Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

New York City, they say, is the city that never sleeps. This is for a variety of reasons, from late night shows, to crime, to 24 hour restaurants. It truly is a sight to behold, and if you aren't careful, the city will chew you up and spit you out. Odd events were commonplace here, most people kept their heads down and shrugged them off. Why bother getting involved in drama that isn't yours? And for some, getting involved in their own drama wasn't worth it either. Besides, they were far too busy anyway, they had to meet this person for lunch, be at the office at this time, pick up the laundry, watch the kids, the list was endless. That's why, when a seemingly innocuous apartment building went up in flames, nobody paid it any mind at first. Nobody, but the New York Fire Department, who were paid to mind. And the people who paid to live there, of course.

Nothing about that dreary, overcast fall morning particularly screamed 'fire', but it came all the same. The tenants of the ancient apartment awake at that early hour of 7 A.M. were in for a shock when their rooms felt a bit hot, but then came the smoke. Thick, toxic black smog flowed in from the air vents, and as some ran into the hallways, they discovered the source of the emission. One of their neighbors' rooms was on fire. There was a great deal of commotion and yelling, people banging on the doors, yelling "Fire! Fire!" as they scrambled to escape. Tenants who were blissfully asleep were jolted awake by the screaming and banging, and after feeling the heat and seeing the smoke, they didn't need the constant cries of a fire to piece together what was happening.

The blaze started fast, and spread faster. People coughed and sputtered as the horrid air filled their lungs, and stung their eyes. Mothers held their children close as people ran chaotically for the exits. Some managed to get out via the rusty old fire escapes. The individuals filled the street and sidewalk below, trying to get to fresh air. The misty morning cooled them off, yet couldn't sate the raging inferno the apartment fire had become. Traffic stopped on the small street, as people were in the way, staring up at their home being consumed by red hot death. There was then an immediate push to see if everyone had gotten out, with neighbors calling out to each other. Yet, despite all the chaos, the screaming, yelling, and banging, the door to the apartment that housed the fire remained firmly shut.

The local fire department received the call on the scanner, several reports being flooded in not just by the residents of the flaming building, but nearby people as well. With the grace of a well lubricated machine, the brave men and women of the NYFD leapt from their beds at the sound of the bell. Orders were yelled into the P.A. system as the firefighters got into their suits and loaded up the shiny red trucks. Some who were awake were already there, waiting for their colleagues to join them. With the trucks up and loaded, the sirens were switched on and they sped off into the morning light. Cars pulled aside to let the screaming trucks by as it booked it down street after street. It wouldn't take long to reach their destination, but they could see it far before they arrived.

It was hard to miss the fire as it licked the sky, now having completely engulfed the top several floors of the apartment building. Passerby looked up in awe at the total destruction of what once was a seemingly permanent landmark, and the residents looked on with horror.

Thoughts of all their possessions, their home, in some cases even livelihoods were being eaten by fire and spit out as ash. When the fire trucks arrived, everyone cleared the way to allow what needed to be done by the firefighters to be done. The fighters themselves had seen plenty of fires, but none so intense as this. Even from the ground, the heat could be felt. More orders were yelled as hoses were connected to fire hydrants, and ladders were being extended.

With all the noise, nearby residents came out to look. The fire had happened all too fast. Police arrived at the scene soon after, setting up barricades and pushing back the curious crowds and grieving tennants. With the hoses now hooked up, the fire fighters set to work dousing the flames. A few asked for the tenants of the building, asking if everyone was out. Everyone agreed that all had escaped, however two individuals were noted missing from the crowd. Some of the fighters were sent in, dressed to the teeth in protective gear, to scout the building, calling out for anyone who may have been unaccounted for. There were no responses. The battle against the fire raged, and it almost seemed to have a mind of its own, not wanting to back down. It bared its teeth, and the hose wielders bared back.

News vans began to arrive at the scene. It was a slow news day, and a great big fire was just the thing to fill the gap. Mics were shoved in observers faces as they were interviewed about the flaming destruction before them. Most were at a loss for words. Nobody could explain how it started. The firefighters were unavailable to comment. Eventually, they started to make a dent in the flaming mass, and little by little the fire was contained and eliminated, helped in part with a small sprinkle that had picked up.

What was left behind wasn't much. The building was seared and scarred. Ash flitted along the morning breeze before being caught up in the drizzle and being sprinkled on the shocked audience below. Windows were blown out, shards of glass on the concrete around the perimeter of the brickwork. The emergency workers went in to search for anyone who may have been caught up in the blaze. Without any word from the firefighter, and the fire under control, the news vans left one by one. The building was deemed unsafe, and the tenants were to be relocated to a nearby motel who agreed to take them in.

An investigation was launched into the cause of the fire. This only turned up more questions. Fortunately, mostly everyone escaped unharmed. Well, physically. The building itself was toast, and would need extensive repairs to make it livable again. There was even the possibility of demolition on the table. When inspecting the room where the blaze started, everything was completely melted and turned to ash. There didn't seem to be any source of ignition. To top it all off, the tenants who lived there were missing. They weren't caught up in the blaze, and they weren't there during the fire. When there was an attempt made to contact them, there was no answer. Their families and friends were unaware of their whereabouts either. It was as if they had just up and vanished. Investigators put out a call for information, and a meeting hosted by the fire chief was televised to follow up on the fire.

The chief had the facts, as many as had been gathered, but it was paultry to go on. There were many unknowns, important ones, and there was the hope that perhaps someone out there might be able to fill in the gaps. The cameras were wheeled in, and the fire chief stood at a podium to speak to the people of New York City. It was lights, camera, action, then he spoke. Word had spread about the mysterious fire, and it was already becoming a local legend on the street where it took place. Everyone was glued to their tvs.

The fire chief, a large man with a large mustache to boot, cleared his throat as he looked into the cameras. "Today, we have called this meeting to discuss the recent fire in the Sunny Rise Apartments on Brocket Avenue." He took a moment to let it set in. “After a few days of investigation, this is our takeaway. The fire began in the corner room on the fourth floor, shortly after five fifty five A.M.. It spread quickly, causing a great deal of structural damage to the building, which is now deemed unsafe. The cause of the fire is still unknown. What is more, but we are currently looking for the two tenants who lived in the apartment where the fire began." He shuffled his notes. “Arson has not been ruled out.”

The people watching at home saw a graphic appear on screen, an image of a man and woman smiling at them. The man was larger than the woman, and had blonde hair, while the woman had brown hair. She also wore thin framed glasses. Underneath, their names appeared as the fire chief spoke them. "Veronica Vera and Oliver Bareham have now been set to a missing persons status. If anyone has any information regarding these two individuals, please come forward, whether in person at any fire department, or online or by phone at these email addresses and numbers. The families have also put up a reward for any information that could help us locate them. As of now, they are not suspects, but nothing is off the table. Thank you."

A showering of flashing lights and camera clicks went off as he stepped away, with journalists hungry for any more tidbits of information that was left out. The large chief declined to answer anything as he had the investigation to return to. All around the massive city, rumors and whispers spread about the missing couple. Some blamed them for the fire. Others, morbidly, believed they were burnt to ashes, having been unable to escape the inferno. Whatever anyone believed, nobody knew for certain. All they could do was wait and see what unfolded. But none of them could have ever imagined the story that would unfold. Nor would they ever know.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Kizuna.

Chapter Text

Kizuna awoke to an unusually peaceful house, but in her groggy state, she took no notice. Besides, it was hard to tell over the din that was her morning alarm. She swung her arm over to silence it, but missed and ended up rolling off her bed and onto the carpet below. The dog groaned and tried to pull herself back to her feet. This ended up being a mistake, as when she put her hand down on the night table for stability, she also grabbed the alarm clock which slid off and bonked her on the head. Another groan mixed with pain escaped her lips.

After getting herself untangled from the mess, Kizuna grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. As she left her room, she passed by her headphones. There was a brief moment where they crackled to life, and then went silent. Kizuna slowly backed up to her door frame and leaned her head in. She stared at her headphones, unsure if she'd heard anything. After a few moments of silence, she shrugged and went back to her shower.

It wasn't until Kizuna got out of her shower (which she thoroughly enjoyed) did she notice how… quiet… things were. As she wandered her house, getting her school things together (including her headphones, which were really staticy), she strained her ears for any sign of her family. Nothing, not even Kenji, who loved babbling and making noise. A quick check in every room confirmed it; her family was gone. The kitchen downstairs remained undisturbed as well. There were no notes left for her to explain their absence. Everything was in place, it was as though her family had just up and vanished.

"Mom?" Kizuna called out to the house. "Dad?"

Her voice was met with silence. "Kenji?" The girl called out, hoping in vain he would make some sort of noise. She held her breath, standing perfectly still, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once again, nothing. With a sigh, and a great deal of worry beginning to creep over her, Kizuna made her own breakfast of cereal and sat down to eat. It stumped her, this mystery. She couldn't recall her parents saying they were going anywhere that morning, and if they did, surely she would have heard them when they were getting ready.

Kizuna finished her breakfast in deafening silence and tossed the bowl and spoon in the sink. The time on the microwave indicated the bus would be at her stop soon, so she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. Kizuna was halfway to the sidewalk when she noticed something odd.

Her parent's car was still in the driveway.

Kizuna ran over to check inside, just on the off chance her family was in there. If not, maybe there'd be some sign they were there at some point. Kizuna pressed her face up against the glass, examining every inch from the outside. Nothing seemed out of place, and she grunted in frustration. She walked away dejectedly to the bus stop, where she would stand alone.

This was actually not out of the ordinary. Kizuna was the only one at her stop. As she stood on the curb, she began to wonder if everyone else had gone, too. Then what would she do? Be doomed to wander the world forever alone? It was a frightening thought, and she shook it from her mind. At least the bus would be there soon, and to her relief, she heard the old rumbly engine coming down the road. So, she wasn't alone after all. The bus came closer and closer, and Kizuna got herself ready to board. However, the bus showed no sign of slowing down. It kept up its fast pace, and zoomed right past her.

The bus driver had forgotten to stop for her. For the first time ever. Kizuna blinked a few times, shocked, but didn't wait around for long. The dog took off after the vehicle, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

"HEEEYYY!" She yelled. "STOP! WAIT FOR MEEEEE!"

But the driver, nor the passengers, heard her, and the bus didn't slow down. It kept driving on until it turned a corner out of sight. Kizuna's legs and lungs burned, and to add insult to injury, she found herself meeting the ground after tripping over a turtle that had crossed her path. She didn't see it as she was distracted by the bus, but she did see the concrete sidewalk when she fell over.

"Owwwie…" Kizuna whimpered, pulling herself into a sitting position on the ground. She assessed the damage. A few scrapes, and a really sore nose, but nothing that would kill her. The offending turtle silently slinked out of sight, leaving Kizuna alone on the ground. The girl wanted to cry. The day had started so horribly, and she wanted some normalcy. Just ONE thing to go right.

Her headphones crackled to life and emitted a high pitch screeching just under her ears. "AGGGHHH!" Kizuna jumped and flung her headphones off her next in one swift move. They tumbled a few feet away, still crackling. Kizuna stood up and took a few timid steps forward. She couldn't understand why they came to life so suddenly. They shouldn't have been on. She mused they might've gotten damaged when she fell. She picked them up, and they fell silent.

The headphones found themselves back around Kizuna's neck. Bus or no, she still needed to get to school. Besides, David would be there. Kizuna smiled to herself as she started her walk. David always made her feel better, even if he never intended to. He was always so sweet and kind and handsome. Kizuna just hoped one day he would remember her. The warm thoughts of a brown labrador kept her spirit up as she walked to school, thankfully avoiding more tripping hazards.

The whole way there, she swore she could hear footsteps behind her. Upon looking around, nobody was there. She figured that surely she must be hearing things to fill in the quiet void that was her wakeup routine, until she heard a twig snap behind her. Kizuna stopped and jumped 180 degrees around to try and catch who it was, but still, nobody was there. She squinted and looked around, but the only thing she saw was early morning Roseville, and that meant few people out and about. Nobody was directly behind her, though.

"Hello?" Kizuna asked the air, but the air didn't respond. The girl checked her headset, just in case it had been making the noise, but it was still switched off. Nothing but the faint smell of alcohol was around. Kizuna scrunched up her nose and kept going.

Kizuna had to really rush, but she managed to make it to school in time, and catch up to David to boot. She smiled brightly when she saw the familiar brown dog walking down the hallway with his books. "Hi Davie!" She called out to him sweetly over the ruckus of the hallway chatter. The girl waved to David as he turned to look for who called his name. Kizuna wasted no time in pushing through the crowd to reach him when he noticed her. Even with a confused look on his face, David was so adorable.

"I'm so happy to see you!" She said, breathing a sigh of relief. Finally, some normalcy. A friendly face to keep her anchored.

"Ah! A girl!" David replied excitedly, tail wagging. David got excited over everything. It was one of the reasons Kizuna loved him so much. She hoped one day he would be excited over her specifically. However, today was not that day. "Who are you?"

Kizuna felt a little deflated. It was par for the course with David to not know who she was. It was like she vanished from his mind the moment she wasn't directly in front of them. This was despite them knowing each other for years. "Ehh, it's me… Kizuna?"

Davids' face did not change to show he understood. He blinked and Kizuna sighed. "We share all our classes together. You really don't remember me?"

David shrugged. "I gotta get to class, Kazeno." And with that, he trotted away down the hall, presumably to catch up with Paulo who was just ahead.

Kizuna stood in the crowd and watched him go. She clenched her fists as her heart sank. She wished once, just once, he would at least remember who she was. David meant the world to her. Kizuna didn't have much time to dwell on her missed connection as someone bumped into her, knocking her over.

"Guh! Sorry!" Apologized the bumper, which upon looking up, Kizuna saw was Mike. He offered her a helping hand, which she accepted.

"It's okay." Kizuna laughed sheepishly. "I shouldn't have just been standing there." She got to her feet and dusted herself off. "I was just thinking about Davie…"

"Ah, okay…" Mike seemed to be a little confused by the statement, but Kizuna didn't pick up on it. "Well, I better get going."

Kizuna kept up with Mike as he walked. "I just… don't understand what I have to do!" She said, a little exasperated. "How do you date someone who forgets you exist?"

The whole time Mike kept looking over at her awkwardly, like he didn't know what to say. Eventually, he had to say something. "I'm really sorry, but I don't think we've met before."

Kizuna was at a loss. She rubbed her hands across her face and groaned. "Oh Mike, not you too…"

Before either of them could say anything else, they were interrupted by a "Hey jerkface!" Both Mike and Kizuna turned around to see an angry looking white cat stomping up towards them.

Mike smiled nervously. "H-hey, Lucy."

"I thought I told you to wait for me!" She huffed, taking her stance just inches from the flustered korat. "We're supposed to be planning out what we're doing at the ice carving competition today!"

"Guh…" Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Lucy. Must've slipped my mind."

"Ice carving competition?" Kizuna asked. Of everything that happened to her that day, this was surprisingly the most out of the ordinary.

"Yes, Kizuna. Where have you been?" Lucy frowned. "Now are we gonna get to class?" Lucy grabbed Mike's arm and led him along, with Kizuna close behind them. And then she heard it.

"Kizuna."

Kizuna pivoted her head, looking to see who called her name. It wasn't a voice she recognized. Nobody was looking at her, or trying to reach her, so she shrugged and went to class.

Much to Kizuna's relief, school went along as normal. She handed in homework, took her notes, and talked to her classmates. On any other day, Kizuna would be bored, but considering the day she had so far, boring was the new exciting. Everything seemed okay now, and Kizuna shrugged off the whole morning. 'It was just a fluke.' She thought to herself with a smile. 'I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of it.' Now Kizuna could focus on more important things, like how to win over David's heart.

Lunchtime came around, setting all the students, and teachers, free, even if only for a short while. Kizuna chatted happily with Daisy and Sue as they took their seats at the usual spot. Tess joined shortly, along with Paulo who was, as usual, trying to sweep her off her feet to mixed results. Mike and Lucy went back and forth on their ice carving plans for after school. David joined last, cavorting around with a bunch of sprinkle puddings for everyone.

Well, for everyone but Kizuna. She expected as much, but it still hurt. That was, until one of the cups was slid in front of her by David himself. "Sorry, I forgot to get you one. You can have mine!"

Kizuna's jaw dropped. David… DID care about her! Her eyes sparkled, and he glowed. She accepted the offer. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed.

"Calm down, it's just pudding." Paulo said, a little annoyed at the high pitched outburst.

"Not even good pudding." Lucy added, despite eating a big spoonful of it.

"But Davie remembered me for once…" Kizuna responded in a small voice. She wasn't going to let them spoil her big moment. It was such a small, silly thing, but a first step was better than nothing. As Kizuna enjoyed her pudding, her gaze passed over the back of the cafeteria, where a tall, shadowy figure stood partially behind a column. She jerked her gaze back to the spot, but the figure was gone. She shrugged, it must have been a trick of the light. Nothing could bring her down from this ecstacy.

Lunch ended, and the group had just one class to end the day, science. Everyone, now fed and watered and looking forward to the end of school, went back to class eager to get it over with. As the group of friends walked back to class, Kizuna's headphones became staticy again. With a few smacks, they went silent.

In class, their science teacher, a rather serious looking dachshund, took center stage in front of the whiteboard. He looked over the rows of students, now complacent after having full bellies. He cleared his throat. "Good afternoon, class." This brought a few more eyes to him. "Today we are going to be diving into the theoretical." He turned around and popped open a dry erase marker. On the board, he wrote 'Multiple Universe Theory' in large letters across it. This made everyone sit up.

"Multiple. Universe. Theory." He said, punctuating every word he spoke with a tap under the corresponding word on the board. "It is as it sounds. The theory that our universe is but one of an infinite number."

The teacher began pacing up and down in front of the whiteboard. "These other worlds differ from our own. Some slight, others far more notably. Perhaps you decided to have eggs for breakfast instead of cereal. Maybe some of you are the opposite gender." He stopped. "There are infinite possibilities, some of which are beyond our comprehension."

Kizuna leaned forward, soaking in the lesson. This was certainly a departure from the standard droll monologues he gave. That's when her headphones started rearing its ugly head again. The low buzzing returned. "If I can have you all open your textbooks to page one thirty seven…" Their teacher instructed.

Kizuna tried lightly smacking her headphones to shut them up, but it only made the buzzing grow louder. The other students were noticing now, and Kizuna was trying to shut them down. The teacher turned around with an unsatisfied look on his face. "Miss Kizuna, can you please turn your…" He scrunched up his face at the awful sound. "Music off."

"I-I'm trying!" She gasped as the headphones were now at full volume, producing a terrible static. Mike even covered his ears.

"zzzzZZZZ…. KIZZZZZZzzZzZZzZzzz…zzzZZUUzZZzZz…" Came out of the headphones as the girl desperately tried everything to shut them off.

"Miss Kizuna, if you please!" The teacher called over the noise.

"I don't know what's wrong!" Kizuna panicked, becoming increasingly aware of the dirty looks her classmates were giving her. "They're supposed to be off!"

"If you cannot control your things in the classroom, then leave them in your locker!" The teacher demanded, pointing at the door. Kizuna didn't need him to spell it out for her. She ran out of the classroom, stumbling over desks and chairs and backpacks the whole way. As she ran down the hallway, the headphones buzzed loudly, with what sounded like fractions of words mixed in between. She was given odd looks by passersby and she ran into the bathroom where she locked herself in a stall. This is when the terrible noises stopped.

Kizuna breathed a heavy sigh and leaned back on the toilet. So much for normalcy. Perhaps she was still asleep. Yeah, that must be it. The explanation to everything was there was no explanation, she was just asleep, and this was a very vivid dream. Surely now she came to this realization, she would wake up.

But she didn't.

Her headphones did, though. While before they sputtered and sizzled, now came through a very clear signal, from a voice she did not recognize. "Kizuna."

Kizuna sat up straight and stared down at the brightly colored headphones. She waited for another sound, but there was nothing. "H-h-hi?" She asked timidly, like she might have just imagined her name.

"KizZzuna, is that zzZz you?" The sound was still a little marred, but much clearer than the incoherent screeching from earlier.

Kizuna contemplated whether or not she should answer. She'd been taught the dangers of talking to strangers. But what was stranger still was the fact the headphones did not have the ability to perform two way communication, they were just to listen to music on. At least, as far as she was aware. With not much to lose, she decided to answer back. "Y-yes. This is Kizuna."

"KizzZzzuna… zZz… urgent matter… zZz…"

"What?" Kizuna lifted the headphones to her ears. "You're breaking up, I can't hear you!"

"Know where… zZZz… Family izzZZzzz…"

Kizuna's heart skipped a beat and she stood up. "My family? You know where they are?"

"Went… zzz… home…"

"But they're not at home!" Kizuna said, leaving the stall, hoping it would garner her a better signal. "They were gone!"

"Another world." Said the voice clearly. Kizuna stopped.

"I… I don't understand. Is this some sort of prank? Who is this?" This was far too much for even her to believe. How could she trust whoever was on the other end?

"You must… zzZz.. go back to your… zZz… home planet."

Kizuna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, how?"

"Fly."

The girl laughed. "Fly? Now I know this is a prank."

"JuzZzt believe." The voice said firmly.

"Yeah, okay, whatever." Kizuna was done with the conversation. Whoever it was had run the joke into the ground. "I'm going now."

But the voice said something that made her stop again. "Michael doezZzn't remember you…zZZzz, does he?"

"How do you…?" Kizuna whispered.

"You must trust me, KizZzuna. The… zzZZZzzz… depenzzzZz… muzZZzt go home… zzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ." The headphones screeched a wretched sound and went silent. And Kizuna stood alone once more.

She didn't know what to make of any of it. If it was true that she was from another world, she wanted to say goodbye to her friends. But in reality, it was probably someone pulling a prank on her. Then again, how could they know about Mike? And how could they hear her? She was the only one in the bathroom. Kizuna shook her head. Whatever it was, she'd spent too much time away from class for it. The headphones were discarded in her locker and she ran back to finish out class.

Over the course of class, which continued the theory of multiple universes, Kizuna forgot all about the odd conversation in the restroom. When school finally let out, she grabbed her headphones and it all came back to her. Maybe her parents would be home then, maybe they wouldn't. She would be the judge of that. Maybe if they were still gone, there could be some creedence lent to what the stranger said.

"Hey, Kizuna!" Lucy called out to her in the busy hallway. Kizuna turned around to see her, along with an anxious looking Mike. "Are you coming to the ice carving competition? It's at the park."

"Oh, I will! I just need to stop by my house first!" She said.

"Alright, see you then!" Lucy replied, taking Mike with her. Kizuna saw Mike look over his shoulder at her, confused, followed by him leaning down to whisper something to Lucy. Lucy frowned and bopped him on the head.

Kizuna finished grabbing her things and headed home. She figured it would be a bad idea to ride the bus, as it would just go past her house. She ran the whole way back, being mindful to be on the lookout for any wandering reptiles. Upon returning home, she found the van in the driveway untouched from that morning. Inside the house proved to be no different. The dishes were still in the sink, unwashed. Everything was very still and quiet.

Kizuna ran from room to room, calling out for her family, but they didn't respond, nor did she see any signs they were there in the time she went to school. The last room she checked was hers, and it too was empty. Kizuna sat on her bed and hung her head. Where were they? Why hadn't they told her they were going somewhere? Did they abandon her? Was she unwanted? The girl pulled her legs to her chest as tears stung at her eyes. She'd give anything to hear even Kenji's voice.

But the mysterious stranger over the headphones came back into mind. Kizuna removed her headphones and placed them in front of her on the bed. With a deep breath, she asked them, "Okay, where are they?"

The headphones remained silent. Kizuna leaned down to them. "Hello?" And still, nothing. She felt a little silly now, of course nobody was going to answer. Someone must have just been messing with her at school.

'But no…' She thought, sitting up. 'They would have to have followed me to school, I heard them on the way there.'

And sure enough, the headphones crackled to life. "Hello… zZz… KizzZuna…"

Kizuna pounced on the music device. "Hello? Hello!" She hurriedly said, in case the one on the other side left again.

"Hello Kizuna." The voice said, much clearer this time.

"My parents really are gone, aren't they?" She asked, dreading the truth of it.

"Returned home." Replied the voice.

"You said I can fly there?" Kizuna asked skeptically.

"If… zZzz… believe…" Crackled the other.

"I wouldn't even know where to go." She sighed, flopping beside the headset.

The other voice responded immediately. "You will."

"Just like that?" Kizuna raised an eyebrow.

"CorzZzrect…" The other said, and the headphones went silent.

"Anything else I should know?" Kizuna asked the voice, but it didn't respond. She smacked the bed in frustration. "Fine. But I'm saying goodbye to my friends first."

Kizuna put the headphones around her neck and put her leglets on. Just in case, she locked her front door and left the key under the mat. She figured she might need to come back (she was prone to forgetting things when going on trips) and this would be a good place to hide it until then. With a new sense of purpose, Kizuna hauled off to the park where she would say her goodbyes to her friends.

Chapter Text

"Gooooood afternoon, contestants!" A peppy voice announced over the P.A. system that had been set up throughout Roseville Park. "Just letting everyone know that submission forms are now closed! You all have just an hour and a half left to carve your ice!"

