The trip back to Musutafu may have been the longest stretch of awkward silence in Michiru's life. For a person who spent a year hiding from the world in her room, that was saying something. Despite Hitomi trying to engage them in conversation, whether to make them feel better or to even get a better idea of what had even gone on was consistently met with either no answer at all or halfhearted grunts of acknowledgement.

When Hitomi had arrived to pick Michiru, Emeralda and Zelgadis, she had tried her best to be warm and supportive. That was what Michiru was hoping for in this moment of abject loss and failure. Yet, when Michiru actually saw the counselor's face, she could see the strain, the worry and concern that the counselor was struggling to conceal behind a mask. All Michiru could think was that their actions had burdened someone else, likely many others, and it drove her to sit as quietly as her companions.

The EMT who had helped earlier had come back to properly bandage Emeralda's lost eye with wrapping covering a good portion of the right side of her head, covering some of her hair as well as she had too much to simply pull to one side. He had also given her a simple round black eyepatch to wear once the swelling had gone down some more. When Hitomi had asked what happened, Emeralda had simply said "I was careless" and would say nothing more on that, or any other subject.

It was late in the night when the four made it back to UA. As they got closer, Michiru had begun to worry their late arrival would wake other occupants of the dorm but to her surprise, there were lights still on in the building as they pulled up.

Hungry but more than anything exhausted, the three trudged forward, Hitomi bringing up the rear, long ago having given up trying to speak to any of them. Slowly, deliberately, Michiru pulled open the front door after Hitomi lent the tanuki girl her key card, the others having discarded them with their changes of cloths back at the dojo.

The exhaustion instantly left Michiru the moment a pillow smashed into her face, however, causing her to stop in her tracks which made Emeralda and Zelgadis to bump into her, nearly causing all three to fall over. Shaking her head, the fur on her tail on edge, Michiru turned to look at her attacker as she exclaimed "What the hell!?"

Any anger left the tanuki girl as she saw Hina standing up from the couch in a simple light blue night gown, tears in her eyes as she yelled back "I, I told you assholes to be careful! Instead…instead, look at you! Theres…theres only three of you! And Emeralda, look at you! How could you let this happen?!"

Zelgadis looked like he was about to explode in an angry retort but before any words could leave his mouth, he just turned away. Emeralda kept her head down, noticeably shifting back and behind her furry companion. Michiru though, wasn't going to just take it, arms balled into fists at her side as she hotly said "You think Emmy wanted that to happen? You think we wanted this to happen?! All we wanted to do was get home! At least we tried! You could have come with us if you really cared so much!"

At that, there was a flash of anger on Hina's face that was accompanied by the neighboring loveseat exploding into bits of wood shards and cushion stuffing. Without another word, the telekinetic turned and marched upstairs, not to be seen again the rest of the night.

Having watched the exchange from the doorway, Hitomi broke the silence that followed, saying "Michiru, I know Hina can be brash but she did help you to get there, didn't she? I think she may feel responsible for what happened to you, so perhaps when you see her next you could be a little less harsh?"

Turning back to face the counselor, her shoulders already slumped in regret, the tanuki girl replied "I know, I know. I guess I'm, I mean we, are all tired. I don't know whats going to happen now but it can wait until morning, right?"

At that, a throat could be heard clearing, bringing the four new arrivals attention to the table. There, sat Jun, Ranma, Majestic, Principal Nezu and a large-framed police officer Michiru didn't recognize. How a full table of people went completely un-noticed through the prior exchange, Michiru didn't know but she at least looked contrite when she turned to face them along with her companions.

With attention finally on them, Jun spoke, his voice grave "I'm afraid there is still much to discuss tonight, lighters."

The fuzzy Nezu, his seat supplemented with two cushions to make him tall enough to sit at the table and drink the tea that sat in front of him, added "I don't think you three realize the ramifications of what you've done this evening. You've not just betrayed the trust of your mentor, this school and the government of Japan but you've put a spotlight on every other lighter that exists here."

Never one to have authority talk down to him, Zelgadis finally stepped forward to speak, his seething self-loathing set aside for the moment "And just what the hell does that mean? Its like Michiru said, we just wanted to go home and we weren't about to just sit here and let you screw it up!"

It was the officer's turn to answer, standing up to impose his full burley six-foot five frame over the half a foot shorter chimera. With everything going on with All-For-One, Naomasa had detailed one of his lieutenants, Officer Ken Katsuragi, who at this point was less than pleased he was held back to deal with this inseatd of be with the rest of team. With derision in his voice, the officer answered as he lorded over Zelgadis "It means there is evidence to suggest collusion between lighters to break our laws and engage in vigilantism, putting the public at serious risk. You lighters have been treated as guests and victims of our world until now but if we find that good will has been taken advantage of, you will all find yourselves in a…less accommodating situation."

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes, starring up at the officer but saying nothing. Instead, he glanced over at their scarf-wearing 'mentor'. To the chimera's surprise, the older man was looking right at him, a haggard and worn look on his face. He looked absolutely awful, as if his whole family had just been killed right in front of him. As the two locked eyes for a moment, the silver-haired man finally spoke, his voice a bit horse "Did…did he have any family?"

The question confused Zelgadis, as he answered "Who?"

Sighing as he closed his eyes, Jun spoke again "Xellos. Was there anyone important to him back home?"

Before he could check himself, Zelgadis chuckled at the question. This earned the chimera a reproachful glare from Michiru as those at the table showed varying degrees of shock at the reaction. Deciding he was already in deep and might as well go all the way, the chimera countered with scorn as he answered "Family? No, he had no family as you or I know it. I've said it before, he was a mazuku. A monster. He was created by his master, the one and only being he respected and served unquestionably. He was a being feared by most every living creature in my world. Tch, family…."

