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_ Chapter 8 - Real Talk! _

As Junior got himself into a relatively comfortable, Indian-style position, he cautiously took his first glance inside. The bathroom itself, much like everything else about Roy's room, was quite large. A testament to how it used to service many more people for dinner parties in the Skylight Lounge years before. Now, it was a large facility for Roy that had a spacious, walled-in shower at one end as well as an in-ground jacuzzi close by. There even was a 50 inch plasma TV mounted near the jacuzzi. On the single close-lidded toilet adjacent to the shower sat Hanbei, who had a small device in his hands. Closer to the door was Roy, who was fast approaching his friend with a sense of urgency.

"Roy...? What's wrong-?" Hanbei started to ask.

"Moveitgottahurl!" Roy said quickly, as Hanbei immediately rolled off the toilet, allowing Roy to flip up the toilet seat and start "offering up to the porcelain god." When Roy finally finished after the course of five minutes, his concerned friend got a bit closer.

"Can I help you with anything?" the light-blue turtle asked.

"Oooog..." Roy groaned, as he closed the lid and flushed the toilet. He then situated himself, with his back to the wall near the toilet, just in case he needed to vomit again. The haggard, weary expression in the koopa's violet eyes spoke volumes.

"Perhaps you require ginger ale or something to settle your stomach?" Hanbei mused.

"No...da worst's over..." Roy said, rubbing his gut gently. "Perhaps I shouldn't've eaten that 4th steak wit' all dat habenero sauce......huh?"

Instead of answering immediately, Hanbei took a spot on the small rug that laid on the tile floor, facing opposite Roy. "Are those dreams bothering you again, my friend?"

Roy froze up, and his eyes focused directly on Hanbei's gaze.

"So, it seems I am in the right ballpark, then."

"Dunno why...'s been over ten years. But I can't get dem images outta my head. Bein' locked away in dat juvie hell, wit' no light."

"You can not continuously beat yourself up for past mistakes, Roy. As I have tried to tell you time and time again, you have paid your dues, and done plenty more to make up for it."

"...'course I then just go 'head 'n make MORE dumb mistakes," Roy sighed with a heavy huff.

"I take it this has some thing to do with what Morton was talking about earlier? You and Sid?"

Roy's face turned and a growl came from his throat as a bad wound was re-opened. "Oh, dun even...! Ya weren't derre! YA DUN KNOW SHIT, SO DUN EVEN ACT LIKE YA KNOW!"

"Roy," Hanbei began, his tone never rising. "All I am seeking to do here, is what I have always done. I am an ear that is willing to listen to you. Nothing I say or do is meant to hurt or insult you."

Hanbei rose to his feet and started towards the sink with the intent to gather his things. "But if you would prefer to be alone for a little while, I shall grant you that."

However, the periwinkle-colored turtle was not able to take more than a step, before a great "THUD" was heard from behind him, and he saw the almost fully prostrate Roy clutching his right heel. Even Hanbei registered a great deal of surprise from seeing his best friend do such a thing and Hanbei's heart, as well as Junior's from outside, started to melt at the sight of it.

"Look, I'm sorry, aight?" Roy's violet-eyes shimmered with tears as he looked upward at his best friend with desperation written all over his face. "Go on, say whatever ya gotta, cuz I deserve it at dis point. Jus' please...dun go nowhere. Please!"

Hanbei just stood there for a minute more, apparently stunned by this recent turn of events. Soon, a comforting smile crept back to wartortle's face and he turned around to kneel down and meet his friend where he was.

"Now then, let us try starting from the top, shall we?"

Roy picked himself up, and leaned against the bottom of the sink. "They right, y'know. They absolutely fuckin' right."

"Who?"

"You, Wendy, Morton...even da kid. I'm a king-sized fuck-up 'n everybody knows it!"

"Now, you and I both know that is not-"

"Bullshit! It is!" Roy shouted. "My life's a GYAT DAMNED MESS! But da worse part of it is...ain't got nobody to blame but myself for it."

"Alright. Would it be safe to put 'My Stuff, Your Stuff' into play now?"

"Eh?"

"Same rules apply, as always. Tell me what it is you are going through, and I shall repay you in kind," Hanbei assured.

"I dunno what good it could do, tho'..." Roy sighed.

"Well, it is plain to see that bottling it up inside of you has been to no avail. What do you have to lose?"

"Nuthin', I guess. Cuz I practically lost everythin' else along da way..."

Hanbei nodded solemnly. "What happened, Roy?"

"...I suppose da shit started goin' down, soon after ya left. I mean, ya boy was doin' it big. I was boo'd up wit' da girl ya helped me get. I got accepted into NFL Training Camp. Poised to go pro. I was sittin' on top of da world, 'n I'd been able to do it on MY terms, NOT cuz I'm just one of dem 'Koopa Kids'."

"Right. It was your dream that you had worked so hard towards."

"Y'mean WE had worked so hard towards," Roy corrected. "Cuz I def couldn't have done it without ya."

"All I did was merely helped you along," Hanbei smirked back. "Nothing would have happened if you did not possess the personal vision and desire to make it happen."

"Hah hah," a small smile came back to Roy's face. "But it was you who kept me in check. Cuz again, da moment you left is prolly when I can say things went to shit wit' da quickness."

"In what way?"

"I dunno, maybe I tried rushin' da whole 'marriage thing' too fast for my own good. But she was naggin' me constantly 'bout how I needed to 'put a ring on it'. I just wanted to her to shut up about it after a while, so I went 'n did it."

"Right. When I got the news in an email of yours, I was fully expecting that the next time we met, if I did not receive further correspondence beforehand, it would be for you to ask me to be your best man," Hanbei continued to grin.

"Yeah, that was the plan," Roy slumped against the wall a bit. "'Course, like I said, I went 'n fucked it all up. We started havin' beef over stupid shit. First over things relatin' to the weddin' itself, then practically everythin' else!"

"I would like to think that every couple, no matter how picture-perfect they may seem on the surface, is bound to have moments like that."

"Prolly not quite like us, tho'. I tried to do lil things to make her happy, and then it would just be pick, pick, pick, PICK! Then the one time I raise my voice at her, she smacks me in the face! I'm bein' honest man. It took EVERYTHIN' I am to not do somethin' I woulda regret back den. Cuz I know Pops would never hit Mom even when they DID get on each other's last nerves..."

"Right," Hanbei nodded. "Such was the right thing for you to do."

