There were two things that rang through Juka's mind after the battle with the Cthulu monster in Central Park. The first was that for the very first time he had actually done something useful. He hadn't just selfishly thought of himself and acted in his own best interests and for the furthing of his own pleasure. He hadn't even been merely a performer, trying to bring a little joy and happiness into the lives of others. No he had actually risked his life and done something good. He had done his part in defeating the horrible creature and that knowledge gave him a very peculiar warm and fuzzy feeling inside. It was strange to think back on it, but strange in the very best possible way.

Unfortunately the second thing that ran through Juka's mind was not nearly so pleasant as the first. It was, in fact, about as opposite of pleasant as one could get. He had lost it out there. Not lost it as in he ran for his life as a coward. No, he had lost it as in completely lost touch with reality and in so doing had almost seriously injured someone innocent of all wrong doing, possibly even almost killed them. The fact was that Juka was not a violent person and what he had almost done tore him up inside. It was only because of a ninja who drew out his s's that he had snapped back to reality and done his part to defeat the monster. It was only because of that same ninja that he had not brutally injured his near victim. And for that Juka had to think him. Followed by apologizing to said almost-victim and finding some way to make it up to him, though he had no idea how.

It turned out not to be difficult to find the ninja that had saved Juka's sanity. Asking a few people around the Mansion he was eventually pointed to a boy laying in front of the fireplace with brick patterned skin and was told the boy's name was Koga. Floating over to him, Juka stood indecisively for a moment, just behind him.

"Um...I wanted to say thank you. I kind of lost it in Central Park and you kind of snapped me out of it. So I guess I kind of owe you one." He wasn't used to ever feeling uncomfortable in social situations but this one was unique even for him.

He was sore and wanted badly to be in a warm shower…but the fire place was close to the entry way. And more than clean , he needed to be warm. The heat packs, worked but had left small burns on his skin where they had yes allowed his body tempature to remain at a level he didn’t pass out at. They weren’t meant to lay on flesh for so long.

He managed to take off his mask and drop the top part of his gi to fall about his waist. His chest had multiple bruises that set off the brick color to be a little bit darker than they should be, but he’d be damned before he spent the energy trying to make the blend perfect…heck he wasn’t even trying to look like the hearth.


"Um...I wanted to say thank you. I kind of lost it in Central Park and you kind of snapped me out of it. So I guess I kind of owe you one."

Koga Squinted with his eyes closed, he honestly and whole heartedly wanted to just lay there for a day or two. But there was someone trying to be honest with him and sorely needed to have some closure on the battle that lay in their immediate past. And Cs said leadership didn’t just happen in battles, if you were going to lead you had to do so before during and after… no time like the present to practice. He pulled his eyes open and he thought he would have to work to smile but he didn’t. Sitting up on the other hand was a task, one that h managed… it wouldn’t hurt to let his back feel the blaze of heat.

“You, Lady Juka of Ukime, are more than welcome. Battle isss weary work, and you have to focusss on the resultsss not the eventsss that took to get there. For inssstance if someone from the city comesss knocking on the door looking for a ninja busss jacker. We point them to the pile of clay in the park. We all made it back and no Civiliansss were hurt. I’d sssay we did better than great. And that isss in no sssmall part due to you.”

He rested his forearms on his knees and looked up. It was obvious he was beat. “ though if you really have to owe me one, which you don’t. You already paid me in full ahead of time by coming and waging war on that freak. But that aside if you really jussst have to owe me one, I am sssure I can think of sssomething.”He winked, He was joking but, he got to joke with his comrades, they just fought and won. That was a bond permanent. It would even extend to treasonous horses.

Mirror shifted once again without falling asleep.
It had side effects.

One, it wasn't a pleasant experience, not at all. Mirror's body knew this, that's why it built in the sleepy time. Which normally did work, except for nights when sleep was not an option. Like the Night before Christmas, with Chtulhu on the side. So now Maya was not only bruised and worn out from the fight, but also exhausted from shifting. Damn.

