Sorry this took a while.

Life, ya know?

It's a story of Kat and Kit Kalinkas in the Underworld.

They are the Bold and the Brains!

Red H'earring

Kit Kalinkas and Kat Kalinkas had been having pretend games of going to Chaotic in their backyard for as long as either of them could remember. Always under the direction of their father, they could navigate the jungle-gym that was a series of caves or hide behind cardboard boxes while they avoided 'lava'. Dr. Kazdan Kalinkas, their father, casually shared stories of adventures with them even when the twins reached their teen years. It was their secret.

But Dr. Kalinkas was now out of his home more frequently, and wasn't even in the same state when his children received their Chaotic Codes. And right now, Kat and Kit were in the actual place their father had told them could be the one of the most exciting, and the most dangerous place he ever went in Chaotic: Underworld City.

Kit was feeling cautious. He'd heard how hostile and ruthless the Underworld Creatures could be. His dad had told him that it was best to at first go in quietly, find out who had a sense of loyalty to a human, and learn how to be someone the other Creatures could respect. So Kit walked around, avoiding eye-contact with the citizens.

His sister Kat however…. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"

Kat was more than ready charge in head-first to the Underworld. She had never been afraid of the Creatures in the cards and reveled in how in their pretend games it had always been her goal to reach the highest box and attack the Creature from behind that her father was imitating. "It's this way, bro!" Kat had climbed up the side of a stone statue of the Underworld's leader, Chaor, leaning off the horn on his its head and was pointing out in the distance towards Gothos Tower.

Panicking at what his saw his sister doing, Kit called up. "Kat, get down!" The Underworlders were known to be particularly ready for a fight over anything. If their leader, or whatever kind of law enforcement there was here, found out a human had disrespectfully climbed onto a statue of their leader... Kit didn't want to see Kat burned to a crisp.

Kat just laughed at her brother. "Chill, Kit!" In one jump she was back on the ground next to her twin, hands on her hips. "You've been more jumpy than usual today. Relax, we've practically grown up in this place."

Narrowing his eyes at her, Kit reminded Kat, "We grew up in a suburban town, above ground, and playing in the backyard. Plus, Dad's thing happened a long time ago, safe bet that more than a few things have changed since then. Aside from references of thirty years ago, we have no idea what's around here!"

Kat rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You're always the killjoy! Unpredictability is the best thing about the Underworld. We're going to have an awesome time if you just let things go and see what happens!"

"No, Kat I've seen what happens when you do this." Kit argued back. "You go in too fast, too hard, and you end up in over your head! You need to think smart about this or you get us both in serious trouble this time."

"Whoa, what?" Kat was getting a little angry now. "When have I ever gotten you into trouble?"

"Every time!" Kit stated. "Whenever we try to do stuff together you always have to do something to make it more interesting to you and I always have to share the blame with you because I'm the one who has to help get you out!"

"Who says you 'have to'!?"

"Mom and Dad, Kat! They know you can't be trusted on your own!"

"Well, they aren't here. So why don't you just go off and do your own thing while actually get somewhere for once?" Kat stormed off towards Gothos Tower.

"Fine!" Kit walked off angrily in the other direction.

As the two humans walked off, an Underworlder had heard the odd commotion outside and taken a peek out. He looked in the direction Kit was leaving in. "He's back? He's back!" It was H'earring, the long-eared Underworld scout who had once been a friend to a group of Chaotic Players. As H'earring went chasing off in the direction of the male twin, up in the sky, Takinom had seen the whole argument and decided to shadow the female child.

Kit's Story

Kit was fuming after his argument with his sister. Sure, they'd had fights before, but this wasn't over something silly like a Chaotic card or a piece of candy. Real Chaotic means real fireballs, real lava pits, real high-tempered Creatures and real life-threatening danger. To Kat of this was like a game where she could take risks without consequences and make sacrifices that she can undo later. And if that sacrifice ended up pushing him in front of a dangerous Creature, Kit had a strong feeling his sister would go ahead and do it if he stuck around.

"Hot-headed, obstinate, pain in my side!" Kit angrily muttered to himself. "Takes more than a few bricks to knock some sense into her! Maybe getting herself coded will teach her a lesson for once." Kit started thinking this as he walked on. Getting some distance from his sister had helped him cool off, but by the time he stopped and looked around he had no idea where he was. And again, he blamed this on his sister. "If I wasn't so mad at Kat I would know where I am now!"

He brought out his scanner and looked at the map of marked Locations on it. "Well, it says it's the metal district." There were Creatures walking around that seemed only to be Underworld citizens, none of them were warriors and none looked too friendly to ask for directions. Kit had to sigh and admit that his predicament of being alone in a strange place was basically his own fault.

