"WEEEE!" David yelled in delight as he fell through the endless technicolored dream, or as Kizuna saw it, a nightmare. David was twisting and turning, doing all sorts of flips and tricks as they freefell past untold worlds. He looked like a kid in a candy shop as they flew by, with him wide-eyed and trying to get a good look at them before they were out of sight. From them came a cacophony of sight and sound and David was lapping it all up. He spotted Kizuna wearing a rather uncomfortable look on her face. "C'mon, Kizuna, let loose a little!" He called to her over the rushing wind in their ears. "This is soooooo much FUUUUUN!"

"I-I'd rather not…" Kizuna said, trying to hold herself together. While not quite as unpleasant as the first trip, it was still rather gut twisting. At least now she was ready for it. David doggy paddled over to her and laid on his side as though they were both on solid ground. His large ears flapped wildly in the wind.

"Y'know, when you were going on about being a secret agent, I thought you were full of it! But look at us! On our very own isekai adventure!" David spun around as he did so, soaking up all of their flashing surroundings. Kizuna groaned, hoping that the suitcase would spit them out soon. She hoped that wherever they landed, it would be soft, hopefully softer than the bush she hit the first time. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know what the rules were for how they would come out the other side of the suitcase - what if they were dropped a hundred feet in the air? What if they opened up underwater? These questions did little to quell her anxiety.

There were suddenly some brown fingers snapping in her face. "Hey, you still in there?" Said a disgruntled looking David. He brought his hands back to himself and folded them. "Did you leave your mind behind at the prom?"

Kizuna shook her head to knock the negative thoughts out of it. "Sorry, Davie… what's up?"

"When you told me we had to save the universe, I totally thought you were lying!" He laughed. "Like seriously! I just went along with it as a joke! Thought it was a poor attempt to steal me from my date!" He narrowed his eyes a little. "Unless this still is an elaborate scheme to steal me from my date…"

Kizuna laughed nervously, and felt a little hurt that David had doubted the veracity of her story. "Ah! No, totally not at all, Davie!" She smiled nervously and waved her hands out in front of her in a 'no' motion, trying to convince him of her pure intentions, but then frowned a little, thinking back on what she'd lost, and the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders. Hopefully with David, it wouldn't be too heavy now. "And yeah… it's all too real."

"So what exactly is it we're gonna do once we get there?" David asked, readjusting his falling position. "Are there some bad guys to fight? Are WE going to be the bad guys?" He tapped his chin in thought and looked up, or at least, what they perceived to be up. It was hard to tell.

This was a good question, one that Liam had been very vague on. How were they going to save the Candyverse? He said she had to set the different worlds back to normal, but if they were all different from her own, what would be considered normal there? Her teacher's words echoed in her mind, 'These worlds differ from our own. Some slight, others far more notably…'

David whistled and waved his hands in front of Kizuna's face. "Yo, mission control to Kizuna! Are you reading us, Kizuna?" David folded his arms, now falling upside down. Kizuna groaned.

"I… I don't really know…"

David raised an eyebrow. "You don't know if you're reading us?"

"No! Not that!" Kizuna shook her head. "I just mean… I'm not sure what we're supposed to do. I guess we'll find out when we get there…"

"You're not a very good secret agent." He said, flatly. "And I thought I told you my codename was Big Chocolate."

"I'm sorry…" Kizuna said pathetically. This was nothing like how she thought things would go, and they had hardly done anything yet. David looked ahead and squinted.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, cupping his hands around his eyes like a faux pair of binoculars. Kizuna followed his gaze and saw what he did. A white spot was just ahead, and growing larger. This must be their destination.

"Brace yourself!" Kizuna said, putting her hands over her head.

David looked at her. "Brace for wh-"

FWOOMP! SLAM!

Kizuna shot out of the suitcase and tumbled across some grass before being stopped by a sturdy tree trunk. "Oof!" She groaned. Her pain wasn't over, as David came barreling out after her and found himself rolling into her lap. He looked a little dazed himself, having been unprepared for the sudden jolt.

Kizuna smiled down at him when she regained her senses. "Hi Davie!" She giggled at the dog laying in her lap.

