The Mikado family and the dragons, wearing luggage and backpack climbed off the train that leaded them near a forest. The six searched for the place they should go now. It was still early in the morning and the light was lightly shining right now.

"Kyoya told me that it was a Boarding House near the forest," Gao resumed what the older boy told him.

"It must be nearby. We just have to look for it," his father replied.

The six began searching around for the place where she would stay for a week. As they searched, Drum felt something warmer on his back. He checked his backpack, adapted for his SD form and took out what was suddenly warmer. It was the Omni Emblem that began shining some light for some unknown reason. The dragon lightly twitched his head on the side as he wondered what was going on, "Why is it shining now?" he sighed.

He did read the journal of Tenbu in the train but it was the earlier years. He remembered it was before he became one of the founders of the Omni Lords. The old dragon was pretty much the same in his youth, chasing after cute female dragons while enraging his family as he refused to search for a mate. Tenbu was a Don Juan until the end. He put the emblem back in the backpack, trying to image it was the warm love of the deceased dragon.

"I found it!" Hanako said as she waved at them.

The others joined her and saw the building made of woods just a little in the forest. It was a two-floor house big enough to have rooms for everyone, if it had enough chambers of course.

"Let's go," Suzumi said as she took the lead with her husband.

They reached the entrance and knocked the door.

A window was opened near the door and heard a familiar voice saying, "It must be the guests."

"I'll welcome them in," another familiar voice replied.

Gao lips was lightly shaking, "Don't tell me."

The door opened and a boy said, "Welcome in."

The boy had peach skin, short blue hair with violet eyes. He wore matching pants and a long-sleeved jacket of light blue and darker blue. He saw them and gasped, "B- Gao!" the boy happily hugged his friend, "You're here!"

"Gao?" the other familiar voice asked.

The monster had blue ice skin covering all of his body and some minimal gray armor over his crotch and his legs. His wings looked like some material used and attached on his back. He had two icy spikes on his head. On the back of his head, he had a blue and black vine with the same form as his tail. He was the size of an adult human, "I'm glad to see all of you again."

Hanako lightly giggled when she noticed that the ice monster wore a while apron with a few cute flowers on it. It was definitely not going well with his appearance.

"It was the only one the right size," the ice monster defensively replied.

"What are you doing here?" Gao asked.

"This is where we moved after we left in the train," the blue-haired boy briefly resumed as he invited everyone inside, "But why did you come here? Someone said that it was to cheer you up about something."

Takashi replied, "It is. Tenbu left us."

The face of Kiri paled at the news and nodded in understanding. Joker eyes turned black as he heard those words, understanding why his buddy cried a few days ago.

As the family settled in and dropped their luggage, Halberd explained what happened and what they knew so far. The two listened to the news and gasped when they heard about Yamigedo.

Halberd did notice that Joker wasn't surprised but with his kind of face, what the ice monster was feeling was uncertain.

Episode 15: Joker, Guardian Of Secrets

When everything had been settled for the family, Kiri brought them some refreshments while his buddy was absent. As they talked more about what happened, they couldn't help but feel some cold wind on their side.

"I'm really sorry for the news," the boy said as he sat down with them, "I had a bad feeling for a few days but… I didn't know it was something like that."

"Yeah. Kyoya told us to come here and clear our heads and feelings," Gao replied.

"I'm surprised he does that. I mean, after last year," the boy looked down as some painful memories came back. Especially what he did to his buddy back then.

Suzumi finished drinking her beverage and said, "Mom is finishing the last touches for Tenbu's funeral. It sure is quiet without him around."

"Yeah. Every morning he tried to hit on you," Halberd said as he thought back.

"He never let that up," the man grumbled.

"I'm sure he knew he had no chance but did it anyway," his wife replied. She slapped her hands, "Anyway. We shouldn't mop too much about the past. We have to enjoy our time here. We cannot stay down forever."

"With this Yamigedo still around," Kiri whispered.

"Where's Joker?" Hanako asked.

"He is bringing something to eat," the boy grabbed his jaw, "But he is really taking his time."

Joker came at that moment, "Sorry. Sorry. It is hard to open anything with those freezing blades. Am I right?"

Kiri giggled and apologised for that.

Halberd gazed at the other monster and saw that his mood was back to normal, did he really have problem? He gazed at the arms, surely. He put that aside. He knew enough about Joker that he had nothing evil to hide. He had to focus on helping the family recover little by little of the loss.

