FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

HM-05 Mystery of the Zodiac Mask - 12/04/2006

Written By The Writing Team Of Darrel James Vanwinkle & Joanna Leigh Vanwinkle

Quote:

In Japan, Mark is shown a wondrous mask that with 12 zodiac shaped jewels. But when the jewels are taken by a monster with 12 heads, it's not long in coming for the teen aged sleuths to take Tokyo by storm!

Coming up next on Hazardous Materials!

Mark and LingSing were walking around an oriental private home near the ruins of an old abandoned temple and Torii. Lingsing smiled at Mark, happy to get to spend time with her childhood crush.

Mark was a bit nervous about how much attention LingSing was showing him. He was starting to wish that Trina was around.

It was then that the two were viewing a collection of Oni Masks on the wall of one chamber. One definitely drew Mark's attention to it. "What's this one called." He pointed at it.

The owner, an elderly gentleman named Ku-Lou Huong, replied, "That is the Zodiac Mask. A powerful Oni used it once to command 12 demon nations to do his bidding. But one day, the oni lord was here on Earth and a samurai knocked the mask from the oni's head. The oni was forced to flee back to his own realm, but his mask remained here. It has been passed down through the generations until today... it resides on my wall."

At that moment, a horrific flaming monster burst through a side wall and grabbed the mask off the wall. "I'll be taking that, old man! My master wants it!" And he began to flee with the mask! As he fled, however, Mark gave chase, and dove for the beast's legs, causing him to fall forward, dropping the mask for a moment. Though he quickly retrieve the mask, he glared at Mark and said, "You will pay for that, human! Mark my words!" And the monster vanished.

Mark whewed, glad that the monster had left, although with the mask. Then Mark saw a jewel lying on the ground just ahead of him and he picked it up. It was in the shape of a goat. He knew what it was immediately, as he pocketed the jewel, then pulled out his cellphone and called...

...San Francisco, California. Mikael Hawthorne's place.

It had been a few days since Mark had left and a few people got the Hell beat out of them for fibbing, but all in all, everyone DID survive the end of the last mystery, Uni-versity Fright Night.

The phone rang and surprisingly Alex was the one to pick up the phone. "Hawthorne residence. Alexander Hazard speaking."

Mark explained the situation quickly.

Alex listened, then hung up the phone. "How to get my dad to let me go to Japan...? Ah! I know! But first I need to somehow contact the others... They're supposedly all out watching Erina perform that stunt for that new movie she's in." And he picked up his cellphone and punched in Vicky's number.

Vicky, who had spent the entire time since the last mission dodging her father, answered her phone as soon as it starting vibrating in her pocket. Erina had pulled off the stunt flawlessly and was now being congratulated by the others.

"Hey there, Alex. You missed out on an awesome performance by Erina. So what's up?" she asked.

Alex smiled, "I'll watch the rerun tape that Ivan is taping. Mark called from Japan. You aren't going to believe this, but... he needs our help in Japan. A mystery cropped up where he is. Do you think Hazardous Materials is ready for a trip to the land of the rising sun?"

"Oh really? Now that sounds like an adventure. I'll tell the others and we'll be back at Mikael's in a bit," Vicky said, then paused. "Wait a minute. How do you plan on getting your father to let you go?"

Alex grinned. "I'll tell him that there is a college in Japan that supposedly has good incentives for an industrial tycoon's son to take advantage of and I want to go check it out. He'll jump at that because there are filthy rich Japanese tycoons in Tokyo."

Vicky laughed at that. "Ok. I'll tell the others and we'll be there soon."

Vicky disconnected the call and then got the groups attention. "Hey guys! Pack your bags. We're going to Japan. Apparently, Mark stumbled across a mystery. Alex is waiting for us back at Mikael's."

Trina practically jumped up and down. "All right! I'm going to get to see Mark! Oh crap. That means I'll have to wear more appropriate clothing so I don't insult his family." She frowned as she considered her wardrobe. "I may have to do some shopping before we leave," she muttered.

Hel smiled. "I wish I could have seen you guys put the hurting on Dark Cult. But maybe this one will be even more exciting."

Kevin frowned. "Have you guys noticed how each of our mysteries have been becoming more and more real? Sure the ghouls were summoned by Dark Cult. But it was REAL magic. Granted it wasn't as dangerous as our Asgard adventure. I just can't help but wonder what we'll be up against in Japan."

Ivan grinned at Kevin. "Are you afraid, Kev? I know a few retired super villains over in that region. I think it's a great excuse to see them again."

Genie smiled. "Over in their country, I'm not referred to as a ghost. They consider me to be an honoured spirit. Can you imagine... ME honoured?"

Andrew smiled, too, as he stood with Lionel and Mikael. "I have a question... how are we going to get passports to get over there?"

Mikael grinned. "We have the Hel express. Who needs stinking passports?"

Reena hummed. "I'll have a hard time telling daddy about this one, that's for sure."

"Do any of your retired friends have any knowledge of my mother's activities before I came along?" Kevin asked. "If so I may want to question them. And no, I'm not scared. We have proved that we can pretty much handle anything."

"Who cares?" Vicky laughed. "It'll be the perfect opportunity for me to avoid my father. He'll never think to look for me in Japan. And you had better not tell him anything, Ivan."

"All right, here we go," Hel said, transporting them to Mikael's. "Everyone get what you need and then we'll be on our way."

Alex and Reena made their phone calls, while Mikael packed up what the magic cats would need. Andrew packed what little he owned and returned to the others wearing his backpack.

Alex grinned. "My dad bought that story easy, especially when I suggested that Japan was about as far away from Vicky as one could get and she'd never know that I was in Japan."

Reena sighed. "I have a problem."

Mikael arched an eye at Reena. "Oh? What's your problem, Reena?"

Reena said, "Remember when we did the college mystery? Just before that, I promised my brother he could come with us on the following mystery. I forgot all about it until I called home and daddy reminded me of my promise. He said if I reneged on my promise, he'd spank me in front of the entire city of Los Angeles until my red marks glowed in the dark."

Ivan hummed. "Your father has that thing about making things glow in the dark, doesn't he?"

Genie oh'ed. "How bad can this brother be? I'm not familiar with Reena's family, you know..."

"It's no problem, Reena," Hel said. "I'll take you home to pack a bag and round up your brother and then bring you back. It won't take any time at all. The rest of you finish getting whatever you need. We'll be back shortly," and Hel disappeared with Reena.

Trina had slipped away earlier and was now walking in with a new set of 'demure' luggage. "I'm ready," she said. Trina was wearing a calf-length, leopard yellow skirt made of the softest suede. Her highly polished, black, knee-high leather boots gleamed. She wore a simple white camisole top beneath a suede jacket that matched her skirt. Her long nutmeg brown hair was styled in an elegant updo, and her makeup was sparingly done. "What do you guys think? Will I come off as respectable?"

"Wow!" Erina was duly impressed. "I almost didn't recognize you."

Alex grinned. "For a moment, I thought you were your mom, Trina." He winked, then he sat down entertaining a thought balloon about a certain canine beast that he was finding hard to believe that he was actually missing. Garm.

Trina laughed. "Yea right. Mom has been known to wear less that what I usually do."

Ivan showed Alex the video of Erina's newest movie stunt. "And there she goes!" SWOOOOOOOOSH!

Alex laughed a little, though he was mainly still thinking about Garm.

"You know, Vicky, it may not hurt for you to dress a bit more respectable also," Trina mentioned, looking pointedly at Vicky's black leather jacket.

"I am not dressing like that," Vicky muttered, taking in Trina's skirt. "It is hard to maneuver in a skirt."

"How would you know?" Erina asked. "When was the last time you wore a skirt?"

"When I was five. And it was very difficult to get away from my brothers while wearing it," Vicky said with a wink.

Dalton Ranch, Utah

Reena greeted her daddy, then headed off into her room to get packed.

Mr. Dalton spoke with Hel in the meantime. "You're mighty built, Hel. Are you dating the little Dalton Flame?"

Hel chuckled. "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Dalton, but, no, I'm not dating Reena. I am, after all, a god. Unlike many of the other gods and goddess, I try to steer clear of intimate relationships with mortals. I'm merely giving Reena a lift so she can get what she needs for our next mystery, and to pick up her brother, of course," he added sincerely.

Mr. Dalton replied, "Damn. You would have made a FINE son in law. In that case, let me go round up Adam. You can look in Adam's room at his artwork. It's that door right over there." He directed Hel at a room, then headed outside toward the stables to fetch the son named Adam.

Inside of Adam's room, on nearly every wall, was hand drawn, though a little crude, color pictures of unicorns, pegasi, Garm, winged unicorns, werewolves, centaurs, and satyrs. Evidently, Adam had a fantasy fetish.

So why didn't Reena like him?

Reena emerged from her room with two suitcases, one in each hand.

"So, Reena, it is obvious that your brother, Adam, has a thing for the mystical. Why don't you want him tagging along?" Hel asked, truly curious. "Oh, and I disappointed your father. He was hoping to have me for a son-in-law."

Reena sighed. "Adam is a liability and a pain to be around. Every time I'm asked to take him someplace, I end up feeling like a babysitter. I can't stand being his keeper."

