Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 8: The Revenge of an Old Enemy

The Ham-Hams found their way out of Ikaruga and into the open air. The sun was going down at this time and the skies were growing dim as it made the transition to night. As the Ham-Hams came out into the open, they didn't realize that they were being watched. From a dark and dreary castle located several yards overhead where Ikaruga was located, a ham-ham was spying on them. From a tall tower in a dark castle, he watched the Ham-Hams through a long gold colored telescope. The ham-ham had orange and red stripes all over his body and he wore a belt with a sword in the belt's sheath. He also wore the same strange necklace as Arwrue's. This ham-ham's name was Agasha and he had been observing the Ham-Hams since they made their way to Ikaruga. Agasha watched curiously through the telescope. With an evil looking grin on his face, the ham-ham took his eye off the eyepiece of the telescope.

"So they survived the ghosts of Ikaruga," said Agasha. "What a shame. Oh well, they will meet their end soon enough. Although they wont be here in Rokugon for too long. I must act quickly." Once he said this, the quartz crystal on Agasha's necklace began to glow as he heard the voice of the spirit within.

"Don't worry, I have the perfect bait for Soshi," said Agasha to his necklace. The necklace glowed again in response. "The Ham-Hams? Don't worry, I have plans for them as well." The necklace glowed again as the spirit inside the stone talked to Agasha again in a voice that only Agasha could hear.

"Don't be suspicious of others," said Agasha. "We have everything under control and if this plan goes well, we will all get what we want." The crystal glowed again in response.

"Yes, I can't wait either," said Agasha as he grinned evilly. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for and nothing could stop him now.

After the Ham-Hams had dinner at Soshi's home, Soshi agreed to let the Ham-Hams spend the night there. The Ham-Hams were kept in three separate guest rooms: Oxnard shared a room with Jingle, Laura was with Kana, and Mara was with Terra. They slept on warm comfortable beds that was provided to them in the rooms. It was the best sleep they had in a while.

The next morning, Soshi was the first to wake up in the house. It was 6:30 in the morning and sun light was pouring through the window near her bed. She got up from under the covers of her bed to see her husband, Kitsu, sleeping soundly next to her. Not wanting to wake him up, Soshi crawled out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" quietly as she walked. As quite as a mouse (or a hamster), Soshi walked through the halls of her large home and into a nearby bedroom. The walls of the room she had entered was a light orange color with a carpet that was the same shade of orange. There was very little in the room save for a small dresser drawer, a small wooden chest filled with toys, and a baby's crib located in the corner.

Soshi walked over to the crib to find Kuni sleeping inside. Kuni slept soundly in her crib, wrapped in a pink colored blanket and a small white pillow. Soshi smiled as she watched Kuni sleep, standing there for ten minutes watching her before Kuni began to stir. Kuni stretched her arms and legs and gave off a deep yawn before opening her eyes and seeing her mother looking down upon her.

"Well hello, sleepy head," said Soshi kindly. "How's Mommy's little angel?" Kuni smiled and began reaching for Soshi as if wanting to hug her. With a smile, Soshi reached into the crib and picked up Kuni into her arms.

"Come on, I bet you want some breakfast," said Soshi. Kuni only smiled in response as Soshi carried her out of the room.

Soshi carried Kuni into the kitchen which was larger than most kitchens. Infact, it was almost as big as a restaurant's kitchen and inside there were at least six chiefs working on breakfast. The smell of cooking food filled the kitchen air which caused Soshi's stomach to growl in hunger. Ignoring her growling stomach, Soshi walked over to a large steel refrigerator. She opened the door and pulled out a bottle of baby formula, a baby bottle, and a small container of baby food. Juggling all this and Kuni in her arms, Soshi walked out of the kitchen and into the dinning room where (to Soshi's surprise) Mara sat at the long dinning room table.

"Mara, what are you doing here?" asked Soshi.

"I'm a light sleeper," answered Mara.

"So am I," said Soshi. "I often like to get up early so I can feed Kuni." Soshi carried Kuni to the table and set her and her breakfast down. "Could you hold her for a minute?"

"Sure, no problem," said Mara. Soshi gave Kuni to Mara so she could fill up the baby bottle with baby formula. Soshi poured a little bit of the formula into the bottle, screwed on the lid, and then took Kuni back into her arms. Soshi cradled Kuni in her arms as she placed the baby bottle into Kuni's mouth. Kuni eagerly drank the formula from the baby bottle.

