Fan Fiction ❯ Friends- The MOVIE!! Wait... no... ❯ Part Four- The Unbeatable ( Chapter 4 )

"I am so going to shake my ass off!" Zera squealed.

"You kind of need that." Tsuniker smiled.

There was excitement in the air of the lobby as one by one everyone appeared. Of course, Tsuniker and Zera were the first ones ready. Everyone had been waiting for that night. The night were they'd throw all their worries away and have a hell of a good time.

Zera, wearing a tight red mini skirt and a purple v-neck, was pacing back and fourth, waiting for the others.

Tsuniker, in his black leather pants and white sleeveless hoodie with gold chains was just as excited as Zera, but was a little calmer, and was sitting in one of the armchairs, patiently waiting.

The first to come down was Dracos. He was in his usual jeans but wore his favorite green button-down shirt with a black dragon on the back. He had a grin.

"This ought to be interesting…" he was saying.

Zera walked up to him and lazily collapsed on his shoulder.

Taken aback, Dracos winced as he stared down at the girl who was clinging to him.

"You look so sexy Dracos…" Zera smiled.

Dracos' face flushed. It didn't get any better when he caught Tsuni's eye. Damn… They both have a crush on me…

"I see how you are…" Pagasis, wearing a pair of khakis and a blue hooded tee shirt with a single white stripe across the chest, grinned as he and Esthenia stepped out of the elevator. "Practicing you womanizing skills already?"

"Zip it Jack-ass!"

"Idiots…" Esthenia hissed as she looked away. Her face was red, matching her red halter-top and black pants. She was also wearing a gold cuff with a beaded feather attached to it on her right arm.

"Hey beautiful." Dracos grinned as Zera slid off him and latched on to Pagasis ("Pagasis you look so pretty!").

"Shut up!" Esthenia's face grew redder.

Dracos grinned.

"Hello?"

"Boo!"

"Oh god…"

It was Sheirow and Terrin's turn to get brutally mangled by Zera's hugging craze. Leaving Mupo to Pagasis and Dracos.

"Haven't we been through this before?" Dracos asked Pagasis with a raised eyebrow and Mupo squealed and attached to his waist.

"Uh… Help?" Terrin pleaded as Zera nearly picked him up. He was wearing a pair of black cargo pants that had colored patches in a few places with a pinstriped blue button-up shirt with a white long sleeved one under that. Terrin always wore layers.

"Hugs are fun!" Mupo squealed as she latched on to Pagasis next. He admitted that she looked pretty cute in her light pink frilly v-neck and black pants. He wasn't about to tell her that though out of fear of being suffocated in her glee.

Sheirow, to nobody's surprise, was still wearing his white lab coat, only he wasn't wearing his usual work clothing. Instead of the usual collard white tee, he wore a black turtleneck with tan colored cargo pants. He looked unusually good.

"Where's Umie?" Esthenia asked Terrin.

Wondering why everyone always asked him that, Terrin shrugged.

"I don't know."

"I'm gong to go drag her ass down here." Esthenia said, making sure she wasn't going to go into the elevator because she hated them, headed for the stairs instead.

Terrin looked as if he wanted to fallow, but he stayed. Instead, he turned to Dracos.

"Is dopey coming?"

"I'm here."

Everyone turned as Torrik stepped from the elevator wearing a large black pair of pants and a black turtleneck like Sheirow's. Only his had a saying on it. Expecting to see someone to pick on, he looked around.

"What are you looking for?" Terrin finally asked.

"Nothing." Torrik replied. He let out a sigh. "So, are we ready to go?"

"Not yet…" Zera stubbornly shifted her foot. "We're waiting on Umie and Esthenia now…"

"They're probably primping themselves…" Dracos said.

"Or making out…" Tsuniker giggled.

All the guys let out a sigh and dreamily stared at the ceiling until Mupo and Zera both loudly cleared their throats.

"What the hell?" Terrin finally noticed the saying on Torrik's shirt.

"You like that do you?" Torrik grinned smugly.

"Man Eater…" Tsuniker read loudly.

Dracos just shook his head while Mupo attacked Torrik. ("Hi SEXY!")

"Good lord man!" Pagasis snorted. "Tell me… Do you want to make your ass into a public sausage house?"

Zera snorted.

"Absolutely." Torrik nodded blankly.

"And you never told me?" Tsuniker whined.

"Hey," Esthenia sharply knocked her knuckles on the door. "Umie? You there?"

"I'm here!" came Umie's voice from behind it. "Sorry… Just a second." Esthenia waited a moment until the knob turned and Umie stood in front of her. She looked her from head to toe. Taking note of her black halter-top and black pants along with the gold scarf tied around her waist.

"You look cool." Esthenia said, trying not to sound okward.

"T-thanks." Umie uttered as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. "Well… I take it everyone is waiting on me?"

"Yup." Esthenia nodded. "They're down stairs waiting."

"You don't mind taking the stairs do you?" Umie asked. She seemed uncomfortable about taking the elevator.

"I was about to ask you the same question." Esthenia smiled.

"That's good." Umie let out a sigh of relief as they headed for the hallway exit. "I don't like the cramped feeling you know?"

"Um-hum," Esthenia nodded. "And the feeling when you're going down… I can't stand it!"

Umie just nodded.

Esthenia noticed that she was blushing a little.

"So," she smiled deviously. "Nervous?"

"Eh?" Umie looked a little startled. She then looked down at her feet as they reached the first landing. "No… why?"

"Hehe…" Esthenia giggled. "I donno… You know, being around the guys and all dressed like that. It's not a bad thing though."

"If they even touch me I'll kick them in the nuts!" Umie clenched her fists. "Especially Pa-…" she hushed herself.

Esthenia laughed. She knew it all along.

"Don't worry about it," she said comfortably. "You're going to have fun right?"

"Yeah…" Umie felt a little ashamed. She had to learn not to speak her mind so much. She felt kind of odd talking to Esthenia like this. It was strange hearing Esthenia try to comfort somebody, even if they were friends. Umie didn't normally except the sympathy of others though. Just like Esthenia.

"Hey guys!" Esthenia said as she stepped out into the lobby. "I got her! Now let's get the bloody fuck out of here and-!"

"Uh…"

"Uh…" Esthenia repeated Umie as she looked around in confusion. "Where did they go?"

"They probably left without us." Umie said, blankly examining the empty room. "Thanks to me…"

"Don't be silly." Esthenia hissed. "They BETTER not have!"

"BAH!!!"

"AAAHHHHHH!"

Esthenia and Umie both jumped about ten feet in the air as Dracos, Terrin and Pagasis jumped from behind the corner behind them. Umie was the first to realize what was going on and thrust her hand out to the first person she came in contact with.

Terrin practically bounced six times around the room like a Ping-Pong ball from the force of the hit and eventually landed face first into the center of the floor.

Esthenia, who had practically attached herself to the ceiling with her claws and the hair on her neck and tail standing on end like an angry kitten, came to her senses and chased Dracos around.

"I'm going to KILL you!" she was roaring.

"Gotta catch me first!" Dracos laughed.