Two, she couldn't go to sleep now. Body said you skipped sleep for fighting monsters, now you deal with it girl. She showered, she changed into girl clothes - shorts and tank top for the night - and wandered around in the Mansion aimlessly. She found herself a beer. Good thing the grownups were out of town. Nights like this, a beer could work miracles.

She ended up in the living room, looking for something to do, or maybe just some peace and quiet. She saw the light of the fire from the corridor, and it looked cozy enough.
She already walked in by the time she realized there were others in there.

The ninja and the bubble queen.
Just great.
Maya stood in the doorway, thinking about turning around and leaving. She didn't move. She was not sure how much these two knew about her... him... but at this point she was past caring. She listened as Juka apologized and the lizard boy answered, and decided to take part in the conversation because she didn't have anything better to do.
Yes, really.

"Well, while we're on the subject" she smirked, walking over and looking down at the little ninja "I guess I owe ya a thank you too. So. Thanks for savin' my ass back there."
With that part done, she hesitated for a moment. Maybe she should say something to the other participant in that fight.
Turning to the bubbled up Juka, she winked.
"No hard feelings."

Juka felt a little bit bad, floating there looking down at Koga. Now that he was closer and paying more attention, he saw the bruises on the little ninja's skin and couldn't help the sympathetic feeling that came over him. His own lingering wounds, both from the attack from Aura a month ago and from the more recent attack of Cthulu, flared up in response. He didn't think anyone had gotten out of there completely unscathed though the fact that no one had died was nothing short of a minor miracle. At least Juka had a floating bubble that made it easier to dodge things, ninja boy hadn't even had that much.

“You, Lady Juka of Ukime, are more than welcome. Battle isss weary work, and you have to focusss on the resultsss not the eventsss that took to get there. For inssstance if someone from the city comesss knocking on the door looking for a ninja busss jacker. We point them to the pile of clay in the park. We all made it back and no Civiliansss were hurt. I’d sssay we did better than great. And that isss in no sssmall part due to you.”

"Thank you Ninja Koga," Juka spoke with a soft smile, "for your kind words. "I'm not usually like that. No, I've never been like that, I've never lost it like that before. I just want to be able to help people now, to put my powers to good use. The fact that I succeeded in helping, well, for the first time I think it gave my life meaning." The old Juka would have grinned and pranced at Koga's recognition of his band but the new Juka knew that there were more important things in life to concern himself with. Like learning to make a difference. "And you were amazing out there too."

“ though if you really have to owe me one, which you don’t. You already paid me in full ahead of time by coming and waging war on that freak. But that aside if you really jussst have to owe me one, I am sssure I can think of sssomething.”

Juka winked back. "Well, I'd offer to give you fashion tips on how to look as fabulous as I do, but it seems you've all ready got those down with your ninja suite of awesome." Once again his voice took on a lighter and more familair tone. Koga understood so he didn't have to worry any more.

At least he didn't have to worry about the ninja, there was still one other person to concern himself with and, just as he was considering that person, he appeared. Or at least, Juka was faircly certain that it had been a he the last time he had seen him. Now he looked much more like a she, but then who was he to judge anyway being a boy in a dress? Taking a deep breath, Juka desperately hoped he would somehow be forgiven for his transgressions.

"No hard feelings."

Juka blinked, not expecting a response before he had even apologized. "Are you sure? I didn't...I mean I don't usually go crazy and start attacking my allies. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you were someone else, my mind it just snapped and..." He didn't even really know what had happened, that part of the fight was all blurry and unclear. All he knew was that he thought he had been attacking Aura and it turned out that Aura wasn't there and he had actually been attacking an innocent. Juka fell into uncertain silence.

~~"Thank you Ninja Koga,", "for your kind words. "I'm not usually like that. No, I've never been like that, I've never lost it like that before. I just want to be able to help people now, to put my powers to good use. The fact that I succeeded in helping, well, for the first time I think it gave my life meaning."

