And for the readers of CrossWorld: Episode 1...here's Part 5!

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Anyone could see the image of Haruhi Suzumiya in the large display situated in the tree house living room. She stuck out like a sore thumb in Numbuh 1's living room. Haruhi had decided to take it upon herself to go through everything and anything that she found interesting. Numbuh 1 could only grimace at the sight of this teenager defiling his home.

"I knew the adults were part of all this." He said, turning back to face his team. The situation had become dire now, and Dexter couldn't help but be confused at all the things going on around him at once.

"What exactly is going on?" the boy genius asked, sounding almost afraid to do so. The rest of Sector V looked back at him; all looking confused about the fact he had asked such a question. As a fellow child, they assumed he had enough experience with adults and teenagers. They assumed he knew what they were capable of.

"It seems that a group of teenagers are attempting to invade the tree house. We must prepare for an attack." Numbuh 1 said, turning to observe the display screen as Numbuh 2 furiously typed into the control console.

The images showed Haruhi, along with Kyon, Itsuki, Mikuru, Yuki and Samurai Jack. Haruhi Suzumiya had become intrigued with everything around her, and behind her, Kyon could only sigh; unaware he was being watched. Yuki was as silent and as emotionless as always, and Mikuru looked afraid; nearly shaking as she followed the others.

"What threat do these newcomers pose? Perhaps they are confused as we are…" Dexter suggested, but Numbuh 1 turned swiftly. He glared at Numbuh 1 through his sunglasses, almost as if he was accusing Dexter of treason.

"You obviously haven't had much experience with the Kids Next Door…" Numbuh 2 commented, still typing into the control console. Numbuh 1 considered saying something to Dexter, but he re-considered it, turning back to the display screen.

"Keep them on our sights, Numbuh 2. I'd like to see how they operate before we can prepare an adequate defense."

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{I wonder who lives here…} Haruhi said in loud Japanese. Kyon had already guessed that she was making more than enough noise to attract any attention, so he assumed that there was no one here in the first place. Still, the Japanese teenager wasn't feeling so comfortable in this empty house.

{But would you wouldn't be so comfortable either if you were on some other planet….} he thought to himself, watching as Haruhi proceeded to open various drawers and such; going through everything and anything she could get her hands on, and then throwing whatever it was aside when she had gotten bored of it. Kyon sighed as usual.

{Are you sure you should be going through someone else's stuff?} Kyon attempted to say, but his reasoning had never deterred Haruhi from much. She didn't even turn when she responded to him; continuing to go through the contents nearby furniture.

{Quiet Kyon! I'm looking for anything that might be strange or unusual!} Haruhi announced, proceeding to pull an entire desk drawer over by accident, and knocking over a couple of chairs in the process. While Kyon was giving up with his voice of reason, Yuki had found herself observing the surrounding area quite curiously. Itsuki smiled as he kept his hands in his pockets, standing right beside a confused Kyon.

{Don't take it all too harshly. Suzumiya-san is content at the moment. We should be thankful for that, at least.} Itsuki said to Kyon, making sure his voice was a low enough tone that Haruhi wouldn't hear. She was too busy with her searching, so he might have been able to scream out his words, and she still wouldn't hear him.

{You seem too positive about this. Even after knowing that this is all her fault. The samurai doesn't know that. How do we know he's not going to try and slice Haruhi in half once he finds out? She did indirectly prevent him from killing whoever he wanted to kill…} Kyon replied, but Itsuki's smile did not falter.

{And that is why he won't find out. I doubt he would do such a thing anyway. He seems like an ally we should try to keep close.} Itsuki answered, his hands still remaining in his pockets. Kyon had no words left to say.

Samurai Jack couldn't help but almost chuckle at the sight of Haruhi. She was certainly very energetic and full of life, which he admired. People like her helped make him forget more and more of the violence he would undergo daily. All for the sake of finding Aku.

As Haruhi Suzumiya had moved onto the kitchen, Jack couldn't help but notice something nearby. He thought he was seeing things for a moment, until he noticed that a nearby lamp was…watching him. It looked as if it was following his every movement; like some sort of camera. He narrowed his eyes, slowly reaching for his sword.

