Part 5: Cat Got Your Tongue?

"Aw, shit!" Kat swore as she went through her closet, "How come there ain't anything good in here?" she threw the last article of clothing onto the floor and fell back on the floor with a loud thud. "Ow," she moaned, "Forgot I was nowhere near the bed," she grumbled.

All over the floor were various tops, pants, and skirts as well as a few of her unmentionables.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked herself, "Dating was never this hard!" Obviously, she had never dated another girl before.

Kat had always questioned her sexuality. She knew that she was attracted to guys, but also, she was attracted to girls as well. However, none of the guys or girls she met was right for her. They were either stupid, shallow, or both. Frustrated, she let out a shrill shriek before calming down.

"Meow?" Jasmine, her pet cat meowed from the top of the bed, before leaping onto her stomach and curling up on it. Kat sighed and unconsciously began scratching her pet's ear.

"I know, Jasmine," Kat said, "But Rose is special. No one has ever made me feel like this, ever!" she admitted.

Truthfully, the first time she met Rose was about a week after she met Slade. He had treated her of her wounds and studied her armor and Zodiac Deck. He had even made her his apprentice. She had accepted only at first because she wanted to kill Leo, her brother. But, a meeting with a certain white haired girl changed all that.

Rose…

(Flashback)

Kat was in the dojo, beating the stuffing out of a punching bag before tearing it to pieces with her sharp energy claws. She was still miffed at her inability to defeat the Titans, but at least she was able to severely injure her twin brother.

It just wasn't fair! Leo had all the luck! He had all the power and he got the name Draco! It was her right! She was the first born but was passed over for being a girl! She let out a telekinetic shockwave, creating a shallow crater under her feet. She sighed, calming herself down, before another thought angered her. Her brother just waltzed into town and got himself, not just friends, but a girlfriend!

Okay, so Draco never admitted that Jinx was his girlfriend, but the looks they gave one another was already an obvious hint. What infuriated her more was that he was still ALIVE!

She let out another snarl and smashed several stone bricks in with her fists. She dusted herself off and went into the shower. At least she had a good deal with Slade. He was rich and was willing to teach her to be a better villain that she'd ever hoped to be. Being kicked out from Yoshido's Black Knights Guild didn't even faze her, not one bit. That damn excuse of a God of Warriors just fired her for being overly obsessive, compulsive, impulsive and…to sum it all up, she was nuts.

She wasn't nuts, per say, just different. So she enjoyed torturing her opponents. What other evil Knight wouldn't? Regardless, Yoshido sent her packing. Oh well, at least she was allowed to keep her armor and powers. Why Yoshido never took them back was a mystery to her.

Back to the topic at hand, Kat had just taken a shower and was about to get dressed in the uniform Slade had given her. It was really a suit much like Terra's except in black and red, with claws on the boots and gauntlets. She also wore an orange and black mask that had two pointed cat ears on top and was open in the back to let her hair fall out free. The Slade insignia was within a red heart on her chestplate. Though not as powerful as her Cat Zodiac Armor, it still had its advantages, plus a few hidden surprises like a utility belt around her waist that held her Zodiac Deck firmly on it.

Wintergreen entered the training room and bowed. Kat liked him. He was like a grandfather figure to her. Her own grandfather didn't have time for her since he was so busy grooming Draco, another reason why she resented him. The old butler then relayed a message from Slade, "The master wishes to see you now, Miss Hasuma."

Kat, now Copycat nodded, "Thank you, Wintergreen." She bowed respectfully.

The old butler returned the gesture and disappeared slowly through the door. Kat always wondered how he could come and go without making a sound. However, she had no reason to ponder that question, she needed to see Slade.

Copycat padded through the large hallway of the large mansion and made her way to Slade's office. She knocked on the door and Slade's voice answer, "Katherine, I've been expecting you."

Copycat rolled her eyes. Slade had always alternated to calling her either Katherine or Copycat. He also called her Neko, once, and she angrily snapped, saying that only her mother had the right to call her that. Slade had glared at her then but let the matter slide.

"Come in," he continued.

Copycat slowly pushed the door open and it let out an eerie creek. She slowly entered and closed it behind her. The room was dark, without any light.

