Disclaimer: Nintendo and Camelot own Golden Sun.

"We need a plan," Isaac said. He and his friends, minus Mia, were gathered in Garet's bedroom. Garet had allowed everyone to gather there because both Piers and Isaac refused to be in the same building as Snowflake. Piers still bore signs of his encounter with the kitten, and Isaac was a nervous wreck from spending the past day in same house as Snowflake. He'd spent as much time as possible with Mia, not so much because he enjoyed her company, which he did, but more because Snowflake wouldn't dare attack him if Mia was watching. Strangely enough, the cat lady's cats were absolutely loyal and obedient to their owners, but only their owners. What had scared Isaac the most was nighttime. He could hardly sleep in the same room as Mia, especially with his parents away, so he'd locked the door of his bedroom and set his Djinni to keep watch over him. Nevertheless, his night had not been easy. Isaac had awoken several times because of bad dreams.

In one he'd been a mouse with golden fur, trying to escape Snowflake by dodging into a mouse hole. Snowflake had stuck her paw in the mouse hole after him, and the paw seemed to stretch after him no matter how far he ran, always gaining on him. When Isaac had awoken, Snowflake's claw had been a hair's breadth from his neck. In another dream, Snowflake had multiplied so that every time Isaac turned around, there were more and more kittens.

As soon as it was reasonable for Garet's family to be up, Isaac had climbed out his window and jogged over to his friend's house. Garet was understanding and had allowed Isaac to sleep there for a few hours. Meanwhile, Garet rounded up the rest of their friends and stopped by Isaac's house to tell Mia where Isaac was. So, that was how the group of seven came to be gathered in Garet's bedroom.

"That kitten needs gotten rid of," Jenna agreed. "But how? Mia loves it, and she'd be furious if we tried anything."

"Well," Felix said, "we just have to do it without her knowing it. Maybe we can off Snowflake, then find a replacement kitten."

"Why can't we just explain the situation to her and ask her to get rid of the cat?" Ivan asked reasonably.

"Because she won't believe us, stupid," Jenna told him, sounding superior. "Would you believe us if we told you that..." She cast around for an example. "That, say, Sheba was evil, and that we'd have to chuck her out of Vale?"

"Huh?" said Ivan, confused. "Sheba's our friend. Of course I wouldn't believe you. That's different!"

"Is it, Ivan?" Jenna asked, leering at him. "Is it really?" She looked at him, a crazed glint in her eye. "That cat's cute, Ivan. Cute things have power. They can seduce people more thoroughly than any lover ever could. Mia's in its grasp now, and she's powerless to escape. Only we can save her. We must believe in ourselves!" She looked around. Everyone else was staring at her. Jenna cleared her throat. "Sorry. I got caught up in the moment. But you have to admit that my points are valid." The others nodded in the sort of fashion that meant that they were humoring her in hopes that she wouldn't suddenly lash out in a bout of insanity and burn them all.
"Well," said Isaac, "I believe the first step is to do a bit of investigating. We need to learn all that we can about the target. Jenna, Sheba, that's where you two come in. I need you to go to my house and talk to Mia. Learn all you can about Snowflake, but don't make Mia suspicious."

"Hey, that's not fair," said Sheba. "Why can't you do it?"

"I'm going to have to spend the night there," Isaac said, a haunted look in his eyes. "I need to stay here and regain my strength. If you want, perhaps Felix and Ivan could share the workload."

"Okay," Sheba agreed reluctantly. She stood. "Come on, guys, let's get this over with." She, Jenna, Felix, and Ivan left Garet's room, wanting to get their task over with. Isaac sighed and lay down on Garet's bed. Within minutes he was fast asleep. Garet and Piers looked at each other.

"So, what is there to do around here?" asked Piers.

Garet gestured to his bookshelf. "There's comic books. I recommend Ninja Adventure Squad, myself." Piers looked dubiously at the bookshelf, shrugged, selected a comic, and began reading. It would take some time for the others to gather information. Until then, it would be best to take advantage of this free time.

Sheba, Ivan, Felix, Jenna, and Mia were gathered in Isaac's kitchen, sipping cups of Imilian herb tea that Mia had made for them. Snowflake lapped cream out of a saucer near Mia's feet.

"So, Mia," Jenna began, "you're really attached to Snowflake, aren't you?"

