Chapter Three-The Plan of the Three

When Tart had them safely back at the boxcar, he set Arissa down sharply. "You said you were going to stay put!" He frowned at her. "Do you realize you could've been taken away!" He muttered to himself. Oh great. Now I sound like Pai!

"I sorry,Tart..." Arissa clutched at Tart's sleeve. "I no like being alone..."

Tart sighed, and patted her head. "It's alright. I shouldn't have left you alone anyway. They could've been a distraction." He looked out of the opening. "Wonder where Kisshu and Pai are...it's getting pretty late.."

Arissa shrugged. "They fighting other aliems." Well,in most of the movies she'd seen that's how it went anyway...

Tart snickered. "I doubt that, unless you mean by fighting arguing. In that case, you might be right. See,our boss Deep Blue doesn't like Kisshu too much, and him taking in a child like you probably ticked him off."

"Is him in trouble?" Arissa looked worried now. "I didn't mean gets him in trouble.."

Tart shook his head. "You didn't. He did it to himself,if he got in trouble at all." He took her by the hand, and led her over to her leaf pallet. "Why don't you take a nap? Kisshu will be back soon, and if you take a nap,the time will go by faster."

"You not leaving, right?" Arissa settled into her pile,then looked up at him with a pout.

"Nah. I'll stay here. I'm gonna play some jacks." He removed a pack of the jacks game, and spilled them to the boxcar floor. "Just rest for a while, okay?" He went about playing silently. I had no idea taking care of a child would be so difficult! Now I know how Pai feels, I guess.

"Alright. We got some things together, and did a bit of research on child rearing..." Pai explained to Tart. "Seems they're more dependent on parental units than we are. And for longer."

"So, we need a system." Kisshu put in, as he glanced over at Arissa. "And I don't think this is necessarily the best place to keep her either. Their cold season is approaching, and we don't have the proper wear for her."

"What do you suggest we do then,Kisshu?" Pai demanded. "You know taking her home is out..."

"Maybe one of us could go back to her house and look for winter clothes...?" Tart suggested. "And then we could...wait! I got it. We'll use one of our ships!"

"Are you crazy? How would we explain that? I had a hard enough time explaining why I was researching Earth children as it is!" Pai frowned.

"I hate to say it, but I think pipsqueak here might be on to somethin'..." Kisshu looked over at Arissa's sleeping form again. "I just wonder if she'll be able to breathe the air in space.."

"Don't be stupid! Of course she can't. They use special suits when they're exploring above their atmosphere. Although...we had to take special care coming down into it ourselves..." Pai frowned in deep though. "Maybe I could develop a special concoction to help her body adjust to our air..."

"That should work. In the meantime, Tart and I can go look for some clothes for her." Kisshu was beside himself with anticipation. They were really going to do it. They were going to take care of another being, like their own. As strange as this all is, it feels very right. Pai might not see it now, but this child has already brought us closer as a team...now if only we can get her off this planet without those pesky Mews interfering...

"Excuse me? I don't think so. You're not both leaving. Or if you have to , take her with you."

Kisshu returned to the present situation at hand. "Oh...fine." He walked over and picked the sleeping child up. "Arissa, it's time to wake up. I have a surprise for you."

Tart frowned then,and looked at Pai. "Something tells me it's going to be very difficult to pull this off."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Pai asked now. He loved to humor his younger friend.

"Because that old hag Ichigo came here earlier tonight, demanding to talk to Kisshu. I think she wants the human girl back."

Pai smirked now. "Is that so? Well, all the more incentive for me to help. We're leaving tomorrow night. For the time being, make sure that child stays hidden, and out of the Mews' reach."

Tart groaned. "Please don't hurt her, whatever you do..." Tart, who was normally not fond of humans, found that he didn't really despise the baby Earthling as much. She was still young enough to teach their ways to.

"Hurt her? Our new sister? Never." Pai laughed, and then went about making arrangements for a ship to house them in.

Tart watched him for a minute, before shuddering. He went over to see if Kisshu needed anything. "We should be careful, Kisshu. I think I just really might've put Arissa in danger..."

"Oh don't worry about Pai. He just realized how doing this can benefit our cause." Kisshu remarked, after glancing over at his elder friend to see what Tart meant. Then he looked down at Arissa, who seemed a bit disoriented, and fussy. "What's the matter,little one? We're just going to go do a little shopping for warmer clothes while big brother Pai over there gets us a ship."

"It's going to be the size of a human mansion. And I bet Pai will rig it so that you have all kinds of toys!" Tart told the child grandly.

"Let's not get carried away..." Pai replied bluntly. "She'll have enough to entertain herself, but I have no intention of spoiling her." He came over to Arissa now. "You're going to be one of us now. What do you say to that?"

The six-year-old amber eyed girl grinned. "I glad. Cause Kisshu my best friend." She then curled up against Kisshu, comfortably.

Pai smirked. "There's no way those Mew Mews are going to get anywhere near her now. Go and get her things then, while I work on that concoction."
Tart and Kisshu dematerialized then, and Pai returned to his work. Soon, nothing short of Deep Blue himself would stop them from taking what they wanted.

The night air was cooler than it had been in a while. Arissa clung to Kisshu for warmth, though it didn't help too much. The young girl looked about the dark streets of her neighborhood with alert wide eyes. "They not home..." She whispered softly to her alien friends.

"Good. Tart, you go in and get some things with long sleeves." Kisshu instructed. Of the two of them, Tart was the one with the sticky fingers for thievery. The elder alien looked to Arissa. "Where does your mother put your coat when you're not wearing it?"

For a minute, Arissa didn't reply. Then she looked to the ground ashamed. "I don't 'member.." She didn't like to disappoint Kisshu. She wanted to be as helpful as possible.

"It's alright. Tart will find it, won't you?" He looked to his younger teammate.

"Sure I will! I'm good at finding and taking things. Is there anything else you want to bring with you, Rissa?"

Arissa shook her head, though she pictured Ichigo, her favorite sitter in her mind. "Just Ichigo."

"Wh-who!" Kisshu's eyes narrowed. "Did you say Ichigo?"

"Uh huh. Her's my sitter." Arissa looked up at him. "Her is really nice, like you."

I'll just bet she is! Now I know why Kitty Cat was there this afternoon. Well, too bad for the both of them they won't be seeing much of each other anymore...Kisshu forced himself to calm down, and give her a toothy smile. "Ichigo's not invited on this trip. It's just for me,you,Pai and Tart. It's a secret, so we can't tell anyone about it, okay?"

"Ooh..I like secrets." Arissa smiled confidentially. "No worry,Kisshu. I no tell!"

"Shh! People will get curious if we get too loud. Go on now, Tart. I'll just take Arissa over to that little park over there. We'll meet you there."

"Right!" Tart soon disappeared to fetch the things Kisshu had listed. Kisshu and Arissa headed over to the park, where they hid in the little playhouse until dawn's light returned Tart to them.

"I got everything we needed." Tart announced loudly, before being shushed.
"She's asleep again. Poor girl. It was such a long day for her yesterday. This probably brings new meaning to their phrase "alien abduction".

"What a silly phrase." Tart commented. "We better get back to Pai, and see how the preparations are coming."

"Yeah..." Kisshu took the bag of clothing in his free hand, and the three teleported back to their secret base in the woods.