Me: also short but, on word, just a page longer than the last, ha! XD
Mushra: You lied about the height thing
Me: sure did
Mushra: I will repay you for this. You will pay—oh this chapter has fire in the title?
Me: yup yup, and for good reason, so read on! BTW, it starts in third person and then switches to first~ ENJOY!
Mushra: they could enjoy if you stopped being so flip floppy with point of view.

Chapter 5 – When You Play With Fire

The great feline Enterran saw the edge of the city ahead as their hover bus was drawing closer and closer. He looked to the other Hyper Enterran's sitting with him—he'd left with about twenty men and women, not including himself, and was coming back with three others. He was sure he made the right choices in assigning the others.

Upon arriving in New Yora, he dismissed the others after thanking them for their work, and told them he would find them after speaking with Sago and Mushra of what they'd learned, and he'd inform them of what their next step would be. The bus was still half-loaded, and Kutaal left it that way as he made his march towards the apartments. Some of the civilians turned their gazes, not used to seeing the sizable feline chef and warrior dressed in armor unless in his hyper form which he was not currently in. He'd remove it once home, but he had worn it as a precaution during their scouting.

"Hmmm…would they even be home…?" he wondered to himself, considering as he was getting closer, when he heard the squeal of three kittens calling and racing his way. "Little ones!" he saw them just ahead, running down past the buildings in a small yellow mass with pastel-like colors making up their clothing.

He knelt down and they all leapt on him, Rei and Sen upon his shoulders while Este cuddled into his arms.

"Uncle, did you card anyone?!"

"Did you battle?"

He shook his head, laughing. "Ooho, no, no. No battles, and no one was carded, I assure you."

"Then why wear the armor!" Sen questioned.

"To be prepared, of course!" he replied confidently. "Besides, if I learned anything from my travel's with Yakumo, no one takes a big feline seriously unless that feline gives off a feeling of strength and confidence! My normal wardrobe only shows of my chef talents…" his ears drooped.

"It's okay, uncle Kutaal! Your armor makes you look big and strong!" Este assured him, nuzzling and smiling up to him, which earned a smile back.

"And what have you three been up to? No good, I fear." He questioned as he set to walking again, having no problem carrying them as he walked.

"We've just been enjoying the city life, uncle, nothing else!" Rei told him as he hung to his shoulder armor.

"Is that so…"

"Yeah! We even helped this old lady bug cross the street!" Sen told him.

Kutaal nodded, as if he believed them, before looking down to Este.

"They were playing Knock, Knock & Run all day today and they only helped the lady bug across the street to not look suspicious." Este ratted out on them, just as Kutaal knew she would.

"ESTE!" her brothers complained and she just raised her head proudly.

Kutaal shook his head. "Play too much like that, and you'll find yourselves in a very sticky situation that I may not be able to get you out of. I implore the three of you to BE CAREFUL, and look out for one another!" he told them, and earned exasperated yes sir's from the boys, and a more believable one from Este.

"So are you making a welcome home feast for yourself tonight?" Sen asked after some brief time of scolded silence.

"Well, of course! That is, after I speak with Sago and Mushra, and Binka. Business must, sadly, come first!" He told him, feeling a lurch of excited hunger at the thought of a good, rewarding meal. Especially after his trip—he'd done the best with what he had in their traveling and with the time they had, of course, but it fell so short in comparison. "You three wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"City Hall, all three of them actually." Sen informed him.

"Uncle, uncle, can we pick the meal?" Este chimed up then.

"And we can get it started for you, too!" Rei offered.

Kutaal chuckled proudly. "Oh, but of course. Surprise me! I will join you three as soon as business is done with the others."

The kittens leapt off him with a cheer of excitement and began racing ahead of him, making their way home. And Kutaal set his path towards City Hall. Thankfully, it wasn't too, too far from home, as they made sure to settle in a place close enough to such a place of authority and public audience—the heart of the city. He caught a smaller scale hover bus heading that way, thankful as always that his authority and role in the city gave him VIP status to such simple things—i.e., he paid nothing to ride.

It was a matter of minutes, and he hopped off the vehicle, marching his way up the steps to the Hall doors, only to find the three people he was looking for were standing outside together in deep conversation. Deep enough that, even with the sound of his great feet and the minimal but still present clank of his armor, they did not look up.

He caught briefly the end of what they were discussing as he neared.

"An obscure town in a canyon? Was Gerran sure about this?" Sago asked.

"He hadn't seen it with his own eyes, so I can't be sure, but he seemed to believe his friends who'd supposedly seen it and had knowledge on it." Binka shrugged.

"Yeah, well, it's one thing to hear about it being seen and to see it yourself." Mushra retorted, doubt heavy in his voice.

