"Good girl. Such a good girl." Yuju said softly, her thumb rubbing against SinB's cheek affectionately as she held the former black kitten's face in her hands. SinB was shaking where she sat, her eyes closed tightly as she tried her best to keep from growling, hissing and slipping into kitten mode.

"She's right. You're doing so good, SinB." Yerin's voice joined in from where she was standing in next to Yuju, keeping a careful eye on the other girl while holding her hand. 

"Keep your head up for me, okay?" Sowon said with a gentle and comforting tone, helping Yuju with raising SinB's head up properly again as she ran a comb through the girl's black hair, checking the length before going back in with her pair of hairdressing scissors. 

   SinB had surprised Sowon that morning by asking her to cut her hair back to the length it had been back when she had first transformed back, tired of dealing with how long her hair had grown. Sowon had been mainly focused on the group's plans for the late afternoon and evening and was completely stunned and shocked by SinB's sudden request. Even so much as t SinB's hair the tiniest amount would cause her to completely go into kitten mode in the past, the younger girl quick to bite and thrash around the entire time even with several of the former kittens holding her down.

  It always turned into a group affair but this time was different. SinB was actually behaving. Sure, she was scared of the scissors in her hair and Yuju and Yerin had to supervise, but Sowon was almost half way done with her hair and SinB hadn't even so much as hissed at her. Umji and Eunha were watching everything play out from the living room couch, Eunha comfy in the younger girl's lap while the TV played a calming nature show softly in the background to attempt to help the tense SinB relax. 

"You're doing amazing, 'B." Yuju cooed, pressing a kiss against SinB's forehead while Sowon continued. SinB let out a small whimper, her eyes still shut. 

"She's right. You're doing great." Sowon joined in as she worked, stopping for a moment to rub SinB's towel covered back encouragingly. SinB was silent, concentrating on Yuju's hands on her cheeks to distract herself from the frightening sound of the scissors snipping away. 

"You know, this would be a perfect time for a story." Yerin said, smiling as she squeezed SinB's hand encouragingly. "Would you like that, SinB?"

SinB attempted to nod her head but was stopped by both Sowon and Yuju keeping her head still, the older girl not wanting to accidently cut off more hair than the former black kitten had requested.

"I've got a good one." Yuju said, pressing another kiss against SinB's forehead. "Its not from a great time but I can't stop thinking about it right now."

Yerin raised an eyebrow, unsure if she should let the former gray kitten continue. Yuju let out a small laugh in response.

"It's not a super sad story. It's a comforting memory, I promise."

___________________________________

"Oh my god. Oh my god." The white kitten's voice sounded out in the group's head, the baby cat running to the black kitten and ginger kitten as fast as she could once the two had reappeared at the edge of the river. The gray kitten and brown striped kitten were right behind her, the brown striped kitten almost tripping over her own paws thanks to how fast she was running. The gray kitten kept her upright, leading her along.

The black kitten was soaked from head to tail, matching the ginger kitten's own state, shaking violently as the ginger kitten still had the scruff of her neck in . The black kitten could barely stand up, weakly meowing as the ginger kitten finally let go. 

"Are you okay?" The ginger kitten's voice was full of anxiety, the baby cat refusing to move away from her companion's side. "Please tell me you're okay."

"Can you breathe? Does anything hurt?" The white kitten joined in, pressing against the black kitten's other side. The black kitten's voice was no where to be found, the drenched kitten's chest rising and falling as her breathing was strained and shallow. The ginger kitten didn't care that she was soaked as well, at the black kitten's face in order to make sure she was still responsive. 

"We need to get her to our new hideout. Right now." The ginger kitten's voice trembled with emotion while she attempted to sound firm. The four kittens all started to help the black kitten forward but it wasn't long until the black kitten noticed that they were following the river instead of away from it.

The black kitten let out a weak hiss, puffing up slightly and attempting to move back towards the bridge that she had fallen off of. 

"Baby...." The ginger kitten's voice said softly, rubbing against the black kitten's body. "Please. We need to take care of you."

The black kitten hissed again, refusing to move forward a single step.

"What do we do?" The white kitten's voice asked, the gray kitten at the black kitten's wet face comfortingly. 

"We have to go back to the bush." The ginger kitten answered. "I know we found a great new place but she's obviously too scared to get near the river now."

"Then lets go back. Fast." The white kitten said, the brown striped kitten letting out a small meow in agreement. 

The journey was agonizing, all four kittens protectively escorting the still wet and shaking black kitten back to the bush in the park. The second they arrived, the black kitten scooted to the side of the hideout and started to gag, the stress from such a traumatizing situation getting to her. The ginger kitten stayed by her side, pressed against the black kitten's body while the black kitten threw up the rest of the water that she had swallowed and almost drowned in earlier. The other kittens could only wait and watch, practically swarming around the black kitten once she returned back to the center of the bush hideout.

