Author's Note:

(It's really Easter Holidays now, but This Note is From Hogmanay when I actually wrote it.  I'm really sorry I haven't put it up, but I lost the nerve to continue… Well, here we go…)

Heya!  It'sssssss CHAPTER FIVE!!! *Fanfare* YAAAAAY!  Ugh!  NOOOOO!!!  Nearly time to go back to school!  Oh well.  It's Hogmanay – that means there'll be a big fair tonight in the middle of Glasgow!  WOHOOO!  I get to go to the fair!  Unfortunately it means I have to go on the shitty ghost train with Hannah.  Same as EVERY year since she was little.  I mean – IT'S NOT SCARY!  Hehe I'll make her go on a scary ride… hehe. 

In this chapter, it appears that we see a little more of Kutal, Hakuba and the kittens than in previous chapters.  And yes, Hannah did give me the top bunk.  And I had to promise not to tell when she stole that Kit Kat Chunky from the top of the refrigerator…

Anywho, my cat Jig spent last night chasing a stupid clockwork mouse around our room, so it was about one before we actually got any sleep.  So now I'm very tired and very annoyed – don't mind if this chapter gets very depressing, though I'll try and keep it off that note.

As we are nearing the end of this fic (There will probably just be one more chapter after this) I'm thinking about writing a fic without Hannah's plot ladders – a comedy one.  So in your reviews, I'd like you all to put in something you'd like to see in this senseless comedy fic and I'll see if I can piece it together into a short fanfiction.

Also, it's nearly time to go back to school – which means I'm in a hurry to get this fic finished while I have time to myself – although I don't think this counts as "Time To Myself" when Hannah's peeking over my shoulder!  She's Ok, I guess.  Especially as she just handed me two chocolate cookies!

Well, I'm babbling again, so without further ado, I give you…

Chapter Five

Hakuba looked at the three kittens, who were unaware of his worries (AN – Can Hakuba think?  Oh well, now he can).  Estee had managed to make a doll from a rock for the head and a big leaf twirled into a cone for a dress.  Rei and Sei were still pushing the train to each other, and for once everyone was playing peacefully.

Sago, Mushra and Kutal had been gone for a few days now – something had to be wrong.  They wouldn't have stayed after Yakumo left them.  They'd have left as soon as they could, for fear of getting caught.

"Maybe we should go and help them," he thought out loud.  "They must be in trouble."

Rei heard and looked up.  "YAY!  Let's go find Uncle Kutal!"

"And Mushra and Sago!" Estee added.

The Kittens leapt into Hakuba's passenger seat and pulled the hood down.

"I'm driving!" Sei announced proudly.

"No way!" Estee whined.  "I gotta drive!"

Rei sniggered.  "Well, we all know about woman drivers-"

Wham!  A huge lump suddenly appeared on Rei's head.  "No sexist jokes while I'm here, good sir!" Estee scolded, taking the wheel.

"I think I'll drive myself," Hakuba muttered.

"I don't believe this!" Sago fumed, kicking the wall.  There was water all over the floor, and they were still wet from last night's water spray.  "We don't even get to tell our side of the story!  They're treating us like a plague of rats that they want to exterminate!"

"Even if we were given the chance to tell our side, do you think we would?  We'd have to give Yakumo away." Mushra, who had taken up his place in the corner again, replied.

Sago sighed and nodded.  "I know.  But the point is, if it were a human, they'd give him them a chance to defend themselves."

"That's just the way it is here, Sago.  The thing is, we've done our part – we got Yakumo to Shinzo.  That's gotta mean something.  I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for her.  I'd have drowned ages ago."

"You never told me about that."

"It was quite a while back."

"Why are you just accepting this, Mushra?  Don't you want to live to be tall enough to reach the corn chips on the top shelf or a really high light switch?"

"…"

"…"

" -_-* "

" ^_^ "

"That's not funny."

"I thought it was."

Mushra began his trying-to-get-his-handcuffs-off escapologist routine.  "I know I probably sound like I'm giving up already, but let's face it, there's no way either of us want to attempt that jail-break stunt again with Yakumo or Kutal, it would put them in too much danger.  And there's no way of getting out from the inside.  Especially if your hands are stuck behind your back.  I'm so sorry for this.  It's all my fault!"

"Yeah, I know you're sorry.  But it was our choice to get you out, and I don't regret trying.  If it's anyone's fault, it's those guys for putting you in here.  What matters now is getting out of here.  And soon."

"…"

"So, are you scared, Mushra?"

"Extremely."

Yakumo raced back to bed after roll-call, and prayed that the escape had been successful.  She planned to sit with Isaac again at breakfast.  He'd tell her if there was any news.

The next morning she got up and put on a pale blue skirt and shirt that contrasted perfectly with the décor in Rosebud Hall.  She washed and brushed her hair until it looked just right.  She had a feeling she'd need to appeal to Isaac before he'd tell her of a security fault such as an escape.

