No One's POV
"Alright!" Honcho exclaimed, wiping sweat off his brow with his forearm. "That's all the equiptment you need to read this thing, right, Pix?" He pressed both palms against his back and cracked it. "Because I don't think I can handle lifting another cube of metal."

"I don't know why you are complaining, Kiyama," Naoki reprimanded the blonde, not even breathing heavy. He stranded in a corner, inspecting his nails. "I didn't find the work nearly as strenuous."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T LIFT A SINGLE THING, SCIENCE BOY!!" Honcho told him, jutting an accusing finger in his direction. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!"

"Doing nothing during a project and simply overseeing it are two completely different things," Naoki explained calmly, fluffing the collar of his gi.

"Overseeing, shmoverseeing-" Honcho started to exclaim, but PIXAL cut him off before things got violent.

"YES, now we have all of our needed technologies, Honcho," She spoke over the loud blonde. "Thank you for helping me move everything." She dealt a meaningful look at Naoki, who flushed and shrunk away from her gaze.

They had gotten a brigade of monitors, wires, and computer screens from various locations around the basement. PIXAL had set up the wires in a nest around the bottom of the portal, which had grown an alarming three inches since they had first noticed it. The wires would read the energy from the portal, send the readings along their length to be processed by the monitors, then send them to the screens to be viewed by those in attendance.

The whole time they were dragging things back and forth between rooms, Free didn't even stir from his nap on board the water-roaming vehicle.

"Alright; this is our best chance of getting a basic knowledge of these portals," PIXAL declared. "Let's turn it on and see what we get." Her white fingers moved towards the keys of the computer nearest to her.

"PIXAL!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The sound of Jin yelling for her nearly made PIXAL jump out of her exoskeleton. "I-in here!" She yelled back, wondering exactly what had happened in the courtyard to make the Ghost Boy come looking for her.

Jin burst into the laboratory like a gust of his element, sparing Naoki and Honcho a glance before focusing on PIXAL. "I showed Night all of the areas where she won't freak out, but now she's refusing to leave until she asks you a few questions! Do you mind coming back up and-" He finally caught sight of the glowing blue dot and did a double take. "Hold up; what is THAT?"

PIXAL stared at the dot grimly. "Well, you do remember how the-"

"APPARENTLY THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PORTALS - THAT'S THE OTHER KIND AND APPARENTLY IT FORMS NATURALLY - BOTTOM LINE, IT'S DANGEROUS AND WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO SHUT IT BEFORE IT FULLY OPENS!!" Honcho butted in. Jin's eyes widened at his explanation.

"Seriously?" PIXAL told him, one platinum eyebrow raised while her mouth was in a disapproving frown.

"What?" Honcho cried, throwing his hands up. "Your explanation lasted five minutes - I summed up the entire situation in three sentences! You're welcome!"

Jin groaned anxiously, running his hands through his black mane. "This literally could not get any worse," He moaned, moving his hands to drag his fingers down his face. Groaning again, softly this time, he fixed the others with a desperate look. "I don't really care how this thing got here or what you have to do to get rid of it, just DON'T LET NIGHT FIND OUT ABOUT IT," He begged them. "If she does, she'll never let me out of her sight again!"

PIXAL moved forward to take his pale hands in her white ones. "Don't worry, Jin, as long as we keep an eye on the portal and read its energies correctly, we should be able to stop it in its tracks."

"Will we really be able to?" Honcho whispered to Naoki behind his hand.

"Hard to say at this point - she's just giving him false hope," The turquoise haired scientist told him.

"Isn't false hope bad?"

"Not if it keeps him from having a full blown panic attack - and keeps Night from killing us for giving him a panic attack!"

Meanwhile, PIXAL was moving back to the computer. "Now I just need to turn on the system-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Jin nearly shouted as he tightened his grip on PIXAL's hands. "Y-you don't need to do that now, right?"

PIXAL gave him a stone cold serious expression. "Jin, if we don't deal with this matter immediately, it could get out of hand," She informed.

