Part 29: Webs

Later that night, both Ryuki/Draco and Jake/The American Dragon were out on a stakeout, both clad in their SB uniforms. Jen/Jinx and Craig/Mortuary were back at the shop with Lao Shi, Fu, Spud and Trixie. Jen was busying herself by helping about around the shop as well as reading some of the books Lao Shi had about the magical world and its inhabitants. Craig was not the best person for a stakeout as he, according to Draco's experience, had the tendency to 'barge in with guns blazing'. Also, Brimstone was left at the shop and sleeping soundly after being fed. He did not want to bring the hellhound puppy. Jen and Craig would be their backup, just in case.

Since they knew Spider-Man was at the scene of the crime, they were going to catch the infamous red and blue wall-crawler and have a little chat with him about his encounter with the thief, Copycat. It was pointless, at least to Draco, as he knew that Slade was planning something. All he wanted was to talk with Spider-Man.

Also, he wanted to check out the night club that had been crawling with police previously to find out what was going on. There was an eerie feeling of familiarity and he questioned himself if it was even a good idea to go and find out. A part of him wanted to go in and scope the place out while another part of him wanted to stay the hell away from there. It was pretty conflicting in his head thus far.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Jake asked. Draco was suddenly out of his reverie, barely registering Jake's question.

"Yes, it does," Draco replied. Deciding to make conversation, he asked, "How are you and June?" he then noticed that Jake frowned a bit.

"We broke up, bro," Jake answered, sighing sadly.

"Broke up? Why?" Draco asked with shocked bewilderment. June and Jake appeared really close. What happened?

"Well, it's just that…It didn't work out," Jake added, "We weren't right for each other. Also…"

"Let me guess," Draco interrupted, "Rose, right?" Jake nodded. "I see."

"It's just that…I still miss her Leo," Jake sighed. "I mean, June's great, but…I don't know. Rose is just…I can't describe it."

"Love is confusing that way." Draco admitted, "It took me a while to sort out my feelings for Jinx."

Jake replied, "Yeah, at least June's okay. She's dating this Marcus guy who she's been crushing on for a long time."

"Good for her then," Draco smiled. "Anyway, about you and Rose? Have you found her?"

"No," Jake lowered her head. "I don't know where she is. I mean, I've tried looking, but there aren't any clues, at least not good ones. And besides, do you think she still cares about me? I mean, she's in the Huntsclan and they were born to hunt down and slay dragons, not to mention every other magical creature out there."

"Quite the dilemma," Draco nodded. "Do you mind if I give you some advice?"

"Yeah?" Jake looked up to Draco expectantly.

"The most logical thing to do is move on." Jake slumped at this. "But," Draco continued, "If you love this girl, don't give up. Who knows, you might just find her if you don't give up. Even though she belongs to an evil organization, it doesn't mean that she's evil herself. I mean, look at me and Jinx."

"Thanks bro," Jake smiled.

"No problem," Draco smiled back. Suddenly, they heard an alarm. Looking down, they saw a jewelry store being robbed. There were 2 men wearing ski masks. "Figures someone would try to commit a crime at a night like this. No cops in sight too."

"So, we gonna stop 'em?" Jake asked expectantly, allowing his dragon wings to come out.

Draco was ready to pull his goggles over his eyes when something crossed his line of vision. With a smile he said, "Not yet." He then saw a red and blue blur whiz by on a web line. "There's our target. Let's go." He pulled his goggles over his eyes and launched his grappling claw.

As Spider-Man was done taking care of the two robbers and was about to leave, he was halted. "Stop where you are!" Spidey saw two teens dressed in black jumpsuits. "We got some questions for you, Spider-Man."

"Sorry, but I'm kinda busy. Do you mind waiting another time?" Spider-Man shot out a web-line, but it got cut by a stream of fire. Spider-Man turned in shock. "Okay…?"

"Listen, dude," Jake said. "We don't wanna fight you, believe me."

Spider-Man scoffed, "Heard that like, about a hundred times." His tone was sarcastic.

"We just want to talk. I have a few questions for you," Draco reached into his pocket, "The first question is…" Spidey tensed up. "…Can I please have your autograph?" Draco asked excitedly, holding out a pen and notepad and causing Jake to facefault anime style.