"For like a week or two after dat, we didn't talk at all. I was hopin' a break would do us both some good, cuz maybe it was jus a thing of us needin' some time apart. Then later, I hit her up, with a peace offerin' to take her to her favorite place to dine, take her on the town and then take her to the penthouse suite of one of Dad's best places for some...well..." Roy chuckled mildly.

"Trust me, I do not require a play-by-play for what should be obvious," Hanbei gave a knowing smirk.

"Somehow, I knew! So yeah,...anyway, it was a magical evenin' we had together. Everythin' went without a hitch....at least, until the mornin' after..."

"What happened?"

"We was cuddlin' in all dat post-coy-ee-tus goodness. She woke up first and was saying that she loved me....'n I........blurted out another name instead of hers."

Hanbei's face notably fell. "...Ouch."

"Yeah..." Roy said sadly. "Dat was a wrap after dat. She didn't want to hear anything else I had to say after dat. And I can't say I blame her for throwin' da ring back in my face."

"Lamentably, I would have to agree. I am sure hearing Marcie's name was probably the last thing she wanted to hear."

"It wasn't..." Roy paused briefly. "Look, dat shit ain't important now, a'ight?"

"True, indeed."

"So, when I finally came back home that evening, I was just no mo' good. All I remember is blowin' up at Wendy 'n da others for a lil while, then goin' back to my old room 'n literally tearin' shit up off da muthafuckin' walls. I dunno what 'n where Junior was up to dat day, but it was probably better he didn't see me dat time. I prolly would have acted a fool to him too."

Hanbei nods. "I am truly sorry, Roy."

"Oh, it ain't quite done yet, partna..." Roy added sadly.

"You mean there is more?"

"Mmhmm. When it rains, it fuckin' pours, after all. So, with Sid gone, I thought I at least had my ticket to going pro to fall back on. Then I went 'n lost dat too!"

"What...? For what reason?!" Hanbei said with a bit of disbelief. "Your record as a Quarterback was the best in the area, and for miles around! Did they some how forget to take into account consistent championships throughout your High School and College careers...?!"

"I know, man, I know..." Roy said. "But according to them, I just didn't have what they wanted. They chose some other lizza who had a slightly better record than I did. No interceptions compared to my one. Can throw just a bit farther than I could. One sack compared to my two. Ain't dat sum shit?"

Roy started to chuckle, but it was a false gesture that belied the utter frustration he had stored away in his heart. His face showed forth pure rage as he started pounding his fist into the wooden sink cabinet behind him, making a fairly loud clamor.

"Roy! Stop!" Hanbei said, as he sprung forward and held Roy's fist steady with two open palms that encircled it.

"...See, dis is what I'm talkin' bout!" Roy started to tear up from frustration. "I done fucked up but GOOD!! 'N I jus' keep doin' so!!"

Hanbei slightly frowned before his speedy blue fist connected with Roy's jaw. Neither he, nor Junior from afar, could have hoped to see it coming.

"OW! GYAT DAMN-!" Roy started to shout, before Hanbei's hands quickly moved again, this time to cover his friend's mouth.

"Sumimasen, Roy-dai," the wartortle apologized with a smirk, as Roy later pried light blue hands away from his maw.

"DA FU-!"

"Sssh," Hanbei hushed.

"...sorry...da FUCK was dat FOR?!" Roy lowered his vocal volume a slim margin.

"A promise is a promise, my friend."

"What promise of ours involved FACE-PUNCHIN'?!"

"You disappoint me, Roy. Surely, you must remember."

"Man, I ain't exactly in the mood for games..."

"It was the day you forged a new path for yourself, years ago. The path that would begin the one to your dream. In the time that we had known each other to that point, I had never seen you that emboldened about anything, even less for what came next," Hanbei alluded.

"What was dat...?" Roy queried.

"As a friend that you value as a 'brother from another mother', I was to hold you accountable. If you were to ever veer from the course, I was to put you back. You would do likewise for me."

Roy smiled as good memories started to come back to him. "You 'member all dat, man?"

"As I said, a promise is a promise. None more important to me than the one between friends, family and close-enough-to-be-family. That is the single most important lesson my brother and father have imparted upon me."

"What a team we make, huh? Dat's why I'm glad ya back."

"Perhaps it was not just a stroke of luck that your father was able to reach me and Gaisei for his little request."

"I dun believe in luck. Never have 'n never will."

"Then all that is left is for you to believe in yourself."

Roy sighed. "Hanbei, it's 'preciated. But I jus' don't know any more. I had everythin' planned for what I wanted to do wit' my life. All dat work! Now...I got nuthin'. Da fuck am I supposed to do?"

"That is completely up to you, Roy."

Roy gently let his pink cranium fall against the shelf behind him with a thud. "Dat ain't exactly what I hoped ya was gonna say..."

"I do believe your dreams are still trying to speak to you, Roy. Whether you actually will pay heed to them is another thing altogether."

"How ya think that?"

"You are clearly not happy as you are now, and that is only made worse by confining yourself in a 'box' once again. Not unlike how you were confined in a 'box' for six months out of your life when you were 13 years old. Granted, your sister has constructed a much more alluring means for you to shut yourself off from the world, but all the same..."

Roy sighed sadly. "Yeah, ya right..."

"Have you ever tried to talk to at least Junior about these types of things? Or at least, what happened back then?"

"Naw, man," Roy said quickly.

"Why not? You have another means of support right within your own household."

"Didn't I just said 'Naw'?!" Roy said gruffly, but immediately relented to something softer. "Look, Bow J's my boy, but da kid got other things goin' on in his life, I'm sure. For Chrissakes, we blink 'n he'll be graduatin' then headin' off to college. I ain't 'bout to bring da kid down cuz of me."

"Had the thought ever occurred to you that he may be going through some things of his own, and could have appreciated his older brother's input?"

Roy could only remain silent.

"This is what I have been trying to instill in you for years, Roy. In case you have forgotten, Junior is not exactly that 'cute lil kid brother' that he once was. He is fast on his way to truly becoming a man. This will be my last time warning you about such, but I can not stress it enough. Junior has grown. If you can not, or will not, let your relationship with your younger brother grow up along with him? You risk losing it."

Roy somberly nodded. "Hmmm..."

Meanwhile, Junior from his perch outside, could not help but seriously think about the possibility that Hanbei proposed. Were that it a few mere years ago, Junior would have thought such a thing ludicrous to even suggest. After all, he and Roy had been tight for so many years, and he owed the big guy so much. But the truth was, especially in the last year, the two brothers had not been as close as they once were.

