Betraying My People Chapter 28:
Settling In
Now that they were back on Cyniclonia, Kisshu and his family were teaching Ichigo more about their way of life. Today they were talking about adoption, but just randomly.
"What's adoption like on Earth?" Aunt Hamaya asked.
"I don't know much about it, but I think you have to go to an orphanage, and if you find a child you want to adopt, you have to sign a lot of paperwork and pay a lot of money, and eventually you can take the child home with you," Ichigo said.
"You have to pay money to adopt?" Uncle Aran asked.
"I think it's to support the orphanage- you know, so they'll have money for the other children's food and clothing and stuff," Ichigo said. "What's it like here?"
"Until the Mew Aqua healed the planet, a lot of people died of illness or in natural disasters," Aunt Hamaya replied. "Since so many kids were orphaned, the rest of us took in who we could, so that all the kids could have a home. We don't have an orphanage here, kids just have to find new families. We live as one community, since the planet used to be so bad. Everyone helps everyone else."
"That's great," Ichigo said.
"Ichigo, I've been meaning to tell you something," Uncle Aran said. "Normally when we adopt in this culture, the child we adopt takes on their new parents' name. We understand if you want to keep Momomiya as your name, but I just thought you should know what the custom is here."
"I don't mind," Ichigo said. "According to Kisshu, I'd be getting that name someday anyways."
"Planning ahead, is he?" Aunt Hamaya asked with a smile.
Ichigo blushed. "Something like that."
"Is that what you want?" Uncle Aran asked.
"Definitely, I can't imagine marrying anyone besides Kisshu," Ichigo said sincerely.
"Good to hear," Kisshu said from behind her. Ichigo squeaked and turned. "Did I startle you?" Kisshu asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, pretty much," Ichigo said sheepishly. "What's up?"
"You've been sitting inside all day, let's go for a walk," Kisshu said.
"Okay," Ichigo said.
"You two have fun," Aunt Hamaya said.
Kisshu nodded and teleported Ichigo outside. The sun was out, and there was a slight breeze ruffling the grass. "This planet is so beautiful now," Ichigo commented.
"I'm so glad the Mew Aqua worked," Kisshu said. "It's nice to be able to go outside."
"It looked pretty barren when we first got here," Ichigo said. "Now we've got this huge field of flowers, and a forest, and the river."
They had started walking, and Kisshu said, "I found a really pretty place earlier; do you want to see it?"
"Sure, Kisshu," Ichigo said. Kisshu smiled and took her hand, then teleported.
They landed in a small forest clearing, and Ichigo gasped. There was a small pool in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by what looked like roses. "Kisshu, this is... amazing," Ichigo said in awe.
Kisshu grinned, and said, "I thought you'd like it. I found it and thought it would be perfect for a little getaway spot."
"You're totally right, it's perfect," Ichigo said. "You'd never see something this perfect on Earth."
"Do you miss it?" Kisshu asked.
"Not really," Ichigo said. "The only thing I really miss is my parents, but I'd miss them whether I was here or on Earth."
"What about your friends?" Kisshu asked.
"My school friends, sort of, but I know they think I'm dead, and my Mew friends I can still visit, so it's not too bad," Ichigo replied.
"So you like it here?" Kisshu asked.
"Of course, because it's where you are, and I have a new family," Ichigo said.
Kisshu smiled, and pulled Ichigo into his arms. She hugged back, and they started kissing. When they broke apart, Kisshu said, "I'm glad we can do that without turning into kittens now."
Ichigo smiled. "Me too."
Kisshu looked at the sky, then said, "We should get back, it's getting dark." He took Ichigo's hand and teleported back to their house.
To their surprise, no one was there. "Where is everyone?" Ichigo wondered.
"Pai's been in his lab all day, and Taruto went to a friend's, but I have no clue about Aunt Hamaya and Uncle Aran," Kisshu said.
"Should we go looking for them?" Ichigo asked.
"Might be a good idea," Kisshu said. "Let's see if they left a note first."
Ichigo went to the kitchen, but there was no note. Kisshu checked the main room, but still nothing. Ichigo came in and said, "Nothing."
"Same here," Kisshu said. "Let's go see if Pai knows anything." He took Ichigo's hand and teleported to the lab. To their shock, Pai was lying on the floor. They ran over, and Kisshu shook his shoulder. "Pai, are you okay?" he asked.
Pai groaned softly, and opened his eyes. "Kisshu?" he asked.
"Yeah, what happened?" Kisshu asked.