"WHAT?" Jake exclaimed, getting back up.

"Uh, sure?" Spidey said as he took the pen and notepad and signed. "There." he gave them back to Draco.

"Arigatou!" Draco thanked Spider-Man and put the items back into his pockets. "Now, seriously…Were you at Smart Brain NY over a month ago?"

Spidey answered with a shrug, "Yeah."

"And did you fight someone by the name of Copycat?"

"Yeah, I did. She told me the name herself. I thought she could've been Black Cat or Catwoman, but she was a cat-themed thief that could, get this, copy my powers."

"Hai, she does that," Draco muttered.

"Is that all, coz I don't want to miss my Soaps," Spidey joked.

"Hai, that's all," Draco said to Spider-Man. "Thank you for the autograph." He bowed.

"No problem," Draco waved as Spider-Man swung away.

"Never thought of you as a Spider-Man fanboy," Jake quipped.

"I was always a fan of Spider-Man when I first heard of him, sue me," Draco smirked. "Come on, let's get back to-" he was cut off by his DRA-Phone ringing. He took it out f his pocket and answered, "Moshi moshi? Okaasan? You're in New York? What a coincidence! So am I! Hai! Uh huh. Sure. A charity ball? When? Tonight? Can I bring friends? Hai, Jinxy-chan is here too. You'll have a limo ready? Where am I staying? It's an electronics shop on Canal Street. Remember Jake's grandfather? Hai, that one. Alright, I'll see you there. Ja ne!" Draco hung up. "That was weird."

"Yeah," Jake admitted. "Your mom's here the same time you are. That's a really big coincidence, yo."

"Ichijyo always told me to never believe in coincidences, only in inevitability." Draco sighed, "Let's get back to the shop. I need to tell Jinx and Mort about this. But first I need to check something out."

Draco and Jake were in front of the night club that had been surrounded by cops earlier that day. Going through the front door was not an option as it had been labeled a crime scene and barricaded by police yellow tape that said "DO NOT CROSS".

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Jake worriedly.

"Something has been bothering me since we passed this place earlier. I got to check it out," Draco replied.

"But, you're like breaking and entering," Jake reminded.

"I know, Jake," Draco replied, "But there's something inside the cops want covered up and I have to find out what."

"It's your call, bro," Jake said. "If this is something you gotta do, do it."

"Arigatou, Jake-kun," Ryuki smiled at his friend before he teleported inside via a vortex of flames.

The inside of the place, as Draco had surmised, was pretty much a dump with the inside being messed up. However, what shocked him more were the state of the 'bodies'…or what was left of them. The police were unable to move the bodies…Why?

Reaching down on one and giving it a poke, the body crumbled to ashes, leaving only clothes behind. Draco's eyes widened when he suddenly had a vision of what had happened just by touching the ashes. This was not good.

After he teleported out, Jake asked him, "So, what did you find?"

"Nothing," Draco lied calmly, not wanting to worry his friend. "Let's get back to the shop." Draco walked off. Jake looked at his friend. He knew something was wrong as Draco's mood had changed. Jake, you have no idea…

(Back at the shop)

"Your mom's here?" Jen spoke up in surprise. "What a coincidence!"

"That's what I said," Jake added.

Brimstone was in Ryuki's arms and licking his master's face. The Dragon Knight, now out of uniform, said to them, "Hai. She also invited me to a charity ball for endangered species. It's sometime later tonight. She also said I could bring guests."

Craig leaned against a display of TV's. He was very interested to know who Ryuki's mom was, "Leo, who is your mom…really?"

Trixie then spoke up, "Just one of the most famous fashion designer's in the world!" Trixie spoke up, "And Mama-Trixie ain't missin' out on this party thang, you hear?"

Craig looked towards his pyrokinetic teammate, "Never would've pegged you for a rich boy. You don't act all rich and spoilt."

"But, we don't got anything to wear," Spud said, "This is a formal thing, right?"

"Actually, I think my Okaasan already has that covered," Ryuki told them. Ryuki was not ready to tell them, especially Mort, of what he had been doing after meeting Spider-Man. Both Jen/Jinx and Craig/Mortuary knew Copycat very well and if she had anything to do with the robbery at Smart Brain…Slade could be up to anything.