David blinked and sat up next to Kizuna. He looked around at the world around them. "Well, that wasn't too- BLEURRGH!" His stomach gave way and he vomited, fortunately for Kizuna, away from her, and keeled over. "I think I just spilled some drama… ugh…"

Kizuna gave him a light pat on the back. "Just give it a few moments, Davie. You'll feel better." Kizuna took a look around herself. Grass. Trees. A little path that weaved around them, and around a large lake. There was no shortage of others milling about, laughing, talking, playing. None of them looked to have noticed them. It was a little hot out too. Everything was normal. Totally and completely normal. In fact, if Kizuna didn't know any better, she'd say she was home.

David wiped his mouth with a leaf and sat up straight again. "Alright, let me use my super senses to find out what's off here." David cupped his eyes like he had before and scanned the immediate surrounding area, with some beeps and boops added for effect. After he looked around, he lowered his hands. "No anomalies detected." He said in a faux robotic voice.

Kizuna grimaced. Figures It wouldn't be so easy. She got to her feet, legs still a little wobbly from the trip, and offered a hand to David. "C'mon, Davie. Let's go for a walk. Maybe we'll see something."

David didn't take her hand, opting to hop to his feet instead. He dusted himself off. "When we're on the job, it's Big Chocolate."

Kizuna smiled a little. It was such a silly name, but David's silliness was one of the things she loved most about him. Even if this mission was going to be stressful, she could at least count on him to cheer her up, even if he didn't know he was. "Right, right, of course, Big Chocolate." She said with a wink.

They walked together along the winding path through the park. Kizuna's heart raced, the whole time debating if she should try to take David's hand or not. She always dreamed about going on a park date with him. "Hey, you haven't given yourself a codename yet." David pointed out. "You'll blow our cover!"

Kizuna hadn't given much thought to a codename. She was really only humoring David with his, but if he was going to insist on being called by one, she may as well come up with one for herself. "Hmm…" Kizuna tapped her chin. "Maybe…" A lightbulb went off in her mind, and she wore a mischievous grin. "My codename will be… Babe!"

A few kids ran across their path, laughing and tossing a ball. David raised an eyebrow. "Babe?"

Kizuna giggled and nodded. "Mhm! Call me Babe!" She felt so proud of herself for coming up with a way to have David refer to her affectionately. This feeling didn't last long.

"You mean like the pig? From that movie?" He asked, breaking the mood. Kizuna's smile dropped.

"I- wha- uh…" She stammered, completely flabbergasted. Leave it to David to totally misunderstand her.

"Cause I loved that movie as a kid!" David exclaimed. "I don't think people give it enough credit. There are some really deep the- AGH!" David found himself hurtling toward the ground. Kizuna jumped a little at the sudden yelp and her and David both looked down. David was so busy talking, he didn't look where he was going and had tripped over a girl sitting next to the path in a soft patch of grass. A crying girl. A very curly furred crying girl.

"D-Davie?" Daisy sniffled, recognizing the trippee. She was a little banged up from being tripped over, but this wasn't why she was crying.

David jumped to his feet and stood next to Kizuna. "David? I've never heard of that guy in my life!" David said, putting on his deepest voice. "My name is Agent Big Chocolate! And this is Agent Babe!" He gestured to Kizuna who gave a small wave and smile.

Daisy wiped her eyes and smiled at what she thought was David just playing a game. He was so enthusiastic about it, she couldn't help herself but to feel a little better. "I know it's you, Davie…" Daisy squinted through her teary eyes up at Kizuna. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are…"

It did hurt Kizuna to be forgotten again, but she couldn't blame the girl. Of course she wouldn't know. "That's… fine. It's not important." The girl softened up at Daisy's distressed look. Tear tracks glinted on her fur in the summer sun. "Are you okay?"

Daisy was hesitant to open up to a total stranger. In truth, she wasn't okay. She had spent the better part of the last few days bawling her eyes out over her now ex boyfriend Paulo. "I… Paulo has b-been real strange recently…" This was directed more towards David than Kizuna.

David tilted his head in curiosity. "More strange than usual?"

Daisy frowned. "He's never been strange! Not like this! He's just…" Daisy sighed. "He's been really interested in Susie lately… but he's supposed to be my boyfriend! And he just keeps…" The selkirk ragamuffin whimpered. "I love him so much… why is he doing this? Abbey was right about him!"

