The Japanese Railway Series

by Ketchum Kid

It is often said that the Island of Sodor is a strange and peculiar land, and, to a certain extent, that is true. However, after an accidental trip to Japan, Thomas is convinced that he had found someplace stranger...Starts as a crossover with Shuffle!, will eventually branch into other anime and manga series.

1. Thomas and the City of Tokyo

My third story hasn't graced the pages of Fanfiction since the original was taken down, as I was dissatisfied with the quality. In fact, aside from a few PMs and my avatar at the time, there's no mention of it. This Idea has simmered in the backlot, waiting for the chance to poke its head into the sunlight. Until now.

In a full top-to-bottom redux, The Japanese Railway Series is back for good. Changes have been done to this work, which was inspired partially by ThomasZoey3000's own series, Railway Series Shuffle! For one, the title (It was originally the Tokyo Railway Series – Shuffle!). Second, I'm staying with this story for good. Originally, this multi-crossover would have several subtitles, based on the crossover with Thomas. Now, I'm placing everything in this story. It may be a Shuffle! Crossover now, but once the next series is introduced, it will be reclassified under Anime/Manga Xovers. Other changes involve the addition and subtraction of certain characters, a name change for the railway, and many others, but I'll save those for later.

All of The Railway Series is canon here. Any television character seen in my other story, Railway Series Annex, is also canon. So if you see Molly, Emily, or Spencer in one, you'll eventually see them in the other, and vice versa.

Disclaimers are found on the main page. I don't have anything else to say, so please enjoy!

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The Japanese Railway Series

Book One: Thomas and the City of Tokyo

Dear Friends,

I was very surprised on my last visit to the Island of Sodor, where our friend Thomas the Tank Engine lives. I found out thae was stuck in, of all places, Japan, because of a shipping mistake while on the move. When Thomas got back, I expected him to be cross, since he was away from his branchline for so long, but I'm happy to say that I was wrong. He told me all about his adventures in the capital city, Tokyo, which mainly involved a small girl, and the people that surrounded her. Here's the first part of those tales.

The Author

Stories Included:

Thomas's Tokyo Escapades

Thomas and Primula

The Prince of Three Worlds

Homecoming

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Thomas's Tokyo Escapades

One bright, spring day, Thomas the Tank Engine was happily chuffing along his branchline with his faithful coaches, Annie and Clarabell. The sun was shining, there was not a cloud in the sky, and Thomas's train was right on time to meet Emily at the junction. As he pulled into the station, he could see Percy waiting for him to clear the line. He was hauling a train of workmen and track materials.

"Good morning, Emily!" Thomas greeted. "How are you doing today?" Percy departed for Ffarquhar station.

"Good morning, Thomas!" Emily said. "What was Percy hauling today? It looked like a work gang for track repairs to me."

"You're not far off," Thomas answered. "It's a construction crew. Today's the first day of construction of the extension to Ulfstead and Peel Godred. We're all busy hauling materials to get the line ready for completion."

"And construction will be done on schedule and at the highest standards possible," a voice declared. It was, of course, Sir Topham Hatt, who stepped out of Emily's first coach. "The people of Tidmouth and Knapford are all seeking jobs in the Peel Godred area, yet they must transfer trains at Kildane in order to do so. Once the line's completed, we can provide them with a direct connection between the two." Emily's signal dropped.

"I wish I could stay and listen about the project more," she admitted, "but I must keep to schedule. I know that you want me to be really useful, Sir."

"Quite right!" Sir Topham Hatt said.

"Goodbye, Emily!" Thomas called out. He then turned his attention to Sir Topham Hatt. "Is there a reason for your visit to the branchline today, Sir?" Sir Topham Hatt laughed.

"Does there need to be a reason to see one of my really useful engines?" he chuckled. "But yes, I do have something to tell you. There is a gathering of steam engines in Vancouver in a few days, and the managers of the event asked me if you could come." Thomas was surprised.

"Vancouver?-!" he gasped. "But that's in Canada! Sir, I just came back from a gala on the Great Central last week, and have been looking for some time doing regular work on my branchline!"

"I'm sorry, Thomas, but I already signed you up for the trip. You must be at the Barrow- Airport by tomorrow morning." As he left, Sir Topham Hatt gave Thomas a smirk. "Besides, weren't you once asking to see the world?"

"That was in 1946!" Thomas puffed crossly, and he clamored off to the big station at the end of the line. That night, Thomas complained extensively to the other engines in the shed.

"Honestly, I'm off this branchline far too often for it to even deserve my name! Why should I have to travel to other railways and pull excursions for the children? It would be much easier if they would come here!" Percy, Rosie, and Toby were indignant.

"You know very well that not every person can make the trip to Knapford Junction," Percy stated. "That's why we went to London, and you went to York!"

"You also don't hear groups of children call out to see engines such as myself or Daisy," Rosie noted sadly. "Anyone would give a wheel or a funnel for your fame."

"You can have it, then!" Thomas snapped.

"Think about what you're saying, Thomas," Toby asked, trying to settle Thomas down. "At least Vancouver's in Canada, an English-speaking country. Remember when the two of us went to Berlin, in the heart of Germany?"

"How couldn't I?" Thomas groaned. "I had to carry you on a flatbed, Toby! And then we were both carried back to England because my cylinder cracked while we were there!"

"All I'm saying is that you can at least converse with the engines there," Toby remarked. "Imagine if you were dropped off in a different country, say, Japan? I heard that they have a very complex language there."

"That's impossible," Thomas retorted. "Driver says that the standard-gauge lines there are for high-speed trains that go even faster than Pip and Emma. The only trains that I can keep up with are all narrow-gauge trains. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get up early for this stupid trip!" With one last yawn, Thomas went to sleep, leaving the other engines with mixed emotions.

The next day, Thomas got up much earlier than the other engines. His flight left not long after Gordon's express departed from Tidmouth, so he couldn't even take his morning connecting train from the branchline. It was a strange feeling for Thomas as he ran light down the mainline towards the junction. The sun had yet to rise fully, the morning dew was still on the ground, and all across the island, it was quiet, save for Thomas.

Barrow-Vickarstown Airport was located North of Vickarstown, and was connected to the railway by a branchline constructed in the 1970s. It wasn't a major airport such Heathrow in London, but there were several flights to and from other countries. A small transfer yard was there to exchange goods between the airplanes, lorries, and the railway. Sir Topham Hatt was waiting for Thomas at the yard to see him off. Duck was there as well.

"Thomas, I wish you a safe journey to Canada for your stay," Sir Topham Hatt said. "Duck will take care of Annie and Clarabell while you are away, so please concentrate on being a credit to our railway."

"I'll do my best, sir," Thomas replied. But deep inside, while he was happy that Duck would be doing his work, he still did not want to leave the Island of Sodor. Workmen doused Thomas's fire, drained his water tanks, and secured his coal bunker for travel. Then Duck shunted Thomas up a ramp into a shipping container for travel. The container was cold and dark, and when the container was shut, it was impossible to see anything but a few specs of light.

A lorry brought Thomas's container to a storage hangar for loading onto the correct plane. When they unloaded the container, it was placed right next to an identical container that was next to the loading runway. As a plane was coming into the hangar, a worker was attaching labels to the two containers. The wind generated from the plane's engine was giving the worker a hard time. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew both labels off their respective containers.

"Whoa there!" the man yelped. He scurried over to the labels before they could fly any further.

"Hurry up!" another man called over. "We need all the containers needed for that plane ready now!" The worker hastily attached the labels to the containers. However, he was not paying attention to hi work, and quickly forgot which labels he placed placed on which containers.

Thomas's container was loaded into the cargo plane, which was soon flying high above the skies towards his destination. In a matter of hours, the plane touched down at the end of its long but speedy journey. Thomas's crate was immediately transferred onto a lorry, and brought to what sounded to Thomas like a rail yard.

"Well, better make a good impression," Thomas muttered reluctantly. "I am representing Sir Topham Hatt and the North Western Railway, after all." He put on a false smile as workmen opened the crate.

Thomas had been to Vancouver once before, about three years ago. He remembers it as a smaller city, with a few small skyscrapers here and there, but mostly beautiful blue oceans, tall burly pines, and majestic rugged mountains. The first things that Thomas saw in the early morning light were tall buildings as far as the eye could see, smaller buildings jammed together, and a cramped, rugged yard, where a small black engine pulled Thomas out of the container using spacer cars, and a man wearing a nicely pressed suit watching nearby. Definitely not Vancouver.

"That's strange," the man murmured aloud, as Thomas was pulled out. "I thought my new switching engine had a tender…" Thomas was horrified.

"Switching engine?-!" he spluttered. "I'm Thomas the Tank Engine! The pride of the North Western Railway!" The man looked at Thomas.

"Never seen you here before," he said. The other engine, a black 4-6-2 Pacific with smoke deflectors, snorted.

"Great, just great!" she spoke in a feminine voice. "Another engine that claims to be famous and mighty! Listen, pal! That attitude doesn't fly here in Tokyo, Japan!"

"Tokyo?-!" Thomas gasped. He immediately checked the gauge of the rails to make sure that he was on standard gauge tracks, which he was.

"Settle down, Aiko!" the man ordered. "Clearly there was some miscommunication, and our actual engine was sent to wherever this engine was needed." He turned to Thomas. "I must apologize, Thomas, but it appears that the engine that was supposed to come here went to your destination. I'll have to speak to your owner, who is…?"

"Sir Topham Hatt," Thomas replied, "the head of the North Western Railway. If I may ask, sir, I always thought that the railroads of Japan were all at a narrower gauge than those of England and America."

"That's partially true, Thomas," the man replied. "Most railways here are of a smaller gauge than what you are used to. However, there are a handful of lines around the country that work on your "standard" gauge. My railway, the Kanto Railway, is the only one that operates freight service. We have a few of our lines, like this one here, to ourselves; but for the most part, we run on the rails of commuter lines. We're still a bit new, as we only have one other engine in Aiko, but we're attracting a lot of business. While I try to obtain the actual engine I ordered, Thomas, you must work in its stead for the time being." For once, Thomas smiled.

"That's fine by me," he said. "I've been doing a lot of excursion work lately, so hauling trucks will be a nice change of pace, sir."

"That's a good engine," the man beamed. "My name is Mr. Soroi, head of the Kanto Railway. On behalf of its employees, I welcome you to Tokyo!"

"Pah!" Aiko scoffed. "I can do the work just fine by myself, thank you! I don't need him to help me!"

"Can you pull the transfer train to the transfer yards and a heavy coal train to Chuo when they're both needed right away?" Mr. Soroi asked. "I need you on the much heavier run to Chuo at the moment, Aiko. Thomas, you must take the transfer freight to the yards at Saiwai. You'll have to use some of the commuter lines to travel there, since the main route there is under some heavy repairs."

"Will do!" Thomas replied. Aiko pulled Thomas to the coal tower, where he was filled with coal and water. Since Thomas's crew was on a different flight, a new crew was provided for him. The driver, a young woman with green hair that was tied up into two pigtails, approached Thomas.

