Kerberos’s recent almost painful lack of anything approaching motivation made the fact that he was even bothering to power up and patrol at all something of a victory for the Corrupt. He wasn’t doing much more than wandering around or, more often, flopping on benches or in alleys and trying to avoid being noticed by anyone on his own side, but at least he was out and powered, right? Even if he was anything but sober and anything but useful in general.

Even if he had chosen, as usual, to plop himself in an alley. It was dark and dank and pretty goddamn disgusting, all things considered - there was detritus everywhere, enough to indicate that there was likely a homeless person or two who regularly called this place home. That was just fine with him - anyone without aura sense would likely assume that was what he was, at a quick glance. (Any closer and he was pretty sure that would fall apart because how many homeless people wore hair flowers, or nearly six-foot-long hair at all, but he was hoping no one would look that close.) Were someone on his own side to find him, he would insist that it was a trap, or something, that he was just waiting for a possible draining victim to pass by, but that wasn’t the case at all. Not really. Even if someone had practically dropped themselves in his lap to be drained, he probably wouldn’t have bothered.

Once, he had actually given a s**t - once, he had been devoted to the Negaverse, prepared to do whatever he had to in order to defeat Order. Now...now, all he could think about was how badly he wanted to do anything but continue this stupid, pointless war.

Evenings proved a fickle time to look for senshi, but that wasn’t his goal for the night.

It usually never was.

Sometimes he had thraen to assist him, but with the end of term grading to do and all the arrangements to make for graduation, he lost the blonde amidst a sea of work and grueling, meaningless tasks. He never understood why Quenton prioritized his daily activities above patrolling, but after a while, Faust gave up on trying to nag him into patrols. Most of the time it worked, but with the deep, sunken smears of black beneath his eyes, the Mauvian considered it best to drop the subject.

After all, Faust used Quenton’s pillow more than Quenton did at this rate. It was time to get up and let the man go the ******** to bed.

Faust prowled carefully in the dark, keeping to shadows that obscured his black body with a smooth transition that never betrayed his location, not to passersby. And while he crept through corners and shadows and the thin space between dumpster and wall, he kept his auric senses open to the presence of creatures that stalked the cityscape. Thus far, he found nothing, but while venturing through the spidering lair of alleyways and shortcuts, he caught onto the presence of a corrupted super senshi lingering not terribly far from his position. And from the feel of it, the man never bothered to move. Was he waiting? Stalking? Feeling out for others to harm or maim?

Faust already decided he was looking for trouble. It was time for the guardian cat to mobilize himself and take some action against the negaverse menace.

Up a fire escape, climbing a gutter, and finally cresting the parapet of a nearby building, Faust stalked along the small retaining wall to finally obtain a visual of the blue-haired corrupted senshi below. He looked to be alone, with nothing more than the trash of alleyway living surrounding his location. The feline’s mirrored eyes allowed for a better scope of recognition in the dark; as a result, he never located any bodies.

Still, he would not let this offense slide - no corrupt should be allowed to occupy a bench during any hour of the day.

From his perch, Faust took a leap, hind leg extended to strike the corrupt square in the back of the head. He wasn’t entirely sure which movie he’d seen it in, but the Mauvian knew the move as a Flying Dragon Kick.

This b*****d would be dead in no time.

Kerberos let out a loud, panicked yelp when he felt something very heavy slam into the back of his head. He hadn’t even noticed an aura approaching - though now that he was paying attention, he could feel just the faintest tingle of one, something small and compacted. He pushed off the ground and reached behind his head, grabbing for whatever was there - finding fur was definitely not what he had expected, but then, maybe he should have. A small aura fit well for a cat - all the easier to avoid detection, he supposed.

He sort of wished he had that.

“Holy s**t I was literally minding my own business what is wrong with you?” He asked. his tone sharp and angry. There was no way this was anything even approaching not ridiculous. This was also the second time he had gotten tangled up with a damn cat, and he still remembered how badly the last time had hurt.

”Who the hell minds their own damn business powered up and creepin like some ********’ rapist, dude?!” The cat shot back while wriggling wildly to escape the man’s grasp. Faust continued to channel the declaration that cats were a liquid in his escape attempts.

