I'm back with more!
I don't have a lot of time for an AN, but I wanted to hurry and post this. It's more of a filler than anything, and a set up for some more development between Katsume and Elisa.
There's no warnings for this thing other than some minor swearing, but there are a few sweet moments to enjoy.
Read on and I'll see you at the bottom!
About a week later…
"Dude, are you ready yet?" Rook asked with amusement as Katsume stepped out of his room at the manor. It was noon time and they were on the way to the main house. The plan was that around this time, they were going to pick up Elisa from her house and bring her over for the day.
She'd never been to the manor, but that was about to change. Rocky was making his famous burgers with all the fixings and hand cut seasoned fries.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Katsume said as he ran his hand through his slightly damp hair. He wore the hoodie he got from Paws and Claws over his clean blue jeans and his black skater shoes. His dog tag gleamed on the chain around his neck and his new wallet was inside his back pocket.
They'd spent the morning in the garage loft in what had become a workshop, getting life molds of their faces made in what was the first step towards them having face masks to wear during missions as Miscreants. The molds were drying in the dry air of the garage and soon, sculpting would begin.
For now, the boys walked in the cool afternoon air towards the kitchen of the manor.
When they entered, they saw their friends gathered around the screen of Kyle's laptop. They didn't even look up as they entered.
"What's going on?" Rook asked.
"Someone's starting trouble on the group MySpace page." Lief answered. "Cyberbullying. Don't worry, we're handling it."
"What are they saying? Katsume asked.
"Nothing that you need to worry about." Kyle said. "You should get going already!" With a smirk, he switched to an old guy voice. "Katsume san, Never keep lady waiting!"
"Alright, alright, no need to Mr. Miyagi me! We're going already!" Katsume said as he rolled his eyes.
"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Miranda asked. "Is it another movie reference?"
"Yeah, one of many." Kyle answered. "We can watch it for movie night if you want. It is lady's choice. Though you'll have to discuss it with the other girls."
In the meantime, we need to get going. Rook said. "Elisa is waiting on us!"
As they were leaving, Katsume raised a fist and yelled "Banzai!"
The moment the front door closed, Autumn busted out laughing and Kyle released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He opened up the tab he'd hastily closed and grimaced at the comments on the profile page. At first, he'd seen only good things, people commenting on the shots taken at the fashion show and asking questions about the costumes themselves. They were a big hit and there had been a lot of positive feedback.
Until today.
What Katsume didn't see was that someone, and he had a feeling he knew who it was, had started posting rumors on their profile page…and it was pretty close as he'd ever seen to actual cyber bullying.
The moment he read the comments, he'd thought about deleting them, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. If these bullies were who he thought they were, they'd just keep posting the same gossip. Somehow, someone had found out about what had happened to Katsume and was alluding to it vague details.
He had no idea how anyone found out, but he knew it didn't bode well for their friend.
"I hate that we didn't tell him." Leif said softly. "This is going to knock him down again."
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, it might. But for now, we just leave things as if nothing happened. This is a second date for Katsume and Elisa. He's found a chance to be happy, the last thing he needs is for today to be ruined by gossip."
"You do know that it's going to hit him hard when we get to school." Autumn said. "I'm okay with not telling him until tonight. We keep him away from the computer for now, let him have today with Elisa and then we tell him tonight.
"Guys, what if Elisa already knows?" Sapphire asked worriedly. "We don't know how long those comments were on our page."
"What comments?" Trent suddenly asked from behind them.
The teens spun around with looks of concern on their faces. "I have no idea how anyone found out about what those girls did to Katsume…but someone is spreading gossip about him. They haven't come out and said it, but they're hinting at it."
Trent growled softly as he leaned over Kyle's shoulder and read the comments.
"What should we do?" Kyle asked him in a moment later.
"Don't do anything just yet; this is just vague gossip. We don't know if that idiot cop from LA are behind this, or if this just your basic bullying. Sooner or later, Katsume is probably going to know about this. You're his friends, so I want you to keep him level. Don't let him do anything stupid."
"What if this isn't just random bullying?" Autumn asked him.
"If it's that asshole cop and his bed buddy, I'll deal with them personally."
Elisa's house
The jeep pulled up to the house, and the moment the breaks were applied, Katsume was scrambling to her front door. Her big brother was there to open the door and he gave the handsome Asian teen a long look before stepping back to let his little sister out.