On a surface level, that could be chalked up immediately to how their lives were going in separate directions. After all, until things collapsed, Roy was set to be married, while Junior was actually engaged in his first (homosexual) relationship. Speaking of which, there still was the notion that Roy had no idea that his little brother was gay. Keeping that kind of secret from his brother was something Junior still felt terrible about. But on the other hand, the fear about what his brother would do if he were to find out, kept the teenager from going any further in that area. In that light, Hanbei's warning of a rift was more of a reality than either Koopa brother would have liked to admit. And Junior didn't like that one bit.

But for now, he was missing out on other possible other tidbits to be had. And so, Junior tuned in once more...

"Man, times like dis jus' make me wish things like they was back in High School, ya know?" Roy sighed once again. "So much simpler. Ya 'n me did our thing in 'n out of class, on 'n off the field 'n of course, on da streets with our old crew."

"They were good times, Roy. But at the same time, with each new day in our lives shall arise new challenges. Those times we had together were merely another set of tests preparing us for the next level. From River Hill to Aubrey. And from there, beyond..."

"But dun ya see, man? I had my shot at da next level. I lost."

"You have been beaten down and you have been beaten up. But you have not lost until you have given up. As long as you are willing to keep fighting, it is never truly over for you."

"Dis ain't quite like it was on the streets..."

"You are right in that respect. Rather, this is a fight that is even more important than whatever bit of 'turf wars' we may have engaged in our youth."

"Huh...?" Roy asked, perplexed.

"Life itself, Roy! This world that we live in is the ring, and life is the ever-persistent challenger we struggle against. An opponent who does not believe in pulling his punches, and will gladly stomp on your head, if you allow him to. That is why you must be willing to fight back, especially when life knocks you down."

"Heh...def' been feelin' dat over the last year 'n some change."

"There are many lessons to be gleaned from your father's example, Roy. He has been fighting the good fight since before you or I were born, and keeps fighting even now. And as you are his son, I know you too are just as much of a fighter as he is. As your friend, I am willing to be your 'tag-in partner' any time you need me. But I can only help you, if you are willing to take your part in this fight, as well."

Roy smiled gently. "Ya really mean dat, man?"

"As if there was any doubt!" Hanbei stated proudly.

"Couldn't ask for a better partna, man...."

"It is just a thing of you getting back what you once had, Roy. Then you can focus on going beyond even that. One day, you may take a step back and surprise even yourself."

"Yeah," Roy nodded slowly.

"Better things are in store for you, my friend! I believe in it! Furthermore, the sooner you start believing it as well, the sooner you will start realizing it."

"Just one thing, man..." Roy interrupted.

"What is that, Roy?"

But before Roy could continue his question, his attention soon was directed to the beads of sweat that gathered on Hanbei's light-blue brow. "You hot? I set the temperature for like around 70 degrees..."

"I-" Hanbei was quickly cut off, as Roy then looked above and behind him on the sink. Lying there were an array of Hanbei's diabetic supplies. Roy's violet eyes went wide as saucers as a sinking feeling was realized.

"Oh Jee-zuz....ya low, ain't ya!?!"

"...I was getting ready to test my blood before you came in here..."

"...Yet you was goin' on 'n on, tryin' to help me 'stead of takin' care of ya'self!? WHAT'S WRONG WIT' CHU?!" Roy nearly screeched. He then sprung to his knees, making haste to hand Hanbei everything on the sink counter. "HERE! HERE!! GET DEM NUMBERS!"

"You really do make more of a fuss out of this than is necessary..." Hanbei whispered.

"No, Hanbei! Less talky, more pricky!" Roy ordered.

Hanbei nodded once, and then proceeded to pick up a small, pen-like object. Placing its tip over his left ring finger, the light-blue turtle waited a few seconds before pressing a button its side. A small "snap" soon was heard amidst the silence and his face briefly contorted in pain.

"Ya gonna aight...?" Roy asked, voice filled with concern.

"Daijoubu," Hanbei replied without pausing, as he then went to squeeze the ring finger between his right pointer and thumb. Soon, an unmistakable dot of blood appeared against Hanbei's light blue skin. Grabbing a small machine to his left, the wartortle then placed his bleeding finger against small strip that jutted out from the bottom of the machine. Once the machine had enough of Hanbei's blood, it beeped once. Then the sea turtle had no qualms with sticking his ring finger in his mouth, letting his tongue clean the blood off.

"Heh, still amazes me you can do stuff like dat," Roy said at long last.

"Why not? It is my blood, after all."

"Nah, not jus' talkin' 'bout dat. I mean, how ya gotta do all dem diabetical things several times everyday. I mean, I'm sure da kid 'preciates how he only had to worry about gettin' his nose pierced ONCE. Gotta say da same for me 'n my tat, while I'm thinkin' 'bout it..."

Hanbei snickered. "This has been a part of my life since I was three. Not much more can be said about it than that."

Roy then crawled over from his place against the sink, sitting next to Hanbei and looking over his shoulder at Hanbei's blood test machine.

"...Do you mind?" Hanbei gave his best friend a curious look.

"What? I wanna see dem numbers too!"

"My body, my blood, my numbers," Hanbei tried to shoulder-shrug the pink-capped head away.

"Nuh-uh! Cuz I'm now reminded of another 'promise' I made ya! Ya remember that much, right...?"

"Hm," Hanbei nodded grudgingly. The machine beeped again, and it showcased its results on screen. Junior couldn't hope to see what was on the screen himself, but just a quick gauging from Roy's response was all that he needed.

"Fuckin' shit...! 45?! SERIOUSLY?!" Roy growled. "Ya really shoulda gotten more to eat at dinner, blue boy."

"And I really was not hungry. It was enough to force that turkey sandwich down my throat. In any case, hand me my bag over there. I have a juice in it that I can drink."

"I'll do ya one better!" Roy said as he got his feet, and then went over to a small, cube-shaped fridge that was in another corner. Reaching in, Roy pulled out a small, Mott's Fruit Punch then returned to his place next to Hanbei. "Like I jus' said! What a team we make, eh?"

"Hmmm... Arigatai, Roy."

"Don't-touch-my-stay!" Roy smiled back.

Hanbei initially gave a Roy a perplexed look, before he then got the gist of what Roy was trying to say and snickered a bit.

"I believe you meant 'dou itashimashite', my friend."

