Author's Note:

I'm baaaack! J  This is actually the night after I wrote chapter one (IT'S CHRISTMAS!), so I've been a good girl and worked hard…  (many thanks to Sai, Wolfspeaker, Samuelec and Red Pill, the people who reviewed in the previous chapter.  Thankies for your feedback, Hannah was really pleased too.) but thank you so much to everyone who replies!  I really appreciate any feedback I get, even if it's (constructive) criticism.  My sister was up half the night jabbering about Christmas, so I told her to shut up and do something useful.  So she gave me the ladder for the next Chappy.  Then tossed it down to my bunk and whacked me on the head.  Well, I'm having fun, wearing a party hat.  I hope everyone else who celebrates Christmas had a good one.

Now I'm rambling again because I don't want to write this chapter.  I have no idea how to make it more than like a paragraph long cos it's so short!  (Hannah got bored and decided she was done)  Well, here we go…

Ack!  I WAS JUST ABOUT TO WRITE WHEN MY SISTER CAME IN AND THREW ME OFF THE COMP TO TRY SOME NEW COMPUTER GAME SHE GOT.  Something about Ashleigh and Mary-Kate in a mall…

Chapter Two

Yakumo watched Benjamin as he took to his heals and ran round the corner that Mushra had just disappeared round.  For a second she considered getting Kutall and Sago to help, but she realised that would just get them into trouble.  She'd just have to fix this problem herself.

"He's taking too long," Sago said shortly as twenty minutes passed.  "He should be back by now. There's no reason for him to stay any longer than he has to.  He knows the humans will eat him alive."

Kutall wriggled his nose.  "They're probably having a hard time saying goodbye," he reasoned.  "You know how Mushra felt about her-"

"He knew it was never going to happen, Kutall.  In a way, I think she was too – I dunno… too good for him or something."

"Now really, Sago, there's no need for that!  I know perfectly well he's far too young for her, and he barely reaches her shoulder.  But I don't think Yakumo would appreciate what you just said.  She loves him like a brother," Kutall corrected Sago quickly.  "She just needs someone… older.  Safer.  Mushra's too unpredictable.  He wouldn't think much about getting tied down anyway.  Even if it was with Yakumo."

There was s short pause while they looked up at the lights in Shinzo.

"So," Sago said gruffly.  "What are you gonna do after this?   We're all more than likely going to go and do our own thing now."

"Probably find someplace where I can cook for a living.  I hear it's good business, and I do enjoy cooking.  What about you?"

"I have no idea."

"…"

"…"

"It definitely shouldn't take this long."

"Leave them be, Sago."

Yakumo ran as fast as she could after the security guards, round the corner and down a long, narrow corridor.  It was blue this time, so Mushra's orange armour stood out a lot more; she could see him more clearly than against the red of the entrance hall.  She could also see the dead end.

Mushra skidded to a halt at the end of the corridor.  There were three doors in the wall, so he tried the first one.  It was locked.

"Shit," he muttered and tried the second one.  It flew open and he ran at top speed into a huge room that was decked out in rich purple.  Without hesitation he swung up onto one of the velvet curtains and climbed up to the curtain rail, grinning all over his face.

The guards were large men and knew they'd be too heavy to climb the curtain after him.  So instead they pulled it down.

One end of the rail fell too, and Mushra slid helplessly to the ground, looking extremely surprised.  Yakumo would have laughed at the look on his face if the situation hadn't been so dangerous.

Mushra got to his feet and was about to run again when Benjamin caught him in a fast rugby tackle, accompanied by a sickening crack.  He bared his teeth victoriously at his prey and pressed the blade of his knife against the Enterran's throat.

"Lights out, you little mutant," he hissed

Yakumo tried to run over to them, but two guards held her by the arms.  "Sorry, Miss.  It's too dangerous for you to get involved."

Even Yakumo knew it was over now.  She didn't know if she wanted to look or not.

"Benjamin!"

Benjamin looked up and frowned.  "Not now, Ken.  Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Mmm, yes I can see that.  Put your weapon down right now."

Yakumo look up at the man who had spoken.  He was smaller and thinner than most of the guards, but he wore the uniform.  He had flaming red hair and freckles.

Ken strode up to Benjamin, picked up his knife from the floor and pocketed it.  "You know that's not how we deal with these situations here.  He crouched down and produced a pair of handcuffs from his pocket.  Then he pinned Mushra's hands behind his back and cuffed them there.  Ken tutted as Mushra winced slightly.  His face had gone a funny grey colour, and Yakumo wondered if he'd hurt himself when Benjamin caught him.  "Young man, you're under arrest for violation of the most important law of Shinzo.  No Enterrans.  You have the right to remain silent, blah, blah, blah…"

Yakumo sighed as another guard dragged Mushra up by the collar, put one hand on the back of his neck and steered him down a set of stairs, Mushra muttering darkly all the way.  She wasn't sure what to think.  It was good that Ken had stopped Benjamin from killing her friend, but she had no idea how long they were going to keep him prisoner.  Would it be for a few days, a month – or forever?

"That's it, I'm going up there!"

Kutall sighed and grabbed the back of Sago's cloak.  "Don't you dare," he warned.  "You might interrupt something.  Besides, if something was wrong, Yakumo would have told us!"