The frozen monster brought a small cake for the family, "And let's cut this out."

His buddy was nervous, "Euh. Joker."

"I practice long enough!" and with quick slashed, he cut the cake.

He was pretty quickly as it looked like the monster did nothing, until it split into six parts of different size, "See. Nothing bad happened," he proudly said.

"Why were you nervous Kiri?" Drum asked as he grabbed his pieces and ate it. Eyes shining at the wonderful taste.

"Well…"

Last Week

Joker came with a small cake for three young women in their early twenties, "And here is your carrot cake. Let me cut it for you."

"N-no thanks," one said.

"Do not worry. My arms are cleaned than a knife," he prepared to swing it.

"Joker," Kiri warned his buddy since they refused.

He quickly cut the cake and just like before, it took a second before it split in three parts. However, the woman who refused has her clothes ripped off, only having her bra and undies. The red eyes of the monster was smaller than a dot.

The victim of the incident yelled furiously and gave a powerful slap, "You pervert!"

A loud sound of something breaking resonated in the boarding house. Kiri checked on his buddy whose head was stuck in the wall.

Present time

Kiri showed the roughly patched up wall where the head of the monster was stuck, "And that's why you can feel the wind inside when it blows from that direction."

They all gazed at the ice monster who chuckled nervously, "It was an accident. I wasn't on purpose! I swear!"

"Dad wasn't happy about that. We have to wait for a while longer before the wall is rightfully fixed."

Takashi sighed, "It would have been way worse if it was my wife. I'm not sure Joker would have survived her wrath."

And the red dragon by the side of Gao had flashback of the time Suzumi attacked him, I didn't bury that memory deep enough, the dragon thought before sighting.

The ice monster took some distance from the woman, "D-don't worry! I didn't cause any accident this time! It wasn't on purpose!"

"You already said that Joker," Halberd replied.

"I have to say it again," he pointed at Suzumi who started emitting a dark aura from her body.

Kiri went to his rescue, "Anyway. You can do anything you want this week. If there is anything, you can ask me."

"We have many other things to catch up," his friend Gao said as he stood up, "I want to know what happened while you were here."

"Go on. You have a lot to catch up to do," his mother added as she gazed at Halberd.

"I have also my own things to do while here," Hanako's buddy stood up and waved at them, "We will go outside for now."

Hanako followed them, knowing what was in her buddy's mind. Suzumi took the lead and only Gao, Drum and Takashi were still with Kiri and Joker.

The ice monster sighed in relief, "I was afraid that I would cause another hole in the living room," he looked at Drum and Gao, "I'm once again sorry for your loss. Maybe you want to drink something Drum?"

"I'm still minor," the red dragon replied.

The monster chuckled nervously, "I sure just freeze this conversation with awkwardness. Anyway… I'll leave you with Kiri then," he walked away, hiding a chair and falling on the ground. He quickly stood up and put the chair back where it was with his tails and walked away.

"What's going on with him?" Gao asked.

"I don't know. He never was clumsy before," his friend replied.

They talked a little more about what was happening to Joker before they began catching up with everything that happened since they last met.

Suzumi, her daughter and the red dragon walked in the woods and when they reached a small open field, they stopped there. The woman turned around and said, "Are you certain this is what you want to do? Once we begin, I will not hold back on you. You aren't my son but a dragon."

Halberd nodded and took his real form, "I know Miss Suzumi. I have to become stronger if I want to protect Hanako and everyone else. I do not want anyone to die when I can do something about it. I refuse to stay or feel powerless against Yamigedo and his demons."

"Put your weapons aside. I'll begin to show you everything I know," she replied.

"Be careful Halberd," Hanako said.

"Do not worry. I'm tough and I'll get tougher," the red dragon replied as he put his halberd and shield on the ground. He took off his breastplate and the two face each other's.

"From now on, you call me Sensei when we train together Halberd."

"Yes Sensei," the dragon replied.

"What I will teach you might not always be useful, depending on your enemy. You must be ready for anything and adapt to the situation," she began to explain, "Our fighting style isn't one made to attack people. We have a few offensive techniques, but it is mostly to defend yourself or to counter attack against anything coming at you. I don't think it will work on Yamigedo on his gigantic size but you can surely do it against his demons," she was in her battle stance.

"Yes Sensei!"

"Show me what you can do without your weapons first," she told him.

