Mature Content Warning: Foul language and such. If you read the revised prison scene that happens after this chapter ends, there is some booty squeezing, if that offends you, so be it.

Author’s Note: This chapter is bringing us close to the end of the second episode of this volume. Two more chapter in this episode. I promised an alternate version of the scene that I showed in the last update. It is featured below this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 28: Tomorrow Please

A blue-black ball of flame slammed into the wall separating the horde of the Dark Empire, and their titanic messenger of destruction known simply as the invincible shadow, from the last remnants of the imperial line of Earth. There was nothing left but to storm one final shopping center that had been hastily reinforced. They would capture more promising warriors for the Empire and drain the very life from the unworthy remnants of sentient life on this planet.

Inside the rapidly failing structure the last remaining Knight General of the Earth stood firm and resolute in his decision to protect his liege. The king had been slain early in the fighting and only the prince remained to carry on the imperial line. His final gambit was in play. Jaedu, last surviving Knight General of the Earth Empire had granted his prince the time he would need to warn the moon. There was nothing left here to protect. There was but one lone soldier standing defiant in the face of impossible odds.

The horde outside saw and sensed a large military force encamped within the walls of this once hallowed hall of consumerism. The last living knight general had expended most of his power to conjure them into existence, a solid illusion to confuse the mind and senses of his enemies.

Jaedu focused his power on the failing wall willing it to be stronger, willing it to absorb more punishment. Time was of the essence, he must survive as long as he possibly could. He was the last hope for survival of humanity in this stellar system.

His life-like illusion of massed soldiers defending this location began to fail one by one as he spent the last of his strength desperately. He was trying with all his might to buy time for the fragile transport his liege was using in a desperate bid to race toward the heavens. Even one strike of any power could destroy it. Should that vessel be destroyed, so too would the last of the free human race upon the Earth be destroyed.

Jaedu staggered back in utter exhaustion as the wall exploded in a shower of mortar and dust. His strength had been spent tirelessly, but at last his defenses had been overcome. The battle had reached its final moments.

As the dust cleared he stared outward through the wall at a sea of oncoming monstrosities that had once been loyal friends and comrades. In the vanguard of the horde stood the corrupted forms of his three closest companions. They had been great companions before they had fallen in battle. Each of them had been Knight General's in their own right. Each had been stalwart defenders of right and good, the living embodiment of justice and virtue. Now they were naught but hollow shells controlled by an evil being from beyond this reality.

For a brief moment he betrayed himself in fear as a single bead of cold sweat appeared upon his forehead and began to slowly slide along the side of his face. Once that fearful moment passed, he raised his sword high then pointed it outward toward the impossibly large army of the horribly corrupt.

"In the name of the Earth and humanity...I fight on!" snarled out the general in righteous wrath.

As though a dam burst upon the echoing of this statement a flood of monstrosities began pouring toward the door while a tremendous evil shadow loomed in the background. Jaedu rushed forward with determination in his eyes and no trace of fear in his movements to meet them in battle and then...

Jaedu snapped awake in a cold sweat inside his chambers. The evil general of the Dark Empire that had served so dutifully for thousands of years tried in vain to recall the dream that had troubled him. Even now his heart sped viscous lime-green blood through his veins.

Ever since he had first seen that knight's visage inside his bus trap he had been unable to sleep. The last several rest periods he had taken had been terrible agony for him, but he never remembered why.

"What... is wrong with me?" asked the fair haired Dark Empire general to himself. He had to clear his mind of this strange disquiet that he felt. His queen had grown vengeful toward his failures. He had only one more chance to subdue the knight and destroy all opposition. If he failed he would be the one who was destroyed.

Despite the need to hatch a diabolical plan, all the evil general could do was sit there in a cold sweat as his heart pounded in his chest. All he could do was remain filled with confusion and dread.

Chapter 24: Man From Another World.

The mid-afternoon temple life at the Hickey-Wa shrine was electric with the belief that Scott and the others would soon be returning. The girls had put on their best clothes and even Ashe Naile seemed to have polished her armor a bit. Though, if someone were to ask she would refuse to admit that it had anything to do with Scott.

"When do you think they'll be here?" ask Cerene as she tried her best not to bounce up and down. It was no easy feat in her excitable state.

Makina shrugged at her, "Soon I hope. It's getting hot out here." The weather had started to change from cold at night and in the mornings to warm or hot in the afternoons.

"Hmm. I don't mind. It'll be a lot hotter as soon as Scott gets back..." murmured Nina as she straightened her red leather outfit. She wanted to look strong and sexy for her master.

Yoko swung her sword upward happily and said, "No kidding... I need to show master how much I've improved with my sword!"

"He's only been gone for a few days..." muttered Ashe at her antics. It was not like she had been counting the days herself or anything.

Aaron stood with the two moon cats off to the side. The girls were a bit distracting with their chatter and each of them preferred a bit of quiet in their own way. Grandpa Henrick was taking a nap since he had been worrying himself sick over his granddaughter until he had gotten word the day before that she was fine and coming home today.

Apollo spoke up in a thoughtful voice and asked, "What do you think this meeting is going to be about?"