"I know, I know," Jin replied, his tone getting more desperate by the word. "But Night wants to talk to you, and I don't know how long the others can keep her busy before she starts to think that something's up."

"Doesn't she already think something's up?" Honcho broke in.

Jin scoffed at him and turned back to PIXAL with a pleading expression. The purple and white android grit her metallic teeth, looking back and forth between the Ghost Boy, the computer, and the natural portal helplessly. She may have a motherboard for a brain, but she was not immune to cuteness.

Luckily Naoki stepped in. "Both of you can relax," He told them, resting his hands on Jin's shoulders. "PIXAL can just tell us the sequences for the computer, then me and Honcho can keep an eye on the portal."

"We can?" The loud blonde spoke up apprehensively.

"If something goes wrong, we'll call PIXAL back down here," Naoki continued, ignoring Honcho's protest.

"We will?" Honcho added, getting louder every time. "Why can't Pix just stay down here with us?"

Jin wheeled around to face him. "Do you have Mama issues down here?" He asked heatedly. At Honcho's surprised head shake, the Ghost Boy jutted a finger at him affirmatively. "That's right! You don't! I do have Mama issues, and they are upstairs!" Done with his rant, he turned back around and pulled PIXAL out of the room.

"Wait, PIXAL," Naoki called after them. "What buttons do we push?"

—————

A few minutes later, Jin and PIXAL stepped out of the elevator onto the ground floor, PIXAL back in her fleshy Miss Piper disguise. The two hurried into the courtyard-

And were met by a very bizarre sight.

Night had apparently gotten bored of simply watching the boys perform for her, so she had asked to take part in the training regime. At the moment, she had a wincing Ren Wu by his braid in one hand, an agitated Wakiya's ear in her other, and was standing victoriously on top of a fuming Lui. The other quivering boys wisely kept their distance.

"Are you sure that you've all been training?" Night asked them haughtily, hoisting Ren Wu and Wakiya higher into the air. "At this rate, I could take you all down with my pinkie finger!"

"She's a monster," Cuza breathed.

"She's impressive," PIXAL admitted respectively.

"She's my Mama," Jin said proudly.

Night finally caught sight of the two newcomers in the courtyard. "Ah, there you are, Miss Piper," She said briskly, dropping Ren Wu and Wakiya while clambering off of Lui. "The tour was nice, but I'd like to ask you a few questions before I leave."

Everyone heard what she didn't say. And take Jin with me.

"So I've been told," PIXAL said, casting a side glance at Jin. His expression said Please don't say anything stupid. She gave him a small nod, then turned back to Night. "Alright - what questions do you have for me?"

Night walked towards her as she talked. "First off, I want to know what inspired you to become a ninjitsu teacher. I want to make sure I've left my son in good hands."

PIXAL looked surprised at the question, but she lowered her head and gave a small smile. "At first, it was out of obligation for people close to me," She admitted. "But over time, I came to love the art and the ideals it represented. The idea of protecting those that cannot protect themselves. The idea of brother sharpens brother like iron sharpens iron. And the students that came to learn also helped." She said this with an affectionate ruffle to Jin's hair.

He giggled; Night did not.

"So to answer your question, my reason for becoming a teacher is somewhat complex: I do it for the art I love in turn for the people I love, and I try to impress this love onto my students," PIXAL finished with a fluorish. Somewhere in the background, somebody clapped at her display of loyalty. "Any more questions, Miss Night?"

"Yes," Night told her. "How can I be assured that my son is in a safe environment? I've seen every inch of this place, but I still need assurance."

The question irritated PIXAL more than she would admit. All the technology in the Monastery, her skills and those that she taught her students combined, and Night still didn't think Jin was safe.

Then she remembered the situation in the basement, and had to admit that Night's worries were not unfounded.

"There are several examples I could give you to insure that Jin is as safe as safe could be," She finally explained. "But I don't think you want me to bore you with the details. So I just need you to take me at my word and know that Jin is perfectly safe."

