"Ooooo! Who do we have here? The Investigation team? Oh Goodie!"
"Damn it! Why couldn't I be next?" Naoto stared at Yosuke before her gaze shifted to Kanji.
"Kanji-kun? Was that your voice?" She asked the nervous looking teen, calmly.
"Er... Yeah."
"Why so shy? Come on! Its time to have some fun!" The forced feminine voice sent a slight shiver down her spine as she turned to the rest of the team. "Lets hurry along kiddies! I can't wait to see what you'll all look like!"
"Er... What?" Everyone at each other confused.
"You know what I mean right Kanji-kun? Now hurry up and pass through that blue shiny thing!" Glancing ahead she noticed the blue alleyway that had an eerie glow surrounding it. Sighing she exchanged a nod with Minato before turning to the team.
"Come on. Lets go." The two blue haired teens lead them into the glowing alley which suddenly turned into an enclosed pink room. "What the...?"
"Are we all ready? Then lets begin!" Suddenly, the team were struck with excruciating pain before each and every one of them blacked out...
"Ugh... Hmm? What the...?" The room slowly came flooding back into her senses as her eyes slowly opened. What was she staring at? She couldn't tell until she attempted to move her arms. "Argh!" Paws! She was staring at paws! They responded to her! What on Earth was going on?!
Scrambling to her newly acquired paws she realised what she was. Naoto Shirogane was now a grey, tabby cat with, a silver chain necklace round her neck. A familiar golden key dangled loosely from it, whilst her trademark cap rested atop her now fluffy head, had been slightly modified to work with her new ears.
"Everyone!" after a few dumbstruck moments her attention shifted towards her teammates. At least she wasn't the only one that changed. "Minato! Wake up!" She swiftly ran to each person to wake them as she seemed to be the only one awake. "Souji-senpai! Rise-san!" For some reason she found herself avoiding a few of her friends. Was this because she was a cat? She hadn't even noticed what species they'd turned into until now.
Kanji was now a huge Labrador with a pelt that matched his normal hair. He still wore the bullet round his neck and the scar was still there but the remainder of his clothing was missing. Just like everyone else's. His muzzle was tinted a slight black and he still retained his strong build. She avoided him as he would probably chase her away.
Next was Souji. The person she still loved and trusted with her life. Although he was a silver husky he seemed like less of a threat then Kanji had done. His generic pelt perfectly matched his silver eyes as he woke.
"Souji-senpai?"
"What the...? Am I going insane?" His dull reply was followed by a small smile before she turned and moved on back towards her cousin.
Minato was a solid grey pelted feline with darker shaded paws, ears, muzzle and tail tip. He still wore his signature head phones round his neck but the MP3 was connected to a silver sapphire blue collar. The white markings under his eyes made reminded her of Tantei's markings, but now was not the time to think about him.
"Minato? Wake up!"
"Hmm? Okay. I'm in la la land aren't I?" She chuckled slightly before moving towards the others. Ignoring both Souji's and Minato's reaction to their new appearance she continued to wake Yukiko. After all, Yosuke wasn't exactly where she wanted go right now...
"Yukiko? Wake up." Naoto spoke to her as gently as she had done with the others. Yukiko's feline pelt was charcoal black, much like her usual hair but was covered in brown dapples that faded as they trailed down towards her paws. Said paws were mostly brown with the exception of one snowy forepaw. The tip of her tail was also white and her belly was a slightly paler shade of black then the rest of her pelt. Finally she wore a red and orange scarf tied around her neck.
"Naoto-kun?" Wasting no time the young detective cat bounded towards who she hoped was Rise.
Rise was also a feline. Her pelt was a mixture of both a fiery red and muddy brown that was a slightly redder colour then her usual pigtailed hair. A pale yellow heart locket dangled from a silver necklace and tiny pink orbs were clipped around the base of her ears. Can cats even wear earrings? Oh well... Like Yukiko her belly and muzzle were a paler colour compared to the rest of her coat and the tip of her tail was a bright silver.
"Argh!" Yukiko's reaction to her new look was enough to wake her as they were both pretty much side by side anyway. Next was Chie...