"Are you feeling better?" The white kitten's voice asked, her rough tongue running against the black fur on the black kitten's face. The black kitten didn't respond, her paws shaking as she tried to keep herself from falling over.

"Sit down for me, okay?" The ginger kitten instructed, helping the black kitten sit before laying her down. As soon as she had, the gray kitten was at the black kitten's drying fur. The brown striped kitten joined the gray kitten and mirrored her actions, grooming the weak black kitten as best as she could. 

"I'm going to go get you some food." The white kitten's voice said softly, giving the black kitten's face one last before running off out of the hideout in a desperate search for a good, quick meal for her companion. The ginger kitten let the gray kitten and brown striped kitten take over cleaning up the black kitten, at her own drying fur to get it smoothed down. After she had finished, the ginger kitten got up and placed herself against the black kitten's side again, nuzzling against her as the two other kittens finished their grooming. The black kitten's body was still trembling, the ginger kitten's chest aching at the feeling.

"Breathe." The ginger kitten's voice said, the baby cat pressing against the black kitten as close as she possibly could. "Breathe slowly for me. You're okay. You're safe. You're alive. I'm right here. We're all here."

"S....Scared...." The black kitten's voice was finally heard, weak and full of fear. "I...I..."

"Shhh...." The ginger kitten's voice responded, the top of the black kitten's head as the black kitten pressed her face against her body. "It's okay. I'm here."

"We'll always be here." The gray kitten's voice was heard for a moment, the sound of it soothing the black kitten and causing the shaking in her body to calm down. 

"I got chicken! It's your favorite, right?" The white kitten's voice called out as the baby cat had returned back with a large chicken tender clamped in between her teeth. "I stole it off a person's plate without them seeing."

"Can you eat?" The ginger kitten asked the black kitten, watching as the white kitten dropped the food in front of both of them. "For me?"

The black kitten responded by shifting forward and taking a small bite out of the perfectly cooked chicken tender, still unable to get back up to her paws.

"Good girl." The ginger kitten's voice said before she started to examine the black kitten's body, making sure there weren't any wounds or bruises hiding under the black kitten's fur. It looked like there wasn't any, both the gray kitten and ginger kitten thoroughly checking the black kitten from head to tail several times while the black kitten ate. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." The white kitten's voice sniffled as she laid down next to the black kitten, scooting in as close as she could. "I was so scared that we were going to lose you."

"That will never happen." The ginger kitten joined in, pressing against the black kitten's side. "As long as I'm around, I'll keep her safe. Always."

The brown kitten silently joined the two in keeping close to the black kitten, resting her small head against the black kitten's body and purring softly.

The gray kitten, however, made her way to in front of the black kitten, pressing her head against the black kitten's before speaking again with her internal voice for the second time that day.

"I love you."

The black kitten stopped eating, closing her eyes as the gray kitten continued to press the top of her head against her own. The close contact and the comforting words said calming her down, the black kitten finally softly purring as her friends groomed, purred and pressed against her for the rest of the night.

"I.....I love....you too..."  

______________________

"You've come so far since that day." Yuju said, pressing a kiss against SinB's nose, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. SinB's eyes had finally opened, staring into Yuju's own as Sowon finished up her hair. 

"I'm proud of you." Yuju whispered, one of her hands still against the former black kitten's cheek. "I'm so proud of you, SinB."

"I am too." Yerin joined in, kissing SinB's other cheek lovingly. SinB closed her eyes again and let out a small content sigh at the combined affection. Sowon combed through the former kitten's hair one last time to make sure everything was even before putting the scissors and comb away. Yerin helped by unwrapping the towel from SinB's shoulders, shaking the loose strands of black hair off of it and onto the tiled kitchen floor with the rest. Yuju stepped back from SinB once Sowon moved around to in front of the younger girl to make sure everything looked okay.

SinB's hair was back to barely brushing against her shoulder's like it had been when she had transformed back, though this time it looked a bit different than it had in the past. Sowon had added some layers into the former kitten's hair, giving the younger girl's black hair more shape to it and giving it a fluffy appearance while still being a bit longer than Eunha's hair. SinB looked so soft and cute now that Sowon couldn't help but smile. 

"It's like I went back in time to when we first met or something." Sowon chuckled, ruffling SinB's new hair affectionately. "Does it feel better now, SinB?"

SinB nodded, the tension in her shoulders quickly fading as Sowon ran her fingers through her short dark hair. Sowon continued to smile, kissing SinB's forehead like Yuju had before helping her off the chair, hugging the former kitten to her chest tightly.

"I'm so incredibly proud of you, SinB." Sowon said, rubbing SinB's back as she felt the younger girl's arms wrapping around her torso. "You did so good. I can hardly believe it. You've really improved so much recently."

Sowon paused her compliments to kiss the top of SinB's head, both Yuju and Yerin helping the older girl out by sweeping up the clipped strands of black hair on the kitchen floor and returning the chair to the kitchen table after cleaning it off. 

