"Harumi," Ren's arms wrapped tightly around her friend, "It's good to know you're afe."

Harumi wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging the Master of Form against her. Forte slung her keytar onto her back and moved to hug Harumi's side at the same time. Harumi smiled against them both, letting out a long sigh as their warmth surrounded her.

"I'm safe, girls… well, as safe as I can be right now," Harumi closed her eyes, "We're here now… for awhile, I'm pretty sure."

"Really? That's great!" Forte chirped out as she leaned back. Seeing Ren's exasperated expression, Forte amended her statement, "We haven't seen you in a long time."

"Well, I'm here," Harumi hugged her arms to her body, "So… yeah, I'm here."

"Good," Carnelian's voice came a moment before she dramatically flopped into Harumi's arms, being caught just before she fell by the startled girl, "Cause that means you're going to have to stick with us."

"With us, yes," Olive's voice rang out from behind them. The four girls turned to see Olive in her partially-restored form, walking into the underground building with a small bag, "I brought the clothes that you requested, Ren."

"Yes, thank you, Olive," Ren turned to Harumi, "Those are for you. I don't know how long it's been since you last changed, but I'm certain your suit isn't going to be doing you any favors. Get changed."

Harumi looked down at her suit with a rather embarrassed smile. She walked over to Olive, thanking her as she did. She disappeared down the dark hallway into the facility for several minutes. When she emerged again, she was wearing a light green camisole with deep yellow and blue patterns of flowers that ran along the left hip up towards her back and a matching deep green skirt. She made her way back over to her friends, who nodded to her. Olive took the suit she had and tucked it into the bag.

"There we go," Carnelian wrapped her arm around Harumi, "That good? Ren found it at Pear's place the other day."

"I thought it would suit you," Ren smiled, "I bought it hoping that it would look good on you. Normally I don't like shopping for others, but well."

"It's perfect, thank you, Ren," Harumi smiled to her, assuaging her fear, "I'm… glad to be back with you girls. It's been way too long since I've been back."

"You're darn right!" Forte nodded her head, "We haven't had a chance to see you in forever!"

"It has been a rather long time," Olive sat down with them. Her body looked as though it had undergone more changes since the last time Harumi spoke to her. Her hair had returned to its deep blue color, and she'd even parted it on her head. Her eyes were back to being their deep green, and overall her face had returned to what it used to be. While she had on her white and purple robes from before, her arms are still the robotic ones of a nindroid.

"Right…" Harumi smiled gently, "How are you… feeling, Olive?"

"How am I feeling?" Olive took a moment to answer that question, "I am, feeling more like my old self. This body is not partially organic like I used to be. But I am working to make it my own. My father is helping me to return to what I used to be," Olive raised her head, "I will be back to my normal self soon enough. I am also able to report that my powers have returned."

Olive opened her robotic palm. From it, an icy sheen began to form over her hand, then completely froze over. The entire assembled group all collectively perked up seeing that.

"That's… that's amazing, Olive," Harumi smiled, "I'm… I'm glad that you're back. You… you didn't deserve what happened to you. I… I haven't really had a chance to say it…"

"Elevated heart rate levels detected," Olive focused on Harumi, "Detecting biological response patterns in line with worry. I do not understand. Why are you worried, Harumi?"

"Because… you, only had that happen to you because of me," Harumi gripped her fist, "I thought that if I just, did that, I'd break out later, like we always do. I didn't think they were going to do… to do that to me."

"None of us could've known that," Carnelian frowned, "It's not your fault. We knew what we were doing. We all made that mistake."

"I do not carry any resentment, Harumi," Olive lowered her head, "I utilized my last moments to give you what I knew you needed to continue on. You brought me back. I am grateful for that. In truth, I had no expectation for continued existence."

"...But I still let you stay like that for, months," Harumi gripped the edges of her skirt, "You had to, stay like that. And I didn't even figure it out. Over did. He… he was told what it was. I wouldn't have ever thought you'd have hidden your real chip inside of the fake one and… I would've just never figured it out if it wasn't for…"

"And guess what," Carnelian gripped Harumi's hands with her own, "You wouldn't have met him if you didn't keep on fighting like you said you would. Even if you left us behind… you made this happen. You went out there and you did this. Who cares how edgy that guy is? You were the one that met him, so it's still you who did this. You're just making up excuses."