And Hel is about to find out something about Adam, as just then, Mr. Dalton returned pushing a wheelchair that contained one of the most handsome male human teenagers that Hel had ever seen. Adam was probably a good five feet eight inches tall, probably weighed about one hundred and five pounds, maybe less, but who could tell. He had fair to tanned skin, sandy brown hair, and blue eyes. he wore blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a plaid red shirt. His cowboy hat rested on his back, connected by a tassel that was tied in the front around his neck. He smiled when he saw Reena and Hel.

Mr. Dalton said, "Hel, this is Adam. Son, pack only the things you know you'll need. And don't overdue it." Then he turned to Reena. "I swear, if you bore him on this trip, I'll make sure the glow can be seen in a blizzard on Pluto." And then, Mr. Dalton departed to attend to chores.

Reena sighed, with a hidden frown, as Adam happily wheeled himself into his room to begin packing his clothes and traveling kit.

Hel stared open-mouthed for only a moment. "I see what you mean, Reena. Don't worry, though. We'll just have Andrew and Lionel keep him out of any serious trouble. I doubt he'll be bored when the magic starts flying," he said with a wink.

Reena smiled at Hel, thinking, (I owe you one, Hel. Thank you so much.) Then, she said, "As soon as Adam is ready, we can get going."

Adam soon wheeled out of his bedroom with three things: a small duffel bag suitcase, his art briefcase, and a mysterious box. "I am ready now. I can't wait to see Japan and whatever mystery you guys will be tackling."

"Wonderful," Hel replied as he swept them back to Mikael's place. "Hey guys, say hello to Adam."

"You've got to be kidding me," Vicky said, eying Adam's wheelchair.

((OOC: Vicky doesn't like Adam either! Wow! Reena's not alone!))

Ivan smiled at Adam and said, "Is that a Model 14BX-23 Wheelchair? It looks like one. They only made 25 of them specially ordered."

Alex emerged from the kitchen with Andrew to see what the guys were talking about. And Alex was in his morphic unicorn form.

Adam's eyes sparkled in wondering awe when he saw the unicorn man. "wow... i just have to sketch the unicorn..."

Lionel smirked, swishing his tail. "Better be careful, Adam. That unicorn belongs to this lady over here." He points at Vicky.

Adam said, "Oh? I thought he belonged to this lady." He points at Trina. "I mean, she's dressed like a noble heiress."

Mikael shook his head, as he turned to Hel. "So that's Reena's cute brother, huh? I can't figure out why she doesn't like him. He's awfully polite. But it looks like Vicky doesn't like him either."

Genie knelt down to look at Adam in the face. "Hi. I'm the resident ghost toastie. What's in the box?"

Alex then blushed and said, "Vicky can only own me if she can get my dad to like her, and that's been Mission Impossible for the last few months."

Vicky rolled her eyes as Trina laughed, saying, "I'm only dressed this way so I don't insult my boyfriend's Japanese family. I have to make a good impression you know. If my dad saw me dressed like this he'd be throwing a party," Trina said.

"I refuse to OWN anyone. I'm merely trying to persuade Mr. Hazard that I am worthy to be Alex's companion. In every long term sense of the word," Vicky mentioned as she sipped her coffee.

Erina looked Adam over. "Welcome to the team," she said. "I'm the resident half-demon. I'm also a stunt woman."

Kevin walked back in from the bathroom. "I drank too much OJ this morning. Who's the kid?"

Hel smiled, "This is Adam, Reena's brother. He's going to be accompanying us on our trek to Japan. I hope that everyone can make him feel welcome."

"All right everyone," Vinnie said, walking in from outside. "I have the transportal prepared for us outside. The reception area is just out side of Tokyo, so as not to draw too much attention to us."

Adam smiled. "This is a gift for Garm. It's high calcium doggy treats with extra fluoride and other nutrients. When I heard how Reena talked about Garm, I wanted to give him a present. So where is he?"

Alex sighed and headed outside to make the transportal trip to Japan.

Hel chuckled. "He's currently on a special assignment for Odin. He most likely won't be showing up for awhile. Of course, you may want to bring it with you, just in case he gets done with his assignment early."

"Let's go people," Trina said, tapping her foot. "We're wasting time."

Mikael chuckled. "I think Trina is wanting to see Mark again fast. Okay, let's get this party moving. Let's go, folks."

Everyone then began heading outside to the transportal.

Adam ummed. "Could someone please help me get down the steps?"

Reena sighed, as she went back and 'helped' her brother down to ground level. Simply doing so was obviously very disliked by Reena to do... but she kept hearing her daddy's words in her mind...

(I swear, if you bore him on this trip, I'll make sure the glow can be seen in a blizzard on Pluto.)

Then Hel mentioned, "While we're in Japan, Adam, I think it would be best if you stayed with Lionel and Andrew. They can keep you abreast of what's going on while we are investigating this newest caper. You don't mind do you?" he asked, looking completely innocent as only Hel can.

Mikael wondered quietly if that plan was wise, as he mentally conjures thought balloons of what all Andrew got into when they were in Asgard... and actually ended up producing the most clues, along with Lorelei's brother.

Adam smiled. "As long as I am not bored, that's fine. Otherwise, Reena's gonna..."

Reena snarled, "SHUT UP!"

Adam sighed, muttering, "...i'm sorry..."

Genie growled at Reena, "What the Hades is wrong with you? You don't tell a... a..." she yanked Reena off to a private spot where she continued in a whisper, "...a cripple to shut up. Are you trying to kill him?"

Reena whisper snarled back, "You don't know what all I have to deal with concerning that... pain in the ass. Besides, you'll never know what it's like because you don't have any family anymore. You're dead, bitch."

Everyone got to see Genie power punch Reena as hard as she could, sending Reena sliding head first through the transportal before teleporting off to Japan herself! (As seen last time, Genie has problems with transportals.)

Lionel whispered to Vinnie, "Is it just me, or like Kevin said earlier... is this team getting more and more real? As in, real hateful toward one another?"

"More than likely, my friend, they are all PMSing at the same time," Vinnie said is such a low whisper that only Lionel could hear.

Kevin hurried through the portal to check on Reena, leaving the rest to follow in his wake.

"Why didn't one of you magic types just teleport us to Japan?" Vicky asked.

"Because teleporting that large a group would draw attention, while just passing through a portal would not. We want to surprise the fiend we're after, not give it a heads up," Vinnie explained for everyone's benefit.

Mikael wheeled Adam through the portal, then added to Vinnie's statement. "Besides, us magic types need to go see the local Arch Wu-Jen to get permission to cast spells in this country, or we're up shite's creek, if you know what I mean..."

Alex looked at Mikael. "I forgot all about that rule. Will you be okay, Mikael?"

Mikael replied, "Of course. It's a matter of protocol, that's all."

Ivan pulled out his PDA Tom-Tom Map-Guide device. "Mark's cousins live in that direction." He pointed toward a few high hills outside of the city.

"Then let's be off," Erina said, leading the way in the direction Ivan indicated.

"The scenery is actually quite lovely," Kevin said looking around admiringly.

Then Hel added, "I have already gained permission from the Celestial Court to be in their territory. I always love paying that place a visit." Hel actually seemed to sigh in awe.

Ivan led the way for the others, until they finally arrived at the Merlin property where 5 large buildings stood, just past the buildings was a large flowered courtyard where two appropriately dressed oriental females were sparring with magic, and further beyond that was the main Merlin household.

Mark stood on the porch of the main house, not wearing his usual white magician's clothes, but the appropriate garb for the region.

Alex oooohed. "Mark is all dolled up."

Adam said, "Do you think we'll see any dragons around here?"

Reena muttered, "...only if they can eat Genie..." Boy, she's being hateful!

Trina blushed as they approached. She hoped that Mark's family would be suitably impressed by her visage. She was duly uncomfortable, but it was worth it.

"I wonder where the sister is," Vicky asked, looking around. "I hope we don't have to deal with her."

Andrew whispered, "Don't jinx us, Vicky."

As the group got closer, it became obvious that the boy standing there wasn't Mark. But he sure looked like Mark. The boy said in a very proper tho accented voice, "Konnichi wa, honored friends of Mark-san. I am Zing Merlin, Mark's cousin. I bid you welcome to our humble home. Please, come inside. The wheelchair may go to the end of the porch where the ramp is located. Mark did not mention a handicapped member of your team." He turned and slid open the bamboo door and stepped inside, leaving it open for the others.

Mikael hummed. "So that is Mark's unspoken cousin... I actually thought it was Mark."

Reena said, "So did I."

"I was just saying what everyone was thinking," Vicky muttered. "But if that isn't Mark, then that explains why we haven't been bombarded by the sister yet."

Trina smiled and followed Zing inside. She paused long enough to remove her boots and then followed him deeper inside.

Alex then whispered very quietly to Vicky, "I think Trina likes Zing."

Ivan smiled, as he removed his shoes at the door and walked on inside. "This place needs a Carrington Security System. Anyone can just waltz in here."

"Honestly, Ivan," Erina began, "do you ever not think about who you can sell a security system to?"

Vicky chuckled, then whispered back, "Maybe he put a spell on her, first she dresses respectfully, now she following along meekly."

Vinnie helped Adam inside, then looked around carefully. "Very interesting decor," he murmured.

Ivan grinned. "Hey, I'm a master salesman. I hope I don't have to give a demonstration later on."

This time, however, Alex was the one who bounced off of an unseen barrier that was apparently all over the building. He landed on his butt back out on the gravel walkway. "Ouch! What did I just run into?"