The dragon came and they began a fist fight. Despite being a human, Suzumi managed to avoid any attacks coming at her and when she countered, the red dragon blocked the upcoming attack. The battle continued for a short time, before the woman suddenly blocked a punch and grabbed the wrist of the dragon and threw him on the ground.

Halberd painfully grumbled as his wings felt sore, "That was a big strike," he grumbled as he stood up. He gasped when he saw her severe glare, "S-sensei!"

The woman nodded, "What I did was simply using your strength against yourself. It is a basic technique that my ancestors learned when they traveled long ago. We fight to protect those in needs and it doesn't mean that we kill our enemies."

He nodded as it corresponded to how he preferred fighting. He didn't mind killing his enemies but it was always in the name of protecting the others.

"Again!"

The two continued fighting while the young girl watched the two fighting. Halberd always ended up on the ground. It repeated for a while and the red dragon never figured out how to avoid ending up that way. It was always unexpected and when the woman wanted to do it.

The last time he was sent on the ground, Suzumi panted and replied, "That is enough practice for now. You are already a strong fighter and I will teach you the first technique our family developed over the centuries," she helped him stand up.

"Thank you, Sensei."

"You can do it Halberd!"

The red dragon nodded with a smile at the encouragement that the young girl was giving him.

Suzumi smiled, "I know you can protect my daughter Halberd. Just don't let your guard down. I wasn't going all out on you."

"I know Sensei."

And the woman began to taught her first technique for the red dragon to utilise when in need.

Meanwhile, Kiri explained a little of his life in the boarding house, "I help dad with the visitors and cleaning the place. Joker does most of the job since I still have to study."

"How does he do that without hands? I mean those kinds of hands," the red dragon showed his fingers.

The boy raised his shoulders, not knowing how his buddy pulled something like that.

Gao asked, "And which school you go?"

"It's homeschooled now. There isn't one close to here and dad prefer that I study in home. Don't worry, my grades are still good," Kiri resumed his school life at home.

"I bet your grades are above Gao's," Drum commented.

"Drum!" Gao blushed when that was brought up.

The three chuckled while Takashi left them on their own, going to take some fresh air.

"I'm glad you are happy here Kiri," his friend commented.

"Of course. Even if I moved here, I always get your text messages and Joker is with me," the blue haired boy commented.

"I'm glad you have a buddy who stick with you," the red dragon commented.

"He's like you. I'm sure you'll stick with Gao as long as you can."

"Maybe not forever. I have to take my father's place one day," Drum let out a small smile as he confidently added, "But that's still far away! I'll always be his buddy until then."

The black-haired boy never thought about the day his buddy might left. That was quickly pushed aside, certain it was still far away. The Sun Fighter was a little nervous of losing Drum against Yamigedo, just like Tenbu, he fought against that darker thought when he saw his buddy smiling with confidence, it won't happen.

"That's pretty much what-" Kiri was interrupted when the ground began to shake.

"Earthquake?" Drum asked as he looked around.

"Get under the table!" Gao's friend said.

They went under the table and waited for the earthquake to stop. It wasn't a big one but it was enough to interrupt their conversations.

Drum did say, "I didn't even feel anything before it comes."

It quickly calmed down. The three sighed in relief. Nothing was broken during the short earthquake.

"What did you say?" Kiri asked curiously.

"My buddy can feel it when an earthquake might come. Dragons have powerful instinct and knows in advance when one might come," Gao explained.

"I just feel it when it's about to come. The little vibration that comes before the big one," the red dragon concluded.

Kiri noticed something on the ground. He pointed at the red jewel, "What is that?"

Drum saw it and quickly grabbed back the Omni Lord Emblem and hugged it.

"That's the Emblem of the Fifth Omni Lord. It belonged to Tenbu and gave it to Drum before he passed away," the Mighty Sun Fighter explained.

The sour mood came back for the two.

"It looks a little familiar somehow," Kiri whispered, why did I whisper? He wondered that.

Close to them, Joker noticed the jewel and grew nervous. He was hiding near the door and observed them, hiding in the shadows of the other room. He played with his blade nervously, "It's… coming," he lowered his head, "Not now. Too soon. It's too soon. I won't let it happen," he saw his buddy continuing to converse with his friends and saw them smiling. The ice monster let out with a sad voice, "Kiri," before walking away.

Lunch time came and the family was ready to eat their meal. Drum noticed the many bruises on the other dragon and asked, "What happened to you?"