"Ohayou!" she greeted. "My name's Sakoto, and I'll be your driver during your stay" Thomas was surprised that she was able to speak both Japanese and English.

"I didn't think many people in Japan knew English," he told her.

"Most don't, at least fluently," she replied. "Many can speak a few words here and there, but not the majority of the language. That's why Mr. Soroi assigned me to you, Thomas. Consider me your official guide and translator during you stay in Tokyo!" With that, she rushed into Thomas's cab, and the two set off for work.

Thomas puffed into the yards, where an eclectic mix of trucks greeted him. "Excuse me, but do any of you trucks speak English?" A chorus of murmurs in different languages came from the trucks.

"Yes, some of us do," one truck finally spoke. "And please call us freight cars. We all come from all the corners of the world, and most of us are used to being called cars."

"Alright," Thomas replied. "Are you anything like the troublesome trucks back in England?"

"Non-non-non!"a French car replied. "Oui are notshing like those desgusting British counterparts! Wen oui cause an asccident, thee rest of thee railway shuts down! Aiko was our only engine until now, and thee others aren't ready yet!" Thomas was puzzled.

"Other engines?" he asked curiously.

"Sisenor!" a Mexican car answered. "Miester Soroi has other engines, but dey have not been steamed up for a long time. Dey need an overhaul before they are completed, and the shops can only do so much work in so leittle time."

"I see," Thomas replied. "So, where are the cars that are needed for the transfer goods to Saiwai?"

"Over on track four," a Russian car pointed out. "We all have chains, so don't worry about couplings."

"Thanks!" Thomas said, and he collected his train. He gently backed down on the train, and was coupled up to the train. Then, he set off for the transfer yard.

Tokyo was much bigger than anything that Thomas had seen. Buildings were jammed into every possible corner, roads were clogged with cars and lorries, and sidewalks were crowded onto wide sidewalks. Even the electric commuter trains that flew by on the mainline portion of Thomas's journey were filled to capacity. Thomas had never seen so many people in one location.

Thomas reached the junction to the transfer yard. He had to back into the yard, because the switch was facing the opposite direction. He left his cars on an unloading siding, and picked up a cut of new cars on another track. Then, he set off back to the main yard.

"So far, so good," he said, as the points were switched onto the mainline. "No incidents so far and we're running right on time." But Thomas was wrong. Not far from the start of the connecting line to the yard was an area of homes that was tightly packed together. There was only enough room to squeeze the rail line with a narrow road. As Thomas entered this stretch of street trackage, he could spot a pair of teens, one raven-haired boy and one redhead girl, exit a home on the right side of the line.

"Peep peep! Watch out! Train coming through!" The girl appeared to be startled by Thomas's whistled. As she turned to see where the whistle sound had come from, she tripped over one of the rails, and fell to the ground. The girl was now lying over the tracks, with Thomas the Tank Engine rushing towards her.

"BRAKES, SAKOTO! BRAKES!" Thomas cried. Sakoto hastily shut off steam and applied the brakes, but Thomas was still going much too fast to stop in time. He shut his eyes, and prepared for the unimaginable. Something smushed and crunched all over his wheels as he stopped, all but certain sealing the fate of the girl.

"Kaede! Are you all right?-!" Thomas opened his eyes. He couldn't see behind him, nor could he understand the language that they were speaking in, but he could hear the two teens. Meaning that Thomas wasn't involved in a fatal tragedy. So…

"What's that sticky substance on my wheels?" he wondered.

"I'm guessing some once-pleasantly prepared sushi, Thomas," Sakoto answered. Kaede, the girl, followed Sakoto's gaze, and gasped at what she saw.

"Oh no! Rin! Our lunches!" Thomas's lead wheels were covered in bits of food and liquid, and a pair of lunchboxes were lying on the ground not far away, smashed and tattered beyond use.

"It's a lot better than if it was you or me under there," the boy (Rin) stated. The two then walked to the front of the train, and faced Thomas.

"I'm sorry if we caused you any anxiety or panic," he apologized (To Thomas's delight, in English).

"Not at all!" Thomas replied. "It wasn't like I was expecting you two to be in the middle of the road. Just watch out for trains next time, okay?"

"Sure thing. My name is Rin Tsuchimi, and this girl is Kaede Fuyou, my childhood friend." The two bowed at Thomas.

"Nice to meet you," Kaede said.

"Likewise," Thomas replied. "I'm Thomas the Tank Engine. Please tell me that you've heard of something remotely similar to that." The two teens thought hard.

"Sorry," Rin apologized. "I can't say I have."

"Neither can I," Kaede said likewise.

"Bother!" Thomas snapped, and angrily wheeshed steam. The two teens laughed. Rin checked his watch, and nearly gasped when he did.

"Aw, shoot!" he gasped. "We're going to be late for homeroom if we don't step on it!" Kaede was equally surprised.

"Ah! And I need to make a new lunch for you, Rin!"

"Nadeshiko-sensei's definitely going to make us do thirty laps around the track with a tire as punishment," Rin contemplated. It was then that Sakoto stepped out of Thomas's cab.

"Maybe not," she said. "Where do you two attend school?"

"The National Verbena Academy in the Kawasaki ward," Rin replied. Sakoto smiled.

"Then you're in luck! Our line happens to pass right next to the Academy! If you don't mind the coal dust and the cramped conditions, we can offer you a lift. That is, If Thomas is okay with it."

"I don't mind at all," Thomas said. "Anything to repay for your damaged lunches."

"And anything to get to school on time," Rin stated. With that agreed on, Kaede went into their house to make new lunches, emerging with them a few minutes later. She and Rin then climbed into Thomas's cab.

"All set?" Sakoto asked, to which the two nodded. She then released the train's brakes, and pulled the throttle open. "Go to it, Thomas!"

"Come along! Come along!" Thomas sang to the cars.

"We're coming along! We're coming along!" the cars sang back.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" The journey to the Academy wasn't a long one, as Rin and Kaede lived fifteen minutes away from the school when they walked. Soon enough, Thomas was slowing down as they arrived at the entrance to the Academy. Rin and Kaede were already out of Thomas's cab before he stopped.

"Thanks for the ride!" Rin hollered back, as he and Kaede ran into the school just as the bell rang. Kaede waved at Thomas as well.

"Looks like they made it in time," Sakoto sighed, wiping her brow. "I'm amazed that you can accelerate that quickly."

"Well, when you race Bertie the Bus enough times, you learn to be able to kick things up a gear, if you know what I mean," Thomas boasted.

"Who's Bertie the Bus?" his driver asked. Thomas groaned.

"You've never been to the Island of Sodor either, have you?" And so, for the rest of the day, starting with his great race with Bertie, Thomas told Sakoto all about the Island of Sodor, and all the engines that lived on its various railways. The work passed by quickly in this manner, and before long, night had fallen, and Thomas was in the sheds with Aiko, as Sakoto finished putting out Thomas's fire. The sheds were about the same size as the ones in Tidmouth, with eight stalls. At the present moment, only Thomas and Aiko occupied any tracks.

"It was nice working with you," Thomas said, as Sakoto's feet touched the firm ground of the shed.

"Likewise," she replied. "Thanks to you, I feel like I know enough about Sodor to convince people that I've actually been there!"

"Unfortunately, we can't say that Thomas is going to be going back anytime soon," a voice called from the shed's doors.

"Mr. Soroi!" Aiko and Sakoto said in surprise. Thomas was surprised for a different reason.

"Rin? Kaede?" The two teens bracketed Mr. Soroi on either side. Rin was holding a pair of buckets, while Kaede held several towels in her hands.

"Thomas, I just finished calling Sir Topham Hatt just now," Mr. Soroi said. "He's confirmed with me that my engine is still on Sodor. However, just before he was to leave for Tokyo, there was a massive volcanic eruption, and all flights to and from western Europe are cancelled. For all intents and purposes, Thomas, you're stuck here."

"But what about Vancouver?" Thomas asked.

"It would be too much to schedule a new flight on such short notice. So for now, I must ask you to work on my railway. I do need the strength of another engine at the moment." Thomas looked at Rin and Kaede, then Sakoto, before looking back at Mr. Soroi.

"I'd love to," he replied. "With all the friends I've made today, I think that this is the only other place I'd work besides Sodor."

"Excellent!" Mr. Soroi smiled. Aiko groaned. "Now, I ran into these fing young children on my way here. They said that they want to give you their thanks for today…"

"…In the form of a washdown," Kaede finished.

"Kaede and I felt that we were at fault for the near-accident," Rin explained, "so we decided that to truly be on equal terms, we should give you a proper bath." Thomas felt embarrassed.

"Don't worry!" he told them. "You don't owe me-!"

"I was thinking of giving Thomas a washdown myself!" Sakoto interjected. "I'll go get a hose!" Before Thomas could argue, Sakoto was gone.

"We looked you up when we were finished with school," Rin said to Thomas. "I can't believe we're friends with one of Europe's most famous engines."

"It's an honor for Japan to be hosting theonly Thomas the Tank Engine!" Kaede stated.

"Indeed," Mr. Soroi nodded. Akio snorted.

"Great!" she huffed crossly. "First we had a squatter from England, and now a celebrity square wheels?-!" Thomas glanced at her.

"Be careful what you say about square wheels," he warned her. "I know someone who had them, and I've gotta tell you that Henry was not giving high praise to them afterwards."

"Oh, whatever!" Just then, Sakoto came back, holding a hose in her right hand.

"Alright!" she cheered. "Let's get this party started!" She turned on the hose – and accidentally soaked Rin's shirt to the bone!"

"Hey!" he groaned. "I thought Thomas was getting the bath, not me!" Everybody laughed, including Thomas. He now was very happy that he had travelled for Sir Topham Hatt. If he hadn't, Thomas would never had met any of the people in Tokyo that he can now call his friends.

---

Thomas and Primula

The next day came much too early for Thomas. The washdown that he was supposed to get from Rin and Kaede turned into a sort of water war between the two and Sakoto and Mr. Soroi, with the former pair emerging victorious. Thomas yawned as the firelighter lit Thomas's fire, and moved him outside of the sheds into the early morning light. His freshly-cleaned paint glistened in the sun, and the reflection from Thomas's brass caused Aiko to squint.

"Ah! Hey, firelighter! Move our squatter back a bit more! I'm going blind here!" So the firelighter moved Thomas back a bit. "That's better, thanks!"

"Squatter?" Thomas balked. "What makes you say that? I was shipped here by accident, after all!"

"How many guests get a comprehensive washdown on their first day here?" she retorted.

"You're only jealous because you were pulling coal trucks all day!" Thomas shot back. In contrast to Thomas's shine, Aiko's black paint was covered in grime and coal dust. Before the argument could escalate any further, Sakoto announced her arrival with a somewhat sleepy yawn.

"Ohayou,Thomas!" she greeted. "We've got to bring another train over to the transfer yards, so let's get started right away."

"Yes ma'am!" Thomas replied. He wanted to get out early as well, but for two entirely different reasons. He met up with both of them outside the National Verbena Academy.

"Peep! Peep! Good morning, Rin and Kaede!"