"Same difference! Now get drinkin', 'n get dat sugar up!"

"Ryoukai," Hanbei smirked, as he stuck the plastic straw in the juice box and began to drink. He also reached into his bag, which contained a few small packets of saltine crackers for him to eat.

"...Now, would dis have anything to do what ya 'n King Dad was talkin' 'bout earlier? No mo' midnight strolls for ya 'n what-not?"

"Gaisei-sensei must have given him at least some degree of a heads-up, as it were..."

"Have ya thought 'bout gettin' one of dem 'sugar pagers'?

"Excuse me?"

"I saw dis kat da other day with Junior. He had a thing attached to his waist that looked like a beeper, but he said it was for his Diabetes..."

"Oh, you mean an insulin pump," Hanbei nodded.

"Yeah, dat's it! Guy said dat he likes it 'n it makes dealing with his Diabetes much easier. Woulda thought ya have one ya'self by now."

"Oh, I have known about insulin pumps for a number of years now. I just have never really considered them."

"Well, why not?"

"The basics relating to the pump is that it feeds insulin to you through a tube that connects to your body. In practice, such a device should make it so that an insulin-dependent diabetic like myself would not have to worry about having to treat oneself with needles every day."

"...dat's a good thing, right?"

"Yes. However, on the other hand, the moment some thing goes wrong with the machine, as machines are prone to do..."

"Ahhh..." Roy nodded. "Still, I think anything dat would stand to make ya life a bit easier would be a good thing, right? It's gots to be better than stickin' it to ya'self so many times durin' da day."

"Maybe the technology has come around a bit since I last checked," Hanbei relented. "I guess I can investigate it."

"...How ya been feelin' tho'?"

"As you so often put it best, Roy: 'it is what is'," Hanbei said as he looked up at the ceiling between sips.

"Going by what I'm readin' in ya lil booklet ya got here, it ain't been good either..." Roy said, as he flipped through the pages of a small notepad.

"Kisama...!" Hanbei hissed with displeasure. "That is basically my journal! You have no right to just flip through it as you wish!"

"Lookie here! Like ya just got finished preachin' to me earlier, 'a promise is a promise'! Dat's all there is to it! So nyah!!" Roy stuck out his tongue at Hanbei.

Hanbei snorted, knowing when he was beaten.

"Sheesh....Dr. Lawrence is gonna have ya head on a platter, if me 'n Dad don't get to ya first!" Roy said. "These readings be all over da damn place from these last few months alone! What had happened?!"

Hanbei sighed softly. "It is difficult to ascertain. I ate decently and health-consciously, I ended up getting plenty of exercise and I regulated myself accordingly the entire time. I have done everything a 'good diabetic' should do."

"Aight den...what's on ya mind?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, dun even try to front! If it ain't nuthin' ya doin' on da physical tip, obviously it's sumthin' wrong wit ya otherwise! So, c'mon! Out wit' it already! 'Sides, the rules of 'My Stuff, Your Stuff' are still very much in play, Bei-Bei!"

"Well....hm," Hanbei started to muse.

"How 'bout we start wit' da fam? Ya were supposed to be meetin' wit' relatives ya ain't seen since ya was lil, right?"

"Indeed. That was...disappointing, to say the least," Hanbei said nonchalantly.

"Eh? Wha chu mean by that?"

"It bears not repeating."

"Hey, HEY! Dat ain't how dis is supposed to work, muthafucker! I told ya my lil triflin'-ass sob story 'n ya supposed to RECIPROCATE!"

"Fine," Hanbei said. "In any case, yes, I did get to meet Kagami family in Japan that I have not seen since long before my father passed. It was what I had hoped to be the high point of my travels with Gaisei out east. Regrettably, things did not exactly pan out as I would have liked."

"Aw, really?"

Hanbei nodded glumly. "It is a funny thing, being what I am, a Japanese of Brazilian birth. To most Japanese, I am not one of them and I could never hope to integrate into their society. I am just as much a 'gaijin' to them as you and Junior would be. I knew that to be true, and was willing to accept that from strangers who do not know me from Adam. I guess I was expecting a bit more from my father's relatives. When they saw me, all they saw was some one who was not like them. I suppose my lighter complexion does not help in the least..."

"Aw, man..."

"The only one who actually was glad to see me was my uncle, Sabu, my father's younger brother. To him, I am the last vestige of his brother in this world and he welcomed me with open arms. But everybody else, including cousins I have that are my own age, just treated me with such indifference."

"Well ain't dat sum shit? Really sorry to hear dat kinda shit happened. I knew ya was talkin' 'bout it a lot before you left."

"I just got over it, like I did a number of other disappointments in my life."

"C'mon man, dun say such shit wit' a straight face..."

"There is nothing to be gained from wasting time, energy and emotions over such."

"Again! C'MON! I mean, I ain't sayin' ya gotta break down in tears like sum bitches after watchin' a Lifetime special, but I wouldn't think of ya any less cuz ya honestly felt hurt from sumthin' like dat! I know I WOULD!"

"And that perhaps is where we truly differ, my friend. I say it is better for one to keep moving and not linger over such that will only serve to slow one down."

"Know what I say to dat? FUCK DAT SHIT. You may like to think of ya'self as a machine, bruh, but ya ain't. These blood sugar numbers are all da evidence I need! Now, obviously, ya bottlin' up so much stuff, dat ya body itself is wildin' out as a result wit' these numbers! So, ya gonna start bein' real wit' me, or what?"

"Very well, you wish to know the truth?!" Hanbei snapped under repressed stress. "It made me feel positively DEJECTED. I am just as much of a Kagami as they are, but I was certainly not treated as one. Instead, they MOCKED ME! All they needed to know was that I came from Brazil and then they proceeded to call me degrading things like 'Samba'! Young and old alike! Such things cut into me more than I would have preferred to give credit to."

Roy reached out a hand to pat his friend on his shell-less back. "Yep. Dat's sum bullshit, man. An' in a lot of ways, I get ya."

"In what ways?" Hanbei asked.

"Well, between you 'n me? There's sum good reasons ya don't see us talkin' much about da other members of the Koopa fam dat much. Da beef between Dad 'n Grandpa is just da tip of da iceberg. Lot of us jus' dun get along. Whether cuz they be hatin' cuz Dad's da one in control of da business 'n gets da paper, or whatever. Dat's jus' wit' da family dat we know about! There be others, too..."

"...others?"