Andrew turned to look at Alex. "I don't know. You didn't miss the doorway and hit the wall, did you?"

Alex slowly got up and shook his head a bit. "No... there is some sort of barrier over the doorway that lets the rest of you go through it, but it's stopping me from going through it."

Genie said, "That's weird. It let me through and I'm dead. So it doesn't keep spirits out. It let Erina through it and she's... well, we know what she is. But her one half is human, so that allowed her access. And it lets mutants and magical people go through it, too. So why not you?"

Alex picked up his bags and said, "I guess I'll just have to go find a hotel suite to stay in." He glanced to Vicky. "Sorry, sweety pie. The house doesn't like me."

"Now hold on just one damn second. I'm not staying anywhere that won't let Alex in, of all people," Vicky fumed, dusting off Alex's cute bottom.

"Just stay right there and we'll find out why it won't let Alex in. It may be a simple matter of reestablishing the parameters," Vinnie said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Whatever. I'll be here with Alex," she said, crossing her arms.

Mikael found and presented himself to the Head Merlin of the household, then inquired about the barrier and how it was keeping their friend outside.

"Is he human or is he either an oni or a non-human species with hooves who might be simply wearing the guise of a human? This is what keeps him out if he falls into one of these two categories. Most oni are hooved. Therefore, the barrier is keyed to prevent hooved beings from entering our humble home. It's an anti-oni barrier, but it's keyed to hoof detection. If the barrier keeps your friend out, then he must have hooves."

Mikael then said, "I am not human myself, good sir. I am a Salem Warlock Cat. And the barrier let me through. That is why I was surprised that it stopped Alex from entering. Where will Alex stay if he cannot enter?"

"Alas, and please do not hate our family for my saying this, but all hooved beings stay in one dwelling when they come to visit us. And it is within that building over there." He points across the way to the first building that the teenagers saw as they approached the household.

Mikael leaned in close to the elderly Merlin and whispered, "That's a stable house, isn't it?"

The elderly Merlin nodded his head without saying a single word, as he re-entered the household.

Mikael hummed. "I better check it out. Andrew, you come with me." And the two headed off back to the first building by themselves and out of sight from the others.

Alex hummed. "I wonder what the old man told Mikael? I couldn't hear what they said."

Vicky was eyeballing the building that the elder Merlin had indicated. "I think I know. And I know I don't like it," she replied. "I think you were right about getting a hotel room. I'll have to get one also because, like I said before, I'm not staying anywhere that won't let you in."

Vinnie had since presented himself before the elder Merlin and returned to the others. "This is going to be interesting. Apparently, Mark isn't home yet, and Trina is off following Zing around."

Alex grinned at Vicky. "Do you have a credit card or yen on you?"

Mikael and Andrew entered the first building and immediately saw stalls, lofts, and a foreman's quarters. Mikael said, "That might be up Alex's alley. It has a real bed in it. It's not like he'd be sleeping in a stall."

Andrew smiled, as he looked over the odd assortment of oriental hoofed creatures, of Earthly, Celestial, and Onic. "If Alex doesn't want to stay out here, I'd like to. It'd give me a quiet place to practice my moon dog flute. Plus, it might help entertain the ani-, er... I mean, these beings."

Mikael hummed. "Let's see what Alex has to say first."

Vicky scowled. "Oh yea. I forgot about that little problem."

Alex then said, "And of course, there's the other problem... if any of the Japanese gangs find out that you're here... they might attack you. You are intruding in their area without their permission. How are you going to get around that?"

At that moment, Mikael snagged Alex via teleport to show him the bedroom they found. "I want your honest opinion, Alex... would you be comfortable out here? Because if your answer is no, then Andrew has offered to sleep out here instead, so he can practice that flute of his."

Alex hummed. "It's a little sparse, Mikael. And there's no kitchen nor a bathroom that I can see."

Genie walked through the wall at that point. "Then you're going to have problems here in Japan, Alex. I've been chatting with Madame Merlin and she told me that every honorable building in Tokyo has this protection thing set up around it. In fact, she said that the only possible alternative for you might be an inn and tavern in the country which is called, The Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof. She told me that they cater to non-humans there, they serve meals, have rooms for rent, and a hot springs for bathing. I pressed for some more information and found out that it's sitting inside of one of those nexus points that we have all over the United States. So if that's more to your liking, you can try that."

Alex irked. "Every building in Tokyo has that damned barrier? Vicky won't like hearing that. As for my going anywhere... Vicky is determined to accompany me. What will I do about her?"

Andrew then suggested. "Say... if you're going to go to this Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof place, why don't a few of us come with you and do our investigating from that angle? Maybe someone on that end knows about this Oni creature that took the mask. Adam and I could accompany you to the place. He surely wouldn't be bored there."

Mikael smiled. "That's an idea. Vicky and Reena seem to both hate the kid to death because he's handicapped."

Alex said, "Then why don't I take Ivan and Kevin with us, and we'll make it a boy's bonding trip. You, Vinnie, and the ladies stay here and investigate from this angle."

Genie said, "I'll phase back to Hel and Vinnie and let them know what you're planning." And she passed back through the walls.

"I already took care of that. I sent a suitable tribute to the local gangs as soon as I found out we were coming here. I have to keep up relations you know," Vicky laughed. "Your father has no idea how much running a gang is like running a corporation."

Then Vicky turned around and noticed that Alex was gone. "What in the...? Alex?" Vicky did a complete 360 degree turn. "ALEX!" she shouted, taking off toward the house. "Guys! Alex is gone!"

Vicky turned and looked around again. She knew someone magical had to have grabbed him because he had just been right there. She was beginning to get really upset when Hel stepped outside.

"I believe that Mikael had something to ask him, Vicky," he said, hoping she wouldn't explode right here on the Merlin compound.

"What? He couldn't say 'Excuse us for a moment?'" Vicky asked, scowling.

Hel simply shrugged. "Perhaps we can go on into town and see if we can find Mark. I believe some of the others will catch up later. Mikael and Alex were discussing investigating from a different angle."

"Fine. We might as well," Vicky sighed as she and Hel walked toward the city. "I take it that Genie and Reena will be joining us?"

"Yes. Trina seems to be taken with Zing. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I'm sure we'll find out," he winked.

Zing was showing Trina one of the many guest rooms intended for the females. "And this one is for you, Ms. Trina-sama." He was extremely polite.

Vicky laughed as she thought about the ramifications of what Hel was implying. This trip was definitely going to be very interesting.

It didn't take long for Alex, Ivan, Kevin, Andrew, and Adam to reach The Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof inn and tavern. In fact, it was simply an ancient Torii, with a door in the center of it, that stood in the middle of nowhere. The five boys entered the establishment and immediately saw all of the non-human things that hung out there. Alex approached the inn keeper and said, "We need a room for 5, please. I am, of course, a unicorn, and I cannot find decent lodging in any of the other establishments in Japan."

The Ogre Magi nodded his head, saying, "A single gold coin will pay for the large room. You may utilize the room for as long as you are in Japan. Come, I'll show you the way."

Moments later, the five were standing inside Inn Room # 107. The Ogre Magi gave door keys to the lot of them, very happy with the gold bar that Ivan handed him, and departed.

Alex smiled to Ivan. "Thanks. I really owe you, Ivan. At least we got a private room with a lock on the door."

Ivan nodded his head as he turned and winked at Kevin. "Mr. Seasons and I have a side trip to make while we're in Japan, but we will return and rejoin the investigation later. Right Kevin?"

Andrew had already claimed a bed and was practicing his flute.

Adam hummed. "What can I do? I need some excitement, you know."

Alex fuzzled Adam's head, as he shifted into his unicorn form. "I could pose for you and let you sketch me in your sketch book." He struck a sexy pose. "Good thing Vicky can't see this."

Kevin coughed as Alex posed. "Sure we will, Ivan. You know Adam, we are here to investigate something of importance, not to entertain you. I can see Reena's point if you expect everyone to cater to you while you are along. Everyone in this team pulls their own weight in some way. Since you are along on the trip, you should think about doing the same." Kevin walked over to the door. "Come on, Ivan, let's get our side business underway and concluded as soon as possible."

Hel and Vicky entered the museum that Mark had been at. "This is a freaky looking place," Vicky said as they approached. "What kind of people actually like to look at this kind of stuff?"

An elderly gentleman approached Hel and Vicky. "Greetings, Lord Hel-san. I recognize your visage even through mine aged eyes. I bid you welcome to my honorable domicile. What can I assist you with?" He bowed respectfully to Hel.

Vicky eyed the old man closely as she and Hel followed him inside.

"We are here about the Zodiac Mask," Hel explained. "Our friend called us. Is he still here?" Hel asked, looking around.

Vicky, being a streetwise gang leader, didn't trust the old man. She was looking at some of the artifacts that he had on display in his home. The one that kept drawing her attention, however, was a large dusty book under glass. She stared at the intricate symbols on the cover of the book, entranced by them. Vicky couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen those symbols before.

Narrowing her eyes, she rejoined Hel and the old man. "Is it just me, or is he being TOO gracious?" she asked in a low whisper for Hel's ears only.

Hel nodded his head slightly in agreement.

The elderly gentleman took them to where the mask once hung on the wall, and explained what had happened, and how Mark and his lady friend had chased the oni out through the very obvious hole in the wall. He was very glad when Vicky and Hel left his residence to investigate the back yard area where the chase had occurred.

