Part 87: Gekiryu Henshin! Mimic Ryukendo, Raijin!

When we embrace what lies within, our potential has no limit. The future is filled with promise, the present rife with expectation. But when we deny our instinct, and struggle against our deepest urges, uncertainty begins. Where does this path lead? When will the changes end? Is this transformation a gift, or a curse? For those who fear what lies ahead, the most important question of all: can we really ever change what we are?

"GEKIRYUKEN, SANJOU!"

"How did you get a Keyblade!?" Copycat demanded. That sort of power was meant for someone more deserving like herself, not her weaker half! Aqua and ALPHA were both staring in shock at this shocking turn of events.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," ALT-01 Neko gaped. She was not sure how she got it but was glad that she had an edge. She shrugged. "But I'm not complaining!" She began to swing her new weapon at Copycat who started to dodge. Narrowing her eyes, Copycat grabbed the blade as it came down to her head.

"Figures. You just got a new weapon and you have no idea how to use it," Copycat taunted. She attempted to pull the Keyblade away but recoiled in pain as her hand began to smoke. "Argh! It burns!"

ALT-01 Neko quirked an eyebrow and then realized something. She remembered that pure evil could not touch the Keyblade and currently, Copycat fit the description. Neko grinned under her helmet and began to charge at her evil counterpart. Copycat was forced on the defensive and had her lance sliced in half, rendering it useless. ALT-01 Neko pressed on with her advantage and began slashing wildly. One last thrust of the blade sent Copycat reeling and falling on the ground. Neko slammed her foot down on Copycat's chest and forced her to the ground, the tip of the Keyblade was pointed at her throat.

"Consider this a warning," Neko snarled.

Copycat spat, "You don't have the guts to kill me."

Neko rolled her eyes, but that couldn't be seen behind her opaque visor. "Do you really think I am that stupid? I know you're just a duplicate."

Copycat began to sweat and pressed on, "Still…you're too much of a goody-goody to do it."

Neko ran the blade through the duplicate's throat. The duplicate shattered like glass as a result. "Wanna bet?" She withdrew the Keyblade from the floor and hefted it on her shoulder. She turned towards Aqua and ALPHA who were still standing in shock. ALPHA flew straight at her adopted mother and glomped her.

"MAMA! You were awesome!" ALPHA exclaimed. ALT-01 Neko smiled as she hugged her little girl back.

"I'm just lucky I got this thing in time," Neko stated.

"How did you get that Keyblade, though?" Aqua questioned curiously

"I don't know," ALT-01 Neko said as she admired her new weapon. "I heard someone calling me and he asked me to call his name. I came up with Gekiryuken. I'm not sure how I know it, though."

"Because I told you," the Keyblade spoke and Neko yelped in shock. She nearly dropped the Keyblade. "What's the matter? You sound surprised."

"Well…in my experience, swords don't usually talk back," ALT-01 Neko replied. The Keyblade snorted.

"Shows what you know, ojou-sama."

Aqua and ALPHA continued to stare.

"That sword is talking," ALPHA pointed out. Aqua silently nodded.

"So, your name is Gekiryuken?" ALT-01 Neko asked.

"You did call my name, didn't you?" Gekiryuken responded.

"I always thought my brother was the Keyblade's chosen one," ALT-01 Neko stated. "I never thought I'd be called, though."

"I didn't call you, ojou-sama. It was the other way around," Gekiryuken explained.

"Huh?"

"You called me."

"How?"

"You were in danger and you called for help in your heart. It's simple, really. The reason I didn't come to you before was because of the dark power inside of you. Now that you're free of it, I heard your call. Here I am."

"So, because of my Living Gate powers, I couldn't call you?" Neko reasoned.

"Precisely!" Gekiryuken exclaimed happily.

"How do I know I really deserve you?" Neko asked sadly. She had done so much evil before.

"You're pure of heart, the good half," Gekiryuken answered. "And you have a strong heart. You came back for the people you love despite the danger. That proves you're selfless. You are worthy for my power." Gekiryuken chuckled. "Back then, even your father didn't think he deserved me."

Neko was surprised, "You knew papa?" She began to ask, "What happened to him?"

"Oops!" Gekiryuken had fumbled. "Em…can we talk about that later? I think your ally is in danger."

Neko remembered Kenzaki. She nodded, "Right!" She said to ALPHA and Aqua, "Wait for me outside. I won't be long."

"Not on your life!" Aqua protested. "We're staying to help!"

"Please, don't argue," ALT-01 Neko said. "This is dangerous. Plus, it's my problems and I need to face my inner demons alone."

