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Comforting Gale~

(backdated to 4/14/17 - upgrade)

The beat thumped through the rooftop on which he stood, barefoot while leaning on the air conditioning unit that was working overtime to cool the nightclub. Themisto couldn’t quite tell what song it was, just that it had a disgusting amount of bass that was cranked to at least 11 on their subwoofers. His whole being vibrated, from his bare feet to the hairs atop his head. Themisto felt as though he might become sick, but steeled himself for the task at hand - changing shoes.

Cetus was a brilliant man, the senshi decided - the idea of ditching the terrible shoes he’d been saddled with in favor of some running shoes was downright life-saving. Instead of worrying about whether or not Themisto would break his ankle off mid-battle while trying to turn a corner, he could run from Point A to Point B without much care in the world. The only problem was finding a suitable spot to leave the geta, or somewhere clean to sit and change so he could bring the geta with him. Wooden footwear were terrible for senshi business, he decided, but made for excellent projectiles against enemies.

It was nearly midnight now, with the moon high in the night sky. The air was warm and polluted with the scent of sweat and alcohol from the nightclub. Themisto was a self-professed night owl, but didn’t go clubbing often without a date. Drugs were too expensive for his tight budget and while he had the perfect clothing for clubbing, tonight just wasn’t in the cards. He was frustrated with his dead-end job and low-hanging employment prospects; had no idea what to do with his life - lives - and wasn’t sure he was up for this nonsense. Cashiering was one thing, and a secret, magical war was something else entirely.

---

Ash-denka would be so proud~ I’m out patrolling, looking for senshi~ One day, I’ll be brilliant, just like Ash-denka~ I’ll have thumbs one day~

Itsuki, one lilac-point Guardian Cat, was on the move. Finding nooks and crannies in which to hide proved incredibly useful, for he could evade patrolling Negaverse agents fairly easily if they didn’t stray too close. The star on his forehead would be visible to anyone with magical powers though his power signature itself was relatively camouflaged. Considering his small size and lack of offensive prowess, this worked in his favor. The tiny cat had wandered the alleys in downtown Destiny City tonight, ducking in and out of overturned trash cans and boxes, sandwiched himself between homeless folk and dumpsters, begged for food from 24-hour coffee shops… It was a busy night for a cat with the ability to speak and grant magical powers.

The Silver Lady, Ash-denka, was a great source of knowledge. Between her and the computer at mauvian Headquarters, Itsuki had developed a basic idea of his duties as a Guardian. He must find and awaken Sailor Senshi and train them to help in the war effort. Destiny City depended on his diligence. The problem was, Itsuki had never awakened anyone before, nor had he ever powered anyone up. He hadn’t produced any magical devices or fired off his standard-issue neko beemu from the star on his head. Itsuki’s work was cut out for him if he was to make Ash-denka proud.

The street level was quickly becoming heated as police sirens wailed in the distance, their bright lights flashing and reflecting off glossy windows and puddles of water in street gutters. The police were headed this way! Itsuki puffed up and panicked for a moment, darting into the bushes in front of a street-facing apartment building. He was tiny, easily run over and had to keep himself out of sight. The ground on which he sat was cold and damp, making the leaves of the bush cling to his fur. Ewwww… I’ll have to take a bath later… this simply won’t do!

Even as the police were nearing - were there two? Three cars? - Itsuki decided he had to climb to get away from this scuffle. The homeless folks and night owls who traveled on the sidewalk were commenting about drug dealers and shootouts on this end of town. More people milling the streets meant more opportunities for Itsuki to be spotted. The last thing a Guardian Cat needed was to be spotted and assumed to be a stray, only to be picked up by the local Animal Control. He was no mere animal! He was Itsuki, Guardian Neko, Mauvian! Great conversational and dancer! Instagram star!

With an indignant puff of his chest, Itsuki waited for the police to turn down this particular street so their lights and sirens would catch bystander’s attention. The Guardian used that opportunity to dart from the bush and into the nearby alley to climb the fire escape. If he could make it to the rooftops, there would be much less likelihood of being spotted and scooped up by a civilian. On the rooftops is where the magical people ran.

And one such magical person was just a few buildings away, from what Itsuki could tell. On this end of town, nightclubs and bars were common, dotting the sidewalks like coffee shops did in the business districts. All-Nite liquor stores were a dime a dozen here. The air was filled with drunken laughter and indie bands trying to play to rowdy crowds. Itsuki sighed. Definitely not his favorite place to be, but senshi needed him, and he needed thumbs.