Not far behind, H'earring was having his own vocal thoughts. "That's just gotta be Kaz! But how? Except for the Deep Mines every Creature was affected by the Wrip Wave. Hnn…" H'earring pondered between continuing to follow the boy or going to Chaor to tell him about this. Ultimately, when started going deeper into the city, H'earring followed after him, keeping his ears up to listen to any hint the boy might give on his identity.

Listening closely, H'earring heard the boy say, "I kinda do want see one place from The Map." H'earring didn't understand, but Kit was referring to something back in the human world. When he and Kat were in the sixth grade they tried drawing their own map of the Underworld. They spent hours and hundreds of red crayons on it, and when Kaz came home that night he got right in to helping them perfect it. The Map was finally done between the three of them in ten days! "Dad said there was one friend who lived there who the best Creature to know in the Underworld. I'd really like to see who."

Kit started looking around for a landmark to help him remember which way it was, when a gust of air zoomed by him. Kit stumbled and readjusted his glasses to see what had zipped by then come to a sudden stop in front of him.

"Kaz!" it was Rarran. Not exactly on break from his duties in the Pit, Rarran had ears that could rival H'earring's ability that picked up the human's voice. Curious, the giant bat had loomed over for only a second before identifying his target and swooping in. "It's you… but how?"

"Uh…" Kit was at a loss for words. Rarran was a giant green, hairy bat and one with a bit of a rep in the Underworld. Kaz had mentioned him to his children, but nothing to make Kit feel like they were close.

"The Wrip Wave really messed us up." Rarran continued, still thinking Kit was Kaz. "Overworld, Underworld, everything but the Deep Mines just stopped!" Kit was confused and dumbfounded into silence. Rarran didn't see this as a toothy grin spread out on his face. "But hey! What am I doing? You've obviously had your own time dilemma, but you made it back okay. C'mon , I know Chaor will want to see ya!"

Kit gained his voice back then. "What!?" he said.

Rarran once again took to the air and proceeded hook his clawed feet beneath Kit's arms. They were only a foot off the ground when,

"Stop!" H'earring ran out and yanked Kit out of Rarran's claws by his leg. Kit fell with a thud next to H'earring. The little Underworlder glared up at Rarran. "Are you crazy or something!?"

"Flying is the fastest way!" Rarran shouted back.

H'earring shouted back. "Not that! Rarran, that isn't Kaz!"

"Yes, it is! Look at him, who else could it be?"

"It's been solons! And the last time we saw Kaz he was a fully grown human."

Kit tried to talk, "Um-" but he was immediately shut down by Rarran saying.

"The anomaly affected all of Perim, except the M'arillians! Chaotic Players are the-odd-tribe-out too. If time froze for us, it could have reversed them!"

The two Creature's conversation… Kit tried to understand what they were saying. A time anomaly? That's not possible. Did something happen to Perim? Kit was well above average in his science classes, he knew that the spin of the Earth and be sped up on ultra-rare occasion (A/N: Like this year! We lost a whole second!), but it sounded like H'earring and Rarran were arguing about a longer skip than just a few seconds.

Rarran suddenly shouted at H'earring furiously! "Why are you trying to keep him from going to Chaor, H'earring? You don't have anything to hide do you? Like how the Wrip Wave happened?"

"What?!" H'earring screamed. "You can't accuse me like that! Chaor knows I was with him when the Wrip Wave went across Perim, and I was right next to him when it was over!"

"But Kaz was gone!" Rarran jabbed a claw in Kit's direction. "He was gone just before that and now he's back to being a child! You co-conspirators are both going straight to the Pits!" Rarran released two rays of light from his eyes. "Paralyze!"

H'earring jumped back and pushed Kit to the ground to get him out of the way! Realizing that Rarran was not going to listen or cooperate with them, H'earring took the boys and ran down one of the dark allies of Underworld City. "Run ahead!" H'earring told Kit. Once Kit was out of the way H'earring stopped and used a Confusion attack, disorienting Rarran and allowing the two of them to reach a safer distance.

Now able to catch their breath and talk, Kit sat on a small, wood crate and began talking to the Underworlder. "So, H'earring-"

But H'earring wanted to make sure one thing was clear. "Are you Kaz's son?" he asked. He had thought the same as Rarran until he actually remembered Kaz was well passed this age they last time they were together.

"Yeah!" Kit happily replied. "Dad's Chaotic name was KidChaor. He's told me my whole life about the Underworlders, like you and Chaor."

"So he never forgot me?" H'earring asked eagerly, fishing for a confirmation.

Kit confirmed. "Not for a day."