“No worriessss here. And Yeah it isss very fulfilling knowing that we were sssome of the few ssstanding between the city and a tragedy waiting to happen. I’m dedicated to making new york and hopefully the world sssafer. I am sssure the xmen would be happen to take you on, you ssshould talk to Sssam or Ssstreak or Ssshinbo. They ssshould be able to tell you what it isss going to take to join up.”

~~"And you were amazing out there too."

“Thankss, I tried. I wisssh we could have planned before hand, and ssstarted asss a united team from the word go, but it worked out in the end.”

~~"Well, I'd offer to give you fashion tips on how to look as fabulous as I do, but it seems you've all ready got those down with your ninja suite of awesome."

Koga laughed, it hurt to laugh, he’d have to try to be a bit grumpier. “ Well, I guessss I will just have to keep it asss my official uniform whenever I join the x men. Maybe you could check out my clossset for me and let me know if there isss anything that sssimply mussst go.”



**"Well, while we're on the subject" "I guess I owe ya a thank you too. So. Thanks for savin' my ass back there."

Koga looked at the young woman in the tank top, shorts and beer in hand and then again. He was pretty sure she wasn’t wearing a bra…and he was trying hard not to be absolutely sure. “Um? No problem.” He wanted to ask who she was, and when he saved her, but things were crazy out there and supposed it could have happened when he wasn’t looking. He was pretty sure he would have remembered saving that ass out there though. Why was his mouth suddenly dry?

**"No hard feelings."

~~"Are you sure? I didn't...I mean I don't usually go crazy and start attacking my allies. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you were someone else, my mind it just snapped and..."

Wait, what? Juka tried to attack two allies? Koga’s eyes cataloged the hair color, eye color, facial similarities, height, skin tone. No. Really? It couldn’t be…must have been his twin sister…maybe she meant for saving her brother’s ass out there…that wasn’t what she said. Koga’s brain scrambled to try to make sense of what he was seeing, what they were saying and what he didn’t even want to suspect.

>>"Are you sure? I didn't...I mean I don't usually go crazy and start attacking my allies. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you were someone else, my mind it just snapped and..."

Juka didn't miss a beat in apologizing. Apparently he recognized Maya. Hm. Well, after all when it came to mixing up genders he looked like an expert. She could imagine he would like her shifting ability...

"'sokay. Really." she shrugged with a smile "Sometimes people jus' flip in a fight. Don' get me wrong I'll punch your lights out if ya pull this again, but I don' blame ya for loosin' it, it was hell out there."

With that conclusion, she turned back to the ninja, who took a curiously long time to answer.

>>“Um? No problem.”

And he was staring too. Ooops. Looks like Little Lizard Boy was a bit slow on the uptake. Walking over to him, Maya reached under his chin and closed his mouth that had been hanging open for a while now.

"Gender shifting. Don' sweat it, kid."

She grinned at him, and sat down onto the couch. "Beer anyone?"

“No worriessss here. And Yeah it isss very fulfilling knowing that we were sssome of the few ssstanding between the city and a tragedy waiting to happen. I’m dedicated to making new york and hopefully the world sssafer. I am sssure the xmen would be happen to take you on, you ssshould talk to Sssam or Ssstreak or Ssshinbo. They ssshould be able to tell you what it isss going to take to join up.”

Those words meant something, Juka decided. They were the words of someone who had found his purpose in the world, someone who wanted to make a difference and was making a difference. They were the words of someone that Juka wanted to be like. Well, he didn't want to talk funny, of course. Or have bricks for skin. But he wanted that sense of purpose, he wanted to do something good and to have people look up to him and admire him and to know that he was someone's hero. It was, he realized, what he had always wanted. His life as a performer was just a substitute for his true desire to be a hero, to be loved and admired and to save people.

"I want to be just like you," Juka announced Grandly. "You do good things with your powers and I want to do the same. Shiny is a lovely boy and I will certainly have to speak to him. And while I'm at it I suppose I shall certainly have to meet both Streak and Sam, whoever they are." So many people at the Mansion and so few he had actually met or spoken to. That would have to change.

