JMJ

NOTE: Before reading there are a few things to know. One is that this is the sequel of a digimon/pokémon crossover So What's to Get, but as the crossover part of it is no longer involved it did not feel right to place this story in the crossover section. The rules aren't clear with situations like this, but if anyone knows otherwise, please tell me and I'll move it to the crossover section anyway.

The story also has elements of both the Japanese and English. I haven't seen enough of the Japanese for it to be entirely Japanese. I leave all the pokémon names in English except Nyaasu (Meowth) and I leave all the human names in Japanese except for the boss Giovanni (I think his name is Sasaki in Japanese, but I just like his English name so there) Also the dialogue and motto, etc is more based off the Japanese version. Once I've seen the original Japanese version of an animé I never want to go back, but as it is that I have only been able to see minimal stuff with Pokémon in Japanese there are some things from the English (the stinky 4Kids dub — if they only translated things better and weren't so creepy .) Also, I purposely left "Team Rocket" in its English form. "Team Rocket" just sounds more organized than "Rocket Gang", but maybe "dan" is not translatable. I don't know; I don't speak much Japanese. There is little AU involved as well because they are in the Hoenn timeline. Thus in this story anything that happens in the Sinnoh Region onward is nonexistent. Also Team Rocket has their older pokémon: Arbok, Lickitongue, Weezing, and Victreebell, but I still wanted to mention Wabafet and Chimecho throughout the story, because although I like Arbok and Weezing better as Team Rocket's pokémon than Seviper and Cacnea (and also wanted Victreebel and Lickitongue to there too), Chimecho and Wabafet amused my sister and me too much for me to leave them out of the fic entirely. With Wabafet, I suppose it was just backwards with Musashi accidently trading for Lickitongue (better bargain anyway), and the whole Chimecho thing is pretty much the same, I suppose, except there's no Mime Junior involved in when Chimecho leaves (I never seen the eps with Mime Junior anyway). Any other AU type things I will make separate notes for as the story goes along.

I like to think of this story as sort of my take on the characters. Most of the basic rules and character traits are still intact but with a little bit of my own spin to things. If you're a Marvel or DC reader, it's kinda like when a different writer comes and makes a sort of long graphic novel or special.

Oh, and also this story is based off of something my sister and I made up together, so she gets credit for much of the plot.

Also if you don't wish to read the first story (I understand crossovers aren't for everyone; I don't like them most of the time myself) here's a brief summary without the crossover part of it of the events before this story takes place: Team Rocket ends up lost in a strange place. Kojiro (James) gets separated and lost. The others search for him but cannot find him anywhere. Thus Kojiro ends up wandering around hopelessly befuddled in his usual way. He has a terrible time too being bitten in the arm, having to wander through a desert searching desperately for Musashi (Jessie) and Nyaasu (Meowth). He eventually is captured by a queen who lives under the desert, and he is auctioned off, but he escapes with the help of another prisoner. Unfortunately, this other prisoner was tricking him like everyone else in the place. Kojiro he is told that Nyaasu and Musashi are dead and he willingly allows himself to be taken to a dark tower in his misery at this "realization". Those at the tower try to use Kojiro as a pawn in their game to take over everything. However as a consequence of the situation Kojiro realizes some things about himself, and because he is rescued just before the complete destruction of his mind and soul can take place, the experience in the long run ended up making him see his life from a different perspective for the better. Free and with Musashi and Nyaasu again, Kojiro is still mentally exhausted, but his teammates are eager to get moving. Musashi has the tougher time out of the two, for Nyaasu understands Kojiro more than she does about their lives (or if she does she's in denial). Kojiro starts to have a strong desire to reform his life and not just in the sense of simply quitting Team Rocket; he doesn't want to be a dweeb anymore either. Musashi just can't handle all this. A crony of the tower that had tried to brainwash Kojiro takes advantage of the situation by taking Musashi in her troubled state instead to be their pawn only this time by tricking her into thinking that they want to make her their fairy tale empress (she is not aware that the crony is from the same tower that had tried to brainwash Kojiro). Nyaasu takes action, thinking that he get snap Musashi out of it and drags a still recovering Kojiro off to the Disney-esque cottage behind the waterfall where Musashi is overseeing the construction of her palace. Eventually what ends up happening however is that Musashi (missing her companions) has them dragged back after their failure at convincing her to leave. Nyaasu and her get into an argument, and she orders Nyaasu to be punished. Kojiro knows that the possibility of the torturers killing Nyaasu is very high, and in his fear and fury pushes Musashi away and tries to rescue Nyaasu. Instead he finds proof that Musashi is being tricked, because everything in the cottage is an illusion that can only be seen through a mirror. He brings it to Musashi. Musashi freaks out, and after he rescues Nyaasu from death, he and Musashi escape. After a bit more wandering around, they help some restaurant owners who had been kind to them and cured Nyaasu of his injuries. They chase some minions of the tower that are looking for them away from the restaurant and then go have yana kanji (blasting off again). When they land, they are back in Hoenn, but the end is unclear about what they are going to do now.