"We're going to help, mama!" ALPHA chirped.

"You came to rescue us. You should accept our help. Besides, you know we won't listen," Rose said.

ALT-01 Neko sighed. "Alright, fine," she surrendered. "But if things get too hairy, I want you two to go to Titans Tower."

Aqua and ALPHA nodded.

"Alright, let's go!"

Garoh was lying on the ground, convulsing, as Copycat circled around his body. She had her Savage Claws out and was thinking of ending his torture.

"Should I just shred you up or disembowel you?" Copycat asked herself. "Hm…decisions, decisions…" Suddenly, she froze. Her duplicate had just been destroyed. "How…?" she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Even one of her duplicates could be formidable. "Hmph! Those girls must've helped my weaker half! Once this is over I should punish them." Copycat squatted down, trailing one claw over Kenzaki's chest armor. "Now, time to finish you." She raised up one of her claws and quickly brought it down.

SWISH!

Copycat's eyes widened as a strange blue sword blocked her claws. She looked up and saw ALT-01 Neko. "What!?"

"Surprise!" ALT-01 Neko shouted before swinging up her blade, throwing Copycat off balanced before kneeing her in the face. She then got into a defensive stance in front of Garoh. "Hey, Tsukuba-san! Wake up!"

"He can't help you," Copycat sneered, "I've trapped him in a nightmare. Right now he's watching as his family is being killed over and over again."

ALT-01 Neko spat in disgust, "You're sick."

"You should know. You are part of his pain," Copycat got into an offensive stance with her claws. "I'm surprised you even got a Keyblade. It seems any old fool can get one!"

"Oi, onna!" Gekiryuken shouted, "Don't you dare talk about my ojou-sama like that!"

Copycat blinked.

"It…talks?" she questioned in confusion.

"I was shocked too…" ALT-01 Neko nodded. Copycat rushed at her and began to swing her claws at her 'weaker half'. Neko countered almost all the strikes but then ones that managed to penetrate her defenses struck her armor, causing sparks to fly. Neko tried to strike back but Copycat was able to parry her blows easily.

"The genuine article is nothing compared to the real thing!" Copycat jeered before kicking Neko in the gut and sending her flying into a wall. She lunged at her opponent. Instead of driving her claws into Neko, she drove them into the wall. She was stuck and Neko took advantage of this and tackled into Copycat, sending her tumbling on the ground. Neko raised up her blade and brought it down, only to hit the carpet as Copycat ported away. Neko looked up to see Copycat reappear. She rolled out of the way as Copycat came down. The claws got stuck in the floor this time.

Copycat roared and took a chunk of the floor out as she pulled out her claws. She shredded the chunk and rushed at Neko. Neko ducked and used a sweep kick to trip Copycat. Copycat rolled along the floor and flipped back to her feet before spinning around in time to block a slash.

Their weapons were locked as they attempted to push at one another. Both were currently equal in strength.

"You know, if you just let me reabsorb you, then…" Copycat began.

Neko rudely cut her off, "And let you stick me in a cage and rot while you use our body to do horrible things? I don't think so."

Copycat tilted her head to the side, "Pity. I thought since we're like sisters, we'd be able to see eye to eye."

"Fat chance, psycho!" Neko growled.

"You think the Titans will accept you? I doubt it. For the past year you've been nothing more than their enemy. No matter how much good you'll do, your past deeds will always stick in their minds. They will always remember you as a monster," Copycat spoke, trying to chip away at Neko's confidence. "You're a monster; nothing more and nothing less. Nobody loves you. They never will."

Neko's eyes narrowed under her helmet, "You're wrong. I have my brother, my mother, Rosie-chan and Koneko-chan." She then shouted out, "And that's enough for me!"

"Ojou-sama, my hissatsu attack!" Gekiryuken instructed, "Ryuou Giri (Dragon King Slash)!"

"RYUOU GIRI!" Neko called out as she energized the Keyblade. She put on the pressure and destroyed the claws. She then swung her Keyblade in an arc and beheaded her evil half. Copycat's body crumpled in a heap as her head went flying. Blood sprayed from the neck. Neko watched as the black blood pooled around her evil half's body. She knew it wouldn't be long before the next life kicked in so she went over to Garoh.

Aqua and ALPHA came in seconds later. They looked at the scene. Aqua turned ALPHA away from the gruesome scene and hugged the armored girl against her chest. Seeing the headless body was not so comforting.

