Beyond the Nightmares: Reloaded

by RhythmChimera7793

This is an updated version of a co-written story with Klingonfox150 on Deviantart simply titled "Beyond The Nightmares" WARNING: This story contains EXPLICIT chapters and events. Read at your own risk.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Negotiating Procedures and Problems

Wolfgang: FISTS, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?! THOSE THREE ARE DANGEROUS! AND I AM QUESTIONING WHY YOU ARE TRUSTING THEM WITH SHARD WHILE YOU ARE CARRYING THE MOST DANGEROUS OF THE THREE?!

Melody held her arm up, in a way to signal her brother to stop speaking before he went and caused any more trouble than he already had with Kurama. Just as well, she had the weirdest feeling about Kurama and Farid, as she felt like she recognized them, but ...they couldn't be her big brothers. Not with the Kaurnck girl with them, cause Melody knew it wasn't her big sister Sophie. While she was doing that, Susan had both of her arms in their gun forms, along with many guns coming out of various holes in her shell. They were all aimed at Farid with extreme prejudice.

Susan while growling with anger: Permission to blast the living daylights out of the hacker?

Melody (in surprise at the sight of Susan): GAH! Put those away! I would love it if I did not have to play corpse cleanup manager today. It is bad enough that I have to manage a crew to clean up all the damage from the battle between Wolfgang and the guy Fists is carrying.

Jenny (whispering in a voice that only Fists could hear): So your real name is "Fists?" Didn't you say that your name was Number 7.4?

Fists (in the same whisper tone as Jenny): I did not know if you can be trusted. From the way things are going with my boss and friends, I think that she believes that what happened earlier must have been a misunderstanding. But I still have to ask her if you three can be trusted or not.

That really bugged Jenny, as she swore that this couldn't be the same Fists who Kurama spoke of, the same kid who was "one of his babies". And moreover, when she looked up, she saw the other other kids and one by one, she tried to correlate them with Kurama's "babies", those kids she didn't get to meet who they had pictures of with Kurama and them years back. As Jenny was thinking about that, Skadi walked over to Farid, who was holding Shard. Shard is reaching out for her, wanting to be in her arms.

Shard: MOMMY!

It took Farid a moment to realize Skadi was there, and when he did, Farid handed Shard over to Skadi, who in turn nuzzled her baby boy. Standing there, Farid was sure this wasn't the same sweet cat girl who treated Kurama after the truck crash that almost killed him with stress-asthma and fixed the cut on Sheila's nose and made it scar over like it did. There was no way. Farid remembered seeing that same girl with Melody and Wolfgang, napping beside Kurama that same day, but this couldn't be her!

Skadi (slightly glaring at Fists): You missed me didn't you? Let me guess, your father left you by yourself and went to fight those people he now has in his company earlier didn't he?

Farid: Or maybe it could be…..

Fists ignored the glare and set Kurama on the ground, as he was too heavy for him. Fists then sat down, exhausted from the blood loss and from carrying Kurama.

Fists: How heavy is this guy?

Jenny: Exactly 345 pounds, without his gear.

Fists: Well, that explains it.

Fists fell backward on his back, now bleeding profusely from his wounds. He also blacked out, and everyone looked at him with great concern.

Jenny: Well, frak.

Farid looked at her, more annoyed now than anything.

Farid: Anubis's scales, dude, is that all you can say? He's bleeding, Copper's out cold-

Jenny: Dude, shut it! I'm in charge with Copper down, i-

Farid: Why? I'm not a f**king idiot, i know what i'm doing, and you know my damn rank means nothing! I have a masters degree in computer science…..

As that went on, all of the kids rushed around Fists, and Skadi forced her way through the crowd to Fists's side. She hands Shard to Melody and inspects the wounds. Melody covers Shard's eyes as Skadi talks in great worry.

Skadi: This is bad. Somebody get me a med-kit right now! Don't worry Francis my love, everything is going to be okay.

Horus hands her the med-kit, while Melody hands Shard to Amadeus and points in the direction of Care-A-Lot. Amadeus gets what she was non-verbally telling him to do. Amadeus runs away with Shard, while Melody is ordering Wolfgang to bring a hospital ship to where they currently were. While all this was happening, Melody got sick of hearing Farid and Jeny argue about who was in charge. She walked over to them, and made it very clear.

Melody: Both of you stop arguing right now! I don't care which of you has the higher rank or your degrees or anything! Your boss is out cold and I'm the only one here with any authority on his level clearly! Now, shouldn't you two be caring more about him?

With that, the two were shut down, as now thy felt like a**holes for not worrying about Kurama more. Now, Farid and Jenny were busy wondering what exactly was going on, and what they should do. With all the craziness, there wasn't anything in their past missions or training that covered all of this, especially not being isekai'd somewhere.

Melody (When Wolfgang returns with the medical ship): You two pick up your heavy friend and help get him to our ship. Hopefully we can give him some medicine so that he wakes up while we tend to our weakened teammate.

Jenny: Yeah…sure. Dude, let's get Copper.

Farid: Right. This is so not what I planned for today….

Before they went and picked Kurama up, Melody asked Jenny to look at her.

Jenny: Yeah, what's up?

Melody: You need to be nicer to the jackal guy, he's just trying to do his job like you. And y'know, he's not the one causing anything, it's you. You;'e falling and you're taking it out on him. Stop now. If I remember anything I was told as a kid, by someone close to me, you're going to drag him down with you unless you change this. And when he's down there with you, he can't help you out of the pit you've made. And if you've dug it so deep, no one else can either.

That was all Sophie's words, when she once counseled a couple who they knew who were having trouble like that. Melody had heard Sophie going over her notes with Kurama, the stuff the couple had already told Kurama and Sheila and them prior. Jenny didn't know about that, but it didn't mean what Melody said was less effective. Jenny looked away, and for a moment, she began to cry, as she remembered the way things used to be, when things weren't going to hell. Jenny started to cry, her heart broken, but she didn't let Melody see, and the only thing that betrayed her pain was the words she said.

Jenny(in the quietest voice possible): I wish things were ok….

There was a nearly imperceptible hitch in her breath, and Jenny locked down again.

Jeny: I'll try ... .I really will.

Jenny walked over to Farid, who was making sure that all of Kurama's pouches were secured before they moved him, andJenny made sure that Slavic Dragon was secured as well.

Jenny: Dude, you got him secured? I don't wanna end up in the underworld cause a grenade or somethin got tripped randomly.

Farid: Yeah, and if we did, I can bet you Copper's heart would be super light. No way he could outweigh the feather.

Jenny: Yeah, but the rest of us might….

Farid looked at her, disconcerted..

Farid: Jen, I'm joking, I know I'm not some death god, Anubis is just my middle name, remember?.

Jenny: Yeah, well….you look like him, and dude, if you were….

Jenny left it there, her way of telling Farid that he was better than her, leaning in hard on his namesake. Farid was named for one of his ancestors who was a great soldier like him, and the fact that he shared his name with a Terran deity from ancient Egypt wasn't lost on his siblings, and even Melody felt a familiarity to that and his sayings, as did the others. In fact, normally, they leaned in hard on it because they loved him and he loved playing it up, though, of course, he really didn't believe he was some death god, like he'd said. It was just part of his running jokes and where he came from, Negeva, was culturally similar to Egypt, so names translated very well from Negevan to English via Egyptian or Coptic, which Farid spoke because of some Egyptian werewolf friends of their big brother Moonshine. Just as well, of other curious things tripping memories, was Kurama being called "Copper", and all the kids remembered that the Kurama they knew was called that as well, but now was not the time for that, and Melody especially compartmentalized regarding all these details and things to check later.

Melody: The jackal who looks like my Farid is talking about Anubis and the underworld, the big guy who looks suspiciously like my Kurama is being called "Copper"...need to hang onto this for later. This is too f**king weird.

Jenny and Farid picked Kurama up together, carrying him into the ship, glad to get out of the cold. Skadi directed them to the table where she wanted Kurama, and Jenny and Farid placed Kurama down on one of the two main operating tables in the ship, as that is the only thing that can hold his weight. Fists was on the other one, and Skadi was busy finishing tending to his wounds. Once she got him settled and bandaged up, Skadi walked over to Kurama and tried to identify what was wrong with him. For Skadi, this was a redux of that awful day when she was little that Kurama told her about being in that wreck on a mission. She remembered how Mira said he'd had a severe asthma attack, but this guy….

Skadi:This can't be Kurama…this can't be the same guy I remember….(aloud) He has too much gear on him. I need to see if he has any other battle damage that is unseen, so that he can make a full recovery.

Skadi turns to Jenny and Farid, looking at them directly.

Skadi: I have no idea what kind of gear the two of you and your friend have on, but would you guys kindly remove some of his gear? I do not want to risk accidentally blowing us all up because of some stupid mistake.

Jenny: Yeah, not what we need….

Farid: Yeah….Jen, I got Slavic Dragon, you get his harness and messenger bag.

Jenny: Right.

Jenny begins to take off Kurama's gear and getting his bag while Skadi goes and starts pulling out all sorts of different medicines and remedies that she had on hand. Farid meanwhile was taking Kurama's HMG from him, setting it aside after safing it. Melody called out to them as she was getting her own stuff settled with another of her team.

Melody: Number 7.2, under no circumstances are you to mess with any of their equipment. I really do not want you in the same condition as Number 7.4 here at best, and dead at the worst. Plus the fact that I believe that if you did, you would definitely kill all of us here in one big explosion. Especially that messenger bag. I have a feeling he's carrying plenty of destructive things in there.

Melody was remembering how her Kurama always carried a messenger bag that he seemingly produced guns, ammo, and other deadly things and equipment from out of thin air, until she learned about Armory Gear. If this guy was at most a colleague of her big brother's, he might be carrying plenty, especially if she was right about his spiky bracelets. After Melody made that clear, Jenny then tossed one of the medpacks that Kurama carries on him to Skadi, who caught it.