"Aw, how cute," said Mara.

"I prefer to take care of Kuni myself," explained Soshi. "Despite how busy I am, I always find time each day to be mom."

"Well, you're a good mother for doing so," said Mara.

"Have you and Neteru ever thought of having kids?" asked Soshi.

"Actually, I became pregnant with our son, Kaiu, shortly after we returned from Halastia," said Mara. "Infact, I have a picture of him." Mara pulled out a picture and held it out for Soshi to see. In the picture was Neteru and Kaiu, the two of them standing in front of a small pond they had visited a few months ago. The two of them waving at the camera.

"This is your son?" said Soshi. "Aw, he's so cute and he looks so much like his father."

After feeding Kuni her baby formula, she was then placed into a high chair and a bib was tied around her neck so Soshi could feed her the baby food. As Soshi fed Kuni her breakfast (which was made up of mashed sun flower seeds and acorns), the two girls continued to talk about child rearing. Over time, the Ham-Hams began to gather around the table as the two mom's fed Kuni. It wasn't long before the entire table was filled with Ham-Hams who had sat around the table, watching the chiefs place the breakfast on the table. By the time everyone else had started eating, Kuni began to become reluctant to eat anymore. Realizing that Kuni was probably full, Soshi cleaned up the high chair and Kuni with a napkin.

"I'll put Kuni back into her room," said Soshi as she picked up Kuni from her high chair.

"No, I'll do it," said Kitsu. "You have some breakfast."

"Thanks, Kitsu," said Soshi as she handed Kuni to Kitsu. As Kuni was taken into her room by her father, everyone sat around the table to have breakfast.

On the table before them, there was a huge meal that was made up of sun flower seeds, acorns, strawberries, cherries, crackers, pancakes, and muffins. By the time breakfast was finished, the Ham-Hams laid back into their chairs with their bellies stuffed to the max.

"Oh, this is the life," sighed Oxnard.

"Those were good strawberries," said Kana.

"Yes, my chiefs pick them fresh everyday from our gardens," said Soshi. The only one who wasn't sitting at the table was Kitsu who had left the room after he had eaten. It was at that point that Kitsu came back into the dining room with his armor on. He walked up to Soshi and said to her, "Well, I'm off to the barracks to train the new recruits. Just give Kuni a 'good-bye' kiss from Daddy."

"Okay, I will," said Soshi with a smile. Kitsu leaned over to Soshi and kissed her "good-bye" before leaving, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as he did.

"We should probably get ready to leave, too," said Mara. "We got to pack up so we can leave and find the next Caidoz piece."

After breakfast, the Ham-Hams went into their rooms to pack their bags so they could continue their journey. Mara began stuffing her back pack with food and supplies while it sat onto the bed. Her roommate, Terra, was doing the same thing on her bed.

"It's too bad we have to leave so early," said Terra. "I was beginning to like this place." Mara turned her head towards Terra so she could answer her but when she did, she caught a glance of Terra from behind and noticed that she was missing a quill. It appeared the quill had broken off somehow.

"Terra, you're missing a quill," said Mara.

"I am?" asked Terra in surprise. "Oh yeah, I remember, I had accidentally broken off one of my quills when it got caught in one of the shields decorating the walls. I remember losing the quill in the hallway leading to the dining room and it must still be there."

"We can't just leave it there," said Mara.

"You're right, I better go down there and get it," said Terra.

"No, it's okay," said Mara. "I'm done packing so I can go down there and get your quill."

"Okay, thanks," said Terra. Mara closed up her back pack and then left the room to get Terra's quill.

Mara walked through the halls of the castle, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as she did, and as she passed a nearby door, she suddenly heard the sound of crying coming from behind the door. Mara placed her ear to the door and confirmed that someone behind the door was crying. Curious, Mara opened the door slowly, causing the sound of crying to be even louder in her ears. When Mara looked into the room, she realized that the room was a baby's bedroom and sitting on the floor next to Kuni's crib was Soshi who had both paws to her face and was crying loudly. Concerned, Mara walked up to Soshi, kneeled down to her eye level and asked, "Soshi, what's wrong?"

"Oh Mara, it's terrible," sobbed Soshi. "My precious baby's been kidnapped."

"Kuni's been kidnapped?" asked Mara in shock.