And if you'd like just a taste of the first fanfic, some chapters I would suggest are "Love and Truth", "Nyaasu", "First Thing Next Time" possibly "Black Hole", "Rise of the Jade Empress", "Golden Opportunities and Silver Platters", and "Mirror on the Wall". But if the summary above is sufficient for you that's just fine too, or if you're readers who have followed the story from the beginning welcome back!

Most Japanese phrases are written with the help of my sister who is learning Japanese.

So! If you think it won't be too confusing with these little oddities, enjoy your read!

PROLOGUE

Kojiro had never been to town by himself before. He had hardly been on a single street outside a vehicle in that town before. In fact, before this day, he only once or twice remembered being in town at all. His parents thought the nearby town quite insignificant and meaningless as towns go and did not bother with it. If his parents wanted to go on an outing, they would go to the city and often out of the entire region, for Kanto was not exactly known for its vacationing spots as much as other regions were — not that his family often took him on vacations anyway, especially recently with all the school he had to do.

"But not anymore!" He told Gar-Chan beside him as the little boy trudged his way toward the lights of the town through the heavy, wet snow."Never again!"

Now, his decision was naturally not based on the fact that he had never been allowed into town on his own. He was eight years old, after all, and being the well-known son of an insanely wealthy family it would be dangerous for him. He remembered all the facts about kidnappings and ransoms, his father gave him when he strayed in his absent way from his parents by accident on any sort of outing. The concern for his welfare was entirely understandable.

The decision had nothing to do with his education either. He had accepted the constant tutoring as part of life and knew nothing else. It was not even that his parents left him behind when they went on vacations together on island paradises or mountain resorts. No, this had all to do with one thing. One thing last summer, and Kojiro could not believe he had not thought of running away before now.

He would never marry that girl. Not in a million years. He vowed a few days before he left to never marry anyone and to remain single for the rest of his life! But he would never be able to keep that promise unless he took drastic measures, and finally this day he knew what he had to do.

With determination like he never knew before, he pushed on through the snow even as the icy wind tried to rip him back the other way. The very elements seemed to be under the domineering rule of his aristocratic life and it was trying to make him go back to it. He felt tears form in his eyes, but he refused to stop, even as Gar-Chan nudged him and whined as if asking his young master if this was really a smart thing to do.

Well, if I thought of it in the summertime it would have been a lot easier, he thought gloomily.

But he could hardly wish that now. At least the miserable snow and cold and dismal dark sky matched the mood.

Christmas peeked around the corner, only a few days away, and although most of the time he looked forward to Christmas with the greatest relish of any child, he knew this year would be different. There would be a party. A party meant guests. Guests meant …

"Rumika," squeaked Kojiro, choking on another sob.

She would come to the estate often enough even when his parents were not hosting a party!

Never again! Never again! Kojiro would never be pushed around. No one could be more unloved, more unwanted than he was. His dog was the only one who truly cared or tried to understand him.

It reminded him of a movie he had seen not long ago on television about a little boy and his dog in one of the far-off regions of the West a long time ago. He had associated himself with the little boy immediately, most likely because of his introverted nature and more importantly because the dog happened to be a growlithe. Also the fact that his entire life had been ruined by a girl did not help much either.

The village came in close now. Kojiro could see the cars and the buildings and the Christmas decorations. Just over the hill. So very close. He had money in his pocket for a train ride. When the train arrived, Kojiro did not know, but he thought for sure he knew where the station was once he reached the town.

Another blast of freezing wind cut across his face. His scarf slipped, and his fingers were so cold he did not want to remove them from his pockets. Hunger rumbled in his stomach too, and he wished he had brought more food. A few frozen rice balls and a block of ice in a water bottle in his traveling bag were certainly not going to be enough, he realized, but he would just have to manage.