"It ain't no secret dat da likes of our 'beloved' Grandpa Rufus has mos' def been gettin' it in on da side. Before 'n after Grandma died, if what I've heard Dad say is true. So every so often, it seems like some random schmucks comin' out da woodwork, who may or may not be blood. It got even more interestin' once Myface started to get popular! Ya wouldn't believe sum of da lizzas dat be tryin' to holla....like dis one guy named Darin tried to hit me up years ago. Another guy named Darius, too. Den dis other guy looked some sort of crazy mix between a Koopa and an Otter. Haven't responded to dat guy's friend request yet, come to think of it. Hell, even Junior got a shout out from dis one kid named Will dat he ain't never heard of before a day in his life. But da kid's been blowin' up Bow J's Inbox 'n tryin' to hit him up on IM ever since."

"Interesting," Hanbei smirked.

"Dat's one way of puttin' it!" Roy chuckled lightly. "On dat note, wouldn't be surprised if dat 'Melvin' guy with da funny-ass last name we saw in dat bar years ago was 'family' too."

"I believe his name was 'Calvin', actually..." Hanbei corrected.

"Yeah, yeah. Still, all that said and done? Maybe they family, maybe they ain't. But King Dad really only cares about da Koopas under his roof. Can't say I blame 'em."

"Indeed. You at least have always had that much."

"Well, hey, it's not like we dun drive each other crazy! Even Bow J, much as I love him, can certainly pull his ass at times."

"Well, I never!" Junior said to himself, with mock indignation.

"But you get what I am talking about, right? As much you all certainly can get on each other's nerves, you have always had a 'nuclear family' unit to fall back on. That is the kind of thing I have missed the most as the years went by."

Roy nodded. "I getcha. I jus' wish dat ya coulda had a better time in Japan."

"It was not a total loss, actually. I got to meet more of my father and my uncle's other family in the process."

"Oh? Ya mean ya got other blood relatives out there?"

"...No, Roy. I meant my 'other' family."

"Oh. OH!" Roy said as the meaning of his light blue friend's context got to him. "Well...how did dat go?"

"Believe it or not? Comparably speaking, it was much more what I would have expected from my 'blood' relatives. True, the only one I was actually related to, amongst those assembled, was my uncle who is the current head of the family. However, they came to respect me not only because of that link, but as an individual. They actually accepted me."

"Now, dat's interestin'."

"True, but I guess that speaks to a lot of the 'culture', itself. Amongst the Kagami, I was seen as an outsider. But amongst the Reihou Clan, I was readily seen as one of them."

"Heh...leave it to da gangstas to make up for what blood couldn't do..."

"It is not as an odd occurrence as you may think. Historically, Yakuza syndicates did more to welcome those who were discarded and forgotten by Japanese society. That is how their numbers and influence grew throughout the ages."

"Huh..." Roy nodded.

"While I was there, I suppose the strongest bond I made was with a man named Morichika. He is around Ludwig's age. Believe it or not, the man is none other than the son of my adopted father and our teacher, Gaisei, himself."

"GET DA FUCK OUTTA HERE!!" Roy's violet eyes widened. "Never woulda imagined DAT GUY of all people gettin' his life on too! How did DAT happen?!"

"In an interesting tale related to me, it turned out that Gaisei had a brief affair with a woman, brought over to Japan through...usual business proceedings in Hawaii. When she was later deported back to Hawaii after an interpol raid, neither he or she had any idea that she was carrying his child. Said child, Morichika, would eventually find his own way back to Japan and his father, nearly 20 years later, after enduring plenty of hardships of his own."

"Dat so...? So what's he like?"

"It is likely that you both would either hit it off, and/or hit each other in the face. You have quite a bit in common with each other," Hanbei smirked. "Right down to having an amusing laugh pattern."

"Hah!" Roy guffawed.

"Here is a picture of him..." Hanbei said, as he dug into his bag, and pulled out his wallet. He then flipped it open, allowing Roy to see a picture that was in one of the compartments.

"A BlackGrowlmon, huh? Well, ya def can see he got sum of dat GaiOumon in him. Right down to dat mane of silvery-white hair..."

"Yeah, it is only a pity he never got to meet his father until so many years later. But yes, he is a nice guy. Even though the time we spent together was not that long, he treated me as if I was the little, adopted brother that he never had. By the end of it, I believe he truly earned me addressing him as 'Aniki'."

"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" Roy said. "How does dis lizza get to know ya for a couple o' months, and yet HE gets the 'Aniki' title? I've only been knowin' ya half of our lives!"

Hanbei snickered. "Why Roy, I never would have imagined you as the 'jealous type'."

"...Hey, I'm just interested in what's fair, is all I'm sayin'!"

"Have you even bothered to look up anything that I have been calling you in these last few years?"

"Nah...not really," Roy shrugged. "I do like the way they sound, tho'! 'Cept dat damn 'kumquat'...!"

"Figures," Hanbei snorted. "But anyway, for the sake of example...when I call you 'Roy-dai', it is a play on words. It is inspired by the Japanese term, 'kyoudai', which is a word meaning 'brother'. In other words, I have been calling you my 'brother' since we were kids."

"Ah, really? Dat's wassup! Ya even made a special term up, just for me!" Roy beamed.

Hanbei smiled. "Anyway, the main thing I took away from our time together, besides some nice new skills to add to my repertoire, was an affirmation of what my father taught me. The bond of 'family' certainly does not have to be limited by blood. I was just glad that Chika was there to remind me of that before I lost sight of it."

"Well, hey! Dun forget ya Koopa family, either!"

"Of course not. Which is why I think it is...time that I told you something, Roy."

"Hm? Wha'chu talkin' 'bout, Bei-Bei?"

"There was something else that I picked up from my time with my Aniki. Another reminder of something that I have been meaning to tell you for quite some time now."

"Oh?" Roy said with increased interest. "What's dat about?"

Hanbei took a long, deep breath, with a bit of a pink blush seen around his dark blue dimples. "I have had long time to think this over. I feel bad that I have kept you in the dark about it for so long, honestly..."

"Well, hey...sometimes it be like dat. Things can't be rushed before they ready, right?" Roy then looked his friend right in the eyes. "Ya got my undivided attention, Bei-Bei. Go 'head."

"Alright," Hanbei began. "Roy, the truth is..."

"Yeah?" Roy asked, leaning in a bit. Outside, Junior himself found himself leaning forward closer to the door, not wanting to miss a bit of what Hanbei was ready to say.

