As she passes an alley in her rush to get to school, she almost misses hearing the angry yowl of a cat in distress, accompanied by cruel, boyish laughter. 

That doesn't sound good. It actually sounds very bad no good. She stops dead in her tracks and - she is very late, but... does it really matter if she's a little later? Probably not.

She backtracks a little and jogs towards the sound of kitty.

The kitty's angry sounds continue, leading her back into the alleyway, where she can see a group of boys a few years younger than her standing in a circle around something. There's a flash of golden, spotted fur, and then one of them kicks out and another angry yowl sounds from within the circle. 

- not okay. She slips off her backpack and runs towards them, growling and kicking out. "Get off it!! What kind of people torture a defenceless animal!!"

She gets a kick in on one boy as they all turn to look at her, and he yelps in pain and surprise. They scatter before her at the sound and her words, running off down the alley in the opposite direction. 

The cat they were tormenting looks up at her from it's place curled up on the ground, its eyes focusing on her and narrowing sharply. 

She's tempted to run after them and kick their butts, but the kitty might be hurt... she leans down next to it and tries to look it over.

"You okay, kitty? I don't have any bandages. Maybe I can take you to the vet? Or my dad. He's good with animals."

The kitty avoids her hands but doesn't scratch at her, though it hisses at her when she says the word 'vet'. It doesn't look injured, besides possibly the irregular crescent-shaped spot of shorter, darker fur on its forehead, which might just be natural for it. It's not any breed she's ever seen before, spotted like some kind of wild cat, so there's no way for her to know. 

"No vet, huh? Well, I dunno if you should be in the city. You look like you belong in the wilds. Are you lost?"

It gives her a supremely offended look, as if to say, me, lost? How dare you. 

"Well fine then. If you don't wanna go to the vet and don't wanna go back someplace else - I gotta get to school. I'm super late as it is and probably saying I was rescuing a kitty from some dumb bullies won't actually be believed at all."

The cat settles back on its hind legs, appearing supremely disinterested in her troubles. It licks at one of its front paws and seems to turn its attention entirely away from her. 

This is fine for Usagi! She scoops up her backpack - the weapon of war - and starts back off on her journey to school. Running! Running is the worst!!!

As she streaks off, the cat jolts out of its distant look, leaping to its feet and jumping after her. A voice calls, "Stop-!"

Kitties don't talk and Usagi is Late For School!

So she is, and so the cat is left behind to yowl in her wake. 

Run run run run. Usagi leaves the strange kitty behind and eventually finishes her journey to school.

Her teacher is supremely unimpressed by her lateness, and indeed by any excuses about having to stop to save a kitty from bullies, but doesn't make a fuss about it, sending her to her seat so that class can begin.

Jun, seated next to her as she always is, turns to her as soon as they have a moment to speak. 

"You were so late," she exclaims quietly. "Did you sleep in again?" 

"Maybe. Dad was supposed to wake me up, but we're a household of sleepyheads, apparently, and he slept in too."

"Why don't you have an alarm, silly?" 

"Alarms are the worst. Plus I don't wanna wake up Teddi. Baby needs his sleep."

"He'll have to get used to waking up early when he starts school, you know. You could start now, and then you wouldn't be late so often!" 

"That sounds awful. Making him endure early morning classes... maybe I can convince dad to homeschool him."

"Maybe you could convince him to homeschool you, too," she giggles, "Then you wouldn't have to worry about getting up in time for school anymore!" 

"Nooo. Then I wouldn't get to see my Jun every day." She leans over and hugs her arm tight. "Where would you be without me?"