As she walked into the breakfast hall she looked around and quickly spotted Isaac.  She sat down next to him and smiled.  "Good morning!"

"Morning, Miss Clara!"

"Did you find who was responsible for the fire alarm?"

"Yep.  A pile of old kitchen stuff fell against the alarm out back.  The pots were lying all over the place."

Good work, Kutal, she thought.  But she said, "Well at least nobody was hurt."

"You're kidding.  The Enterran escaped."

Yakumo faked a look of horror.  "Oh dear!  Did you catch him again?"

"Yep.  And we found another one with him.  They're getting far too dangerous.  The judge gave us the go-ahead to execute them at noon."

"Surely that's a little-"

"No way.  We can't let them go, because they know the location of Shinzo, and there's no way we're keeping them down there.  The best thing to do would be to kill them."

Yakumo continued the conversation, a false smile on her face, as casually as possible until the bell rang for the end of breakfast.  As Isaac left, Yakumo rushed into the purple room and down the stairs.  In no time at all she reached the correct cell.  "Sago!  Mushra!  I can't believe this!"  She reached for the keys behind her, but the peg was empty.

"Looks like Benjamin's not taking any more chances," Sago observed.  "Don't worry, Yakumo.  We can still get out of this.  You're looking at the two slipperiest characters you've ever known.  We've both been in trouble with the law before.  We can handle this."

Yakumo couldn't help laughing.  "Yeah, I know.  This just seems so final.  You have two hours to get out.  Do you think we'll manage it?"

"Nope." Mushra replied cheerfully, a stress mark appearing suddenly on his forehead.

"Yep." Sago corrected him.

"Are you sure?" Yakumo asked Sago.

"Of course."

"Because you were also sure Hakuba would win-"

"ALRIGHT!  I was asleep.  Can we forget the Hakuba thing?"

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"Yakumo, you'd better go on up.  We'll do everything we can to get out, I promise," Sago said sensibly.

Yakumo blew them both a kiss, tears running down her face.  "I love you both so much.  Please try to get out.  Don't give up."

And she was gone.

"Ok," Mushra said carefully.  "We can still escape, right?"

"Right."

Yakumo waited at her window until Kutal noticed her.  In no time he was there.  "Sago and Mushra aren't back yet!" he said.  "Do you know anything?"

Yakumo told him everything she knew in as few words as possible.  "They got caught, and they're getting killed in just over and hour!  We have to do something!"

At that moment they both became aware of a soft buzzing noise.

"Hakuba!" Yakumo squeaked, leaning further out of the window.  "Kittens!  What are you all doing here?"

"We thought you might need our help, as you were not back yet," Hakuba explained to Kutal.

Kutal nodded.  "I have an idea!  Yakumo, you take the kittens.  Keep them here until we come back.  Hakuba and I will break into the dungeon and get them out.  Hakuba's shield will protect us."

"Brilliant!" Yakumo agreed.  "But for God's Sake be careful.  We can't lose any more of you."

Kutal passed the kittens up through the window and got into Hakuba's driver's seat.  Estee pouted.  "Uncle Kutal gets to drive." But then she perked up.  "Does this mean we'll see Sago and Mushra again?"

"I think we might!"

"YAAAAY!"

Yakumo smiled as she watched them jumping up and down on the bed and hitting each other with pillows.  They had no idea just how dangerous this was going to be.

"Goodbye, Kutal!  Bye, Hakuba!  Good luck!"

"BYE BYEEEEE!"

Mushra looked up as he heard the clock strike noon.  "We can still escape, right?"

"Right!"

They had been trying to get out since Yakumo left them, but it was impossible.  Mushra couldn't go hyper, it was too wet.  Sago's hands were behind his back, so it wouldn't have done much good anyway.

"We're screwed."

"Nope."

As Benjamin appeared, and tied them up so they couldn't get away, Mushra turned to Sago.  "We can, uh, still escape, right?"

"Right."

As they were pushed into a tiny little room with nothing inside and the door was locked, Mushra grinned nervously.  "Uh, can we still escape?"

"Nope."

"Oh.  Well.  That's bad then."

"Yes."

"Any idea what this is?"

"Yes."

"Oh.  Excellent.  I don't think I want to know what it is."

"No, you don't."

"Can we go any faster, Hakuba?"

"I am afraid not.  If we go any faster, it will be unsafe.  We would make too much noise."

"We're going to make get noticed anyway, if a seahorse bumper car and a huge cat come parading in and take two of their prisoner's out of the dungeon.  We would get noticed less if I pranced in wearing a tutu screaming, 'Let My People Go'!"

"o_0"

"Okay, bad example, just go faster, please?"

Mushra looked around.  "This doesn't seem too bad."

"No, not now it doesn't."

"Eep…"

"Yay!  I win again!"

"You always win go fish!"