"The truth is..."

"C'mon, man! Come wit' it already!"

"The truth is...all this time I have been lying to all of you under a false context. 'Hanbei Kagami' is not my true name."

"Wait....WHAT?!" Roy's eyes almost bugged out of their head. "Maybe I got a lil bit too much ear wax in my earholes! Run dat by me again...!?"

"It is true. 'Hanbei Kagami' is not really the full extent of my name. Rather, 'Hanbei' is my middle name."

"So then....what IS your first name then...?!"

"Diogo. Diogo Hanbei Kagami."

"DIOGO?!" Junior was taken aback. It may not have been quite what he had been expecting, or rather hoping, but he still ended up almost falling backwards in surprise. "MIND. BLOWN."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, BACK DAT SHIT UP!!! All dis time we've only known ya by ya middle name!?"

"There is a method to the 'madness', as it were. Like most third-generation Brazilian-Japanese children, I was very interested in trying to re-capture my Japanese identity. So, for a number of years, I insisted on going by my middle name. Humoring me, my brother and my father went along with it. As time went on, I eventually grew out of the phase and came to accept both sides of my heritage. However, you, Junior and everybody else had known me as 'Hanbei'. So it just did more to stick."

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaat damn. Ya just got around to tellin' me 'bout it now?!"

The sea turtle continued to blush. "I have nothing to offer but my humblest apologies, my friend."

Roy chuckled. "Hey, it's coo'. Can perfectly understand keepin' a secret jus' for da sake of not rockin' da boat. Does any body else know?"

"Well, Gaisei, of course. Morichika is another. And Jonathan, too, for that matter."

"How'd dat come 'bout?"

"That was more of a thing where I had to list my legal name for his paperwork. When I started calling him 'Jojo', he got a kick out of it, based on the obvious in-joke relating to our names."

"Ora Ora!" Roy started with a smile.

"Muda muda!" the wartortle returned. "You get it. Anyway, since I did not want the cat to let it out of the bag, I asked him to just keep it quiet. In exchange...he gets to call me 'Hanny'."

"Hah!" Roy laughed again.

"The twins know, as well, for similar reasons. Gaisei may technically be their legal guardian, but I was the one who went and saw about their paperwork getting through. They are more my wards, anyway. But in any case, I wanted you to be the first Koopa to know the truth. I intended to let Junior and the others know as the opportunity presented itself."

"Well, hey now! No need to rush..."

"Is that the 'jealousy' again...?" the light blue one chuckled.

"Aight, fine! Maybe I AM a lil jealous! Or maybe it's jus' da fact dat you MY homie, yet everybody else wants to get in on MY thing! I start to call you 'Bei-Bei', then EVERYBODY wants to get in on it. Ms. Thang wants to call ya 'Bei-by'. Larry wants to call you 'B'. Shit, da only one who's bein' original is Bow J when he calls ya dat 'knee-can' thing."

"Nii-chan, Roy."

"Same difference! But anyway, ya can let 'em all know...later, k? Lemme get a lil time to get used to callin' ya dat first, Hanbei...or should I say Diogo!"

"As you wish."

"Hell, maybe I might start callin' ya 'Gogo' or sumthin' like dat!"

"After the genre of music...? Jojo might like that. The twins like to call me 'Dee Dee', however, and I can not say I appreciate that."

"Dee Dee get out of my LABOR-A-TORY!!!" Roy chuckled.

"You should not desire for me to hurt you, Roy," Hanbei threatened with a smirk. "Besides, they have not even seen that show yet."

"We'll have to fix that! But speakin' of ya puttin' a hurtin' on things..."

"Hm?"

"I know dem kids prolly saw ya give some one an apocalyptic beat-down some time while they was rollin' wit' ya! Otherwise, they wouldn't have threatened our resident ODB like dat at dinner time! So, what had happened?"

"Tch. Blast those kids...!"

"C'mon, ya public is so eager to know jus' how ya waxed dat ass dis time!" Roy gave a toothy grin.

"It was not like that. At all."

"Details, Gogo! Dat's da only way ya gonna get my yellow ass to shut up about it!"

"You must promise to keep this quiet, alright? Promise me that!" the wartortle urged.

"Hey, it's cool, man. My name ain't Morton 'Big Mouth' Koopa, 'n I know how to keep things quiet as kept!"

"...Very well," Hanbei began. "It actually occurred just shortly after the twins and I met each for the first time over in Kowloon, Hong Kong, while Gaisei and I were there on Reihou-related business. At that time, they lived on the streets, living off of whatever means they could get their hands on. Fate would see that our paths would cross, when they stole one of my bags when I was out shopping alone, and tried to make off with it.

Truth be told, there was nothing in that bag that was irreplaceable. But it was the principal of the thing that bothered me the most. So, with the tracking device that I had placed in the bag being my guide, I went alone and tracked them down to one of the seedier parts of Kowloon. My nose was able to do the rest."

"Ya nose?" Roy asked.

"How else do you think I was able to find Junior so well years ago, whenever he wanted to play hide-n-seek? My nose is pretty sensitive, and the smell of a little boy who did not like to take baths was hard for me to miss," the sea turtle gave a small smile.

"Hmmph!" Junior mused to himself. "I'll have him know I grew out of that years ago! The Bowser Jr. of today values his hygiene!"

"Hah, ya lil cheater! So, what happened next?" Roy pressed further.

"Well, I finally found the boys again in the back alley of an abandoned bar, but I could not have imagined what would happen when I did. While the boys were not gang members themselves, they were still under the 'jurisdiction' of one of the smaller crime bosses in the area, a Tyrannomon by the name of Zong Wu. It turned out he was the one who had the boys lower themselves to petty thievery, just for them to have something to eat every few days.

As I watched from my vantage point, he was not pleased in the least that all the boys were able to steal this time was a bag consisting a bunch of inexpensive pajamas and underwear. The bolder and older twin, Jimmy, finally stood up to him, but only got rewarded with the butt of a pistol to his face, knocking him to the ground.

With his gun trained on the boys, it was plain to see that he thrived off the fear and power he had over them. And then, I saw the look in eyes of the younger twin, Billy. I can honestly say that I had no aspirations of being a hero. That was always your ambition, not mine. But on the other hand, all I had to do was just put myself in his place...and that was all I needed as an incentive to do something about the situation in front of me.

