Me: Mushra would be here to begin with me, but…
Mushra: *near Zortown, hanging from the icy palace, and painting WE WIN YOU LOOSE SNAKEY in fire red paint*
Me: SO! No wasting time, next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 10—Never-ending

As the guys wrangled up what was left in the palace of Ryuma's followers, or subjects, and negotiated with them, the girls had opted to ride with Binka. With all they'd just been through, it seems that the adrenaline was all but gone, and it was a struggle to even keep themselves conscious. Binka took them on ahead, Xavier going along.

Sago negotiated that so long as they could repair the damage and tend to the mess their former Lord made, and they could spread the word of his fall as well as why he fell (which meant spreading his selfish determination and what it brought), then they would be pardoned. They seemed like, after what fate befell their Lord, they were smart enough not to follow after his wishes. Which would be pointless with him gone, anyway.

They aided in the beginnings of repairing and cleaning up, but when some of the elder subjects made a point to say it was their duty, they made their leave. Mushra, Kutaal, and Sago took their hyper forms and took flight heading after Binka and her turtle.

Binka was taking it slow, simply because the faster she went, the more certain turns or curves or wind currents made the ride somewhat bumpy, and though none of the girls told her too, their low groans or wincing hinted to her enough that their wounds weren't being kind when that happened. And they were human, like her. They didn't recover as quickly and as well as Enterran's.

"Look up ahead, nearly there!" Binka cheered happily, trying to keep up a good mood, but she had enough sense not to overdo it. "I bet the kittens are waiting for us all now-"

"Can we stop on the hill…?" Winter asked then, and Binka looked back as if wondering why. "I'm assuming Kutaal's not going to let us do anything before we eat, so I'd like to be able to go change out of this crap before we do so."

"Seconded." Heather stated, leaning back in the back of the turtle, Jaden in her lap as she said, "Thirded." and no one really cared to comment on such incorrect English.

She just arrived at the stop of trees, near the portal and slowly but surely, the sisters and Heather regained what little strength they had and began climbing out. Jaden first, and then she helped Heather and then her sister. Xavier seemed to be climbing out, too.

Winter noticed, and Jaden would have argued, but she was too tired to even think if there was a point. Perhaps it was a habit she needed to calm with unless it was truly warranted. She looked to Binka and waved. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

Heather went in first with a jump, Winter and Xavier going together in a walk. Jaden hesitated, groaned, and then jumped. The swirling experience did nothing for her comfort, but she'd be fine once she could really settle down. They were due a LOT of recovery time from this. She'd have to admit it out loud eventually. She wasn't as ready for this world as she'd wanted to be. None of the girls were.

They arrived in rubble and frost, and Winter was shocked. She began asking what before Heather shook her head.

"Ryuma."

Explanation enough, they realized they'd have to walk the distance there. At that point, there was no frustration, just focus on doing what needed to be done. Their actions were becoming more and more robotic. Some minutes later the house was in sight, and they picked up their pace as they hurried inside. Somehow, being in their four walls soothed the excess stress, at least to a degree.

"We'll be back down soon." Winter told Xavier as she left him with a kiss to the cheek in the living room, following her friend and sister up the stairs.

There was more tearing than removing of the clothing, from each of the girls in their separate rooms. Part of it was due to how it had been fitted to them, but of course the sole reason was simply embodied by the name of the Reptilian Lord.

Jaden finally slipped out of it all, glad to see she still had her underwear she'd worn to bed before he'd kidnapped them. Still, she'd rather not ever think of the fact that in one way or another, he dressed them. She dug into her drawers, looking for the most comfy clothing and pulled out baggy, soft-fabric pants that reached just past her knees, and a shoulder hanging long-sleeved shirt. She barely even noticed the colors. Though she did notice, at least felt, the extensions still in her hair, and she tore them out with an effort. Spotting her phone on her bedside table, she snatched it up and stowed it in a pocket. Then, dressed, she snatched up some flip-flops and the remains of the dress before exiting and heading down the hall. Heather could be heard behind her yelling 'Burn it with fire!' before she came busting out, seeming very intense.

"We don't have any lighters, Heather." Jaden commented as her friend passed, a door opening behind both of them, which was Winter.