He was very fast in reacting to the lamp suddenly craning up to get a closer look at him. Jack took no time in his action.

The motion of Samurai Jack throwing his sword into the lamp with pinpoint accuracy managed to catch everyone off guard except Yuki Nagato. She seemed to be pre-occupied with the ceiling. She had been staring at it for the last few minutes.

{What happened? The living room try to attack you or something?} Kyon said sarcastically, but Jack didn't get his change of voice. He spoke seriously as he walked forward, pulling his sword out of the now-broken lamp. The blade had cleanly split the electrical device in half.

"Someone is watching us. We are obviously not alone here."

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"So we're not even on Earth anymore?" Blossom asked, very curious about the current situation. Buttercup was slightly confused, and Bubbles was beginning to get scared. The Rowdyruff boys were attempting to keep themselves busy with the nearby television. Nevertheless, they subconsciously listened as Professor Utonium spoke.

"Precisely, Blossom. Wherever we are; it certainly isn't anywhere in our solar system. Especially since the air is breathable and the gravity is tolerable." He replied, pacing towards the window. The sky's color was such an orange color, that one might mistake it for a constant sunset, but something like that wouldn't have Professor Utonium convinced. He was sure they were somewhere far from Earth at this point.

"Professor…I'm scared…I want to go home…" Bubbles said, going all teary-eyed as she held Octi tight. Buttercup sneered at her sister, crossing her arms.

"Stop being such a baby, Bubbles." She added meanly, her glare now focusing on the sky outside. Like Butch, Buttercup was more comfortable using anger as a mask to hide her real emotions. To her, anything like fear or sadness made her look weak.

"This is quite interesting. I wonder why everyone in Townsville disappeared…" Blossom asked; her mind racing with questions and theories. The Professor spoke seriously, his usual, jolly voice having left him when he had found out about this predicament.

"I wish I had some clue. This requires study and research. But from what I've observed, whatever has occurred has probably occurred on a grand scale. I sense something temporal in nature." He replied, sitting down on the couch, watching as the three Rowdyruff Boys were glued to the TV. He could not help but sigh at the magnitude of this situation.

"Maybe we should go explore or something." Boomer suggested, still not taking his blue eyes away from the box of entertainment.

"Yeah, probably." Brick added, still glued to the TV as well.

"Whatever." Butch said, he himself attracted to the snare of the television.

"You three might actually have something for once." Blossom exclaimed, turning the TV off to get Brick, Boomer and Butch's attention.

"You're right, Blossom!" the Professor replied, suddenly standing up, as if he had been mentally rejuvenated.

"Listen to me. All of you are easily able to travel great distances with ease. You should go and find out what's beyond Townsville. I can continue research in the lab. Perhaps I can discover the source of this anomaly. That sounds like a great plan! Get to it!" the Professor enthusiastically said in a monologue; not really making an attempt to hear anyone else's opinion on the matter. He simply rushed downstairs like an excited puppy. Blossom didn't know what to make of this. She turned to the other five, as if pronouncing her authority.

"You heard the Professor. Let's go see what's out there!" she announced, but Brick flew up to face her eye to eye. He was feeling challenged.

"Who made you leader?" he asked, glaring at her. He always believed himself to be more fit as a leader than any girl. Especially know-it-all Blossom.

"I did. Either you agree with it, or you guys can stay in this place while the rest of us find a way back home." Blossom said, staring back at Brick with an equal glare. The Rowdyruff boy thought for a moment, searching for something to say; but he came up with nothing. He pouted as he crossed his arms, defeated.

"Fine. Lead the way."

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Aku was surprised at the first hit. Pain had been something he had not felt from anything besides the sword of that accursed, foolish samurai. And whoever this "tiny pest" was, he certainly packed quite a punch.

The great demon roared in agony as the spikes on Knuckles's fist shredded apart some of his black, liquid form. Aku focused on sliding himself back together, glaring at Knuckles, who seemed ready for more.

"That was a most foolish act. Those who defy me do not live to tell the tale." The demon told the echidna, his voice grave.