"Yeah!" Forte leaned forward, "Come on, don't get so down on yourself! You're gonna work yourself up too much again."

"Harumi," Olive put a hand against her chest, "I am not like you. I am an Offspring Living In a Virtual Existence. Yet you fought for me like anyone else here. And that means more to me than knowing you took time to bring me back. You can't blame yourself. I don't want you to. So, please," Olive moved forward to add her hands on top of Carnelian's own, "Do not be sad. I am not sad. So you should not be either."

Harumi took a moment to let those words sink in. A few tears began to roll down the side of her face. Then they wouldn't stop flowing. And soon enough she was crying. All at once, Ren and Forte moved up behind Harumi to place a hand on her shoulder. Carnelian and Olive scooted so the four perfectly kept Harumi between them. As Harumi continued to cry, she couldn't help but smile as the four smiled at her.

"H-How did I get so lucky t-to have friends like you g-girls?" Harumi sputtered out.

"Because you're a good person," Ren gripped her shoulder, "And all of us can feel that."

"And you're always trying, no matter what," Carnelian smiled, "And you're too cute not to want to be around you."

"We're here for you!" Forte rubbed her other shoulder, "Like we should be. Whenever we can, we're here for you."

"Always," Olive finished, letting go of her hands.

It took Harumi a good minute before she was able to get back to normal. She sniffed several times, wiping her face clean and trying not to get her clothes dirty in the process. The four backed off and formed a rough circle with the five of them. Carnelian stuck her head in Harumi's lap and laid down sideways, smiling up at her with a silly face to force Harumi to smile out of it. Ren sat down with her knees in front of her, while Forte sat on one knee and propped herself up with a smirk. Olive simply sat down on her knees formally.

"So… how, has it all been, while I've been gone, girls?" Harumi asked with a smile.

"It's been great!" Forte smiled, before realizing how bad that sounded, "Well, I mean, you know. I released a new album, did a few charity shows, ended up on the broadcasts a few times. Normal stuff. But I did get to do a duet with Big Time Hush! We did Partway There together! Totally nailed it!"

"I went to that one," Carnelian raised her hand, "It was about as chaotic as you thought it was. I told her doing a concert with a boy band was a bad idea!"

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" Forte scoffed.

"It was," Ren sighed, "Some of the crowd tried to climb on stage during the encore. It ended up with them having to leave mid-song. I saw the broadcast afterwards."

"Hmmph," Forte crossed her arms, "Well, they're all great guys. Kinda dorks. But they can really sing! I was almost jealous."

"They're kinda cute," Carnelian waved her hand, "In a guy kind of way."

Forte stuck her tongue out, "Really nice too. Kinda wanna perform with them again."

"Oh?" Ren leaned forward, "Details, dear. Do you think there's someone in particular you like?"

"Oh no, no no no no no!" Forte shook her head, "I do not date like that! Trust me, not a good idea! I just said they were cute!" She sighed, "...I mean, they kinda were, but I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not planning to go after something like that for a long time!"

"Fair enough," Ren acknowledged her, "Well, I've had a rather interesting month. I lost one contract after an up-and-coming girl made a rather flashy debut. Thankfully it was a smaller venture for me. I'm planning to meet with her later this week to introduce myself formally."

"Really?" Harumi blinked, "Er, why would you do that?"

"Because she made a point of telling me she upstaged me," Ren pointed out, "And I don't exactly want to make enemies in my career. Best to befriend her now than to wait until she finds other reasons to want to surpass me. Friendly rivalry is one thing, but that requires a connection first."

"You always were the mature one," Carnelian sighed, "Always being so tip top and all that."

"Well, why not tell Harumi about the restaurant?" Ren asked, "The event?"

"The what?" Harumi looked down. Carnelian groaned and sat up, leaning back beside Harumi and shaking her head.

"They're opening up another place in the city, not like it's that big of a deal," Carnelian groaned, "They want me to go and be a manager for them."

"Really?" Harumi blinked, "That's… great, isn't it?"

"Uh, not really!" Carnelian waved her hand, "I don't wanna work at the place. I wanna be out on the streets, you know? Fighting the bad guys, protecting the city! I know my parents like it, and sure, that's good for them, I don't hate noodles… but it's not my thing."

"If you were to do that, you'd have to work with the police," Ren pointed out, "You're becoming a loose cannon. Don't think we don't notice you using Olive to get to crime scenes."