Night looked like she wanted to say more, but a sudden rumble cut her off. "What was that?" She asked, looking at PIXAL suspiciously. "Are there fault lines near here?"

PIXAL immediately denied this. "We have sensors to detect if a earthquake happens well in advance; we would have gotten an alert hours ago. And if those sensors were damaged in any way, there are also sensors in place to detect any foul play!"

"So what made that noise?" Boa asked worriedly.

PIXAL was quiet for a second, then her eyes widened and she looked in the direction of the Monastery, of the elevator that lead to the basement. "I hope it's not what I think it is."

"Which would be WHAT?" Night demanded.

Before PIXAL could answer or Jin could cook up another wild story, the sound of grating metal nearly slaughtered everyone's eardrums. As the gathered party reeled, the sensation of thumps traveled through the mountain, getting louder. Night immediately assured Jin behind her while PIXAL shepherded the rest of the boys behind her. As the rumbling reached its peak, the ugliest beast the newest generation of Masters had ever seen peeked over the wall of the Monastery.

A monster of oozing gray mud slithered over the roof tiles and dropped with a disgusting SQUELCH onto the cobblestones. A slimy path of dark and spotty liquid was left on its wake. Thick pudgy arms stretched out of either side of its oily head, its fingers twitching as though it was picturing grabbing something - or someone. Menacing yellow eyes stared out from beneath thick black rocks that looked like eyebrows. Similar black rocks dotted the length of the slick slate body.

And from its body popped the pale faces of Naoki and Honcho.

"NAOKI??!!" Night bellowed at the sight of the turquoise haired scientist.

"Uh...hey, Night," Naoki replied nervously. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Hey, Pix," Honcho greeted warmly, though his face was tight with worry. "Apparently this guy spotted the portal and didn't want to wait - he came through before it was halfway open. Don't know how he was able to squeeze through; as you can probably tell, he hasn't hit the gym in a while."

"Yeah, and on that note," Naoki added, his own face fear struck. "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS GUY??!!"

PIXAL immediately bent into a defensive position, her teeth clenched and eyes small with determination. "It's a mud monster from the Realm of Madness," She explained, her hands straight out from her sides to keep her students back. "They capture their prey by using their bodies to encapsulate them!"

"Realm of Madness?!" Honcho cried. "I thought you said only portals to the Departed Realm opened around this time of year!"

"No - I said portals into a few select realms opened this time of year!" PIXAL replied, eyeing the mud monster strategically. "As it turns out, the Realm of Madness is one of those select realms!"

After that answer, everything was quiet except for the quiet gurgle of of the mud monster as it contemplated grabbing the rest of them. Then somebody broke the silence with an obvious question, "I'm sorry, WHAT?!!"

All eyes turned to Night, who was staring at the mud monster in absolute shock. Her fingers were white as she gripped Jin's shoulders to the point that he looked to be in pain. "I'm sorry...portals?" She asked, slightly more hushed than her outburst. "Mud monsters? Realms?" Her wide gray eyes moved to PIXAL, accusation and betrayal in their depths. "Miss Piper - for your sake, I hope you have a good explanation for this!"

"I do, and I promise to explain everything to you, Miss Night," PIXAL told her calmly, though her attention was still solely on the mud monster.

"We all will," Valt spoke up from behind PIXAL. "But do you mind waiting a few minutes? We have more-" He jerked his head towards the mud monster. "SCARY problems right now!"

"Yeah, and do you mind hurrying it up?" Honcho asked, his voice becoming strained as the color of his face deepened. "This guy's starting to cut off our airways."

"Speak for yourself," Naoki told him, casting a nervous glance towards Night. "I feel safer over here." That being said, his face was turning red as well.

The boys started to move forward, but PIXAL continued to hold them back. "Your training isn't done - none of you will be able to hold your own against one of these!" She told them.

"Hey - we won't know until we try!" Yugo protested, cracking his knuckles.

