Riko's Treasures

Riko glanced around. She didn't see any people in the Room Behind the Waterfall, but she did see something shiny on the table. The white vixen launched herself onto the table and skidded to a stop before falling off the other side. Her fluffy white tail rippled and she padded over the object that had caught her eye.

I found a treasure! she declared to herself with a foxy grin. The blue-eyed arctic fox picked up the glittery ball of foil proudly. Glancing around again - Yuki had a tendency to give Riko's treasures back to their rightful owners - Riko bounded off the table.

"Wha' are 'ou doin'?" a diminutive ball of lavender fuzz asked the fox. Starr perked her ears up and stretched. The kitten's stretch revealed that she'd been curled up with her twin - UsaNeko. UsaNeko also looked up.

Riko grinned as best she could with the foil in her mouth. Riko found something shiny! Hide treasure from Yuki-friend.

"T'easu'e?" Starr asked. "I wan' a t'easu'e!"

"UsaNeko too!"

Riko shrugged. This one is Riko's! She bounded off to hide her treasure in her bed.

Starr looked at UsaNeko. "I thin' we need some t'easu'es!"

"UsaNeko thinks so too!"

The two kittens thought for a long time. "Who ha' pre'y s'uff?"

"UsaNeko saw Ippin-sama with some pretty sparkly things," the pink-tinted kitten suggested. "Let's go!"

Stealthily sneaking along, the pair of treasure hunters crept into Ippin's room. "Oh! UsaNeko found a pretty one!"

Starr jumped up on the dresser. "I wanna see!"

Her twin showed off the sparkling hair clip. "It's UsaNeko's treasure!" the kitten proclaimed.

It took a minute for Starr to find something she liked. "Pre'y!" she announced, holding a ring with a lavender gem in it. "I li'e dis one."

After a few minutes, the diminutive thieves pussyfooted their way back to their rooms to hide their treasures.

"Riko! Riko!" Ippin yelled. "Yuki! Get that darn fox!"

Yuki peeked around the corner into Ippin's room. "What's wrong, Coru?"

Seething, the redhead answered her friend. "Riko took my new hair clip! And some of my other jewelry!"

"Now, how do you know it was her?" Yuki said rationally.

Ippin proceeded to explain. "Chikako doesn't have them. Annika's not borrowed them. Priire and Nom are probably destroying something. And the chibis know not to mess with my stuff."

Yuki winced in response.

"So that only leaves Riko," the redhead finished up.

"I'll look," the ice-senshi assured her. "Riko!"

Riko looked annoyed. Not only did she have to suffer through the injustice of having her bed searched and her treasures taken, but they were also accusing her of taking something she hadn't! The pretty little fox left in a huff, heading for her secret hiding place.

"Coru, she doesn't have it. There's not a scrap of your stuff in her bed," Yuki sighed. "I don't know where your things could have gone."

"I think I might be able to help," another voice broke in. Mori held up two kittens. "Thief one. Thief two."

Ippin's eyes went wide. "My hair clip! My bracelet! My other stuff..." She glared at the kittens. "Why'd you take my jewelry?"

Starr's ears dropped. "We'e so'y," she apologized. "We wan'ed t'easu'es like Ri'o's!"

Don't bring Riko into this! the fox exclaimed. Not my fault!

Ippin shook her head. "You two," she said very seriously to the kitten Mori was holding, "are in deep trouble."

"Waaah! UsaNeko didn't mean to be bad!" the pink kitten cried. "UsaNeko sorry!"

"Waaah!" Starr echoed. "S'arr so'y too!"

The extreme cuteness of the two kittens was enough to overpower anyone. "It's okay," Ippin said, hugging them. "But next time, don't take anyone's things without asking."

Mori propped Starr on her shoulder while fishing around in her pocket. "Here you go, guys," the Kashyyyk girl said. She produced two shiny pieces of costume jewelry. "Two treasures."

The kittens grabbed up their glittering bounties and bounded off.

"Thanks, Mori," Ippin smiled.

"While we're on the subject of treasures..." Yuki started. But Riko had already disappeared.