Hello, fellow fanfic readers 'n' writers! You already know what this is, it's yet another installment of the story that I should have done a long time ago; but hey, we move anyway. This part has a sad beginning and a happy ending, which is how life should be. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I received a phone call from the albino brothers. They informed me that a document had been signed that legally makes all rights to this show unobtainable by me. Somebody in the legal field must not like me a lot.

"I-I was just a-a few weeks old wh-when my p-parents took me to see our n-neighbour's house a-as it was burning. It was struck by lightning. By then, everyone had m-made it out s-safely and the f-fire department had already a-arrived and was doing th-their job." She sniffled. "B-But I was a tiny pup, I-I didn't understand h-how dangerous f-fire really was, e-even though my p-parents had told me a-about it. S-So I ran up to the house t-to get a c-closer look at it, and I-I got too close. The f-flames licked my f-fur and set m-me on f-fire." She paused to swallow past a mound in her throat and to wipe away a tiny droplet of salted water from her face. "Thankfully, m-my parents managed to p-put me out before any s-serious d-damage could be done. S-Since then, though, I-I've been scared of f-fire." [That is bad.]

She could feel tears starting to come hard and fast from her eyes. "Oh great, n-now I'm c-crying." She fell to the floor in mortification.

"Truth be told," Rocky started, blinking more than was considered normal, "I want to cry too." [You're not alone in that regard.]

"I get the feeling that you're not done, though," The Expert remarked. "Is there something else that happened?"

Luna nodded slowly, wiping more tears away - though to no avail as they kept coming. "They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place," she began, not stammering as she once did, even with her crying. "Well, for me it kind of did, literally. It was only two days after my neighbour's house was nearly razed when my own house suffered the same fate. I was away with some of my puppy friends when it happened, and my parents were at home. Unfortunately, the door crashed down before they could escape and they got trapped." She stopped talking for a second as she felt something wrap around her and something rest on her head. "The fire department did their best, but it was too late. They died from severe burns before they could even be found in the house." [That is arguably worse.]

The Expert stooped down to the ground to face her more easily. "Luna." She looked up at him. "I understand how that would affect you. It's perfectly normal to hate something after it did that to you."

"H-How would you know? It's - " [And here we go.]

"You want to talk about loss? You really want to do that?" He stared her in the eye, and all of a sudden she found those emotionless blue eyes to be deathly menacing. "You should count your blessings that at least your parents weren't taken by the acts of others as opposed to by an accident. Look at Rocky." She turned to face the mixed breed pup who had long since embraced her during her story. "His father was ruthlessly executed by drowning in an inescapable solid cage after being framed. His mother suffered the same fate after trying to defend her mate. And Rocky had to watch the entire thing. Isn't that right?" Rocky shook his head yes, sorrowfully. The Expert continued, "And then there's me. My mother was framed, too, and falsely imprisoned - and she rotted away in the cell before they could even find out that she was innocent. My father ..." His maw nearly contorted into a growl, he felt so angry. "My father was scammed out of his entire life by a fake gambler who got him to play Russian roulette with a bloody full gun." He stood back up. "And you want to talk about loss?" [...]

Luna could only watch him in sheer disbelief. She'd never known all that, and now she was reconsidering her situation. Was it really as bad as she made it out to be? [Probably yes, but there is definitely worse, as we've learned.]

"I didn't want to make you feel bad," the albino pup said, his voice much softer. "I just wanted you to realise that there are others who have had similar, even worse experiences. I apologise if I was too hard."

"N-No, i-it's alright. Y-You said what I needed to hear," she replied as she stood up again, tears drying. "S-Still, that doesn't help us escape. How do we get past that?" [I was half-expecting to drag something out of nowhere to put out the flames, while saying 'I knew this would come in handy!'.]

"Let me look at it for us," Rocky offered. He unwrapped himself from around the girl and proceeded to observe the raging inferno.

As he did, The Expert said to Luna, "You seem to be more confident around us. You're not stuttering as often anymore."

"I-I am warming up to you and him, definitely. I still feel strange around - uh, my addiction, though."

"You don't have to hide that it's Rocky. I know already." [Because The Expert.]

"Well, you are an expert at these things," she jested. That got a half-shrug in response, which was sufficient to convey the message that he liked the joke. "C-Can you tell me if ... if he likes me too?"

"Yes, I can." The Expert was about to continue, but he saw Rocky returning and decided against his original course of action. "Let's see what he has to say first."

Luna shook her head yes and turned to face her addiction, who began, "The problem now isn't the fire. It's that behind the fire is a ..." he gulped. "... a waterfall. It seems as though it's been made perpetual by a strange recycling machine. I didn't even know perpetual motion machines were possible." [They shouldn't be.]