Then, the rock-encusted sorcerer put his hand in his face as he looked down, trying to contain his bitter laughter as he continued "I'm shocked at him being dead, but only because I never thought I would see the day that it would actually happen. Make no mistake, if Beastmaster Zelas had ordered it, that monster would have killed me and my friends in our sleep without a second thought and with little effort."

Everyone in the room stood stunned, not just by Zelgadis' callousness of his companion's death but also by his explanation for it. For Michiru, as for most others, it raised so many questions. Questions that would have to go unanswered because now Zelgadis' blood was up and he shoot back at Jun "Why do you even care? He was just one more plaything, was he not?"

Those in the room who knew Jun best: Hitomi, Ranma and Nezu cringed at the chimera's words. The former hero's eyes narrowed as his brow hardened and he stood up, the hallow look suddenly gone. Walking up to the rock-encrusted sorcerer, he trembled as he spoke, his voice low and hard "I told you that I was responsible for you all. You may not like how I do things but then, you hardly gave me the chance to do them, now did you? You ran off like you were the only ones suffering, the only ones who had the answers. Now I've lost someone else to HIM! ALL I EVER WANTED TO DO WAS HELP!"

The silver-haired former hero was outright screaming now in Zelgadis' face, shocking the chimera, who just stood there, eyes wide. When he was done, Jun seemed to deflate, slumping his shoulders and seeming to age ten years right in front of everyone. Turning, the lighter's mentor stumbled to the couch, siting down like a sack of rocks as he mumbled "…I just wanted to make it better. It was all…all I could do."

Hitomi rushed over to the man, kneeling in front of him and trying her best to consul the former hero. Watching the two, Michiru was awash in a maelstrom of emotions, no doubt aided by the fatigue that threatened to envelop her at any moment. Still, with all the raw feelings, all the uncertainty, there was one thing the tanuki girl felt she could and should do.

Stepping past the still stunned Zelgadis and taciturn Emeralda, Michiru approached the table, making sure to give meaningful looks at Ranma and Majestic before she bowed low. A light smirk played across the hero's face but Ranma looked around in confusion. Still prostate, the tanuki girl raised her head to speak, her voice full of conviction "I am so sorry for what we did to you two! Of the four of us, it was my decision to go off on our own. Which means its my responsibility for putting you two to sleep and leaving you vulnerable and unable to act during the attack. I am so sorry!"

Standing up and taking a few steps forward, close enough to rustle the furry girl's hair, Majestic laughed as he spoke "No need to worry on my account, young lady! Sure, you all caught me off guard but hey, I got a good nap out of it and thanks to you, I've been let into a very exclusive club that has expanded what I knew to be true beyond my wildest dreams!"

Michiru stopped bowing, confusion playing on her face "Wait, you're not mad?"

Moving to step past the tanuki girl, Majestic turned his head as he answered "I can only speak for myself, of course, but I'm content to know you're remorseful for what you've done." Then, raising a hand to wave as the pro hero began walking to the door, he added "I've done my part, the police can take over guard duty from here. Take care, lighters."

Ranma spoke next, though he remained seated "Can't say I'm too happy being knocked out in my own dojo like that, 'pecially not if there wasn't a good fight first but I'm more pissed at what you did afterward. Ya know you've just made it harder for the rest of us, right?" Then, almost as an afterthought, the sex-changing martial artist added "Besides, you've got one more to apologize to, since you're in the mood."

Still looking confused, Michiru looked about the table again, noticing the tiny unidentifiable mammal sipping tea. Raising an eyebrow, Michiru asked "Umm, I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure we've never met so I'm alittle lost."

Setting his cup of tea down, Nezu hopped out of his elevated seat to bow slightly, one hand down across his mid-section as he said "Quite right, Kagemori-san, we haven't been introduced. My name is Nezu and I serve as principal of this school the lighters have been calling home for almost a decade. Under normal circumstances, we'd be meeting more formally with more pomp and the like but I am afraid that is not to be the case."

Michiru starred down at the odd little creature perhaps a second longer than was polite as she tried to decide just what the little guy even was. Zelgadis' clearing of his throat brought the tanuki girl back to the present as she shook her head and bowed again "I am so sorry Principal, we…we took for granted your hospitality and didn't think how what we did would reflect on you and your school. I, no, we are very sorry!"

As Michiru remained bowing, Nezu's beady little black eyes shifted past the tanuki girl to look at the chimera, who in turn glanced over at Jun before looking back at the small mammal. After a moment, Zelgadis frowned, closed his eyes and bobbed his head up and down in affirmation of Michiru's words. Feeling one more eye on him, Nezu then shifted his attention to Emeralda, who upon meeting his gaze turned away, her hair and bandages hiding most of her face. Still, it was clear to see the regret in the features he did see.

These exchanges only took a moment and Nezu responded to Michiru quick enough for her to miss them entirely. "It is heartening to hear your words, Kagemori-san. I suspect that mere words will not blunt any repercussions you three may face, however. There will be much to discuss tomorrow. Its late, get some sleep and we'll talk again in the morning."

As Officer Katsuragi headed to the door, he said to the three "Until our investigation concludes, you three and Hina are under house arrest. Leave without permission and escort and the full weight of the law will come down on you. Good night."

Nezu also took his leave while Ranma declared he was going to crashed in one of the spare rooms upstairs. Michiru helped Emeralda up the stairs, Zelgadis trailing behind. All three glanced at their broken would-be mentor and Hitomi as they passed. None of them knew how much longer the two stayed there before they, too, retired for the night.