"You…"

"What?" Pagasis grinned as Umie rounded onto him.

"I'll kick your nads!" she said as she thrust her foot out, but she clearly missed and nearly fell on him.

Pagasis just laughed.

"Cute." he said while pulling her to her feet by her shoulders. "Tell me, when do you plan on doing that?"

"UGH!"

Umie was about to slap him when Dracos, who hadn't seen him, ran right into him and thrust him forward. Making Umie jump out of the way just in the knick of time as Esthenia, who finally caught up with them, threw them both forward with a swift kick in the rear, making them both land on poor Terrin who was trying to peel himself off the floor.

Both girls stood in triumph as they stared down at the boys.

"That was kind of fun…" Umie said after a moment.

"Morons." Esthenia hissed.

At that moment, Tsuniker walked inside. He stared down at the three people who were apparently in a lot of pain at that moment, and then at the girls with an expression like he wasn't at all surprised.

"Ummm… Yeah, Sheirow got the van ready." he said while pointing over his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"Sheirow is driving?" Dracos gulped as he stood up.

Tsuniker nodded.

"We're not going to make in there alive I can tell you that right now."

"Tell us later." Umie said as she strode past them and out the door. "I don't need to be paranoid before we get there."

Esthenia looked around as she stepped into the large automobile. Everyone looked excited. That is except…

"Where's Torrik?"

Everyone looked around. Tsuniker, Zera and Pagasis, who were sitting in the seat in front of Esthenia, Terrin, and Umie's, shrugged. Mupo was in the front seat next to Sheirow, who was driving. This made everyone wonder where Dracos went too since he wasn't anywhere to be seen either.

At that moment, there was the sound of a roaring engine and the honking of a horn as a black Dodge Ram shot past them and down the street.

"Asshole…" Esthenia hissed.

"Come on! Go, go, go!!!" Zera squealed. "Step on it Sheirow! Don't let them beat us!"

With a devious grin and a dangerous glint in his eye, Sheirow stepped on the gas. With squealing tires and an ecstatic atmosphere, they sped away.

"Now this is kick ass!" Mupo exclaimed as they were each welcomed into the pounding nightclub by the bouncers that stood at the entrance. They entered a large square room.

The place was completely lit up with multicolored lights that lined the balconies that surrounded the room. Everything seemed to move. It was bouncing with about two hundred lucky people. There were even large brass cages hanging from the ceiling with girls in kinky outfits dancing in them. A bar stood on the right wall, just brimming with people ordering drinks and a group of tables with chairs on the left. The crowded dance floor took up the center and nearly the whole back end of the place. It caught the eye of most seeing as how some of the square tiles were glowing a florescent blue and green.

The band was cool too. It was a group of dogs who called themselves The Bloodhound Gang. They were on the huge stage in the very back of the room behind the dance floor playing a rowdy dance song. ("The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope")

There were people dancing to the music just about everywhere. On the floor, balcony, and even some on the tabletops. Nobody seemed to care. Everyone was having a great time. Now, they were going to as well.

"Oh my gosh!" Zera squealed. "This is better than I thought."

"Frick yeah!" Terrin said. He wasn't much into dancing but he figured that there was something else that could keep him occupied as he and Dracos both spotted the dancing girls in the cages. Umie stepped on his foot. ("Pervert!")

"Well… What first?" Pagasis asked, staring around in awe.

"I'm thirsty." Esthenia said. "If anyone wants to come with, I'm going over here." She turned and headed for the bar. Umie, Mupo, Zera and Pagasis followed.

"Haven't you had enough bars?" Dracos shouted to her over the music. "Man… I tell you…" he then looked at Torrik. "Yo…" he waved his hand in front of his face. "You awake dude?"

Torrik, who'd been staring at the dance floor, didn't respond. He looked mesmerized, or high.

Sheirow was staring too.

"I'm going to play…" Torrik finally said as he walked to the dance floor.

Sheirow followed him.

Dracos, Tsuniker, and Terrin looked at one another and shrugged. They ended up following the other two to see what they were up to.

"This is so cool!" Esthenia exclaimed as they sat down on the fancy black leather stools. Examining the glossy black counter and the chrome edge around it that matched the stools, she also noticed that the bottled drink selection was on a glass shelf with a mirror behind it, making her look at how pretty she looked when she saw her reflection. "I wish I could work at a bar like this!"

"Don't let Mona hear you saying that." Zera giggled. She looked around and noticed that everyone was drinking something that glowed bright green out of a small plastic tube. When one of the four bartenders greeted them, she asked what they were.

"Those are our `special' party drinks." The griffin in the black tuxedo said. "They're pretty popular. We call it the `Magic Potion."

"I'll take one." Zera said.

"Me too!" Mupo exclaimed.

"It's obvious that you two are drinking buddies…" Umie said after placing her order and receiving it.

"Cheers!" Zera smiled as she held it up next to Mupo's once they received the strange liquid.

Mupo raised hers too then both drank them at the same time.

"I hate the taste of alcohol…" Esthenia hissed as a Mountain Dew was slid toward her. "It's nasty."

"Yeah…" Pagasis sighed. "I agree with that. Only certain things… I doubt I'll be drinking anything tonight…"

"This tastes like apple pucker!" Zera said, while smacking her lips and setting the tube on the counter face down like a shot glass.

"Bar Tender!" Pagasis said wide eyed while standing up with his hand raised.

"They're insane…" Terrin sighed from his table. He and Dracos chose the one closest to the wall. The table, like all the others, was black and polished so smooth and shiny that he could almost see his reflection in it. It reflected many colors from all the lights flashing around. He tried not to stare at it out of fear of becoming hypnotized or something.

Dracos let out a sigh too.

"I wish I could dance like that…"

"I wouldn't."

"Hey, guys." Zera sat down next to them. She wobbled a little, showing that she was a little loopy from the "Magic Potion".

"Had a little much didn't you?" Dracos sneered.

"Shush!" Zera mumbled.

Pagasis took a seat next to Dracos. He too looked a little strange with the wide grin on his face.

"It tastes like apple doesn't it?" Dracos sneered.

"Ohhh yes." Pagasis grinned.

"So, where did everybody else go?" Zera asked while she looked around.

"Uh…" Dracos and Terrin both pointed to the dance floor.

All four of them stared as they watched as their friends made their début with their dancing skills.

Esthenia and Umie were dancing together rather closely in a kind of tribal manner… Their moves couldn't really be explained into any words except for "wow" and Mupo was more like wobbling around more than she was dancing. Tsuniker was helping her keep her balance.

The two that stuck out the most however was Torrik and Sheirow. They were pulling off the wildest moves.

"Damn…" Pagasis awed as Sheirow did something that looked almost impossible with his feet.

"No shit…" said Dracos, who was staring more at Umie and Esthenia. The fact that Torrik could dance well was no surprise to him what so ever. "All that fucking D.D.R. better be paying off."

"I think I'll join them." Zera smiled as she stood up. She leaned a little far over to the left for a second. Pagasis and Terrin both were waiting to catch her if she fell over, but she didn't and made her way next to Mupo and Tsuniker.