Neko removed the deck from the belt. The instant she did that the artificial ALT-01 Deck shattered like glass and the pieces spilt out of her hand. Apparently, it still sustained some damage from when Shadowcobra had defeated the fake Knight. The armor followed its example and shattered away too, rendered useless with the destruction of the deck. She looked over to the headless body of Copycat and frowned grimly. Even if Copycat would live again, the knowledge of killing someone was overwhelming.

"You did what you had to do," Gekiryuken consoled.

"Doesn't make me feel better," Neko shook her head. She got down on one knee and removed Garoh's belt. It vanished along with the armor. Kenzaki still looked like he was in pain, though he was unconscious. "Wake up, you dummy!" Neko shook him with one hand. She picked him up by his shirt and yelled in his face. "I said WAKE UP!"

"Let me," Aqua volunteered. She formed a ball of water and threw it in Kenzaki's face. He was shocked awake and spitting water.

"What the hell!?" Kenzaki yelled out, sputtering. "What happened and why am I all wet!?" he growled.

Neko rolled her eyes and said, "Glad to have you awake." She asked, "What happened?"

Kenzaki stood up and dismissed the question, "Nothing." Having to see his family die all over again had not been pleasant.

Rose and Cathy disengaged their armors as well. Kenzaki looked at Cathy and smiled. "Heh, cute kid."

"Don't even think about it," Neko warned. "She's only a minor."

Kenzaki raised his hands up defensively, "Hey, that's not what I meant." He scratched his head. "So…what happened to her?"

Neko sighed and gestured with her thumb at the body. "There she is."

"Damn," Kenzaki frowned. "Well, all I got to do is bag it and-" The blood and the shadows around the body began to move. "Uh-oh…"

The shadows expanded and the group backed away as it started to resemble a tar-like substance. The body levitated and got into a standing position. Darkness engulfed the head and it flew back to its body before reattaching to the neck via dark tendrils. Copycat cracked her neck from side to side as her red eyes glowed. She spoke in a malevolent voice, "You really think it'd be THAT easy? I have 9 Lives!"

"Had 9 Lives," Neko corrected, gripping her Gekiryuken Keyblade tightly. "Now you're down to 7."

"Oi, neko-onna!" shouted Kenzaki. Copycat turned around, only to come face to face with the barrel of a shotgun. "Smile!" He then pulled the trigger, blasting her head clean off. "That was for my family, bitch."

"Now she's down to 6," Rose corrected.

The body was still floating as darkness flew out of the neck and reformed into a new head. She wasn't wearing her helmet but she looked scary enough without it as her face was contorted into her snarl, her eyes glowed blood red and her hair flew around her head like dark tendrils. Cathy shrieked and clung to her mother's back as she stood protectively in front of her body, shielding her from the imminent danger.

"Hmph!" Copycat scoffed. "Well…all I need to do is feed to reenergize myself!" She snapped her fingers, "Get 'em, boys!"

The Horrors, twitching, began to rise up from the inky dark shadows. They all snarled and snapped their jaws at the group while licking their teeth. They all shrieked out as they stood assembled.

"Oh, shit!" Cathy cursed. Rose and Neko stared. They'd made sure to never let their adopted daughter hear such language. Nevertheless, she must've heard it from one of the villains. They were going to blame Grant for this, apparently. "Mama (Neko)! Mommy (Rose)! We need to run, right?"

"Yup!" Neko and Rose nodded.

"Come on!" Kenzaki instructed, heading for the broken window. "We need to get out of here!"

"Got it!" Neko told Cathy, "Get on my back, Koneko-chan." Cathy did as told and climbed on, piggy-back style. "Rose!"

"I know!" Rose nodded. She ran towards the window and jumped out of the room. She did a somersault and a tuck roll before landing on her feet. Kenzaki whistled. Kenzaki jumped down after her.

"Koneko-chan, hold on, baby!" Neko instructed as she faced the Horrors. "On second thought!" She removed Cathy from her back and threw her out the window. The mutant girl screamed but Kenzaki and Rose managed to catch her. Neko jumped right out of the window, slashing and stabbing at Horrors trying to make a grab for her. Copycat, still weakened, just looked out the window. Most of the residents of the house were out cold since she'd put something in the food so she could have her fun with Rose undisturbed. Thinking back, she realized it wasn't such a good idea.

The Horrors flew at the group. Neko stood her ground with her Keyblade, slashing at the Horrors with her sword. One blow was all it was required to kill one of those things. However, knowing fully well that Copycat could summon more, having a Keyblade won't be enough.

"We need to get out of here!" Neko shouted.

"Activation!"

"Let me help, mama!" ALPHA volunteered as she began shooting at the Horrors with her wrist blasters.