Once Michiru was sure Emeralda was alright and bedded down, she went to her own room, a place she had hoped to never see again. Now though, it was a refuge that many of the people back in Camino Ward didn't have. She knew the three of them had been incredibly lucky this night, even with the loss of Xellos. Even with so much weighing on her mind and her stomach reminding her she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before, Michiru was lost in sleep the moment her head hit the pillow. It was well she did, otherwise the sobbing a room away may have kept her up longer still.

(X)

There had been many times in Emeralda's "short" life that not needing a lot of sleep had been very useful. Being ready at a moment's notice to spring into action or being able to serve as the night watch for her squad had been very helpful. It did, however, often leave her with her thoughts. When she was young this wasn't a problem. It was easy to push away the darkness with happy thoughts of Fei's Kim and her new friends.

That had been a time in her life far too short and more than most, the amber-eyed girl had grew up much to fast. Her thoughts became much more self-reflective and self-critical, made all the worse after the defeat of Deus when reminders of that horrible time such as herself became shunned. This, combined with her promise that she wouldn't be a burden any more, allowed a energic and inquisitive girl to quickly become a quiet and reserved young woman much more comfortable out doing what she knew best than being around people.

Now, after spending the wanning hours of one of the worst nights of her life alone crying as quietly as she could while she played the events in Camino in her head over and over again, Emeralda left her room. The clothes they had all left behind at Ranma's dojo had been returned so Emeralda was sporting the same simple workout attire she had then. As early as it was, it seemed no one else was up yet, which suited the greenette just fine. Heading downstairs, Emeralda went to the training hall, hoping to practice her forms and maybe start to think about what Ranma had said about integrating her abilities into her martial arts. It seemed like a good way to focus on something other than the tortured thoughts that plagued her.

Emeralda's hopes were dashed however when she entered the hall, only to find the master martial artist himself in the middle of a kata. Turning to leave, the tan-skinned girl cringed when Ranma called out "Where ya goin'? You just got here!"

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, Emeralda turned back to respond "My apologies, I didn't realize anyone else was awake yet. I don't wish to disturb you. I'll go elsewhere."

After several short jabs, Ranma launched himself in the air, performing several kicks and a flurry of punches before landing a few feet from the taciturn girl. Seeing no reaction from the straight-faced young woman, Ranma didn't even try his usual bravado when he spoke "Actually, I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you before I headed back home."

Emeralda raised a light green eyebrow "Oh? O-Ok, what did you wish to discuss?"

A small smirk played on the pig-tailed martial artist's face as he said, "the Art, mostly, but honestly, anything you wanted to talk about, I'd be happy to listen."

Glancing away, the greenette calmly replied "I…have nothing to discuss but if you want to talk about combat, I would do so."

Taking a closer look at Emeralda's face while she looked away, Ranma's smirk grew larger "You look pretty good for someone who just lost an eye, Kasim-san. Already sporting that eye patch instead of the bandages. Hell, if it wasn't for the eyepatch, no one would be able to tell you were hurt at all! That's some quick healing! A guy could be excused for thinking you'd be up for a fight."

The greenette's eye widened at that as she faced him again, seeing that confident smirk plastered over his face. Couldn't this guy tell she wanted to be alone? "I'm…sorry, Saotome-sensei. Do you really think that's wise? I am still healing after all."

"Oh, come on, you didn't come in here to meditate, now did ya? Tell you what, you can practice what we talked about yesterday and I'll go easy on ya, whatcha say?" Ranma confidently offered, a knowing look on his face.

Ranma was right, of course. Somehow, even with her usual lack of outward expression, this man had read her like a book. It was impressive and very, very annoying. Still, it was a fair offer and her only other real option was to head back to her room, a prospect that for the moment was very unappealing. Reluctantly, the tan-skinned girl nodded "Fine. However, given my lack of depth perception, I will avoid using bladed or piercing weapons."

His eyes dancing with excitement, Ranma exclaimed "Fair enough! Now get in your stance because here I come!"

(X)

Some time later Michiru awoke to what was becoming the familiar sound of a very empty stomach. Without giving any thought to the kind of bed hair someone covered in fur could have, the tanuki girl stumbled her way downstairs and made for the refrigerator. So absorbed was the starving girl in rummaging for food that she completely missed Zelgadis having made his way to the kitchen as well, in a groggy fog of his own. At the sound of footsteps behind her, Michuru shot up, her hands full of snacks and a riceball already stuffed in her mouth with her hair and fur a complete mess.

Zelgadis, for his part, hadn't even noticed anyone in the room as he searched for some coffee. At seeing a furry creature rear its head out from the weird ever cold box, the chimera most intelligently said as he shot backwards "What the actual fuck! Freeze Arr-"

Frantic waving and the muffled but frenzied attempts to speak with a mouth full of rice was enough to stay the sorcerer's hand as he realized who it actually was. Relaxing as he put a hand on his head from the sudden headache the whole situation was bringing on, Zelgadis spoke again "Geez Michiru, you looked like a wild raccoon or something. Think you could take it down a notch next time?"

"Sawee Zel!" came the tanuki girl's response, as she continued to chew, albeit a more apologetic chewing.

After a few minutes of Michiru brewing up a cup of coffee for the chimera, the two sat together as Michiru continued to munch on random food she was sure was Hina's because that would be her luck. After a few minutes of silence, Michiru thought to ask "So…you have raccoons in your world too?"

Taking another sip of the bitter liquid Zelgadis answered with a rather dry rational response "We certainly have creatures we call raccoons back home. Whether they are anything like what you may be picturing from your world, I couldn't tell you."