"Konichiwa, Thomas!" they both replied.

"Conitchiwar?" Thomas asked confused. "I thought you greeted people here with ohayou?" Rin smiled.

"You do. Both words are used as a greeting."

"So it's like saying 'Hello,' and 'Good morning?'" Thomas asked.

"Hai," Kaede answered. Thomas looked at her in bewilderment.

"…yes," Sakoto finally translated.

"You're teaching me Japanese when we get back to the sheds," Thomas stated. Rin chuckled, then nearly fell to the ground as something slapped his back with tremendous force.

"Gah! Asa?-!"

"Hello, Rin!" a peppy voice said from behind him. It belonged to a girl with short bright green hair and one of the bigger smiles that Thomas had ever seen.

"G-good morning, Asa," Kaede greeted.

"Hi, Kaede! What are you and Rin doing here, and why are you talking to a steam engine?"

"More importantly, are you sure you didn't kill Rin there?" Thomas asked.

"Nope! I do that all the time to him!" Thomas was lucky that he didn't have to endure that on a daily basis. If Emily biffed him every time she saw him…

"A-anyway," Rin said, as he got up, "Asa, this Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas, this is Asa Shigure. I've known her for four years, but she's a semapi, a student older than me and Kaede." The green haired girl eyed Thomas.

"So you're Thomas? I was wondering why Rin asked me to look up an engine by that name yesterday, but since you guys know each other, it makes perfect sense. Nice to meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Thomas said. "I'd love to talk to you guys more, but I'm needed at the transfer yards now, and I'm sure that you guys need to get to class."

"Okay," Rin nodded.

"Come see us soon!" Kaede added, as Thomas departed for the yards.

"How can a train see you soon?" Asa wondered. "They're fixed to where their tracks go." Meanwhile, Thomas reached the curve that led to the stretch of street trackage by Kaede's house. Since nobody was on the street, Thomas could look at his surroundings more than the last time. He noticed a pair of estates that bracketed the small home on either side. The one to the right had an ornate, Asian feel to it, while the one on the left was in the style of a western home, complete with brick walls and an iron gate. The strangest thing Thomas noticed, however, was that the two houses each took up the same amount of land as four of Rin and Kaede's household.

"So which ordinance allowed those two mansions to be built?" Thomas wondered.

"Good question," Sakoto replied. "The two homes only appeared a few days before you arrived, Thomas. One day, eight ordinary families were living there, but the next, these two properties are plopped down in the same place. It happened so fast, that the local kids call these two places 'The Magic Houses.'"

"Who lives in them?"

"Nobody knows, although I heard that they were recently moved into." Thomas pondered this, as he chuffed away.

The National Verbena Academy is not a school with tradition. It was only completed a few years ago, but it was quickly establishing itself as the premier high school in the Kawasaki ward. Its modern facilities and high standards of teaching attract students from all over Japan and beyond to wear the brown and white shirts or blouses of the Academy. At the present moment, two of its students were walking into their classroom, when…

"Good morning, Kaede!" A vibrant glasses-wearing boy with light brown hair exclaimed as he attempted to hug the aforementioned Kaede.

"Good morning, Itsuki," Rin muffled, as he intercepted the boy's hug. Itsuki groaned,

"Rin…get out of my face…" He did a bone-cracking bear hug before letting Rin go.

"Honestly, Itsuki, will you give it up already?" Rin groaned. "I'm getting tired of being hugged by you every day!"

"Hey!" Itsuki interjected. "I'm sick of hugging you every day too!"

"E-er, good morning, Itsuki…" Kaede meekly interrupted. Itsuki regained his former cheeriness.

"Good morning, Kaede! Your beauty is a crime. May I arrest you?"

"That is the coldest pickup line I've ever heard," a new voice deadpanned. It came from a girl who had grey hair, and a mix of one res eye, and one blue eye.

"Those words are suitable for my sweet look, Mayumi," Itsuki told the girl. "I'd say something sweet to you too if your breasts weren't a washboard." Oddly enough, the girl didn't seem annoyed by the truth. Instead, she stuck out her said chest and put on a snobby smile.

"I will definitely, clearly, and vividly refuse that, thank you!Besides, I'm a special commodity. Having smaller than average breasts means that I'm very special!"

"Good morning, Mayumi," Kaede greeted.

"Seeing that you're in a good mood means that you've hit a new scoop," Rin guessed. Mayumi nodded.

"We're definitely chaining Itsuki up so that he doesn't get close to the new transfer students," she said. Itsuki put on a face, but the heterochromatic girl ignored him. "They're both transferring into our class, and they're arriving tomorrow. They're both of different races again, which of the three I do not know."

"It seems strange," Rin noted, ignoring Itsuki's maniacal laughter in the background. "First we have the two Magic Houses appear, and now we have two transfer students arriving at the same time, and in the same class."

"It is odd…" Mayumi muttered.

"Perhaps they both have a crush on someone in our class," Kaede suggested, "and persuaded the administration into placing them here." Rin and Mayumi shook their heads.

"It's not like we're playing a visual novel or something," Mayumi stated.

"Yeah Kaede," Rin agreed. "That sort of situation only happens in – Itsuki, you're grinning like an idiot, so what is it?" Rin's classmate stopped laughing, but still kept his smirk.

"It's easy!" he answered. "I'm excited because the fact that you want me to stay away from them means that either one or both of them is a girl! Encountering a new lady is always full of joy and happiness!"

"For the smartest person in the class, you are the dumbest, most idiotic human being that I know," Mayumi muttered. Kaede nervously grinned.

"My instinct tells me that at least one of them is going to be a top-class lady!" Itsuki continued.

"What instinct?-!" Rin demanded. Before he could get an answer, the door to the classroom opened, and a young woman with long black hair stepped into the room. She was not wearing a school uniform.

"It's time for homeroom, guys!" she yelled. "Butts in seats!" With that, everyone scurried to their proper seats. "Let's see…everyone's here, that's good…Tsuchime!"

"Here, Nadeshiko-sensei!" Rin stated.

"Come with me. We need to talk." Rin was confused, but he followed the teacher out of the room, and into the hallway.

"Is there a problem with my last test?" he nervously asked.

"Yes," Nadeshiko admitted, "but that's for another time and place. Let's see…by chance, do you remember meeting any girls who were of different races when you were little?" Rin was confused.

"Huh? Nadeshiko-sensei, I didn't even understand the concept of the different races back then. If I did meet one, I most certainly would not remember it." Nadeshiko sighed.

"What can you do…?" Thomas whistled in the background as he passed the school, but Rin didn't register the thought.

"Is there something going on?" Rin asked. Nadeshiko put on a serious face.

"Depending on how you view the situation, it might. I've never heard of anything like this outside of fiction." She placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "All I can say is GOOD LUCK! A love affair is hard enough to handle, but three is over most of our heads. I'll support you in any decision that you make. Be strong!" Before Rin could give an answer, Nadeshiko walked back into the classroom, leaving Rin to stare blankly down the hallway.

"Maybe Kaede was right…?" he pondered. "Best not to tell Mayumi or Itsuki…" Meanwhile, Thomas arrived at the main yards, which were only a few minutes' walk from the Academy. Sakoto hopped down and uncoupled the cars from Thomas's train, and then powered Thomas to the fueling plant. Mr. Soroi was waiting for them.

"I have a brand new engine waiting for me at the Kitasura Works," he told the pair. "Aiko's away on another coal run, so I want you to fetch her for me. I also need you to drop off a load of parts for the plant, and pick up a load of chains that need to be delivered to the transfer yard."

"Yes sir!" they said, and quickly set off for work. It took only a few minutes to round up the cars that were needed for delivery. Thomas shunted the brakevan into place, then ran around to the front of the train. As he did so, he spotted a small girl that was standing not far from the tracks. She had short purple hair that was tied up into two pigtails, and wore a black turtleneck and a black and white plaid skirt. She was holding an old black stuffed cat in her hands, with the white stuffing visible against the felt fur. Curiously, however, her ears narrowed down in such a way that they were pointed, rather than rounded off. She stared at Thomas with an emotionless expression until she recognized that he was staring at her, and then turned around and walked away.

'I wonder who that was,' he thought, as he was coupled up to the train. The line north out of the yard was exclusively used by the Kanto railway. It consists of two tracks that traverse a series of bridges and tunnels that skirt the Tokyo Bay. A few spur lines branch off at some points, but it's primarily a straight shot. After the last bridge, Thomas reached a junction. He followed the points, which led to the left track, and headed off across more waterways. The line soon plunged into the city on an elevation, before opening up on a flat plateau where a few large buildings were. This was the Kitsaru Works.

Thomas looked around. There were some yard tracks that were open, but most of them held flatbeds that were loaded with long, covered objects and small tenders, reminding Thomas of a certain incident involving boiler sludge. The main plant looked similar to the Sodor Steamworks, except that there was no transfer table, and it appeared to cater to steam engines, diesels, coaches, and cars alike. A blue six-wheeled saddle-tank engine chuffed out of the building. He and Thomas were both surprised to see each other.

"Thomas?" the engine asked. "Is that you? What are you doing in Tokyo?"

"I could say the same for you, Wilbert!" Thomas replied. "I got here by accident, but I'm sure the Forest of Dean wouldn't have the same thing happen to you."

"You're right on that," Wilbert replied. "I needed repairs, but my line had no room in the shops to do so. Rather than leave me to rust on the sidings, they decided to lease me to the works here. In exchange for giving me an overhaul and a new boiler ticket, I'm to work here until the repair's paid off in lease payments."

"And how long's that?" Thomas wondered.

"Oh, not much longer. By next week, I should be home. Whenever that volcano stops erupting, that is. Anyway, what can I do for you, Thomas?"

"I've got some engine parts for you, and I'm supposed to pick up some chains and an engine." Wilbert understood instantly.

"Right away!" He was about to leave when Thomas called him to stop.

"Wait, hold on! How long have you been in Tokyo?"

"Eh?" Wilbert thought about this. "Let's see…I 've been working here for six months, and was under repair-"

"Good enough. I saw a girl just before with curious ears. They were pointed, not rounded."

"How long were they?" Thomas blinked. "Well, if they're long, she's a god. If she's got longer ears, then you saw a devil." The blue tank engine was still perplexed.

"You're not making any sense," he stated. "How can there be gods or devils in the world? Last I heard, you could only find them in mythology or religion!"

"I don't really know anything more about them," Wilbert admitted. "Beyond that, no one has given me anything more on the matter." Sakoto stepped out of Thomas's cab, and walked up to face the two engines.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about them," she told them. "The gods and devils haven't migrated very far out of Japan ever since Kamion."

"Kamion?" Wilbert inquired.

"It means the opening of the gate, though we simply call it the gate-opening nowadays in English. Do you happen to remember any sort of earth tremor ten years ago?" Thomas and Wilbert thought hard.

"Yes," Thomas answered. "I was taking the first morning train up the branchline to Ffarquarh when everything started to shake violently. I remember hearing Percy and James's shrieking cries of panic while it was shaking, but when everything stopped, we realized that not even a daisy was pushed over." He paused. "It was like we only perceived the earthquake in our minds, instead of it actually being there."