Using the element of surprise, I was able to spring upon and disarm him, then pinned him to the ground beneath me. But I knew that in a situation like this, there was no room for mercy and any wrong step could endanger the lives of the boys, much less my own. So without any degree of hesitation, my hand went to his neck...and...."

"...Ya...ya killed him?"

Hanbei nodded somberly. "Crushed his larynx as easily as an egg, to be precise. I literally was able to pinpoint when the life drained from his eyes. That was when I could be sure that he was not going to be a threat to the boys any longer."

Going from one type of bomb being dropped on him to another, it was all that Roy could do but just stare at his friend for a while.

"In the end, I can live with the act I had done. My father and forefathers have done as such, before me. But the thing that really bothered me, was the fact that I broke the promise I made to you: to not use lethal force. And for that I am truly sorry."

"Oh...well, dat's different, man. Dat was basically a matter of self-defense 'n shit. Ya remember how I was ready to practically curb-stomp dat mofo Archie jus' to get Junior's bike back...I wouldn't need a reason if it was sumthin' much mo' serious. But, really, are ya okay?"

"It was what I was always prepared to do, training myself over these last few years. It was just a thing of never needing to actually exercise such ability until that time. Needless to say, it has been on my mind plenty in this last year."

"...Prolly why ya been gettin' wack-ass numbers, right?" Roy interjected. "All dat stress caused between da fam' disappointin' ya, plus dis shit..."

Hanbei nodded once again. "But the most important thing was the boys. In the end, while I did not think of my act as something worthy of such, they saw me as their hero. I was the first and only person who showed them some degree of care for their well-being. With nowhere else for them to go, I offered them a chance at a new life following me, if they desired it. And the rest, as they say, was history."

"What about dat guy? Ya didn't jus' leave him there, didja?"

"No. But with no adequate means present to help make him 'disappear' quickly without drawing attention to myself, I had to improvise. I recalled facts that dictated that Zong's favorite mistress had left him for his younger brother, and that the run-down, abandoned bar nearby was formerly his high-grossing establishment. He had plenty of reasons to not want to live any more, and there were a number of resources present in order to make it so..."

"...I dun think I need to know any mo' den dat."

"Good. It bears not repeating."

"But couldn't dis come back to bite ya on da ass?"

"I was trained such that a probability of that sort is eliminated from such equations. Besides, all that Boss Zong's 'absence' caused was a power vacuum that gave the petty bosses in the area a reason to fight amongst themselves for his share. Once other Reihou members in the area were alerted to such, it was almost too easy for them to move in and 'quiet things down'. The police could not care less. On the other hand, perhaps they were just glad that a 'war' did not break out on their city's streets."

"So, what happens now...?"

"What do you mean?"

"You obviously a bad-ass. Ya Reihou family would prolly love to have ya as a full time asset..."

"Even if that was what I wanted for myself, to serve in the capacity as Satsujinki, which I trained myself most of my life for, is no longer a path open to me," the wartortle asserted. "True to his word, my uncle is honoring my father's last request to him. And after spending some time with me, he distinctly told me he has no interest in me becoming such an asset for the family in that way. I suppose that is good, as I do appreciate the value of my freedom. However, I still desired to do my part to help my uncle and my family and so, I shall play a decidedly different role. I offered my services instead in the area where I am even stronger: Intelligence."

"Heh heh, well we all know you's a smart cookie, man..." Roy smirked.

"Not that kind of 'Intelligence'. I am referring more to the art of information gathering."

"Ah, really? What's dat got to do wit' anything?"

"Think of it like this, Roy. Your father is among the richest men in the world. Even so, Bowser knows, perhaps better than most, that the most valuable source of wealth in this world is information. The right kind of information, such as what I gave him earlier upon my arrival, may see him doubling or possibly tripling his profits, and seeing his investors happy. Conversely, the wrong kind of information may see him lose business to competitors like Dark Star Suites. Such an example is a demonstration of the truth that embodies this world: Knowledge is power. Furthermore, those who control information and know how to use it, stand to be the most powerful in this world. Because after all, as they say, 'History is written by the winners'."

"Ahhhh..." Roy nodded. "An' you been usin' ya skills like dat since I've known ya!"

"Exactly. Just like I was able to acquire information that helped lead to our victories on the football field and the means that helped you woo your former fiancee. Even the exclusive resources I was able to provide Junior, to help him stay at the top of his class. All of this relates to proper acquiring and application of Intelligence. And my father's line is the best at what we do in this area."

"So, what do they want ya to do for them?"

"Scope out the competition. Maybe even find ideal business partners, if you know what I mean."

"Really? Jus' shoppin' around for them at this point?"

"These economic times have made things interesting for even the most unorthodox of business practices, my friend. The corporate world has seen its share of buy-outs and mergers, and the supposed 'underworld' is, honestly, not that much different."

"Heh heh...ya gettin' a bit over my pink head now, Gogo...!" Roy chuckled nervously.

"Ah, I am sorry," the light blue turtle relented.

"But is it goin' okay, otherwise?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Within a few years, I shall present the results of my research to my uncle, where it will then be on him to make the best move forward in the interest of Reihou's continued prosperity. In other words, nothing too far removed from the research papers professors had us do in college. Only, of course, much more interesting, with real-world applications," Hanbei smirked.

"I getcha," Roy said, seemingly eager to get away from this subject matter. "How ya feelin' now?"

"I was just about to test once more, now that I have got a bit more sugar in me. Please wait."

Within moments, the two friends were watching and waiting for the results of the most recent blood test. Beeping was soon heard once more.

"79! Dat's a bit better!" Roy grinned. "The fridge I got at da bar's got more drinks and a lil bit of food dat you can eat off of, if you want a taste of sumthin' different! After dat, I'll feel better about ya tryin' to go back 'n sleep!"

"Sounds perfectly fair."

"But before we break up here, just I wanted to ask ya one mo' thing....or two things, actually!"

"Go ahead."

"Really, man. What are ya doin', hooked up wit' me?"

"...I am not sure if I understand the meaning of your question."

"Aight...ya see someone like me 'n, well, I'll be honest. Roy Koopa ain't exactly da sharpest crayon in da box. I prolly wouldn't been able to make it through school without ya help. Much less get a Football Scholarship to Aubrey 'n graduate wit' a History degree. In da upper quartile of our class, no less...!"

"...And?"

"So, why come one of da best 'n brightest minds in da whole gyat damn world is friends wit' a dumbass chunk of rocks like me?"

