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Themisto was too far away at the time to safely call for help. The two had split up when Themisto caught wind of a rotund hippopotamus-esque creature dripping with tar, headed straight for a busy coffee shop. While the super senshi was taking care of that issue (and Itsuki was confident his partner could handle himself), the cat’s senses tingled and alerted him to a presence nearby. An angry, rabid black dog, which would have looked rather mundane (all things considered) if it wasn’t for the black spines protruding from its back and its glowing yellow eyes.

There weren’t any other senshi in the vicinity, either, and Itsuki’s heart stopped cold when he’d heard the screaming of young children. What kind of Guardian Cat could he be if he were to leave this situation unattended. Small though he may be, the lilac point knew he had to do something.

Jumping down from the building on which he stood, the little cat rushed to place himself between the little blonde girl and the youma. Getting so close to it now, Itsuki noted he could be chomped in half in a matter of moments if things went wrong. The cat knew risking speaking and using magical powers in front of civilians was dangerous, but these were little children, and for them, the risk was worth taking.

“Don’t worry! I’ll do my best!” he cried, and focused what power he possessed through the star on his forehead. “NEKO BIMU!”

In an instant, a brilliant flash of lilac light shot from the cat’s forehead and straight into the canine youma barreling straight towards them. Connecting solidly with its jaw, the creature yelped and fell backwards, bashing its face into a nearby parked car’s door. Now was their chance! Turning to the little children, Itsuki was hopeful she was not too scared to follow directions and run away.

“We have to go now! Will you follow me, please? Please, run this way! We have to hide!”

Itsuki hadn’t had to fight to save children before, but he would do his best! Children were the future of the city! Despite the beam taking quite a bit of energy to fire, the lilac point had just enough spunk left in him to keep running and hopefully lead the children to safety. What was strange, though, was that the little blonde girl could see his star.

How could she see his star? Well, he did speak in front of her, and fired the Neko Beam… Itsuki would have to sort this out later.

“Somewhere to hide… somewhere to hide…” The youma wasn’t going to stay down for long. It was too strong for the beam to dust by itself, and Themisto was still somewhere else. The cat squeezed through the narrow gap with the children and stumbled out the other side, trying to find a safe place to hide and wait for the Super Senshi to return. “Uwa! What about here?” he cried, dashing to the entrance of an auto garage. It was a Mom-and-Pop establishment that left part of its main bay door raised - just enough for small children and a cat to crawl beneath.

Itsuki scrambled beneath it without issue, but poked his head back out to make sure the children could see him. “Here! Can you fit through here?”

The little boy might need some help, but the little girl… there was something special about her, and Itsuki dreaded identifying that special something. The lilac point hated the idea of awakening someone so young, but it may be the difference between their survival and… something far less pleasant. Plan C. It would be Plan C. “Gomen, I don’t think I could use the beam again… it’s very tiring. Are you alright? My name is Itsuki. I’ll stay with you until the bad dog goes away, okay?”

"Uwa, Giulia-chan, get behind me!"

The growling and snarling was right beneath the door now, and the youma was starting to snap and growl, pawing beneath the door in an attempt to squeeze itself through. They were trapped inside the garage with a hellbeast of a dog trying to claw itself through the door. Themisto was still a ways away, and the cat had no way to contact him - not yet. He was still perfecting the device he could use to keep tabs on his senshi...

Itsuki had to resort to Plan C.

The dog had its snout inside, snarling and snapping at them in a frenzy. Three delicious starseeds awaited it. Its hunger drove it forward, bashing and scratching at the metal, and it was beginning to buckle. Itsuki couldn't wait any longer, or he and the children might not survive.

Turning to the little blonde girl, the lilac-point sincerely hoped this wouldn't be the worst idea in the history of ever. "Giulia-chan," he pleaded, hoping that she and the little boy wouldn't be too frightened to listen to him. "I need you to do something very important for me, okay? Take this!"

With a backflip into the air, a tiny grayish henshin pen clattered to the ground at the little girl's feet. Upon it was a strange symbol. Her starseed was a brilliant and shining light, uncorruptable while she was still a child. Granting her this power, however, would put her in greater danger. Perhaps he could beg Themisto to care for her until she was strong enough to stand on her own. "I need you to hold this up, Giulia-chan, and shout, "Charybdis Power, Make Up! Please hurry! Hayaku!"

The youma had gotten up to its shoulder shoved through the door, bending the metal and snapping fiercely, whipping itself into a frenzy.

"When you're done, please yell, Seal Pup!!"

The Bad Dog was, in fact, entranced by the shiny seal pup. Its glowing eyes went wide and for a moment, its ferocious clawing and scratching at the dirt and door had ceased. For a few moments, the situation was eerily calm, tense anxiety heavy in the air. The dog-youma couldn't quite reach the pup, but it was providing precious extra time for Itsuki to come up with a way out of this situation.

Feline eyes darted all around the garage in which they were trapped - only one other exit, a heavy door in the back that required someone larger than the two children and a cat to push. Could they get through a window? Oh, but the dog would surely chase them again if they made it outside. For now, Itsuki could do little more than stay between the children and the dog, and hope the seal pup distracted the youma long enough for...

Suddenly, the dog-beast yelped in surprise, digging its claws into the ground in an effort to keep from being pulled backwards. It was futile, and soon the dog-youma had disappeared, being dragged into the night. Growling could be heard briefly before all sounds ceased, Itsuki's hair standing on end, wondering if it was indeed---

"Itsuki? You in there?" came a voice from the outside, and a figure knelt to the ground to peer beneath the disfigured garage door. "Hole's too small for me to fit through without gettin' stuck. Someone else in there with you?"