Rose had transformed into her Aqua armor and began using her war fans to slice the demons to ribbons. "We're here for you!"

Neko was grateful and so with her family began to strike at the Horrors.

Kenzaki looked down and noticed Byakko, at least, the lower half of him. "Kenzaki-sama! Use me! Together we will crush them!'

"Sounds good!" agreed Kenzaki as Byakko's sandy body shattered. A white orb hit Kenzaki in the chest and a white streak appeared in his hair. Kenzaki pushed the white button on his belt. "Henshin!" he called, but his voice sound more defined and dignified.

"PREDATOR FORM!"

Garoh's Plat Form activated. New armor hovered around Garoh's body before swirling to a new configuration. White tiger paws with claws attached to the shoulders as a chestplate resembling a tiger's head attached to the chest. The armor attaching to the back was white with black tiger stripes. A white mask came down on his face with one vertical slit and three horizontal slits running over it. A blade slid down after and settled in the centre of the mask, creating a horn.

Garoh pounded his fists together before striking a martial art's stance. "Remember the basics! My fists will crush your spirit!"

Garoh charged and began to smash his fists into the Horrors, smashing their faces in. He grabbed a pair by the head and smashed them together, allowing their twitching bodies to vanish into the darkness. Claws jut out of his knuckles before he began using them to slash the Horrors to ribbons. He was fortunate that he had the armor covering his body. Otherwise, the Horror blood would infect him.

Aqua threw her war fans and they sliced several Horrors' heads off before returning to her. A Horror sneaking up behind her got blasted by ALPHA. Neko was holding her own with only Gekiryuken but they needed to escape. They could deal with these Horrors later. Right now they had to get as far away from this place as they possibly could.

"Get us out of here, now!" Neko screamed at Garoh. "Kenzaki! We need to retreat!"

Garoh nodded as he held his own and summoned the GaroLiner.

The Horrors were ready to attack when all of a sudden a strange tune played in the air.

"What's that sound?" ALPHA asked.

Neko grinned, "Our getaway car."

The car in question was really a large train. It came out of a swirling multicolored portal before it ran a few Horrors over. One of the doors opened.

"Get in!" Garoh shouted, "GET IN, NOW!"

"Go! Let's move!" Neko shouted as she kicked a Horror away. She grabbed Aqua and ALPHA by the arms and pulled them along with her into the door. Garoh picked up their luggage and went in after them before the door slid close. The Horrors smashed into the door and fell in a pile.

Copycat, who'd been watching, palmed her face. "Idiots…"

The GaroLiner then flew out of the area and through the portal.

Cathy and Rose deactivated their armors as soon as they entered the mysterious train car. The three girls gawked at the strange creatures inside.

"Welcome to the GaroLiner!" Shiori greeted happily. "I'm Shiori!" Shiori walked over with a tray and offered them some drinks, "Want some?"

"Sure," Neko said as she took a glass of milk. Rose and Cathy each took glasses of milk too.

"What is this place?" Cathy asked as she sat down. She looked out one of the windows to see the Sands of Time. "Wow…"

"It's beautiful…" Rose admired. "What is this thing anyway?" she asked in reference to the GaroLiner.

"The GaroLiner, my dears," Buraki bowed. "And we are currently passing through the Sands of Time. Take a seat and rest yourselves."

"OK, what are you supposed to be?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"You're not Horrors, are you?" Neko questioned, ready to use her Keyblade if they were a threat.

"They're my Imagin," Kenzaki answered as his armor vanished and Byakko exited his body. He put down the girls' luggage.

The Imagin introduced themselves as thus:

"Name's Okami. Just stay outta my way and we'll get along fine," growled the wolf gruffly.

"Greetings," bowed Byakko. "I am Byakko. I apologize for Okami-sempai's manners. He's a little irritable."

"I don't need you apologizing for me!" roared Okami in annoyance.

"Hi, I'm Raion," introduced the Lion Imagin. "Nice to meet you."

"And I am Buraki," greeted the Imoogi. "And I must say, it is an honor to meet such lovely ladies." He kissed Rose's hand. She blushed at the action, but then she yelped as she felt Buraki groping her butt. Neko glared and looked ready to use Gekiryuken to slice off his hand. She was tempted to, really tempted to.

"Buraki!" roared Byakko, appalled by his fellow Imagin's behavior. "You lecherous snake! How dare you act in such a way to our honored guests!?"

"What can I say? She's cute," shrugged Buraki without any guilt. Neko already had names for him. They ranged from 'hentai', 'sukebe', and 'ecchi'.

"Then try saying that without being a lecher!" Byakko snapped.