“ Well, I guessss I will just have to keep it asss my official uniform whenever I join the x men. Maybe you could check out my clossset for me and let me know if there isss anything that sssimply mussst go.”

Juka nodded enthusiastically. "I will certainly do that." He wanted to give Koga a hug for all the help he'd been to him, not only for snapping him out of his insanity but also for showing him, once and for all, the purpose he needed in his life. But some people just didn't appreciate that and poor Koga did look a little beaten up so instead he settled for the most formal and dramatic bow he could come up with, bowing until his head touched the bottom of his bubble before righting himself. "You are an absolute darling, my colourful little Koga."

"'sokay. Really."Sometimes people jus' flip in a fight. Don' get me wrong I'll punch your lights out if ya pull this again, but I don' blame ya for loosin' it, it was hell out there."

Returning his attention to the girl, Juka nodded vigerously. "And I would deserve it my darling, oh how I would deserve it." He shook his head sadly. "You must be an angel to forgive me so readily." He bowed in her direction as well, though not quite so deeply as he had bowed to Koga. After all, to her he was apologizing and to him he was offering his undying gratitude for giving his life meaning again.

"Gender shifting. Don' sweat it, kid."

"How very amazing," Juka said with an amazed expression. "Yet another thing to add to my list of things I simply must learn. Though you have to admit, I do make a pretty girl, don't I?" He winked at her.

~~"I want to be just like you,"

That was possibly the most flattering thing he had heard in awhile. Juka wanted to be like him...He had so much potential to go further then he Did...they'd have to get him some Xmen themed weapons to swing about instead of those anvils, but yeah, He'd take Juka as a team member everyday of the week.

~~"You do good things with your powers and I want to do the same. Shiny is a lovely boy and I will certainly have to speak to him. And while I'm at it I suppose I shall certainly have to meet both Streak and Sam, whoever they are."

"Sssam and ssstreak are in charge of leading around here. or would be if they weren't over in Romainia."

Koga's mouth didn't stay shut for long...his mind was struggling to grab a hold of whatever was going on..for a second there he thought she was very thankful for what he had no Idea and was going to kiss him...he um wasn't looking forward to that...nope.

~~"I will certainly do that." "You are an absolute darling, my colourful little Koga."

"sssweet, I look forward to working with you, I have 3 months to go before I can officially join, I'll be sssixteen then."

**"Gender shifting. Don' sweat it, kid."

Koga smirked and fell back to the warm bricks..."I knew I recognized you.You just don't ussssually have...I guessss that is hardly appropriate to sssay. I think i could probably use a beer, but no I don't drink." the last wasn't the judgment it might have been the day before, but as he said he could tolerate a traitorous equine, he could certainly tolerate a tank topped underage drinker.

>>"How very amazing, Yet another thing to add to my list of things I simply must learn."

Maya blinked. Then blinked again. The first blink was for the fact that someone found her 'ability' "amazing". The second was for the unasked question: 'can he actually do that? Is he a copycat or something?...'

>>"Though you have to admit, I do make a pretty girl, don't I?"

Maya grinned and nodded. "Yeah ya do."
'Pretty girl' being the perfect term of what she thought of this person.

>>"I knew I recognized you.You just don't ussssually have...I guessss that is hardly appropriate to sssay."

"Breasts?" she offered with a wide grin. The bright side of being a gender shifter: you are never awkward about anatomical details. And you can embarrass others.
"Yeah, I'm just too tired to do the whole 'I've got a twin brother in the Mansion s*** with y'all. An' after fightin' together, ya might as well know who I am."

>>"I think i could probably use a beer, but no I don't drink.

Maya shrugged and opened the beer "Suit y'self. Here's to slayin' the monster. Cheers." and with that, she sipped her well deserved drink.

Juka felt, for once, like he belonged and was a part of something. The last time he had felt that way was back when he was still in Japan performing with his band and he had never expected to feel like that when not on a stage. But this, this was so much more than he had ever experienced, even while singing his heart out, because he knew that this involved making a difference and doing something good. Koga and Maya and the entire experience with Cthulu had shown him that his life could be so much more than music and fashion and adoring fans. Not that he ever intended to abandon those loves of his, of course, but they needn't be the center of his existance.