Aerune rolled her eyes in annoyance. She did not care what this usurper wanted to talk about. How dare he act like he was in charge!

Aaron glanced down at the chatty white feline and replied, "All I know is that he said he was going to explain something that he felt wasn't proper to express over an open communication channel."

Apollo mewed thoughtfully and lashed his tail. It was all so mysterious. Scott was a mysterious figure in general. Just who was he? He seemed to know so much about the past, not to mention many of the people they had run across. Then there were his strange powers to consider. They reminded the moon cat of something but he could not quite place it.

Cerene bounced up and down excitedly as she chattered about how much she was looking forward to seeing Scott again. The few days he had been missing had been nerve racking, but knowing he was alright made up for it in her opinion. It was during the middle of one of her bounces that she spotted a vehicle pulling up to the parking area near the shrine steps.

"Hey! I think he's here!" she exclaimed happily.

"What? Really?" called out Nina excitedly.

The others expressed excitement at the prospect and all moved toward the stairs to see the group get out of the car that had arrived. To their dismay it seemed to only be two people they did not know.

"Ah man... probably some worshipers coming to the shrine." grumbled Makina in agitation. How dare they spoil the moment!

At the bottom of the stairs, a blue haired teenage girl fidgeted nervously and glanced at her mother. "There seems to be a crowd of people."

Saeko glanced down at her daughter and nodded. "Yes dear. Let's go see if this is the right place. Surely one of them knows."

"Oh... OK." replied Amanda meekly. The idea of meeting so many people at once set her loner senses tingling. She did not socialize much and absolutely hated crowds. It was one of the worst issues she would have as a doctor, if she ever managed to get to go to school.

The duo wandered up the stairs taking their sweet time out of nervousness. Once they neared the top Aaron called down to them. "Hello Madam and miss... How might we help you today?"

Amanda fidgeted some more and did not know how to answer the man. She was certain she would feel silly saying anything along the lines of "Hi, I was told by a man that I just met that I was going to save the world... Is this where I come for the meeting?"

Her mother didn't have nearly as many qualms about speaking up. "Yes, hello. I was instructed to bring my daughter here for a meeting."

"A meeting...? Who asked you to come?"

"A knight of the league named Scott?" questioned and answered Saeko at the same time.

"Ah. You're at the right place then, but the meeting isn't till tomorrow." supplied Aaron.

The others glanced back and forth at each other for a moment. They knew Scott had Cerene's parents coming in tomorrow but were not aware of anyone else coming. They would be in for a shock at the amount of people that would arrive unannounced.

The group chatted in a casual somewhat distrustful manner for a few minutes before Cerene decided to stop with all the tension and went over to hold her hand out to Amanda. "Hi! I'm Cerene. Want to be friends?"

"Uhm..." replied Amanda with a fidget. "I... S-sure. I suppose acquiring new associates is always beneficial.."

Most people would have been put off by that answer, but Cerene beamed a happy smile at Amanda. "Good! Now that we're friends we can all stop with the tension... It'll give us wrinkles!"

A murmur of horror passed from several lips, one set of which belonged to an armored dark elf who would never admit that she had muttered any such thing.

A happy chattering began again as the girls began to question Amanda. She had never had anything in the way of friends so even Demi-Humans talking to her in such a familiar fashion was something to be cherished. Most people overlooked her altogether.

The gathered gaggle continue to gab for a while (heh) until Yoko happened to notice a strange moving dot in the sky.

"Hey, wonder what that is?" she asked the group while pointing at the speck.

Everyone turned to look and several squinted in an effort to try and figure it out.

Ashe replied, "I can't really tell. I could swear it looks a little like a flying tiger.."

"What's a tiger?" asked Makina.

The dark elf shrugged at her and pointed down at the cats. "Them only bigger."

"Oh." replied the pony-tailed girl with a nod.

Cerene blinked as her enhanced visual acuity began to pick out images. "Hey the big kitty has something on its back... and its carrying something in its hand."

"A cat has paws Cerene... Really what do they teach you girls nowadays." scolded Aerune.

"I still can't really see anything but a blob." stated Nina in frustration.

A few minutes passed and Cerene gasped in shocked delight. "It's Scott! He's riding the big kitty!"

"What? Master is riding it?!" exclaimed Yoko in shock. That must be one big kitty, a really big flying kitty.

The girls gabbled excitedly for a few more minutes until Scott, and the unmentioned Pirouette and Reina came into full view only a few hundred yards away. They were riding atop an oversized and predatory looking kitty the color of Apollo with black stripes, wings, and horns.

The giant cat turned sharply toward the shrine as it passed below the tree line nearby and soon they saw the group walking out of the woods. The gathering rushed over to them to see what was going on.

"Master!" exclaimed Nina.

"Wow, where'd you find the big Apollo?" asked Makina.

"Master, your apprentice is relieved that you are safe!" espoused Yoko happily.

Cerene giggled and blushed at his arrival.

Reina muttered "Gee, good to see you too guys.." as she was systematically ignored. That is until her grampy Aaron came over to speak with her in regards to her welfare.