PIXAL put a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay back!" She commanded. She took a deep breath and lowered herself into a crouching position. After pausing for a few seconds, she pushed off with her foot and launched herself at the mud monster with her arms outstretched. She was able to grab Honcho by his ears and use her leverage to pull him a few inches out of the body of the monster before its thick arm swung down and knocked her away. She flew into the Monastery wall hard enough to crack it, but she was back on her feet without a scratch.

Well, almost without a scratch.

The impact must have damaged PIXAL's cloaking app, for her fleshy appearance glitched for a few seconds before settling on her regular android look. Her now glowing green eyes caught sight of her shiny white exterior and widened, glancing apprehensively at Night, who simply gawked at the teacher. Jin's expression grew even more pained as her fingers dug deeper into his shoulders.

Everyone looked between the two of them, waiting with bated breath to see who would talk first. Even the mud monster seemed to pause in its slithering to see which of the overprotective women would attempt to defuse, and who would be the bomb.

When neither of them moved after a while, Valt decided enough was enough. "Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, no sense in keeping the rest of it back," He claimed. "I'll take it from here, Pix - I'M COMING, HONCHO!!" He leapt from his gaggle of friends, blue electricity already sparking between his fingers.

"Hey, I'm here, too!" Naoki protested weakly.

Night's eyes grew until they took up a third of her face. "BOY, WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR HANDS?!" She exclaimed.

Everyone else face palmed. "Nice going, Porcupine Hair," Lui grumbled.

Valt, choosing to ignore both Night's outbursts and PIXAL's protests, angled his hands towards the mud monster and let loose. Streams of beautiful blue lightning jumped from his palms and raced towards the goopy monstrosity, hitting home and causing it to cry out in a garbled noise of pain; big sections of its body came undone and landed on the cobblestones as puddles of mud. Unfortunately, Honcho and Naoki also cried out in pain as the lightning wracked their bodies as well.

"Valt, stop!" PIXAL cried out; the blue haired blader complied with alarm in his brown eyes. "When you electrify something with moisture, everything the moisture touches will also be electrocuted!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Valt yelled in shock. "I didn't know!"

"How could you NOT know?!" Naoki told him, though his voice was quickly losing its heat thanks to the mud monster. "It's basic chemistry!"

"Yeah...science of any kind was never my best subject," Valt revealed sheepishly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Naoki gritted out.

PIXAL stepped forward to take on the mud monster once more, but Night, having finally snapped out of her shocked state, pulled her back roughly. "You had your chance, teacher," She told PIXAL bitterly, eyeing her up and down in her android appearance. "I'll show you how a real mother reigns in her children." Giving Jin a quick kiss on the top of his head, she herself dove into the fight.

"Mama, don't-" Jin started to protest, reaching a hand out to her retreating form.

"I'll be fine, baby," Night called over her shoulder, smirking and cracking her knuckles as she stared down the mud monster. "This disgusting boy's got nothing on me."

The mud monster chuckled deeply, as if it was amused at this strange woman's brash courage. Night merely chuckled back and bent forward slightly, as if she was about to charge.

"You might...want to...brace your...self," Naoki choked out to a confused Honcho.

Night moved, first feinting right to convince the mud monster to open up its defenses, then running left and reaching for Honcho's head. She grabbed him by the ears, ignored his cry of pain, then dug her heels in and put all of her strength into pulling his head, then his neck, then his entire body out of the mud monster with a disgusting SQUELCH, then throwing him over her shoulder.

Honcho went tumbling face first into the wall of his friends, knocking them all down like bowling pins. For a second, he sat on their groaning forms and breathed deeply, trying to regain the breath that the mud monster had taken from him. Then he took note of his surroundings and broke into a wide smile. "I...I...I'M ALIVE!!" He cried victoriously, reaching his hands up to the sky while tears of relief poured from his eyes.

"Thank goodness," Orochi groaned from within the pile.

"You're slimy - get OFF!" Wakiya complained.

Night was about to duck around the mud monster and go for Naoki when it decided it was its turn to take her by surprise. While she dodged one of its thick arms, the other was suddenly in front of her. She was grabbed and engulfed by its sewer-like body, placed next to Naoki and quickly losing air.