Faust pawed and clawed and chewed at every knuckle he could find holding him, all the while trying to explain his decision to attack the man sitting on a bench. “I mean, you’re jus’ sittin’ there with goddamn nothing going on! How suspicious is that! The last time I found one o’ yo’ weird-a** corrupted senshi, this b***h just broke into someone’s house to steal some s**t! You guys are never up to any good! The ******** are you even sittin’ around for, anyway?! Tryin’ to find someone to kill? Waitin’ for someone to meet you here so you can drain ‘em or take a starseed? Sheeit man, cut the damn act, you’re up to somethin’ for sure!”

Claw. Gnaw. Bite. Bite. Slobber.

And when finally he managed to break free, the cat flopped onto the ground and recollected himself into a solid state, then glared balefully at the corrupted senshi before him. “Explain yo’self, ******** style="color: #1874CD">Kerberos was very much coming to hate having to deal with cats. The only ones who had done anything for him were Absinthe and the cat that had upgraded him to Super, and even then he wasn’t sure either had really done him a service. He would much rather have never come into his power at all, at this point, because that would have meant missing all of the bullshit that came with it.

“I’m not doing anything!” He snapped, but the cat’s assault on his fingers was enough to make him stop grabbing - it was obvious enough that he was more likely to get himself clawed up or yank his own hair than dislodge his furry attacker. “I’m out because I’d like to skip having a General kick my door down and drag me out, but that doesn’t actually mean I’m out wanting to hurt people! Holy s**t I’m glad a black dress and a dark aura are all it takes for you to decide somebody’s ********’ evil!”

When the cat landed in front of him, his eyes narrowed. He recognized this cat - they’d tangled at Vespa’s purification, though it had only been briefly. “That’s your damn explanation, you furry a*****e. I’m out because I don’t want to ******** die by giant pointy spear or some s**t, not because I actually want to do this!”

“Well damn, son! Why didn’t you say all that s**t before?” Faust huffed, his great, furry chest heaving before a hefty exhale looked of smoke. “Don’t you know how goddamn suspicious you look, jus’ sittin’ around here like some kinda creeper? Sheeit.”

Finally Faust jumped atop the bench to take in his would-be attacker. The Mauvian leered hard, trying to size up the man for any evidence of treachery. The Negaverse proved a slippery bunch, and he wasn’t interested in allowing them to dupe him - not after what feverish dreams he had some nights prior. “So lemme get this straight. You’re out here, because one o’ yo’ a*****e superiors was gonna Vlad the Impaler yo’ a** if you didn’t get out and do your damn job? That’s the reason you’re campin’ some bench? To make it look like you’re out doin’ s**t? Goddamn slacker.”

And then Faust thought about what he said. “Uh, I mean, it’s a good thing yo’ a** is slackin, don’t get me wrong. But still, if you’re so damn afraid of the Negaverse huntin’ yo’ pasty white a** down and beatin’ it, why don’t you purify? That’s like the only way to avoid this weird ole’ shitshow of them knowin’ where you live.”

And then Faust stared judgmentally.

You’re one dumb sonofabitch, aren’t you?

“At what point did you give me a chance to?” Kerberos asked, his tone sharp. “And I can’t help if I look suspicious, most people leave me alone because of it! Or, you know, say something before dropping in with a flying kick!” Yelling at a cat wasn’t going to get him much of anywhere, but it was easier to argue than just lay down and accept being judged. Even if it was by an animal notoriously known for being forever judgey without the added bonus of magic-granted sentience.

He raised one eyebrow slowly, incredulously, because was this cat really encouraging him to actively do the Nega thing? Or perhaps not, but the exact question he had asked was incredibly familiar, even if the way he couched it was not.

“Oh, gosh, I never thought of that,” he said, his tone thick with sarcasm. “Yes, that’s an excellent plan! Put an even bigger target on my back, and the backs of everyone I love, never mind having to give up my entire life, some of my memories, and god knows what else in the transition! But sure, let’s do that, take me to a Princess immediately, that’s an excellent plan I had never considered. Why the hell does everyone ask that like it’s not the most obvious ******** thing in the world? If I thought I could, I would!”

As if it was no sacrifice at all, as if it was completely simple. He would rather be unhappy but with the people he cared about than alone, amnesiac, and very possibly on his way to being dead.

For that, Faust punched him in the face.

A tried and true cat swipe, arced out with feline speed, claws extended and willing to rake over every tender and sensitive piece of skin in its path.