Everyone hated him, just like everyone hated that boy in that movie, and all because of a girl just like the boy in that movie, and now it was close to Christmas and he was wandering around just like that movie too. He was not sure how much longer he would be able to go on. Perhaps he would not make it to the train station now.

"Grow?" asked Gar-Chan worriedly.

"I-i-i-it can't be much further now," said Kojiro, his teeth chattering as he spoke, and he took his first step past the first building of town.

Gar-chan did not look so sure.

In the movie, the little boy found love in the end, but were books more real than movies?

Shortly after he had seen the movie, Kojiro had been allowed to choose a book (within certain literary boundaries of course) for his next school book report, and immediately he chose the book after which that movie had been made. It turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments Kojiro had ever had in reading material. He read the book within three days, and by the time he had reached the end, the book had been torn to shreds by the unsteady hands of a boy sobbing and whining how the little boy in the story and his dog had frozen to death.

Of all the stupidest most pointless stories in the whole world!

It just wasn't fair! It just wasn't!

Recalling the story to mind, Kojiro felt hot tears beginning to well up in his eyes again, and he stopped suddenly quite rigidly.

Gar-chan whimpered and nudged his master again.

Life was so cruel, so vile, so uncaring. Oh, it just wasn't fair! Why couldn't life be like the movies, huh? Was that so hard?

Looking down at his dog he collapsed onto his knees and hugged the creature very tightly with all childish melodrama. For it must be admitted that it was not nearly as cold or as dark as he pretended it to be. Nor was the snow nearly as deep. It can only safely be said that he had not been exaggerating Rumika. Rumika did not need to be exaggerated.

Exchange your growlithe for a skitty. Wear that outfit in this picture. Eat only after I finished what I want. Carry me across the threshold. Dance with me to this song in this way with your left foot first. Don't sigh and slouch just because no adults are around.

As if he did not have enough people ordering him around already!

Kojiro could take it no more! With a theatrical wave of his hand, he fell back into the snow with the fateful words, "Farewell this unfortunate world." He closed his eyes and felt surely he would die.

Gar-Chan licked his master's motionless form in an attempt to get him to stop acting so strangely. They were just going for a walk, after all. There was no need to get that dramatic about it even if a train ride was involved.

A few minutes later, a car approached and stopped right in front of him. Only then did Kojiro lift his weary head, and who should emerge from the vehicle but a police officer? The officer stepped out onto the road, and looking upon the scene before her, she immediately knew what was going on as she took in the boy, the dog, the pack. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, she helped the miserable boy to his feet.

"You're parents are looking for you, Kojiro," she said.

Although, he lowered his head with a face full of childish remorse, Kojiro said nothing at all in reply.

The officer lifted him into the car, and it was not long before Kojiro found himself and Gar-chan at the police station. The hot chocolate was good but the sternness of the officers was not. The franticness of his mother and the anger of his father proved harder to handle. Not that the police officer could have detected these emotions in the tall, stolid, unmoving figures standing in the doorway. Only someone who lived with them could see past their stiff forms enough to know they were at least a little distraught; though, little Kojiro sensed a lot more anger than relief from his parents. Nevertheless, the moment the door opened into his massive, cheerless house, he fell into his mother's arms and cried pitifully …

CHAPTER ONE:

The Decision

"Nya-a-ah …!"

The deep yawn that escaped the wide jaws might as well have been that of a roaring Ursaring as Nyaasu stretched himself awake that morning. The size of his mouth could become insanely large, large enough to swallow the heads of his human partners at the same time, as strange a concept as that was. As his mouth clamped shut again, and Nyaasu murmured unintelligibly even to himself, he slowly opened his eyes, and a satisfied smile stretched out across his face. The more accustomed he grew to his surroundings, the wider his grin became until he might as well have been the Cheshire Cat. After all, he was a talking feline already, but his joy did not come from madness.

This morning happened to be the second morning he had woken to the faded green wicker strands of the inside of the hot air balloon basket in … how long had it been?

"Must be months, nya," Nyaasu muttered to himself.

They had only been away from that strange world for a couple days and already the events seemed to be fading away like the dream he had had last night, but surely it had happened. He could not deny it as he felt the crack in his koban with a paw. The fires and beatings of torture still haunted the back of Nyaasu's mind when those insane creatures had obeyed Musashi's careless order of punishing him.