Very abruptely Juka realized that he was no longer floating, that for the first time in a month his bubble was gone. He blinked in stunned confusion before breaking into a huge grin. He then proceeded to run up to Koga and attempt to give him a huge hug, no longer even thinking about the fact that he was battered and bruised and pobably didn't want a hug from him at all. Full of excited relief, he ran over to Maya and attempted to give her a big hug as well, paying not the slightest bit of attention to her drink and the fact that she probably didn't want it spilled. This was a time of great joy and he needed to share his joy with the world. And, the world not all being in the same room, he opted to share his joy with the two people that were in the room with him.

"My bubble is gone!" Juka yelled in all exuberance, forgetting even the basic concept of 'inside voice' vs. 'outside voice'. "You wonder wonderful people have surely saved me from a torment of forever being the boy floating in the bubble. Once again I can walk the streets in freedom." Words could not properly express his exhileration and relief.

~~"Breasts?"

Koga’s mouth hung there stunned, what the heck do you say to that? Was He a she, or she a he, were they the same person, was G a female when he was a female and a male when he was a male…even if they were two completely different people, could he ever get it out of his head that. Oh Forget it! G was a team mate, and that was all that mattered. His brain started working again, yeah it took a minute but it got there.


“Yeah, thossse.”He even nodded toward her chest. He couldn’t help but smile back at that same smile on her face. “I gotta sssay, You look better thisss way.”

~~"Yeah, I'm just too tired to do the whole 'I've got a twin brother in the Mansion s*** with y'all. An' after fightin' together, ya might as well know who I am."

“Good, you ssshould have sssomewhere you can be your ssself. If you want to explain exactly how that works sssometime, I’m curiousss, but I definitely underssstand if you don’t or if you are too tired for that right now too.”

~~"Suit y'self. Here's to slayin' the monster. Cheers."

“here here!” Koga agreed even though he had no glass to raise.

The smile apparently was very contagious; Juka dropped down from the bubble and broke into a wild smile, after that! There were hugs, friendly and wonderful, if painful hugs.

Koga returned the bear hug, if through a wince of pain, he had to make sure he didn’t constrict out of a force of habit. When his muscles pulled inward he could crush people…it was crazy. Juka squeezed his ribs in all the wonderful wrong places…Cthulhu! his bones hurt.


**"My bubble is gone!"

“alright!”Koga replied happily but a bit dumbfounded.

**"You wonder wonderful people have surely saved me from a torment of forever being the boy floating in the bubble. Once again I can walk the streets in freedom."


“Um, That isss a good thing?”

>>“I gotta sssay, You look better thisss way.”

Maya couldn't help but smile a curiously feminine smile. Even if she didn't like guys that way, it was nice to get a compliment from one. Especially one that knew about Gawain too. She glanced down at herself. As breasts went, Maya was not a particularly gifted one, but Koga seemed to appreciate the view anyway. The girl's cheeks turned light pink.

>>“Good, you ssshould have sssomewhere you can be your ssself. If you want to explain exactly how that works sssometime, I’m curiousss, but I definitely underssstand if you don’t or if you are too tired for that right now too.”

"Sure, will do." she nodded with a grin; she was getting the hang of explaining her 'powers' anyway. And tonight felt like a time for sharing.

Talkin' about sharing...

Maya squealed when Juka pounced on her, and endured the bear hug. Even though the surprise attack made her spill some beer on the couch, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Umph... Ya're welcome, bubble boy. Anytime."

The giddy exaltation of no longer being trapped in his bubble eventually faded to a great sense of contentment and happiness. Yes, life was now once again as it should be. Even if Ninja Koga did sound a little bit confused and even if he had accidentally spilled the drink of the beautiful Maya who was most certainly not Aura.

"Oops," Juka uttered apologetically. He addressed the both of them. "Ever since Aura attacked me my power hasn't been obeying my commands. It wouldn't disappear no matter how much I wanted it to. And now its gone." Once again he grinned.