Pirouette coolly eyed the gathering, but soon locked eyes with Ashe Naile. The half dark elf gazed steadily at Pirouette.

The joyful, and sometimes tearful greetings, continued for a few minutes before Scott became a bit more serious. "I have to report some terrible news."

"What is it?" asked Aaron immediately. If there was a problem he'd like to know about it.

"There's a small town in the old tunnel system between this side of the mountain and Randy Oaks that has suffered an attack. We captured the one responsible even if she claims she's innocent."

"What kind of attack?" asked Nina as she moved into her role as Alpha. Any threats were important to know about.

"A cockatrice turned the entire population to stone. We caught the one controlling it."

"A cockatrice?" asked Ashe curiously. She could find uses for such a beast even if she preferred griffins.

"Yes, funny that you should ask since you will be particularly interested in who we caught controlling it." stated Scott.

"Wait, an entire town was turned to stone?!" asked Makina excitedly as she found a moment to interject.

Scott nodded at her.

"Never mind that; what did you mean when you said that I'd be interested?" asked Ashe Naile.

The man being questioned nodded to her called out, "Hey buddy... mind bringing her over?"

The pick-up truck sized tiger padded out casually while holding Kaina Harm up in the air by her foot. Said foot was in his mouth. The sorcerer general was most displeased, but knew better than to complain.

"Wha.. That.." began Ashe as she registered who she was looking at.

The enormous tiger finished padding over to Scott and casually opened its mouth to allow Kaina to fall unceremoniously to the ground. The swordswoman and sorceress that was Kaina Harm got to her knees then looked up. An expression of shock crossed her face then the words, "Mistress Naile!" erupted from her in utter confusion and growing joy.

"Kaina Harm.. how did this happen? When did you arrive here?" asked Ashe without much concern for her subordinate's personal situation. If she got her ass beat down then she deserved it most likely.

"Mistress! I was in the midst of capturing a cockatrice when these three showed up and killed it!" explained the sorcerer general of Ashe Naile's army.

"Never mind the part where an entire town was turned to stone before we got there?" asked Scott cynically.

"Oh forget it! How could I expect a man to listen to reason!" snorted Kaina.

"Feh, you should stop being so hung up on what's dangling between someone's legs. We'll get the truth out of you soon enough whenever we can get a psychic to probe you." replied Scott.

"She really did that to all those people?" asked Cerene in shock. That sounded so horrible. What kind of person did that?

"We'll find out as soon as the investigator gets here. We still need to contact the league to get a psychic up here to probe her. For now she's under arrest. I just wish I knew where to keep her ass."

Ashe spoke up by asking, "Kaina, did you do what he's claiming?" If they had been at war here it would have been one thing, but they were not. There was no current struggle for dominance between them and the nations of this world.

"Empress Naile. I swear to you that I was attempting to capture the beast. I did not loose it on the town." replied Kaina Harm with a sincere tone.

Ashe nodded at her then spoke to Scott. "She is a subordinate of mine. I know her to be honest and direct. If she says she was trying to capture the beast then I believe her."

Scott considered that request. To be honest he did somewhat believe her story. He was mostly pissed about nearly being turned into an over-sized lawn gnome by her evil magical tits.

"Maybe she is telling the truth. However, she has done this sort of thing before. I can't just let her go with her word as her only evidence of innocence. If you promise on your honor and word that she will remain here without causing trouble until the psychic investigator arrives then I'll remand her into your custody." stated Scott. Honestly it beat an around the clock guard and it would suck having to worry about this chick. She would probably prove to be telling the truth anyway.

Aaron cocked an eyebrow at the unusual judgment call but did not argue the point. She was Scott's prisoner after all.

"Fine." remarked Naile ending the discussion.

Scott turned to Kaina and said, "Behave yourself. Your screw ups will reflect badly on Ashe."

"Ashe... You dare speak of Empress Naile on a first name basis.." grumbled the man-hater that is Kaina Harm.

"Kaina..." spoke Ashe briefly.

"Yes, Mistress Naile?"

"Be quiet."

The sorcerer general blinked and seemed ready to retort but a hard gaze from her mistress quieted her would-be outcry.

"OK fine, but what about those people!" exclaimed Makina. She was upset that no one seemed worried about the people that were now statues.

"Oh yes. That reminds me, may I use your vid-phone? I need to make a few calls about that." asked Pirouette.

Reina nodded at her. "Oh yeah, go ahead. I hope those archmages or whoever can help them."

Pirouette nodded curtly. "I believe they can. I just hope it isn't too late for them."

"Where is your phone located?" asked the dark elf.

Reina flipped her hair over her shoulder and replied with, "It's in the hallway next to the kitchen."

The dark elf made her polite excuses to the group then wandered off into the shrine temple to look for the vid-phone. She needed to get in touch with a few people.

"Uhm." began Amanda as she finally found the nerve to speak up. Of course she had nothing really earth shattering to say and the sudden movement of eyes toward her caused the bookish blue haired girl to flush brightly and shake her head.

"Oh, hi Amanda!" exclaimed Scott with more cheer than he really felt. The man was exhausted, but he wanted to make her feel welcome. He had invited her after all.