"Yes, the kidnapper somehow broke in through the wall and took Kuni," said Soshi through her sobs. Mara turned her head towards the only wall in the room that had a window and Mara noticed a round hole cut neatly into the wall. The hole was large enough to fit an entire ham-ham through it but what disturbed Mara more was the fact that the hole was so neatly cut, it was like the blade was cutting through soft butter. No tool could have done this without making a lot of noise. Only magic could have cut that hole in the wall. Turning back to Soshi, Mara asked, "Do you have any clues as to who had kidnapped your daughter?"

"Yes, the kidnapper left this ransom note," said Soshi as she broke into more tears. Soshi picked up a piece of paper from the floor and gave it to Mara. Mara read the note to herself and gasped.

"We got to tell the Ham-Hams," said Mara.

Mara quickly assembled the Ham-Hams into Kuni's bedroom. Oxnard, Jingle, Terra, Kana, and Laura all stood in the room, comforting Soshi who was beginning to stop crying but she was still upset and worried about Kuni. As they did, Mara stood in front of them and began to read the ransom note:

Dear Soshi,

I have your daughter in my possession. If you want to see her again, you have five hours to reach my castle. You may bring your guests to the castle but no one else. If you bring someone other than what I had asked (such as your husband or your personal guards), then I will kill Kuni before you reach the castle.

Signed Agasha

The Ham-Hams could not believe their ears.

"This is awful," said Laura.

"We can't let him hurt poor Kuni," said Kana.

"Who is Agasha?" asked Terra.

"Agasha is a shaman of the Praying Mantis Clan," explained Soshi. "I don't know him too well but I do know he's had some brushes with the law."

"Why would he want to harm Kuni?" asked Oxnard.

"I don't know," said Soshi. "I hardly know the guy and I have no idea why he would want to do this to me."

"And why did he want us to come along?" asked Mara. "It sounds like he knows us."

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm not going to set around and let him harm my niece," said Jingle. "I say we do wait he says and go to him."

"What if it's a trap?" asked Terra.

"It just seven against one, how hard could it be?" asked Laura.

"I suppose you're right but I just have a bad feeling about this," said Terra. "My intuition says that there is something more to Agasha's plan than meets the eye."

"Well, we're not going to find out for sure unless we save Kuni," said Mara. "Who's with me?"

"We will," chorused Laura and Kana.

"I guess I will," said Oxnard.

"You know I'm in," said Jingle.

"So am I," said Terra.

"I'll do anything to save my daughter," said Soshi with determination.

"Then it's settled," said Mara. "We're going to save Kuni." The Ham-Hams shouted "Oopaa" as they cheered, thus beginning their rescue mission to save Kuni.

Everyone gathered their equipment and weapons and they all headed out to save Kuni. Soshi had put on her red colored samurai armor as well as the samurais' traditional weapons: the katana and wakizashi. The katana is a strong oriental sword and the wakizashi is similar to a katana but it is shorter. As part of the samurai tradition, both Soshi's katana and wakizashi were past down by her ancestors who in turn had past these swords to her. She held each of these two weapons in the sheaths on her belt as she walked with her companions to the castle where Kuni was held. Soshi didn't speak to them throughout the journey but instead kept her face sad and anxious. Mara couldn't help but feel sad for Soshi. If anything happened to Kaiu, Mara would just curl up and die with grief. Mara could only hope that they find Kuni and save her.

They climbed up the rocky hills of Rokugon, climbing high over the city and past Ikaruga towards the dark and scary castle located high above Rokugon. The sight of the dark, evil looking castle overhead caused shivers to run down Oxnard's spine.

"Oh, why couldn't Kuni have been kidnapped to a less scary castle," whined Oxnard. The Ham-Hams repeated "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked up the hill until they reached the huge doors to the castle. Up close, the castle looked even more scarier than it did before. The castle radiated a negative aura of some kind that literally chilled the Ham-Hams to the bone when they looked at it. Even the hairs on the back of Jingle's neck stood on end as he approached the foreboding castle. The stones that made up the walls of the castle were jet black and the design of the castle was gothic, kind of like something Count Dracula would feel comfortable living in. Several creepy looking gargoyles lined the rim of the castle, their blank stares turned down towards the ground, giving the Ham-Hams the feeling that the gargoyles' eyes were following them.