"I think I'll stay here…" Pagasis taking his glance away from the dance floor. He noticed that the table was shiny too. It reminded him of the bar counter. "Shiny…" he muttered a second later. After a moment, he realized that was a pointless thing to say seeing as how he already thought that a few moments ago.

"Yeah… I agree." Dracos nodded. "You couldn't get me to go out there. I'm not much of a dancer."

"Well… We'd better find something to do." Terrin sighed. "There's no point in being here if we just sit around."

Pagasis tapped on his shoulder. When Terrin looked, Pagasis pointed to the corner where an empty pool table sat.

"That looks like fun." Terrin nodded.

"Score…" Pagasis grinned as he stood up.

They flipped a coin to see who'd go first. It ended up being Pagasis vrs. Terrin. Dracos stood by and watched. Sometimes randomly saying something obnoxious to distract Pagasis from making a good shot.

"I'll take this stick and shove it up your crack Drac-ass." Pagasis snorted after Dracos made a comment about his mother.

"Right here." Dracos smirked as he stood up and smacked his rear.

"You two…" Terrin sighed as he made his shot. Then cursed when he missed the ball he was aiming for. "Damn."

"Well… You two continue while I take a leak." Dracos said bluntly as he disappeared into the smoke that the fog machine had created. It made the game rather difficult, but interesting.

"So." Pagasis said while chalking his stick. "What did you have to see Sheirow for yesterday?"

"I donno." Terrin sighed, leaning against the table. "I was just bored and needed someone to talk to."

"I see…" Pagasis said. That smile returned. It drove Terrin crazy.

"I had a strange dream the other night." Terrin decided to say.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It had me and someone else in it." Terrin said while he jealously watched as Pagasis made an impossible shot, landing two of his solids in the pockets. His second shot he missed. "They said that they didn't want to talk to me anymore and walked away. It was weird…"

"Yeah." Pagasis straightened up. "I don't like those either… Well… I suppose you're trying to figure out what it means."

"I guess so." Terrin said as he avoided Pagasis' smile and leaned over the table to calculate his next move.

"Well… Can you identify who it was?"

"No." Terrin made his shot, sending one of his stripes down one of the corner pockets. "It was foggy or something… I couldn't make out who it was. The voice sounded like Umie's or Esthenia's though." He made another successful shot. "It was a girl's that's for sure."

"You seem to have bad luck with women." Pagasis said.

"I donno…" Terrin sighed as he shot a glance at the dance floor where he caught a glimpse of Esthenia chasing Torrik around with a raised fist. Torrik seemed oddly hyper. No doubt he did something really bad to piss her off. "I don't get it…"

"What's that?" Pagasis said, oblivious to what Terrin was looking at while taking a drink of Pepsi. (He decided to lay off the "Magic Potion")

"How women are attracted to guys who are mean to them…" Terrin frowned. "I just don't understand it. It seems that no matter how nice you are to them they just don't care."

"Well." Pagasis said, still smiling. "It's a known fact that women never know when to make up their minds. It's a fact of nature I guess."

"Amen to that." Terrin took his glance back to the table where he missed his next shot.

"You know what I think?" Pagasis said as he lined his stick up with the white cue ball and aiming for the black eight ball. "That it's charm that does it. Think about it… You say something witty, nice or mean, and they still get angry and it's obvious that they like it because it bothers them so much. Girls like them are odd… Playing hard to get if you ask me… Anyway, I suppose there's nothing wrong with that." He sighed. "Eight-ball corner pocket." He said while making his shot.

Terrin smiled as the ball bounced off the corner of its destination and landed in a side pocket.

"Fuck…"

"Hahaha…"

"Well…" Pagasis shrugged. "My point is, is that you win some and you loose some… Even if you dream about it…"

"Pagasis…" Esthenia appeared behind him, grabbing his shirt like a confused infant. She then pointed to the crowd. "He's hyper and it's scaring me!"

"Who, that ass-hole?" Dracos had finally returned.

"Oh… so that's his name." Esthenia hissed. She then glanced down at the pool table as Terrin was setting the colored balls back into the triangular formation.

"You want to play?" Pagasis asked.

Esthenia stared at the balls for a moment. She then leaned forward and lightly poked the solid blue ball. "Pretty…" she said.

"O-kay…" Pagasis scratched his head.

"Kitty likes the ball." Terrin laughed in his high pitched voice.

"That sounded perverted…" Dracos retorted.

"I'm not good at pool…" Esthenia blushed, ignoring Dracos' remark. She then spun around really fast to be face to face with Torrik who crept up behind her. "Go away!" she hissed, taking a swing at him.

Torrik stuck out his tongue and disappeared before she could even touch him.

"Hey, dumb-ass!" Dracos called.

Torrik appeared out of the fog a second later. He had a look on his face that was the cross between a happy mental patient, and really baked because his face was red from all the dancing and running around. He looked odd. "Yeah?"

Esthenia was held back by Pagasis' arm.

"Are you freaking people out?"

("Yes!!")

"I donno." Torrik then looked down at his shirt, the calm expression returning. "Does this shirt make me look gay?"

Everyone glanced around at each other then nodded.

While glancing back up at Terrin for a second, Torrik grabbed the bottom of his already gay looking shirt, pulled it up, and tied it in a knot. "How about now?"

Dracos and Pagasis wanted to die.

Esthenia's face just turned red.

"Idiot…"

Terrin, however, shook his head with the look of pure amusement.

"No." He then glanced down at his own shirt. Then with a triumphant smile, he too tied it in a knot. He smiled at Torrik, who smiled back.

"Trendy isn't it?"

"You both are fukin homos…" Esthenia hissed.

"I beg to differ." Torrik grinned as he winked at her and clicked with his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

"You!" Esthenia sped after him again as he bolted into the fog. "Get back here you bloody gay mother fucker!!"

"And what do YOU have to say for yourself?" Dracos asked Terrin.

Terrin was still smiling. He didn't seem to pay much mind to what Dracos had said as he watched Torrik run for his life with that crazy grin while Esthenia was at his heels. He was starting to realize what it took to be spontaneous like that.

"What the hell?" was the first thing Umie said when she looked at Terrin. Her face was also red and her hair was a little damp. "You look like a homo."

"You look like you just fucked somebody." Terrin said bluntly, noticing her looks.

"Wha?" Umie's eyes grew wide. "Who- wah?"

"Me?" Terrin grinned.

"You!" Umie sped after him.

"This has been interesting…" Dracos said while sitting down.

"It has." Pagasis smiled, taking a seat across from him. He then propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. "So… Have you been keeping something from me?"

"Like what?" Dracos frowned.

"I donno…" Pagasis said with a grin.

At that moment, a hand appeared on Dracos' shoulder. Letting out a gasp, Dracos turned to face Mona.

Instead of wearing her usual pair of shorts, tee-shirt and apron, Mona was wearing a hot, sleek black dress.

"Hey guys." She grinned. "I made it."

"Yes you have." Pagasis grinned. "Welcome to the party."