Katsume was so happy that he didn't register the look of concern. His eyes were only looking at Elisa as she slowly rolled down the ramp.
"Have fun you guys."
Rook stood by the side of the jeep and he watched with an amused glance as Katsume opened the side door for her. She gasped in surprise as he scooped her up in his arms and lifted her into the passenger seat.
"I could have done that myself; you know." She chided him.
He shrugged at her. "I know, but I couldn't pass up the chance to hold you…even for a second."
Rook only rolled his eyes at the sickeningly sweet moment and focused instead on folding up the wheelchair and securing it to the back of the jeep with couple of bungee cords. He'd brought them brand new a few days before, preparing for this. The chair wasn't going anywhere once he had them in place.
When he got back to the driver's seat, he tried not to look at the sweet couple and instead muttered. "Alright kiddos. Seatbelts on."
The plan was to drive right back to the manor, and that was the direction they were heading... But, as they drove over the underpass, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Someone, and it looked like a woman, had throne a heavy trash bag over the side of the railing and then drove away in a hurry. Rook drove past her and pulled off the road.
Katsume and Elisa were looking at him in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Something's wrong. I just saw a woman throw a trash bag into that ditch behind us."
The moment the car drove passed them. Rook counted to ten and then made a careful U-Turn and went back the way he came.
Thank goodness it wasn't a one-way road.
When he got back to the spot where he'd seen the bag go over, he put on his hazard lights, ran to the spot, and looked over the railing. He could hear a desperate yet quiet calls of distress. It sounded like a cat.
Paladin was next to him in an instant. "Is that a cat?"
Rook shrugged. "I think so. I'm going over the side, watch my back."
Paladin looked on as Rook carefully jumped over the side an slowly walked down the incline. When he got to the black trash bag, he pulled out a pocketknife and cut a hole in the top.
Paladin winced as the mewling got louder.
"How many?" He asked as Rook looked inside.
"It looks like a whole litter of them. I count at least four or five. It's hard to tell right now. We'll need the kennel."
Paladin hurried back to the jeep and looked at Elisa. "It's kittens." Reaching under the seat, he pulled out the used kennel which had been bought at a yard sale and brought it back to ravine. Rook was just hefting the trash bag over the side and jumping over the railing himself when he returned.
Paladin crouched down and looked into the bag. Reaching in, he pulled out a tiny black, mewling ball of fur.
The short-hair kitten was really young looking…as if the ears and eyes were barely opened. Putting the kitten into the kennel he reached for the others. There was one other black kitten and the rest were black and grey striped. The smallest one was just shivering and mewling loudly.
"I know, little guy." Paladin said with a frown. "We're going to get you somewhere warm and safe. Just hang on for a little bit longer."
By the time they were all loaded into kennel, Paladin had counted that there were five all together and they looked very malnourished and their fur was filthy!
"Are they all alive?"
Paladin nodded. "Yeah, they'll probably needs some milk replacement and baths, but they should be okay."
"Okay, lets get them back to the manor and get these kitties squared away."
The Manor
Kyle was sitting at the counter when his cell phone went off. Seeing Paladin's name on the phone, he flipped it open and answered.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"We're coming in with a rescue. We'll need your mom's help."
Kyle looked up to see his mom just walking into the kitchen with a load of kitchen towels.
"Mom we need your help. Rook and Paladin are coming in with a rescue."
Aisha put down the basket and walked to the counter. "Put it on speaker phone sweetie."
When he did so, Aisha took spoke, "Hey, Boys. What did you find?"
"Kittens. We saw some lady throw away a plastic garbage bag over an under pass. We found a litter of kittens that are really small. Five of them and they're going to need a lot of care; they're way too skinny!"
"What's the breed?"
"They look like shorthairs. Two of them are black and the rest are striped."
"Alright boys, that's good. Keep them warm and comfortable and I'll get a space ready for them and call the vet for help. How far are you away?"
"We're halfway there, and we have Elisa with us. About ten minutes at least."
"Ok, drive safe and I'll be ready for them."
When Kyle hung up the phone, Aisha was quiet for a moment thinking about what she would need to help the kittens.
"What do we need? Miranda asked from beside her. Elara who had yet to really engage with anyone was nodding. "I like animals. I want to help them!"