The gluttonous tanuki responded between bites "Fair enough. Luckily, we have the power of the internet!" With that, food still in one hand, Michiru pulled out her cell phone and searched raccoons, bringing up some photos for the chimera to see.

Marveling at the sheer amount of knowledge that little rectangle had to impart, the rock-encrusted swordsmen looked over the offered photos and nodded in the affirmative "Sure enough, they look about the same. I guess some things stay pretty similar matter where you go. Is…that what you are, Michiru? I never thought to ask when we were in the cell together the other night."

A bit surprised by the question, Michiru looked over at her blue-skinned companion, his cup held up near his face as he sat with one leg crossed over the other. Seeing he was genuinely curious, Michiru looked wistful as she replied "Its funny. When I first changed, I kept telling myself, and anyone who said otherwise, that I was a raccoon."

"I…take it you're not then?" Zelgadis deduced, eyebrow raised.

"No, I think I've said it once or twice but I'm a tanuki." Came Michiru's response, after which she met Zelgadis' eyes, trying to read his reaction. Seeing none she followed up with "You have no idea what a tanuki is, do you?"

Shrugging, Zelgadis said "Nope, sorry. Never heard of anything like that back home. You'll have to fill me in. Clearly theres a negative connotation associated with them since you tried to deny being one, right?"

Sitting back in her chair, the tanuki girl leaned back, briefly focusing on the ceiling as she replied "Theres not really anything wrong with tanuki, its mostly cultural. Tanuki's are often depicted as mischievous creatures in our stories. Often, they are thought to be able to transform, allowing them to get into even more trouble with humans."

"So, what? You didn't want to be associated with pranksters? Or the transforming?" Zelgadis asked, feeling like he was missing something.

Caught being asked a follow-up after taking another big bite, it was a few seconds before Michiru could respond "Oh it was totally the being associated with mischievous yokai thing. That…and some memories of a friend of mine when I was a kid being called tanuki face by the neighborhood boys because they thought she was ugly. The transforming thing didn't start happening for awhile but I'm told me and my friend are the only ones who could do it."

"Wait, so you're telling me your transforming ability is independent of the fact that you became an animal that just so happens to have a cultural history of transforming? Zelgadis asked, a bit of skepticism in his voice.

"Yes?" came Michiru's weak reply, shrugging.

Almost afraid to ask, the chimera pressed on after rolling his eyes at his companion's answer "And was your friend a tanuki too, then?"

"Nezuna? Oh no, she was a fox!" Michiru quickly answered, happy to think about her best friend.

"Narrowing his eyes, Zelgadis asked in a low, annoyed tone "Let me guess? Foxes can transform in Japanese folklore too?"

Almost reveling in Zelgadis' apparent annoyance at the irony that was her and her friend's condition, Michiru answered with an excited "Yep! You got it! And she's better at it than I am, too! She could grow wings on her back and double her size. I got started with it a lot later than she did."

The conversation was interrupted when an excited Mob clapped from the base of the staircase before he came up to the table saying "I'd very much love to see you transform, Kagemori-san! Hina told me about it but it sounds pretty amazing, even if you don't think you're the best at it!"

Rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, Michiru glanced down at the mess of packaging that was the snack binge she had just been on "Oh Mob, I'm so sorry! I hope I didn't eat anything you were saving or anything! I…hadn't eaten in awhile and…I'm so sorry!"

The plain-looking young man took a look at Michiru's devastation and instead of the justified anger she was expecting, got a beaming smile from Mob, who replied "Oh, I'm just glad you could enjoy it all! I was worried last night when everything happened. You all sneaking off, then Sanada-sensei and the principal came and…well seeing you hungry and well just makes me happy is all."

"Your very kind Mob but I was still wrong. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?" Michiru offered as she began to clean up her mess.

Blushing and suddenly very self-conscious, the meek telekinetic stuttered out "H-How are y-you in the kitchen?"

Dumping the remnants of her destruction in the trash, Michiru enthusiastically answered "I'm no you, Mob, but I'll gladly help!"

Annoyed at how cheery the mood had suddenly become, Zelgadis sat by quietly, continuously cursing this world's strange written language. A more dour distraction made herself known when Huna came stumbling down. The blue-haired girl seemed to completely ignore everyone around her as she made a beeline for the refrigerator. Michiru and Mob stopped in their tracks to watch her, Michiru only realizing at the last moment what she was after when Hina opened the door and a moment later yelled "Seriously! Where is all the fucking food! There were a dozen rice balls alone last night!"

Michiru sheepishly was about to speak up and confess when Hina's eyes went wide in realization "Ranma! Ranma is here, isn't he! That sex-changing bottomless pit! I'm going to slap that smug asshole so hard he won't be able to eat for a week!"

Michiru tried to cut her off as she pleaded "Wait! Hina, you need to calm down, it was-"

"Oh no, fuzzy tail, this one's been a long time coming! Stay out of my way! Why don't you wonder off and get someone else killed, huh?!" The hangry telekinetic bit back, storming out of the kitchen and down the left wing of the house.

Michiru stood there, stunned by Hina's cutting reference to the previous night. Neither she nor Zelgadis had said a word about it, trying to ignore the fact. Until now. Now she was seeing it all over again. Looking out to the table, Michiru could see Zelgadis' eyes expressing a similar feeling.

A moment later though, Mob came to stand just behind the tanuki girl and said softly "Hina can be…harsh but she does care. A lot. She feels just as responsible as you two do, she just…lashes out to express it. Please don't think too lowly of her! Now, I could really use a hand. If Saotome-sensei is still here, we're going to need to have a lot on offer."

A soft smile returned to Michiru's face as she turned to face the bowl-haired young man "Yes! Let's get to work!"