"It was there," Sakoto assured him, "but it was nothing like anyone ever experienced in their lifetimes. When it stopped, Japan was littered with portals that connected both the realms of the gods and the realms of the devils to our world. It was truly amazing. For the first time, humankind was no longer alone in this universe, and magic and alchemy were not limited to the realms of fiction."

"Hold on," Wilbert interrupted. "Why only ten years ago? I have seen a lot of gods and devils who are much older than ten years."

"That's because there were much smaller openings that led up to Kamion," she explained. "That's how we have many mixed strained people in the world. Anyway, three years after Kamion, the gates had to be closed. The fact that we don't have any magic in this world meant that there was a serious imbalance in the other two realms. They were able to stabilize the links last winter, but that was only a temporary fix. We're still looking for a way to safely link the three worlds for good." Finished with her explanation, she walked back to Thomas's cab. "Anyway, we've got to turn around on the turntable over there to head back to the yard."

"I can run just as well forwards or backwards, you know," Thomas pointed out.

"We're going to have to travel on the commuter lines later," she said. "They forbid us to operate an engine tender or bunker-first."

"Seems a bit strange," he muttered, as he went on the turntable. While he waited, he took a glance at the new engine. She was painted black, just like Aiko, but the engine had a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement. She also looked much friendlier than Aiko.

"Hello!" Thomas said to the new engine, as he backed down onto the train. "I'm Thomas. Who are you?"

"I'm Kaiyo," the engine replied. "Are you one of the engines that Mr. Soroi bought from America?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Thomas replied. "I'm here by mistake until your actual engine arrives." Thomas was coupled up, and was about to depart, when Wilbert puffed up alongside.

"The manager just got off the phone with the track boss," he told the engine. "There have been reports all over the railway that a little purple-haired girl has been seen walking the tracks around the bridges nearby. Take care as you go by."

"We'll see if we can get her off of the lines as well," Sakoto promised.

"It was nice seeing you again, Wilbert!" Thomas said, as he departed for the main yards.

"Same here!" Wilbert called out. "See you soon!" As he said this, he felt droplets of water splash against his boiler.

"Oh dear," he muttered. "I hope Thomas will be all right." By the time Thomas had reached the junction with the eastern main line, those droplets of water became torrents of rain that blinded his eyes. Sakoto was having trouble seeing ahead as well, so she had Thomas run very slowly down the line.

"Once again, the weatherman was wrong about there being sunny skies today," she sighed. Something suddenly caught her eye on the tracks ahead. They were approaching a bridge, and it appeared that someone was standing on the tracks.

"Hey!" she yelled, and pulled Thomas's whistle cord. The person appeared to be startled by Thomas's whistle. As the person turned to see what was the source of the whistle, the person slipped on the wet rails, going head-first towards the side of the bridge. With the rain letting up, the only thing Thomas could see was a flash of purple and a body falling off the side of the bridge, and into the channel below.

"Cinders and ashes!" Thomas cried. "Stop! Stop!" Even as he was saying this, he could feel his brakes coming on, as Sakoto brought him to as stop just before the bridge. The driver jumped out, and looked into the water. The person was staying afloat, but because of vertical concrete walls, there was no chance of the person climbing out by him or herself.

"What are we going to do?" Thomas cried. "We can't leave her here, and the person might drown by the time help arrives!" Just then, Kayio remembered that she wasn't the only load on Thomas's train.

"What about the chains in the cars?" she asked. "If we hook up a long chain to Thomas, and tie the other end to-"

"-me, yes!" Sakoto caught on. "It might just work!" She and the fireman got out and retrieved a long chain from one of the cars. The chain clattered as it was dragged along the ground. Sakoto wrapped one end around her waist, while the fireman attached the other end onto Thomas's front coupling.

"When I wave back at you, back Thomas up!" Sakoto told the fireman. She then took hold of the slack of the chain, and began her descent down the side of the channel. By feeding only a little of the chain, she was able to control her descent down to the water level. The chain lost all slack just as she reached the water.

"Hey!" she called out to the person. "Over here!" The person spotted Sakoto, and swam over to her. Once the person was safely in her arms, Sakoto waved up to the fireman. The fireman then went inside Thomas's cab, set the reverser, and began to back the train up. Inch by inch, Sakoto and the person were brought up from the river, while Thomas pushed hard against the heavy train.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Thomas huffed.

"You can do it! You can do it!" Kayio cheered on. After a few tense minutes, the fireman shut off steam. Sakoto was back on dry land, along with the person whom she rescued. The person was a girl with purple hair that was very familiar to Thomas.

"Was this the person who you saw earlier, Thomas?" Sakoto inquired. Sure enough, the person they had rescued was the same, emotionless girl that he saw in the yards.

"Yes," he replied. "But where's your cat, little girl?" Before he even got an answer, Sakoto walked back towards the bridge. A few feet away from the spot where the girl had fallen off was the stuffed cat, which was soaked to the bone with water. By the time she returned with the cat, the sudden shower that had caused this entire mess what ceased, and the sun began to shine once again. The driver gave the stuffed cat back to the girl.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" she asked.

"…Primula…" It was as faint as a mouse's footfall, and as soft as a harp, but the girl did speak.

"A lovely name, Primula," she continued. "I must ask you, why were you walking on the tracks? It's dangerous to walk on private property where Thomas and his friends on the railway run." Thomas had a theory.

"You said that gods or devils come from other worlds. Maybe there is no equivalent to a railway there? After all, if you don't know what something is like, then you can't know if it is dangerous or not, right?" Primula nodded, and Sakoto gave a sheepish apology to the little girl.

"My bad," she admitted. "Just remember not to walk on the tracks like you did before, okay?" Primula nodded. "Good! Now with that settled and out of the way, let's bring you back with us to the sheds. It's not safe to be wandering in this area to begin with, and your parents are probably worried sick." Primula didn't respond. She merely stared at Thomas.

"I think…she might not have any…" Thomas slowly realized. While this going on, Rin, who had finished his day's work at school, was at the local supermarket, picking up groceries that were needed back at Kaede's house. Fortunately for him, the store was not very crowded, so he had an easy time finding what he needed, which, at the present moment, was milk. He picked up a gallon of milk, and placed it in his shopping bag.

"I know Kaede tells me not to worry about shopping and all," he said to himself, "but as a freeloader, I have to help out somehow, don't I?" He paused, mentally going over what he could get.

"Hmmm…maybe some meat would be good…" Rin walked into the meat department. Immediately, he saw the only other person in that area – a god with long, reddish-brown hair and a pink sleeveless dress. She was staring intently at two packages of meat, a large package and a smaller package. Rin couldn't help but overhear the girl talking to herself as he passed her by.

"…when I calculate the price, this one is cheaper per gram…but this one is just cheaper…maybe this one is a better buy. After all, dad eats a ton of this…but we could try this – no. If we did, the I would have just bought it at the last store-!" The girl noticed Rin's presence. She spun around, and cast her bright yellow eyes on Rin.

"Hey, Rin! Can you help me please?"

"Sure," the boy answered. "What's the matter?"

"Well, I've narrowed it down to these two choices," she explained. "However, I have a dad who really likes to eat a lot, so I'm not sure which is better: two smaller packs, or one larger pack? Savings or quantity? Please choose! I'm in full panic mode!" Rin thought over the choices for a few seconds.

"Well…if he eats as much as you lead me to believe…then perhaps two would be able to satisfy your dad…" The girl beamed.

"You think so?" she asked. "Well…he does eat a lot, after all…" she placed two packages in her shopping basket. "Thanks, Rin! Now I'll be able to make the bargain sale at the pharmacy in time!" Before Rin could say anything else, the girl scurried away.

"You're welcome…" he called out, but she was already out of earshot. "To think someone has as much energy as Asa…"

Somewhere in the store, Rin thought he heard a sneeze, and then a high pitched voice, but he dismissed the thought. He finished getting what he needed, paid for it at the register, and set off for Kaede's house. All in all, he had three bags carried in his hands, each of which was straining at the seam with food and drink.

"With this, I don't think we'll need to go shopping for a while," he mused. "I'll just tell Kaede that I had to get something else at the store for myself. That way, she'll only be able to accept these groceries. I'll also fold the bags for her. That and carrying the heavy bags are about the only things I have more confidence in doing than Kaede…" He was going to say something more when a beautiful, clear voice pierced through the air like a feather.

'Singing?' he wondered. 'In the park?' Rin walked a bit further. At the corner where the street Rin was on and the street where his house was located much further down, was a small park. It could hardly be called a park, however; it only consisted of a swing set, jungle bars, and a sandbox. On the swings was another girl. She had long, blue hair and wore a yellow dress with black lacing. A black ribbon was tied into her hair, and she pushed back and forth on the swing, singing the beautiful melody that Rin was hearing.

'Thissongmakestheears…no,mywholebody...solooseandrelaxed.' He carefully place his bags down, closed his eyes, and listened to the soft song that the girl was singing. 'It'sjustasbeautifulasitssinger…'

"Ah…" Rin opened his eyes, finding the girl's red, upward eyes staring right back at him. She had stopped singing, and instead was blushing in embarrassment. It was at this time that Rin noticed her ears: Long, but longer than the god that he encountered in the supermarket, meaning that this girl was a Devil.

"Erm…I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Rin was equally embarrassed, and he bowed in apology.

"N…no, not at all," she replies in a voice as gentle as the clouds. "Please, don't worry about it." Rin looked away, going red in the face by just hearing her voice.

"Y-you're very good at singing…" he told her. The girl simply shook her head.

"No, there are a lot more people that are better than me. I thought I was alone, so I do feel embarrassed at the moment…" She got off the swing. "I'm sorry, but I must be going."

"Oh…" Rin replied. "I'm sorry for interrupting you…"

"No," the girl told him. "Our time speaking may have been brief, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope we can speak again soon, Rin."

"Sure," Rin said. "If it's possible, I'd like to hear your singing again." The devil began to walk away, a slightly downcast look in her eyes.

"Maybe…if there's a chance…" the girl rounded a corner, and disappeared from Rin's line of sight.

"I must be very lucky," Rin stated. "Seeing two very beautiful young women from different strains in the same day is not a common...wait…." A sudden thought occurred to him.

"When did I tell those two my name?"

That night, Thomas and Aiko waited in the sheds with Primula. Kayio backed into the sheds, having completed her first day back at work.

"It's been so long since I stretched my wheels," she sighed. "A good day's work has never felt any better at any point of my life than it does now!"

"Just wait until the drudgery of everyday work sets in," Aiko groaned. "Then tell me how your wheels feel." Sakoto walked into the sheds.

"So what did Mr. Soroi say?" Thomas asked her.

"He said that Primula's welcomed to stay for the next few days," she told him. "But she can't live in the sheds forever. We'll have to find someone that is willing to take her in."

"Primula, is there a reason why you are here in Tokyo?" Kayio asked. Primula looked at her.

"…I came to find Rin…" These words were immediately picked up by Thomas and Sakoto.