"H-hi." she squeaked out before her flush deepened dramatically. She rarely talked to members of the opposite sex projects outside of school assignments and none of them had looked quite so... defined.

Scott spared her a small warm smile that caused the girls, including Reina and Ashe, to frown slightly in consternation. Only Reina knew who she was, but even she did not like the overtly friendly nature the two seemed to have with each other. The Catgirl would never have admitted to anything resembling jealousy of course.

Cerene looked back and forth between the two and pouted cutely. What was with this vibe! She HAD to find out.. "Scott... she says you asked her to be here?"

Amanda's blush somehow managed to deepen even further, and she edged toward her mother in a half-conscious desire to hide behind her.

"Yes... I needed the Guardian of Reason here for tomorrow." he stated with a casual air and a sigh. He figured that he might as well get a few things out in the open before then.

"Guardian of Reason?" asked Reina. She had overheard some of the talk from everyone and she knew a bit about their mission. Beyond that she had been in the dark.

"Yes, Guardian of Faith .. I said that she was the Guardian of Reason." admitted Scott with another half-hearted sigh. He needed to come clean, but there was so much to tell. He had never really told anyone but Pirouette the entire truth about himself. Even his closest friends and team mates only knew part of the story.

"Wait.. wait.. WHAT?" exclaimed Nina excitedly. Did she just hear what she thought she had heard?

"Guardian of Reason?" asked Cerene wide eyed as she looked at Amanda.

"Guardian of Faith?" asked Makina as she gaped openly at Reina.

"Guardian of Faith?" asked Reina curiously as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Scott sighed. "Yes."

"How... How could you possibly know that! You weren't even a part of the Selenite Empire!" exclaimed Aerune in agitation and disbelief.

Apollo muttered something about "Not being so sure of that."

"I wasn't... but Prince Aldemione was." stated Scott. He knew the questions would come at him in rapid fire mode now but he had to stand firm. Everyone needed to know all at once.

"Prince.. Aldemione." said Cerene slowly as though she were entering a mental fog. Harsh images flooded through her mind's eye. Sound, fury, lights... energy... but she could not make sense of it. Something about that name was so familiar though.

"I knew it! It's you. You're Nocturne!" exclaimed Apollo triumphantly with his tail standing straight up and one paw pointing at him accusingly. All it had taken was him recalling what the Guardian of Time had said on the roof.

"What? Nocturne?" asked Nina in confusion. The name sounded familiar, but she had not heard it before.

"I don't know about THAT.. It makes a bit of sense but... somehow I doubt it." said Scott to the moon cat.

"Wait... Hold it... What? What's going on!" exclaimed Makina as she tried to understand exactly what she was hearing.

"Yes, I would like to know why you're accusing my daughter of being in the navy." interjected Saeko questioningly.

Aaron continued to hold his own council as he soaked in the new information. As for the others Yoko was not sure what was going on so she kept quiet and merely listened. Kaina Harm had no clue what anyone was talking about and she was not allowed to talk right now anyway. Ashe Naile was confused but kept her own council in a manner similar to Aaron.

The tiger yawned lazily and folded its wings against its body. The creature was way too heavy to be able to fly but it had done so readily. It did not much care for all the noise, but this gathering was still better than torturing damned souls that did not know how to rock.

Scott sighed and shook his head. "Look I know I've dropped a bombshell here, but it's nothing compared to what I will be saying... Tomorrow. I need some time to collect my thoughts... and everyone that's involved in some fashion needs to know about this."

"But..." began Cerene.

"Tomorrow..." replied Scott to the eager angel Demi-Human in a gentle tone that also spoke of finality.

Nina let out a loud groan and asked, "Can't you at least tell us about the big cat over there?"

The huge feline in question looked up and snorted.

Scott was not even sure what to say about that since he did not really know exactly how he had brought the critter here in the first place. He shrugged. "What... doesn't every main character in a magical girl series get a cute furry mascot?"

Several eye blinks and a few half considered looks directed themselves between each other, Scott, the tiger, and then Scott again. No one really knew what to say to that.

Finally Cerene spoke up and asked, "Um... Do they count as a mascot if they can't talk?"

The tiger frowned at her in the way that only a tiger could and replied in a surprisingly soft tone, "Maybe I only talk when I have something to say?"

More blinking occurred as everyone, including Scott, tried to consider the ramifications of a multi-ton, flying, TALKING, tiger.

----

Scott stood atop the shrine's roof and gazed out at the bright full moon shining down. He gazed at the moon and tried to understand his thoughts and feelings. Life had changed so much this year for the man. Almost a year ago today he had stood out on the street near a lamp post and gazed up at the moon. He had wished and prayed for a life where he could truly make a difference. He had prayed without thinking about the consequences.

Whatever power had brought him here had answered the man and now he had so many responsibilities and people counting on him. He was a central figure in a story about a battle older than history. He was not supposed to be central to anything.

