Adventures in Dimension Hopping
By Kimura

Author's notes: This story is based on the premise that Nakago did not send Amiboshi to the Suzakus and Tamahome did not run off to Kutou. So, the Seishi on both sides have been gathered. Neither one has called their god yet, though.

The Sliders, Quinn, Colin, Remy, and Maggie ran. "It's gaining on us!" Maggie screamed. "Hang on!" Quinn shouted over his shoulder. "Just a couple more seconds until we slide to the next world!" "Tell that to him!" Remy cried, indicating the rather angry grizzly bear that was chasing them. The timer hit zero. Quinn pressed the button and a vortex appeared in front of him. He dove head first into it. The three Sliders behind him followed in suit. The window to another world closed just as the bear reached it.

~~~

It was a normal day on the bridge of the seaQuest DSV. Everyone was hard at work at their stations. The boat was on its way to dock in New Cape Quest, Florida, where the crew would enjoy shore leave. Commander Jonathan Ford smiled. What could possibly go wrong? he though happily.

Darwin began thrashing wildly in his tank.

Ford sighed.

Lucas stepped down from his station and turned the vocoder on.

"What's wrong, Darwin?" he asked.

"Strange people," Darwin answered in his mechanical voice.

"What strange people?" Ford asked. "Where?"

"The moon pool. Appeared out of hole."

"Is this making any sense to you?" Jonathan asked Lucas.

"Not really. But I think we might want to check it out."

Ford nodded. "Brody, get a team down there. O'Neill, tell the Captain to meet us there." Tim nodded and flicked a switch on his console. After a minute, the screen clicked on and Bridger's face appeared. "What is it, O'Neill?" "You're needed in the moon pool, sir." Bridger frowned. "Is there a problem with Darwin?" "He thinks he may have seen intruders, sir. Commander Ford is going down there with Lucas, Brody, and a security team." "I'm on my way."

~~~

The Sliders looked around their new surroundings dazedly.

"That wasn't one of our best landings," Remy said dryly.

"I hope this thing's okay after getting wet," Quinn said, shaking the timer. The Sliders wearily climbed out of the tank.

"Something doesn't feel right," Colin said.

"It almost feels like we're moving," Maggie added.

"Maybe we are," Quinn suggested. "We could be on a boat, for all we know." He examined the timer for a minute. "I think the timer's all right."

"Well, that's a relief," Maggie said. "Now, how do we dry off?"

Suddenly, a pile of people, some carrying guns, burst into the room.

The Sliders looked confused.

"I'm Commander Jonathan Ford of the UEO flagship seaQuest. Identify yourselves."

"UEO?"

"seaQuest?"

"Ship?!"

Quinn looked at the others, then stepped forward. "Um, hi. My name's Quinn Mallory. This is my brother Colin and our friends Maggie Beckett and Rembrandt Brown."

"And what're you doing on my boat?" Captain Bridger asked, entering the room.

Colin looked around the room, searching for clues that might tell him how advanced the technology of this dimension was. He eyed the guns carefully. Those look pretty advanced, he thought. And so does this whole place in general.

"Um, excuse me," Colin said nervously. "Would you mind telling us what year it is?"

Lucas blinked. "2022."

Quinn swallowed. "Well, since we're in the future, maybe you can better appreciate our explanation."

"I'll appreciate any explanation, provided it's true," Bridger said.

"We're travelers," Quinn explained. "We ‘slide' from dimension to dimension."

"Very cool!" Lucas cried. Bridger glared at him.

"Each time someone makes a choice, an alternate dimension forms in which that person made the opposite choice. This results in an infinite number of dimensions. We're hopping from one to the other, trying to get back to our home dimension," Quinn continued.

There was a tense moment of silence.

"And we're supposed to believe that fairy tale?" Brody asked skeptically.

"How exactly do you ‘hop' from one dimension to another?" Bridger asked.

Quinn held up the timer. "With this. It opens a gateway between dimensions. Unfortunately, it's completely random. Also, I can't just do it whenever I feel like it; I have to wait until it hits zero."

"We spend a different amount of time in each dimension," Colin said. "It could be as little as a few seconds to as much as a couple of weeks."

"Can I see that?" Lucas asked Quinn.

Quinn shrugged and handed it to him. "I think it's all right after its little dunk in the pool."

"Looks like it," Lucas agreed.

Remy was a little nervous at the idea of a kid handling his only way back home, but then he saw the skill with which Lucas handled the timer. He's like a young Q-ball, he thought, almost smiling.

Lucas handed it back.

"Lucas, you think that thing really does what they say it does?" Ford asked.

Lucas shrugged. "I'd have to take it apart to tell."

"What do you think, Captain?" Brody asked.

Bridger eyed the new strangers. "Well, we are a scientific vessel. They're unarmed and we have nothing to disprove their story."

"Sliders nice. Sliders come from hole. Sliders not lie," Darwin said in his mechanical voice.

The Sliders turned and stared.

"A talking . . . dolphin?" Remy asked.

"Yup," Lucas said proudly. "Almost entirely my doing."

"Not bad," Quinn said, smiling.

"Very impressive," Colin added.

"Lady and gentlemen," Bridger said. "I would like to invite you to stay aboard the seaQuest during your time in this dimension. I would request that you stay out of restricted areas and keep periodic check ins with my crew."

"We thank you, Captain," Maggie said.

"How long will you be in our dimension?" Lucas asked.

Quinn looked at the timer. "Five days."

"Commander, show these people to the guest quarters and get them into some dry clothes."

"Yes, sir. This way, please."

When the "guests" were gone, Brody turned to Bridger.

"Captain, are you sure this is a good idea? We have no way of knowing if they're telling the truth. They could be spies."

"Look, if they don't magically disappear into some hole on day five, we'll know they're lying, right? Then I'll contact the UEO and do something about it. Until then, they are our guests, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

"Just keep an eye on them."

"I will, sir."

~~~

Later that night . . .

Maggie knocked on Quinn's door. There was no answer. She sighed in frustration and knocked louder.

Still no answer.

Great, she thought. I'm never gonna get any dinner around here if I don't know where I'm going. I know Quinn probably already has the place memorized by now. I wonder where Colin and Remy are?

"Can I help you, miss?" a strange voice asked.

She turned, surprised.

"Didn't mean to scare ya," the stranger said. "You just looked a little lost. Can I help ya find somethin'?"

"I was actually looking for the dining hall," Maggie answered. "Though, it might be nice to know where my friends have disappeared to."

"Well, I saw them down at the Moon Pool talkin' with Lucas and Darwin. They'll probably head to Mess Hall soon." He held out his arm. "May I have the grand honor of escorting you down?"

Maggie smiled and accepted his arm. "Certainly."

As they walked to the Maglev, he said, "The name's Anthony Piccolo. But you can call me Tony. Who might you be?"

"Maggie Beckett."

"So're you really from another dimension?"

"Yeah."

They sat down in the Maglev as it sped off down the hall.

"What kinda other worlds have you seen?"

"Well, I haven't been to as many worlds as the others. But they've told me they've been to worlds where dinosaurs still exist. The Egyptian religion is still in full swing. People can eat this goo that makes them stay young forever . . ."

"Whoa! Funky stuff!"

"Yeah, it's pretty wild. It . . . it would just be nice to find a world to call home, that's all.

"Yeah. So, what's your world like?"

"My world was destroyed."

Tony looked down and winced. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's okay."

The Maglev came to a stop and the two stood and exited into the hallway.

"Quinn!" Maggie cried.

Quinn turned just before he and the Colin entered the Mess Hall. "Oh, hey, Maggie."

"Where have you guys been?"

"Talking to that amazing dolphin," Colin answered. "You wouldn't believe how intelligent he is, Maggie."

"Well, thanks for leaving me behind."

"Sorry, Maggie. I'm sure you can see him after dinner, right Lucas?" Quinn asked.

Lucas nodded. "No problem. He loves people."

"Just don't abandon me next time," Maggie said, punching Quinn playfully in the arm.

"We won't."

"Wait, where's Remy?" Colin asked.

They looked at each other.

"I'll go get him," Quinn said sighing.

~~~

"And this is what we call Medbay," Lucas said, ushering the four Sliders inside.

"Oh, hi, Lucas. I didn't know we had guests," Dr. Smith said, looking up. She left she what was doing and went to greet the strangers.

"This is Colin Mallory, Quinn Mallory, Maggie Beckett, and Rembrandt Brown," Lucas said. "This is our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Wendy Smith."

Wendy shook hands with the Sliders. "I've been hearing a lot about you."

"Yeah, we get that a lot," Remy said.

"Very advanced medical facilities," Quinn noted.

"Some of the best in the world," Wendy confirmed. "Please, take a closer look."

As the Sliders wandered around, Lucas turned to Wendy. "What're you reading?"

"Quinn and Colin are completely absorbed in the technology around them. They've never seen anything like it before. Maggie is thinking ahead, trying to plan out their next move. It sounds like they're on some kind of mission. And Remy is just . . . going along with the flow."

"Are they telling the truth? Are they really from another world?"

Bridger came up behind them. "That's what I'd like to know. How about it, Doctor?"

"I would need to scan deeper in order to tell for sure, which I can't do without their permission. But from what I'm getting now, I would say they're telling the truth."

Bridger nodded. "I hope you're right."

"Captain, whether they are telling the truth or not, I can definitely tell that they've been through a lot together."

"Noted, Doctor." Bridger left to return to the bridge.

"You guys ready to move onto to something else?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Colin and Quinn said. The other two just nodded.

"Great. Next, we hit the bridge."

"I can't wait to see this," Quinn whispered to Maggie. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

~~~

The Sliders gazed in awe at the complicated array of stations, lights, buttons, and sounds that greeted them on the bridge. The whole room seemed to pulse with a beat of excitement.

"This is so cool," Quinn said.

"It's beautiful," Maggie breathed.

"It's incredible," Colin added.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before," Remy said.

Bridger turned and smiled at the guests. "Welcome to the bridge of seaQuest DSV."

"This is so amazing," Quinn whispered, taking everything in.

Lucas led the awe-struck Sliders up the small staircase that led to the work stations. "This is my station," Lucas said, pointing.

Quinn and Colin leaned in for a closer look at the computer screen and the array of buttons surrounding it.

"What exactly is your position?" Maggie asked.

"Chief Computer Analyst," Lucas answered, a little proudly. "I help keep the whole place running." They moved on to the next station. "Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson at the column and Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz." The seaQuestrians glanced briefly up at the guests, then got back to work. The group headed down the staircase and Lucas pointed out the manual steering stations. "Lieutenant Tim O'Neill at Communications, Lieutenant Jim Brody at weapons and second in command, Commander Jonathan Ford, whom I think you've already met." The small tour ended with the Sliders standing in the center of the bridge, still gazing around in wonder.

"Magnificent," Colin stated.

"Yeah," Remy agreed. "That sums it up nicely."

"I'm glad you approve," Bridger said, grinning. "However, I cannot afford distractions to my crew and must now ask you to return to your rooms."

Quinn looked at his watch. "It's getting pretty late anyhow."

"It's been a long day," Maggie said, sighing.

"Captain, I'd be happy to escort our guests back to their quarters," Brody said.

"Very well, Lieutenant. Lucas, return to your station. Lady and gentlemen, I will see you in the morning," Bridger said politely.

"Thank you again for your hospitality, Captain," Quinn said. The Sliders followed Jim off the bridge.

~~~

Wendy heard the noise of laughter and splashing coming from the Moon Pool. She followed the noise and saw the Sliders and Lucas playing with Darwin.

"Hello, Wendy," Darwin said.

The others turned and greeted the doctor.

"Hi guys," she replied. From a brief mental scan. she could tell the Sliders were relaxed and enjoying themselves. It seems like they haven't done something like this is a long time, she thought. "I was wondering if I could have one of our guests volunteer for a . . . study."

"What kind of study?" Remy asked, suspiciously.

"I'd like to do a deep scan on one of you."

"Scan?" Maggie asked.

"Dr. Smith is psychic," Lucas explained.

"Psychic?" Maggie said skeptically.

Quinn shrugged. "Maybe on this world psychic powers are real."

"Oh, I assure you, they are," Wendy said.

"So, you can tell what we're thinking right now?" Colin asked.

"I can get a general impression, but to probe deeper without your permission would be illegal. I am curious as to what the makeup of your minds are. Would one of you care to volunteer?"

"Sure, I will," Quinn said after a minute.

"Great. Do you want to get started right now?"

"Sure," he said, climbing up the ladder. "I think I'd better dry off first, though."

~~~

Quinn sat across from Wendy.

"Okay," Wendy said. "Try to relax and clear your mind."

Quinn nodded, letting out a deep breath.

Wendy gently took his hands and closed her eyes. After a minute, Quinn closed his, too.

Whoa, Quinn thought. This feels weird! He could feel some kind of presence moving around in his thoughts. He could feel her touching his memories of sliding. Probably wants to know if we're telling the truth, he thought. She started to pRobe further in, to some of his childhood memories. She didn't pry, just touched them briefly. Abruptly, she started pRobing his memories of how his sliding adventures began. Quinn winced. I don't want to remember that, he thought. It's all my fault. But this time, Wendy seemed determined. She didn't pull away so quickly. No! Quinn's mind screamed. Leave me alone! Viciously, Quinn tried to push her mind away.

Wendy gasped sharply.

Quinn fell off his chair, groaning. Wendy knelt beside him.

"Quinn, I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt so strongly . . ."

"Just leave me alone."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known." He didn't meet her eyes. "You have to face this, Quinn."

"You got what you wanted," he said softly. "You know we're telling the truth." He stood up, feeling dizzy.

"I don't need to probe the others to know that they don't blame you."

Quinn sighed. "It doesn't matter. I still blame me." He paused. "Need anything else?"

"No. No, that's all."

~~~

The Sliders once again stood on the bridge. Lucas, Brody, Tim, Miguel, Tony, Ford, and Bridger stood around them.

"Captain, we thank you and your crew for your hospitality and understanding," Quinn said.

"It's been our pleasure," Bridger replied.

"Thirty seconds," Colin said.

"We'll miss you guys," Lucas said.

Remy smiled. "We'll never forget seaQuest."

"Captain! Approaching ships!" Lonnie cried.

"Identify," Bridger snapped.

"Working, sir."

"Time to go," Colin said. He pushed a button on the timer and the vortex appeared. The crew members who were about to head back to their stations froze.

"Very cool," Lucas whispered.

"Incoming torpedo!" Lonnie cried. "Impact in ten seconds!"

"Fire intercepts!" Bridger ordered.