Jenny: Hey Cat Girl, catch! That has medicine in it for our friend. Maybe that will help you with whatever it is you are doing over there.

Skadi opened the pouch, which was originally on Kurama's thigh rig. She saw that everything in it was labeled, which really did help.

Skadi: (Speaking to Jenny) Thank you. (Speaking to Wolfgang) Would you please get Number 7.6 for me Number 7.1?

Wolfgang: Okay. I'll go get her. I just need to have a word with Number 7 first.

Wolfgang quickly pulls his twin sister over to an empty corner of the room, and talks to her in a whispering tone that only she can hear.

Wolfgang (indicating Farid): Sis, whatever you do, do not let that one mysterious guy that is standing over there get anywhere near Susan. I think he managed to hack into Susan just by being near her. Keep a close eye on him, and don't let my girlfriend get hurt. And….look, do you feel like they seem familiar? Or….

Melody: Don't worry. Since the adult female is busy with their fallen friend, it will give me the chance to interrogate that guy in order to find out exactly who they are and why they are here attacking us. And I do. They look a lot like our family members Farid and Ku. Way too much like them.

Wolfgang: Then it's not just me. But….what if they aren't fakes?

Melody: I don't know, but…..just….let's keep an eye on them. Do what our Ku, the real Ku said - don't give the whole truth, just enough.

Wolfgang nodded and gave his sister a hug and then left the room to go get Susan. Melody exhaled slowly, composed herself, then walked over to Farid, and looked up to see his face. Farid looked down to see her and Melody held her hand up for a handshake with Farid, who kneels down in order to properly shake her hand. Getting closer like that, Farid saw her face better and he was certain that if this was their Melody, she was older now, at least 10 years old.

Melody: My name is Melody. I am the leader of Sector S and the Supreme Leader of the Mobian Kids Next Door. What is your name?

Farid (Thinking): I don't think that it would hurt to tell this girl my name, considering she's a lot like our Melody. But on the other hand, if she's not our Melody and begins to investigate deeper about us, Kurama would most likely kill me in the most painful way possible. S**t, this is a f**king risky gamble…..

At the same time, Fists woke up and tried to get off of the medical table that he was on. Skadi immediately rushed over to him and put his leg that was off of the table back on it with an angry scowl on her face.

Skadi: OH NO YOU DON'T! You are badly hurt, and need to rest. As soon as we are back in Care-A-Lot Memorial Hospital, you are going to be on supervised bed-rest until you heal completely. I am not going to let you kill yourself and leave me to raise our son on my own!

At that moment, Jenny had removed Kurama's hoodie and lifted his shirt and body armor to see the nasty bruise that Fists had made when he punched Kurama to knock him out of his crazy mode.

Jenny(surprised): Damn. With the M-4a body armor he was wearing, he should NOT have any bruises. How in the world did those punches do this to him?

Skadi comes over with some sort of ointment goo in a jar and surgical gloves on.

Skadi: That's because my boyfriend is incredibly strong. It's a good thing that he is too. With all the robots we fight, it is to his benefit to be a heavy hitter. And before you ask, this ointment should help reduce that bruise.

Jenny: Why do I get the feeling that you guys fighting robots is as normal as us fighting terrorists, monsters, and robots?

Skadi then takes some of the goo out of the jar and into her hands as Jenny is talking. She warms it up in her hands and then applies it to the bruised area on Kurama's chest as Melody walks over to her and Jenny.

Melody (pointing over to Farid): That is because it is normal for us. And by the way, you need to deal with your friend. He just clammed up and did not even tell me what his name was when I asked him. Is that normal?

Jenny looks over at Farid, but notices that Fists is gone from where he was supposed to be.

Jenny: S**t… Sorry Hedgehog Girl, that question has to wait for now. I think your injured friend just got up and got out of here.

Skadi looks at where Fists is supposed to be and quickly turns red with anger.

Skadi (At the top of her lungs): FRANCIS!

Hearing the shout, Kurama sits straight up, wide awake and feeling the pain of the migraine again, and covers his ears in an attempt to block out any more shouting. Everyone else, besides Skadi and Jenny, covered their ears as well because Skadi was shouting so loudly.

Kurama(starting to cry from the migraine): *What the frak! Gah, please stop!

Skadi then begins to leave the ship, when Susan restrained her before she went and murdered her boyfriend in seething rage.

Susan: Calm down girl! I know you are mad, but chill out. I think Fists needed to go somewhere because I saw him looking at a message that he got on his S.C.R.A.M.. He is probably heading to MKND HQ to get better details on what his message was about. And I think the big green guy's having a migraine, so you need to help him with that.

Skadi looked over at Kurama, and she saw him holding his head, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Kurama: My head hurts so bad!

Jenny: Dude, just…oh man….crap…

Skadi ran over and made Kurama look at her.

Skadi: Hey, just look at me, here!

Skadi pulled out some medicine she had for migraines, giving it to Kurama, Melody face-palming herself and sighing in irritation. She was getting more and more suspicious of just how much the guy she was looking at was acting like her Kurama, especially with how he was crying from a migraine. She remembered how her Kurama did when he was in pain, and this was way too much like that.

Melody: *Oh good grief! Everyone buckle up and get ready for take off. Number 7.2, I want us at HQ twenty years ago!

Generic Text box in the bottom corner of the panel says: *Translation: Oh good grief!

Kurama, Jenny, and Farid looked panicked, as there was nowhere for them to buckle themselves in, to prepare themselves for the ride. They hadn't noticed Hermione pressing a button, and three jump-seats, perfect for their size, appeared in the hospital wall, with full standard straps and everything. There was also a fourth smaller one that was perfect for Hermione.

Hermione: Hey! You three adults!

Kurama, Jenny, and Farid look at her, as she gestured to the jump seats beside her, as she had finished buckling herself into the seat that was her size. Kurama, Jenny, and Farid rush over and strap themselves in, Kurama quickly getting his gear back on, Jenny between Farid and Kurama, and Kurama sitting next to Hermione.

Melody (over intercom): Are the adults strapped in safely?

Kurama: We are.

Melody: Okay then. Good. Number 7.2, it's time to do it to it!

Kurama, Jenny, and Farid, heard several groans over the intercom, and Kurama looked to see Hermione rolling her eyes, and he felt how annoyed she truly was, as the four felt the ship rising and jetting off at a tremendous speed. As they were rising, Kurama heard Hermione mutter to herself.

Hermione: Seriously. Gone for about three freaking years, and she still speaks like her cousin! She hasn't even been to visit him or the rest of the Freedom Fighters ever since she came back to us two years ago! Not to mention that she hasn't made any progress to visit that other dimension in order to visit the rest of her biological family!

Arteza: Sweetie, did that Melody girl just quote our cousin Sonic? Ok, this is getting way too suspicious, cause you told me Sonic said stuff like that, and i know everything you know, and this girl next to us…

Kurama: (in thought) She looks like our Hermione….(aloud) Something wrong, Chameleon girl?

Hermione turned to Kurama, who she had a sneaking suspicion might very well be the same man she remembered from that fateful day long ago, after Sector S's formational mission when they were all little.

Hermione: My name is Hermione, and yes. It's a lot to explain, and too risky right now. Melody doesn't like me talking about certain things to other people, but I can tell already you are the type to be trusted.

Kurama: Okay. Once everything calms down, we can talk privately.

Hermione: Only as equals. Not with a cruddy age barrier between us.

Kurama(pulling a stick of clove candy from a pouch on his gear): Okay. It's a deal. No age barrier. Don't know why there'd be one anyways, I mean, it's not I'm gonna boss you around or nothin'.

Hermione nodded, then pulled out her S.C.R.A.M. from her pocket, and pulled up her contact information. Kurama looked over as he unwrapped the stick of candy and placed it in his teeth.

Hermione: How about we at least have one alternate way to contact each other. Melody doesn't really monitor phone calls amongst MKND agents, unless the agent in particular is under suspicion of being a traitor, and we are worried that said agent will put other kids' lives in danger.

Kurama (while pulling out his own phone and swapping contact information with Hermione): Makes complete sense. But why is your email "KUNAIareCOOL "?

Hermione: Well, kunai are awesome, and they are versatile weapons. People don't think about the many uses kunai have. All they think about with Kunai are just throwing projectiles. They don't think they can be used as rope darts when you have a rope attached, or as climbing gear, or even as knives used to cut food up! And believe me, that's only the tip of the iceberg with the uses I can think of.

Arteza: Honey, this is a good opening…ask her more. This just might be our Hermione….

Kurama: Interesting. Like, you're not wrong. Y'know, it's nice to meet someone else who favors kunai.

Hermione: Do you use them?

Kurama: Yeah, but mine are wide bladed ones and I have wire wrapped around the handles and diamond shaped tips on the back end.

Hermione: That's very interesting. You'll have to show me sometime. Oh, by the way, before I forget, what's your name?

Kurama: Kurama.

Hermione: So, I'm guessing Copper is your nickname? I heard the lynx woman and jackal guy call you that.

Kurama: Yeah, cause of the copper streaks in my hair, see?

Kurama took his hat off for a moment, letting her see before he smoothed his hair and quills back down and replaced his hat, making sure it was seated right on his head and pulled back and down.

Hermione: Ah, by the way, nice hat. Don't know anyone who wears a hat like that.

Kurama: Cause it's fuschia, right? Eh, I get crap over my "pink" hat, from ignorant people who can't tell shades of pink from each other. I'm an artist. I'm super picky about that stuff.

Hermione: I can understand that. So, where'd you get it?

Kurama: My mom gave it to me. She knows I love fuschia, so she got me this and we always look for stuff like it.

Hermione: Oh, like-

The two then fell silent as they felt the ship landing in MKND HQ.

Hermione: Pick this up later, Kurama?

Kurama: Deal.