The canine Chie was a sandy coloured Shiba-Inu with deeper shaded splotches in various places in her fur. She wore two multi-coloured sweat bands around her two forepaws whilst her signature green and yellow striped jacket was missing. In its place, a similarly styled collar had her three favourite badges clipped onto it, sat round her neck. She woke up on her own after her best friends screech.
"What the hell...?" Naoto turned towards Yosuke. The brown tabby feline had his favourite headphones still hanging round his neck and like Minato his MP3 was attached to an orange collar. His belly was a pale ginger and he too had the same markings as Tantei under his eyes and imprinted on his chest. They were grey though. "Woah! What the...?"
The young detective cat swiftly rejoined Minato as Teddie woke up as well. She really didn't want to disturb Kanji. Teddie – much to her surprise – was suddenly a gold and silver border collie with a ruby like rose tied to a ribbon around his neck. He looked much more... feminine then usual.
"Er... Can someone wake Kanji please?" Naoto's nervous voice earned little attention as everyone panicked over their new appearances. For some reason she just couldn't go near him or the other canines anymore. They looked much more... threatening to cat her seize when they were acting like this... She gulped as she realised that she would have to be the one to wake him...
A few of her friends turned to watch her as she timidly approached him. Step by step.
"K-kanji-kun? Wake up." She hesitantly nudged him before jumping back in alarm as he groaned and moved his head towards her. Damn it... Why couldn't he have just woken up? Suddenly Teddie seemed to notice her in a way that was more like an excited puppy then anything else. The second he barked he leapt forwards after her as she turned and bolted as fast as she could in any random direction!
"Sensei! Stop running!"
"No!" she screeched as he innocently called to her from behind. "Go chase someone else!"
"But Na~o-chan!" His excitedly innocent plea almost sounded completely genuine. Almost...
"Damn it!" This isn't good... Naoto had ended up cornered as she had tried to evade the other dogs. Spinning round she growled defensively at him, as he closed the gap between them. "Teddie! Go away!" In a desperate moment she launched herself under his belly and straight passed him! The stupid collie spun round and the race began again.
"Naoto-ku~n!"
"Not Chie too! Get away from me!" This was getting ridiculous!
"Naoto-kun! Over here!" Rise called from somewhere she'd just past. She turned at the last minute to avoid hitting a wall, causing her two pursuers to smash into it before resuming their chase! The idol was in sight as she unsheathed her claws to help her move faster!
"Rise-san! What are you doing?!" The idol had suddenly turned around and ran away from her. Or was she leading her?
"Come on! Senpai! Come on!" Senpai? Wait... He's a dog too! As if on cue the silver husky leapt in front of her growling menacingly. She struggled to halt before hitting him. Her eyes were wide as she froze before him.
"Move, Naoto!" She blinked at Souji's words before she bounded towards Rise. Both Teddie and Chie came to an abrupt halt before staring at him in confusion. "Leave her alone guys!" The two glanced at each other before nodding in realisation. They looked as if they had no idea what they had just done!
"Are you okay Naoto-kun?" She barely heard Rise as she crouched behind her, quivering uncontrollably. Her eyes still wide as she stared at the dogs. "Naoto-kun? Calm. Down." The idol feline spoke soothingly as the young detective blinked at her.
"Naoto! Are you okay?" Minato came bounding towards them with a worried expression on his fluffy face.
"Yeah. She's fine. Just a little shaken." With that he calmly nuzzled her cheek with his own soothingly as she began to calm down. Glancing at Souji who still stood defensively in front of them she sighed in relief before turning to Minato and Rise.
"Thank you. I'm fine now." Sitting up she glared at the two canines who were now watching her from a distance. "Um... Where's Yosuke-senpai and Yukiko-senpai? Aren't they cats to?" The others looked at each other nervously before they the other cats casually strolled up to them.
"Don't worry about us! Teddie won't go after me because he knows I'll make his next shift a living hell if he does!" Yosuke smirked Naoto watched Teddie uneasily.
"Chie won't go after me because we've known each other since we were kids. So I should be fine to." Damn it...
"Aww... Did they scare you kitty cat?" That taunting voice echoed through the room, making Naoto jump nervously. "That's so cute!" Damn it Kanji! "They've already broken the rules! But I'll let them of this time since they didn't know any better. The first rule is everyone must obey the rules! The second, nobody is aloud to chase the others like what just happened there. Unless I permit it of course!" The doubles voice sounded much more educated then its original... Why, though? "Third rule is you have to play the game, or the game is over and you all get to die! OR receive a forfeit! If I'm feeling real nice that is!"