"They're at it again," groaned Raion. Byakko and Buraki often fought like this due to their conflicting personalities. The White Tiger Imagin was honorable while the Crimson Imoogi was a lecherous skirt-chaser posing as a gentleman.

"What else is new?" Okami growled. This had occurred far too often that it was becoming redundant. "Maybe if they actually fought with fists I'd concern myself about it."Okami summoned his sword. "Maybe we'll get lucky and a fight will start," grinned the Imagin.

"URUSAI BAKAS!!" shouted a female voice, causing all the Imagin to jump back, terrified, and fall silent. Neko, Rose and Cathy turned around to see Kumiko. Kumiko smiled pleasantly, "Gomen, I am Kumiko. It is nice to meet you." She bowed. The three girls bowed back too.

"I'm Neko," Neko introduced herself, "These are Rose and Cathy." The aforementioned girls nodded.

"Ah, and a lovely rose you are," Buraki stated. Rose gave him a cold glare. No way was she going to trust him after he'd groped her.

"They sure are a lively bunch, aren't they?" Gekiryuken stated. He received stares. "What?"

"Did that sword just talk?" Kumiko pointed, surprised.

Neko sighed and nodded, "Yes." She introduced her Keyblade to everyone, "This sword here is a Keyblade known as Gekiryuken. He saved my hide."

"A pleasure to meet you all," Gekiryuken greeted.

"Now I've seen everything," Kenzaki commented. "Talking swords. What's next? A talking car?"

Kumiko looked Neko over and instantly recognized her from the wanted poster, "Wait a minute! Aren't you that Copycat girl Kenzaki's been after?" Neko flinched.

"Actually…" Neko began.

"Actually, she just looks like her," Kenzaki explained, calming down the situation. "She's not my target." Neko sighed in relief, thankful that she had Kenzaki to defend her. Now that they were on the GaroLiner, it was smooth sailing from here on end.

Or so they thought…

Suddenly, the train began rocking violently. Neko shouted, panicking, "What's going on!?"

Cathy looked out the window and shrieked as a Horror was looking back at her. It shattered the glass with one of its clawed hands and tried to make a grab for the mutant girl. Neko pulled Cathy away safely as Kumiko punched it in the face. It was a lucky thing that all the windows were too narrow for any of them to climb through and get inside. Broken glass still littered the table and booth seat.

"We got company!" Rose shouted.

"They must've stowed away!" Kumiko realized.

Kenzaki ran for the exit. "Where are you going?" Neko asked.

"I'm going to the cockpit to try and stabilize the train!" Kenzaki answered.

"But what about the Horrors?"

"They can't come in, don't worry! The doors are locked!" He reassured before walked out.

Kenzaki entered the cockpit. Just like any other time train, the piloting mechanism was a motorbike clamped down by its wheels. There was a viewing screen in front of him. Kenzaki mounted the bike and grasped the handlebars. "OK, let's do this thing!"

The train shook as the Horrors that stowed away were trying to derail it. They were clawing at the roof. Some were clawing at them through the windows they'd broken but were knocked away by steel trays courtesy of Shiori. Pieces of broken glass littered the floor and would need cleaning up later. The Imagin were doing their fare share too and were driving them off. With Kenzaki piloting and the Imagin stuck inside, Neko decided to take matters into her own hands.

"I'm going outside to fend them off," volunteered Neko as she headed for the exit.

Rose gasped, "That's crazy! I'm coming too!"

Cathy volunteered. "Me too!"

"NO!" Neko snapped, silencing them. She sighed and spoke, slowly, "Please…don't follow me. I couldn't bear it if…I could never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you two." The two girls fell silent.

"At least take this," Rose offered, handing Neko her Aquarius deck. Neko was taken aback by this action.

"Rose…I couldn't," Neko tried to protest. Rose shook her head.

"I agreed to take this the first time for you. I wanted to help you win that wish, but I don't need it anymore. It's yours." She pulled up Neko's hand and placed the deck in her palm. "Please, use it. Use it to do the right thing."

Neko stared at the deck and at Rose. The crystal flashed briefly to show the symbol of Aquarius and the symbol for the Horse. She gave her beloved a look of determination and gratitude, "Arigatou." She kissed Rose's cheek. The belt formed and Neko called, "Henshin," before sliding the deck inside. Unfortunately, what she got was a Blank Mode version of the Aquarius armor. It was mainly black and white. Neko looked at herself blankly.

"What happened?" Rose questioned.

Neko shrugged, "Not sure, but at least I got some form of protection." Her faceplate opened and she gave Rose a brief kiss on the lips. "I'll be back, I promise." She then ran for the exit.

