HH1: Pay No Attention to the Cat-Girl!

         Author's Note: I wrote this for a contest in an anime fan group. Although it is no 'fan-fiction' in the sense of drawing from a particular series, it certainly draws from standard scenarios and character-types.          

          Readers unfamiliar with Anime and Manga, please bear with some of the sillier aspects of this story. These are different arts  than mainstream fantasy and sci-fi, and fans of them will already know that various fantastic elements such as animal-based characters like cat-girls (meaning physically attractive human girls with cat-like features added, and, as here, often either incapable of or unwilling to use human speech) are standards drawn from the Japanese original, not my own seriously proposed speculative creations. Human-Alien crossbreeds are another unrealistic feature which is a Manga stand-by. Sci-fi readers, kindly just roll your eyes and continue reading. I hope you will enjoy the story!          

         Another note: 'HalfHuman' is the series name I will give this if I decide to keep writing in this scenario. Let's see what kind of response I get!          

Half Human

Episode 1: "Pay No Attention To The Cat-Girl!"

Eric Paul Fretheim

         "Dad!" Kyra yelled.

         It was wasted effort; she established his full attention on arrival by slamming his bedroom door behind her. He looked up from his computer desk, undisturbed by the racket.

         She must have walked straight up the stairs from the front door, because she still wore the white shirt, plaid skirt and black shoes of her school uniform, and still had her backpack slung over her shoulder. Actually, the way she was huffing, more likely she had run up the stairs.          

         He smiled warmly. "Yes, Kyra?"          

         She brushed her straying red hair back over her shoulder, closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and declared in a steady voice, "I can tolerate my little sister's obsession with swords. I can accept my little brother's three-manga-a-week habit. I can sort of overlook my mother's tendency to disappear for weeks on end, and I can even deal with how you seem to have a different job every month ... but that's as far as I go! I demand that this family get no weirder!"          

         Now that she was in her second year of high school, Kyra was becoming considerably more assertive. She was also becoming considerably more attractive, which reminded him that they were probably due for some problems with her. Just be patient, his wife's voice counseled him. She's going to have a lot of adjustments to make.          

         He scratched his graying beard, then faced his daughter with folded hands. "Alright, Kyra. We'll see what we can do to accommodate you. Do you have anything particular in mind?"          

         She glowered at him for a heartbeat, then jabbed her finger downward, in the general direction of the living room.          

         "That!!"          

         "The floor?" he asked innocently.          

         She closed her eyes and breathed in again, clearly controlling herself as best she could. "I'm pointing at the cat-girl in the living room!"          

         "Ah," he answered.          

         Her expression went from indignant to something more like enraged as her eyes flew open.  They were becoming much more violet, he noted. Yes, she's growing up, isn't she?          

         "'Ah?' Is that all you can say for yourself? 'Ah?!'"          

         "That's just one of your sister's friends," he assured her, lying to her because she wasn't going to believe the truth, anyway. "She wants to show off her new costume."          

         Kyra's eyes widened and her voice went up a half-octave. "That woman has gazongas the size of Peru! Leisha is not old enough to have a friend with a rack like that, Dad!"          

         "Your brother ordered another Anime figurine?"          

         "She's life-sized and she answered me when I asked who the hell she was, Dad!" Kyra declared with increasing fury. "She said, 'Nyaah'!!"          

         He pursed his lips. "She's a friend of your Mom's?"          

         "Dad, I ... okay, for Mom, maybe I almost can believe that,... but Mom's been gone for a week! Tell me the truth!"          

         "Okay. You're an alien." Hey, she asked for the truth.          

         Kyra opened her mouth for another retort, then closed it again. After a blink, she replied, "You meant to claim that she's an alien, right?"          

         He shrugged. "Well, that, too, but what I actually said is more relevant."          

         She folded her arms with dramatic resolve. "I am not an alien, Dad."          

         He nodded. "Well, true. Since I'm from Earth, you're actually only half-alien."          

         She stared at him for another few seconds, her angry breath very audible, then wheeled and exited, slamming the bedroom door again on the way out.          

         Four seconds later, an additional door slam announced her retirement to her own room.          

         He sighed and shook his head. "I told you she wasn't going to be happy."          

         I know that, dear. You'll need to go talk to her once she calms down.          

* * *

         Kyra lay on her bed, fuming, her uniform scattered on the floor. She knew the tee-shirt she had forcefully yanked on was inside-out, but frankly, she didn't care, yet. Geez, that guy!...          

         She didn't know which pissed her off worse, the fact that he had some fetish-junkie woman sitting in their living room like she owned the place while her mom was absent, or the fact that he had the stones to feed his own daughter one B.S. answer after the other,... and exactly what was that woman doing in their house, anyway?          

         I'm 'half-alien', am I? Geez!          

         It wasn't the first time he had pulled that line on her, either. He told her she was an alien on a regular basis. This time, she couldn't even see how it would be relevant, which was worse. Every time things get weird around here.... Her phone rang, interrupting her funk. She found her purse and dug it out.          

         "Hey, girlfriend!" came Ronnie's voice. Based on the background noise, her friend was calling from a car.          

         "You're yakking and driving again," Kyra accused.          

         Ronnie made a noise with her tongue, in lieu of sticking it out, and disagreed. "Nah, I'm at a light right now.  I'll hand the phone to Caeleigh if it turns green, okay?"          

         "Caeleigh?..." She was confused for a moment. "Oh, the new girl."          

         "We're coming over to pick you up. Time to get back to the mall. We aren't keeping up with our quota!"          

         She snorted. "Really? How do you know?"          

         "Oh, the folks at the mall call me up and tell me when it's been too long. Be there in five to pick you up, okay?"          

         She stretched, scratched her head, yawned and thought about passing, then remembered how much she wanted to get away. "Yeah. I'll be ready."          

         After switching the tee-shirt for something more boy-friendly, adding her latest jeans and just the right belt, she sauntered downstairs in a reasonably good mood.          