Kurama, Jenny, and Farid unbuckled themselves, Kurama picking up Slavic Dragon. When they exited, they heard kids panicking about a blue echidna intruder holed up in the throne room.

Farid: What's so special about a blue echidna here?

Skadi: Because blue is not a normal fur color for echidnas here. Normally echidnas here are different shades of red. It is rare to see echidnas who are different colors of the rainbow. It is why my love and his brother are so different from the rest of their kind.

Jenny: Okay….

Farid: What the hell…..sonuva….could we be on Mobius? That's where the video message came from…

Farid looked at Kurama, mouthing his question extremely carefully after it was clear their comms were f**ked for now.

Kurama(mouthing back): I….dude, i don't know, but if it is, that explains why a blue echidna is an anomaly. S**t, if we're back on Mobius….Oh s**t….

Arteza: No….Robotnik…..the video message….

Jenny looked at both of them, having read their lips, and she came to the same there as the medical ship left, they all hated the implications of that, cause now they were stranded without the rest of the team possibly, and on a planet at war.

As the medical ship was flying off earlier, Fists was making his own way to MKND HQ to see about a problem there. He arrived before Sector S, Number 0, Kurama, Jenny and Farid. He went into the HQ and found a female egret agent. She had the number 510 on the front of her armor.

Fists: What is going on? Who is the intruder and where are they?

Egret: You are not going to believe this, but a blue-furred adult echidna male is here and he has locked himself up in the throne room. I don't know why, but we are doing our best to get in there without damaging the throne or anything else in the room.

Fists: Let me talk to him. There is a chance that I can reason with him, and get him to come out on his own accord. (*Under his breath*: Hopefully I can hide from Skadi and her rage there. That is unless she hears about this intruder and goes to the throne room, then I am a goner.) Listen, whatever you do, absolutely positively, for certain do not tell Number 7.3 where I am or where I went.

Fists approached the throne room door with caution. He pulls out one of his handguns, and slowly enters the room with the gun pointed down to the ground after taking a deep breath.

Fists: (in thought)Blue Echidna….oh crud…i only know one blue echidna, and it was that guy Melody's cousin Kurama worked with, Folsom, i think….(aloud) Listen, I do not want to fight you. Hopefully we can talk this out, echidna to echidna.

Folsom walked out from the shadows of one of the pillars in the room. He had a look of suspicion on his face, clearly doubting whether or not Fists was going to attack him. He also had an M-3227 machinegun slung over his chest, one not as big as Kurama's gun since it only had a 16 inch barrel and was chambered for 9.5x42, just in case the encounter turned into a fight.

Folsom: That's a first. You are the only one who has not tried to attack me since I appeared here. I locked myself in here in order to protect myself from all those kids outside. I really didn't wanna open fire unless I was forced.

Fists was about to speak, but he then suddenly dropped his gun and fell to his knees. He was holding his side where Kurama had accidentally slashed him, which had a big red splotch of blood on it. Folsom, concerned for Fists, rushed over and helped Fists back to his feet. As he was being helped up, he saw the Gamma 13 emblem that Folsom has.

Fists(pained): You know, I think that I may have met three of your teammates earlier, judging by that weird emblem you are wearing.

Folsom: How did you get hurt in the first place? That seems to be a pretty big wound you got there.

Fists: Your green friend, whatever he is, slashed me with his claws. He was going crazy.

Folsom: Green friend with claws? Oh, my brother-in-law, Kurama. So anyway, we need to get you some help. Here, this should help.:(in thought) Crud! If he went crazy, there could be a lot of casualties! Hopefully, someone else was with him to give him his anxiety meds or something.

Folsom reached into the pack strapped to his leg and pulled out a green canister and bandages.

Fists: What's that?

Folsom: It's ok. It's called biofoam. Here, lay down on the floor with your injured side up so I can put fresh bandages on your wounds.

Fists did as Folsom had told him, and Folsom carefully removed the bloody bandages from Fists's wound and took the top off of the canister. He sprayed the biofoam into the wound and put a fresh bandage on it. Once he did that, Folsom made Fists sit up, and Folsom wrapped lots of gauze around Fists's torso, binding the bandages to Fists's body, pressing the new bandage against the biofoam and Fists's large wound. At this point, Folsom was thinking that Fists looked very familiar, and getting a good look at his face, Folsom remembered the echidna boy they knew years back who was Melody and Wolfgang's friend of the same name.

Fists: Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore. What's in that stuff? And are you a doctor?

Folsom: It's complicated, and no, I'm not a doctor. I'm Kurama's assistant gunner. I carry extra gear for him along with an extra machine-gun. Can you walk, uh…?

Fists: Fists. My name is Fists.

Folsom:(in thought) Can't be the same boy….(aloud) Ok. Fists. Can you walk, Fists?

Fists: Yeah.

Folsom helped him up and Skadi then came into the room and saw Fists leaning on Folsom for support. Skadi rushed over and slapped Fists with tears in her eyes.

Skadi: Roughs, you big dumb idiot! Why did you run off like that?! You had me worried to death! What do you think I would do if you died from doing something stupid like this! We have a baby to think about! So please for the future, do not go running off when you are badly hurt like this!

Skadi then hugs Fists tightly, just letting the tears flow from her face. Fists gently uses one of his hands and turns her face so that she is looking directly at his.

Fists: Softs, I'm sorry I worried you. I just wanted to keep you and our son safe. I never meant to make you worry and upset.

The two just look at each other. Before they could kiss however, Jenny, Kurama, Farid, Rodney and the rest of Sector S entered the room. Rodney was looking around the room in awe, taking it all in. The sight of Kurama, Farid, Jenny, and Folsom, four heavily armed soldiers who exuded an air of mystery about them, though he didn't know that Arteza was there too, just he was hidden inside Kurama's head for now. Melody, though, just rubbed her face with her hands in irritation.

Melody: Great, just great! Now there are four of you! What I want to know, right now, is who is the leader of your team?!

Kurama raises his hand, taking the stick of candy out of his teeth and holding it like it was a cigarette in the same hand.

Kurama: Yo, I'm squad leader.

Melody sees this and just sighs with irritation from everything that she had to deal with in the last week. That was leading up to and ending with the appearance of Kurama and part of his team suddenly showing up in MKND territory.

Melody (rubbing her face again): Figures. Listen, I have had a really, really, reaaaaaaaaally long week and I don't want any more stress right now. How about we arrange a place for you guys to spend the night and we can talk about what happened and why the four of you are here, leader to leader, tomorrow. I think I have some sort of thing that will help. And judging by your sizes, I am going to put a custom order for elephant sized furniture for you all since you are all so tall.

She turns to leave the room, but stops for a moment. She turns to Rodney with a tired look.

Melody: Number 0, I need you to take over a mission in the Dragon Kingdom for me. From the mission briefing I had, it is mainly an investigation into some old dragon artifacts. I know I can count on you to handle this on your own.

Rodney looks extremely nervous, and is sweating profusely at the word "dragon." Kurama and Arteza caught that, and it made them curious.

Rodney: S...Sure. No...no pr...problem! Bu...bu...but are you sure it is dealing with d...d...dr...dr...dra...dra...dra...dragon artifacts in the D...d...d...d...dr...dr...dra...dra...dra...drag...drag...drago...dragon Kingdom?

Melody: I'm sure. Go on. We all have jobs to do. I'm gonna go find that instant base making device that I have. It should be in my office somewhere.

Melody and Rodney leave the room. They are shortly followed by Fists and Skadi.

Fists: You do know that I am not going to stay in the hospital under bed-rest right?

Skadi: I know, I know. We are however going there to fix you up, then we are picking up Shard and going home.

Fists: Want to get some dinner from Chili-dog Heaven after we pick up Shard?

She then speaks to the four members of Gamma 13, but mostly to Kurama.

Skadi: (To Fists) Sure Roughs. I haven't eaten out in a while. (To Gamma 13) I would like it if you four will follow us. I want to get full medical evaluations of you so that I know that you are not hurt in any way, shape, or form.

Kurama just sighs, knowing full well that just from reading Skadi's emotions that she was not going to take "no" for an answer. He placed the candy stick back in his teeth, safing Slavic Dragon.

Kurama: Come on guys. (telepathically)Somethin' tells me that cooperating with these kids is gonna lead us to some answers. Especially if they lead us to my babies.

Kurama, Farid, Jenny, and Folsom follow Skadi and Fists as they leave. Wolfgang looks at the others and places one of his hands on Susan's shoulder.

Wolfgang: Well, I'm off to the Lucky Seven's. Anybody want to join me? I'm buying.

The others in the room agreed to Wolfgang's offer and all of them left with him. With Skadi and them though, Skadi was in a large examination room with the four members of Gamma 13. She was busy examining Kurama's bruise on his chest, and putting more of the goo that she used earlier on it. Melody walked in, holding up a small package.

Melody: I found it! It was underneath one of the legs of my desk for some odd reason. By the way, I never got any of your names.

Kurama then introduces himself and the rest of his team, further bugging Melody about whether it was her family or not. After the introductions were finished, Skadi was done putting the goo on the bruise.

Skadi(handing a jar of the same goo to Kurama): That should do it. Remember to apply this once every 13 hours, and that bruise should go away two days from now.

Arteza: Sweetie, this stuff works miracles, I swear my chest isn't hurting anymore!

Kurama: (in thought) Same here, Tezzie. (aloud) Thanks.

Skadi: You're welcome, Kurama.

Skadi then went and got a bunch of warm clothing, having asked the other doctors there to get some for Farid and Jenny and Folsom, and Kurama and Arteza were really glad to have the clean and warm clothing since they weren't able to use their Armory Gear.

Kurama: Thanks for the clothes as well. Oh, by the way, how is your boyfriend doing?

Fists entered the room with a shirt on, covering up the bandages, and holding a sleeping Shard. Both of them are followed by Amadeus who is busy talking to Joey on his S.C.R.A.M..