Kizuna ran up on the impromptu gate entrance, with signs all around it posting rules and warnings about the ice carving. Above the gate was a sign that read, '1ST ANNUAL ROSEVILLE ICE CARVING COMPETITION'. Kizuna entered and found herself on a path between several tents and stalls that housed vendors. Many were local businesses selling their wares, whether it be clothes or food or various other knicknacks. They were enticing (especially the food ones, Kizuna hadn't eaten since lunch), but Kizuna had to remain focused. She was on a mission, and there was no time to spare.

Several signs pointed her in the direction of the information kiosk. A kindly looking cocker spaniel sat talking to a calico next to her. Kizuna nearly slipped on some stray ice walking up and the cocker spaniel took notice. "Careful now, dear." She said, and Kizuna recognized it as the same voice from the P.A. announcement. "There's ice everywhere. Gotta watch your step."

"S-sorry!" Kizuna said, using the kiosk to help right herself. "I was wondering if you could help me find my friends?"

"Of course!" She smiled brightly and pulled out a large binder from underneath the table. "Are they contestants today?"

"I-I think so…" Kizuna said, trying to sift through everything that had happened that day in her mind. "Their names are Mike and Lucy."

The cocker spaniel opened up the binder and went down page after page. After a minute or so, she tapped the page she was on. "Ah, here we go!" The dog slid the binder onto the table top so Kizuna could see it. Kizuna leaned down to get a better look. "Looks like they're in plot twelve G. You're gonna want to head to the back."

"Thank you so much!" Kizuna said, turning to rush off.

"You're very welcome, dear!" The cocker spaniel replied. "And be mindful of the-" Kizuna slipped on some stray ice in her haste. "Ice."

Kizuna hopped up and quickly dusted herself off. "I'm okay! I'm okay! Thanks again!"

The cocker spaniel and her companion waved goodbye to Kizuna, who was already making her way down between the rows of ice sculptures in progress that went on as far as she could see. It was a little chilly now that she was in the thick of it. On both sides of her, contestants chiseled away at their creations. Some even used chainsaws, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. There was so much noise, Kizuna felt like she was in the middle of a bizarre icy construction site.

While Kizuna searched, she ran into Daisy (almost literally, she was so distracted with looking for Mike and Lucy). "Hey, Daisy!" Kizuna said with a wave and a smile.

"Oh, hello." Daisy said, a little distracted herself. She looked like she was looking for someone too.

"Have you seen Mike and Lucy?" Kizuna said. "I have something to tell them. Actually, I have something to tell all of you."

Daisy squinted. "You do? How do you know Mikie and Lucy? Do you live around here?"

Kizuna was flabbergasted. Now Daisy didn't know who she was? "I'm Kizuna… we're friends… we're all friends…"

Daisy laughed anxiously, a little confused and embarrassed that she could forget a friend. Even worse for her, since she knew what it was like to feel forgotten."I'm sorry! I see…"

Paulo showed up with two sno-cones. "Yo Daisy, I'm back!" He said, holding out a yellow colored sno-cone to her. He looked at Kizuna. "Who's this?"

Daisy gladly took it, relieved Paulo had finally found her. "Ah, Paulo! This Kizuna. Remember?"

Paulo squinted at the dog. "Who?"

Kizuna facepalmed. "Nevermind! I'm going to find Mike and Lucy! At least Lucy still knows who I am!" And she stomped off, leaving Daisy and Paulo completely flummoxed.

As the cocker spaniel had said, Mike and Lucy were near the back of the field. Oddly, Mike was stuck frozen from the shoulders down inside a brick of ice. Beside him was Lucy holding a chainsaw, sizing up the ice in front of her. "Quit moving, idiot." She scolded Mike, who was standing quite still, "I don't want to hit you with this!"

"I'm not moving!" The korat retorted. "How can I? Why did I even need to be in this thing?"

"So our sculpture can be more life-like! That's how we're going to win." Lucy said confidently. "Now keep quiet, sculptures can't talk."

"I'm not a sculpture!" Mike yelled, but Lucy revved the chainsaw and it shut him up.

"Lucy! Mike!" Kizuna called out as she came up on their plot. Daisy and Paulo were close behind her, and Kizuna also saw Sue, Amaya, David, and McCain spectating at a safe distance. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Mike wanted to say something about this weird girl who kept claiming to know them, but he remembered Lucy's warning and thought better of it. He didn't need to say anything, though. Lucy spoke for them. "Hi Kizuna! You look like you've got something to say! Do you?"

Kizuna felt a little ridiculous saying what she had to say. She was an alien? She had to go back to her home planet? Would they even believe her? Not that most of them knew who she was anymore. All eyes were trained on her. With a deep breath, she said. "Yes, I certainly do."

Her friends remained silent, watching her expectantly for what would come next. "I have to go now. My planet needs me." This was it. The moment of truth. She shut her eyes, and thought flighty thoughts. She thought of being weightless, of flying straight up, past the clouds and into space.

And then she felt her feet leave the ground.

Kizuna almost panicked, but held herself together. Surely losing focus would see her plummeting to the ground. The wind rushed through her fur and she looked upwards towards the sky. Were her friends watching? Would Lucy miss her? Kizuna supposed it didn't matter much anymore. She had a new life ahead of her.

Kizuna had flown on a plane before, but this was entirely different. The sound of the wind, the world falling away beneath her, and nothing but clear skies ahead, it was exhilarating in a way Kizuna had never felt before. She felt so… free. So ready to take on anything. Had this power always been inside her? Why hadn't she noticed before? Did her parents know? Her parents… Kenji… she would be with them soon.

The girl soared higher and higher, past the clouds, past all the layers of the atmosphere she couldn't remember the names of, into the darkness of space. She dared to sneak a peek downwards at the world she was leaving behind. The view was breathtaking, Kizuna had never seen anything so incredible. It made her feel a little weak, but she pressed forward, trying not to worry about the world and life she was leaving behind.

The life she was leaving behind… a few tears stung in the corners of her eyes. All her memories, the good and the bad, never to be made again. She would never see her friends again, never come home to that warm, inviting house she grew up in. The quiet hours spent hanging with her friends, getting into drama with them, going on vacation with them. Even if she stayed, they wouldn't know who she was. It was all over now.

Kizuna was picking up speed as she shot upwards. At least, she assumed it was upwards. Out this far, everything was directionless. She had to hope that the stranger on her headphones was right, and she was headed in the right direction. Moreover, she was surprised she wasn't killed in the cold, unforgiving vacuum of space. This gave more credence to the veracity of the strangers claims about her being from another planet. Kizuna wondered what her planet might look like. Would it have tall mountains? Massive oceans? Would the weather be the same as on Earth? Did the others there all look like her?

Far beyond the Moon Kizuna went, past Mars, and out of the solar system. Space seemed to warp around her as she sped on, gaining speed exponentially, putting her faith in the direction she chose. Space was beautiful, and she wished she had a camera with her to capture the radiance of it. Vast nebulas of multicolored lights and dust filled her vision. There were planets and solar systems, galaxies of all kinds peppering the otherwise impossibly inky black horizon.

Looking ahead, Kizuna saw a pinpoint of light. Squinting at it, it looked different from the swathe of lights way out in space. It was moving… and getting closer. This was when something whizzed past her head. Then another. And another.

Whatever the objects were, Kizuna reasoned that getting hit by them would be unpleasant. Perhaps she had come close to the tail of a comet. Upon moving out of the path of the oncoming objects, she found the light changing course, and even more small objects flying in her direction. No matter where she turned, Kizuna couldn't shake it. Whatever it was, it was dead set on hitting its mark, and the mark was her.

The light got closer and closer, and when it got close enough to her, Kizuna could see it was a small spaceship. Sleek in design, but rusted and old. It was firing upon her! The objects were bullets! Kizuna panicked and attempted more evasive maneuvers, but the spaceship remained right on her tail, and gaining ground. If she couldn't fly away from it, she'd go towards it. Maybe she could talk to the pilot and come to an understanding. Was she in a forbidden area? Did she trespass?

Kizuna did a 180 and shot straight toward the craft. The craft responded by readying a rocket and letting loose. It flew straight and true toward Kizuna, who narrowly rolled out of the way. As the girl zoomed by the cockpit, she caught a brief glimpse of the pilot inside. It looked like it could be the same shadowy figure she'd seen at lunch earlier that day… or a few days ago? She'd lost track of time.

'What if that guy I saw… this guy… he's the one I've been talking to!' Kizuna's heart sank. 'What if this was all a trap!'

Whatever it was, Kizuna had to get away to regain her bearings. Not too far away, relatively speaking, was an asteroid field. It was a risky move, but it'd have to do. She was more agile than the spacecraft, this was obvious from how long it took to turn around every time it took a pass at her. Plus, she may be able to hide from it. That was, if the pilot was crazy enough to follow her into it. Kizuna switched gears and headed into the massive grouping of rocks. The spaceship was close behind, firing round after round at her. Kizuna flew in an erratic pattern, making her hard to get locked onto.

There were asteroids of all sizes, some with holes, others solid. Kizuna nearly smacked into the first one she came across as she entered the fray. She didn't have a lot of time to react to the onslaught of rocks as they flew at her and the spaceship behind her. However, the plan had done the trick and the pilot was having a difficult time keeping up. He took to blasting the boulders apart with rockets. Kizuna flew circles around it, popping in and out of view. As her plan worked, she started focusing more on trying to lure the ship into a dead end so she might escape it entirely.

This ended up being her downfall. While looking the other way, a sizable asteroid flew up in front of her and she slammed into it. The girl laid on it, dazed, and this gave the pilot enough time to find her. He loaded another rocket and lined up the shot. The targeting system beeped rapidly to indicate it was locked on, and he pulled the trigger… just as another asteroid shot up and hit his spaceship, sending the rocket off course. It tried to re-correct its trajectory, but met with the surface of the asteroid Kizuna was on instead. It exploded, blowing the asteroid to pieces, and sending a woozy Kizuna off into space.

The pilot's ship was badly damaged in the strike, and by the time he turned off all the blaring danger alarms, Kizuna was long gone. He swore and slammed his fists on the dashboard, sending the alarms back into a frenzy again.

The smack into the asteroid and the following blast had done considerable damage to Kizuna as well. She was now spinning and speeding uncontrollably into deep space. Her consciousness ebbed and flowed, and she tried desperately to cling on. Her vision became blurred, and up ahead she could see a large void of light coming closer and closer as she sped towards it. It was a massive black hole, and Kizuna tried to at least redirect her trajectory before she inevitably blacked out.

However, it was already too late, and Kizuna was grabbed by the intense gravity well. The last thing she saw was her body stretching out unimaginably far in the event horizon, followed by the darkness of the black hole fading into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The day Kizuna was born, her parents would say, was the happiest day of their lives. She came into the world smiling and giggling, and grew to be a well behaved, albeit clumsy, child. She was adventurous, courteous, and curious. Around the age of six, she was watching television when the channel it was on played an old black and white movie about ninjas (the name of which Kizuna had long forgotten). This changed her life, and from there she longed to be one herself. Her parents were happy their daughter had found something she was so interested in, but soon it became her entire world.

Kizuna insisted her birthdays be ninja themed. She wore ninja costumes for halloween. She read books upon books about the culture, engrossing herself in not just ninja history, but Japanese culture as well. She hogged the tv to watch ninja movies and shows, covered her walls and filled her room with ninja posters and memorabilia. She'd fashion her own throwing stars from paper with instructions she found online. For career day in elementary school, she said she was going to be a ninja when she grew up. Everyone laughed at her, but it didn't deter her.

Then Kizuna reached middle school and things started to change. Slowly at first, but as time went on something new began to take center stage in her mind.

Boys.

She found a lot of boys cute. Mike and his athleticism and intelligence, Paulo and his confidence and boyish charms, and other boys for various reasons. But above all, the boy she found herself pining for the most was David. He was so free, so cute, so funny. Every day with him was something new and exciting. He could never remember her name, but Kizuna didn't care. One day, she knew they'd be together.

Unfortunately for her, that day never came. She never became that ninja, and David never fell in love. And now, she was dead.

But not for long.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

White. Nothing but white. This is what Kizuna saw when she opened her eyes. At first her mind was blank, but she regained her thoughts and tried to get her bearings. This was impossible, she found, as it appeared that she was floating in an endless white void. All sense of direction was lost. A quick inspection of herself confirmed her body was still there. She attempted a spit test to see which way was down, but the glob of saliva merely floated around aimlessly away from her.

A sense of unease began to creep up over Kizuna. It was so quiet, so unimaginably quiet. In her ears, she could hear her own heartbeat. Was she dead now? Was this the afterlife? Purgatory? She couldn't really feel her body.

"Kizuna."

The voice was all around her. Kizuna swiveled around, slowly spinning in place. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, trying to find the owner of the voice. It sounded a lot like who was speaking to her over the headphones. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Take a deep breath." Said the voice.

"No! You tried to kill me! And…" Kizuna looked around at the gentle void. "I think I am dead."

"I didn't, and not exactly." Said the voice. "But, in a manner of speaking, you are. It's just a good thing I was able to get to you before it was too late."

Kizuna flapped her arms in an attempt to stop moving, and out of frustration. "What is going on here?! Why won't you show yourself?"

"I won't until you're relaxed." The voice replied. "There is a lot to take in."

Kizuna closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She focused on happy thoughts, which meant David, David, and David. The pudding at lunch came to mind, and she smiled. It was the first time that David really cared about her. And now she'd never see him again. A lump formed in her throat.

"Do not fret, Kizuna."

The girl was really starting to get annoyed. "Just leave me alone, okay!"

"If it makes you feel better, you definitely aren't dead."

"But you said I sorta was…" She sighed.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"GrrrrrAGGH!" Kizuna yelled in frustration. "You know, you aren't doing a good job at helping me relax!"

"Sorry. I never really was good at this sort of thing." The voice said, localizing itself to a few feet in front of here. "Here then, allow me to introduce myself."

Kizuna folded her arms expectantly as a figure faded into existence in front of her. He was a tall white cat with jet black hair, and a green striped shirt. He looked very polite, and smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Kizuna. My name is Liam."

Kizuna blinked. Was she supposed to know him? He seemed to know a lot about her. Maybe he was a secret admirer. "Wh-who?"

Liam laughed softly. "Don't worry. You won't know who I am."

That was a relief. Kizuna was terrible with names and faces. "Alright…" she said. "What am I doing here? I was on my way to my home planet- that YOU told me about, by the way." She leaned forward and raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Ah, yeah. That." Liam rubbed the back of his neck anxiously and looked away. "I… I'm very sorry Kizuna, but I don't know where your family is."

"WHAT?!" Kizuna started trying to swim through the air toward him frantically but she wasn't making much progress. "YOU HAD ME COME OUT ALL THIS WAY ON A LIE?!"

Liam drifted out of the snarling dog's reach. "I don't know where they are, but I do know what happened to them!"

"I BET YOU TOOK THEM!" She yelled. "TO LURE ME OUT HERE!"

"What reason would I have to do that?" Liam asked, floating just out of Kizuna's reach.

"To kill me!"

"Then why haven't I done it yet?" The cat asked calmly.

"Because!" Kizuna yelled, but as she tried to put the pieces together, she couldn't make a picture where Liam wanted to kill her. "Because…"

"If you're referring to the incident with the spaceship, I had nothing to do with that. It seems as though I'm not the only one with their eyes on you."

Kizuna calmed down. "Can you please just tell me what is going on?"

Liam drifted over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kizuna… the world you belonged to no longer exists. Your friends don't remember you."

"I… I don't understand…" She said, but deep down she knew it made sense. How her friends didn't know who she was, why the bus driver passed her by and why her parents were gone. "It doesn't exist?"

Liam nodded solemnly. "I can't really explain it. Your time in the world… it was just up. It's been replaced."

Kizuna drifted back, turning away from him. It was unreal. Had to be unreal. Her mouth went dry. She shook her head. "That's impossible. None of this is possible."

"Kizuna…" Liam said softly, sensing her panic coming on.

"No!" She yelled, spinning back around. "You are a liar! This is a dream!" Her voice cracked. "I-I'm g-gonna wake up in my b-bed! And my family will b-be there! And my friends will r-remember me!" Tears streamed from her eyes.

"I told you it was a lot to take in." Liam said flatly. "You just need some time to let it sink in. I understand how you feel."

"No you don't!" She hissed. "How could you! I don't even know you, how could you possibly understand me!"

"Because the same thing happened to me!" He fired back. "But instead of having someone there to help me, I was on my own!"

Kizuna hugged herself and sobbed. She wanted to wake from this nightmare. How could she have been so stupid, at least if she had just stayed home she would still be with friends. She'd have a warm bed to sleep in. Now she was floating in an endless void with a stranger of dubious trustworthiness. Liam, on the other hand, was beating himself up inside for snapping on her. This was s very delicate thing to approach. "So all that about my home planet… th-that was a lie?"

"Yes. I'm truly sorry, Kizuna." Liam floated closer to the crying girl. "But it was the only way I could save you. And you… could save everyone."

Kizuna sniffled and Liam poofed a tissue box out of thin air. She graciously accepted it and wiped her tears away. "S-save everyone?"

"If you're ready to continue." He said.

"Y-you mean there's more?" She whispered harshly. "How could there possibly be more?"

"When you're ready for it." He said calmly.

Kizuna covered her head with her hands. "I don't want this. I don't want any of this."

"I'm afraid neither of us has a choice in what's to come." Liam said gravely. He knew he was dumping a lot on the girl, but there wasn't a lot of time to grieve.

"And what," Kizuna said floating back around, "Is to come?"

Liam sighed. "Something terrible has happened. Is happening. Will continue to happen."

"Which is…?" Kizuna said with a 'continue' gesture.

"Kizuna, the world you came from, it's not the only one." Liam said as the white void faded away and in its stead was a massive colorful galaxy. It filled her entire vision even though it was lightyears away from them. There were small clusters along the arms, and in the center, a massive white light. Kizuna felt a little dizzy. "Give yourself a moment to readjust your bearings."

The universe in front of her was far more intricate than anything she'd seen on her space trip. She noticed more and more of the details as her head stopped spinning - or was it the universe that was spinning? Liam drifted across her view and gestured to the cosmic display behind him. "This is the Candyverse. It is a collection of everything that has happened, is happening, and has yet to happen."

Kizuna gasped at the majesty of it all. "Is this like seeing all of time? Like the past and future of my world?"

Liam shook his head. "It's all worlds. Are you familiar with the multiple universe theory? Well, I guess it's not so much a theory as it is reality."

"Yeah…" Kizuna said breathlessly, soaking the view in. "My teacher talked about it."

"Good, good." Liam smiled. "You have a leg up already." He floated next to her, smiling at her awe. He remembered what it was like the first time he saw all of it. He pointed to a fading cluster on the edge of the large spiral. "Do you see that?"

Kizuna followed his finger and squinted. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's your world. Your… story. It's going out." He explained. As the cluster dimmed, it floated off of the cosmic arm and disappeared from view. Kizuna backed up a bit in horror. Her friends… her entire life… it was gone. "It used to be there." He shifted his point to the center of the universe. "But it has been replaced. That's why your family was missing. Why your friends didn't remember you."

"Would I have…?" Kizuna asked, unable to stomach the idea of blipping out of existence.

"Yes." Liam said gravely. "While your friends would have merged with the center, you would have been left to the void."

"How could this happen? Why?!" She cried.

"It wasn't anything personal." Liam said.

Kizuna looked at him. "How would you know? Did you have anything to do with this?"

"I didn't. I suppose more of an explanation is in order." Liam floated away with his hands behind his back as he solemnly looked over the universe before him. "It is my job to watch over everything. To keep everyone safe. One day, the two who created our universe, named Taeshi and SuitCase-"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Kizuna flitted over. "Created? You mean like gods?"

"In a way, yes. Taeshi, specifically, created the universe. She nudges things in a certain direction, if you understand what I mean."

Kizuna furrowed her brow, trying to sort it all out. Finally she shook her head. "Not entirely. But, continue."

Liam took a deep breath. "Their visit wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I was accustomed to them stopping in to adjust things. They left, as usual, but came back not too long later. This time, however… things seemed… off." A look of fear flickered across Liams' face before he continued. "They… were doing some experimentation. Moving things around. Small at first. Thoughts, ideas, dreams. But then they started moving people around… and not putting them back."

Kizuna tilted her head. "Why?"

Liam didn't break his thousand yard stare into the abyss. "My job isn't to ask why. Only to report if something wrong happens. And something very wrong is happening. I attempted to restore these worlds back to normal, but they stopped me."

Kizuna nearly asked why again, but she had a feeling Liam would draw another blank. He continued. "I think something is up, but I can't do anything myself. That." He smiled at her. "Is why you're here. I know this is going behind their backs, but something is seriously wrong."

Kizuna looked from Liam to the universe beyond. "What do you want me to do? Save the world?"

"No, Kizuna. I want you to save all of them." Liam produced a black business suitcase "You have to go to all the worlds that have been affected, and set them right. You'll use this to help you along the way." He pushed it forward gently and it floated over to Kizuna, who took it and looked it over.

"What is this?" She asked. It looked like a normal suitcase to her. "Is there something in it?"

"This will allow you to travel across the Candyverse, and provide you with any items you might need, within reason. No world ending weapons, can't summon others. But need a glass of water? It's got you covered." He floated next to her. "All you need to do is hold it in front of you, think about what you want, and open the case. Try it."

Kizuna thought about something she would want right then? Comfort. She only wanted comfort. She focused in on an idea, and opened the suitcase. The inside was infinitely deep, but from the darkness came a framed photo of David smiling. "Wow…" Kizuna said breathlessly.

Liam gave the dog a pat on the back. "See? Easy." Kizuna let go of the case and grabbed the photo to look it over. "You have to be careful, though. It has a limited amount of power. Once it's used up, it'll become useless."

"Is there any way to recharge it?" Kizuna asked, looking at the suitcase.

Liam laughed. "Yeah, if you've got about a megaton of TNT lying around. You'll have more than enough power and then some."

"Ah… so is there anything else?" Kizuna asked, now fully expecting there to be even more to deal with.

Liam rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm… no, I don't think so. Do you have any questions?"

Kizuna thought of one last thing. "What about that guy that attacked me?"

Liam drew back, concern on his face. "I… am not sure about that. Best to stay away from him."

"I figured that much out for myself, thanks." Kizuna closed the suitcase. "Am I supposed to do this all on my own, then?"

"I never said that, now." Liam smiled. "You can get help, you just have to be careful. Did you have anyone in mind?"

Kizuna looked back at the photograph of David. "I… have an idea, yes."

"Well then it's settled!" Liam clapped his hands together. "You best get started! The Candyverse is counting on you! Just think of where you want to go and open the suitcase!" He paused a moment, and then continued. "Oh, and best to brace yourself. The first time is always the roughest."

Kizuna nodded and closed her eyes and focused on where she wanted to go. 'I want to see David… I want to see David…' There was a little rumble. With a deep breath she opened up her eyes and the suitcase. Liam waved goodbye and said something else, but she didn't hear it. She was sucked into the darkness and saw nothing more.

Chapter Text

What Liam said about the journey had been an understatement. The trip through the suitcase was one of the most uncomfortable Kizuna had ever taken. She'd taken her share of licks and illness over the years, but this was a feeling unlike any other. It felt like her insides were being squeezed, turned inside out and put through a blender, made all the worse by her tumbling around, falling through the abyss. Worlds indescribable flashed by her as she fell. Kizuna was only able to catch glimpses of them in her tumbling head over heels. They were as infinite exits on an infinite highway, and none of them were for her.

It kept going and going, and just when she thought it might have been a trap, or that she may have done something wrong, her journey stopped abruptly. She heard muffled music and saw multicolored lights in the distance, which got closer and closer until…

SLAM!

The suitcase spit Kizuna out and landed with a soft thud on the grass. Kizuna wasn't as lucky. She hit something hard and solid and bounced off, landing in a bush. The dog laid face down in the dirt, mind still whirling from the journey and the sudden stop. Slowly she looked up from the ground, looking at where she landed. To her left side was a brick wall, but most of the rest of her view was filled by the thick bush she had fallen into. It was also dark out, save for the light being cast from somewhere Kizuna couldn't yet see. Kizuna pulled herself back to her feet with some difficulty, she still felt woozy and her back was sore from when she hit the wall.

"Owwwie…" She groaned, rubbing her back. "My bLUUURRGGHH!" Suddenly her stomach caught up with her and Kizuna doubled over and puked into the bush. Her knees gave way and she hunched over. "Urghhhh…." Kizuna took another minute to gather herself as her stomach and head settled.

She looked around. There were decorations placed everywhere, and now she was noticing the music again. Kizuna loved music, she always listened to the latest pop songs as they came out, but she didn't recognize these songs. The decorations themselves looked odd too… like they belonged in a whole different era. "Did I go back in time?" She wondered aloud as she got to her feet for a better look. It looked like she was in front of a large building, and just a few feet away was a covered path that went from a parking lot to the entrance.

Kizuna grabbed the suitcase and decided to follow the path to the doors. Behind the doors was the source of the music, and when she opened them to get a peek inside she got an earful. A quick glance around showed that she had indeed traveled through time, but not to the past, but the future. Just a few years, judging by the banner detailing this was the senior prom for the Roseville class of '09. "Wow…" Kizuna said breathlessly. "So this is the future… I wonder if they have flying cars and holograms by now! Wait! No, no! I'm not here to sightsee! I need to focus!"