         It didn't last. Miss 'Nyaah' still sat on the couch, watching 'Animal Planet'. She scratched her enormous gray ear with a tabby cat's paw mitten. How in the heck did she operate the remote with those things on? The rest of the woman's wardrobe was just as bad... a short, bright blue velvet dress that seemed custom designed to show off her perfect legs and huge bosom to the maximum possible advantage within the bounds of decency, a blue ribbon around her neck, tied in a bow, tabby cat boots to match the mittens and ears, and a ridiculous matching tail that she had somehow rigged to move. Kyra tried not to make contact with those gorgeous eyes of hers, but the woman looked up too quickly, giving her a bright smile. Her tail twitched.          

         So did Kyra's cheek. She glared at the woman and declared, "My friends are coming to pick me up. Keep your mouth shut and don't do anything weird, okay?!"          

         "Mew?" Cat-girl inquired with large eyes and an innocent tip of the head. Kyra growled softly and stormed past her into the kitchen.          

         The door-bell rang just as she retrieved the drink-pack she was after. She beat a hasty trail to the door before Psycho Lady got the idea to answer it. Thankfully, it was Ronnie and Caeleigh. Ronnie had really done herself up, like she was ready for an Ebony cover shoot. Caeleigh had a crazy look going, but she always did. At school, her uniform seemed fitted to someone three sizes larger. Now, she looked like she had pieced her outfit together from stuff retrieved out of dumpsters. Her huge pigtails were tied with mis-matched scrunchies, and her dark eyes darted around everywhere, rapidly recording everything. In all, she just looked a little... odd.          

         "Hey, girlfriend!" Ronnie greeted her. "Ready to go?"          

         "Yup," she replied. She already had her purse, wanting to get away as quickly as possible. As she pushed past them, she growled, "Pay no attention to the cat-girl."          

         Ronnie looked puzzled. "To the what?"          

         She glanced over her shoulder to see that the woman had made herself scarce. Well, at least she had one shred of decency. "Never mind."          

* * *

         She's very upset, Dear.          

         He shook his head. He would never successfully explain it to her, would he? "Why shouldn't she be? She probably thinks I'm cheating on you, now."          

         But, why would she think that? his wife wondered with sincere naiveté.          

         He burst out laughing. "Oh, man. Have you seen the stuffing in that outfit? Why wouldn't she think that?"          

         He felt her sigh. I guess it's like you always say. Some things I will never understand.          

         "Well, that is something you'll never need to understand, Gorgeous... and because I am married to you, Kyra doesn't have a thing to worry about."          

         Her musical laughter filled his skull like bells. Oh, looks like Leisha and Brett just arrived. Hope it goes better with them.          

         "Pretty much guaranteed. Brett's gonna love it."          

* * *

         Dirk and Perry weren't regular mall rats. Life, Perry liked to say, was too interesting to waste in a mall. They had a mission today, however... a very critical mission, vital to World Peace... at least for that part of the world Perry inhabited. Domestic tranquility depended upon them finding a birthday present for his sister.          

         His bargain-sized friend sighed, and complained, "You've known this was coming for like, what, a year? How did you end up leaving it to the last minute?"          

         He looked up from the rack of fashion jewelry with irritation. "Mom didn't tell me until today, alright? Get off my back!"          

         The big guy shook his head smugly, then picked out a pair of very large, tortoise-shell earrings and held them up to his ear. "How about these?"          

         Perry glanced over and appraised. "Dirk, they're you."          

         He snorted and put them back on the rack. "As is of course, obvious, I meant for your sister."          

         "Nah. I think I need to find something a little more classy. She's like, nineteen years old tomorrow."          

         Dirk tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, check it out."          

         Naturally, he was indicating something on the other side of the rack which, with more than a foot of extra altitude, Dirk could see over. Perry moved to the end and peered past, pressing his glasses back up his nose.          

         He spotted Kyra with a couple friends and brightened a little. Good man, Dirk! "Ah ha!... the princess and her court!"          

         She was looking really fine, today. A flimsy top cut so that just a little midriff peeked out, a fine pair of jeans... of course, she looked great in everything, but observing long enough to notice her outfit was always worth it.          

         Dirk scratched the back of his neck. "You wanna go try to hang with 'em?"          

         "Dude, you just want to see me embarrass myself again, don't you? She'll just dis me like every other time." He looked a moment longer, then returned to studying the rack. It was about then that he wondered ....          

         He glanced up to Dirk, who was still able to see them, and asked, "Who was that other girl with her?"          

         "You mean, other than Veronica?" The big guy scratched his nose. "Ummm ... I think it's that new one. Kelly, or somethin'."          

         A stone appeared deep in Perry's stomach. "Caeleigh. Crap. Dirk, you follow 'em, alright? I'll catch up with you."          

         As he randomly grabbed five different pairs of earrings, Dirk frowned. "I don't understand."          

         Perry strode quickly toward the checkout counter. "Just go. I'll explain later. I gotta go pay for these."          

         Dirk hesitated, still puzzled, then shrugged. "Okay. How you gonna find me?"          

         He looked upward at six foot and eight inches of heavily muscled living statue, and shook his head. "You, I can find. Go."          

* * *

         Kyra spent her first ten minutes storming the mall like she was on a military expedition. Her friends finally had her calmed down at about the third store.          

         "So, are you gonna tell me what has you ticked off?" Ronnie inquired as they walked away from the food court. They had hit the new juice counter, which turned out pretty cool. At least Ronnie and Kyra both liked it. Caeleigh hadn't liked the look of anything, and wound up scoring a shake at the next place over.          

         Kyra shook her head. "Too embarrassing. Where we headed now?"          

         Caeleigh spoke up, which was a rarity. "There's a place down this way I'd like to go."          

         "Oh yeah? Where's that?" This oughta be interesting. What kind of a store would she choose?          

         Kyra almost choked on her juice when Caeleigh led them to a popular lingerie chain.          

         "I gotta admit," Ronnie declared, equally surprised, "this, I did not expect out of you."          