"He's hiding something," Vicky muttered, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Perhaps you are right," Hel agreed, looking around the back yard. "There is definitely something off about this whole occurrence."

Ivan and Kevin departed the inn and were soon at another compound like Japanese home, though this time, the dojo had several young people dressed up in various super villain garb, while older Japanese ladies and gentlemen trained the others.

Ivan said to Kevin, "Welcome to the Japanese Super Villain Academy. This is where my retired associates and friends live these days."

At that moment, a young male leaped in front of Ivan with a shouted, "Hai Yah!" then challenged, "Surrender your goods to me and I will permit you to live, dishonorable American scum!"

In the blink of an eye...

...the young male was standing there in his underwear, turning a very bright shade of pure blushing red!

Ivan was holding his clothing, neatly folded, with a smile. "Had you not called me that last part, I wouldn't have depanteds you like this. Now, take your clothes and go apologize to your sensei for attempting to challenge the famed Notorious Crook."

The young male took his clothes timidly and backed away, bowing again and again, before heading away from the newcomers.

Ivan smiled at Kevin. "Isn't retirement fun? Come... my friends are smiling over on this terrace over here. They saw what I did."

Kevin chuckled.

"I would think that they would teach the newbies about famed villains who they should not challenge no matter what," he said as he followed Ivan.

Soon, Ivan and Kevin stood before a collection of elderly males and females in a side patio. Ivan and Kevin bowed, then Ivan introduced Kevin to his friends.

"Mr. Fuji Freeze. Ms. Tsunaminous. Mr. Shogunsmith. Mrs. White Ninja. Mr. Vault Secret. And Madame Gaiden." said Ivan. "This is my friend, Kevin Seasons. His mother is keeping information from him about his father, who seems to be... ahem... missing."

Fuji said, "Give us some details about your mother and what you were told about your esteemed father, please."

Kevin smiled as he began telling them all about who his mother is and that he hadn't been told anything about who his father was or where he might be. "So do you know anything that might help me?" he asked when he finished.

Mr. Vault Secret grinned, as he reached a hand into his dark cloak of mysterious secrets and pulled out a black book... and handed it over to Kevin. "This contains the boyfriends and girlfriends of every American super villain in the United States, whether they still live there or not. I have multiple copies and it's self updating, thanks to a Celestial favor that I cashed in a long time ago when I retired. The Super villains are listed alphabetically, but the significant others are vastly detailed. It tells all, even things they would not want others to know. It's a very interesting read. I am sure Ivan remembers a few of his own dates from the past..."

Ivan grinned back. "May I have a copy of this book, too?"

Mr. Vault Secret handed Ivan a few copies. "Just in case you know someone else with questions."

Ivan evilly grinned like a fox in a hen house. "Like Vicky Lane..."

"Now this is what I'm talking about," Kevin said, bowing deeply to Mr. Vault Secret. "Thank you very much."

While inside the Merlin household, Trina was quite enjoying Zing's company. "Thank you very much for showing me around. I didn't realize that Mark even had family here," she said as she looked around the quarters.

Zing Merlin sat down at a table with Trina while a servant served them tea. "You are very beautiful, Trina-sama. Is there any way I may make you more comfortable?" he asked with a kind smile.

Trina smiled graciously at Zing. "Actually, I was hoping that Mark would be here when we arrived. I wasn't aware that he was familiar enough with Japan to go off on his own," she said as she accepted the cup.

Zing sighed and said, "My sister and your boyfriend have not returned from their outing. My sister is very strong willed. And was once a pain in father's proverbial backside. But I am very pleased to be your special escort while you are here in Japan, Trina."

"Oh she was? I wonder if she was anything like Mark's sister is," Trina smiled. "What sights would you recommend?"

Zing Merlin said, "I have heard much about Mark's sister. She is having to wear a kimono gown and has been politely helping my mother all day. She only complained one time. My mother then touched her in a spot, and the sister never complained again."

"The sights I would recommend are the Training Dojos all over the island. For you see, they have the most beautiful flower gardens and sculptures you could ever wish to gaze upon. The largest dojo is the Yakuza Police Compound where my friend Akami Sogokawa's father resides. His father hopes that he will be a Yakuza Policeman, like himself, someday, but I somehow cannot see this happening. Akami is not even human. He is what we call Spirit Folk, but merely wears a human form. Today, Akami is probably running around with the others on one of their many adventures. I would have been with them, but my father told me to entertain you or else. And I have already seen the inside of that room once in my life. I obey."

Trina laughed. "You mean that you usually go with your friends to solve mysteries here in Japan?"

Mikael and Lionel stood with Erina, Reena, and Lori at one of the many Toriis that dotted the landscape. "It is said that these Torii are gateways to various Kami and Oni dimensions. Apparently the oni we seek lives through one of them. I cannot imagine why he'd want that zodiac mask. He could have taken it whenever he wanted. Why did he wait for human witnesses to be present? And how could a mortal, like Mark, tackle and trip a true oni? I didn't think that was possible."

Erina smiled sadly. "I'll go through," she said. "It will be easier for me since I am half-demon. Perhaps I can find an Oni that will talk to me. Of course, I'm sure I'll have to make some sort of deal with it. Oh well, wish me luck," Erina said, disappearing through the portal that only appeared for a second, before anyone could stop her.

She seemed to walk into what appears to be a Golf Instruction Video. The only thing that looks out of place is the bull headed Chippen Dale's bodied stud holding the golf club and steadily taking aim at a golf ball on a tee, as a mysterious though soft and quiet instructional narrator describes everything the oni does. ;)

Erina stood quietly watching until after the Oni took his swing. "Nice swing. Would you be willing to answer some questions for me?"

The bull headed ogre magi oni exclaimed, "Video Pause, please!" And the so-called video suddenly just stopped, as the oni walked over to Erina. "Well well... Pentacle's daughter. What brings you to see me this day? I've been good." He made a big grin.

Erina smiled and then explained about the theft of the mask and the unusual circumstances that followed. "So what do you think? Any ideas about it?" she asked, still smiling pleasantly.

The bull kami golfer said to Erina, "Which one are you searching for? There are two on Earth that I know of. One is a fake, but is enchanted to fool the common man. And the other... the real mask... is within the Dojo of a Yakuza's Clan. And they stole it to begin with. Frankly, however, I care not what the humans do to each other, as long as they do not activate the mask."

"I see," Erina said thoughtfully. "Do you know of any reason some one would knowingly steal the fake?" she asked.

The bull kami golfer replied, "They probably thought they were getting the real thing. The real mask has a lot of power, but if someone activates that mask, I don't want to be there for the results. Because it opens the Abyss' Army Gate and releases a horde."

"Well, isn't that just lovely," Erina muttered. "I thank you for your time," she said as she bowed to the bull kami. "Your information was most valuable to me."

Erina exited the golf dimension and looked around. This was very interesting indeed. She needed to get with the others to tell what she had learned.

At The Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof Inn and Tavern...

Alex, Andrew, and Adam, the three A's, were out in the non-human tavern asking about the zodiac mask to every patron. However, they weren't having much luck. As in, whenever the mask got mentioned, they zipped their lips about it.

Andrew and Alex got separated from Adam and were chatting with a ki`rin couple in a private room.

Adam, on the other paw, noted an oni trying to pawn off what appeared to be a yellow crystal that was shaped like a dragon's head. Adam wheeled his wheelchair over and asked, "May I see that please?"

The oni, an ibex headed winged gorilla with cloven hooves, showed the crystal to Adam freely.

Adam examined it, then said, "Where did you get this, good sir? I'm not an expert, but this crystal is synthetic. It's not even real crystal."

The ibex-gorilla growled when he heard that statement. "A hooded man sold it to me for 100 chi`en coins. He said it was worth twice that amount."

Adam handed it back and said, "It's synthetic. You'll be lucky to get 5 to 15 chi`en out of it. You've been gypped. Did this man have many of these items?"

The ibex-gorilla handed it back to Adam and replied, "He said he had to break up a great artifact and had to sell the pieces individually. Are you sure this is fake?"

Adam took it and suddenly streaked it across a glass tabletop. The bartender about freaked out, when he saw that the piece hadn't left a single mark nor cut. "As I thought. It's synthetic."

The ibex-gorilla said, "Then you may keep it. And if you somehow catch the man who sold it to me, kill him. For if I catch him..." And he turned and walked off to either sulk or fume.

Adam then pulled out his own cellphone and punched in Hel's number to explain what he'd just come across... it was a synthetic version of one of the 12 zodiac heads. A fake. And how mad the oni, an ibex-gorilla, was over being gypped for 100 chi`en.

Adam hummed. "Hel isn't answering his cellphone."

The bartender said, "Cellphone signals don't penetrate the Tavern walls. If you wheel your chair outside and try again, you'll be able to get through."

Adam smiled. "Thank you, sir." And he wheeled his chair outside the tavern and tried to place the cellphone call to Hel once again.

Alex and Andrew were once again in their room, both sitting on one bed together. Andrew was trying to perfect that moon dog flute of his.

Alex asked, "What do you think about the most, Andrew?"

Andrew replied, "Going on a few more missions in the outer planes, like we did when we helped Odin and the Norse gods stop Ragnarok. That was a lot of fun, and... while I wasn't supposed to have ridden Frigga's mount... I... rather like him... and I respect him... I want to meet him again someday... to apologize, among other things."

