Titanite caught sight of the red and blue blur just before it reached her. She froze momentarily, all her training forgotten, then reached for her transmuter bracelet. The blur screeched to a halt resolving into a man wearing a red shirt with a blue jacket. His lecherous look vanished to be replaced by a thoughtful expression.

"Too young but definite potential. Do you have an older sister?"

"Huh? Uh, no. No really." Her hand was resting on the bracelet ready to activate her Sailor Polaris costume. Though come to think of it if the need arose, now that she was out of her own world, she could use her powers without changing and not worry about exposing her identity. Of course it'd be more fun while wearing the costume.

"Oh well. Look me up in four or five years. Bye!" He thrust a sheet of paper into her hands and blurred off. Titanite followed his path and saw him him accost an attractive brunette in her early 20s. The lecherous look was back. He said (more like shouted) something about going for tea. She nailed him with a right to the jaw and he went flying. He rolled over three times then jumped to his feet apparently none the worse for wear. For the next few minutes Titanite watched him recklessly approach a variety of women and get slapped, punched, kneed and, in one case, judo tossed. He always bounced back and went on to the next woman. Who the heck was he? The style reminded her of Ataru Moriboshi but this guy was actually good looking. Perhaps if he wasn't so hyper he'd be a lot more successful. Anyway there was no sign of an angry flying woman in a tiger striped bikini so the Ataru theory seemed unlikely.

"RYO!"

Now that sounded angry. The expression of lust had been replaced with one of terror. Screaming for mercy he bolted from the courtyard pursued by a woman with reddish hair who ran past carrying an enormous mallet. It didn't seem to be slowing her down as she dashed in hot pursuit raising a cloud of dust. Had her eyes been glowing? People seemed a little startled but not completely amazed. Were furious women running around with massive hammers commonplace?

It occurred to Ti she hadn't actually looked at the handbilled he'd given her. It was for XYZ Enterprises. Some sort of troubleshooting company which proported to solve a variety of problems. Many of them concerning personal safety and crime related problems. It was rather vague about what XYZ would do about these problems and the contact instructions were a little obscure. Write XYZ on the Shinjuku train station bulletin board? It was run by one Kaori Makimura who claimed to have a dedicated and committed staff. Although Titanite didn't know it the staff consisted of one man. But the claim was true. To an extent. Kaori had occasionally tried to have Ryo committed in hopes of curing his total lack of control around all women {all except her which didn't bother her in the least [honestly]}. He generally arrived back home chased by angry nurses and in possession of most of their underwear. As for dedication... well he was dedicated to chasing any woman he saw. No one could deny that.

Titanite made a note to invesigate the name when she returned to her own world. In the meantime she folded the paper and slid it into her bag. Then went off looking for the nearest source of manga.

Several hours later the same salaryman who'd almost walked into Titanite was crossing the courtyard again after a few drinks. This time, he decided, he hadn't seen two gaijin appear out of thin air. After all people didn't appear from nowhere so he must have imagined it. Pleased with his logic he headed home. Everyone else who'd witnessed their appearance rationalized it away. The ability of humans to believe in the face of direct evidence is both one of the species greatest strengths and one of its' greatest weaknesses.

Calcite studied the skyline. "Spacial shift, we aren't in Juban anymore. There's a different gatepoint in this world. Looks like Shinjuku." Margrave groaned and slumped against him. "Margrave."

"I'm fine just ... just a little dizzy." Her voice was weak.

"Bull."

"Okay, you got me." She paused a moment trying to gather her thoughts. "None of you have senses like mine. We just switched from a silent city with almost pure air to this noisy, stinking place. It's hitting me harder than I expected." She shifted to drape an arm around his neck. "I'll be fine, I just need a few minutes to recover."

"Let's find you somewhere to relax until then." He glanced around and spotted a cafe. Called, somewhat ironically, "Cat's Eye". An omen? He dismissed the thought. "That'll do fine."

Margrave leaned heavily on him as he made his way there. Not that it slowed him down. With his strength her weight was negligable. He opened the door and stopped dead at the sight of the hulking bald figure wearing thick dark glasses. This was either the largest human he'd ever seen or someone had shaved a gorilla. Margrave gave a startled gasp.

