Author's notes: OK. Backing up for those who are completely lost, starhopping is basically the ... can I say "art"? ... of leaving one's body and travelling to other worlds, knowing that every created world exists within reality somewhere. I might have said this in the first chapter... oh well. No harm in reinforcing. Anywho...

I sat on Johnny's bed still punishing myself inwardly as I watched Johnny tug an exercise mat out from under his bed and throw a blanket over the top of it. This was to be my makeshift bed for the night. Johnny looked up at me from his crouching position on the floor.

"You sure you'll be ok on this thing?" He asked. Oh boy! He should have seen what I'd had to put up with when I visited my friend Dave back in my own world! The short half of a corner couch (most of the springs completely shot) and a windshield cover. Compared to that, a soft, squishy exercise mat and some proper bedding was veritable luxury. I nodded at Johnny, smiling. He shrugged and continued attempting to tame the blanket around the edges of the mat. Eventually he gave up and I resigned myself to the task as he left to find a duvet.

The only reason I wasn't staying in the spare room anyway was because Selma the human dust-bag was currently residing in it and Karen sure as hell would never let me sleep on the couch (not that it was really big enough anyway. Usually, the house's only occupants were Karen and Johnny so it didn't need to be huge).

Seeing as you arrive in other worlds wearing only what you were wearing when you hopped, I had nothing in the way of pyjamas with me but Johnny had known me long enough to know this so lent me an old, navy blue T-shirt to sleep in. The bedspread on my makeshift bed was grey and adorned with black Chinese symbols. Johnny acted the gentleman and changed in the bathroom, leaving me to my own devices in his bedroom. He knocked after he was done changing and I called back that I was decent (I was in bed at this point). He opened the door and launched himself over me and into his own bed. Pfft! Show off. But, hey, I was used to that by now. Three years and he really hadn't changed that much.

Once in bed, Johnny rolled over and picked something up from the floor. I didn't see what it was because I was preoccupying myself with the symbols on the duvet cover.

"Do you even know what half of these actually mean?" I asked. Johnny looked up. He'd been reading a magazine (and you don't have to be a genius to guess what the subject matter was). He gazed down at the duvet for a moment then leant forward out of bed, his hair drifting forwards. He supported himself on one hand on the floor and, with the other, he pointed to a particularly boxy symbol.

"That one's "fortune" but I don't know about the rest." He answered. I nodded and Johnny righted himself and continued reading. After a moment, I saw a symbol that I recognised.

"I've found "dragon"!" I said, excitedly. It's rare for me to notice things like this and I was actually rather pleased with myself. Johnny looked up again.

"Oh yeah? Which one's that?"

I pointed. Johnny's eyebrows raised. Seeming impressed, he rolled to his left again and picked up a notebook and pen. He quickly jotted down the symbol and made a note of its meaning.

"Just so I don't forget." He added with a slight smile. I smiled too and couldn't help but take a moment to look at Johnny as he resumed his reading.

I rubbed a hand over my face. I was getting tired. I wriggled down into bed and pulled the duvet up to my cheek. My bed was parallel to Johnny's on the left-hand side if you were looking at it from the foot end and I always sleep on my right which meant that I faced away from Johnny's bed and in the direction of the small table next to his door. I'm used to sleeping with the light on or off so it didn't really matter if Johnny got bored with reading and turned out the light.

Sure enough, after a couple of minutes there was a soft click as the light went out. There was a rustling sound as Johnny pulled himself down into his own bed and got comfortable. Strangely, I was now feeling a tad more awake and looked around his room now the light was off. Dark rectangles on the walls indicated the placement of various posters. That was about all I could see by the pale light coming in through the window. Very little about Johnny's room had changed over three years. I even recognised the majority of the clothes that had lain strewn around his room or on chairs. There were a few changes, obviously, such as a denim jacket laying over a chair which I'd never seen before.

I rolled onto my back. Lines of light were thrown across the ceiling as a car went by outside. I thought of something.

"Johnny." I said, quietly.

"Yeah?" Came the muffled reply from my left.

"Have you heard of a guy called Mike Barnes?"

"What do you want with that guy?" Johnny asked, shocked.

"You have then." I said to the ceiling, dodging his question.

"Yeah but the guy's an asshole. Really bad loser. You should have seen him when he came second in the All Valley Tournament ages ago. Hey! Guess what? He got beaten by..."

"Daniel Larusso." I finished for him. There was a rustle and Johnny rolled over and looked at me. I couldn't see him very well but I could just make out his eyes reflecting what little light there was in the room.

"Yeah." He said. "How did you know that?"

"Karate Kid 3." I said. "It's a movie. I've watched it a kagillion times by now." Johnny snorted and rolled back again so that he was staring up the ceiling as well.

"That always freaks me out, y'know." He said. "That our lives are movies where you're from." There was silence for a moment. "That was the last time I saw you. He said after a time. "When sensei had to close the dojo." I looked at him. I couldn't see much; his forehead and nose. That was it.

"You still call him sensei?" I said, surprised. I thought Johnny, of all people, would have dropped that honorific. Johnny shrugged.

"I can't help it. He taught me everything I know. I mean, he was an asshole, yeah. I know that now but, still, he taught me and that means somethin', y'know?" I nodded.

"Yeah." I said, softly. "I get it." I thought for a second. "I disappeared for most of the third movie. Which means I was away for longer than I'd known you." I chewed this over. "Geez. I'm so sorry!" Johnny said nothing. "Hold on. That means that Daniel beat Mike just over a year ago right?"

"Right." Johnny said, slowly, wondering where I was going with this, presumably.

"The movie was made in 1989 so it's 1992 here now?" (Yes, I fucked up with the dates in chapter 1. So shoot me!)

"Uh huh..." Johnny said. I gave a short laugh.

"I'm a year old." I giggled.

"OK, what?" Johnny said, rolling over and peering at me once more.

"I was born in 1991." I said. "It's already 2012 where I'm from. Apocalypse year." I added. "Wooooooo!" I made a stupid ghost noise and Johnny snorted.

"Cut it out! What do you mean Apocalypse year?" He asked.

"Oh, some guff about the Mayan calendar ending which apparently means the world is going to blow up or something. I dunno." I said. "You watch. They'll predict Armageddon in 1999 as well." Johnny sniggered and I smiled back at him. It was good to hear him even close to laugh again.

"So, what, there's a little baby you somewhere in this world?" He asked. I thought about this for a moment.

"I don't think so." I said, slowly. "But the truth is, I really don't know. Interesting concept though; two of me... ugh! No!" I pulled a face and Johnny laughed.

"It would be cool though." He said.

"Oh please!" I countered. "My parents can barely cope with one of me. Let alone two." I giggled again. There was a pause. "What time is it?" I asked. There was a funny clunking sound as Johnny picked his digital clock up off his bedside table to look at it.

"Twelve thirty-seven." He reported. "Sleepy time." He added. Getting the hint, I fell silent.