The Sliders jumped through the vortex. After they had gone through, the seaQuest rocked violently to one side. Several seaQuestrians tumbled through the vortex after the Sliders.

~~~

The Sliders looked dizzily around at their new surroundings. Suddenly, five people landed beside them. The vortex disappeared.

"Tony! What're you doing here?!" Maggie cried.

"The seaQuest was hit by a torpedo," Tim answered.

"We got thrown in after you," Jim finished.

"Oh, great," Remy muttered. The group slowly got to their feet.

"Uh, does this mean we can't get home?" Miguel asked.

"Not for a while," Quinn said grimly. "The timer's random."

Lucas looked around. "Where are we?"

"We could be anywhere," Colin answered truthfully.

"Looks like . . . ancient China," Tim said, gazing in awe.

"That building looks like some kind of palace," Maggie remarked.

"Maybe it is," Quinn said.

"Should we find out?" Remy asked.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Tony said. "You mean you can't just press the rewind button on that doohicky and send us home?"

Maggie put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tony."

"How long could this take?" Miguel asked.

"Well, we've been sliding for a little over three years," Quinn said.

"Years?!" Tony cried. "We're talkin' years?!"

"Possibly," Colin said.

"Guys, listen." Quinn took a deep breath. "We're trying to find a certain world. There's some stuff we didn't tell you --"

"REKKA SHINEN!" a voice boomed behind them. The Sliders and seaQuestrians jumped out of the way as fire blazed out of nowhere. A figure followed the fire and grabbed Maggie, holding some kind of weapon at her throat. Maggie shrieked.

"Let her go!" Quinn shouted.

The fiery-haired stranger spit a stream of Chinese at him.

"Huh?" Tony asked. "What planet is he from?"

"Tim? Can you understand him?" Lucas asked.

"Um, yeah, kind of. He's speaking a very strange dialect of Chinese. And he's . . . using a lot of profanities."

"Well, don't repeat that part," Remy said.

"Okay. He said that we're trespassing on the Emperor's land. He won't harm Maggie if we surrender ourselves."

"Tell him we're lost and we didn't mean to trespass," Quinn said. "Tell him we're travelers."

Tim nodded and translated into Chinese. The stranger replied. "He wants to know where we're from."

"Um, tell him we're . . . from another world," Quinn said.

Tim translated.

The stranger let go of Maggie, pointed to her, and asked Tim another question.

"What'd he say?" Maggie asked nervously.

"He wants to know if you're a Miko."

"A what?"

"A Miko. I'm not quite sure what it means," Tim said.

The stranger spat out another stream of Chinese.

"He wants us to go with him to see the Emperor," Tim said.

"Should we?" Lucas asked.

"What've we got to lose?" Quinn said, shrugging. "Tell him to lead the way."

~~~

Tim struggled to translate between the Emperor and the others. "Guys, slow down!" Tim cried, repeating himself in Chinese. "This isn't as easy as it looks!" "Calm down, Tim. You're doing fine," Miguel encouraged him. "Okay, I've told the Emperor that we're from another world but that Maggie is not a Miko. I told him we mean him no harm and asked if he could house us for three days." "What'd he say?" Remy asked. "He says we are welcome in Konan Country." The others breathed a sigh of relief. Several other people appeared in the court. The fiery-haired stranger was among them. The Emperor stood and addressed the travelers. He pointed to each of the people around him and said a name in turn. "Tasuki. Nuriko. Chichiri. Chiriko. Mitsukake. Tamahome. Miaka, Suzaku no Miko." He pointed to himself and said, "Hotohori-sama."

The Sliders and seaQuestrians looked at each other, then started introducing themselves.

"Quinn."

"Maggie."

"Remy."

"Colin."

"Tim."

"Tony."

"Jim."

"Miguel."

"Lucas."

~~~

Later that night . . .

Miaka dragged the weary travelers from room to room, giving them the grand tour of the palace. Tim was a little surprised to discover that Miaka spoke Japanese rather than Chinese. However, he translated every chirpy word from her mouth so the others could understand her ramblings.

"And this is my room!" Miaka exclaimed, bounding into the room. "It's just like the last twenty or so bedrooms we saw, but . . . it's special because I sleep in it!"

"Wait a minute," Quinn said. "She has modern technology!" He pointed to the stereo on the floor.

"Where did you get that?" Tim asked her.

"My world," she replied. "I'm not from this world either."

"You know, I might be able to make a translator," Lucas said thoughtfully.

"How?" Tony asked.

"Well, I had the vocoder with me when I slid through the vortex. With a few modifications, we could use it to talk to them much faster."

"Do it! I'm tired!" Tim cried emphatically.

"I'll need your help, Quinn," Lucas said. "And Colin's, too."

Quinn looked at the vocoder. "Looks like we might need some parts from that stereo."

They all looked at Miaka.

~~~

"TAMAHOMEEEEEEE!" Miaka screamed. Tamahome, looking rather embarrassed, held the screeching Miaka away from the travelers. Hotohori had given them permission to use whatever they needed to make a translator, which included parts of Miaka's stereo.

Tony looked at Colin, Lucas, Quinn, and Tim working away busily. "Wish I was smart enough to make somethin' like that."

"Me, too," Remy agreed.

"You know, Lucas reminds me of a young Quinn or Colin," Maggie commented.

Remy grinned. "I was thinking that earlier."

Jim smiled. "I wouldn't call Lucas young to his face, though."

They laughed.

"Okay, I think we've got it," Lucas announced.

"Let's give it a shot," Quinn said. "This is a test," he spoke into the vocoder. His words were repeated in Chinese.

"Awesome!" Maggie cried.

They brought it to the Emperor.

"I thank you for your hard work," Hotohori said.

"We thank you for the parts," Quinn replied.

Chichiri poked his head into the hall, looked at what was going on, and burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Jim asked, a little annoyed.

"Nice job with the machine, no da."

"No da?" Lucas asked.

"But I bet I can do better, no da!" the monk proclaimed joyously. There was a flash of light. Chichiri took the translator from Hotohori and turned it off. "Listen, no da. You can still understand me, right no da?"

"He's speaking English!" Tim cried.

"I can understand you without the machine!" Hotohori exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" Miguel asked.

"It's impossible," Colin muttered to himself.

"Magic, no da!" Chichiri replied, still grinning away.

Tony laughed. "Yeah, how could we have missed that one? No duh, no da!"

~~~

The next days were spent exploring beautiful Konan Country. Tamahome attempted to explain all about the Four Gods and seishi. The travelers were a little skeptical. Then, on their last day, some of the other seishi decided to make an appearance.

The Sliders, seaQuestrians, and Suzaku Seishi ran into the main court in response to several loud crashes.

Miaka gasped. "It's Nakago!"

Nakago entered casually through the hole in the wall that Ashitare had created. The Seiryuu Seishi followed him.

"These travelers come from another world," Nakago said to Hotohori. His voice made Maggie shiver with goosebumps. "I must know more about them."

"They are my guests. You are not welcome here, Nakago. Leave immediately!"

Quinn looked at the timer and gasped. "Only ten seconds left!"

The Seishi and Mikos looked at him in confusion.

Nakago ignored it. "You're not going anywhere." He put out his hand and sent out a blast at the same time that Quinn opened the portal.

The blast split the portal into two separate ones.

"Now what?!" Maggie cried.

"Just go through one of them!" Quinn shouted as he jumped through the one on the left. The other Sliders and seaQuestrians followed him.

"We must get to that other world!" Nakago cried. "Yui, Amiboshi, Suboshi. Follow me! The rest of you, stay here." He jumped through the portal on the right, as did his followers.

"Yui-chan!" Miaka cried. She leapt out to stop her friend, tripped, and fell through the portal on the left.

"MIAKA!" Tamahome shouted, jumping after her.

The portal that the Seiryuu Seishi had gone through closed.

"Hurry!" Hotohori cried. "We must go after Nakago!" He jumped through the remaining portal, followed by Tasuki and Nuriko. When Chichiri, Chiriko and Mitsukake reached the portal, it closed.

"No fair, no da!" Chichiri pouted.

~~~

It was a peaceful Monday morning at BG High School. Two seniors, Kimura and Anshin, had just arrived and were about to go to the band room to put away their instruments when suddenly there was a loud crash that came from the gym.

"What the hell was that?!" Kimura cried.

"Let's go look," Anshin said. The two girls went into the gym.

Kimura gaped. "I don't believe this!"

~~~

Kimura ran to Kiri in the school lobby. "Kiri! You have to come see something!"

"I didn't do my Calculus homework last night. I have to do that first."

"Trust me, this is way more important!"

Kiri put down her book. "What's going on? Where's Anshin?"

"All will be revealed," she answered, grinning. "Just come to the gym and see."

"Can I come, too?" Kikite asked.

"Yeah, you're gonna wanna see this, too. Kiri, get Hikaru and Sakura. But tell them not to freak out."

"How can we freak out when we don't know what's going on?" Kiri asked.

"Just do it," Kimura said, getting impatient.

"What's going on?" Derek asked, walking up.

"Go away, Derek," the three girls said in unison.

~~~

"So," Kimura said, standing in front of the gym doors. "What would you do if I told you that all of your wildest dreams all came true in one day?"

"I wouldn't believe you," Kikite replied.

Kimura smiled. "I didn't think so." She threw open the doors.

The group stood there, staring.

"They're . . . they're anime characters . . ." Kiri stammered.

"And . . . and seaQuest people . . ." Kikite gasped.

"Sliders, too," Kimura said. "And did I forget to mention that they don't know they're TV characters?"

"What?!" the girls asked.

"They think they're real," she answered.

"That's impossible!" Kikite cried.

"That's what I thought," Kimura answered. "Go ahead. Ask them anything about their respective shows and they'll know it. Ask them about their real lives and they'll have no clue what you're talking about."

~~~

"Yes, I really am Nuriko," Nuriko answered Sakura for the tenth time.

"Convinced now?" Kimura asked her friends.

"Uh huh," they answered.

"How did you get here?" Anshin asked.

"We slid through a portal," Quinn answered.

"How did you Sliders meet up with all of them?" Kimura asked.

"We slid into their worlds," Maggie answered.

"So, they are alternate worlds where TV shows are real?" Hikaru asked.

"I guess so," Kimura replied.

A bell rang, echoing in the empty gym.

"Oh, great. Now what do we do with all of them while we're in school?" Kikite asked.

Kiri looked at Kimura and grinned.

~~~

"Let me get this straight," Ms. Moody said. "They just flew into town, they'll only be here for one day, and you want to show them around?"

"Well, yeah, that sums it up," Kiri answered.

"But there are fourteen of them."

"Umm . . . well, if we find people to lead them around, is it okay? I mean, they came a really long way to see us," Kimura pleaded.

Ms. Moody looked skeptically around her crowded office. "Well . . . I suppose if they're not going to be a distraction . . ."

~~~

"Okay," Kimura said to the large group of friends she had gathered. "I need to tell you who's taking who while they're not listening. Now, I'll take Tasuki. Sakura, you can take Nuriko. Anshin, take Hotohori. Kiri, take Miaka."

"Thanks," Kiri said, making a face.

"Hikaru, you take Quinn. Kikite, you take Jim. Fiboshi, take Maggie; try not to scare her too much. Tim, take Tim."

"Oh, thanks," Tim answered.

"Hey, I think you two will get along. You both like computers," Kimura said. "James, take Tony. That should be interesting. Rick, take Miguel. Sam, take Remy. Andy, take Colin."

"Which one's Colin? I don't watch any of these shows!" Andy cried.

"Oh. Look over there. See those two guys that look a lot alike?"

"Yeah."

"The one with the longer hair of the two."

"Oh, okay."

"And for that matter, who's Miguel?" Rick asked.

Kimura sighed. "The Cuban-looking guy with the curly black hair."

"Okay."

"Let's see. Jade, you take Tamahome."

"Who's Tamahome?"

"The guy with the dark blue hair."

"Okay."

"Charity, you take Lucas. He's the good-looking blond guy." Kimura sat down, out of breath. "Okay. Does everybody have somebody to lead around?"

"I don't," Derek said.

"There's a reason for that," Kimura replied.

~~~

Kimura, Kikite, Anshin, Hikaru, and Charity walked into French class with their respective guests: Tasuki, Jim, Hotohori, Quinn, and Lucas.

"What class is this?" Quinn asked as they stood around waiting for the bell to ring.

"French class," Kimura answered.

"Tres cool," Lucas said, grinning. "At least I'll have some idea of what's going on."

"That puts you ahead of the rest of us," Jim muttered.

Kikite smiled. "I would tell you what's going on, but I'll too busy trying to understand it myself."

"That's all right," Jim said.

"So, how come you guys are in the same class? I thought you were a junior, Charity," Lucas said.

"Well, since it's a language, not everybody started in the same year or level. So we end up with mixed classes," Charity replied.

"What do you mean by junior?" Hotohori asked, confused.

"Oh, that just means how many years we've been here," Anshin answered. "See, Kimura, Kikite, and I have been here for four years, so we're considered seniors."

"Charity and I have only been here for three years, so we're called juniors," Hikaru continued.

"And if you've been here two years, you're a sophomore. And you're a freshman if it's your first year," Kikite finished.

"This place is fucking confusing," Tasuki grumbled.

"Hi, guys," Adam said, walking up.

"Hi, Adam-wadam!" Kikite said cheerfully.

"Adam-wadam?" Jim asked.

Before anyone could answer, the bell rang, making Tasuki and Hotohori jump. The five visitors looked around for a place to sit. Tasuki shrugged and sat on the floor, next to Kimura's desk. Hotohori and Quinn stood against the wall. Lucas and Jim also sat on the floor.

"Ah, I see we have visitors!" Mr. Jacquet boomed as he came into the room. "And no place to put them."

"We'll be fine here, sir," Lucas said quickly.

"Vraiment? Ca va?"

"Oui, ca va."

"Bon."

Tasuki sweatdropped. What the hell are they talking about? Kimura patted him on the shoulder and motioned for him to stay quiet. Tasuki nodded.

~~~

"It's a school," Yui reported. "A high school, from the looks of it. It's fairly similar to my world, except for the language, of course." She turned back to Nakago and the twins. "So, what's your brilliant plan?"

"We need to find out where the Suzakus are and gain control of the device that brought us here," Nakago said simply.

"So, wait a minute," Suboshi said. "What if we get stuck here? What if they traveled to another world? What if they're not even in this one?!"

"Suboshi, calm down," Amiboshi said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Nakago-sama knows what he's doing."

Suboshi glared at Nakago, but shut his mouth.

"We need to get some people from this world to help us out," Nakago said. "We will need transportation, supplies, and someone with knowledge of this city. That is the only way we will find them." He eyed the Seishi and the Miko. "You look close to their age. You will go in there and take some hostages to help us."

"Hostages?!" Amiboshi cried.

"It is necessary for the plan," Nakago replied. "No one will be harmed, provided they cooperate."

"Wait," Yui said. "We have a problem."

The three guys looked at her questioningly.

"Clothing. But I think I've got an idea."