"If you can behave this well during our dinner with my mother tonight, I'll be sure to get you something super special afterwards." 

SinB grumbled at that sentence, clinging tighter to Sowon's body. Sowon laughed, running her hand through the former black kitten's hair again. Umji and Eunha had gotten up off of the couch, standing next to the pair while Eunha tugged at Sowon's sleeve.

"I wanna see!" Eunha said excitedly, Umji nodding eagerly in agreement. Sowon smiled again and let go of SinB, moving back so Eunha and Umji could see SinB's new hair properly. 

"So cute!" Eunha gushed, playfully running both of her hands through SinB's hair. SinB seemed embarrassed now, avoiding eye contract. 

"It looks great, SinB!" Umji complimented with a wide smile before making her way into Sowon's arms, her favorite spot. 

"Look at this cute little kitten." Yerin cooed, pulling SinB into her arms once she had returned. Eunha giggled at the sight. SinB didn't protest this time, nuzzling her face against Yerin's cheek while the former ginger kitten ran her fingers through her new hair.

"Do we need to start getting ready now?" Yuju asked.

"That would be a good idea." Sowon nodded, checking the time on her phone. "We need to be there in an hour." 

"I can't wait to finally meet your mom." Yuju said happily. SinB, Eunha and Umji seemed to grow nervous at that statement, Yerin keeping SinB close in her arms. 

"She can't wait to meet you all too." Sowon laughed, rubbing Umji's back comfortingly. "Now lets get ready. I want all of you looking your best tonight."

______
 

"Remember." Sowon said as she adjusted SinB's sweatshirt, making sure it fit the former black kitten properly while smoothing down any potential wrinkles. "No hissing. No growling. We're gonna be in public with my mom so I want you on your best behavior."

"I don't trust her." SinB mumbled, avoiding eye contract as Sowon pushed some of her dark hair behind her ear. 

"I know. But at least try to have a good time, okay?" Sowon sighed, caressing SinB's cheek for a moment before gesturing for the younger girl to follow her downstairs. The former black kitten was dressed less formal than everyone else, refusing to wear anything but the new green sweater that Sowon had bought her along with a nice pair of black jeans. Sowon, however, was dressed in slacks and a white dress shirt, a black coat paired with it to match. The older girl had wanted SinB to wear something less casual but she didn't want to stress the former black kitten out more than she already was. Besides, SinB had done so well with her haircut earlier that Sowon was more than willing to let her wear whatever she wanted this time.

"Sowon!" Yerin called out happily as the pair made their way down the stairs. "Look at how pretty Umji looks!"

The mentioned girl was standing next to Yerin, a shy smile on her face. The former brown kitten was wearing a pale green dress with a flower pattern on it, a white, ed cardigan over it that was lined with a dark red fabric with a rose embroidered onto the front. Yerin was right. Umji looked absolutely beautiful and Sowon couldn't get the smile on her face to leave.

"She looks gorgeous." Sowon complimented, hugging the former brown striped kitten before pressing a soft kiss against Umji's forehead. Umji giggled, leaning into the kiss. Sowon gave the younger girl another cheek kiss and turned to look at Yerin again.

"You look cute too though, Yerin." Sowon said, nodding in approval. The former ginger kitten had gone for a more casual but still formal-ish look. She was wearing a pale white hoodie but it was paired with a dark navy blue suit like jacket over it. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, light brown slacks on her legs. The outfit was mature but also playful and fun, matching Yerin's personality.

"Thanks!" Yerin grinned, striking a pose. Sowon laughed, patting the former ginger kitten's head before kissing Yerin's cheek as well. 

"Are the others ready yet?" Sowon asked, feeling SinB gripping at her hand. The former black kitten seemed to be getting more and more nervous as the minutes crawled by.

"We're ready!" Yuju said with a grin as she led Eunha over to the rest of the group. Yuju was wearing something similar to Sowon's outfit, but instead of a black suit coat, the former gray kitten was wearing a white coat over a low cut black formal top, white slacks to match. Eunha was a little more casual, like SinB, wearing a nice white shirt with a black cardigan and a pair of black slacks. Even though the outfit wasn't as fancy as Yuju's, Eunha's outfit still matched the color scheme of the gray kitten's outfit and the look made the former white kitten look just as nice as everyone else.

The only thing that was different about some of the former kittens was the expression on their faces. Yuju and Yerin were cheery and excited while SinB, Umji and Eunha looked beyond scared. Sowon could understand for the most part. The former kittens were used to her and only her, not her mother. Meeting people was still scary, especially for SinB. 

"Everyone looks amazing. I can't believe I get the cutest kittens in the world all to myself." Sowon was practically beaming, unable to stop smiling yet again even with Eunha, Umji and SinB's nervous expressions. Sowon was about to speak again but was interrup