Sure, Minako had faced these sorts of odds before, back when she had first become Sailor V, the guardian of love and justice. It never seemed impossible when the thought came into her mind, but then she would remember what had happened before. This should never be so difficult! He could be reasoned with, right? With a derisive snort, the blonde shook her head.
Grabbing the towel off the table with one hand, Minako slunk low to the ground and moved quietly toward her target. Little did he know, her training as a sailor senshi had primed her as the perfect adversary. She could move swiftly and quietly, pouncing upon her prey before he knew what had happened. Today, this would be used to her advantage. Her mission would be successful! Today, Artemis would have a bath and Minako would have a clean, sweet-smelling cat as her guardian and ever-faithful sidekick.
Lounging on the windowsill, Artemis lazily based in the sun’s warm and comforting rays. The sun lulled him into a light sleep and a beautiful dream about Luna and catnip. Of course, she didn’t like the stuff, but that did not matter in his dreams. His tail twitched and he mumbled something low in his throat. A smile quirked on his lips and he batted the air with one paw. “Nah, Luna.”
Minako crouched underneath the windowsill with her towel ready. Slowly, she stood up and stretched the towel out to cover the cat. At just the wrong moment, Artemis’ right eye stretched open. The teenager froze with her eyes wide. Oh, no! Both of them stared at each other for a moment, then Artemis yowled and toppled off the windowsill. Minako cursed and dove for him with the towel, but he slipped through her fingers. “Artemis!” She yelled, stomping her foot against the ground as her cat tore out of the living room.
The cat’s eyes were wide and he scrambled across the house as if his life were endangered by the infuriated seventeen year old with a towel in the living room. He had to hide! But, Minako knew all of the good spots! Oh, he was doomed. Minako just didn’t understand that he could clean himself just fine, thankyouverymuch. The water felt so oppressive and the smell of the shampoo followed him for days. Bath time was a form of torture and Minako should be ashamed of herself!
He turned around the corner and dove into a cabinet. “Oh, Artemis,” Minako said, in a singsong voice. The male cat cowered further into the corner and tried to make himself as small as possible. The cabinet door flung open and Artemis narrowly missed being caught by the towel-wielding teenager. He dashed down the hallway, but found his path blocked by a well-placed dresser. Cursing, he skidded to a stop and turned to the right. Again, he was blocked by another well-placed obstacle.
“Dammit, she’s getting smarter,” he mumbled, now regretting any tactical training he had imparted onto Minako. On the bright side, she hadn’t transformed in order to use her powers of love and justice on him. Oh, no! He shouldn’t have thought of that. Surely, she would know and he would have to avoid bath time with Sailor Venus and her Love Me-Chain right on his heels.
Before he knew it, Artemis had only one option: the bathroom door. Minako cackled over-dramatically. “You only have one option, Mr. Stinky-Cat!”
Artemis slunk down low to the ground with his head hung even lower. A tear leaked out of his eye as he walked toward his watery grave. “Seriously, you think that having a talking cat would make this easier.” Minako said, ushering Artemis into the bathroom with the towel and closing the door. The bath had already been prepared with water and soap. All it need was an angry cat.
Artemis stared at the tub and felt determination bubbled up inside of his heart. The fight was not over! He would fight on. Minako paled slightly as she saw the determined gleam in Artemis’ eye. Relying solely on her speed, she lunged for the cat and threw him into the tub. Artemis yowled loudly and flailed with his claws and paws. Latching onto the shower curtain, he wheezed as he clung for dear life. Minako’s face was red. “Not the shower curtain, Artemis!”
The cat laughed proudly. “You’ll never hold me ba--!” His words were cut off short as he felt the pole holding the shower curtain inch downwards under the weight of a full-grown cat. “Oh, no,” he whispered, mortified. The grin on Minako’s face couldn’t have been wider. She grabbed the shower curtain rod and pushed it downward. With a startled scream, the cat fell into the tub, shower curtain and all. He flailed in the water underneath the shower curtain.
Minako seized her opportunity and wrapped the cat in the shower curtain and firmly held him in place by squeezing the rod between the walls. “You’re mine, Artemis!” She said, proudly. Then, with a bottle of shampoo in one hand, she set to work.
Less then ten minutes later, the job was done. Minako posed with one foot on the tub and her hands on her waist. “Once again, Sailor Venus has vanquished Mr. Stinky Cat!”