Fists: I'm fine now. Thank you for asking. I just needed a few stitches from my wound from where you slashed me.

Kurama: Sorry about that. I was in so much pain, from that ANNOYING DOG WHISTLE, that I wasn't thinking straight. Had a migraine, y'know?

Fists: That's okay. You didn't mean anything by it, and I can tell you are a nice man normally.

Kurama: Thanks. And you're right, I am genuinely nice to everyone, if I can sense through their emotions that they aren't jerks. Just, I don't know, not everyone believes me about that.

Fists (nodding to Kurama then turns to Skadi): By the way Skadi, Susan called and asked you to come over to the Lucky Seven's. Apparently the rest of our team but Susan, had one too many ciders and started a bar-fight. So Susan needs help getting them safely to their houses here. I would be helping too, but Susan would not allow it. I'm sorry about that, but I am going to take Shard back home and we will wait for you. Good luck!

He then kisses Skadi on the cheek as she leaves for the Lucky Seven's. He then turned to Kurama, shifting Shard in his arms so that he could cradle him better.

Fists: Thank you for not cussing in front of my son. I can tell it is hard for you to NOT cuss, but it means a lot to Skadi that Shard doesn't hear any swearing until he is old enough to understand. I personally don't have any problems with Shard hearing people cuss, but I love and respect Skadi too much and I respect and agree with her judgement.

Arteza: He's a good kid, y'know, sweetie? Remind you of someone?

Kurama: You're welcome. You are extremely lucky to have her in your life.

Fists: I know. I thank my lucky stars every day. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to take my son home.

Kurama nods and Fists leaves with Shard to go to the house he shared with her. And that was when he heard Farid laugh at hearing the dilemma and leave behind Skadi.

Farid: I gotta see this! I never saw a bar-fight involving kids before!

Kurama sighs.

Kurama: oh, *Фрак.

Author/Editor's note: Kurama cussed in Russian/Dravian here - Oh, frak/Oh f**k.

Melody (embarrassed to the bone): ….

Amadeus: ...?

Kurama: You two don't need to know. Seriously.

Melody(growling): Wolfgang, you idiot.

Melody rubbed her face yet again, and just handed Amadeus the package she had.

Melody: I better go and help with that too. You do not want to know how bad it is when our brother has one too many drinks. Don't worry, I promise to come back and help you guys set up your base after I deal with this.

While Melody was finished talking, Amadeus had hung up and was surprised to see that he was the only one left in the room with Kurama, Jenny, and Folsom. He puts his SCRAM and the package that Melody handed him into the quills on his head, wondering just what to do when an idea popped into his head.

Amadeus: So, did you guys want something to eat? Or did you three want a tour of Care-A-Lot?

Kurama zipped up his hoodie and rolled up his sleeves, putting his tactical harness back on. A sad look came over his face. He pulled a big cartridge out of a pouch on his hoodie and started fiddling with it. He flicked it, suddenly revealing that it was lighter. He played around with it, lighting it several times. Internally, Arteza was going over their team roster, and well, now they were worrying about Sheila.

Kurama: I am not sure if Skadi will allow me to leave this place just yet, so if you need me I will be hanging out on the roof of this place. So, I guess we're kinda on shore-leave. So, uh, have fun guys.

Kurama gathered his belongings, and before he walked off, Folsom put his hand on Kurama's shoulder. Kurama looked at him tearfully. With things becoming more calm, Kurama's anxiety was building, the combat high inverting to this.

Folsom: It's gonna be alright, bro. I'll meet you up there in a little while, ok?

Kurama nods while still playing with the lighter.

Kurama: Thanks, man. See ya.

Kurama then leaves for the roof, his head down, while Amadeus gets nervous from being alone with just two members of Gamma 13. He didn't know any of his Charybdan family, so to him, there was no familiar feeling, just apprehension of meeting new people who were, well, quite aggressive looking. Folsom, Jenny, and Amadeus are walking down the hallways of the hospital, casually talking and getting to know each other a little bit.

Amadeus: Is Mr. Kurama ok? Was there a reason he was playing with a lighter?

Folsom: He's worried about his wife and twin sister. The lighter was a birthday present from his wife.

Folsom, like the rest, had absolutely no idea about Arteza, who was Kurama and Sheila's secret for now, so as far as Folsom knew, it was just the chimera and his Tigrahn wife, a straight couple. If only he and the others knew that Kurama and Sheila swung both ways and had another of Kurama…..

Amadeus: Where are they? Are they alright?

Jenny: Amadeus, you need to stop that line of questions, please. You seriously don't wanna hit that tripwire.

Amadeus gets nervous suddenly, thinking they were speaking literally. .

Amadeus: What tripwire!? Where?!

Folsom pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. He kneels and puts his hands on Amadeus' shoulders. He smiles thinly at Amadeus.

Folsom: Amadeus, calm down. It's just an expression we use. It means that you said something and got in trouble for saying it. Look, until we find his wife, we need to keep Kurama cheery. He wears his heart on sleeve, so to say. Just don't talk about her until we find her. If Kurama wants to talk about her, let him. He wants to play with the lighter, let him. It'll make him feel better, ok? And about his twin sister, don't say anything at all. she wasn't with us on the mission when we were transported. She's at home, pregnant.

Jenny: Kurama's worried about her and the baby. so, don't ask about his family. it's safer right now to let him open up at his own pace.

Amadeus: Ok. I'll be careful.

Jenny: Getting away from that topic, so, I'm not really hungry, but can you explain why your echidna friend has so many names? I mean, he introduces himself to me as "Number 7.4", then I hear that his name is "Fists," then it's "Francis," and now his name is "Roughs!" Just how many names does he have?!

Amadeus: I do not know why he has so many names, but I do know that "Roughs'' is a personal nickname Skadi gave him, and only she is allowed to use it. The Number 7.4 is his standard codename in the MKND. Everyone who is a member has their codename of "Number" then some random number. I heard that his real name is indeed, "Francis," but he hates it so he goes by "Fists'' instead. I have heard rumors that he used to be part of some group of echidnas called the "Dark Legion," but that is only one theory though.

Jenny: That explains a lot. Some of us have callsigns. Kurama's nicknames are Gunny and Aggro. His wife's nicknames are Metal and Diesel. same way, don't ever call them Aggro and Diesel. Those are their pet names for each other. Though, we all call him "Copper". That one's ok, just give it a while. But now I have another question, what is the "Dark Legion?"

Amadeus: I am not sure, but it's now the "Dark Egg Legion" since they have joined forces with Eggman.

Folsom: Okay. Now I have two questions, who the heck is "Eggman" and why the heck does he have such a stupid name? (in thought) What the s**t…..that dictator got replaced? Oh f**k…..

Before Amadeus could answer, Skadi and Susan came in carrying Wolfgang on a stretcher past the three. Skadi had a ticked off look on her face, while Susan had an embarrassed look on hers. Wolfgang looked badly beaten up and knocked out drunk.

Skadi (Talking to Susan): I swear, if your boyfriend starts with the "I'm King Henry IIV" song, I am personally going to break all the bones in his body and paralyze him while he heals with no pain suppressing medicine.

Folsom and Jenny look at Amadeus with "What in the world?" looks on their faces.

Amadeus (With a shrug): I have no idea what she is talking about. I never heard the story behind that one and why Skadi gets so mad when she hears that particular song. But let's go and get something to eat. I am starving!

Jenny: Okay. Amadeus, remember when I told you I was not really hungry? That is because I am, how should I put this, a military artificial intelligence that can manifest a physical body. So, I do not need or have the urge to eat. Um, can I add that I'm carrying a real gun. it's not a hologram or anything like that. I just want that out there.

Amadeus: Understandable. I have a different AI friend.

Folsom and Jenny look at each other with questioning looks.

Folsom: Now I know I have not seen this kid anywhere where we are from. How in the world did he meet another AI like you?

Amadeus: The AI I know is solely from this world. Maybe you two will meet her later. I'll introduce you. But are you hungry Mr. Folsom? I know many good restaurants here. My treat.

Folsom: Sure, I could go for a bite.

Jenny: Y'know, If Skadi hates that song so much, she should ask Kurama. He has this big collection of music. She might like what he listens to. (in thought) S**t, if it really is his baby Mel, she'd know all the words to everything he likes. Man, that's so weird; I mean, he still talks about Mel and Wolfgang as his babies. But…..it's not like he neglects Chern, Peach, Goji, or Aiden….he just….misses his kids…Dammit.

Melody then walks over to them, a little bit bruised but nothing major. Amadeus hands her the device she had handed him back.

Melody: Where is Kurama? I'm back like I promised to help set up their base.

Before any of them could answer her, Skadi is busy walking past them dragging a rather large war hammer behind her, and Susan was trying to stop her advance.

Skadi (enraged): I warned you that if he started with that song I was going to break every bone in his body! Now he's going to get it!

Melody face-palms herself with one hand, while the other creates Thor's hammer out of ice.

Melody: Excuse me. I have to go take care of my embarrassment and anger. I'll get back to you.

A loud thud was heard followed by the breaking of ice. Jenny and Folsom were giggling and Amadeus had his hands over his face, which was beet red with embarrassment. Somehow, that actually broke Jenny out of her sad thoughts, and she was glad for it. Melody was rubbing her hands together with a smile on her face, walking back to the trio.

Melody: That's done! I feel so much better right now!

Kurama walks towards the four, followed by Skadi. Kurama has a bewildered look on his face, though, internally, he and Arteza were laughing for reasons they had no clue off, just that Melody's expression was hilarious, while Folsom and Jenny were busy laughing at what just transpired between the twin hedgehogs. Skadi, on the other paw, had a ticked off look on her face following behind.

Kurama: Why in the world did I just see Melody hit Wolfgang with a hammer when he was in a hospital bed, and why does Skadi have a war hammer?