H'earring looked at the offspring of his old friend. He could see why Rarran might have thought this was Kaz. Their choice of clothes was a bit different, but the eyes, hair and scrawny frame were just the same. Kit even wore Kaz's pink shaded glasses. H'earring smiled at how this human reminded him of his old friend. "Then why hasn't he come back?"

Kit scratched the back of his head nervously and tried to explain. "He… doesn't know yet. Dad's a doctor now, and recently his specialty work called for him to go to a hospital in another state for a few months. My sister and I want to tell him in person as soon as he gets home, though."

"The female!" H'earring remembered seeing the two argue at Chaor's statue. "Kaz has a daughter too!" H'earring giggled imagining all the favors and extra Dractyl scales he could get out of this arrangement! "I thought the two of you looked similar. Where did she go off too?"

Remembering his sister, Kit's anger was renewed. "I don't know and I don't care!" He fumed, crossing his arms.

H'earring saw he was angry, but chose to overlook it. "I thought she looked like him too. But she only has half his personality."

His interest quipped, Kit asked. "Kat? Half of Dad's personality?"

H'earring led Kit down the 'safe' streets down to his house. On the way he shared his own version of Kaz's time in Perim. "…Kaz came and found me after the M'arillian Invasion was over. He brought an entire bag of Dractyl scales, he thought I'd be mad at him."

"Weren't you?" Kit asked.

"Completely." H'earring replied. "Then Kaz went into a whole speech about how terrible he felt after I was controlled and how far he went to try and get me back. Hee-hee, that and the snacks were enough to make me remember that as much as he was pain sometimes, Kaz was the most loyal friend I had!" H'earring was really advertising the scales bid to Kit. The human however, was caught on something else.

Still, thinking about why he left his sister to create her own chaos, Kit asked. "If Kaz was such pain to the extent of getting you mind-controlled, why did you forgive him again?"

"I realized I could never stay mad at Kaz for long." H'earring said the next part without any kind of manipulation. Just taking a trip of his own down memory lane. "Down here in the Underworld, even the closest of friends still shoot fire at each other for any reason. But Kaz could have just left me several times and gone on playing in Chaotic. Instead he came back again and again, he failed, but he risked his own mind even before the worst of the M'arillian's plan happened. Even before that, he and his human friends were loyal to risking their lives for me."

Kit pressed his point. "But why stick around when you know danger is on the way. Didn't you ever think that the smart thing to do would be just to walk off and leave it behind?"

"Now what fun would that be?" H'earring asked. "Sure, at times I thought Kaz's friendship was more trouble than it was worth. And every time I was forced to choose, I always chose to go along despite how bad my ears got burned! Hee-hee! But hey, if there was no risk then I could have easily called my friend worthless. Think about it! What better way to prove yourself than to come through when the risk is highest?"

Kit thought back on this. He and Kat had a lot of history: History of her getting into the trouble and often bringing Kit along for the ride whether he was willing or not. To the point where the twins established boundaries inside of school where they were only seen together walking in and walking out. They developed different reputations, yet still managed to keep a somewhat stable sibling relationship. After listening to H'earring Kit remembered that tat connection was as much his effort as well as Kat's. She really did give a bloody nose to anyone, boy or girl, freshman to senior, who gave Kit a hard time. Just like Kaz was with H'earring Kat did come through as often as she got in over her head.

"We're here!" H'earring announced. Kit blinked out of his thoughts to see where they were. Between two large, thick-stone buildings, was a significantly smaller dwelling sandwiched between them. "Home sweet home!"

"This is…" Kaz looked around where he was. "H'earring… this is where I was going on the Map!"

"Map?" asked H'earring.

Kit smiled down at his new friend. "When Dad was telling me and my sister about the Underworld as kids, he helped us create a map of every place he could pin down from memory. Here, this stop, is where he told me I could find something invaluable in Perim."

"What did he say?" H'earring really did miss his human. He wanted to know what he had been doing all this time.

"He said, 'The best, and most knowledgeable scout in Perim lives right here in the Underworld.'"

H'earring's people were ruthless and hot-tempered by nature. But an Underworlder like H'earring couldn't even think to stop the drops of tears that reflected just how important he had been to this boy's father.

Kat's Story… (A/N: Ehh…Why not?)

Meanwhile, Kat was having her own adventure. She was steamed about what Kit had said. He was defenseless without her, on Earth and here, she thought he would be more respectful and appreciative of her by now! So she figured it would just be about five minutes before a Creature attacked him and Kit would run screaming for her to come save him. "Brothers are so stupid." Kat said under her breath. Talking out loud was Kit's thing, and Kat didn't want to look crazy around here.