Mia nodded. "Oh, yes. I've always loved kittens, but I was never allowed to have one when I was younger. It wasn't sanitary, my parents said." She beamed at Snowflake. "But Snowflake stays clean, don't you, girl. Who's a good girl? You are! Yes, you are."

Ivan and Sheba traded glances. Mia using baby talk on a kitten was a most unusual sight. Felix tried another tack. "Piers tells me that Snowflake attacked him the other day. I wonder why that was."

Mia reached down to pet the kitten. "I have no idea. Maybe Piers petted her too roughly, and it scared her."

Snowflake purred happily, then got up, arching her back in a stretch. She ambled around the table until she came to Ivan, then jumped on his lap.

"Oh, look!" Mia exclaimed. "She likes you, Ivan."

Ivan was too busy being afraid to hear her. Snowflake's claws were kneading into his thighs as she settled down, and those claws were currently too close to a certain part of Ivan's anatomy for his comfort.

"Stay calm, Ivan," Felix mouthed. Ivan nodded slightly. After all, it was just a cat. Cats were friendly enough. Piers probably just wasn't good with cats. That was no reason for Ivan to worry. Thinking these thoughts helped Ivan calm down, and he relaxed. It was then that Snowflake struck. Ivan let out a howl and shot to his feet, dumping Snowflake on the floor. He was little more than a blur of motion as he sped out the door. Or rather, into the door, as it was closed. Even that didn't slow Ivan down much. In less than a minute, he was gone.

There was stunned silence in Isaac's house. Jenna, Felix, and Sheba stared at Mia. This was the second act of violence that her kitten had perpetrated, and a most heinous one at that. Surely she would reprimand the kitten.

Mia picked Snowflake up. "Shnowfwake's not hurt, is she? Is she?" Mia cradled the kitten in her arms. Jenna and Sheba stared at each other in surprise. Their best friend was just mauled, and Mia was worried about her cat. Felix came up behind their chairs and touched their shoulders, indicating that they should leave. Mia probably wouldn't even notice.

Back at Garet's house, they found Ivan alive and well. His injuries, he told them, were not serious. Snowflake had missed her intended target, thank Jupiter. Isaac was still sleeping, and Piers was intent on finishing all the Ninja Adventure Squad comics that Garet owned. Garet, meanwhile, was helping his sister prepare dinner for their family and friends. He came up shortly after Jenna, Felix, and Sheba arrived, though. After Isaac was woken up and Piers separated from the comic books he'd grown so fond of, the reconnaissance group shared their finding with the others.

"It is with great sadness that I report that Mia has gone insane," Jenna said.

"That cat has taken over her mind," added Sheba. "With, like, mind powers, or something." She looked thoroughly shaken by what had happened.

"We can't put this off any longer," Felix said. "Snowflake has become a source of danger to all of us. We have to get rid of her."

"Does anyone have any ideas?" Garet asked.

"I say we tie it in a sack and throw it in the river!" Piers said, making an uncharacteristically violent suggestion.

"Fire. Let's have ourselves a barbecue!" suggested Jenna.

"Those are all good suggestions," Isaac said, "but we'll have to act carefully so that Mia doesn't suspect us. I'm sure she'll come back to normal once we've disposed of it, but until then she's gonna be pretty defensive of that rodent." He sighed. "I suppose it would be best if we wait until tomorrow. There's been enough excitement for today. Garet, I think I'll try to get a bit more sleep before I leave, 'cause I sure won't be getting any tonight, not with Snowflake around."
"That's fine," Garet said. "Say, I'll bet dinner's ready. You guys are all invited."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Ivan. "You guys always have the best food!" He took off for the dining room.

"I'll go by my house and get Mia," Isaac said. "It wouldn't be right to not invite her."

"Just be sure to tell her that there's a no pet rule at my house," Garet said nervously.

"I'm not stupid," Isaac said with a grin. "I'll be back in a couple minutes. Save us some food."

"Will do," Garet said. And so the Adepts looked forward to a night of camaraderie, comedy, good cooking, and most importantly, no cats. All too soon, they would have to deal once again with Snowflake. Until then, however, they could simply enjoy one another's company in a way they hadn't since the cat's arrival, a time that seemed so long ago.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Nothing makes me happier than finding a new review in my inbox. Well, except finding a new box of fudgesicles in the freezer... But I digress. Anyways, please review, and I'll see y'all next time!