Soshi, who was the only one more afraid of losing Kuni than the scary appearance of the castle, walked over to the door and pushed it open. Soshi thought it was odd that the doors were unlocked, once again wondering if they were walking into a trap. The Ham-Hams repeated "Wasa-Wasa" as they quietly entered the castle. The interior was no more pleasant to look at than the exterior. The walls had the same black colored bricks which made the room seem completely dark despite the windows which had sun light shining down through them. The walls and floor were completely bare as if they had wondered into an eerie dungeon that's been abandoned for years. Along the walls was what appeared to be stone statues of some kind, each with large arms and legs and a huge masculine frame. The statues had large round expressionless heads which sat on top of their large shoulders. Soshi felt uneasy around the statues, so did Mara and Terra. Three girls kept their eyes on the statues, as they walked by them. Jingle was curious about the strange statues and he walked up to one of the statue in curiosity. He examined the statue's blank face, wondering what the statue might be for.

"Jingle, get back here," ordered Soshi.

"I'm just looking at the statues," insisted Jingle, "What harm could it do?"

As if on cue, the statue raised its hand and grabbed Jingle by the throat, holding him off the ground.

"Oh no, Jingle," cried Laura. Jingle gasped for air as his wind pipe was constricted by the huge hand that held him up. It was then that Mara realized that the statues must be magically animated into golems. The Ham-Hams gathered around Jingle, trying desperately to pry Jingle out of the golem before he suffocates. Meanwhile, Soshi had pulled out her two swords and was praying with the swords in her paws. As Soshi prayed, she began to awaken an ancient power that the samurai are famous for. This power is called Daisho and with it, Soshi could draw power and skill from her ancestors. Both her katana and wakizashi began to glow a bright red color as the spiritual power of Soshi's ancestors began to course through the weapons. Once they were fully energized, Soshi held the wakizashi in her left paw and her katana in her right. She then charged towards the golem with her swords held out and with one strike of her katana, the sword's power easily enabled it to slice the arm off of golem, causing both the arm and Jingle to fall to the floor. Jingle quickly managed to pull the golem's arm off of him and breathed in a deep breath once his neck was free from the golem's grasp.

Unshaken, the golem picked up its arm and placed it back onto the stump where it had been cut off. There was a glow of red light as the arm magically reattached itself to the golem. All around the Ham-Hams, the other golems were springing to life and each of them were walking towards the Ham-Hams in a slow but menacing advance. Mara raised her staff and said, "Zennun macoh aun va." A beam of light shot from her staff and it struck the chest of a golem. A hole was blown through the chest of the golem, causing pieces to fly out of its back but then the pieces began to reassemble themselves and repaired the injury as it fit back into the hole in the golem.

"These golem's can rejuvenate," said Mara. "This is not good." Wanting to try something different, Terra used her psionic powers to telekinetically manipulate the golems. Like a toy car being controlled by a remote, Terra linked her mind with the body of two golems, enabling her to manipulate them like a puppet. Using only the power of her mind, she managed to direct the two golems against two other golems. The golems under Terra's control grabbed a golem and was wrestling them with full strength. Since all the golems were equal in strength, the golems could not over power each other. However, Terra had to concentrate in order to maintain control and she could only control two golems at once and there were still four more golems that were heading towards them. Jingle was also concerned since none of his repel or enthralling spells are meant to work on golems.

The golems were getting closer, surrounding the Ham-Hams and blocking off their only escape.

"Oh, we're doomed," cried Oxnard.

"Pull yourself together, Oxy," said Kana.

"Jingle, can you some how mesmerize them with your music?" asked Mara.

"No, I'm not advanced enough to affect inanimate objects with no minds of their own," said Jingle.

"But what if we enhance the spell like I did with the Caidoz piece back in Ikaruga," suggested Mara.

"It could work but we need something even more powerful and more special than just have you enhance it for me," said Jingle. Mara wasn't sure what else she could use but then she noticed Soshi's swords which still glowed red from the magical enhancement created through Daisho. Suddenly, Mara had an idea.

"Soshi, your swords are powered by your ancestors," said Mara. "I bet they could enhance Jingle's spell enough to enable him to affect the golems."

"I don't know," said Jingle skeptically. "Could it really work."

"Why not," said Soshi. "They're your family too. Why wouldn't they be able to help you?"

"I suppose you're right, sis," said Jingle. "Lets do it." Jingle swung his guitar from his back to his chest while Soshi held out her swords so their power could be transferred to Jingle while he casts the spell. Jingle placed his paw on top of the swords and sang, "Nooga Nooga zogya on halla haha hege onno aya," The swords glowed brighter in response as Jingle performed the spell. Meanwhile, the golems had completely encircled the Ham-Hams and they were raising their fist in the air with the intent of striking them down with a devastating blow. Laura, Kana, and Oxnard placed their hands over their heads and ducked for cover. They all waited anxiously for the golems to strike but they didn't. To everyone's relief, Jingle's spell had worked. The golems were all paralyzed, even the ones under Terra's control were frozen in place, as stiff as statues once again.