         Caeleigh blinked at them, as if confused for a moment, then shrugged and explained, "Well ... I didn't want to go in there by myself."          

         Kyra snorted. "Needed someone else to help you get your courage up, huh? Fine. Let's go, girls!" She linked her arms with both of them and started marching forward.          

         Ronnie giggled as the three walked into the store side-by-side. Caeleigh, however, glanced over her shoulder and made an irritated noise. Kyra glanced back to see Dirk, the lumbering giant from school, taking a seat right in front of the store.          

         "Crap," Kyra declared, letting go and forging her way farther in.          

         Ronnie glanced to see where she was looking. "Oh, hey, it's Dirk, from school! We should go say hi!"          

         Kyra rushed back to her with astonishment and pulled her along. "No, we should not! Where there's a Dirk, there's a Perry!"          

         Ronnie chuckled. "Ah, girl, you shouldn't be like that. Perry's nice, he's not bad looking, and he likes you a lot. Everyone but you knows what a cute couple you two would make."          

         Kyra looked daggers at Black Beauty, who just  laughed more. She put her hands on hips and insisted, "The last thing I need is for Four-Eyes to see me coming out of this store so he can go home to fantasize about whatever he thinks I bought here! Geez, I bet his glasses steam up!"          

         Caeleigh had browsed ahead. She was returning from the back carrying a bra-and-pantie set and grinning. "Hey, guys, there's something you should see back there!"          

         Just then, Kyra saw that Perry had arrived out front. "Ah, crap! There he is." He was looking in, right at Caeleigh, and he had a weird look on his face.          

         Ronnie, who hadn't noticed, point the direction Caeleigh was suggesting. "You wanna go check it out?"          

         Caeleigh had a strange look, too, though. She had seen Perry and looked nervous about his presence. "Umm... how about another time? I think it's time to go."          

         She dropped the clothing on a display counter and dashed on out, Ronnie and Kyra trailing. They worked their way through a few more stores, but Misters Super-size and Bite-size kept on happening to be around. Kyra finally had enough of the game and demanded to go home, with Caeleigh in full agreement.          

         "They're stalking us, Ronnie!" she insisted when her friend was unhappy with the idea.          

         "If he was freakish or ugly or weird, that would be one thing, but that guy is like, Captain Good Guy. He helps people just cause that's what he does, nothing asked in return. He helps anybody with their homework, does all kinds of projects. Back in elementary school, he was the one who beat up the bullies. You really ought to give him a chance."          

         Kyra blinked at her. "I thought we were talking about Perry, not Dirk."          

         She looked puzzled. "Well, so did I! That's how Dirk started hanging with him. Even back in fourth grade, Dirk was a foot taller than everyone else, but after Perry beat the crap out of him, they turned into best buddies. Really straightened the big guy out. He used to be really mean."          

         That surprised her. Even though she knew the two boys went to the same martial arts school as her little sister, she always thought of Perry as a weedy little bookworm. She couldn't imagine him beating up anything, much less a guy the size of Dirk. It just seemed... out of character.          

         She had Ronnie drop her off at the curb, because she feared what might be waiting inside and didn't want them seeing it. What was waiting, it turned out, was Dad's new toy busily cooking up a storm. Incredibly, she was managing kitchen utensils without removing the cat's paw mittens.  Of course, Leisha was the one chopping vegetables. Cat-girl looked up and greeted Kyra with a "Nyaah!"          

         Kyra turned on one heel without a word and walked instead into the living room, where Dad was contentedly sitting with his martini in front of the TV, watching cable news. He smiled up at her as she walked up and stood in front of him with folded arms. "Hello, Kyra!"          

         "She's still here!" Kyra reported, angrily, "and she's cooking!"          

         He nodded and smiled. "That's right. She's showing Leisha how to stir-fry."          

         She jabbed her finger in the direction of the kitchen without looking. "Dressed like that!"          

         He nodded, chuckling. "Yeah. She had a maid outfit she wanted to wear, but I told her not to, because you would probably blow a cork."          

         "What do you suppose I'm doing now?!" she demanded.          

         Her father sighed and shook his head, "I told your mother you wouldn't like it."          

         Her eyes grew as round as she had ever felt them grow, as she felt herself hitting the boiling point. "You want me to believe that Mom knows about this?!"          

         "Well, duh," Brett announced as he came down the stairs. He was rolling his eyes when Kyra glared his way. "Of course, she knows!"          

         She looked back and forth between the two men in her life, the middle aged jerk and the thirteen-year-old nerd, and exploded.          

         "Did you two perverts even stop for a second to think about what kind of warped effect you're having on that ten-year-old girl in there?!"          

         "Probably not," Leisha commented from the archway into the kitchen, where she had moved so she could hear the discussion, "but somehow, I'll survive, Sis."          

         Kyra drew in a deep breath, wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to keep herself from screaming.          

         "Mew?" the cat-girl asked from behind Leisha.          

         "That's it!" she declared, marching for the front door. "I'm staying at Veronica's tonight! If you want me back, then get your pet cosplay girl out of this house! Got it?!"          

         Without waiting for an answer, she left, slamming the front door.          

         A moment later she stormed back in and marched through the house to the garage, to get her scooter. It gave her another fortuitous opportunity to slam a door, though. Two, actually.          

* * *

         We have to ride bikes while they get a car, Perry groused privately as he pumped along. Life is not fair.          

         "Are you going to tell me what you're worried about?" Dirk asked as he pulled even with him. Perry shook his head.          

         "Look,... Dirk, I've been thinking, and ... you shouldn't be involved in this. It's not your problem."          

         "You think Caeleigh is some kind of threat to Kyra and Veronica, right?" Dirk pressed. "Is she another alien thing, like that problem your sister had?"          

         He looked over at his larger friend. Dirk was the only one among his Human acquaintances that knew about his ancestry... or about his family's responsibility. "Look, it's Kyra she's after, but Ronnie's in danger, as long as she's with her." He had to look back quickly. They were riding too fast to keep eyes off the road for long.          