"I'm protecting people like she does!" Carnelian nudged Harumi's arm, "And I do work with them! I hand them the bad guy when I get done with them."

"That's not what I meant…" Renn sighed, "One day you'll learn."

"I have spent most of my time on my body repairs," Olive informed them, "I do not have much in the way of stories to tell. The Academy is working as it always does. I intend to return to assisting my father's classes when I am fully restored."

"That's great, Olive!" Harumi beamed, "I'm sure he can really use your help."

"He is operating at near full capacity, so yes," Olive nodded, "I believe he could use it."

The group dissolved into a bit of silence. It wasn't one born of awkwardness, but rather just born of a natural pause in the conversation flow. None of them felt much about it. For the moment, Harumi took her time to indulge in the warmth of having Carnelian at her side again. The five assembled girls let the time pass for a moment, just enjoying being together. Even if it was deep underground in a place like this.

"Alright!" Forte hopped up to her feet, "I'm getting sick of this place. Let's go out!"

"Go out?" Harumi blinked, "But, Forte, we're hiding right now! We shouldn't be going anywhere. At least, I shouldn't be!"

"Oh come on, you can afford to go out at least once," Carnelian groaned, "We've been patrolling this place for days, Harumi, nobody is here. And you know Ren hides our faces in public anyways."

"But… it's dangerous!" Harumi turned to Ren, "You have to know it's dangerous!"

"It is, but you have been here in the dark for awhile," Ren stood up, "I think the girls are right. We won't go out for long. You need to see the city again. Besides, Mizuko is likely waiting for us somewhere."

"You mean at her nine hundredth job?" Carnelian helped pull Harumi to her feet, "Sure."

"Come on, Harumi!" Forte waved her hand, "Just tell your friends that you're going out! What are they gonna do, stop you? You just need some fresh air."

"I'm…" Harumi bit her lip, "I, guess that's true. But, I mean, should I?"

"Yeah… we already talked about this earlier," Carnelian shoved Harumi's back, "Your punishment for being gone for so long is to come with us on a date. Go tell your friends, then we're heading out."

Harumi looked around the group. All of them were smiling together, even Olive. The sight of it was enough to tell Harumi she didn't quite have a choice in this matter. She gave a small sheepish smile to them, then nodded her head.

"I'll go let them know," Harumi told them, "And… then I guess we're going out. But, the first sign of danger, we leave, got it?"

"Course!" Forte beamed, "Come on, what's the worst that's gonna happen?" Ren and Carnelian both rolled their eyes.

"How long are we to wait on her?" Over asked as he polished his staff.

"She's with her friends she hadn't seen in a long time," Lulloyd shook his head, "We should make sure that we give them time to just… relax and all."

Over didn't respond to him. The five of them had moved from the underground warehouse into the large parking lot cave at Harumi's request. Monty and Over were on opposite sides of the room, each holding their respective weapons as Monty cleaned Ebony and Ivory while Over polished his staff. Lulloyd was writing something down on paper and trying not to let his hand slip on it. Lloyd and Mage were hard at work in the background of all three, clashing swords together.

"Focus!" Lloyd commanded Mage as the two locked his katanas and Aevum together, "Watch my feet, figure out what my next move is going to be!"

Mage nodded his head. Lloyd put one foot behind the other to twist his body in a swipe. Mage's eyes flashed seeing this, jumping backwards and dodging the swipe. He brought Aevum up over his head in a swipe down to try to knock Lloyd over. Instead, as soon as he had his sword over his head, Lloyd thrust a kick out that sent Mage onto his back. Mage scrambled to get up, but Lloyd pointed a katana at his neck before he could.

"I… I saw it that time!" Mage huffed, a smile on his face. Lloyd smiled too, pulling his sword back and sheathing it to offer his hand to help Mage up. The boy hopped up to his feet with it, covered in sweat but eagerly holding Aevum up again.

"You've grown a lot in just a few days," Lloyd nodded, "I guess Acronix really did teach you how to fight. A little more time and you'll be able to stand up to anyone."

"Really?" Monty perked up, "You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I think so," Lloyd nodded, "He's got the basics down and he's learning fast."

"Then I'll test that theory," Monty drew the SoS, "I'll just use the sword, no tricks. How about that?"