"Welcome." That was probably supposed to be a friendly smile. Well it could speak, but Calcite wasn't quite ready to ditch the gorilla hypothesis yet. Maybe they should find somewhere else. He'd better decide quickly. Standing in the doorway like this wasn't solving anything.

"Please come in." The petite woman who appeared by the whatever-it-was's side looked like she was used to "fight or flight" reaction her associate induced. An attractive dark haired woman of about his age she seemed genuinely friendly rather than simply parroting a line.

"Thank you." They stepped inside and the woman realized Margrave was leaning on Calcite.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." Margrave removed her arm and straightened up. "You order, I'm gonna sit down." Stumbling slightly she headed for a booth. Calcite wasn't offended by her rudeness. Youma hated being dependant on anyone. After all in the Kingdom if you were reduced to seeking help you were in a lot of trouble. You might get it but charity was unknown so you'd be in someone's debt. And they'd gouge everything they could from you in exchange. Closer now Calcite realized the woman wasn't small, she stood about 5'10". She was just dwarfed by the Incredible Hulk or whatever he was called. Shouldn't have been a surprise, Mike Tyson would be dwarfed by this guy. No one else in here but the four of them.

"Two coffee's please ..." A label caught his eye. "The Columbian."

"We don't have any made so it'll take a little while to perk."

"That's fine. We're in no hurry." Margrave needed time to recover more than she needed coffee.

"If you don't mind my asking is she really alright?"

"She'll be fine. Just a little disorientated from the jetlag."

"It can be hard to adjust to new timezones. Might I ask what brings you here?"

"Just tourists. We decided to try the off season to miss the crowds."

"Missing the crowds in Tokyo would be a good trick. However you're right, there aren't many tourists around right now." Was he getting paranoid or was she watching him closely? The big man (tentative identification) also seemed to be keeping an eye on him. He also looked a little edgy.

"Your friend seems a little nervous." She glanced over and frowned slightly.

"That's odd. You don't have a cat with you? No of course not, perhaps you own one?"

"No, we don't have any pets."

"That's odd. Falcon-sama is ... a little phobic about cats but I don't know of anything else that worries him."

"Miki."

"Yes?"

"Don't burden our customers with personal problems." The giant became silent again. A man of few words.

Falcon was undecided about these people. The girl appeared uncoordinated yet there had been a hint of something ... and why did she make him think cat? He repressed a shudder.

The man was another matter. You can tell a pro from an ordinary person by the way they move and how they observe their surroundings. It's unconscious. A result of never letting your guard down except in the company of the very few you can rely on. So you have to choose your friends well as that will make you vulnerable. He was giving off pro-like vibes and yet ...

He didn't match the description of anyone Falcon knew. Perhaps he should ask Ryo. No. Asking his rival for assistance would be a mistake. Regardless of what everyone thought they weren't friends. He just helped Ryo out so he could be sure City Hunter wouldn't die before they chose to fight their final duel.

Returning to the man in question he spoke excellent Japanese for a tourist. Just a hint of a British accent. Very good indeed. A little too good for a casual tourist. He was concentrating on them so hard that he missed the man who silently slid into the cafe.

As he was waiting Calcite decided he might as well ask if they'd spotted Ti. "Excuse me but have you seen this girl?" The photo was of Ti in her "Titania Hobbes" glamour. Miki glanced from the photo to him.

"No I haven't. Your younger sister?"

"Yes. She got separated from us earlier. It's nothing urgent and I'm sure she'll find her way back to the hotel. Still ..."

"...Still you worry about her anyway."

"Right. Big Brother syndrome."

"Perfectly natural. I'm sorry I haven't seen her. Have you Falcon-sama?" The giant shook his head. The glasses hid his eyes but minute head movements made Calcite think he kept flicking his gaze between him and Margrave. Calcite suddenly remembered Ti had dropped her glamour while in MegaTokyo. Perhaps she'd done the same after departing.

"She might have dyed her hair green. She was threatening to do that."

Miki looked amused. "I'd definitely have remembered seeing anyone looking like that. But I wouldn't worry, this is a very safe city."

"You're right. I'm just overreacting." Had Ti stuck around this version of Tokyo? If he'd paid more attention to her viewing habits perhaps he'd know the name of the boy she was looking for. She hadn't given Margrave a name either.

Feeling a little better Margrave glanced over to the counter and saw Calcite getting along well with the woman. She clamped down on the automatic jealousy. They wouldn't be here long so there was no danger. She'd been watching the people passing the window and something odd had struck her. She hadn't seen a single Japanese blond which was odd. There were no shortage of them back in their Tokyo. It could just be a statistical fluke and yet ...

She shook off the speculation and breathed deeply. She was getting used to the scents and sounds here. Problem was she'd have to adjust again on the next crossing. Perhaps it would be easier with repetition. Also if the environment was similar there'd be less adjustment. She closed her eyes and let herself drift. The whispering was gone, if it had ever existed anywhere outside her own mind. It could just be some natural phenomena of the other world. Whatever it was it didn't concern her. She was feeling a lot better. Then the voices at the counter cut off at the same time she realized something was touching her chest!

Her eyes snapped open and she saw the hands resting on her breasts. Her gaze flicked upwards to see the widely grinning idiot who'd crawled over the top of the next booth in order to fondle her.

"YEAHAH! The shirt's right. No silicon. 100% natural!"

For a moment Margrave calmly considered the fact that she must be more messed up than she thought if a human could get this close to her. For a moment. Then rational thought was washed away in a red haze as her volcanic temper triggered. The memory of humbling herself a thousand times before the more powerful of the Kingdom who saw her as a recreation aid. Having to put up with dozens of unwanted advances on pain of injury or death. Always having to smile and pretend they were the best lovers in the Kingdom so they wouldn't hurt her. Now a human thought he could touch her at will?! HOW DARE HE! She snarled, twisted and slashed her claws into the goofy smile!

Miki looked up from her conversation with the man who'd introduced himself as Calvin Hobbes to see Ryo grab his companion. She lashed out with an unfamiliar but lethal looking counterattack. Her fingernails looked longer than she'd thought. Calcite began to call for Margrave to wait knowing it was already too late. He took a step forward expecting to see the man reeling backwards in a cloud of blood with most of his face torn off. Then stopped dead in amazement.

Margrave froze in astonishment in front of her booth. The lech was standing before her unmarked except for four faint red scratches across his face. She'd missed? But how? She stared at her claws (which under glamour appeared to be long, sharp, fingernails), they were fully extended. How had he dodged? It wasn't possible!

"Kitten's got claws ... and sexy thighs!"

Now he was on the floor clinging to her leg. She gave a battlecry and struck downward. The edge of the table snapped off from the blow. Her hand tore through the space he should have been and smashed into the floor. She'd missed again and her hand was now embedded in the cafe floor. She hadn't even seen him move and was now stuck bent over! At which point she felt the hands on her butt.

He started to say something about how firm it was as she tore her hand free and wheeled around. With an inarticulate howl she slashed at him. This time all she got was a few red threads from his shirt. He dodged backwards and ran straight into Calcite who seized him by the shoulder.

While Calcite didn't want Margrave to kill this creep he had no intention of letting him get away unpunished. He had a very low opinion of the way this guy was treating Margrave. So he was planning to inflict a few nonlethal but extremely painful injuries.

The man's shoulder crumpled which astounded Calcite. He hadn't gripped that hard. Suddenly he realized he was now holding an empty jacket. What the hell? Was this guy a teleporter? From the look on Margrave's face she hadn't seen him go either. A glance to the couple behind the counter showed Miki wearing the longsuffering look of someone sick of this nonsense while the man she'd called Falcon just looked embarrassed.

Calcite ignored them and began scanning for aura as Margrave sniffed the air. She'd got his scent now (how could anyone have that much testosterone?), she'd find him. She spotted his hiding place just as Calcite raised a hand to point to the rafters. She growled and ripped the broken tabletop free then flung it towards the ceiling.

The pervert freefalled from the rafters, landed lightly then dodged to the side as Margrave tore the exposed table stand free and flung it like a spear. It missed and punched a quarter of its' length in the floor. Calcite sidestepped to put himself between the guy and Margrave. Regardless of what the aura said he didn't think this guy was human. The man looked utterly confident that he could get past Calcite. He didn't seem to be listening to Falcon telling him to leave the customers alone or else. Miki strode over to the door and flung it open.

"RYO!!!"

The voice of doom cut through Cat's Eye. Calcite and Margrave turned, half expecting to see Queen Beryl in the doorway. Instead they saw a red haired woman clutching a massive hammer marked "101 tonnes". She seemed to be glowing. The look of confidence vanished to be replaced by naked fear.

"AAAAHHH! MERCY LORD KAORI!!!!"

"RYO, TAKE THY PUNISHMENT!" The hammer arced down and the whole cafe jumped at the impact. The dust cleared and they saw the man was now half buried in the floor. Trapped beneath the massive hammer. Amazingly he was still alive though not enjoying it much.

Miki looked at him and shrugged. "Sorry Saeba-san, but I really can't have you harrassing the customers." The two customers were studying the scene before them in astonishment. Miki looked at the percolator and shook her head. "Kaori-chan you've spilled all the coffee. I'll have to start over."

"Oh heheheh ... sorry. He just gets me so worked up sometimes. I have to relieve the stress somehow."

"I can understand that but I'm still going to have to add the floor repairs to your bill."

"Miki-chan!"

"Sorry but this is a business and the insurance companies won't even return my calls anymore. Excuse me Hobbes-san?"

Calcite snapped out of the daze. "Uh ...yes?" He kept looking back at the merger of flooring, Ryo Saeba and mallet.

"I'm afraid your coffee was spilled so I'll have to start again. It'll mean another few minutes."

"Uh ... Margrave how are you feeling."

"Huh?" She shook herself. "Uhm ... fine, great, couldn't be better." In a quieter voice she hissed, "Let's get the hell out of this nuthouse!" Real savage women with giant hammers, just like in Ti's videos. If she hadn't seen it she wouldn't have believed it. Besides she was afraid the groper would shrug off his injuries and come after her again.

"Actually if Margrave's recovered we really should be going ... how much for the table?"

"Don't worry about it. That was Ryo's fault so I'll add it to his tab."

"What's Ryo done now?" The speaker was an attractive and very self assured looking woman who had just entered. She was wearing a short blue dress which showed a slight bulge against one thigh. Her hair was a dark shade of black than Miki's and she seemed to radiate authority.

"Saeko-san" Miki sounded surprised to see her.

"Saeko-san" Kaori sounded unhappy to see her.

"Saeko-chan!" Ryo exploded out of tangle and landed in front of her. Looking a little tattered but exhuding confidence again he took her hand. "Have to come to pay off your tab to me." Kaori bounced a mug off the back of his head but he didn't notice.

"Tab?" Saeko suddenly sounded very airhead. "Oh my I don't remember any tab."

He pulled out his wallet and produced a pile of IOUs. "You owe me 25 nights. Let's head for the nearest hotel and start working our way through them!"

Saeko looked a little panicked. "Uh Miki-chan you never answered my question. What did Ryo do?"

"Attempted to molest the lady with that gentleman."

"Miki-chan!"

"I call them as I see them Ryo."

"Really?" Saeko saw a way out. She flashed her badge. "Detective Noyama, Tokyo Police Department. Would you like to press charges against this person?"

"Urk!" Ryo's face fell and Margrave pondered. Then shook her head. She had no interest in sticking around to see this creep behind bars. She just wanted to find Ti and get the hell off this world.

"No. I just to want to put as much distance between us as possible." A few universes should suffice.

"Beautiful forgiving lady ..."

"Touch me again and I change my mind."

"And I beat the crap out of you!" Calcite had had it with this idiot. Falcon nodded. That tourist looked like a pro right now. He was radiating danger. Ryo wisely backed down. The two of them headed for the door. Saeko took the distraction to get on with why she was here.

"I'm glad to see all four of you together because the five of us are in trouble." Falcon gave a snort, he'd spent most of his life seeking and being in danger. Ryo looked serious, Kaori looked worried, Miki looked calm and resolute. "We've received word that the second division of the Black Army has entered Japan. It seems they hacked into the Ministry of Defense database and learned the names of those responsible for the failure of the "Sarah" operation. Their objective is to eliminate the five individuals who ruined their plans as an example."

Kaori gasped. She remembered the least about the Black Army's attempt at nuclear blackmail. She'd been kidnapped by the terrorists and brainwashed into thinking she was the leader of the army. A sacrificeable figurehead to protect the real leaders of the Black Army.

"But the Black Army was defeated. They were all either arrested or killed in action!"

"Just their first division. We hadn't realized they'd divided their forces before launching the operation."

Kaori shivered then felt Ryo's hand on her shoulder. "They won't touch you again Kaori." It didn't sound like bravado. Just a calm statement of facts. He looked utterly serious. Ryo Saeba the girl chasing fool was gone. In his place stood City Hunter. Perhaps the best gunman in the world though Falcon would dispute that. Suddenly his attention snapped to the windows. "EVERYBODY DOWN!" Falcon was already in motion diving to the ground and rolling so that his bulk was between Miki and the window. The glass exploded inward in a hail of gunfire. Saeko made a note to work on her timing.

A few moments earlier Calcite and Margrave had been leaving Cat's Eye. The street outside seemed threatening somehow. Something felt very wrong to both of them. Calcite's forceshield flickered around him as he activated it instinctively. Margrave felt it form and slid from walking by his side to following him. Across the street the order was given. All targets in position. Fire!

Bullets ricocheted off the front of Calcite's shield and Margrave tried to become one with his back. Calcite was in no danger but she was in trouble! If they started shooting around the sides or a bullet took a bad bounce past him ... ! She grabbed him by the shoulders, which rather startled him and dragged him back towards the relative safety of the cafe as fast as she could. As he wasn't anchored she was able to move him with ease. He was far stronger than her but that didn't affect his mass.

Margrave crashed through the door and saw bullets bounce off the steel reinforced counter. She ducked behind still dragging Calcite. He brushed her hands off. "Do you mind!"

"Not in the least lover. In case you've forgotten, you're bulletproof, I'm not!"

"Hello again. I didn't catch your name." Kaori had been tossed behind the counter by Ryo with orders to stay low. She'd bristled a bit but with her gun back at the apartment there wasn't much she could do.

"Margrave. That's Cal and I heard you called Kaori."

"Right. Sorry you got caught up in this."

"Just what is this?" Calcite stuck his head over the top of the counter saw everyone else standing by the shattered windows. They were all holding weapons and popping in front of the shattered windows to return fire. Evidently the gun control laws were a lot laxer in this Japan. Ryo was using a Magnum .357, an identification Calcite based on Clint Eastwood movies. Falcon was firing what appeared to be either a bazooka or a rocket launcher. Calcite would be the first to admit he didn't know much about firearms. Miki had a handgun he couldn't identify as did Saeko. Saeko's skirt had been torn away by the shattered glass exposing her thigh holster among other things. "SEXY UNDERWEAR!" The thought ripped through Calcite's mind and he began to drool. A bullet bounced off his forehead and he shook himself. What the hell had just got into him? He'd never got that distracted in a fight before.

Kaori stared at Calcite. For a moment he'd looked like Ryo during his hentai moments. Had she just seen a bullet strike him in the head with no effect? "Uhm this is the Black Army. They're a terrorist group ..."

There was a growing pile of bodies out there. The terrorists were firing wildly, trying to make up for accuracy with volume. Everytime Ryo popped in front of the window and fired somebody fell. "Most of the ones I see look caucasian."

"That's just a name!"

"So what do they want."

"Right now, revenge. We messed up their plan to nuke Shinjuku a few months ago. Normally they want money, power and infamy."

"No political agenda?"

"Not that I ever heard of."

"So they don't have a cause? They're terrorists for the sake of being terrorists?"

"Yes."

Margrave looked up from hugging the floor. "I can relate to that."

"I'll bet." Calcite looked to the window. "Think I'll lend a hand." He vaulted over the counter and sprinted for the window. These clowns were getting on his nerves. Besides it would give him another chance to ogle Saeko-chan. Saeko-chan? What the heck had got into him. He wound up opposite Ryo. City Hunter looked him over. He was getting the vibes of a fellow sweeper.

"Got a gun?" Like a magician Calcite raised a hand. Suddenly it was full of knives, flared out like a hand of cards. "You're never going to hit anyone across a street firing from the third floor with a knife."

"Oh ye of little faith." Calcite popped in front of the window and flung a knive. Driven by superhuman strength it blurred across the divide. A man in camouflage fatigues flung up his arms then fell forward from a third floor window.

"Hmph." Ryo popped up and fired once. The bullet tore through one terrorist, ricocheted off a parked car and dropped a second man. He raised an eyebrow at Calcite.

"Hmph." Suddenly Calcite was holding a razor edged discus. It screamed across the street bouncing from one target to the next and took out three terrorists. Before Ryo could top that Falcon put a rocket through a window on the fourth. Five men and a few bits were blasted into the air and splattered onto the street.

"Hmph!" Both of them glared at him. Margrave had peeked briefly over the countertop then dropped back hurriedly. Something was very wrong here. If Calcite wanted to wipe out the terrorists why do it this way? This wasn't their world, he didn't have to worry about exposing his identity by using his powers. He could simply teleport into the building and take the Black Army out from behind. Or simply stand in the window, let their bullets bounce off his forceshield and throw shockwaves until he'd taken them all out. Good grief, he wasn't even using energized or exploding weaponary. He was playing some sort of stupid, macho oneupmanship contest. Which was very unlike him. What the hell had got into him?

Dimensional shift adjustment. Oh shit, now she got it. Pyrite theorized that the time required to synch into a new world would vary with the world and the individual. Calcite seemed to have found his pattern for this dimension. Frigging great. On the bright side the gunfire from outside was petering out. Perhaps it was almost over.

The wall behind them exploded flinging Margrave and Kaori into the unyielding counter. Dimly Margrave felt someone grab her and an arm like a steel bar crush against her throat. She could still breathe but not easily. Her wits snapped back and she took in her situation. The five remaining Black Army troopers had used a shaped charge to blow the back wall. They'd entered through the hole and grabbed Kaori and herself as hostages. The black bearded one held a gun to Kaori's head. Her own captor had a forearm ready to crush her throat. That wasn't a problem, she could snap his arm with ease. The problem was the grenade held in his other hand. He was saying. "This baby has a very short fuse. I let go and BOOM!" If she broke his bones pain would make his hand open and the trigger would come off. If it was a very short fuse she'd never get clear in time.

The remaining three had guns pointed at everyone else who had their own weapons aimed squarely at the terrorists. Standoff.

"Drop the guns or the bitches are dead." Margrave was finding his assumption of her helplessness irritating. The urge to just shatter his bones and the hell with the consequences was growing. Also she had the sudden terrible feeling that someone would try something as stupid as shooting the grenade out of his hand. Hoping it wouldn't detonate on impact and would be knocked far enough away before exploding. Or Calcite might create a baseball bat and give it a try. This was not good.

"Margrave ..." Calcite didn't have any weapons visible. "You can break free so do it!"

"Cal you see this grenade by my ear ...?"

"It's under control. Trust me."

"Trust you?" The phrase was a joke in the Dark Kingdom. Nobody trusted anybody. Except the Renegades. They trusted one another and worked together easily. It made them strong. The secret of Calcite's control over his subordinates Azurite and Pyrite that she'd never been able to understand. He hadn't trusted her back then. Not that she was trustworthy back then. Or was now as far as anybody knew. "I don't know ..."

"Just this once." He seemed together again. The hentai also seemed to under control. His gun was pointed unwaveringly at the man holding Kaori.

"Oh all right."

The terrorist holding her found this amusing. "You really think this little slut can get away from me? You're out of your AAAAARGHHH!" He screamed as Margrave snapped his forearm like a twig and dived free. His hand snapped open and the grenade fell free. For about ten centimetres then it hung in midair for a fraction of a second before exploding. A spray of smoke, shrapnel, blood and bone fragments highlighted a sphere surrounding the shrieking man's hand. Or rather the place his hand had been. Kaori's captor stared in disbelief and she ducked her head out of his line of fire. Ryo's bullet severed his trigger finger and sent the gun flying. The remaining three were distracted for a fateful instant. Miki and Saeko opened fire but it was wasted effort as one round of Falcon's cannon blasted the remains of the other three back through the hole they'd made. Kaori's former captor sat there staring at his bleeding hand.

Ryo hugged the shivering Kaori and she cried on his shoulder.

Calcite helped Margrave up. "You all right."

"Just peachy. You?"

"I ... seem to be myself again. I guess the sight of you in danger sobered me up but I don't know how long it'll last. We should get moving before it recurs. Before everything went crazy I was going to tell you that the tracker had picked up a second warp. Ti didn't stay. She's moved on." Saeko had wrapped a torniquet around the handless man's wrist. Calcite let the implosion sphere he'd generated collapse. The mess it had contained spattered onto the floor.

"How did you do that?"

"Ancient ninja secret?"

"Uh huh."

He could hear sirens in the distance. "We have to be going."

"Leaving so soon?" Ryo broke free from Kaori and grabbed Margrave around the waist. "We were just getting acquainted!" Kaori fumed. Ryo dodged as Margrave slashed at him. She took a step toward him and sighed.

"Oh what's the point? He'll just dodge then grab me again."

Calcite concentrated and forged a weapon he'd originally created to attract Ti's interest in psychoplasm shaping. "Try this." He handed her the giant mallet and Margrave grinned. Ryo paled.

"AAAAARGH!" He was driven into the floor like a tentpeg. Not surprisingly he looked dazed.

"That was fun."

"It always is." Kaori had acquired her own hammer from somewhere. Margrave looked at Calcite.

"A few more minutes won't make a difference. I owe this clown some payback. I'm sure I can make it worth your while ...."

He smiled. "Well I have to open a gate then send the probe and have it report back ... you've got ten minutes." She purred. Calcite vanished and Kaori blinked.

"Where'd he go?"

"Don't worry about it." Margrave hefted her hammer. "How about a duet." Kaori nodded and swung her own mallet upwards.

"Oh if I had a hammer ..." WHAM!

"I'd hammer down some hentais ..." WHAM!

"I'd hammer down some hentais ..." WHAM!

"All over Japan ..." WHAM!

Ten painful, if tuneful, minutes later Calcite rematerialized. The police stared at him but at an order from Saeko went back to dealing with the living and dead terrorists. Falcon and Miki were trying to work out if anything was salvagable. He glanced at the crater in the ground from which faint groans emerged.

"Having fun?"

"Absolutely. Well I've gotta go Kaori-chan!"

"Okay. Nice working with you Margrave-chan."

Saeko looked at the pair. "Mind telling me just who the hell you are?"

Calcite shrugged. "Just a couple of tourists."

Margrave nodded. "And this place gets crossed off our vacation list." They waved and disappeared. Saeko stared openmouthed for a moment then smiled.

"I think I'll leave them off the final report."

Calcite and Margrave reappeared by the gate. "That was weird. Not to mention dangerous."

"Hopefully the next world's better."

"Better find out."

They stepped forward and vanished.

A few hours earlier in another dimension all hell was breaking loose. That was only partially metaphorical.

Amano Jyaku frantically wove his forcebubble through the air to avoid the energyblast that ripped towards them. Megumi screamed and covered her eyes to avoid the glare. It had missed them this time but there were no shortage of those tentacles all spouting those destructive bursts. Around them demons, humans, buildings and their own people, the manbeasts, were incinerated by the searing rays.

Why was this happening? The coming of the Overfiend was supposed to bring the three worlds together in eternal harmony! Instead the giant creature Nagumo had become seemed to care about nothing but destroying everything in its' sight. There was nothing left to unite. The Demon and Manbeast realms had already been destroyed. The human realm seemed to be next on the Overfiend's armaggedon agenda. What in the name of all the Gods and Devils had gone wrong?

They'd avoided a new burst and gained a few more moments but how much longer could they last? Everyone who'd attacked the Overfiend had been wiped out in seconds! Was this how 300 years of searching ended?

No, he wouldn't let it. He was Amano Jyaku, the Wandering One of Legend. He'd think of something. He always did. There was a way out!

There had to be.

Didn't there?

Please?

In the midst of all this chaos it's not surprising nobody noticed the girl who stepped out of nowhere.