"That kiss…was awesome," said Buraki, staring. Like any pervert he loved some 'girl-on-girl' action.

"Baka hentai," said the other three Imagin.

Neko climbed onto the roof to see the Horrors clawing at the surface. It never occurred to them to use the door but lesser Horrors weren't known for their intelligence. They were only following their baser instinct of satisfying their hunger. Neko wasn't going to let them get to her friends. She, of course, was going to, literally, cut down on their diet.

"Hey, Horror-teme!" Neko called, gaining their attention. The Horrors snarled at her. "You want something to eat? Come and get me!" The Horrors lunged at her and with a yell Neko charged right back. She slashed at them with Gekiryuken, slicing them in half. More of them kept coming at her as she had successfully diverted their attention from derailing the train to getting her. "Now, let's start the first course!"

Kenzaki sat in the cockpit, piloting the train via his bike. Unfortunately, he was having a difficult time doing that.

"I hate Horrors!" growled Kenzaki. He couldn't see as the Horrors were blocking his view. "Damn it! How is it that this thing can travel between worlds, but can't keep a few morons off the freakin windshield!? Where are wipers when you need them?" He then noticed as they moved away from the viewing screen. He pulled up another screen which was showing the roof to see Neko. "Wow, she's crazier than I thought," he admired, "Girl's got some guts." He watched as Neko began to fight off the Horrors using Gekiryuken. "Good, looks like Neko's got their attention. Now, let's get this baby back in gear."

The Horrors were being cut down one by one as they fell of the train and evaporated upon slaying.

"Ojou-sama! We have to finish them off!" Gekiryuken instructed.

Neko ducked under a claw swipe and ran a Horror through the chest. She withdrew the Keyblade and sliced the head off a Horror trying to catch her from the side, "What do you think I've been trying to do!?"

"You need power! That armor you have on isn't going to do you much good right now!"

"What do you have in mind?" Neko questioned as she stood her ground with several Horrors circling her.

"Recite this incantation," Gekiryuken began his instruction, "Shadu, Iraki, Yuuza…"

Neko repeated, "Shadu, Iraki, Yuuza…" The Horrors snarled and lunged right at her.

"Gekiryu Henshin!" Gekiryuken finished.

The Horrors dogpiled her and she shouted out, loudly, "GEKIRYU HENSHIN!!" A blast of energy burst forth from Gekiryuken and sent the Horrors flying. Some of them were vaporized in mid-flight. The burst of energy took on the form of a blue dragon. It flew into the air and roared before coming back down. Neko watched as it came flying down at her but she showed no fear. Instead, she thrust her Keyblade upwards. The blade met the dragon and Neko was bathed in blue light. The Horrors shielded their eyes from the bright flash of light. The light died down revealing a new Neko.

She was clad in white and gold armor worn over a tight blue bodysuit. The upper torso armor had a blue gem fitted in the centre of the chest with strips of gold extending from four corners of the gem. The shoulder pads were diamond shaped and pointed upwards. The gauntlets had golden dragonheads attached to the wrist which covered the back of her hands. Similar dragonheads were also attached to her boots at the ankles, covering her feet like shoes. The helmet was white and gold with a design reminiscent of a two horned dragon that was roaring. Within the 'jaws' was an opaque blue visor that concealed the wearer's face with a strip of gold running down the middle. The helmet was peaked by a golden crest.

The Horrors gaped at her as Neko got into a stance. Her right leg was slightly bent at the knee and in front of her left. She placed her left hand to her hip and her right hand was holding the Gekiryuken Keyblade horizontally in front of her face.

She then shifted her stance and hefted the blade of her weapon on her shoulder as she thrust out her hand, palm open, in front of her while standing straight. She called out her new identity, which was…

"Zodiac Knight Ryukendo! Raijin!"

"Zodiac Knight Ryukendo! Raijin!"

"Mama!" Cathy cheered as she witnessed her mother's transformation on the TV screen. How they got this footage was unknown but it could be because of the hidden cameras placed on top of the train for security reasons.

"Wow!" Rose was awed. "Is that really her?" Was this her girlfriend's new form? Whatever it was, it sure looked powerful.

"That is amazing!" Byakko complimented.

"Heh, it looks okay to me," Okami shrugged, unimpressed, despite admiring the new armor.

"Aw…she doesn't look cute anymore," Buraki whined.

"Woah, now that form totally rocks!" Raion said before playing some air guitar. "Sweet!"

The Horrors surrounded her and Gekiryuken scoffed, "Now these filthy demons are no match for us! Ojou-sama, let's show them what we can do, together!"