Dracos just let out a yelp. His red face was one thing, but when a trickle of blood dripped from his nose, this was the last straw. Pagasis broke out laughing as Dracos excused himself and made his way for the bathroom.

Mona just shook her head.

"Wow Mona." Tsuniker and Zera had finally left the dance floor for a break. Zera was still having trouble walking. Tsuniker held her up most of the time. He even helped her in a chair. "What happened to the angry bar-tender bouncer Mona?"

"I put her in my closet for a night." Mona laughed. "She needed a break."

"Wait till she comes out." Tsuniker winked.

"I think two more already have." Pagasis sighed as Torrik and Terrin both shot past the table. "Those two are weird."

At that moment, Mona stood up and held out her arm. Umie and Esthenia, who were right behind the two boys, were practically clotheslined by Mona's outstretched limb.

Umie didn't say anything. Instead, she let out a startled yelp while trying to keep her balance.

"Mona?" Esthenia marveled, straightening up.

"Yup." Mona nodded. She then grabbed Esthenia by the wrist. "Come on. Let's go dance!"

"O-kay…!" the girls exclaimed as they followed Mona out on the floor. Both excited to have a new partner.

"They're really something." was all Pagasis could say. He looked extremely humored.

"I wanna join them!" Zera exclaimed with a crazy grin as she tried to stand up. Tsuni grabbed her by the arm and forced her back down.

"Your head will explode if you thud around anymore." He said. "Your face looks like a tomato. Take a rest."

It was true. Zera's face was extremely red from all the moving around she did. It didn't help when she started drinking more of the "Magic Potion".

"Haha!" Terrin laughed as he walked over to the table. He then looked around. "Where'd she go?"

"They were hijacked by Mona." Tsuniker said as he and Pagasis both pointed to the dance floor.

"Oh."

Zera just sat there and humored herself with the vision of Mona walking up to Esthenia and Umie, picking them up, and carrying them away in duffel bags.

"That was fun…" Torrik appeared by his side with a grin.

Pagasis just shook his head, noticing that both still had their shirts tied up.

"You both are weird."

"We try."

"Where did Dracos go?" Terrin questioned as he finally started to undo the knot in his shirt.

It was apparent that Torrik wore his proudly because he didn't even look like he was through yet.

"He's…" Pagasis couldn't finish because he started to laugh because at that moment Dracos came up behind him looking irritated.

"I had a technical difficulty." Dracos said in a matter-of-fact tone as he sat down again.

"With his face!" Pagasis exclaimed.

"I could imagine how many other `technical difficulties' he has with his body." Torrik grinned.

"Shut the fuck up you fucking dumb blonde faggot." Dracos growled as he socked Torrik on the shoulder.

Torrik just laughed.

"Meow…"

"I've heard that before…" Pagasis said as he spun around.

Of all the things that could have been strange that night, this was the one thing that topped it in their minds. For Terrin's cat was sitting on the bar counter staring at them.

"Trouble?" Terrin marveled as he walked over and pat her on the head. "How did you get here?"

"Oh, her." One of the bartenders said. "She's here just about every Saturday."

Terrin's jaw dropped.

"That cat scares me." Dracos said flatly.

"How okward." Pagasis said with a full look of amusement.

Torrik just pressed his ears back and stared at her. After a moment, he turned to the dance floor again.

"You're a weird kitty." Terrin was saying in a baby voice as he stroked the cat's purring head. "You're a smart kitty. Yes you are."

Tsuniker just stared at her. He thought of the cat being smart was an understatement. There was something about that cat that wasn't right.

Meanwhile, Esthenia, Umie and Mona were having a blast. The song (Discovery channel song), was just about over, and they didn't even break a sweat.

Esthenia felt very energized and enthusiastic while dancing next to Mona for some reason. She felt as if they'd danced together like this before. After a while, she figured that it was all just in her head.

When the song ended the crowd applauded and cheered.

The artists on the stage took a bow. The lead singer than threw up his arms for silence. When the place quieted, he pulled the microphone up close.

"This last song is for my homey!" he said while backing up and the song started.

It wasn't much of a song to dance to, so the crowd listened to the lyrics and watched the funny dance moves the artist performed.

"I'm amused." Pagasis grinned.

"What the fuck is he talking about?" Dracos scratched his head.

"Your mother." Terrin said.

"I'm so going to get this CD." Tsuniker clapped his hands.

"I love this guy!" Mupo said as she and Sheirow walked over to their table.

"Can't say I have any complaints." Sheirow smiled as he sat down. Mupo sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her.

"If I were god I'd have slaves to do everything…

Norwegian lesbians who feed me grapes and know how to sing…"

"This is funny." Umie laughed.

Esthenia and Mona both nodded. They were still standing out on the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Esthenia could see Torrik standing nearby. She smiled, figuring he was disappointed that he couldn't dance to this one.

The song went on until the most peculiar thing happened.

"Oh…" Dracos' jaw dropped. "Give my a fucking break!!"

"No way…" Umie and Esthenia said in awe.

All their jaws dropped as the one and only Heizeus came walking onto the stage carrying a crowbar with gold letters on it that spelled his name.

He appeared very calm and casual like there wasn't about three hundred people staring at him. As a matter of fact, it appeared as if he didn't know he was on a stage at all or even knew where he was for that matter. The artist smiled and put his arm around him and they both sung into the microphone as they rocked back and fourth to the music.

"…And when they nail my pimpled ass to the cross…

I'll tell them I found Jesus that should throw them off…

He goes by the name Heizeus and steals hubcaps from cars…

Oh Heizeus can I borrow you crowbar?"

"Sure man."

There was laughter from the crowd except for those who were too stunned to laugh at all and do nothing but stare.

With the crowbar in hand, the artist pitched it into the crowd. Many people scrambled to get it, but suddenly looked disappointed as the looked around after it vanished.

The group at the table saw a short person in a paintball mask and camouflage with glowsticks hanging from it, bolted from the crowd with the crowbar tucked under his arm and giggling in a very high pitched voice as it ran out the door.

At that moment, Terrin and Pagasis busted out laughing.

Dracos, who had the most stupidest perplexed look on his face, couldn't say anything as he stared out the door where the freak vanished.

Sheirow was holding Mupo back, who was attempting to chase after him.

("Let me at him!")

"Hello?" Heizeus grabbed the microphone when the song was over. "Is this thing on?"

"Yeah man." The artist said.

"Where am I?"

"You're at the club."

"Really?" Heizeus looked confused. The funny part about this was that he looked almost identical to Torrik, and the confused look was surely nothing that Torrik would have made. It just wasn't right to the point where it was amusing. "I thought this was the Holy Baptists versus the Molesting Catholic priest convention…"

"No, dude, that's a block from here."

The crowd laughed.

Suddenly, Umie couldn't take it any more.

"YOU'RE A FREAK!" her voice echoed around the silent room.

Heizeus stared at her for a moment. It was obvious that he was also looking at Esthenia, Mona and then…

"Oh my gosh!" he burst out. He was pointing at Torrik. "Gods be praised! My holy brother has returned!"

"Oh boy…" Esthenia heard Torrik mutter as he attempted to turn away, but Heizeus suddenly pointed at him and shouted; "Charge!"

