Shortly before the Chimera Ants Suppression Team arrived in East Goruto, another incident had unfolded. It could have ended catastrophically - But only a small number of elite Chimera Ants know of this...
"Hmmm...Something seems...Off."
These were Shaiapouf's words as he strolled through the palace taken over by the Chimera Ants. He had gotten a brief call from Youpi that seemed to indicate a problem - Pouf had not been able to discern the situation, for Youpi had apparently held the phone too far from his face and there was a lot of clattering going on in the background.
All that Pouf knew was that it he was needed at the palaces now-defunct main kitchen. He would have rounded up Pitou to take care of it for him, but the feline fiend had apparently eaten a human with a disease and acquired a form of the sickness that humans called 'pneumonia'.
All that Pitou could do was lurk in the farthest corners of the palace until his body inevitably overcame it - Pouf honestly didn't want to go anywhere near him, for the constant panting and moaning and the faint shadow of Pitou writhing in great discomfort was very disturbing a thing to stand witness to.
Luckily for Youpi, Pouf had been within an easy walking distance of the kitchen - The idiot had probably just lit a fire or something without knowing how to put it out. However, when Pouf arrived, he pursed his lips in displeasure...For it seemed that Youpi had, indeed, been right to call his fellow guard.
Though he was in the healing process, Youpi was missing one of his main arms and was covered in stubborn scratchmarks. He also seemed to have yet more problems, as he was scratching a lot at a few mysterious bumps on his chest and neck...Pouf was unable to get a word out before Youpi noticed him.
The blue brute said, "Take your sweet time. This shit hurts, you know." Finally, he was able to force an arm from the bloody stump, grunting in obvious pain and exhaustion. Youpi leaned back against the wall, holding onto his arm - He looked like a deer who had just narrowly escaped a wolf's jaws...
"Well," Pouf said slowly, "I might have gotten here sooner if you had properly communicated the direness of your predicament. But there is no time to dawdle on that matter." Without another word, he split off a tiny fraction of himself roughly the size of a bee. Gently cracking the door open himself, Shaiapouf allowed his miniature replica to enter this dreaded kitchen for reconaissance...
It was dark. Very dark. Although he could definitely detect a monstrous nen, something...Yes, something was very peculiar. I know this individual, he thought to himself. It filled him with dread to think that there was a Chimera Ant of such deadliness who had betrayed them...
Fluttering around the corner of a counter, the mini-Pouf saw it. What he saw was very disturbing; an instantly familiar figure, dragging around Youpi's arm. He would walk to one end of the counter he was facing, wobble and look around in a daze, then walk back to the other. This pacing obviously showed he was greatly out-of-sorts...That explained why he would attack Youpi. When an animal is sick, such as with rabies, and in a pain they can't fight, they'll lash out wildly due to a perceived danger.
Once Pouf had surmised the situation, he tried to think of the proper method to handle this problem. Obviously, he and Youpi couldn't attack...But there might be a way to disperse the situation without risking that one hurting them in his confusion. So, Pouf gently sent in three more of his fragments and got to work.
Gently, the four used their teamwork to quietly open the refrigerator. Immediately, one of them flitted upward to push the light so as to keep from alerting the dangerous individual nearby. Looking around inside, the three fragments were luckily small enough that the cold couldn't register.
After a bit of snooping, they found the key to this entire operation: An elongated shape, wrapped in slightly bloodied paper. Good, Pouf thought to himself. It was a tense matter of negotiating the object onto a nearby counter and then closing the door while retrieving the fourth agent in time, all while keeping from alerting the ever-looming danger...
Finally, the four mini-Poufs hefted up the wrapped object and made their move. With great daring, Pouf sent his four miniatures towards the dangerous figure. The Chimera Ant's ears twitched, a slight sniffing noise could be heard and a pair of large, feverish eyes pinpointed the location of his prey. He started to approach, but his prize was drawn from him.
The mystery-Ant started to lose interesting, before the crinkling noise of the paper being unwrapped could be heard. Flinching back to attention with a slight wheeze, his En could discern the shape, dispelling all doubts - A huge, bloody fish, perfectly intact. The smell of blood and fish oil made him give a throaty humm of excitement. He started to lower himself, but was stopped by a light nearby.
Gulping, Pouf opened the door fully, casting light on the culprit of these shenanigans. He said in a soothing voice: "It's me...Shaiapouf. Now...I'll tell you what...If you want that nice, juicy fish...You have to promise that you'll come with me so we can get you proper help...Yes?" He waited tentatively for an answer.
Doll-like eyes stared. Muscles tensed and relaxed, trying to decide what to do. A clawed fingertip was lightly nibbled on, as a decision was made. "Nya...O...Kay...Shaiapouf..." Finally, the muscles settled on relaxed, as their master coordinated with all his focus to get back up and walk towards Pouf.
Once there, Pitou leaned against Shaiapouf, his face still flushed red from fever.
"...Pouf?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry...I acted really bad, nya..."
"It's okay...You're sick..."
"...Thank you..."
Author's Note: Well, if Chimera Ants incorporate what they eat, what if they eat someone who was sick? Wouldn't they get sick, as well?
Who cares? It's not like this story is to be taken seriously. Nya~!