(X)

Hina had expected to see that muscle-headed jackass practicing by himself in the training hall, it was what he always did when he visited, after all. Instead of storming through the doors and tearing into the master martial artist though, the sounds of actual fighting brought her up short. Listening for a moment, she opened one of the doors as discreetly as she could and slid into the gymnasium, guessing whoever was fighting would be too busy to notice her.

Sure enough it was Ranma and…Emeralda? Hadn't she lost an eye, like, last night? As she hoped, neither of the combatants seemed to notice her at they exchanged blows. It didn't take long for Hina to notice that the cycloptic girl was being pushed back, closer and closer to a wall. The bluette also noted there was talking and if she focused, Hina could hear what Ranma was saying. The conversation seemed about as one-sided as the fight, which wasn't surprising considering the two involved.

"Come on, I know you're better than this! You're holding back Emeralda! Why?" Came the pig-tailed martial artist voice as he continued his unrelenting offensive.

A simple, but forceful "I am not!" was the only retort Ranma received.

This sense of holding back, had prevailed the whole of the spare and thinking back, Ranma realized it was present even the day before at the dojo. It was less evident then, sure but now it was painfully obivious to Ranma and he had spent the whole spare trying to snap it out of the amber-eyed girl to no avail. Clearly taunts of her weren't going to cut it so instead, as the two approached the wall, Ranma called out "If this is really the best you've got then clearly, you must have learned from a truly pathetic master! Especially one to have picked someone as weak-willed as you as a student!"

That did it. Within her one good eye, Ranma could see a fire lit as his opponent's mouth twisted in anger. In one of the few moments he let up in his assault, Emeralda stopped simply reacting and went on the offensive, a simple right hook delivered right for Ranma's face. The punch was coming in hard and fast but was painfully predictable and Ranma moved to block and counter. Instead, as her fist was about to make contact with Ranma's blocking forearm, Emeralda's arms suddenly shifted into a swirling pair of cables that proceeded to wrap around and bind the martial artist's arm.

For the briefest of moments, Ranma was surprised but just as quickly, he used his superior upper body strength to leverage the binding cables and Emeralda's own momentum to swing her clean over his head. At best, she'd land hard and the match would be over. At worst, his follow up leg sweep would do the same thing if she landed on her feet. Ranma was partially right.

Emeralda did land on her feet, but instead of being caught off guard and taking the sweep, she immediately lunged forward, her free left arm shifting into a two-pronged fork that extended forward. The fork caught Ranma in the neck, smashing him into the wall as the two points impacted into the wall, pinning the pig-tailed man against it.

Ranma let his surprise show this time, his eyes wide as he struggled for breath. His opponent, mean time, looked almost feral as she growled out "Don't…*huff* *huff* Don't ever…*huff* insult Fei again *huff* You hear me?!"

Raising his hands to signal he had lost, Ranma slumped to the ground holding his throat once Emeralda retracted and shifted back her limps. Running up to the pair, her grudge temporarily forgotten, Hina blurted out "She beat you! I…didn't think anyone could beat you…"

Still sitting and after a few coughs, Ranma felt well enough to respond "Come on, Hina-chan, I've lost plenty of times before." Then, looking up to meet Emeralda's still angry gaze, continued "Its how you bounce back from a lost that counts. Now that Emeralda here has decided to let loose a little, I'll be sure not to pull my punches anymore, ya hear?"

Emeralda picked up on the message, her features softening as she stepped away to give Ranma enough space to get up. Hoping up to show he was fine, the pig-tailed man immediately found himself smashed against the wall, after which he comically twitched before falling flat on the ground. With Emeralda watching on in shock, Hina turned to leave "That's for eating every snack in the house!"

Satisfied, the blue-haired telekinetic left.

Hina was already too far away to hear the master martial artist weakly protest "But…I haven't eaten anything…"

(X)

Hina told Mob to call for her when breakfast was ready and went back upstairs. When she knocked on Shinra's door and asked if he was going to eat, all she got was the flame-footed hero-in-training roundly refusing to sit at a table with those "idiots." Soon the meal was ready and with Emeralda and Ranma joining them, the three newcomers got to see firsthand why Hina had assumed the sex changer had been the one to eat all the food.

It would have been a thing of beauty if it wasn't so annoying. Ranma ate like a man possessed, quickly and nimbly eating everything in front of him and within his reach. Michiru could swear she had put some fish on her plate only for it to disappear the moment she turned away. This was only confirmed when Emeralda's quick reflexes caught the martial artist red-handed. After Hina threatened to wall smash him a second time, Ranma relented and he stuck to just inhaling whatever was left in the middle of the table.

It was only as everyone was cleaning up that there came a knock on the door. Excusing herself, Michiru rushed over calling out "Coming!" When she pulled open the door, the tanuki girl was greeted with the sight of a man who looked like the very personification of exhaustion. With long, unkept black hair, baggy and tired eyes on a head framed by a large scarf around his neck was one Shota Aizawa. Sounding as tired as he looked, the underground hero and UA teacher addressed the person in front of him "Michiru Kagemori, I presume?"

Given the appearance of the guy in front of her, Michiru could be forgiven for thinking the villains from last night had sent a desperate hobo after them. Brushing the thought out of her head, the tanuki girl finally answered, a bit reluctantly "…yes? Can I…help you?"

Heaving an exacerbated sigh, Shota replied "I'm Aizawa-sensei, a teacher here at UA. I've been sent to take you lighters to meet with the faculty and principal. We have some things to discuss. Please don't dawdle."