Nyaasu shuddered and could not help but leer at Musashi's gently sleeping form, curled up on the other side of the basket like a kitty cat herself. She looked surprisingly innocent when she slept, but Nyaasu knew perfectly well what she was capable of, and she still had not apologized for it even if it had been under dark influence that she had made that decision to have Nyaasu beaten.

A sudden urge to scratch her with a full fury swipes over her peaceful face pulsed through Nyaasu like water making a sudden gush from a hand pump, but it dissipated as quickly as it had come. He turned sharply away instead, and calming again, he looked idly about him, wondering in a careless manner where Kojiro had gotten himself, for Nyaasu found him nowhere in sight.

Granted, Nyaasu's only sight included the inside of the green basket and the empty sky above it.

With a shrug, Nyaasu leapt up onto the brim, and lifting a paw over his eyes, he scanned the area out in front of him. He could not help but grin again at the sight of Hoenn. Hoenn truly was a lovely land, especially after one had been trouncing months in savage jungles and relentless grey deserts. Green as far as the eye could see until the soft blue mountains far in the distance faded into the deep sky above. He almost forgot he had been scanning for Kojiro until suddenly he heard a very cheerful voice say, "Breakfast!"

"Nyah!" Nyaasu cried, and losing his balance, he fell right back into the balloon, just missing Musashi.

Musashi woke up, and groggily watched Nyaasu pull himself back to his feet and roll his eyes back to where the voice had come from.

Eyes wide with concern in that blank absurdity that only Kojiro could accomplish, Kojiro stared into the basket and said, "Uh, breakfast," much softer this time.

Normally, Nyaasu would have taken this opportunity to slam something over Kojiro's head and scratch him, but he really was not in the mood. The events of just days before, although as stated before were becoming dreamlike, still had a strong enough hold on his mind to keep him in a state of mild sobriety for the time being in which conking someone over the head just did not seem worth the effort. Instead, Nyaasu graced Kojiro with a dangerous leer, which in itself did not last long for the simple fact that the breakfast Kojiro had mentioned did not seem at all like a bad idea.

Leaping back upon onto the basket rim, he immediately grabbed hold of the takeout bag still in Kojiro's grip, and peered at the covered boxes of udan, rice, and chicken inside. Oh, and it smelled absolutely gorgeous!

Licking his lips, Nyaasu snatched a box and a pair of chopsticks.

Kojiro smiled and turned his attention to Musashi who was now quite upright at the mention of breakfast.

"Gimme some of that!" she demanded, holding out her hands.

Graciously Kojiro lifted the box and the chopsticks out for her as if he were handing a golden platter to a noble peer in an ancient palace.

The box was opened immediately in Musashi's hands, and she took a massive bite.

"Oh, this is so good!" cried Musashi before she had a chance to swallow.

Nyaasu was already half way through his box of udan as Kojiro finally got to his box of udan. With a satisfied smile, he began to eat with deep and happy relish. He had forgotten too, perhaps that in the company of Team Rocket speed was the key to any meal, and by the time he finished with his udan, he was met with disappointment in finding only one small piece of chicken and absolutely no rice left for him.

With a scowl, he snatched the chicken quickly before either of his companions could take it, and with a strange sigh, he slowly and with a little less relish ate his tiny piece.

"Where'd you get this?" asked Musashi pleasantly, she was still finishing off her rice.

"N-yeah," said Nyaasu carelessly, "after all that gobbly goop you were talking about before I would of thought you wouldn't be going dishonest right away, nya."

"I did get it honestly," said Kojiro a little defensively.

Musashi frowned. "Uh, Kojiro," she said. "In case you forgot again, we don't have any money. Whadja do? Agree to wash dishes for them?"

Kojiro twiddled his fingers a little and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I …" he began. "I didn't think we'd be needing that Team Rocket equipment so …"

Nyaasu and Musashi stared. Now it was their turn to look blank.

"You sold it," breathed Musashi.

Kojiro gulped and instinctively threw his hands over his head to protect himself from any oncoming blow.

"I didn't know you'd care!" Kojiro squeaked. "And we had to eat!"

"I never said anything about quitting Team Rocket!" Musashi snapped.

Nyaasu eyed Musashi strangely. "Nya, you didn't actually say it, but …"

"Shut up!" Musashi barked, and with a sweep of her hand she knocked Nyaasu out of the balloon.