"Hai!" Ryukendo nodded before she charged at the Horrors who started to pounce on her. She swung her blade and the unfortunate demon was cleaved straight in half. She spun around and thrust her blade into a Horror's face, before swinging down, cutting the rest of its body straight down the middle. More and more of the demons came at her, their minds totally focused on taking her down instead of the train. There weren't as many left but she needed to finish this quick.

She then realized that she had the Aquarius Deck, which granted its user the power of wind and water. She had an idea. She thus focused the power of wind into her Keyblade.

"RYUOU KAZE GIRI (Dragon King Wind Slash)!" Ryukendo called out as she charged up her blade. She then began to spin like a tornado as she swung her Keyblade around and around, sending vacuum blades flying. The Horrors were cut to ribbon by the blades of pressurized air and then evaporated. She slowly stopped spinning as soon as the Horrors were destroyed.

"Good job, ojou-sama!" Gekiryuken cheered and then noticed something wrong with his wielder. "Oi, ojou-sama! Daijoubu ka?"

"Ugh…" Ryukendo groaned as she started to sway like a drunk that had too much to drink. Apparently, the spinning had made her quite dizzy. "I…don't feel…too good…" She held her head. "That…so wasn't…a good idea…"

Gekiryuken sweatdropped, "O...Ojou-sama…you are a very interesting person, aren't you?"

Kenzaki grinned as he saw the image on his monitor, "Nice job, Neko. Nice job." He had to admit that the girl was a good fighter. Then, he sweatdropped as he saw her fall flat on her face comically. The dizziness had caused her to collapse. "OK…that ruined her image." He got off his bike and exited the cockpit. "Looks like I gotta pick her up from the roof," he muttered.

Neko, now with the armor gone, was laid out on a bed. She slowly began to wake up and yawned. She stretched her arms and opened her eyes to see Cathy and Rose hovering over her. "Oh, good morning." She sat up and was instantly glomped by Cathy. "Nani?"

"Mama! You were amazing!" Cathy cheered. Neko blinked in confusion.

"I was?" she asked, clueless, "What did I do?"

Rose blinked quizzically, "Neko…don't you remember?"

Neko sat up and tapped her forehead trying to figure out what Rose was talking about and then it all came back to her. She pounded one fist down on an open palm. "Oh, yeah!" she chuckled. "I was awesome, huh?" She then realized that something was amiss. "Huh? Where's Gekiryuken?"

"Down here," she heard a voice and looked down to see a medallion hanging from her neck by a length of chain that had been looped around her neck like a necklace. It had the same dragonhead ornament as Gekiryuken but it was in a metal circle with three points that jutted outwards in a triangular formation. Neko grasped the medallion and stared at it.

"Gekiryuken, is that you?" she asked.

"Yes," the medallion, Gekiryuken, replied, "It's me."

"You've...shrunk."

Gekiryuken sighed. "How perceptive of you," he spoke sarcastically.

"So, why did you shrink?" Neko asked.

"It's to conserve energy. My sword form uses up a lot of energy to maintain. Therefore, I use this form to conserve it. Besides, you'd attract too much attention carrying a talking sword around with you."

"As opposed to a talking medallion?" Neko said blankly.

"Um…"

Neko asked, "So, what happened? All I remembered was feeling dizzy."

"You fainted on top of the roof," said Kenzaki as he came in. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"You carried me down here, didn't you?" Neko asked.

"Of course," Kenzaki answered. "Who else?"

"Thanks," Neko smiled.

Kenzaki blushed and looked away. Despite Neko having the face of his most hated enemy, he had to admit that she was kinda cute. Sure they had the same face, since they were originally the same person, but Neko was a good person and it showed from her actions. "Well…you're welcome…" he said as he shifted in his stance uncomfortably.

"So, are we headed back to the Tower?" Neko asked.

"Sure," Kenzaki nodded.

"If they find out I'm gonna be in so much trouble," Neko stated, worried. She had gone out without permission when she'd been ordered to stay in the Tower. Though she'd snuck out quietly, she knew that some of the residents of the Tower would catch wind of her activities.

"I think under the circumstances they'll understand." Kenzaki obviously didn't know the Titans that well.

"I hope you're right…" Neko gulped. She prayed to Kami-sama that she wouldn't get in trouble. That was the last thing she needed tonight. The Titans had reason to distrust her and this was going to be added to the list of reasons. "I really hope you're right."

The entrance to Titans Tower slid open as Rose, Neko, Cathy and Kenzaki stood outside.