"Wow, that was a close one," said Laura.

"Come on, we got to find Kuni," said Soshi. The Ham-Hams carefully squeezed out of the golems that surrounded them and they headed up the stairs to the upper floor.

The second floor of the castle was no more pleasant to look at than the first floor. The long hallway that lined the second floor had the same black brick walls as the first floor. The walls of the hall were bare and not a single artificial light source could be seen, leaving the morning sun light coming through the windows and the open doors as the only source of light in the hallway. The Ham-Hams stood at the top of the stairs with no idea whether or not to go to the north or south wing.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Laura.

"Well, there's an arrow right there," said Mara. "Maybe it's telling us where to go." Hanging on the wall in front of the Ham-Hams was an arrow that was drawn on a piece of paper. The paper was taped to the wall in front of the Ham-Hams and it pointed towards the north wing.

"Obviously Agasha has been expecting us," said Soshi.

"Then we better keep moving," said Mara. "We don't want to keep him waiting." The Ham-Hams walked in the direction that the arrow was pointing. They cautiously walked through the halls, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they walked through the dark halls. They past through many of the open doors in the hallway, watching for any sign that Agasha may have left for them to follow.

Oxnard walked past one of the open doors when something caught his eye. Inside the room behind the open door were several potted plants that were as large as a hamster and sat in pots that seemed too small for them. On the rim of one of the potted plants was none other than a Caidoz piece.

"No way," said Oxnard. "You guys, I found a Caidoz piece."

"Heke?" said Mara in surprise. Without waiting for an answer, Oxnard ran into the room, followed shortly by Laura, Kana, Jingle, and Terra. The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran past a large statue near the wall and towards the potted plants. Oxnard picked up the piece from the pot and examined it.

"Wow, I can't believe the piece was here all along," said Kana. However, Soshi and Mara stayed behind near the door and from their position, they could see the plants beginning to move.

"Look out!" shouted Mara but it was too late. Before the Ham-Hams knew what hit them, the plants wrapped their vines around them, binding them in their grasp. Terra was about to use her telekinetics to free herself but before she could manifest the ability, the branches began to wrap themselves around her eyes and mouth, keeping her from speaking or seeing where to direct her telekinetics. The four adventurers were bound and gagged by the huge magical plants and they could not free themselves.

Mara and Soshi ran towards their friends with the intent of helping them but before they could get far, they heard someone say, "Stay where you are." Mara and Soshi froze in their tracks and turned their attention to their right where they heard the voice. At first, they didn't see anything but a large wooden board of some kind on the floor. Suddenly, right before their eyes, two figures began to materialize on top of the board as an Invisibility Spell was lifted. On top of the board was Agasha who glared at Soshi menacingly and next to him was a chopping block where Kuni lay.

"Kuni," said Soshi with joy. She was about to run to her baby but then Agasha pulled out his sword and held the blade to Kuni's neck.

"Take another step and I will slit her throat," warned Agasha. Soshi immediately stopped in her tracks, holding her ground and trying to maintain her composure. Soshi cast a worried glanced at Kuni who looked physically fine but her mother's intuition told her that Kuni was scared for her life.

"Hand over the baby, Agasha," threatened Mara.

"First, put down your staff and swords, then I'll remove my blade from her neck" said Agasha.

"We can't do that," insisted Mara.

"Then she dies," warned Agasha. "And if you dare to utter a spell, I'll kill her." There was a pause as Soshi and Mara weighed down their chances. Laura, Kana, and Oxnard helplessly watched, not sure of what might happen. With seemingly no other choice, Soshi threw her katana and wakizashi to the floor in front of her and Mara did the same with her staff.

"There, now will you let her go?" demanded Mara. An evil grin crossed Agasha's face as he said, "You two are far too trusting." Suddenly, without warning, Soshi and Mara felt four large hands tighten around their bodies. In their concern over their friends and Kuni, Mara and Soshi failed to pay any attention to the large statue behind them which was a golem. This golem was twice the size of the ones down stairs and it was made entirely out of iron. It had the same build and round faceless head as the stone golems. It had four large arms that clasped Soshi and Mara in an iron grasp that prevented them from escaping. The golem used two hands for each of the two ham-girls, holding them by the waist and chest. Mara was held mostly around the shoulders so the golem could cover her mouth with one finger, preventing her from saying any incantations.