He did not know what he was going to do. Despite a seeming connection and the Guardian of Time blatantly calling him Nocturne once he did not think he was really this world's Prince Aldemione. That did lead him down a road of thought that made him ask old questions yet again. Where exactly was Aldemione. Didn't he manage to get reborn in this Era?

The man gazed up at the moon and considered everything he knew, thought he knew, and all that had happened this year. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the tight vibrating of the air behind him.

He did hear a voice whisper to him softly. "Hello..."

Scott turned quickly to find the spectral image of Sailor Pluto gazing softly at him. She was not as solid as last time and it was obvious she was under incredible strain just to be here.

"Tessa..." said Scott softly. He was not sure what else to say. The look of joy that lit up the Guardian of Time's features almost made the man's eyes water with unshed tears. He had always sort of identified with the character back home. She had to deal with duty and responsibility without ever being allowed to have a life of her own.

"Am I doing the right thing..? Telling them tomorrow.."

She continued to smile at him and began to grow fainter in his vision. A soft trickle of tears slid along her cheeks but she did not answer. She would not interfere this time.

As the softly crying guardian of time faded away the only word she spoke before passing completely from sight was, "Nocturne..."

The man trembled against the rapidly cooling air. The nights were cold currently and he was ill prepared for the chill. For a time he continued to stare at the spot where Tessa had stood, then turned to look up at the moon.

There was just so much he did not understand about reality here. He promised answers tomorrow, but all he really had were questions. He had questions about himself, his purpose, his fitness to lead, and ultimately hit fitness to even be here among these people. Where did his powers come from? What was his connection to Nocturne? How much of the shows and manga's that he had watched or read carry as true here? How about his fiction? How much of that was real?

Scott shook his head softly as he tried to comprehend his past, present, and future. So many people relied on him and he did not know if he was right for the job. No matter how much telling everyone what he knew might fuck things up he had to do it. He had to come clean. It was time to put all of his possible cards on the table.

The man nodded to himself in determination as he gazed at the glowing orb in the sky. "In the name of the moon..."

A fluttering sound caught his attention. Scott turned to see Cerene standing on the rooftop. Her wings were slightly opened, as though she had just landed and had not thought to pull them in tight, yet.

“Master... I, I did not realize you were up here.” said Cerene, quietly.

Scott smiled at her. “Yeah, I come up here sometimes to think.”

“You too?” she asked.

“Hmm, you came up here to think tonight?” asked Scott.

“Yeah, sorry to have disturbed you...” she started to turn away but he called out to her gently. Cerene blushed softly then walked over to him and sit down as he had requested.

“Master...”

Scott reached an arm around her and pulled her close. The angel girl gasped a little, but quickly leaned into him. He had not been this close to her while they were alone since they had first met.

“Call me Scott, Cerene.”

“I... OK, if that’s what you want.”

He pulled the winged girl closer and placed his other hand atop hers. Her face began to heat up from the casual way he had moved. Scott said, “I’m sorry, Cerene.”

She was confused by that. “Why are you sorry, mast... Scott?”

“You being with Henry is my fault... everything you had to go through.”

She flinched a little. The sudden change of topic was not one that she liked to think about. “It’s fine, that’s over now.”

“Is it really? How can that ever be fine.”

“It’s nothing most other girls don’t go through. He was ... rough... in the beginning but after that first time, he became sick of me and kept trying to sell me off. I refused to fight for the most part and when he wanted to tame me, I just laid there. It was my only way of showing him how much I hated him.”

“That... doesn’t make it fine.”

“No, but as much as that sucked I knew it wouldn’t be forever.” sad Cerene, a smile crossing her lips.

Scott looked at her. “You are much stronger than some people give you credit for, Cerene.”

“Think so? I know the other girls think I’m an idiot.” she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.

“You’re not an idiot.”

She giggled softly, tears trickling from her eyes. “Well, sometimes I am. I just get excited, I guess.”

Scott gently gripped her hand and squeezed. “I like it when you are excited. It reminds me of the girl who I met in the woods that day.”

“Really...” She kissed his shoulder through the material of his shirt.

The former soldier caressed the back of her hand with his thumb for a moment before the girl spoke again. “Scott, why haven’t you touched me since you got me back?”

This time it was Scott’s turn to flinch. He had bonded with her some since Henry had been beaten, but it had always been in a group session. “I was not sure what to do. I’m a bit shy, you know.”

“Shy? You?” Cerene bit his shoulder then giggled.

Scott cried out in faux-pain then kissed her on then turned toward her and kissed her on nose. “Yes. I had spent months thinking of ways to get you away from that bastard, but once you were free I had no idea what to do. You had been through so much, and some of it was my fault. I figured that you would come to me in time, but it didn’t happen till now.”

She sat up a little and sighed. “It was the same with me, I guess. I didn’t want to worry you with my emotional baggage. I’m just a silly girl after all.”

Scott shook his head. “Don’t talk down about yourself like that. You’re a wonderful person.”

“Am I really?” asked the surprisingly coherent and sober-minded girl.

He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head upward, gently. He could see unshed tears forming in her beautiful eyes. “You’re probably the kindest, sweetest, person I have ever met.”

Those unshed tears began to flow a bit even as her cheeks grew flush. “Am I really that sweet?”