"I'm not sure, someone knocked me out, but I didn't see who it was," Pai said. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he said, "I was working on a project, what if it got stolen?"
"What was the project?" Ichigo asked.
"It was an experiment that I thought up after you and Kisshu turned into kittens," Pai explained. "I wanted to see if I could create something that would change wild animals into harmless kittens, in case we start having problems, or we find out there's something living in the forests. I'd better see if my notes are still here." He got up, and ran to a table, then said, "This is bad, they're gone. By the way, why did you come here?"
"Aunt Hamaya and Uncle Aran aren't home, and they didn't leave a note, we wondered if you knew where they are," Ichigo said. Pai's eyes widened.
"No, I haven't heard from them, and last time I checked, they were planning on inviting Taruto's friend's family over for dinner, it's not like them to disappear," Pai said.
"What is going on around here?" Kisshu asked. "Do you think we should make sure Taruto's okay?"
"Good plan, you and Ichigo go find him, and if he's okay, bring him here," Pai said. "I'll try to find Mom and Dad."
Kisshu nodded and teleported Ichigo to another house, then knocked on the door. A woman opened it, and said, "Oh, hello Kisshu, what's up?"
"Is Taruto here?" Kisshu asked.
"Last I checked he was in Yusuke's room," the woman said. "Do you want me to go get him?"
"If you don't mind," Kisshu said.
The woman nodded and said, "Come in." Kisshu and Ichigo obeyed, and the woman led them to a room off the main room. She knocked on the door, then said, "Yusuke, Taruto, are you in there?"
The door opened and a young Cyniclon boy with dark brown hair and green eyes came out. "Taruto vanished," he said. "He said he was going to the bathroom, but he didn't come back."
Kisshu and Ichigo's eyes widened. Yusuke noticed and said, "Did something happen?"
"We're not sure," Kisshu said. "But we need to find him. Thanks, Yusuke."
"Sure," Yusuke said. Kisshu teleported out with Ichigo, back to Pai's lab. Pai was there, and he said, "Did you find him?"
"No, Yusuke claims he went to the bathroom and never came back," Kisshu said grimly. "Someone's taking our family away."
"Go to the Council," Pai said. "Tell them what we know, and then come straight back here."
"Hai," Kisshu said, then teleported to a door and knocked on it. "Come in," said a man's voice.
Kisshu pushed the door open, and Ichigo followed him in, then copied him as he went down on one knee. "Kisshu and Ichigo, why have you come to the Council?" the man asked.
"Everyone in my family except Ichigo and Pai are missing," Kisshu replied. "They did not leave a note, and Taruto's friend said he vanished from his house. Also, Pai's research notes have been stolen. We thought we should inform you."
The man sighed. "This is getting bad," he said. "Siria-sama is also missing. Is Pai trying to find his parents and Taruto?"
"Hai," Kisshu said. "I don't know if he's had any luck; he sent us to speak with you after we told him about Taruto's disappearance."
"Do you have any idea who might have done this?" the man asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Kisshu replied. "I can't think of anyone who would have cause to kidnap others and steal Pai's research notes."
"Do you know what Pai was researching?" the man asked.
"Hai, he was attempting to discover a way to turn wild animals or anything dangerous into kittens," Kisshu said.
"Where did he come up with that?" the man asked.
"He got the idea when Ichigo and I turned into kittens," Kisshu said.
Ichigo's eyes widened. "What if the person who did all this wants to turn someone into a kitten for some reason?" she asked. "If they wanted control, they could use Pai's research to turn Siria-sama into a kitten, which would explain why she's missing too."
Kisshu and the man they were talking to looked horrified. "If that's the case, we're in real danger," the man said finally. "It would be easy to see how the Council would be in disarray if Siria-sama became a kitten. But why kidnap Hamaya, Aran and Taruto?"
"If the person doing this has a grudge against one of us- me, Kisshu and Pai, then they may think they need more leverage than Siria-sama," Ichigo said.
"I see," the man said. "If they only kidnapped Siria-sama, it would be possible that none of you would be involved in the search. Whoever did this must want one of you to be involved."
"I wonder which one of us," Kisshu said.
Suddenly there was banging on the door, and Pai's voice shouted, "We've got a problem!"
"Come in!" the man said.
Pai came in, and the man said, "What's the problem?"
Pai looked grim as he said, "I tried doing searches using Taruto's DNA, thinking that they would be together, and found nothing on this entire planet. The only thing out of the ordinary around here is a group of small mammals."
"I think we're too late," Ichigo said. She turned to Pai and said, "I think someone wants one or more of the three of us dead. I also believe they used your research to turn Cyniclons into kittens. Where is the group of mammals you mentioned?"