"That's more reasonable then letting them chase me..." Naoto mumbled in annoyance.
"Anyway! Get going sleuths!" Sleuths? What did that mean? A case?
"Come on! Let's get this over with already!" Kanji dashed towards the door in a reckless manor.
"Wait!" Souji swiftly stopped him as he stood in front of him. "You'll get yourself killed like that!"
"Fine! But can we hurry it up a bit?" The Labrador froze as took in Souji's new look with an adoring glint in his eyes. His gaze shifted around everyone in room before it rested on Minato and Naoto. Minato was gently smoothing her still bristled fur with his tongue whilst Naoto half laid half crouched beside him with a nervous look at Kanji. "That's... cute."
The detective feline's ears snapped back as she glared at him whilst her cousin ignored his comment and continued smoothing her fur.
"Why just them?" Rise seemed hurt that he'd disregarded her.
"Oh yeah, you too." She pouted before he continued. "So what do I look like?"
"An evil shadow." Naoto's mumbled in a menacing tone that caused her cousin to freeze mid lick before nudging her reassuringly.
"A dog! You loo like a big dog! What do I look like?" Teddie squealed in excitement.
"Adachi..." This time Rise heard her cruel mumble and just chuckled at her.
"Kanji, you look like a Labrador with the same colour fur as your hair and Teddie you look like a white Border Collie with golden patches." She replied calmly.
"Really?" They both cried in excited unison.
"Hey, Naoto. Are we heading out yet?" She glanced up at Yosuke before nodding calmly as Minato had finally succeeded in calming her.
"Yes. We should get going now." With that the two grey pelted cats lead the way towards the door. "Can anyone reach the handle?" The team gazed up at the handle was just out of reach for any of the large dogs.
"Here." Suddenly Souji nipped Naoto by the scruff of the neck before picking lifting her of the ground.
"Hey! What the?!" Her surprised protests died away as she realised what he was doing. His huge paws were resting on the side of the door whilst his head was stretched forwards to get her as close to the handle as possible. Reaching her paws for the handle she could only just grasp it before tugging it downwards, successfully opening the door.
"Sorry. I just thought it would work so I tried it. Did I hurt you?" His apologetic tone made the feline smile kindly at him.
"Just a little bit, but I'm fine. Thank you for the help."
"Anytime."
"Well, lets get going shall we?"
"Welcome to the Pets Gone Wild Show! Where we put your ordinary house pets to the test!" Naoto's eyes widened as she beheld her environment. It was like those agility courses she'd heard Kanji talking about. Actually it probably was one of those... "It may look simple, but my game, my rules! This is a dog's only contest! The winner gets to judge the first round of the cat's only contest! Let the first round begin!" Everyone turned to Kanji in desperation as he puffed out his chest proudly.
"Don't worry guys! I know what a'm doin'! Just follow my lead!" He padded up to a white square on the ground and sat impatiently inside it. "Just do what I do! One at a time!"
'Bang!' A gunshot fired nearby from an invisible force before Kanji launched of the platform and towards the first obstacle. Simple enough. He flew over a few bar jumps before sprinting towards a seesaw marked with a number two in black writing. Waiting at one end he braced himself for the movement and the second it hit the ground he swiftly moved on towards a tunnel. The course continued onto a ring jump, where he easily glided through the ring before swerving in and out of poles that stuck into the ground.
Moving on he padded up a ramp only to descend the other side and catapult himself through a flaming ring. The gunshot fired again the second his paws impacted the ground. Was that all they had to do? Kanji returned to them with a look that just said 's' that all ya got?'
"Good luck senpai." He called as Souji padded up to the square. He mimicked what Kanji had done but was much slower then the Labrador as he had to keep checking where the next obstacle was. Chie on the other hand, flew through the course with ease! Teddie... Well Teddie just broke about half the obstacles.
"And the winner is... Chie Satonaka, the Shiba-Inu!" Chie grinned smugly at Kanji's disbelieving look.
"What?! But –"
"No buts Kanji-kun! You just got owned! Deal with it!" Her smug grin only grew as she watched him pout slightly.