On another note, he did not tell them about the night club. If he was right, then an Orphenoch was loose in the city and if he knew Craig…The necroplasmic teen with the Powers of Aries would be all around town with guns blazing…LITERALLY!

However, was he doing the right thing by not telling them?

The charity ball was going to be held at the banquet hall of one of the finest hotels in the whole of New York City. Everyone who was anyone was there to attend; movie stars, entrepreneurs and various donators and representatives of different charities. In short: a bunch of rich people with LOTS of dough.

A black limousine pulled up in front of the hotel. A valet came to open the door. A foot came out from the car, covered by a black show. The person who came out was none other than Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, dressed in a black tuxedo with a red shirt underneath. His hair had been combed through and straightened out in a ponytail. His emerald green eyes shone.

With an arm hooked around his was a beautiful Indian woman in a beautiful black dress and her black hair braided. She wore golden bracelets and a pearl necklace. She wore a mesh shawl over her shoulders and fishnet gloves that reached up to her elbows. She also held a purse with her. This was Jennifer "Jinx" Wilcox, still wearing her glamour spell.

The couple waved at the photographers who had given the description of the various guests and concluded that the red haired Japanese boy was none other than the son of Emiko Narukawa Hasuma, world's famous fashion designer.

Following after the couple were Craig, who had to be forced into a tuxedo and had his long black hair slicked back. Jake, Spud and Trixie were also dressed to impressed, wearing tuxedos and a red dress, respectively. They waved at the cameras.

"I could get used to this," Trixie grinned, arm hooked around Spud's. This may have made them look like a couple, but they were really just friends. Spud was only doing Trixie a favor by being her date.

Both Jake and Craig were dateless. Jake did not want a repeat of what happened back in his Junior High school when he brought a Nix to his dance so he decided to come alone. Also, asking Juniper to be his date would be WAY awkward since they broke up. Jenny (XJ-9) was also pretty busy. There weren't any other girls he knew to ask and anyone at Magus Bazaar was, well, a little bizarre in appearance. Craig didn't really care much to bring a date. He had other important things to think about.

Upon entering the hotel and into the banquet hall, they were amazed at the amount of people whom attended. Spud, however, was amazed at the amount of food laid out. The floor was packed with people and the tables filled with delicious food of every kind from appetizers, main courses, to the sweet desserts. Both Ryuki and Spud sniffed the air. There were also ice sculptures fashioned to look like various endangered species. Jen looked at them with awe, noticing the intricate design of each sculpture. She knew Ryuki had just mastered his freezing abilities and she silently hoped he would make an ice sculpture of her. Various influential guests attended the function like Tony Stark, Wilson Fisk and Norman Osborn.

Ryuki was holding a video camera, his DRA-Cam, and accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, gomenasai," Ryuki apologized. The person who turned around was a young man with brunette hair and in a tuxedo.

"That's okay," the man said, understanding fully that Ryuki had apologized. He was holding a camera. "No harm done."

"Peter!" called out an elderly man's voice. He had a white and grey crew-cut hair style, a black Hitler moustache and had a cigar in his mouth, "Take a picture of me with Mrs. Hasuma." With him was Emiko Hasuma, dressed for the occasion.

"Sure, J.J." Peter said, sighing with exasperation.

"Ryuki," Emiko saw her son, "You came!" she went over and hugged her son.

"Of course, Okaasan," Ryuki hugged his mother back. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"She's your mom?" Peter asked with surprised and Jameson put a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Of course that's his mom. This kid is the son of Emiko Narukawa Hasuma," Jameson whispered into Peter's ear. If you hadn't guessed it, this was Peter Parker.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," Ryuki said to Peter. "Ryuki Hasuma, but friends call me Leo."

"Peter Parker," Peter extended a hand and Ryuki took it, shaking it. A moment of familiarity passed through their minds but they shook it off. They then bowed to each other.

"Ryuki," Emiko said to her son, "You did bring your friends, right?"

"They are supposed to be around here somewhere," Ryuki said as he tried to look over the various guests for his friends and date.