Skadi (muttering under her breath): What a big waste of my cruddy time! I was ready to smash Wolfgang to bits, but nooooooooooooooo. The "Queen" just had to take away my fun!

Melody: Long story short, Wolfgang had too much to drink, started a bar-fight, got knocked out, was brought here, pissed me and Skadi off, and I knocked him out with an ice hammer because I was so mad and because he embarrassed me so much.

Kurama had an understanding look on his face, since he had to deal with that when Farid got drunk. He, on the other paw, drank more than would be realized, although Kurama was exceedingly particular. Kurama wasn't really any kind of drunk specifically, he was just more of himself, not that it loosened him up, more that it made him more of a kid. Oh, Kurama was still a kid pretty much, even if he was 24, almost 25, but he was also pretty mature too. Farid, though, was a crazy drunk.

Kurama: I understand your pain. I have to deal with that all of the time. Like, my friggin' brother-in-law Farid. Y'know, you remind me of my wife when she gets mad.

Melody: In what way?

Kurama: The frigging hammer.

Kurama burst out laughing, he and Arteza thinking their little joke was funny. They really weren't comedians like Farid, but they at least tried when they made jokes.

Amadeus: Actually, the hammer was Melody being nice mad. You do not want to know what she does when she is truly mad.

The kids look at each other with, "Yeah, let's not make Kurama's wife mad when she gets here." mixed in with, "What in the world is with these people?"

Kurama and Arteza sensed Melody and Amadeus's emotions created by what he said, the two feeling like they may have screwed up. He put his hands up, showing his palms.

Kurama: Yo, guys, it's okay. I'm just joking with you. My wife is actually really sweet. See, she's a combat engineer and she does have a hammer, just to bust down doors and break tanks and stuff, not to hit people with. Well, technically, it's a hammer/pry bar, but in any case, her nice mad is punching someone. She only hit Farid with her hammer once, but that was cause he stepped on her tail. And that was still nice mad. Her dark mad, is well, it's, it's only used against evil people. I don't think you need to hear that one, besides the fact that in that case, she does use her hammer. But look, don't worry, I'll vouch for you. If I say you're cool, she'll be cool. Ok? I mean, you guys are gonna love her. She's a whole friggin' lotta fun. Um, sorry if I was rambling….

Melody:Kurama, it's ok. Then it'll be really nice to meet her. Have you been married for long?

Amadeus: Yeah. So, what's her name?

Kurama smiles broadly. This was good, and Arteza knew so as well.

Kurama: Her name is Sheila. Sheila Olivia Avro. We've been married for four years, and I really can't wait for you to meet her. Now, what's really funny is that Skadi is like our medic.

Melody: Ok, now I wanna know about that one.

Kurama: ok, so, our medic is this fox girl named Mira. She's, like, one of my best friends. We've known each other since we were 15.

Melody: Hold on, how old are you?

Kurama: Oh, I'm 24. Everyone on my team is 24, except Farid. He's 22. So anyway, me and Mira have known each other for years. She's… interesting. She's both a doctor and an assassin. And she carries a massive revolver. Yeah. She's really something. But you should meet her. But, I'll be honest; she's nice-mean. but I think you guys will like her. So, anyway, yeah.

About then, Skadi came by, pissed off.

Skadi: I am going home to Shard and Fists! If you guys need me, come get me in person! I am not going to deal with anything else tonight!

She then storms off in anger, while Melody just sighs. She then remembers something and she pulls Amadeus away from the others, into an empty examination room.

Melody (in a whisper): Isn't tonight a full moon?

Amadeus (Not Whispering): Yeah. Why are you asking tha...?

He suddenly realized why she was asking.

Amadeus: Don't worry sis! I am sure that Mr. Kurama and his team will understand if you can't do it tonight. Just make up an excuse then let's get you out of here. I will walk you into the woods so you can transform into your beast form without them, or anyone else, seeing or getting hurt! Besides, you won't have to worry for another month after this since this is the last night of your beastly cycle.

They then exit the room, unknowing that Kurama had heard everything that they had just said. The two siblings exit the room and Melody makes her excuses and tells Gamma 13 that they will set the base up the next day when there was better lighting.

Kurama:(in thought to Arteza) Frak. Frak, frak, double frak. Did the Theta type Yaasx'ym virus cross dimensions?

Arteza: No way. we'd know about some dimension-hopping arms dealer sellin' that crap. We gotta check this out, just in case. Can't take any chances. Especially if this is Mobius.

Kurama: Right, honey.

Kurama, being alone with Arteza, checked the medkit attached to his leg. He pulled out a small self-contained syringe. Through a window in it, a glowing liquid could be seen. It glowed in a mottled blue-green-yellow that shifted.

Kurama:(in thought to Arteza) I hope this stuff works on her. We can't let the kid bleed to friggin' death from that stuff. I was lucky to have Mira figure it all out.

Arteza: Ancestors help us, we gotta try. If she's had all the symptoms you've had, we know what comes next without this stuff.

He put the syringe back and left.

Author/Editor's Note: Pronounced Yaw-sheem It's the virus that unlocked Kurama's transformations allowing his other personalities Aggro and Peacemaker, who are completely separate from Arteza, to fully integrate and go from imaginary friends to other parts of his soul. The virus is also called Ebola Aggro by Mira, Oliver, and their Gamma 13 colleagues, as well as by Kurama's pediatrician Katar Lowell and his wife Sinda Lowell, as they were involved in treating Kurama.

Melody and Amadeus then left for the woods, while Folsom and Jenny decided to explore Care-A-Lot on their own. Kurama meanwhile stealthily followed the two hedgehog kids. He followed them to a small lake, a little bit away from the village. Melody hugged Amadeus, letting a tear fall down her face as they then parted ways. Kurama just waited in the shadows, watching Melody. He kept Slavic Dragon ready, but switched to his HP-59. To his wonder, he saw Melody just staring at the full moon. Kurama then saw Melody fall to her hands and knees at the riverbank, still staring at the moon, before shutting her eyes and transforming into her werehog form. From what it looked like to him, it appeared to be really, really, really, painful. He got near her, concerned. The whole time, he was watching around him, unsure if he might be attacked. Or worse, if Melody might be attacked while in a vulnerable state.

Kurama:(in thought to Arteza) Crap! The virus is waking up!

Melody still had her eyes closed, and was panting. Kurama, for a moment, felt like he maybe should have gone alpha wolf, but ... .he and Arteza were so ashamed of the canid instincts that outside the bedroom, they might as well not exist at all.

Kurama: Melody, are you alright?

Melody suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils were so big that you could not even see her irises. They were pure black. She howled like a wolf and rushed Kurama in an attempt to eat him.

Kurama and Arteza(in thought) Man, this is so not the virus!

Kurama grabbed her around her neck in surprise, as she tried to get free and still eat him by swiping at him with her sharp fingernail claws and kicking at him with the cleats she was now wearing. This was done to no effect because of his armor.

Kurama (thinking): So, this is why she was concerned, Tezzie. She did not want to risk hurting anybody when turning into this.

Arteza: Dang. Good thing you're wearing your body armor and the winter clothes Skadi gave us and not your t-shirt or hoodie. Gotta love Wolf Fur. But, I mean, seriously, Sheila just got you that new Gears of War t-shirt. I really doubt you'd get a new one here if it got shredded. Hoodie too.

Note: Wolf Fur is military slang for the soft fabric-like body armor that Kurama wears.

Kurama then saw Melody give out a surprised yelp, going limp in his hand, and then she was asleep. He turned her body around and saw a tranquilizer dart coming out of her back, and Farid walking towards him, holding his sniper rifle in his hands.

Kurama: Dude, what the f**k?

Farid: I heard the howl, followed it here and I saw you holding that thing. You would have killed it by now if it was a threat. Just what is that thing exactly?

Kurama: This...: (Holding up Melody's limp body for Farid to see better): is Melody. She transformed into this ruddy thing when the moon came out. Apparently, *Идиот, this was the real reason she could not help us with setting up the beginning of our base tonight. And, seriously, the friggin' fifty-cal? You coulda' friggin' killed her. I always tell you to use the friggin' '975-S for this stuff!

*Translation: Idiot

Farid: What the crap are you mad at me for? I stopped her from eating you!

Kurama(growling): oh, whatever. Just shut your freakin' mouth.

Kurama sets Melody's sleeping body on the ground and removes the dart from her back. Kurama lightly lifted her shirt, and saw two scars that formed an "X" on her belly, with the scar slashing from the right arm to the left leg looked fresher, as it looked less faded as the other scar going in the opposite direction.

Kurama: What happened to her to get these scars like this? These scars are unusual. Somebody must have hurt her to do this? But who?

Farid: I don't know, but I saw she had identical scars on her back when you pulled that dart out. Something must have impaled her all the way through in order to make those scars like that.

That hurt Kurama's heart. He hated seeing kids hurt, and this was just awful. He'd seen kids who'd been beaten and abused by their parents or guardians, and it always got off with him, but this….this was more like what happened to him as a younger man.

Kurama(sighing with a heavy heart): Interesting. This means she's tougher than she looks. A lot tougher.

Arteza: Honey….if this could be our Melody….

Arteza and Kurama's hearts couldn't take knowing that their Melody had been through something so terrible, and all they could do was shove it down.

Farid: Yep. Hey, try reading her emotions while she's knocked out, may give us more info about this world.

Farid noticed Kurama was zoning out, so Farid brought them back to the real world with a sharp bark, as he wasn't shy about acting like a feral jackal sometimes, more or less.

Farid: Dude, did you hear me?

Kurama: Yeah, yeah, read her emotions. Good idea, for once, Mr. Death god.

The way he said that, he wasn't exactly playing around, more a jab at Farid than anything, as he would have called him Anubis or Lord Anubis if he was actually being sweet and playful.