"What if she can't?"

Kutall didn't say much for a minute.  He frowned and stood up.  "I honestly don't know what to do.  I don't want to intrude – they're best friends!  But I don't think it would take three quarters of an hour to say goodbye."

"I sure wouldn't want to interrupt, somehow - I think maybe Yakumo thinks she feels the same way-"

"Oh, now, honestly, you don't think that, do you?  They're far too different.  Yakumo would never feel that way.  Mushra has a lot of growing up to do before he has a chance with her, and I'm afraid it's far too late for him."

"Mentally and physically."

"…I'm going to miss your bluntness, Sago."

"Why, thank you."

Ken glanced at Yakumo and the two men holding her.  "Was he a friend of yours?"

Yakumo hesitated.  She figured if she said she was Mushras friend, she'd be taken away too, and that would be no help to either of them.  However, if she said he was just a stranger who had followed her up the path, they might get suspicious, but she's stay on their good side.

She took a second to get her story together, then smiled sweetly at Ken.  "He's more of an acquaintance.  He seems to follow me round a lot.  I got him in here as I thought you would be able to deal with him."  She hated herself for lying, especially as she was supposed to be all about goodness and light.  But she knew it was for a good cause.

"Wise decision, Miss-"

"Clara."  Yakumo had decided to hand in a fake name – she didn't feel like being treated like a Goddess right now.  She'd just have to tell them the truth later.

"-Miss Clara."

Yakumo suddenly decided to take a long shot to get down to wherever they were going to keep Mushra.  "Could I go down and speak to him?  I'm afraid he has something of mine-"

"He's a thief too?"

"Oh, no.  I lent something to him.  I'm going to, uh, need it back soon."

"You can go and talk to him in the morning," Ken replied, a rather apologetic smile on his face.  "I'm afraid the boys are teaching him a lesson.  One that he won't forget any time soon… are you Ok, Miss Yakumo?"

"Peachy.  Just… tired."

"Of course.  Let me show you to your quarters.  We have found somewhere available on the second floor.  There is an ensuite bathroom, and breakfast for this sector will be from about eight until ten."

"Thank you, Sir."

Yakumo smiled at Ken as he left her in a small, cosy room with a fireplace.  As soon as he was gone, she sat down on the bed and cried.  Maybe it was wrong to come to Shinzo.  They'd taken her best friend away, and they were torturing him somewhere beneath her.  They'd probably chained him up so he couldn't defend himself.  And Kutall and Sago were probably starting to get worried. 

She ran to the window and saw, in the distance, two dots, one large and yellow.  That had to be Kutall.  The other one smaller and darker.  Definitely Sago.  But how could she contact them from so far away?  Shinzo was enormous.  Even if they were looking at the windows, they'd never see her.  It was, after all, a huge monster with glowing eyes-"

Glowing eyes.  The windows!  She ran to where a light switch was embedded in the wall and flicked it on and off several times.

"I can't believe Mushra sometimes.  What an asshole!  If he was staying a while he could at least have let us know what he was doing-"

Kutall glared at Sago.  "I have a feeling something's wrong, but I don't know if it would be a good idea for two more Enterrans to bust in there.  I think it would cause more trouble."

Sago sat down on the grass.  "An hour.  A whole bloody hour!  Sorry, Kutall.  I didn't mean to be rude, but I feel pretty useless right now."

"Hey – what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That window's flashing."

Sago jumped to his feet.  "That'll be Yakumo.  Come on!"

They both ran helter-skelter over to the window.  After a few seconds, Yakumo's face appeared.  "Thank God!  I thought you might not have seen it!"

"We saw." Sago rubbed his hands together to make heat.  "So, what's the story?"

Yakumo leaned out of the window and began to tell them everything.

I'm a bit hesitant about putting up another chapter, as usually when I write fics I wait till I'm a whole chapter ahead until I put one up (e.g. I wont put up Ch 2 until I have Ch 3 finished).  So I'm waiting till Friday to put this up.

ACK I'm so annoyed!  Hannah thinks it's funny that I don't get to use the net, but it's just cos she doesn't know how to use it!  She annoyed me with this chapter's ladder today.  All she wrote was this:

Benjamin catches Mushra.

Yakumo goes to room.

Yakumo gets Sago and Kutall's attention and tells them what happened.

I mean, I actually had to use my brain!  I had to work out how the hell Yakumo was going to get their attention!  I must remind her to use more detail in future….

I say this in every author's note, but PLEASE review!  *Begs* I love reviews!  Please give generously, as I could use some tips on where to go next, names (mostly guys names that are oldish and not too jocky like Andy or Pete), and tips on the actual show!  I've only seen up to the bit with that girl Carrie or whatever her name is.  The last thing I saw Yakumo and Carrie getting swallowed up by some seriously ugly monster (although maybe it was Hannah hogging the screen?).  I can only assume that they were rescued and everyone became friends again?  Well, I'm going to torture Hannah for the next chapter's ladder, so BYE BYEEEEE!

J HEY THE NET'S WORKIN AGAIN!  HALELUJAH!!! (or however it's spelt)

Next Chapter : Yakumo sneaks down to see Mushra anyway, Yakumo gets slightly violent, and there's an odd obsession with footprints (so I could waste more space).