Suddenly, a spotlight lit up, revealing Slade sitting at his desk with Wintergreen standing obediently by his side. The villain had his hands folded under his chin and gave Copycat a scrutinizing stare.

Kat had never once called Slade 'master' so she opted by acknowledging him differently, "Slade-sama, what do you require from me?" she bowed, respectfully.

"Katherine…" Slade said, "How goes your training?"

Copycat smiled, "Very well, Slade-sama. Is that why you have called me here?"

"No," he said simply, "As a matter of fact I have a job for you."

"Job?" she inquired, "What kind of job?"

Slade turned his attention to his butler, "Wintergreen, would you be so kind as to fetch the children for me?"

Wintergreen nodded and walked away, going out through another door that lead out of the office. Copycat raised an eyebrow. Children? Did Slade have other apprentices living in the mansion? Then how was it that she had never seen them? Where had they been all this time?

"Copycat," Slade said to get her attention, "You must be wondering why I have asked to see you."

Copycat replied, "The thought did cross my mind, Slade-sama."

"Well, I would like you to meet…the family."

The door opened and entered three teenagers, two boys and a girl. The two boys were blonde and the girl had snow white hair. Copycat found herself captivated by the girl the most. A blush covered her face and she thanked the mask for covering it.

"These are my children. They had spent the last few months away in a boarding school and have only recently arrived. These are my sons, Grant and Joseph, and my daughter Rose…"

Rose…such a beautiful name.

That had been the first time they met.

After awhile, she got to know Slade's kids. Grant was arrogant, loud mouthed and had a bit of a temper. She knew how to put him in his place. Joseph, or Joey as he preferred, was mute and could only communicate telepathically. Rose, of course, was a little shy.

She got to know Rose and they became the best of friends. Then, they became more.

(End Flashback)

Kat pursed her lips and smiled. That was one of the only happy memories she's ever had and was precious to her. Tonight, she was going to show Rose how much she loved her, even if it killed her.

Strangely, Slade never said anything about her relationship with his daughter. He was either clueless or didn't care. Nevertheless, now wasn't the time to worry about that. She had to get dressed! It was almost time!

She quickly rifled through her clothes and suddenly, a Cheshire cat grin appeared on her face. She had found what she had been looking for. She quickly got dressed.

Minutes later, she was done, she looked herself in the mirror and smiled. She applied a little bit more make up and winked at her reflection. Her monster partner, Techno Panther, temporarily appeared in the mirror and gave her a thumb's up. She grinned.

She heard a knock on the door. She gasped, "That must be Rose! I can't let her see my room like this!" she then used her telekinesis and threw all the clothes into the closet, shoving them in and forcing the door close with her back pushing up against it. The closet door bulged out a bit, but didn't explode open. She breathed out a sigh of relief and answered the door, "I'm coming!" she turned the doorknob and opened it. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged.

"What's the matter?" Rose cooed, "Cat got your tongue?"

Kat would've fainted there and then. Rose was absolutely gorgeous!

To Be Continued…

Character Profile: Copycat

Zodiac Knight Copycat

Real Name: Neko Katherine Hasuma

Zodiac Animal: The Cat

Zodiac Power: Mimicry

Other Powers: Cat-like agility, senses and reflexes.

Weaknesses: She must first see a person use their powers to copy them.

Zodiac Beast: Techno Panther

Bio: Draco's nemesis and sister. Copycat has the power of the cat, which was also the animal left out of the Chinese Zodiac. Because of this, she has great animosity towards other members of the Chinese Zodiac. She hates the Rat, yes, but since she is jealous of her brother (Draco) she goes after him most of the time. This is an example of Sibling Rivalry gone bad as Copycat wants to completely annihilate Draco and his friends. As her name implies, Copycat can literally copy the powers of her opponent's. This makes her quite dangerous, especially since she was once a member of Yoshido's Black Knights Guild. She was literally kicked out for being completely nuts.

However, she is not totally heartless. She still cares for her mother and when someone messes with her mother, they mess with Copycat.

Copycat now works for Slade and is the leader of Team Tartarus, a team of Zodiac Knights made up of her, and three of Slade's kids; Aqua (Rose Wilson), ARMS (Grant Wilson) and Scissors (Joey Wilson). However, Slade has not told them fully of his plans even though they follow him loyally. In other words, they don't know he is working for Trigon.

She is in love with Rose.