"Tell...me..." The turqouise haired scientist breathed, his face a molten red. "Was...getting...trapped...part of...your...plan?"

"Shut it...Naoki..." Night choked out. "Just...be glad...I went...back for you...at all!"

Victorious, the mud monster stood before the Masters, a toothy smirk on its oozing face. It reached a muddy hand in front itself and flexed its fingers, as if saying Who's next?

PIXAL grit her metallic teeth. "Stay back!" She commanded her students, though there wasn't much argument this time. She was ready to take on the mud monster one more time, but then she processed a sudden change in the speed of the air around them. The speed continued to grow until there was a steady wind blowing through the courtyard, which then built up into a near torrential rain strength. Hairstyles flapping all around, everyone's eyes turned to the one person who had the potential to create such a dramatic wind.

"PIXAL...let me have this one," Jin breathed menacingly, his eyes glowing a jade green.

Jin's POV
When I saw that Naoki had been captured by the mud monster, it took all of my will power not to run to him. Seeing him so helpless and so scared made my heart hurt, and I wanted to tear the mud monster apart to get him back.

Honcho...if I had time.

But when Night, my Mama, was taken by that oozing monstrosity, something in me broke. This slithering mess now had two people that I cared deeply for, two people I considered my family. They were powerless against this thing, and could possibly die if someone didn't do something.

Memories flashed in my mind. Night finding me when I was fourteen and I had run away from home. Her offering to adopt me and take me away from my abusive father. Naoki coming up to me when I was training with Jormuntor and offering to be my friend.

Memories of after that, when we became something more.

These two had helped shape me in ways I couldn't even describe. I could not let them die.

Protect those who cannot protect themselves.

That was one of the ideals PIXAL taught us about the Art of the Dragon. Well, neither Naoki nor Night could protect themselves.

I could.

I could protect them.

I could protect those I cared about.

A warmth started in my chest and slowly built until it was a roaring wildfire. I suddenly became distinctly aware of the air around me and the slow rate at which it was traveling. Deciding that wouldn't do, I gave it a silent command: Speed up.

Soon the air was traveling at a faster rate, but still not fast enough for my liking. I kept telling it to go faster and faster until my hair was flailing around my face and my clothes were practically being ripped from my body. I didn't care. All I was thinking was how I could use this wind to help those I loved.

"PIXAL," I begged of her, though I kept my attention mainly on the mud monster. "Let me have this one." Through my wind, I felt her nod and step aside, giving me enough room to carry out my plan.

Perfect.

"I am Jin Aizawa," I announced to the mud monster. Seeing it pause in fear at my wind gave me a wild thrill. "Latest in the line of Elemental Masters of Wind. You are hurting people that I care about. Such a sin cannot be forgiven. Now you must pay." The beast of gray earth started to retreat, but Naoki and Night were still trapped within the confines of its body. That simply would not do. Holding my hands out in front of me, I guided my wind to condense and surround the mud monster, trapping it in a cage of swirling air. It growled in protest, but I had no mercy for it. "Dry up, you monster," I commanded it. "Then perish." I guided my wind to completely engulf the beast, filling its entire body with air. Bubbles rose along the surface of its body, bursting and then drying the mud around them. The mud monster gave one pleading roar, then became too dry to move and stopped moving all together. I let my wind fall and disperse until the air was moving normally once more. The light went out in the monster's eyes and became as still as death.

Which I guess it was; dead, I mean.

I had defeated my first monster.

But I wasn't done yet. Night and Naoki were still wrapped in the now dry earth, and they weren't moving. Panicking a little, I told a smaller segment of the air to speed up and whip around the surface of the monster to disintegrate the dry mud, causing the two to fall to the cobblestones in a pile of sand. They still didn't move.

"Mama...Naoki..." I whispered, suddenly feeling very faint; darkness gathered around the corners of my eyes. No, I couldn't have a narcolepsy episode right now - I had to make sure they were okay. I stretched my hand out to them and was able to take a few steps before the darkness stretched to the center of my eyes and I felt myself take a fall. The last thing I saw was Naoki and Night being dealt CPR by PIXAL and Xander.