Scott nodded. “If I look at you long enough, I might get cavities.”

She snorted a little, then could not resist the laughter bubbling up inside. He was such a goofball.

“If I’m such a dangerous thing as that, then you should get rid of me.”

“Why would I ever want to get rid of my Cerene?”

“Dunno, seems like that’s what most people do.” She looked down.

Scott looked at the girl and felt that he understood a bit of her baggage now. She was not just talking about Henry. There was a story there, but it was something for her to tell. However, he would not try to force her to tell it. Instead, he said,

“Sorry, you’re stuck with me for life.”

She reacted as though she had been struck, but smiled brighter than before. “I think i’d like that...”

“Good, now all I have to do is repeatedly impregnate you with my foul hell spawn.” replied Scott in a serious tone.

She looked up at him with wide, expressive eyes. What in the world had he just said?

He reached up and tweaked her nose. “Honk.”

She looked down at the hand clasping her gently and she could not help but giggle at the stupidity of the moment. Scott laughed as well. Cerene leaned into him and they shared a warm, sweet hug. It would take time for either of them to truly feel comfortable after all that had happened, but the first step had been made.

“No, seriously. I’m gonna get you pregnant. See, I’m doing it right now.” Scott stared at her with an absurdly lecherous grin that would have creeped out most people. After a moment he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

“Scott!” exclaimed Cerene. He was such a goof... though she had to admit, that didn’t sound so bad... Though, they might want to save the world and stuff first.

“Yes, cry my name to the heavens!”

Cerene shook her head then started to laugh. She stopped laughing when her master wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a warm embrace. He stroked her hair gently and nuzzled his chin against the top of her head.

She was not sure why, but she began to cry. Her arms reached around him of their own volition and she hugged him tightly. How he could make her feel so much better and so hurt at the same time was something she did not understand. All she knew for certain was, she did not want this moment to end.

--

AN: Alright, that’s the end of that chapter! I added a scene with Scott and Cerene since I knew they needed to talk. No Ero for them alone in this version, yet, but they are building toward it.

Also, I promised to show the other version of that scene in chapter 2 of the professional version, the one where Cerene is not taken by Henry. So, here is that scene. I personally like it much more. :)

It will be this scene in the official version, though a few minor edits need to be made, and another kinky ero scene will be added.

--

"Sir, you're free to go once you sign a few forms and pass your background check." remarked the blue haired officer.

"Free to go? He attacked a girl in the woods! Aren’t you even going to contact her family? If she’s not wild in the first place, then they should have the right to at least see their daughter!" railed Scott. He refused to believe this could be seen as legal.

"He was doing his job, citiz... sir. We will inform her family that she has been captured by a licensed tamer and give them his contact information. Either way, it does not concern you."

“Doesn’t concern me?” Scott mouthed those words several times. He could not believe the bullshit he had just heard.

"Hey, what's the perp's name?" asked the blue haired officer.

The still unnamed psychic simply stated, "Scott."

"Good. Now sign here, too." stated the pink haired girl as she directed Henry to sign his release forms. He had to sign-off on what the psychic adjudicator had determined. He did so readily since he found no reason to argue against her findings. They weighed heavily in his favor.

There was a problem, however. “What is this about me needing to undergo a deep scan?”

“Ah, that’s just a standard procedure concern. We have to verify that you are not a wanted criminal.”

“That’s preposterous! I’m a tamer, I shouldn’t have to prove my legality after being beaten and dragged through the woods.”

“Sir, I’ll have to ask you to step into the prison cell so we can verify your status.” replied the Officer.

“This is an outrage!” snarled Henry. He tried to back away, but it was now his turn to be manhandled a bit.

He struggled, but the superior strength of the Officer was far beyond his ability to handle. He was locked inside the containment cell. A bright blue light flared inside.

The pink haired girl read through the information then blinked. “What the...”

“You’ll hear from my attorney you pink bitch!” snarled Henry.

“You’ll need that attorney, citizen. You’re wanted on multiple counts of attempted D-Girl theft, among other things.”

“Damn you, let me out of here! I’m the victim here.”

The psychic shrugged when the Officers looked to her. “He may be the victim of this issue, but if he has outstanding warrants he is not allowed to tame or bond a D-Girl.”

“Bond?” called out Scott.

“Ah yes... Sir. Can you be quiet...This no longer concerns you.” replied the blue haired officer.

“Cerene and I bonded in the woods, so yes it does concern me!”

“What? Let me verify that!” The detective walked back over to his cell and looked Scott in the eyes.

“It is as he says. The angel healed his wounds using her ‘Sweet Blessing’ skill. They have shared a bonding experience.”

“Great, now this shit is even more complicated. Why do the weird cases come in when my shift is about to end?” asked Officer Blue.

The psychic judge, as that is what she was, nodded slowly. “Given the fact that the tamer known as Henry did not have a legal right to capture and tame any Demi-Human at the time, he cannot lay claim to the angel. Please check the one known as Scott to see if he is in the system.”

“Sure, one moment.” replied Officer Pink.

