AUTHOR'S NOTE: My Animorphs plot bunnies attacked me. So that's why there was no chapter yesterday. For those of you who haven't, please go check my writing shecdule. I'm hoping to kind of go double-time fic writing this weekend, because I had today and I'll have this Monday off school! =P I love Easter.

Oh, and I realize Ebonwumon is his dub name. I used the wrong by mistake...I'll probably correct the chapters tomorrow.
The Baihumon/Zhuqiaomon scene...they just kissed. Nothing more, um, advanced than that. And that scene will be the only scene in what remains of the fic, as directly yaoi, the rest can be taken however you want. My imagination attacked me is all I can say...I didn't exactly intend for it to happen. That's happened a lot during this fic...
Oh fine, I warped the personalities of the four gods (personalities?) a bit. Just think of them as being much younger or something...but I have to endear them to my readers somehow! **Makes a dramatic pose, but realizes no one is listening anymore and shuts up**

I felt something furry wrap around my body. Mom, of course. Then to my surprise, I felt something wet splash on my shoulders. Tears.
"Don't cry..." I said. Mom just hugged me tighter in response.
"Baihumon..." Zhuqiaomon said with a very dangerous undercurrent in his voice. He began to walk menacingly towards the, by now, very nervous Tiger.
"I can explain...she really missed them, Zhuqiaomon..." Baihumon nervously explained.
Ebonwumon looked to the Phoenix, and then to the Tiger and back again. "You aren't planning on...killing him, are you Zhuqiaomon?"
"Kill?" Zhuqiaomon amusedly repeated. "Severely harm and mutilate, I'll do that. But by no means will I kill him, Ebonwumon."
I had no idea the four gods were so immature.
Then I realized something. We were no longer in Hypnos.

"Daaad..." Reiko pleaded, hanging off the couch in the Matsuda living room.
"No." Takato immediately replied.
"But you didn't even hear what I was gonna say!" the thirteen year old protested.
"But I already knew what you were going to ask. I'm not letting you go over there tonight." Takato told his fiery daughter.
"Fine, then." Reiko announced as she paced upstairs.
"Mom? Will you let me go to mon boy's?" she asked.

Takato was met with a blessed moment of silence.
A very short one, as after some talking, Reiko calmly whined "But Mom!"
And once again Takato wondered how he had kept sane the past thirteen years. Probably because of school. Blessed, blessed school...he loved his daughter deeply, he really did. But he also loved when she went to away to school.

Hypnos, digital world, my house...I was used to going back and forth to weird places. At the moment, I was lying on my bed and wondering what had happened during the brief period Dad and I were gone. Had all the hybrids made it out okay? I was pretty sure I saw Toge and Pata in the group of people making their way out of the building. And what about Yamaki? Mom said he had run for it once she and the gods started fighting again, but we didn't know if he was okay.

Why did I care, anyway? I angrily thought. Yamaki had used and manipulated me, hurt the ones I loved and I still was concerned about him! From all the movies I'd seen, it made no sense. The big, brave hero never felt sorry for the bad guy, ever! He just got him killed, ending his evil rule or whatever. No pity, and no wondering if maybe he wasn't so bad after all...

I heard Mom and Dad downstairs conversing with the four gods. They'd reached an agreement that no one would get hurt, much to my relief. I'd excused myself early on, feeling too worn out to talk. But now that I was actually in my room, I was miserably wide awake.
I played with the small aqua ring between my fingers, bored out of my gourd. Mom had used hers to bring Dad and I back to the real world...did mine and Dad's have any power? If so, what would I use it for?

I suddenly heard a door closing, and my Mom and Dad talking about something. Then it hit me. I knew exactly what I would use my ring for.