Kurama and Arteza read Melody's emotions, and were confused, as her emotional aura was clearly sad, but had a strong barrier of other emotions on top of those, making it feel like she had a hardened heart that was cracked, but had a thick iron shell around it, preventing her from being able to open up to anybody. That further saddened Kurama and Arteza. After 26 minutes, she blinked her eyes a few times and saw Kurama and Farid staring down at her. Her eyes are back to their normal form. Remembering what she had just attempted to do before getting knocked out, Melody ran away as fast as she could on all fours, mortified.

Kurama: *Jodida..

*Translation: Oh, frak/oh f**k

Both members of Gamma 13 followed her, but she managed to cause them to get separated from each other as she was trying to give them the slip. Farid ends up getting hopelessly lost in the woods, but Melody did not manage to give Kurama the slip. She didn't know if this guy who shared the same name as her cousin/big brother was as good of a hunter and tracker as her Kurama was, but it was her Kurama and he was on her tail with Arteza, still watching for anyone who might try to ambush them. She thought she lost him, and went out to a cliff overlooking the entirety of Care-A-Lot. Kurama comes out from the forest behind Melody out of breath, as she was busy sitting on the edge of the cliff. Melody did not notice him as she was busy thinking about what she had attempted to do to Kurama, mortified. Kurama, not noticing the view of Care-A-Lot, flopped to the ground beside Melody, exhausted, and barely managed to reholster his HP-59 pistol after missing twice and barely got Slavic Dragon off to the side. Melody got up and attempted to run away again when Kurama just grabbed her tightly by her long tail.

Kurama (tired from running after Melody): Oh no you don't! I am not going to chase you down again! I burned a whole friggin' lot of energy and it's so not normal for me to be tired from running like that! Just sit down and tell me what is going on here!

Melody obediently sits back down and looks out over the village, defeated. Before she could speak, she noticed Kurama started sneezing like crazy.

Kurama(between sneezes, gasping): Oh….oh…no…

Kurama looked through his pouches, searching for his inhaler. Melody was worried by this, and tried to help him.

Melody: Um, Kurama….

Kurama: Melody….asthma….

Realizing Kurama was having an asthma attack, she helped him look through the pouches and she pulled out his inhaler first, and she ended up having to help him. By the time Kurama was breathing normally again, she was feeling that things were getting way too coincidental for this not to be her Kurama, but she couldn't truly put it together. When he was ok, she then proceeded to tell Kurama why she was like that and why she ran away, except she left the exact details of what exactly happened out. All she told Kurama was that she was used as a battery to split apart a planet, she saved the world and pieced it back together, then discovered months later that she transforms like a werewolf. By reading her emotions, Kurama and Arteza knew she was not telling him the entire truth, but decided not to press her for more details because he believed she would have told him if it was important for him to know. They also felt that her emotional armor around her heart had seemed to open a little bit for him, and only for him, as he remembered her other interactions with her friends, and how her aura was then. This really made Arteza wish he could manifest and meet her, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to it all.

Melody: Why are you not mad at me? I literally just tried to eat you. How can you be taking it so well?

Kurama sighed, taking a stick of clove candy out and placing it in his teeth.

Kurama: You made the effort to try and protect me and my team, even though you do not know us. And that is not even counting all of the other kids you tried to protect from yourself when you transformed into this... thing. Look, you're not the first lifeform to try to eat me. And to be honest, even with all the crap you put me through, I think you're pretty cool. Also, you saved me from a severe asthma attack. That's pretty good karma right there. Thanks, Melody.

Melody: I personally call this form, my werehog form, and thank you for stopping me earlier. I don't think I could have stopped myself from attacking the others in Care-A-Lot. I thought that I had a handle on myself, but I did not. Thank you for having my back. Mr. Kurama, would you mind not telling anyone else in the village about me transforming into this form. I really do not want to have to deal with more problems. I already have a lot on my plate from the sudden appearance of you and your team. And you're welcome, Mr. Kurama.

Before Kurama could respond to her, Amadeus comes to the cliff where the two team leaders were. He was pulling a wagon filled with a large pile of paper bags. He was mainly focusing on his sister and did not notice Kurama at all. Kurama also felt Melody's heart open widely for Amadeus, but when she was talking to him, it went back to being only being opened a small bit. This clearly told Kurama that Amadeus was probably the one Melody truly opened her heart to. Kurama and Arteza planned on finding a way to get Melody to lower her heart barrier to him like she did for Amadeus.

Amadeus: Hey Sis! I remembered that you did not have anything to eat since breakfast two days ago, so I brought you a ton of chili-dogs from Chili-dog Heaven. I hope that I brought you enough.

Melody leans backward a little bit, and sees the large pile of bags of chili-dogs in the wagon.

Melody: Okay, that is a little bit too much for me to eat right now, even in this current form. I don't think it will be too much if I shared it with Mr. Kurama and you.

Amadeus sees Kurama and Amadeus got a sheepish look on his face as Kurama just waved at him. Melody broke up the awkward silence by using her stretchy arms ability and grabbed one of the bags from the wagon. She then offered the bag to Kurama, who thankfully accepts it and starts eating the contents out of it while Melody and Amadeus grab their own bags and begin to eat as well. Of course, Arteza wanted to get out and eat too….but well, yeah. As they are eating, Melody and Amadeus notice Kurama taking pictures of Care-A-Lot using a very nice digital camera.

Kurama: (in thought)Tezzie, i think this is the same Care-A-Lot i painted that picture of….

Arteza: Oh wow…..they followed through…it's beautiful, sweetie…..

Amadeus: Um, Mr. Kurama, what are you doing?

Kurama(turning to Amadeus): Taking pictures to use as a map of this town. And don't call me Mr. you're gonna get me shot. Just call me Kurama, please. Black-ops types like us ain't so polite. We're respectful, just not so polite. Look, I'm sorry, I don't like formality. Where I come from, if you have a high rank like me, you have to watch for snipers. They always go after the highest rank or biggest threat. Oh, and thanks for the food. I've never had whatever that was before.

Melody then used empathic telepathy, unwittingly, with only Kurama, and he heard her think, "Kurama, you have no idea just how precious Amadeus is to me. I know we barely met, but please keep an eye out for him, for me. He isn't only my little brother, but he is my only SON. And I need somebody to take care of him, when, if! I meant IF, I happen to die. He needs to be looked after and I don't trust my twin that much anymore. I can't let him wind up dead. Like Mom and Dad. I miss them, and the rest of our extended family, and especially my cousin who looks just like you." Kurama wisely kept silent and to himself, taking in what she had just thought. That last bit made Kurama and Arteza wonder if they'd heard right. Moreover, they were really wondering if this was the same kid who sent them the video message months back.

Amadeus: Ok Mr., I mean, Kurama. And you're welcome. so, what are you: highest rank or biggest threat?

Kurama smiled.

Kurama: Amadeus… I'm both. I have the biggest gun and I'm the real boss.

Amadeus: 'Real boss'? Is there someone else?

Kurama: Yeah, My Aunt Alena. She goes by 'Grim', as in grim reaper. She's really tough, but nice. But she's the, like, I don't know how to put it. She does the paperwork and I do the leading. By the way, how in the world did this village of only kids get created?

Kurama and Arteza had an idea, but only a part. They remembered all about being shown the site the town would be, the pieces coming back.

Melody: I created this village because I saw many kids who were stuck by themselves because they were orphaned, because of Eggman or some sort of war. And one day, I was out for a run and came across this cliff and the view here. I thought that this was the perfect place to build a refuge city. I wanted this city to be mainly for kids, but it would be able to help anyone of any age who needed it. In a matter of time, Care-A-Lot became the capital of the entire MKND organization.

Before Kurama could respond to what Melody just said, Farid comes out of the woods, running away from Melody, Wolfgang, and Amadeus's robotic dog, Rip. It did not help that he was cussing up a storm, mixed with very colorful insults, intended for the robot. Rip, meanwhile, has his machine-guns out and is in protection/attack mode. Farid accidentally steps into the, now empty, wagon and rolls off the cliff. Melody manages to catch him by the scruff of his neck with her mouth, making him yelp. If he did fall, it would have meant his death, or led to what would be at least several broken bones, unless Kurama caught him, since Kurama could use his gravity powers to catch him and land safely. Melody lifted Farid back to safety, as Amadeus managed to calm Rip down and explain to the pet that Gamma 13 were their friends. Amadeus then led Rip away before Farid tried to kill the Uno family dog from the inside out.

Farid: OKAY THAT'S IT! I AM GOING BACK TO THE VILLAGE WHERE IT IS SAFE! SEE YOU GUYS LATER!

He then leaves for Care-A-Lot, following Rip and Amadeus. He made sure that he followed them at a large distance, not wanting to get chased by Rip again.

Melody just watches the three leave, as Kurama has his face in his hands, as he and Arteza were really embarrassed, yet also, weirdly, they were laughing on the inside. Though to Melody, he was clearly embarrassed by what Farid had said in front of the two kids. Melody, after the three left, turned and placed her hand on Kurama's back, in an attempt to cheer him up.

Melody: Don't worry about what your friend said. Believe it or not, we have heard worse. Heh, I've said worse. You would be rolling on the ground with laughter if you heard what was said around here in terms of insults and bad words. Let's say we are a bit "creative" for a lack of better words.

Kurama smiled and laughed, his growl in it making Melody smile as well.

Kurama: Thanks. Now I can cut loose. Within' reason, y'know. Well, now I can actually tell you what I said earlier, when I told you that you didn't want to know.

Melody: So, what did you say?

Kurama: I'm not sure if you've heard this one before, but what I said was 'Oh, frak.' in Dravian And yo, if you heard what me and my wife said, you'd blush. We speak Kitseili. And it sounds rough, especially if we're mad. Plus, my wife speaks Tigrahn, which is worse. Tigrahn sounds angry no matter what.

Melody: That is creative. And kit-whatsi?

Melody knew exactly what he said, but she wanted to make sure.