Aisha nodded and turned to them. "We're going to need a lot of help with a litter of 5 kittens. If you really want to do this, know that it's a big commitment; these kittens are absolutely helpless and will be entirely dependent on you guys for everything."
Elana gave her a determined look. "I want to help, what do they need?"
Aisha nodded and took a deep breath, first we need to get one of the big laundry baskets and some warm towels. You girls know where they are by now; I'll put a call into the vet."
About twelve minutes later
When Rook pulled into the driveway, they saw there was a small welcoming committee waiting for them.
Like wildfire, it took no time for everyone else, including the younger kids to find out about the incoming kittens. Aisha walked down the steps to meet them as Rook went to the back of the jeep to get Elisa's wheel chair out of the back.
In preparation for the visit, the guys had gotten busy and in the space of a day, they'd built a basic wooden ramp that they'd fitted to the front steps. It was secured with strong pegs that had been drilled directly into the concrete.
Elisa smiled at Katsume as he held out his arms to help her down and into the chair. Trent, who stood off to the side watching, smiled at the sweet gesture and walked back inside to wait for them to get indoors. The special purchase he'd made for Elisa would help her around the manor, but for now, he let Katsume and Elisa have their special moment.
Tanya walked out a second later, and smiled at Elisa, "Welcome to Pebble Brook Manor."
After everyone was settled in, Trent walked in the room with a pair of brand-new forearm crutches. When Elisa saw them, her eyes lit up and she grinned big at Trent. "You got these for me?"
Trent nodded. "Yep! A young lady such as yourself deserves her freedom. I had these shipped as soon as possible."
He sat in a chair across from her and helped her adjust the crutches to her height. When at last, they were just right, Elisa rose to her feet and grinned. "These are perfect! Does my brother know?"
"Yep, I just spoke to him. He's on a video conference in the movie room. He wanted to speak to you when you got here."
"How did you manage that, he's all the way out in the ocean?"
"Let's just say that being an ambassador has it's advantages." Andros said as he made himself known. When Elisa turned to him, he added. "I'm ambassador Andros from KO-35. I sent my best friend out to your brother's ship this morning. Having space age technology at my fingertips is also a plus."
I have your brother on the communication relay. He's waiting to talk to you."
When she walked into the movie room, she wanted to cry as she saw her brother up on the movie screen.
"Hayden!" She said with excitement.
Her brother grinned at her. "Hey, girlie! How are those braces working for you?"
"So far so good. I just got them!"
"That's wonderful!" he paused and then added. "So, we have some time before I have to go on duty again. Why don't you tell me again how you lost the other pair?"
Elisa sat down on chair and told him everything.
"I'm guessing those bullies have been bothering you for a while now, haven't they?"
"Yeah, but it's gotten better since I started hanging out with the Miscreants. Katsume and Kyle hung out with me while everyone else looked for them. But Jezebel's cronies threw them into some garbage bin somewhere. Trent got these for me. I was afraid I'd be stuck in that chair forever!"
"I wouldn't have let that happen. Which brings me to something important I need to ask you and I want you to be honest with me."
Elisa nodded and then looked up at the screen expectantly.
First, I want you to know that I'm being transferred to desk duty as soon as this tour is over. I should be home by Christmas, assuming WW3 doesn't happen. In the meantime, Ambassador Andros and his friends have offered to look after you until I'm done with my service to the Navy. They've told me that they have room for you and will handle any needs that come up with you medically or otherwise until I can get back and take over things myself.
I'm hoping that by doing this, those bullies will leave you alone. Those crutches were not easy to obtain, even with the insurance I have for you. I'm pissed that they would do something like that. It's one thing to tease, but committing larceny is something different.
Hayden took a deep breath. "Anyway, I need to know if this temporary arrangement is okay with you. I know you haven't known these people very long, but if it works for you, then I can sign over temporary guardianship of you until I'm back home. If you are uncomfortable, I'm sure I can find another option. Please, don't play down your thoughts just for my benefit."
Elisa was quiet for a moment, then she looked up with a smile. "I'd like that; they're my friends now and it would be cool to have someone to hang out with…and I'm sure Bradly and Bridget wouldn't mind time to just be alone. I'm not really a fan of being third wheel."