"That's because girls are cleverer than boys!"

"There's such a word as cleverer?"

Yakumo tried to keep herself distracted by watching the kittens play cards.  But it was hard when she was so worried about her friends.  She wondered if everything was going according to plan.  If so, she'd be able to see everyone again.

If there was just one little mistake, they could all die.

"We are almost there!"

"That's good.  Let's go!"

Sago punched the wall of the tiny room.  "This is so fucking stupid!" he ranted.

"Yeah," Mushra squeaked, sliding slowly down the wall behind Sago.  Sago, being able to live underwater, had not yet noticed that the air was running out.

"How the hell is this legal when we didn't get a trial?  They can't treat us like this just because we're different!  That can't be right, can it Mushra?  Mushra?"

Sago looked round at his friend, who was lying choking in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Oh, shit!  Oh shit!"

Sago couldn't do anything.  Being a water-sprite, he could do without air for a short length of time, but he knew he'd not be long after Mushra.

I can't believe this, he thought.  This has got to be the worst case of judgement ever.  We haven't done anything to harm these people, but they seem to think it's Ok to treat us like criminals.  He absent-mindedly put an arm around his friend's narrow shoulders.  His own head was spinning.  This is unfair.  I wonder if Yakumo's Ok.  And Kutal.  And the kittens…

"They're taking ages!"

"No they're not, Estee, you're just real impalement."

Yakumo looked horrified.  "I think the word you're looking for is 'impatient'," she told Rei hurriedly.

"Yeah, that's it.  You're so impatient, Estee."

"Here we are!"

"Are you positive this is it, Hakuba?"

"Yes."

"Then let's tear this place apart!"

"No.  We don't know where they are.  They could be standing right by that wall.  Wait till I use my heat sensors."

Kutal blinked.  "Oh, of course.  Duh, Kutal!"

"…They're on the other side of the room.  We're going in!"

"Stop right there!"

Hakuba and Kutal both froze on the spot.  A large, powerful-looking guard (who was Benjamin, but they didn't know that) stood in their way.  "That kid's like a virus!" he sighed, glaring at the two in front of them.  "We get rid of two, and behold!  More!"

"Listen here, Sir!" Kutal began incredulously.  "I don't see what your problem is!  You have spent so long waiting for Yakumo, and now you want to upset her by murdering her friends?  I don't see the logic at all-"

"What are you talking about?"

"Yakumo arrived two nights ago.  With an Enterran friend.  Honestly don't you remember-"

Benjamin held up a hand to stop Kutal talking.  "That girl said her name was Clara," he said.  "We've spent ages trying to keep Enterrans away!  We thought if her father was killed by Enterrans, and we had them flocking all over the place, she wouldn't come."

"Yakumo is very forgiving.  We're her friends.  And so are two of your prisoners.  We've come to take them away.  We promise we won't trouble you again."

Benjamin fidgeted with his tie.  "Why didn't she say something?  Why didn't she tell us who she really was?  We'd have let her friends out without any further questions!"  He turned to the door of the little room and typed in the code.  "They might be okay," he muttered.  "But never come back, right?"

"Sure, just let them out."

Sago looked up as the doors began to open.  "Mushra!  We're free!  Alright!"

"Yea… good."

Sago pulled Mushra to his feet and they hurried out.

"Hey, guys!" Sago panted as he leapt into the passenger seat.  "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see you two out here!"

Suddenly Benjamin yelled, "Stop!"  He turned to Isaac, who hadn't said a word during the whole exchange.  "Duffy, go and get Miss Clara.  Escort her to the infirmary.  I'll take these two on ahead."

As Duffy disappeared, Benjamin turned to Kutal.  "I would like to ask you to wait outside," he said, "until I have informed everyone of the situation.  People might get alarmed."

"Of course," Kutal replied, and he and Hakuba set off.

"Miss Clara – I mean – Miss Yakumo, I'm coming in.  It's an emergency!"

Isaac burst through Yakumo's door.  The first things he saw were the three infant Enterrans who were now quietly playing card games on the bed.

"Uh, and I think you should come with me," he continued, shocked at the sight of yet more Enterrans.  "And bring them with you.  I'm afraid I have some rather important news."

Yakumo got up shakily and took Estee's hand.  Her brothers joined silently on to make a chain.  They seemed to sense that something was wrong and they'd have to be on their best behaviour.  They all filed out into the hallway.

Right, it seems that next chapter will definitely be the last.  I'm off to the fair now, so bye byeeeeee all, and see you next chappy!  Happy New Year!!!!  (and don't do anything I wouldn't do… hehehehe)

Next Chapter : I'm giving nothing away, but… *demonic voice* Beware the duckies and Bunnies ending!  BWAHAHAHA*cough* Damn my sister…  Well, I'll give you my usual hints:- Poshness, cheesy reunions and – My Stars, who is that delicious sweetheart wearing those leather pants???

Trudi