Alex hummed. "The Norse realms... yeah, I think I need to go back, too. Almost every Asgardian that saw me in my human form immediately knew that I was a unicorn. Plus, I'm still seeing Garm's reflection in mirrors, pools of water, and in my dreams. It's making it hard for me to concentrate on things."

Vinnie was busy scanning the area for hotspots of Oni activity. He was ignoring the obvious places, like The Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof Inn and Tavern. He was beginning to think that the theft of the mask was merely a smokescreen for some actual event.

Being that it's Japan, there are hot spots all over Japan. And Vinnie is getting overwhelmed by ALL of them. Probably the most noticable hotspot is a group of Japanese (and other) teenagers chasing a man dressed up in an ugly catfish costume on the other side of Tokyo. ;)

Could it be an oriental version of Hazardous Materials? ;)

Vinnie chuckled when he saw the group. However, he quickly refocused his attention and tried to narrow his search down to the signature of the mask.

What Vinnie then got was 13 individual signatures that seemed less than solid and were scattered all over Japan... and one large signature... but the large signature wasn't anywhere near the Toriis, nor the Tavern, nor the old man's place, nor anywhere else that was expected. It was emitting from a place on the north side of Tokyo where Yakuza trained.

Vinnie slipped away to the North side of Tokyo. He wanted to see just what kind of presence would be residing there.

Hel answered his cell phone. "What is it, Adam?"

Vicky had slipped back inside, using all of her street experience to spy on the old man. She just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than met the eye. Plus, she wanted to get another look at that book. She might even decide to 'borrow' it, which translates into 'she is definately taking the book'.

Adam said, "Hel? Good I got you. Listen up... I don't know if anyone else found out anything, but I think I came across something that you might want to look into at that old man's place, if you happen to go there. A cloaked hooded man broke up an artifact and was selling the pieces of the artifact to whoever he could sell it to. And there is this oni, an ibex-gorilla, who bought one that looked like a dragon's head. Anyway, this Zodiac jewel is a synthetic version of one of the 12 zodiac heads. A fake. And the oni is really steamed over being gypped out of 100 chi`en. I just thought I'd give you guys the heads up... because it appears that there is a fake version of the Zodiac Mask floating around."

Vicky finds the book, and as she is examining it closely, she sees something that flicks on the lightbulb in her head... a printing mark that wasn't actually in use back when this tome was supposedly created. The book seems to be a fake. But if it is a fake, then where is the real book?

Hel hmmed. "Now that is interesting. I wonder why anyone would want to steal a fake mask," he said. "Thanks, Adam, that's really helpful. I'll round up Vicky and see if we can't find out which way Mark went."

Just then Vicky came out of the museum, walked straight to Hel and grabbed him. "It's time to go, Hel."

"What going on, Vicky?" he asked, following her away from the museum.

"I did some snooping around and I discovered something interesting about the items in there," she said once they were a safe distance away from the old man's place.

"Their all forgeries?" Hel ventured with a grin.

"I should have figured you'd have known that, you being a god and all," she muttered.

"Actually, Adam called and said that someone sold one of the fake talismens from the mask to someone at The Rat's Paw & Kami's Hoof Inn and Tavern," he explained.

"Now that is interesting," Vicky said. "You would think those people would be able to tell a fake from the real thing. Let's go see if we can find Mark. I have a feeling he may be in some deep doo doo."

Kevin and Ivan were soon walking back into the inn room that they were sharing with Alex, Andrew, and Adam, though they had seen Adam out in the front area, questioning a few oni and kami.

Alex and Andrew were there, however.

Ivan grinned. "You two look lazy. And Adam out there doing all the work."

Alex grinned back. "Well, he said he wanted to come with us on an adventure."

"Yea, guys, you should be ashamed of yourselves. On the other hand though, he is supposed to be having a good time," Kevin said, sitting down with the book.

Alex replied, "We're not treating him like a leper, and he's getting to meet fantastic creatures like those he draws. What I am worried about is if his father asks him if Reena showed him a good time. If he tells the truth, Reena is going to have a day-glow rear end that you can see from the Planet Pluto."

Andrew just continued to practice with his flute.

Ivan grinned. "Yeah, Reena's butt is toast."

"The way I see it," Kevin said, "it shouldn't matter who is present as long as he is having a good time. If not, then I say we do evil unspeakable things to him."

Adam saw an oriental dragon seated at a table with a kappa and some sort of goat creature. He asked the bartender, "Who is that dragon over there?"

The bartender replied, "That is Hon Dardar'Ichi-san. He's a championship Mahjong player in the mythical circuit. He's playing a friendly game with those two others. They are losing badly."

Adam hummed. "Do you think he'd let me sketch him in my book?"

The bartender rubbed his chin with a paw. "He might... if you played a game of Mahjong against him."

Adam then rolled his wheelchair over and after a greeting and a few minutes of banter, he joined their Mahjong game for a round, claiming to not be very good at it.

Andrew said to Kevin, "I am sure he's too excited to care who is showing him a good time. Unless one of these creatures is trying to get him laid."

Alex laughed out loud!

Kevin laughed so hard he fell out of his chair. "That's not funny," he said, wiping tears from his eyes as he continued laughing.

Alex said, "If it's not funny, then why are you laughing?"

Ivan chuckled, too.

"I can't help it. I was just thinking that it would probably be the best time he'd ever have, and it would be just wrong for Reena to be the one to show it to him," Kevin answered, still laughing.

Alex grinned, swishing his unicorn tail. "Maybe we should send Mr. Dalton into that special room that Mr. Merlin told everyone about."

Andrew said, "I think we should intervene after the adventure and speak on Reena's behalf to her father so she doesn't get spanked. I don't think the canines on Pluto would want to see Reena's butt glowing all the way across space like that."

Ivan busted up laughing!

Kevin, who had been about to regain control of himself busted out with fresh laughter.

Reena and Genie were angrily walking around with each other, when Reena thought she saw Mark's cellphone down a dark warehouse alleyway. "Hold up, Genie. I see something. And it's not Vicky's virginity, either."

Genie growled, "Your father with a red hot glowing paddle?"

Reena grinned. "You wish..." And she entered the alleyway and picked up the cellphone. "This is Mark's cellphone."

Genie hummed, calming down somewhat. "If his cellphone is here, then he must be someplace close by."

Reena said, "Then let's split up and start looking in warehouses."

Genie said, "Hold up. Let's call Vicky and tell her where we are first."

Reena said, "What for? Don't you mean Trina?"

Genie replied, "Vicky is with Hel. I want some Hel back up around here. I'll call who I want; you call who you want. But I personally think I am getting the far better deal out of this."

Reena said, "Um... right. You call Vicky."

Vicky was just beginning to dial her phone to contact Genie when it rang. "Looks like Genie beat me to it," she grinned. "Hey, Genie, where are you?" she asked.

As Vicky listened to their location, Hel was doing some major god mental scrying to get a fix on the others. He chuckled as he found Trina, but he kept on scrying for the others. Once he was satisfied with everyone's location, except for Mark whom he still couldn't get a fix on, he focused back on Vicky's side of the conversation.

"We'll be right there. We found out some very interesting stuff that we've got to fill you in on. In person," Vicky added with emphasis.

Genie said, "Reena was wanting to split up. See you in a few." Then she hung up the cell phone. "They're coming right over. They have some info for us."

Reena said, "You know, I'm really worried about Mark now. I don't give a damned about his cousin, that slip of a bitch."

Genie exclaimed, "Reena! Watch your mouth!"

Reena replied with a grin. "I can't! My eyes don't extend that far!"

Mikael and Lionel had ended up in a quaint little book shop a few blocks away from Reena and Genie who had forgotten all about them.

Lionel asked, "Why are we not searching for clues, Mikael?"

Mikael replied, "We are. This isn't a normal book store, Lionel. They sell magical tomes and ancient scrolls here. We're searching for information that could help the others. Though if they solve the mystery without us, we'll still have a nice little shopping trip to have fun with."

Zing nodded his head with a grin, as his cellphone rang. "One moment, Trina..." He answered the cellphone. "Konnichi wa. Zing here." And there was a moment of silence. "I know you guys need me, but father told me to entertain my cousin's girlfriend and..." and another awkward pause. "Bring her with me? You guys don't know what you're asking. Let me ask her..."

And he covered up the cellphone's speaker and said, "They want me to come help them search for and catch the Ghost of the Catfish Oni. And they wondered if you'd like to come with me, so I won't get in trouble with my father."

Trina was getting to meet the oriental version of the Hazardous Materials team!

Zing Merlin and Trina soon arrived at a group of two other teenagers. The Japanese male was dressed in oriental garb, while the female was dressed in British clothes. "Trina Tracker... these are a few of my honored friends. The boy is Tou Shou, an average friend with moon touched contacts. The girl is Katherine Crane, an extraordinary friend with ties in law enforcement. May I ask where Y-lin Lang is currently?"

Tou replied, "You know how she is, Zing. She is trying to get a lead on the Catfish Oni ghost by using her ninja powers."

Zing rolled his eyes, "So you mean she's in trouble again."

((Tou is Ivan's counterpart; Zing is Mark's counterpart; Katherine is Trina's counterpart; Y-lin is Vicky's counterpart; and there are others not mentioned.))

"WOW!" Trina exclaimed. "This is so cool. I would have never thought it would be possible to have conterparts on the other side of the ocean."