         "Then it's my problem," Dirk stated, with that brand of finality that Perry knew he wasn't going to win against.          

         He tried anyway. "Dirk, this is another 'someone could get killed sticking their nose into it' problem."          

         Dirk didn't take his eyes of the road. He just set his jaw and prompted, "And?" as if he were still waiting for Perry to make his point.          

         Perry shook his head. "Fine."          

         When Kyra's father answered the door, he surprised Perry by recognizing them. "You're the boys that assist Leisha's karate class. This something to do with the school?"          

         He noticed the man had left out that she was the assistant in the Kendo class he attended. Maybe the guy thought he was embarrassed at being taught by a ten-year-old. "No, sir. Right now, I'm here as the son of Chuck Hannick. You know my father."          

         He didn't know if that was true, but Mr. Forth at least knew the Hannick family name, and his smile disappeared as he caught Perry's meaning. "What can I do for you?"          

         "Sir, did Kyra come home from the mall, yet?"          

         Mr. Forth nodded. "Yes, she did."          

         Perry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! We were on bikes and couldn't keep up. Look, sir, I annoyed her pretty bad at the mall. There was a... threat, and I didn't have any choice except to tail her. So, she isn't going to want to see me. I've left a message on my sister's phone to try to get Dad back here. Until he arrives, I'll guard from outside."          

         Leisha appeared from behind her father. "Hey, guys! What's up?"          

         Her father glanced at her, then looked back to Perry. "Boys, come in and explain the situation. Please." He gestured them in.          

         Perry hesitated, but Mr. Forth wasn't giving him any choice. He entered the house, and was momentarily startled by the cat-girl setting the table in the dining room. He figured it out quickly and grinned. "That's quite a morph!"          

         Dirk stared, completely flummoxed by the sight.          

         Standing in the middle of the living room, Mr. Forth folded his arms, as Kyra's brother and sister both joined the gathering. "Now, what is going on?"          

         Dirk was openly gawking at her, which was a little unseemly, so Perry placed his hand behind the big guy's shoulder and pushed until he turned to face Kyra's father as well. Perry heard her make a little laughing "mew" sound as he started his explanation.          

         "A new girl named Caeleigh started attending our school last week. My father believes she's not a girl at all, but a Vaxrene. The Vaxrenes have no legitimate operations anywhere in Los Angeles, though, so she's either a criminal or a ... private operative."          

         "A mercenary," Mr. Forth translated.          

         "Her Majesty's Government back on Argovos has found out that the Opposition plans to depose the Queen and install the Crown Princess in her place. They may have enough supporters and a workable plan, but they need to get the princess and bring her back to the home world to have a shot at it. Dad thought it was just hot air, until Caeleigh showed up. One mercenary couldn't do a whole lot by herself, so my father is out looking for information on what she had up her sleeve."          

         The cat-girl stood in the dining room entryway now, carefully listening, confirming his suspicions about her. Leisha and Brett both had very intent looks as well, but their father just looked mystified.          

         "If I understand correctly, out of loyalty to the Crown, the Opposition opposes the Queen's effort to push the Argovos Cluster out of Monarchy into Democracy, and so ... as loyal Monarchists,... they plan to depose her and make my daughter a puppet?" He ended with a tone that suggested the Opposition wasn't making much sense.          

         Perry scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Yeah. Something like that."          

         Dirk stared at him with concern. "Argovos? That where your dad's from, right?"          

         Perry glanced over at him. Only a few Humans knew where his father came from, and Dirk was the only one among his friends. Perry nodded, "That's right. Kyra's mom also comes from there."          

         Dirk frowned, concentrating as he put it together. "So, when you call Kyra 'the princess',..."          

         He gave a sheepish grin. "Right. It's not just my nickname for her. My dad is Captain of the Royal Guard. Kyra's grandparents exiled themselves here to Earth without abdicating their throne, to help get Democracy started back home. The Royal Guard came with them. After Kyra's grandmother passed away, Kyra's mother became the Queen. As long as they stay here on Earth, the pro-Democracy people have a chance to make it stick."          

         He turned back to Mr. Forth. "At the mall, we spotted Caeleigh hanging with Kyra, trying to get her to the back of a store that's a contact point for Ghalzites. When Dirk and I showed up, she rushed out of there, so I think we spooked her out of carrying out her plan. "          

         "Ghalzites?" Mr Forth's eyes widened and his voice weakened. Ghalzites were considerable more powerful fighters than Vaxrenes.          

         Perry nodded, but he was getting nervous about being in the house. "Look, I gotta get out of here before Kyra comes downstairs and sees us. She'll freak if she finds me here...."          

         He broke off when Mr. Forth held up a hand and shook his head. "She's not here, son. She took her moped over to Veronica's house to spend the night."          

         Perry felt himself go pale. "What?" Close to panic, he looked over at Dirk. "You know where Ronnie lives, right?"          

         Dirk nodded, "Uh... yeah."          

         Perry grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door "We gotta go! Mr. Forth, please call my father or my sister!"          

         They jumped back on their bikes and pedaled hard.  Dirk and Ronnie had lived in the same neighborhood since grade school, so he took the lead, navigating them to the old two-story where Ronnie lived. The entryway was hidden from the road behind an enormous lemon tree. They walked their bikes up and set them on the lawn next to it.          

         Nobody answered the door at first, so Perry put his hand on the door and concentrated. He grew puzzled. "Several people are inside," he noted. Perry had pulled enough similar tricks in front of Dirk that his friend didn't question it anymore. He dropped his hand quickly. "Okay, someone's coming."          

         'Someone' turned out to be Mrs. McKinney, Ronnie's mom, who smiled a little nervously at them. He greeted her and asked, "Is Veronica home? We need to talk to her."          

         Mrs. McKinney hesitated, then shook her head. "Um... no, she... went to the mall."          

         Perry did his best to look disappointed instead of  suspicious. "Did Kyra come here? We were looking for her, too."          

         Her nervousness was getting more evident. She shook her head. "No, no, it's just me here right now."          