"I'll be sure to make an exception then!" Knuckles barked back, readying for another punch. But he couldn't move now, as dark shapes grabbed hold of his body. His arms were suspended all of a sudden. Aku's now circular face was smiling, as he had turned himself into a demonic interpretation of an octopus, with all of his tentacles grabbing each of Knuckles's limbs. His fangs glistened against the sun as they sat in his maw.

"You have the tenacity of a long-lost enemy of mine. I would admire that. But I do not like it." Aku stated, letting his black tentacles begin to slowly pull Knuckles from different directions. He would prolong his pain before tearing him apart.

Knuckles didn't scream, or make much of any sound at all. His teeth were gritted as Aku applied pulling force on his limbs, but he did not give the demon the benefit of hearing his pain. Aku couldn't help but be disappointed by this creature's lack of whining, but he continued to pull harder nonetheless.

"Leave him alone!" Amy shouted from behind the shapes-shifting demon, bringing her hammer down with all the force she could muster. It had little effect on Aku's dark hide, mostly bouncing off after impact. Still, the demon couldn't help but be curious that yet another being was challenging him; morphing back to his regular form, and turning to face Amy. Knuckles was now trapped in one giant, clawed hand.

"You are over you head, little one. I do not spare lives as easily as most." He said to Amy Rose, looking down as he spoke; easily towering above the pink hedgehog. Knuckles was still struggling in Aku's grip, but the echidna was unable to break free. It seemed he was stuck in the black material that was the demon's skin.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Amy shouted back at Aku defiantly, raising her hammer for another blow at his lower body. But the great demon wasted no time, grabbing Amy in his other hand; hammer and all. She struggled, but Amy was soon as stuck in Aku's black skin as Knuckles was. The great demon laughed loudly, hedgehog in one hand, and echidna in the other.

"Insignificant little beings. You should know better than to stand against my might. Only fools have the courage to face me." He announced; loud enough that it could be heard from some distance. The demon began to shrink, satisfied with having overpowered Amy and Knuckles. They were still trapped in his hands, dangling not too far above the dirt ground.

Aku did not hear the sound of a plane swiftly approaching. He did not turn in time to see a salvo of missiles emerge from the weapon bay of the Tornado, and they were all speeding towards him. Tails had his hands on the controls; holding them tightly, and now more focused than ever.

The great demon roared as the missiles hit him square in the back, causing fire and energy to explode all across his black form. He dropped both Amy and Knuckles almost immediately, having been burst apart by the sheer force of the explosives. Knuckles struggled to get up, Amy helping him by the arm as Tails started to descend the Tornado.

The Tornado had touched down on the ground, and Knuckles and Amy were now running toward it; Knuckles slightly limping. Behind them; black matter began to converge back together; pooling itself up into a dark silhouette. Aku was beginning to reform, his anger flaring up as his body reconstructed.

"Come on!" Tails said to Knuckles and Amy, who jumped into the two available back seats of the Tornado as quickly as possible. Aku had nearly regenerated; his flaming eyes bursting to life as his height began to spiral upwards, and he was swiftly growing in size. Tails was already flying up into the air, putting the Tornado to its limits as he sped upwards as fast as he possibly could.

"NO! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME!" Aku roared in anger; a massive, black claw reaching for the tail of the Tornado. He had almost gotten a hold of it, until Tails activated the turbo boosters of his invention, causing red-hot fire to burst out of the back, burning Aku's giant hand. As Amy watched Aku begin to disappear into the distance, Knuckles grimaced beside her; angry at his failure.

"NO!" Aku yelled in anger, slamming down a giant, angry fist on the sandy ground below. His eyes were flaring hot, but he began to shrink down to a smaller size. The demon sighed, angry at his failure, but not letting himself fall prey to useless rage. He had a look of disappointment on his face as he watched the sun shine above.

"It does not matter. These beings will not be able to stay out of my shadow for long. I will find them. And when I do, they will understand their place in this world. A world in which I shall easily and swiftly conquer."