"And you did bring Jen, right?" Emiko asked hopefully. Seeing Jen and Ryuki together made her eyes sparkle, quite literally. Peter noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

Jen walked up to Ryuki and hooked her arm around his, "Hey, baby," she kissed him.

Emiko blinked. "Ryuki, this isn't-" she then got cut off when her son said to her in Japanese, "Okaasan, Jen is a witch, remember? She used a spell to make herself look normal. Don't you recognize her?"

Emiko looked at Jen and remembered that the girl she remembered had pale skin, pink hair and eyes. This girl, who Ryuki claimed to be Jen, had dark skin, black hair with pink streaks and brown eyes. However, she did recognize the Promise Ring on her finger and looking more closely at the girl now saw the resemblance. Besides, Emiko was no stranger to magic. When she was young and had her crush on her best friend, who later became her husband and Ryuki's father, she had witnessed so many bizarre occurrences.

"So, anyone else you brought along?" Emiko asked, now accepting that Jen was who her son said she was.

"You remember Jake, Trixie and Spud, right?" he told her. "They're at the refreshments table. Also, I brought Craig. He's a new friend."

"I bet he's…special," Emiko smiled knowingly. The word 'special' was a code word Emiko used when referring to those with 'special' abilities. IE: Super powers and superheroes.

"Yes, he is."

"I do hope you enjoy the party. There's going to be a slow dance soon," Emiko smiled at her son. "I, however, must mingle!" she kissed Jen on the cheek and whispered, "You make my son happy, and that makes me happy. I hope you do that always."

"I will," Jen whispered back.

Not too far from them was Craig sitting on a chair, arms crossed and bored as hell. He couldn't bring his gun, which would've caused a riot and didn't have anything to shoot at or fight, especially an Orphenoch. He reached into his tuxedo jacket and pulled out his Zodiac Deck, gazing at the crystal a bit. He even pulled at his collar, "Damn monkey suit." Craig had hated these kinds of parties, even back when he was living the rich boy life before forming the Red Wolves. With a sigh, he decided to get himself a drink. As he was getting up he felt a familiar cough coming. He quickly grabbed a napkin off of the nearest table and coughed into it. Looking at the mix of blood and necroplasm, he felt like a part of his life was just coughed out. Craig got startled when he suddenly felt a hand on his back. He turned around to see that it was Ryuki.

"Are you alright, Craig?" Ryuki asked, knowing fully well that when Craig had that cough he wasn't in the best of moods. Ryuki knew that Craig hated it when people would pity him. Ryuki would ask anyway just because Craig was his friend and he was a caring person.

"Yeah, it's just a cough. I think I'll live." Craig took a few steps forward and stopped before saying, "I'm gonna get some air. I'll be outside if I'm needed." With that he walked out to one of the balconies. Ryuki looked at his friend worriedly before going over to join his other friends.

Spud was chowing down and Jake leaned against the table, eating absentmindedly from a plate in his hand. Trixie saw this and said, "Okay, Jake, you're in a funk. What's wrong, Jakie-baby? Maybe Mama-Trix can help?"

"It's just that," Jake sighed, "I miss Rose." Trixie rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Trix."

"I get it, but Rose is bad news," Trixie told him, voicing out her dislike for the Huntsgirl. Trixie knew Rose wasn't all that bad, but she had been trying to hunt her best friend…one of them really. Spud, was…well…She looked over at Spud and saw his cheeks puffed up with food. He was cute, but seriously needed better table manners.

A young man dressed in a black shirt with a white spider emblem on it, cargo pants, scarf and cap casually walked into the hotel. He was still listening to his MP3 player, bobbing his head to the music. He was also absentmindedly folding a piece of paper into an Origami crane, red this time. He reached the doors of the banquet hall and was stopped by two men who were acting as security. They were dressed in black suits and sunglasses, like the members of the MIB.

"I'm sorry," a bald African American with a muscular build said, "This is a private party. Guests only. If you don't have an invitation or you're not on the list, you don't get in."

"Please leave," his partner, a Hispanic with a goatee, added.

The MP3 listening man just looked at both men with his cold eyes and grinned.

The guests were all mingling with each other and some of them even went to the dance floor where a band played a soft song. Ryuki took Jen's hand and they waltzed, much to the surprise of the disguised witch. Her right hand was on his waist and her left hand on his shoulder. His right hand was also on her shoulder, but his left hand was on the small on her back. They swayed and danced gracefully to the music.