"Yeah, well, we're hearing about things from each of our allies and trusting most of it without seeing it ourselves, Mushra." Sago pointed out, even if he seemed doubtful as well. He was looking over his younger friend when he spotted the great feline coming to join them. "Kutaal! About time you made it back. And just in time."

"As I can see." He commented about their conversation as the others all turned to him. "What is this talk of canyon town?" his ears perked up a bit in interest.

Binka rolled her eyes on the subject, feeling doubt as equally as she felt frustrated worry at the possibility of its existence. "Our good friend Gerran just decided to inform of us this town, its inhabitants, and its produced assassins just all of a sudden during our last session." She began. "He said he thought we knew—I swear Mushra, if we ever visit him again, I'm gonna need some one on one time, you should have HEARD his tone, and what he was saying!"

"I'm sure that time will come, Binka, let's stick to the subject." Sago advised.

She sighed and nodded, very briefly (and barely) calming before she continued. "Well, apparently its somewhere in between his location and Victorion City. And half, if not most of its inhabitants are half-Enterran…and half-Kadrian…"

"Oh, no!" Kutaal gasped.

"Yeah. Bad news, if that's true. And if it's true, then the founders also had little princes that have grown into assassins that get paid by Victorion's to take down Enterrans. From how Gerran brought it across, it sounded like their targets might be criminals and rouges, but we can't be sure—I mean, it's assassination not matter the facts." Binka finished.

"Oh, how horrible… I do hope this is just some sort of spook story…" Kutaal shook his head.

"So do I." Mushra commented. "Or we'll have even more on our plate to get a handle on… But if it comes to be true, we'll face it just like we face anything else."

"Of course we will!" Kutaal nodded, proudly giving a beat to his chest to attest to that.

"Binka didn't get much more from the session, either, so… What did you got for us?" Sago asked then, and Kutaal stood proudly, taking a breath as he began.

"Well, only a fraction returned with me, and they are ready and willing to travel again if needed." He started. "I left most of them in the few sections that gave me suspicion, as well as worry for the people, and I left them with the small scale Vovi's for communication. Only a few places, but even so. Xavier stayed in one of the smaller sections and said he will take responsibility for communications."

The others nodding along, listening.

"There weren't many differences from what our sources have been informing us of and what I saw. Petty crimes and civil disobedience to certain degrees, but nothing more and I did what I could in helping with that." He informed them, and then his face scrunched a bit. "But, there were a few that gave me pause."

"Why?" Mushra asked, standing straighter then, and listening more intently.

"Most of the people were cooperative, but some…some tried to avoid me, or seem unwilling to be addressed. This was suspicious enough, that I sought out each one. And what they could tell me, it was so abstract! But, what I understand of it sets me on edge." He shook his head. "There was a woman who recalled strange sightings on one of her travels. A few times, actually. And though only a few, they had once specific detail. One she said sounded like the growling of the earth around her, and another she said she was sure she saw some strange glowing man. Both times, there was a glowing light around the area; she said the light was pink or purple in nature… And then in another town that never crossed the same set paths of the woman's home town, some kids saw something similar! A weird form, wrapped in the light. It vanished, reappeared once more, and then vanished completely. They say it was like nothing they'd seen, or heard, before. And each of them spoke of an unsettlement in the air…"

"Dark Enterrans, maybe? If it's purple energy they saw…" Sago suggested.

"It's very possible, but how can we really say for sure..? Or if that was even a malevolent being? Not all dark Enterran's are exactly bad; look at Mushrambo." Binka pointed out.

"You didn't see his past where he almost killed Yakumo when she was a child."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but didn't your celestial knowledge bring to the surface the fact that Lanancuras had influence over the Generals? Maybe Mushrambo's dark intentions were brought out by him, and not Mushrambo himself…"

"I can't be sure, not all my memories and knowledge from that life are concrete up here." Mushra tapped his head but shrugged. "But I understand your point. Either way, it's something that needs to be looked into."

"I can round up the rest of the group I came back with as soon as you need it, my friend! Surely, if I cross their trails, I might cross what they sighted?" Kutaal offered.

"Maybe. Though if we're going to send any more of us out, I feel like they should be sent to find that canyon town." Sago offered to the others, who looked to him. "Go to Gerran, get him to point you in the right direction, and get to the bottom of that rumor. If it turns out to be a real, then if you proceed, do so with caution."

"It might be better to report back instead of engage." Mushra suggested and Sago nodded, as did Kutaal.

"You could always send a message to Xavier and get him to test around for the glowing encounters." Binka offered.