Agasha laughed evilly at how easily he had the Ham-Hams contained.

"Did you really think you could defeat me in my own castle?" said Agasha. "This castle has been haunted for centuries and the power of the ghosts in this castle are under my control, allowing me to use my shaman powers to magically alter this house such as the animation of golems and plants. I've been waiting for you all morning and now that you are all here, I guess I should introduce to you all my honored guest and my newest spirit guide."

Agasha held up the quartz crystal from his necklace to his mouth and whispered something into the stone. Right before their eyes, a ghost began to come out of the stone like a cloudy mist. The ghost began to materialize into a shape and everyone gasped upon seeing the ghost. It was the ghost of a ham-ham samurai who was completely dark brown and had large oval shaped ears. He wore a red colored samurai suit with a katana and wakizashi attached to his belt. Soshi gasped in horror as she recognized the ham-ham as Tamori, the former daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan. Four years ago, Tamori had been Soshi's daimyo and he was the one who had helped her and her friends find the lost city of Ankorbak to find a way to restore the humans back to their human from. But Tamori betrayed them. He had used the Ham-Hams to find Ankorbak for himself so he could use the magical tools within Ankorbak to take over Rokugon. His plans was foiled, however, when Tamori had been eaten alive by a terrible monster that was inside the city. After Tamori had died, Soshi thought she would never see him again but yet here he was, the ghost of Tamori.

"I see you remember me," said Tamori to Soshi. "After so long, I'm going to have my revenge."

"Revenge? For what?" asked Soshi.

"For my death," said Tamori. "I had the power of Ankorbak in my paw but then you and your friends stole my destiny to take over Rokugon. Not only that, but I was eaten alive by that terrible beast. Oh, I still remember the pain of it all. You don't know what it was like for me when my bones were crushed as I traveled down the monster's esophagus and when I reached the monster's stomach, I had very little air and the digestive acid was eating away my flesh and armor. I survived in that stomach for about two minutes before I finally died and the anger I felt about having to die in such a horrible way has empowered me to linger after my death. When I learned that Soshi had been crowned the daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan, I was furious and ever since then, I wanted her to suffer a horrible death just like I did. Oh yes, you and your friends will die slowly and painfully but first..." Tamori pulled out his ghostly katana and held the incorporeal sword to Kuni's neck. "...she will die."

Soshi gasped in horror.

"You can't," plead Soshi. "She was born long after you had died, she had nothing to do with what happened."

"Oh but she's your baby," said Tamori. "Ever since I discovered that you were pregnant, I waited for nine months just so I could have a chance to have you watch your own child die right before your eyes."

"Please, don't do it," pleaded Soshi as tears began to stream from her eyes. "Do what you want with me but don't hurt her."

"Oh but I will because I had promised Agasha that If I reveal to him the location of Ankorbak he enable me to have my revenge on you," said Tamori. "As soon as you and your child are out of the way, Ankorbak and all of its secrets will be ours." Tamori entered Agasha's body and the two were united as one. Agasha let Tamori have total control of his body, allowing Tamori to pull out Agasha's sword, ready to commit the murder. Kuni began to cry softly as if she knew what was about to happen. Agasha/Tamori carefully aimed the sword and then raised it over his head.

The Ham-Hams closed their eyes, not wanting to watch. Then there was a loud "clang" sound. Fearing that the dark deed had been done, the Ham-Hams cautiously opened their eyes and gasped at the what they saw. Kuni was not harmed by Agasha's sword but what saved her was that another sword came of nowhere and ended up in-between Agasha's sword and Kuni, blocking the Agasha's sword a few millimeters from Kuni's face. Agasha raised his head and to his surprise, the one holding the sword was Arwrue, merged with Asakura. Agasha regained control of his body.

"You," said Agasha in a voice that sounded like his own over-lapped by Tamori's voice.

"More like us," said Arwrue in a voice that over-lapped in sequence with Asakura's voice.

"You should have never interfered," said Agasha.

"We will not let you harm this baby," said Arwrue.

"We will see about that," said Agasha.