Kizuna looked both ways. She couldn't be seen… that's what they always said in those movies about time travel. Being seen could destroy space and time. She'd have to be stealthy… she'd have to be… a ninja! Kizuna smiled to herself. Finally, all those years of training (which amounted to her pretending in her room) would finally pay off. As swiftly as she could, she slid inside the door and slinked into the shadows of the wall.

Hiding in the shadows didn't matter too much, the music and lights were more than enough to keep the attention away from some random girl who was edging her way along the wall. Even passing glances by others didn't really make a difference. In the blur of lights and dance there were more interesting things to do. Kizuna kept her eyes peeled for.the chocolate labrador retriever. Kizuna always felt she had an extra David sense that helped her find him. Of course, even without it, how could one not? He was one of the tallest people she knew, and always towered over their classmates.

Kizuna did see a few of her friends along the way. They looked so much older, so mature. She wasn't at all surprised to see who was dancing with who. Mike with Lucy, Paulo with Daisy. Deep down she always suspected it may end up this way. At last she spotted him, talking to another girl on the edge of the dance floor. Kizuna squinted her eyes. Who was that he was talking to? One of the spinning lights briefly shone on her and Kizuna recognized the orange fur and stripes as belonging to Amaya, who was wearing a sparkly red dress. She listened in.

"Then we should dance together!" The dog exclaimed enthusiastically. "Just you and me!" He offered his hand to the tabby, who was looking at it skeptically. "I won't spin you, I promise."

Amaya hesitantly took up his offer, and his hand. David and her got into a waltzing position and they got into the groove. It was a little bittersweet for Kizuna. She remembered the dance in eighth grade, how David had taken her to dance - and how she'd accidentally thrown him out a window after being spun in circles. In his suit, David looked so handsome. Kizuna wondered if David would have gone to this dance with her. She looked at Amaya with a little jealously.

Kizuna couldn't let her presence be known to anyone but David, and she was getting increasingly more disgruntled by the minute watching them dance together, so she slipped away to the front door to wait for David to leave. She watched the others dancing and living it up while she sat by the door. She played with the suitcase a little, looking it all over in more depth, or as well as she could in the low light. It was very well made. The black leather was pristine. It wasn't cracking anywhere, or torn, or even dirty. The two little brass latches on the top shined in what little light seeped its way to the back where Kizuna sat. But above all, it felt right in her hands. There was something alluring about it. Such an inconspicuous thing held such cosmic power.

Kizuna watched the happy dancers. Would she have come to the prom too? What would that have been like? She thought of what dress she would wear. How her and David might have danced together… and maybe he would finally confess his love for her… and they would seal it with a kiss. Kizuna's heart sank, and she felt really alone. Her life had been taken away from her. She would never know what it was like to grow up alongside her friends, to have children, to have a career. Now she was sitting in the dark in a prom, unfathomably far from home, with no way to ever go back. She envied the others. They had no idea how lucky they were. They would get to go home to their families, sleep in their warm, comfy beds, and have a whole weekend to look forward to.

While Kizuna surveyed the dance floor, she spotted David hurrying to the restroom. He stopped briefly when Paulo came across his path, and they talked for a moment with David pointing in Amaya's direction before they high fived and parted ways, and David went on to the restroom. Kizuna inhaled sharply and jumped to her feet. Finally! She also hurried her way to the restroom, and leaned on the wall outside the door coolly. David finished his business and washed his hands, and left the bathroom with a sigh. "Ahh, that's better."

"Hello." Kizuna said, trying her best to sound serious. The dog quickly pivoted around to see who called his name. Kizuna smiled and pushed herself off the wall. "Can you come with me for a moment? I need to speak to you."

David squinted his eyes and tilted his head. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kizuna, and the universe needs your help. I… need your help." She said, putting on her best pleading face.

David blinked at the strange girl. This was certainly not what he was expecting out of tonight. But in any case, he didn't have time to save anything, much less the universe! He had to get back to Amaya. "I'm sorry, underdressed and young looking prom-goer, but I must return to my dance!" He gave a short wave. "Good luck with saving the universe." David turned and started walking away. Kizuna panicked, if he went back to dancing now, who knew how long she'd have to wait for him to be done? And how could she even convince him to join her after that?

"Wait! David!" She cried, chasing after him and grabbing him by the arm. "I neeeeed your help!"

David stopped. "I don't know how you know my name, but I can smell drama from a mile away and you reek of it." He sniffed the air and made a disgusted face. "And it smells like throw up!"

Kizuna let go of him. "It'll be quick! I promise! Nobody will even know you're gone!" She put on her best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Davie! You're the only one I trust!"

David crossed his arms. "How can I trust you?"

Kizuna was at a loss. What could she say? She was from another world? That they used to be friends? Wait- that was it! They used to be friends! She could tell him something only a friend would know. "Okay, let me prove it to you!"

David cocked an eyebrow but didn't leave, so Kizuna continued. "Your best friend is Paulo!"

"Pffft." David rolled his eyes. "So? Everyone knows that!"

Kizuna tapped her chin. "Ermm… your dad left when you were a baby."

"That's not exactly a secret…"

Kizuna was running out of things to say. Then something struck her - she'd have to say something not just anyone but a close friend would know. Something that happened on a friend's trip. "When we went to Acapulco… Paulo's truth question was about his stereo."

"Ha! Nice try!" David shoved a finger at her. "We didn't go to Acapulco! We went to the Silvershore Islands!"

"Oh…" Kizuna said, defeated.

David pulled his finger back. "But you did know about the truth or dare question…" He leaned forward to scrutinize her, trying to find the deception in her words. "Who are you? How do you know all this?"

"We're friends, Davie. Or, we were. In another lifetime." Kizuna gave a deep sigh. "But that's all gone now. And the same thing is gonna happen to this place… and everyone else if I don't do something… but I can't do it alone. That's why I need your help."

David contemplated her words. He looked back at Amaya, who was dancing by herself, waiting for him to return, then back to Kizuna, who was looking down, anxiously playing with the latches on the suitcase. "It'll be like I never left, you said?"

"Mhm." Kizuna nodded.

"Alright." David put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'll let you lead the way, mysterious Kizuna. Just let me say goodbye to Amaya-"

"No!" Kizuna said quickly. "It must be kept a secret!"

"Ohhh, okay." David put a finger to his lips and winked. "Like secret agents. Can my codename be Big Chocolate?"

Kizuna smiled. "Sure!" And took David by the hand, swiftly leading him outside and around the building to the bush Kizuna had fallen in so they wouldn't be spotted.

David scrunched up his face. "Eugh! It smells like drama out here!"

"Yeah, that's because I-" Kizuna shook the aside away. "Nevermind! Here, look at this."

The dog produced the suitcase and laid it in the grass. "This will let us go anywhere we want."

"And where do we go?" David asked.

Kizuna stopped and looked up. That was a good question. Liam hadn't given her a list, or anything. What was she supposed to be on the lookout for? "I… I don't know… I was just told- oh! Get down!"

Kizuna dropped into the grass and pulled David down with her. A few prom goers walked past, laughing. After a few tense moments Kizuna sat back up, and David popped up beside her. "You don't know? That's how you know it's top secret, not even the secret agent knows what to do."

"I know what to do!" Kizuna said defensively. "I just don't know how to do it…" She ran a hand across the bumpy leather surface. "I think… I just gotta think of any world that needs fixing… and it should take us there."

Kizuna closed her eyes, hands on the suitcase. 'Okay.' She thought. 'Take us somewhere that needs help… where things are that don't belong…'

The suitcase rumbled and Kizuna flipped the latches on the top. It fell open, and nothing but void was inside. David leaned over it, wide eye'd. "Oohhhh, I think it's gazing back!"

Kizuna grimaced. She didn't much like the idea of going back through that torment again, let alone twice in the same day. Yet, it had to be done. She nudged her brown companion. "You first. Just… climb in."

David leaned in closer. "What? You mean like AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He was pulled downward into the suitcase by an unknown force. Kizuna looked around to make sure nobody else had heard his cry. Fortunately for them the music was too loud for anyone to hear what was going on outside. With another deep breath, and a whole lot of bracing, Kizuna fell forward into the suitcase and saw the world slip away behind her.

Chapter Text

"WEEEE!" David yelled in delight as he fell through the endless technicolored dream, or as Kizuna saw it, a nightmare. David was twisting and turning, doing all sorts of flips and tricks as they freefell past untold worlds. He looked like a kid in a candy shop as they flew by, with him wide-eyed and trying to get a good look at them before they were out of sight. From them came a cacophony of sight and sound and David was lapping it all up. He spotted Kizuna wearing a rather uncomfortable look on her face. "C'mon, Kizuna, let loose a little!" He called to her over the rushing wind in their ears. “This is soooooo much FUUUUUN!”

"I-I'd rather not…" Kizuna said, trying to hold herself together. While not quite as unpleasant as the first trip, it was still rather gut twisting. At least now she was ready for it. David doggy paddled over to her and laid on his side as though they were both on solid ground. His large ears flapped wildly in the wind.

"Y'know, when you were going on about being a secret agent, I thought you were full of it! But look at us! On our very own isekai adventure!" David spun around as he did so, soaking up all of their flashing surroundings. Kizuna groaned, hoping that the suitcase would spit them out soon. She hoped that wherever they landed, it would be soft, hopefully softer than the bush she hit the first time. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what the rules were for how they would come out the other side of the suitcase - what if they were dropped a hundred feet in the air? What if they opened up underwater? These questions did little to quell her anxiety.

There were suddenly some brown fingers snapping in her face. “Hey, you still in there?” Said a disgruntled looking David. He brought his hands back to himself and folded them. “Did you leave your mind behind at the prom?”

Kizuna shook her head to knock the negative thoughts out of it. “Sorry, Davie… what’s up?”

"When you told me we had to save the universe, I totally thought you were lying!” He laughed. “Like seriously! I just went along with it as a joke! Thought it was a poor attempt to steal me from my date!” He narrowed his eyes a little. “Unless this still is an elaborate scheme to steal me from my date…”

Kizuna laughed nervously, and felt a little hurt that David had doubted the veracity of her story. “Ah! No, totally not at all, Davie!” She smiled nervously and waved her hands out in front of her in a ‘no’ motion, trying to convince him of her pure intentions, but then frowned a little, thinking back on what she’d lost, and the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders. Hopefully with David, it wouldn’t be too heavy now. “And yeah… it’s all too real.”

“So what exactly is it we’re gonna do once we get there?” David asked, readjusting his falling position. "Are there some bad guys to fight? Are WE going to be the bad guys?" He tapped his chin in thought and looked up, or at least, what they perceived to be up. It was hard to tell.

This was a good question, one that Liam had been very vague on. How were they going to save the Candyverse? He said she had to set the different worlds back to normal, but if they were all different from her own, what would be considered normal there? Her teacher's words echoed in her mind, 'These worlds differ from our own. Some slight, others far more notably…'

David whistled and waved his hands in front of Kizuna's face. "Yo, mission control to Kizuna! Are you reading us, Kizuna?" David folded his arms, now falling upside down. Kizuna groaned.

"I… I don't really know…"

David raised an eyebrow. "You don't know if you're reading us?"

"No! Not that!" Kizuna shook her head. "I just mean… I'm not sure what we're supposed to do. I guess we'll find out when we get there…"

"You're not a very good secret agent." He said, flatly. "And I thought I told you my codename was Big Chocolate."

"I'm sorry…" Kizuna said pathetically. This was nothing like how she thought things would go, and they had hardly done anything yet. David looked ahead and squinted.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, cupping his hands around his eyes like a faux pair of binoculars. Kizuna followed his gaze and saw what he did. A white spot was just ahead, and growing larger. This must be their destination.

"Brace yourself!" Kizuna said, putting her hands over her head.

David looked at her. "Brace for wh-"

FWOOMP! SLAM!

Kizuna shot out of the suitcase and tumbled across some grass before being stopped by a sturdy tree trunk. "Oof!" She groaned. Her pain wasn't over, as David came barreling out after her and found himself rolling into her lap. He looked a little dazed himself, having been unprepared for the sudden jolt.

Kizuna smiled down at him when she regained her senses. "Hi Davie!" She giggled at the dog laying in her lap.

David blinked and sat up next to Kizuna. He looked around at the world around them. "Well, that wasn't too- BLEURRGH!" His stomach gave way and he vomited, fortunately for Kizuna, away from her, and keeled over. "I think I just spilled some drama… ugh…"

Kizuna gave him a light pat on the back. "Just give it a few moments, Davie. You'll feel better." Kizuna took a look around herself. Grass. Trees. A little path that weaved around them, and around a large lake. There was no shortage of others milling about, laughing, talking, playing. None of them looked to have noticed them. It was a little hot out too. Everything was normal. Totally and completely normal. In fact, if Kizuna didn't know any better, she'd say she was home.

David wiped his mouth with a leaf and sat up straight again. "Alright, let me use my super senses to find out what's off here." David cupped his eyes like he had before and scanned the immediate surrounding area, with some beeps and boops added for effect. After he looked around, he lowered his hands. "No anomalies detected." He said in a faux robotic voice.

Kizuna grimaced. Figures It wouldn't be so easy. She got to her feet, legs still a little wobbly from the trip, and offered a hand to David. "C'mon, Davie. Let's go for a walk. Maybe we'll see something."

David didn't take her hand, opting to hop to his feet instead. He dusted himself off. "When we're on the job, it's Big Chocolate."

Kizuna smiled a little. It was such a silly name, but David's silliness was one of the things she loved most about him. Even if this mission was going to be stressful, she could at least count on him to cheer her up, even if he didn't know he was. "Right, right, of course, Big Chocolate." She said with a wink.

They walked together along the winding path through the park. Kizuna's heart raced, the whole time debating if she should try to take David's hand or not. She always dreamed about going on a park date with him. "Hey, you haven't given yourself a codename yet." David pointed out. "You'll blow our cover!"

Kizuna hadn't given much thought to a codename. She was really only humoring David with his, but if he was going to insist on being called by one, she may as well come up with one for herself. "Hmm…" Kizuna tapped her chin. "Maybe…" A lightbulb went off in her mind, and she wore a mischievous grin. "My codename will be… Babe!"

A few kids ran across their path, laughing and tossing a ball. David raised an eyebrow. "Babe?"

Kizuna giggled and nodded. "Mhm! Call me Babe!" She felt so proud of herself for coming up with a way to have David refer to her affectionately. This feeling didn't last long.

"You mean like the pig? From that movie?" He asked, breaking the mood. Kizuna's smile dropped.

"I- wha- uh…" She stammered, completely flabbergasted. Leave it to David to totally misunderstand her.

"Cause I loved that movie as a kid!" David exclaimed. "I don't think people give it enough credit. There are some really deep the- AGH!" David found himself hurtling toward the ground. Kizuna jumped a little at the sudden yelp and her and David both looked down. David was so busy talking, he didn't look where he was going and had tripped over a girl sitting next to the path in a soft patch of grass. A crying girl. A very curly furred crying girl.

"D-Davie?" Daisy sniffled, recognizing the trippee. She was a little banged up from being tripped over, but this wasn't why she was crying.

David jumped to his feet and stood next to Kizuna. "David? I've never heard of that guy in my life!" David said, putting on his deepest voice. "My name is Agent Big Chocolate! And this is Agent Babe!" He gestured to Kizuna who gave a small wave and smile.

Daisy wiped her eyes and smiled at what she thought was David just playing a game. He was so enthusiastic about it, she couldn't help herself but to feel a little better. "I know it's you, Davie…" Daisy squinted through her teary eyes up at Kizuna. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are…"

It did hurt Kizuna to be forgotten again, but she couldn't blame the girl. Of course she wouldn't know. "That's… fine. It's not important." The girl softened up at Daisy's distressed look. Tear tracks glinted on her fur in the summer sun. "Are you okay?"

Daisy was hesitant to open up to a total stranger. In truth, she wasn't okay. She had spent the better part of the last few days bawling her eyes out over her now ex boyfriend Paulo. "I… Paulo has b-been real strange recently…" This was directed more towards David than Kizuna.

David tilted his head in curiosity. "More strange than usual?"

Daisy frowned. "He's never been strange! Not like this! He's just…" Daisy sighed. "He's been really interested in Susie lately… but he's supposed to be my boyfriend! And he just keeps…" The selkirk ragamuffin whimpered. "I love him so much… why is he doing this? Abbey was right about him!"

Kizuna could see Daisy getting all worked up again. They weren't in a relationship in her time, and thinking about it, the way Paulo was back then, it felt like an impossibility. But the way Daisy cried and anxiously played with her fur made it clear that they had something special together.

Daisy wiped more tears out her eyes. She thought about her and Paulo's conversation at the lake, about how she accepted that one day things might not work out. She just couldn't have imagined how hard it would really be, or how soon. He was all over her one moment and the next… he was carrying on about Sue. And he hadn't stopped going on about her since that night. Daisy was just a friend, the little sister, once again. Paulo was like a completely different person, and everything they'd gone through didn't matter to him anymore. He didn't even remember any of it.

But more importantly, this seemed like it was out of the ordinary. Kizuna paced back and forth, a hand behind her back as she used the other to gesture as she talked. After a moment, David started doing the same, though it was Kizuna who spoke. "Paulo suddenly starts acting strange… is completely in love with someone else…" Kizuna stopped. So did David. "Is there anything else you remember? Anything at all?"

Daisy shook her head. "N-no… we were watching fireworks, and…" She looked at the two in a sudden bout of realization. There HAD been something else off that night. Something she hadn't given much thought before. "Wait…" Daisy whispered. "There… there was this bright light… and it a loud bang, louder than the other fireworks… and then…" The girl gasped. "You don't think… maybe that had something to do with it?"

"Hmm… Sounds plausible… most plausible indeed…" David mused, trying to sound smart and tapping his chin as he'd seen Kizuna done. "Do you know where he is now?"

Daisy frowned and folded her arms. "Probably chasing after Susie. That's all he does anymore." She said bitterly.

"Then that's where we'll go!" Kizuna exclaimed, relieved that they had hit a lead so early. Yet, knowing Paulo, him chasing every girl he saw was par for the course. What if this was meant to happen? They still had to at least check it out, though. "Lead the way, Daisy."

Daisy nodded. "We'll check the game store. I think Susie mentioned something about looking at new games with Amaya there the other day." The selkirk ragamuffn started off in the direction of the store. As they walked, Daisy would occasionally give strange glances over at David. After some time, she worked up a nerve to ask, "Davie… you seem older."

Kizuna gave David a look that told him he needed to come up with a lie. Lying wasn't really in David's repertoire, but he was willing to give it the old college try. "Well, you see, I had a growth spurt!" He said with faux pride, chest puffed out and jamming a thumb towards himself. "Glad you noticed!" Kizuna facepalmed.

"And what's your name?" Daisy asked Kizuna, not forgetting she was still there.

"Like Big Chocolate said." Kizuna said nonchalantly. "Babe. Agent Babe."

Daisy gave an unamused look. "I mean, what is your real name?"

Kizuna stiffened up in an attempt to look more official. "That's classified. What's important is that we help you."

"But why?" Daisy tilted her head. "I mean, don't get me wrong." She chuckled. "I do appreciate your help… but what do you get out of it?"

"Beats me." David interjected with a shrug. "She only told me that-" But David was cut off by Kizuna putting a hand over his mouth. She smiled anxiously at Daisy.

"What he means to say is that it's just the right thing to do." Kizuna said quickly.

Daisy smiled. "Thank you! I wish more people were just as sweet as you, Agent Babe!" Daisy played with her curls as they exited the park and headed down the sidewalks of Roseville. "Mikie's like that too. And so was Paulo. Until…" Her smile slowly faded away. "How will you guys help?"

"Brainwash him into loving you again!" David blurted out, and Daisy looked like she wasn't on board with that plan.

"We'll just see when we get there." Kizuna smiled reassuringly at the girl. "Just a big misunderstanding, I'm sure."

“I hope so…” Daisy replied, a newfound hint of hope seeping into her mind. She still didn’t know much of what was going on, but Kizuna and David seemed like they had it all under control.

The walk to the game store was short. It was a small family owned game store on Roseville’s main street. Above the large windowed front, a brightly colored sign read ‘Bytes N’ Bits’. It was a specialty shop as well, they offered many old games on top of the new ones. Well before they reached the store, however, they could hear arguing between two of the patrons, a male and a female.

“UGH! Will you just leave me alone, Paulo?!” Yelled the female voice. The three of them recognized this as Sue’s voice.

In a voice they knew belonged to Paulo, they heard, “What the hell, Sue? When did you start to hate me again?”

“Oh dear…” Daisy said, and she looked as though she wanted to disappear. They came upon the scene, where they saw a very ruffled Sue and Paulo, and a very uncomfortable looking Amaya.

Sue looked completely flabbergasted. “Hate you again..?” She said quietly, trying to piece together Paulo’s insane ramblings. Sue considered herself to be a patient girl, but whatever low tolerance she had for the womanizing somali was quickly eaten away. “Hate you again?!” She repeated, more annoyed, her anger building like fiery magma. “News flash moron, I ALWAYS HATED YOU!”

Amaya anxiously tugged on Sue’s arm, wanting to leave the tense situation. Paulo and Sue had been at it for days now, and the screaming matches were really getting to her. She didn’t like raised voices at the best of times. “C-c’mon, Sue… let’s just go.”

"Amaya can talk?!" Kizuna asked, mouth agape.

"Maybe we should let this world get destroyed." David commented.

Daisy looked at him, horrified. "The world's gonna end?!" She gasped.

Kizuna gave David a look of frustration, and the dog covered his mouth. "Did I say destroyed? No no, this was just a figure of speech! What I meant to say was-” but he was cut off by Paulo yelling at Sue again.

“I KNEW I COULDN’T TRUST YOU!” The boy threw his hands in the air and paced up and down the sidewalk. “The high and mighty Susan, always waiting to put me down!” He stopped and looked at her with a mix of frustration and hurt. “I thought we were past all this! What about all that time we spent together? Does that mean nothing?”

Sue’s eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets, and probably be replaced with fire, and Kizuna could’ve sworn she could see her veins throbbing on her temple. “WHAT. ARE. YOU. TALKING. ABOUT?! When have we EVER spent time together, outside of the last few days? WHEN I DIDN’T EVEN WANT YOU AROUND!”

Paulo backed down and looked hurt. In his eyes, his heart was cracking, and his body posture went limp. “I really thought we…” He sighed. “Whatever. I get it. I hope you’re happier without me.”

“I will be.” Sue folded her arms with finality. "I can't believe you're going to act like this after everything all of us did to help you and Daisy."

“Tch, typical Paulo.” Said a scolding voice from beside the three onlookers who were watching the whole scene unfold. They all looked over, having been so distracted they hadn't noticed the newcomer walk up. It was Abbey, who was glaring at the somali, his arms folded as well. A deep scowl rested upon his face. “Always trying to get with every girl he sees. Pathetic. Doesn’t deserve Sue. Or you, Daisy. Or anyone.” Everyone turned their attention back to the blowout in front of them.

Daisy, who’s heart was breaking all over again watching Paulo and Sue arguing, sniffled back some tears and looked at Abbey. “I… I thought you were okay with him… with us…”

Abbey looked at her quizzically. “When did I ever say that? You and Paulo? You can do better than that.” The abyssinian wiped his brow and yawned. “Is it just me or is it quite warm for December?” Everyone slowly turned their gaze to him again. With all the new, confused eyes on him, he asked “What?”

Kizuna leaned forward so she could get a better look at Abbey, who was standing at the far end of the group. “Abbey, how did you get here?”

Abbey squinted at the tan dog. He was trying to work out who she was, but nothing was ringing a bell. “I’m very sorry, but I don’t seem to recognize you.”

Kizuna figured as much. “I know, I know. Just answer the question.”

“Well…” Abbey said, thinking back on the last 24 hours. “I remember going to bed wi- I went to bed. It's Christmas break. Right?" He looked to his friends for validation, now second guessing himself. They stared at him blankly, which only made him more self conscious. "Uh…erm… And then I fell asleep and… And then I… I…” Abbey looked down at his hands, unable to recall how exactly he got there. He fell asleep, and then he was… blank. Everything was so fuzzy. “Huh…” He said softly, sounding really worried. “I don’t really know. I just… I don’t…” He looked back at the three. “Am I dreaming? Is this a dream?”

Kizuna got as far as inhaling and opening her mouth to speak when David stepped in. “Yes!” he exclaimed, pointing a finger up, matter of factly. “This is aaaalllll a dream!”

“Funny.” Abbey said, not buying David’s explanation. The brown labrador was not a good source of information, in his opinion. “It doesn’t feel like a dream.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Kizuna interjected quickly. “We’re gonna have to ask you to come with us.”

“I’m not going with you!” The brown cat scoffed. “I have to get back to-” Abbey stopped himself, cheeks turning red. “Never you mind! I have things to do today.”

“I’m afraid we aren’t taking no for an answer.” David said, grabbing Abbey by the arm.

“Hey!” The cat squirmed in David’s grip, but it was to no avail. David was stronger and bigger than him. “Unhand me!”

Things had died down enough between Sue and Paulo for them to notice the four friends who were having a conversation of their own. They both looked very embarrassed that their argument had gathered an audience. Simultaneously, upon seeing David grappling with Abbey, they said. “David, what are you doing?”

The dog turned around and waved excitedly. “Hey Paulo! Good to see ya! We didn’t hear ya yelling or anything, we just so happened to be walking this way.”

“Paulo…” Daisy walked forward a little. “Let’s go, okay?”