Halberd winced as he gazed at the side. He eventually answered, "I am training with Suzumi. She is not holding back."

"Why are you training with mom?" the boy asked.

"He wants to become stronger. With everything that happened, Halberd told me that he wants to make sure that no one else is… left behind. So, I'm teaching him the Mikado style," she let out a small smile, but her eyes were sad as she thought back of the old dragon who left the living world.

"How do you think about this place so far?" Takashi asked.

Gao's buddy replied, "We didn't really look around but it's good to see our friends."

"Kiri is doing great here. I'm glad Joker is with him or it might have been lonely for him."

"It would have been," Kiri said as he brought their lunch with Joker behind them, "I'm really happy he is with me."

"And I'm happy to be with you too Kiri," the buddy replied.

The boy looked at his friend and said, "I'm glad that you all like it here. It is a very nice and relaxing place days and nights."

Suzumi noted something, "It is nice but less when we felt that earthquake."

"It is frequent here but it only lasted a few minutes. We pretty much have one per week. It's not that big," the boy replied.

"Frequent? We only have a few in Tokyo in a year," Takashi noted.

The blue haired boy was a little confused at the reply, "It does happen that often here. I don't know why you don't feel it. Maybe we are just that far away," he guessed.

"That's pretty much it," the ice monster agreed with his buddy, nodding a few times.

Drum grumbled as he remembered that he couldn't feel it before it came.

"I didn't notice any signs of an upcoming earthquake. We dragons are usually sensible at this," Halberd noted.

"I remember once when he took his real form and took me in the air," Hanako started, "There was nothing and looked very worried. Then we got one."

"It wasn't a small one," the dragon recalled. He looked at the boy, "If we cannot feel them, it might not be natural Kiri."

Joker red eyes shined brighter for a second, before quickly returning to normal. No one noticed that as they all looked at Kiri.

The boy thought about it and grumbled, "M-maybe. Now that I really think about it, it only started a month or two ago. I don't know why thought."

Maybe when Yamigedo came back, Drum wondered as he gazed a quick gaze at the Omni Lord Emblem, Naw. We don't know how long he was back.

"I don't think it is trouble. I don't feel like checking out what is going on under the Earth," Gao admitted.

His buddy nodded, "I don't really feel like it either. Still thinking about Grandpa Tenbu."

Joker slapped his blades together, "Then let's enjoy our meal! If there was any trouble, I would already taken care of it. I won't let anyone hurt my buddy. If anyone tries, I will freeeeeeeeeze them in fear!" he expended his wings as made his declaration, sprinkled with an ice pun in it.

Kiri chuckled.

"You're right. I have to get my energy back and return to my training," Halberd said as he quickly devoured his meal. He gulped before adding, "Not the freeze part."

Drum and Gao also ate with more appetite. None of them noticed how hungry they were.

Suzumi and Takashi smiled when the two had more appetite than before. Drum didn't completely recover it but was eating more heartily. As for their youngest child, she was eating like before. The parents were reassured and certain that going here was a good idea. A change of scenery was what they needed to begin recovering from the lost of a member of the family.

Everyone ate together while having a casual conversation together. They simply talked about everything and nothing. No heavy stuff was allowed during that time. Once everyone finished eating, they returned to their occupations.

Kiri and his buddy stayed behind and cleaned the kitchen.

"You are much more cheerful than before Kiri," the monster commented joyfully as he helped the best way he could with his limited limbs and his tails.

"Of course. I haven't seen Gao for a year," his smile disappeared, "I wouldn't want it because of Tenbu's death. I didn't know something that big was going on," he sighed.

"They didn't say anything in the news. Thought I remember a few stuffs going on," the ice monster thought back.

"Like the school that got frozen by an evil monster or the hostage situation at the museum," the boy thought back. He wondered if it was about that Yamigedo, "You think it has something to do with this Great Fiend?"

Joker raised his shoulders, "Who knows? I'm certain Gao knows but I suggest we don't ask too much about it. We shouldn't bring back some bad memories they still had. They will talk about it on their own," he chuckled, "They are here for a week. Why don't you go with Gao outside? I'll handle the rest."

"I have to help you. We have to clean the dishes, not destroy them and having to buy more," Kiri replied with a small smile.

The ice monster realised it and nervously chuckled, "Right. We don't want your father to give me the cold shoulder once again. It will freeze me a little too much."