"Oh, believe me, I'll find a way to burn this cursed crap." She stated, and stormed downstairs in shorts and a baggy shirt.

Suddenly Jaden felt arms wrap around her from behind and she looked over her shoulder to see her sister's face buried into the back of her shoulder. Sighing with a small smile, she patted her sister's hand around her stomach. "It's okay. We're safe now."

Winter nodded, and just hugged her tighter.

I I I

Upon arriving on the other end of the portal, the girls had expected to just be able to climb back into the turtle, but nope. They had two worried Enterran's in their faces.

"Why didn't you guys wait for us?!" Sago asked the moment they came through and were on their feet.

"We didn't feel like we needed to." Jaden stated, tossing her dress down in front of her, Winter and Heather doing the same.

"Mushra, you mind?" Heather asked, nodding to the pile of white and lavender.

He sighed and nodded, him seeming a bit worriedly disappointed as he cast some fire on the clothes. "Something else could have happened."

"Nothing did. Ryuma's gone, remember?" Heather stated, walking over to Binka whose head hung a little low, as if she'd gotten a lecture.

"I was with them, anyways." Xavier pointed out, a little offended, and the other two just dropped it, as if it was no longer worth it to complain.

The rest of the way back to the apartment was filled with beautiful promises of food and full bellies from Kutaal, and once the building was in sight, it seemed like Heather got enough energy back to jump out of the turtle and race the rest of the way.

As everyone entered and settled, they were first greeted and then questioned by the kittens, which only earned half answers.

"What happened!?"

"Are you guys okay?!"

"Did you defeat anyone?"

"Did anybody get carded?"

"Why couldn't we come?"

Soon, the questions were no longer being overshadowed by their cuteness and Kutaal got enough sense to drag them into the kitchen to help him fix the dinner.

And as they waited, the whole gang just made themselves more at home than ever. Winter and Xavier were cuddled up in a corner, hands intertwined or playing or petting, their eyes almost constantly locked. Mushra was impatient leaned sideways against the table as he sat, with Heather leaning against his back, eyes shut for the moment. Though every now and again, she opened an eye when the food wafted strongly into the room. Sago sat watching the group, though Jaden sat nearest him, her head laid on the table at the moment, and her fingers rubbing incessantly against the table.

She watched as her finger went back and forth, pressing harder and harder, as if she were intent on rubbing a dent or hole into the table. That's when another hand with pointed fingernails lay over hers. She looked up to see Sago watching her. He said nothing, just rubbed her hand with his thumb briefly. Jaden took a breath, and with it, sat up and sighed.

"…Well that was an experience." She stated.

"I won't even follow that up with a nah-duh response." Heather commented tiredly.

"I'm sorry you three had to go through that." Mushra said, sounding truly regretful.

There was silence for a moment, but Winter was the next to speak. "Don't be. Not saying that I enjoyed anything we just went through…or that I would do it over again, or that I'm exactly glad but… It needed to happen. If we're going to be in your world, we have to experience it, and this has always been part of it."

Heather nodded after a moment of thought. "She's right. Plus, we'd been asking for a chance to prove ourselves." She shrugged with a weak smile. "I apparently really proved myself to YOU, mister." She looked back to Mushra over her shoulder, still leaned against him.

He looked back at her with a look. "What?"

"You said I was the most amazing warrior you'd ever seen." She reminded him, as he had said something along those lines when in his younger form when the girls had been fighting to defend him.

He shook his head and turned to face her then, almost making her fall before she righted herself and faced him as well. "Hey, now, that doesn't count."

"How does it not count?!"

"I was in my little child mind! My previous memories were gone, and you guys were just the best thing my tiny mind had seen thus far from what memories I had!"

"You still thought I was amazing, memories or not!"

"Yeah, but that's beside the point!"

"Aaaww, he thinks you're amazing." Jaden teased with a tired but amused smirk. The stress was lowering more, with the natural occurrence of a Heather vs. Mushra argument.

With a brief blush, he threw up his arms, and debated back and forth with Heather how it did not count, trying to bring up points like how his opinion had to be his fully developed one, not just one part, while Heather argued that it was a child's opinion and children are generally more honest so it counted just as much.