The short guy in the paintball gear had returned from nowhere and was kneeling next to Heizeus with the largest paintball gun anyone had ever seen. It resembled a bazooka that rest on his shoulder.

"Fire Igor!!"

Torrik didn't have time to look when he was nearly clobbered by a water balloon, no doubt full of paint. It burst open at his feet, causing him to jump really high and the people around him to scatter as a red liquid splashed everywhere.

Heizeus leapt off the stage and ran up to him. He embraced Torrik in an okward hug that made Torrik's face go very red.

"Yup." Dracos turned away and sat back in his chair like nothing was happening. "I'm dreaming… Or having a nightmare… Take your pick."

"Heh." Was all Pagasis could say.

Lost for words, Mona, Umie and Esthenia just stood there and watched as poor Torrik tried to scoot Heizeus off of him not to mention the whole crowd was staring at him. It seemed as if there was no hope for him what so ever. It would have taken some unlikely miracle to peel Heizeus off him.

That miracle was in the form of a psycho Dragonwolf who broke from the clutches of her husband and dive-bombed Heizeus, making him release Torrik and fall to the floor with the giggling woman on him.

Torrik looked around for a moment, noticing that everyone was staring at them. He casually turned and walked away, whistling the song he just got done hearing.

"Sorry about that." Sheirow said as he lifted Mupo up.

Heizeus sat up and shook his head around. He had a dazed look about him but he was still smiling.

"Woa…" He gasped. "I knew I shouldn't have smoked that fatty before the show…" He then looked up at Sheirow. "Hey! You're the dude with my van!"

"Yup." Sheirow smiled as he practically lifted him off his feet as he helped him off the floor.

"Is my man okay?" The artist called from the stage.

"I'm okay!!" Heizeus threw up his arms.

The crowd applauded.

"Have fun and goodnight!!"

Things for the most part were back to normal after that. Joined by Heizeus and his sidekick Igor, they continued hanging out and dancing to the music the DJ played.

"I don't think I've ever seen him hyper before in my life…" Esthenia shook her head as she watched Umie chase Torrik and Terrin both around.

"Oh… You'd be surprised." Dracos said. "Try being around him since kindergarten."

"If it was for that long then I wouldn't be around him anymore…" Esthenia sighed.

"Liar."

Esthenia's face flushed.

"Shut up."

"Come off it Esthenia." Tsuniker grinned wickedly while pressing his finger to her cheek. "You know you like it."

"I suppose the word `it' describes it perfectly…" she hissed while glancing at him. She then let out a sigh. "I'm getting something to drink…"

"I'll go with you." Tsuni said.

Esthenia sighed as she and Tsuni walked over to the bar and sat down.

"So…" Tsuniker said with a smile. "You were smooching with Pagasis the other night…"

Esthenia gasped and stared at him.

"How do you know about that?" her eyes were wide. "If he told-"

"He didn't tell anyone." Tsuni held his hands out to silence her. "No… I kind of saw it…" he then flinched when Esthenia clicked her claws- something she did when she was angry. "I'm sorry… I didn't know what was going on. I was only coming in to talk to Pagasis because Zera told me he was alone."

"He wasn't alone, I was in the shower." Esthenia hissed. She then thought for a moment. "You were on the fire escape outside weren't you?" she asked, knowing that Tsuniker and Zera never used the door to come in. They'd use the hole in the kitchen pantry or occasionally the window.

"Yeah." Tsuniker nodded.

"I see…" Esthenia stared down at the counter. She was wondering why Pagasis kept glancing at the window. She felt ashamed. Sure as hell she didn't want anyone to know about what happened. Never really having a heart to heart with Tsuniker, she wasn't sure if she could trust him not to tell anyone.

He practically answered her thoughts with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

"You'd better not…"

Tsuniker did a zipping impression across his mouth with his finger.

"My lips are sealed."

"If your lips were sealed then you wouldn't be talking." Esthenia grinned.

Tsuniker shrugged.

"My fly's open I guess…" Tsuni shrugged. "It's breezier that way… I like a little air on my-"

"Okay!" Esthenia blurted out as her Mountain Dew slid toward her.

Tsuniker laughed.

"So, was that why you asked us about being beneficial?"

"I guess so." Esthenia said. "I guess I just wanted to get that off my chest, but I was afraid it wouldn't feel right you know?"

"I do."

"Meow…"

Esthenia smiled and stroked that cat's head who walked up to her on the counter. "You're a silly thing…" she smiled.

Trouble just purred.

"There's something fishy about that cat…" Tsuniker said, his face growing serious.

"Like what?"

"I donno…" Tsuni shrugged. "She's just… smart. If she wasn't a pure animal, I'd say she was one of us."

"You're weird." Was all Esthenia could say. She then turned in her chair with an annoyed hiss. "What the bloody fuck is going on over there?"

Tsuniker turned too.

It appeared that everyone had gathered in a circle on the dance floor and was cheering over the loud techno dance song that was playing. The bass was so loud that Esthenia's drink would ripple on every beat.

Esthenia and Tsuniker slid off the stools and found Pagasis and the others standing in the crowd.

"What's going on?" Esthenia asked.

Pagasis turned to her with a grin and pointed to the open center.

Esthenia gasped when she saw Torrik pulling off wild dance moves.

"Show-off." She hissed while folding her arms.

"I don't even think he knows that everyone is watching him." Dracos said.

"GO HOTTIE!" Zera called from her place across the circle from them. Tsuniker had returned by her side and was standing next to her.

"We'll see about this…"

"Sheirow?" Terrin glanced over his shoulder at the two people that had entered.

Sheirow, with a confident grin, and Mupo by his side, strode past them and into the center of the circle. He then did something that nobody would have imagined: For the first time, he slid off his white lab coat and tossed it to Mupo. "Hold this for me sweetie." He said.

Mupo caught it and stood next to Pagasis with the coat held tightly under her arms.

"Go kick his ass honey!!"

"What is he doing?" Esthenia asked.

"Just watch…" Pagasis said. He was definitely curious. He knew that Sheirow could dance well, but what he was planning to do was beyond him.

"This is going to get ugly." Dracos said while biting his lip.

Sheirow stood and waited until Torrik was finished.

Torrik knew he was there, so when he was done, he stood up and met Sheirow's eyes with a competitive stare, and Sheirow returned it.

"Showdown." Terrin said in a deep voice.

"What's this?" the DJ said over the microphone as the music turned down a little. "Is this a competitor?"

The crowd cheered even more.

"Let's see what this puppy's got!"

The music went back up and Sheirow went to town.

First he did something that looked like an Irish river dance, then he did a back flip and landed on his feet. Everyone murmured in awe as he backed up.

It was now Torrik's turn. He placed both his hands on the floor and swung his legs under them, making him end up in a handstand and twisting back on his feet.

"Woa!" the DJ was exclaiming in the microphone. It was obvious that he was doing the commentary.

Sheirow was still grinning. He walked back into the center when Torrik backed off. He jumped and spun. On his landing he did the splits and stood back up from that position.