Kizuna could see Daisy getting all worked up again. They weren't in a relationship in her time, and thinking about it, the way Paulo was back then, it felt like an impossibility. But the way Daisy cried and anxiously played with her fur made it clear that they had something special together.

Daisy wiped more tears out her eyes. She thought about her and Paulo's conversation at the lake, about how she accepted that one day things might not work out. She just couldn't have imagined how hard it would really be, or how soon. He was all over her one moment and the next… he was carrying on about Sue. And he hadn't stopped going on about her since that night. Daisy was just a friend, the little sister, once again. Paulo was like a completely different person, and everything they'd gone through didn't matter to him anymore. He didn't even remember any of it.

But more importantly, this seemed like it was out of the ordinary. Kizuna paced back and forth, a hand behind her back as she used the other to gesture as she talked. After a moment, David started doing the same, though it was Kizuna who spoke. "Paulo suddenly starts acting strange… is completely in love with someone else…" Kizuna stopped. So did David. "Is there anything else you remember? Anything at all?"

Daisy shook her head. "N-no… we were watching fireworks, and…" She looked at the two in a sudden bout of realization. There HAD been something else off that night. Something she hadn't given much thought before. "Wait…" Daisy whispered. "There… there was this bright light… and it a loud bang, louder than the other fireworks… and then…" The girl gasped. "You don't think… maybe that had something to do with it?"

"Hmm… Sounds plausible… most plausible indeed…" David mused, trying to sound smart and tapping his chin as he'd seen Kizuna done. "Do you know where he is now?"

Daisy frowned and folded her arms. "Probably chasing after Susie. That's all he does anymore." She said bitterly.

"Then that's where we'll go!" Kizuna exclaimed, relieved that they had hit a lead so early. Yet, knowing Paulo, him chasing every girl he saw was par for the course. What if this was meant to happen? They still had to at least check it out, though. "Lead the way, Daisy."

Daisy nodded. "We'll check the game store. I think Susie mentioned something about looking at new games with Amaya there the other day." The selkirk ragamuffn started off in the direction of the store. As they walked, Daisy would occasionally give strange glances over at David. After some time, she worked up a nerve to ask, "Davie… you seem older."

Kizuna gave David a look that told him he needed to come up with a lie. Lying wasn't really in David's repertoire, but he was willing to give it the old college try. "Well, you see, I had a growth spurt!" He said with faux pride, chest puffed out and jamming a thumb towards himself. "Glad you noticed!" Kizuna facepalmed.

"And what's your name?" Daisy asked Kizuna, not forgetting she was still there.

"Like Big Chocolate said." Kizuna said nonchalantly. "Babe. Agent Babe."

Daisy gave an unamused look. "I mean, what is your real name?"

Kizuna stiffened up in an attempt to look more official. "That's classified. What's important is that we help you."

"But why?" Daisy tilted her head. "I mean, don't get me wrong." She chuckled. "I do appreciate your help… but what do you get out of it?"

"Beats me." David interjected with a shrug. "She only told me that-" But David was cut off by Kizuna putting a hand over his mouth. She smiled anxiously at Daisy.

"What he means to say is that it's just the right thing to do." Kizuna said quickly.

Daisy smiled. "Thank you! I wish more people were just as sweet as you, Agent Babe!" Daisy played with her curls as they exited the park and headed down the sidewalks of Roseville. "Mikie's like that too. And so was Paulo. Until…" Her smile slowly faded away. "How will you guys help?"

"Brainwash him into loving you again!" David blurted out, and Daisy looked like she wasn't on board with that plan.

"We'll just see when we get there." Kizuna smiled reassuringly at the girl. "Just a big misunderstanding, I'm sure."

"I hope so…" Daisy replied, a newfound hint of hope seeping into her mind. She still didn't know much of what was going on, but Kizuna and David seemed like they had it all under control.

The walk to the game store was short. It was a small family owned game store on Roseville's main street. Above the large windowed front, a brightly colored sign read 'Bytes N' Bits'. It was a specialty shop as well, they offered many old games on top of the new ones. Well before they reached the store, however, they could hear arguing between two of the patrons, a male and a female.

"UGH! Will you just leave me alone, Paulo?!" Yelled the female voice. The three of them recognized this as Sue's voice.

In a voice they knew belonged to Paulo, they heard, "What the hell, Sue? When did you start to hate me again?"