"It won't be too long. Besides, Gao said he would just walk in the forest, not too deep. If they are lost, Drum can just fly in the air with his drill or Halberd can find them," the boy answered.

The two gazed outside and heard a dragon painfully screamed. They both knew it was Halberd training that started once again.

"Should we close the window?"

"No Joker. It's a nice day today," he replied.

"The weather report said that a heatstroke will begin tomorrow. We won't be hit here until a few days. I'll have to get ready and avoid to melt by that heat and keeping everyone cool too," he crossed his arms, playing the other way kind of cool.

"With your apron?"

The monster whined, "I hate that apron."

Gao and Drum, in his real form walked in the woods. They could hear the insects and the birds making many kinds of noises. They didn't go deep in it as they wouldn't want to get lost in there. The red dragon didn't bring his drill. Being in the wild like that helped ease their mind of the worries and the pain they held felt lighter. Both moods increased, away from the big city.

They weren't sure if they just pushed it aside and temporary forgot it or just started to get over it. Tenbu journal had been encouraging for the family.

"It's been a long time since I just strolled around in my real form. I won't bother anyone like this until we are back," the dragon stretched his limps.

"It's strange to be the small one," the boy admitted with a small smile.

Drum looked at the Omni Lord he held in his hand, "Gao… Do you think- Naw. I know your answer already," he let out a small smile and closed his eyes, ignoring the confused boy. He stopped and asked instead, "It's good to see Kiri and Joker again. I can't believe we would find them here."

"Me too," Gao chuckled joyfully. He let aside the question the dragon left behind. He also stopped and turned around, "We wouldn't have seen him again if it wasn't from Kyoya."

"Yeah. We will have to th- th… Thanks him when we come back," Fang Slade Terrestrial the XIV had trouble saying thanks when it came to Kyoya. He crossed his arms, "We sure are lucky," he smiled once again, "Let's keep it up."

"Sure," his friend replied.

They kept marching in the forest. The light became rarer as time passed. They eventually stopped and the dragon relaxed against a large tree, "It feels a little like home when I'm here."

"Did your father made you train here?" the boy wondered.

"You can bet my tail he did. He trained me to survive on my own. It was some nice moment when he wasn't on my back. Surviving in the woods was, as you say, vacations. I enjoy that time… When I got the hang of it and didn't end up starving for a few days. Every time I failed, Dad always said: 'You have to know how to survive on your own. If you can't, how can the other dragons believe you can rule our world to a better future.' He repeated that a few times. Still remember it."

"I kinda agree. I didn't really learn about that. I'm busy at school and I don't feel doing that after it," the boy sighed.

"We were busy with the Buddy Police Force," the dragon grumbled. He thought about it and snapped his finger, "Gao. Want me to show you a bit of what dad taught me? We can do that while we are here."

His partner answered, "Of course."

"And the first thing dad taught me was to find out which bugs is edible and which one is not!" Drum chuckled loudly as he remembered that. He failed to notice the face of the human turning green and making a few weird sounds.

The dragon had a nice time showing the boy a few of his survival knowledges while the human was regretting to learn that element. It was worse when the dragon tasted a few bugs he caught and showed him which one were safe and which one weren't. Drum made sure that it was the one that was safe for human consumption. Because most of the bugs the dragon found was edible, as they never had a dragon as a predator.

Nature didn't evolve to deal against dragon on Earth.

The day was slowly coming to an end and the training between Suzumi and Halberd would conclude soon.

Halberd had his body covered with bruises but was still ready to continue the training. Miss Suzumi didn't hold back for even a little against the dragon, knowing he would need to learn everything quickly and efficiently. Also, a dragon can endure much more than a normal human, so it balanced up itself.

His master was waving her hand at him, "Taking hits is something you are good at but this won't be enough against Yamigedo and his demons. You have to master our family's techniques."

"I am not perfectly made for this kind of battle. I am more of the brute strength type," he showed his muscles to prove his point.

"I know, but it won't be enough. I'm sure most of them are extremely powerful in their own ways. If you want a chance to win, you have to turn their own strength against them. I've showed it to you more than enough."

The red dragon nodded and was ready to use a counter attack. He watched the technique Suzumi used on him many times and tried to replicate it. He was a little clumsy when he tried to copied it but it was passable. Which none of the two was satisfied with.

They repeated the process many times and eventually, it started to get to dark to continue.

"This shall be enough for today. It's starting to get late," she said at the end.