         "Sorry to bother you, Mrs. McKinney. Bye."          

         They quietly picked up their bikes and walked them to the curb, Perry thinking furiously on what to do. Dirk kept quiet.          

         He decided not to speak out loud. In a previous situation, he had made Dirk hear him mind-speak, so he decided to give it a shot again. Dude, if you can hear me, just nod.          

         Dirk nodded, much to his relief. They got on and began riding down the street.          

         Cool. Don't forget, you don't know how to send, so I can't hear you answer, and if you get more than a few feet away, you can't hear me. That was complete B.S. just now, and I think someone was holding a gun on her. I counted seven people in the house. We're going to circle the block and sneak up behind the house, see if we can find out what's going on.          

         Dirk nodded again as they turned the corner at the end of the block. Perry kept thinking furiously, all the way around the block, but was coming up empty. Dirk pointed out a spot in the alley where they could tuck their bikes, and he nodded. Our assets are a short half-Argovian, a rather large Human, two black-belts, a cell-phone and a couple bicycles. Any ideas?          

         Dirk grinned, but shook his head. Perry shrugged and pulled out his phone. Texting my sister to tell her where we are. After that, we're on our own.          

         He wished he could reach into the house and mind-speak to Kyra. If she were an adult he could do it easily, but both of them were still too young for that kind of range. From what he understood, she didn't believe in any of it, anyway. If he mind-spoke to her, she would think she was imagining things.          

         They crept down the alley and found the back of the house, looking for a way to get closer that wasn't exposed. He shook his head and turned to show Dirk where they would go.          

         A hulking humanoid the size of a small tank had Dirk slung over his shoulder. He pointed a weapon in Perry's face.          

* * *

         Kyra had never really been terrified before. She'd been on amusement park rides, of course, so she thought she knew terrified.          

         Nope. Wrong. That wasn't 'terrified'. This would be terrified. Bound, gagged, and seated on Ronnie's living-room floor, she looked up as Caeleigh came back into the room, a self-satisfied smile on her face as she closed her cellphone. The girl leered down at her.          

         "Comfy, Your Highness?"          

         She would have stuck her tongue out if it weren't for the gag. She contented herself with a dirty look. Ronnie, equally bound and gagged, looked fearfully from her to Caeleigh and back, clearly worried about what their captor would do next. Only Mrs. McKinney had been left free, to be available to answer the phone and door.          

         Caeleigh grinned, a sort of lopsided, ugly thing, and shrugged. She picked up a water bottle, reached out and undid the gag. "Thirsty?"          

         Kyra looked away and refused to  say anything. She shrugged and went over to ungag Ronnie, making her the same offer, with the same result.          

         "Look, my employers are not going to be happy if I deliver you dehydrated. They're actually quite fond of you, Your Highness."          

         "Why do you keep calling me that?!" Kyra demanded.          

         Caeleigh rolled her eyes. "Stop playing dumb. It's annoying."          

         The largest of the gigantic thugs who worked for Caeleigh walked in with a limp body over each shoulder. The girl grinned down at her. "By the way, we captured your little Royal Guard and his pet ape trying to sneak in through the alley."          

         "I don't have any 'Royal Guards'," she insisted, but Caeleigh wasn't talking anymore.          

         "Geez," Kyra breathed, as the seven-foot-tall giant set them down and she recognized Perry and Dirk. "What were they doing here?"          

         "Rather obviously, looking for you, Highness," Caeleigh replied, then told the thug, "Get them tied up quick. The Argovian will recover faster than the Human, I expect."          

         Kyra wondered briefly which was supposed to be which, then got angry with herself for getting sucked in even for a second. They're both 'Human'!          

         ...And they both looked half-dead. "Caeleigh, what have you done to them?" she worried, fearing for them.          

         Caeleigh put on a look that Kyra assumed was suppose to be reassuring. "Just a stunner, Princess. My employers insist we try to avoid killing any of your friends and family."          

         She grinned at Perry. "He was riding to the rescue of his fair lady. What an idiot."  She shook her head and looked back to Kyra. "Human, Argovian, It doesn't matter. All of you two-gender species are the same --" She leaned forward and tapped her skull. "-- messed up in the head."          

         The ropes pulling tight around Perry's wrists revived him. As he woke, he gave the giant who was binding him a sour look and muttered, "I thought I smelled a Ghalzite. You know, you should shower and get rid of that used motor-oil smell."          

         The giant didn't reply, just jerked Perry upright and sat him next to Kyra.  The other two thugs walked in as the seven-footer moved over to bind Dirk, and huddled around Caeleigh. Whatever they said, Kyra suspected it wasn't English, but it was too quiet for her to be sure. The three were three different sizes, from six to seven feet tall, all towering over the diminutive girl. It was a little weird seeing a high-school girl ordering these huge men around.          

         Perry shook his head sorrowfully. "Sorry, Kyra. I screwed up. They must have had some kind of surveillance equipment watching for us."          

         "Perry!" she hissed at him, "What were you doing here?"          

         The other two left the room again. He looked up at her and grinned. "Well, I was trying to rescue my princess, of course."          

         Her concerned was instantly replaced by irritation. "You're not playing that game, too, are you?"          

         His eyebrows shot up. "Did you take a good look at those Ghalzites? Does this look like a game? Look, Your Highness..."          

         Through gritted teeth, she ordered, "Do not call me that!"          

         He sighed. "Look, Kyra... whatever you think about  me doesn't matter. I would have done the same regardless."          

         So, what the hell is a 'Ghalzite'? She was beginning to add things up and become suspicious. "Perry, are you and Caeleigh working some kind of scam together?"          

         He was shocked. "Good lord, no!"          

         The giant pulled Dirk upright, bumping him hard into Perry. Dirk made a deep grumbling noise as he woke up, while Perry struggled to stay upright with hands to steady himself.          

         Caeleigh studied them with folded arms, tapping her foot and shaking her head. "I don't like having them together like this. We should separate them."          