"Oh dear…" Daisy said, and she looked as though she wanted to disappear. They came upon the scene, where they saw a very ruffled Sue and Paulo, and a very uncomfortable looking Amaya.

Sue looked completely flabbergasted. "Hate you again..?" She said quietly, trying to piece together Paulo's insane ramblings. Sue considered herself to be a patient girl, but whatever low tolerance she had for the womanizing somali was quickly eaten away. "Hate you again?!" She repeated, more annoyed, her anger building like fiery magma. "News flash moron, I ALWAYS HATED YOU!"

Amaya anxiously tugged on Sue's arm, wanting to leave the tense situation. Paulo and Sue had been at it for days now, and the screaming matches were really getting to her. She didn't like raised voices at the best of times. "C-c'mon, Sue… let's just go."

"Amaya can talk?!" Kizuna asked, mouth agape.

"Maybe we should let this world get destroyed." David commented.

Daisy looked at him, horrified. "The world's gonna end?!" She gasped.

Kizuna gave David a look of frustration, and the dog covered his mouth. "Did I say destroyed? No no, this was just a figure of speech! What I meant to say was-" but he was cut off by Paulo yelling at Sue again.

"I KNEW I COULDN'T TRUST YOU!" The boy threw his hands in the air and paced up and down the sidewalk. "The high and mighty Susan, always waiting to put me down!" He stopped and looked at her with a mix of frustration and hurt. "I thought we were past all this! What about all that time we spent together? Does that mean nothing?"

Sue's eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets, and probably be replaced with fire, and Kizuna could've sworn she could see her veins throbbing on her temple. "WHAT. ARE. YOU. TALKING. ABOUT?! When have we EVER spent time together, outside of the last few days? WHEN I DIDN'T EVEN WANT YOU AROUND!"

Paulo backed down and looked hurt. In his eyes, his heart was cracking, and his body posture went limp. "I really thought we…" He sighed. "Whatever. I get it. I hope you're happier without me."

"I will be." Sue folded her arms with finality. "I can't believe you're going to act like this after everything all of us did to help you and Daisy."

"Tch, typical Paulo." Said a scolding voice from beside the three onlookers who were watching the whole scene unfold. They all looked over, having been so distracted they hadn't noticed the newcomer walk up. It was Abbey, who was glaring at the somali, his arms folded as well. A deep scowl rested upon his face. "Always trying to get with every girl he sees. Pathetic. Doesn't deserve Sue. Or you, Daisy. Or anyone." Everyone turned their attention back to the blowout in front of them.

Daisy, who's heart was breaking all over again watching Paulo and Sue arguing, sniffled back some tears and looked at Abbey. "I… I thought you were okay with him… with us…"

Abbey looked at her quizzically. "When did I ever say that? You and Paulo? You can do better than that." The abyssinian wiped his brow and yawned. "Is it just me or is it quite warm for December?" Everyone slowly turned their gaze to him again. With all the new, confused eyes on him, he asked "What?"

Kizuna leaned forward so she could get a better look at Abbey, who was standing at the far end of the group. "Abbey, how did you get here?"

Abbey squinted at the tan dog. He was trying to work out who she was, but nothing was ringing a bell. "I'm very sorry, but I don't seem to recognize you."

Kizuna figured as much. "I know, I know. Just answer the question."

"Well…" Abbey said, thinking back on the last 24 hours. "I remember going to bed wi- I went to bed. It's Christmas break. Right?" He looked to his friends for validation, now second guessing himself. They stared at him blankly, which only made him more self conscious. "Uh…erm… And then I fell asleep and… And then I… I…" Abbey looked down at his hands, unable to recall how exactly he got there. He fell asleep, and then he was… blank. Everything was so fuzzy. "Huh…" He said softly, sounding really worried. "I don't really know. I just… I don't…" He looked back at the three. "Am I dreaming? Is this a dream?"

Kizuna got as far as inhaling and opening her mouth to speak when David stepped in. "Yes!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger up, matter of factly. "This is aaaalllll a dream!"

"Funny." Abbey said, not buying David's explanation. The brown labrador was not a good source of information, in his opinion. "It doesn't feel like a dream."

"It doesn't matter!" Kizuna interjected quickly. "We're gonna have to ask you to come with us."