The pain of the dragon lightly subsided when his buddy used a healing spell on him. The red warrior nodded at the woman, "I shall not fail you."

"Tomorrow, we will really focus on our fighting style. I see enough where you have to practice Halberd. You are a better student than my son," she admitted with a small chuckled.

"I am sure he had less trouble."

"Yes. But he had less motivation, until his big brother gave him some and when… he passed away," the mother sighed and gazed down, remembering too well the recent loss and her older son.

"It is tough to lose someone precious to you. I did lose my mother at a young age," the dragon admitted as he gazed at the red sky.

"That's life. It's worse when you lose your children before you. He had so much to look forward but… It will never come."

"Instead, he passed it to Gao and Hanako. Both of your children grew pretty well."

"Of course, Halberd," Hanako hugged the leg of the dragon, "Big bro was always watching us and even now."

Suzumi chuckled and took the lead, "Let's go back before it really gets too dark."

The three returned to the Boarding House.

Takashi waited for everyone to come back and noticed his son with a pale green face while his buddy, back in his SD form, had a satisfied smile, "What happened?"

"I showed my buddy how to survive in the woods. I taught him every bug he can eat and which one he shouldn't," he raised his claw and waved it, "And also how to use the plants to create some quick bandages or medicines. That didn't go well since I knew little about it. I just showed him how to use some plants to made bandages like theses," he showed an improvised bandage, which made the man wondered how he made that up.

"The bugs…" Gao mind didn't get over that one.

"Did he taste some?" Takashi asked.

"No. It's just to show him if he ended up lost in the woods. It might come handy one day. Bugs doesn't taste good but when you really need to eat something, this is the best option," the dragon admitted.

"When my wife come back, don't comment on this. We want to keep our appetite," the man replied.

"Hum? Sure," Drum didn't notice why he would say such a thing.

Suzumi, Hanako and Halberd came next.

"How did the training go?" Gao asked, pushed the bug thing far away from your mind as possible.

"I am beginning to learn some of your family fighting style. It is strange to learn to fight defensively like that. I always learn to charge and never let your enemy recover their breath, in most situations," the red dragon commented.

They talked a little more as they went in the dining room.

The table was put and diner was almost ready. Kiri nodded at them as he said, "It's almost ready. Just take a seat."

They did as ask and when the blue haired boy and his buddy came to eat with them, they all talked of their day and what happened. Drum avoided bringing up the bug eating stuff while Gao recovered from that learning experience. They joyfully ate their diner and eventually decided to go to sleep. Everyone was feeling tired of their day.

Gao stayed up for a little longer with his buddy and continued talking with Kiri. They helped him and Joker to clean up the dishes. Kiri tried to refuse but their insisted to help them while talking.

After another hour, the two went to sleep, just like Kiri and his buddy. The family slept on the first floor of the Boarding House while Kiri and his buddy rested in the ground floor.

For a long time, the entire family had a peaceful sleep. None of them were invaded by nightmares or reviving the lost of Tenbu in their dreams.

Gao felt something pocking his cheek for a while but didn't woke up. What was poking the boy was the tail of his buddy which waved with some excitement.

Drum slept the wrong way on the bed and rolled on himself a few times, holding the Omni Lord Emblem against his chest.

"Come on," he whispered. His tail suddenly whipped the face of the human.

Goa gasped and woke up. He gazed at his buddy and grumbled, "Thanks. Now I'm up," he grumbled. He decided to not do the same, knowing it was an accident.

"Tenbu," the red dragon grumbled, "That's not the right way," his tail waved.

Guess he has a good dream about Tenbu, the Sun Fighter lips went down as he thought of the old dragon but didn't let that waste the night.

He walked outside of his chamber and went to the bathroom. Once it was over, he walked outside and heard someone talking. He didn't clearly hear who it was but the boy was curious. The voice was familiar. He quietly walked, making sure not to wake up anyone. He gazed down and saw a strange light going on. The boy curiosity was hook for good and he had to know what was going on. He decided to quietly climb down the stairs. The voice became clearer and Gao could already guess who it was, Kiri? Why are you up?

"Everything is okay dad," the voice of his friend said.

The boy saw that the light came from the kitchen room and slowly walked towards it. He was close to it and took a peek at what was going on inside. He saw his friend Kiri talking to someone else. He carefully observed the one he was talking with. He saw it was the source of light.

