Artemis had laid in his cage for several days now. There was no escape. His trip to Japan with Minako had waylaid him in Michigan, USA. He was classified as a lost pet at the airport and was sent to the local humane society. *Why me?* he thought to himself. He hadn't said anything that people could understand since that may endanger him, but now it was too late. He had heard that he was to be put to sleep in a few days. *What a way to go.* His ears perked up when he heard a female voice coming from the other room. *Could that be Minako?* he thought as he sat up. A dark haired girl walked into the room. She was dressed in a purple t shirt and a pair of denim jeans. She had curly hair that went down to her shoulders and she had a rather large book in her hand. The volume was old, to say the least and was covered in strange writing. She looked around the room and her gaze went right to Artemis. Chills went through his spine as she looked at his and he felt the fur on his back stand on end. "She's perfect!" she said as she saw this. *This girl has issues!* thought Artemis. The girl went into the main room and her voice was heard saying, "I'll take the white one with that yellow spot on her head!"
Minutes later, Artemis was in a cat carrier strapped in the front seat of the girl's car. She was singing in a strange language. He looked at her through the wire door of the cage. "You want out, don't you, Luna?" she asked as she rolled up her window and undid the latch. This was more than enough for Artemis. First to be called a girl and then to be called by his love interest's name. This was more than he could be silent for.
He steamed a bit as he jumped out of the cage and jumped on top of it. "Now, look here, whoever you are." He spoke.
"My name is Terri." She added.
"Any ways, MY NAME IS ARTEMIS! AND I'M A HE, NOT A SHE!" he said as he sat up and made motion to himself.
"I see, sorry, Artemis." She said. It was then that it hit her that the cat was actually talking, and she nearly snapped her head, looking at him and ran her car into the rumble strips. She quickly regained control of the car and started to stammer to him. *Great, I knew this kind of thing would happen.* he thought, as he decided to shut up.
She pulled the car into the rest stop and stopped it. "OK, how can you talk?" she asked.
Artemis knew that she wasn't going to give any peace, said, "Look, I'm a long way from home and I need to find my owner, can you help me?" he asked. The girl stared at him intently as she nodded to him.

"Where are you from? Is that why you can talk?" she asked. Artemis sighed and told the girl of all that happened to the Moon Kingdom and the Sailor Scouts. And then he began to tell her about Minako as his owner, but not mentioning that she was Sailor V. The girl sat in her seat cross-legged and listened to his spiel. She reached behind her seat and produced a comic book that showed a blonde girl and a white cat on the cover. "Does she look like her?" she asked.
Artemis freaked as he saw his picture on the comic and simply nodded.
Terri looked at Artemis and then to her comic. She placed the comic next to him and compared to two. "You're him, aren't you?" she asked in an amazing voice.
"Well, I guess I look like him, and all, but I don't think.." he started.
"What's your owner's name?" she asked, intentionally trying to catch him off guard.
"Minako." He answered, "Aino Minako."
"Just like Sailor V." she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
Artemis freaked out and started to stammer. "Well, I umm, ah." He stammered.

"It's OK. I can keep a secret." She said. She turned to the door and pulled out a map and asked, "Now where was she last?"

"Japan is where we were heading." He said.

Terri sweat dropped and put the map away. "We need to get more money then." She said as she started the car up and drove off down the highway. She headed to her apartment. She carried Artemis under her jacket and into her apartment. This was odd for Artemis since he usually walked everywhere or was put in a cat carrier. She opened the door to her apartment and let him out of her jacket. She immediately dashed off to a room and closed the door, leaving Artemis alone.
"Well, she seems nice, but she's a little weird." He said as he looked around the room. He saw all kinds of strange books and pendants and rings everywhere. "OK, she's a LOT weird." He said to himself as he sweat dropped. He walked over to one of the open books and tried to read the strange runes that were printed in it. He finally gave up and moved into another room. The floor was littered with drawings of circles that were about 6 foot in diameter and had the same type of writing. "What does she think she is? A witch?" he said to himself. He then realized that he was right. The cat with the hair on it's back standing up, the books, the circles. All were signs of witchcraft. "Why me?" he said.
Terri walked out of the bathroom and found Artemis near her spell room. She immediately ran to him and grabbed him up and shut the door. "Please don't go in there. You could set off a ward." She said, "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it." He replied.
"Well, the only thing that I have is stew." She said as she sat him on the table in the kitchen. Artemis nearly choked when he heard the word 'stew' and said, "Umm, are you some kind of witch?"
"Yes I am." She replied as she opened a can of stew. "Well, I'm not very good, but I try hard." She said as she emptied the stew into a bowl and tossed into the microwave.
Artemis looked on with a sigh of relief. "Well, what can you do?" he asked, making small talk.
Terri's face got red and said, "Well, nothing yet, but I'm trying. I figured that witches had cats and I didn't, so I figured that may be what's wrong." The microwave beeped and she brought the stew to the table and got 2 bowls and a spoon. She divided the stew between the two of them and then sat down. She took the spoon and took a spoonful of stew and then saw Artemis and said, "Do you want a spoon?"
"No thanks," he said as he started to eat the stew.
"So any idea how to find your owner?" she asked.
"Well, if I get back to Japan, I should be able to find her." He said as he swallowed a chunk of meat.
"Well, since we know that checking you as baggage is no good, we'll have to get you there another way. Let me make a phone call, wait here." She said as she left her dinner on the table and she ran into a different room and closed the door.
"What is with her and closed doors?" he said as he looked at the phone on the kitchen wall.
After about an hour, Terri came out of her room with a few pieces of paper and started to draw on them, pictures.
"What are the pictures for?" asked Artemis.
"The idiots on the plane." She replied, not looking up from her paper.
"I'm not going by baggage again. Who knows where I'll end up."
"No, you have a first class seat." She replied in a plain voice.
"F-F-F-FIRST CLASS!" he questioned.
"Yep, Tony at the airport said that he would arrange it. The pictures are for you to point to so that no one else will have to know that you talk. Oh, your plane leaves tomorrow, so you may want to get some rest." She said.
Artemis nodded and went off to an empty spot on the couch and curled into a ball and went to sleep, dreaming of his flight. Needless to say, his imagination would be a bit better than what First Class really was...