Kurama: Kitseili, it's the language my species speaks. I'm a Kitseili, well, one-sixth. Anyway, yo, trust me; my team gets creative too. And that's not counting what me and Sheila heard growing up in the Corps. And in several languages at that.

Melody: the 'Corps'?

Yet another piece of the puzzle. Melody was becoming more and more sure of her suspicions now.

Kurama: the Miyaran Corps of Marines. Baddest warriors on my world. OORAH!

Kurama, realizing what he had said, immediately turned red. He grinned sheepishly. Kurama wasn't really the sort to do that in front of people unless he felt comfortable, and well, considering this was his Melody, he was very comfortable.

Kurama: Sorry, yo. Old habits die hard.

Melody: It's ok, and I thought you were from Gamma Thirteen.

Kurama: I'll explain later, suffice it to say I was recruited from the Corps. Y'know, Gamma Thirteen isn't too different. We're a bunch of orphans, outcasts, and loners. But we fight like hell for one another. What binds us together is that we've fought side-by-side.

Kurama smiles widely.

Kurama: And some family ties.

Melody looks at Kurama with a confused look, testing him.

Kurama noticed her confusion, and yet, he knew it wasn't real. Having felt that this Melody was familiar, an almost dead-ringer for his little cousin Melody, albeit aged up, Kurama opted to lead with information his cousin Melody wouldn't know, as a security measure, and he and Arteza were dead sure now. It was something he had learned from his Uncle Yasha; Yasha had always told Kurama to tell possible new allies a certain amount of truth. It had to be completely true, but he didn't have to tell everything at once. Yasha had said, "Give them enough to gain their trust. Trust breeds transparency, and transparency breeds trust. Those two things must reinforce each other. Once you and your ally are bound by these things, this will become friendship."

Kurama: It's complicated. I have two adopted sisters and one half-sister, plus two half-brothers, Nikolai and Lev. Oh, and to clarify, my two half-brothers are not soldiers. We don't talk about them; well, to be exact we don't talk about Lev. Nikolai is nice to me, and me and him talk all the time. My sisters are Sophie, Khalilah, and Mia. And then there's my android brother, Ion. My brother-in-laws are Kai and Farid.

Melody: Android brother…?

Kurama: Long war story.

Melody(laughing on the inside): Not touching that one. Your family is weird.

Author's note: *Cough* *Cough* Ms. Kettle , Ms. Pot just called; she says you're "BLACK"!

Kurama (in thought): So maybe I shouldn't tell you, just in case,, cause then you'd seriously be thrown for a loop if I told you I had a twin sister. Samantha would have so much fun if she was here.

Kurama: I know. Anyway, I gotta seriously be honest with you, Melody, and just with you.

Melody: About what?

Kurama: look, I, frak it. I thought you had Yaasx'ym Hemorrhagic Fever!

Melody: What. You thought I had a disease?

Kurama puts his hands over his face and sighs deeply. He sits down on the cliff. Melody sees that he's clearly upset, sits beside him.

Kurama: It's not just any disease. It's a biological weapon from my world. I got infected with it nine years ago. The other name for it is Ebola Aggro.

Kurama then proceeds to tell her the story of how he caught Ebola Aggro and what it did.

Kurama: It started with cold chills. Then came the nausea, the sweating, the blurry vision. Then the pain. Pure agony. Mira said the flame on my tail almost went out. They had to put me in a stasis chamber for eight months. Eventually she found a cure. If she hadn't made this for me, I would have bled to death.

Kurama pulls the vial of glowing medicine from his medkit. He hands it to Melody. She holds it up and looks at it.

Kurama: I was gonna give you this to save your life. It's a modified form of the virus. It counters it and binds it to the victim's DNA. It caused me to gain a transformation too.

Melody: Huh.

Kurama: Your transformation is really similar to mine, except I get bone spikes on my tail, I can do it anytime, plus my powers amp up, and I get faster. The only problem is my hands get bigger, so I can't use my normal guns. For this I use a special gun, a handheld nine-barreled autocannon. It's called a Kyuubi No Kitsune. If Jenny can get the armory working, I'll show you it. It's really cool.

Melody hands Kurama back the syringe.

Melody: Ok. But, can I see your transformation now?

Kurama: Sure.

Kurama stands up and opens his bag. He pulls out a set of clothes. They appeared similar to what he was already wearing.

Kurama: Give me one minute to change.

He went behind a stand of trees where Melody couldn't see him, and for a moment, he let Arteza out since they were hidden from view completely on all sides

Arteza: Crap….finally some air….

Kurama nodded, and as he undressed, Arteza commented on the location.

Arteza: Sweetie, remind me, if we find a secure spot after we find Diesel, maybe we can take some time….

Kurama smirked and nodded, and before he had his pants pulled up, he let Arteza cop a feel real fast, reaching into Arteza's pants to do the same through his boxers. Satisfied, Arteza went back in Kurama's head and Kurama finished getting dressed. A few minutes later, he came back out.

Kurama: alright. Here it is.

He clapped his hands together. There was a flash of light and then he reappeared.

Melody: Wow. You got bigger.

Kurama stepped back, as he was accidentally looming over her.

Kurama: And you see why I carry a second outfit. And I'm nine foot two inches tall exactly in this form. These, are made to stretch. I try to wear them all the time. I mean, y'know, don't know when I might need to transform. oh, and it wasn't entirely Farid's language that embarrassed me.

Melody(raising an eyebrow in curiosity): What else was it?

Kurama snickered.

Kurama: The fact it reminded me of all the times Farid got chased by my Ikuvaasu daughter, Chern.

Melody: Your…what?

Kurama: crap. It translates to Tiger-Fox. Think big fox with tiger stripes. She's purple with pink stripes. Oh!

Kurama pulls his phone out of his pocket.

Kurama: I totally forgot I could show you a picture of her. check this out.

He pulls up a photo of him with Chern on his phone and shows Melody.

Kurama: Cute, isn't she?

Melody: Cute? She's as big as you are normally!

Kurama: she's only four.

Melody: What the heck. And she's your daughter? (in thought) No way this is Ku. He and Sheila would only have the dolls we made for him. Unless….

Kurama laughs and Melody shakes her head.

Melody: Oh whatever! She still can't hold a candle to Carnation.

Kurama(chuckling): Yo, unless Carnation was trained to kill, Chern's got the lead. I specially trained her to root out dug in enemies and retrieve guns for me. My baby girl is a real killing machine!

Melody: You know, maybe it might be good for all of us with you Gamma Thirteen guys being here right now. We barely managed to finish dealing with the last major crisis last month. We kinda need extra protection from Eggman right now.

Kurama: What was the crisis?

Melody: The biggest threat to our planet showed up during a special ceremony we were doing at a special place where what we like to call "The Tree of Humble Beginnings" was located. Practically all the kids in the world showed up, and Eggman managed to capture a great deal of kids. He was only stopped by me, my team, Amadeus, and the most elite team to ever exist in the MKND managed to stop Eggman, his nefarious plans, and save everyone that was captured. He ruined the entire Ceremony, so we have to do it all over again soon.

Arteza: Oh holy f**king s**t….sweetie, if this "Eggman" replaced the motherf**ker that we remember hearing about when you were little….

Kurama: Okay. But what was his true plan, other than capturing kids? Because it sounds like the capturing kids was just a bonus to him.

Melody: Don't tell Skadi, Shard, and Fists that I told you this, but Eggman's real goal was to capture Shard. Shard is very unique, and if Eggman got his hands on him, it would be catastrophic for our planet.

Kurama: Why is Shard so special? Not only that, but how in the world did your friends, who are a cat and an echidna, have a hedgehog as a baby. Look, I didn't get a biology degree in college, but I know that doesn't make sense. I am pretty sure the two of them are not married or at the proper childbearing age to be having kids of their own.

Melody: Do not let Skadi and Fists know that I told you, but if they found out, they would kill me harder than you would believe. You see, Shard used to be a deadly robot teenager, originally created by Eggman himself. Shard was the first Metal Sonic robot. After several upgrades, Shard gained a soul and his own free will. As a result, he turned on Eggman, wanting to be a good guy. For a time he was, but one day he fought his technical "brother" the current Metal Sonic. The end result of that battle was the robot was destroyed and Shard got turned into the baby you saw earlier today. Somehow he managed to make it near Care-A-Lot before becoming too exhausted in some bushes. Luckily for him, Skadi and Fists were taking a walk that day and found him because of his whimpering. They took care of him and waited for him to wake up from his comma. He did so three days later, and from that day, Skadi and Fists decided to adopt and love him as their own son. They love him more than anything. And do not try to take Shard away from them. They will go ballistic if that happens!

Kurama: That explains so much. (in thought to Arteza) Ancestors help them, if they decide to go on a friggin' adopting spree like our mom… (aloud) I must say from what your friend was willing to do to protect the ones he cares about, he really impressed me. In fact, you impressed me yourself. You took over the situation and managed it perfectly. Very professional.

Kurama clapped his hands and returned to normal in a flash of light.

Melody: Thanks. By the way, maybe it might be good for my successor, Number 0, to hang out with you. I think I managed to reach him, but maybe it would be better for him in the long run to hang out with more experienced leaders. (Under her breath, muttering to herself: I do not want him turning out like that ex-agent Number 13 did. So many regrets and failures.)

Kurama (hearing perfectly well what Melody muttered to herself): Are you sure that would be the only thing good for him?

Melody: Yeah. I think that if he hangs out with you and your team, he might not be as shy and reclusive. I just want to do right by him and train him to be the very best agent that the MKND and the entirety of Mobius has ever seen.

Arteza: Ancestors help us. If this kid has ADHD and anxiety too, then we'll almost be lookin' in the friggin' mirror. Hopefully, we can help this kid. And if we're right, he'll be the first Gamma on this world.