"Two main reasons, my friend. As I started to get to know the 'real' Roy Kelton Koopa, I saw the potential that was lying inside you, even if you were not willing to admit to it yourself. So, I started nudging you along, hoping that what was inside would start manifesting itself. And as I saw you start to make a name for yourself over the years, my hunch from years ago was proven right again and again."

"Even now...?"

"Yes, especially now," Diogo asserted. "If anything, this low point in your life just confirms what is easily your most significant flaw."

"...what's dat?"

"It was never a thing that you are incapable of doing great things, Roy. On the other hand, you do more to defeat yourself when you become so afraid of being willing to try. As if the possibility of failure or rejection prevents you from taking that first step. If you are able to overcome that flaw, you can do anything."

Roy nodded slowly. "True. What 'bout da other...?"

"I felt like I owed you my life. You did save me, after all."

"Saved ya? Well, shit, what happened after dat game senior year..."

"I am talking about even earlier than that, Roy."

"Wha'chu mean by dat?"

Diogo had a small smile come to his face. "When I think about where I was years ago, and what I could have turned out to be, if I did not have you as my best friend? I do not take it lightly that you quite literally saved me from what could have been numerous, ill-fated outcomes. My dear brother sacrificed himself, in order to save me from a physical death. I will always honor his memory for that act. However, you, as well as your crazy family? You saved me from a different type of 'death' altogether. That is a debt that I could never hope to repay, but will always do my best to honor through our friendship."

"I..." Roy paused to appear to clear his throat. "I dunno what I ever did to deserve someone like ya in my life, pal. But I guess somebody up in da sky likes me...!"

"I could just as easily say the same. But any way, what was the other thing you wanted to ask?" Diogo asked.

Roy paused for a few seconds, before finally deciding to say: "Naw...it can wait. Some other time."

"Are you certain? Nothing is else is concerning you?"

"Positive!" Roy smiled brightly. "I do feel a whole helluva lot better now, thanks to ya!"

"Good. Now shall we...?"

"Wait! There is ONE mo' other thing I should ask ya now...you think we can start practicin' dat Jiu-Jutsu again? Like we used to?"

"Sure."

"Good. It's almost like 3:30 now, we can be back up at it, around like 9, I guess."

"You? Suggesting an early wake up time? You, who loves to sleep in until way past noon?" Diogo smirked.

"Hey! Ya blue ass jus' said I needed to be takin' new steps 'n tryin' new things! So if I dun wake up, I give ya permission to wake my ass up! YES, I know damn well what dat means!" Roy stuck out his right hand. "We got a deal?"

"Yes, we do," the wartortle extended his own right hand to meet Roy's larger own. Surprise on his side, Roy then used his strength to pull the smaller turtle towards him and into a hug.

"Heh heh...got ya!" Roy chuckled. "Cuz ya know I wasn't 'bout to leave without gettin' my damn HUG!"

His friend, however, froze up, with a blush on his face once more.

"Hmm? There ya go again!" Roy asked as he look his friend in the eyes. "I ain't got da plague or nuthin' like dat!"

"It is fine. It is...how do I say it? Hugging is not exactly what I am used to, now-a-days."

"Why's that?"

"You grow up under the foster care of a largely traditional Japanese man for basically half of your life, you get a taste of traditional Japanese customs. The act of hugging is not among them, even though my father tried hard to change that much about Gaisei..."

"Aww, boo..."

"It is not that Gaisei does not care. It is just not how he was raised when he was growing up. He never even saw his own mother and father kiss each other, much less show that much overt affection towards him."

"Damn. Well, I ain't got nuthin' mo' to say about that. All I know is dat I'm American! An' like I said, I like my GYAT DAMN HUGS! 'Sides, it's healthy! I know 'bout it, cuz I read it on Wikipedia!"

The pale blue turtle chuckled once more, as he finally started to return the hug. "Very well, then..."

"Thanks again, man. For all dat you do 'n continue to do."

"Any time, waga kimi."

Satisfied with all that he had just witnessed, Junior allowed his characteristic smile to come back to his face. If nothing else, his brother was on his way to be put back on the right path. There was plenty for Junior to mull over for himself, no less. After tonight especially, Junior was glad that Hanbei, Diogo...whatever he would end up calling that periwinkle turtle was on their side. The fact that he was the son of some sort of Yakuza intelligence operative only made that more so. Now he knew exactly why Billy and Jimmy look up to their mentor with such adoration. It definitely did a lot to remind Junior of how it was with him and Roy. A relationship he intended to keep that way.

But in any case, the two were bound to emerge from the bathroom shortly. So with that much in mind, Junior quickly got up...and was in for the shock of his life when he stepped on a foot behind him, causing whoever was behind him to give a quick, yelp of pain. Looking back, two pairs of crimson-colored eyes seemed to glow in the dark at Junior.

"What the fu-?!" Junior uttered.

"Shhh! Sorry!" one of them said.

"Hey hey hey! What's goin' on out derre?!" Roy bellowed from behind the door.

Thinking quickly, Junior gave a quick glance to the twins. Then he mouthed out to them: "Follow my lead...!" as he knocked on the door gently.

By the time Roy opened the door, Junior put his best 'sleepy' look on his face.

"What's happenin', lil man?"

"Hey, Roy," Junior said drowsily. "Look, lil Billy here has got a bad case of gas pains! Do we have any more Gas-X around here, or something?"

As if on cue, Billy, who was already clutching his stomach, gave his most convincing moan of pain.

"It's okay, little brother! Help is on the way!" Jimmy said.

"Something is wrong with Billy?" Diogo asked with concern.

"Bei-Bei, there's a green-n-white box in the medicine cabinet, could ya bring it out wit' ya, please? I gots Canada Dry in da fridge!"

"Will do."

Within due time, the entire company shifted operations to Roy's makeshift Bar+Kitchen combo, where both mentor and his ward's conditions were soon fully addressed. Before any of them knew it, the nearest LCD clock soon flashed that was 4 AM. Sleep was something that they all were craving at that point, and it was all that Junior could do but to fall on his sofa and start to surrender to Morpheus even faster than before.

"G'night, y'all," Roy groaned out with a yawn.

"Night..." Junior and the others responded.

Before Junior closed his eyes for the last time, he cast a look to the Draco Twins, who were directly across from him. He was a bit startled when he saw two pairs of ruby-colored eyes leering at him, who then gave him a synchronized set of winks.

To think, they were able to sneak up behind him without Junior being none the wiser for the better portion of an hour. He might have to keep an eye on those two from then on...