Juka decided not to mention the fact that his power acting up had probably saved his life. Indeed, without his bubble he would have bled to death in the time it took to get from that dark alley to the Mansion where healing was available. Of course, its continued existence after that point made healing far more unpleasant and long than it needed to be given that neither Doc Prof nor any of the other healers or medical professionals at the Mansion could touch him in order to help him. Positives and negatives both, he supposed.

"I most certainly think that celebrations are now in order, for my freedom and for the heroic defeat of the monster Cthulu!" Juka made a dramatic gesture then winced as one of his many bruises was tweaked. "Er, perhaps a toned down celebration that involves much relaxing and delicious cookies." Yes, cookies seemed like an excellent plan indeed. Now if only he could cause some to teleport magically over to him...

She smiled at him and the look was charming…Damn it! his…Her lopsided grin wasn’t going to work on him, and then as if he threw down a gauntlet Maya inspect her own chest and her eyes took his with them and He flopped back down to the warm bricks with a painful thud. His body wasn’t ready for such theatrics. He shifted his body to a simple brick red leaving the cement pattern behind. It was mainly to cover the reddening of his cheeks.

~~"Sure, will do."

“cool, feel free to ask any questionssss you have too, I don’t ask without the offer of telling.”

Juka moved on to Maya and He was not jealous of the hug…nope, he did not want to cause her to make a happy squeal of happiness. Nope he wasn’t a pathetically lonely teenage boy who could be one over by a tanktop and and a bit of appreciation, particularly not with an odd mutant back drop to the whole scene.

~~"Umph... Ya're welcome, bubble boy. Anytime."


**"Oops," "Ever since Aura attacked me my power hasn't been obeying my commands. It wouldn't disappear no matter how much I wanted it to. And now its gone."

“Aura. Bleh.” The tone in which he said her name invoked what he really though of the girl, she was the one from the orphanage, the one that hurt killed and maimed people. The rant he would have gone on about her would have taken too much energy, and more so he suspected that Juka didn’t care for her, but it wouldn’t do to insult her, just in case .“Well, I am glad that the bubble let you go finally.”

"I most certainly think that celebrations are now in order, for my freedom and for the heroic defeat of the monster Cthulu!" “Er, perhaps a toned down celebration that involves much relaxing and delicious cookies."

“ I think I may concentrate on the relaxing for now, the cookies can wait until after I think I wouldn’t simply lay down in the kitchen once I had them.” He smirked and resituated so that his other side made contact with the brick.

Maya watched Koga change color with fascination. It reminded her of Twyla's camouflage abilities, but it was not quite the same. It looked cool, his whole body taking up a different color. Chameleon-cool.

>>“cool, feel free to ask any questionssss you have too, I don’t ask without the offer of telling.”

She acknowledged that with a short nod; she was sure she'd find something about the chameleon-ninja she could ask about.

Juka seemed utterly happy without his bubble. Yeah, sometimes 'gifts' turn into problems. She could relate to that.

>>“Aura. Bleh.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that the person Juka mistook her (him) for on the battlefield?
"Mutual friend of yours?" she asked curiously, perfectly aware of the tone they talked about her, guessing she was more like a common enemy than anything else. One more thing to be curious about.

>>"Er, perhaps a toned down celebration that involves much relaxing and delicious cookies."
>>“I think I may concentrate on the relaxing for now, the cookies can wait until after I think I wouldn’t simply lay down in the kitchen once I had them.”

Maya sipped her beer, looking down at Koga.
"'twas a rough fight, wasn't it. I swung by the Infirmary ta get my ribs put back together. Quick as a flash." of course that didn't get rid of all the bruises and the soreness, but at least those will go away much faster than broken bones. And it was Mirror's first encounter with a healer. All kinds of exciting. "Ya need help ta go down there?..."
Lizard Ninja looked like the tough kind. She could appreciate that.

"Or we could just hunt down some cookies and bring them back here." she mused, glancing at Juka.