"Brilliant idea! That shall be my next task on our way home—the kittens are already preparing a feast for tonight." He stated excitedly, his tone and attitude changing on the subject of food.

"We should probably fill in the girls, right?" Binka offered. "I mean, I know they've been sort of out of duty on these things lately, but they should be informed."

The others nodded. "We'll do that now. Besides, Heather's expecting another round of sparring today." Mushra stated with a smile, cracking his knuckles as he set off down the steps with the others following in tow.

The travel back, with their next task being bringing the girls up to speed, was of course spent talking about their current state, well-being, and progress. Binka accounts to having seen them all getting better and better, more like themselves. Heather especially, with Winter right there with her, though Heather seemed to be the driving component to the bettering of them all. She also made the observation that Jaden seemed the most closed off still. Like she didn't know where she fit, who she was, or even what power in her life she held anymore.

"She'll come around. Especially with Heather pushing her." Mushra commented. "If anyone can get through to her, it'd have to be her, if she doesn't get to that point herself or by some other miracle. I just hope this all hasn't turned them completely away from being here… It'd be too…different if they stopped coming around, y'know?"

The others nodded, Sago verbally agreeing. He, too, hoped to see Jaden better, as well as the others. To see just as much fire in her eyes and voice and heart like when she'd stand against or beside them before, not just the fire she seemed so fearful of. She just needed control, and understanding of it. It was so much easier then…

Binka closed the space first, but before she could open the double doors, a few Enterran's came bursting through, running out and blowing out a puff of smoke in the process.

"What the hell?!" he watched the people run, one of them talking about 'her' being a danger, the other talking about needing to get some water or water Enterrans.

They all raced in the gym to find half of it on fire, most of the flames small scale, though some licked up towards the ceiling. They took in the entire situation before leaping into action. Half the Enterrans were either helping or fleeing, and those helping were finding what they could to put out the flames—there were already black singed areas where fire had been put out already. Then there was Winter and Alex heard over the panic of the other members of the gym.

"Jaden, Jaden, it's okay! Sis, it's okay, you're alright, everyone's alright!" Winter was urging her sister to understand, but there was slight panic or worry in her voice as she edged closer to the red haired hybrid, who backed away with each stop they took, mumbling and gripping tight to herself.

Alex was by Winter's side and was even trying to calm her, as well. "Hey, it's alright. Not ones hurt, you're alright. We're right here with you."

"NO! Get back!" Jaden yelled.

Heather, who was just ahead of the other two, stood completely between the two of them and Jaden and started stepping back to get them to back up. "Alright, Jaden, alright, we're backing up." She spoke carefully.

The others came over, Binka and Kutaal helping in putting out fire as Sago and Mushra came to the girls. Jaden would not look up to make sure Heather was telling the truth, she just kept backing up until she bumped the wall.

"Jaden…" Winter began again, but was cut off by Heather when Jaden did look up with a crazed, fearful, and angry look on her face. She seemed…absolutely terrified.

"…Jaden, please, it's okay." Winter tried again, but it did not bring the desired result.

Instead, Jaden spits, "Does this look okay to you?!" waving at the flames, only to cause more across the ground, which just caused her to whimper and slide across the wall, away from them.

Sago, with Mushra, try and step forward, but Heather turns to face them all, the girls included. "This isn't helping, so you two have to stop," she directed to the girls as considerately as she could, before looking to the boys, "and you two don't need to start… It was me that started this; me and her sparring… She was...pushing herself because I urged her to, but some if it just…" she shook her head, and then turned back to her friend.

She was silent and still for a moment, before she took a step towards her friend, her hands up. "Jaden…" she does not speak to sooth, nor to scold—she speaks as normally as she ever would. "He's not here. Trust me. Ryuma's gone, and he not coming back. No one will force you to do anything you don't want to do, like that, again." She began, and Jaden was just looking away, as if acting like no one was there helped. Heather swallowed, her hands lowering a bit. "I'm sorry I pushed you. But you know, I'd never push you beyond what I thought you could do, and could be alright with doing. We can take it slower, alright? And I promise, we'll still get there. Alright?"

Jaden slowly looked to Heather, looking like a wounded animal. So afraid, but so in need of help. For a brief moment, she seems like she heard Heather, and understood, and might could take comfort from her words and calm. But as Heather took another step, panic crossed her face, and Jaden broke into a sudden and brisk run around the lot of them all and straight for the door which she busted through to the outside.

"Jaden!" half of them call for her, but it was Heather and Sago who ran out after her.

Winter, near-gasping in her worry for her sister and the fighting of the sting in her eyes, just stands watching the door. "I should go after her with them…" her voice broke.