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Nigel Uno was shocked to watch the KND security camera suddenly lose its connection right in front of them. There was no sign of the source on-screen; only the sudden loss of the image as the camera was apparently damaged. He fixed his glasses, turning back to his team.

"They know we're here. Kids Next Door; BATTLE STATIONS!" he loudly announced. Dexter watched as the members of Sector V ran to various positions in the living room of the tree house, procuring their two x four weapons as they did so. Each member did this in perfect precision, and Dexter was left standing in the middle. He was still confused by all this sudden conflict.

"Yo, new kid!" Numbuh 5 called out to Dexter, motioning with her weapon from across the room. "Get in some cover!"

Dexter didn't argue, already hearing voices from not too far away. He crawled under a table, shaking as he waited for the violence to begin. Sector V were all in their positions, ready for anything. Or so they thought.

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Haruhi was astounded to see that the house below actually led up to the massive tree house above. It was an obvious fact, but Kyon couldn't help but wonder at why Suzumiya-san had always been easily interested in the obvious. Somehow, Haruhi had managed to come upon a supposedly secret way of entering the tree house. Kyon was wondering what the point was in giving such a massive tree house a secret entrance. It sounded ridiculous to him.

{Who do you think made all this?} Haruhi asked, observing the tree house steps ahead as the group walked upwards.

{Who cares? I just hope we're not somewhere we shouldn't be…} Kyon replied, negativity in his voice. Haruhi didn't notice it one bit, her face having lit up with more and more excitement as they ascended.

As they walked upwards, Yuki said nothing, watching as Haruhi got just a little ahead of the rest. There was a door at the end, and Haruhi was already sprinting up the stairs towards it.

{An ambush is awaiting us. We must be prepared for conflict.}" Yuki said autonomously, not making eye contact with anyone as she climbed each step efficiently. Kyon looked back at her, stopping to process what she said.

{What?}

Haruhi wasted no time in throwing open the door of the tree house living room. Her face wore a smile, and her eyes shined with the usual glint they had most of the time. Even the assembled Sector V did not expect someone to enter their tree house sanctum like this.

{Wow! What's all this?} Haruhi Suzumiya asked curiously, failing to notice she was actually surrounded. Numbuh 1 spoke first; not realizing at first that she had spoken in Japanese.

"Alright, teenager! We're going to give you five seconds to leave before we escort you out with enough tomato sauce on you to keep your face red for months!" Numbuh 1 announced to Haruhi, who turned, recognizing he was there. If she had understood the boys' words, Haruhi might have actually laughed at such a threat. Unfortunately, she did not understand anything he had said at all; blinking multiple times in response.

{What?} She asked in Japanese, confusing Nigel. He did not lower his weapon, but he motioned for Numbuh 3. This teenager was now speaking a language he was not familiar with. Numbuh 3 skipped over to him, weapon in hand; a big smile on her face from ear to ear. Numbuh 1 groaned at her lack of discreteness. Haruhi watched in a mixture of confusion and interest, raising an eyebrow.

"Numbuh 3; she's talking in Japanese. Translate what she's saying!" he commanded to his fellow KND member, who answered cheerfully.

"Okay, Numbuh 1!"

{Who are you people? And what are you all doing in such a huge tree?" Haruhi asked, looking up to fully view the size of the tree house ceiling. Numbuh 3 seemed to be processing her words, as if she actually understood them.

"Translation, Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 1 asked, his weapon still fixed on Haruhi.

"She says she likes Rainbow Monkeys too!" Numbuh 3 replied, her usual smile still fixed on her face. Numbuh 1 groaned, hitting himself in the face. Numbuh 2 was very confused at this point, having lowered his weapon. Numbuh 4 still remained cautious, still continuing to point his two x four weapon at Haruhi as he walked closer. Dexter didn't move from underneath the table, and Numbuh 5 tipped her hat in response to all of this.

"This is just great! For all we know, she could be telling us of her plan to get rid of us; and we don't even understand what she's saying." Numbuh 1 complained, letting his two by four weapon fall to his side as he watched Haruhi still looking up towards the ceiling of the tree house. He couldn't help but groan at this situation. It was not one he expected at all.