Night...Naoki...I love...you.

—————

Jin...Jin...WAKE UP!!

I came to with a gasp. Memories came flooding back to me - the mud monster, the warm feeling in my chest, the air gaining speed around me, Naoki and Night...

Who were holding me, one on either side of my body. Their eyes, which usually held matching emotions of distrust and paranoia whenever the other was around, now only held relief and concern as they stared down at me.

"Did I...black out?" I inquired.

"Yeah - that usually happens when you awaken your Element," Valt supplied, coming into my field of view. His tone turned excited as he knelt down. "Jin - that was AWESOME! The mud monster was all like-" His face and voice changed as he cosplayed the entire thing, "HA HA HA, I'VE GOT YOUR PRECIOUS TEAMMATES, and we were in the corner like oh no, what are we going to do, and PIXAL was all like stay back, I've got this, and then you came forward and were all like you hurt my family, prepare to die, and then you...you..." A look of respect crossed his face. "You awakened your Element."

I had to laugh at his recount of the incident's events. "But you two...are okay?" I asked Naoki and Night, staring back into their faces.

They both nodded. "Thanks to you, apparently," Night told me, a unbelievably proud look in her gray eyes. "The others told us everything that happened - I'm only disappointed that I didn't get to see it for myself."

"She has a point," PIXAL spoke up as she too came into sight. "It was quite a spectacle." Her green eyes held a combination of what was in Valt and Night's eyes: respect and pride. "You've found your will to fight, and that helped you awaken your Element. You've unlocked your True Potential."

"This is great!" Valt added, his brown eyes shining. "Now I'm not the only one who can bend the elements to my will!"

"Oh, we're doomed," Ren Wu groaned in the background.

"Yeah, are we sure that this is a good thing?" Ukyo questioned.

PIXAL rolled her eyes at them and turned back to me. "If I may ask, what was your will to fight?" She inquired. "What convinced you to break your limits?"

I looked back at Night and Naoki; they looked so happy as they held me in their arms, a far cry from the looks of anguish they had carried while being caught by the mud monster. They didn't even look annoyed at the other's presence - they looked happy and healthy.

That was when I realized what my will to fight was.

"I want to protect those I care about," I decided. "I want to make sure they're happy - to make sure they smile."

PIXAL nodded, smiling. "A very noble will, indeed," She told me.

Naoki looked surprised at my answer, but the surprised look was quickly replaced by a smile so warm, it made my insides melt. "I don't know why that's your will to fight," He told me softly, leaning down until his hair grazed my own. "You already make me happy." With that, he captured my lips with his own.

It didn't last very long, though, because Naoki suddenly pulled away with a pained groan. "There will be no making out with my baby boy in my presence!" Night bellowed from behind Naoki's head. I rolled my eyes. Figures.

"Did you really have to pinch my neck, though?" Naoki asked her as he helped me sit up.

"I only pinched you because I lost my pocket knife - be grateful, Science Boy," Night growled, her gray eyes flashing gold.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT," Honcho suddenly cried out. "Can we back track, please? Can we talk about what just happened?" He looked between me and Naoki with wide eyes. "You...he...he and you...are a thing?" He asked us.

I glanced at Naoki and he nodded. "Yup. We sure are, Honcho," I confirmed, allowing a small smile to pull at my mouth.

His own mouth remained agape. "And you kept it a secret from us this whole time? We've been training together for nearly a month!" He closed his eyes and sighed with his whole body. "So much for the Bro Code, I guess...well, at least when I have a secret, I know who to tell it to."

"Yeah, seriously," Daigo added, drawing my attention to him. His expression was usually reserved, but this time it contained curiosity and a little hurt. "Why didn't you tell us about your relationship?"

I winced. I didn't like keeping a secret from them after the bond we'd formed, so it was a relief to finally tell them. "Honestly, we didn't know how you guys would react. We were still pretty new to it ourselves."