Lloyd looked hesitant, but Mage eagerly held Aevum up and rushed over to Monty. Monty walked over to the middle of the space, holding the sword out in front of him. Mage did the same. The two began to circle each other slowly, both sizing the other up. After a few moments, Monty twirled the sword in his hand, making Mage tense up.

"Loser says what," Monty chimed out.

"What?" Mage blinked. A moment later, Monty thrust his hand forward, a massive blast of wind firing right into Mage. Mage was blown right down off his feet. A moment later, Monty blasted up into the air with a gust of wind, landing right down in front of Mage and slicing the SoS across the ground to knock Aevum out of Mage's hand.

"Yeah, no, he isn't ready," Monty groaned, "What are you teaching him?"

"That, that wasn't fair, Monety!" Lulloyd shook his head, "Like… you weren't challenging him to use his elements!"

"Oh, cause Ophiod and Prime are going to be so nice and fair with him?" Monty growled, "Really? Grow up, this is a fight to the death, not a sword duel. He needs to learn to-"

With a yell, Mage lit his feet on fire and spun on the ground. A whirlwind of fire shot up in the air in front of him, forcing Monty to pull back. A large whip of water shot out and grabbed Aevum off the ground, yanking the sword back into Mage's hand. The boy launched out of the tornado of fire, slashing in a vicious downward thrust into Monty's guard. The ghost raised the SoS to block and slashed across his body to direct the force of Mage's blow away from him.

Mage raised his hand up in the air, filling it with smoke and throwing it onto the ground to erupt a small cloud in front of him. Monty blasted it apart with wind, but by then Mage was gone. Monty twisted his head to see the boy's body reform from smoke behind him, and a second later Monty swung around and drew Ebony up to fire right at him. Mage held up a metal arm and knocked the bullet aside, then reached in to try to grab for Ebony. Monty flattened the SoS against his body and caught Mage's hand instead, thrusting his hand out to send Mage sliding back across the ground.

"Like that?" Mage smirked.

"Yeah," Monty nodded, "Exactly like that. No need for this formal teaching. Show him how to fight for real."

"I am showing him how I learned how to fight!" Lloyd protested.

"Must be why he sucked until he went all out," Monty sighed, walking back over to his spot to start cleaning his guns again.

"As much as it… pains me to say it, I agree with Monty," Over groaned out, "The ghost has a point. We are fighting opponents that will not fight us on even ground. They have already shown themselves willing to fight us all out while we restrain ourselves for one reason or another. Mage must learn how to fight with all of his power."

"Now, wait a minute," Lulloyd stood up, "I mean, you're not wrong but… my dad always said that, you have to learn how to fight with, just your fists, then you can learn to fight with a sword and, then with a mech. You can't just, skip one for the other."

"Your dad again?" Monty groaned out, "Look, your strategy works for when we're being nice and friendly, and pulling punches. But we aren't. We're hiding in a literal cave right now. Don't hold back. Throw what you got at him, make him learn how to think on his feet more."

"But if we don't teach him right, he could end up relying on his powers too much," Lloyd shook his head, "Master Wu always said that you can't rely on one thing, or else that will become your biggest weakness."

"And, he's just a kid…" Lulloyd frowned, "He's, you know… we can't just go and start hurling whatever we want at him. I mean, that's his strategy but, I mean that's not we can do."

"Then you two can find ways to teach him how to handle a multi-story mecha coming at him," Over waved his hand, "Or else teach him how to best run away like we already have."

"We're doing all we can!" Lloyd stepped forward, "And, besides, we're already dealing with a lot here! He asked me to teach him!"

"Calm down," Monty groaned out, throwing his head back, "Sheesh, you really are Wu's student. You have his complete lack of patience."

"And you're any better?!" Lloyd snapped at him.

"Yeah, it's called I recognize reality and know when to get mad and when to shut up," Monty continued to look up at the ceiling, "So why don't you calm down there before you end up blowing a hole in something?"

"I'm not-!" Lloyd took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, "Okay. I'm. I'm calm. I'm teaching Mage what he needs to know. Right, Mage?"

"Yeah, you are-" Mage was cut off by Lloyd nodding and continuing.

"Good, then let's get back to our drills," Lloyd waved his hand, "We need you to be as ready as you can bef or when we figure out our next move. Let's go!"

Mage blinked, his face looking somewhat worried for a few moments. After he looked around to see Monty had gone fully back to his cleaning and Over wasn't even paying attention, he nervously moved over to start training with Lloyd again. Soon, he was sparring with Lloyd back and forth across the underground pavement again.