Mark struggled against the post, with the gag in his mouth, on his knees on the hard lava rocky ground, with his ankles tied to his wrists in a mean way behind the pole itself. Before him, less than a foot from his knees was an open and bubbling lava pit. The heat was unbearable. He didn't see his cousin any place and that worried him, for she had entered the warehouse a good few minutes before he could rush in behind her... then he had been knocked out by something powerful and magical. He was just now waking up. And he didn't like what he was seeing. This was the worst situation that he had ever been in. And far worse than that, there were lizard like fire demon oni standing around the chamber, guarding all of the exits of the cavern chamber he was in.

(HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!!!)

It was a desperate mental attempt to contact anyone, but he was sure no one human was going to hear him. He was actually afraid now.

The Yakuza Clan greeted Vinnie and were giving him a tour of their dojo, though not showing him any treasures, wisely, they thought...

Vinnie smiled. "While your graciousness and hospitality are most appreciated. I believe you know why I am here and what it is I wish to see. I was hoping that we could carry on without any adverse communication between us. You must understand that it is with some urgency that I request to see the item you have so carefully avoided even thinking about."

The Yakuza Lord nodded his head, fully understanding Vinnie's meaning, and escorted Vinnie deep inside the dojo to a central chamber that was well guarded. "This is what you came to see. 2 months ago, someone tried to steal the mask and worse... tried to activate it. We stopped them in time. After that, the mask was moved to here and we have allowed no one else to even see it until today."

"I see," Vinnie replied. "Have you any leads about who the perpetrator was or who they might have been working or?"

Zing said, "Why isn't Akami Sogokawa here with you guys?"

Tou replied, "His father, the Yakuza Police Commissioner, needed him back at the dojo for some reason. Something about a special guest wanting to see... the mask."

((OOC: Akami Sogokawa is Alex's counterpart. Akami is a Spirit Folk who wears a human form.))

Mr. Sogokawa said to Vinnie, "My son and his friends have been trying to catch the culprit for about a week. It calls itself the Catfish Oni ghost. It runs like a woman, but speaks like a man. And it can use magic. My son's team have had it cornered several times, but it always seems to get away, leaving behind a weird sticky webbing."

At the moment, Akami arrived. "Honorable father. You summoned me and I came. My friends were awaiting Zing Merlin's arrival when you called me."

Mr. Sogokawa said, "This is Vinnie Cabriano. He is interested in the mask and in the person trying to steal it. Please assist him and tell him whatever you know about this case. I must get back to work." He bowed to Vinnie, then departed.

Akami said, "A pleasure to meet you, Vinnie-san."

"The honor is mine," Vinnie replied. "Your father told me that you and your friends have been pursuing the Catfish Oni for some time now. Perhaps your friends would like to team up with my friends to catch the culprits and unmask them," Vinnie offered.

Akami nodded his head, as he shook Vinnie's hand. "I seem to agree, Vinnie. Perhaps we should regroup our teams and compare notes." Then he paused. "Or are your teammates spread all over Japan, like our team usually is?"

"I believe they are at this moment, but it wouldn't take much to get them centralized," Vinnie replied. "Name a location and I will make sure our team is there to meet your team."

Akami said, "The place where our team meets is called the Dragon Pagoda. It's a teen hangout for the Japanese kids, but the owner is a Surge who allows us to use the upstairs conference rooms for our group meetings. He said it was good for business." And Akami gave directions to the place.

"Excellent," Vinnie replied. "I'll gather up the team and we'll meet you there."

"Mask?" Trina asked. "You mean the Zodiac Mask? I thought that had been stolen. That was what Mark told us when he called. Then he said he and his cousin were going to go off and do some investigating."

Tou replied, "There are two masks. One is a fake. It resides in an old man's home to the south of Tokyo. The other resides within the Yakuza Police Compound dojo to the north of Tokyo. Recently, the Catfish Oni ghost appeared and tried to steal and activate the mask. The Yakuza stopped him, but the ghost got away. That is when Akami suggested that we try to capture the ghost with our little group." Apparently, unlike the HM team, their little group don't have a catchy cool name to call themselves. "We've been after the Catfish Oni ghost for about a week when you and your friends arrived at Zing's home."

Trina thought for a moment. "It sounds like your mystery and our mystery are one in the same. Perhaps we should team up to solve them?" she suggested.

Tou hummed. "Perhaps so, Trina. Do your catches usually end up supernatural or solid?"

"We have had both. Our last mystery actually turned out to be a mixture of both supernatural and ordinary. An ordinary man using supernatural contacts to reach his goals. We ended up fighting zombies and ghouls before we finally solved that one. Before that we had to go to Asgard to help out the gods with a little problem they were having. So you see, we are well versed in dealing with both types of mysteries," Trina explained.

Hel and Vicky then appeared next to Genie and Reena. "Hey guys," Vicky said. Then after looking around asked, "Where is Mikael and Lionel?"

Genie grinned. "Mikael and Lionel said they were going to go look for clues, then walked into a bookstore over there..."

Hel ventured over to the bookstore to check on Mikael and Lionel while Vicky filled in the girls about what they had found out at the old man's house.

"So you see, the mask that was stolen is a fake, which makes me wonder if, perhaps, the thief is going to try to get the real mask and leave the fake in it's place. What do you think?" she asked.

Mikael and Lionel were at the checkout counter when Hel walked into the store. "Hel. Lionel and I were about to rejoin you guys. Did you find out anything?" He then handed his credit card over to the clerk, who swiped the card and handed it back and finished ringing up the purchases.

"Yes. The mask that was stolen is a fake. As is most of the other 'artifacts' in the old man's house. I believe we need to regroup and discuss a strategy," Hel suggested.

Mark sighed, as he saw the Catfish Oni ghost person speaking to one of the fire lizard creatures. Then the ghost left and the fire lizard came over to Mark.

"In a few more hours, outlander... you will be cooked. And the surface world will be conquered by the new queen of the world. No one will be able to stand up to her. Had you not seen her putting on her mask, you would not be here now. We are not evil, but as long as she holds the control key, we must do as she says."

Mark sighed again. He really hoped the others were more smarter than he was. That control key allowed even a novice to pull off near magical miracles.

((OOC: Does that tell you who the Catfish Oni ghost is?))

Akami located the others, including Rat-Su Junkmaster (hengeyokai rat sorcerer) and local movie actress Tay Ying (half kami psionicist)... and soon...

At the Dragon Pagoda's upstairs conference chamber...

Akami was listening to Tou explaining that Y-lin was off by herself... again. "Oh no! She always gets in the biggest trouble! For some reason, she thinks she's god's gift to Barbra Lang!"

Vinnie appeared with the team. "Sorry it took so long, we had to wait for Adam to finish his Mah Jong game. Allow me to introduce you to everyone," Vinnie said as he turned to the group.

"This is Alex, a unicorn that wears a human guise, and Mark's friend Andrew.

This is Vicky, a leader of many L.A. gangs and girlfriend to Alex, much to the annoyance of his family.

Next we have Mikael and his apprentice, Lionel.

That is Erina, our half-demon stuntwoman.

Here is Ivan, our security expert.

Next to him, with his nose in a book, is Kevin.

Genie here is our ghostly companion, thanks to a mistake by Grim Reaper.

The man in the flap is Hel, our Godly support.

This lovely young woman is Reena, and the boy in the wheelchair is her brother Adam, who is accompanying us on this trip.

Last, but not least, we have Trina, Mark's girlfriend.

And of course, I am Vinnie, a surge."

Akami smiled and bowed to each one. "Allow me to introduce our team to your team.

I am Akami Sogokawa, a spirit folk in the guise of a human.

Y-lin Lang is probably off getting captured. She's our gang ninja expert and my fiance.

Next we have Rat-Su Junkmaster, a hengeyokai rat sorcerer.

Tay Ying you may have heard of. She's a local movie actress and half kami psionicist. Kami is another word for demon.

Tou Shou is my friend who has contact with the moon touched ronins.

Next to him is Kawai Thurston, martial arts expert and surfer dude. His mother is a retired super villainess.

Sal is our resident celestial priestess. She's what you might call an angel.

The man with the blue skin is Tsukiyomi, our godly support. He's most active at night when the moon gives him extra strength. It's a little early for him right now, but he lives here in the conference chambers with Sal.

The boy polishing his katana is Singh Loo. He's Chinese.

Zing Merlin you've met.

Katherine Crane is Zing's lady friend. She has excellent ties in law enforcement. My father is very impressed with her.

And last but not least... Don Bongo downstairs is our team's Surge. He claims that his color is red, but I have never seen him wear red, ever."

Comparison list:

Alex ---> Akami Vicky ---> Y-lin Mikael ---> Rat-Su Erina ---> Tay Ivan ---> Tou Kevin ---> Kawai Genie ---> Sal Hel ---> Tsukiyomi Reena ---> Singh Mark ---> Zing Trina ---> Katherine Vinnie ---> Don

Vinnie chuckled, "As it is with surges, we all have a color, and unless it is told you would never be able to tell. For all intents and purposes, I am Silver. Don would understand what that means. Now, on to our note sharing and comparing. What have we learned so far? Alex?"

Alex said, "Adam deserves a lot of credit. He was the one who found out that the stolen mask from the old man's home was a fake. Whoever stole it didn't know it was a fake and had broken up the artifact and tried to sell it off to whoever would buy the pieces. The thief made the mistake of selling one piece to an Oni, and that was reported at the tavern where I've been forced to have to stay at. I am surprised that I could even get inside this building, what with my having hooves and all."