"I'm not going with you!" The brown cat scoffed. "I have to get back to-" Abbey stopped himself, cheeks turning red. "Never you mind! I have things to do today."

"I'm afraid we aren't taking no for an answer." David said, grabbing Abbey by the arm.

"Hey!" The cat squirmed in David's grip, but it was to no avail. David was stronger and bigger than him. "Unhand me!"

Things had died down enough between Sue and Paulo for them to notice the four friends who were having a conversation of their own. They both looked very embarrassed that their argument had gathered an audience. Simultaneously, upon seeing David grappling with Abbey, they said. "David, what are you doing?"

The dog turned around and waved excitedly. "Hey Paulo! Good to see ya! We didn't hear ya yelling or anything, we just so happened to be walking this way."

"Paulo…" Daisy walked forward a little. "Let's go, okay?"

"I appreciate it, Daze, but I'm trying to figure this out right now." Paulo said, eyeing Sue.

The burmese balled her fists and faced Paulo. "There is nothing to figure out, jackass!"

Amaya took a few steps back "I'm… just gonna leave. I'll see you later, Sue." She turned and walked away down the sidewalk, past the group. It was just too much for her.

Sue softened up. "Amaya, wait!" She called, and chased after her. Paulo stood his ground and frowned after the girl. When she was out of sight, he sighed and his ears fell back.

"Thought I knew her…" He lamented.

"Alrighty!" Kizuna said, popping up. "So you and Abbey are going to come with us…"

"What?!" Paulo said at once.

"Yeah…" Kizuna said slowly. "David!" David didn't respond. Kizuna looked at him, questioningly. She was met with a blank gaze from him, and she understood. "Agent Big Chocolate."

David snapped to attention. "Yes, Agent Babe!"

Paulo looked back and forth between the two. "David, is this your girlfriend? When did that happen?"

Kizuna felt a little happy hearing someone think they were a couple, she blushed a little, but shook it off. "It d-doesn't matter!" The girl pointed at Paulo. "Agent, grab him and let's go!"

"Wait!" Daisy protested as David did what Kizuna asked. Abbey had all but given up trying to wrench himself free and let himself be dragged along as David snatched Paulo before he could run. "Where are you taking him?!"

"We're just gonna go have a little chat." Kizuna told Daisy, and then turned her attention to David. "Alright, Big Chocolate. Bring out the suitcase." But David did not bring out the suitcase. Instead, he stood there stupidly, staring blankly back at her. "The suitcase." The girl repeated.

"Well I don't have it. I thought you had it." David replied, holding onto a struggling Paulo with one hand.

"You may as well just give up." Abbey grumbled to Paulo. "He's got a vice grip."

"Speak for yourself, big ears!" Paulo grunted back, trying and failing to karate chop David's arm.

"No! No!" Kizuna facepalmed. "Why! We must have left it in the park! We have to get it back before someone takes it! Let's go!" The girl took off running with David dragging Paulo and Abbey behind in hot pursuit.

"Waaaaait!" Daisy cried, running after them as well.

As they all got closer to the park, there was a massive crowd of people running out towards them, screaming and yelling. They paid no attention to where they were running, only caring to get out of the park as fast as possible. "Oh, now what?!" Kizuna groaned, being overtaken by the crowd, shoving and jostling her and the others. Once they pushed past the panicked people, they saw the park was mostly evacuated, save a few stragglers running for the street. Then the five saw what the parkgoers did.

Walking around, strutting confidently, was a scraggly looking thug wearing a red bandana. There was a scar that went down his left eye. In his hand was a rather large, ornate revolver. It was made of gold and silver, embedded with jewels that glinted multicolored reflections in the sunlight. He fired a few shots into the air for fun with a loud 'POP POP'. The man grinned and spun the barrel. Daisy and Paulo's eyes went wide, and suddenly Paulo began struggling even harder against David. "Dude! Let me go! Seriously! We have to get out of here!"

Daisy shrunk behind Paulo, hugging his free arm. "P-Paulo… it's him!"

"Who?! Who is that?" Kizuna whispered, as the thug hadn't yet noticed them and she wanted to keep it that way. Abbey and David shrugged.

"H-he attacked us in an a-alley once." Daisy whimpered. "H-he almost k-killed Mikie and L-Lucy!"

"Isn't that the suitcase?" David nodded to the black case laying on the ground where they'd popped out - just feet away from the thug.