Lulloyd, seeing Mage's expression, picked up his letter and walked over to Monty to sit down beside him. Monty didn't even look at him for a long while. Lulloyd looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then scooted a bit closer to Monty. The ghost didn't pay him much mind as he continued to work on his things.

"Hey," Lulloyd awkwardly rotated his hand, "You uhm… you okay?"

"Never better," Monty grunted, continuing to work on his gun.

"Right, right…" Lulloyd felt his words freezing in his throat with the awkwardness of this feeling, "I uhm… listen, I wanted to ask… is your sword… still, doing that thing?"

"We agreed not to talk about this," Monty gave Lulloyd a look, "Leave."

"Monty…" Lulloyd spoke up, but Monty just turned away from him.

"You're not as annoying as everyone else, so I'm telling you nicely instead of blasting you across the room," Monty gave him another long sideways look, "Leave."

Lulloyd wanted to keep talking, but he could tell Monty wasn't in for it. Instead, he stood up and sighed, walking around the room. He eventually settled on a spot near Over to be away from Monty. As soon as he sat down, he picked up his letter and began to write on it again.

"What is that?" Over's voice sent a shiver of shock down Lulloyd's torso. Lulloyd turned ot see Over looking ath im with his normal pupiless eyes.

"Oh… t-this?" Lulloyd rubbed his head in embarrassment, "It's, uh… see, I uh, I told myself from now on I'm going to write letters so, when we get into danger, I can like, drop this off at home sometimes and… give them an idea that I'm okay."

"You're writing letters to your family, then?" Over turned back to his staff, "I envy how close you are with them. You have the strongest support from them out of all of us."

"What?" Lulloyd blinked, "No, no I don't. I mean… I uh…"

"Most of us here have at least one or both of our parents missing, turned evil, out of our lives, or otherwise simply disappeared," Over waved his hand across the room, "You have both your parents and your friends, as well as that kitten."

"Unikitty?" Lulloyd blinked, "Y-Yeah, that's right. I uh, heh. Yeah. I uh, I guess I do consider her part of the family now, then…"

"You have no need to be embarrassed about it," Over informed him, "In fact I would prefer you not be. You have found someone to share companionship with. I can empathize with the struggle to search for it."

"You… oh, right, you're uh… two people," Lulloyd turned his head away, "I uh… good for you then, right?"

"I suppose you don't have the context for the Overlord then, do you?" Over asked.

"I, no, not really… Mage and I are the only ones that never dealt with him," Lulloyd looked over to where Mage was dodging swipes from Lloyd, "And I, don't know how well he even understands romance."

"Well, I suppose that is for the best," Over wiped down his staff again, "You do not have any notions that I must dispel to speak with you. Indeed, that is perhaps the best way for me to truly interact with others. Those that recall the deeds of evil are the ones that will forever close their minds to what can truly come of my existence."

"...So, uh, what's it like being, two people in one body?" Lulloyd asked, trying to think of how to respond to that odd line.

"As I have said before, I am not two individual beings, but one being of two parts," Over placed a hand on his chest, "There is a distinction there, one that you must understand to fully grasp what I am. We were not simply put into the same body. I allowed myself to take who I was on a fundamental level, the essence of my existence, to bond with the Overlord. Our bodies and souls are one, and cannot be separated. While we may converse as two entities, we share thoughts, feelings, and emotions. What remains is simply two echoes of beings gone, that sometimes diverge enough to speak to one another. I do not regret this choice, nor will I ever."

"Is it, nice then, being one being?" Lulloyd asked, "Or, is there something you wish that you'd done differently?"

"Why do you show interest in me?" Over turned to him, "Am I not simply an ally of yours?"

"Well… I mean, you haven't tried to, hurt us so far… I mean, aside from imprisoning us but, well, I'm kinda used to that by now…" Lulloyd rotated his head, "So, I think I can trust you, a little bit. And, well… you're, also being nice to Mage so, I don't think you can be all bad."

"Hmmph," Over turned his head forward, "Then perhaps you trust too easily. What makes you so sure that you can trust someone like me?"

"The fact that you haven't hurt me so far," Lulloyd admitted, "And… I just, feel it. You're so strong and powerful and… and you're still helping us and…."