The blue light flared inside Scott’s cell. Several minutes passed and the Pink haired officer shook her head. “He doesn’t exist. He’s never even gotten so much as a jay-walking charge until now.”

“I see. His judgment is suspect due to the possibilities of an aberrant mental state. However, I counsel leniency due to his exemplary record of civil obedience. Besides that point, it is not a crime to attack and subdue a wanted man even if you did not know the man was wanted in the first place.”

The blue haired girl smacked her fist into her open palm. “Sounds good to me! What’s your judgment, ma’am?”

Scott was suddenly hopeful that he would be released. The tide was turning in his favor! His hopes were crushed, however.

“Unfortunately, the one known as Scott has proven to be a danger to himself and others. He will need to be remanded over to a correctional institute until such time as we can find a suitable sponsor to take him in and help him regain his proper level of stability.”

“I’m not crazy! I’m just not from around here!” snapped Scott.

The judge sighed. “That too is a problem. If you aren’t mentally imbalanced, you are still unaware of the legalities of our land. The fact is, that if the man known as Henry was not a wanted criminal, you could have spent up to ten years in prison for what you did.”

Scott stared at her in shock. He could go to prison for ten years? “Ten years for trying to help someone...”

“Exactly. Helping people is a wonderful thing, but what you did can be seen as endangering the public good. Whether you are mentally unstable or merely foreign to this world, the end result is the same. It is too dangerous to let you run wild. You need to be monitored and educated for both the good of society and your own.”

“I, I suppose. What happens to Cerene, though? She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. She was just scared.”

The judge looked at him briefly then a soft smile creased her normally stoic features. “Such concern for a Demi-Human is rare. This is my judgment. You will be remanded into care of the state. Cerene will be returned to her family. However, by law she will be considered your legal property. That way, even if they want to do so, her family could not legally sell her off.

Once every two weeks you will be allowed supervised conjugal bonding visits that last for no more than four hours. Once you have completed a minimum of six months, re-education and tamer related employment probation you can be together. You have already tamed and bonded her. As such, it would be for her best good to remain with you.”

“I can accept that gladly.” replied Scott.

Xxxx

Scott sighed at the tiny window in his single-bed cell. The constant drip of water outside was slowly driving him insane. When the rain had stopped the incessant dripping had begun. It had been several hours since the rain had stopped, yet water continued to run off of the side of the building.

Three days had passed since his sentencing. The trial, such as it was, had been a cut and dry affair. He was guilty of being an idiot, but innocent of attacking an innocent man. Henry was a wanted criminal.

No amount of explanations or mitigating circumstances saved him from his prison sentence entirely. There had been a minor bit of leniency in one respect. After extensive calls to neighboring countries, no one had record of him. That granted greater credibility to his claim to be from another world.

The man's musings concerning his situation were broken shortly thereafter when a vaguely familiar voice called out. "So, I see the criminal is still in his cage."

Scott tilted his head toward the sound and sat up. “You! What the hell are you doing here?"

"What? You aren’t happy to see me? Heh, you're lucky you're in that cage. What you did to me in the woods would have gotten you killed otherwise." explained Henry casually.

"You keep telling yourself that, asshole."

"Asshole! You attack me like a common bandit in the woods, but I'm an asshole? Really, what's the world coming to?" snarked the man casually before sliding a gloved hand into his pouch.

Scott growled at him angrily. The tamer pulled out a small sphere and held it up in the dim lighting of the hallway. "I went through a lot of trouble to re-capture this little whore. It was worth it, though."

"What?" asked Scott angrily. Something about the man's words began to set his teeth on edge.

Henry laughed in a falsely jovial manner. "Why my pretty little angel, she sounded so cute last night."

"Mother fucker..." growled Scott in a slow burning rage. He moved toward the steel bars of his cage with his body visibly shaking.

"Oh? Don't like knowing that do we? She's a screamer, did you know? Wait, of course you didn't!" laughed the man before he casually tossed the D-ball into the air and caught it lightly.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you right." replied Scott in a cold tone.

Henry shook his head and said, "My powerless little bandit friend, you must be deaf. I said... I had her."

Scott moved his hands up to grab the bars before he spoke again. "A needle dicked shit like you? I must be deaf because there's no way I just heard that."

The tamer glared hatefully at Scott for a brief second then snorted. His hubris got the better of him so he moved in a little closer and leaned forward to speak again. "I was big enough to make her scream. Think about that while you rot in here."

Scott had a vague sense of where the man was at in relation to him. His response was "You like it when they scream, huh?"

Henry leaned in a little closer to rub the salt a little deeper into the wound. "I love it when they scream."

Scott's hands flew out with serpent-like speed to wrap around the man's head. He dragged him forward with a hard pull. Henry's head slammed into the bars with enough force to stun him for a moment.

The enraged man screamed into Henry's ear before repeatedly slamming his face into the bars in a brutal display of animal aggression. The captive tamer broke free and jumped back while an agonized scream erupted from his lips. His face was a mass of bruises and his lip was busted.

Scott gripped the bars again before calling out, "Was it good for you, too?"