~~~

"So, how come you all pretty much wear the same thing?" Tasuki asked as he, Kimura, Jim, and Kikite walked into History class.

"Well, it's a uniform. We have to wear it. They think it makes us look professional," Kimura said, rolling her eyes.

Tasuki made a face. "You'd look much prettier without it." Kimura blushed and so did he. "I meant wearing something else! I-I didn't mean --"

"It's okay," Kimura said, trying not to laugh. "I know what you meant."

"Yeah, so did I," Jim muttered.

Kikite giggled, then smothered it before Tasuki heard her.

"Oh, by the way, Tasuki, you can't use your tessen in here," Kimura said as she sat down.

"What?! Why the fuck not?!"

"Tasuki, you can't swear either!" Kikite cried.

"We'll get in trouble if you do," Kimura said. "If you damage anything or swear too much, we'll get in trouble."

Tasuki grumbled, sitting down in a chair next to Kimura.

"What class is this?" Jim asked as Kikite sat down.

"Twentieth Century U.S. History," Kikite told him.

Jim walked up to the blackboard, examining the different maps that had been pulled down. "Wow, these are so out of date," he muttered.

"What was that?" Mr. Ingham asked, walking into the room and putting his stuff on the desk.

"Oh, nothing," Jim said quickly. He hastily retreated back to the others. Maybe time just moves slower in this world, he thought. Other than that, it's pretty close to my own.

~~~

Yui tried to look casual as she walked down the halls of Hawthorne High. She had removed her uniform jacket, but was still forced to wear her skirt and blouse. She was sure she had caught Suboshi gawking at her when she had removed the jacket. Just to be safe, she had handed her clothing to Amiboshi instead.

A few people passed her in the halls, but no one commented. This is such a huge school that no one knows all of the faces, she thought. She wandered around for a bit, until she found what she was looking for: the Lost & Found. Kids lose just about everything. After a few minutes of poking around, she acquired clothes for herself and the twins. Satisfied, she hastily left and made her way back to the others.

"Here," she said, handing the clothes and shoes to the twins. "Put these on. You'll fit right in."

The twins nodded and hid behind a dumpster to change.

"When would be the best time to search?" Nakago asked.

"Lunch time," Yui answered. "If we try to go into one of the classrooms, we'd definitely get caught."

~~~

Kimura, Kikite, Tasuki, and Jim looked up as Sam walked in with Remy.

"How's everything going?" Kimura asked.

"Fine," Remy said, smiling. "It's like reliving my own memories of high school."

"It's a little different from the school I went to," Jim commented.

"That doesn't surprise me," Kimura muttered.

Rick walked in, with Miguel in tow.

"Hey, Miguel," Jim said, glad to see a familiar face again.

"I kinda like this. It's almost like being a kid again," Miguel said, grinning away.

"By the way, guys, this is a very full class," Kimura said. "You'll probably end up on the floor."

Tasuki shrugged, vacated his seat, and sat on the floor.

"Man, my backside is gonna hurt tonight," Remy said, also taking a seat on the floor.

Tim and Tim walked in.

"Hi, guys," Kikite said. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, we can't stop talking about computers," Tim R. said.

"This place could use some updated computers, though," Tim O'Neill said. "By the way, what class is this?"

"Calculus," Tim R. answered.

Jim groaned.

Just before the bell rang, Kiri came in, dragging Miaka behind her.

"But I hate math!" Miaka whined.

Kiri glared at Kimura. "She won't stop complaining and asking me when lunch is."

Kimura tried not to laugh.

Tasuki grabbed Miaka's wrist, pulled her onto the floor behind him, and whacked her over the head. "It hasn't been that long since you've eaten."

"But I'm hungry!" she whimpered.

Everyone sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

~~~

"Man, that was sooooo boring," Tasuki moaned as he and Kimura walked into the next classroom. "I can't blame Miaka for falling asleep three times."

"At least she didn't try to hurl desks at anyone," Kimura said, sitting down.

"It would have made things more interesting," Tim R. said.

"Guys, it wasn't that bad," Tim O'Neill started. He was stopped by several deadly glares.

"Hi guys," Anshin said, arriving with Hotohori.

"What class is this?" Hotohori asked.

"Religion class," Kimura answered.

"Yeah, it's really easy," Tim R. said, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm curious as to what your religion is like," Hotohori said.

"You guys can sit down," Kimura told them. "This class isn't full."

The "guests" gratefully sat.

"Well, Hotohori-sama, one big difference is that we only believe in one god," Anshin said.

"Only one god?" Tasuki asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I wouldn't say too much if I were you guys," Tim O'Neill said. "I don't think a Catholic teacher would buy your religion if you tried to explain it."

"He's right," Kimura agreed.

"That's all right," Hotohori said. "We'll just listen."

~~~

Suboshi, Amiboshi, and Yui walked into the crowded cafeteria, trying to look normal.

"Split up," Yui told them. "We'll attract less attention."

Kouri's jaw hit the floor. She grabbed onto Chikara's arm.

"Ow!" Chikara cried. "What are you doing?!"

"Over there. Look over there and tell me I'm not crazy."

Chikara looked across the lunch room, seeing Suboshi wandering around. "Oh my God . . ."

"Umm . . . guys, look over there, too," Karasu said, pointing. The three girls also saw Yui walking through the rows of tables.

"Da blond bitch," Chikara stated.

"Chikara!" Kouri scolded. "Oh my God it's my Shun-chan . . ."

"And Kou-chan, too," Chikara said, pointing to the guy walking towards their table.

Kouri squeaked.

Karasu and Chikara continued staring.

Amiboshi stopped right at their table and smiled at them.

Kouri tried not to faint.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked smoothly.

"Not really," Chikara managed.

Amiboshi sat down across from Kouri.

"Here, have a cracker," Karasu said, offering him one.

"Um, thanks," he said, accepting it and taking a bite.

Kouri still did not have the ability to speak.

"Well, I don't think I've seen you around before," Karasu said conversationally. "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I am," he answered, eyeing Kouri nervously.

"And your brother, too?" Chikara asked.

Amiboshi looked alarmed.

"We saw him across the room," Karasu explained.

"Oh. Yeah. He's my twin. Suboshi."

Kouri stifled a scream.

Karasu patted her on the head. "It's okay, bitch monkey. The nice man won't hurt you."

Amiboshi pulled at the collar of his t-shirt. "Geez, it's getting kinda hot in here. You think we could talk outside? I'll introduce you to my brother."

Kouri squeaked again and nodded vigorously.

Amiboshi grinned and stood up. "C'mon."

~~~

"FOOOOOD!" Miaka screeched, ready to tear through the lunch line.

Tasuki grabbed her collar and hauled her back. "Wait your turn, baka."

Kimura turned to Kiri. "Do you have enough money to pay for her?"

"Only if she doesn't eat the whole place," Kiri answered.

"I don't have money for Hotohori-sama," Anshin said. "I brought my own lunch, as usual."

"I'll pay for him," Kimura said. "You can go save our spot."

Anshin nodded and left the cafeteria.

"What about you, Kikite?"

"I have enough for both me and him," she answered.

"Good. I hope everyone else manages okay because I don't have enough money for everyone."

Tasuki sniffed the air. "What kind of food do you have here?"

Kimura sweatdropped. "Umm . . . you'll just have to make do with what you can find. The food in this world is considerably different than your own."

"We'll manage," Hotohori reassured her. Then he frowned. "Miaka, you're making a scene."

Tasuki was still holding her by the collar.

"Fooood . . ."

~~~

Amiboshi led Kouri, Karasu, and Chikara outside. Kouri stared at Suboshi. Chikara eyed Yui warily.

"Guys, this is Suboshi and this is Yui," Amiboshi said. The smile was gone from his face.

Suboshi pulled out a knife, pulling Kouri close to him. "Now just act natural and walk around the corner with us," he said calmly.

"Shun-chan! What are you doing?!" Kouri cried.

Karasu whapped her on the head, but the damage was already done.

The twins were staring at the three girls.

"Just do as you're told and no one will get hurt," Yui told them coldly. "Come with us."

The three girls had no choice but to obey.

They rounded the corner, only to come face to face with Nakago.

The girls just stared.

"If you remain calm and do as we ask, none of you will have to be hurt," he told them in his deep voice.

"What do you want?" Chikara asked.

"Nakago-sama," Suboshi interrupted. "Something's not right. These girls know too much." He nodded at Kouri. "She already knew my name. My real name."

If Nakago reacted in any way, shape, or form he didn't show it. "We'll discuss that later."

Kouri gulped.

"Does one of you have transportation of some kind?" Nakago asked.

"Don't lie," Suboshi warned. "It will only make harder on you."

"I do," Kouri admitted.

"Good," Yui said. "Because you're cutting the rest of your classes."

~~~

Tasuki poked at his hamburger cautiously. "Are you sure I can eat this?"

"Yes, it's edible. Trust me," Kimura told him, biting into her own hamburger.

Tasuki took a bite, decided it was safe, and started eating.

Hotohori cautiously nibbled at the French bread pizza.

"Wow, this is way better than the stuff we get in the Mess Hall," Jim commented.

"Yeah, we're blessed with a cafeteria that actually makes good food," Kikite said.

"Hello everyone," James said, entering the locker room with Tony.

"Oh, man, I have to sit on the floor again?" Tony asked, looking at the large group seated in a circle.

"We always sit on the floor at lunch," Kiri told him. "The cafeteria isn't big enough for our school and there aren't enough tables in the locker room," she said, pointing to the filled picnic tables.

Tony sighed as he and James went to go get in line.

"Hi!" Fiboshi said, bouncing into the room. A slightly subdued Maggie followed him.

"Enjoying your day at BG?" Kikite asked.

"Um, yeah. Especially with such an . . . interesting tour guide," Maggie answered.

Fiboshi drooled. "She called me interesting . . ."

"He's almost as bad as Miaka," Tasuki muttered.

"Fiboshi? Fiboshi? Fiboshi!" Kimura shouted.

"Huh?"

"Go get some food for yourself and Maggie, okay?" she said, speaking slowly.

"KAY!" he replied, grabbing Maggie's hand and heading to the lunch room.

"Was that Maggie that was just leaving?" Quinn asked as he and Hikaru descended the stairs.

"Yeah. You'll probably end up near them in line," Anshin said.

Hikaru looked towards the cafeteria. "Oh great. The line's out the door again." She turned to Quinn. "Want to get in line now or wait and see if it goes down again?"

He shrugged. "Might as well get in now. I haven't seen Maggie much today anyway."

"Okay," Hikaru replied as they walked off.

A few minutes after they left, Colin and Andy came and joined the group.

"You guys already got your food?" Kimura asked. "We didn't see you come down."

"We came down the back staircase," Andy answered, sitting down. "Yay, I get to eat with the juniors and seniors again!"

"What are you, then?" Jim asked.

"I'm just a freshman," Andy answered.

James and Tony returned with their food.

"We're gonna be really crowded with this many people," James said.

Kimura looked at her watch. "Not for long. We have first lunch. We need to leave soon."

"I don't wanna go back to class," Miaka complained. "This reminds me too much of my own school."

"Tough luck, kid," Tony told her. "We don't have anywhere else to go in this world, got it?"

Miaka pouted, but resumed eating without any further whining.

Tasuki blinked. "We have to keep you around more often if you can shut her up like that."

~~~

"Whaddya mean you don't have any food?" Suboshi exclaimed.

"I told you, there's never any food in my house," Kouri shot back at him.

"Do any of you have any money?" Yui asked.

The three girls looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Oh great," Amiboshi muttered.

"You're lying," Suboshi said. "You just don't want to give us any money."

"If that's what you think, then go ahead and search us, Spazz Boy," Chikara snapped.

"Spazz Boy?!"

"Enough," Nakago said, silencing everyone instantly.

Amiboshi, who was standing at the window, suddenly said, "Someone's coming."

Nakago nodded at Suboshi.

Suboshi smirked and grabbed Karasu, drawing his knife once again. "Answer the door and act natural," he told Kouri.

Kouri looked out the window. "It's my sister."

"Just let her come in," Nakago said.

Yume came into the house, looked around, seeing various anime characters.

"Umm . . ." Yume said, staring. "Right."

"If you remain calm and do as we ask, no one will be hurt," Nakago told her.

"Close the door," Suboshi said.

Yume did so still looking bewildered.

"Neechan, do you have any money?" Kouri asked.

"Yeah, some. Why?"

~~~

Suboshi looked the slice of pizza in his hand rather nervously. "You eat this stuff?!"

"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it," Kouri said quietly.

Amiboshi watched as Kouri, Yume, and Chikara ate the pizza hungrily.

"Don't worry, it's edible," Yui told Suboshi.

Nakago regarded the pizza on his plate, as if trying to decide if there was any dignified way to consume it.

"Give it up," Karasu said to him. "It's messy no matter how you eat it." Since she couldn't eat pizza, she had managed to scrounge up some chicken patties from Kouri's freezer.

Nakago picked up the slice and bit into it carefully. Despite his efforts, a string of cheese remained attached to the pizza as he pulled it away from his mouth. The string snapped, attaching itself to Nakago's chin.

Chikara, Yume, and Suboshi tried desperately not to laugh. Kouri was too depressed to find it amusing.

Karasu handed Nakago a napkin. "Told you so."

~~~

Tasuki, Hotohori, and Quinn sat next to each other, listening to the BG band play "Dark of the Moon".

"They're very good," Hotohori noted. "They have a nice, balanced sound."

Quinn nodded, the eerie melody sending shivers down his spine. "It's a cool song."

Tasuki looked up at Hikaru playing the bell set, then down at Kimura and Anshin in the flute section. "They sound great, but the director's got a stick up his ass."

The other two men snickered.

"How much longer is this class?" Hotohori asked Quinn.

Quinn glanced at his watch. "Another fifteen minutes."

Tasuki cradled his head in his arms, leaning forward against his knees. He closed his eyes, letting the melody cause his mind to drift.

"Tasuki," Kimura said gently, touching his arm.

"Huh?" he asked groggily.

"Class is over. You fell asleep," she told him.

"Oh. Sorry ‘bout that." He stood up, stretching. "Don't worry, it wasn't the music. You guys sounded great. I could hear the piccolo really well."

Kimura blushed a little. "Thanks."

"So, how many classes left?"

"Just one," she answered. "Physics."

"Who else is in it?"

"Just Kikite."