"Sure dad. Everything is doing great. Gao is here and it's been a long time. I was surprised he came here," Kiri said. He chuckled, "It's summer vacation dad. I'll do my homework when they'll leave next week. It's been a long time since I have a friend here dad."

Gao saw that he spoke to something in the light. It was a silhouette of someone in the light. He couldn't see who it was but it was supernatural. Kiri, the boy thought he needed help. He was about to go help when he felt something cold on his neck.

A blue blade was on his throat. He recognised it and nervously looked at the side.

"Freeeeze." Joker said, not wearing the apron anymore, "Not a word. Back away with me," the voice of the usual cheerful monster was suddenly cold, not as a pun, but filled with hostility. He sounded like he was ready to murder the boy at any moment.

Gao was nervous and decided to do as the monster ordered. He slowly walked away while the ice scythe of the monster was still there.

"What are you doing to my son?" the voice of his father grunted as he glared at the monster.

The ice monster gazed at the man who had his arms crossed. He was ready to destroy the monster if needed.

The red eyes of the monster paled as he gazed at the side. He seemed to realise what he was doing to a friend of Kiri and released the boy. He avoided looking at them and asked, "I'm so sorry Gao… I- C-Come outside… I'll explain what's going on. Just… don't say anything to anyone else. Not even Kiri," he pointed at the door.

The two humans hesitated and were defensive. They followed monster outside and walked in the woods. They could feel the breeze of the night.

"What's going on Joker?" Gao asked.

"And why were you about to kill my son?" the man grunted.

Joker waved his arms and quickly said, "I- I panicked! I just…Acted without thinking. I'll explain. There is a reason I did it… A bad one but… don't be so cold on me," a nervous chuckled came from the monster before he let an ashamed sighed. He gave them a pleading gaze and whispered, "I deserve it thought. I acted like… an old self."

That got them confused a little but they didn't know the real age of the monster.

"Why did you act that way?" Gao asked.

The ice monster looked at the humans and down. He grasped his strength and looked in their eyes. After a few seconds, he bowed down, tail on the ground and said, "Don't tell anyone what I'll tell you! I beg of you! Just please don't say anything to anyone about what I will say! Please!" he begged a few more times with desperate voice.

They were quiet for a few seconds before Gao nodded, "Of course."

"Tell us why you threatened the life of my son," his father ordered. He wouldn't let that go quickly like his son.

"Of course, of course," the monster replied. He sat down and looked at the side. He searched for the words and began talking, "Gao. What you saw was more complex than you think. Simple to explain, but difficult to comprehend. The one in the light was his father but not really at the same time. You see… The thing in the light was a manifestation of who Kiri really is. A fragment of his forgotten self. His true form. Kiri's true identity is of my master, Third Omni Water Lord, Miserea. The one who my buddy saw as his father."

"An… Omni Lord," Gao whispered while his father nodded, asking the monster to continue.

"You see. When Yamigedo was a sealed, Miserea, just like Tenbu decided to stay on Earth and watch over the monster, making sure that he wouldn't threaten the world again. I wanted to follow him and protect him by his side but refused. I still remained close to him. Miserea eventually began to get curious of the habitants of this world, as their society began to build in many forms. One day, my master decided to become a human. He grew curious of your kind and how… strange you were. So many of you yet… so divided. Divided by wars, hatred, fears, love, belief, faith, culture, and many more. Yet… as my master said, you bloom more and more like the flowers of this world. How the world evolves in many forms. The Earth feels like many worlds in one place," he raised a blade and said, "Let me finish before questions please," he received a nod and continued, "When he acted as a human, he was always an adult and entered different society in the world. He went to different countries and I've always watched from afar, far away from humans' eyes. He lived in the many time periods of the world. He even met a great human named Iesus."

That didn't really tell many things for the Mikado's. It was an unknown human for them.

"An entire religion was based on him. Anyway… I digress. Eventually, when one of his human life came to an end, something different happened. Buddy monsters were present on Earth. This time, he took the name of Kiri. The form of a children. On his first day of school, he met you and since then, lived a real childhood."

"Real… childhood?" the Sun Fighter asked.

Takashi asked, "What do you mean?"