Agasha immediately withdrew his sword and got into a fighting stance for a sword fight. Arwrue did the same. But instead of fighting, Agasha extended his paw to the board he was standing on and began to speak an incantation, "Necmola vauc." Suddenly, a strange ghostly power began penetrating the board, causing the board to levitate. Arwrue nearly lost his balance as the platform lifted off the floor, carrying Arwrue, Agasha, and Kuni with it. The board lifted high over the heads the the Ham-Hams, about even with the height of the golem. With Arwrue and Agasha out of reach, the two fought for the fate of Kuni.

As they fought, Mara was trying to wiggle out of the golem's grasp. She managed to work her mouth free and before the golem could cover her mouth again, Mara shouted, "Virogon." Instantly, Mara's staff teleported into her paw. Mara placed the staff against the golem's arm and then said, "Rustogetona," The spell was a Rust Spell and since the golem was made of iron instead of stone, the spell instantly rusted the golem's entire arm, causing it to fall to the floor into a pile of rusted dust. Mara then placed the staff against the arm and said, "Rustogetona." That arm too rusted away, freeing Mara from its grasp. The golem gave little reaction to the rusting arms and fortunately for Mara, the arms didn't rejuvenate. Seizing the opportunity, Mara placed the staff onto the golem's chest and said the spell again. This time, the whole golem rusted into the dust, freeing Soshi. Soshi immediately grabbed her katana and wakizashi which still laid on the ground. Soshi wanted to help Kuni but to her dismay, Kuni had been raised too far off the ground by the levitating platform for Soshi to reach her.

"Soshi, help me save the others," said Mara who was over by the plants trying to free the others. Telling herself that Kuni will be fine, Soshi ran over to the plants, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran.

"Don't worry, I'll cut them free," said Soshi. Through the power of Daisho, Soshi cut the plants to shreds with great ease and accuracy. Amazingly, she didn't even cut the Ham-Hams with her blade despite how closely Soshi was cutting the plants. Oxnard was the first to be freed and he was led to the side for safety. Oxnard immediately ran to a corner to get away from all the danger.

As Soshi began to cut the others free, Arwrue and Agasha were fighting on top of the platform. Arwrue proved to be a better fighter than Agasha who was becoming swamped by Arwrue's striking blade. Trying a more desperate move, Agasha ordered, "Tamori, give me 'The Bull Charge.'" With a burst of speed, Agasha charged forwards at Arwrue with his sword pointed towards him. With his sword, Arwrue block the attack but the force of the blow had pushed Arwrue backwards as the attack continued to charge. The force of the blow forced Arwrue and Agasha towards the chopping block where Kuni lay. The two shamans knocked Kuni off the table and into the air. Soshi had just freed Kana and Laura and was about to free Terra when she noticed Kuni flying through the air.

"Oh no, Kuni," shouted Soshi. Kuni was falling towards Oxnard who held up his paws saying, "I got her, I got her." Oxnard fell over backwards as he caught Kuni in his paws, saving Kuni from a bad fall.

Meanwhile, both Arwrue and Agasha had struck the ground hard. The force of the blow caused Agasha to lose control over Tamori and the two separated, leaving Tamori hovering in the open. Arwrue had managed to maintain his control, allowing him to seize the opportunity. Arwrue held up his quartz amulet and said, "Jeggonna muzzy jega." The quartz crystal began to glow as it began to draw Tamori towards it. Like a vacuum, Tamori was sucked into the stone.

"You can't contain me forever," said Tamori as he was sucked into the stone. "I'll be back." His threats were silenced as the last of Tamori was trapped into the stone. Agasha, now without his spirit guide, was powerless and he surrendered.

After freeing Terra from the plant, Soshi ran over to Oxnard who still held Kuni in his paws. Frightened by the attempted on her life, Kuni cried loudly as Soshi held Kuni in her arms. Soshi began examining the baby for injuries. Although Kuni was badly shaken, she was not physically harmed. Relieved, Soshi began to gently rock Kuni in her arms and softly cueing to her.

"Don't cry, sweetie," said Soshi softly to Kuni. "You're safe now. Mommy's here. Mommy's got you." Soshi took off her helmet and placed it to the floor so Kuni could more easily see her face. She held Kuni firmly as she gently cradled the baby in her arms. Soshi kissed Kuni on her forehead and then began to rub her face against Kuni's face in a sign of affection. Soshi repeated "Schmubby-Wubby" as she affectionally rubbed Kuni. Kuni stopped crying and began to smile as she felt the warmth and security of her mother's arms. Kuni lovingly returned the gesture, rubbing her face against Soshi's as if to say "I love you." The Ham-Hams smiled with joy upon seeing the loving gesture between mother and daughter.

