Part 51: All Aboard!

"You're going to Tokyo?" Draco asked as Shadowcobra packed his bags. They were in the Snake Knight's room.

"Something is going to happen there and they are going to need my help," Shadowcobra replied. He just had this strange feeling that something bad was going to happen with the rest of the Titans that were in Tokyo because of this whole 'Brushogun' thing.

"But what about the Tower and the city?" Draco asked since Pluto, Blackfire, Mortuary and Crystal (Renia) were in Tremerton, Jinx and Draco were the only Titans around.

"I've already contacted a few of the honorary members to help fill in for you while you are away on your mission with Jinx," Shadow replied. "Remember, this is now your mission because he isn't here to do it."

Draco nodded in acceptance, knowing his friend was right. Shadow picked up his suitcase and said, "I'll be taking the Shadow Basher to the airport. You and Jinx should head to the train station where your ride is waiting for you. Mammoth and Gizmo will be going with you."

"Why? Jinx and I are enough for this mission, Shadow," Draco replied.

"I know, but you may need the backup and they are your friends too. Don't you want to see them again?"

Draco nodded. He did miss seeing Mammoth and Gizmo. They had a lot to do at Smart Brain JC; with Gizmo's job in Research and Development and Mammoth's job in security, they didn't get a lot of free time. It was a good thing that Shadow gave them jobs by promising them high pay and an official pardon for their crimes in exchange for 'community service' (They would have to work with the Titans in fighting crime instead of committing it). It took awhile for them to get used to the idea but with Jinx and Draco's help, the two former HIVE students and criminals were walking on the side of good instead of evil. Shadow could only imagine what could've been of Mammoth and Gizmo if they had stayed on that path.

"See you in a week, maybe two, Ryuki," Shadow bowed. Draco bowed back.

"See you soon, Ichijyo," Draco smiled. Shadow then walked out of the room, followed by Draco.

In the living room, the honorary Titans that would be looking after the city had already arrived and Draco's eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar yellow and red clad speedster flirting with his girlfriend.

Shadow had called the following: Argent, Herald, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Hotspot.

Hotspot and Argent, interestingly enough, had developed their abilities because they were both alien/human hybrids created by an alien race via the impregnation of human women. They were meant to become sleeper agents but then went against their creators and became independent heroes.

Wonder Girl was an Amazon from the island Themyscira (or Paradise Island) and sister of the Justice League's own Wonder Woman. She had the same abilities as her elder sister.

Herald had the ability to create dimensional portals with his horn. He was also dating Bumblebee.

And, finally, Kid Flash, the Flash's protégé and the bane of Draco's existence. He had taken a liking towards Jinx that Draco found annoying. Shadow could see it in Draco's eyes that he wanted to do some very unpleasant things to the speedster. He could see the Draco's Orphenoch tentacles start to twitch, threatening to burst out of his back and strangle Kid Flash.

Jinx laughed at another one of Kid Flash's jokes and Draco growled. He then forced himself to calm down. There was no reason for him to become the jealous boyfriend. Of course, he then walked over and gave Kid Flash a glare before leaning over and giving Jinx a kiss on the cheek.

"Alright, you five," Shadow began, "You all are responsible for taking care of this Tower and the city while we (Draco, Jinx and Shadowcobra) are away. I want a report by the time we return, understand?" He received silence but then his dark aura flared up and they all nodded, "Now, I am not going to put anyone in charge since I don't know you all that well. So, you will all have to decide amongst yourselves on who will become leader." He handed Argent a folder, "Here's a file of some of the villains you will be facing. I know Robin has probably given them to you but let's just say they are not to be trifled with." Shadow had heard the news about Façade, Mirage, Tiger and Lion's elimination from the Zodiac Tournament. The former two had been defeated by the latter two and the latter two had been defeated by…Copycat. She was getting stronger, which was no doubt, so they had to keep their guard up. Knowing how close the final tournament was coming, Copycat was going to be working at eliminating the competition.

"Well, luv, I think we can handle things here," Argent said with a sultry smirk at Shadow. She also had a bit of a crush on Shadow. Alright, she liked him even though she knew that Raven and Shadow were in a relationship. It was just so much fun to flirt with him and see what would happen. Granted, Raven would make her worst nightmares come to life if she tried to steal Shadow away.

"Now, I'll be off," Shadow said with a nod. "Draco, Jinx, let's go."

Draco and Jinx met up with Mammoth and Gizmo at the train station. Draco had also brought along Brimstone. They stood at the platform, waiting, but where was the train?

"Where is that dang train?" Gizmo complained while staring at his watch. "We've been here for ages."

"Oh, shut your mouth, Gizmo!" Jinx snapped. "It's only been a few minutes."

"Have patience, Gizmo," Draco added in agreement. Mammoth didn't say anything. How could he when he was eating a large sandwich.