“I appreciate it, Daze, but I’m trying to figure this out right now.” Paulo said, eyeing Sue.

The burmese balled her fists and faced Paulo. “There is nothing to figure out, jackass!”

Amaya took a few steps back “I’m… just gonna leave. I’ll see you later, Sue.” She turned and walked away down the sidewalk, past the group. It was just too much for her.

Sue softened up. “Amaya, wait!” She called, and chased after her. Paulo stood his ground and frowned after the girl. When she was out of sight, he sighed and his ears fell back.

“Thought I knew her…” He lamented.

“Alrighty!” Kizuna said, popping up. “So you and Abbey are going to come with us…”

“What?!” Paulo said at once.

“Yeah…” Kizuna said slowly. “David!” David didn’t respond. Kizuna looked at him, questioningly. She was met with a blank gaze from him, and she understood. “Agent Big Chocolate.”

David snapped to attention. “Yes, Agent Babe!”

Paulo looked back and forth between the two. “David, is this your girlfriend? When did that happen?”

Kizuna felt a little happy hearing someone think they were a couple, she blushed a little, but shook it off. “It d-doesn’t matter!” The girl pointed at Paulo. “Agent, grab him and let’s go!”

“Wait!” Daisy protested as David did what Kizuna asked. Abbey had all but given up trying to wrench himself free and let himself be dragged along as David snatched Paulo before he could run. “Where are you taking him?!”

“We’re just gonna go have a little chat.” Kizuna told Daisy, and then turned her attention to David. “Alright, Big Chocolate. Bring out the suitcase.” But David did not bring out the suitcase. Instead, he stood there stupidly, staring blankly back at her. “The suitcase.” The girl repeated.

“Well I don’t have it. I thought you had it.” David replied, holding onto a struggling Paulo with one hand.

“You may as well just give up.” Abbey grumbled to Paulo. “He’s got a vice grip.”

“Speak for yourself, big ears!” Paulo grunted back, trying and failing to karate chop David’s arm.

“No! No!” Kizuna facepalmed. “Why! We must have left it in the park! We have to get it back before someone takes it! Let's go!” The girl took off running with David dragging Paulo and Abbey behind in hot pursuit.

"Waaaaait!" Daisy cried, running after them as well.

As they all got closer to the park, there was a massive crowd of people running out towards them, screaming and yelling. They paid no attention to where they were running, only caring to get out of the park as fast as possible. "Oh, now what?!" Kizuna groaned, being overtaken by the crowd, shoving and jostling her and the others. Once they pushed past the panicked people, they saw the park was mostly evacuated, save a few stragglers running for the street. Then the five saw what the parkgoers did.

Walking around, strutting confidently, was a scraggly looking thug wearing a red bandana. There was a scar that went down his left eye. In his hand was a rather large, ornate revolver. It was made of gold and silver, embedded with jewels that glinted multicolored reflections in the sunlight. He fired a few shots into the air for fun with a loud 'POP POP'. The man grinned and spun the barrel. Daisy and Paulo's eyes went wide, and suddenly Paulo began struggling even harder against David. "Dude! Let me go! Seriously! We have to get out of here!"

Daisy shrunk behind Paulo, hugging his free arm. "P-Paulo… it's him!"

"Who?! Who is that?" Kizuna whispered, as the thug hadn't yet noticed them and she wanted to keep it that way. Abbey and David shrugged.

"H-he attacked us in an a-alley once." Daisy whimpered. "H-he almost k-killed Mikie and L-Lucy!"

"Isn't that the suitcase?" David nodded to the black case laying on the ground where they'd popped out - just feet away from the thug.

"Darn!" Kizuna hit her palm with a fist. "We need a distrac-" POP! P'TANG!

A bullet whizzed past Kizuna's head, the wake of which she felt. Everyone jumped, and Daisy yelped. "Well, well, well!" The thug said with all the arrogance and confidence he seemed to radiate. "Finally, we meet face to face!"

"We don't want any trouble…" Kizuna held up her hands.

"Sucks to suck." The thug said. "'Cause that's all you're gonna get." He spotted Paulo, who was desperately trying to get away. "Hello, punk! Been a while, hasn't it? Still as big a pussy as ever I see. Oh, and what's this?" He leaned to the side to get a better look at Daisy. "It's the little fatty that couldn't!" He laughed.

"You leave her alone!" Both Abbey and Paulo growled at the man, who laughed mercilessly.

"I'll bother whoever I want! I'm kind of a god now, you know? I can go anywhere I want with whatever I want!" He sneered at Kizuna. "Should I even bother introducing myself to you? You ARE about to die."

"Try me." Kizuna said, trying to stall him while she came up with a plan.

"My name is Alejandro. It'll be the last name you ever hear." He said, taking aim at her.

"Not if I say my name!" David called out. Alejandro lowered the gun and looked at the other dog he hadn't paid much mind to. "My name is David!"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" Alejandro yelled. He lifted the gun again and aimed the barrel at Kizuna's head. "Goodbye, doggy."

Kizuna's eyes went wide and she instinctively dropped to get out of the way. Alejandro fired and narrowly missed her. David let go of Paulo and Abbey, who scrambled for cover along with Daisy. Alejandro fired off round after round, the large bullets echoing in the now empty park. They blew massive holes wherever they impacted. They splintered branches and shot dirt into the air like mini explosions. All the while, Kizuna dodged and zig zagged, diving for cover behind a picnic table just in time. David ran with her, and together they overturned the table to create a small barrier.

Alejandro pointed the revolver at the table and pulled the trigger again, expecting to blast a hole in that as well, but it clicked from an empty barrel. He cursed and popped open the barrel to reload. Kizuna knew they didn't have much time before he would be ready for another barrage. "We have to get that suitcase!" She whispered to David as she peeked around the side of the table. "If we do, we can find something to help us." She sat back, leaning against the wood. "It's me he wants. I'll run the other way as a distraction, and you grab the suitcase."

"But he'll shoot you!" David gasped. "You can't outrun bullets. Not even I can do that and I tried!"

"It doesn't matter!" Kizuna hissed. "This is the best plan we've got!"

They heard a revolver spin and another bang. A bullet shot between them through the table. "Time to go!" Kizuna said. "All you have to do is think about what you want and the suitcase will give it to you, okay?" And with that, Kizuna launched herself from behind the table. Just as she said, Alejandro targeted on her.

"All you're doing is wasting my bullets and my time." Alejandro said as he fired off more rounds. He never had the money to go to a firing range, and this worked out well for Kizuna as his aim was very poor. The dog dove behind a large tree. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see David sneaking off, and Alejandro lazily walking her way, away from the suitcase.

"Let me guess." She called to him, goading him to focus on her. "You were the one in the spaceship."

Alejandro grinned. "You aren't as dumb as you look, huh? Too bad that won't be enough to save you."

Kizuna kept taunting the thug as David grabbed the suitcase and rolled behind another tree, one that Abbey, Paulo, and Daisy were hiding behind. Paulo was covering his head, looking very disturbed, and Daisy was doing her best to comfort him. Paulo only shook his head with a, "No, no, no, you don't understand! I can't… can't do this!"

Abbey sat on guard, keeping his eye on Alejandro in case he started coming their way. Kizuna was doing an excellent job taunting the man, laughing at his poor aim. This only proved to make Alejandro angrier. David put the suitcase down in front of himself and closed his eyes. He had to come up with something, and fast.

Alejandro caught up with Kizuna's hiding place, and the girl ran for new cover. She ran unpredictably, this way and that, and with each shot, Alejandro got angrier and angrier. He was firing wildly at this point, not even bothering to aim. "Just. Fucking. DIE!" He yelled between missed shots.

Kizuna smiled as she looked back at him, but this became her literal downfall. A stray discarded water bottle came underfoot, which caused her to slip up and fall flat on her face. Alejandro grinned wickedly. Now he had her.

"All out of luck." He sneered, walking up on her. He carefully aimed the revolver at her head, and Kizuna closed her eyes, waiting for the end. She had totally failed her mission out of the gate. Liam had put his faith in the wrong person. There was a thud, followed by a bang, and then the sound of Alejandro screaming in agony. Kizuna opened her eyes.

Between her and Alejandro was David wielding a large shield. Alejandro stumbled back, holding his side as it gushed blood from a large bullet wound. It was also at this time several police sirens could be heard in the distance. The thug looked from his gaping wound to the direction the sirens were coming from. Through labored breaths he said, "You haven't won, dog. No matter what happens, you will lose." A bright light engulfed him. "See you soon." In a flash, he vanished.

Kizuna looked up at David, her savior. Her heart raced, and he looked back at her. "Are you okay? No broken bones?" Kizuna just nodded and sat up.

"Davie…" The girl said softly. "You… you saved my life!" She glomped him in a massive hug. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"

"Yup." David spoke cockily, a big confident smile on his face. "I'm kind of a badass like that."

Kizuna looked at what he held. In one hand was the suitcase. In the other, a strong, thick shield with a sizable divet in it. "A bulletproof shield! So smart!"

"Oh my goodness! Are you two okay?!" Cried a concerned Daisy, who was flanked by Abbey and Paulo.

"I am." Kizuna smiled at her. "Thanks to my hero!"

"Way to go, bud!" Paulo said with a thumbs up, still a little shaky. "You showed that asshole who's boss."

Abbey had to hand it to David, too. "I really must admit, that was a good idea."

Kizuna and David separated and got to their feet. "Paulo. Abbey." The girl said. "You have to come with us."

"What about me?" Daisy asked, not wanting to be left alone with a madman on the loose.

"You have to stay here, Daisy." Kizuna said. "This is where you belong."

"I don't understand." Paulo put a hand on his hip. "What is going on here?"

"And why should we go anywhere with you?" Abbey seconded. "You just led us to a crazed gunman!"

The police sirens were getting louder. They would be there at any moment, and Kizuna didn't want to have to deal with them. "I don't have time to explain. You just have to come with us!"

"In this." David lifted up the suitcase.

The three cats in front of them looked at them as though they were crazy. Kizuna sighed. It was a really wild situation. "Look Paulo, don't you wanna see Sue again? YOUR Sue?"

"What do you mean, my Sue?" Paulo asked, eyebrow raised.

"I doubt any Sue is interested in HIM." Abbey scoffed.

"Shut up, big ears!" Paulo balled up a fist and shook it threateningly.

"If you come with us, I promise I will explain everything." Kizuna held out her hand to the suitcase, and David handed it over. "Just step inside with us and we'll get you home. And you too." This last point was directed towards Abbey. "There's a reason why it feels warm for December. Why you can't remember how you got here."

"It's cause it's July, dude." Paulo pointed out the obvious. "How could you not know that?"

Abbey glared at the somali. "Alright. I'm all ears." Though he quickly pointed at Paulo, who looked like he was going to explode from laughter. "Don't you dare say it!"

"Just follow my lead." Kizuna said, closing her eyes, clutching the suitcase. 'Take us to Paulo's Sue.' she thought. The suitcase rumbled and she set it down. Kizuna undid the latches and popped it open. "After you, Agent." She gestured, and David fell in headfirst. Daisy, Abbey, and Paulo gawked at their friend who just vanished into a space all too small for him. "Now you two." She said to Abbey and Paulo.

"I… I don't know…" Abbey said, but Paulo stepped up.

"Outta the way, then!" He boasted. "I'm gonna go." He stepped up hesitantly to the edge of the unknown, and before he had a chance to second guess himself, he was pulled in and disappeared with a surprised yell.

"You too." Kizuna nodded at Abbey. "I'm not going without you."

Abbey looked uneasy, but accepted the order. He stepped up, and in a split second, he too was gone. Kizuna looked at Daisy. "I know this is a lot, but try not to think about it. We'll be back with your Paulo sooner than you think!"

Daisy nodded, still baffled at what she was seeing. With a final thumbs up, Kizuna hopped into the inky blackness of the suitcase herself.

Chapter Text

Once more, blurry lights and rushing wind. All too familiar to Kizuna, who was wondering how often she would be visiting them. How long was this mission going to take? There had to be an infinite number of worlds, did that mean an infinite number of them needed their help too? How would she know when her mission was complete? Would she be at this for the rest of her life? She looked up at David, who was palling around with Paulo as an unamused Abbey watched from the sidelines.

How long would David stick by her? What if he got bored of it and wanted out? Kizuna closed her eyes to clear her mind. She mustn’t let doubt and fear fog her thinking. When she opened her eyes, Paulo and David were still free styling in their freefall. Kizuna smiled. Despite coming from worlds apart, Paulo and David would always be friends.

“Check THIS out!” David exclaimed, pulling a spinning move with random arm motions.

Paulo laughed at his friends’ antics. “Yeah, well check THIS out!” He said, attempting a dance move he’d seen a singer from the 50s do in an old video.

David whistled, impressed by his friend’s retro dance moves. “Not bad, Elvis.” He smiled at Abbey, who was now in his crosshairs. Abbey was still watching them with his arms folded, still looking unamused. “You next, Abbey! Show us what you got!” Paulo spun around to look at the Abyssinian too.

“No thank you.” He replied bluntly. “I think we have bigger things to worry about, rather than who has the best dance moves.”

Paulo’s mirthful smile fell into a frown. Abbey wouldn’t know what fun was if it came up and slapped him in the face. “Why do you always gotta be such a stick in the mud?”

Abbey rolled his eyes. “In case you two haven’t noticed, we are currently falling through a wormhole to who knows where, traveling who knows how fast, for who knows how long.”

David pretended to push up some glasses on his muzzle. “Well actually, we’re falling through a suitcase.”

“And I did happen to notice that.” Paulo remarked, annoyed at being spoken to so condescendingly, and by Abbey of all people. “In case YOU haven’t noticed, there’s nothing we can do about that, so we might as well have some fun!”

"I'm only suggesting that it may be prudent to get a better understanding of what's actually going on here." Abbey replied, equally as annoyed, but David had already gone back to spinning around, and Paulo was once again his audience. Abbey sighed and shook his head. Morons across the universe, it seemed. His gaze shifted down to Kizuna, who was fixated on the three boys, particularly David. Concluding that neither David nor Paulo would be of any help at all, he decided to seek counsel with her.

Kizuna saw the brown cat start swimming through the air down to her. He felt a little awkward as he did so, he never went skydiving or anything before so how one should navigate a situation like this was all new to him. When he got there, he greeted her. "Hey. You seem like you're the one in charge here." Abbey swiveled his head to look up at David who was still flailing around to a laughing somali. "I should hope."

Kizuna straightened out to look more professional. "I am." She said in her most business-like voice. "That is my associate Dav- err, Agent Big Chocolate."

"I know who David is." Abbey said, turning back to look at the girl. "But I don't know who you are, though you appear to be familiar with me."

Kizuna gestured to herself. "I am Agent Babe."

Abbey cocked an eyebrow. "You mean like the pig from that movie?" Kizuna's face fell, but Abbey continued. "Anyway, I mean your REAL name."

Vigilant as ever, Abbey was. Kizuna knew there was no way she could lie to him, he would see right through it. "Kizuna." She said. "My name is Kizuna."

"Kizuna, huh?" Abbey had never heard such an odd name in his life. He wasn't so sure this was her real name, either, but the earnestness in her voice told him to trust her. "It's good to meet you. Even if it is under such strange circumstances."

"I'd say the same, but I already knew you." Kizuna smiled. "But it's good to see you again!"

"That's the thing!" Abbey said, "I don't seem to recall you at all." He gave a worried frown. It felt rather rude to forget someone who knew him so well. "Forgive me."

"It's okay!" Kizuna waved off his doubts. "You wouldn't- we're from different worlds."

Abbey rubbed his chin. "Which brings me to my next question, is any of this real?"

"It is." Kizuna sighed. "Sadly. But don't worry! It's alllll under control!"

"Right…" Abbey said, not so sure. Nothing about their situation so far screamed 'under control'. More like out of control. He was alarmed, as this not being a dream meant he really was lost. Then came the next question, "Is this really taking us to HIS Sue?"

Kizuna imagined this is what Liam must have felt like, so many questions about everything. But she remembered how alarming and overwhelming it was for her at first, so she remained calm and polite. "That's the plan. Wherever she is."

"Bah." Abbey said, not sounding all that convinced of this either. "We're going to be falling here forever then, I doubt any Sue in the universe is even interested in being friends with Paulo, let alone… no. Just no." He shook his head. "They get along as well as water and oil."

"Hmm…" Kizuna pondered. "Maybe it's someone else named Sue? Someone we don't know?"

"I'm pretty sure he was arguing with our Sue back there." Abbey pointed out.

"Oh, right, sorry…" Kizuna said, embarrassed she had missed something so obvious.

"Hey!" Called a disgruntled voice from behind. Paulo and David had grown bored of their dancing antics, and now were coming down to see how much longer it would be before they were at their destination. Naturally, Paulo was unhappy about Abbey's negative words about him. "You got a problem with me an' Sue?"

"It is not Susan I have the issue with." Abbey replied forcefully.

"Sounds like to me you're just jealous!" Paulo teased.

Abbey's face lit on fire. The audacity of that arrogant somali! He had never thought of Sue in that way. They were just good friends. "For your information, I happen to be with someone else!"

"Oh really now?" Paulo folded his arms and leaned toward the abyssinian. "Who might that be?"

"It's-" Abbey started, wanting to slap Paulo across the face with Augustus' name, but he held back. No doubt Paulo would use that as more ammunition against him, and he wasn't about to let that happen. "None of your business." He mumbled.

"Ha! I knew it." Paulo remarked smugly. Abbey felt his temper rising, his hands balling into fists, but Kizuna popped up between them.

"Boys, please, don't fight!" She squeaked. Things were already going to be hard and complicated enough, but add two feuding teenagers to the mix and it might be impossible. Ugly, for sure. They needed to all stick together to keep from getting further lost.

"Hey, is it just me," David said, swimming around. "Or is it getting colder?" The others took a moment to feel the air, and David was indeed onto something. It WAS getting colder, and heading into being downright chilly.

Paulo squinted at a bright light in the distance. "What's that?"

Kizuna recognized this as probably the exit. "Brace yourselves!"

They all did so, bodies tensing up and holding their arms out. One moment they were engulfed by the blinding light, the next-

Fwoomp! Fwoomp fwoomp fwoomp!

One after the other, the band of travelers were ejected from the endless suitcase. Into a strange new world they went, where the first thing each of them felt was how terribly cold it was. Kizuna landed and tumbled through something crunchy and wet. When she finally came to a complete stop, she got the opportunity to take a look around.

All around, as far as she could see, was a thick blanket of snow. It was growing ever thicker from the steady snowfall. Before her was a small canyon that she left behind from her tumble, disturbing the otherwise smooth surface of the snow layer. Not much else could be gathered, as the snow and a thick layer of fog lowered the distance of how far she could see. Cold air stung Kizuna's lungs slightly. Now she needed to locate the others.

The dog got to her feet, and set out to find the other dog. She used the gutter her body carved out in the snow as a waypoint to follow back to the suitcase, which was already getting buried in the snow. Kizuna quickly snatched it up before it disappeared for good. Who knew how long it would take them to find it if it got entirely covered? About a foot away, Kizuna spotted another disruption in the smooth layer of snow very similar to hers.

At the end of it, she found David, who was currently on his back, wiggling his arms and legs back and forth. "Look, Kizuna! Snow angel!" Kizuna couldn't help but giggle at his silliness. Any opportunity David got, he was always trying to bring smiles.

"C'mon, Davie. Let's go find the others." Kizuna laughed, offering a helping hand. David accepted it and got to his feet. He was still covered in snow, but he made short work of it, shaking it all off like he did water when he got wet.

Kizuna put a hand above her eyes to act as an impromptu visor as she scanned the area. This didn't help much at all. "Those two couldn't have gotten far." Kizuna said with a shiver. "Better find them quickly. It's starting to get really, really cold out here. Gah! But it's impossible to see anything out here."

"They're right there." David said blatantly, pointing behind Kizuna. And sure enough, there Paulo and Abbey were, piled on each other in a heap.

"Get off of me, fruitcake!" Paulo demanded

Abbey was currently feeling too poorly to respond with anything. His stomach felt like it was still spinning. "Urgghhh…" He groaned, crawling off of the disgruntled somali. "I don't feel too-BLAARGH!" Abbey emptied the contents of his stomach into the snow, which melted the spot a little before freezing itself.

"Hahaha!" Paulo laughed, sitting up. "Figures your wussy stomach couldn't - BLLERRCH!" Paulo was cut off by his own sick.

Kizuna turned away, looking sympathetic as the boys hurled. Paulo wiped his mouth. "Hey, how come you guys didn't get sick! You coulda given a heads up!"

"I hate to agree with HIM." Abbey said, standing up. "A warning would have been welcomed."

"Sorry guys." Kizuna said. "It seems to happen everyone's first time."

"Looks like you guys made a sick angel." David commented in awe, leaning over. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because that's vile." Abbey said with a disgusted look.

Now the four were all standing around, still trying to make out exactly where they were. It was cold, damn cold. The chill and wind burrowed past their fur, stinging their bones. They all began to hug themselves. "G-geez man!" Paulo shivered. "I wish we h-had some j-jackets!"

"Oh! I c-can remedy th-that!" Kizuna said through chattering teeth. Suitcase still in hand, she closed her eyes and focused on large, thick, warm jackets for all of them to wear. There was a rumble inside it, and she popped it open. Out came four jackets, one for each of them. They wasted no time in getting into them, and soon they were warm once again. Well, as warm as they could be in such frigid temperatures.

"What a marvelous suitcase you have there." Abbey said, looking in awe at it. "Is there anything it can't do?"

"Hey, look Paulo! Ours match!" David said, showing off his jacket to the somali, who was wearing the same. "We should start a club! Members only jackets!"

"They're all the same jackets, you imbecile." Abbey said, rubbing his temples.

"C'mon guys, let's not waste any time." Kizuna said, taking charge. "Paulo, does any of this seem familiar to you?"

"It was summer when I… well. Yeah." The boy said, still not having wrapped his mind around the situation. "July fourth."

"Then why would we be sent here…" Kizuna pondered.

"You did ask it to send us where HIS Sue was. Maybe she got mixed up here too." Abbey suggested. "Or maybe the world is in a nuclear winter, because there's no way Sue would even CONSIDER liking Paulo unless he was the last person on Earth."

"A nuclear winter?" David perked up. "Maybe we'll get superpowers! Or I'll grow an extra head! Then I'd always have someone to talk to."

"She's gotta be around here somewhere!" Paulo said anxiously, looking out at the winter wasteland. "We need to find her!" And without waiting for anyone else, Paulo turned around and began trudging through the deep snow. The others looked at each other and took off after him.

The rest of Roseville was just as desolate as where they arrived. The snow had piled up even deeper in some places, forcing the troupe to find another way around. There were no cars, and traffic lights lit up to an audience that wasn't there. The thick fog carried the multicolored lights with a ghostly glow. The jackets helped, but did nothing to cover their feet, which were starting to grow numb from the cold. As the number their feet got, the more and more they gave up on hope of finding Sue. Still, Paulo pushed on, urging them to follow. "She has to be here somewhere! We need to check her house."

The others wanted to protest and try to regroup in a warmer place, but at least now they had a direction instead of aimlessly wandering around. Paulo knew the way, having been there many times, and soon they arrived at the european burmese's house. After a knock on the door, it opened to Sue's mom, who looked at them, very surprised. She looked over top of the teens' heads at the world behind them. "Goodness! The snow has gotten deep." She looked down at the four. "Paulo? Abbey, David?" She gave Kizuna a strange look, one that she was used to getting. "Er, what are you all doing out in such terrible weather?"

"We're looking for Sue. Is she home?" Paulo asked, trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

The mother shook her head. "Well, no. I sent her out to mail a letter for me not too long ago. She should be home soon. Oh, I hope she isn't snowed in at the post office!"

The group felt their hearts sink. "Ah, well thanks ma'am. We'll get out of your hair." Paulo said quietly.

"It's no problem. I didn't know you cared for her so much." Sue's mom smiled. "If you see her, tell her to come home soon! Dinner will be ready shortly."

Sue's mom went back inside. Paulo nodded and turned away to keep searching for his girlfriend. "Wait. Wait!" Kizuna said to his orange, furry back. "Maybe we should-"

"If you all want to turn back, that's fine." Paulo cut her off, not even turning around. "But I'm not leaving without her." And without waiting for a response, he started trudging off through the deep snow again.

Kizuna sighed and looked at the others hopelessly. David raced after Paulo, "Wait up buddy!" he called. Abbey shook his head and sighed, slowly following the dog, and Kizuna followed suit.

It didn't matter how much time they spent wandering the isolated snowy streets, it all felt like an eternity. Paulo took to calling out Sue's name in hopes of finding her, but the cold air stung his throat and lungs, and quickly his voice grew hoarse and quiet. Paulo took a moment to rest, leaning forward, and propping himself up with his arms on his knees.

"Hmph. Figures." Abbey muttered. "Of course we can't find her. She doesn't exist. No Sue anywhere would-"

"Hey, who's that?" David asked, looking past the group. "Is this just like a desert mirage, but for snow?"

Abbey rolled his eyes. "That's not even a- wait a minute…" The abyssinian squinted. "I think that IS someone."

Paulo looked up from his hunched position, and immediately recognized the silhouette. "Sue?"

The silhouette stopped moving. After a moment, "P-Paulo?!" came out of it.