Joker explained, "Miseria never really had a childhood. Since he was a child, he was trained to become an Omni Lord. He never lived anything a child would. He never played never have fun. It was always duty. He was the apprentice of the previous Third Omni Lord. As Kiri, he could finally live a real childhood. You saw his smile. It is bright like a real child. Miseria smiles were often on the side, just to reassure you. I made him giggled a few times with my puns but it was the best I could. When he was Miseria, I was his guardian and protector. He was my master. When he is Kiri, I am his buddy. I am his friend," he looked down and his eyes became to be dull, "Kiri is happy. I want to protect this happiness. He has real friends. He saw me as a friend. We are together once again. He really lived a life. We live a life where I can make him happy. It began since he act as a human and bloom when he met you Gao, it was the best thing of his life. But it is not meant to be… Yamigedo is back and Miseria has to come back. But… But- Kiri will… Kiri. He will be gone," he sobbed as a tear came from his eyes, "He will lose his happiness."

The ice monster bowed down once gain, "That's why you mustn't tell him anything!"

Gao hesitated. He knew that they will need the power of all Omni Lords.

Takashi saw the hesitation and thought about something to help them to make a decision, "Is it dangerous to stay Kiri for now? Gao and his friends still have to find the other Omni Lords."

The monster thought about it and replied, "Kiri should be safe. As long as he isn't starting to reawake his power, he won't be found by Yamigedo or anyone else. He is just a human who can buddyfight for now. I would never put his life in danger… I'm asking you something big but… All I want is for Kiri to be happy a little longer. Truly happy. That's all that I'm asking."

He had no answer and it make the heart of ice almost at its bursting point. He didn't want his Kiri to suffer with the weight of the duty as an Omni Lord.

Gao approached the monster and put his hand on his shoulder, "Okay. As long as Kiri isn't in danger. He is our friend and I won't ask him to be sad or hurt. Just call if you need help."

"I'll respect my son wishes. We are far away from Tokyo. I don't think they will come here. Seems like it's not a place where an Omni Lord would hide," Takashi concluded.

Joker began to sobbed, happy to hear their truthful answer, "Great. My frozen heart is melting because of you. Thank you. I'm so glad you understand," he gazed at Gao and noticed something similar to his smile. Nothing came to him for now but that familiarity was there, where did I saw that kind smile? Something about it played with his memories. Once he was out of his thought, he realised that he hugged the two humans and let them go, "S-sorry to freeze you like that. I was overwhelmed by my emotions," he scratched his back nervously.

"N-no problem," they replied feeling a little cold.

The father tapped the back of his son, "I think we should go back to sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow as a family. Can't let Suzumi break Halberd without having done something as a family."

Gao nervously chuckled. Takashi said a few things to his son and added one thing he guessed from what the ice monster revealed to them.

Joker remained outside for a few seconds, gazed at the crescent of the moon. He was worried for the future.

"Joker!" Gao said as he came back. The boy grabbed his left arm and said, "I forgot to say something."

"W-what is it?"

"There is one thing I know Joker. Is what when Miseria will come back, Kiri won't be gone. Our friend cannot just leave like that right?" the Sun Fighter wasn't asking that to be reassured. It was to reassure the monster.

Would it be true? Or would Kiri be gone? Is Kiri a part of master Miseria or a made-up human being for an Omni Lord? Without knowing the answer, he replied,"I hope so."

"Well I believe it," Gao concluded as he returned back inside for good this time.

Faith hum? The monster thought as he joined them inside.

Joker checked in the kitchen and his buddy was gone. He walked into the chamber of his buddy and saw the boy there, sleeping peacefully. The monster didn't know how long they had left until Miseria will return, but he will enjoy them to the fullest. He went in the bed of his buddy to sleep with him. He will bring the cold in the upcoming heat stroke.

He let a small smile in his mind as the boy turned around and hugged the monster, "I will always protect you Kiri."

AC: This is the end of this episode. I hope you enjoyed it.

My first idea of Drum's dream was a dirty one and him humping a pillow but I put it aside. Gao was traumatised enough for one day.

Gao and his father now know the true identity of Kiri and Joker wants his buddy to stay as a human as long as possible.

Joker seems like a little selfish in his thought when he made the request but the main reason is to give Kiri what he never had as Miseria while watching over the boy.

As for Joker backstory, it will be explained in another episode. Because he was vastly different when he first met Miseria, when he wasn't called Joker. He still hasn't reveal all of his secrets.

Next Episode: Heat Strikes Hard. Focusing on Tetsuya and Asmodai with their more fragile relationship. Yamigedo will sent once again a demon to hunt the Omni Lords. Peace chapters are over and we add a few episodic episodes now.