Well, THIS story surely has been on hiatus a while, hasn't it? Especially after a cliffhanger of that proportion!

Jita: …can we continue now? I've been gripping my brother by the shirt-collar since 2018.

Joshua: And my face is sore from holding this freaked-out expression!

Me: Right, right, let's continue!

Jita: Finally! *lets go of Joshua* …You can stop with the freaked out expression, Joshua.

Joshua: …I think my face is stuck.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"JOSHUA-SAAAAN!" came a cry from the portal before anyone else could react. Tomo came running through, with Sasha and Mafuyu in suit. The two girls were still in pajamas, looking as if they had just got out of bed, though the worried looks in their eyes said otherwise.

Immediately, the purple-haired busty student ran up and hugged Joshua, freeing him from his sister's grip. "W-What are you all doing here?!" Joshua stammered.

"Jita-san had Zeke-chan explain everything to us," Mafuyu stated, her tone laced with concern, as well as disappointment.

Joshua shot Zeke a look. "You told my sister?!"

"S-She heard me talking to Vincent last night! And it was either fill her in, or go through life shitting diamonds!" Zeke answered, while crossing his arms. "Honestly… you should have told them in the first place, at least so they could be warned!"

"I prefer to hear the full story from you, Roentgenium." Sasha firmly stated; even though he was 5 years younger than Joshua, he still spoke with the authority of an adult. "Who are the people who assaulted you and forced you to deflower a 12-year-old?"

"I'm 27," WG corrected.

Sasha looked- then did a double take. He looked at Zeke. "How many men cross-dress in your family?!"

"…sheesh, even in a dress people think you're a guy." Puggsy whispered to WG.

"She's a woman… as for the people…" Joshua rubbed his head. "They used aliases, but I remember what they looked like. They also wore pink sunglasses that, we recently learned, shows someone's powers and weaknesses. And… they have a serum that took away my powers and WG's, rendering us vulnerable."

"They have dangerous mind powers too." Kiff spoke up. "The woman can make the brain, perhaps any organ, implode to the point of bursting, and the man can seize control and force you to act against your will. I've read their minds and right to fight them, but they almost subdued me; they got away, but we believe they'll be going to Port Island Station. If we can beat them there, we have the chance to catch them by surprise,"

"Then count me in too," Sasha said, summoning his scythe, the scar on his face glowing. "I am not going to risk such people coming anywhere near my friends,"

"(especially since your anime has enough fucked-up creeps as it is)," Vincent muttered to the audience.

"I'm going as well. My brother may do dumb things, but he shouldn't be forced to do something so degrading," Jita added.

"No." Joshua said sternly."I want you all to go back to the school and stay there, until this is over. We have enough people involved, and I don't want you nearby when we encounter those assholes."

"Are you kidding?" Sasha scoffed.

"Just because you were too weak to take them on, doesn't mean the rest of us can't help!" Jita sneered. "Stop acting like an overprotective idiot, and let us-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?!" The older Phrygianos sibling shouted at Jita; taken aback, she jumped at his tone of voice. "You know WHY I was forced into an act of rape?! It's because those sick fucks were going to hunt you down and do the same to you if I didn't do as they said! It was a choiceless choice between assaulting an innocent stranger, or losing the another family member! I came back to track them down and figure out a way to kill them, in case they went back on their deal! That's why I left! That's why I didn't tell you anything! If you found out, you'd only run off to take them on!

"And yet you call ME an idiot- you've always called me an idiot, despite all the abuse I took to keep you safe, despite all the sacrifices I've made since we lost our family! You act like a hardass bitch, thinking you can handle yourself and tough things out, but all you do is get into trouble! I'M the one taking all the punches! I'M the one working hard to support us! But yet you still see me as a weakling, an embarrassment… Even when I JUST TOLD YOU that those freaks had a serum that can TAKE AWAY YOUR POWERS, you still want to run into a fight you can't win!" He pointed at both her and Sasha. "BOTH of you can't just rush in and expect to win!"

"I can win!" Sasha snapped.

"Von Hell, you couldn't even win a bowling game! …SAME GOES FOR YOU, JITA!"