(X)

Earlier, UA Faculty Room

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have two subjects of immediate importance before us." Principal Nezu declared at the head of the large U-shaped table that now had all of UA's faculty save for the recovering All Might. "The first, and more straight forward, is what to do about the flagging confidence the public has in our ability to keep our students safe."

There was some scattered chatter that this opening declaration by UA's leader which ended when the bear-like mouse continued "Some have been pointing out that our troubles began when All Might began teaching at this school. This is, of course, flawed logic but the fact remains that the Symbol of Peace can no longer protect our students if they get caught in the crossfire again."

The assembled teachers were clearly growing unsettled by the tone Nezu was setting. Still, the mouse-like dog pressed forward "It is a delicate situation. Nevertheless, I believe I know what we need to do to ease the concerns the public has expressed. We must strengthen the faith in the heroes that we have left."

The unease seemed to even out with those last words and Nezu was pleased to see it, his own confidence in his words growing as he continued "Its true the threat we face is still troubling, but we will protect and train with more focus and diligence than ever before. That is why I believe it is time we implement a plan I've had in mind for a while."

Now Nezu could see the raised spirits across his team of teachers, excepting the ever stoic Aizawa of course. With his audience roused, the bear-dog pulled out a folder he had stored in his desk and opened it as he said "The solution will be to house our students here on campus. This isn't a foreign concept for us, we have housed the lighters for years now and I believe, with a modification of their home design, we can use the space beside their building to erect enough housing for the student body."

The response was quite positive from the faculty, even if poor Hound Dog would have greater pressure put on him to keep the grounds safe. After agreeing that in person visits with home room teachers and a second faculty member, the letters to the parents were finalized and set to be mailed out.

With the first subject of the meeting addressed, the meeting could turn to thornier issues. The tired looking Shota was first to bring it up "You mentioned the lighters earlier. Let me guess, they're the other subject of today's meeting?"

"Very astute of you, Aizawa-san." Nezu confirmed "The actions of the four, now three, newest lighters were reckless at best and puts this school in an even harder position with authorities. Are we, in fact, doing out jobs if we let them wonder the sreets and inserting themselves into highly sensitive rescue missions? Are we not liable for such a failure? The question before us is whether to end the lighter program and if we decide to continue, what discipline shall they face? I already know what you're going to say Luminaire-san, but please go ahead."

Immediately, UA's resident substitute teacher and founder of the lighters program stood. The silver-haired former hero had mostly recovered from his emotional breakdown the night before, the deep bags under his eyes the only evidence anything had been amiss. Given that society itself had just been dealt a serious blow, none of those assembled took special note however as many others had less than full nights rest themselves.

Before saying anything, Jun bowed deeply before his assembled coworkers. After a few moments of awkward silence, the lighters mentor spoke, his voice contrite and grave "I must apologize for my students actions. All of their faults are mine. I would implore you to consider that as people brought here and kept against their will, they perceived a way home and took it. Tell me any one of you wouldn't do the same?"

"Come on man, laying it on a little thick, don't you think?" Hizashi Yamada also known as Present Mic replied a bit sarcastically to try and lighten things up. This also brought attention to him, an opportunity he didn't waste as he continued speaking "These kids have been here less than a week, right? We haven't even gotten them their IDs yet. Of course they don't appreciate the way things work here yet, am I right?"

"Perhaps, but this isn't this groups first incident, is it? They've already had one very public fight at the mall and then there was the trouble at the police station. Given the lighters origin isn't public knowledge, can we really just chop it up to circumstance?" the cement-like hero Ken Ishiyama or Cementoss questioned gravely.

"Its not like this is the first time a newly arrived lighter has been a troublemaker. There is president for this sort of thing after all. I think we can weather any public backlash. Besides, it'll all be lost in the media storm that is the loss of All Might anyway." The R-Rated Hero Nemuri Kayama or Midnight added.

"It doesn't matter whether the public cares or not." Shota quickly bit out. "The truth is, these newest lighters have proven themselves reckless which means there is a high probability it will happen again without intervention."

This had not been unexpected from the erasure hero and Jun began to grow uneasy as the ragged man spoke. This could go poorly if he didn't bring context to the other teacher's words. Cutting in before Shota could continue, Jun said "You've never been comfortable with the lighters program, Aizawa. I do hope no personal bias clouds any suggestions you may make."

His eyes narrowing slightly, Shota took the accusation and deftly turned it to his advantage "On the contrary, Sanada-san. My unease is borne from rational thought. Lighters represent, in my mind, far too many unaccounted-for variables, too many unknowns. As such, I find their presence here to be a danger to our students. I hardly think one could find bias in such a line of thinking, don't you?"

As expected from one as cold and calculating as Shota Aizawa. Unfortunately for Jun, the erasure hero's words seemed to be gaining traction. Before he could mount a retort though it was the rescue hero, Thirteen, her domed helmet missing from her bulky spacesuit-like costume who spoke first "Then wouldn't it follow, Aizawa-san, then that if we were simply to reduce those unknows then we would also reduce the risk?"

Grumbling, Shota knew that question could go one of two ways, but knowing Anan Kurose, he knew which way it was going to go.

The underground hero's concern was confirmed when Anan continued "Isn't that what Sanada-san has been doing in teacher and exposing new lighters to our world? We've never had more than one at once before, right? It seems to me that with a bit more reigning in and some help, such concern as Aizawa-san has expressed can be addressed."

Snipe, who unlike Thirteen, refused to take his mask off, nevertheless agreed "That makes sense to me. Reckless and ignorant these youngins may be but it looks like they're good fighters. Maybe some community service for their UA home could be in order?"

"Along with stronger restrictions on their movements would be fair." Sekijiro Kan or Vlad King added.