Akami said, "Oh! The anti-oni/kami magic! Yes, it's there for protection, but Sal can give you a blessing, Alex, that will enable you to bypass the protection."

Alex smiled. "That would be greatly appreciated. I thank you."

Reena then said, "I was the one who found Mark's cellphone in the alleyway between the warehouses. I wanted to go look for him immediately, but Genie called Hel and I had to wait."

Mikael said, "We found a clue in the book shop. This might help everyone concerned. It's a magazine article with pictures about the Zodiac Mask when it was displayed in the mid town museum in down town Tokyo. And there is a historical article attached to it as well that tells the legends about the Mask. Apparently, as a few of you already found out, it almost got stolen three times. The last time, it was taken to the Yakuza Police Compound dojo, as Vinnie knows by now."

Tou then added, "But that didn't stop the Catfish Oni ghost, because he somehow got inside the dojo to the evidence locker and almost had his grasp on the mask when the police almost caught him. It was a very close call. That is when we were asked to tackle the case. We've been chasing this ghost for about a week. But for some reason, he seems to have powers greater than we have. We just can't catch him."

Singh exclaimed, "We know it's not a true oni, or the protection magic on the doors that we've seen it run through when we chased it would have made it bounce back as if hitting a brick wall."

Alex muttered, "As I know all too well." Then he said aloud. "Does anyone else have anything to add to this report?"

"When activated, the mask opens a portal that would allow a horde to entire this realm," Erina said. "The only reason to allow that kind of destruction would be to be able to rule over the chaos that would ensue."

"A magical item would explain how the Catfish is able to be so powerful," Hel said thoughtfully. "I would venture to say that the Catfish is actually a human in disguise. Someone that is angry enough to bring about world catastrophe."

"There are other items in the old man's house that, even though they are fake, are more valuable if the Catfish needed to raise funds," Vicky added. "So why steal a fake mask to sell off the fake parts of it?"

Ivan then snapped his fingers. "I know why! It was a diversion! It's an old villain trick! You steal something on one side of town to draw the police to that area and away from the locale of the real crime!" He grinned smugly. "Good old former training never fails again!"

Tou said, "If Y-lin doesn't report in, we may have to rescue two people instead of one."

Zing then said, "Better make that three. My sister was with Mark when he disappeared and she hasn't reported back home yet either."

"Hold on a minute," Trina said. "Mark is pretty good with his hands, magic wise, and surely your sister is at least adept at magic. So how could a normal person, even with a magical item, capture two magic-users simultaneously?"

"She has a good point," Vicky added. "Mark knows how to split a person's attention. One of them should have been able to teleport away to get help. If the person was powerful enough to split their power to capture two people at the same time, they wouldn't need a magical item to boost their power."

"What are you suggesting?" Vinnie asked, contemplating what the girls were saying.

"We've been assuming that the Catfish Oni Ghost is a normal person with a magical item. What if it is actually a magical person with a magical item boost? Otherwise they wouldn't know how to use the magical item," Vicky explained.

"That's right," Trina added. "How many times have we dealt with some normal person that didn't know how to use the item they had and caused all sorts of major chaos? This person knows how to use what they've got to boost their already existing power."

Ivan replied, "A lot. Remember how Lorelei caused all the trouble in Asgard? And the Asgardians never even suspected that one of their own was the culprit."

Alex hummed. "That's very true..." Then his eyes seemed to sparkle knowingly! "...then the Catfish Oni isn't a stranger! It's someone that our new friends already know!"

Zing said, "We know this person? But... who would that be?"

At that moment, Y-lin appeared from a rip in mid-air that closed behind her. "Your sister and I had a fight, Zing. I saw her holding the Catfish Oni costume and when I loudly asked what she was doing, she tried to kill me. She had some sort of glowing collar around her neck and with it, she threw me through a bamboo wall. I got in some good counter strikes, but I couldn't get close enough to the collar. I was aiming to knock it off her body, in case it was controlling her. I knew I had to get out of there when she threw a tour bus at me. I am lucky that my cousin's zip gloves work so quickly."

Trina saw red. "That conniving, back-stabbing, hoe! I'll rip her throat out!" she growled, her eyes narrowing. "Where is she?"

"Well, that certainly answers that question," Vicky said.

"Just hold on there, Trina," Hel said, putting a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Zing, what exactly is your sister's normal power level?"

Zing replied with a smile, "In my honorable father's own words... my sister is a weak pud. But more powerful than a silkworm... but not by much."

Andrew grinned. "That sounds like a major insult, to me."

Adam said, "Insult or not, she's getting a power boost from that item. How are you going to stop her? If she gets her hands on that mask, this world is done for."

"I vote we let Trina rip her throat out," Vicky offered.

All eyes turned to gape at Vicky, except for Trina who grinned ferally at the thought.

"What?" Vicky asked innocently.

Hel shook his head. "That is not an option. I think your earlier idea was better."

"What idea?" Vicky asked, confused.

"We divide her attention. She's still fundamentally a novice. And as I'm sure any magic user can tell you, if you throw enough distractions at a novice they won't know how to effectively deal with it. Then someone sneaky can remove the collar from her before she realizes what's happening."

Ivan grinned. "Oh, so you want me to come out of retirement, do you?" Then he turned to Vicky and handed her a copy of the book that had been given to Kevin. "By the way, Vicky... Merry Christmas."

"What's this?" Vicky asked, eying it carefully.

"You'll love it," Kevin answered with a wink.

"Only if you want to, Ivan. It's purely optional. We don't want Trina ripping out the girl's throat. We want to be able to hand her over to her parents in one piece," Hel explained.

Trina frowned. She really wanted to get her hands bloody.

Zing then asked, "The question I now have is... where is my sister keeping Mark stashed away at? And Trina... if you killed her, you'd never get Mark back. For some reason, not even Hel can locate him."

Genie hummed. "Hel... remember the last time something went beyond your being able to find it? I am willing to bet that if you can't find Mark, then he's being kept in one of the Torii Oni or Torii Kami dimensions."

"In that case," Trina growled. "Lets capture her and then I can torture her until she tells us where Mark is. If she doesn't release him on her own," Trina added when Hel glared at her.

"I have an idea on how to get her out in the open," Vicky said. "All we have to do is make it appear that the Dojo has placed the authentic mask under our protection. She'll come after it and we'll pounce on her."

Trina perked up at that choice of words.

"I mean capture her," Vicky added for clarification.

Trina sighed.

Alex asked, "How are we going to do that if we don't have neither the real mask nor the fake mask?"

Reena hummed. "That would make it more difficult."

Adam pulled out the miniature synthetic dragon head out of his pocket. "I was going to put this in my collection at home, but I can lend it to your villain capturing plan. It's a replica of one of the 12 zodiac heads that adorned the fake mask."

Reena sighed. She hated to see her brother give up anything he gained fair and square. Plus, she didn't want a day glow derrière that could be seen from Pluto.

"Thanks, Adam. If it all works out, then we may be able to give you the entire fake mask as a memento of your trip," Hel said, taking the replica. "I should be able to make a very believable reproduction with this, and a little help from my god powers," he winked.

"So where would be a good place to lay our trap?" Erina asked Zing.

Zing hummed. "I think I know. There is a place where we seem to always lose the Catfish Oni. If we were to take the mask there... we could perhaps lure my sister out of hiding. But I think if she sees me and my friends there, she'll not take the bait. My friends and I should be hidden when this goes down."

Ivan hummed. "I think I should agree on that, Zing. She knows you guys too well. The rest of us are strangers."

In a few moments, Hel was holding a slightly glowing replica of the Zodiac Mask. "Does this look right, Vinnie?"

Vinnie looked it over carefully, comparing it to the real mask that he had seen. "Yes. If I didn't know better, I'd believe it to be the real thing."

"Good. Zing, you and your group take some strategically hidden positions while we 'unknowingly' are out in the open," Hel suggested. "As soon as she appears, we'll start our diversionary tactics so Ivan can remove the collar from her. As soon as he has the collar, Zing, you guys can jump out and we'll see if she'll smartly release Mark."

Trina muttered under her breath.

"Vicky, your job is to make sure that Trina doesn't get carried away," Vinnie said.

"For the record, I'm all for letting her rip out the chick's throat, but I do see the logic in holding back so I'll keep her restrained to the best of my ability," Vicky replied.

"All right, teams, lets go," Hel said, preparing to transport them.

And so...

Andrew and Vinnie were slowly walking along near the 'bait' location. Andrew then did as he was instructed by Erina to do, a good acting role actually, by saying, "...and the Yakuza agreed to sell the mask to you for your collection, Uncle V? I sure would like to see it one more time."

And just as Vinnie was unwrapping the mask and a portion of it was revealed, the Catfish Oni ghost appeared and tried to grab the mask out of Vinnie's grasp, but let's face it... Vinnie had a good grasp on the item. And suddenly, there was chaos all over that alleyway...

...as Ivan slinked in Notorious Crook style and was back out again, standing behind some trash cans holding the glowing neckband in his gloved hands. He wasn't about to touch the damned thing with his bare hands. He remembered an incident involving the touching of one of The Witch's magical trinkets. ;)

The Catfish Oni ghost didn't even realize that the magic item had been removed, as she continued to struggle to get the mask.