"Rin?-!" Thomas gasped. Primula turned to Thomas.

"You know Rin?" she asked. Sakoto shook her head.

"We know A Rin," she explained, "but whether or not he's THE Rin that you're looking for is another matter in itself. Anyway, it's time for you to go to bed. A young girl such as yourself needs to have an early bedtime."

"…I'm 16…"

"…You were wet and cold, so you wouldn't want to catch a cold, right?" Sakoto recovered from the initial shock, and led Primula into the worker's quarters behind the shed, leaving Thomas and the others to mull the information that they just heard.

---

The Prince of Three Worlds

"We're running out of sunny days," Aiko noted the next morning. The sun was shining, and the three engines were sizzling nicely as they awaited their first orders of the day. "It's almost the rainy season, and I wouldn't mind if a certain blue engine was left out in the cold from here on out." Thomas simply looked away.

"As could I!" he snapped. "How is it that such a fussy tender engine such as yourself obtain a job on this railway anyway?"

"It's all thanks to Mr. Soroi," Kayio explained, trying to mediate between the two. "We were all once part of the mainline fleet until the 1970s, when the electric and diesel engines took over. Personally, I thought I was going to be cut up for scrap, like so many of my sisters before me. That's when Mr. Soroi bought us up. He didn't have a railway for us to run on, as they were all owned by the government, but he promised to get us work wherever he could give it to us. There were a total of six of us, and while we rarely worked on the same lines, there was a definite bond between us. Not that Aiko's likely to admit it."

"Don't answer back, don't answer back, DON'T answer back…" Aiko muttered.

"Where did you guys work?" Thomas asked.

"All over the globe," Kayio answered. "From heritage lines here, to the ore runs in Australia and Africa, even to exotic India for a spell. If it had 3ft 6inches between the rails, we were there."

"So how did you guys end up here?" Thomas wondered.

"After the gates between the worlds closed, Tokyo became a boon for tech and heavy industry. Being the main concentration behind the gates between the worlds, it was also the principal area on Earth where they tried to fix the magic problems that plagued the other two worlds. However, the transportation network couldn't handle the influx of goods. As the system was designed for people moving and not freight traffic, the roads got clogged with trucks, while the railway was unable to handle much traffic at all.

"And that's where the Kanto Railway comes in. By having a wider, dedicated freight railroad that has access to most of the city, we take most of the trucks off the road, while avoiding a burden on the main network. Plus, the wider gauge means that we can carry bigger and heavier loads. Other engines were brought in while we were overhauled and regauged for your width, and some legal work needed to be done with the Keisei and Seibu lines, which run the electric trains on most of our routes. But we were able to open up service with Aiko in time for the reopening of the gates."

"And since then," a voice yawned, "I've barely gotten a week's worth of vacation!" It was Sakoto, who was already dressed in her railway uniform.

"Good morning, Sakoto!" Thomas peeped. "How was Primula?"

"A very sound sleeper," she told him. "Mr. Soroi's taking her to Tokyo Disneyland so she can experience a bit of fun in this world. She seems so bent on finding 'Rin' that I think it's messed up her little brain."

"Maybe it's the Rin that we know?" Thomas suggested. Sakoto climbed into his cab.

"You'll have a chance to find out in a bit. We're taking another transfer train down the line." Thomas steamed off to collect his cars, and was soon steaming nicely down the line. This time, he met with Rin and Kaede halfway to the school. Sakoto shut off steam and eased Thomas to a stop not too far from the small playground.

"Good morning, my friends!" Thomas said to them. He then noticed Rin's face, which wore an expression of confusion. "Something on your mind, Rin?"

"He's been like that all morning," Kaede explained. "I think it's something about the transfer students."

"Huh?"

"We're having two new students transferring into our class apparently, and the school's been up in a flurry over them. Normally, Rin doesn't take much interest in them…"

"To think that we'll have three beautiful goddesses in our class…" Rin muttered. "…No, it's too much of a coincidence…"

"I see where you're trying to lead me," Thomas said.

"Speaking of transfers," Sakoto stepped in, "did you hear the evening news last night?"

"U-uh, no," Kaede answered.

"Something the matter?" Thomas asked her.

"The complete opposite!" the green-haired driver stated. "Apparently, the Kings of both the realm of the Gods and the realm of the Devils moved to Tokyo last night!" Rin suddenly perked his head. Even though he was mulling over a certain fantasy, a person such as the ruler of a planet does command a lot of attention.

"Is it for some sort of goodwill gesture?" he asked. Sakoto shook her head.

"No. From what they were reporting, it has something to do with their respective daughters, the princesses of both worlds." Rin froze, the color draining out of his face. Neither Thomas or Kaede noticed.

"Some kings they are," Thomas noted, "letting their daughters boss them around like that."

"Don't say such things, Thomas!" Kaede scolded. "My friend Mayumi said that the two Kings apparently weren't treated that well by their respective fathers, so they always strive to give them the best childhood that their daughters wish to have."

"In Tokyo?" Thomas doubted. "Did they say anything else, Sakoto?"

"Aside from the King of the Gods threatening reporters with 'I'll personally see to it that your supervisors are left without a headquarters building if you paparazzi try to coax any more information out of us, our daughters, or their friends without us approving an interview,' then no." Thomas shuddered.

"I hope I never have to see him on his bad side. Anyway, can I ask you something, Rin?" The raven-haired boy returned to the living.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Primula?" Rin cocked his head.

"Um…no, can't say I have. Why?"

"Er…it's nothing important. Anyway, it was nice seeing you again. Goodbye!" Thomas puffed off to the transfer yard. Later, when Kaede told Mayumi about the conversation in class, the heterochromatic girl began to form her own conclusions.

"If what Thomas said is true, then they might be who are living in the Magic houses that surround yours," she theorized. "Think of it, Rin: you might be surrounded by beauties even outside your home." Rin shied away from this idea.

"Ah, no thanks," he replied. "Anyway, where are all the boys?" The classroom was about half-empty, with Rin being the lone male representative in the classroom. Mayumi groaned.

"Did you forget who's coming to class today? The transfer students are in the teacher's lounge. Better yet, Itsuki's instinct was understating the results."

"You mean his babbling about the top-class lady stuff was right?" Rin asked.

"More like top-class ladies," she corrected. "They look like teenage supermodels! The entire boy's population in the school is jammed in the hallway around the lounge. I even heard that a few of them got trampled in a stampede to get to the doorway…a few of them went to the hospital."

"I understand," Rin said.

"Why aren't you there, Mayumi?" Kaede inquired. "Usually you'd be running to the scene with your camera." Mayumi smiled triumphantly as she took out a digital camera.

"I took pictures of them a long time ago," she explained. "Wanna see, Rin?" Rin resisted the urge to look, and went over to his seat.

"No thank you. Homeroom's going to start soon, and unlike the rest of the boys, I'd rather save the surprise for the introduction."

"Ho-ho!" Mayumi chuckled. "I almost chastised you for not acting like a man, but I guess when you're taken care of by a beautiful woman, you don't have to settle for any other girl."

"I've heard that tease so much, that I'm not even going to respond to it."

"Bleah!" Mayumi merely stuck out her tongue at her friend. Kaede blushed.

"M-Mayumi!" Kaede stuttered. "You know that I take care of him because I want to!"

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Tsuchimi. Anyway, be careful, Rin. There's going to be some trouble ahead." Before either Kaede or Rin could respond, the loud thuds of footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Soon, the boys, led by Itsuki, marched into the classroom and took their seats, followed by Nadeshiko. She took out the attendance list, and marks off the absentees. Not surprisingly, the boys have a perfect attendance.

"Everyone, butts in seats," she ordered sternly, "ESPECIALLY if you're a boy! It's not like I don't understand how you feel, so I'll let it slide this time. HOWEVER, if I catch you guys out there again, it's thirty laps carrying a bowling bag AND a yellow card! Got that?"

"YES MA'MAN!-!" It seemed like the boys didn't care what she said. Nadeshiko sighed. Rin, who sat by a window, had to bear the brunt of Mayumi, who sat behind him, hissing at Itsuki, who sat in front of him.

"Can you get a grip, moron?-!"

"No, I can't! The first impression a guy makes to a girl is crucial!"

"Whatever, be a freak."

"Since it looks like you guys are about to explode, I'll save the suspense." She turns to the door. "Come on in, you guys." The door opened, and the guys gave a standing ovation. A firecracker popped out of nowhere, and confetti began falling from the ceiling. It should be noted that Rin, who was lazily staring out the window, was not part of the standing ovation.

"AHAHAHAHA!-! The schools of the human worlds are very interesting places indeed!"

"You're right! With all of these beautiful young ladies in the room, it's as if I've become young again!"

Rin's attention was drawn to the two, distinct, MALE voices at the front of the room. You could hear a pin drop as everyone saw two middle-aged men step into the room. One was a god who had two short horns on his head and wore a traditional blue kimino, while the other was a red-eyed devil with waist-length grey hair and wore a black turtleneck with black leather jeans.

"What's wrong?" the god wondered, puzzled at the sudden silence. "It's so quiet now. Where's all that energy?"

"Don't intimidate them, Eustoma," the devil suggested them. "They're just a little shy."

"You're probably right, Forbessi. I remember when I was like that…"

"High expectations lead to high disappointment, huh?" Rin noted. He tapped Itsuki on the shoulder. "Top-class, huh?" Itsuki didn't even turn around.

"Y-Y-You've got to be kidding me…!" he rasped. Rin turned around to face Mayumi.

"No! No! No! No! No!" she stuttered, quickly shaking her head. "Not them! Not them! Not them!" The two men looked at Nadeshiko, who was a bit surprised herself.

"So, where is he?" Eustoma asked her. "Is he here right now?" Before she could answer, Forbessi found the person.

"Right there, with the green shirt underneath the uniform." He was pointing to a window seat. "Rin's right over there." All eyes in the room either fell on Rin Tsuchimi, or the two men approaching him. Around that time, Thomas was accelerating out of the street trackage, and was steaming nicely past the school towards the main yards. The fireman was stoking his boiler nicely, and Sakoto, with her hand on the throttle, was humming a little tune.

"La-di-de-da, da-di-da… La di-de da...la di-de da, du-!"

"What's that noise?" Thomas called out. Immediately, Sakoto stopped humming, and she signaled the fireman (who understood no English) to stop shoveling coal. Softly, over the puffing of Thomas's pistons, they could hear a peculiar conversation out of an open window of one of the classrooms.

"…don't understand, don't you? The best quality for a man to please a woman is his honesty, and it is clear that Rin expresses that to the highest degree!"

"You're out of your mind, Forbessi! Strength is needed, and Rin has enough of that to protect my daughter's cute-!"

"DAD?-!-?-!"

!-!THWACK!-!

!-!CRASH!-!

Thomas and his crew barely had time to register the scene, as a bluish-grey body smashed through the window, and flew straight into one of Thomas's cars. The car was loaded with sand, and the body cleared the sides of the car by mere inches.