"I didn't know you could waltz," she said with surprised amazement. He twirled her around and caught her.

"It's something Okaasan made me do. Aside from my training in the martial arts, she set up dance lessons for me whilst I was growing up. I didn't think it was important then, but now I do," the Dragon Knight said to her with a smile.

"I'm glad you did," she smiled back. "You're a good dancer."

"That's because I have a good partner." His compliment made her blush. He took her by surprise, again, by brushing his lips against her lips ever so lightly. She wrapped her arms around him and he did the same, holding her close to him. She listened to his heartbeat as they danced.

Ryuki's mother held a video camera, sighing and swooning at the sight. Nothing could ruin this moment…Nothing.

The doors to the banquet hall suddenly slammed open and the two security personnel stumbled in. One snobbish rich woman said in annoyance, "What is the meaning of this?"

Suddenly, the two men fell to their knees and their skin turned grey, shocking all the guests there. When they finally disintegrated into ashes, leaving behind their clothes, there were several loud shouts, screams and shrieks.

"Woah," Peter said, surprised, nearly dropping his camera.

"What's going on?" J.J. demanded.

"That's what I'd like to know!" said one of the guests.

Ryuki, Jen, Craig, Spud, Trixie and Jake were witnessing the strange and horrible sight as well. Ryuki gasped out, "No…"

"Orphenoch…" Craig growled.

The man who the security personnel tried to stop casually walked into the banquet hall and lit up the paper crane he had made before. He dropped the burning Origami bird on the ground before he smirked.

"Show time," he said, right before he changed.

It was the Spider Orphenoch, and he was in the mood to kill.

The guests all screamed, including Ryuki's mother as they tried to escape the homicidal Orphenoch. He grabbed one of the guests by the neck and twisted it, killing him before moving on to the others.

Craig was the first to act, taking out his Deck and yelling out, "EMPOWERMENT OF ARIES! HENSHIN!" he transformed into Zodiac Knight Mortuary and leapt up, aiming a drop kick that sent the Orphenoch smashing into one of the ice sculptures and shattering it. The guests took this as a chance to high-tail it and evacuate the hall.

"Ryuki! Come on!" Jen coaxed him, but the Dragon Knight was still out of it from what he had seen.

"Ryuki! What's going on?" Emiko asked. The other guests had escaped to safety.

Jen answered, "That thing…it's an Orphenoch!"

"An Orphenoch?"

"No time! We got to get out of here!"

"But what about Ryuki?"

The Spider Orphenoch summoned a large spiked chakram and threw it at Mortuary. Mortuary leapt up to dodge, only for the chakram to return and hit him in the back. He hissed in pain before dropping back to the ground and looking up. The chakram was coming back to slice his head off, but luckily a web-line came out from nowhere and snagged the flying weapon in mid-air and stuck it to a wall.

"Hey, this is a no fighting zone!" said a familiar wise-cracking superhero clad in red and blue and stuck, upside down, on the ceiling, "Take it outside!"

"That's Spider-Man, dude!" yelled out Spud.

"Spud, let's go!" Trixie yelled as they ran out the door. "Let Jake and the others handle this!"

"DRAGON UP!" shouted Jake as he assumed dragon form and went into the fight. He blew flames at the Spider Orphenoch, who leapt up to stick to the ceiling and threw webbing at Jake from spinnerets on his wrists. Jake dodged and blew flames at the webbing.

"Okay, there's only room for one Spider in this place!" Spider-Man called, angered that his gimmick was stolen, as he swung on a web-line and propel himself at the Spider Orphenoch with his legs extended to kick. The Spider Orphenoch leapt away and landed back on the ground, only to get a struck in the face. Mort was using super fast kicks on the Orphenoch as Jake supported with his claws. Spider-Man joined in with his punches too.

Ryuki was still kneeling near the ashen bodies of the two security personnel. He cupped some of the ashes in his hand and let the ashes spill out of his hand.

"Ryuki!" Jen called him, "Snap out of it! Your friends need you!"

"Ryuki!" Emiko called to her son. "You must stand and fight!"