         "Ah," Perry nodded. "You must have a few more people working for you, then."          

         Caeleigh looked irritated. "What are you talking about?"          

         He looked up at her, mildly surprised. "Hmm? Well, obviously, you need someone to guard Mrs. McKinney, and someone to guard us. You split us up and you need someone to guard each of us. From what I've seen, that's more help than you have." He looked at the thugs.          

         Caeleigh looked at him with a sour expression. "You're bound up good and tight, Argovian. You're not going anywhere. I just don't want you guys working on some kind of plan together."          

         Perry laughed at her. "You know that Argovians are shape-shifters. Maybe the princess and I will morph into something that can slip out of these ropes, while you aren't looking... and are you really sure Dirk is Human? Have you taken a good look at the guy? He might just have a surprise up his sleeve, too."          

         She grinned and leaned close in. "You're still children. Everyone knows Argovians can't shape-shift until they're adults!"          

         He grinned right back at her, without any humor at all. "I'm half Human. Do you have any idea how that changes the life cycle? Take a look at my eyes, Vaxrene. Don't they look just a little... purplish?"          

         Purplish? she echoed to herself, with a little panic setting in. Her eyes had been changing color lately. They had been blue, but lately they were turning a bright violet color, the same weird color as her mother. Were Perry's eyes doing the same thing?... and hadn't he just claimed to be half-alien, just like Dad claimed she was?          

         Get a grip, Kyra! It's a bunch of bull!          

         Caeleigh looked uncertain. Perry had given her reason to doubt what she knew, and Kyra was certain that's what he wanted. She visibly reached a decision, though, and turned to look at the seven-footer. "Keep them together, and keep a close eye on them."          

         One of the other thugs came in to the room. "We have  another visitor," he announced with an odd-sounding voice, then wheeled and left.          

         "Dammit! When is that transport going to get here!" she fumed, then turned to the giant still in the room. "Gag them again."          

         The giant strode back over next to Kyra, and crouched down. Caeleigh turned to Mrs. McKinney, and ordered, "Come with me, Human!"          

         The giant pushed her head down to retie the gag. It was a little rough because he was working rapidly. Perry grew angry. "Ease up on her!"          

         "You're in no position to issue orders," he rumbled as he gagged Dirk.          

         Perry looked up at him with murderous eyes and spoke with a cold, emotionless voice. "Get rough with her again, and I promise I will knock your head off, Ghalzite."          

         The thug made no reply as he moved over to gag Perry. Kyra suspected he tied it extra tight, though.          

         She heard Mrs. McKinney go through the same routine at the door as she had with Perry. She hadn't been able to tell his voice from out on the front step, but she knew this one. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized the voice as her little brother.          

         No, Brett! Not you, too!          

         Your Highness? she heard inside her own mind.          

         Was she hearing voices now? She tried to pretend she hadn't, but it spoke again. Please, listen carefully.          

         Oh, God, I'm losing my mind! she thought, fearfully. It really had sounded like someone else's voice.          

         If that was you trying to answer, I could almost understand, but not quite. I'm afraid you haven't learned how to talk this way, yet. Just listen carefully. If you can understand me, look over to me and blink.          

         It was Perry's voice, she realized. She turned fearfully to look at him, and he really was looking back at her.          

         I can't do this. It's crazy!          

         He raised his eyebrows, seeming to prompt her. She blinked slowly, then looked away, feeling like an idiot. Just as she turned, though, she realized his eyes really were the same weird color as her own.          

         She could feel his relief in his silent 'voice'. Great. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to talk to you this way. I psyched Caeleigh into keeping us together just in case we could. Now, listen carefully. I can't explain everything right now, so I will just hit the highlights. First of all, I can't really morph. That was more psyche. Just like she said, we're too young. Your mom, my dad, they change shapes, but not us. That's how they can look Human. For us half-human kids, it's our natural form to look like this. Their natural form is ... different.          

         She shot a confused look at him.          

         Don't look at me. They'll figure out we're talking. You want proof of what I'm saying, then here it is. Her Majesty... your mom, I mean... disappears every couple months, right? That's because she can't hold her human form constantly. She has to revert to Argovian form, and maybe change to something else for a bit, for two or three weeks, to rest her gene matrix. Then she can go back to being Human for a few more months. It's the same for my dad.          

         She was feeling very cold now. How can this be happening? He knew about her mom's regular disappearing act, he had those violet eyes, and he was conducting this telepathic lecture. She had to be going insane.          

         You're a very important important person to their customers, but you don't mean anything to these mercenaries personally, and I'm afraid they may simply dispose of you if they run into trouble and can't finish the job. I can't let them put you in that 'transport', whatever it is. Also, I'm worried they'll do something to Ronnie and her mom, however things go. So Dirk and I are going to fight them, and you are going to take the opportunity to get away while they're occupied with us. Dirk's untying the ropes right now.          

         She glanced over and saw that Dirk deep in concentration. All she could tell was, his effort was making his huge muscles flex. She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing.          

         This is very important, Your Highness... She shot a dirty look at him, and he shook his head, just barely. Kyra, then. Getting yourself and the McKinneys away from here is more important than anything that happens to me or Dirk. They didn't tie Ronnie's feet, so as soon as you're free, grab Ronnie and her mom and run. Don't stop to help us, even if it means letting us die.          

         Die?! Her eyes grew wide just as the other two thugs, Caeleigh, and Mrs. McKinney came back into the room. She forced her expression back to neutral. "No, we couldn't keep the other Forth kid here, because his parents sent him over," Caeleigh was saying. "I'm gambling that the Guard kid followed us on his own. Our friends have the rest of the Royal Guard distracted, but if we aroused suspicions by keeping their prince, they'd all come running."          

         She looked over at them and frowned. "Are you sure those bonds are secure? The big one looks..."          

         Dirk came bursting upward, the move turning in one motion into a hard kick at the biggest thug. To her amazement, Kyra felt her bonds fall away at the same moment. She had no idea how he had done it, but she didn't stop to ask.  She jumped up and ran to get Ronnie and her mom.          