"Nya!" cried the cat, landing on the other side, but he was up within seconds and holding out his claws with which to swipe that satisfied scowl off that woman's face. "What was that for, nya?!" And he made to leap back up into the basket to really show her who was boss around here.

Kojiro barred the way, throwing his arms out in front of him.

"Hey, hey! You guys, we don't have to fight!" he cried.

With lower teeth jutting out of his lip, Nyaasu set his paws on the ground gorilla style and growled.

"Yes, we do, nya."

"Come on, Nyaasu!"

Musashi drew her arms over her chest.

"If you don't watch it you'll be the one you'll have to watch out for," she muttered, and turning away she added under her breath barely audibly, "selling our Team Rocket equipment."

There was a dangerous pause, and even Nyaasu had to stare at Musashi uneasily.

"What did you do that for!?" Musashi finally screamed.

"But you said you liked the food!" Kojiro whined.

"But you didn't have to sell our equipment!" Musashi returned, leaping out of the basket now. "You could have sold your stupid bottle cap collection instead! We need that equipment if we're going to catch pokémon, baka!" Musashi snarled.

Nyaasu looked at Musashi and then he turned to Kojiro. Kojiro apparently had nothing to say to that, and it probably was better for him that he did not reply anyway. Then glancing idly to Musashi once more, he waited to see what volcano brains would do next.

Strangely enough, she had digressed somewhat. Looking away, she grumbled, "I thought once we got home you'd be back to normal."

An uncanny flicker of rage passed over Kojiro's eyes then, and that in itself caused Nyaasu to step back a little. It was always a dangerous thing when Kojiro got determined, and Nyaasu had no desire to hear what strange thought would come out of that head.

"Kojiro …" he started to warn.

With a stubborn pout, Kojiro turned away.

"I don't care what you do, Musashi, I don't want to catch stupid pokémon."

"Then what do you want to do, nya?" demanded Nyaasu before Musashi could say a word.

His usual manner returned and he stared wide-eyed in confusion as those strange gears of his wound in his cranium. Lowering his head and twiddling slightly, he murmured strange sounds of thought, "Er", "Um", "well, I", "Eh".

"Well!?" snapped Musashi.

Kojiro cringed and then slumped down even more as he muttered his response so softly that his partners had to strain to hear.

"I was thinking about just going home," he said, though Nyaasu and Musashi only caught "home."

That proved quite enough for either of them, however, and they leapt back in horror as if he had suddenly produced a sizzling stick of TNT in his hands and laughed maniacally about it. At first they stood frozen, trying to convince themselves that they must have heard wrong, but upon slowly turning to each other, they knew they had both heard the same thing.

After a moment, Nyaasu recalled that this had not been the first time that Kojiro had said this. When they were lost and miserable in that strange land they had escaped from, Kojiro had said something or other about going home again and helping his parents and all that, but Nyaasu had brushed it off afterwards as just things that people say under strenuous circumstances. This could no longer be considered strenuous circumstances. Quitting Team Rocket, well, that Nyaasu could understand, but going back to that insane house with those insane people and that incredibly insane woman who upon becoming the woman of the estate would make its current state seem like sanity in comparison. That Nyaasu could not understand.

Maybe Musashi was right. Maybe, Kojiro really had lost it!

With mouths hanging open and eyes still wide with disgusted surprise slowly Musashi and Nyaasu returned to Kojiro.

Nyaasu had only been to his house once, and he never wanted to step foot in that abomination again unless, of course it was just a quick stop in the kitchen for an all you can grab buffet, but Nyaasu doubted that was Kojiro's plan.

Kojiro looked down at his feet uneasily and dared not lift his eyes to his friends.

"WHY!?" Musashi finally cried.

That broke the spell, and everyone unfroze.

"Are you ny-uts, nya!?" Nyaasu shouted, leaping up onto Kojiro's shoulder and throwing his paws above his head. "You kny-ow what they'll do if you go back there?!"

"They'll make you marry that freak!" Musashi cried.

"They'll tie you up, and you won't escape until the last second of the ceremony's past, and then Rumika will chain you up against the wall, nya!" Nyaasu insisted, now shaking his paws in front of Kojiro's face as if that would somehow get through his thick head better.

"I know what'll happen!" Kojiro snapped, stomping his foot on the ground.

Nyaasu jumped off and landed on the basket brim, Musashi simply let her mouth drop again and she glared.