The boy in questions' eyes grew wide and he went from nearly being doubled over to full tilt running forward. Well, as well as he could in the deep snow. "Sue! Sue!" The silhouette moved forward too, having a more difficult time making its way through the snow. The three others, still catching their breath, had to pick up and haul after Paulo.

As they got closer, they did indeed see that it was Sue. Her and Paulo embraced, with the former shivering in his arms. However, after a moment Paulo held her at arm's length. "Wait…" he said slowly, and Sue blinked in confusion, and was a little disappointed by being shoved back into the cold. "What was the first movie we saw together?"

It was such an easy question, but after the last debacle, he needed to be sure she really was the Sue he knew. She looked at him questioningly, but answered. "G… God of the B-Bracelets?"

Paulo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, pulling a very grateful Sue back into a warm hug. "It IS you!"

"I think I'm going to be sick again." Abbey gumbled, deep frown on his lips.

Sue still shivered and shook in his arms. "I'm s-s-so c-cold…"

Without a moment's hesitation, Paulo pulled the jacket from around his shoulders and draped it onto Sue's. The girl smiled and snuggled into the jacket, and into Paulo. "Better?" He asked.

"Better." She purred back.

"OH. MY. GOSH!" David popped up next to them. "You two are TOO adorable!"

"That's great." Abbey said. "Now can we go somewhere warmer?"

Everyone wholeheartedly agreed with that idea. "We'll go somewhere where we can rest for the night." Kizuna said, gripping the suitcase. 'Take us somewhere secure…' she thought. The suitcase rumbled and she clicked open the latches.

"Paulo, what is going on?" Sue asked, eyeing the suitcase. "I just left you at your house and now you're here?! With David and Abbey and…" Sue trailed off, now realizing she didn't recognize the other girl that was there. "And it's winter now?!"

"I… I don't really know, babe." Paulo admitted. "But we just have to trust her."

"Who is that?" Sue whispered to Paulo.

"All in!" Kizuna said, dropping the suitcase.

Sue looked at the little box in disbelief. "She can't be serious." She pushed away from Paulo. "Is this some kind of prank?"

"Just trust her." Paulo said, as David hopped into the void, followed by Abbey.

Sue stumbled back, eyes wide open, mouth agape. This had to be the most elaborate trick Paulo had ever pulled. Yet, she couldn't imagine how it was done. Was there a small dug out area under the snow they were going into?

"You two are coming, right?" Kizuna asked, wanting to get out of the cold as fast as possible.

Sue shook her head while taking another step back. "N-none of this makes any sense! Am I hallucinating from the cold?"

Paulo took her hand. "Babe, trust me. It's gonna be okay. We'll go together. I made a promise to protect you."

Sue looked into his eyes and saw the truth. He wasn't lying, this wasn't a joke. His golden eyes pierced fiercely into her soul, assuring her that things would be okay. Sue closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she said, "I trust you."

"Then let's go!" Paulo said, leading her by the hand to the suitcase. "Ready?"

Sue looked into the inky blackness of the suitcase. Her stomach tied itself into knots, but she steeled herself. "Ready."

Paulo stepped in, falling down, down, down, pulling Sue in with him. Kizuna looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and then leapt in herself.

Chapter Text

When she awoke in the forest, Sandy could not recall how she got there, nor did she recognize the trees that surrounded her. It was a frightening prospect - all lost and alone out in the woods by herself. At the very least it was still daylight, but it wouldn't be so forever. Sandy stood up on shaky legs, twigs and leaves and dirt covering the side of her body that had been laying on the ground. A quick cursory look around showed she was indeed alone, and in the middle of nowhere.

But she had to be near some campsites, right? Sandy strained her mind to retrace her possible steps, but drew a blank. The last thing she remembered was cuddling up with Augustus at his house and then… nothing. The trees loomed imposingly around her, closing in. Fear gripped her heart. This had to be some sort of nightmare! But remembering her boyfriend's words, she closed her eyes, and listened to the world around her.

There was the soft rustling of leaves. Some birds chirped in the distance. A cool breeze tickled her whiskers. Perhaps even a stream.

After a few moments of grounding herself, Sandy opened her eyes again. The trees did not seem so scary now, and her situation not so hopeless. With a newfound sense of confidence, Sandy picked a direction (the obe she thought she might had heard the stream), and walked. She can't have wandered too deep into the forest, she figured, and soon she would find civilization.

And for two days, she wandered the endless wilderness, but civilization she did not find. Instead, she came across various woodland creatures that scattered at her presence. It was as though they could feel something was off about that girl, like she did not belong there. They watched from a distance, monitoring her every move.

Eventually, Sandy found she could go no farther. Her legs were weak, she had not had anything substantial to eat. A few berry bushes fortunately turned out to be non toxic, and the small stream provided some fresh water. Though it restored some hope and provided her with some nourishment, it was not enough to sustain her. Midway through day three, Sandy's body finally gave out, and she fell to the forest floor. Her head spun, mouth dry, and breathing shallow and weak. She only had energy to shed a few silent tears, closing her eyes and pretending she was back in bed, laying with Augustus. Now, there was nothing to do but wait for sleep to take her away into the great unknown.

But fate had other plans, and some time after she had accepted her fate, Sandy heard voices off in the distance. She looked up, vision blurry, and head spinning and pounding, to see who it was. Calling out for help was not an option for her, but it mattered not, as the voices drew ever closer until she could just make out some armored figures coming through the trees. They were on horseback, and one of the horse riders, wearing armor more ornate than the others, spotted the dying girl.

The man pointed and shouted, alerting the other men to her presence. There was a flurry of shouts and a great deal of rushing, but before long, they had all come upon Sandy. The horse rider who had spotted her hopped off his steed and knelt down to her to examine her. The ornate guardsman lifted her upslightly in his arms. Sandy was still to weak to do anything.

"Is she still alive?" One of the men asked anxiously after the lead man had been silent for a little too long.

The lead man put an ear down to her chest, listening for her heartbeat. "My god… she is! But only just!" All of the guards let out a sigh of relief. The speaker sat up and looked at another. "You! Bring me some provisions! And you!" He looked at another still on horseback. "Ride at once and with great haste back to the kingdom! Tell Prince Michael that Princess Olbrecht has been found!"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"YEEEEEEEEEEK!" Sue cried, clinging onto Paulo for dear life. They were falling… falling… falling… in a multicolored void with no end in sight.

"What's wrong, Sue?" Paulo laughed, "It's just like skydiving!"

"I don't want to go skydiving!" She yelled in response. "I like both my feet firmly on the ground, thank you very much!"

"Aww, babe!" Paulo hugged her back. "Just give it a chance!"

"Yeah Susie baby!" David said, falling while laying on his back, as though he were on a bed. "It's totally radical!"

Sue slowly removed her face from the refuge of Paulo's chest and looked around. Her eyes filled with the lights and colors from endless worlds they fell past. It was a wild view that she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams. Her curiosity broke through her fear, and she felt herself become breathless, but for a completely different reason. Her jaw dropped "What is this place?"

"Finally." Abbey said, falling nearby. "Someone who is asking the right questions."

"It's like a world between worlds…" Sue said in awe.

"Something like that." Kizuna agreed. "That's my best guess."

"As is mine." Abbey said. "It appears we're in a multiverse of some sort…" He looked at Kizuna. "Is this right?"

"Ehh.. haha.. yeah." Kizuna said with a tired smile. "When we get to where we're going, I'll explain more." And then, more for herself, she said, "And hopefully come up with a plan."

Sue separated herself from Paulo, falling closeby. "Paulo, what happened back there? I was JUST with you at your house… and you were acting strange so I figured you wanted some space and I left… but when I went outside it was freezing! Snow in July?" Sue slammed a fist on her palm. "I knew climate change was real!"

"Calm down, Sue." Kizuna said, floating over. "It's not climate change. Much worse than that."

"I fail to see what is worse than the end of the world." Sue said, annoyed at Kizuna for brushing off something so important to her.

"How about the end of all worlds?" Kizuna asked. There was an awkward pause, with nothing but the sound of rushing wind to break the awkward silence.

"What do you mean, the end of all worlds?" Sue asked slowly, and Abbey and Paulo grew concerned with her.

"I thought you said we were lost, you didn't say anything about the universe coming to an end." Paulo said, eyebrow raised and arms folded.

"Well…" Kizuna started off slowly. She really put her foot in her mouth with that one. It was true, something cataclysmic might be coming, but she wasn't sure what that would be. "I- I don't really know. I'm sure it'll be fine!" She smiled. "We'll get you guys home soon enough, but first let's find a place to rest."

"What is ho-" Sue started, but Kizuna cut her off.

"No more questions, tanks yous!" She said, waving her arms and floating back.

"Oh! Oh! Can I ask one more question?" David asked, frantically raising his hand as though he were in class.

Kizuna grinned at his antics. She would always make an exception for her Davie. "Okay Davie, what is it?"

"What's brown and green and getting-"

WHAM!

Their trip through the suitcase was considerably shorter than last time, and far more abrupt. They all shot out one after the other, crashing into a thick tree. They fell through leaves and branches, getting cut and bruised before falling one last time to the ground, along with a few sticks and leaves. They all slowly got up and dusted themselves off, except for Paulo, who was currently rubbing Sue's back as she found herself hurling as the others had before her.

"Ohhh…" She groaned, stomach upended. "Why didn't you warn me, Paulo…"

"Sorry, babe." Her boyfriend said sympathetically, remembering his first time coming out the other end. "The end just came up on us so fast."

They all shed their big, warm jackets and Kizuna sighed and looked around. Nothing but endless trees, though they appeared to be in a small clearing. They were tall, but not imposing. There was a calm quietness about them, and looking up past them showed the sun was setting. "Davie."

The dog stood at attention. "Yes ma'am?"

Kizuna laughed a little. "Can you make sure we're alone here? I'm gonna start setting up."

"Will do!" David tapped his nose. "I can finally let this bad boy get its workout!" And with that, he went about sniffing the air.

Kizuna looked at Paulo, Sue, and Abbey. "I'm going to get us some tents. Can you put them up, Paulo?"

Paulo saluted. "On it! I love pitching tents. Hahaha! Geddit, babe?" He winked at Sue who gave an awkward smile.

"I get it!" David called out from a distance, waving.

Kizuna turned her attention to Abbey, who was currently rolling his eyes. "Can I get you to get us some firewood? Shouldn't be too hard to find any around here."

Abbey gave a nod. "Will do."

"I'll help!" Sue offered. "Safety in numbers."

"Very good!" Kizuna clasped her hands together. "Let's get started!"

Abbey and Sue walked off into the trees, leaving Paulo to watch over Kizuna's shoulder. The dog knelt down and thought about three tents, one for her and David, one for Paulo and Sue, and one for Abbey. The suitcase opened, and Paulo and Kizuna pulled them out one by one. While Paulo got to work setting them up (they weren't too complex, just basic triangle tents) Kizuna joined up with David, who was concluding his perimeter check.

"Anything?"

David saluted. "Nothing to report, ma'am!"

"At ease, soldier." Kizuna giggled. "Let's take a moment to rest."

Meanwhile, Abbey and Sue were tromping through the underbrush, gathering sticks for a fire. Thankfully it hadn't rained recently, so everything was dry and ready for burning. A silence hung in the air between them, and Sue decided to break it. "It's so surreal, isn't it? Almost like something out of a dream."

"Hah!" Abbey laughed, bending down to get another stick. "I barked up that tree already. It is real alright."

Sue smiled and went back to picking up sticks. She hummed a tune from World of Fantasy online to herself. This time it was Abbey that broke the silence. "Hey - is that from Swordsvale?"

Sue looked up from her scavenging. "Hm? Never heard of that. It's a tune from an online game I play called World of Fantasy Online."

"Oh! How interesting!" Abbey smiled. "I play an online game too, but it's called Swordsvale. It has music that sounds just like that. You, or I guess my Susan, Stacy, and Mike play with me."

"Same here!" Sue gasped. "Only I was able to convince Paulo play it with us, too. Can you believe that?"

The mention of Paulo's name brought Abbey's enthusiasm down considerably. The somali was always making fun of them for playing it, calling them nerds, insulting their cosplays. "It's a shame we all can't play together. I guess there aren't any cross dimensional servers." Sue laughed.

"What do you see in him?" The abyssinian asked coldly, ignoring anything Sue had been gushing about.

Abbey's tone got Sue a little worried. "I-I'm sorry?"

"Him. The somali. Paulo. What do you see in him?" He asked again.

Sue's smile faded. "He's a really sweet guy. He isn't perfect… I know I haven't been…" Sue slouched a little, ears falling back, thinking about the times she had wronged him. "But he cares a lot. And we had a lot more in common than we thought."

"There are so many guys you have things in common with." Abbey pointed out. "You could have anyone, Susan. Anyone! But him? He's just pathetic! A jerk! A… a womanizer!"

Hearing Abbey tear her boyfriend down was bringing her temper up. "He's not any of those things!" Sue said boldly. "He really is sweet and caring when you really get to know him! Like I said, he isn't perfect, but I accept those flaws in him because I love him!" Sue stopped a moment to gauge the abyssinian's reaction, but it hadn't changed from his judgemental look. "And if you think so poorly of him, I can only imagine what you must think of me for loving him." And with that, Sue stormed away, leaving Abbey to frown at her back.

Back at camp, David was helping Paulo put the finishing touches on the tents, all three of which were pointed towards each other in a circle. At the center, space was made for a firepit in anticipation of Sue and Abbey's haul. Kizuna was able to get them some sleeping bags and blankets for the nights ahead. She had no idea how long they would be camping there, or if it even was safe for them to stay in any one place for too long with that lunatic after them, but she wanted things to be as comfy as possible.

Sue came out of the woods, arms full of sticks and twigs for burning. "Hey babe!" Paulo called. "Let me help you with that."

The somali ran over and let Sue unload some of the wood into his arms. "Thanks, Paulo." She smiled weakly.

Paulo took notice of her less than peppy attitude. "Are you alright?"

Sue nodded and put on a happier face. "Yup! Everything is fine! Let's go put these down."

The two did just that, arranging them in a proper campfire formation. Abbey returned as well, looking pretty grumpy, and feeling a little regret towards his harsh words. He wordlessly dropped the sticks on top of Sue's, and went to go sit by himself.

"Now to light it and get some grub!" David said, rubbing his hands together. "You guys didn't happen to see a Burger-Tron out there in the woods, did you?"

Abbey just shook his head disapprovingly at such an asinine question while Sue replied. "I see you've not changed."

Paulo smacked his forehead with a hand. "Burger-Tron! I totally forgot! I'm gonna miss so much work! I'll be demoted for sure…"

"I'll try to get you home before that happens." Kizuna said, stepping up with the suitcase.

"Right. What does that mean exactly?" Sue asked, and Abbey perked up, as Sue was once more asking all the right questions.

Kizuna put up a finger. "Food first, then questions!" And everyone's stomachs agreed. Traveling through the suitcase and running around in the cold really worked up an appetite, and Kizuna who had not had any rest or food since… well before she left. Time was impossible to tell with all the jumping between worlds, all of which had been at different times.

"None of you would happen to know how to start a fire, would you?" Abbey asked.

"No need to know!" Kizuna said, popping the suitcase open and flipping it upside down. Out came a lighter, and the dog picked it up. "We've got one of these."

Soon, the fire was lit and bathed everyone in warmth and light. Kizuna procured some sausages from the suitcase for them to roast over the fire, some to better results than others. Sue managed to burn hers to a crisp.

"I don't think this can be classified as edible anymore…" She sighed woefully, inspecting the burnt crispiness that used to be a sausage.

"Wow Sue, that's so brown, it looks like my wiener!" David ogled. "Wanna compare?"

Sue waved her hands in a 'no' motion. "Nononono! No need to do that!"

"C'mon, man." Paulo remarked, looking disgusted himself. "Really?"

"What?" David pulled something up from his lap. It was his sausage. "I burned mine too!"

"What a way with words." Abbey said sarcastically, relieved it wasn't what they all thought he meant as he had taken a seat next to him. Kizuna giggled to herself.

Paulo split his sausage with Sue, to which David also remarked something about that not being the first time Paulo had given Sue his hot sausage, and they all finished their meager dinner. Kizuna wiped her hands on some leaves and cleared her throat. "Okay, to business."

She stood up and everyone gave her their full attention. "You all have been misplaced. Something is going on - I'm not really sure what myself - that is causing everyone to get rearranged. You're all in the wrong worlds, so to speak, and Davie and I are here to help you all get home."

Everyone stayed silent, expecting more from her. More did not come.

"Wait, that's it?" Sue asked. Surely there had to be more to it. "Something is going on, whatever that is, and you have to help us get home?"

"Yes." Kizuna said with a nod and a smile.

"You have to know more than just 'something is going on'." Sue came back with. "Is that really all you can tell us?"

Kizuna sighed and looked down. "That's what that Liam guy told me. He said there were an infinite number of worlds, and that someone was manipulating them. Mixing them up. And now I have to set it right." Kizuna sighed, and looked off wistfully. More to herself than to the others, she said, "Maybe if I do this, if I can help… I can see my family again… maybe even get to go home."

"Who is Liam?" Abbey asked as Kizuna took a somber seat.

Kizuna shrugged. "I don't really know. Just some guy who wanted to help, but couldn't."

Everyone sat in silence, with naught but the sound of a crackling fire to break it. The gravity of her words, mixed with the unknown of it all, created a new anxiety amongst the group. The delicate balance of the universe was not something any of them considered, or was even cognisant of, on the daily.

Kizuna began to wonder, as she looked at the troubled looks on her friends' faces, was it wrong to tell them the depth of what was going on? Was it cruel to subject them to the true horrors of the situation? Perhaps it would have been better to go with Abbey's first explanation, it was nothing but a dream, and they all would soon wake up.

But the hour was late, and everyone's minds were now turning to bed. Abbey was the first to go."I'm going to sleep." He yawned, standing up. "Goodnight. See you in the morning… if any of us are still here."

"We should head to bed too." Sue told Paulo. "I'm exhausted, that trek through the snow took it out of me, I can't imagine how you must feel." Sue looked at the others. "Goodnight everyone!"

"Goodnight Sue!" Kizuna said, getting herself up to head to her and David's tent. "Let's go get some sleep Davie."

"I hope there are no bed bugs out here." David said, following Kizuna. "Oh, you think we can summon some bedtime stories from that suitcase?"

Abbey glanced one more time over at the couple across the fire and frowned. Without another word, he retired to his tent alone. His tent, along with the others, were nothing to write home about. It was flimsy and cramped. There was not much to insulate it, and there was a slight chill in the air. Abbey unfurled the sleeping bag left in there by Paulo and Kizuna from when they set up the tents earlier. It looked comfortable, at the very least.

And yet, climbing inside did not bring him much comfort. He sighed, thinking how it wasn't that long ago that he and Augustus were in each others' arms, spilling their emotions to each other, sharing a kiss. The thought of it warmed him inside, but it also left him feeling a little empty, desperately missing his company. Now, more than ever, he wished to have the siamese at his side. For now, sweet thoughts of his handsome face would have to do.

But would his counterpart wake up before he got home? Would he notice he was missing? What would his family think? And an even more dreadful thought, what if he had traded places with another Abbey? And THAT Abbey was now sleeping with him? And what of the chaos that would occur if said Abbey were to wake up, sleeping next to someone he probably despised? In a familiar world, yet totally alien to him? What if him and Augustus fought? What if Augustus HATES him after that?

What if, what if, what-

No.

He mustn't think like that.

The kiss they shared meant too much. They would see each other once more, and Abbey would be able to explain. He would feel the siamese boy's embrace, and know it was all okay. And perhaps this was all still just some crazy dream, and when he went to sleep, he would wake, wrapped in the strong arms of his lover.

Yes. That's the warm feeling he was looking for again.

"Goodnight, Augustus." Abbey whispered to the darkness.

Meanwhile outside, Paulo stretched and yawned, him and Sue now the only two left at the fire. "Alright, let's go get cozy, babe."

"Uhhh, aren't we all forgetting something?" Sue asked in the same tone she used before she was going to 'know-it-all' everyone.

"What?" Paulo asked, turning around to face her. Sue gestured to the still healthy fire. "The fire?"

"It is important we follow camping safety and best practices." She said, as though she were reciting a handbook. "All fires must be doused before going to sleep."

"Fine." The somali groaned. "Don't know why WE have to do that, it's not like this is our mission anyway."

"Well…" Sue said slowly as Paulo kicked dirt into the flames to put them out. "I was actually just thinking… maybe it should be."

Paulo stopped mid kick. His head slowly turned to look at her in disbelief. "What?!"

"This is an opportunity to do some real good!" She exclaimed. "There are people out there, our friends, that need help! And we should help them."

Paulo shook his head and finished his last kick into the dying flames. "We need to get home. It'll be safer there."

"Since when were you concerned about safety?" Sue asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Since you're here." He said. "I don't want anything to happen to you. We're going home."

"I can handle myself." Sue countered as Paulo headed to their tent. "I'm not just some helpless airhead! And if the universe is coming to an end, then nowhere is safe!"

The somali stopped short of the entrance flap. "He's after us." Paulo did not need to elaborate on who 'he' was. The sound of fear in his voice told Sue what she needed to know. They never could forget that harrowing night in the dingy alleyway. She took a moment to father herself and push out the negative memories from the alley.

Sue kneeled beside him. "Then it's all the more reason for us to help. We know this guy. How he works. His weaknesses."

"Ha! What weaknesses?" He whispered bitterly. "I couldn't protect anyone… or you. He threw me aside like it was nothing."

"And neither could I." Sue put a hand on his shoulder. "But we still tried. And I know that we can overcome anything. After everything we've been through." Paulo nodded silently, and Sue hugged him. "I know you're concerned. I am too. But we have each other at least." She smiled. "For what it's worth, if there was anyone I would want to be lost with, it's you. Because whenever I'm with you, I feel like I'm found."

Paulo snickered. "That was so fuckin' corny. Oh my god."

"Hey!" Sue said in a faux offended voice. "How many corny lines have I had to put up with from you?"

"My flirting is suave. I'm a professional." Paulo said, climbing into the tent, with Sue right behind. "You're getting better, though."

"I've read plenty of books and articles on the science of flirting." Sue said with faux defensiveness.

"When?" Paulo asked, getting into the sleeping bag. "Were you trying to impress me?"

"You were too busy fawning over other girls to notice that." Sue pointed out.

"And you were too busy trying to make that long distance relationship work, Mike." Paulo teased.

Sue frowned and folded her arms. "Okay, that's a bit too far."

"Sorry, babe." Paulo hung his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I forgive you… maybe." Sue said with a small kiss on the top of his head. "So where's my sleeping bag?"

Paulo looked up. "What do you mean?" He gestured to the one he was in. "We're sharing, are we not?"

"Nuh uh. No way. We aren't sleeping together." Sue wagged a finger. "I know how you are."

Paulo looked shocked. "We've slept together before!"

"Correct, but not like this." Sue replied. "Napping together once hardly counts as sleeping together." Paulo opened his mouth to speak but Sue cut him off. "And don't you dare mention the night in the back of your car. That was a totally different scenario!"

"So if it was storming you would?" Paulo leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows. Sue folded her arms and blushed, looking the other way.

"I… I don't know!" Sue sputtered. "Probably not! You're still close by!"

"Fffffiiiiiine." Paulo rolled his eyes and pulled out another sleeping bag that Sue hadn't noticed before to unfurl next to his. "I thought you might get all weird over this, so I got an extra one just in case."

Sue smiled. For all his flaws, he was always trying to be better. "Thank you for respecting my boundaries."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just remember this if there's a storm." Paulo said, watching her get into her bag.

"How about this?" Sue leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Are we even?"

Paulo smiled back at her. "We're always even. I love ya, babe. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweetheart." Sue said back, and she snuggled up under the covers.

Meanwhile, in Kizuna and David's tent, they were getting settled in as well. Kizuna laid the suitcase at the back, near where they would be sleeping. In the center of their tent was a single sleeping bag, something Kizuna had done intentionally. She sat beside it and laid a hand on the top.

"Would you look at that?" She said, pretending to sound sorrowful. "Only one sleeping bag. I guess we'll have to share!"

David scrunched up his face. Then he got an idea. "No need to worry!" He said, and he grabbed the suitcase. After a moment he opened it up and pulled out another sleeping bag. "See! Now we have two!"

Kizuna's pretend look of pity turned to a real one. Once again, her feelings for David flew over his head. She had to wonder, was he really this oblivious, or was he intentionally trying to avoid her feelings? Whatever it was, she was genuinely too tired to put much thought into it. With a sigh, Kizuna took the bag from David. "Thanks, Davie."

"No problemo! Just come to me anytime there's a problemo!" He said with a salute, and crawled over to his sleeping bag. He did a few circles around it and laid down on top.

"Aren't you gonna get in?" Kizuna asked, sliding into hers.

"Someone's gotta be ready to pounce at a moment's notice at any intruders!" David said. "The covers will just get in the way."

"Hmm." Kizuna mused. "I suppose that's true. Thank you, Davie."

"Goodnight, Agent Babe." He whispered. "Sweet dreams be upon ye."

"Goodnight, Davie." Kizuna whispered back.

The little camp grew silent as all party members drifted to slumber, one by one. The total silence eased them to sleep, and the troubles of a universe in turmoil were farther away than they'd ever been. Now, all cozied up in their little tents and sleeping bags, they realized just how exhausted they all were. It had been a trying day for some, and in Paulo's case, a few days. From villainous thugs to sub zero temperatures, they'd all been through a lot, especially Kizuna. For now, it was a time for rest.