"WOAH!-!" Thomas gasped. Sakoto quickly braked the train, which was nowhere near a stop when she jumped out of the cab. The car loaded with sand stopped right in front of her, and she scampered up the ladder, and looked inside the car. Eustoma was stuck feet first in the sand, and was very dazed and confused. A large bump was on his forehead.

"S-Sir! Are you alright?-!" Eustoma barely registered the panicked question.

"That Sia…I told her that hitting people with chairs is wrong…ugh…" While Sakoto and the fireman figured out a way to help Eustoma, back in the classroom, the boys were in silent joy, for the REAL transfer students had entered the room. They were silent because one had just used a folding chair as a baseball bat to her father's head.

"S-Sia, that was a little too far…" the other girl cautioned. Sia huffed.

"But Nerine! He was saying gross and embarrassing things about me!" Rin gasped.

'I-It'sthegirlsfromthesupermarketandthepark!' he mentally gasped.

"I-I apologize for our behavior, Sia…" Forbessi said. "I-It was his idea to come-"

"IT'S BOTH OF YOUR FAULTS!-!"

"…y-yes, Sia…"

"Can we please have a formal introduction before this turns into some comedy manga?-!" Nadeshiko nervously ordered. The two girls gasped, then nodded. They walked up to the front of the room, with the folding chair left by Rin's desk. Forbessi stood behind the two. Just before they started, the door opened again, and Eustoma walked in, acting like he hadn't even been scratched.

"I told you, I'm fine!" He was arguing with Sakoto, who followed him into the room.

"You broke through a window, fell two stories, landed in a carload of sand…I'd say you're very lucky to even be alive!"

"Ah-HEM!-!" Nadeshiko's cough shut the two of them up, and started the formal introductions of the two new girls, a whole fifteen minutes late.

"My name's Lisianthus, from the world of the gods," the redhead spoke fist. "I kinda have a long name, so please call me Sia!"

"My name is Nerine, from the world of the devils," the bluenette said second. "If you'd like, please call me Rin." That caught Sakoto's attention.

"Rin, huh…" Forbessi noticed her interest, but Sakoto was gone before he could pursue her.

"My name is Eustoma, Sia's father, and also the King of the Gods!"

"I'm Forbessi, AKA the King of the Devils, and Nerine's father. An honor to meet you all."

"You didn't have to…" Nadeshiko groaned. It took a while for the class to register what the two men had just said.

"Mayumi," Rin started, "did they just say…?"

"I told you that there was going to be some hardships," she replied.

"And wouldn't have it been better for me to know that earlier?"

"No." Kaede raised her hand.

"U-um, Nadeshiko-sensei…I think they just said something that's hard to believe, but…are they really-?"

"Sadly, yes." Nadeshiko rolled her eyes, and rubbed her temples. "I'm having trouble coming to terms with this myself, but these two really are the Kings of the realms of the Gods and Devils. Itsuki, can you translate that for the rest of the class?"

"Yes, ma'am," the flirt replied. "I'll make sure that they'll be as happy as possible!" Nadeshiko groaned.

"I'm telling you to stay as far away from them as possible! They're the princesses of their respective worlds, so if anything bad happens to them, the punishment that I'll give you will be nothing to what the Kings will hand down!" Murmurs escaped the lips of the students at this.

"U-um, please don't bother with the fact that we're both the daughters of Kings," Sia asked the class.

"We just want to be treated like normal, everyday students," Nerine stated. "Not like famous pop stars."

"Ya got that, Itsuki?" Nadeshiko glared. Itsuki gave an emphasized thumbs-up back. "I don't know whether to be happy or afraid…Anyway, Rin, these girls will be left under your care."

"Huh? Why?" Forbessi placed his hands on Nerine and Sia's shoulders. Rin couldn't understand why the two girls were starting to blush.

"Let me explain this…" the King of the Devils spoke. "You were chosen as a candidate to be either Sia or Nerine's fiancée." It took a moment for the class to register the last statement. When the did…

"E-E-E-E-E-EH?-!-?-!-?-!"

"I-In other words," Itsuki exclaimed, practically screaming, "R-R-Rin's t-t-t-the-?-!"

"Right!" Eustoma cut in. "Rin will either be the next King of the Gods or the next King of the Devils. "Choose my Sia, Rin, and the world of the Gods is yours for the taking!"

"Hey, don't leave Nerine in the dust!" Forbessi complained. "If Rin chooses her, then he gets the world of the Devils!" While the two were arguing, Rin pinched his cheeks, making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Several boys wanted to do much more to him at the moment.

"Wait," he interrupted, holding his head in confusion, "I don't get it at all! How am I a marriage candidate for the kingships?-!"

"I don't blame you, Rin," Forbessi stated. "You were only a little boy, after all…"

"Huh?"

"Uh, father," Nerine quietly spoke, tugging her father's sleeve, "please don't talk about it…" But he did.

"I'll put it simply as this: eight years ago, you met both Sia and Nerine. It was only for one day, but they instantly fell in love with you, a love that for the last ten years has been growing inside their little hearts…as did Nerine's bust size."

"F-Father?-!"

"Hey!" Eustoma shouted. "While my Sia's breasts aren't as big as Nerine's, they're big in their own right! Why, I'm sure that someday, they'll be well over a double -!"

!-!THWACK!-!

"THAT'S ENOUGH, DAD!-!" Sia ordered, holding the now-bloody folding chair. "Just go home! You've made Rin as red as a tomato! Out!"

"But Sia! I was only trying to market-!"

"I can do that fine on my own!"

"…Yes…" A dejected Eustoma walked out of the classroom. Forbessi followed, but he stopped at the doorway, and turned around.

"If you remember anything or have any other questions, Rin, just ask the girls themselves. They'll be glad to help. And once again, please take good care of Nerine and Sia for us." With that, both men of royalty left the classroom. The classroom was in a state of shock, and all eyes were on Rin, save for Kaede's. She had passed out in her chair a long time ago.

"K-KAEDE?-! Get ahold of yourself!-!" Mayumi's frantic cries could be heard outside of the school on the street. People stopped and stared at the noise coming from the busted window, before shrugging it off and continuing on with their daily lives. Thomas tried to listen to what was happening behind him, as the fireman oiled him up for the rest of the day's work.

'Ifonlytheserailswerealittlecloser,' he thought. 'AllIheardwaswhateverwasyelledoutoftheroom…whichwasalot,actually.' Just then, Sakoto came out of the building.

"You're not going to believe what I just heard!" she cried, and explained to Thomas what she had seen in the classroom.

"Bust my buffers!" Thomas exclaimed. "Two princesses, here in Rin's class?-!"

"It's true!" Sakoto stated. "What's more, the one girl, Nerine, said to everyone that she prefers the name Rin! Maybe Primula's not looking for Rin, but actually NeRINe!"

"We've got to get them to meet right away!" Thomas told her. Sakoto shook her head.

"It's too soon now. Let's let her settle in to school life for a day before dumping something else on her lap. Besides, we've got rain in the forecast tomorrow, so there's a better chance that she's not doing something when we ask her."

"But the places for them to meet will be limited as well."

"Don't worry. There's one place that I know will be popular with anyone on two feet!" They set off again. Right in front of the Academy was a junction. The straight line, which Thomas had taken the previous days, runs to the main yard and the sheds. The diverging line turns south and slightly towards Rin's house. It heads to the north end of the yard as well, but it runs by the docks and industries that surround the yard. Thomas took the diverging line, and within a few blocks, arrived at Sunlight Way.

Sunlight Way is a pedestrian shopping district in the Kawasaki ward. Its proximity to the National Veranda Academy means that it is a popular place for people to hang out after the day's classes are finished. The street was built on an old railroad grade, and the Kanto Railway has a warehouse that serves the businesses of the shopping area in exchange for the new right-of-way to be built through the middle of Sunlight Way. As Thomas chuffed down the railway median, Sakoto stopped him at around the halfway point.

"There!" she pointed. "To your left!" Thomas looked. There, with its bright noises and colorful lights, was an arcade. "Arcades like this one are always popular with the young folks. We can even combine this with a trip for Primula, so that she won't suspect anything, while you pick up that Nerine and bring her here. I'll call Mr. Soroi when we finish our work and toss the idea to him." Thomas wasn't so sure.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan."

"Not when I'm going to be the one who'll be watching her every movement," Sakoto told him, as they resumed their journey. A little while later, they were heading the other way down the line with another train, when they saw two girls wearing National Veranda Academy uniforms waving him down by the academy. The two girls were Sia and Nerine. Thomas noticed that Rin and Kaede were standing nearby, with faces that showed not as much energy as the former pair.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Sakoto asked as she hopped out of the cab. "And who are – wait, you're the Sia and Nerine who came into Rin and Kaede's class today!"

"And you're the one who brought back my father when I had to discipline him!" Sia replied, earning her nervous glances from everybody. Thomas broke the awkward silence.

"That man was nutso!" he complained. "I hear him out the window talking about someone's bust, and then he decides to play Tiger Moth and fly into my train! Honestly, if there were fewer of his type around, then-!"

"Then what, Thomas?" a voice asked. It belonged to Eustoma, who, along with Forbessi, was walking up beside the tank engine.

"I-I-I was merely talking about my friend James," Thomas covered. "He is a rather boastful engine on the Island of Sodor, after all. Anyway, how do you know my name?"

"We do have to know the backgrounds of anyone associated with our daughter's fiancé," Forbessi explained calmly, "even if he only knew them for a few days." Thomas and Sakoto's faces weren't calm after hearing this.

"Woah, slow down!" Sakoto stated. "Who's a fiancé here?"

"Did we miss something important?" Thomas wondered.

"Kinda…" Kaede admitted. She and Rin explained the boy's plight.

"Cinders and Ashes!" Thomas exclaimed. "Engaged?-! To royalty?-! That's comparable to Gordon and his brother Flying Scotsman!"

"Yeah," Rin muttered. "Except for us humans, it's a lot harder when you know someone famous…"

"So anyway," Sakoto spoke up, "what did you want to tell us earlier?"

"We were wondering if you could give all six of us a ride home!" Sia asked.

"All six of you?" Sakoto repeated in surprise. Sia and Nerine nodded, and Sakoto was just about to answer, when Thomas chimed in.

"No way! I could fit two of you inside my cab, but the rest would have to go on the pilot, and I wouldn't be able to go fast! Besides, Eustoma owes me for delaying my train earlier!" Sakoto noticed the King of the God's expression, and quickly spoke up.

"Don't mind him! We'll be happy to take you, as long as they're close by the line."

"We actually live not that far from Rin's house," Forbessi admitted, "so we'll get off when you stop for them." Sakoto went over to Thomas.

"Why did you agree to it?-!" he whispered crossly.

"If looks could kill," she said to him, "then Eustoma just put two holes straight through your firebox before. I'm not sure how you act with the British royalty such as Dukes and Queens, but for the rulers of other worlds, if you anger them, you get jailed. Or, in your case, get lifted off the rails." Thomas didn't need to reply to that. He reluctantly allowed the six to travel with him, with Rin and Kaede climbing into his cab, and the other four standing on his footplate.

"This is almost like that one business trip to India," Forbessi remarked.