"You're going to marry Rumika, Kojiro?" said Musashi. She growled. "You can't be that desperate!"

"I'm not going to marry Rumika!" Kojiro shouted back, shaking with emotion. "I'll never marry her!"

Nyaasu shrugged carelessly, finally recovering from the initial shock of all this. "If you go back it's ny-ot like you'll have much of a choice, nya."

Kojiro bit his lip, and once more lowered his head.

"Well," he said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about saying … no."

Once again Musashi and Nyaasu stopped to stare at him, only this time it was with lazy lids and raised brows.

"Uh, Kojiro," said Musashi after a short pause. "You know your parents better than we do, and uh, do you think if you just said no, they would actually listen to you?"

"I don't know," Kojiro admitted. "I … never tried it." He shook his head, shaking away doubt and uneasiness giving himself totally to his strange determination that by now, his companions realized was unstoppable (and as dangerous) as a runaway train on the wrong line. "But I'm tired of running away!" he said; he was even beginning to pace. "I've been running away for so long, and I'm tired of it! I can't do it anymore."

"Don't give up, nya!" said Nyaasu cheerfully. "We'll help you keep running."

"No!" said Kojiro. "You're not listening. I don't care if you guys come with me, but I'm going home. My parents … need me."

"They ny-eed more than that," Nyaasu grumbled.

"Yeah," Musashi agreed. "They need therapy, and they might not be the only ones."

Kojiro frowned, and without another word, he climbed into the basket and squatted inside.

Musashi and Nyaasu spun around and peered after him.

"Kojiro, what are you doing?" asked Musashi.

"Packing," said Kojiro, shoving his bag of bottle caps, his hair gel, his comb, and a few other items into the restaurant take out bag.

"You're ny-ot really going through with this, are you, nya?" Nyaasu asked.

"Yes, I am," replied Kojiro without looking up.

"Are you sure?" Musashi asked skeptically.

"More sure than I've been about anything in a long time," Kojiro returned.

Nyaasu glanced at Musashi. "He means it, nya."

"He's crazy," muttered Musashi.

With a huff, Kojiro exited the basket and marched passed the other two with his paper satchel as he made for the road.

"Or fed up, nya," said Nyaasu in a similar tone as they watched him leave without an attempt at stopping him.

Musashi raised a brow to the cat.

"What, you're actually siding with him?" she wanted to know.

"Ny-ot really, nya," said Nyaasu, "but we can't let him go by himself."

"I wasn't going to," replied Musashi darkly.

"Then why are you just sitting here?" asked Nyaasu with a sly grin.

A black-gloved fist lifted above Nyaasu's head, but Musashi, instead recoiled it and spun around after her partner.

"Kojiro!" she snapped.

Kojiro stopped.

"Why don't you take the balloon?" she demanded.

Slowly Kojiro turned around with a face blank with confusion.

"It would be faster, you kny-ow," Nyaasu pointed out.

"You mean …" Kojiro hardly dared to ask.

"Yes, we're coming with you," Musashi snapped. "What, you think we're going to let you go to your parents' house by yourself! You'll be eaten alive!"

In a light sprint Kojiro appeared again in front of them.

"Oh, Musashi," he sobbed, clasping his hands together as his eyes watered and a goofy grin spread out pitifully across his glowing red face. "Arigatou."

Musashi's eyes softened.

"Well, if you think you're going to help your parents, someone's gotta be there to help you, nya?" said Nyaasu lifting a paw.

Kojiro wiped a tear from his eye on his arm. (He had lost his outer uniform shirt and now only had the short-sleeved black one, so it was his bare arm.) "Oh,you guys … thank you so much. You don't really have to do this."

"But only until you get things worked out!" Musashi said, holding up a finger. "I don't want to stay there anymore than I have to."

"Me ny-either, nya!" Nyaasu agreed.

"And I don't want you to stay there any more than we have to either," said Musashi most dangerously.

"I understand, I know, don't worry, I get it," said Kojiro, beaming, and he could not help himself as he leapt onto his friends and hugged them tightly. He even cried in his unexpected pleasure.

But neither Musashi nor Nyaasu minded the hug from their awkward friend. This was just something Kojiro needed to get out of his system. That was all. Then they could get on with their lives.

Whatever that really means, Nyaasu thought, just a little dryly.

Baka: stupid, idiot

Aritgatou: Thank you