"You two have a lot of classes together."

"I know."

~~~

Mr. Stiller walked into the Physics' lab just after the bell rang. Tasuki and Jim sat across from Kimura and Kikite at a lab table.

"Ah, I see we have guests with us today," he said, beginning to take attendance and walking over to their table.

"Yeah, where are you guys from, anyway?" Jon asked.

Tasuki glared at him. "None of your--"

"Canada. They're from Canada," Kimura jumped in.

"What're you doing down here?" Jon inquired, ignoring Tasuki's annoyance.

"Visiting friends," Jim answered coolly. "Is that a crime?"

"Geez, I was just curious," Jon said, turning back around.

"You were being nosy, Jon," Mr. Stiller said. "He has a talent for that," he explained to Jim and Tasuki. "Just ignore him. That's what we all do." He picked up a book on Kikite's desk. "Another smut novel?"

"It is not smut!" Kikite said, turning red.

"You really should have better reading material," he said, putting it back on the desk.

"What is this guy's problem?" Tasuki whispered to Kimura.

"Excuse me, what was that, Mr. Carrot Top?" Mr. Stiller asked, overhearing him.

Kimura kicked Tasuki under the table as he reached for his tessen.

Mr. Stiller gave them a strange look, then began class.

~~~

The group gathered in the lobby after school.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Kimura asked, cheerfully.

"I wanna go home," Miaka whined.

"It was interesting," Hotohori said sincerely.

Maggie inched closer to Quinn, trying to get away from Fiboshi. "Um, I kind of hope I don't have to go home with him."

"Your technology could use some work, but it's an overall nice place," Tim O'Neill commented.

"I liked it," Remy said simply.

"Lots of nice-looking girls," Lucas announced.

"Yeah . . ." Tony sighed. "Too bad they're all a bit young for me."

"I'd hate to have to wear those uniforms," Miguel said.

"I think I've grown a new limb," Nuriko said, pointing to Sakura clinging to his ankle.

"You guys must be rich to attend this place," Tamahome remarked.

"I found the whole place fascinating," Colin said.

"That Physics teacher was a jerk," Jim stated.

"Reminds me of where I went to school," Quinn said.

"It wasn't bad," Tasuki put in.

"Good," Kimura said. "Now . . . what the hell are we going to do with you all?"

"Do you guys have any money?" Kikite asked.

"We have some," Remy said.

"Yeah, I have a bit," Quinn added.

"We don't carry any," Miguel confessed.

"I don't think our money would be worth anything here," Tamahome said.

"Hmm . . . doesn't sound like enough to get a hotel room for each of you," Kiri concluded.

Maggie winced. "Well, we could get two rooms and then squish people in."

"It sounds like that might be your only option," Anshin admitted.

"They are fourteen of you, that's seven in a room. Four people in beds, three on the floor. That's not so bad. Do you have enough money for it?" Kimura asked.

Quinn, Maggie, and Remy counted their money.

"I think we'll have enough," Quinn announced. "We have more than I thought."

"Okay. Let's go back my house and call some places to find a cheap place," Kimura suggested. "Ummm . . . but I think I'm going to need some help transporting you there. Um, Kikite, you take Jim, Tim, Tony, and Miguel. I'll take Tasuki, Hotohori, Nuriko, and Lucas. Anshin, you take Quinn, Colin, Maggie, and Remy. Kiri, you take Miaka and Tamahome. Everybody all set?"

They all nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

~~~

Amiboshi poked cautiously at a few keys on the piano. He was delighted by the sound they produced.

"This is so cool," he breathed. "Shun, you should look at this."

"Someone has to keep an eye on the prisoners," Suboshi answered his brother, watching the four girls cautiously. The twins had permitted them to each get a book from Kouri and Yume's collection. Karasu, Chikara, and Yume were reading away, but Kouri was staring out the window moodily.

Amiboshi continued tinkering with the piano.

I don't know why we got stuck with the job of watching them, Suboshi thought. I wanted to help with the planning, too. He eyed Kouri suspiciously. And I want a chance to find out how she knew my real name.

Yui came down the stairs and into the living room. "Nakago wants to talk to her," she said, pointing at Kouri.

Kouri gulped, then stood up and followed Yui back upstairs.

It was strange to see Nakago sitting in the computer room.

Oh shit, she thought suddenly. If they've looked at the computer . . . then they must know.

"You have some explaining to do," he said simply. He pointed to the computer screen.

Kouri, her heart beating hard in her chest, took a step forward to see the screen.

On it was a picture of the Seiryuu Seishi and their Miko.

"Umm . . ."

Yui leaned over Nakago and opened the word processor, pulling up a file. "And what about this? What are all these documents about us? These things never happened. Do you know the future?"

Kouri again looked at the screen. Yui had opened her story, The Ties That Bind.

"Hey! You fucking went through my files without my permission!" she cried, suddenly furious. "You had no right to do that!"

"When the information in the files concerned us, I felt we were permitted to read it. We did not look at any other files."

"Fuck you! Those are my files!"

"Enough," Nakago cut her off, standing. "You will tell us what this information means."

Kouri fought back tears. "That . . . that's just a story. I made it up. It will never happen . . . the twins will end up separated forever because of you."

Yui was surprised, but Nakago was unmoved.

"How do you know about this? How did you acquire all of these pictures?" he asked.

"I'll show you. And I hope it gives you a fucking heart attack."

~~~

"Okay, I think we've been patient enough," Jim said, feeling a little angry. "You owe us an explanation."

Kimura turned bright red, but tried to act innocent, to postpone the awkward moment as long as possible. "Explanation about what?"

"You're hiding something," Tasuki growled impatiently.

"You know everything about us," Quinn continued. "It's high time you told us how."

"Are you psychic or somethin'?" Tony asked.

Kimura shook her head, sighing heavily. She looked at Kikite and Anshin. "Guys, please excuse us. I want to tell them this myself." Kikite looked annoyed and relieved at the same time. Both girls left, going to the basement quietly. "You might want to sit down," Kimura told her guests.

"There probably isn't enough room," Colin pointed out. Miaka, Tamahome, Hotohori, and Nuriko were squished together on the couch. Tony was stretched out in the chair next to them. Tasuki was sitting on the chair's armrest. Lucas, Miguel, and Remy were already seated on the floor.

"I think the rest of us are okay standing," Quinn said.

"Okay," Kimura said, taking a deep breath to calm down. "This won't be easy for you to hear. But please listen because I have proof to back up every word I say. The reason we know everything about you is because . . . in this world . . . your lives are TV shows."

The Chinese guests blinked in confusion.

"What?!" Tony cried, summing up the thoughts of everyone else in the room.

"What the fuck is tee-vee show?" Tasuki asked.

"Umm . . . Imagine taking a whole bunch of drawings in a row and then showing them one right after the other. All those pictures together look like one fluid motion. TV or television is pictures projected like that." She turned on the TV. "See?"

"Sort of," Nuriko replied.

Kimura flicked off the TV.

"So you're saying you've seen us on that box?" Tamahome asked.

Kimura nodded. "All of you."

"Prove it," Lucas said.

She turned to him. "Your name is Lucas Wolenczak. You're parents are divorced. Neither one wanted to deal with you, so they stuck you on seaQuest. You recently fell in love with a girl named Sandra and you were willing to leave your job for her until you found out she was only using you."

Lucas stared at her, stunned.

"Do I need to demonstrate the same knowledge for any other seaQuestrians?"

The other four shook their heads vigorously.

She turned to Quinn. "When you were on that world where the Egyptian religion was the religion of the world, they drained all your blood and killed you. While you were dead, you had a vision of your father. Then they pumped the blood back into you and brought you back to life. Then when a woman was threatening you, you told her that you'd been to the other side and that nothing they could do to you would scare you."

Quinn tried to remain calm. "And you know this because you saw it on TV?"

"The episode was called Slide like an Egyptian."

"How cute."

Finally, Kimura turned to the anime characters. "Tasuki, your real name is Kou Shun'u. Your best friend is Kouji. You joined the Mt. Reikaku bandits when you were fifteen years old. You hate large bodies of water and milk. Hotohori-sama, you are to emperor of Konan. You have long awaited the arrival of Suzaku no Miko because you believed that she would be the girl of your dreams and would fill the emptiness in your heart. Tamahome, you're crazy about money, but only so it can help feed your family. You have four younger siblings and an ailing father. You were teased as a child because of the symbol on your forehead. Nuriko, you dress as a woman because you want to live for your sister Kourin who was killed in an accident when you were young. Miaka, your best friend is Yui who has turned against you because she feels that you betrayed her. You have an older brother named Keisuke . . . and I really don't want to give anything else away." She paused for breath. "Did I cover everyone?"

"So, do you know the future?" Miguel asked.

She could not bring herself to meet his eyes. "Yes. For some of you, anyway."

"And some bad stuff happens, right?" Lucas asked, seeing her discomfort.

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Like what?!" Tasuki asked, jumping to his feet.

"No," Quinn said firmly. "It's not good for us to know too much about our own destinies."

"It doesn't matter," Kimura told Tasuki. "It's all changed now anyhow. In the shows I saw, none of you guys ever met up with each other. So now everything's different."

"But if we ever get back to our own worlds, your information may be useful," Hotohori pointed out.

"Maybe," she said, tears filling her eyes. "But maybe it would only make things worse. Don't you think I want to tell you? Don't you think this is hard for me?!"

"Of course it is," Maggie said gently. "No one's forcing you to say anything."

"You don't know how much I want to say to you all, what I've dreamed I would say. And now I can say nothing." She turned and ran upstairs to her room.

~~~

Amiboshi, Suboshi, Nakago, and Yui watched the television screen in amazement.

"So, this is how you know about us," Nakago said.

Kouri nodded, turning off the TV.

"Wait!" Suboshi protested. "I wanted to see more! That thing can probably tell the future!"

"No it can't," Yume said. "That reality was based on the premise that you all remained in that world. Since that's changed, then that reality will probably no longer happen."

"She's correct," Nakago agreed. "We know how they have information about us."

"So, they know all about Miaka, too," Yui said. "We have to find the others. We'll never get out of this world without them."

"Wait, you mean there are more of you here?!" Karasu cried.

"Some Suzaku Seishi, their Miko, and some foreigners are also in this world. The foreigners had some kind of device that opened a portal between worlds," Amiboshi explained.

"Nakago-sama split the opening in half with his chi blast," Suboshi put in helpfully. "We went through one hole and they went through another."

"I can sense the chis of the Seishi and Miko, but I cannot locate them since I am not from this world," Nakago continued. "Do you have any idea where they might have landed?"

None of the girls answered.

"Girls, please just do as he asks and no one will get hurt," Amiboshi pleaded gently.

"How should we know where they landed?!" Chikara cried.

"I believe since the portal was split in half, the two halves were opposites of each other," Nakago told them. "We landed at your school. What is the opposite of that?"

The shogun could read the recognition that lit up on each girl's face as they realized the answer.

"Holy shit," Kouri whispered.

~~~

Anshin knocked on Kimura's door.

"I just need a few minutes!" Kimura shouted through the door.

Anshin sighed and turned back to Hotohori, Jim, Kikite, and Quinn. "I guess that's all we'll get for now."

"We don't have time for this," Hotohori said, sounding as close as he ever got to impatient. "We must locate Nakago immediately. He's a menace to this world and everyone in it!"

"We'll need her help," Quinn stated. "If we fan out in three cars, we'll be able to cover more ground."

"I wish Kiri hadn't needed to go home," Anshin muttered to herself. "Maybe we could call some other friends."

"Do we really want more people involved and asking questions about us?" Jim asked. "I have a feeling some people at your school definitely recognized some of us. You guys have enough to answer for already."

"There's only one person who can get her out of that room," Kikite said, locking her gaze with Anshin's.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Anshin asked nervously.

"We don't have a choice now," Quinn said. "Who is it?"

~~~

Tasuki knocked nervously on Kimura's door.

"Who's there?"

The redhead cleared his throat. "It's Tasuki."

There was a long pause. "Um, come in."

Slowly, Tasuki turned the handle and went inside, closing the door after him. He was momentarily shocked by the pictures on the walls, four of which contained him. I guess it never really sinks in until you see it for yourself, he thought.

Kimura saw what he was looking at and blushed. "Sorry about that."

"N-no, don't be." He pried his eyes away from the two solo pictures of himself that were hung next to her bed. "Are you okay?"

She half-smiled. "Would the others have sent you up here if I wasn't?"

He saw her point. "Probably not." There was a long moment of silence. "Kimura . . . look at me."

Surprised, she managed to raise her deep brown eyes to his amber ones. He sighed, looking away. "Gods, every time I look at you I want to beg you for information. You look like . . . you're carrying the worst secret in the world. You know that bad shit is gonna happen and I can't even ask you about it!" He looked out the window. "Fuck, why did the others send me to do this? I can't even keep my mouth shut for five seconds." He noticed she was still silent and turned to look at her.

Tears were streaming down her face as she clutched a brown teddy bear. Tasuki swore softly, then slowly crossed the room and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I know it's hard enough for you without me blabbing about it."

"K-Kouji . . . is fine," she told him. "Nothing happens to him."

Tasuki felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders and silently thanked Suzaku. "It's okay," he said before she could speak again. "You don't have to tell me any more. Quinn was right; it isn't a good idea for us to know too much." There was another moment of silence. Unsure of himself, Tasuki wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay. No one's going to force you to say anything."

"That's not it!" she sobbed into his shirt. "You don't know the things I've seen! You don't know how badly I want to stop them! Jim . . . God, every time I look at him I want to go to him and beg him to be ready to meet Lonnie when she comes back from vacation so she doesn't go into Macronesian territory! I watched him die, Tasuki! If he ever goes back, he's still going to die! And so is Miguel!"

Tasuki was shocked. He didn't know what to say. Then another thought occurred to him. "But when you saw all that, they were just characters to you. Why did it hurt you so much?"

"Because . . . they weren't just characters to me. They meant more to me. It's impossible to explain, but I felt the same way about the rest of you. The Sliders will be okay."

"But not us," Tasuki stated.

Kimura didn't reply, then she looked up at him desperately. "I can tell just you! Then if and when you guys go back, you can stop it!"

Tasuki gulped at the prospect of this new responsibility. "I'm not sure about this . . ."

"I can't tell you nothing! It's like sentencing them to death all over again! But don't tell them I told you. You can't speak a word of this to anyone else."

Tasuki took a deep breath and nodded.

~~~

Suboshi fiddled with the VCR, trying to remember how Kouri had gotten it to work earlier.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kouri warned him. "You won't like what you see."