         Ronnie stayed frozen to her seat in terror. She wouldn't budge. "Come on!" Kyra tried to yell through the gag. She looked back to see the boys hard in battle against two opponents each. Dirk hadn't had a chance to manage Perry's hands, but he was doing an incredible job with just his feet. Go! she heard Perry yelling at her. She tried again to pull Ronnie's arm.          

         A loud popping noise and a nasty electric smell... and to her horror, Perry slumped to the floor. Caeleigh screamed at the Ghalzite with the weapon, as she pulled something out of her purse. "You idiot! He'll just recover! Set that damned thing to wound him!"          

         The thug started fumbling with the settings on the weapon as Caeleigh did something with the object in her hand. A moment later, she held a sword.          

         Incredibly, Dirk held two 'Ghalzites' in headlocks, one under each arm, even though the biggest one had at least four inches on him. He gave a loud roar and threw the shorter of the two at Caeleigh. She narrowly avoided stabbing her own guy with the blade, then took a swing at Dirk, who somehow managed to dodge the blow while still gripping the tallest thug. As her follow-through carried the blade past him, he landed a nasty kick on her and she flew back.          

         Ronnie finally came to her feet but it was too late. The thug Dirk had thrown was already back on his feet and he was looking straight at Kyra. As she picked herself off the floor, Caeleigh opened her mouth to say something.          

         Instead of Caeleigh's voice, Kyra heard shattering glass. A figure in a familiar blue-velvet dress came cannon-balling into the room through the picture window.          

         "MERRRROWWRRR!!!"          

         She stared in shock as Cat-girl slammed into the thug pointing the stunner down at Perry, pinning him to the ground. Leisha came bounding in after her, drawing a katana and  locking swords with Caeleigh.          

         Kyra stared in shock at her two bizarre rescuers, and nearly didn't see something like a human-shaped amoeba leap through the window, following them. It wore women's clothing, it had bright purple eyes, but it was obviously not Human. It landed a punch on the thug that had been about to come at Kyra just after it landed.          

         For a short period of time, the fight proceeded, while she and the McKinneys stared in shock. She was terrified that she might see Leisha skewered with the nasty alien-looking blade in Caeleigh's hand, but her katana ... she hadn't known that any of Leisha's collection were the real thing ... sliced in on Caeleigh's sword arm and her foot flicked out to knock the 'Vaxrene' off her feet. Within a few seconds, it appeared to be over.          

         Caeleigh was on the ground, gripping her wound with her good arm, two thugs were on the floor and apparently out of action, and Dirk held the tallest thug in a headlock... then a popping noise announced another stunner firing, and Dirk slumped floorward. Tallest thug dashed toward Kyra and grabbed her by the hair, holding her before him as a shield, chin down, with the weapon to her head. She stared down at Perry, now laying at her feet after the tallest thug had wrestled her around. Oh, God, it looks like he isn't breathing!!          

         "I've switched it to a heavier charge," the alien rasped with that weird voice. "It wasn't enough to kill the big one, but it's plenty enough to do the little princess. We are going to wait until the transport arrives, then I am leaving on it with her."          

         Kyra managed to look up slightly. The room was still. Cat-girl balanced on her toes, ready to spring and looking daggers at him, her mittens showing bared claws. She no longer looked at all cute. Recognition finally hit, as Kyra saw that they weren't 'mittens' at all, but the woman's actual hands. Leisha fingered the grip over her sword with agitation and shifted her stance slightly, but other than that, all remained still.          

         "Excellent," the thug stated.          

         Hold still, Princess came a familiar voice in her head. She froze.          

         In the next instant, she became aware of rapid movement from below, as Perry's foot came flying straight up. She heard a terrible shattering sound as his foot and his leg broke right through the hand holding the weapon.          

         As the gun went flying away from her, the thug screamed with rage, and wrapped the injured arm around her chest, squeezing harder than she imagined possible as he  backed up, still grasping her hair.          

         He yelled "I'll kill...," but Perry was suddenly in the air before them, mid-leap, rotating as his kick came around and through, just above her head. As he landed, she saw an object flying off to one side.          

         The thug fell backward, his arm still around her, pulling her over on top of him as he hit the ground.          

         She knew what she would see when she looked in the direction the object had flow... but she didn't expect it to speak. Lying on the floor against a cabinet and looking at them, the head of the Ghalzite snarled "Damn you, Argovian!"          

         "You got rough with her again. I knocked your head off," Perry replied. "You should believe me, next time."          

         Realizing she was sprawled on top of a headless body, Kyra fought her way loose of the arm and off the thing in a wide-eyed panic. Perry grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her from running. "It's over, Highness! Calm down!"          

         "That thing can still talk!!" she gibbered in terror, but he kept holding her firmly.          

         His voice flooded into her mind, again, strong and calm. Ghalzites are a race of machines. Robots. Their brain cases are self-contained units. It's harmless without its body.          

         She stared into his violet eyes, then gave up. It was the safest spot nearby, so she huddled up against his chest, trembling as he wrapped reassuring arms around her, his thoughts seeming to do the same to her unsettled mind.          

         As Dirk sat up, shaking his head, the human-shaped amoeba coalesced slowly into a human girl with violet eyes. Perry looked at her and nodded. "Thanks, Sis!"  Then, he looked around the room.  "And Leisha... and Your Majesty..."          

         She looked up at him in shock. "Your Majesty?!" He had been looking straight at....          

         "Nyaah!" declared Cat-girl. Kyra turned to look at the bizarre woman.          

         "Mom?"          

         Cat-girl, whose eyes were indeed the same purple as her mother's, answered with a head-tip and a "Mew?"          

         Perry chuckled. "She tells me she has been trying to talk to you, but for some reason you can't hear her yet like you can hear me. She cooked up this morph to try to get through to you, kind of a shock-value thing. Apparently it didn't work."          

         She looked up at Perry. "You're not trying to tell me that an Argovian looks like that?" gesturing at her... mother.          