Dracos and Terrin both did a sharp exhale.

"I don't know what that move was, but that's got to hurt!"

It was Torrik's turn again. Nobody could really name what he did, but it looked like some crazy form of kung fu and ended it with a high kick. It looked really cool though.

"Idiot…" Esthenia sighed. She was intrigued though. She didn't know he was that skilled. Sheirow amazed her too. One thing was for sure, she couldn't dance like that in a million years.

Sheirow did a type of break dance, and then did the worm. Such a funny looking move, but it looked neat nonetheless. It was hard for most to do.

By now he was a little worn out. Beads of sweat were starting to appear on his forehead.

When Torrik walked back out, it was easy to see that he too was starting to get tired. It was obvious that this was his last stand. He went up on his hands again and spun around on his head. ("Who needs a custodian to mop the floor when they could just hire him to dance here more often." Dracos chuckled.) Torrik spun until he was lying flat on the floor, he then did a kip back up on to his feet. He was obviously a little dizzy because he swayed a little while stepping aside and letting Sheirow have his turn. His expression made Esthenia giggle.

"Ohhh… That's going to be a tough one to beat…"

Sheirow hesitated before taking his turn. His competitiveness pushed him though, and he pulled off the ultimate move. He backed up until he was at the edge of the circle. With a running start, he did a handspring and landed in the splits again. He then stood back up and did some type of crazy jazz dance. To end it, he did another handspring, only backwards. It was unfortunate that Torrik just got done waxing the floor with his head, because when Sheirow landed on his hands he slipped and landed on his head and slid a few inches before the rest of his body hit the floor.

The crowd cheered as Torrik rose his hands in victory.

Mupo ran out and helped Sheirow to his feet.

"Damn." He smiled. "I guess my age is starting to catch up with me."

Torrik grinned at him. He and Sheirow then shook hands. The dance off was over, and Torrik had won, but the competition was far from over.

"Until next time." Sheirow said as he turned. "You're going down."

Torrik only nodded. He paused for a moment, then glanced up at the girl who just ran up to him. "Do you want something?"

Esthenia stared at him for a moment. She then punched him hard on the shoulder, causing him to nearly fall apart.

"Owww…" he complained. "What was that for?"

"Dummy." she hissed.

"Was that all?"

Esthenia looked thoughtful as she glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, then back at him.

"Yup…" she shrugged. "I guess so."

"That's kids for ya."

"What?" Esthenia puffed up like an angry kitten. This was Torrik's favorite view of her. "I'm only a few month's younger than you!"

"So, I'm still older."

"Ugh! Shut up!"

"You're goofy."

"Don't kill him now." Dracos said as he appeared next to her.

Terrin came up behind her and poked her on the side.

She jumped and turned around and attempted to punch him too, but he disappeared before she could touch him. "Where did you go you bloody bastard?" she hissed as she stalked away, grabbing Umie, who was just randomly standing there looking confused, on the way. "Come on!"

"Where are we going?" Umie exclaimed while practically being dragged.

"To shove my claws into someone's ass!"

"Wanna go sit down?" Pagasis asked the others.

"That sounds like a plan…" Torrik said.

"You're tired aren't you?" Dracos asked as they walked to their table.

"No…" Torrik yawned as they sat down when they reached it. A second later, there was a dull thud as his head hit the tabletop.

"One down…" Pagasis said while glancing up at Dracos.

"I wonder who's next…" Dracos said thoughtfully.

"Wait till Terrin rubs Umie's head." Pagasis chuckled as Umie and Terrin both shot past the table. Esthenia was nowhere to be seen. "They're hyper tonight…"

At that moment, Torrik let out a yelp as he shot up.

"What the hell is your problem?" Dracos asked. "Did something bite you in the ass?"

Torrik, whose ears were pressed back to show that he was clearly annoyed, lifted his tail and the person attached to it. "Does it taste good?"

Heizeus only grinned. He tried to speak but his mouth was full of Torrik tail. "Hmmph…"

Pagasis burst out laughing and Dracos just stared with his usual bewildered look.

Heizeus stared up at Torrik until he slowly opened his mouth, releasing the tail. "It tastes like a lobster."

Torrik's eyebrow twitched.

"Glad you enjoyed it…"

"Bla!!"

Heizeus was pinned to the floor once again by Mupo. She was sitting on his chest and giggling evilly.

"Is this like the second time she saved his ass?" Dracos asked.

"I believe it is." Pagasis smiled.

"I wanna lick you." Mupo gave a devious grin.

Heizeus just stared at her for a moment then gave a wide smile.

"Have you ever licked a frozen pole before?"

Mupo frowned.

"Yeah… My tongue stuck to it."

"Ice, ice, baby." Heizeus said as he raised his eyebrows.

"Come on sweetie." Sheirow lifted her up like a puppy and cradled her in his arms. "Let's not get your tongue stuck again."

"You don't know where it's been either." Torrik sighed.

Heizeus leapt up.

"All right!" he said while facing them while walking away backward. "Can't touch this…" he then ran away.

"That guys' a freak…" Dracos said.

"I could think of worse…" Pagasis sighed, thinking of that Igor guy.

At that moment, Terrin and Umie both shot past the table again. Only this time someone reached from under their table and grabbed Terrin's ankle as he ran past.

Being unable to stop so quickly, Umie ended up tripping and falling on him.

Pagasis, Dracos and Torrik looked under the table to see Esthenia sitting cross-legged and giggling madly.

There was a dull clunking as Torrik's head was back on the tabletop.

"What the hell?" Dracos' eyebrow raised.

"When did you get under there?" Pagasis asked.

Esthenia looked around, then shrugged.

"I donno…" she said. "A while ago…"

Pagasis and Dracos looked at one another.

"Was Heizeus under there with you?" Pagasis' face turned to shock as he stared back down at Esthenia.

Esthenia looked around again, this time looking more puzzled.

"No…"

"Hey Esthenia!" Mupo crouched down with a smile, completely oblivious to what was happening. "What are you doing under there?"

"Just relaxing." Esthenia smiled back.

"And the night just got stupider." Torrik sighed from under his hair. Then said; "Oww…" when Esthenia punched his knee from under the table.

Pagasis sat backward on one of the chairs and watched Terrin and Umie go head to head at pool. He was intrigued. She was pretty good for someone who didn't play very often.

Everyone else was on the dance floor. Dracos wouldn't have danced if it wasn't for the fact that Mona dragged him out there. It made Pagasis grin to watch him struggle in keeping up with her moves and how he even stepped on her feet a couple times.

"Ha!" Umie exclaimed after making a successful shot, drawing Pagasis' attention back to the game.

"Good for you." Terrin said with such a large amount of enthusiasm that it made Umie puff up with annoyance.

"Oh, shut up." she huffed as she made her other shot and missed. "See, look what you made me do?"

"Sure." Terrin said while rolling his eyes.

Umie was winning. Mostly because Terrin put one of her balls down one of the pockets when she wasn't looking.

"That was kind of funny." Pagasis chuckled.

"You think everything is funny don't you?" Terrin asked.