Kurama: (in thought to Arteza): Yeah, and then it'll be a full mirror if he has Aspergers like us and swings both ways. Seriously, this is really unexpected. (aloud) I'll see what I can do. How good is he in combat?

The two then continue to talk to each other about Rodney and how far along in his training he was. After they finished talking, they looked over Care-A-Lot in silence.

Melody (positioning herself so that her head was in his lap): You can pet me if you want. Scratch me behind my ears or rub my belly even. But if a single word gets back to the others about me acting like a dog, I WILL cut your head off and feed it to the sharks!

Kurama (laughing): Okay. You sure you're okay with that though?

Melody: I'm sure. I usually only let Amadeus treat me like a canine, but I think I can trust you enough to let you do it. And besides, petting an animal can sometimes help with anxiety and stress. And before you ask, I know from your behavior and your situation. I would feel the same way if our positions were switched.

Kurama smiled, as he began to pet Melody, and scratch behind her ears, noting a small device behind her right ear. He ignored it and continued to pet and scratch her.

Kurama: Well, you're very much right, I do have anxiety, and well…yeah. It's helping.

Melody: And what? Kurama, what's wrong?

Kurama: Yeah….Melody, i'm…kinda….i have….(quietly) I'm autistic….

Melody turned, facing him.

Melody: So?

Kurama and Arteza knew this had to be their Melody, cause she knew Kurama was autistic and didn't see it as a bad thing.

Kurama: So….

Melody: I caught that too. I know other kids who are and I have an older cousin who is. But he's really smart and cool. Kurama, I can tell you're really smart and cool like him, so don't worry. Like, you felt safe enough to tell me, didn't you?

Kurama: Yeah. Some people have been mean to me about it or had all sorts of expectations about me cause of it.

Melody: I'm sorry about that, Kurama. That's not ok. Look, don't listen to them. You don't have anything to be ashamed of.

Kurama smiled softly, thanking her as he looked back out to the town. After a bit, he felt Melody becoming relaxed, and her turning over on her back, with her head still in his lap, exposing her belly. Kurama smiled as he began to rub her belly, getting blissful dog sounds out of Melody. After a while, he heard snoring, and saw that Melody had fallen asleep for real, as she instinctively crawled into his lap and curled up there. He chuckled to himself at the cuteness of the sight, Arteza and him thinking she looked so precious. He quickly used his gravity powers to take a picture of him with Melody like that, so he could show Folsom and Jenny when he saw them again. Kurama then heard Melody murmur in her sleep.

Melody (asleep): Brownie, you don't have to finish this journey alone. I promised you that I would get your memories back. And just because you got them back now, doesn't mean we aren't seeing this through to the end. We are nearly done with all of it now, and I intend to finish healing the planet at your side. We are completing this like the awesome team we are. Now let's do it to it!

Kurama smiled, and he leaned down and kissed Melody on her head, hoping that what he was about to say wouldn't screw it all up if this was another Melody.

Kurama: Sleep tight, my sweet baby.

Kurama took her in his arms, letting Arteza out long enough to help him up, and he kissed Melody on her head as well. Arteza then went back in Kurama's head and Kurama took Melody down back into town, heading for the hospital, as he really didn't know what to do since he had no idea where she lived.

Kurama: Aw crap…..the hell do i do?

Kurama was carrying Melody with her head on his shoulder, his HP-59 in hand. He hoped that they wouldn't get jumped, and as Kurama moved from cover to cover, Amadeus followed him, as Amadeus saw him come into town as well, and when Amadeus asked him what he was doing, he almost dropped his pistol. He caught it though, and unfortunately when he did, he swung his hand back and smacked himself in the thigh with the gun. Arteza had barely manage to prevent Kurama from getting hit in the balls, and the near miss wasn't lost on Kurama. Kurama turned to look at Amadeus, shaking his head.

Kurama: Trying not to get smacked in the wrong spot after you startled me. Ugh, seriously, Melody fell asleep and I have no idea where she lives, cause I was gonna take her home.

Amadeus: Oh, I know where she lives.

Kurama: Then lead on, cause I'm lost as hell.

Amadeus nodded and took Kurama to Melody's house and when they got there, he woke her up.

Kurama: Melody, it's late, you need to go to bed. So do i.

Melody woke up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Melody: Oh…oh, Kurama, you brought me home?

Kurama: Thanks to Amadeus. I didn't have a clue where to go.

Kurama set Melody down, letting her wake up some more before he headed out. Amadeus had her, and Kurama didn't want to go in uninvited, plus, Melody was too tired anyway for company and Kurama might have kept her up all night since he was getting his second wind so to speak, since he was a night person anyways. So, when he was sure Melody was okay and Amadeus walked her inside, he said goodnight and headed out, pistol in hand. He kept it ready, and the thing was, he looked as nervous as really was. By the time he got back to the hospital, Skadi was waiting for him, as she had a feeling he'd gone off for some reason.

Skadi: You ready to get up to the roof? Cause, i can't stay here all night.

Kurama: Yeah. I'm sorry, Skadi.

Skadi: It's ok. Just tell me next time. I'm not gonna pry.

Kurama: Ok, Skadi. I promise.

Kurama holstered his pistol, following her inside and up to the roof where he'd set up earlier. And by now, she had brought him more battery power blankets and an electric heater and made sure his tent was secure and wasn't gonna let snow in, or get blown off the roof by the high got Kurama all wrapped and snuggled up with the blankets and made sure Kurama had plenty of warm clothes as well. Skadi told him goodnight and he said the same to her. When she was gone he went over and sat down, sighing deeply. A little later, Kurama was looking at his phone, looking at old family pictures. He was looking at a picture that showed him with his cousins Melody and Wolfgang Avro. The picture showed him and Samantha holding the two of them, sitting between their Aunt Hannah and Uncle Leonardo in the bed of an old pickup truck. Melody and Wolfgang looked so happy and filled with life in it. Unlike the Melody and Wolfgang he had met, as he saw Melody was clinging onto thin strands of life, while Wolfgang was greatly conflicted. He brought up a drop-down menu in his HUD and selected the 'AR Display' option. He tapped his right index claw with his left, activating a set of small implants in his fingertips. These implants allowed him to manipulate a virtual interface that only he saw. He selected 'Pictures', then 'Family Photos', then 'Me and/or Saami with Melody and/or Wolfgang'. He browsed through the photos with Arteza, looking for ways to match the first images he recorded of the Melody and Wolfgang they met with his cousins Melody and Wolfgang.

Kurama: Why the hell does that girl look like Melody and have her name? No, no; it can't just be a f**kin' coincidence. I'm mean, but….

Arteza: Sweetie, we'll link up with someone on Uncle Leo's side of the family. We just gotta stay calm and gather intel. If what Jen relayed to us is correct, and this is Mobius, we need to alter our tactics. And…she can use empathic telepathy without knowing it. F**K! It can't be a coincidence! Makes me wonder though….

Kurama called Jenny up on his phone.

Jenny (answering): Yeah, bro? What's up?

Kurama: Did they give you access to their computer systems yet?

Jenny: Yes, they did. That cyborg turtle, Susan, gave me full control, and asked me to covertly investigate the progress of some sort of secret project Melody has been working on, titled Project: True Home and Family. Want me to investigate it, too? I mean, these kids are way too familiar, considering I only know them from the pictures you guys showed me.

Kurama: Yes. And pull up everything there is on Melody, Wolfgang, and Amadeus. I want all their information on those three. They could be three missing members of our family. And try and locate Aunt Hannah and Uncle Leonardo for me.

Jenny: I already tried pinpointing them, and I did find them, but they have a permanent residence that they cannot leave, not even if they tried.

Kurama: What do you mean?

It was so quiet you could have heard the tapping of Kurama's claws on the concrete of the roof. Jenny hesitated, her own digital heart breaking.

Jenny: I looked them up as soon as I got hooked into the network. They're dead bro. I am so sorry.

Kurama (beginning to cry): Damnit! They're dead?! HOW?!

Arteza started crying, cause even though he didn't meet them, he was still Kurama and that meant he felt all that Kurama felt and knew what he knew.

Jenny: Doesn't say. I will try to find out more. I'll call back with more info when I find it.

Kurama(crying): Okay.

Jenny then hung up, leaving Kurama to cry himself to sleep on the hospital roof. When Kurama pulled the blankets over himself completely, Arteza manifested, the two hiding themselves away from the world as they cried together. Kurama held his husband close, the two curling up.

Meanwhile with Melody, who had gone to her old family mansion after a bit, asking Amadeus to go home since she had some stuff she needed to see about…;

Melody had found the old family albums, and flipped through them, looking at old photographs of her family and she was currently looking at the same picture Kurama was looking at on his phone.

Melody: Why in the name of Perfect Chaos does that green, flame-tailed man look similar to Kurama and have his name? How could he be just like him in every way? They can't be the same guy. It is only a coincidence. It has to be. I don't wanna get my hopes up. Cousin Kurama was the best, and I will see him again one day. I just gotta get back to Charybdis to be sure. Too bad I can't pinpoint its location in the multiverse. And I can't go onto the Cosmic Highway to search, as it has been locked down by the Zone cops to combat that a**hole Eggman counterpart. Can't risk being arrested and sent to the No-Zone jail. That place was FREAKY, especially when Zonic took me, Wolfgang, Mom, and Dad on a tour there. I think Mom said that it was an educational field-trip for us since she didn't want us to see what that one jail, Blackstone, was like. And she did say the Zone-Cop police commissioner had set that trip up for the four of us. It was scary seeing all those other adult versions of me in jail like that. I have to find Cousin Kurama soon. I need proper training in order to kill Gootsman for good. That hunk of evil is no longer my Uncle Gootsman, and there is no kindness left in his heart. He is forever dead and gone. Killing him now won't bring dishonor to Mom and Dad. And I need to tell Rodney about that spell Gootsman tried to use last time we fought. I think I may have cursed Rodney on accident. Rodney, please forgive me.