"And now onto the feline's challenge! Chie Satonaka gets to judge the winner of the next round! Good luck you felines!" Suddenly a door appeared at the far side of the room. Naoto's eyes widened in confusion at the sight before her as they entered the room. This is a cats contest? They were all stood in a large open clearing surrounded by a dense forest.
"The aim of this round is to hunt down as much prey as you can before time runs out! Best of luck!"
"Er... What? Hunting?" She stared at Kanji who just shrugged in response before the gunshot sounded again. In an instant the felines all separated into the forest in random directions. Dropping her cap she did the same. Guessing that stealth would be important as well as silence she pressed herself to the ground. Flattening her ears she opened her mouth on instinct to draw in the scents from around her. Picking one to focus on she treaded lightly after the scent trail.
'Tweet! Tweet!' A bird! Perfect! Keeping to her earlier tactic she crept closer to the small robin. Silently closing the gap, step by step... Like a tiger she pounced on her prey and silenced it with a swift bite to the neck. That... was disgusting... Taking the prey with her she followed another scent trail to a mouse. Mimicking her previous tactic she ceased the mouse just in time before the final gunshot fired. Picking up her catch she swiftly made her way back towards the clearing.
Upon arrival she noticed she had been the only one to actually catch something.
"What the hell Naoto-kun?! Did you seriously catch that?" Yosuke cried in disbelief as she padded over to Minato. She was rather surprised that her cousin had failed in his attempts at hunting.
"Dude... That's just wrong Naoto-kun!"
"I'm sorry Rise-san. But it was the whole point of this contest." She spoke after dropping the creatures to the ground before spitting out some of the blood still left on he tongue. "I agree though. That... was just disgusting!"
"Nice catch Ace. I suppose you not much of an angel now, are you?"
"Are you telling me, none of you even tried to compete?" Naoto stared around in annoyance.
"No... I tried... I actually caught something but I just couldn't bring myself to actually kill it!" Yukiko was staring at the robin sorrowfully.
"I'm just bad at stealth." Her cousin looked her in the eye as he spoke.
"Yeah... I caught something but I forgot where I left it and couldn't find it." Yosuke looked away in embarrassment.
"Geez! How mean are you guys?!" Rise stared at them all in disbelief.
"Chie Satonaka! Please announce the winner of the hunting competition!" That damn voice again...
"Oh... Erm, Naoto-kun wins cause she's the only one that actually caught something." Chie glanced at them all sympathetically before she gave her answer.
"Congratulations Naoto-kun! Well that concludes round one of the Pets Gone Wild Show! Please continue when ready!" Gazing down at her prey just caused a sickly feeling to rise to the young detective's throat... She turned away guiltily before retrieving her cap from the grass nearby. That sickly feeling never left as she turned back to Minato who was explaining to everyone that they should rest for awhile as there might be shadows beyond the newly appeared doorway. Laying down she rested her head on her paws tiredly.
"You okay?" Naoto hadn't noticed Souji and Minato approaching her until the husky had spoken.
"Yes." She replied absently. "Just... The reality of hunting down mice and birds is making feel a bit sick. That's all..." The two boys laid down in front of her so the group formed a triangle shape. For some unknown reason so began to like her paws.
"Well, at least you won." Minato smiled at her calmly.
"Yeah. It's to be expected, since we are supposed to be people." Souji spoke in the same way as her cousin.
"I suppose. That doesn't make things easier though... Is Yosuke-senpai okay? He killed something too didn't he?"
"Yeah. He's fine though." The silver husky's calm voice helped that sickly feeling in her belly. He scratched behind his ear with his hind paw before turning back to her. "What do you think the next round will be?"
"I don't know... I have a hunch that it'll be something... More threatening."
"How so?" Minato's curious tone brought a smile to her face.
"Well, Kanji-kun got Rise-san interested in a book series. She then forced me to read it. The feline contest is very similar to one of the scenes in the books, except each cat brought back much more prey then this." She threw a knowing glance at Kanji before turning away in disgust as she once again noticed the prey she'd brought back. Did those creatures share a life with creatures in the real world? Maybe...
"Well, why don't you go ask him? Maybe he knows." She sighed at the simple suggestion before nodding.