"Well" Nezu said in a raised voice to bring his faculty's attention back to him "It sounds like at least the majority has agreed that we should continue to allow the lighters to live and learn at this institution. Now, let us settle on the details, should they not be charged by the police, that is!"

(X)

It took the various occupants of the house a few minutes to change from what each had slept/fought in. The wait was interminable for Shota, a man who valued efficiency highly. Clearly his co-workers thought it was hilarious that Nezu choose him to be the one to fetch their otherworldly guests. Its possible the fuzzy little leader of UA thought his zero tolerance for screwing around would get them here quicker but for the underground hero, it was an exercise in a waste of his time. With their other decision, he was going to have to start planning home visits after all.

His internal moaning notwithstanding, all of the lighters, Ranma included, were back and ready to meet their fate before long. Shota noted that Hina, Mob and Shinra were all in their UA uniforms but the newcomers were in much more casual attire. Likely, their original clothing they had worn last night was no longer fit to wear. Ranma wore the same red Chinese style top and pants Shota always saw him in from his visits to the other man's dojo.

There was a tension in the air among the group and the erasure hero wasn't sure if it was because of what was to come or because of what had just happened the night before. Given the sharp looks Shinra kept giving the new three, it was likely a bit of both. At least everyone seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and Shota could at least appreciate the silence that accompanied them on their way to the faculty room.

Coming to a large set of double doors, Shota spoke without turning to address the group "We're here. I expect you all to conduct yourselves appropriately."

Knocking on the left door, the group was greeted with a cheery "Come in!" from the principal, causing Shota to internally cringe as the grave atmosphere he had cultivated was instantly undermined by his superior.

Swallowing his annoyance, the chronically exhausted hero pushed the door open and lead the group forward. When everyone had entered and lined up in front of the waiting faculty, Shota announced, as disinterested as possible "Here they are, the lighters, as you requested."

Most of the assembled group bowed respectfully, though Emeralda only followed suit after seeing the others do so. Zelgadis remained standing, arms crossed and a sour look on his face. Taking note of the martial artist in their ranks, Nezu addressed him first "Ranma! It has been a long time. I trust business has been good! May I ask why you've accompanied the others? Its been some time since you've traveled these halls after all."

After the greeting, Ranma had adapted a much more casual posture and his response was equally so "Hiya Principal! Yeah, you keep sending me plenty of clients after all so I'm busy as ever!" Then, looking a bit embarrassed and scratching the back of his head, the pig-tailed man continued "I'm a lighter too, after all and I kinda figured you'd be considering expulsion and all. I wanted ta be here in case the kids needed some place to go, ya know?"

The three lighters who had been living on campus frantically turned their attention from Ranma back to the assembled teachers, fear in their eyes. Their concern as voiced by Hina, easily the longest tenured member of the group "You…you can't! What about Mob and Shinra, they've done nothing wrong! And...and Terra, shes still in a coma at the hospital! Would you leave her with no home to come back to?!"

Staying calm and cordial, Nezu spoke before passions got out of hand "Yoshifumi-san, please calm yourself. It is admirable that you would be so concerned for your fellow lighters."

The principal's kind words brought the blue-haired telekinetic up short and she appeared to calm a bit, allowing the little mammal to continue "Before I share with you our decision, I want you all to know that we are very distressed that we have even been put in this position. Though housing you lighters has come with a not insubstantial stipend from the Japanese government, this institution's first mission and duty is to train the next generation of heroes that will defend this nation's peace. Anything that you do that could jeopardize that mission is unacceptable. Do I make myself clear?"

The air in the room had become heavy, at least for those standing in front of the long table. Several among the lighters were becoming visibly nervous, well aware they could all be thrown out on the street this very moment, or worse. After a few seconds had passed to let things sink in where even the dismissive Zelgadis had begun to look contrite, Nezu continued "That being said, we have decided to allow the lighters to remain on campus."

A collective sigh of relief went out among most of the lighters at those words, almost all of them appearing more relaxed. Emeralda, who had remained emotionless throughout and Ranma, who at least looked calm were the exceptions. The assembled other-worlders snapped back to attention when Nezu continued though "Of course, there will be consequences to your actions, assuming the police don't charge any of you of course."

Unease began to return to the group as Hina looked to Jun for reassurance. The silver-haired mentor offered a nod but little else in comfort as Nezu spoke again "For the time being, Michiru Kagemori, Zelgadis Greywards and Emeralda Kasim are to remain on campus and confined to the lighter house for the duration of the construction of the new dorms being built next to you."

That seemed fair to the aforementioned three, given they had just wondered off. The next part didn't sit well with Zelgadis specifically. Nezu continued "As it is clear Luminaire with Kanzaki-san's assistance isn't enough to integrate the three of you into our society, other faculty will be assisting in your education and training. Furthermore, upon request, the three of you are to assist in the training of other students as we see fit going forward."

"Wait a damn minute!" Zelgadis snapped "We're not your slaves, we don't have to do a damn thing you say! Besides, hasn't All-for-One been captured? Why would we want to try to integrate when we're going home as soon as that bastard coughs up how to send us home?"

"Its not that simple, kid" Hound Dog snarled.

"Hes right." Shota coolly added. "If All-For-One had that world crossing quirk, don't you think he would have used it last night? No, we know he can, and has made modified humans with combined quirks. It stands to reason you were all brought here by one of these Nomu, as their called."

"So?" Zelgadis bit back "That just means we know what information we need from him, right?"