"Quite right," Eustoma agreed. He was directly in front of Thomas. He stood up. "All right! Full steam ahead!"

"Down in front!" Thomas ordered. "I can't see the line ahead!" Eustoma sat down, and Thomas began his journey. When they reached Kaede's house, everyone got out.

"Thank god…" Thomas sighed.

"You're welcome!" Eustoma chimed. "It was a lovely ride, for sure! Anyway, our house is the one over there." He pointed to the Magic House that was oriental-themed.

"And I live over there with Nerine." Forbessi pointed to the western-styled Magic House. The denizens of the human world gasped.

"Don't tell me that you two are the owners of the Magic Houses?-!" Sakoto asked.

"Since you already know, I don't have to," Forbessi replied slyly.

"Isn't it great, Rin!" Sia burst out. "We live right next door to you guys now!"

"Same here…" Nerine agreed.

"We'll have a housewarming party tonight, Rin!" Eustoma said to the boy. "Be sure to come with Kaede!"

"H-Hai…!" he shakily replied. Sakoto placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, what a turn of events this was, eh, Thomas?" But Thomas wasn't listening. Instead, his eyes were locked on Nerine. I think we all know Thomas's reason for this, right?

---

Homecoming

It was the morning of the fourth day of Thomas's unexpected visit to the exotic city of Tokyo. It had been raining hard all night, and now the ground surrounding the enginehouse was moist, with deep puddles covering some of the tracks.

"So this is the rainy season…" Thomas mused.

"Unlike your environment in Sodor, the Japanese environment is relatively dry for most of the summer here," Kayio told him. "However, around this time every year, it constantly rains for one month. It takes a lot of sand for us to get the trains rolling. I heard that it's supposed to rain even more later today."

"I hope for your sake that your date with Primula isn't a washout," Aiko sneered.

"I'm not doing it for my sake!" Thomas huffed. "It's to get Primula with a possible Rin! We've got to act quickly to find 'Rin' before we have to give her up to an orphanage or a similar organization."

"Quite right, Thomas!" a voice spoke. It was Mr. Soroi, but the engines were surprised to see that he was wearing the uniform of a railway worker.

"Sir!" The engines gasped.

"Good morning, my engines! We need everybody at the docks today. There's a large amount of coal needed for the steelworks on the other side of the bay, and the National Railway wants us to help with a Shinkansen extension to the Narita Airport along one of our lines, so we need everyone to take hoppers to the docks and the Narita Line." He turned to Thomas. "Since you can't pull as many cars as Aiko and Kayio, Thomas, I've asked the Works to send Wilbert over to aid you." Almost on cue, the engines could hear Wilbert's whistle in the near distance.

"That doesn't explain why you're in the uniform of my driver," Aiko noted.

"Sakoto's with Primula today," Thomas explained, "so I needed another driver who could speak to me in English…"

"…And since Sakoto is the only one who can other than me," Mr. Soroi finished, "then I volunteered to be Thomas's driver."

"Favoritism!" Aiko criedto herself. "He's never driven me before!"

"Calm down, Aiko!" Kayio soothed to her fellow engine. "He has no favorites out of any of us, and Thomas is borrowed anyway. There will be a time when he must leave."

"Humph!" Luckily for Aiko, Wilbert had arrived, and was the current center of Mr. Soroi's attention.

"Right on time, Wilbert," he said. "That's a good engine! You'll be working with Thomas for today."

"Yes, sir!" Wilbert replied. He then whispered to Thomas. "Mr. Soroi's asked me to help you with the plan. He explained everything to me." Mr. Soroi climbed into Thomas's cab.

"How was Primula, sir?" Thomas asked. He heard an audible sigh from his cab.

"I'm not sure if she was happy, mad, sad, or upset," Mr. Soroi grumbled. "All she talked about was Rin and whether Rin would be at Disneyland. I just hope that the plan has more luck than I had…"

'So do I," said Thomas, with a hint of wavering confidence. With that, the engines left the sheds one by one, collected their cars, and set off for work. At some times, Thomas and Wilbert worked with Kayio in hauling coal across the bay, while Aiko loaded rubble and other debris from grading the line, and brought them back to the docks. Other times, Thomas and Wilbert took the debris trains alone, leaving the Japanese engines to haul the coal. Whatever the combination, the engines worked hard, and got the job done in record time.

In the National Verbena Academy, Rin was having a hard time completing class. Word had spread quickly that Sia and Nerine were princesses, and that Rin was their fiancée-to-be. Combined with the fact that he lived with Kaede alone in the same house while Kaede's father was away only furthered the rage that was building up in the boys population. At the present moment, Rin was hiding underneath a staircase, as dozens of boys ran up and down in search of him. A box covered up his front, so that someone passing by the bottom of the staircase couldn't see him.

"Find that Tsuchimi bastard!" one boy ordered. "He's the bane of the entire school!"

"Having one goddess of the school was enough!" another grumbled. "But now three of them…!"

"It's a monopoly, what Rin has!" a third boy stated. "It's not fair to the rest of us!" Precious seconds passed by, along with half of Rin's life. At last, the noise of the heavy footsteps and rough voices vanished, replaced by the light footsteps and bright voice of his savior at the moment:

"All clear," Mayumi whispered, as she removed the box out of the way. Rin got up, out of the stairwell.

"When you said that there would be trouble ahead," he groaned, "I didn't imagine this. Couldn't you have at least warned me?" Mayumi stuck her tongue out playfully.

"And spoil the fun? No way! Besides, this is your mess, not mine. Don't you remember anything about either of them?"

"I can't remember something that happened only once, especially as a child." Mayumi sighed.

"I guess childhood memories are really vague…I don't know much about Sia. Asa's friend Kareha's the better expert on her. However, I do have a few connections that know a thing or two about Nerine."

"Right, because you're a half-devil born when your mother fell into the realm of the Devils before Kamion."

"I don't live in the world of the Devils anymore, so I have very common and limited information, but she's obviously gorgeous. She has a quiet and elegant personality, and can be really devoted to a man. For example, many men in the world of the Devils have proposed to her, but she's turned all of them down. And now we know why."

"Don't remind me." Mayumi giggled.

"Don't be so shy about it. She was very sick in her childhood, so she was rarely seen outside."

"Really? She looks to be in perfect health now."

"She participated in the experiment that will determine the fate of the other worlds, so that might have factored something into that…and no, she isn't a robot. The worlds of Devils and Gods may be magically advanced, but they're technologically backwards."

"Yeah, thank you for that info…"

"There are a few other episodes about her, but I think here best characteristic is her singing voice." Rin was surprised.

"Does she defeat enemies by making a scary voice or something?" Mayumi was shocked.

"You expect THAT from HER?" Rin blinked.

"…I didn't want to see that from her, that's all"

"It's the complete opposite! Her beautiful voice sounds like an elegant fairy! In the world of the Devils, it's even considered to be a national treasure called 'The Angel's Bell.'"

"Kinda ironic, considering that she's a Devil."

"It's only based on what I've heard from others. I haven't heard it in person. Anyway, that's all I know about her. If you want more, either ask her directly, or try and remember something."

"Thanks, Mayumi." Rin began to head up the stairs.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"The second floor," he replied. "I want to ask Kareha about Sia."

"Be careful!" Mayumi called to him as he went up the stairs. It wasn't long before Rin was opening the door to class 3-B, Asa and Kareha's homeroom.

"Hey, Asa!" Rin called. "Is Kareha here?" Before he could get an answer, the rest of the class glared at him, prompting the boy to abruptly leave the class. "Sorry for interrupting…I don't remember doing anything to them…" Just then, Asa walked out of the classroom, along with a beautiful god with long blond hair.

"You should remember what position you're in now, Rin," Asa reminded him.

"You are now the most famous person in the whole school!" the other girl added.

"Even the seniors know?" Rin asked.

"Not just the seniors," Asa corrected. "The entire Academy knows about your fairytale."

"That's if you're looking at it from the outside perspective…"

"Don't tell me you're in a tragedy, Rin!" the other girl gasped.

"You saw what I just went through, Kareha."

"Hahaha…"

"Well, I understand the other guys a bit," Asa sympathized. "You already live with Kaede, the school idol, after all."

"Since there was no chance to ask Kaede as long as that condition remained," Kareha continued, "the boys had their hopes up with the two transfers, only to find out that they already liked you. Even we're a bit jealous."

"I seriously don't remember a thing, though," Rin replied. "I do sort of remember meeting strange girls when I was little, but I can't even remember what happened, let alone who they were…I just can't accept being their fiancé like this…"

"So you don't remember anything that would lead the two to make you their fiancé, huh?" Asa surmised. Rin nodded.

"That's why I want to know more about Lisianthus. You're from the world of the Gods, right Kareha? Do you know something about her?"

"About Sia?" she asked. "I do know a few things…"

"…"

"…"

"…!" Rin and Asa suddenly realized that the boy had just stepped on a landmine.

"Oh, my!" Kareha exclaimed. "Since you came all the way here to ask me about Sia, does that mean you have feelings for her?"

"Er, no!" Rin tried to cover. "I was just interested, since I just finished talking to Mayumi about-!"

"MY MY MY!" Kareha's eyes suddenly held a certain twinkle, and she seemed to be surrounded by a joyful aura. Her cheeks became as red as a cherry. "You're interested in her! You are both in love with each other…! Oh my…!"

"We've lost her…" Asa groaned. She had seen this before. "If it wasn't for this, she would be up there with Kaede, Nerine, and Sia…" Kareha's delusion also attracted some unwanted attention.

"There he is!"

"Get that Tsuchimi!"

"We need to teach him a lesson in sharing!"

"Crap!" Rin cursed.

"Better get a move on, Rin!" Asa encouraged. "Kareha might come to her senses tomorrow, so keep living until then!"

"I'm not laughing!" Rin snapped, as he ran away from the stream of boys that once again chased him. This continued all throughout the school day, in some matter and form, until the end of school. At that time, Nerine, Kaede, and Sia had agreed to walk home together. They had just started their journey when Thomas, doubleheading with Wilbert on an empty debris train from the transfer yard, bustled in.

"Good afternoon, my friends!" he peeped.

"Konichiwa, Thomas!" Kaede replied. She then noticed Wilbert and Mr. Soroi. "Who's that engine behind you? And who's you're new driver?"

"The engine's Wilbert, a friend of mine who normally lives in the Forest of Dean back in England. And Sakoto's, ah, busy, so a relief man was called in. At least he knows a bit of English."

"How do you do?" Mr. Soroi asked. "My name's Mr. Soroi. You three must be Kaede, Sia, and Nerine, correct?"

"That's right!" Sia answered. "Thomas must be talking about us a lot."

"Indeed. By the way, isn't there a person known as Rin that hangs around you? Where is he?"

"He left early," Nerine clarified. "The boys were jealous about his relations with us, so they tried to hunt him down. Rin had to head through Sunlight Way at least twice today to lose the mobs. I don't get it at all…"

"When you become as old as me," Thomas advised, "and know the hearts of many a driver inside and out, you'll understand what others call jealous love. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, Nerine. Do you know a person that goes by the name of Primula?"