"Are you sure about this, Neko?" Rose asked. "I mean with our history…"

"This is the safest place for the two of you," Neko reasoned. "The Tower has updated security to make sure no unauthorized persons can get inside." Neko was holding Cathy's hand.

As soon as they stepped foot into the lobby, the lights immediately turned on. Sitting in two of the armchairs were Ichijyo and Ryuki, both looking cross.

"Where have you been?" Ryuki asked, eyes focused on his sister and her companions. Neko fell silent and scared. "It's late. You didn't have a communicator so I couldn't call you. Do you know how worried sick I was?"

"Well…it was…kind of an emergency," Neko said nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Gomen."

"It's my fault," Kenzaki said, taking the blame. "I went with her and didn't talk her out of it."

"We shall assign blame for later," Ichijyo said calmly. "For now, tell us where you were, what happened, and what you did…"

Kenzaki and Neko exchanged looks and sighed before looking back at the two Knights. They started explaining everything.

A Week Later…

Shadowcobra was enjoying one of the rare occasions of peace he had with Raven on the couch, both reading a book and enjoying the silence. Raven was leaning against his body as he had an arm draped tenderly around her shoulders, holding his lavender haired wife close to him. He was the one holding the book as their eyes scanned the pages together.

Suddenly, a portal began to form in the middle of the television, surprising the newly weds. Out of the portal stepped a familiar figure to those who fought at Zandia, Warren Smith, except now he sported a large bump on his head. "Well, she seemed to take it a lot better this time," he said with a slight laugh. He looked up and saw Raven. His face paled in horror. "Please don't hurt me!!" he shouted as he fell backwards, earning strange looks from Raven and Shadowcobra.

"Do I know you?" asked Raven. Warren looked her over and noticed a few differences in this Raven, namely her longer hair and white uniform.

Warren stood up and rubbed the back of his head, groaning. "This is why I hate multiple universes, too damn confusing," he groaned. "Sorry about that. Name's Warren Smith. I'm a friend of Ryuki's. I kinda mistook you for my Raven."

"Your Raven?" questioned Shadowcobra. Ryuki had told him about Warren and explained that he was a fellow crewmember of the ChronoLiner.

"Yeah, I come from a different world, with my own set of Titans. Raven is my wife on that world," explained Warren. He noticed the wedding rings on Shadow and Raven's fingers. "This is awkward."

"We're married," informed Shadow.

"How awkward was the wedding?" asked Warren, speaking from experience.

"It was a shotgun wedding. We got married when her mother found out we've been having sex. She wasn't too happy about the tattoo either," answered Shadow.

Raven slapped his chest. "You weren't supposed to tell him that!" she snapped while blushing in embarrassment.

Warren added in his two cents, "Ha! That's nothing! Try meeting your future mother-in-law, followed by saying… 'And these are your grandchildren'." He sighed, "Trust me, it doesn't end well."

Raven looked shocked and Shadow quirked an eyebrow. "You have children?" he asked.

Warren smiled, "Twins, a boy and a girl." He turned around when he heard something coming through the portal. It sounded like…crying? "And here are my little angels now."

Out of the portal stepped a woman. She had styled golden hair that went down to her lower back and deep blue eyes. She was pushing a stroller that had two seats. The seats held Warren's children. His daughter, Teresa, sat in the left seat and was crying. She had violet hair with a white streak. Next to her was her twin brother, Alexander. He instead had white hair with a violet streak. He was asleep, which was strange considering how loud his sister was crying. "Warren, please pick up your daughter. I don't want her waking up Alexander," said the woman.

Warren happily walked over to the stroller and picked up his daughter, who almost immediately stopped crying when he did. "These are them. My son's name is Alexander and this is my daughter, Teresa," said Warren. The woman behind him cleared her throat. "And this is my sister, Emily."

"Greetings," Emily waved.

"So, what did I miss while I was away?" Warren asked in an attempt to break the tension.

Neko entered the living room and immediately locked eyes with Warren. She froze.

"Uh-oh," Neko gulped.

When a change comes, some species feel the urge to migrate; they call it "zugunruhe", a pull of the soul to a far off place. Following a scent in the wind, a star in the sky. The ancient message comes calling the kindred to take flight, and gather together. Only then can they hope to survive the cruel season to come.

To Be Continued…

ZK: I'd like to thank my friends, Shadow Element 13 and Ten-Faced Paladin for their help and such. Gekiryuken and Ryukendo are from a show called Madan Saeki Ryukendo.

Questions for you reviewers:

1) Who and what is Gekiryuken really?

2) Will the Titans trust Neko?

3) Do Rose and Cathy stay in Titans Tower?