The tamer roared out words that sounded like a magical incantation culled from a poorly written fantasy novel. He screamed again as a crackling current of raw energy surged around him. The jail was warded against hostile magic and unlicensed psychic abilities. The etheric backlash rendered Henry unconscious within seconds.

The prisoner pressed his face to the bars and shouted, "You're so fucking cute! I love it when you scream for daddy, baby."

It was not long before an officer showed up to see what was going on.

"What the hell happened down here?" asked a familiar pink haired Officer as she took in the sight of her prisoner's hateful smile and the unconscious man on the floor.

“This bastard says he re-captured Cerene.”

“The angel girl from a few days ago? He shouldn’t have been able to do that.” replied the law enforcement D-Girl.

“He claimed that was her D-Ball.”

The Officer picked up the ball and inspected it. She pulled a device from her pocket and scanned it. Finally, she snorted.

“Unless Cerene has evolved into an empty D-Ball, I don’t see how that is possible.”

“It’s empty?” asked Scott in surprise and relief.

She pressed the button on the front and it opened readily. Nothing popped out. It truly was empty.

“Thank you Officer. I... would you be willing to check on her to make sure this asshole didn’t try anything?” asked Scott.

“Of course, sir. D-Girl theft is a serious issue, especially for someone on probation.”

"So that's why he's wandering around free while I'm in jail?" The irony, the bitter irony. The bastard had been given probation!

Another officer showed up not long after and the two began to discuss what needed to be done. Henry, the douchebag tamer-mage would end up being carted off to the local healer's union before being tried for trespassing. Scott would be left to his own devices.

Later, the psychic judge came through to properly obtain information regarding the incident. Scott was deemed hostile, but provoked and nothing more came of the event. She did pass along the information that he had requested. Cerene was doing perfectly fine, and was even attending special classes to learn how to properly fight and function in a harem.

As the days passed the man worried that he would never get out of prison. Two weeks after he had been in prison, a middle aged couple had come to see him. They announced themselves as Cerene’s parents.

“We wanted to thank you for helping our daughter. We had been so worried!” said Cerene’s Mother, Ilka. She was a friendly looking middle-aged woman with striking black hair and interesting eyes.

“I don’t know what we would have done if she had been captured by a man like that Henry.” said Anderson, Cerene’s father. He was an average looked man with short hair but a friendly smile.

Scott could see where Cerene had gotten her sweet nature. They seemed to be far nicer people than he had been led to believe in the woods.

They talked civilly for a few minutes. Scott related his moments with their daughter and they cried a little after being reminded of the reason that she was in the woods in the first place.

As it turned out the Cerene had been wrong. Her parents had been looking for her for weeks. After some discussion it became clear that she had overheard them trying to figure out a way to get her out of town. She had needed to leave before she wound up as some tamer's sex toy. The girl had apparently overheard the part about how she had to leave and thought it meant that she would be thrown out. They had been looking for her ever since.

Scott told them his story. They listened with wild eyes as he explained the insanity of it all to them. Finally, they sighed and excused themselves after thanking him for trying.

After a short time passed a loud girlish wail could be heard. “Mooo-om, Daaa-ad! You’re taking up all of our time!”

Scott stood up a little straighter. That voice!

Anderson laughed nervously then stared at Scott in the manner of a father who has to accept a harsh reality. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

Cerene bounced over to Scott’s prison cell and lifted up her right hand. She waved her fingers softly and smiled at him. It was a warm, happy smile. He returned that smile with genuine warmth as well.

Cerene’s mother coughed a little and poked her husband in the side with her elbow. He looked down at her then frowned. She led him away, but the man turned to look at Scott the entire time while they walked away.

As soon as they left, Cerene pressed against the cell door. Her supple breasts squeezed between the bars in an attempt to get as close to him as possible. The sight stirred Scott a bit, but he managed to retain control of himself.

He reached through the bars and gave her a warm hug. They kissed sweetly for a moment then enjoyed the feeling of simply being close to each other.

“They won’t let me go into your cell.” she said sadly.

“It’s OK. I’m just happy to see you.” replied Scott.

“Are you? That’s so sweet!” Cerene bit her lower lip then kissed him once more.

“Yes. I barely know you, but... I missed you.”

Her face took on a crimson shade and she shook her head. “I feel the same. I’ve never known anyone who would do anything for me like you did.”

“Anyone would have done that, Cerene. Who could stand to see something like that happen?”

“A lot of people...” she replied softly.

Scott kissed her soft, pink, lips then slid his hands down to caress her lower back. “Well, a lot of people can kiss my ass.”

She laughed, surprised that he had said such a thing. “Mine too!”

“Nope, denied.” said Scott.

“Hmm, denied?” she asked softly.

He reached down and gripped her pertly rounded posterior then pressed her against the bars. “Mine. All, mine.”

She giggled once more, then kissed him on the nose. “OK, it’s all yours.”

“Ha. I win. Your ass is mine!” he said before acquiring a smug look.

Soft laughter was her immediate response. It was really nice to be with him, she could feel her nervousness and concerns flowing away.

--an ero scene would now occur, but I have not written it out. Lots of naughty through the bars sexiness.