"You girls did do amazing." Sago stated, drawing Jaden's attention back to him. She gave a little smile, and was about to say thank you, before he continued. "You were right; we should have thought better of you two –of all three of you— and your strength. You held your own, just about as well as we would."

"Sago, I know y'all just want to protect us; it's what you guys have always done—"

"Well, there's more than one way to protect someone. And we should have done so by teaching you." He stopped her, as if he really needed to make it apparent that he realized his error of thought.

She sighed but smiled, and reached for his hand this time. He took it, and grasped it as he looked her in the eyes then. She was taken aback by what she saw there. She wasn't even completely sure what it was, but it warmed her chest, and she looked downward. And then thought, looking to her friend when Sago's words ran through her mind again. There's more than one way to protect someone.

Heather had been willing to risk her life, willing to GIVE her life, for Jaden and her sister to be alive together at least. She leaned to lightly nudge Heather's shoulder, until the other woman cut off talking to Mushra and looked back to her.

"Thank you." Jaden said, and though Heather briefly questioned what she meant, the longer she looked, she saw it in Jaden's eyes. She could only nod.

Once the food was brought in, it seemed to warm the entire room, and more importantly, the group members who were still trying to control shivers now and again from too much time in Ryuma's place. Jaden was sure she might end up with a cold soon enough, if not by tonight.

A meal of noodles with shredded meat, deliciously sauced and spiced, as always. Silence followed as they all ate gratefully. There weren't even pauses before second helpings, only the devouring of seconds before moving on to thirds. Kutaal was both proud and disappointed when all the food turned out to be gone once the others were done.

Xavier was the first to stand after recovery from food and Winter followed as he said his goodnights and made his leave, saying he needed some good rest. Jaden could hear Winter talking with him about possibly staying with him if he needed it, but they left before she heard more. Kutaal stood to take the bowl sadly to go clean it.

She leaned forward, stretching and yawning, before dropping her head. "…We should probably be getting home to rest, too…" Jaden stated. "If there are no more assholes to kick, I'm taking advantage of rest time…" It would be a blessing to not be thinking anymore.

"And you guys are okay with going home?" Mushra asked, and when Jaden raised her head, he threw his hands up. "Don't hate me for asking—we did just go through trying to save you three, to being de-aged, to being saved, to being returned and—"

"We get it, bud." Heather said, giving a pat to his shoulder. "Jaden's right. We need rest, and we need comfort for that. Home is home, it's the best place for comfort for us. And we'll be fine."

"Well, after leaving you guys home last time, forgive us if we're a little worried still." Sago pointed out, and the girls could only nod with a silence, Winter re-entering then with her head a bit low.

"We know, and we'd probably feel the same. But where would we sleep other than at home, here?" Jaden asked, to which neither of them had an answer, though they tried to offer or consider what sleeping arrangements could be made.

"Or would one of you prefer to come stay up at the house while we sleep?" Heather also asked, and there was no answer.

Winter looked at the four of them. She'd just been asking Xavier, pushing, to see if he needed her there. He'd been so much more shaken up, it seemed, from the transformation the boys went through. But he said unless she felt she really needed to, he would be fine. And when she had chance to consider that, he brought up the very good point that she might need to recover with her sister for a little longer. Deciding he was right, she said her goodnights, and gave her tightest hug and deepest kiss before returning to the apartment.

She could understand the need to keep an eye on everyone they cared about, but they couldn't let this experience cripple them and how they all live. She came forward, fishing in her pants pocket, and she pulled out her phone and offered it to Sago.

He looked at her, confused. "..Why are you giving me this?"

"We all wanna make sure each of us are okay. It's not just y'all." She told him with a soft smile. "That's my phone, and it has speed-dial to Jaden's phone. If you need us," she knelt down by him and opened the flip phone, pressing 4, and then pressing the send button, "just press those two and wait for us to answer, that's how you call."

He watched her for a moment, before nodding, understanding the instructions. He smiled back thankfully, giving a sigh of relief.

"And of course, if we need anything, we'll call you. If you hear, uh," she laughed, and then briefly and sheepishly sang some lyrics from the song 'Everybody Loves Me', as that was apparently Jaden's ringtone, "then that's us calling. That okay with you two?" she looked from him, to Mushra.