And that's when Zing and his friends all emerged from their hiding spots and using their martial arts and special abilities, they soon had the Catfish Oni on the ground with her back to a brick wall... just as the Yakuza Police showed up on the scene with Detective Sogokawa.

The honorable detective said, "Your ruse worked, Vinnie-san. So who is this villain?"

Tou stepped forward and said, "She's been after the real mask all along, sir." And then Zing removed the mask from her head revealing... Zing's sister, LingSing, who had an upset look on her face. Apparently, she'd been trying to chant the escape spell that she never could cast correctly without the magic item's help. Then Tou said, "When her father punished her this last time, she decided to get revenge by destroying all of Japan and set herself up as the country's new queen of the islands. She didn't know that releasing the hordes would endanger the entire Earth. Being a novice, such as she is, she only cared about getting revenge on her homeland, not the consequences of the rest of the world."

Zing said, "When it became apparent that our mystery and our American friends' mystery were related, we pooled our forces and information and were able to set up this ruse to capture the Catfish Oni once and for all. Vinnie deserves a lot of the credit for making this work. He is a plenty smart gentleman."

At that moment, Genie said, "Now make her tell us where Mark Merlin is! If she hadn't capture him, we'd never had come here in the first place!"

LingSing growled, "If that stupid Kami demon hadn't tried to steal the fake, Mark would never had suspected that something major was going down. Then he caught me putting on my costume and I had to make him disappear. And because I was last seen with him, I had to make it seem like I had been captured too." She sighed. "You will find him in Magmadrake Torii. I was using the neckband to make them do as I commanded. They are innocent of any of this. They have probably already untied him now that my neckband has been removed, because the control has been broken. But... I can't open that Torii without the neckband. The neckband has a set of Torii portal codes embedded into it's magic. When I wore it, I knew the codes. Now... I can't recall any of them. I cannot open the Torii to release Mark. And if anyone else tries to open the Torii and uses the wrong code, they'll open a gateway to the wrong dimension. You have to know the right code. And wearing the neckband... makes the wearer pursue his or her most twisted desire... hence my wanting to get revenge..."

Zing turned to Vinnie. "Now what do we do? How are we to reach Mark?"

Trina was growling but effectively being held back by Vicky and Hel. "I'll rip your throat out you conniving, selfish brat!" she spat.

Everyone ignored her as Erina stepped forward. "Luckily, I am able to travel through the Toriis without trouble. I'll go and see if what she says is true, but let it be known, LingSing, that if I return without Mark, or he's been harmed in someway by your insanely selfish vendetta, I'm not sure any power can keep Trina from ripping you apart."

With that Erina vanished, appearing before the Magmadrake Torii. She entered cautiously, not wanting to alarm any of the beings on the other side. She smiled as she saw that Mark had, indeed, been released by the confused and contrite creatures. They were bowing and showing him toward the portal where Erina stood.

"I'm glad to see no lasting damage has been done. Let's get back to the others before Trina goes completely feral on your cousin," Erina said, leading Mark out of the Torii and then teleporting back to the alleyway.

"Look who I have!" she declared.

Mark smiled. "Who has my cellphone?"

Reena produced it and handed it over. "We found it in this alleyway."

Mark grinned. "Good. I deliberately dropped it here when LingSing went to capture me. I knew someone would find it and the investigation would be zoned in on LingSing's hideout."

LingSing growled, as the detective put the handcuffs on her.

Detective Sogokawa said, "Where LingSing is going, she'll probably wish she'd never heard of catfish. Let's go, LingSing. Just wait until we call your father about this..."

And then, they were out of there...

Mark smiled and hugged Trina. "Did you miss me?"

Zing chuckled. "When we first met, she thought I was you, Mark."

Mark giggled. "Gee... then does that mean that Katherine is Trina? That'd give me an excuse to go to London to see Linda Star perform on stage."

Trina threw her arms around Mark and hugged him tightly. "That's not even funny. I was just upset cause you took off."

"She wanted to rip out LingSing's throat when we found out that she was behind your disappearance," Vicky informed him.

"I do believe that it is time for afternoon tea. We can discuss what's next on our agenda," Vinnie said.

Both teams were soon back at the Dragon Pagoda on a large back patio being served tea and snacks. There was a beautiful view of the distant harbor.

Alex smiled. "Thanks for granting me that blessing to make me immune to the anti-oni protection. Being able to walk into buildings is a god send."

Adam sat off away from the others with his sketchpad, and what was posed out in front of his was a very impressive oriental dragon, holding up two large Mahjong tiles in each claw. Adam was getting to sketch his first REAL dragon.

Mikael smiled at Reena. "Looks like you're off the hook. We won't get to see your butt glowing from Pluto."

Ivan handed the baggied neckband to Hel. "What do we do with this evil thing?"

"I believe that it would probably be a good idea to put it away where it can be effectively protected from novices," Vinnie suggested. "Perhaps it can be placed with the real zodiac mask?"

Hel thought about that for a moment. "Perhaps, but I have a better idea. I'll be right back," and he vanished for a moment. When he reappeared he was smiling. "No one will want to wear it now," he said with a laugh.

"That doesn't sound good," Trina said, making a face.

"Let's just say that, even if they could reach it, they wouldn't want to wear it," Hel chuckled.

Mikael grinned. "What did you do? Have Arnie Fleming put in on one time?"

Andrew asked, "Who is Arnie Fleming?"

Lionel laughed! "You really DON'T want to know, Andrew!"

Tou smiled, then said, "So your team is called Hazardous Materials. It sounds exciting. I wish we would have thought of something that catchy."

Genie asked, "I am kind of curious... where did you guys get the idea to band together to solve mysteries from if you've never heard of our California team?"

Katherine said, "I am a card carrying member of the Mysteries Inc club. I joined them when I was younger and living in London. And I was always fascinated by Sherlock Holmes, so it just made sense to join them. I love reading the monthly newsletter they mail out."

"Ah, Mysteries Inc strikes again," Vinnie laughed.

"What makes it interesting is when we have an emergency meeting and we all have to gather together from all over the place," Vicky said. "For some of us it isn't a problem, but some of us have parents to deal with." She looked pointedly at Reena.

Just then, Alex's cellphone went off. And the tune it played was the New York Stock Exchange sound. "Oh boy... it's my father. This should be good." And he stepped off aside and alone to take the call.

Genie giggled, until she noticed Grim standing beside her table sipping on a martini with an olive in it. "What are you doing here?"

Grim replied, "I had both a small break and a life offer to bring to you. Raven was curious if you'd be interested in becoming a historical tour guide at a Pueblo reservation archaeologist dig."

Genie hummed. "I am starting to think that you want to take away my ghost powers. Is that what you're doing? If so, I don't like it. I LIKE being able to knock a cow through a mountain."

Tou whispered to Ivan, "Do they do that a lot?"

Ivan grinned. "All the fricking time. We're used to it. Though I am getting a cool idea where to take the guys next..."

Alex turned OFF his cellphone and sat down so hard that it collapsed the chair to the floor. "Ow! Damn him!"

"Alex?" Vicky asked. "What is it this time?"

"What did you have in mind, Ivan?" Vinnie asked.

Alex growled, "I am being ordered to come home! Somehow, he found out that I never checked into the colleges here in Tokyo! And... when I get there, I'm grounded for lying to him!"

Mark said, "That's hardly fair, Alex. I mean, you were only given the blessing so you could enter buildings today. You wouldn't even had been able to get into the college buildings without the blessing."

Alex sighed. "Doesn't matter. One of dad's financial friends works for the college over here and dad was asking him if I spoke to him about college financing. Even if I couldn't get into a building, dad says that my cellphone still works. So I'm grounded for lying to him."

Andrew said, "At least being grounded won't prevent you from seeing Vicky and the others, right?"

Alex said, "Wrong. He thinks it's HER fault that I lied to him. I will be under house arrest in the mansion this time. No visitation from anyone until he gets over his latest PMS."

Ivan winced. "So run away."

Alex replied, "I wish I could. And I know where I'd go and-" And before he could say another word, Alex vanished!

Mikael face-pawed himself. "Oh boy... I'll bet I know what just happened..."

"It is always my fault," Vicky muttered. "So now what? And what just happened?"

Mikael replied, "You know how careful we've all been over making sure not to accidentally use our Asgardian wishes from Odin? Well Alex just now used his. As for where he went, whatever has been most heavy on his mind for the past few days... that's where he is now."

Andrew exclaimed, "You mean he's sitting in the middle of Garm's lap?!"

Mikael shrugged. "If that's what he's been thinking about, then that's where he is now. But wishes are fickle things... Alex might be in the lap of ANY of Garm's family members. And unlike Garm, some are not as polite nor as sexually nice as Garm is. Alex might be in some trouble depending upon who or what he landed in the lap of."

Reena asked, "Sexually?" She smirked. "I don't think I've ever heard Mikael use that word before."

Mikael growled, "Shush or I'll make your butt glow without a spanking."

Ivan grinned, as he looked to Hel and Vinnie. "Now things are getting back to normal. Alex can be looked for and fetched at any time, but I think he should have a day or two with what he thinks he'd rather be with. But in the meantime, I think this adventure is at an end. So take it away, credits producer!"

And the ending credits began scrolling up the screen...

**End of HM-05 Mystery of the Zodiac Mask

Stay tuned for HM-06 Hazardous Magical Mystery Tour**