"I'm a big boy. I can handle it." He was left alone with her while the others were scouting BG high school, looking for the Suzaku Seishi and their companions. Kouri had asked Yume to drive. There were only five seats in the car, so Suboshi volunteered to stay behind and watch Kouri. They had squished Yui into the back seat because she had insisted on coming and Nakago didn't want to leave Suboshi with more than one hostage to deal with.

"Nakago told you not to watch it," Kouri pointed out.

Suboshi glared at her. "Shut up before I gag you."

She turned away, starting to cry. He ignored her and finally got the VCR to work.

Fine, she thought. Go ahead and scare yourself shitless by watching your brother die. See if I care. It's your own damn fault.

Suboshi watched in horror as his brother plunged into the river.

"ANIKIIIIII!" he screamed, eerily matching the cry coming from the television screen. He looked at Kouri frantically, tears already on his cheeks. "Will that happen?!"

"I don't know," she replied numbly. "Not if Nakago never sends him to the Suzakus."

Suboshi knelt on the floor, shivering. "Aniki," he whispered. He wanted desperately to go to his brother, check on him, protect him, be with him. But that was impossible in an alien world. He instinctively pulled away as he felt arms encircle his shoulders.

"It's okay," Kouri told him. "I'm pretty sure that can't happen now."

"Aniki," Suboshi whimpered, dissolving into tears again.

"He'll be back soon Shun-chan."

Why is she doing this? Suboshi's mind wondered. This would be the perfect chance for her to escape, but instead she's staying here to help me . . . I shouldn't let her! I don't need an enemy's help!

Since when is she my enemy? the more logical part of Suboshi's brain asked. What has she done to me?

Suboshi was too confused and frightened to work out the clashing thoughts in his head. He let Kouri hold him, unable to do anything else.

~~~

Tasuki and Kimura slowly descended the stairs together. Kimura's face and eyes were still a little red from crying. Contrarily, Tasuki's face seemed unnaturally pale.

"Are you two all right?" Maggie asked.

"We don't have time to talk about it," Tasuki stated. "We've got to find Nakago."

The phone rang, causing several people to jump. Kimura walked into the family room and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kimura. It's Kouri."

"Oh, hi. What's up?"

"Umm . . . a lot, actually. We need to talk."

"Yeah, I have a lot of news to tell you myself. Why don't we meet somewhere?"

"No, I --" There were strange muffled sounds on the other end of the phone.

"Hello? Kouri?"

"Sorry." Her voice sounded weak and nervous. "Where did you want to meet?"

"Somewhere no one else will be. How about the campsite?"

There was another pause. "S-Sounds good."

Kimura frowned. "Is everything all right?"

"Y-Yeah, look I'll explain when we get there, okay?"

"Okay. Meet you in about fifteen minutes?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna take the back trail."

"Um, okay. See you then."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Kimura hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Miguel asked, seeing the concern written on her face.

"I don't know. Something just seemed . . . wrong. But she can probably help us look for the others, so I thought it was to our advantage to go."

"Should we all go?" Nuriko asked.

Kimura shook her head. "No, I think that would take too long. Lemme see . . . " She looked around her. "How about two from each group. Quinn, Colin, Tasuki, Tamahome, Jim, and Tony. Is that okay?"

Everyone nodded.

"Kikite, do you want to come or stay here? I know you don't like the woods that much," Kimura said.

"I want to come," she answered.

"Anshin, would you mind staying here with the others?" Kimura asked.

"No, that's fine," Anshin replied.

"Just ignore the phone if it rings," Kimura said, heading out the door.

~~~

Nakago sat in the passenger seat while Kouri drove to the campsite.

"I can't believe I'm fucking helping you kidnap my best friend," she muttered.

"You don't have a choice," Nakago informed her. He looked in the back seat to see if Suboshi was ready. Much to his dismay, the youth looked distracted and had acted strange when they had returned to the house as well. They had left Amiboshi, Yui, and Yume behind.

"Do you think your friend has had contact with the others?" Nakago asked her.

"How the hell should I know?" Kouri snapped.

"Is there any way she could have missed a large number of recognizable people wandering around BG?" Suboshi asked.

"No," Karasu answered simply.

"Then she must know where they are," Nakago stated. "She will be useful to us." Unlike those other two, he thought. They're only getting in the way and may try to help this other girl escape. I may need to find a way to get rid of them . . . hmmm. But that would probably make the two sisters uncooperative.

"We're here," Kouri announced, pulling onto a side street.

The five piled out of the car. Nakago inspected the quiet neighborhood silently. "It will be necessary to leave one of you girls here. Three is too many to take into this situation." He nodded at Suboshi, who pulled out a coil of rope. "So, I will allow you to pick who stays."

~~~

Kimura led the seven people behind her into the forest, following the familiar path.

"You sure you know where ya goin'?" Tony asked.

"Positive," Kimura answered, leading them up the hill.

"Do you think it's possible that Kouri has run into Nakago?" Colin queried.

Kimura stopped dead, causing the seven people all to crash into each other. "Oh my God," she whispered. "I think you're right. That's probably why she sounded so strange on the phone!"

"Wait, that's only a theory," Quinn said, trying to keep everyone calm. "We don't know that for certain."

"But that means we should probably go in there a bit more cautiously," Jim pointed out.

"He's right," Tamahome agreed.

"I should go in alone," Kimura said. "If Nakago's expecting all of you and only I appear, it will make him put his guard down."

"I don't like this," Tasuki said. "Nakago's too dangerous for you to handle alone."

"No, listen. If Nakago comes out and demands to know where you guys are, I'll say you're back at the house. As I start to lead him there, you guys can try and attack from behind." The others looked uneasy. "If Nakago's got her, then I can't stand here and do nothing!"

"If he's got her at all," Kikite said.

"Even an attack from behind will probably be unsuccessful," Tamahome stated.

"I know we can't beat him," Kimura conceded. "But you might be able to get us free."

"It sounds like the only option we've got," Quinn said.

~~~

Kimura cautiously walked into camp, trying to act natural. She knew the others were hiding nearby, but the thought of confronting Nakago was not a pleasant one.

She saw Kouri at the other end.

"Hi," she said, forcing a smile.

Kouri didn't return it. "Hi."

"What'd you want to talk about?"

"Are you alone?"

"Of course."

She sighed as Nakago came out of the forest, holding Chikara in a choke hold. Suboshi followed them.

Kimura gasped.

"Where are the others?" Nakago demanded.

"What others?" Kimura asked.

Nakago tightened his grip. "Don't play dumb."

"Th-They're back at the house," she answered nervously.

"Take us there," Nakago ordered. Holding Chikara with one arm, he grabbed Kouri with the other. Before she could move, Suboshi reached out and grabbed Kimura.

"We can't walk out on the road like this," Kouri said, struggling against the shogun. "People are bound to notice."

"We'll make those arrangements when we get there," Nakago told her.

"How do we get there?" Suboshi asked Kimura.

"Just follow the path back to the road," she answered.

He nodded and pulled her along with him.

They had walked along for a few minutes, when a tree branch landed at the back of Nakago's neck. He grunted in pain, momentarily letting go of the girls. His chi-sensing abilities had been dampened by the unfamiliar world.

"RUN!" Kimura screamed.

The two girls ran down the path.

Nakago regained his footing and stretched out his hand for a chi blast.

"REKKA SHINEN!"

A burst of flame and a bright red chi blast hit Nakago simultaneously. He fell to one knee, but the Seishi knew he wouldn't be down for long.

A small rock hit the back of Suboshi's head. "Ow! Fuck!" he cried, letting go of Kimura with one hand.

Quinn, Jim, and Tony raced down the hill and tackled the youth, freeing Kimura. She ran off to join the others.

"What about Karasu?" Kouri cried from further down the path.

Kimura stopped, looking around for their friend.

Colin joined the others down the hill in safety. "C'mon!" he called to Kimura.

"What's she waiting for?" Tasuki asked nervously.

Suboshi's ryuuseisui snaked out dangerously.

"Guys, get out of there!" Kimura screamed.

Nakago started to get to his feet.

One of the ryuuseisui hit Quinn's arm, drawing a substantial amount of blood.

"Holy shit!" Tony cried.

The three men immediately retreated and started to run down the hill with Kimura.

"Come back HERE!" Suboshi yelled, throwing out his ryuuseisui. It caught Kimura's ankle, causing her to hit the ground.

"KIMURA!" Tasuki shouted, starting to run back up at the hill just as Quinn, Jim, and Tony reached the bottom.

"No!" Tamahome cried, holding his friend back. "They're too strong! We've gotta get out of here! The rest of us are gonna get killed. We'll get her back!"

"NO!" Tasuki shouted.

"Tasuki, GO!" Kimura screamed as Nakago grabbed her.

Tamahome and Colin forced Tasuki back. They retreated to the house.

~~~

Nakago viciously dragged Kimura back along the other path to Kouri's car. In this foreign world, he hadn't had the ability to make his usual careful plans. He was trying to think as quickly as he could. I still have hostages, he told himself. We can make a deal for the device.

He yanked Kimura onward by her hair, despite her loud protests. Suboshi was still unusually quiet. Once they reached the car, Nakago shoved Kimura into the driver's seat.

"Karasu!" Kimura cried, seeing her friend tied up and gagged in the back seat. Suboshi removed the gag and sat her up, so he'd have room to sit.

"You're not Kouri," Karasu said, confused.

"It's a long story," Kimura told her.

Nakago got into the passenger's seat. "Drive."

"I can't. I don't have the keys."

Nakago zapped the keyhole with a blue lightning bolt. The car roared to life.

"Drive," he repeated.

"Where?"

"Back to Kouri's home."

Her hands shaking a little, she pulled the car off of the side street. She glanced at Suboshi in the rearview mirror.

"He needs to wear a seat belt," she stated.

"What?!" Suboshi cried.

"That's right. He's under eighteen," Karasu agreed.

"It's the law," Kimura explained to Nakago. "We could get pulled over if he doesn't."

Nakago glared at Suboshi, who grumbled and pulled the seat belt over his shoulder.

~~~

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Tasuki burst out, pacing around the room.

"We can't just barge in there and take them back," Quinn said as Maggie wrapped his injured arm. "You know what they're capable of."

"Where do you think they went?" Miaka asked.

"Probably back to my house," Kouri answered.

"They'll need to contact us if they want the timer," Maggie pointed out.

"So, we just wait until they call?" Tony asked.

"Do you have a better idea?" Tim countered.

"He won't hurt them," Lucas said. "He needs them to bargain with."

"No, he would only need one of them," Kouri said bitterly. "That means he could just kill the others."

"Thank you, Little Miss Optimist," Remy muttered.

Nuriko sat beside her. "Don't worry; they'll be all right." She looked over at Miaka. "Yui wouldn't let him do that, would she?"

"I don't think so," Miaka replied.

Nuriko put a hand on Kouri's shoulder. "They'll be all right."

Jim watched Tasuki pace back and forth. "Will you knock that off?"

"Not until we do something besides wait," Tasuki shot back.

"How much time to we have left in this world?" Hotohori asked.

Colin glanced at the timer. "Not enough. Only about twenty minutes."

~~~

"Nakago-sama, what's going on?" Amiboshi asked as the shogun and his brother returned with their prisoners. "Where are the other girls?"

"Things didn't exactly go according to plan," Suboshi told his brother.

"We're running out of time," Nakago stated, dragging Kimura into the family room.

"Kimura?!" Yume cried.

"Amiboshi, take the other girls downstairs to the closet and lock them in," Nakago ordered.

"What?! Nakago-sama, what are you going to do?"

"Just do it!" Nakago shouted. "Yui-sama, help him."

"Move it," Yui said, pushing the girls into the kitchen. Amiboshi reluctantly helped her force Karasu and Yume into the basement.

"Suboshi, get me a knife from the kitchen," Nakago commanded.

Suboshi did so, wordlessly.

Nakago took it from him, grabbed the portable phone and forced Kimura to her knees. Amiboshi and Yui came back upstairs.

"Nakago-sama! Don't kill her!" Amiboshi cried in horror.

"Just shut up and hold the phone for me," the shogun retorted.

Amiboshi froze.

"Amiboshi . . . " Nakago warned.

"No," Amiboshi said firmly.

"Suboshi, come here and help me," Nakago said, not having time to deal with insurrection.

Suboshi shook his head.

Yui looked at the two of them. "What happened to Seishi loyalty?! What's wrong with you two?!" When neither of them replied, Yui grabbed the phone herself and held it to Kimura.

"Call them," Nakago told Kimura.

"No."

Nakago held the knife at her throat. "Call them."

~~~

Everyone in the room jumped as the phone rang.

Tasuki grabbed it. "Hello?!"

"Tasuki!"

"Kimura! Are you all right?"

Nuriko felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe they got away, he thought. Maybe they're all right . . . His hopes were shattered as Tasuki's expression twisted and he screamed, "STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"Tasuki, take it easy," Quinn instructed him. "You've gotta stay calm. Ask them what they want."

"What do you want?" Tasuki demanded, nearing hysterics.

"H-He says you have to come over here and be prepared to surrender the t-timer," Kimura managed to answer.

"We'll be right there," he assured her. "Just hang on."

As an answer, Nakago caused her to scream in pain again.

Quinn grabbed the phone from Tasuki before he could reply and hung it up. "We've gotta decide who's going."

"Whoever plans on going to the next world had better come," Tim said. "If possible, we'll have to slide from there."

"He's right," Colin agreed. "We'll all go."

"I'm going! Those are my friends, my sister, and my house! I'm not just gonna stand around here!" Kouri stated.

"Then I'm going too," Kikite said.

"Count me in," Chikara added.