"But, where is the train?" Jinx asked. And then, they heard a loud whistle. The four of them looked to their left and to their right at the tracks but saw nothing

Suddenly there was a flash and warping sound as a portal formed and a white train with a red front that resembled insect eyes came bursting out of it. The train raced along the train tracks. Draco's eyes widened in recognition of the familiar train.

"The ChronoLiner!" Draco exclaimed.

"Isn't that the train that brought you home?" Jinx asked, referring to the time when Draco was jumping from dimension to dimension because of the Hyper Inzecter.

"Hai, it is," Draco nodded.

"Cool!" Gizmo whistled.

The bullet train stopped in front of them and one of the doors opened. Ant peaked out his head and called, "All aboard!"

"Ant-san!" Draco waved. Ant was an old friend. He had long brown hair coiled into a braid with two bangs sticking out of his hairline. He had blue eyes. His clothing consisted of a red novelty t-shirt with a black blazer thrown over it, blue jeans and black leather shoes. He also had on a conductor's cap.

"Hey, kid, Shadow asked me to be your ride. Get on," Ant said before going back into the ChronoLiner.

"He's going to be our driver?" Mammoth asked, scratching the back of his head. "Who's he?"

"Just an old friend," Draco replied casually.

"One we're grateful to have. For some reason, Shadow doesn't like him that much," Jinx added.

The four of them got onto the train and the door slid close before it made its way along the track and into another portal

Inside the train, Ant was showing the 4 Titans (yes, Mammoth and Gizmo are honorary Titans. That was covered a long time ago) around the ChronoLiner.

"And if you will all follow me, this is the Dining Car and after that we have the Recreation Car," Ant said. The Dining car was white with seats and tables as well as a bar counter where a pretty young woman with short silver hair and green eyes in a white stewardess outfit was standing. Gizmo grinned and flew over.

"Hey, beautiful," Gizmo grinned. "What's your name?" The girl giggled.

"Call me Andie," she responded.

"Andie's a gynoid," Ant explained.

"Gynoid?" Jinx asked.

"A robot that looks and acts like a human being," Draco elaborated.

"Would anyone like a cup of coffee?" Andie offered.

"And here are your rooms," Ant said as he opened a door to an extravagant looking room that looked like a luxurious suite in a 5 Star Hotel.

"Wow!" Jinx said in amazement.

"Hey, how can a room THIS big fit in a train car?" Gizmo asked. Ant answered.

"Well, the train uses 4th Dimensional physics so any small object can house a large space, like this room for instance. It gives comfort plus you travel in style." Ant said to Draco and Jinx, "You two, this is your room." Jinx walked in, followed by Draco and Brimstone. Ant further told them, "Oh and there is a teleportation device in there so you can transport yourselves to any of the other cars or teleport food over. Just contact Andie to order and she'll send it right over." The door slid close as Ant led Mammoth and Gizmo to their room. Brimstone made himself comfortable on a rug while Jinx jumped onto the bed and touched the sh

"Wow, this is so soft," Jinx said in amazement.

"Hai, it is," Draco said, looking around. This place sure brought a lot of memories.

"So, we're all traveling in a realm between time?" Jinx inquired.

"Hai," Draco nodded, "The ChronoLiner is a train that travels through space and time so you will never be late to your destination. In other words, we'll reach Orchid Bay at the very same time we boarded the train."

Jinx got up and looked out the window at the vast surrounding they were passing by. It was a desert of golden sand and mountains and the sky was the color of rainbows. "It's so beautiful."

"I know," Draco agreed as he looked out the window too. He then leaned over and gave Jinx a kiss on the cheek, "But I can think of something even more beautiful." It was a cheesy line, but it was sincere. Jinx giggled as she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed, watching the scenery.

"MAXIMUM HYPER TYPHOON!"

"I'm sorry for everything I have done…forgive me…"

"Don't die, please, don't die! DON'T DIE!!"

"I…Killed her…"

"You had no choice."

Ryuki Leonard Hasuma/Zodiac Knight Draco suddenly jerked awake and let out a scream. This woke up the girl next to him in bed.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he reassured her. "I just had a really bad dream."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later, okay?"

"Okay." Jen/Jinx understood when to give him space. She trusted him enough to tell her when the time was right. They then heard knocking from the wall.

"People are trying to sleep here," a child-like voice grumbled. There was also a deep snore.

"Gomen nasai, Micron-kun," Ryuki apologized.

"Razzum, frazzum," the minute genius grumbled before resuming his sleep.