"Themi-chan~!!" Itsuki seemed overjoyed, and turned to the children with excitement in his eyes. "Chary-chan, Themi-chan is my senshi. He'll get us out of here. Aiden-chan, can you stand up? Follow me, it's safe outside now! Themi-chan took care of the monster. You're not hurt, are you?"

Waiting for the children, the cat attempted to herd them through the mangled opening in the garage door and into the fresh air. Themisto was waiting on the other side and was incredibly shocked to find that it was indeed a senshi with his cat partner, but she was a child. "Itsuki, what the--- she's just a kid! Did you do this? How?! Why?! She's just a kid!"

The cat hung his head, ears drooping. "Themi-chan... she saved us! Her magic helped distract the youma long enough for you to come back. If she hadn't..."

Themisto wasn’t prepared for the slippered onslaught to his shin and had to bite his tongue to keep from launching a curse-ridden tirade against a seven-year-old girl. She packed quite a kick, too, because that friggin HURT. The super senshi groaned and lifted his leg to rub the spot she’d socked him good. That’ll bruise in the morning. “Jesu-- I mean, jeez, you got legs on you. Dang. I mean, if you’re gonna awaken a little kid, one with killer kicks is a good choice…”

The fact that this little blonde girl had been exposed to the magical war Themisto thought was more hidden was just a smidge horrifying. Childhood was supposed to be fun and sheltered and a time of carefree living. Almost being eaten should not have been a part of that experience. “You guys aren’t hurt, right? The youma didn’t nibble on you or anythin’?”

Itsuki took the time to blush and touch his cheeks, even under all his fur, at the thought of Chibi Charybdis defending him like that. “Ie ie, Chary-chan. Themi-chan means well enough. Themisto, this is Chibi Sailor Charybdis, Senshi of Seals! She saved the day! Chary-chan, this is Themisto, Senshi of the Lost. Charybdis did very well, I’m very proud of her. I think her brother, Aidan-chan, is very proud too. Wouldn’t you say so, Aidan?” The cat made sure to rub against the both of them, purring, offering a tiny bit of comfort.

Themisto, for what it was worth, had never met a Chibi Senshi before, but had heard of them. Scratching his head (and hopeful he wouldn’t get kicked again), Themisto wondered what someone might say to a little girl with magical seal-based powers. Hiking up his poofy pants, he knelt before Charybdis. “We gotta get you guys home. You know the way from here? I’ll carry you, if you want. Kickin’ all that butt’s gotta be tiring.”

Itsuki knew Charybdis would want to power up again sometime in the future, and thus she would need extensive training. The cat would feel incredibly guilty telling her never to power up again, knowing the thrill of it and the desire to do good in the world would be difficult to ignore. “Chary-chan, I will stay with you for a little while, and make sure you’re okay! Maybe you and Themi-chan can learn some things together!”

Itsuki didn't seem to mind at all when Aidan picked him up and pressed his face into soft fur. Themisto did that often enough, as if the Guardian Cat was simply a warm and talkative handkerchief. The cat simply laid limp to make things easier for Aidan. "Aidan-chan can still protect Chary-chan. She will need support, definitely. No senshi should go it alone."

Typical little kids, calling each other dumb. It reminded him of his own childhood, calling his older sister a nerd and bookworm. They weren't so close in age like these two, but some things, like siblings being butts to each other, were timeless. "Alright, how 'bout you point the way and I'll go with you. You can even borrow Itsuki for a while. He's a good teacher, just kind of a pig when it comes to eating."

"---heyyyy, Themi-chan~" squeaked the cat.

"Hopefully you guys have a big fridge to go with that pool." With a chuckle, the super senshi stood up and dusted himself off. The kids didn't need to see the dog-youma's body disintegrating, so Themisto had dragged it off to the side of the building. Senshi work was difficult enough, and being a child on top of that? No. Themisto would try to protect them as best he could. Kids didn't deserve that trauma. Setting his shoulders, hands on his hips, Themisto deferred to the chibi senshi. "Alright, Mighty Charybdis, lead the way. You'll just uh... need to power down before you get there. Did Itsuki teach you how to do that?"

A minor flail from the Guardian Cat preceded the simple instructions. "Just think of yourself in your clothes before you were Charybdis. If you think of yourself like that, your outfit will disappear and you'll be in the clothes you were in before!"

"Uwah~? Roly-poly? Oh, Giulia-chan, you'll have to roll me back to Themi-chan's if you feed me too much! ...not that I mind, but having to work it all back off... uuugh..."

Themisto stayed in his senshi uniform to keep the children safe - he'd be able to detect any other interlopers while the kids made their way home. He wouldn't feel comfortable, or very heroic, otherwise. The super senshi would walk near them, hopefully without being totally creepy about it, while they carried the cat home. Itsuki would keep up the little girl's training as best he could. She was so young, and Themisto had some serious concerns about that. However, Itsuki had a point - awaken a child, or risk all three of them being devoured. Catch-22.

In the meantime, Itsuki kept purring while Aidan buried his head in fluffy fur. "One thing at a time, Giulia-chan. I've never awoken a chibi senshi before, and there's lots to do! But first, we should probably take a nap. I don't know about you but I'm tried! All that adrenaline... fuuu..."