Ryuki heard a yell as Spider-Man was flung into a table and broke it in half. Jake got stuck to the wall via webbing and Mortuary crashed onto the refreshments table. Looking down at the ashes in his hand and balled his fist.

The Orphenoch was not getting away.

Ryuki took out his deck. "EMPOWERMENT OF THE ZODIAC DRAGON! HENSHIN!" he transformed and went into the fight.

The Orphenoch looked up just in time to see a fist colliding with his face. Another fist collided with his gut and then a roundhouse kick hit him in the head, sending him flying. He summoned another spiked chakram and threw it at Draco. A pink hex, however, hit the chakram and reversed its trajectory. It went back to its owner and the Spider Orphenoch leapt away as not to be impaled by his own weapon, which got stuck to the wall.

Jinx, now dropping her disguise and in her uniform via magic, stood next to her boyfriend. Emiko recorded this from behind a tilted up table. She knew it was dangerous, but she was not going to miss her son and his friends in action.

Draco looked at Mortuary and the Knight of Aries nodded. They drew their respective cards. Spider-Man quipped, "What? Is this a card game or something?"

Jake smirked, finally getting loose from the webbing, "You'll see."

"XL-Vent!" Draco's Excel Suit activated.

"Strike Vent!" The Horned Greaves showed up on Mortuary's boots.

"Woah!" Spider-Man looked surprised.

"Told you," Jake grinned.

"I'm Spider-Man," Spidey introduced himself.

"American Dragon," Jake said, "Nice to meet you. I hope you can keep what you saw a secret."

"Likewise. I understand why a super hero needs to keep his identity a secret."

"If you two have finished making small talk," Jinx said to them, eyes glowing pink, "A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE!" She threw a hex at the Spider Orphenoch and sent him flying.

"Sorry!" they apologized. Jake took to the air and Spider-Man swung into action.

Draco used the enhanced power given to him by the Excel Suit to kick Orphenoch butt. Mortuary was using the Horned Greaves to, literally, kick the Spider Orphenoch around. Sparks flew as the Knights struck the Orphenoch's armored skin. He was also receiving punishment from a dragon's claws, Spider-Man's fists and an acrobatic hex-wielding sorceress.

He activated his hybrid Beast form and sent the heroes flying with his extra spider legs.

"No more Mister-Nice-Orphenoch!" he wheezed. His paper crane had burnt to a crisp and by then he was usually done with his massacre. "And for the record, it's Blood Web!" His bybrid beast form was hideous. His lower body was now replaced by the body of a spider, complete with 4 pairs of long spindly spider legs.

"DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" Mortuary yelled out as he fired two orbs of necroplasmic energy that sent the Spider Orphenoch, Blood Web, smashing through a wall and making a sizable hole in it. When the Spider Orphenoch got back up, Draco was preparing for the final strike. He drew a card and slid it into his gauntlet.

"Final Vent!" Dragonzer appeared, much to Spider-Man's surprise, and flew around the Dragon Knight who was preparing his devastating 'Dragon Combustion Kick'. He leapt up and Dragonzer followed before going into a flying kick that sailed towards Blood Web. His extended right foot burst into flames as he was rocketed forwards by Dragonzer's flame.

The Spider Orphenoch, however, was able to dodge the attack much to Draco's surprise. He crashed into the wall with an explosive force. The Spider Orphenoch then saw Mrs. Hasuma hiding under a table. He ran and smashed the other heroes away and made his way towards Draco's mother.

Big mistake.

She screamed.

Draco saw this and his eyes widened and then narrowed with intense rage. With a roar of fury, his armor shattered away only to be immediately replaced by none other than his Ifrit Orphenoch form.

Jake and Spider-Man's eyes widened and, in a flash, the Ifrit Orphenoch ran and tackled the Spider Orphenoch with enough force that would shatter a man's bones. The Spider Orphenoch fell on his 8 legs and looked at Draco with shock. He was also slightly disoriented, but he was still able to say, with immense shock, "You're an Orphenoch too!" Emiko's eyes widened as she continued to record all this. Her son…was a monster!

Draco let out a roar and unleashes his long claws. Running at the now shocked Blood Web, he slashed down with his claws. His claws sliced through Blood Web like a hot knife through butter. Blue flames spewed out of the Spider Orphenoch's body as the other heroes watched while the creature disintegrated into a pile of ashes.