-----------------------

Artemis walked out of the airport with a strange collar on his neck. The collar was decorated eith the same kind of strange symbols as on Terri's floor. "It's for protection, I think" her words echoed in his head. He sweatdropped and continued walking. *I should have gotten some more help. How will I ever find her?* he thought to himself. He bumped into a man walking on the street, wearing a black trenchcoat, red hair and a large sword on his back.

Rikko looked down at the cat and picked it up by the scruff of it's neck. He looked at the collar and said, "She found me? Oh shit." He calmly and quietly put the cat down and walked off.

*What's his problem?* thought Artemis.

Minako sighed, watching people on the side walk walk by. She was seated at a table for an outside cafe, her legs crossed and elbows on the table. Dunican was supposed to meet her there, but he was 20 minutes late. The only person she knew who passed was Rikko, but she wasn't about to talk to that weirdo.

Dunican was running down the street towards the cafe he was supposed to meet Minako at. "Oh man am I late. She is going to kill me," he said to himself and stopped died in her tracks. "What do we have here?" he said as he stopped as he saw a white cat with a yellow collar with purplr symbols all over it. "Are you lost?" he asked the he bent down down started to pet the cat. *Why does this cat seem to familiar to me?* thought Dunican.

Artemis started to rub on Dunican's leg and rub his chin on him as he petted him. It had been so long since anyone had paid this much attention to him. All of the sudden, he felt something around his neck start to tingle his skin. The collar was sending a shock throughout his body and into Dunican's as he touched him. *What is with this guy?* thought Artemis as he moved away from Dunican. He didn't realize that the collar was defective, he was told that it would protect him. *This guy must be after me! I'm out of here!* he thought as he ran off in the opposite direction. *Since that guy that had me before didn't set this thing off, he must be good. I wonder where he is?* thought the deluded cat.

Dunican moved his hand back from the weird feeling he was getting. *What a weird collar,* he thought and had that same feeling of deja vu again. "Oh well," he said to himself and ran towards the cafe and noticed Minako. When he got to the table he kissed her on the cheek and sat down. "Sorry I'm late. Master Kane made me do some extra duties," he explained.

Artemis looked back to see what happened to the man that caused the reaction, and ran into Rikko again.

"Well, it's plain to see that since you are from Terri, that your job is to follow me. Oh well, I can't win for losing. Come on." said Rikko as he picked Artemis up. *Well, I guess he isn't so bad. I just hope he can help me find Minako.* thought Artemis. Rikko put Artemis on his shoulder and let him sit down before he started to walk again. He started to walk toward the park. He looked at the people at the cafe as he walked past. *Damn, rich bastards..* he thought. He gave a bit of a scowl to the people sitting sipping coffe and eating finger sandwiches. He saw Minako and Dunican and his face dropped. *OH SHIT! This isn't good!* he thought as he felt Keikko waking. He faced her a bit, not enough for Artemis to see her, but enough to reveal the white cat on his shoulder to Minako and Dunican. Rikko grabbed the cat from his shoulder and started to run.

Minako blinked, watching the rather odd way Rikko walked up then turned quickly around. She was about speak to Dunican when a flash of white fur with bright blue eyes caught her vision. Silently she stared for a few moments, then jumped to her feet. "ARTEMIS!" Minako squealed, sprinting off after Rikko.