         "No, thank goodness," he laughed, and then pointed at the ex-amoeba girl. "A moment ago, my sister was in native Argovian form. She just learned it a few weeks ago. Her body can take more punishment in a fight using Argovian shape. They're tougher than Humans."          

         He looked over at her mother, grinned and nodded, then looked back to Kyra. "Your mom tells me she imitated the cat-girl form out of one of your brother's manga"          

         "I should have guessed," she muttered, then looked at the woman again. "If you're Mom, how come all you say is 'mew' and 'nyaah'?"          

         "Um..." Perry hazarded. "I think the morph would be too human-like if she could talk. Wouldn't qualifying as 'resting' from human form."          

         She heard Ronnie giggling and looked her way. Her friend smirked at her. "Look at you! I told you, you two'd make a cute couple!"          

         She realized Perry was still holding her, but resisted her first impulse was to break away in embarrassment.          

         No, she decided. Not just yet.          

         "Shut up," the princess ordered, and remained where she was.          

* * *

         October 15, 2006          

         8120 Words          

Author's Afterword:

 



Discussing the characters in the story:

Most of the characters in this ostensibly original work are strongly influenced by existing Anime/Manga characters. These weren't purposeful rips, just the connections I recognized after writing them into the story. In a sense, though, all anime/manga characters are like this, drawn in one way or another from those who came before. Frankly, the only truly original major character I have seen in the last decade or so is Sosuke Sagara (Full Metal Panic). I can frankly say I can't draw a line from him to any prior art. The cluelessness may derive from Son Goku in the original Dragonball  (that's just plain 'Goku' in the anime), but that's a serious reach.



Kyra Forth – She's a hybrid. One minute, she's Kaname Chidori (FMP), and the next, she's Ran Kotobuki  (GALS, aka, SuperGALS). I named her before making these connections, but since I gave her the initial "K", I must have known it subconsciously. She has any number of other kindred spirits in Manga-land, though, Mizuki Takase of Comic Party just to name one.



Mr. Forth, Kyra's Father – Is any number of little-influence-on-the-story, often-but-not-always bearded father figures who mostly exist for the main character to be either pissed at, exasperated with, or bewildered by. I can cite main-characters-fathers (or father-figure uncles and grandfathers) from Bleach (father), Inu Yasha (grandfather), GALS (father), FLCL (both), Please Teacher (uncle), etc. etc. etc.



The Cat-girl persona – Cat-girls abound, too, but if I was picturing anyone, it was probably Maya the office cat in Geobreeders. Except IIRC, I don't think she's a tabby....



Mrs. Forth, Kyra's Mother – Okay, magical girls abound, and magical girl's mothers abound. She's really not a well-founded character here, so I can't really establish her, but since she is a little older, I will hazard a guess and make her somewhere between the mother (of Mizuho) in Please, Twins, and the mother (of Lum) in Urusei Yatsura. If I write a sequel, she will probably firm up a bit better.



Perry Hannick – He's mostly Syaoran from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. I gave him glasses before making the connection, but they might subconsciously refer to the goggles Syaoran often has hanging around his neck... and he is similarly dedicating his life in service to his princess. Perry is way too disciplined to be the more obvious Sosuke Sagara (Classmate/bodyguard character from FMP.)



Dirk – Also a hybrid. I would say "Chad" in Bleach crossed with "Bob" (Tengo Tenje). There's a little Kurogane in Tsubasa in him, too. although it didn't really come out here.



Veronica McKinney – Girl buddy characters abound, too. Let's call her Kyoko (Full Metal Panic) just because we connected Kyra to Kaname and Miu (GALS) for the same reason with Ran.



Caeleigh – Okay, freakish, not well adjusted classmates, both good and bad, who just don't seem to fit. Where to begin? Actually, Caeleigh is probably the least recognizable, because her character is usually a male in the manga I read. Uryu Ishida in Bleach as an example. Maybe Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel.  Or Taishi Kuhonbutsu in Comic Party! The only such female I can think of off the top of my head is Amane in Her Majesty's Dog, except she's the protagonist!



Leisha Forth – Girl martial artists abound, but Leisha isn't obviously drawn from any of them. I would say she is more Karin Kurosaki (one of the little sisters in  Bleach) than anyone else, but she also arguable  Tatsuki  (very un-Veronica-like girl buddy) from the same. Since she is competent at what she does, but annoys Kyra (not clear in this story, but the character tells me she does) we'll also draw a connection to Sayo Kotobuki  in GALS.



Brett Forth – Okay, this one's the least obvious, because when it comes right down to, he's either of my sons. Or me. Or any other Otaku with a three-manga-a-week habit! Maybe he'll grow up to be Kazuki Sendoh from Comic Party!



Mrs. McKinney, Perry's unnamed sister, the thugs – Being bit parts, not really well-defined characters.



Descriptions of the various groups created for this story and series:

Argovians – shape changers from Argovos. Kyra's mother is technically their Queen, but her parents exiled themselves to Earth to help establish democracy in their 'star cluster'.



Ghalzites – another race capable of masquerading as Earthers, because they are a machine-race, and can build their bodies however they want. The thugs are Ghalzites. They are general purpose contractors, acting in this case as mercenary subcontractors to Caeleigh.



Vaxrene – yet another race that can hide among Humans. They are vaguely similar enough in shape to humans that, with prosthetics and an artificial 'skin-suit', they can pass. Caeleigh is a Vaxrene mercenary.



Ukkosu – the mysterious ancient race that maintains control over roughly 1/3 of the galaxy, including our part. They prevent outright invasion of primitive worlds such as Earth. Thus, the Opposition can't simply hire mercenaries to roll in and grab the Royal Family. Ended up not used in this story, but if I keep writing in the 'series', they will become an important factor.



The Opposition – The Argovian political camp that is loyal to Royal rule ... and therefore against the Royal Family's policy of transition to Democracy. Therefore, they are trying to overthrow the Queen, all while insisting on not hurting her.