They watched, stunned, in fear of what would happen next. Draco turned to look at them and slowly shifted back to human form, falling onto his knees. Jinx rushed towards him and kneeled next to him, hand on his back. "Baby?" she asked cautiously and then grew more concerned as tears fell from his eyes.

Emiko got out from her hiding place. Ryuki turned his gaze away from his mother. He could not face her now that she knew he was a monster…a freak…a murderer... She would disown him and…

…He felt a soft embrace encircle him and he looked to see, not Jinx, but his mother holding him as if he were a small child. She ran her hands through his hair, cooing, "It's okay, Ryuki. It's okay. Okaasan is here," she cooed and whispered.

"O…Okaasan…" he sobbed. "Gomen…Gomenasai…"

"It's okay…Hush now, you need your rest."

Emotionally and physically drained, Ryuki fell asleep in his mother's arms. She smiled sadly. What had happened to her son?

The police came, finally, and Spider-Man had to make his getaway. However, Emiko promised to put in a good word for the wall-crawler and he felt grateful. Of course, he knew that Jameson would try to pin this all on him; he always did. Jinx gave Spider-Man a T-Com, just in case he needed help from the Teen Titans. He had helped them so he deserved to be an honorary Titan. He thanked her and swung away, disappearing into the night. Jake, Spud and Trixie were given the 411 on the situation, including Draco's shocking transformation.

The limousine came and the bodyguards who were driving it carried the sleeping Ryuki into it, followed by Jen, Craig, Jake, Spud, Trixie and Ryuki's mother. They stopped at Jake's grandfather's shop to pick up Brimstone, who Emiko thought was adorable even if it was strange for her son to have a dog since he knew him to be more of a cat person. They also dropped Jake and his friends off at their homes since they were on the way to where they were going.

In the limo, Emiko Narukawa Hasuma put on a stern face with her arms folded and asked, "Can you tell me what's been going on?" This question was directed more towards Craig than anyone else. There was something off about Craig. The way he was staring at her son was…unnerving, like murderous intent. She shook her head. She did not need to get herself distracted while getting answers.

Jen, to Emiko's surprise and relief, was the one who answered. It was a pretty long story and took up most of the trip back to the hotel Mrs. Hasuma was staying at. Mrs. Hasuma nodded, understanding her son's plight. She was also shocked to hear that her son had a very limited lifespan due to his transformation. This was all too familiar to her.

"I see." By the time they arrived at the hotel, Mrs. Hasuma said to Jen, "I know someone who can help. You can go see him tomorrow."

"Who?" Jen asked hopefully.

"An old friend," Mrs. Hasuma said, "But first, let's get Ryuki into a bed. He needs to rest for tomorrow."

"Yes," Jen agreed, running her hand through her boyfriend's hair. Brimstone licked his master's face. Craig muttered something unintelligible.

One of the bodyguards, despite being a woman, was able to carry Ryuki on her own. They went up the elevator and then headed to one of the suites Mrs. Hasuma was staying in. The room was lavish and expensive looking. Jen looked amazed and Craig looked impassive. He had seen rooms like these so many times in his past.

The bodyguard carried Ryuki into a room and placed him on a bed after Mrs. Hasuma pulled away the covers. The bodyguard placed the sleeping Dragon Knight on it and took off his shoes before Mrs. Hasuma tucked her son in. She knew he was a teenager, but he would always be her little baby boy. She kissed her son on the forehead and whispered tenderly, "Oyasumi…Ryu-chan." She turned to Jen who was standing at the door. "He needs you right now," she said. After Mrs. Hasuma said goodnight to Jen, the hex caster walked into the room and kicked off her shoes. She went under the covers and snuggled up to Ryuki. Brimstone leapt onto the covers and curled himself up to sleep.

Craig lay on the couch after kicking off his shoes. After giving the door to Ryuki's room one last narrow eyed glance, he closed his eyes to sleep.

Mrs. Hasuma took out a cell phone and made a call, "Hello? Charles? This is Emiko. Can my son come over to the Institute tomorrow? I need…He needs your help."

To Be Continued…