She'd beaten up every single, snot-nosed chump who pushed around Kit from grade school and onward! Then he just blames her for making everything harder for him? Sure, she got caught plenty of times. Sure, sometimes Kit got in trouble along with her. Sure, a few times he'd gotten in the way and got a little hurt because of it! Kat felt that she needed something to let off some steam right now. She looked around where she was and spotted a kind of gathering of Creatures, kind of like a rowdy tavern.

Kat walked right past the other Chaotic Players and went right in.

10 minutes later….

There was roaring, furniture crashing, along with fire and punches. Out from the rumpus and destroyed building came a giggling with glee, red-head Chaotic Player with a retro red Scanner in her hands. "Ha ha ha! That was priceless!" Kat looked at all the Creature scans she got during the fight as she raced off into the streets.

"Oh, I gotta do that again!" Kat quickly scanned the Location she was in and ported back to download her deck. Less than a minute later she was back and going into the next tavern, starting up another fight.

Kat Kalinkas managed to start five bar fights in Underworld City in less than an hour!

And she still wasn't done! "Fifteen scans in one day? I'm on a roll!" Kat's objective of either going to Gothos Tower or getting out her frustration at Kit was completely forgotten in her reverie of success. "Those guys even had some boss Battle Gear on them. I love this place!" Kat couldn't wait to rub this in Kit's face! No way was he having as good a time as she was.

As Kat was thinking over how awesome it would be to challenge her friends to matches with Creatures who were on a rage high, she felt herself be swiped off the ground. "Hey!" Kat's grip automatically tightened around her scanner. However the claw that ripped it out of her hands was way stronger than her.

"Can't having you porting away while you're being arrested, little one." Takinom supported the girl with one arm while she set the scanner into a pouch at her hip. "You've caused too much destruction, human! You'll be judged by Chaor for this!"

Kat respected and admired Takinom greatly. Enough that she had even made her Chaotic name after her. But no way was the hot-headed human going quietly even if it was to a place she had wanted to scope out. "No way, lady!" Kat struggled, but Takinom remained unfazed in her flight. "Put me down now! I'm not going!"

But Kat's flight was a non-stop.

Meanwhile…

Kit and H'earring had gone into H'earring's house when the Creature picked up the sound of the Underworlders getting so worked up. The entire time, H'earring shared with Kit all the new things that had been happening in Perim. Including what he had been arguing with Rarran about the 'Wrip Wave.'

"And no one knows how it happened?" Kit asked at the end.

H'earring told him. "No one in the Underworld any way. No one even noticed it at first. I'd heard that something big was going on in the Overworld a few days ago. Then I went out for my snack time, fungus fruit!" H'earring licked his licks while Kit resisted a gag reflex. "Nothing had really changed, except there was a whole new generation of M'arillians. Then Agitos announced that our spies in the Overworld found that… that…"

"That what?"

"I don't know how to explain it! The stars were wrong or something!" H'earring could hear just about everything going on in Perim, but that didn't make him the smartest of Creatures.

Kit tried to reason it out. "That does make some sense. If time only stopped for Perim then it makes sense that the celestial alignment would be different even if it was a thirty 'solon' displacement. But why not for the Deep Mines? Is there a kind of immunity created by the doors? Or by the M'arillians themselves?"

Kit looked over to see H'earring's eyes wildly spinning in his head. The green Creature held his head down until the spinning stopped and said, "Yeah, sure, whatever you want. But long story short, is that Perim lost solons of our lives and only a short time later you Chaotic Players came back!"

"Really?" Kit immediately thought of telling his friends about this. Perim had been frozen in time until Chaotic reopened… Connection? Very possible in Kit's mind. H'earring obviously didn't have much more information, and Kit really wanted to tell the others about this. "H'earring, thank you so much for saving me back there. I owe you."

Magic words. "Oh! Then if you ever need a little inside knowing I- No! No, no, no! That could mean betraying Chaor. Yet… if there was ever a time where I might remember something… fungus fruit or Dractyl scales are good for memory." Kit laughed, knowing full too well what H'earring had been trying to accomplish all this time.

He laughed saying. "And I'll be sure to tell Dad you say hi." As Kit was walking out the door he happened to look up. "What the?" Just in time to see his sister being taken away by Takinom.

H'earring came out and saw them too. "Isn't that-?"

"Kat!" Kit took off running after the winged-Underworlder. "Wait!" H'earring tried to warn him. If Takinom was taking the girl anywhere it was likely to the castle where Chaor ruled from. And even if you were invited in, there was always the chance that you wouldn't come back out. So H'earring, despite a loud voice in his head telling him not to, took off after Kit.

A/N: I wanted to give the twins a little character development time.

And I also threw in a the 'Wrip Wave' to help explain why the Creatures still look the same and why little has changed.

I like reviews, so please do!

Part 2 is comming!