Dunican noticed Minako's reaction to Rikko and the cat and got up to follow. His mind went racing abot the name Artemis. *So that is who he is!* he thought. "I thought he looked familiar," said Dunican to Minako as he kept up with her.

Rikko continued to run, not knowing what was going on. He looked back for a second and thought. *Oh shit, the blonde that Keikko tried to kill and her boyfriend too. Shit, they must want a piece of me. But what about this cat? I can't let it get hurt. I'll loose them in the traffic.* Rikko ducked into the traffic, barely managing not to get hit.

Artemis jumped out of Rikko's arms and saw Minako. "MINA LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!" he shouted. He jumped out of Rikko's arms and bounded off of his head.

Rikko was at the least, suprised. He spun around to see a car comming for the cat. Rikko tore toward the cat and grabbed him, just in time to get clipped by the car, barely managing to keep from breaking his legs. Rikko was knocked onto the sidewalk on his back, with Artemis still in his arms.

"STUPID CAT!" yelled the driver of the car. Artemis crawled out from Rikko's arms and yelled, "GOTO HELL!!"

Rikko moaned a bit and said, "You're safe kitty."

"Artemis!" Minako called, catching up with the fallen Rikko and the cat. Without even bothering with Rikko she scooped Artemis up into her arms, squeezing him very tightly. " I've miss you SO much!"

Artemis said, "MINA-CHAN!" As he nuzzled her face, he felt the same shock comming from his collar, and going into Minako's body as well. Artemis jumped out of her arms and looked at her. *I know this has to be Minako, but what is going on.* he thought.

Rikko watched the happenings. He remembered the same treatment, sort of. "Umm, Artemis, do you know a girl named Terri Korwin?" he asked.

Artemis looked at Rikko and, almost afraid to talk in pubic, nodded his head yes.

"And she gave you a protection collar, Right?" he asked again. Artemis again nodded.

"That stupid witch, she goofed again. Get me to the alley and I'll take it off." he said, the first part almost under his breath. He tried to move and winced. "Oww, Damn. My leg."

Dunican walked over to Rikko and gave him his hand. "Come on. I will help you up," he said to him. Dunican glanced at Minako and then to Artemis.

Rikko took Dunican's hand and stood up with a bit of pain. "Must be sore, I don't think that it's broken." he said. *Doesn't matter anywyas, I can't afford to go to a hospital anyways.* he thought.

Artemis looked at Minako and then followed Dunican and Rikko into the alley. He hopped onto a dumpster and sat there waiting.

Rikko made his way to the dumpster with Dunican's help and set himslef against the dumpster. He took a chain from around his neck, producing a ring from under his shirt. He dangled the ring over the collar and stilled it. It began to spin on it's own power.

Minako watched Rikko, standing slightly behind Dunican. She couldn't fully trust him, but if he would enable her to have Artemis she would risk an attack. * I'll have to talk with him later...* she thought, glacning over at the cat.

Rikko watched the ring and said, "It's just as I thought. This ring is in tune with the collar. She goofed it again. The collar seems to shock anyone who touches the wearer. A good total defence system, but she even goofed that. It's not supposed to shock the wearer. I know." he said as he pulled out his dagger. "Now keep your head down." he said to Artemis. Artemis, not knowing who this man was, but knew that he saved him, complied, exposing the collar. Rikko took out one of the daggers and took hold of the ring. He slid the dagger under the collar and slid the ring onto the tip of the dagger. With a quick motion, he pulled the switch and cut the collar, freeing Artemis from his collar. Rikko slowly knelt down and faced Dunican and Minako. He placed his head almost to the ground and his hands on the ground beside it, in a bowing position. He stayed there for a while. He finally said, "Please don't think too badly of Terri and me. She means well, and I feel responsible for this, somehow. And I hope that you can forgive us."

Artemis jumped into Minako's arms and waited for a second. After not getting shocked he cuddled with her and said, "You have no idea what I've been through. I missed you so much."

Rikko stayed in the same position.

Minako held Artemis close, smiling. She looked down at Rikko, feeling sorry for the guy. " You saved Artemis from that car, and returned him to me. For that I am very thankful. Your good deed over rides anything from the past," she said soothingly.

Dunican knelt down and placed a hand on Rikko's shoulder. "You don't need to bow to us," he said. "We can take you to a doctor to get that leg looked at if you like," said Dunican. He looked up at Minako and Artemis and smiled to them.

"Thank you, Miss." Rikko said to Minako. He looked to Dunican through a wince as he stood up. "I'd appreciate it, but I can't afford a doctor, I have no money, no job, no home. I can't even get decent meals everyday." As he stood up, he felt something fall out of his jacket pocket. He grabbed for the object several times, fumbling it as he did. He finally caught it in his open palms, revealing his crystal to all three of them.