"Darn!" Kizuna hit her palm with a fist. "We need a distrac-" POP! P'TANG!

A bullet whizzed past Kizuna's head, the wake of which she felt. Everyone jumped, and Daisy yelped. "Well, well, well!" The thug said with all the arrogance and confidence he seemed to radiate. "Finally, we meet face to face!"

"We don't want any trouble…" Kizuna held up her hands.

"Sucks to suck." The thug said. "'Cause that's all you're gonna get." He spotted Paulo, who was desperately trying to get away. "Hello, punk! Been a while, hasn't it? Still as big a pussy as ever I see. Oh, and what's this?" He leaned to the side to get a better look at Daisy. "It's the little fatty that couldn't!" He laughed.

"You leave her alone!" Both Abbey and Paulo growled at the man, who laughed mercilessly.

"I'll bother whoever I want! I'm kind of a god now, you know? I can go anywhere I want with whatever I want!" He sneered at Kizuna. "Should I even bother introducing myself to you? You ARE about to die."

"Try me." Kizuna said, trying to stall him while she came up with a plan.

"My name is Alejandro. It'll be the last name you ever hear." He said, taking aim at her.

"Not if I say my name!" David called out. Alejandro lowered the gun and looked at the other dog he hadn't paid much mind to. "My name is David!"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" Alejandro yelled. He lifted the gun again and aimed the barrel at Kizuna's head. "Goodbye, doggy."

Kizuna's eyes went wide and she instinctively dropped to get out of the way. Alejandro fired and narrowly missed her. David let go of Paulo and Abbey, who scrambled for cover along with Daisy. Alejandro fired off round after round, the large bullets echoing in the now empty park. They blew massive holes wherever they impacted. They splintered branches and shot dirt into the air like mini explosions. All the while, Kizuna dodged and zig zagged, diving for cover behind a picnic table just in time. David ran with her, and together they overturned the table to create a small barrier.

Alejandro pointed the revolver at the table and pulled the trigger again, expecting to blast a hole in that as well, but it clicked from an empty barrel. He cursed and popped open the barrel to reload. Kizuna knew they didn't have much time before he would be ready for another barrage. "We have to get that suitcase!" She whispered to David as she peeked around the side of the table. "If we do, we can find something to help us." She sat back, leaning against the wood. "It's me he wants. I'll run the other way as a distraction, and you grab the suitcase."

"But he'll shoot you!" David gasped. "You can't outrun bullets. Not even I can do that and I tried!"

"It doesn't matter!" Kizuna hissed. "This is the best plan we've got!"

They heard a revolver spin and another bang. A bullet shot between them through the table. "Time to go!" Kizuna said. "All you have to do is think about what you want and the suitcase will give it to you, okay?" And with that, Kizuna launched herself from behind the table. Just as she said, Alejandro targeted on her.

"All you're doing is wasting my bullets and my time." Alejandro said as he fired off more rounds. He never had the money to go to a firing range, and this worked out well for Kizuna as his aim was very poor. The dog dove behind a large tree. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see David sneaking off, and Alejandro lazily walking her way, away from the suitcase.

"Let me guess." She called to him, goading him to focus on her. "You were the one in the spaceship."

Alejandro grinned. "You aren't as dumb as you look, huh? Too bad that won't be enough to save you."

Kizuna kept taunting the thug as David grabbed the suitcase and rolled behind another tree, one that Abbey, Paulo, and Daisy were hiding behind. Paulo was covering his head, looking very disturbed, and Daisy was doing her best to comfort him. Paulo only shook his head with a, "No, no, no, you don't understand! I can't… can't do this!"

Abbey sat on guard, keeping his eye on Alejandro in case he started coming their way. Kizuna was doing an excellent job taunting the man, laughing at his poor aim. This only proved to make Alejandro angrier. David put the suitcase down in front of himself and closed his eyes. He had to come up with something, and fast.

Alejandro caught up with Kizuna's hiding place, and the girl ran for new cover. She ran unpredictably, this way and that, and with each shot, Alejandro got angrier and angrier. He was firing wildly at this point, not even bothering to aim. "Just. Fucking. DIE!" He yelled between missed shots.