Anshin looked around and shrugged. "Let's go."

~~~

"Nakago, this has gone too far," Amiboshi stated.

Nakago pulled Kimura off the floor, holding her against him. "You will continue to go along with things unless you want to see these girls killed. Or unless you want to stay trapped on this world forever."

A few minutes later, several cars pulled up and eighteen people cautiously entered the house. Quinn, Tamahome, and Tasuki led the way. Nakago dragged Kimura into the kitchen to meet them.

"Let her go," Tasuki growled, baring his fangs.

"Give me the device," Nakago demanded.

"Let all of the girls go first," Quinn told him. "Then you can have it."

Nakago looked at the twins. "Free the other prisoners."

The twins obeyed, not wanting to stay stranded in a strange world forever.

Yume and Karasu were led up the stairs and permitted to join their friends.

"Her too," Quinn said, nodding at Kimura.

"I don't think so. Give me the device and then I will free her."

"You bastard . . . " Tasuki muttered.

Tamahome put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

Quinn hesitated.

Nakago yanked Kimura's hair back, exposing her neck and laying the knife against it. "NOW!"

"All right, all right," Quinn said. He glanced at the timer. Two full minutes was a little long to stall. He held out the timer, stepping forward cautiously.

"Give it to Yui-sama," Nakago told him.

Quinn nodded and handed the timer to Seiryuu no Miko.

"Now let her go!" Tasuki shouted.

"Not until you tell us how to use it," Nakago replied.

"That wasn't the deal!" Tamahome cried.

"All you have to do is hit the red button when the timer goes to zero," Quinn answered.

"How much time is left?" Nakago questioned Yui.

"One minute."

"I'll let her go once we're safely gone," Nakago informed the others.

Everyone waited in complete silence for the endless minute to tick by.

Finally, Yui pressed the button and a blue swirling vortex appeared in the middle of the kitchen. Yui jumped through it, followed reluctantly by the twins. Nakago smirked, then jumped through with Kimura.

"NOOOOO!" Tasuki screamed, jumping through head first.

Quinn followed him, shouting over his shoulder for the others to come.

Everyone went through, leaving Kouri, Karasu, Yume, Chikara, Kikite, and Anshin staring at the portal.

"What do we do now?" Kikite asked.

"Kimura's gone to the next world," Anshin said, stating the obvious.

"We've gotta help her," Kouri decided.

"But we may never see our own world again!" Chikara protested.

"Then stay here," Kouri replied, jumping through the portal.

"Kouri, you fucking IDIOT!!!" Yume decided, jumping after her sister.

Karasu looked around. "Oh, what the hell. I've always wanted to do this." She jumped through the portal.

"We don't know how many more people that thing can take!" Kikite pointed out.

"There's only one way to find out," Chikara said, jumping after her friends.

"We're all nucking futs!" Kikite yelled, also jumping through.

Anshin looked around the empty kitchen and the shrinking vortex. "The things I get myself into," she muttered as she jumped into it.

~~~

Data was puzzled as he studied his readings. "Captain, according to the ship's computer twenty-four people materialized in the middle of Cargo Bay Three." "What?" Riker asked. "How is that possible, Mr. Data?" Picard questioned. "I'm not sure, sir. There's no indication of any transporter use," Data replied. "What kind of life signs are they?" Riker asked. "They're all humanoid in form, sir," Data answered.

"I guess we'd better take a look," Picard said. "Number One, you have the bridge. Worf, Data, Counselor, you're with me. Security to Cargo Bay Three." The four stepped into the turbolift. "Deck 13." Picard turned to Data. "Any theories?"

"None yet, sir. Unless they have some kind of advanced technology, there is no conceivable way they could have gotten aboard the Enterprise without the assistance of a transporter."

Picard nodded grimly as the turbolift came to a stop and the four exited.

"Sensing anything, Counselor?"

"I'm sensing a lot of confusion, some strong aggression and fear," she answered. "Captain, this is a very volatile situation. These people are frightened and . . . some of them are powerful, too. I don't think they all planned to come here together."

The discussion ceased as the doors to Cargo Bay Three slid open and they confronted the twenty-four intruders. A security team had already surrounded them. One man stood apart from the rest, holding a knife at a girl's throat.

"What is going on here?" Picard demanded. "Identify yourselves."

"He's gonna kill her!" a red-headed man shouted, pointing at the tall blond man and his captive.

"Release her at once," Worf said, leveling his phaser.

"Not a move or she dies," the blonde replied.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light.

Oh no, Picard thought. Not now of all times! Please God, not NOW!

Q appeared, looking vaguely annoyed with the situation.

Worf snarled at this new arrival.

"Well, isn't this a pretty little mess someone has created," Q said, looking up at the ceiling.

(HEY. IT'S AUTHOR PRIVILEGE, BUB. I CAN DO ANYTHING THAT I WANT, SO WATCH IT.)

"Well, you've messed things up so thoroughly that I'm going to have to fix them," he went on. He flashed a comical grin at the Captain. "Isn't that something, Jean-Luc? I'm the one who's going to fix a problem. Didn't think I could do it, did you?" He snapped his fingers and Nakago gasped.

"My powers!" he cried, letting go of Kimura in shock.

Tasuki raced forward and grabbed her, pulling her to safety.

"That's right, Blondie Boy. You're in my universe now and I can't have you destroying things," Q told him. "That's my job."

(SAVE IT FOR ANOTHER STORY, Q.)

Q then turned to Yui. "By the way, you were never raped. Nakago made up that story to get you to hate Miaka. Miaka never betrayed you. She went back into the book for both you and Tamahome."

While Yui stood gaping at him, Q looked around the room. "Hm, did I miss anything?"

(THAT DEPENDS HOW NICE YOU'RE FEELING.)

Q sighed. "I'm no good at that kind of thing. I think I'll leave that in your capable hands."

(FAIR ENOUGH. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.)

"Who's he talking to?" Jim muttered.

"Well, I guess it's 'au revoir' for now, mon capitan," Q said, bowing low and disappearing in another flash of light.

"He could have stayed and explained how this mess got this way in the first place," Picard muttered. He turned to the "guests."

Quinn stepped forward. "Um, hi. My name's Quinn Mallory and I guess I kind of started this mess."

Picard folded his arms. "I'm listening, Mr. Mallory."

~~~

Tasuki sat with Kimura in Sick Bay as Dr. Crusher scanned her.

"Don't worry," she told her patient reassuringly. "There's nothing wrong that can't be healed." She frowned as she ran the tricoder over her left arm. "It's broken."

"That fucking bastard," Tasuki muttered. "When I get my hands on him --"

"Don't," Kimura said quietly.

Tasuki studied her face, concerned.

Kimura didn't meet his eyes and instead stared at Quinn, whose arm was being tended to by another doctor.

"Mr. Mallory will be fine, too," Beverly said, following her gaze.

"Quinn, how long are we in this world?" Kimura asked.

"About a week," Quinn answered, trying not to move. "Why?"

"Just curious."

"So, our world was a show on your world, too?" Beverly asked.

Kimura nodded.

Beverly smiled. "Who was your favorite character?"

Kimura blushed, a ghost of a smile flickering across her face. "Well, I did kind of admire your son."

Beverly beamed with pride.

"But I think my absolute favorite was Riker." Kimura turned a deep red. "But don't tell him that."

"I won't," Beverly said. "There. I think you're all set. Try moving your arm."

Kimura moved her arm experimentally. "It's fine."

"Good. Now, you need plenty of rest. You've all been through a lot." Kimura nodded as Tasuki lifted her off the biobed. "Oh, and a visit to Counselor Troi wouldn't hurt," she added, trying to sound casual.

Kimura just simply nodded as she and Tasuki left together.

~~~

Kimura, Kikite, Kouri, Karasu, Anshin, Yume, and Chikara sat at a table in Ten Forward together.

"So, now we're stuck sliding with the rest of them," Chikara stated.

"Why the hell did you guys jump after us?" Kimura asked.

"You're welcome," Anshin told her.

Kimura sighed. "I'm glad I'm not here alone, but do you realize what you've given up? At least I had no choice."

"I wanted to come after you and . . ." Kouri drifted off.

"Shun-chan," Yume finished for her.

"He's confused about what's right and wrong. I was starting to get through to him," Kouri added.

"It was just kind of a split-second decision," Karasu said. "I don't think any of us were really thinking clearly."

"Well, it's too late to go back now," Kikite said.

"She's right," Anshin agreed.

"We'll just have to go on," Yume added.

The girls looked up at Geordi, Data, and Riker walked in Ten Forward.

"Besides, this world isn't so bad," Karasu remarked.

After talking with the other two for a minute at the bar, Data walked over to the girls' table. None of them knew what to say.

"Hi," Karasu said brightly.

"Hello. May I join you?" Data asked politely.

"If you can find a seat," Chikara said to him.

Data looked around. "I will stand. I do not require a seat as my legs do not tire. I wished to ask you some questions about your world."

"Fire away," Kouri said.

"Since our world is a television show, does that mean you know everything that's ever happened to us?"

"We know what we've seen," Kimura answered. "For example, Anshin doesn't know much because she didn't watch your show."

Data frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not into sci-fi," Anshin answered honestly.

"Sci-fi . . . you are referring to science fiction? A genre of literature, television, and film?"

Anshin nodded.

"We only know what happened to you all since you arrived on the Enterprise," Kikite told him.

"Do you know the future?" Data asked.

"That depends what seasons we're in," Karasu replied.

"Season?"

~~~

Kimura sat on the beach, watching the green waves crash into the sand. She looked up at the bright full moon, trying not to cry.

"Kimura?" a voice called, followed by footsteps.

"Over here," she answered softly.

Tasuki walked slowly over to her and joined her on the fine white sand. "This thing is amazing."

"The holodeck?"

"Yeah. I should try it myself." He looked around, admiring the surroundings. "But I like what you've chosen."

"Florida," she told him. "I love it here; it's so beautiful."

Tasuki nodded in agreement. There was a long moment of silence. "Are you okay?"

"No." She didn't elaborate.

Slowly, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "It's okay. That bastard Nakago can't hurt you now."

"I know. That's not what's bothering me."

"What then?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I want to go home."

Tasuki paused, unsure of what to say. "We might be able to get you back there."

"Don't you get homesick?"

"Yeah, a little. It was kinda scary being in your world. But you have an advantage over me."

"Yeah, I know. I already know what this world is like."

"Right."

She shivered. "That isn't making things any easier."

He hugged her tighter. "It's okay. I-I . . . I'll be with you."

She looked up at him. "Y-You will?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

The question threw Tasuki off for a minute. "Well, because . . ." He stopped, unsure of how to put his feelings into words. Well, I've never been any good at talking. "This is why," he said, tilting her chin up and kissing her lightly on the mouth.

Kimura gasped in surprise, then closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

Tasuki pulled away, blushing darkly. "G-Gomen . . . I --"

Kimura silenced him by kissing him back.

They finally broke apart a few minutes later. Kimura stared at him for a moment. He gently reached out and brushed away the tears on her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"Because I've dreamed of this for so long . . . and now it's really happening."

He smiled, and pulled her against him, compelling her to lean against his chest as the two of them watched the waves hitting the shore.

~~~

Kouri pressed the chime outside Suboshi's room nervously.

"Who is it?" came the voice from inside.

"Kouri," she answered. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Come in."

Kouri walked towards the doors and they slid open in front of her. Suboshi was sitting on the couch.

"Hi," she said, feeling awkward.

"Hi." He looked away, as if deciding whether or not he should say something. "Look, I'm sorry about all the stuff that happened -- you know, the kidnapping and everything --"

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly. "Everyone's okay now."

He still didn't meet her eyes. "Except that you guys are in a strange world, when you didn't want to be."

"I chose to jump after Kimura and it was Nakago that brought her into this world anyway. It wasn't your fault."

Finally, he looked at her. "Why do you keep telling me everything's not my fault?"

"Because --"

"And why did you stay with me when I watched the videotape? You could've escaped."

"Um --"

"It's because I'm your favorite character, right? That's what Yui-sama said."

Kouri was now bright red. "But --"

"I mean, I'm good-looking and smart . . . "

"Hey --"

He stood up. "I mean, sometimes girls just can't help themselves . . ."

"Why you --"

He sighed melodramatically. "What's a guy to do?"

"Listen you egotistical --"

His ryuuseisui flashed out, grabbing Kouri around the waist and yanking her close to him. "Don't worry, this is for your own good. You'll thank me later."

"What --"

He kissed her forcefully on the mouth.

She tried to pull away at first, but the ryuuseisui held her still.

After a minute, they broke apart. Suboshi's face had softened. "I guess that was my way of saying thanks."

Kouri tried to squirm away. "You have a fucking funny way of saying thanks! How about a simple 'thank you'?!?!"

"You didn't like it? I was just teasing you."

She tried to glare at him, but found that it just wasn't working. "I didn't say I didn't like it; it was just . . . different."

Suboshi grinned. "Good."

~~~

Quinn, Lucas, Colin, and Tim followed Geordi around Engineering.

"This place is amazing," Colin breathed.

"Way more advanced technology than seaQuest," Lucas agreed.

"So many different species working here, too," Tim noted.

"Yes. The Federation does not discriminate against race," Geordi told them.

"So, did you want to take a look at the timer?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Geordi replied eagerly. "I wanted Data to see it, too. We may be able to improve it."

"Do you think there's a way you could control what world we land in?" Colin asked.

"I'm not sure what would control that," Geordi admitted.

"Well, each world has a set of coordinates," Quinn explained. "All it needs is a way to store and recall those coordinates."

"Is that all? That should be easy enough," Geordi said.

"Thank God," Tim whispered, crossing himself. "This might be our ticket home."

~~~

Q dropped into a room. He stood, dusting himself off. "I'd like to know how you pulled that off," he said to the girl typing at the laptop computer.

"I'm the Author. How do I think I did it?"

Q sighed and sat in a white armchair. "What do you want?"

"I need your help."

"I've already helped you once."

"So? I need your help again."

"Why is it this time? What messy little corner have you written yourself into now? It's not as easy as you thought to handle several universes at once, is it?"

"So maybe twenty-four characters is a bit much. So what?"

He sighed. "Get to the point."

"Well, see, I just came up with a way to get the timer fixed so they can hop to specific worlds."

"Mm hm."

"But I need them to slide into one more random world if I'm going to pull off the perfect, hilarious scene I wanted."

Q stood, striding over to the table where the Author sat, leaning over the laptop and picking up an orange from the fruit bowl. He frowned. "No nectarines?"

"Don't change the subject."

"All right, all right. Let me think." He paced slowly around the room, admiring the beautiful lake that surrounded the house. "Nice place." "Yeah. Too bad we're only renting it. Have you thought of anything yet?" He smiled. "May I get Picard involved in your little scheme?" "On the condition that you take a few more Star Trek people with him."

"Very well. Then I have your solution. You may continue with the development of pointless human relationships."

"Watch your mouth or I'll send you to live with nyan-nyans for the rest of your life."