"I suppose that would clear a few things up. I'd also know what we would have to do next." Naoto hesitated before glancing back in his direction. "However, I'd rather not..."
"Really? Why not?" Her gaze never left the Labrador as she answered her cousin.
"I'd have to get the scent of that prey again... I'll only feel worse." At that moment Kanji seemed to notice the group watching him.
"Whatcha starin' at me for?" He called to them before swiftly padding over towards them.
"My apologies Kanji-kun. Actually, I was just about to go and ask you something." She quickly evaded the fact that she was avoiding going near him because of her two victims laying on the floor not too far away.
"Oh, yeah? What's up?" He sat down before asking.
"Do you think this event will turn out like that book series you were reading? I recognise this hunting contest." His eyes had widened in adoration as she spoke that last sentence.
"Wait... You've read Warriors?!"
"Yes. You can thank Rise-san for that. So do you think the next round for us will be...?"
"Er... maybe. I can't remember the rest of it... So probably not." Damn... Just damn...
"Hey Naoto-kun! Minato-kun! When are we leaving? We've been here long enough, don't you think?"
"We're leaving now Yosuke-senpai!" Naoto swiftly stood back up before nodding to Kanji. "Thank you, Kanji-kun."
"Let's go!"
"Hey, Naoto? Can I borrow your hat? I want to see what would happen if the others try and talk to me when they think I'm you." Naoto nodded as Minato whispered in her ear. They were wandering down a forest path with the team following close behind.
"You think it would be entertaining?" he nodded in response before nipping the brim of her cap in his teeth and removing it from her fluffy head. She took it from him before placing it on his head.
"Let's find out..."
"Dude... Are you seriously asking me this?" Yosuke stared at Souji in dumbfounded confusion before sighing when he nodded, sadly. "Okay... So is she just avoiding you, or just not talking to you?"
"No... She's not avoiding me or not talking to me... but she's just always around him and I can't help feeling like she loves him more then me..." His dull voice made the music loving cat's eyes widen.
"Don't tell me... Are you... Jealous? Of him?!" The silver husky seemed to think about what he'd just said as if considering it for the first time.
"I... don't know..." His eyes were glued to the floor as his blank tone began to worry the feline.
"Really? Well... How about you just go and ask her to go somewhere with you later on? It's not like they have to be together all the time." He glanced up at this with a new found hope in his eyes. "I mean, you can always just talk to her about it! I'm sure she'll understand! I bet she's just psyched her cousin's come back from the dead!" His carefree tone brought a determined smile back to the husky's features.
"Thank you Yosuke. I'll give that a try."
"Yeah you do that! Hey, if you're that fussed about it why don't you go ask her now?"
"Now?"
"Yeah! Why not, right?"
"Okay!" Taking a deep breath he nodded to calm his nerves before swiftly catching up to the girl he loved so much. "Naoto!"
The two glanced up at him calmly as he padded beside the cap wearing feline. They had been whispering to each other just moments ago but now, the cousins were strangely silent.
"Er... I was wondering if... Er Naoto?" The small feline had suddenly nuzzled his neck affectionately combined with a small purr. "Do... Er... Do you want to hang out later? Er, just the two of us?" His voice was hushed slightly as he spoke before the other feline caught his eye. Said feline was biting his lip in order to prevent himself from laughing as his eyes glittered in amusement.
"Er... Whats so funny? Did I come at the wrong moment or something?" They remained silent with only a shrug in response. "Why won't either of you say anything?" They shrugged again before giving each other a knowing look. Their heads lowered to the ground so he couldn't see their faces at all.
"I'm sorry senpai. I was just thinking about how to tell you that I'm a guy." Naoto finally spoke up with slight amusement in her tone.
"That... Naoto I don't think that's true... Either that or your an extremely good cosplayer during Christmas Eve." His hushed tone was only supposed to be heard by the capped feline but...
"What?! Naoto, you didn't! What the hell?!" Minato's voice caused the bareheaded cat to burst out laughing whilst the capped cat just sniggered childishly.
"What...? Naoto... I... Erm..." This time the cat he now doubted was Naoto joined the other in a laughing fit.
"It's not what you think! I only dressed like a girl on that day! Senpai..." Naoto choked out before resuming her insanely amused laughter. "You got the wrong cat!" Souji stared in disbelief as Minato knocked the cap of his head and it was only at that moment did he notice the golden key and red headphones weren't where he thought they where...
