Gou decided to park the car about a block away and the two make the rest of the way home on foot in case they had to make a quick escape. The entire car ride back home the two had discussed the possibility of being told to come home being a trap and they had formed a few possible plans on when they got there. As a result, it took a few more hours to get home, since they wanted to get there after it grew dark.

Chase knew that both Gou and him could take on the people in the house if they were unaided by anything. He was worried about Rinna somehow making something in Harley's lab to impede them, but using a Density Shift, which both of them were reluctant to do, might be the only way to get out with Harley safely if he was in trouble.

The door was unlocked and Gou cautiously turned the knob and opened the door slowly, listening for any sign of danger. Walking silently through the living room, Gou stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. All thoughts of the plans Chase and him created hours ago flew out of his mind as he locked eyes with Kiriko, who had just walked out of the basement door.

"Nee-chan…"

Kiriko smiled softly at him and the distance between them quickly disappeared as Gou suddenly enveloped her in a tight hug, careful not to hug too tight due to his Roidmude parts in his arms.

"Welcome home Gou. Chase, you too. Come here and give me a hug too. After all…we're a family, aren't we? Professor Harley's told me everything." Kiriko held out one of her arms and Chase cautiously walked up to her, searching her eyes for any sign of deceit before joining in the hug.

—–

"Gou! Chase! I missed you boys so much!"

Both boys immediately ran to Harley and embraced the professor once Kiriko, Gou, and Chase entered the lab once the woman explained a bit about the situation.

Gou looked over to a smiling Shinnosuke and Rinna and turned back to the older man. "So…you're okay? This isn't really a trap? They're really…on our side?"

Chase looked everyone over stoically before locking eyes with Gou. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, not talking, before Chase broke contact and looked at Harley. "We were prepared to rescue you if that was the case. I'm glad it's not. It's good to see everyone again."

Harley smiled. "I wish I would have known about everyone's true intentions sooner. That way you all could have had more time to see each other. And Chase…go ahead and smile. I know you're dying to and it's weird seeing you so serious."

Chase chuckled, his smile growing wider. "They've only seen me with a stoic expression on my face. I didn't want to creep them out. But…you're right, I don't think I would have been able to keep it up for much longer."

—-

After Chase ran back to go get his and Gou's car and drive it home and sleeping arangements were moved around, everyone gathered back into the lab so everyone could explain on what had transpired in the five months since Gou and Chase were gone.

After showing Kiriko, Shinnosuke, and Rinna Gou's data on all the changes his body went through, Harley pulled up Chase's data and the security videos. "Alright, I told Kiriko as best I could and have been meaning to show her this, but since we're all on the same page, it's best to show all of you."

Once the video stopped playing, Chase turned to look at the three Tokujo members and smiled. "I'm…essentially human now…at least almost as much human as Gou is. My organic elements are almost indistinguishable from a human and I have most of the same bodily functions as humans. I know there's still a lot about humanity I need to learn, but Gou and Professor Harley have been very patient with me. It…feels nice to be cared about."

Kiriko put her hand on Chase's shoulder. "Once we find a way to get Krim off this manhunt of you two, I hope I can be helpful to you in that regard as well. After all…you're now my little brother as well."

Rinna began tapping a pen against the table. "What I really want to know is why Krim's been so persistent on getting Gou and Chase back. I mean their situation has been one we couldn't have even imagined, but still…him going through THESE means to find you? Or even wanting to put Gou's body in stasis from the beginning. All he cared about was his Core Driviar technology and not about how this would affect Gou and Chase. Even HE'S admitted to me before that he was proud of the progress and evolution you two have gone through since you became Riders. For him to suddenly just see you two as just another part of the Drive arsenal…it's…unusual."

Shinnosuke looked over to Kiriko. "Not to mention the relationships we had with him just seemed to disappear during this five months. He basically forced us to take his side on everything, spending most of our time trying to find them. I barely had time for my own police cases and didn't have any free time. And like I said, Kiriko, I know how much this whole thing affected you. You seemed like the one that suffered the most. It's almost like he was doing it to you on purpose…"

Gou had been silent for a while, taking in all the information. He looked over to Chase and the two made eye contact.

"So Chase…with this information…it sounds like Krim's gone a full turnaround of his personality. He's almost starting to sound like… No…"

"Gou…you're not thinking what I'm thinking? Because if you are… It would explain the persistence Krim has been exerting. And HE would have the tools to do it. We did leave leave your modified Mach Driver and Signal Machaser there. There's no telling what he did to them."

"If he's resourceful as Krim and you and I both know he is…then we didn't kill him. Banno's still…"

The two boys broke out of their mental link and immediately rushed to Harley's computer and fake Core Driviar device, typing as fast as they could to separate the two systems, hoping that they weren't too late.

Harley ran up to the two. "Gou, Chase… what's wrong? What…?"

Gou looked up at the professor for a split second before returning to the computer. "We'll explain in a few minutes as soon as we get that device separated from your computer."

Chase looked up and make eye contact with Rinna. "Miss Rinna, is there any way you could quickly whip up some sort of computer signal jammer device? It might make this easier for us."

"Of course Chase!" Rinna began rummaging through a box of parts she had, quickly connecting bits and parts. In about five minutes, she had a small but powerful signal jammer that Chase instructed her to hook up to the tracking device.

—–

It took about thirty minutes, but Gou and Chase finally were satisfied that they had successfully separated the two systems. It helped that the computer that was hooked up to the device wasn't connected to any of Harley's other systems so the hacking that was trying to be done had quickly been cut off. Rinna's jammer would keep any other attempts at hacking that system or any of the others from happening.

Gou sighed and looked up at everyone. "Chase and I…think we know why Krim's been acting the way he is. Luckily we realized what might be the problem before it was too late and he got into all of Harley's systems and ended up with Chase's and my data. And after spending all this time trying to prevent that from happening, our suspicions are correct."

Kiriko looked at the two, confusion and worry on her face, hoping they weren't going to say something she would dread. "What…suspicions?"

Chase closed his eyes, hurt evident on his face. "Of course he would want us back so bad, even corrupting and using Krim for that purpose. After all…Banno said we were his greatest creation so of course he would do everything he could to accomplish it."