Chapter Text

Fortunately for the group, they were able to sleep peacefully through the night. The weather remained clear and calm all the way through to the morning. As the sun rose into the sky on a beautiful horizon, so too did Sue and Abbey in their respective tents. Both, putting great emphasis on success in learning in their lives, were accustomed to waking up very early. They welcomed an early start with open arms. The others, however, were not as keen.

Sue kneeled over her slumbering somali and smiled. He was such a doofus, something she used to hate him for, but over time learned to love him for it. Now, asleep, he looked so cute. She went back and forth whether she should wake him or not, but she remembered there was important work to be done, and a multiverse to be saved. Besides, they weren’t home yet, there was no time to rest.

“Wake up, Paulo.” She said, gently rocking his shoulder. “It’s morning. We have a big day ahead of us!”

“Mph.” Paulo grumbled, waving her away. “Just another five hours.”

“Alright.” Sue said. “Guess I’ll go bathe by myself then…”

Paulo shot up in an instant. “Bathe? Is there even a place to do that?”

Sue giggled. Paulo was so easy to manipulate. “We’ll see. But we do need to get going.” Sue turned around, swishing her tail as she left the tent.

“Stupid, sexy Sue.” Paulo grumbled, laying back down.

Abbey, not having any somalis to try and convince into getting up early, was already out and about. He grimaced at the smoldering ash that was their firepit. They only gathered enough firewood for last night. They’d have to scavenge for more.

“Good morning, Abbey.” Sue waved with a smile. “Sleep well?”

Abbey looked up to her from the burnt sticks. Despite his harsh words the previous evening, Sue was still being nice to him. The abyssinian shrugged. “As well as one can sleep out here.”

“Well let’s hope today is the day we fix this multiverse problem and get back home!” Sue said enthusiastically. “It’s a shame we can’t count this as an extracurricular. Come to think of it, I’m not sure how any of this will actually help us in our lives once we get home.”

“Mmm. Yeah.” Abbey looked up at the sky with melancholy.

“What’s wrong?” Sue asked, walking over.

Abbey shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Come on, we’re all in this together.” The girl gave him a smile. “If this is about yesterday, it’s-”

“It isn’t that.” Abbey quickly interrupted, not wanting to think about how badly he had put his foot in his mouth. “It’s… well where I came from, it was the holidays.” He sighed sadly. “And today… today would have been Christmas for me.”

Sue’s cheerful morning smile fell. “Oh… I’m so sorry, Abbey.” She said softly. “Merry Christmas, then, if it means anything.”

Abbey gave a slight nod. “Thank you, Sue.”

“What’s this about Christmas?” Paulo asked, crawling out of his tent.

“Nothing.” Abbey replied before Sue could. “I’m going to get more firewood. I think it’s safe enough for me to go alone. You two should wake up David and Kizuna.”

“Are you sure?” Sue asked.

“Yes.” Abbey said, walking into the woods.

Paulo crossed “What’s his deal?”

“I think things are just really stressful right now.” Sue took his hand. “On all of us. Let’s give him some space.”

Sue and Paulo took Abbey’s advice and went to wake up the two dogs. They poked their heads into the tent to say hello, and saw that David had rolled off his sleeping bag and onto Kizuna in the night.

“Alright, David!” Paulo whispered excitedly. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” This comment was met with a sharp jab in his ribs by Sue, along with an unamused look. “Alright, fine. Let’s wake them up.”

Paulo went in and rolled David off of Kizuna. “Wake up, guys!” Sue sang. “We have work to do.”

Kizuna and David stirred in their sleep and woke up. David looked up at Paulo and blinked. “Whoa… Paulo, did we…?”

“Eugh!” Paulo wretched. “No! We were just waking you two up!”

“Whose mission is this anyway?” Kizuna asked, a tad annoyed that Sue was calling the shots.

“I’m just looking forward to making a difference!” Sue flashed a thumbs up.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment and David looked up at Paulo. “You married that girl?”

“Can it, David.” Paulo said, going back to crouch next to Sue. “Let’s just get some breakfast.” Paulo looked at the suitcase. “Assuming that thing has a breakfast menu.”

“This can do anything!” Kizuna humphed defensively, sitting up and pulling the suitcase close. “I’ll be out in a moment. Now shoo!”

Sue and Paulo backed out, taking their leave. Kizuna flopped back onto her sleeping bag. David’s stomach growled. “All this early drama is making me hungry… I’m thinking an all you can eat style buffet for breakfast.”

Kizuna felt her mouth salivating at the thought. “That DOES sound nice, Davie… but we don’t have the time or space for that. Maybe some bacon and eggs.”

“And pancakes and waffles and cereal and omelets and-” David said excitedly.

“And you have to clean up that mess~” Kizuna teased.

David paused a moment and weighed the pros and cons. He didn’t much like doing dishes. “Hmm… bacon and eggs will have to do then.” Kizuna smiled.

Outside, Paulo and Sue found Abbey returning from the woods, arms full of sticks. “I don’t understand, if she can summon anything from that suitcase, why can’t she summon firewood?” This was an excellent point, and both Paulo and Sue agreed. Things had just been so hectic the previous day that they never thought to ask about it. For that matter, why couldn’t she conjure up them a warm meal instead of making them roast sausages over a fire?

“Okay everyone~” Came a sing songy voice from Kizuna, joining the trio by the firepit. “Who’s hungry? I know I am!”

“I’m so hungry I could eat an entire all you can eat style buffet!” David said.

“Davie…” Kizuna gave him a little smile. “I thought we agreed no buffets!”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be hungry enough to eat one.” He defended.

“Today’s menu will be bacon and eggs.” Kizuna informed the group. “Afterwards, we will discuss our plan going forward.”

“Oh good!” Abbey smiled. “You have a plan then?”

“Well, not really.” Kizuna admitted, losing her gusto. “By discussion, I mean I will come up with a plan.”

Sue took Paulo’s hand and then raised her free one, as though she were in school. “Whatever it is, Kizuna, we want to help!” Paulo gave a weary smile in agreement. He was still very uneasy about the arrangement. Even if they weren’t home per se, camp was still safer than whatever they’d find out there.

“Thank you, Sue!” Kizuna clasped her hands together. It was like they were good friends, just as they had been in her world. “I greatly appreciate that!”

Abbey dropped the sticks into the charred remains of their old fire. He was uncertain as to how things would be in other worlds, and held the same reservations as Paulo. However, he equally did not like the idea of being left at camp all alone. Besides, helping might mean getting back home quicker. “I suppose I’ll help too. It’s only fair.”

Kizuna gave the brown cat a big smile. “That’s wonderful to hear! With all of us working together, we can take on anything that gets thrown at us!” It was such a cheesy thing to say, but Kizuna was overjoyed that she was not only with friends again, but they all wanted to help her. “Now, let’s get some breakfast.”

From out of the suitcase a small metal rack was produced, along with a cast iron skillet. Soon, a fire was roaring once more, and the smells and sounds of frying eggs and bacon filled the air. The morning brought on new hope in all of them, bolstered by them all wanting to work together. Everyone got their fill, the grease was disposed of properly (Sue and Abbey insisted upon this, against Kizuna and Paulo just wanting to dump it in the grass, and David wanting to drink it), and they all sat around to come up with a plan.

“This is a good base.” Kizuna said, wiping some leftover egg from her mouth. “I think we should go find some more lost friends and bring them here for safe keeping.”

“Why not just take us back now?” Paulo asked, wanting to try and get out of going anywhere potentially dangerous. Abbey, who wanted to go home for different reasons, silently agreed.

“Don’t want to risk anything until we get a better grasp on the situation.” Kizuna said. “Here, we know we’re safe.”

“Besides.” Sue frowned at him. “We already promised to help.”

“Any other questions? Abbey? Any questions?” Kizuna asked, smiling at him. Abbey sighed, so much for going home.

“No.” He mumbled, more homesick than ever. It kind of felt like he was being held against his will now. If he wanted to go home now, that was HIS choice! Even if something might still go wrong… Kizuna didn’t know that for sure! Still, he stayed his tongue on those bitter thoughts. “The sooner we get this done, the better.”

“Wonderful!” Kizuna beamed at them. “This could be fun! You never know!”

“Or we could get attacked again.” Abbey said, still pessimistic about their odds. “That raving madman said he’d see you soon.”

“Ah, yeah…” Kizuna felt the air being let out of her sails. No time to falter, she was a big, important leader now. “But we’ll be ready for him this time!” She said with a confident grin and a big thumbs up.

“Attagirl!” David cheered, jumping to his feet. “LET’S GO GET ‘EM!” And he ran off.

“Uhh, Davie…” Kizuna giggled as the others looked on David’s supportive display with bemusement. “We gotta go through this.” She tapped the suitcase.

David walked back dejectedly, now self conscious about his outburst. “Ah, yes, of course dear.”

Kizuna’s heart did a little flip at his term of endearment. “Thank you, Davie.” She turned to the rest of the team. “Are you all ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Abbey mumbled.

“Ready and willing!” Sue said, standing tall with a confident smile.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Paulo said.

“Then let’s go!” Kizuna exclaimed. She closed her eyes and thought ‘Take us somewhere that needs help’. After a moment, the suitcase rumbled, and the yellow dog put it down and opened it. “After you all.”

Abbey gestured for Sue to go forward. “Ladies first.” He said. “If your boyfriend lives by that standard as well.”

Paulo frowned. “Shut it, fruitcake.”

Sue ignored their back and forth, too eager to start their adventure. Still having Paulo by the hand, she led them to the suitcase and hopped in.

“Oh! Me next!” David yelled with a running start. He jumped just before reaching the open case and curled up into a ball. He disappeared into the void.

Abbey followed in silently, taking one last look around camp and wondering if he’d see it again. No backing out now, he took a step forward and fell in. Kizuna slid in behind.

They all fell through the familiar hodgepodge of light and sound. Kizuna motioned for them all to gather closer. Once they’d all gethered around, she spoke. “When we get there, I think we should split into teams. Abbey, you’ll be with me and David. Sue and Paulo, you’ll be together.”

“Sounds good to me.” Paulo said, happy he would be able to keep an eye on Sue.

“I agree with this as well.” Abbey said, also happy, as he didn’t have to be the third wheel for Paulo and Sue.

“Now you and I can get to know each other better.” David said, putting an arm around Abbey’s shoulder. “Us brown brothers gotta stick together.”

What little optimism Abbey had for their venture dwindled away, and he wondered if being a third wheel for Paulo and Sue might not be so bad. “What exactly are we supposed to be looking for, anyway?” He asked, trying to wriggle out of David’s iron grasp.

“Anything that looks out of place!” Kizuna said with confidence.

“We don’t belong in this world, everything is going to look out of place.” He said, slightly annoyed at her vague answer.

“Cheer up, Abbey.” Sue said, noticing his dour expression. “It’s for a good cause!”

The abyssinian gave a weak nod, but Sue’s pep talk did little to keep the flame of motivation alive. Kizuna pointed at a bright spot up ahead, similar to the ones they’d gone through before. “Looks like a short trip this time! Here it comes!” She grabbed David’s hand to keep them from getting separated, and as Abbey was still snuggly under David’s arm, he wasn’t getting lost, either. Sue and Paulo grabbed each other’s hands, bracing for the impact, and…

Out of the suitcase they shot, like a cork off a bottle of champagne. The two teams tumbled in opposite directions. After a brief bout of confusion as they got their bearings, the five stood up and met in the middle. “Looks like…” Abbey started, looking at the building before them.

“Roseville High!” David finished. “Ohhh, see? We’re already finishing each other’s sentences.” Abbey wanted to respond with, “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where we are.” but figured it would be pointless.

“What’s Roseville High?” Paulo asked.

Abbey raised an eyebrow. This was a new level of idiocracy from Paulo. Perhaps he was homeschooled, or dropped out before he got to highschool. “Our… highschool?”

“Oh, of course!” It dawned on Sue. “Paulo and I didn’t go to Roseville High! We went to East Rutledge High.”

“The place where they hosted the SATs?” Abbey asked.

“Ah, well I haven’t taken my SATs yet.” Sue said. “But maybe. I don’t know.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk about our worlds later.” Kizuna told them all, cutting into their conversation. “Let’s get started. We’ll meet back here by the end of the school day.”

“Stay safe, guys!” Sue said, and she and Paulo left hand in hand.

Kizuna eyed David’s hand, wondering if she should take it or not, but he sped off before she could make a decision. “Davie, waaaiiit!“

“You gotta keep up!” David said. “Maybe I should carry you if you can’t.”

Kizuna blushed. “I… I wouldn’t mind that.”

David opened his arms. “I’ll catch you!”

Kizuna gave a running start, but tripped and barreled into him, knocking him into a crowd of students, pushing them over too. Abbey folded his arms and looked down disapprovingly on them. “I’m just going to look on my own. I’ll see you two later.” The brown cat left the scene of disaster, with students angrily trying to untangle themselves from the mess David and Kizuna made.

Meanwhile, things were going much smoother with Paulo and Sue. They leisurely walked around the premises of the schoolyard, looking at all of their fellow classmates. Or rather, their fellow classmates from another world. Everything was exactly as they remembered, it was just the school that was different.

“It’s surreal, isn’t it? Like something out of a dream.” Sue observed, walking through the throng. “It’s all the same, yet so different. As though someone’s remixed our world.”

“I bet we still hate each other here.” Paulo said. “Abbey was really unconvinced you even existed. It’s like we’re a freak accident or something.”

“Hmph.” Sue pouted. “I’m not worried about him… though I do wonder what things might have been like had we never had that fight. If there is a multiverse, and there really are an infinite number of possibilities… that means there must be one where we didn’t fight. Maybe one where we did, but punished in a different way. Or… we just never fell in love. We got what we wanted and stopped talking to each other.”

They stopped walking to survey their surroundings. “Well, babe.” Paulo said, taking Sue’s other hand in his other hand. “I’m glad I got to live in the one where we hooked up.”

“That’s a really roundabout way of saying we fell in love.” Sue smiled apprehensively at the somali, but softened up. She knew he meant it with all his heart. “But yes, I am too. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The two cats came in for a little kiss, which was interrupted by a loud voice. “As if today couldn’t get any weirder, you two have to start making out.”

Paulo and Sue jumped apart and looked at who the voice belonged to. They knew who it was before they saw her - it was Lucy. The khao manee had her eyes narrowed at them, looking very disapprovingly, mainly at Paulo. “Aren’t YOU supposed to be in a relationship with Rachel, idiot? Why are you kissing Sue?”

“Wha- I… huh?!” Paulo stuttered at the outlandish accusation.

The white cat’s tirade wasn’t over. “And you!” Her attention was on Sue now. “Aren’t you supposed to be with McCain? Don’t you two HATE each other?”

“L-Lucy…” Said a much more timid male voice. It was now Paulo and Sue saw Mike just behind Lucy. “Paulo is Daisy’s boyfriend…”

“Will you just knock it off, jerkface?” Lucy demanded, stomping her foot. “You can drop this stupid schtick now.”

“But it’s not!” He said, almost pleading. “Paulo and Daisy really are dating! And so are we!”

“Not in a million years! We talked about this at Rachel’s party, we’re JUST. FRIENDS.” Lucy spat.

Paulo scratched the back of his head anxiously. He’d been in Mike’s position. Just yesterday, in fact. Or whenever in time it happened. Him and Sue looked at each other and nodded. This was definitely not right. “Elle?” Sue said, taking a step forward. “We’re going to need you to come with us.”

Lucy turned her angry gaze towards the tan cat. “What do you mean? We’re all going to school, aren’t we?” She took off in stride, attempting to push past them, but Paulo and Sue grabbed her by the arms. “Hey, let go you jerks!”

“We aren’t going to school.” Paulo put it simply. “We want you to meet a friend of ours.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Back with Kizuna, her and David had pulled themselves from the mess of students on the school’s front steps. This was met with a bevy of dirty looks from the others, along with a few comments of “Watch where you’re going!” and “What’s your problem?!”. All Kizuna could do was apologize and give sympathetic looks to them all, but this did little to quell their negative opinions of her.

After everyone was back on track, Kizuna looked around to notice someone was missing - Abbey. “Oh no! Poor Abbey! He’s gotten himself lost!” Of course this wasn’t true, Abbey knew Roseville high like the back of his hand.

“Either that, or he got squashed under everyone so small that we can’t perceive him.” David thought aloud, scrutinizing the pavement. “Careful where you step!”

Abbey had gone ahead into school to continue the search unimpeded by his canine companions. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he made the right decision by coming along. At least back in the forest there’d be peace and quiet. They probably would have been fine without him. As he walked through the hallways, he politely smiled at all his classmates he saw everyday. Yet, they were not his own… and they seemed to be none the wiser that he wasn’t really theirs, either. That was, until he was stopped by a teacher that he recognized as his homeroom teacher who looked rather confused. “Abbey? I could have sworn I just saw you in homeroom.”

The abyssinian froze in his tracks. He never considered the protocol if he was confused for his other self. He had to lie, had to slip away. “Yeah haha… I just stepped out to use the restroom.” Abbey gave a fake smile to try and sell his lie.

The teacher still looked like this wasn’t computing to him, but he shrugged it off. It was early and he was still waking up. It must have been a simple misremembering of things. “Ah, well, hurry on up. You don’t want to be late.”

“Thank you, sir.” Abbey said, trying to put as much distance and as many students between them as possible. “I won’t be, sir.”

The teacher waved him off, and Abbey swiftly made for the crowd so he could blend in. Who knew what would happen when the teacher found out he was a doppelganger? Would the world collapse from a paradox?

The teacher went back to class, prepared to start taking attendance, and saw Abbey sitting at his desk, talking with Jasmine. He blinked. Surely he wouldn’t be back so soon, he would have seen him come in the same time he did at the very least. He stuck his head out the classroom door, but Abbey was long gone. He shrugged, maybe he needed more coffee.

Back with Paulo and Sue, Lucy was doing her best to wriggle out of their grasp. “Let me go! What the hell is wrong with you two?!” She yelled.

Mike stood uselessly on the sidelines. “Yeah, what gives! Let her go!”

“Sorry, dude. Can’t do that.” Paulo said. “Just go on to class.”

“And what the hell about me?!” Lucy demanded. “I’m gonna be late too!”

Mike was becoming unhappy with how they were handling his girlfriend. Even if she’d been acting really mean all day, that was no excuse to treat her this way. They’d been through so much together, and he wasn’t about to let this stand. Mike grabbed Paulo’s arm and started trying to wrench Lucy from his grasp. “Let her go, Paulo!”

“Dude, what’s your problem?” Paulo said, trying to push him away, but it was difficult with him also struggling with Lucy.

“Mike, please…” Sue said sympathetically. “Just trust us!”

“Trust you? You’re manhandling my girlfriend!” Mike snapped at her.

“I AM NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” Lucy yelled at him. “What happened to Sandy? The girl you were so head over heels for?”

Mike paused. “What are you talking about? I dumped Sandy. Her and Augustus are together now, remember?”

“She’s with who?!” Paulo and Sue asked, flabbergasted, turning their attention away from Lucy. This was long enough for Lucy to take advantage of them, pulling herself free and running for the school.

“Oh, great! Well done, Mike!” Paulo scolded him with an angry look.

“Serves you right!” Mike shot back. “Why were you hurting her?”

“We weren’t trying to hurt her, we were trying to help her!” Sue explained, but Mike was not buying it.

Out behind the school, Abbey burst through the doors that lead to the track and field. Nobody was there, everyone was too preoccupied with getting to class. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. Staying inside would lead to a higher risk of him getting found out - something he hoped the others would figure out before it was too late. Though Kizuna would probably be fine, he figured, as it appeared that nobody remembered her.

Perhaps he should cover the track and field area. Yes… that might be best. Sue and Paulo out front and David and Kizuna inside the school. Abbey gathered himself and headed off for the track but something, or someone, made him pause. Off in one of the stands that stood on either side of the track, a familiar black and white cat sat, nose buried in a book. It was Augustus, in all his glory. Abbey’s heart raced. He wanted to run up to him, he wanted to hug him and for Augustus to comfort him, but it would be inappropriate. He wouldn’t know who he was… and for all he knew, they were still bitter enemies here.

It was heartbreaking, but Abbey had a job to do, and didn’t want to interfere with this world any more than he already had. With a melancholic sigh, he turned foot and nearly collided with someone else. He was face to face with an elegant dress that belonged to a very tall person. He looked up to see a pretty white cat with long, flowing black hair. She looked rather distressed, and without a moment’s hesitation, she began to speak. “Good morn, sir. I was wondering if you might tell me where I am?”

Abbey stared, slack jawed. He recognized her… or at least, thought he did. She looked an awful lot like Sandy, but older. She was wearing one of the most incredible dresses he’d ever seen, embroidered with glittering gems around the collar. Around her neck was an ornate chain, at the end of which was a large emerald. He had not needed to find any anomalies, the anomaly had found him. “I.. I.. uh…”

“I’m very sorry, I do not understand.” Sandy said sweetly at the stuttering boy. “What village is this?”

“I’m gonna need you to come with me.” Abbey said quickly.

“Oh, no, I just need to know where I am.” She smiled. “I was meant to join Prince Michael today to oversee an upcoming festival, but I appear to have gotten lost.”

“Please…” Abbey said, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. “You must come with me.”

“Oh, well, if you insist.” She said. “I will follow.”

By now, Kizuna and David had entered the school, looking among so many other students. The hallways were starting to thin as the school bell that would signify the start of the day got closer and closer. “We should split up again.” Kizuna said. “Davie, you go down that hallway.” Kizuna pointed to a hall at the intersection they were at, perpendicular to where they had been walking. “And I’ll keep going this way. Hopefully one of us will find Abbey too.”

“Yes ma’am.” David saluted. “I’ll use my super sniffer and if anything is foul, I’ll be on it right away.” He tapped his nose. “You know, you should think about using yours as well.”

Kizuna giggled. “I’ll try, Davie!”

David walked off down the hallway that Kizuna pointed to. She watched him walk away as she went down her path, but ended up walking into another student and fell back on her rear. She was always so clumsy, but shook it off. The student was wearing a long trench coat and a bandana. He turned around to look at who bumped into him, and when he saw Kizuna his mouth twisted into a smile. “Hello yellow dog.” He said. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Kizuna gasped, recognizing the voice and face. It was the thug who had shot at her in the park just the previous day. A slender nozzle slid out of the thug’s sleeve and into his hand. He lifted it up, pointing the end at her. The rancid smell of gasoline wafted out the end of it along with a high pitched whine. “I hope you brought something stronger than a shield this time.”

“AAAAIIEEEEE!” Kizuna yelled and turned tail, and just in time. With a pull of the trigger, a flame shot out of the end of the nozzle, spraying the area in front of him with gas and flames. What few students there were left in the hallway cried out in shock and terror too, and ran for the exit.

Across the school, Lucy was just getting into homeroom, still grumbling over Sue and Paulo’s shenanigans with her. Her teacher was speaking with a security officer at his desk. Lucy took her seat next to Abbey. “Hey Abbey.” She greeted the abyssinian.

“Good morning, Lucy.” He said with a smile. “What’s got you down today?”

Same old Abbey, always trying to be everyone’s therapist. “Sue and Paulo were acting really weird.”

“Really?” He asked, confused. “Paulo, I understand.” the brown cat said with an air of disgust. “But Susan too?”

“If you can believe it.” She sighed.

“Forgive me if I don’t.” Abbey smiled sheepishly. “Because both Sue and Paulo have been in homeroom since I got here.”

Lucy looked up from her backpack. She hadn’t had time to fully unpack due to her run-in. “What?”

“Yeah, they’ve been in here all morning. Didn’t you see them when you walked in?” Abbey said, looking at their friends.

Lucy sat up immediately. “That… no, that can’t be… they were JUST out in front of the school!”

Then, the sprinklers came on, as well as the fire alarm.

Out front, Mike had finished chewing out an exasperated Sue and Paulo, who were unable to convince him of their pure intentions. “We need to get to class.” He said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into everyone recently, but we just got past all this drama.”

There was a scream behind them, and the front doors of the school flew open, with students running out of it. “Run!” One of them yelled.

“What’s going on?” Sue asked.

“Some guy has a flamethrower!” Another said, running away. “I’m going home!”

Paulo and Sue looked at each other. “Oh no…”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“AHHHHHHH! DAVIE!!!” Kizuna yelled, running for her life yet again, flames nipping at her heels. “HE’S BACK!!”

“He ain’t gonna save you this time!” Alejandro growled. Behind him was left a path of fire and destruction. He pointed the flamethrower at the ceiling ahead of Kizuna and lit it up. The tiles melted and fell on her as she ran. The dog coughed and yelped when the hot plastic dripped down on her.

By now, the people in the classrooms had heard the commotion going on outside and were looking out to see what was going on. Kizuna sped past door after door, heading for where she sent David. Alejandro was still hot on her trail, but got too close to one of the doors as it swung open. He smacked into it and fell back, giving Kizuna more time to get away. This was Lucy’s homeroom, and the person opening the door was the teacher coming to see what the commotion was.

Abbey and Sandy had just come across Alejandro’s path of destruction as they were looking for Kizuna. “Oh dear, it seems like he’s found us again…” He said over the blaring alarms.

“Who has found you?” Sandy asked loudly, covering her ears. She had not heard such a wretched sound in all her life. “Who would do such a terrible thing?”