"What the hell Ace?!"
"I swear it wasn't like that! I have the girls uniform I wore to proof it!"
"Er... What... Just... Happened?"
"Minato borrowed my cap to see what would happen if someone got us mixed up!" She gasped as she recovered from her laughing fit.
"I don't believe you! My Angel's a devil in disguise!"
"It wasn't like that!" They laughed in amusement at each other before Souji just slowed his pace without them even noticing and returned to Yosuke's side, hanging his head in defeat.
"Dude! What happened?!" Yosuke stared at him, then at the two giggling cousins before his gaze returned to Souji.
"To be honest, I don't really know..." Suddenly Naoto noticed his absence and spun her head round with a huge grin on her face. As soon as her gaze met his she nudged her cousin and her grin disappeared. She mumbled something to Minato before slowing her pace to walk with him. Yosuke swiftly moved away to avoid getting involved.
"What's the matter Souji-senpai?" Her concerned tone seemed to lift his head and bring a glimmer of hope into his eyes. "Did we upset you with that little joke of ours?" He stared at her and she sighed apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry... It wasn't aimed at you in particular so I suppose its just more bad timing but we really are sorry..." We... Again her and Minato... Its always them two now isn't it? He mumbled something unrepeatable under his breath before meeting her gaze.
"Is there anyway we can just spend some time together while we still can? I have to go home at some point..."
"It... Depends when you want to spend that time together... My apologies but I am rather busy –"
"With what? Spending time with him? I thought you said we could spend time together when I visited but so far, all you've done is turn me into a third wheel with you two!" Naoto stared at him in surprise as his voice raised.
"Senpai I actually –" Her voice remained calm as she was once again cut of.
"Actually what?! Are going to make some lame excuse to avoid this?! Its obvious that you would be lying!"
"What?! Senpai! I –"
"What? Don't have time for me anymore, now that your cousins here?! I thought – "
"Don't have time for you?! Senpai are you jealous of my cousin?!"
"No! I'm just pissed that you don't even talk to me without him! You two act as if your stuck together with super glue and masking tape! What happened to us Naoto?!"
"I have a life outside of you Senpai! And I intend to keep it!"
"Which one?! Your work life?! Or your cousins life?!" Naoto's ears flattened as he yelled at her again. That was a bit too far...
"And which one is yours Souji-senpai? Yours? Or your jealousy?" Her voice had lowered to a menacing growl as she glared at him. "Or do you just want my life to revolve around you? What happened to you Souji-kun? This isn't like you at all."
"Really? Well maybe you don't know me as well as you thought! After all, how could an anti-social, obsessed kid like you possibly know me better then anyone else?!" That... Was too far... way too far. Her eyes widened as she took a step back.
"You know what? Why don't you just rot in hell where you belong?!" She screeched before swiftly sprinting past the team and into the distance, alone...
"Dude, what the hell?! I said talk to her about it! Not make things worse!" Yosuke yelled at him in annoyance.
"Senpai... How could you do that? She's your girlfriend!" Rise was staring at him painfully.
"Naoto!" Minato cried after her before turning to Souji. "What did you say to her?! I thought you loved her?!"
"Stay out of it Minato! Your the reason why this argument started anyway!" Souji growled at him only to have Kanji knock him over.
"WHAT THE HELL MAN!? THAT WAS TOO DAMN FAR!" He screeched at the silver Husky.
"Look, screw you! I'm going after her! Yosuke, take the lead until we return!"
"Rodger that!" The music loving cat called to him as the grey feline hastily sprinted after her...
Authors Note!
No! I DONT OWN WARRIORS! It's an amazing book series written by Erin Hunter! :D Okay so yes it's a long chapter and the next one might just be even longer but it will probably be the chapter that gives Kanji his Persona back. So please enjoy the second of my CRAZY and REDICULOUS ideas! The next one will be a little less stupid but it will still be crazy! :D :D :D Also! I might be quite for a bit as some stuff is happening so yeah...ANYWAY! Please Read & Review! I just LOVE hearing from all of you! And I would like your opinion on me just putting the story into a place I have much more experience writing with! :D :D :D