Lulloyd trailed off. Over took a few moments to contemplate what to make of it. Lulloyd didn't keep talking, and that alone was enough to tell him something was wrong. He thought for a long while as to what to say, or if to even say anything at all. After a long debate, he stood up and walked over to Lulloyd, standing in front of him and looking down at him rather intently.

"Lulloyd," Over let his staff sink back down into his body, "You are a strong individual. Do not let your own emotions cloud that feeling. You do not need to look to me, or anyone else here for that feeling. You are who you are, and will be what you must. Understand that, and you will go forward to become whatever it is that you need to be."

Before Lulloyd could respond, Over had left the room, moving away to some other location by leaving the space. It left Lulloyd with only those words as he left the room. Lloyd and Mage continued to spar, and Monty didn't look to be in the mood to be distrubed. Lulloyd sighed and let himself slowly relax, trying to focus on something other than the implications of what was going to happen to him now that he was in this world, alone, and hiding away. He raised his letter back up to his face and continued to write, letting his thoughts out on the page instead of keeping them inside his head.

"Girls are you sure this is the best idea..?" Harumi asked as the group of five began to walk along the 130th layer.

"Of course!" Carnelian nodded her head as he dragged Harumi along, "Ren, you're hiding our faces, right?"

"As I always do," Ren nodded, smiling as he pointed towards a nearby glass wall. As the girls trod on past, Harumi looked into the glass to see that, indeed, they were almost completely hidden, and the faces that starred back at them were far more generic and nothing like what they normally were.

"See?" Carnelian smirked, "Nobody knows it's you!"

"So, where are we heading?" Forte asked, dancing along. Notably, her entire outfit was made to look completely different thanks to Ren's power over form.

"I had a place in mind already," Ren nodded her head, "It just opened and will give us some privacy. Likewise, I know someone there that may help us get in as well."

"I believe that a private area would be a rather good use of our time," Olive nodded, "I believe that we will be safe in that environment, as is currently feared in Harumi's mind according to her current biological patterns."

"Olive, you don't have to scan us all the time!" Forte protested, "You can just chill with us, you know. Just vibe a little bit!"

"Acknowledged, but not understood," Olive nodded her head. Forte rolled her eyes.

The five girls walked along the crowded layers of the city. Above and below them were hundreds of feet to the ground, and all of the glass layers that showed all the way down to almost create a beautiful illusion as they looked down. Hovercars, however, broke that illusion rather easily as they zoomed in and out of each layer to get to where they wanted to go. The neon glow of the city around them illuminated them within its glow as they went along their way.

"So, where are the others?" Harumi turned to Ren as they skirted by a large Serpentine group.

"The other Masters?" Forte put her hands behind her head with her elbows out as she walked, "They went home. Souma and Raiden went on another one of their expeditions together. Viperia and Somnan had to get back home too. Same with Karlon. It's just us and Mizuko in the city right now."

"As usual," Carnelian stretched one arm up in the air, "Just means more action for us!"

"For you, maybe," Ren shook her head.

"I do not believe the distribution of our time spent protecting the city would alter, given that, statistically, Harumi is the dominant one that handles most crimes," Olive informed them.

"What?!" Carnelian spun around, walking backwards now, "Come on, I know I do just as much crime fighting as she does!"

"You fight crime, but you do not catch them like she does," Olive informed her, "And even if we were to factor that in, you would still be responsible for only 25.7% of those fights. Harumi is responsible for 51.4%."

"What?" Carnelian blinked, completely stunned. Both Forte and Ren chuckled hearing the news.

"Perhaps you should work more in the noodle shop, Carn, it looks like Harumi has got this city covered for you!" Forte laughed.

"Oh you're one to talk, you spend all your time being flashy and loud on stage!" Carnelian protested, "I'm out there actually fighting in the streets!"

"Such a heroic thing to do, brawling in the streets," Ren sighed, but she had a large smile on her face, "Perhaps you should apply for a medal."

Carnelian opened her mouth to speak, but Harumi had begun to giggle along with them. Seeing that was enough to make her mock anger drain out of her as she instead moved to gently wrap her arm around Harumi and squeeze her.

"Oh you're laughing now, maybe I'll let you have my share of crime!" Carnelian nudged her. Harumi kept on giggling.

"I'm sorry, babe, I mean… I know how hard you work for it, I didn't know I was doing that much," Harumi held ah and up to her mouth, "It's just funny!"

