. Though she knew she'd seen Toby in action before, but she was still confused by Basil's actions. She tapped on his shoulder. Basil looked at her.

"Yes?" he asked. Arden thought for a moment.

"How did you do that?" she asked. Basil smiled.

"Why, I've been doing that for years. He has the best sense of smell than any hound I've trained, as I said once before to Dawson when he first met him," he explained. Arden nodded her head, but was still confused.

"Okay...but where are we going?" she asked.

"Toby is leading us to Ratigan where we'll stop him in his tracks!" explained Basil triumphantly.

"Great!...how?" asked Arden. Basil stopped. He thought long and hard. In fact, he thought for so long that Arden looked at the Big Ben clock tower to check how much time had gone by, for she had no watch of her own.

"Some time this century would be nice," she muttered. Basil then snapped his fingers.

"I've got it!" he cried triumphantly.

"Finally..." whispered Arden.

"When Toby comes to the right place, and see Ratigan, we jump out and do what we must, which I will bring up later!" replied Basil.

"Won't we both..." muttered Arden.

"But for now, let's just wait until Toby comes to a complete stop," replied Basil.

After awhile, Toby finally stopped. Basil's smile turned into a serious glare. He and Arden slid down Toby's back. Arden swept the dog fur off her jacket and followed Basil. They saw a dark creature running towards a lamppost. Basil stopped in his tracks.

"Hold it right there, you villainous fiend!" he cried. The fiendish villain stopped and only smiled.

"Well, well, well, it's been awhile since I've seen you, Basil of Baker Street," he hissed. Basil glared at his opponent.

"I know where you're going, and you won't get there as long as I'm on duty, you irksome sinner!" cried Basil. Ratigan came closer.

"Don't you threaten me like that! It's rather childish and stupid," he replied.

Basil went bright red with rage.
"You don't get it, do you? Unless you haven't noticed, I've brought someone you know to come and help, probably the youngest enemy you've ever faced, and do you know who it is?" he asked bravely. Ratigan grinned evilly.
"I know exactly who you're talking about, you foolish detective," he replied as heard fast footsteps behind him. He turned and pulled out a rat-sized gun. He pulled the trigger, but the bullet did not hit his opponent, but on ran right on top of Arden. Arden rushed up without noticing and jumped onto her enemy. She kicked in the back of his neck which made him fall. When Ratigan looked up, he saw Arden rip her powerful locket from the gold string that held it. The locket was gold and the shape of a star, like it has always been. Arden held it out.
"Say your prayers," she yelled.

She opened the locket, and out came blinding light, fire, and lightening. Ratigan dodged the elements. He rushed up and Arden jumped up high enough to not get hit. Arden looked at him as she ran backwards with her mouth dropped. She saw the professor's cold, yellow eyes and tried to stop.

Arden finally stopped. Smoke spread through the streets, and Arden took one last look at Ratigan before someone pushed him to the side. It was Basil. Arden smiled. Ratigan kept moving until he came to an outlet to the sewer. Basil walked up to him and blew. As he blew, Ratigan fell into it. Arden watched the whole thing and sighed. She heard Ratigan crash. That was music to her ears. "Thank goodness!" he thought.

When Basil and Arden showed up at Arden's house, they collapsed on the couch. When was not known was that Daren had been waiting for Arden to get back to pull her tail, literally, and scare her. When he tiptoed to the couch, his paw reached for Arden's tail. Arden's closed eyes opened and glared.
"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!" she screamed. Daren pulled it anyway.

When Basil and Arden showed up at Arden's house, they collapsed on the couch. When was not known was that Daren had been waiting for Arden to get back to pull her tail, literally, and scare her. When he tiptoed to the couch, his paw reached for Arden's tail. Arden's closed eyes opened and glared. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!" she screamed. Daren pulled it anyway.

The next time he was seen, he had a black eye on his left eye.