The two of them nodded, seeming a little more at ease. Even if they wanted the girls close to be sure they were okay, this was the best solution. And one couldn't blame the Enterrans, as through half their trials and adventures, they all kept together as much as they could.

Jaden slowly stood, very dramatically, though when anyone tried to help, she just made a noise that seemed like a combination of a yelp, a bark, and some form of the word 'no'. Finally, she stood somewhat straight. "Well…with that settled. We'll be heading home. I, uh… I'm glad we're all okay." She said then seriously, looking between the two men, looking down then. "And thank you, for coming for us at the end there." As honestly, they still had only known them, in person, for less than two years. They had risked their lives for them.

"Well, we're not ones for leaving friends behind." Mushra said, crossing his arms with an endearing smile.

"….Oh, I can't take it, group hug you guys!" Winter stated suddenly, colliding into Jaden and pulling Sago to the two of them. Jaden and Sago laughed, but just abided and wrapping arms around one another, before being dragged with Winter towards the confused but amused Heather and Mushra who then joined.

They stayed in their little huddle, laughing for a moment, before someone poked Jaden in the side and made her yelp, hitting an octave not normal for her unless elicited in true surprise of course.

"HEATHER!"

"Ehehehe!"

And with that, the girls' trek home began with a chase, which Winter followed after them in, racing first before she decided to give up on it and only walk. And she caught up with them in no time, as only a half a minute after she stopped running, she found the two of them huffing and dragging their feet.

"At this rate…we should start….bringing our bikes with…" Heather huffed in consideration.

"Aw, come on guys…" Winter began, and though she might have just a bit more energy in her walk than the other two, she was tired as well. "We were able to make this walk all the times before. We're just tired is all."

"Ya know what, Heather's right." Jaden said then. "Yeah, I mean—the Shinzo gang all had their own rides before..! Why shouldn't we?"

"Because we're not traveling endlessly to the west, we're just traveling from our house, to a portal, to here, and back. And other than Ryuma, we haven't had anyone after us to have to race away from." Winter reasoned, shaking her head but smiling a little. She didn't know why, it was just amusing.

"No, but we could try and find Bolt! And the others, they could alter our bites, something like that!" Heather suddenly began offering as they had made it out of the city and were nearing the bottom of the hill.

"Yeah!" Jaden agreed enthusiastically as Winter shook her head again.

"Guys, really? Getting robots to—"

"HOVER BIKES, WINTER."

"You two are nerds, that's all this is about." She accused. "Using robot allies to make you a fun toy to ride."

"Steam-punk themed." Jaden said then, so suddenly.

"….Okay, maybe it wouldn't hurt to see tomorrow if anyone's still in contact with their friends in Mechano city…"

The trudge uphill was the worst, Heather groaning somewhat needlessly as Jaden dropped to the ground and dragged herself briefly. Though, when Winter said if they'd stop playing around, they'd get there sooner, the dramatics stopped and their feet picked up a bit more.

"Sometimes I get tired of this thing." Jaden muttered in disapproval of the swirling, pulsing portal, its many colors enthralling despite the experience it held. But of course, it had given them this realm, this chance to be here. Despite what hell they'd just faced, so far, they had had a time greater than any other in the past year or more. Thinking back on it, it had been a dream come true in the best way that was possible. Their lives had been made better, in their hearts and souls, for it.

She gave a small smile then as the other two made their way towards the portal ahead of her. She would face anything this world brought her. Because she didn't want to lose being able to live in it.

"…Do you hear that…?" Winter asked curiously just as Heather was about to enter, and the three of them looked and listened, such a statement sending paranoia through their senses. "I-it may have been nothing…" the youngest of them sighed, wondering if it was her mind toying with her.

But the other two were just as alert as she.

And for good reason. What began as rustling, and the sound similar to night-time bugs getting louder, suddenly was overshadowed by a great nasty screech as something came racing out of the trees. Many legs rustled and moved, carrying a slender but long orange-yellow body to encircle the three of them before they had much reaction time. Or even time to take in its size. It was only when they heard the screech again that they found the head of this mass of body.