Hayden chuckled. "Yeah, I know how serious they're getting, and I really don't want you around to see or hear all that." The Seaman shook his head and then he took on a more serious demeanor. "While we're on the subject, I've spoken to the other adults and I've laid down some rules for when you and your boyfriend are together. No sharing of rooms at night, no matter what. The last thing you need is temptation."
At those words, Elisa bit her lip like she wanted to say something. But instead, she nodded. "I can live with that…besides, I want to help foster some kittens! Rook and Katsume rescued them from an overpass today!
Now it was Hayden's turn to look surprised. "I didn't realize that they were into animal rescue."
Elisa told him all about them and he even asked questions. When she was done, Hayden asked, "If any of those kittens are still up for adoption, I might know of a few people who would be interested."
We can email pictures once they're in the clear. Katsume said as he walked into the room. They're being examined by Dr. Imogen; she thinks they're about 12 days old. Their eyes are just barely opened.
Hayden's face looked sad. "So they were dumped."
Katsume nodded. "It sucks, but now they have a better chance with us. We'll keep you posted."
Hayden grinned at him. "While my baby sister is staying at the manor, you better be very respectful towards her and I better not hear about any sneaking off with my baby sister."
Duly noted. Katsume said with a wry look. I promise to be a perfect gentleman."
Early evening
The back patio
Dinner was served and everyone was busy stuffing their faces. Or at least the boys were. Elisa never had a huge appetite, so she sat back looking contented. Autumn and Sapphire were pretty much done, though neither one of them stopped munching on the left-over fries.
"You know, I kind of like the idea of filming a kitty vids." Kyle said thoughtfully. "We do weekly updates and upload them to our page and get the word out for when it's time to find them homes."
Sapphire nodded in agreement. "I'm all for it, it's not like we're camera shy."
Kyle nodded and then looked around the circle. I'm in too, but as usual, this comes to a vote." Saying this he looked at Katsume. "I know you didn't want your face on camera, if you want, you can be on camera duty."
Katsume looked conflicted. "I think I'd be okay with camera duty. I'm not ready to show my face just yet."
"Because of the cyber bullies?" Elisa blurted out.
Katsume looked at her. "What about the bullies? Are they starting trouble already?"
Kyle sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. Katsume gave him a look.
"Is that what you were hiding from me this morning?"
Kyle sighed again. "Yeah, it's not serious just yet. It's more of the typical comments from haters. I don't think anyone really knows much too much about…you know…before. I didn't want to tell you because I wanted you to be able enjoy some time with you and Elisa. We were going to talk about it tonight…privately. But I guess it's a moot point if this stuff is all over My Space right now."
Katsume cursed silently and then he looked at Kyle again. "What are they saying?"
Kyle thought for a few moments and then looked up at his friend. "I'm not about to spoil tonight with the kind of words I read today. Trent said not to worry about it, because he's already forming a plan of action if things should get more vicious."
Katsume exhaled harshly and then looked at his girlfriend. "No matter what you read online, don't believe it unless you hear it from me."
"No matter what happens, I still wanna be with you."
Katusme smiled at her and looked like he wanted to kiss her. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."
Sapphire and Autumn smiled at each other.
When the moment was over, Rook broke the silence. "So, when should we do the kitty cam?"
It was time to go home for the night. Elisa was going to return the next day, but she wanted the night to get some clothes packed and to spend some time with her older brother. The next day she'd be back with some of her clothes and medicines.
Rook was pulling the jeep around, and the other had already said their goodbyes.
It was just the two of them and they could feel that they were in a special moment. Katsume smiled down at his girlfriend. "Thank you for backing me up. It means a lot to me. One day, when I'm ready, I'll tell you everything."
Elisa smiled up at him. "It's okay. Don't feel pressured to say anything. When you're ready, I'm here."
Katsume looked at her with amazement. "I don't deserve you."
Elisa looked up at him. "Yes, you do."
Katusme tilted her chin up, and as she closed her eyes, he kissed her lips. This was his first real kiss ever and it was even better than he thought it would be. His heart skipped a beat when she ran a hand through his hair.
When the moment was over, and their kiss ended. He looked up with a breathless smile. "That was amazing."
"Yeah." Elisa said breathlessly.
So, what did you think? I've been wanting to do this kitten rescue, but i could never find a good place in the story for this to happen...until now.
There are 5 kittens: two are black kittens and the rest are striped. I need name ideas for all of them. There are three girls and two boys. All names will be considered!
See you next chapter!