-Thank you for reading this far into my longest fic. We'll be nearing the end soon I think. I appreciate all of you and I probably wouldn't be writing without all the support I've gotten from you guys. -

Aliens to monsters:

Giroro- Ganrougel

Keroro- Kurse

Tamama- Taiki

Dororo- Aldmora

Kururu- Krueger

Mois- Molioke

"Alright let's go." Natsumi stood tall and confident with her father's old hunting bag slung over her shoulder. Aki strapped some old blades to her thighs and carried a crossbow with a selection of varied arrow types in a quiver on her back. Koyuki tightened the sash of her ninja garb and mask, a selection of small knives and weapons in a hidden pocket. Fuyuki and Momoka stood at the edge of the room already glancing through different books for anything that would help.

"Hold on, take these." Krueger held two stacks of papers to Natsumi and Aki. They were scribbled with odd lines and at least one rune Natsumi could recognize through all she had learned of magic. Each piece even had a small drop of blood. "They're talismans to ward off any weaker spirits that may be lurking in there. We can't waste any time on them if we're going to do this job right."

"Thanks." Natsumi nodded as she placed them in her bag and began marching outside. Behind her Aki, Krueger, Koyuki, Garuru, and even Taiki followed. They only paused once they approached the door.

Krueger uncaring threw the door open and stepped inside. The others watched as his image quickly evaporated in the shadows.

"Nothing can be simple can it? It just has to be mysterious and magical. We can't even see where we're going in that." Natsumi grumbled. She sighed as she let her anger numb her fear and move her forward, stepping into the darkness. Looking around she couldn't see Krueger. "So he just up and left us behind? Sure he's a jerk but he knows the most about the supernatural."

"It can't be helped hun. We should stay focused." Aki spoke calmly by her side.

"She is right though, intel would be favorable." Garuru scanned through the darkness around them before continuing forward.

"You do know I'm right here, I'm a freakin imp. I'm more supernatural than all of you." Taiki muttered from behind. He took on his smallest form and stayed close to Koyuki.

"You don't even know how you're own species came to be." Natsumi quipped.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I don't know anything about other things." Taiki argued as he sniffled and fought back his tears.

"But why would he run ahead?" Koyuki asked genuinely confused.

"Because he's a big jerk who only cares about himself. There's probably some hidden scheme he's working on." Natsumi sighed.

"Oh how you flatter me Natsumi~ Kukuu." Krueger chuckled in his chilling laugh as he stepped from the shadows into the unexplainable bubble of light around the others.

"You really are weird aren't you?" Natsumi asked in a flat tone as she tried not to cringe from his scratchy voice.

"Stop, you're going to make me blush." Krueger laughed more as he pushed aside a few of his tentacles as if they were regular hair and he were a normal guy flirting with a young chick.

"Hey." Garuru spoke sternly, grabbing everyone's attention. His eyes were sharp and his face expressionless. "You can have fun chatting when we're done here. We're in a foreign void to find our friends on a dire time limit are we not?"

"Yessir Mister Lieutenant." Krueger's voice dragged to an awkward lower pitch as he gave a weak salute. He began walking back where he came from and this time everyone followed closely now knowing he would not wait for anyone. "So far it's just a bunch of small bubbles of void. Each of their individual energy bounces off the walls and around so fast it emits enough light to see in front of you, how convenient."

"That is pretty sweet." Aki smiled as she noticed the small split moment of darkness between voids and how some were brighter than others.

"There isn't anyone here." Koyuki noted.

"They knew we were coming of course, they did invite us. We'll most likely run into something or someone deeper in; where they may have built some base or fortress." Kruger explained without interest.

After stepping out of one last bubble they reached a larger space, undefined by a ceiling or sky. The floor itself almost seemed to bow away under them but only visually as Natsumi stomped on it to find it definitely was firm. Even the distance ahead faded to a soft gray with nothing showing the end nor a horizon to show a normal bend of what be a whole new world. "Oh wow."

"The pocket voids seem to create a barrier or membrane around the edge." Krueger muttered aloud as his eyes followed the long string to the left and right as they faded into the distance along with everything else.

"What are they?" Garuru asked as he pointed to a few shambling figures far off in the faded light.

"No one's going to be able to tell from this far away. I might be smart but I don't have perfect vision." Krueger chuckled mockingly at he nudged his glasses up his nose.

"They look so tiny from here." Taiki squinted at the distant figures.

"Which way should we go?" Natsumi ignored the topic of the figures knowing they were too far away to start trouble. Also Garuru's words stuck to her mind like a mantra, they didn't have time to study the dimension with their friends trapped somewhere.

"I think I see a building over there." Aki suggested pointing off to the far left. "It's just out of view."

"It looks like our best lead other than the soulless wanderers." Krueger shrugged and headed towards Aki's sighted building. The others followed without any real idea of another option.

They walked for impossibly long moments. The building didn't even begin to look any closer even as they passed pretty close by some of the other wandering characters.

"How much longer?" Taiki complained as he scuttled on his three little legs. "I'm getting tired already."

"Come here hun. I'll carry you." Aki smiled kindly as she knelt down and picked him up.

"The bubble things we were in before are so far away from us now though." Koyuki stated as she glanced behind. "Maybe we'll get there soon."