"A clearing in the forest," Pai replied. "Where is Siria-sama?"
"Missing," Kisshu said grimly. "I think whoever did this wants control of the Council."
Pai's eyes went wide, and he said, "This is really bad. I'll take you to the clearing, and we can see if your theory is correct."
Kisshu and Ichigo stood up, and Pai took them by the shoulder, then teleported to the clearing Kisshu had shown Ichigo earlier. They immediately heard panicked mewing sounds, and spun. "It's too dark!" Pai said.
"I can see," Ichigo said. "There are four kittens on a small board in the middle of the pool here. We have to get them, cats can't swim." She walked over to the pool, and knelt, then reached out, and gently pulled the board through the water, finally lifting it out of the water and setting the kittens down. "Kisshu, Pai, I got them," Ichigo said. "Kisshu, can you see?"
"Yeah," Kisshu said. "Do you need help carrying them?"
"Hai, there's four," Ichigo said. She gently picked up two kittens, and said, "Kisshu, can you get the other two?"
"Hai," Kisshu said, and picked up the other two. He stood up, and said, "Pai, can you teleport Ichigo?"
"Hai," Pai said. "Ichigo, you're going to have to come over here, I can't see a damn thing out here."
Ichigo went over to Pai and said, "I'm standing in front of you. Grab my shoulder, I've got two of the kittens and I can't use my hands."
Pai reached out and grabbed her shoulder, then said, "Kisshu, I'll take Ichigo, you take the other kittens. Teleport to the Council room."
"Got it," Kisshu said, and Ichigo saw him teleport as Pai teleported her to the Council room. They landed, and saw that the entire Council was there. "How did it go?" one woman asked.
"Well, we found four kittens on a board in the pool, and Ichigo got them out," Pai said. "We brought them back. Kisshu, Ichigo, put them down now."
Ichigo and Kisshu knelt and let the kittens down. One of them was obviously younger than the others, and had brown fur and orange eyes. Another was pure white, with blue eyes, and was a bit older than the others. The other two were both purplish black, and one had green eyes while the other had orange. As soon as they were on the floor, the tiny brown kitten sank his claws into Kisshu's hand. "OW! Taruto, what was that for!?" Kisshu shouted.
"Nya," Taruto said, trying to bite Kisshu. Ichigo pulled Taruto back, and started scratching his ears, which caused him to settle down and start purring.
"Kisshu, you can tell which one is which?"Pai asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kisshu asked.
"Yes," Ichigo said. "Taruto is the brown one, Aunt Hamaya is the purplish black one with orange eyes, Uncle Aran is the purplish black one with green eyes, and the white one is Siria-sama."
"That's nice, but we need to turn them back," one of the Council members said. "Pai, do you have the means to do that?"
"Unfortunately, the machine I used on Kisshu and Ichigo is still on Earth," Pai said. "It's not a problem to go there, though, so if you want, I can take the kittens to Earth, turn them back, and bring their Cyniclon forms back."
"Is that really a good idea?" another Council member asked.
"Since it's the only way to turn them back that I know of, yes," Pai said. "I just have to let Keiichiro know we're coming."
The Council sighed. "Fine, but if any harm comes to Siria-sama, you're in for it when you get back," said one woman.
"Hai, I understand," Pai said. "Kisshu, Ichigo, let's get going." Kisshu and Ichigo nodded, and picked up the kittens. Pai took Ichigo's shoulder, and teleported to the ship, followed by Kisshu.
Once there, Pai went to a computer screen, and typed something in. Keiichiro's surprised face popped up a few minutes later. "Pai, is something wrong?" he asked.
"Do you still have the equipment we used to turn Kisshu and Ichigo back to their normal forms?" Pai asked.
"Hai, it's in the basement," Keiichiro said. "What happened?"
"Someone stole my kitten research, and used it to turn not only our leader, but my parents and Taruto into kittens," Pai said grimly. "Can we come to Earth?"
"Of course, what's your ETA?" Keiichiro said.
"I'll be there at about noon your time tomorrow," Pai said.
"See you then," Keiichiro said, and when Pai nodded, he cut the connection. Pai turned to Kisshu and Ichigo and said, "Take the kittens to your room, and Kisshu, I need you to copilot. Ichigo, can you handle them?"
"Hai," Ichigo said.
"Then let's get going," Pai said, and teleported to the control room.
Nice long chapter there. Who do you think stole Pai's research? The answer will be revealed soon! Review!