Mew Amai

Episode 10 Part 2

Amai followed the little girl for a while, under the spell of the dangling keychain. It jingled in her ears, adding to its irresistible charm. Finally, though, she managed to snap out of it. Looking around she realized for the first time that she was nowhere near where she'd left Ryou.

"Great. Now what?"

She took a good look at her surroundings. She was on a high hill pathway overlooking the vast stream below, similar to where she was when Kisshu had previously attacked. There were buildings close by, so she thought that if she followed street signs she might be able to find her way someplace familiar. Heading off, she took a couple random turns here and there before stopping at a small little coffee shop.

She perked up upon seeing it. "I know this place! Mom sometimes comes here!" With the shop she was able to map out a route close to home in her head, following it until she reached the corner of her neighborhood. "Yes! I can make it home to my parents! They'll help!"

Bolting down the sidewalk she skidded to a halt in front of her house. Bouncing up to the door she meowed and pawed at it as loud as she could. It opened revealing her father. Keita looked down and saw the little white cat staring up at him with big pleading eyes.

"Hey, little one. Where did you come from?" He bent down and picked her up, rubbing her head gently. Amai bopped his face with her paw and looked him in the eye. Keita noticed her eyes. "Your eyes... they're so much like my daughter's..." Amai meowed, bopping him again.

Keita was confused for a second. Then his eyes widened. "Wait... Amai? Is it you?"

Amai nodded, wiggling her paws around.

Keita stood there in shock. "Hana! We have a situation!"

Moments later, Amai found herself on her father's lap in the living room, her mother sitting by him. Hana placed a hand on her daughter's fur. "How... how did this happen?" Amai would've loved to answer that, but alas she couldn't talk.

Keita sighed. "We can't go to the Mew Mews, not without exposing our knowledge of them or our secret. For now she should stay here so we can keep an eye on her and hopefully find some way to get her back to her normal self."

That settled that. For the remainder of the day, the two worried parents took care of their feline-turned child, giving her milk and cuddling with her. By nightfall, they still had not been able to reverse her catlike state and were getting fearful.

"Oh, Keita. What if we can't change her back?" Hana asked her husband. Keita held Amai in his arms, looking down in sad thought. "Then we might have to go to the café. There's not a lot of alternative options for us, and this is something that none of us expected to happen."

Amai's face fell. She didn't want to be a cat for the rest of her life, not with so much she had to do. And her friends... she couldn't abandon them because of this.

Keita tightened his grip on her small body, holding her close. Hana joined the hug, wrapping her arms around both the cat and her husband. "It'll be alright. It'll be alright." They assured each other and Amai, both of them pressing a kiss to the kitten's head.

The moment their lips touched the soft white fur, a glow covered Amai's form. Keita and Hana watched with surprise as the cat slowly grew, her human form appearing from the light. When the light died, Amai stood in front of parents, back to normal. She stared at her hands. "I-I'm not a cat anymore?"

"Oh, Amai!" Her mom and dad embraced her relieved. The girl returned their hug happily. They all parted after a few moments to allow Amai to explain what Ryou had told her earlier. Then they attempted to conclude how she managed to break free from her feline form.

"Well, you didn't transform until we kissed you, so perhaps that's the way to undo the change?" Hana suggested. It made sense. Amai touched her head. "But does it have to be an intimate kiss, or just a kiss anywhere?"

"Who knows." Keita said. "But we at least solved it for now. It's getting late, perhaps we should go to bed and leave it for a while."

With that, the family retreated to their rooms for the night. Amai sat on her bed under the covers, staring at her reflection in the full length mirror across from her. She sighed.

"Today is not going to be the only time I turn into a cat, I know it. But how am I going to handle it when it happens again?"

It was a question she kept in her mind when she fell onto the pillows and closed her eyes.