Carnelian sighed, but she instead moved her hand to just gently hold onto Harumi's as they walked. The two girlfriends happily walked along like that, Harumi feeling her spirits lifting somewhat the more she was around her friends. Forte and Ren led them on, while Olive remained perfectly in the middle with her normal neutral expression.

"I believe we've arrived," Ren turned around once they reached a small door. The door was inside of a large skyscraper, like most of the businesses in the city. Harumi squinted to read the large lettering that scrolled by on a monitor above the large red doors in front of them.

"This is… a karaoke place?" Harumi blinked, "W-Wait what?"

"Oh heck yes!" Forte pumped her fist, "I am in on this!"

"It's a private place where we can go and be alone, order food, and you don't have to worry about being spotted," Ren informed Harumi, "I also considered a bar, but I decided that was far too public. They do serve drinks here, however."

"Let's go!" Carnelian gripped Harumi's hand and yanked her forward. Harumi gasped as she was dragged inside, the others quickly following.

The interior of the place was rather small and simple, with only a small couch for them to sit on and a few potted plants to make the place feel more lively. There was a simple counter in front of them, along with electric pads that showed the rooms down halls on either side of the desk. The desk didn't have anything other than someone sitting there in a simple red skirt and red vest over a white shirt with the building logo emblazoned on it.

"Welcome to Music & Rhymes Karaoke!" The female attendant chirped out, "Please select a room and- oh, Harumi!"

"Mizuko?" Harumi blinked. The attendant was indeed Mizuko, who hopped up and over the desk to slide up to her feet in front of the group. Before Harumi could say more, Mizuko had hugged her tightly and crushed her up in doing so.

"T-Tight!" Harumi gasped out.

"You're back!" Mizuko beamed, "I mean I know Ren said you were but I didn't know I'd run into you here! Oh gosh it's so good to see you back!" She applied more pressure, and Harumi swore she heard something crack, "It's been so long since you were back! Are you okay, are you done with your adventure, did you come here to see me?!"

"That's enough, Mizuko," Ren had a smile on her face, "You're about to make her pass out."

Mizuko let go, and instantly Harumi nearly collapsed onto the ground. Carnelian quickly reached out and caught her, helping her remain upright as Harumi got air back into her lungs. Mizuko her hands on her hips and beamed as she leaned in to get a close look at Harumi.

"I-I'm not back for, well all that long, I'm just… I'm technically hiding out here from the guys that attacked you," Harumi huffed out, "They insisted… I get out of the underground."

"You were down there?!" Mizuko gasped, "Wow, I can't believe you haven't wanted to get out of there sooner. That place is super depressing. And really cold!" She smirked, "Well, I guess if you want to hide out here, this is the best place! That or the holo-domes!"

"Ugh, no, I'm sick of the place," Carnelian groaned, "Projecting whatever you want into a room is cool and all but it's all just one big reminder I have no imagination."

"Well this is probably a super great place to hide out then, it is all private rooms!" Mizuko hopped back around the counter and pointed at hte tablets, "Just reserve one, we have plenty of room! I just started working here yesterday and it's been sorta slow. But it's a nice place! Oh! And don't forget to order drinks and such!"

"We won't, we won't," Forte chuckled, "How many jobs does this make now, Mizuko?"

"Right now… oh, ten or so!" Mizuko shrugged, "I don't really count, I just add in shirts to my schedule and head out to where I gotta go."

"Right," Carnelian rolled her eyes. She stepped up to the tablet and punched in her information, then pulled her watch out of her sleeve to press into the tablet to scan payment, "There, we're all hooked up. Let's go!"

"It's just down the hall on the right!" Mizuko pointed, "Have fun! I'll be here if you need anything."

"You're welcome to join us," Ren informed Mizuko.

"I'm on shift, but maybe after! If I have time!" Mizuko smiled at them, "Really, you all go and have fun!"

Harumi wanted to ask more questions, but by now the group had already moved forward down the hall. She was able to give her a happy little wave of her hand before Harumi found herself suddenly down into a doorway into a large room.

The room itself was rather nice and decorated nicely. There was a large circular booth along one wall with a table at it, one which the girls all filed into. There were large screens on the opposite wall which were no doubt for them to use. All the wallspace was otherwise taken up by posters, advertisements and other paraphernalia that she couldn't be bothered to really keep her eye on. Harumi found herself smack dab in the middle of the booth as the others pulled out a large song menu and began to flip through it.