"Huh?" Kaede asked in confusion. "Do you mean the flower?" Nerine and Sia, meanwhile, tensed up.

"Does she have purple hair and carry a stuffed cat with her?" she asked. Thomas's faced lit up, oblivious to the current situation.

"So you do know her! That will make things much easier when you two meet!" Nerine gasped, and Sia covered her mouth.

"I-Is something wrong, ladies?" Mr. Soroi asked.

"Yes," Nerine replied, "If we don't do something soon. Take me to see her right away!"

"Me too!" Sia piped up, and hurried after her, Leaving Kaede all alone.

"Eh?" she peeped. "Weren't we going to walk home together?" Nerine was climbing into Thomas's cab, while Sia went up into Wilbert's."

"There's no time for that!" Nerine told her. "Go home and tell our fathers about this. Make sure they stay there." Before Kaede could answer, Thomas and Wilbert puffed away. They placed their train in a siding, and set off for Sunlight Way. It started to rain as they chuffed down the line. Fortunately for Rin and Itsuki, who were in the same area, they both had umbrellas in their possession, and so they walked down Sunlight Way, unaffected by the light drizzle.

"Man, can't the guys know some sort of moderation?" Rin groaned. "Glaring at me is one thing, but coming at me with a bat is another!"

"You're one to talk about moderation," Itsuki grumbled. "You already have Kaede, and now you-!"

"-have Sia and Nerine too, I know already! It's not like I threw myself in this situation on purpose." They passed by the arcade. "How about you get together with the other guys, and go on a massive girl-pickup spree? With your skills, it should be no problem, right?"

"You're going at this backwards," Itsuki disagreed. "We need to find YOU a different girlfriend so that we can have a shot at your three." He began scanning the arcade. "Let's see…how about…her. She's a little young, but I predict a beauty in five years or so."

The person in question was Primula. She was looking at a claw machine that was filled with cat toys. She appeared to be trying to operate the machine, but without money, that would never happen.

"And why should I let you pick for me?" Rin groaned. "Oh wait, because you'll do it anyway. I'm not even going to bother…" Itsuki patted him on the back.

"So hurry up and introduce yourself to her already, Mr. Lolitaphile!" Rin quickly changed his tune.

"There's a time when a man must stand up for himself and fight…" Itsuki backed off.

"Oh, come on, now! Why so serious, Rin? Let's loosen up those fists, and-eh?" He stopped mid-sentence. "I take back what I said before, Rin. I guess you don't even need to talk to girls to pick them up."

"Huh?" Even as Rin was answering, he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down, and saw Primula grabbing his shirt with one hand.

"…" Primula had no expression on her face.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Rin…" Primula finally spoke, with the voice of an angelic robot. It was as beautiful as Nerine's 'Angel's Bell,' but as monotone as black. "…Rin…?"

"Yes, my name is Rin, but I think you mixed me up for someone else."

"…Do you know…Nerine…?"

"Wow," Itsuki whistled. "I didn't imagine that your fiancée's name would travel this fast, Rin."

"You'll travel faster unless you-?-!" Before Rin could finish, Primula surprised them both, and jumped into Rin's arms.

"Huh?-!" Itsuki jumped.

"I finally found you…Rin…I finally found you…" Even in this emotional outburst, her face and voice were as plain as before.

"What do you mean, you finally found me?" Rin asked. Itsuki cleaned his glasses.

"Rin, no matter what your preference is, I'll stick by you as a friend."

"Don't say something that will lead to a misunderstanding!"

"PEEP! PEEP! Don't move anywhere, Rin!" The three turned in time to see Thomas and Wilbert race towards them, stopping right in front of the arcade. Nerine and Sia hopped out of the cabs, and joined in everyone's surprise in seeing…"

"Primula!" Nerine gasped. "What are you doing here?-!"

"And why are you hugging Rin?" Sia asked. Wilbert laughed.

"Looks like you skipped over the right answer, Thomas!" he stated.

"Yes," Mr. Soroi said, "but where's our supervisor?" A tingle from the bell of a café told them the answer. Sakoto stepped out, her hands full of take-out bags.

"I hope Primula likes these," she said to herself. "As do Mr. Soroi and maybe even Thomas's friends." She then noticed the scene before her. "What happened? Did the plan work when I was away?"

"Sort of…" Thomas admitted.

"What plan?" Sia asked in confusion.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag…" Mr. Soroi groaned. "But let's head back to your places before we explain. I have a feeling that we'll be doing a lot of that tonight."

It had stopped raining when they returned, so everyone, who included Rin, Kaede, Itsuki, Sia, Nerine, Eustoma, Forbessi, Sakoto, and Mr. Soroi, decided to have the meeting outside, so as to include the two engines. Wilbert was turned around so that he faced Thomas, and chairs were set up between them for everyone to sit. Kaede passed out iced tea, while Sakoto gave everyone cheesecakes that she ordered at the café.

"So," Forbessi started, "tell us everything that you did with Primula." Thomas and Sakoto began to tell everyone how they first encountered Primula, from the first meeting at the yards, to Thomas's rescue out of the river. Mr. Soroi then told everyone the vain attempts to have her open up and have some fun, as well as Sakoto's plan. Finally, it was Forbessi's turn to speak. He stood up, commanding everyone's undivided attention.

"Primula is a Homunculus," he said.

"A what?" Wilbert asked.

"An artificial life form," Eustoma explained. "Primula was created as part of a joint project between the worlds of the Gods and Devils."

"Primula has extraordinary power," Forbessi continued. "We can't control it, so there's no telling what it would do. If she has an accidental discharge of magical energy, Tokyo would be out one prefecture."

"A-A walking nuclear bomb...!" Rin gasped.

"But a clean one that won't emit radiation," Forbessi replied.

"You certainly make this sound all lovey-dovey when we could all be killed literally any second now," Itsuki mumbled.

"When you're in our line of work," Eustoma told him, "you understand that you need to take a few serious risks as if they were nothing."

"That explains a lot, actually," Sakoto said to herself.

"But why a homouncul….an artificial life form?" Thomas asked. "Why not a living person?"

"We tried with a living person at the onset," Forbessi admitted, "but the body couldn't contain the immense power that we required. We then tried cloning, which at the beginning, gave us favorambl results. However, like the previous experiment, she too was regrettably finished before her time." No one had to ask what 'too soon' meant.

"Primula is the youngest of the three. She doesn't like to interact with others, save Nerine for some reason. Think of Primula as Nerine's little sister." Everyone tried to invision the walking bomb that was now eating cake with a blank expression as just that.

"But why did Primula come here?" Kaede asked.

"I think Forbessi isn't the expert on that," Mr. Soroi said. The King of the Devils nodded.

"Primula?" The girl put down her cake, and shifted her chair closer to her neighbor, Rin. She still had no expression on her face.

"…I came here to see Rin…" she said softly. "…I wanted to see…what he was like…I heard…so much about him…"

"Rimu…" Nerine sighed.

"What are we to do?" Sia spoke up. Forbessi put a hand on his chin.

"We can't force her back to our world. She can live with us for a while, but eventually, she'll have to go back to the facility since our testing isn't over." Primula shook her head.

"I'm going to live with Rin," she declared. It was the first time everyone had heard her speak with such authority.

"Huh?" Thomas and Wilbert mouthed.

"What?" Rin asked, surprised at the statement.

"I want to stay her," Primula continued. "Rin is here…"

"Primula…" Sia sighed. Forbessi pondered this for a few seconds. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Hey," Thomas finally cut in. "If you say that she's like Nerine's sister, shouldn't you, as her 'father' accept her wish? It's not like there's a fifty percent chance of the worst-case scenario happening."

"Even if we bring her back to the facility in chains and a straightjacket," Eustoma added, "we'll probably see her back here the very next day."

"Besides," Mr. Soroi finished, "it's not like she'll be alone. She has you, me, Rin, Kaede, Nerine, Thomas, Wilbert, Itsuki, and everyone else watching her."

"I'm not sure that last one's a good idea, though," Rin cautioned.

"There's a time and place for that," Itsuki sighed. Forbessi chuckled.

"I guess you're all right,' he sighed. He then looked at Rin. "How about a cute pet, Rin? She can't do tricks, but she's toilet traind, and she doubles as a cuddly pillow."

"Hey, I'm a freeloader in this house," Rin said, looking at Kaede for help.

"I'm fine as long as you're okay with it, she answered.

"Alright." Rin turned back to Forbessi. "We'll be glad to help Primula, would you like to live with us?"

"I'd like to, Rin…" Primula still had no expression, but her voice sounded a bit brighter. Nerine, Sia, and Sakoto were very happy to hear this.

"Yay!" they cheered. Thomas and Wilbert also piped in with their whistles.

"Now that's done," Eustoma declared, we can PAR-TAY!-!"

"Yes!" Forbessi added. "A welcome home party for Primula!"

"I've got the booze-!"

!-!THWACK!-! Sia took another chair to her father.

"DAD!-!" she yelled. "Stop trying to corrupt Rin!" Everyone laughed. Wilbert looked at Thomas.

"So I heard that you didn't want to travel when you first came here, Thomas," he noted. "What do you think of your journey now?" Thomas didn't hesitate with his answer.

"I wouldn't change my memory for the world!" he told his friend. "Japan's growing on me just as if it was my branchline back on Sodor." Primula walked up to Thomas.

"Thank you, Thomas…" she said, again with no emotion. "You found me…Rin…"

"It's my pleasure," he answered. "Engine or human, I can't just leave them out in the cold."

"Three cheers for Thomas!" Sakoto called.

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY !"

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY!"

"HIP-HIP-HOORAY!"

Everyone clapped and cheered for the famous engine of the Island of Sodor who was cuttently stationed in Japan, Thomas the Tank Engine.

---

For Your Information…

I know the first book title is the same as ThomasZoey3000's, but it made the most sense.

Allusions to Railway Series Shuffle!: Mr. Soroi is based on the Man in the Suit. In Japanese, soroi literally means suit. Also, Aiko and Kayio are based partially off of the original and redone versions of Courtney, respectively.

Sakoto is based of a downloadable Trainz Railway Simulator driver that was created by Keimei.

Aiko is a JNR D55 4-6-2 Pacific, based off a prototype that ran in the Hoddakio region of Japan.

Kayio is a JNR Class 9600 2-8-0 Consolidation, based off of a prototype that worked in the Yonezawa region of Japan.

The particular volcanic eruption affected flights to and from Europe from April 5-10 2010. Some were cancelled for longer periods.

Some translations have them as Devils. Others have them as Demons. For this, I prefer devils. It's a better name contrast to Gods anyway.

To date, this is my longest single chapter. I seriously doubt that any other chapter will be anywhere close to this. I just needed to get some necessary information out of the way, since the Visual Novel's contents aren't as common as the anime or partial manga translation.

Thomas is happy that he's in Tokyo with his new friends. But are the other engines on Sodor happy that he's not helping them? Will Aiko learn to trust the English visitor? And will Primula ever smile? All that and more next time, so R and R, please! And support my other works as well!