The 4 of them (Ryuki/Draco, Jen/Jinx, Micron/Gizmo and Baran/Mammoth) were on their way to Orchid Bay. They were all riding in the ChronoLiner bullet train and would reach there in a few hours. Actually, by the time they got there, it would be as if no time had passed at all. That was the beauty of the ChronoLiner. You could ride it as long as you wanted and still get to where you were going early. Mammoth and Gizmo shared a cabin room while Jinx and Ryuki shared another with Brimstone who was brought along for the ride.

"A good thing that Shadow let me come with you," Jen purred as she snuggled against her boyfriend.

"Hai," Ryuki nodded but the dream worried him. Was it just a dream or a vision of the future?

Jinx reached over to the bedside table and gazed at a card. She then sighed happily, as if remembering something.

"Remember how we got this?" Jen asked referring to the card and her red haired lover nodded.

"How could I forget?" he responded.

(Flashback…)

"A Pactio?" Draco asked. "What's that?"

Jinx, Shadow, Renia and Draco were in the Knights' Special Ops Room where Shadow was explaining something to them.

"A Pactio is a contract between a Mage, also known as Magister Magi, and a Minister, also known as a Ministra Magi. It's like a connection between the two and it grants extra power," Shadow explained.

"Rorek told me about it," Renia answered.

"OK," Draco nodded, "So, why is this important?"

"Because, Draco, you might need the extra power, the both of you," Shadow answered. "You'll like the results, trust me."

"So, why haven't you made this Pactio thing yet?" Jinx asked the Snake Knight. If there was chance for extra power, she knew Shadow might want his hands on it. He then took out two cards from his pocket. Both were Tarot card size and each depicted a picture. One depicted a picture of Starfire and another depicted of Raven.

"Who says I haven't?" Shadow retorted.

"But how?" Draco asked, surprised that Shadow already made a Pactio. "When?"

"Remember when we were on Gaijo?" Shadow reminded.

"How could we forget?" Jinx remarked sarcastically.

"Anyway, as I was dying, Renia drew a magic circle." Shadow gave Renia a look. "She said it was a Power Transfusion circle, but I knew better."

Renia shrugged, "So, I lied, but you're still alive, aren't you and you gained something in return. Two partners!"

Shadow sighed and continued, "Anyway, now it's time for you two to make a Pactio." Renia began to draw a magic circle around both Jinx and Draco. It didn't take too long and now the Knight and Witch were standing inside a magic circle that was glowing with a purple light.

"Alright, pucker up, you two," Renia said with a grin. Draco and Jinx quirked an eyebrow. Renia elaborated, "A Pactio is initiated with a kiss."

Shadow blushed and answered, "Yes, it is."

"You ready?" Draco asked Jinx.

"Yes, I am," Jinx nodded. They then leaned closer, eyes closed and their lips touched, pressing against each other.

"PACTIO!" Renia exclaimed, arms thrown into the air as the circle flashed out. Soon, it died down and two identical cards fluttered down; one into Jinx's hand and another one in Draco's hand. The cards depicted a picture of Draco, armed with his Keyblade.

Of course, Jinx and Draco hadn't stopped kissing.

"Alright, you two can stop now," Shadow said. They didn't stop. "The Pactio's done." The two were still kissing. Shadow sighed. "Renia, let's go so I can debrief you with the others." Renia nodded and followed Shadow out to meet with Pluto, Blackfire and Mortuary, leaving the couple to make out.

(End Flashback)

"I can't wait to see this Pactio thing in action," Jinx said as she admired the card. What power would it grant Draco upon activation?

"I guess we'll find out when the time comes, won't we?" Draco said.

"Um!" Jinx nodded as she placed the card back on the bedside table along with Draco's Zodiac Deck and his copy of the Pactio card. She then cuddled with him and closed her eyes. He held the girl close to him and rested his head on the pillow but could not close his eyes.

As I said before, they were going to Orchid Bay, home of Juniper Lee who was the current Te Xuan Ze and a member of Team Mystic. Draco was going to review her progress and Jinx, Mammoth, Gizmo and Brimstone had all come along for the ride. He had already reviewed Jake when he went to New York and Shadow had done the same when he went to Amity Park to review Danny. Pluto had gone to Tremerton to review Jenny.

Originally, this was supposed to be Tazuka's mission, but with his untimely demise, he was unable to do this. Memories of Tazuka made Ryuki shed a tear. The pain was still there. He remembered how he first met Tazuka.

(Flashback…)

Ryuki was jogging in the park. He had been a Zodiac Knight for awhile now and had gotten used to the prospects of being a hero. He passed by the park and a strange man, sitting at a table, said something random, "Watch your step, you might just find a surprise." Ryuki looked at the man, who was a little bit older than he was. He had short black hair and wearing a blue coat over a white shirt and black slacks. Ryuki walked on and there was a 'squish' sound. He looked under his shoe and grimaced. Ryuki looked at the fortune teller and he just said, "Told you so."