Q gulped and quickly disappeared.

~~~

Anshin sat in Ten Forward by herself. Miaka and Tamahome were sitting at the bar, sharing a milkshake. She sighed. They look so happy together, she thought. I hope Chikara and Kikite aren't too jealous. Her eyes wandered over the other people in the room and came to rest on Hotohori. The Emperor was sitting by himself, staring wistfully at Miaka and Tamahome. Her heart went out to him.

Resolutely, she stood and walked over to his table. "Hotohori-sama, may I join you?"

He smiled, a little sadly. "Of course, Anshin-san."

She blushed as she sat down. "There's no need to be so formal."

"Well, then that goes for you, too," he said, smiling broadly.

She blushed again. "I guess not." She looked up as she saw Kikite walk in. She took one look at Anshin and Hotohori, then walked out again.

Anshin started to get up, then thought about how lonely Hotohori was, too. I'll have to talk to her later, she thought.

As Kikite charged back out into the hall, she nearly crashed into Jim.

(Q: *yawns* Must you go into these meaningless details?)

(SHUT UP. THIS IS MY STORY, NOT YOURS.)

"You okay?" Jim asked.

"Huh? Um, yeah. I'm fine," she answered quickly.

"You want to go get something to drink?" he asked.

She blushed a bit. "Um, sure."

He smiled and offered her his arm.

(Q: C'mon, could you get any more corny?)

(*whacks Q* STAY OUT OF THIS! IF I DON'T GIVE KIKITE A SCENE WITH SOMEONE SHE'LL KILL ME.)

The two walked together into Ten Forward, much to Anshin's relief.

(Q: Are you done yet?)

(WILL YOU SHUT UP?!)

(Q: Not likely.)

(FINE! I'LL END THE STUPID SCENE!)

The scene ended.

~~~

(THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?)

(Q: Yes.)

(GOOD!!!!!)

(Q: Will you write about me some more now?)

(NO.)

(Q: *pouts*)

(WAIT YOUR TURN.)

Nakago paced back and forth frantically.

(Q: Oh, good. At least he's an interesting character.)

Troi simply watched him. "You might be more comfortable if you sit down."

Nakago didn't answer.

Deanna sighed. "Nakago, I know that you're upset by the loss of your powers. When I temporarily lost my abilities, I felt crippled. But you need to try and work around this loss."

"I've always had it."

"But you've always had a brilliant ability to plan as well. Your powers had nothing to do with that."

He stopped right in front of her. "But I needed my powers to carry out my plans!" he roared.

"I disagree."

Nakago threw his hands in the air in a hopeless gesture.

"There is still so much you can do with the abilities you have left," Troi continued. "By any standard, you're a genius. In this world, you would be an invaluable member of a starship crew or a research team. You can't let all that you have go to waste."

Nakago pretended not to hear her.

Troi lightly sensed the thoughts that were raging in his mind. "You want . . . revenge?"

Nakago froze.

"Revenge for some great wrong," Troi went on. She shook her head. "Nakago, you must let that go. This is a new world. You could start your life all over here or in the next one that you slide into. Whoever wronged you, they are long gone."

Nakago stood very still, processing this new information.

"The others have done nothing to you," Deanna told him. "You should not harbor such hatred for them."

Nakago was silent for another minute. "I . . . I-I see."

"If you endanger their lives or the lives of any crew member, Captain Picard will have to take action."

Nakago seemed to be thinking hard. "But what I if I return to my world?"

"I can tell that the Suzakus are not who you want revenge against; they're simply your instrument to get it."

"It was the best way."

"But you're hurting innocent people! They did nothing to you, and yet you punish them."

Nakago turned, furious. "I did nothing to ANYONE! And my LIFE was taken away from me!"

Images flashed at Troi of a young boy, trying to protect his mother. Troi gasped as she saw what the Emperor had done to young Nakago. She could feel the intense anguish coming from this man, who was really still a lonely child.

Nakago realized that he had just shown her everything. DAMN it, why didn't I remember she's able to see my thoughts?!

Troi regained her calm. "You want revenge, if you get back to your world?"

"Yes."

"What about the Mikos?"

"What about them?" Nakago snapped, only half-listening.

"You said they each have three wishes. They could wish for peace for Kutou. They could wish for a new Emperor. Yui and Miaka would be willing to help you."

Nakago pondered this.

"We can work this out, but you need to let go of your hate. Let us help you."

Nakago nodded slowly.

~~~

The Author landed in an empty research lab on the Enterprise. She set her laptop down on the table and looked around curiously.

“Welcome to the Enterprise,” Q said, coming up behind her.

“Are you trying to get me back for transporting you to the lake without your permission?”

“No, of course not,” he said, folding his arms and resting on a control panel.

She sighed, leaning against the table. “Well, what do you want then? I’d like to get back to writing.”

“The keyboard,” he answered. “Or in this case, the laptop.”

The Author glared at him, pulling the computer towards her. “No way.”

“You have no sense of adventure, my dear,” he said smoothly. “Hey look! It’s Kevin Spacey!” he cried, pointing behind her.

Not doubting what Q’s powers could conjure up, the Author turned to look over her shoulder.

The instant she did, Q grabbed the laptop from her.

“Q, NO!”

~~~

Nuriko and Yume walked out of the holodeck.

"Aaaah, that was so relaxing," Nuriko said, stretching.

"A mud bath and then a long dip in the hot tub . . . we'll have to do that again sometime," Yume agreed.

"Too bad the others missed it," Nuriko commented. He looked down the hall, gasped, and pulled Yume out the way as a small elephant went charging down the hall.

"What the hell was that?!" Yume gasped.

(Q! GIVE ME THE DAMN COMPUTER! THAT WAS SO CHILDISH THAT YOU SOUNDED LIKE TRELANE!)

(Q: *sticks out his tongue at her* Maybe I'm feeling childish.)

"Captain, we are being hailed," Worf reported.

"By who?" Riker asked, confused. "I didn't think there were any other ships around this area."

"It appears to be . . . a large robot of some kind," Worf replied.

"Onscreen," Picard commanded.

The screen showed a large robot, in the vague shape of a human being. "Um, hello?" a voice came through. "Is anyone out there?" "This Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. Identify yourselves." "Um, this is Commander Keith of the Galaxy Alliance, leader of the Voltron Force. Would you mind telling us where we are?" "Sure, Keith, just make us sound stupid or something," another voice came through. "Lance, be quiet!" a female voice responded.

(Q, KNOCK IT OFF! AS IF I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CHARACTERS TO DEAL WITH AS IT IS!!!!!!!!)

(Q: I'm not finished yet.)

"Captain, another ship is closing in on this position," Data reported.

"What else can go wrong," Riker muttered.

"Um, the Supreme Chancellor's Ambassadors wish to board your ship . . . I think," a new, slightly accented female voice announced. "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. We were not expecting any ambassadors." A new voice male voice came through. "This is Ambassador Qui-Gon Jinn of the Republic. Are you a member of the Trade Federation?" "No, we're not," Picard answered, baffled. "I think we're in the wrong place, Captain," the man said. "Sorry to trouble you." A man with a crisp British accent could be heard in the background asking, "Master, maybe we should ask them where we are."

(Q!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *wrestles with Q for the keyboard* Give it back! You're messing everything up!!!)

(Q: No! It's mine! *holds onto the laptop*)

"CAP$% aslkddg shiptwoiuhsknsa OSPASDIOJ AOIN32498SDKJN#$ oitoinyop21#$%32isflaksq(fwse_wefs+asdwe342= /.,'aqewlkdepgoka`lksmd~

(Q: Look what you made me do!)

(GIVE ME BACK MY COMPUTER!)

"Captain, a third ship is coming into sensor range," Worf announced. "It appears to be the form of a . . . winebago."

"Winebago?" Riker and Picard chorused.

"I believe it is an old form of terran vehicle, dating back to --"

"That's enough, Data," Picard interjected. He watched in confusion as the winebago joined the other two ships on the screen. "Q," he muttered. "Q! Show yourself! Stop this immediately!"

In response, two people beamed onto the bridge.

"Who are you?" Picard demanded, out of patience.

The man and woman drew badges.

"Mulder and Sculley, FBI," the man said.

"FBI?" Worf asked.

A group of about twenty people in long dresses and cowboy boots littered the bridge. They appeared to be in mid-song.

"And we saaaaaay HEY! Ay yipayo ay yay! We're only sayin' you're doing fine Oklahoma! Oklahoma! O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! OKLAHOMA!" They stopped their song and looked around, baffled.

The Author grabbed the laptop, zapping Q to Mt. Taikyou. She began typing furiously.

The FBI agents, winebago, ambassador transport, Oklahoma cast, and Voltron disappeared. The elephant, which was wandering around Ten Forward, also vanished.

(THERE.)

(Q: Get me outta heeeeere! They're driving me crazy!)

(*smirks* YOU DESERVE IT.)

(Q: I won't help you if you don't let me out of here!)

(*thinks* I'VE GOT MY OWN WAY OUT OF IT.)

(Q: Noooooooo!)

~~~

Geordi and Data worked on the timer for about a half hour, then handed it to Quinn.

"It wasn't easy working around the existing programming without damaging it," Geordi said. "But we got it to work."

"You will have to slide to one more random world before our modifications will be functional," Data informed him.

"That's no problem" Quinn said gratefully. "Does it still have the coordinates from the last few worlds?"

"Yes, it does," Geordi replied with a grin.

(Q: You call that a solution? My way would have been much more interesting.)

(YOUR DEFINITION OF INTERESTING USUALLY TRANSLATES TO DISASTER.)

(Q: So?)

~~~

Troi sat as mediator between the Suzaku and Seiryuu seishi. The "real world" girls has insisted on attending as well and the Sliders needed to be there in case any additional dimension-hopping was needed.

"So, we need to discuss what will be done with the wishes," Troi said calmly.

"Kill the Emperor of Kutou," Kouri suggested.

"No. Yui-chan and I have agreed on no killing," Miaka said, being intelligent for once.

"Something has to be done about him," Amiboshi said quietly.

"How about transporting him to another world?" Nuriko suggested.

"What world we want to curse with his presence?" Kikite asked.

Quinn snickered. "We can think of a few that we still have the coordinates for."

"So, one wish is to get the Emperor out of his world," Yui said. "What do we do about Kutou after that?"

Kimura cleared her throat nervously. "How about joining it with Konan?"

The room fell silent.

(Q: Are you nuts?!)

"Me? Emperor of both countries?" Hotohori gasped.

"You can do it," Anshin encouraged him.

"That would probably take the power of both Mikos together," Nakago pointed out.

Miaka and Yui grinned at each other.

"Not a problem," Miaka said.

"So, what about the other wishes?" Maggie asked.

"How about a wish to get us home?" Remy muttered. Colin elbowed him.

"I don't see why not," Yui said, smiling.

"We'd get to see our home world, bro," Quinn said to Colin.

Colin grinned. "And our parents!"

"And you two could come with us," Quinn said to Maggie and Remy.

"Sure," Remy said with a smile. "I don't really have a home to go back to."

"Wai wai!" Kimura said, clapping her hands.

"So, what about the last two wishes?" Yume asked.

"I want to stay with Tamahome," Miaka said hopefully.

"I want to stay with Kimura," Tasuki announced, surprising everyone in the room.

"But that's impossible," Chikara blurted out.

Everyone stared at the "real world" girls.

Kimura sighed. "Look, we've seen how calling a god works and you can't wish to stay in a world that you don't belong in. The gods won't allow it."

(Q: What kind of stupid gods run that world?)

(SHUT UP, Q.)

"What about wishing for a pathway between the worlds, so that we can travel whenever we want to?" Kouri suggested.

Everyone agreed to this and Nakago again pointed out that this last immense wish would probably take both Mikos.

Troi smiled, beginning to sense a small speck of inner peace growing inside Nakago.

~~~

"Well, Captain, we thank you for your hospitality," Quinn said as he and the other twenty-three Sliders stood on the bridge of the Enterprise.

"We thank you for sharing your technology with us," Picard replied. "And we were happy to help in any way."

Nakago stepped forward to Counselor Troi. "Arigatou," he said simply.

"You're welcome," she answered with a smile.

He stood back with the other Sliders.

"Sir, there's a ship coming into sensor range. It's weapons are powered," Data announced. (UH OH . . . SOUNDS LIKE I DIDN'T GET RID OF ALL OF Q'S MISCHIEF.) "Shields up, red alert," Riker commanded. "This all sounds a little familiar," Miguel muttered. "It's time," Colin said, pushing the button on the timer. A vortex appeared on the bridge. "This is Spaceballs. You will surrender yourselves immediately," a voice came from the other ship. "Spaceballs?!"

"C'mon!" Quinn shouted, trying to herd the Sliders through the vortex. "Before it closes!"

In small groups, the Sliders jumped through the vortex.

"Captain, there are firing!" Worf exclaimed.

An explosion rocked the ship and Picard, Riker, and Troi tumbled through the portal.

~~~

(Q: *yawns* You already used that method of getting people into the vortex.)

(SO WHAT? HOW LONG DO YOU WANT TO BE STUCK THERE?)

(*gulps* Please, they're scaring me! Get me out of here!)

(MAYBE LATER.)

(Q: Hey!)

Twenty-seven people landed in a small apartment room.

"How did you get here, Counselor?" Nakago asked Troi as he helped her to feet.

"Where are we now?" Tony asked.

"It doesn't matter," Quinn said. "We can leave here whenever we want to."

"I think we broke some stuff," Suboshi said sheepishly as he and Kouri untangled themselves from a broken table.

"Is everyone all right?" Riker asked.

Everyone nodded.

"This is fascinating," Picard said, looking around.

(Q: Are you going to finally pull off your perfect scene now?)

(YES. NOW SHUT UP.)

Jerry Seinfeld and Elaine walked into the apartment and stared at the twenty-seven strangers.

"Jerry . . . who are all these people?" Elaine asked.

"I don't know," Jerry answered nervously. "How did you guys get in here?"

"That's kind of a long story," Nuriko said.

The door opened and Kramer burst into the room. He looked around at the people, jumping in surprise.

"Jerry! You're having a party without me?" he asked. He shrugged and took out a Cuban cigar. "Oh well. Guess I'm just a little late. Anybody got a light?"

"Rekka -- SHINEN!"

~~~

"Captain, I will be most curious to discuss the details of your journey," Data remarked to Picard.

"Yes, Mr. Data, at a later time," Picard replied brusquely.

"It sounds very interesting," Crusher said, smiling mysteriously.

"You have no idea," Deanna muttered.

"I think we all need to take a little break after that . . . ordeal," Riker said, looking at the Captain meaningfully.

"Absolutely, Number One," Picard agreed. "I don't want any of us on duty for at least twenty-four hours."

The three gratefully headed to the turbolift.

~~~

The five seaQuestrians landed with a splash in the moon pool.

Darwin thrashed around happily. "Lucas is back! Tony! Jim! Tim! Miguel! Play with Darwin!"

"Not now, Darwin," Lucas said wearily.

"Man, it's good to be back," Miguel said as he climbed out the pool.

Bridger, Ford, Lonnie, and Smith came running into the room.

"Thank God," Ford said as he saw them.

(Q: Is he always that over-dramatic?)

(YES. NOW SHUT UP.)

"Are you guys all right?" Lonnie asked.

"We're fine," Jim answered. "Just . . . really worn out."

"How long have we been gone?" Tim asked.