"All-For-One will not be speaking for awhile, Greywards-san." Nezu interjected "All Might hit him pretty hard and he will need time to heal since we dare not let anyone with a healing quirk touch him. Even then, He is extremely dangerous and charismatic, as well as highly intelligent. It will take a great deal of time to even begin to interrogate him. Which means…"

"We are at square one." Emeralda quietly finished for the principal.

"Precisely!" Nezu confirmed, snapping his fingers "Before, the search was for All-For-One himself. Now it will be for the remnants of his empire. We believe it is there the Nomu who brought you all here can be found. If you wish to help, you'll need to be heroes yourselves."

As the words left the weird dog-rodent's mouth, Zelgadis groaned, bring several dirty looks down upon him from both the table and among the lighters. Feeling the pressure of the combined gazes, the rock-encrusted chimera looked away and said nothing further.

Stepping forward, her fist clenched in front of her, Michiru met the judging gazes of the UA faculty with determination as she spoke "We'll do it! Whatever we have to do to make up for our mistake, we'll do it. We'll do whatever it takes to find our way home and if that means becoming heroes, we'll do it! I, I can't thank you all enough for giving us this second chance, we won't let you down!"

A number of the gathered teachers seemed quite satisfied with the declaration but it was Nezu that kept everything grounded when he replied cordially "I certainly expect you won't! Now we just have to see whether or not the police have a different opinion of events. Thank you all for coming today, I hope the next few days of construction aren't too disruptive."

After bowing again, the group turned to leave with Shota again leading them when Nezu called out again "Oh! And Yoshifumi-san, your stipend will be suspended for one month!"

Hina's shoulders slumped, as she had begun to think her little role in this whole incident may have been forgotten. Mob patted her on the back and offered a sympathetic glance while Shinra snickered.

(X)

As the group made their way back to the lighter house, Zelgadis came up beside Michiru, his expression more subdued than normal and a heavy contrast from his argumentative state a few minutes prior. When the tanuki girl noticed him, she raised a questioning eyebrow as she said "Everything ok Zel? You…look like you have something on your mind."

For a moment after being asked the question, Zelgadis studied the corridor they were walking down. Like everything else in this school, it was clean, it was neat, it was sterile. The place seemed so lifeless and empty to him. Still, he could see how such a place could offer a sense of stability, of safety. Sighing, the chimera turned to look down at the expectant furry girl as he asked "Did…you really mean what you said back there?"

That was an unexpected question, one that worried Michiru. The worry was plain to see on her face as she replied, belying her positive response "Yes, of course I meant it. We screwed up and now we have no idea how much longer we're stuck here. We need to help, right Emmy?"

Said greenette had been listening in as she had ben trailing Michiru as they walked back. Her tone even as always, Emeralda replied more personally than either Zelgadis or Michiru imagined when she said "I've already waited a long time to be with my family…I can wait a bit longer. I will do my part."

Both Michiru and Zelgadis waited for more detail but when none came, the two briefly starred at each other before Michiru said "Well, there you have it, Zel. I know you're angry but remember, its not any of those people's fault either. They're just trying to do the best they can."

"The best they can…" Zelgadis repeated as he looked away. None of the trio seemed to be aware that Shinra, too, had been listening, his face doing a poor job of containing the seething contempt he felt at that moment.

(X)

Later on, Jun went to check on everyone to see how they were fairing with everything going on. First among them the sour chimera that had been the most resistant to everything they were trying to do almost from the moment he had been brought here. Knocking on Zelgadis' door, Jun at least expected the rock-encrusted man to at least ask who it was. Instead, he heard 'Come in. Its not locked."

Stepping into the room, Jun could see the Japanese language book open on the desk but the chimera himself had taken the chair and was sitting out on the balcony, looking out into the distance. The former hero followed suit, stepping out onto the balcony as well, standing beside the forlorn, blue-skinned lighter. After a few moments of contemplative starring out at the trees that seemed to surround this part of UA's campus Jun spoke "There have been many mistakes made these last few days. I account for my fair share and for them, I apologize. Its easy to fall into complacency when you've done something long enough. Even if I've done a poor job of it, I still want you to know that I do absolutely what to get you home and to make your time here the best it can be."

Halfway through the silver-haired man's speech, Zelgadis had turned to look up at him, his face even, not wanting to betray any emotion. When Jun was done, the chimera returned to looking out at the trees as he replied softly "You don't have to be so hard on yourself. You were…doing your best, after all."

That had been damn near the last thing Jun had expected his cantankerous charge to say and it caught him off guard. When nothing else was said and Zelgadis continued looking away, the former hero regained his composure and said as he turned to leave "That's…all I wanted to say. I'll see you later, Greywards-san."

"I'll…do it." Zelgadis almost croaked out.

Jun stopped, turning to face the chimera "Hmm? I'm sorry, I don't understand. Do want?"

"What Michiru said. I'll…do what I have to, to help. Even if that means becoming a, a hero." Zelgadis forced himself to say.

Despite himself, Jun smiled. Perhaps he hadn't failed as much as he thought he had.

(X)

And there we have it. Our remaining trio have committed themselves to the cause and now the ball can really get rolling. Despite having a week off to write (among many other things) this wasn't as easy to produce as I thought it was gong to be. We're not going to be following everything that happens every day like we have now that the first few days have past. I can't imagine any of you are sorry to hear that. I constantly fear readers are frustrated that after 11 chapters and over 100K words that we've only gone through a few days of real time. Yet people still read so I suppose it can't be the worst. I'll be having another one of my big events at work this next month but I'll do my best to have the next chapter up the first Friday of the month, as always. As usual, I'm sorry I can't post more often than that but I thank you for sticking with this story and I hope you stay to enjoy much more to come.

Also, I wasn't sick even once this whole stretch! Allergies, sure but not sick, yay!