Life wasn’t fair. It just simply wasn’t fair.

The week that Gwendolyn Caspian had discovered her destiny as Sailor Tsui, Senshi of Tigers, was the same week that she HAD to come down with a damned flu. Perhaps it was from that meteor that fell during the picnic, or even just being outside when she wasn’t ready for it, but whatever its origin, Gwen had discovered that her illness was a double edged sword. On one hand, she didn’t have to go to school, and that alone was a plus! No teachers, no class work though a classmate would be bringing her homework to her every night (not that Gwen would do it until the very last minute anyways), and especially no Sister Jeanne to get on her case.

Unfortunately, this also meant that her overprotective older sister wouldn’t let her do ANYTHING. This meant going outside, watching TV, playing her video games, which that alone was killer enough, and even if she was caught going down the stairs to get some water, Madelyn would come charging from the living room and chase her back up the stairs and straight into bed.

Gwen wasn’t entirely ungrateful for her sister’s concern, but she couldn’t stand being smothered, and she definitely couldn’t stand being bored. That’s what got her more than the sickness itself was being cooped up in a bed and not having anything to do! Especially when there was a million other things that she could be doing right now… life simply wasn’t fair.

The familiar chatter of teeth caught her attention, and Gwen stopped sulking long enough to look at the rat that was obsessively chewing on the bars. On a normal day, Gwen would have been annoyed by this behavior, but today was different, and she immediately beamed. “Aw, you’re upset that I’m sick aren’t you, Micah?”

Micah, the obese fancy rat, could not say anything coherent in return, but he did stop his frantic chewing at the sound of Gwen’s voice, meaning that he had gotten her attention. He clung to the bars with his tiny paws, poking his ever-sniffling nose through the bars and looking dead at her, letting Gwen know that he wanted to come out of the cage. Unable to say no to an animal, especially one with as cute as a face as that, Gwen snuck out of her bed and silently opened the cage door, in fear of Maddy going nuts and forbidding her to do even that. The rat was so big that he took up both hands, and just as quietly as she snuck out of bed, she snuck back under the blankets, carrying Micah on her shoulders and allowing him to explore the bed.

“At least I have you to talk to… and the best part is, I can tell you everything that’s happened this week without having to worry about you blabbing it out to everyone.” Gwen said, watching the little rat scurry about, every so often coming back to her and allowing her to pet him. “Unless there are rats that can talk too, but I’m sure Pippin would have warned me about that.”

At the mention of Pippin’s name, the rat paused and looked up at her, but only for a moment before he began to bathe. Gwen sighed, allowing the fat rat to clean himself as she babbled on, making sure to talk softly in case she had to listen for Maddy coming up the stairs. “It’s all so weird, Micah… you know, just a week ago, I was doing my usual thing. Trying to break out of school, take a personal day and scout around the other schools… then it all just changed. Next thing I know, I’m being attacked by monsters, saved by those Sailor Senshi… and now, I –am- one.”

Micah paused from his bathing and sneezed, looking up at his owner with bright, brown eyes, and Gwen chuckled softly. “And now I’m sick. Some super hero I am… but it’s okay. I’ll be fine soon, and I’ll be on my first patrol soon. Fighting youma, crime… fighting for the White Moon court. I’ll have to bring Pippin in and ask him all these things, but I’m not sure where to start. Well… besides feeling better, of course.”

The obese rat listened intently to his owner’s voice, even if he couldn’t understand the words or their meaning, and sometimes that’s all the Gwen needed. She held Micah in her hands and drew him close, nuzzling her cheek against his fur and tucking further into the blankets. She usually allowed Micah to have free reign, even if she slept, as she knew that he’d never travel too far away from her. “I’ll get to work on that first… which means it’s time for sleep. Behave now...”

What else could Micah do but wriggle his nose and hiff? The rat seemed content with the idea of his owner being home, even at the expense of her health; it was awfully lonely in that cage without another rat, or animal, to interact with.

Word count: 848