Kizuna smiled as she looked back at him, but this became her literal downfall. A stray discarded water bottle came underfoot, which caused her to slip up and fall flat on her face. Alejandro grinned wickedly. Now he had her.

"All out of luck." He sneered, walking up on her. He carefully aimed the revolver at her head, and Kizuna closed her eyes, waiting for the end. She had totally failed her mission out of the gate. Liam had put his faith in the wrong person. There was a thud, followed by a bang, and then the sound of Alejandro screaming in agony. Kizuna opened her eyes.

Between her and Alejandro was David wielding a large shield. Alejandro stumbled back, holding his side as it gushed blood from a large bullet wound. It was also at this time several police sirens could be heard in the distance. The thug looked from his gaping wound to the direction the sirens were coming from. Through labored breaths he said, "You haven't won, dog. No matter what happens, you will lose." A bright light engulfed him. "See you soon." In a flash, he vanished.

Kizuna looked up at David, her savior. Her heart raced, and he looked back at her. "Are you okay? No broken bones?" Kizuna just nodded and sat up.

"Davie…" The girl said softly. "You… you saved my life!" She glomped him in a massive hug. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"

"Yup." David spoke cockily, a big confident smile on his face. "I'm kind of a badass like that."

Kizuna looked at what he held. In one hand was the suitcase. In the other, a strong, thick shield with a sizable divet in it. "A bulletproof shield! So smart!"

"Oh my goodness! Are you two okay?!" Cried a concerned Daisy, who was flanked by Abbey and Paulo.

"I am." Kizuna smiled at her. "Thanks to my hero!"

"Way to go, bud!" Paulo said with a thumbs up, still a little shaky. "You showed that asshole who's boss."

Abbey had to hand it to David, too. "I really must admit, that was a good idea."

Kizuna and David separated and got to their feet. "Paulo. Abbey." The girl said. "You have to come with us."

"What about me?" Daisy asked, not wanting to be left alone with a madman on the loose.

"You have to stay here, Daisy." Kizuna said. "This is where you belong."

"I don't understand." Paulo put a hand on his hip. "What is going on here?"

"And why should we go anywhere with you?" Abbey seconded. "You just led us to a crazed gunman!"

The police sirens were getting louder. They would be there at any moment, and Kizuna didn't want to have to deal with them. "I don't have time to explain. You just have to come with us!"

"In this." David lifted up the suitcase.

The three cats in front of them looked at them as though they were crazy. Kizuna sighed. It was a really wild situation. "Look Paulo, don't you wanna see Sue again? YOUR Sue?"

"What do you mean, my Sue?" Paulo asked, eyebrow raised.

"I doubt any Sue is interested in HIM." Abbey scoffed.

"Shut up, big ears!" Paulo balled up a fist and shook it threateningly.

"If you come with us, I promise I will explain everything." Kizuna held out her hand to the suitcase, and David handed it over. "Just step inside with us and we'll get you home. And you too." This last point was directed towards Abbey. "There's a reason why it feels warm for December. Why you can't remember how you got here."

"It's cause it's July, dude." Paulo pointed out the obvious. "How could you not know that?"

Abbey glared at the somali. "Alright. I'm all ears." Though he quickly pointed at Paulo, who looked like he was going to explode from laughter. "Don't you dare say it!"

"Just follow my lead." Kizuna said, closing her eyes, clutching the suitcase. 'Take us to Paulo's Sue.' she thought. The suitcase rumbled and she set it down. Kizuna undid the latches and popped it open. "After you, Agent." She gestured, and David fell in headfirst. Daisy, Abbey, and Paulo gawked at their friend who just vanished into a space all too small for him. "Now you two." She said to Abbey and Paulo.

"I… I don't know…" Abbey said, but Paulo stepped up.

"Outta the way, then!" He boasted. "I'm gonna go." He stepped up hesitantly to the edge of the unknown, and before he had a chance to second guess himself, he was pulled in and disappeared with a surprised yell.

"You too." Kizuna nodded at Abbey. "I'm not going without you."

Abbey looked uneasy, but accepted the order. He stepped up, and in a split second, he too was gone. Kizuna looked at Daisy. "I know this is a lot, but try not to think about it. We'll be back with your Paulo sooner than you think!"

Daisy nodded, still baffled at what she was seeing. With a final thumbs up, Kizuna hopped into the inky blackness of the suitcase herself.