"How long did you get the place for, Carn?" Forte asked as she began to flip through the pages.

"Two hours, three in case we need more," Carnelian smirked, "And wow, is this paper?"

Ren turned the cover back over to show a small barcode for their watches to scan. Moments later, all the girls had digital copies of the list they were all scrolling through.

"So, what order are we going in?" Olive asked, "I would like to sing as well."

"Hrmm… Harumi, me, Ren, Olive then Forte," Carnelian declared, "Sounds fair to me."

"Hey, why am I last?" Forte whined.

"Because you sing for a living!" Carnelian shook her head, "Give the rest of us a shot first!"

"Finnneeeee," Forte groaned, "What song are we all going to start with?"

"Hrmmm… I wanna go with something cute and fun," Carnelian scrolled down her watch, "Fluffy Fluffy Time maybe? Or made Fude Pen, Ball Pen?"

"I think I'd like to try My Sweet Heart," Ren scrolled through, "Though I'd also settle for Days of Dash."

"I would like to do something fun as well," Olive scrolled down, "I believe I could try Platinum Disco."

"Oh! They have Sister's Noise!" Forte beamed, "I know I can hit those high notes! I'm gonna do that!"

"What about you, Harumi?" Ren asked.

Harumi was busy scrolling down the list, trying to find something. She wasn't entire sure if she was in the mood for singing, but everyone else was so happy she was willing to go along with it.

"I-I uhm, they have the Piano Pop Whip here…" Harumi smiled, "Do you all want to do that together?"

"Oh gosh they have that? Yes!" Carnelian smiled, "Go on, put it on now!"

Harumi nodded her head, putting the number into a holographic display on the table. A few moments later, the sound of soft piano came into the room. The girls all quickly filed up and onto their feet, grabbing microphones.

"Alright, ready?" Harumi smiled. They all nodded. The lyrics appeared on screen, and Harumi happily began to sing.

It's time for training and we're getting started…!

In a small alleyway on the ground level of Ninjago City, a small portal opened up. Through it, the massive form of Invictus stepped forward. The alleyway was barely big enough for the mech to fit inside of, and the brightly colored whtie and green mech stood out starkly against the dark blues, grays and dark black shadows of the bottom layer of the massive city. Above the mech, the hundreds of layers of people walking between the large lanes of hovercars almost blotted out all of the light of the night sky.

"And activate cloak," Prime, inside the cockpit, pressed a button, causing the entire mech to shimmer and then slowly become concealed as the mech's platting scanned and then mirrored the world around it. Within a few seconds, Invictus had become completely camouflaged into its surroundings.

"Your mech could do this before?" Ophiod asked as the cockpit in front of them slowly opened up. Both he and Prime exited by sliding down the surface of the now invisible machine.

"Nah, it's pretty experimental so far," Prime did several flips before landing on the ground, "I had them install it when I went to get her repaired. I also made sure to replace all her armor. We should be able to take more hits now."

"Right," Ophiod looked around, "This is the girl's world, right? Why are we here?"

"Because we checked Lloyd's world and found nothing there, so I figured we'd try here next. Oni says that he's handling the ghost's place," Prime put his hands on his hips, "So, here we are. You sure you're okay leaving Skales behind?"

"He said he wanted us to… work together," Ophiod stated awkwardly, "And, that he'd be in the way if he was here."

"Well then," Prime threw his arm around Ophiod, "That just means more time for us, then! You ready to get looking?"

Ophiod looked around at the city in front of him. His staff lay inside of Invictus' cockpit. Prime gave him a warm smile as Ophiod turned to him. Above them both was the loud, massive, sprawling megacity that was Ninjago City in this future set of events. After a few moments, Ophiod sighed and nodded his head.

"Yes… let us get going," Ophiod waved his hand, "We have a lot of ground to cover."

Author's Note:

Go look up the Piano Pop Whip, it's really good! And yes, if you recognize those song names you do watch too much anime.

Another reminder that there is a new Universal Deviations chapter focused on these main girls! After their debut I paired down the cast to the 5 that I had the most ideas for, which is how I got Harumi's team! Personally I wanted to have at least one chapter in the main story that let them breathe a bit from the action. And with how intense the previous part of the story was, I wanted to make sure they got their chance to shine now. I hope you all enjoy, and NINJA-GO!