"You'll help more here, Winter…" Mushra stated carefully, as he saw from how Jaden had taken her talking to her and how she'd taken Heather, how only the latter had almost gotten through to her. "Don't worry—those two can handle her, I think. Do you mind..?" he asked, also giving her something to do, suggesting she use her power on the greater flames still left that people were having trouble finding something big enough to put them out.

Winter sighed, shutting her eyes as a few tears fell. But she nodded and raised her hands, letting the chill flow to quell the burning flames.

I I I

Run. Run far. Run fast. Run hard.

I have to run.

I could hear them behind me, but I couldn't let them stop me. I'd burned someone already from a burst of emotion; blasted trees apart, carded Parasite even if he deserved it, and nearly burned down the gym. They could be lying…someone was probably burned from that, too.

Gasping, I didn't understand why. I'd run faster and further back on Earth since my change and I never got winded this soon. I realized I was gasping from the battle between myself and my tears. And I kept fighting it. Tears would blur my vision.

This was too much, it was just too much. I'd hurt Heather before, Ryuma made me hurt Heather. And I nearly did it again. I couldn't take this. It's too much. Too much, it's too much.

I was gasping at these thoughts, and found myself almost stumbling forward. I stopped briefly to catch my breath, to get some hold, but I heard them coming, their footsteps and their voices calling. I shook my head as they called for me to wait, and I shot into a run once again.

"Jaden, please, wait!" Sago called behind me.

"Jaden, stop!" Heather called as well.

"Leave me alone!" I nearly screeched as my heart was pounding. Why couldn't they stay away?! I would burn them, I would hurt them! I couldn't be around them, around ANYONE! Why had we even come back!?

"Jaden, this isn't as bad as it seems!" Sago called, sounding closer.

My heart beat faster, and I felt like I could tear out of my skin. I kept nearly stumbling and was finding my control of my body harder with everything around me, everything I was feeling in my body and my heart. Why could nothing work for me!

"JADEN!" Heather yelled then.

"Why can't you leave me ALONE?!" I turned then on my heels, and fire burst forth from me, and burned the ground between the three of us like claw marks. My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed hard, staring at it. That could have hit them…why couldn't they see that..?! Heather took a step forward.

If she wasn't going to realize it, then I'd just have to show her. "Please, just LEAVE ME!" I yelled, and as I expected…or maybe intended, a line a fire shot straight towards them as they advanced on me.

Heather just barely avoided it, so close to being burned, and I was sure the blast would get Sago straight in the stomach. But instead, he leapt over it with a spinning leap, landing on his feet…and racing straight for me.

I back away, unsure of his intentions and in my panic, I threw up by hands. I felt the heat as I blasted flame his way without meaning to—and he countered the blasts, putting out the flames with blasts of water from his palms and suddenly his hands were locked with mine, our hands steaming as his blue eyes stared me down intensely.

I watch him as I gasp, unsure what to do, what he intends to do, and what could happen if I so much as move.

And then he speaks, more intensely than I ever think I've heard him speak to me, his face just as intense if not earnest. "No matter what you fear now, Jaden, believe me; you can beat it."

They were blind. And he clearly didn't understand what I, what we had gone through—thrown into such a wild situation, our lives changed so completely; and so far decently negatively… I shook my head. "No…"

"You can."

"No." I repeat, my voice shaking with fear.

"Don't tell me no. You remember before, we'd spar just the same as you and Heather were." He started, and I looked at him, wondering just where he could possibly go with this. "You were a fighter before, you all were; you still are, and you have more strength to fight now. How you got that strength…. Your change has just caused you to lose trust in yourself."

I shake my head, the tears falling and a few sobs tearing through.

"Jaden, I…I understand." He says then, and I try to get control of the sobs to look at him, but I can't. I feel the steam and sting between our hands as we still held one another's. "I went through something that made me lose faith in myself, too. It was a hard lesson that taught me better, taught me to trust myself…" he speaks, his tone becoming more thoughtful as he does so. I finally gained half control and looked to him with streaming eyes.

"…And maybe what you need is to learn it like I did." He says, and I can't make sense of it, or the change in the look in his eyes. He releases my hands and I start backing away, but I stop due to confusion and curiosity. Even Heather, behind him, seems confused.

And suddenly, with a whip of his hand from his chest and then outward, his razor boomerang materialized…and he launches it straight at me.

Mushra: what the heck is he doing?! Jeez, you seem to like physically fighting with him more this time around.
Me: oh hush, it fits in the story, it has a purpose.
Mushra: sure, that's the only reason you have it that way.
Me: *throws a pillow at his face* you and Heather physically fought all the time, shh.
I hope you enjoyed, review if you like, next chapter coming next~!
Mushra: Well obviously.