"*snicker* I remember that clip…" ATF snickered; Mafuyu elbowed him to shut up.

"You two don't know what we're up against. But the rest of us do! You need to go home… I can't risk any of you getting hurt."

"J…Joshua…" Jita whispered, tears brimming her eyes. She clenched her fists and ran back through the portal. "FINE! GO AHEAD AND GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

"Joshua-san… We've dealt with worse things. You're our friend! We should be beside you!" Mafuyu spoke up. "They won't expect us to be there- we can catch them off guard better!"

"No…" Tomo sighed, turning to her friends. "Sasha. Mafuyu. We should listen to Joshua-san."

"What?! Tomo, are you nuts?!" Sasha snapped.

She shook her head. "If those people took his powers, they could do the same to you- or control your brain to make you do something horrible! Or explode all our brains! Joshua's just trying to make sure we stay safe… Plus, he's got lots of help already. And if anything does happen, Zeke-chan can get everyone to safety, or alert us! He can't die, and can open portals,"

"…and if they try to control my brain, I can just eat powdered sugar and go nuts. THAT will give them a hayday," Zeke added.

Sasha sighed, shaking his head. He didn't want to argue with Tomo, but he didn't want Joshua to risk his life, either. "Alexander," the older Qwaser spoke up, getting his attention. "…I want you to look after my sister, and our friends. Protect them while I'm gone. That is your part in all this."

Vincent cleared his throat. "That is a better plan, Sasha." He said. "We don't exactly know when those sickos will be in Port Island; in case they decide to take a detour to your town, it's best if you and every other Qwaser are on the lookout."

"…Very well. What do they look like?" Sasha asked.

Joshua gave the description, mainly the tattoos and the pink sunglasses. "Be careful."

"You too," Sasha then prepared to step through the portal.

"Wait!" Tomo spoke up, turning to Joshua. "If… If you're going to encounter them again… You should take my soma!"

"T-Tomo?!" Joshua sputtered.

"I know you're not the strongest Qwaser, but you should still be prepared…" Tomo then began to lift her shirt!

"WHOA!" Puggsy cried, quickly covering Kiff's eyes.

"What- hey!" Junpei began to question until Swaine covered his eyes.

"Um, Track? I've watched the anime. I've seen them before." ATF said as Tracker had his eyes covered.

"Don't care!" Tracker snapped, keeping her eyes shut.

Everyone else awkwardly looked away. "…I will never understand anime," Fangs murmured.

"I live here, and there are concepts even I cannot comprehend," Mitsuru sighed.

Joshua looked at Tomo. The first time he saw her breasts, he had a nosebleed and was in total awe!

But now…

Her jacket was torn off, her shirt as well; she was thrown to the ground, her jeans pried off. He wanted to help her, but he was forced to stand and watch, the man giving him a hand-job to make him stiff, while the woman violated her to make sure she was good and wet, then without warning he was shoved on top of her-

"I can't!" Joshua cried, covering his eyes and turning away. "For fuck's sake, Tomo, put your shirt back down! Have some decency!"

Tomo did so, looking at him shocked. "J-Joshua…?"

"Just go… all of you! Sasha, make sure they stay safe! Don't let them out of your sight!"

Mafuyu guided Tomo through the portal, Sasha following. "…Alert me if something goes wrong," he told Zeke, before walking through. The portal then shut.

Silence was in the room, the awkward tension lingering.

"…Well. Now that that's settled, let us make our way to Port Island Station. Joshua-san, WG, you two should stay here." Mitsuru stated.

"But, I thought they were allowed to come?" Junpei asked. "I was going to take WG around the city again!"

"That would be too dangerous, Iori. Due to the reactions we have seen just now-"

"Mitsuru… I need to go with," Joshua interrupted. "I didn't realize it until now, but… I just feel I need to be there."

The valedictorian gave him a look. "And what reason would that be? If it is based solely on vengeance, you will be too unstable to bring along."

"It's not just that! …I'm a weak Qwaser, I couldn't have defeated them- so why did they take my powers? I just… I feel like there's an important reason." He rubbed his head again.