"Are you kidding?" Fubuki asked, staring at us with an eyebrow raised. "Have you met Valt and Shu? They can't go five minutes without touching each other!"

"That's not true!" Valt protested while Shu looked scandalized.

"His hand is LITERALLY on your shoulder as we speak!" Boa pointed out, gesturing to Shu's hand resting beside Valt's neck. The two glanced at the limb, then at each other, and Shu relinquished his gentle hold from Valt's shoulder. I had to laugh at their display of timid intimacy.

"Bottom line is," Xander joined in, kneeling on knee to join the group. A gentle look was in his red eyes. "We don't care who you love, as long as you're happy."

I had to admit that I was at a loss. I'd pictured my coming out several times, but I hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. "You guys are...really okay with this?" I felt Naoki's arm slide around my waist.

"Heck yeah!" Yugo broke in with a big smile, joining the group. "We're family, aren't we? Families stick together!"

The warm feeling in my chest was back, but it had none of the blaze like it did when I had used my Element. "Yeah...family," I agreed, leaning into Naoki.

For a moment, everything was right with the world. I had the person I loved beside me and I was surrounded by a family that loved me. Then reality came crashing in by saying, "Uh, your actual family is still waiting for her apology!"

Everyone froze; everyone, including me, had forgotten that Night was still there. Sweating slightly, I peered cautiously over my shoulder at her. Her arms were crossed over her crossed legs and one eyebrow was raised expectantly.

She was waiting for me to apologize to her.

Taking a deep breath, I slid away from Naoki and faced my mother. "Mama...I'm sorry I lied to you about everything. But this is a trait that has been passed through my family for generations, and now I have it. I want to know more about my family's history, and the Element of Wind. And I know that you think that going down this path could be dangerous, especially after what you just witnessed. But I can take care of myself! I'm not that kid you found on the street anymore."

Night looked surprised at my outburst - I surprised myself. I had never tried to turn her down before, and was honestly scared for my life at the moment. I felt the air in the courtyard lessen as everyone took a breath, waiting to see how she would react.

Finally, Night sighed, uncrossing her arms. "You're right by thinking that I don't think that this is a good idea," She told me. "But I have to admit that you have gotten stronger from that boy I found in the streets. I still refuse to believe that my little boy doesn't need his mama anymore, and I'm still not completely sure about you having a teacher with a literal computer for a brain..." Everyone groaned at that. "But the least I can do to allow you a little freedom is...allow you to keep coming here to this crackhouse to train."

I had to pause for a while to truly process what she said. Did she...actually say that? Did she actually say I could keep coming here?

"YEESSSSS!!" Everyone exploded around me as Naoki hugged me joyously. Even PIXAL looked excited. "THE GHOST BOY STAYSSSSSSS!!!"

"I'd say this calls for a celebration," Night declared, getting to her feet. "How about we all have dinner here?"

The celebratory outbursts fizzled out and everyone glanced at her apprehensively. "Uh, Mama?" I asked for them. "You do know that everyone needs to go home, right?"

"Nope - they're staying here for dinner and that is final!" Night commanded. "I don't care if their families miss them - Jin came out to everyone and to me, this is a special occasion, and we are going to celebrate it! Come on, Miss Piper - or whatever your name is - I'll help you get started in the kitchen because I know all of Jin's favorites!" Without explaining further, she grabbed PIXAL by the arm, startling the Nindroid, and pulling her into the hallways of the Monastery.

"She's a monster," Ken admitted.

"She's impressive," Lui said, shrugging.

I smiled. "She's my Mama."

Free took that moment to appear in the front door of the Monastery. "I just saw a blonde woman with an intense look pull PIXAL down the hall - so what did I miss?"

—————

5682 words.

Yes! This trilogy is finally done!

Jin has his Element!

Night is not going to kill anyone!

And now time for the episode this LONG trilogy is based off of!

It is
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Lab Rats: Exoskeleton vs. Grandma!

I don't know how many of you still remember this series, or were able to guess which episode it was. Be sure to tell me in the comments.

NightBear15 , I hope you like this!