Artemis looked at the crystal and said, "What is that? If that's some kind of jewel, why not sell it?"

Rikko looked at Artemis and said, "I can't sell it. A man in black armor gave it to me. He said that I was a protector. I can't sell it, it's very important." *DAMN! Why did i tell them that?!?* he thought.

Minako stared at Rikko, not believing her ears. * He's a knight!? WHAT the hell was The Benefactor thinking! The guy's a lunatic!* she thought, glancing over at Dunican, figuring he realized the magnitude of this new discovery.

Dunican looked at Rikko for a few moment and glanced at Minako and noticed her looking at him with the same note of discovery. *So he is a Knight to? Wow. The Benefactor must be despreate for allys,* thought Dunican. "You don't have to worry about money. Master Kane is a good healer," he said to him.

Rikko pocketed the crystal and said, "Well, as long as I can repay him, then I'll go." Rikko looked at Minako and said, "And don't worry about getting attacked, Keikko doesn't like pain and won't be comming out."

Artemis looked at Minako and the man that she was with, and Rikko. He put a paw on her face and looked at her and then said, "Who are these people?"

" Ah, ok..." Minako said, watching Rikko carefully. When Artemis asked her a question she smiled uneasily, remember that she had a *lot* to tell him. " I'll tell you later," she said.

Dunican walked over to Rikko and held on to him. "Lets head over to Master Kane's Dojo. We can get you looked at and we can fill in Artemis of what has been going on," said Dunican as he looked at Minako and Artemis.

Ureshii glanced out the window of her bedroom at the scene unfolding, although she was too far away to hear. She squinted as something shiny and red hit her eys from the sun on the ground, then watched as the trio walked away with a white cat. "The wonders of Tokyo," she sighed, shutting the window and heading downstairs. She grinned as she saw Blake sitting downstairs, and her heart did a little flip. ~Jakurin's certainly got an ace in the hole, there!~

Blake, on the other hand, was nervous. To him, a white cat crossing his path was bad luck, versus the black norm. So, already he'd been cussed out by two old ladies for just looking at them, lost a pack o' cigs in the washer, and tripped going into the resteraunt, smacking his shoulder into the door frame and MAN! it hurt like a mofo! "Is Jakurin here?" he asked. After getting a negative reply, he left (carefully), and proceeded to knock down a blonde-headed boy. ~Baka!~ he thought to himself as he said, "Watch where you're-- oh. Hi, Minako! You're from that um, self-defense course, r-right? Have you seen Jakurin?" he asked pleadingly, ignoring (Dunician) the boy on the ground, and the other guy.

Minako studied Blake for a moment, trying to remember him from that class. After a moment she smiled, " Oh hey! Blake right?" she said, placing

Artemis on the ground as she helped Dunican to his feet. " Nice to see you again. But I'm sorry I can't help you, I haven't seen Jakurin around..."

"Oh, Blake? Hey, I saw her this morning. She was heading toward the airport on that ATV of her's singing some stupid song I just can't get out of my head. You better find her, at the rate she was driving, she may be dead by now." said

Rikko from the ground. *Kisu-Baka.* thought Rikko as he gave Blake the false directions. He tried to get up as best he could.

Noticing Minako's white cat, he slowly backed away, thanking Rikko for directions and high-tailing towards the airport.

Dunican watched Blake leave. He then looked at Rikko and then to Minako. Dunican smiled and then said, "Lets get to the dojo before Rikko's leg gets worse."

Minako nodded, flashing a small smile. " Wait until you meet Master Kane," she said to Artemis, leading Dunican and Rikko off towards the dojo.

Artemis looked up at Minako and said, "Master Kane? This sounds interesting."

Dunican, Minako, Artemis and Rikko made there way over to Master Kane's dojo. They entered the dojo and found the old Master sitting on the matts. He opened his eyes and looked at the four. "Well what do we have here?" he asked. Dunican looked at Master Kane. "Rikko was hit by a car and we were wondering if you could help him," said Dunican. Master Kane got up and helped Rikko into the back. "This won't hurt son," said Master Kane with a grin. Dunican stood there and looked at Master Kane and Rikko. "I hope Master Kane can help him," he said and turned around and looked at Minako and Artemis.

Rikko nodded to the Master, but didn't like that grin one bit, but he really had no choice in the matter since he was out numbered.

Artemis sat in Minako's arms and stared at the Master. *Where have I seen him before?* he thought, *And for that matter, where have I seen this blonde guy before? The red head seems familiar, but he seems a bit odd.*

Dunican walked back over to Minako and Artemis and he then looked at the cat. "So Artemis?" said Dunican as he looked at Minako. "I guess you have alot of questions to ask," he said.

Artemis looked up at Dunican and then gave a cautious look to Master Kane and then back to Dunican with a look that said, "What about him? Should he know I can talk?"

On to Part II