"Hmm..." Pagasis looked thoughtful as he took his glance away for a second. "It depends. Put your pants on your head and jump off a cliff and I might not consider that amusing. Except for the part that you had your pants on your head and that you free willingly dove off a cliff. The fact of your death wouldn't be funny until later when we realized that the first two parts that were amusing."

Umie giggled.

"That is funny."

"Geeze." was all Terrin could say. He rest his stick on his hand and took aim.

"Don't mess up now."

"Damn." Terrin hissed when he completely missed the yellow solid he was aiming for. He turned to Pagasis. "Shush."

Pagasis just looked around and shrugged.

"You're annoying."

"I try."

At that moment, someone came running from nowhere and dove under the table.

"What the fuck?" Terrin frowned as he looked under along with everyone else.

"Shhh..." Heizeus raised his finger to his mouth. "They're out to get me."

"Who is?" Umie whispered. ("and what the fuck am I whispering for??")

"The enemy."

"The enemy?"

"Yes ma'am. This is war. The enemy is everywhere!"

"I think you're wasted." Pagasis sighed.

"Yes." Heizeus said. "It is as bad as you think and they are out to get you!"

"Who exactly?" Terrin asked.

Heizeus didn't have a chance to answer when he was dragged from under the table by his tail.

"Give it back."

It was Torrik. He dropped Heizeus' tail and stepped on it so he couldn't get away. His hand was held out and his hair was down. Esthenia was standing next to him with her hands on her hips. "Come on. I don't have all day."

Heizeus' bottom lip trembled and made a puppy face. Then slowly, he reached out and dripped the small black hair tie into Torrik's hand.

"Good." Torrik said as he lifted his foot and set Heizeus free.

"How in the hell did he manage to get that?" Terrin asked as Torrik pulled his hair back and tied it.

"If I told you I'd have to kill you..."

"I think we should teach him a lesson." Esthenia grinned.

"Good idea." Torrik grinned evilly.

"Please no!" Heizeus begged.

Esthenia looked around until she spotted her target.

"Hey!" she called. "Mupo!"

Mupo, who was on the dance floor with Sheirow, turned to her with her ears raised.

Esthenia pointed down at Heizeus.

In a second, Heizeus bolted with Mupo hot on his heels.

Terrin laughed.

"Serves him right."

"That's the evillest punishment of all." Pagasis said.

"I wanted to kick him in the nads..." Umie wined.

When people have a good time, it often brings the worries and sadness of the past to a close. It's a good feeling. Almost like taking the world off your shoulders and never having to worry about anything ever again. As for this group, they felt enough joy to make their heads explode. For the fist time in the longest time, they forgot all about their problems and had a good time. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. As midnight came around, and the place closed, they walked out with a whole new feeling.

"I can breathe!" Umie said as she flung out her arms and took a deep breath.

"Man, I'm so exhausted it's not even funny!" Dracos said.

"Wimp." Mona sighed, though she too looked tired and her hair was damp with sweat.

"That was so great!" Zera exclaimed. "I've got to get lucky more often."

"You already are." Tsuni grinned as he put his arm on her shoulder.

Sheirow chuckled. He was carrying Mupo on his back, who was sound asleep.

"I'm tired." Esthenia yawned while stretching. "I wanna get some sleep."

"Me too." Zera sighed.

"I'm not that tired." Terrin said in contrast to Torrik, who was practically walking in his sleep at that moment.

"Neither am I." Pagasis said, feeling inspired as they reached the van in the parking lot. "You know what? I think I'm going to walk home."

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you insane!" Esthenia hissed. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. "There's no way I'm letting you walk home alone in the middle of the night!"

"He won't." Terrin smiled, walking up to Pagasis. "I'll go with him. I'm not that tired either."

Esthenia looked at them like they were both insane. Zera stood by her side as did Umie.

"Are you two sure?" she asked.

"Yeah." they nodded.

"Leave them be." Sheirow said with a smile as he sat Mupo, who was still asleep, in the passenger side. "They'll be fine."

Umie stared at them both. The fight in the ally still fresh in her mind. Eventually, she figured that her worries didn't matter after they made up their minds.

"Whatever..." she shrugged as she stepped into the vehicle.

"Be careful." Esthenia said as she gave Pagasis and Terrin both a hug.

"Dang woman!" Pagasis said. "It's not that far."

Esthenia lightly smacked him.

"Don't get hit by a bus!" Dracos called over from Torrik's truck.

"I will!" Terrin called back.

"Move over." Mona said to Torrik, who had his head resting on the wheel. "I'm driving."

Torrik didn't complain. Mostly because he was asleep.

"Let's go." Pagasis said.

Sheirow sped off with Mona not too far behind him (With Torrik drooling on Draco's shoulder.), leaving Terrin and Pagasis alone.

"Shall we?" Terrin said.

"Lets." Pagasis smiled as they headed down the sidewalk.

The night was perfect for walking. The temperature varied from warm to cool and there was a relaxing silence with the occasional taxicab speeding by. It was the quiet side of town. The place where mostly rich old people lived in their fancy duplexes with the white picket fences. The street lamps lit the way.

There was about three minutes of silence. Mostly because Terrin couldn't think of much to say and Pagasis was thinking of something to say. He was glad that Terrin decided to go with him. It was what he was hoping for.

"So." Pagasis took as stab at conversation. "Some night eh?"

"Yeah." Terrin yawned. "It was."

"That was funny." Pagasis chuckled.

"What was?"

"When you put the ball in the pocket when Umie wasn't looking."

"I might tell her about that tomorrow." Terrin grinned. "She'll probably kick me though."

"She probably will." Pagasis said, thinking it was typical of both of them to have a conversation about her.

"I'm surprised Mona showed up." he said, changing the subject.

"I am too." Terrin said. "She looked different."

"That she did." Pagasis grinned. "Dracos thought so too when he took one look at her and had a nose bleed."

"He did?" Terrin laughed.

Pagasis nodded. He was laughing too.

"I wonder what's going on between those two." Terrin said thoughtfully.

Pagasis snorted.

"You think so too huh?"

"Yeah. It's kind of obvious."

"You know, it's funny..." Pagasis said, making up his mind.

"What is?"

"I suppose I'll start with one question." Pagasis grew serious as he looked at Terrin out of the corner of his eye. "Where do you think we'd all be if we hadn't stuck together?"

Astounded, Terrin said the fist thing that came to mind.

"I don't know..." he then thought for a second. "Why?"

"Well..." Pagasis smiled. "For quite some time now I've been putting this thought into consideration... I'm not quite sure of that answer myself."

"What are you talking about?" Terrin asked. "Then why did you ask me?"

"I wanted to see if you could give me an answer."

"I see..." Terrin said, thinking. "I'm not sure either."

"I guess I just don't want things to change." Pagasis sighed, his smile faded a little. "It's a childish thought, but if we hadn't stuck together then things would be different. I like things the way they are. Unfortunately, things change without regard."

Terrin, kind of relieved that the smile went away, noticed a change in Pagasis. He actually looked kind of sad.

"I don't want to either." he admitted. "So... is this what it's about?"