The lilac-point used fences and ledges to carefully make his way towards the senshi on the nightclub roof. The brick facade of the apartment complex was only three stories tall - it was of old construction, long before high-rise apartment complexes with eight or ten stories per building. This end of town was old, tired, worn-out. Travel was easy between disheveled buildings and abandoned businesses. The war had hit this city very hard, he’d come to find. People from all walks of life were involved.

Two tiny paws reached out to touch the roof of the club, nearly losing their grip from the vibration that shivered through it. Itsuki scrambled up just in time, tucking and rolling a foot-and-a-half before stopping. With a shake of his fur, Itsuki was less than impressive as far as Guardian Cats went - dirt tinged his hindquarters, leaves were still stuck in sections of his underbelly. Despite shaking his legs every few steps, they seemed to be too friendly and didn’t wish to leave.

----

The Senshi was preoccupied, watching the milling crowds just outside the entrance to the nightclub - Vexx it was called - with its name scrawled in bright green neon lights. A single bouncer stood watch at the entrance. This certainly wasn’t a velvet-rope establishment. The bouncer (who was a very large and bulky-looking man of Hispanic descent) was likely there to keep fights from breaking out near the entrance. About half an hour earlier, a pair of drunkards were ejected into the street to continue their brawl somewhere else and away from paying patrons.

When a cat trotted up to him, Themisto rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. He’d just finished changing into his running shoes, and now a cat wanted to have a conversation?

“No thanks. Whatever you’re sellin’, I’ve got enough of it. See? I’m out here, just like you want, tryin’a fight evil an’ whatever other bullsh** you guys are sayin’ to people. Look, if you really want to do a dude a solid, can you like… gimme new shoes or somethin’? These geta are complete trash. Can’t run in ‘em without breakin’ my a** in three places. These aren’t shoes, they’re hospital bills.” he spat, casting a wary glance at the cat, who, strangely, seemed completely unphased.

Star? Check. Staring at me in the eyes? Check. Definitely like Horatio and Ember.

Itsuki was enamored, it seemed. Hai! Definitely the one! Definitely! There was something special about the starseed in this one’s chest. The lilac-point had never felt anything quite like this from any of the senshi he’d casually encountered. Ash-denka mentioned that sometimes, Guardians and particular senshi might share a special bond, be it nurtured in the present or transcending time. A relationship from the distant past. Whatever the feeling was, Itsuki knew something was special about this senshi in particular.

“Watashi wa Itsuki desu~” came a squeaky Japanese voice from the tiny cat at his feet. Themisto regarded the fluffy thing as if it had grown three heads and was spouting Newton’s Laws in perfect Latin. He hadn’t the slightest idea what the cat had just spouted.

“...uhh…” The senshi hesitated, bringing his hand up to rake it through his grey hair. “Washy wah to you too, cat. Look, uh… I don’t speak… whatever… that was.” The young man looked away for a moment, casting his gaze down the street for any signs of trouble. Did cats frequently check on people? Did they have a hitlist of sorts? Was there a Guardian Cat Disciplinary Committee? If a senshi didn’t patrol, did they get punished? Was the cat about to bust out a clipboard that had papers detailing all of his infractions?

All sorts of thoughts were swirling in Themisto’s mind, and when he turned back… the cat was right at his feet. “Anata no onamae wa?” it asked, tilting its head up at the senshi.

Themisto panicked, being unable to break the language barrier. Scooping up his legs, the senshi sat in a cross legged position to keep his feet and ankles from becoming a claw-post for a Guardian Cat. “Look, I have no friggin’ clue what you just said, but it sounds like it’s from an anime, and I don’t really watch that stuff. If uh… if you’re lookin’ for somebody that speaks your language, little cat, then uh… you’re definitely talkin’ to the wrong person. All I got’s English and even then I’m not too good at it.”

The cat shook his fluffy head and exclaimed, “Ie! You’re just the senshi I was looking for! Sailor Themisto, right~? I’m Itsuki! Watashi wa Itsuki desu~ I was introducing myself to you, and then I asked you your name. Anata no onamae wa~? I thought maybe you spoke Japanese, because your sailor fuku is very Japanese.”

Whew. Little critter does speak English. That’s a relief. “Uh… yeah, I’m Sailor Themisto and uh… I didn’t pick this outfit. I mean, I sure as s**t wouldn’t, if I had the choice, cuz the shoes are stupid as hell. And uhh... I'm not Japanese. This isn't a racist thing, is it? Cuz I sure as hell didn't mean to be. I woulda picked somethin' else if I got the choice!" The senshi swallowed nervously. The last thing he thought he'd be doing (among the many last things he would have thought of) was trying to find out if his fuku was racist, and finding out from a cat. Though, if the cat spoke Japanese, he might be able to answer the question better than someone else... Did cats have races? Cats had species... Themisto shook his head.