Abbey turned to the woman. “I’ve got to get you out of here. We’re supposed to meet at the front of the school…” He looked ahead of them. “Past all of that destruction. Stay close. I’ll protect you.”

Sandy nodded, unsure of the situation that was falling apart, but trusting of her new companion. Following in his footsteps, Abbey carefully navigated them around the worst of the melted debris. The floor was becoming slick from the sprinklers, making it even more difficult. As they got closer to the front, they ran into Sue, Paulo, and Mike who were all looking for them.

“Abbey!” Sue breathed a sigh of relief when they met up. “I’m glad you’re okay!”

“It appears that the psycho killer is back.” Abbey informed them over the dinn. “And he’s quite upset about last time.”

“No kidding..!” Paulo said, looking around at the burning school.

“S-Sandy?” Mike stammered, whose eyes had immediately been drawn to the radiance of the woman behind Abbey. “What… Did you have a growth spurt?”

Sandy blushed at Mike’s comment. “I may have… though you were taller the last time I saw you, my lord.”

“We have to help Kizuna!” Sue urged, feeling like they were wasting precious time. They were also all getting drenched and a hoard of students were coming their way.

“Whoa, there is no way I’m letting you get anywhere near that asshole.” Paulo said, looking at her. “It’s way too dangerous!”

“You said you were going to help!” Sue huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

“We need to keep Sandy safe, first of all! I’ll have to watch her.” Abbey pointed out.

“I could watch her…” Mike suggested. “I want to help! And it looks like you could use all the help you can get…”

“I would be okay with that.” Sandy said. “Maishul has proven himself a mighty knight many times.”

Everyone looked at Sandy in silence. Paulo shook his head. “Fine, wimp, you take Sandy out front. Abbey and Sue, let’s go find Kizuna and David.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Kizuna had taken advantage of her small lead on Alejandro. When Lucy and her class exited the room to see what the commotion was about, they all turned tail and ran for the exit. Now the rest of the school was catching onto what was happening, and despite many fire drills, it was complete chaos. Kizuna got swept up in the crowd, calling out David’s name above the screaming of the students and the fire alarm, while still trying to keep a lock on where her pursuer was.

But David found her first, pulling her out of the stampede and into a now vacant classroom. “Wow, he’s all fired up isn’t he? Get it? Cause of the flamethrower?”

“Yes, Davie, I understand.” Kizuna said, facepalming. Now was not the time for jokes.

“I have an idea of what might help us.” David said. “Lemme see the suitcase!”

“Be my guest.” Kizuna handed it over. He’d proven himself before.

David turned around, opened it, and pulled out a large multicolored plastic gun. “Everyone knows water type beats fire type!” And he gave the gun a squirt.

The yellow dog’s face fell. “David, I follow your logic but this is unhelpful.”

Out in the hallways, the rest of the gang were following the scorch marks along the hallway. They chose to sneak, peeking around corners in case the thug was lurking around the other side. When they came upon him, he was throwing each door open, looking through now empty classrooms for his target. “We’ve got to do something.” Abbey commented.

“Yeah, let’s just run up on him and ask him nicely to leave.” Paulo whispered back sarcastically.

“That’s clearly not what I meant.” Hissed Abbey.

“Boys! Please, not now!” Sue groaned.

“Come out wherever you are!” Alejandro yelled as he kicked in empty classroom doors one by one.

Kizuna and David were only a few classrooms away. The dogs perked up at his voice, and now they were hearing the bashing of the doors getting ever closer.

“Oh no!” Cried Kizuna. “What are we gonna do?!”

“Run for it!” David said, pumping up the water gun. “I’ll protect you! Ready?”

“But Davie-”

“Three!”

“That’s not going to-”

“Two!”

“We have to hide!”

“One!” David yelled and he threw the door open. Just on the other side was Alejandro, who had arrived.

“There you are!” He grinned, finger on the trigger. David pulled his first and a steady, but small, stream of water squirted out. Alejandro laughed. “Really? That’s your plan? You’re stupider than you look!”

The other three had to intervene now in any way they could, but they didn’t have a plan. Kizuna yelped and her and David ran for cover in the classroom as Alejandro lit the room up. He kicked over desks and chairs, relishing in his coming victory. The only place Kizuna and David could take cover under was the teacher’s desk, but it wasn’t ideal. There was no way out, and it was made of wood, so they’d go up in flames the moment the flamethrower spewed its poison.

Paulo, Sue, and Abbey ran to the door. “That’s it! I’m taking charge!” Sue said, and she rushed in. She jumped and landed on Alejandro’s back, and he stumbled. Sue held on as tight as she could, but with the thug cursing and thrashing about the girl soon lost her grip and tumbled into some desks.

“Sue!” Paulo and Abbey cried in horror, running in to aid her.

“You three!” Alejandro growled, gearing up to roast them alive as well. Kizuna and David took the opportunity to run from the desk they were under to the door. Alejandro watched as his target was slipping away again, and he disregarded the three cats for the two dogs. “You ain’t getting away that easily!” He yelled, chasing after them.

David and Kizuna slip and slid across the drenched linoleum tiled floors of the highschool. Alejandro tramped through the artificial rains to catch up with his bounty, all the while teasing her. “I wonder how you’ll sound, screaming as the fire burns you alive?”

Back in the classroom, Paulo helped Sue up into a sitting position. “Are you hurt? Can you stand?”

Sue winced as she was moved. Her back had taken a hard hit when she was flung off Alejandro. “I- I don’t know… my back hurts so much!”

“That’s okay, I can carry you.” Her boyfriend said, worried.

Sue leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Paulo.”

“Abbey.” Paulo said. “You have to help Kizuna while I get Sue out of here.”

“Very well.” The abyssinian said, standing up. “I’ll meet you outside after I’ve dealt with this bully.”

“What are you going to do?” Sue asked as Paulo lifted her up gently in his arms.

The brown cat picked up a pair of scissors off a nearby desk. “I have an idea.”

With Paulo taking Sue out of harm’s way, Abbey pursued their assailant. Kizuna and David had found themselves an exit, but Kizuna was worse for wear. She kept slipping up on all the puddles, her two left feet now becoming her greatest enemy. Alejandro sent bursts of flames after them, not enough to truly burn them, but enough to keep tormenting them. He was high off the power he felt. No shields this time. Nothing to get in his way.

“Just give it up, dog.” The thug said. “You’re only delaying the inevitable. I always, ALWAYS, get my mark. Green eyes, that white bitch, and their little black haired friend learned that the hard way.”

“What did I do to you?” Kizuna coughed, smoke getting to her lungs.

“Oh, it didn’t start as anything personal.” He grinned. “This was just a job. But now, this has turned into something much more.”

“You really need to get laid.” David said.

“Shut yer fucken mouth.” Alejandro yelled. “It’s gonna be hard for you to get laid after I burn you to a crisp. Any last words?”

“I’m sorry, Davie.” Kizuna said, hugging him. “I just want you to know I love you.”

“Pitiful last words.” Alejandro sneered, pointing the flamethrower nozzle at Kizuna and David. “Goodbye.”

Before he could pull the trigger, there was a jolt from behind. Alejandro swung around. “I swear to fuck, that’s it! I’m cooking you first!”

It was Abbey, who was running as fast as he could past Alejandro. He grabbed David and Kizuna. “Run!”

With their last bit of strength, the two dogs limped along with him, as the thug behind them howled in anger. “YOU WON’T OUTRUN THIS!” He pulled the trigger, but only a small spurt shot out. He cocked an eyebrow and kept pulling, but each pull garnered lesser results. He heard hissing and smelled gasoline in the air. He reached for the pack and felt something lodged in one of the canisters. He pulled it out, and saw it was a pair of scissors. “Why you little punk! I’m gonna get you!”

Alejandro peeled off after them, and pulled the trigger once more. There was a small spark from the nozzle and a flash of light as the air around him erupted. The flames followed the gas trail to its source, the canister, and they exploded. Alejandro was engulfed in flames and he screamed in agony, desperately trying to remove the flamethrower from his body, but all he did was spread the gas. And as quickly as the flames had erupted, Alejandro vanished in a flash of light.

Around the front of the school there was a crowd of terrified students, and Paulo and Sue had found Mike and Sandy standing on the sidewalk. They were joined by someone else - Lucy. She stood with her hands on her hips, waiting expectantly for them. “I want you to tell me what’s going on right now! How were you out here AND in homeroom?”

“We don’t have time for this!” Paulo urged. “We have to get out of here!”

“We have to wait for the others.” Sue said. “Kizuna has the suitcase.”

“I don’t care who is where or what they have!” Lucy said. “I want answers.”

There was a great deal of shouting heard around the building, followed by an explosion. The five jumped in surprise as they saw Abbey pulling along a limping Kizuna and David through the group of students. “We need to get out of here, NOW!” Abbey yelled. Kizuna was already way ahead of him, clutching the suitcase close and picturing their little camp in her mind. A little rumble indicated the suitcase was primed for travel. She went to put it out for everyone but drew back and thought, ‘And can everyone come out the other side without being sick?’ There was another rumble, which Kizuna took as an understanding.

“Who all is going?” Kizuna asked, tossing down the suitcase. It popped open revealing the void.

“Sandy and Lucy.” Paulo said.

“Then everyone who’s going, hop in.” Kizuna said.

“You don’t gotta tell me twice!” David said, jumping in. Abbey followed.

“I’m gonna lower you in, okay?” Paulo told Sue, and she nodded. The somali knelt down and let his grip go on the burmese. He followed her in as she slipped into the darkness.

“Okay, you two next!” Kizuna addressed the others.

“What the hell?!” Lucy exclaimed. “I’m not getting in there!”

“There’s no time to argue!” Kizuna said. “Get in!”

Sandy, who was thoroughly lost, decided to trust the dog, who seemed to be quite sure of things. Besides, Abbey trusted her. “Excuse me, young lady.” She said as she walked to the suitcase. “How does one..?”

“Just step in.” Kizuna told her. “It’ll be a little crazy, but it’s safe.”

Sandy nodded and felt rather foolish stepping in the small box, but just like the others she was pulled into the inky darkness. “You next, Lucy!”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Lucy spat. “I don’t even know you!”

“Yeah, where are you taking her?” Mike asked. “And why can’t I go?”

“Because… you just can’t Mike! Sorry!” Kizuna said, and then turned her attention to Lucy. “I promise you all your questions will be answered if you just jump in! I know you don’t know me, but you trust your friends, right?”

Lucy folded her arms and eyed the suitcase suspiciously. “And if i’m wrong?”

“Then nothing happens!” Kizuna said, looking at the police and firetrucks hauling down the road to the school. “You wake up and it’s all just a dream!”

“And if it’s not that?” She asked.

“Then… I don’t know!” Kizuna said, exasperated, wondering if she should just force Lucy into the box.

Lucy looked at Mike, who was looking at her anxiously. “Your home is here, Lucy. With me.”

Well, Mike had been acting weird all day. Plus the thing with Paulo and Sue. And the school was on fire. That HAD to mean something. “Fine.” Lucy said. “I’m going. But any funny business, and I’m breaking your arm!”

“Sounds fair to me.” Kizuna gestured to the suitcase. “After you.”

“Lucy, you aren’t seriously considering-” Mike started as the girl walked to the suitcase.

“I’m my own person, Mike. You don’t own me.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “At the very least I’m getting away from your weird face.” With that, Lucy stepped forth over the suitcase and slipped in.

Kizuna looked at Mike sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Mike. Really! But all will be set right soon, you’ll see! Adios!” And then Kizuna found herself falling headfirst into the suitcase as well.

Kizuna was falling beside her friends in no time. Abbey was diving headfirst ahead of everyone else. Paulo was holding Sue close, preparing to take the landing impact for her. David was doing silly tricks while Sandy was doing her best to keep her long, flowing dress down. Lucy was looking at Kizuna expectantly. “Alright, I’m playing your stupid game. Now tell me what’s going on!”

Sandy drifted over. “I, too, would quite like to know what is happening.” She said, in a much kinder tone than Lucy.

Kizuna gave a small, nervous laugh. “Well, you’re gonna hate me for this…”

“I already hate you.” Lucy said flatly.

“But I think it will be better if we wait until we get to where we’re going.” Kizuna finished.

“You said you were going to answer my questions!” Lucy growled.

“And I will, I will!” Kizuna said hurriedly. She’d seen the sort of wrath Lucy brought upon Mike on the daily, and she LIKED Mike. She couldn’t imagine what Lucy would do to someone she didn’t even know. “I just want to make sure everyone is settled in first!”

“I am willing to wait, if you say it will be better.” Sandy said politely.

Lucy was really unhappy about this arrangement, and was about to continue chastising Kizuna when they were interrupted by Abbey.

“Heads up, camp is near!” He called to the rest. Sure enough, he was right, the light of the campsite was growing ever bigger.

“Brace yourselves.” Kizuna recommended to the newcomers. Of course, they could only do so much, and if you didn’t know what to expect it was even more difficult. Yet, the end came, and they were all spit out one by one (in Paulo and Sue’s case, at the same time) into the camp.

Sandy was quite discombobulated, never having taken a tumble quite so bad before. Abbey helped her to her feet, and she gave a small curtsey and thanks in return. Lucy refused help from anyone, looking at them with even more distrust than ever before.

“Are you alright?” Paulo asked the girl in his arms.

“Yeah.” Sue smiled, running a hand across his chest fur. “I had a comfy landing.”

Lucy was already on her feet, on her way to Kizuna, who was talking to David. “We’re going to need a couple more tents, Davie. And some more sleeping bags and things as well.”

“On it!” The brown dog saluted. He took the suitcase and set out to work.

Kizuna turned around to see Lucy standing with her arms crossed. Kizuna gave her sheepish little laugh again and said, “Just take some time to relax. I promise I will explain everything.” And she pushed both her pointer fingers together and put on her best puppy dog face.

“You said if I got in you’d tell me.” Lucy cocked an eyebrow, not at all amused by her display.

“And I will.” Kizuna smiled. “I never said when I would tell you, but I will tonight over dinner.”

Lucy grumbled to herself but there was no point in arguing. The dog wasn’t going to budge. “Hey Lucy-baby!” David called, putting an end to her muttering. “Come check out your tent! I got you a pink one. That’s your favorite color, right?”

Lucy went off to look at her tent and help set it up while Paulo helped Sue over to the main sitting area. “I’m feeling a bit better.” Sue said in an attempt to reassure her boyfriend, but her wincing and limping as she walked showed otherwise.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” He muttered. “And you got hurt!”

“We knew what the risks were, Paulo.” Sue reminded him. “This is about more than just us.”

“Then I failed to protect you.” The somali replied grimly.

“I didn’t need protecting, Kizuna and David did.” Sue said, and noticing his shamed look, she placed a hand on his cheek. “But I do appreciate you for looking out for me. I’ll always do the same for you.”

The sun drooped down on the horizon, blasting warm colors across the sky. The group at the camp gazed up at the spectacular display, happy they were able to live long enough to see another sunset. Lucy would have appreciated it too, if she wasn’t spending so much time glaring at Kizuna from across the camp. “Careful Lucy-baby. Your face might get stuck like that if you don’t stop!” David said. “Like me, I made my face super attractive years ago and never stopped. Now I’m stuck like this.”

Lucy ignored the brown dog in favor of the yellow one, who had just stood up and clasped her hands together. “Okay, how about some dinner? What’ll everyone have?”

Everyone had a very different idea on what they should have for dinner, with Sandy asking for an extravagant feast to mark their meeting that included roast pheasant, a vegetable medley, and wine, among other things. David was totally on board, and everyone else silently agreed that it would be nice, but Kizuna politely explained that that sort of meal wouldn’t be feasible.

So they settled on something simpler, but more fulfilling than the night before. They did roast a chicken over a spit, both of which were courtesy of the suitcase, and threw in some veggies on the side. As far as roast chickens went, it wasn’t the worst, and Paulo who had the most cooking experience out of anyone having worked at Burger-Tron and having a general interest in cooking did the best he could given the circumstances.

Once they were all fed and watered, Lucy folded her arms and looked at Kizuna. Kizuna inhaled deeply and launched into the story. How the universe was messed up, how people were getting swapped around, and how she was sent to set it right. She even went into all of the places they had gone before making it to them. Lucy looked on in total disbelief, but Sandy’s face told another story. She was enraptured by Kizuna’s tale, hanging onto every word.

“I come from a mighty kingdom!” She said once Kizuna was done. “I’m married to Prince Michael.”

“Wait wait wait wait! You’re telling me.” Lucy dramatically pointed to herself. “That I switched places with another Lucy who loves MIKE, and is now running around in my world.” Lucy used air quotes for the word ‘world.’ “And that SANDY.” Lucy pointed at the princess, who looked quite surprised at the sudden attention. “Who is an actual princess from some medieval Roseville, who is in love with a Prince Michael, switched places with the Sandy that the other me’s Mike knew that ISN’T in love with him.”

“That appears to be the long and short of it.” Abbey said sympathetically. He knew how weird it was when he was first told.

Lucy looked around at everyone with wild eyes, and when everyone looked at her with all seriousness (save for the princess who was equally as bewildered), she threw her hands up. “This is it! This. Is. It! I’ve officially gone insane!”

“I know it sounds crazy, Elle.” Sue said, who was sitting in Paulo’s lap now, resting against him as her back was still sore. “But it’s true. All of it.”

Lucy shook her head. “Not you too, Sue. I would have thought you, of anyone, would be reasonable.”

“It depends on what your view of reasonable is.” Sue replied.

“Think Lucy, was there ever a time you remembered something that didn’t happen?” Kizuna asked. “Or felt off about nothing?”

Lucy looked up from the ground and jerked her head to Kizuna. “You.” She pointed another finger out at the dog. “I still have NO IDEA who you are.” She retracted her hand. “And I’m not answering a single question you have for me until I do.”

Kizuna could feel the tension starting to reach its’ apex. She did not want to become a victim of the same wrath she wrought upon Mike. “I’m just an old friend who wants to help you.” She said sincerely, putting her hands up.

“You trust me, right?” Paulo asked. Lucy looked at him, with everyone asking her all of these questions she felt like an animal getting ready to be trapped. The truth was, though, that Lucy did trust him. And Sue as well. Lucy nodded. “Well, I trust her.” Paulo said, gesturing to Kizuna. “And you can, too.”

“I trust her too.” Abbey seconded.

“Well I was the FIRST one to trust her.” David boasted, puffing out his chest. “So I win!”

“Just try to think, alright?” Kizuna said. “Anything, anything at all.”

Lucy tossed her hands up a little in defeat. “No, there’s nothing. I mean, that’s such a vague thing to ask.”

There was a moment of silence, save for the crackling of the fire. “I think I do.” Paulo said. “But it wasn’t me. David said something to me- no, not you, David, MY David.” The somali quickly pointed out after seeing David getting ready to speak. “It was a while ago. He told me to make love, not war, like he said he had told me before. Only, he never had told me before.” Paulo paused, straining his memory to think back to that day. So much had happened since then that it seemed like a blur. But something still stood out to him. Must have, if he remembered this much. “He seemed very confused. Like, genuinely confused, that he hadn’t said it to me before.” Paulo laughed a little to himself. “David’s a good friend. He can get a little overexcited, but he isn’t senile.”

Lucy went to pacing back and forth, shaking her head. She had nothing like that. All of her friends acted normally. Well, as normal as they were. “I really have to stress, nothing like that has-” And at that moment, Lucy stopped. A newfound sense of understanding shined in her eyes. She slowly looked at the others, having been facing away from them. “Wait… there was one thing.” She started walking back. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but…” The khao manee stopped again.

Everyone was leaning forward with anticipation. Lucy looked down and around, trying to remember the exact details. “It… it was before Sue’s play…” She nodded, the night coming back to her. “Well, before I was due to go on. And… all of a sudden I just felt so…” Lucy furrowed her brow. “Disgusted.” She said softly, and looked down at her hands.. “And I wanted to wash my hands with battery acid, like I had gotten something beyond gross on them.”

“Huh.” Abbey said, putting some pieces together himself.

“What?!” Lucy asked, desperate to know if he knew anything about it.

“It’s nothing. Well, maybe it IS something.” He stood up, and all eyes fell on him. “I remember, you had left, Lucy. We didn’t know WHAT happened to you.”

“I left?” Lucy asked. “Where? The play?”

“She left?” Paulo and Sue asked at the same time Lucy did.

Abbey shook his head. “Not the play, no. You were great, by the way. Really.” He smiled, and while Lucy did appreciate the accolade, she was far more interested in what happened to her other self. “Something bad happened between you and Michael. You left Roseville. At Rachel’s birthday, he told us he yelled at you. He said he told and called you all kinds of awful things. That you were never his friend. That you were just a parasite.”

Everyone looked at Abbey slack jawed, except for David, who knew what Abbey was talking about. “I remember that too! And Paulo TOTALLY bragged about making out with Lucy-baby during the play! He said he even touched your boob!”

“You could have used a little more tact.” Abbey grumbled, giving the dog a glower look. “But yes, that is what he said. One could conclude that possibly more than just that happened between you two.”

All curiosity Lucy had was sucked out of her, and she wished to go back to three minutes prior before she knew any of it. She looked a little green, like she might lose her stomach for a second time that day. Instead, she swallowed her feelings of disgust, and did what she did best. They were replaced with anger, and she balled up her fists. “When I get back, I’m knocking both Mike and Paulo’s heads clean off.” She looked at Paulo with a scowl.

The boy put his hands up defensively. “Hey, that wasn’t me!” He then hugged Sue. “I am happily in love with this fire babe right here! I swear!” Abbey rolled his eyes and sat back down.

Lucy looked away and shook her head. “Bah! I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” And with that, she headed off to her little tent, away from the others.

“Well that was enlightening!” David said, clasping his hands together. “Anyone else have any secrets they wanna learn about?”

“C’mon, Davie.” Kizuna tugged at his arm. “I think we’ve had enough for today. Let’s go get some sleep.”

“Aww, but it was getting so spicy!” The dog whined as he followed Kizuna back to their tent.

Sue kissed Paulo goodnight and left for their tent. Abbey hunched over and frowned, glaring at Paulo from across the campfire. How could Sue see anything in him? There was a small, polite cough from beside him. Abbey was a little startled by it, but the owner of the noise apologized.

"I'm sorry!" Abbey looked up to see Princess Sandy standing next to him. "I didn't mean to startle you. Is it okay if I sit with you?"

Abbey was a little taken aback by being approached by royalty. Royalty that was asking for his permission, no less. The abyssinian jumped to his feet and bowed. "Y-yes! Of course! Your majesty."

Sandy smiled and giggled at the boy's manners. "There is no need for such formalities out here in these circumstances. But thank you." She gave a little curtsy back, and the two sat down. Abbey went back to staring at Paulo from across the way. This was the reason Sandy had approached him to begin with. "You seem quite upset with the Somali. I have a Paulo back where I come from. He is a very skilled and noble blacksmith."

Abbey grimaced at such a ridiculous thought. Nobled and skilled were the last words he would use to describe the orange slacker. "Yeah, well, where I come from he's anything but. Always hitting on every girl he sees. Always teasing others. Teasing me…" He grumbled. "How did he ever end up with Sue? I mean, what could she possibly see in him?" He threw his arms forward. "She hates him! And yet, despite all that, she's kissing him goodnight?" Abbey pulled his legs to his chest and huddled up. "Impossible. Not even improbable. Just impossible."

Sandy looked from boy to boy. She smiled a little. "If I have learned anything from today, there is no such concept as impossible. Just the undiscovered." The princess could see Abbey nodding in agreement in the firelight. She took a deep breath. "Where I come from, there is a knight. We had become smitten with each other, but our love was not meant to be. Instead, I married Prince Michael."

Abbey blinked and looked at the radiant woman. "That’s so strange to think about. Michael being a prince?"

Sandy nodded at him. "He runs a great kingdom with a great army, and is a just and kind ruler, even if he may sometimes be short of temper and stern." Sandy stared back into the fire. "I do love him, dearly. Maybe I see something in him that others don't. Not even the knight. However, some nights I lay in bed and wonder what might have been, had me and the knight run away together."

"Why didn't you?" Abbey asked.

Sandy gave her head a little shake, and the light from the fire bounced off her gems and jewels. "It was not my place. Prince Maishul and I were to be wed. And I loved him too. The knight was moving to another land."

"That must have been tough." Abbey said, softening up. He understood what a ‘forbidden love’ was like.

"It was." The princess whispered woefully. "But it is a comfort to know that maybe somewhere out there, a Princess Sandy Olbrecht ran off with her knight, and lived a whole new life."

"What was the knight's name?"

"Lady Lucy Louet." Sandy stated, with all the sweetness in the world, as though they were magic words that eased one's ills.

Abbey gawked, eyes wide as dinner plates. "Lucy… Lucy was your secret love? And a knight?!"

Sandy smiled and nodded, thinking back fondly of their time together. "She was one of the greatest knights in all the land! The only one who could go sword to sword with the prince."

"Wow." Was all Abbey could say. As outlandish as Sue and Paulo together was, he could scarcely wrap his mind around his friends being in such lofty places. “That really is incredible.”

“Do you have anyone special waiting for you back home?” Sandy asked sweetly, reading something on Abbey’s face he didn’t know he was putting out. It was true, he was missing Augustus, and being so far from home was stressing him out. Seeing Paulo and Sue all lovey dovey with each other wasn’t helping, either.