"About three days," Bridger answered. "How did you get back? I thought the timer was random."

"Cap, we'd really rather discuss this later," Tony said, nearing the point of collapse.

"You definitely sound like you need some rest," Wendy agreed.

"What was it like?" Lonnie asked Jim and Lucas as they left to dry off.

"It was . . . interesting," Lucas replied.

~~~

The Sliders, "real world" girls, seishi, and Mikos landed in what they thought was the beautiful palace of Konan.

"My palace!" Hotohori cried, looking at the shattered ruins around him.

"The Seiryuu seishi," Tamahome growled.

"I shouldn't have left them here," Nakago said, mentally berating himself.

"You couldn't have seen this coming," Karasu said, matter-of-factly.

"The two countries must be at war," Amiboshi stated, trying not to imagine the innocent lives that must be at risk. His brother put a hand on his shoulder.

"We've gotta find the other seishi," Tasuki said.

"DAAAAA!" Chichiri cried, landing on Tasuki's head.

"AHH! Get off me!" Tasuki said, losing his balance and falling to the ground.

"Chichiri, where are the others? Are they all right?" Nuriko asked anxiously.

"They're fine no da," Chichiri replied, standing. "We went to Mt. Taikyoku to figure out what to do and hope for your return." He frowned. "There was an interesting guest there, though. He was strange."

(YEAH. HE DAMN WELL NEAR RUINED THE STORY.)

(Q: Stop whining. I made it more interesting.)

(SHUT UP.)

"So, what happened here?" Yui asked.

"The Seiryuu seishi began attacking the people. We tried to stop them, but the four of them against the three of us were just too powerful no da. Kutou took advantage of the chaos and the absent Emperor by declaring war."

"Great," Remy muttered.

"Nakago, can you sense the other seishi?" Suboshi asked.

Nakago nodded. "One of them is nearby," he replied. The nineteen people in the roofless room looked around nervously.

"Chichiri, help me set up a barrier to protect the others," Nakago said in a low voice.

Everyone was surprised by the shogun's change in attitude, but the monk readily helped him.

Miboshi appeared, hovering in front of the bunch of people.

(OH SHIT. THIS IS SOMETHING I DIDN'T THINK OF.)

Kimura clung onto Tasuki's arm, the mere sight of the demonic seishi making her skin crawl.

Tasuki put a protective arm around her, not intending to let the enemy seishi get within ten feet of her.

(SHIT, SHIT SHIT!!!! WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THIS?!)

"So, Nakago, have you experienced a recent change in heart?" Miboshi asked.

Nakago was not in the least intimidated. "Call the other seishi here. We're going to call Seiryuu immediately."

"No we aren't. Not if you and that Miko are going to make foolish wishes. And I won't allow you to leave this place. You cannot get the shinzaho. You need me to call Seiryuu. I will hold you here until you agree to new wishes."

"You can't do that!" Tamahome cried.

"But I can," Miboshi said, smirking. "None of you can leave the barrier because you will have to deal with me."

(HEEEELLLLPPPPP! THE AUTHOR HAS LOST CONTROL OF THE STORY!)

A new person jumped into the room. "It's a good thing you have me around to save the day," Q said, grinning brilliantly.

(Q?!?!)

Q pointed at Miboshi, who promptly vanished into thin air.

"You idiot!" Suboshi yelled. "Now we can't call Seiryuu!"

"Unless we go through the ordeal of getting the shinzaho . . ." Chikara groaned.

"Nope!" Q said happily. "I solved that problem, too!" He pointed to a blue glowing symbol. "I'm taking his place. I'm a Seiryuu seishi now! This is fun!"

Everyone gasped.

"How did you do that no da?!" Chichiri cried.

"I can do anything I want to," Q said proudly.

Kouri was collapsed in hysterics on the floor.

"Good. Well, contact the other seishi so we can call the gods," Nakago said.

Q saluted. "Aye, aye, mon capitan."

~~~

"So, what's this gonna be like?" Remy asked Kimura as they sat waiting for the ceremony to begin.

"Like the greatest show you've ever seen," she answered, grinning.

"This is so cool!" Kikite cried. "We get to see them in action!"

Yume nodded. "I can't believe this is really happening."

Kouri shuddered. "Ick. It's that bastard Tomo," she said, nodding towards the group of Seiryuu seishi gathering around a flame.

The Suzakus were gathering around a similar flame. The ceremony was being performed in the middle of field, since the temple of Suzaku had been destroyed and no one really wanted to go into Kutou.

Once all the seishi were gathered, the two Mikos appeared, holding hands. The seishi concentrated, focusing their chi. The Mikos, each holding a scroll, began their speech. "The four directions of the sky, the four directions of the earth, with deep rules, with truth and justice. Protector of the south, Suzaku, and protector of the East, Seiryuu, come to us physically! By the power of the fourteen constellations, come down to us from the sky!"

Two streams of light – one red, one blue – came down from the heavens, enveloping the two Mikos.

"This is unbelievable," Colin breathed.

"Kaijin!" Yui cried, the blue symbol on her forehead flaring. "I wish that the Emperor of Kutou will be transported to . . ." Yui looked at the "real world" girls and Sliders uncertainly. They nodded their approval vigorously. "To the world of the Care Bears!"

In a flash, it was done.

Nakago felt a weight lifted from his heart. Thank you, Counselor Troi. Thank you.

"Kaijin," Miaka said, her symbol glowing a brilliant crimson.

"This is really cool!" Q said.

Soi thwacked him. "Concentrate!"

"This is so amazing," Anshin whispered.

The Sliders and "real world" people exchanged quick hugs.

"Good luck," Kimura told Quinn, kissing his cheek.

He blushed, a little surprised by the gesture. "You too."

"I wish that the Sliders would be transported back to Quinn and Colin's home world!"

A red light enveloped the Sliders and in a moment, they were gone.

Miaka and Yui faced each other. The fourteen seishi joined hands around them, forming a circle.

"Great. I have to hold hands with the psycho," Tamahome muttered, taking Q's hand.

"You're better off than me," Nuriko told him, holding Tomo's hand.

(KNOCK IT OFF, GUYS. GET ON WITH MY STORY!)

The two Mikos again spoke in unison. "We call upon the power of both gods together to grant our final wishes. Kaijin!"

Much to everyone's relief, both symbols lit up.

"Well, at least the gods are on our side," Karasu remarked.

"We wish for peace between Konan and Kutou. Let all hostility cease. Let love and compassion rule. Unite the countries under the Emperor Hotohori and let them never part again!"

A wave of light, swept over the land, affecting everyone it touched. Immediately, the seishi no longer felt any lingering hatred for each other.

"Kaijin!"

"Girls, join the circle!" Nakago told them.

The "real world" girls looked at each other, then joined hands with the seishi.

"We wish for a pathway between the three worlds represented here. That all people present here can travel between any of these three worlds, whenever they choose. Give this power to no one else. By the power of the two gods, we ask you to grant us this!"

The fires suddenly went out, the lights disappeared, and the two Mikos collapsed, exhausted, to the ground.

"Miaka!" Tamahome cried, rushing to her.

Mitsukake assisted him in seeing to the Mikos. "They'll be fine," he told everyone. "They're just tired. They need to rest."

"Well, what the fuck happened with that last wish?" Tasuki asked. "Did it work?"

"Let's find out," Kimura said, closing her eyes. A second later, a portal opened beside her. "Too cool!"

Kouri glomped onto Suboshi. "That means we can stay together and you can still stay with your brother!"

Suboshi smiled, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Anshin shyly approached Hotohori. "I guess now you have a lot of responsibilities."

"Yeah," he said, still bewildered by everything that had happened. "But you are welcome to visit the palace any time you like . . ." He frowned. "Once we build a new one."

"No need!" Q said joyfully. "As those irritating little pip-squeaks would say, 'Heal heal! Fix fix!'" With a wave of his hand, a new palace was built on the border of the two countries.

Everyone stared in awe at the palace that could be seen a few miles away.

"Holy shit," Tasuki whispered.

"It's almost as beautiful as me!" Hotohori gushed.

Everyone sweatdropped.

(WOW, Q, YOU'RE FEELING NICE TODAY.)

"Happy to be of service!" Q said cheerfully.

(OH, GOD, I THINK THE NYAN-NYANS HAVE WARPED YOU.)

~~~

"This is a fucking strange holiday," Tasuki complained, looking at himself in a mirror.

"Oh, come on, it's fun," Kimura, dressed in a gypsy costume, said. She kissed his cheek. "I think you look handsome."

Tasuki looked at the police officer's costume. "It's just weird, that's all. Not bad. Just weird."

"It's fun!" Yume said, dressed as a black cat. "Lighten up, Tasuki-chan."

"Yeah, lighten up, Tasuki," Kouri teased, dressed as a playing card.

There was a knock at the door. "Wai wai! People are here!" Yume cried, opening the door to her apartment.

Karasu and her boyfriend entered, both dressed completely in black.

"Hey, you two didn't dress up!" Kimura accused.

"Sure we did," Karasu answered. "We look medieval."

"But you dress like that all the time," Kouri pointed out.

Karasu's boyfriend shrugged. "So?"

"DAAA!" Chichiri poofed into the room, making everyone jump. "Like my costume no da?" he asked, showing off his Merlin-like outfit.

Kouri grinned. "It's definitely you. SHUN-CHAN!" she squealed as she saw him coming in through the door. She glomped onto him.

"Hey, watch it!" Amiboshi cried. "This isn't as easy as it looks!"

Kouri pulled away and looked at the twins' costume. They were wearing giant shirt and pants that they both fit into. "You're Siamese twins! That's awesome!"

The twins grinned.

Yui and Nakago came in after the twins. Yui was dressed as an angel and Nakago was dressed as the Grim Reaper. It was an interesting contrast.

Soi came in right behind them, dressed as a Devil woman.

Hotohori and Anshin entered together, a perfect pair. Anshin was wearing a beautiful pale pink Victorian dress with a giant skirt. Hotohori was the perfect Southern gentleman beside her, dressed as a Confederate soldier.

"Anshin! It's so beautiful!" Kimura said, running up to them. "You two look like you just walked out of Gone with the Wind!"

"That was the idea," Anshin said smiling.

Chiriko and Mitsukake entered together, another adorable pair. Mitsukake was dressed as a farmer with a checkered shirt, overalls, and a straw hat. He was leading Chiriko, who was dressed as a sheep.

"KAWAII!" everyone (even Nakago) exclaimed.

Everyone sweatdropped as Ashitare walked in, dressed as a Dalmatian.

Miaka and Tamahome came in wearing classic costumes.

(Q: In other words, very unoriginal.)

(I WASN'T GOING TO SAY IT.)

Miaka was wearing a bright pink princess dress with lots of sequins. Tamahome was beside her, dressed as a vampire.

Everyone's jaw hit the floor as Tomo entered (without his makeup) in a tan trenchcoat and fedora. His long hair was tucked under the hat.

"Wow, you like something right out of the Twenties!" Kimura exclaimed.

It took the females in the room a minute to recover from the shock.

The males all looked extremely jealous (except Chiriko, of course).

Kikite entered, dressed as Sleeping Beauty. "Hi, everyone! Meet my new boyfriend!" she said, bringing in a tall man dressed in a white suit with a white cape. "This is Gareth! My white knight!"

Again, the females suddenly had trouble keeping the drool inside their mouths and off the floor.

Chikara and Kurai entered the crowded apartment, dressed as a hippie and an evil princess, respectively.

"Hi, Kurai!" Kouri cried. "Welcome to the story!"

"Yeah," Kurai said. "How come all the seishi were in it except me?"

Everyone looked at the ceiling.

(HEH HEH. OK, I WASN'T EXPECTING TO PUT ALL OF THE SEISHI OR KARASU IN. YUME KIND OF GOT PUT IN BY ACCIDENT AND ANSHIN GOT DRAGGED ALONG. IT WASN'T UNTIL I HAD WRITTEN THE PART WHERE WE SLID INTO STARK TREK THAT I REALIZED WHAT I'D DONE. SORRY ABOUT THAT.)

Kurai shrugged. "Okay."

Chikara looked around the room. "We make a strange group. Who's that?" she asked, pointing to Gareth.

"That's Kikite's new boyfriend," Anshin answered.

"Ummm . . . right," Chikara replied.

Nuriko was the last one to come in. "Ta da!" he said, twirling around in his green costume.

"You're . . . the Statue of Liberty?" Yume asked.

Again, everyone looked at the ceiling.

(UM . . . I WAS OUT OF IDEAS.)

"Hey, I like it!" Nuriko announced, hugging Yume. He then held his torch over his head and his other arm to his chest. "Don't I look inspirational?"

"You should've dyed your hair green," Karasu's boyfriend commented.

Nuriko frowned. "Good point."

Just after Yume had closed the door, there was one last knock.

"Who could that be?" she wondered. "I thought everyone was here."

"HEAL! HEAL! FIX! FIX!" Q screamed, bounding into the room with meatballs, braids, green hair, and all. "Like my costume?!"

Everyone collapsed.

~~~

The Author sat typing at her new laptop, Jason. Far from her beloved lake and cottage, she now worked in a cluttered dorm room with a broken light.

When the hell's the electrician coming? she wondered. I need to do my homework and I can't do it in the dark!

The cars outside the window with the broken curtain rushed along the wet road. The Author consoled herself with thoughts of seeing Greg in film class in an hour and a half.

Q suddenly appeared on the bed beside her desk. "Long time no see."

"Yeah," she sighed. "You're sitting on my History book."

"Sorry," he said, moving the books. He looked around the room. "Wow, this place is a mess."

"Shut up."

"Sorry." He pointed at the curtains, fixing them instantly. Then he also fixed the light.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he answered. "So, why so glum?"

"Well, I had so much fun writing the story and now it's over."

"Mm hm."

"And now that I'm finishing it, I'm remembering where I was when I was working on it last time: the lake."

"Mm hm."

"And it's an icky day."

"Heal heal! Fix fix!"

"Q, wait --"

The Author found herself standing in a parking lot, a wonderfully cool summer breeze blowing around her.

"Q, what did you do?" she asked.

"Just wait," he said, grinning evilly and pointing up the hill.

The Author squeaked. "The theater! Q, you shouldn't have!"

"And we have front row tickets reserved," he said, offering her his arm.

The Author accepted and the two left together to watch InterLakes Theater perform Man of La Mancha.

"You know, I think living with nyan-nyans did you a lot of good," the Author said as they entered the lobby.

"That and being in this story totally changed me," he replied. "But let's leave the mysterious and details of transformation and just enjoy the show."

The Author smiled. "Aye, aye, mon capitan."

THE END!!

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