"A little mental fixation should help," Kiff said, walking up to him. "We should get that done before all else. There might be something in your memory we can use against them!"

The Qwaser nodded. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to clear his mind of any feelings of worry and regret, instead focusing on revenge. Kiff cupped his face in his hands (the taller teen having to bend over a bit so he could reach), and he began to use his powers.

After a minute, Kiff shook his head. "Josh, you can't be angry, either. Anger really clouds the mind, and makes it hard for me to get through."

"Sorry… but, it's hard for me to focus on any good thoughts." Joshua confessed.

"Think about this morning when we all had your pancakes," Junpei suggested. "They were pretty good!"

"Yeah, you looked really relaxed when you were cooking," Puggsy noted.

"Um… okay…" Joshua replied, focusing on being in a kitchen and cooking for everyone.

Kiff then read his mind again…

He found himself walking through his memories. It was a strange feeling of reading someone's mind and viewing their memories as if you were there. He walked through memories of the last few weeks- Joshua searching around the city, passing the alley where 'it' happened, getting worried calls from Jita… Before then he was back at a dorm and crying; he had a younger brother, Jan, who asked him if he were alright when he woke up in tears…

Now he was on a bus with the others, driving away from Ikebukuro; Lizzie asked if he was feeling okay because he looked rattled, and he claimed he was just feeling sick. …He was in a hotel room, waking up alone after being knocked unconscious- right beforehand the man stated it would be useless to kill him after…

After warping his mind… He saw memories! But…

It felt like he was watching a DVD that was skipping; concentrating hard, Kiff 'reached' forth to 'pull' a forgotten memory to the surface… but it was too deep…

He looked back further. They were in the alley, Joshua was holding WG-

Further back, he saw those two creeps attacking someone… Joshua ran in to stop them…

For a moment- for a brief moment- they looked stunned. The person they were attacking ran away. Joshua went to make a move, only for the woman to act fast and stab a syringe in his neck.

There was more, and he tried to bring those memories to the surface… but they were stuck. He pulled and pulled, but only got a piece-

"...erase our weakness from his mind so he can't use it against us…"

Suddenly it all went black.

"Joshua!" Swaine gasped as Joshua passed out.

"Kiff!" Puggsy yelped as Kiff stumbled back, rubbing his head.

"It's alright! It's alright! …He just fainted," Kiff assured. "Those memories that were warped are buried deep- that bastard really wanted to make sure he couldn't remember. Trying to bring it to surface put too much strain on his mind and he passed out."

"Passed out from mental strain…? I wonder if I could use that as an excuse for falling asleep in class," Junpei quipped.

Kiff rolled his eyes. "Junpei, you probably strain yourself out spelling your name."

"Hey!"

"Is he going to be alright?" WG asked.

"Yeah… But before he blacked out, I got some sort of hint." Kiff replied, crossing his arms. "Apparently, he knew their weakness."

"Seriously?! You sure he wasn't working with them-" Swaine began to demand.

"Calm down. I saw how he encountered them… They were attacking someone and he interfered- for a moment, they were stunned when they saw him."

"So if he figured out their weakness, why didn't he just drop them then and there?" Tracker asked.

"I don't know… a lot of his memory was blotted out. But, I think in time it will surface- he's got so much anger, fear, and guilt inside that he probably can't concentrate."

"Iori, Mister Fazbear, take Joshua up to one of the rooms. In this condition he should not accompany us," Mitsuru ordered.

"Actually… I believe he should."

"What? Kiff-san, you just informed us that he cannot remember their weakness and his mind is too clouded,"

"I not only got into his mind, but I could sense a bit in his heart—it may know something more than the mind does, but I'll have to check once he's awake. There IS a reason for him to come along on the mission. …Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything reckless."

Mitsuru let out a heavy sigh. "This is not a game, Kiff-san. I hope you know that."

Kiff gave her a serious look. "My mother was raped. Why the fuck would I treat it like a game?!"

"O-KAY, Kiffy's made a point!" ATF spoke up. "Let's hurry to Port Island Station already. My vision took place at night, so we should get ready while the sun is still up!"