It was a dangerous looking centipede, its pincers snapping at the three of them. It was blocking the portal, and even their path back down the hill, with its long body. The only direction they had to run where its body had not yet reached were the trees of the forest.

"Run!"

And they booked it, despite the ache in their limbs and the weakness of their bodies. They had no other choice, and they could hear the nasty creature coming for them…and it sounded as if another joined, as the echoing bug noises grew and grew in volume.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Jaden yelled in anger. "What NOW?!"

"Ask later, run now!" Heather advised, picking up the pace as the march of the centipedes behind them and their rampage through the tree's sent limbs flying, and seeing some of those limbs pass them, that was indication that the beasts were too close.

And then there were voices, as the volume of the bugs increased.

"Don't let them get away!"

"REALLY!?"

"Jaden!" Winter picked up her pace and grabbed her sister's wrist, Jaden grabbing Heathers and the youngest stirred the other two sideways sharply, almost turning back, before going straightforward in their turn, just narrowly missing the beast that took a moment to catch on to their change of path.

She continued to pull them along as she raced.

"Winter, where—"

"Shhh!"

There was a great big tree ahead, which Winter climbed over once she finally released her sisters' wrist, and the other two followed her lead. On the other side was a good dip under the tree to hide in. The three of them took the brief moment to catch their breaths.

"Jaden. Phone." Winter reminded her sister, and Jaden fished it out, only to hear the bugs sounding overhead. And it was, leaning over them, and it came down, going straight for Heather with its pincers wide and ready to catch her between them.

"Noo!" Jaden called out, and dove over Heather. The pincers wrapped around her waist and she was yanked away with an angry and freaked yell.

"Jaden!" the two called after her, Heather climbing over and Winter about to do the same when the light of the phone caught her eye.

Snatching it up, she hurriedly typed her number into Jaden's phone and pressed call, looking to see Heather going so far as to climb the flailing legs of the centipede that weren't currently being used.

The ring back tone was still playing as Winter was reluctantly backing away from the centipedes.

"Come on, come on, someone, pick up…!" she begged, and there was a click as someone did.

"Hello?"

Instead of one of the older males, it sounded like one of the kittens.

"Estee?!"

"Winter! You all went home without saying goodbye…well, I'm sure you're very tired, so I understand, but…"

"Estee, listen!" Winter spoke intensely. "This is important. Where's the boys? I need you to get the phone to one of them, as fast as you can."

"Okay, I will..! What's wrong?"

Winter couldn't answer, as at the sight of Heather being snatched by another centipede with one of the bug Enterrans' on it, she gave a yell of worry. "No!"

And then the last one, with another bug on its back, turned on her.

"Estee, now!"

There was no answer, and she was worried she wouldn't be able to get the warning to anyone. Until there was rustling, and Sago answered.

"Hey, sorry, I went to help Kutaal and—"

"Sago, we're under attack again!"

"..W-what!? Where are you?"

"The forest!" she turned and had to run, her stomach lurching as she heard the other two yelling in anger and in their struggle behind her, but she needed to keep away long enough to let them know what she knew of what was going on. "Up the hill! We were at the portal, and then centipedes—Aaah!"

"Winter!"

"They've got Jaden and Heather, and they're after me! We don't—don't know what they want!"

"Just run!"

"We'll hold our own, just get to us as soon as—ugh!"

Winter now lay unconscious on the ground, as she'd been knocked into a tree by the riding bug Enterran when it leapt off its centipede.

It chuckled. "We'll get plenty of pay for this." He scooped Winter into his four arms and took her to the centipede, which took her into its mouth.

All the while, the bug didn't seem to catch sound, or at least notice, of the noise coming from the phone. Of the yelling, or the promise that someone was coming for the girls.

Mushra: I'm beginning to believe you three are magnets for trouble.
Me: That's called being a protagonist, Mushra. You should know.
Mushra: I…yeah, true.
Me: Now, what lay ahead? Are the boys next? What is to come of the Earthlings? WHAT HAPPENED TO JADEN'S PHONE?!
Mushra: …I think I end up stepping on—
Me: ALL WILL BE ANSWERED SOON! LOOK FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, BYE