Namely, Kerberos’ cheek.

“Why you gotta get all damn smartass on me, ********!” The cat chided while taking repeated swipes toward the corrupted senshi’s face. The furry little arms flew in flashes of black as fast as Faust could perpetuate the motion. “Just cuz you ain’t got the balls to purify don’t mean you can go and be all pissy ‘bout it! Purifyin’ is a good damn idea, and you ain’t responsible for no one but yo’self so if the people you love are damn fool enough to get caps busted in their asses by the Negaverse then either A: you shoulda warned em better or B: they don’t know the first goddamn thing about survivin’!”

Finally Faust gave up on the Fists of Furry and settled into eyeing Kerberos judgmentally. “Just what’s yo’ name anyway, Pusscake? Sure as s**t ain’t Braveheart, I can tell you that much.” The cat huffed, his breath a puff of anger on the frigid air.

“Oh, and you can be all pissed off at the world for as long as you want, but it won’t change a goddamn thing. You think the sun’s gonna stop risin’ jus’ cuz you’re shootin’ it the evil eye? Heeeeellll no. So if you’re gonna sit around an’ b***h about how shitty yo’ Negaverse life is, do some-goddamn-thing to change it. Tha’s all I’m sayin’.”

The first strike actually got Kerberos on the cheek, but then he jumped up off the bench, glaring down at the cat and putting his hands on his hips. It was getting really, really exhausting to have to have variations on this same damn conversation with everyone Order-side he met. As if he could wake up one morning and just leave everything behind because being in the Negaverse sucked.

“You don’t know ******** about the Negaverse.” He said, his voice sharp. “And who the hell are you to judge people you don’t even know? They could be the best survivors on Earth and there’s still not much they could do against crazy murderous people who can teleport, have very large weapons, and, oh yeah, can end your life by reaching into your chest and ripping out your soul.” There were a million ways to die by the Negaverse, and none of them were pleasant.

“I’m Kerberos. Senshi of Asphodel.” He said, slightly grudgingly. “And if I thought there was any guarantee it’d be better on the other side, I’d go. But I can’t even be sure of that. I might just end up alone and scared and dead in an alley. Just the same as if I stayed.”

”Sheeit man, if you’re gonna be so damn stubborn about it…” The cat leapt off the bench as well, further increasing distance between the two. They played at odds against each other since their first encounter, even if little more than a pair of blows were transacted. The fluffy Mauvian turned about so his backside faced the corrupt, where his pom pom tail displayed prominently over his rump.

Faust spoke over his shoulder at the man, ever unimpressed. “So you ain’t gonna even try. You ain’t worth my time, ButterBitches. An’ if you find yo’self dead in some alley sometime, remember that there ain’t gonna be no one sheddin’ tears over a coward that hid behind his fate.”

If I had Thraen with me, what would he say? Dude’s been gettin’ all weirded up in the head since his boyfriend came back around. I dunno if he’d just put this b***h down and be done with it or try to get him through the purification process. Dude seems like a lost cause though, and kinda wimpy even if he wanted to change over. I mean, lookit them sad ********’ twigs he calls arms. Probably never looked at a set of weights before in his life.

Oh well. Some asswipe will put this kid outta his misery. Ain’t no use tryin’ to change his mind.

“An’ next time I see you, you won’t be so lucky, GerbilJuice or whatever yo’ name is.” Faust snorted afterward. His claws clacked dutifully through the alley, on the detritus-swept concrete.

Kerberos just rolled his eyes. Apparently, sentient cats were just as dramatic as their regular counterparts, which was saying something. “I didn’t ask for your help. At any point. Or your advice. But I’m sure I’ll think of you as I’m bleeding to death. ‘Lo, why didn’t I listen to that a*****e cat? Surely that would have saved all this.’” Sarcasm bled into every inch of his tone. He was thoroughly unimpressed with any of this, and clearly, the cat was exactly as unimpressed with him.

“As if you could actually do anything,” he said, and then, as he was sort of wont to do (even if he would never admit it), the blue-haired corrupt spun on his heel and strode off. He definitely did not stomp, and there was definitely no huffiness (except he did, and there was plenty of ******** a*****e cats trying to run my life,” he grumbled under his breath. God, he was so tired of all of this.