"Let's move out," Vincent confirmed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"That rotten bastard…" The woman sneered, hissing as the gunshot wound on her shoulder stung beneath the bandages. The man had a bandage on his arm from where the bullet grazed him. "How did he manage to break our control?!"

"He has telepathic and telekinetic powers… perhaps strong enough to rival our own." The man muttered, smoking a cigar. For the time being they were staying in a rundown building.

"Then how the fuck are we supposed to fight back?! If that little bastard tracks us down, he can kill us before we realize he's there!"

"Which is why we're going to hide out, and draw him out. …While he was throwing shit at us, I managed to get inside his head- not enough to control him due to his anger, but enough to see reasons why he would get so upset. That girl we attacked last month was his mother,"

"…Seriously? Ha! The way she reacted, you'd think she was a virgin!"

"Nonetheless, he cares about her… and I think I know how to get inside his head enough to psych him out."

"Tch. He already knows about his mother. What could we do? Go after his dad or something?"

"No… a more psychological route." The man put out his cigar. "From what I registered, he does have a weakness…"

"I see. …What about that bounty hunter?"

The man looked out the window; there was a poster hanging up. "…Let him come for us again. We have unfinished business, after all."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Of ALL the hotels you had to pick, why did it have to be THIS one?!" Junpei questioned ATF as they stood outside the hotel. Joshua was still unconscious, being carried by Freddy.

"Number one, it had the cheapest rates. Number two, if those creeps are around, they won't expect us to be staying in a joint like this. And Number Three… I just love the vibrating beds." ATF confessed.

"Out of the question. The reputation of this place would make WG and Joshua too uncomfortable, especially since Vincent requests they share a room." Mitsuru firmly stated.

"Can I get a, 'Hell no!', please?" Vincent confirmed.

"We can stay at the Dorm," Junpei suggested. "It's got plenty of rooms, and everyone's out for the summer."

"Very well. Since Kiff is going to be a student, it would also be a good opportunity to show him around- and to answer the question, Kiff, yes it is different than it is in the game." Mitsuru informed.

"Sweet!" Kiff chimed.

Opening a portal, ATF led them to the Dorm.

Looking around, WG felt a wave of nostalgia. A Senior in high school, she recalled wandering up and down the hallways, hanging around the lounging areas, or eating Shinji's food when he stayed- if not eating cheap ramen.

"We normally have girls sleep on one floor and boys on another, but considering the circumstances everyone may sleep on the same hallway. WG and Joshua-san may have my room on the 2nd floor, since it has enough space and a private shower. For everyone else, we have bathrooms the bottom and third floors, if no one minds taking turns."

"Just PLEASE knock first," Vincent cracked.

"Everyone go ahead and get settled. We have a long night ahead of us," Freddy said, carrying Joshua upstairs. Mitsuru led him to her room.

Junpei turned to WG. "Go ahead and get ready, then we can go shopping," he told her.

"Okay… but shouldn't someone come with us? I mean, in case those creeps are around," WG replied.

"I can tag along. I can do a mental scan of the area," Kiff offered.

"I'll come too- I'm immortal, but I'm dying to go Fluffy on their asses!" ATF said with a dark grin… then brightened up. "Plus I wanna go shopping too!"

"Just be back before dark. I'm talking 5 o'clock, no later!" Swaine told them.

"Alright, alright, curfew time's set." Junpei replied.

"In that case, lets go now." WG stated, looking out the window. The sun was still high. "Before it gets too crowded in the stores,"

"Onward, then!" ATF exclaimed, and the four of them walked out.

Swaine counted down from ten, then walked out, watching the group and following. He sensed something, and turned to see Puggsy. "You're trailing them too, huh?"

"Like hell I'm letting them browse around with those creepers loose," Puggsy scoffed.

And so began an interesting day.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Next chapter, shopping, suspense… and perhaps a shock or two.

Character Mentions:

-Jan *OC (character from Qwasers VS Marias)

Note: I edited the chapter a bit, mainly with the villain's suspense and fixing a few typos. So. Many. Typos. I think I'm losing my touch :P