"Practically..." Pagasis sighed. "I don't think you should have given up on Umie..."

Terrin stared at him.

"I didn't... totally." he said. "She told me herself that she just wanted to be friends..."

"Terrin." Pagasis sighed. "That's what she wants you to think. If you assuming that Umie doesn't know how to show her feelings then you're wrong. You can get them out of her."

"What the fuck?" Terrin hissed. "You don't know her as much as you think."

"Let's keep the language to a minimum." Pagasis frowned. "And I know more than you think. You and I have lot in common, but there's something that set's us apart and that's the fact that you take things for granted. You give up too quickly, or you get angry too quickly. She hates it when you get angry for something that she did. She needs somebody who listens and respects her feelings."

"Are you saying that I don't?" Terrin asked. His ears were pressed back with annoyance. He didn't like the way Pagasis was talking to him, but his respect kept his anger level low.

"Let's just say that if I can do it then you can too." Pagasis said.

Terrin gasped.

"She and Esthenia have a lot in common too. I see that you managed to get Esthenia without much hassle."

"Yeah right." Terrin said. " I didn't GET her."

"Yes." Pagasis said. "You got her to like you. That's a pretty good achievement if you ask me."

"Hold on." Terrin said, taking the conversation in rewind. "You said something about you being able to do something with Umie. Does she like you?"

"Yes." Pagasis said. "And I admit... I kind of like her back."

Terrin let out a sigh.

"But..." Pagasis looked away. "I'd feel out of place I guess... I donno."

"What do you mean?" Terrin asked. He noticed that Pagasis' cheeks were flushed. He looked oddly uncomfortable.

"You remember what I said about it being weird if I went out with Esthenia?" Pagasis glanced back at him. "And how she and Umie are so much alike? Well, I feel the same way about both of them. I admit, I love them both, and I feel that it's my nature to do anything for them. But they both have somebody that's meant for them. It clearly cuts me out of the picture, but it feels good to know that I backed them up as a friend."

Terrin felt a jolt of sympathy.

"I suppose that's what I wanted to get off my chest." Pagasis smiled sheepishly and looked away. "I admit it feels kind of good. I'm just sorry I dumped it on you."

"Hey," Terrin said after a moment of silence. "I'm glad you did."

Pagasis glanced at him again.

"You know what kind of stinks though..." Terrin said. "Is that a guy can only take so much disappointment. Every time I ask a girl out... They'd always say no because they didn't want to loose me as a friend."

"I see..." Pagasis said. "Well... you know what? I think that it's a good thing."

"How so?"

"Because eventually, a girl always wants that kind of friend in a lover. You know... Someone to tell her problems to and stuff. I think your problem is going after the ones who play hard to get."

"Tell me about it." Terrin sighed.

"Do you still want to try?" Pagasis smiled.

"I don't know." Terrin said, knowing whom exactly Pagasis was talking about. "I think I'll just give her her space for a while. She doesn't want to talk to me very much."

"That's because you're not the easiest to talk to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh." Pagasis held out his hands when he saw that Terrin looked a little annoyed with that last statement. "No offence to you dude, but first of all, when you talk to somebody about their problems you don't get yours involved with it."

"What do you mean exactly?" Terrin grew curious.

"What I mean is that you have to listen without your problems getting in the way of theirs." Pagasis pointed out. "Don't get angry or annoyed with them because they have problems that get mixed up with yours."

"But what if she doesn't want to tell me her problems?" Terrin asked, making a direct reference to Umie.

"That's a little something where charm comes in." Pagasis winked. "Ask her once what's bothering her, and if she doesn't want to tell you, bring up something else that will. Eventually she will give in."

"I see..." Terrin said. "So, you really think that's what I do to make her angry?"

"Yeah." Pagasis said, trying not to sound blunt.

"Oh..." Terrin was a little disappointed, but it was a good thing he knew he supposed. "I guess I'll try to look into that."

"That's good." Pagasis smiled. He then saw that Terrin looked sad. "Come here man!"

Terrin felt okward as Pagasis took a step forward and gave him a hug.

"Yeah..."

Pagasis chuckled as he released him.

"You know what I think?" he asked, noticing that they finally reached their street.

"Hmm? What?"

"That they give you all that trouble on purpose." Pagasis said. "It toughens you up."

"Who said that?" Terrin asked.

"Esthenia." Pagasis smirked.

"I knew it..." Terrin sighed.

Pagasis laughed.

"Wow..." he said. Staring up at their home. "We're already here."

"Yup." Terrin said.

"Well... I suppose I'm tired now." Pagasis yawned. "I'm ready to turn in."

"Me too."

They walked inside and rode up the elevator to their floor without much of a word. When they reached their floor, Terrin walked to his room and put the key in the lock. He then turned to Pagasis who strode past him. "Hey."

Pagasis looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Pagasis just gave him a smile as he continued on his way.

"Good night Terrin."

"Good night."

Terrin watched as Pagasis disappeared inside his room. He then opened his own door and was just about to walk inside when he heard a meowing by his feet. He glanced down to see his cat weaving between his legs, purring.

"Hey you weird cat." he said as he pet her behind the ears. "I was wondering where you were."

"Meow!" Trouble said as in saying: "I hitched a ride in the van. Sheirow drives like a Neanderthal!!"

Terrin laughed as Trouble walked in before him. He felt as if he understood what she was saying. He then shook his head. "I should start seeing a shrink..."

Since that night, everything looked different. They weren't sure why, or how, but all they knew was that it was a good thing. Such positively was something that they each lacked for the longest time. They felt as if nothing could cause turmoil ever again. As they slept, each had a dream.

Zera had a dream about Dracos. It was great until she woke up and found herself kissing the back of Tsuniker's head.

As for Tsuni, he dreamed about owning a puppy.

Umie dreamed about beating the crap out of Terrin. There was a grin upon her face as she slept.

Terrin dreamed about seeing some red haired chick in her undies. He didn't complain nor tell anyone about it the next morning.

Dracos had a dream about someone he that knew in a black silky dress. He wasn't complaining neither.

Mupo and Sheirow dreamed about sleeping in each other's arms. It wasn't much of a dream because they actually were. That is until Mupo's slightly changed when Heizeus popped out of their covers and jumped out the window. I don't think that was a dream neither though...

Esthenia dreamed that her and Umie were beating the crap out of Terrin and for some reason, it involved a blue pool ball. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Torrik watching them. She took a closer look when she noticed that his hair looked a lot shorter.

Pagasis dreamed about Umie kicking him in the nuts. He woke up with a cramp the next morning. He had a feeling that he deserved it.

Unfortunately, in spite of all the great thoughts and visions they were seeing in their sleep, the next morning was going to change the way things were forever. For one of them didn't sleep that night. He lied awake in bed. Clutching his chest and praying for the pain to stop.

* * * * * * * * * * *

In conclusion: The next big story will continue where this left off. I'm sorry for any sadness or depression that this story may have caused you. It's the truth though. You have every right to know what goes on inside my head. Unfortunately for these characters, the road ahead doesn't get any easier for them. Next time, they'll face the worst friendship problem at all: Separation.