"But uh… It-sue-key, whaddyu want from me, exactly? I’m already awakened. Horatio beat ya to the punch, little bud."

The cat surprised him by jumping up onto his lap with a cheery smile (or as much as any cat could smile). "I'm pretty sure that you are my senshi, Themi-chan! I'm going to call you that now, Themi-chan. Your starseed is definitely in need of some more power, hai! And your phone too, is it one of the old flip-phones? I bet I can fix that too, hai~ We Guardian Nekos, we can do an awful lot, you know. Would you like a new pair of shoes, Themi-chan~?"

Themisto found himself dazed by this influx of information. Cats could awaken senshi, that much he knew. He wouldn't even be having this conversation if that wasn't the case. But the fact that cats could upgrade someone's shoes? Someone's phone? That was pretty cool. "...yeah man, I mean... I could use some new kicks and a new phone. I dunno what you mean by my senshi or whatever, but--"

The lilac-point hunched over and did a quick backflip onto the roof of the nightclub. The vibrations tickled his little bean-toes. "Onegai, pull out your henshin pen, Themi-chan~ I need that for new shoes!"

With a scoff and a flick of his wrist, Themisto pulled the pen from its resting place in subspace. "Psh, little dude, you don't have to tell me twice. I'm sick of runnin' around in these crazy---"

"AHPUGUREIDO~!!!!"

"Jesus Christ, Itsuki, what the fu--?!"

The cat looked as constipated as any cat's face would allow it to look, and a bright, lilac-colored beam emitted from the star on the cat's forehead, wrapping itself around the henshin pen in Themisto's hand. Even while he held it, the wand began to change its shape. Gone was the rounded end that held the emblem of his moon, replaced with a star-shaped top and more sophisticated handle. It was rounded on the bottom and once the light dissipated, Themisto found the star itself was the same nondescript, beige color of the ropes that lined his--

"HOLY s**t, CAT, WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

Themisto hadn't noticed until he looked down at himself, but his outfit had changed. He now had real pants, though they were baggy and split down the center. His shoes now strapped to his feet! They were no longer a**-breaked geta, but... whatever... these were.

He had no idea

Itsuki beamed.

"Like I said! Ahpugureido~ Ash-denka will be so proud~ I upgraded my first senshi! You see," Itsuki lifted a paw and placed it on his fluffy chest, eyes twinkling at his great accomplishment. "Great Guardian Nekos like myself can tune into senshi starseeds and fill them with more power! That's what I did! Now you are Super Sailor Themisto~! Uwah, my first upgrade! Your phone is now different too~! Ash-denka detailed the new functionality in the Mauvian Headquarters computer, but the basic idea is that now you have a touch screen smartphone! With apps! Ash-denka made a few apps for senshi cellphones and you'll find the reception is much better too. And shinier! No more cellphones from the early 2000's! Kirakira! Impressive, isn't it?"

Ash had explained earlier, during the meeting where she had displayed the marvelous ability to assume a human form, that she had a small stable of senshi she worked with. While Itsuki did not boast such numbers, he hoped to cultivate such relationships with the senshi he encountered. One thing at a time, however. He found the senshi he shared a special connection with - someone special, someone he hadn't felt this connection with before. Itsuki had run into a few other senshi while roaming around the city, and none of them produced this feeling of familiarity. Ash hadn't mentioned this phenomenon, but perhaps it was detailed on the Headquarters Computer? The lilac-point would make a mental note to check later.

Themisto stood there, dumbstruck, mouth agape.

"You're definitely my senshi though, Themi-chan. You're not like any other senshi I've ever met. No, sir. There's a special bond between us, Themi-chan. You and I are meant to be a team! I just know it! My neko haato says so. Ash-denka, she has many senshi she tends to, and maybe I will someday too. I just want to be the best Guardian I can be! And get something to eat. Patrolling around the city with these tiny legs is awfully tiring, Themi-chan. I bet you didn't consider that, did you? How about you pay for your upgrade with some delicious fish! I'll even take something from the convenience store. I don't think any delis are open this late at night~" Itsuki lifted a paw to his chin in a classic thinking pose.

"I... what...?"

Themisto word count: 1151
Itsuki word count: 1535