"It's just deception to kill hope." Krueger answered blatantly. "You think these creatures would be wandering aimlessly if they knew they could get to that building or even the membrane of pocket voids?"

"That does make-" Natsumi was cut off as one of the nearer beings began screaming. It wasn't the first or even the fifteenth, countless had been screaming randomly over the course of their walk. She tried to let her held breath out but it was still startling and unsettling to hear their screams. Garuru stopped shortly behind her looking to the shrieking creature as well. He glanced around without turning his head much. "What's wrong Garuru?"

"Shhh." Garuru sharply hushed her, gaining the attention of the rest of the group. He pulled a small coin from his pocket and chucked it to the far right side of their path. It was only a few seconds later when it bounced off of an invisible wall. "It's over there."

"Oh wow!" Taiki cheered at the intensity with which the coin struck the metal as vibrations rang out.

"How did you know?" Natsumi asked a little stunned by the marksmanship as the small shimmering coin fell to the ground.

"I was listening to how the screaming echoed through the space. It didn't carry through that spot there like it did everywhere else. Pretty much bounced off back to us but still very faint and easy to miss." Garuru explained as he started walking towards the hidden structure.

"You've got hearing like a wolf mister." Koyuki grinned.

"How do you think we should find the front door?" Aki asked as she and the rest followed the soldier.

Taiki hopped down from her arms and began rubbing the wall. "Probably the most traditional way possible."

"Is it a weak magic? Maybe the charms could-" Natsumi began.

"They were only made for creatures not spells." Krueger muttered as he swiped one of Aki's small knives. "Here kiss this kukuku."

"W-what?!" Natsumi flushed at the suggestion. "Why should I do that?"

"Indulge me~" Krueger chimed. Natsumi thought hard and fast before quickly placing a peck on the metal. Her face was red with anger and embarrassment and she was grateful they didn't have to kill anything with it yet to taste any blood. Krueger chuckled at her misfortune as he thrust the blade into the invisible wall. The space shimmered and soon revealed a large building. Natsumi couldn't tell what it was originally built for. Some of it looked like a mansion and some of it looked like a factory while other parts seemed like a court house and park jungle gym got too close together in the process. Krueger then handed the blade back to Aki. "A young hardheaded girl who has been through some crap can't be deceived by simple illusions. Especially a girl with magic."

"Thanks for explaining that." Natsumi huffed and crossed her arms.

"I found the door." Taiki sang as he danced to the entrance. The metal door easily creaked open into a large, dark, and dusty room.

Garuru clicked the light of his scope on and scanned the room, his gun ready to fire on anything. When he confirmed there was nothing there to harm them he lowered his rifle. "We're clear."

"Is it possible to split up and search faster? The building didn't look that big." Aki suggested.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea since-" Garuru started.

"Where did Natsumi go?" Koyuki asked looking around the room.

"Dammit. She already went ahead didn't she?!" Garuru cursed. "We don't know the limitations or physics of this place. We almost just walked past it. Who knows how big it could really be or what it's hiding? Dispersing the group will only put us in danger."

Everyone nodded and planned out their next movement.

Natsumi beat against a wall cursing under her breath. She stopped only when her hand throbbed and she was sure she couldn't break back through.

"Damn, I wonder if they split us all up from each other. Or if I'm the only one, then at least the others should be safe together." Natsumi turned from the wall. "Alright who pulled me aside and why?!"

"Who else do you think you stupid girl?" The bull stepped into view from the shadows. "Thank you for coming so soon."

"It was clear I would come as soon as I could wasn't it? Why did you have to-" Natsumi choked on her words and covered her mouth. She glanced down to her stomach quickly trying to remember that it wasn't all over yet.

"Ah, well the game is easier to play if you have more pawns." The bull smirked.

"It isn't a game to play with other people's lives. It's sick!" Natsumi clenched her fists.

"But I've been doing it for so long. No matter how much better people think they are than me or how low and vile they believe I am, no one's stopped me yet. Even Giroro was the closest to stop me but failed and now I finally know how to really get back at him." The bull stepped closer to Natsumi. "I'm not going to keep some secret plan so here it is. To get to him I'm going to use you, and to get you to do what I want I needed something with strong power over you. What better to use than an innocent unborn child?"

Natsumi struggled to think of what to say. She felt uneasy and nauseous again.

"Come see my work so far." The bull grinned wide as he gestured to window behind him.

Natsumi gulped and straightened her stance before walking over. She froze once her eyes discovered the creature in the room beyond the glass. Bones littered the floor and blood was splattered up the walls and ceiling. The red beast in the center of the room pulled at himself without hesitation. Tearing out handfuls of flesh from his chest and throwing it away from himself. He screamed as the horns he just removed burnt through his skull, growing back in place. Even his hollowed chest was regenerating as fast as he could rip it apart.

"Make him stop." Natsumi whimpered. Tears seared in the corners of her eyes. "Let me see him. Whatever you did just stop it, I'll do anything you want."

"Just what I wanted to hear. Listen to my offer carefully because I will make it once." The bull chuckled as he leaned closer to her. He whispered into her ear.

Natsumi tried to ignore his rancid breath against her face and neck. The words he was speaking easily kept her attention. "I have to use those exact words?"

"No anything along those lines will do fine." The bull laughed louder.

"Ok. I'll do it." Natsumi couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks.