Okay, its been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry for that. Work has taken up most of my time and my internet access is practically nonexistent right now. I'll try to have more chapters up soon. Thank you

Chapter 11

"Come on Lily; boys or girls? It's not that big a deal." Serena says as Lily shakes her head, burring her face in her hands.

"Serena, perhaps that's too personal a question?" Leon suggests from across the table. Serena scratches at her chin with one of her black claws.

"Fine…I guess you might be right," Serena says, still scratching at her chin as she thinks of something else to ask Lily. "So, Lily, you had another homestay before you came here?" Serena asks, her tail still wrapped around Lily's waist in case the Scylla tries to escape her questions again. Serena doesn't miss how her hair-tentacles draw closer around her face but leave most of it visible.

"Y-yeah. I lived with a young man and his mother in California." Serena's golden eyes light up at the mention of the state.

"You lived in California!?" Serena latches onto Lily's shoulders and turns her so that they are face to face, Serena's golden eyes wild with excitement. "Did you live by the beach? Was your host hot? Did you ever see any hot guys while you were there? Did you ever go clubbing or shopping or…?" Serena shakes Lily back and forth as she bombards the Scylla with a tirade of frantic questions.

"Serena! Chill out!" Leon yells over her questions. Serena looks at him in surprise and then back to Lily; who has gone limp in Serena's hands, her eyes rolling and shifting side to side in a dazed fashion.

"Mon Dieu! I'm so sorry Lily. I got excited." Serena leans Lily against the back of her chair and unwraps her tail from Lily's hips. Her head sways from side to side for a moment before her vision clears.

"I take i-it that you like C-California?" Lily asks shakenly and its Serena's turn to blush.

"A little. When I was younger, I would always watch movies set in California. To me the place is like a fairy tale." She says uncharacteristically shy for her normally composed and confident demeanor. Leon and Saro look at each other with a brow raised, not used to the shy side of their normally unrestrained roommate. To Leon, Saro, and Serena's surprise, they hear the faintest resemblance of a giggle come from Lily.

"Well, California is a very beautiful place. And very hot too. I bet you'd love it there." Lily says with a soft smile that brightens up her whole face. Serena smiles back and the two of them start giggling to themselves.

"So, come on, what about your old host? Was he a hottie? Or did you have someone else?" Serena asks, the old, no-verbal-filter Dragonewt that they had come to know returning. Serena doesn't miss how Lily's octopus-like eyes seem to fill with sadness at the question. She looks back down at her plate before answering.

"My host was a good-looking man but there was nothing special between us." She says. Serena's curiosity is begging her to press the question but she can tell that something about California is painful for her, and while Serena can be persistent she isn't cruel. Deciding to turn the discussion away from her past, Serena thinks of another line of questions that might be more fun for everyone.

"Okay, so he wasn't your type. What kind of men are you into?" Serena says with an evil grin. Lily turns back to her with a blushing, innocent face that makes Serena just want to eat the adorable Scylla up.

"Wh-what do you mean 'my type'?"

"You know what I mean. What kind of guys do you go after? Do you like the tall, dark, and mysterious guys, intellectuals, artsy guys; give me something to work with." Serena then leans closer to whisper in her ear. "Do you prefer them small, medium, or magnum?" Serena asks and Lily draws back, her face burning red as she lets out a loud eep sound. She shakes her head vigorously, her face buried in her hands again as Serena leans back to howl with laughter.

"Alright Serena, that's enough. No reason to kill her with embarrassment; she hasn't been here long enough for that." Saro says from across the table, giggling to herself. Serena regains control of herself as Lily peeks out of her hands, her face still molten.

"So, I have a question," Saro says from her side of the table. "What are we going to do today?" Serena and Leon look at each other and back to Saro, unsure what to say.

"That is a good question." Leon says as he places a hand of his chin. Serena scratches behind her ear as she tries to think of something to do. Being that Serena must wrap up more than the rest of the household there isn't much she can do while not wrapped up in a scarf and a warm jacket. Screw you, Nature. It would be nice not to have to be swaddled while everyone else can go in shorts and T-shirts, Serena thinks to herself.

"Well, whatever we do, can it please be somewhere where there is heating. I'd rather not hibernate if I can avoid it." Serena says, wrapping her electric blanket back around her shoulders. Leon nods, understanding her dilemma.

"How 'bout this: since Lily is the new comer let's give her the decision." Leon says and everyone turns to Lily who blushes a little more when she feels everyone's eyes on her.

"Wh-what? I don't know what to do?" she says.

"Anything you want. We could go see a movie, go to the park, it's still warm enough to swim so we could go sw-. Wait, can Scylla swim in freshwater?" Leon asks midway through his suggestions.

"I can, most marine Extraspecies persons are actually euryhaline." Lily explains.

"Eury-what now?" Serena asks and Leon laughs at her confused expression.

"It means they can swim in fresh water and salt water," Leon explains. Serena lets out a silent 'oh' and settles back in her chair. "So, how 'bout that? Anyone feel like taking a hike to a swimming hole?" Leon asks. Serena makes a heavy sigh.

"If we have to go outside, can we go to the park instead? That way I can at least sun myself?" Serena says, looking out the kitchen window at the clear sky. Leon raises a brow at her sullen tone.

"I mean we don't have to. We can do something else, something that won't cause you to pass out." Leon says.

"No, it's fine. At least if we go to the park I can run around to warm up or just let the sun bake me. I should be fine like that," Serena explains.

"Also, will Lily be able to keep up with us at the park? Being that, well, she doesn't have 'legs'?" Saro asks curiously.

"I can. My tentacles aren't that sensitive. Plus, I have these special leggings upstairs that protect my tentacles from hot surfaces." Lily explains. Both Leon and Saro arch a brow at the information.

"Alright, then that settles it. Let's say we all head out at noon?" Leon suggests and everyone nods in agreement, only Serena seeming less pleased with the plan than everyone else. She hates how she must be the one in sweaters and pants while everyone else is in summer clothing, even though it is still summer. But, with the South Carolina heat she should be able to shed a few layers after she heats up enough.

Twelve o'clock arrives and Leon comes down stairs to the living room to find his three guests dressed and ready to go. Saro is dressed in a light green shirt that hugs her body closely and a pair of khaki capris. Lily is dressed in a white button-up shirt with a short plaid skirt over the black leggings she had mentioned earlier that cover her tentacles entirely. Serena is dressed warmly in a pair of cream colored pants and a dark blue jacket, her wings poking out through the special holes cut in the back for them. Leon is dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and one of his basketball shirts that show off his arms.

"Alright everyone, le-" Leon starts as his phone starts to ring. He pulls it out to see that it is Ms. Hilary. "It's Ms. Hilary, just a sec." he says and they all nod before they make their way into the garage to wait for him as he answers the call.

"Good afternoon Mr. Williams. Everything going well with Lily?"

"Yeah, so far so good." Leon says reassuringly.

"Good, I didn't think anything would happen this early but this is a special case." Ms. Hilary says and Leon nods. "Anyway, I have one more prevision on the way. A special agent from Japan who has dealt with similar kinds of Extraspecies persons like this one. She should arrive before dark." Leon nods happily at the news. His uncle had been furious when Ms. Hilary had told him about Lily's situation and the danger Ms. Hilary put them in by placing her with Leon. However, once Ms. Hilary had told him the circumstances Leon didn't hesitate to accept the responsibility.

"Good to hear. Until then, I'll keep my eyes open."

"Good. Remember Mr. Williams, this kind of Extraspecies person is dangerous and you must make sure not to fight. If worse comes to worse, run." She warns through the phone. Leon chuckles at her warning. Leon knows that besides the fact that he could get himself killed, it's against the law for humans and Extraspecies persons to fight. That's why the exchange Program created special teams of Extraspecies persons to handle troublesome cases such as this.

"Ms. Hilary, I don't know if you haven't figured out, but I don't back down from fights. Even if this one is dangerous I'm not afraid to lock horns with 'em. And I'm not afraid to go down fighting either," Leon says in bitter amusement. He's not one for bravado; as he proved several weeks ago with the thugs at the park, but he likes to get his point across. Leon is not afraid to fight, even if the opponent is twice his size. Ms. Hilary sighs heavily through the phone.

"I've noticed. Just be careful. I shall leave you to it, Mr. Williams. Have a good day." She says right before hanging up.

Leon pulls his Jeep into the parking lot and kills the engine. He looks at Saro and Lily in the back seat of his Jeep and smiles at Saro, who smiles back warmly. If I get any more people in my house, I'm gonna need a freaking limo just to drive them around, Leon thinks to himself as he and the girls get out of the car. After Leon and Saro secure the Frisbee and the few other items Leon brought: a picnic blanket, a cooler of snacks and drinks, and a few other things for them to play with, the four make their way to the grassy area of the park where Leon sets out the blanket and cooler.

He watches as Lily's tentacles pull her along the grass with ease, surprised at how easily the aquatic liminal can keep up with them on land. After Leon sets out the blanket, Serena flops down on the blanket to lay on her stomach, her wings stretched out wide, taking up most of the blanket.

"You guys can do whatever. I need to soak up this sun before I get too cold." She says, Leon even noticing that her wings seem to be shivering ever so slightly. It sometimes amazes him just how different he is to Serena and the others; here Serena is shivering while Leon is already started sweating. Not to mention that Leon is dressed for the South Carolina heat while Serena is dressed as if she's out on a cool autumn's evening.

Dismissing the thoughts, Leon turns to the large, blue bag that he brought and opens it to view the contents: a football, the Frisbee, four baseball gloves and a few baseballs. Leon takes out the Frisbee and holds it up for the three girls to see.

"Feel like throwing this around for a bit?" Leon asks, Saro and Lily nodding.

"You guys go ahead. I'm already starting to feel a little cold, I'm just gonna sunbathe for a bit." Serena says as she makes her way to the picnic blanket. The three of them nod and leave the Dragonewt to herself. Leon smiles and tosses the disk to Saro before he takes off across the grass. After he reaches a good distance, Saro throws the disk and he catches it easily before throwing it to Lily. Leon curses as he accidently throws it high, only for Lily to reach up and catch it, her tentacles extending her well over six feet in the air with plenty of length to spare. Damn, Leon thinks to himself. Again, he forgets just how different he is to them, but he doesn't think about it much as Lily tosses the Frisbee back in his direction and he runs to catch it.

Lily laughs as Saro throws the disk too wide for Lily to catch with her hands, but she manages to catch it with one of her tentacles. Leon and Saro clap at the catch and Lily blushes slightly at the praise. She's not used to getting too much praise for something so simple, but it's nice to feel special. Wanting to show off just a little, Lily uses her tentacle to toss the disk back to Saro who catches it easily.

"Nice one, Lily!" she calls as she tosses it Leon. Lily blushes again. It has been a long time since she had received praise for anything like this; her first host had praised her a little but… Lily snaps back to the present as she realizes that Leon had thrown the disk high, only this time when she extends upwards to catch it the disk slips just out of reach. Lily watches as the disk flies across the grassy area of the park and lands on the other side of the near-by playground area. Lily looks to Leon and he gives her smile as he waves her to go get it. She nods, returning the smile before she makes her way to the playground.

The playground is surrounded by a black, plastic barrier that holds the sandy interior. Lily doesn't hesitate as she enters the playground area, the bright colored structure devoid of any sounds or activity. Lily was relieved when they arrived to see only a few other cars in the parking lot, she has never liked being in crowded places as they always made her anxious. She makes her way around the playground till she sees the blue disk she's after.

"AHHH! A sea witch is attack the castle!" a shrill, high pitched voice yells from the top of the playground. Lily jumps in surprise and looks up to the top of the playground where she sees a young girl in a pink princess dress standing, pointing in her direction.

"Who dares attack my princess?" A deeper, more threatening voice asks. Lily's heart sinks as she turns to face the origin of this other voice.

Leon looks towards the playground area, watching for Lily to return with the Frisbee when he sees a flash of long, red 'hair'. He smiles when he sees her come around of the structures of the playground, only to realize that she is waving the disk around her head in a frenzy as she pulls herself as fast as she can with her tentacles. Leon looks to Saro who nods knowingly and the two rush to their friend in distress.

"No! I'm sorry! Please go away!" Leon hears as he draws closer, watching as Lily continues to swipe at something in the air he can't see. Though, as he draws closer, he notices something flying around Lily, something that he can only assume is some large insect. Leon doesn't miss a beat as he picks up his speed to reach Lily.

"Lily what's going on?" Leon demands as he reaches her, his eyes darting around to see where the source of her distress. He throws his back to her so that he can try and defend her, though he still doesn't see it.

"So, the witch has minions I see." Leon hears a voice say in a smug, dramatized fashion, along with the hum of what he can only guess are wings. "Have at thee!" the voice calls again as Leon hears the humming get louder as something collides with Leon's cheek. Leon's eyes go wide as what feels like a tiny foot kicks him in the face, not enough to hurt by any means, but enough to aggravate him. Saro reaches them shortly after that, looking around for the aggressor. "Another one! Your numbers will not save you!" the voice calls again. Leon looks up in the direction of the voice, seeing something flying down towards Saro. Reacting on instinct, Leon lunges to meet whatever creature is attacking. He feels something slip through his fingers as something pulls one of Saro's ears roughly as it flies past her.

"Hey!" Saro says angrily as the flying creature incircles them again, its speed making it hard to track by sight. Leon listens carefully as the buzzing seems to fly around them in irregular circles. He notices as it draws closer and with another attempt, he thrusts both hands out to capture the source, his hands finding their mark.

"Ahh! Unhand me!" Leon's brow could not go any higher as he stares down at the creature in his fist: a small, thin figured man with blonde hair, long pointed ears, and long, insect-like wings. Leon also doesn't miss that he's dressed in a white shirt and leather pants with boots, the kind one would see in a medieval movie of some kind. Leon holds his hand up so that he can inspect the small, action-figure sized man as he holds him upside down. "I said unhand me you oversized baboon! I will not be manhandled by the likes of you!" The little man complains as he swings around a pink, sword shaped toothpick. Honestly the sight of the little creature would be comical if he hadn't been terrorizing his friend.

"How 'bout you explain why you were attacking my friend and I won't pop your head off like a bottle cap?" The threat was probably too severe, but Leon's patience with the little creature was finite since he had just been kicked in the face by it, not to mention the little pest had pulled Saro's ear and terrorized Lily.

"Stop!" a shrill voice calls. Leon turns to look over Lily's shoulder to see a young girl, probably around the age of six, in a pink dress with a pointed princess hat coming from the playground. "Don't hurt my knight! He was just protecting my castle, you big meanie," the girl says, receiving quizzical looks from Leon and Saro while Lily hid behind Saro, looking back and forth with confusion.

"Okay, perhaps the game went a little too far." Leon looks back to the creature in his hand. "If you'll let me go, I'll explain." Leon releases him immediately and the little man takes flight again, his wings making the same soft humming as he flies up to eye level with Leon. "Good to meet you, kind ladies and gentleman. My name is Sir Oakseer."

After Sir Oakseer introduced himself, he explained how he is an actual knight of the Fairy Kingdom of North America. The fact that there even is a Fair Kingdom of North America is enough to surprise Leon in of itself. Sir Oakseer, who allowed Leon and his friends to call him Oak, went on to explain that the young girl with him, Chloe, is the daughter of his homestay. He had been tasked by his queen to experience human culture and act as their test subject, to see if their kingdom should try and integrate with human society.

"Okay, that's all well and good. But why were you attacking Lily?" Leon crosses his arms, wanting his explanation. The fairy raises his hands apologetically.

"I thought she was playing along with the game. Chloe loves to play princess, especially since she has an actual knight to play with her. When Ms. Lily ran I thought she was doing so as part of the game. Most people who see her just simply play along and go about their business." Oak flies over to Lily, the Scylla backing away slightly, still untrustworthy of the Fairy. "Please accept my apology, madam. I had no intentions of harming you." Oak steadies himself in midair so that he can bow respectively to Lily, his left hand placed on the hilt of his sheathed 'sword' on his hip.

Lily looks to Saro for reassurance and the Tigress nods with a half-smile, letting her know that she is fine. Lily nods and turns her attention back to the Fairy. "Thank you for your apology. I will say that you are fierce knight to be reckoned with." The Fairy raises up from his bow and solutes to her with a fist over his heart.

"The fiercest, M'lady." He says and Lily can't help but giggle at the stern, yet small figure floating before her. Leon smiles at them, glad to have settled that.

"Oak, Chloe, is everything okay?" a voice calls and the group turns to see a woman rounding the playground area.

"Hi mommy," Chloe calls and the woman smiles as she comes to join the group.

"I see you two made some friends," the woman says.

Chloe's mother, Kayla, is a young woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes, same as her daughter's, only her hair is cut short to fall just below her ears. Leon and his homestays introduce themselves, surprised to meet another host for the Exchange Program.

"I know," Kayla says. "I didn't know anyone else in town was hosting any Extraspecies persons. Glad to see I'm not alone in it." Kayla says.

"I hear ya," Leon begins. "I hadn't seen anyone else hosting in town, and our coordinator didn't mention anyone else."

"You mean Ms. Hilary?" Kayla asks.

"Ms. Clumsy," Chloe says, causing Oak to snicker in a very, unknightly fashion. Kayla gives her daughter a motherly look.

"Chloe, what did I say about saying mean things." Chloe puts her hands behind her back and pouts at her mother's soft scolding.

"But it's true," Chloe says under her breath. Leon can't help but smile at the little girl's words, agreeing wholeheartedly. Kayla shakes her head at her daughter's words with a motherly smile.

After introductions, Oak, Saro, Lily and Chloe go back to the playground area to restart Chloe's game of Princess. Shortly after, Serena comes to introduce herself and to join in; having been warmed up by the sun and feeling energetic enough to join in the fun. Kayla and Leon choose to watch from outside the playground's barrier to talk amongst themselves. It felt good for the two to have someone to talk to about being a host. Sir Oak is Kayla's only homestay, but being a single mother, she is still in charge of the household. Leon had never had anyone to oversee, let alone a house of Extraspecies Persons, so it feels good to have someone he can relate to on the matter, even in a small way.

"So, it's just the four of you?" Kayla asks and Leon nods.

"Yeah. I got dragged into the position by my uncle. But, I can't complain too much. The girls are great friends and I love having them around." Leon smiles as he watches Oak and Saro chase Serena around the playground as Lily holds Chloe in her tentacles as a makeshift thrown.

"I know the feeling. Oak is a wonderful playmate for Chloe. He's a lot older than me, but he loves playing with her. He says he wants to have children one day so he sees it as practice." She smiles as she watches the group as well. Kayla explains that she's a graphic designer for a company in a different state, which allows her to stay at home, but means that she must stay at her computer to finish her work and can't play with her daughter whenever she wants to. Leon looks over to Saro and his other homestays, a warm feeling growing in his chest as she watches them play. If not for Saro, Serena, and now Lily, there's no telling where he'd be; most likely still in his house, cooped up with his grief still. But with them, he's rediscovered what it is to have friends, to have romance…

"I guess we both just needed them."

"It was wonderful meeting you, Mr. Williams." Kayla shakes Leon's hand again, before turning to her daughter, who is playing with Lily's 'hair' as she, Saro, Serena, and Oak laugh at the young girl's fascination. "Chloe, we have to go home now. Say bye to everyone." Kayla says with a smile. Chloe pouts at her mother but doesn't argue. The little girl thrusts forward to hug Lily's sizable chest, surprising the Scylla, but she returns the hug warmly before the girl moves to hug Saro and then Serena. Kayla turns back to Leon as their respective groups exchange goodbye's

"If you ever need anything, you be sure to let me know," Kayla says, having given Leon her number a few moments earlier. Leon nods thankfully, glad he has someone else to look to for help with being a homestay.

"Thanks. And you can just call me Leon. And the same goes to you, us hosts should stick together," he says and she laughs. Chloe and the homestays gather around Kayla and Leon as they finish their goodbyes. Oak flies over to Leon's level and solutes to him respectfully. Leon returns the solute with mutual respect for the tiny, winged knight.

"I hope you will take good care of these fine ladies, sire?" Oak asks in his seemingly natural, overdramatized manor. Leon laughs good-naturedly at the Fairy and nods.

"Of course, that's my job after all." The Fairy nods satisfied and flies to hover over Kayla's shoulder as the mother picks up her child, the girl waving to Leon and his homestays and the three make their way to Kayla's vehicle as Leon and his group do the same.

"She was so cute." Serena says from the back seat of Leon's jeep.

"She was, I think Chloe liked Lily most though," Saro says from the passenger seat as Leon drives them back towards his house, the sun still up but slowly making its way down as the sky starts to turn from blue to gold with the approaching evening hours. The group had to make their way home before the temperature dropped any lower and cause Serena to fall into hibernation. He has the heat on full blast now just to make sure she is warm, even though it is still comfortable outside for all the warm-blooded individuals.

"W-what do you mean?" Lily asks, caught off guard by Saro's statement.

"Because out of us three, you're the one who looks most like a princess, with the whole Little-Mermaid-look you have there." Saro says, pointing to Lily's tentacles. Serena laughs and Lily covers her blushing face with her hair, embarrassed by the compliment. Saro laughs as Leon pulls into the driveway of his home. He pulls into the garage and the four exit the vehicle, Serena making a beeline for the entrance into the house, being that the garage doesn't have any kind of heating and the cooler evening air had already started to get to the Dragonewt. Leon takes their supplies from the back of his jeep and setting them aside before following Saro and Lily into the house. Just as Leon enters the house, the front door of his home flies off the hinges, the sound of wood splintering and metal ringing echoes through the room; glass, wood, and metal rain across the marble floor of the entry way.

Serena and Lily scream while Leon and Saro drop into their fighting stances. Leon, out of the four of them, had been waiting for this. A figure makes its way into the house, just over six feet tall with long arms, and a long, fur covered tail. Dressed in a jacket that is left open to show his fur-covered torso and a pair of dirty jeans, the creature eyes the four of them angrily, but only one of them has his full attention. "It's time to go, Lily."

Lily goes stock stiff at the sight of the figure, ever since she had left California she had hoped that she would never see him again. "She's not going anywhere." Leon says, getting a surprised look from everyone else in the room as he walks across the room to stand in front of Lily. The intruder glares at Leon with dark, angry brown eyes.

"This doesn't concern you, punk. Mind your own business!" The intruder snarls, flexing his long, fur covered fingers.

"Actually, it does. Lily is my homestay and under my protection. Also, you just kicked in my door and tore up my entryway, so I'm going to personally see to it that your ass is tanned." Leon says, not showing any fear to the creature standing in his door way.

"Um, Leon," Serena says from the living room. "Do you know this guy?"

"Kinda. This is Chu, a Kakuen from northern China. He was a homestay with Lily back in California. He is also Lily's ex-boyfriend. Ex-abusive-boyfriend from what I've heard." Leon explains. Serena and Saro gasp at the new information, but their surprise is short lived as they eye Chu with a new-found grudge and move to flank Leon.

Leon had been waiting for Chu to make his move, ever since Ms. Hilary had warned him about the ape-man the day before. She had said that Kakuen were known for being strong and ill-tempered when provoked, but Leon wasn't afraid. Leon didn't like abusive assholes who thought they could hurt the people who they're supposed to care about, just because they can. The idea of it makes him sick.

Chu glares at the three standing before him and looks back to Lily who is still frozen in fear by the sight him. "Lily, I said it's time to leave!" he screams this time.

"She's not going anywhere, banana-nuts!" Serena screams back. Chu's vision goes red at the insult and charges, running towards the three in an ape-like fashion, his long arms hitting the ground with his knuckles and carrying his body forward.

"Get Lily to my room," Leon commands as he rushes forward to meet Chu. Saro follows Leon While Serena grabs Lily by the hand and leads her up the steps as fast as she can. Chu lets out a screech, his elongated canines bared as he prepares to attack, his arms raised to bring down on Leon. Leon takes the opening and drives a superman punch to the Kakuen's abdomen. While many Extraspecies persons are much stronger and more durable than humans, Kakuen's aren't even close to the top of that list. Ms. Hilary had told him how they are stronger and more maneuverable that humans, but they were just as durable, which means that it wouldn't be much different that fighting a larger human being.

Chu is thrown back from Leon's attack, the Kakuen surprised by the force of Leon's strike as he falls to the ground and rolls to recover, he hadn't known that the human could fight. Before Chu can retaliate, Saro rushes him with her claws, going for his face and throat. Chu reacts and jumps back to avoid her attacks, only to have Leon come from his side with a round house kick, leaving him dazed and open for a scissor kick from Saro.

The Kakuen growls as Saro's attack sends him to the floor. The fact that he is being tossed around by a woman and a human makes him sick; he's stronger than them and yet they dare put their hands on him. He jumps up from the floor and rushes to Leon first and comes in with a right hook. Leon ducks and throws a flurry of punches to his chest and stomach, the ape-man grunting in pain with each strike. The enraged Chu doesn't blink as he brings both arms up to hammer down on Leon in one, solid attack. Leon falls to his knees from the force of the attack, feeling as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer. Stunned by the attack, he doesn't react in time as Chu then kicks him with enough force to lift him from the ground and toss him across the room to land at the foot of the stairs.

Saro watches as Leon falls at the foot of the stairs, her heart shattering at the sight of him. Her vision going red, she snarls at the Kakuen and lunges for him. Chu can't react fast enough to evade the enraged Jinko as she swipes him across the chest with her claws, blood, fur and torn fabric flying from his body before she kicks him out of the shattered doorway. She doesn't hesitate as she chases after her prey with an intent to kill.

"Leon!" Leon blinks as he hears Serena call out to him and looks up to see her coming down the stairs to pick him up, the force of Chu's attack had knocked him unconscious for a few seconds. Leon looks around weakly, wanting to know where Chu went. He sees that the entryway is empty, Serena is now at his side as she lifts him to lean against the wall, Lily is nowhere in sight, brought up to his room by Serena, and Saro... He panics when he realizes Saro is gone and tries his best to get up. His first instinct is to find them and help Saro fight, but he realizes that he can't continue in his condition, at least not without a weapon.

"Serena, I need, I need to get to my closet," he says weakly as the Dragonewt helps him to his feet. With Serena's help he manages to make it up the stairs and get to his bed where he finds Lily curled against the wall, crying.

"It's okay, Lily." Leon says weakly as he makes it to the bed. Lily looks up and her eyes widen at the sight of him, covered in bruises and blood dripping from a cut under his hairline.

"Leon," she says breathlessly as she slides to the end of the bed with concern. Leon tries to move himself to the other side of the bed to his closet, Lily and Saro assisting him. "Leon I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Lily says with tears rolling down her face.

"It's not. It's Chu's, and I'm gonna make sure he pays out the ass for this." Leon says as he pushes himself up and limps to the other side of the bed to enter his closet, leaving Lily and Serena at his bedside.

"Leon are you crazy? You're already hurt enough as it is." Serena says, following him into the closet.

"I know," Leon says from the closet from the end of the closet, the cabinet at the end open wide. When he walks back out, Lily and Serena stare at him in surprise as Leon loads the first of his shells.

Saro ducks a side kick from Chu as she swings around for another slash with her claws, satisfied when the Kakuen cries out in pain as she tears through his flesh. This bastard had hurt Leon, the man who makes her feel special, the man who makes her happy, and she's going to make him pay for it in blood.

Chu ignores the pain as he swings around and charges at Saro again, jumping into the air and landing on his muscular tail so that he can kick at Saro with both feet before coming down with his fists. Saro figured out quickly that Chu isn't a trained fighter, his strength and ferocity being the only true factors of his fighting ability, unfortunate for him. Saro dodges his attack and then steps in close before driving a flip kick straight into the ape-man's lower jaw. He cries out as Saro lands on her hands and feet and rushes forward again to drive a straight kick into his chest that sends him rolling across the front yard. The Kakuen regains his feet, his durability enough to surprise Saro; his breathing heavy and blood dripping from his lip along with the multiple claw wounds on his arms, chest and back.

Chu spits blood onto the grass and racks Saro with a disgusted glare. "You bastards, just had to let me leave with Lily. That's all you had to do, and you shit all over it. Lily is mine! She belongs to me!" Saro shakes her head at the delusional outburst. She doesn't even acknowledge them with a reply as she slowly makes her way across the yard to continue her monkey-thrashing, her gate casual and calm as she tries to show Chu just how casual she is about tearing him apart. Chu snarls again before charging and Saro lets out a growl before moving to meet him.

The two make it within several feet of each other when a loud bang goes off, halting the two in their tracks. They look to the source of the noise to see Leon standing several feet away, pointing a shotgun into the air, Serena and Lily on either side of him. Leon brings the weapon down to point at Chu as he cocks the lever and readies his next shot. "You take one step closer to Saro and so help me I'll blow you straight to Hell." Leon says, his voice steady and calm despite his shaken and wounded appearance. Chu looks at the gun with fear, but smirks as he remembers the laws.

"You can't hurt me. The law forbids it. You'll probably go to jail anyway after you already atta-augh!" Leon cuts Chu off by firing the weapon and clipping one of Chu's ears with one of the solid slugs, the tip of the Kakuen's ear now having a bloody, crescent shape carved into the top of it. The ape-man screams in pain as he clutches at the wounded ear.

"I don't give a fuck," Leon calls as he cocks the weapon again. "You're on my property and have attacked me and my friends. As far as I'm concerned, this is self-defense. And if I do go to jail, it'll be for killing your stupid ass." Chu looks up at Leon now, realizing that the human in front of him means to kill him, consequences be damned. He then looks to Lily, standing at Leon's side, the same fear in her eyes that he is used to seeing there.

"Lily, come with me. We can start over. We can make this work." He says, offering her one of his fur covered, blood soaked hands, his voice almost pleading. Lily looks at him with tears in her eyes. She remembers when they first met in California, their homestay, Josh and his mother, Janice, had been so kind. They had showed Chu and her so many things and had made life in their home enjoyable. It was where she first learned what it was to love someone. Chu had been kind and considerate when they first became lovers. She had been happy, but then something had changed with him, he became jealous and possessive. Instead of complimenting her as he always did in the beginning he would be harsh and criticizing of everything she did. He even tried to force himself on her…Luckily, Josh had heard her cry for help and had tried to fight Chu off her. Chu had attacked Josh, putting him in the hospital, but Lily had called the police and Chu had run from the house. It was then that she had been moved to stay with Leon.

Lily looks at Chu, wishing that she were still looking at the sweet Kakuen that she had fallen for in California. But he isn't, and she is tired of being the same Scylla who lets him dictate her life. "Chu," Lily says and everyone turns to look at her, surprised by her speaking up. Her tentacles pull back from her face to show her eyes, still flowing with tears, but they show no fear now, only anger. "I want you to leave my friends alone. And leave me alone as well. I'm done with you. And truthfully, if you were to die right here in front of me, I wouldn't care in the slightest. You've become so cold and I'm tired of being frost bitten when you touch me." She says, her words as stern and harsh as her glare at him. Chu and everyone else are surprised by her stern words, but Chu grits his teeth in response to her which Leon answers by raising his weapon again, ready to take the Kakuen's life.

Chu takes one step forward only to suddenly stop. Leon looks at the ape-man in confusion when he notices what looks like a dart sticking out of his neck. His eyes then widen as several more fly forward and puncture into his arm, chest and hip. His eyes then roll upwards and he falls backwards onto the grass. Leon and his homestays stare incredulously at the incapacitated ape-man. Leon then looks to his right where a woman is standing, dressed in a black and orange combat suit, holding a pair of machine guns and a cocky grin decorating her stitch-covered face.

"Well, that was exciting while it lasted."

Shortly after Chu had been taken down, the authorities arrived, along with Ms. Hilary and even Leon's uncle, Sebastian. Chu was taken into custody immediately while Leon and the others were taken to the hospital to have Leon's wounds looked after. Surprisingly, Leon suffered minimal damage, despite a few severe bruises and a bump on the head.

"I'm glad you all are safe." Ms. Hilary says as the group stands around Leon's hospital bed. While the doctors said Leon would be fine, they couldn't believe that Leon wasn't in a more severe condition. Chu had been strong and should have at least broken a few of Leon's bones in the fight. They couldn't deny that he was fine, but wanted to have him stay the night for observation. "I'm also very angry that you didn't listen to my warning."

Leon shrugs nonchalantly, "I don't back down from fights, especially against a guy like that." Ms. Hilary shakes her head but doesn't press the issue.

"You should be lucky that I was able to talk you out of being arrested. Humans and Extraspecies persons are prohibited from fighting, no exceptions. However, with the circumstances and Chu already having a warrant for his arrest, I was able to get you off the hook." Ms. Hilary explains and Leon and everyone else thanks her, again.

"Ah, come on agent Hilary. Don't be so hard on him." The newest member of their group says. The red haired, bicolor-eyed zombie girl leans against Leon's bed and gives him a thumbs-up. "I say you did good, kid. I like the way you shoot." Leon smiles at Zombina, the undead agent had ridden in the ambulance with him and Saro on their way to the hospital and had complimented his shooting the entire way, while also saying how she liked his choice of weaponry. After they had arrived she made sure he was taken straight to the emergency room, running ahead of his stretcher to clear the halls as they pushed him along. She then gave everyone a scare when one of her arms had fallen off, which then had to be resewn on by one of the nurses; it succeeded in giving Leon a laugh while everyone else watched in a horrified curiosity.

Ms. Hilary sighs heavily at the undead woman's overzealous attitude towards the whole thing. "Zombina, if I let them off without a scolding they might make a habit of this stuff." She says, crossing her arms. Zombina laughs before standing back up and crossing her arms.

"Oh please, this world needs more heroes in it. Everyone wants to be the safe-guy and play by the rules. We need more people who like to dust their knuckles." She says, giving Leon a wink. "Heck, I wouldn't mind having him on my team." Ms. Hilary shakes her head again as she turns for the exit.

"I'll contact you tomorrow after you get released. Please try to stay out of trouble. Zombina, you have a plane to catch. I'll let Agent Smith know it was a job well done. She says as she leaves the room. Zombina waves goodbye to everyone as she leaves.

"Well kid, you got to play hero again. I'm proud. But lay off it, else you'll give me a heart attack. I'll take them home and come get you tomorrow." Sebastian says, giving Leon a hug goodbye. Serena is the next to hug Leon goodbye as well, then steps back to let Lily say goodbye next.

"I'm so sorry, Leon. You shouldn't have gotten hurt over this." She says again, guilt hanging heavy on her shoulders. Leon places a kind hand on her arm, not wanting her to feel bad over his decision.

"Lily, I'm a fighter. If I see something wrong, I'm gonna fix it. Whether I'd have to use my head or my fists. Once Ms. Hilary told me you were in trouble, I knew I'd have to fight sooner or later; and I'm not sorry for it at all." Lily's eyes tear up again and she hugs him tightly, thankful for his protection and kindness. She lets him go and moves so that Saro can say goodbye as well. She hugs him close and kisses his cheek.

"You're too brave," she whispers to him, wishing he hadn't been in harm's way.

"Would you have me any other way?" She can't argue with him. His fighting spirit is one of the many things she's come to cherish about him. His kindness, his strength, she can't imagine him without these otherwise. She wants to kiss him deeply over the whole ordeal, but decides against it with the lack of privacy. But she decides to give Leon a reason to get home quickly tomorrow as she leans in close to his ear.

"By the way, I'm not in heat anymore." She whispers.