However, Arwrue was too busy restraining Agasha to notice Soshi. He had Agasha pinned to the floor with one knee and a rope was being used to tie his arms, legs, and mouth. Asakura hovered overhead, making sure that Agasha was tied down properly. Soshi walked over to Agasha with a stern look on her face.

"Agasha, I hereby place you under arrest for unlawfully conspiring against a daimyo, kidnapping, attempted murder on a child, and consorting with an evil spirit," said Soshi like a police officer. "Arwrue, take him out of here."

"Yes, maim," said Arwrue as he picked up Agasha in his arms. As he walked out of the room, Soshi stopped him and asked, "Arwrue, how did you know where we were?"

"One of your cleaning maids found Agasha's ransom note in Kuni's bedroom," explained Arwrue. "She came to me and showed me the note."

"Well thanks to you, Kuni's alive and I am willing to tell the shaman council of your good deed," said Soshi. "They will certainly want to promote you."

"It is my pleasure to serve you," said Arwrue.

"And I thank you too, Asakura," said Soshi.

"Anything to save an innocent life," said Asakura.

"Well, we better get Agasha to the police," said Arwrue. "Good day to you, Soshi." Arwrue left the room with Agasha struggling in his arms and Asakura following behind.

Once Arwrue left, the Ham-Hams gathered around Kuni who was smiling and giggling in Soshi's arms despite the fact that she was nearly about to be murdered several minutes ago.

"Thank goodness she's all right," said Laura.

"You have a very strong willed child, Soshi," said Mara. "She was so brave in the face of danger like that."

"Yes, she will make a great samurai some day," said Soshi.

"And it was lucky that we found the Caidoz piece here as well," said Oxnard.

"But what I don't understand is how did the Caidoz piece end up here?" said Mara as she examined the piece that she held in her paw.

"Perhaps it was pure luck," suggested Jingle.

"Maybe, but how did Agasha knew we were after the Caidoz pieces?" asked Mara.

"Perhaps he's been spying on us or saw us come out of Ikaruga with the Caidoz piece," suggested Terra.

"Maybe," said Mara, unsure.

"Either way, we still have to activate the piece," said Oxnard.

"Good thinking," said Mara. "You can go first." Mara handed the Caidoz piece to Oxnard who placed his paw on top of it and then said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Upon completing the poem, the piece instantly glowed a green light that caught the attention of the Ham-Hams. Even Kuni seemed mesmerized by the green light. A glowing green symbol began to engrave itself onto the Caidoz piece. The symbol was a circle with horns drawn on top. This symbol was Taurus, Oxnard's zodiac sign. The piece stopped glowing, except for the symbol that had been placed on the piece. Curious, Kuni began reaching for the piece as if she wanted a closer look.

"No, no, Kuni," said Soshi. "That's not for you." She turned her attention to the Ham-Hams and said, "We better get her home before Kitsu comes home and worries about her." And with that, they all left the castle and walked back to Soshi's home.

Kitsu had found out about Kuni's kidnapping at work and was worried sick. He was very relieved to find out that Kuni and Soshi were okay and as a way of saying "thanks" to the Ham-Hams, he threw them a victory lunch. This lunch had more to eat than breakfast with all sorts of fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables decorating every square inch of the table. The food was so good, Oxnard had eaten so much that they had to carry him out of the dining room.

After lunch, the Ham-Hams packed up their back packs and were ready to make the long journey home. The Ham-Hams stood outside Soshi's front door while Kitsu, Soshi, and Jingle stood inside the door looking at the Ham-Hams outside. Kuni was held in Soshi's.

"Are you sure you have to go now?" asked Soshi.

"I'm sorry but we got to get home and deliver these Caidoz piece's back home," said Mara.

"Then I wish you luck on your quest," said Soshi.

"Bye-Q, Soshi, Kitsu," said Terra.

"And Bye-Q to you too, Kuni," said Mara as she tickled Kuni's belly, causing her to laugh.

"Aren't you coming with us, Jingle?" asked Oxnard.

"Well, Soshi is making me stay longer," said Jingle. "She even took my guitar away and wont give it back until I stay a little longer."

"Well, you've spent too much time away from home," scolded Soshi. "You're going to spend some time with this family whether you like it or not." Jingle groaned.

"Well have a nice life, you guys," said Mara.

"You too, Bye-Q," said Soshi. The Ham-Hams waved "good bye" as they walked away from the house and on their way home.