"Well, thanks…I guess," Ryuki added, "Do you mind telling me where I can clean my shoe?" the man pointed behind him to a public restroom. "Thanks." Ryuki rushed towards the toilet to clean his shoe. The fortune teller flipped a coin and stared at it, head's up.

"Things will become quite interesting," he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a blue deck case…bearing the symbol of Pisces, "Quite interesting."

(End Flashback)

Ryuki inwardly chuckled at the memory. It was embarrassing. Well, the next time he had met Tazuka was a little more pleasant and a little less embarrassing.

(Flashback)

It was the day after the incident and Ryuki was jogging near the park. The fortune teller was there again, reading a woman's palm.

"You should look behind you for untold danger," he said to the woman. The woman paid him and was on her way. Ryuki stopped and jogged in place in front of the fortune teller. The fortune teller looked up at him, "Care to have your fortune told?"

"Okay…" Ryuki sat down, "By the way, thanks for the warning yesterday…even if it was a little late."

"It was my pleasure," the fortune teller nodded.

"My name is Ryuki Hasuma, but my friends call me Leo," Ryuki introduced himself, holding out his hand.

"Tazuka Mizuki," Tazuka took Ryuki hand and they shook.

(End Flashback…)

And to find out he was a Zodiac Knight was also shocking.

(Flashback…)

Ryuki cringed as the sound of ringing invaded his ear. He followed it and ran towards the direction. Tazuka was hot on his heels and in the fortune teller's grasp was…a Zodiac Deck!

Ryuki had no time to ask questions so he looked up ahead to see a woman, the same woman Tazuka had told her fortune to, being pulled by the neck into a window by a tentacle that was coming out of it. It was a Mirror Dimension monster! She struggled against it but the tentacle was cutting off her air supply. Acting quickly, Ryuki shot a fireball at the tentacle and it then retreated back into the window, letting go of the woman in the process as she fell into a heap. Tazuka rushed over and checked her vital signs.

"She's alive," Tazuka said. Ryuki sighed in relief. Tazuka then stood up and held his deck out at the window. The Zodiac Deck was blue with a golden symbol of Pisces on the surface. Ryuki held out his Dragon Zodiac Deck too and their belts appeared on their waists.

"Zodiac Force!" Tazuka called, "Pisces!" and then he snapped it to his belt.

"Zodiac Force!" Ryuki called, "Dragon!" and then he snapped it to his belt.

The armors appeared on their bodies, encasing them, before they stood fully armored.

Ryuki's armor was red with a silver chestplate etched with the symbol of a dragon. On his right forearm he wore a red and silver gauntlet and on his left forearm was a red gauntlet in the shape of a dragon's head. On his legs he wore a pair of knee high red and silver metallic boots. His head was concealed under a red helmet with a silver headpiece that held a red dragon symbol, green lenses and silver mouthpiece. Around his waist was a belt with a rectangular case on the right side with the same dragon symbol that was on his chestplate and headpiece. The buckle had a crystal orb imbedded in the center. All this was worn over a red bodysuit. In this form he was now Zodiac Knight Draco.

Tazuka's armor was blue and white and worn over a black bodysuit. A gold 'X' was on his chest and in the centre was circle bearing his symbol of Pisces. He had fins on the sides and top of his helmet and on his shoulder guards. His faceplate was white with a black 'Y' shaped visor. On his left forearm, like Draco, was an armguard shaped like a hammerhead shark. In this form he was now Zodiac Knight Jawz.

"Let's go!" Jawz shouted before both of them phased into the window and into the Mirror Dimension.

(End Flashback…)

Both he and Tazuka had fought and defeated the monster before exiting the Mirror Dimension. They then had a talk and Ryuki had found out that Tazuka was a Zodiac Knight because he wanted to protect people too and to stop the Zodiac War. Ryuki then quickly dragged Tazuka along to introduce him to Ichijyo and Takada.

It wasn't exactly a pleasant meeting as both Ichijyo and Takada didn't quite trust any new Zodiac Knights. They had scolded him and warned him about making friends with other Knights who just might be enemies in disguise. Tazuka had assured them that he merely wanted to fight the monsters and none of the other Knights. It didn't stop Takada and Ichijyo from challenging him to a fight though to see his fighting prowess.

Since then, Tazuka had become the 4th member of their group. He would assist whenever they could and they hung out together. They even helped each other when some of the evil Knights decided to cause troubled.

Overtime, Ryuki and Tazuka became the best of friends. And Ryuki took to calling Tazuka 'Tazuka-niisan' and Tazuka took to calling him 'Ryuki-kun'.

Ryuki then yawned and allowed sleep to claim him before he dozed off and cuddled with Jen. He then went off to the Land of Nod.

To Be Continued…

I'd like to thank Phantom Soldier for beta reading this as well as Shadow Element 13 for being my inspiration.