"They aren't," The Expert confirmed.

"Right ... If the pupnapper managed to make the water's capillary action strong enough to pull itself upward to be able to fall again, then the action would also be able to prevent the water from falling when it was supposed to," Rocky reasoned. [Yes, yes, nice and scientific.] "So then, how is he doing that?"

Suddenly, the faint sound of rushing water that had slowly become noticeable stopped entirely. An amazingly large bucket tumbled down into the chamber in which they were trapped, and soon the water sound started again. Rocky laughed. "That's how, apparently."

"Wait a second," Luna jumped in. "We can wait until the water's stopped, then try to go through the fire." [Finally. Some other one of my characters shows some form of idea forming.]

"That's a very good idea. Isn't that right, Rocky?"

The gadgeteer genius hesitated. "Are you sure you won't mind the flames, Luna?"

She flushed at his consideration. "N-No, I won't. Getting out of this hellhole, literally, is more important than a little singeing."

"Alright, if you say so."

With that, the three lined up in front of the wall of fire and prepared to jump when the sound of water disappeared. As they waited, though, Rocky noticed that the Shikoku still had a very apprehensive look on her face. [This ought to be good.]

Thankfully, it appeared that the bucket used was much smaller, so the sound vanished very quickly.

The Expert jumped first, as the example. His pristine white fur wasn't burnt in the least.

Rocky took the leap next, and he came out unscathed too. He immediately wheeled around to watch Luna, hoping that she'd make it through without problems. [Of course. Wouldn't you do that too? Or are you just that cold-hearted?]

When she didn't emerge, he shouted back to her. "Don't worry! We'll be here when you come through!"

"I'm not sure about this anymore!" she shouted back.

"Why not? The Expert and I already did it, and we're fine! You can do this!

"I-I don't think I can!"

"I believe in you! We believe in you!"

"I can't! I have a bad feeling about it!"

By now, the water was pouring again onto the aquaphobic mixed breed, but he didn't care anymore. He needed Luna to be out of that cave. [You can grab some snacks. We might be here for a while.]

"There's a pup in love," The Expert muttered as he watched.

"Come on, Luna! We need you out here!"

"Go on without me! I'll be okay!"

"No! We're not leaving without you!

"But - "

"No ghost of a chance in this world!"

"Why are you so adamant?"

"You're my friend!"

"You have more friends outside! Forget about me!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I love you!" [Aaaand there it is. Awesome.]

As though on cue, the water stopped flowing and allowed for a deafening silence to follow that sentence.

"You - you mean that?"

"Of course!" he yelled, no longer caring that any chance passerby might hear him. "I know it's on short notice, but I'm completely honest! And even if you don't feel the same, at least come out so ... "

He didn't say more, because he didn't get a chance to. Luna jumped through the fire fearlessly and ploughed over the drenched pup in utter ecstasy. [Funny how that works.]

"Rocky, you just made me the happiest girl in this world - because you are my addiction," she declared while giving him probably the biggest embrace that Rocky had ever gotten. "I love you too!" [Tastes like diabetes. Might as well beat Stefan to it, am I right? ... No? Cool.]

The Expert watched on, and soon at his side appeared Stefan. "Time to take them back!"

The four arrived at the Lookout, Rocky and Luna giving Stefan a thorough browbeating about what he had done to them in that time, but he didn't care. He would do anything for his friends, no matter how ridiculous. [Well, bar murder.]

Rocky and Luna, finally finished with The Criminal, stepped off to the green pup house where the ecology pup resided, chatting animatedly about something.

"Tastes like diabetes," Stefan stated happily. "I feel proud of myself."

"You did everything I said completely purposefully, didn't you?" The Expert asked him. Stefan laughed.

"Oh, by the way," Stefan started, "look at this." He produced a piece of paper that contained two messages on it. [I wonder what these could be.]

"'Hi Ryder, we will be having a new member of the family living here for the foreseeable future. I was wondering if we could finance her stay. Stefan.' Lovely." The Expert gave Stefan a look that looked normal, but behind it was all the mirth in the world. "'Stefan, yes, we can finance it. But you and your brother will have to do it. Consider it punishment for whatever ridiculous things you did to facilitate the change. Ryder.' Well, I hope you have some stolen riches left from your felon days."

Stefan laughed even louder. "What a great day." [Indeed.]

And there it is! We are done this substory story! I hope you have joined me for this three-day ride and have enjoyed every paragraph. If you did, great! I achieved my goal. If not, I can live with that; you're entitled to your opinion. Anyway,

'Til next time, have a nice day!