Abbey smiled though, thinking about the night he had spent cuddling with Augustus. “Yeah, I do actually.” He lowered his voice lest Paulo overheard him and teased him. “His name is Augustus. I miss him a lot.” It also hurt Abbey a little to think about him, as he was deeply pining for his affection at the moment. “We didn’t always see eye to eye. We would fight. I think maybe our frustration came from how we really felt about each other.” Abbey shrugged. “I don’t know. He came from as much of a broken home as I did.”

Sandy smiled warmly at Abbey. “He sounds like a really nice person.”

“He really is.” Abbey agreed. “I think even more than he will give himself credit for.”

“Well, I am certain Kizuna and her friend will get us all home soon enough, and we will all be safe and sound. And go easy on young Paulo over there, I’m sure he’s much nicer than you think.” The princess said brightly, and it filled Abbey with warmth. There was a way she said things that made him feel at ease, like everything was really gonna be okay. Sandy yawned. “I’m going to go to bed. I would recommend you do the same, Sir Abbey.”

She stood up, and minding his manners once more, Abbey stood up with her. “Goodnight, your majesty… and… thank you.”

Princess Sandy giggled again at his courtesy and waved goodnight, retiring to her tent for some well deserved rest. Abbey looked over at Paulo and sighed. Currently, the somali was absentmindedly pushing some sticks around in the fire. He looked worried, though. Abbey walked over, but Paulo took no notice, and cleared his throat. Paulo’s gaze shot up toward him. He gave a defeated sigh. “What now?”

“Nothing.” The other boy responded plainly. “I was just coming to say goodnight. You should go to sleep too.”

Paulo looked back into the fire. “Ah. Thanks. Goodnight.”

Abbey wanted to reach out again with another comment, but stopped himself… but then started again. “What’s eating you?”

Paulo frowned. “What do you care? You hate me.” He deflected.

Abbey felt his temper rising. This is what he gets for trying to reach out. Actually tried to be nice for once and Paulo still responded with vitriol. He wanted to just yell at him and tell him to forget it before storming off, but he wondered what the princess might think if he behaved that way. What would Augustus think? No, he couldn’t let this get away from him. He took a pause to collect himself, and reached out again. “It’s been tough on all of us.” Abbey looked around at the small encampment. “All of this. All of the uncertainty. I’m feeling it too.”

Paulo silently agreed with him. Abbey took no response as a good response. “At the very least, you get to spend it with someone you love.”

Paulo dropped his stick and put his head in his hands. “She deserves more than me.”

This was definitely not Paulo-like behavior, at least not like he knew, Abbey judged. Perhaps the princess had really been onto something. But, then again, he also felt like Sue definitely deserved more than him… yet she seemed so happy with Paulo. From the interaction he saw before she went to bed, it was clear he made her feel safe. Then Paulo said something more surprising. “I just want to be strong enough for the both of us, but I’m not.”

Abbey still hadn’t sat down, having figured his goodnight wouldn’t last this long. “She seems happy with you. You must be doing something right.”

“Maybe...” Paulo said, looking back into the fire. “I dunno.”

After more silence, Abbey took that as the end of their very awkward conversation. “I’m gonna head to bed. Uh… goodnight. Again.”

“Goodnight. Again.”

Abbey took his leave and left to lay down in his tent. After a few more minutes of watching the fire die down to embers, Paulo got up and did the same. Sue was not quite asleep yet, and looked up when he came in. “What were you boys talking about?”

“Oh, you know. Boy stuff.” He grinned. “I thought you were going to sleep.”

“I was… But it seems I’m having a little trouble.” Sue sighed.

“Anything I can do to fix that?” Her boyfriend asked, getting into his sleeping bag.

“Well…” Sue blushed. “I was doing some thinking. About what I said the other night. About sleeping together.”

Paulo loved where this was going and he lifted his sleeping bag cover in a flash. “Say no more, babe.”

Sue hated him being so smug about it, but… that day had made her realize how short life could be, something she only felt once before - The day she finally confessed her love to him. The burmese got out of her sleeping bag and into his. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Sue felt a small kiss on the back of her head. “Goodnight, babe. I love you.”

Sue placed her hands on his. “I love you too, Paulo.”

Chapter Text

“This. Is not. The princess.” The annoyed prince said from atop the small platform where his throne sat.

When the princess first went missing, Prince Michael overturned the kingdom in search of his missing princess. No expense was spared, everyone was put on patrol to find her. Word was spread far and wide for everyone to be vigilant, lest she turn up somewhere unexpected. His knights were run into the ground, being sent day and night to march every inch of their kingdom. When they ran out of kingdom to search, they were sent beyond.

As time went by, Prince Michael became more and more irrational, lashing out at everyone. He spent his days alone, pacing the throne room of the castle. Not even his parents could ease his agitated mind. His eyes burned with anger, and he began to become paranoid. Someone had TAKEN Princess Sandy Olbrect from him… someone whom she had a previous dealing with.

Knight Lucy Luoet had long since moved from the prince’s kingdom, electing to start anew far away. There was far too much animosity between her and the prince to live there comfortably, and his arrogance only grew with age. She just wanted to live a peaceful life, without the prince breathing down her neck.

But worry gripped her when news of her star crossed lover reached her, and far worse than that was the wrath Prince Michael would bring upon her. She knew it was coming, after catching them kissing on the eve of her leaving he would find her as the one chief suspect behind the disappearance. Of course, Lucy would be overjoyed if Sandy Olbrect were to run away with her, but it was unconscionable that she would make her do it - she didn’t want Sandy to get in trouble.

No, Lucy wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. The princess was supposed to be in HIS care. If something happened to her, nobody but him was to blame. One early morning she rode out on her horse to confront the Prince.

But for now, Prince Michael stood agitated, glaring down at the captain of the guard who presented a much younger Sandy to him. The Sandy in question was a rather pathetic sight to behold - she was weak and tired, all dirtied up by three straight days of walking through the woods. There was a small respite on the journey back, she was treated like royalty, but did not understand why. She didn’t question it, either, as she needed a break from her wandering. Now, staring down at her feet with her hands behind her back, she wished she had.

The knight that had led the group to find her was kneeling before him, also looking at the stone floor lest his gaze bring further wrath upon him. “My lord, we were only trying to-”

“To fool me with this imposter?” Prince Michael hissed. “So that you may go home? As close as she might look to my princess, she is clearly not old enough to be her.” The prince looked down his nose at Sandy. “It is an insult to me, to your princess, this kingdom, that you should think so little of us that this pale imitation would pass.”

There was a dreadful pause from him as his last words echoed around the hall and died in the aether. No one dared move. The guards along the side kept their eyes forward, afraid just as Sandy and the captain were that looking at the prince would put them under fire too. Prince Michael took a deep breath and walked down the steps to stand just inches in front of the knight. The knight tensed up as the prince leaned down.

“Now you are going to go back out there and keep looking, and you are not to return until you have the princess - the REAL princess.” He shot a distrusting look at the frightened girl before looking back at the knight. “And should you return without her again, imposter or no, I will not only relieve you of your duties, I will relieve you of your head.” Prince Michael stood up tall. “Do we have an understanding?”

The knight nodded, shaking. Prince Michael only ever meant business, and always made good on his word. “Y-yes your m-majesty.”

Prince Michael frowned at his pitiful display and turned away to retreat up the small set of stairs to his throne. “Get up, and out of my sight.” He turned at the top and looked over at Sandy who was feeling rather weak. This Mike was nothing like the one she knew. He was always so caring and kind and gentle, even when he had to let her go. But this one? She wasn’t so sure he wasn’t going to have her executed.

“As for you.” He said to her, and Sandy slowly looked up at his scowling face. “You’ll be spending the rest of your time here in the dungeons until we sort this all out.” He paused. “Unless… you were to provide me with information that would lead to the whereabouts of the princess?”

Sandy was too terrified to speak. Her mouth was totally dry, and not for the first or last time did she wish she’d wake up from this nightmare. She knew exactly where she’d go, too. Straight into Augustus’s arms. She had no knowledge of any princesses, or anyone who looked like her for that matter. All she could do was shake her head a little as tears formed in her eyes, but this deeply dissatisfied the prince who said. “Very well then, if this is the way of things, take her away!” He waved a hand and sat down on his throne. The guard closest to her stepped forward and grabbed her arm, and pulled the crying girl away.

____________________________________

First light crept over the horizon, and was shattered into hundreds of various shapes by the trees and bushes of the forest. The troupe had a well deserved peaceful night’s rest. After the turmoil of the previous day, they wanted nothing more than to sleep, and in Lucy’s case, finally wake up from her antidepressant induced visceral dream.

Sue awoke first, cradled snugly in Paulo’s arms. She considered waking him up so they could get started with their day, but the morning air was a little chilly and Paulo’s thicker fur was keeping her nice and warm. And, though her body was on the mend, she was still a little sore from the previous day. Perhaps this once it wouldn’t be so bad to sleep in. They earned it.

Abbey still got up, though. He stretched and yawned and blinked in the morning light. With no one to worry about waking up, he headed out his tent to get wood for the fire. When he got out there, he was surprised to see Lucy awake and watching the sun come up. “You know, I was expecting more noise in the morning. Like, birds and stuff?”

Abbey looked around. They were the only two awake, but it was just now he noticed how quiet it was. There were no birdsongs, nary a rustling of the leaves. Come to think of it, he couldn’t ever recall hearing anything out here. It was so… quiet. And now that it was brought to his attention, it no longer seemed peaceful there, it was eerie.

The silence didn’t last long, as Kizuna’s voice rang out. “Gooood morning, campers!” The yellow dog, followed by David, walked up to the duo. “Sleep well?”

“As well as one can after a strenuous day.” Abbey muttered. “I see that thug is still after you. What makes you think we’re safe here?”

“Well…” Kizuna fiddled with the suitcase in her hand. “I asked it to bring us somewhere secure, and it brought us here. So it has to be!”

“Mhm.” Abbey said, eyeing the suitcase with doubt.

“I didn’t think my anti-depressant induced coma would last this long.” Lucy said, and put a hand on her stomach. “Or make me this hungry.”

“Ah! Yes!” David said excitedly. “Today I shall be the chef!”

“Within reason.” Kizuna reminded him. “We want to keep this place clean.”

Sue could hear the others convening outside. Sleeping in would have to wait. She slid out of Paulo’s arms and shook his shoulder. “Time to get up, Paulo.” She said softly. Paulo frowned and shut his eyes tighter.

“It’s too early… again.” He mumbled.

“Well, I’ll just leave my lips pursed and see who kisses them first. Maybe Abbey… or Lucy… or Davi-”

She was cut off by Paulo, who quickly sat up to take her offer. They pulled each other close to deepen the kiss and then let go. “My lips belong on yours babe.” Paulo said.

Sue giggled. “Just the way I like it. C’mon, the others are already up.”

Princess Sandy was joining the quartet as Sue and Paulo left their tent. “Good morning, everyone!” She said in a sweet, sing-songy voice.

“Good morning princess!” David said, taking a knee. He looked at the others who were still standing. “Guys, show some respect for royalty!”

“It’s okay, no need for such formalities here.” Sandy waved with a smile. “I owe you all for saving my life.”

David hopped to his feet. “Then I shall prepare a royal breakfast banquet!”

“No banquets.” Kizuna said flatly. “Why not do your pancake idea? That sounded nice.”

“What is a pancake?” Sandy tilted her head slightly in curiosity. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, I’d be interested to try it!”

Kizuna mouthed a thank you to her as Sue and Paulo finally joined the rest. “Pancakes sound GREAT right now, I’m starvin’.”

“Can I get chocolate on mine?” Lucy asked.

“And blueberries!” Sue chimed in.

And so it was decided, and David set to work getting everything he needed out of the suitcase. Meanwhile, the others sat around and talked.

“Wow, Roseville as a medieval kingdom?” Sue gawked at the princess. “I’d love to see that! It’ll be like World of Fantasy.”

“Or Swordsvale.” Abbey chipped in.

“Where is Swordsvale?” Sandy asked. “Is that far?”

“No, no.” Sue laughed. “It’s not a real place. It’s a videogame.” Sandy looked pretty bewildered by this.

Paulo was talking to Lucy. “Still think this is some drug induced dream?”

“How else can it be explained? And how the hell did you and Sue… I just… what?!” She said in confusion.

“Haha, well… it’s a long story.” Paulo rubbed his neck. “We used to fight a lot… then we were forced to get along.”

“Just like that?” Lucy asked, still in disbelief.

“More or less. I mean, there was an armed robbery at Burger-Tron, one of the new kids at school lit it on fire, and our parents got married.” Paulo shrugged. “What about you?”

Lucy shook her head. “Kind of sucks. Have to take these anti-depressants now. Went to therapy. Oh, and Sandy went missing, which is what I am in the middle of looking into. Guess whenever I wake up I’ll be back at it.”

“Damn.” Paulo said.

“What about those two?” Lucy nodded in David and Kizuna’s direction. “Who is that dog with David?”

“I dunno.” Paulo shrugged. “David seems like… well, David. Don’t know anything about where he came from. And Kizuna, I have no idea. We’ve just been following her around. She seems like she knows what she’s doing.”

“Breakfast is ready!” David said, holding two plates overflowing with pancakes. “And more on the way!”

Kizuna placed down a few more plates for them all to eat off of, along with some silverware. Soon they were all gratefully stuffing their faces. It was a meager meal, but for them it was a feast.

“This is great, bud!” Paulo said through a mouthful of pancake and chocolate chips. “Are you a chef where you’re from?”

“I have to admit…” Abbey said, waiting for his mouth to be clear before speaking. “This is quite good.”

“My compliments to the sous chef!” Sandy agreed.

David went red. “Oh, you guys! I’m just doing my best to be my best! I was actually at senior prom before this.”

“What was that like?” Lucy asked. “Not that I’m ever going to go.”

“It was great! All about the rousing 20s!” David said, gesturing with his hands for dramatic effect.

“I think you mean the roaring 20s.” Lucy corrected, shaking her head.

“Yeah, that too! But Daisy did such a good job!” He gushed.

“No kidding.” Sue said. “Daisy’s on the prom team? I shoulda thought to do that!”

Kizuna smiled at all her friends. This is when Princess Sandy looked her way. “And what about our host? What was her life like?”

Kizuna was not at all prepared for this question. Where she came from didn’t matter anymore, it no longer existed. She sighed and put down her plate. “Well, it was just kinda normal, you know? Going to school, tests, all that. I was friends with all of you, and Mike and Daisy. Then one day, my family went missing, half of you didn’t know who I was, and I… left.”

There was a moment of silence, save for the crackling of the fire. Then Sue said, “I’m sorry that happened to you, Kizuna. I’ll be your friend. I know how it feels to be forgotten.”

“If she’s your friend, then so am I!” Paulo said, putting an arm around Sue.

“Same here.” Abbey said, raising a fork.

“I shall forever hold your hospitality and friendship in high regard.” Princess Sandy said with a bright smile.

“I’ll be your friend, at least until I wake up.” Lucy said.

“Well I was her FIRST friend!” David bragged, hugging her from the side.

Kizuna thought her face might break from how big she was smiling now. Her cheeks were totally red, and a lump formed in her throat. “Th-thanks so much, guys… it means so much to me!”

They finished their breakfast and began to clean up when Abbey pulled Kizuna aside. “I was wondering if we could talk, if it is a good time.”

Kizuna looked up, willing to give Abbey her time. “Go ahead, Abbey.”

The abyssinian looked down at his hands, feeling selfish for what he was about to ask. Things were still hectic for everyone, but his longing for home was getting to be too much. “Camp’s getting crowded now.” He said, looking at the others talking.

“Yeah…” Kizuna agreed, looking around with him. “But it’s been nice meeting so many new friends.”

“I suppose.” Abbey sighed. “But… outside of us, it’s been very quiet. Lucy pointed it out earlier, but now that I think about it, I haven’t heard any animals or anything since we got here. No birds, no crickets, nothing. Just… silence.”

Now that Abbey brought it up, Kizuna couldn’t recall anything like that, either. “I think you’re right about that. But this is a secure area! We’re safe here.”

Abbey nodded a little. “All the same… I know you said you wanted to bring all of our displaced friends here, but I was wondering if our next trip was one that took me home.”

Kizuna ran a hand over the suitcase. “I suppose we could… I mean, I don’t see why we couldn’t.”

Abbey gave her a rare smile. “Thanks, I really do appreciate it.”

“And thank you for saving mine and Davie’s life yesterday.” Kizuna replied with a smile of her own. Abbey gave her a slight nod before getting up to help clean.

Once all was put away and orderly, Kizuna and Abbey stood in front of their friends. “We’re going to be doing a short run today.” She said, “Just taking Abbey here back home.”

“Let’s do it!” David said, hopping to his feet.

Kizuna smiled and waved the enthusiastic dog down. “No, no, David. I need you here to watch over everyone else.”

“Well you’re gonna need backup in case something goes wrong.” Paulo stood up. “I’ll go with you.” Abbey gave a short nod of approval.

“Me too.” Sue said, getting to her feet as well.

Paulo took her hand. “I appreciate it babe, but I don’t wanna risk you getting hurt again.”

“What, and you think I’m not worried you’ll be hurt too?!” Sue huffed.

“Better me than you.” Paulo muttered.

“We’re supposed to be a team.” Sue said sternly. “We’ve got each other’s back.”

Paulo closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to center himself. He looked at Sue with concern and fear. “Sue… if something happened to you… I just want you to be safe.”

Sue smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. “Oh, Paulo. I really appreciate-”

“Are you two DONE YET?!” Lucy groaned. “Who cares who goes, none of this is even real!”

Sue and Paulo looked over at her for a few moments, and then back to each other. “Alright.” Sue conceded. “I’ll stay here. But please promise me you’ll be safe out there.”

“Hey.” Paulo grinned. “I was lost for like a week in another world before, the scariest thing I met there was you.”

“Alright, alright, go.” Sue gave him a small, playful push.

“Awesome!” Kizuna said. “Over here with me and Abbey!”

Kizuna handed the suitcase over to Abbey. “Just think about where you want to go.”

Abbey closed his eyes and let his mind bring him home. He could see it, the cozy house covered in snow and adorned with Christmas decorations, everyone sleeping peacefully through the night until Christmas morning. Him in his room, cuddled up with Augustus to keep out the cold. The suitcase rumbled, indicating it understood. He held it out. “It’s ready, I think.”

Kizuna took it and placed it down, undoing the latches and opening it up. “After you two.” Abbey hopped in, followed by Paulo. “We’ll be back very soon! Stay safe, guys!” With that, Kizuna hopped in too.

Down, down, down they went, flying with great haste past destinations uncountable. The brief glimpses they caught were but whispers of what secrets these worlds held. For them, a cold Christmas Eve awaited them in Abbey’s world. A glow began forming on his cheeks, matched by an equally warm smile. He was going home.

“Hey, man.” Paulo said, floating over to him. “You’re looking better.”

Abbey wanted to hide the happiness in his cheeks, but he was too relieved to really care. He would soon be snuggled back up with Augustus, and he could put this whole nasty business behind him. There was the whole thing of knowing his world was but one of an infinite number, but with time he could convince himself it was but a dream. Maybe. “I’m just happy to be going home.”

“I can tell.” Paulo smiled. “Sue prolly won’t let us go home just yet. Gonna make us see this through.”

“Yeah.” Abbey agreed. “Susan is like that. Always wanting to help everyone. Try everything.”

“Hey, but I love her for it, y’know?” Paulo said. “It was super annoying before, but she’s helped me a lot.” Abbey silently agreed.

“Look, I don’t know what I’m like where you’re from…” Paulo continued. “But I’m tryna be better, y’know? Less of a… how has Sue put it? An imbecile?”

“A jerk?” Abbey seconded.

Paulo smiled. “Yeah, that! Don’t let me, uh, YOUR me, get to you. Maybe he’ll end up with Sue and she’ll set him straight.”

Abbey laughed. “Now THAT’LL never happen. I think you’re more interested in Mike, anyway.”

Paulo looked like his whole worldview had been shattered. “Mike? Me with that wimp? No way!”

“You would be surprised.” Abbey said.

“Okay, friendos!” Kizuna said. “The drop off is just up ahead. Hold on!”

They all grabbed each other’s arms and braced for impact. Out they came from the suitcase, landing softly on the blanket of snow covering the front yard of Abbey’s house. It felt familiar to them all, the world they picked Sue up from was much like this, but this was far less chilling.

After dusting themselves off, they looked up at the brightly lit multi-colored house before them. There were a few inflatables in the front yard, and a small red and green wooden sign that read, ‘Stop here, Santa!’.

“Wow, your family really goes all out for decorations!” Kizuna admired.

“It’s fun to put them up.” Abbey smiled. “We always get together after Thanksgiving to do it. And after that we get some hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

“That sounds really lovely.” Kizuna said.

“It is.” Abbey agreed.

“Let’s not keep them waiting then.” Paulo grinned. “You know, Santa doesn’t come if you’re awake.”

Abbey nodded and led them up the snowy yard to the front door, which had a wreath hanging off it. He pulled a key out from under the mat on the stoop and put it in the keyhole. He made a strange face as he turned it. “Hmm, it seems like it’s already unlocked. Janet and Kevin must have forgotten to lock it last night.”

He pushed through to the inside, which was dimly lit, and once the trio was inside he quietly shut the door behind them, being mindful to lock it. There were some lights twinkling on the Christmas tree, and Kizuna made a small gasp. “Oh! I should leave some gifts. What do you want for Christmas, Abbey?”

Abbey blushed in the darkness and held his arm. “I, uh, already received my gift tonight.”

“Aww, how sweet!” Kizuna smiled, though she did not understand it was not her bringing him home that he was referring to. “Well, what about your family?”

“Well… Molly’s been wanting a bike. Janet and Kevin… I think they just want us to have a happy Christmas.” Abbey said.

“Well, how about some jewelry for Janet?” Paulo asked. “Chicks dig jewelry.”

“Janet is not a CHICK.” Abbey responded, annoyed. “That’s my mother you’re talking about. But you are right, I think maybe a necklace might be nice.”

“Necklace, got it.” Kizuna said, placing down the suitcase. “And your dad?”

Abbey took a moment to think. “How about a nice necktie?”

“Okay, a bike, a necklace, and a necktie. Anything else?” Kizuna asked.

Abbey lowered his head and his voice. “Well, there is one more…”

“Oh?” Paulo asked. “Who?”

Abbey turned away. “It doesn’t matter who, but they enjoy reading. I’m thinking a book, Journey to the Center of the Earth?”

“That sounds nice!” Kizuna smiled. The suitcase rumbled, and she opened it. “Come help me with this, Paulo.”

Together, Kizuna and Paulo extracted the gifts (pre-wrapped, of course) and with Abbey they set them around the tree. They stood back, admiring it. After a few moments, Kizuna turned to hug Abbey. “Merry Christmas, Abbey.”

The abyssinian was caught off guard by the sudden hug, but accepted it. “Merry Christmas, Kizuna.” He looked over at Paulo.

“Hey, I ain’t gonna hug ya, but Merry Christmas.” He said, folding his arms.

Kizuna let go. “Well, we better be on our way.”

“Of course.” Abbey smiled. “It is a shame I don’t remember you, I think we would have been good friends.”

“Thanks, Abbey.” She smiled back. Paulo and Kizuna headed for the door, but before they could leave, someone flicked the light switch on the wall.

“Not so fast.”

When the lights flipped on, in the archway that led from the living room to the rest of the house was a very scruffy looking cat. He wheezed as he breathed. There were swathes of his body with no fur, charred and blackened from severe burns. He stood in an odd way, and in one hand he held a very large, serrated knife. He pointed it at Abbey. “Now…” Alejandro wheezed, “You are on my shitlist.”

The trio froze like deer caught in headlights. Alejandro moved his knife to a wall. “You three, over there, NOW!”

They all did what they were told, and sidled up to the far wall in the living room. Paulo was coming down from his shock. “Wait a minute, there’s three of us and one of him, we can take him, even if he has a knife!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, pussy.” The thug grinned, and yanked something from behind the archway. Molly fell to the floor, pulled off balance by the sudden jerking motion.

Rage roared through Abbey, and he instinctively lunged forward wanting to tear the older cat’s head off, but he was caught by Kizuna. “Don’t, you know he’s just baiting you.” She whispered. “We’ve gotta get out of here.”

“I heard that!” Alejandro said, pulling a crying Molly to her feet. He pointed the knife at the suitcase. “Throw that on the ground at my feet.” Kizuna hesitated, this was their only means of defense. “NOW!” The girl jumped and did as she was told.

“NOW LET MY SISTER GO YOU ASSHOLE!” Abbey bellowed.

“Oh, not so fast.” Alejandro placed a foot on the suitcase. “How does this work?”

“Not until you let her go!” Kizuna backed Abbey up.

“I’ll let her go in pieces.” Alejandro said, running the dull side of the knife against Molly’s arm. “But perhaps you need more persuasion. This little trick worked wonders for me in the past.”

He tossed Molly to the ground again while he went behind the wall. The young girl scrambled to her feet while her brother called her over. Alejandro was quick to come back into the room, pointing the large knife just inches from Molly’s neck. She froze in fear. “Nobody moves.” He said sternly. “If I come back to find any of you out of place, I’ll slice you all into tiny bits.”

He disappeared behind the wall. “A-Abbey…” Molly whimpered. “I’m scared.”

“It’s gonna be okay, Molly.” Abbey tried to reassure her. “We’ve dealt with this guy before… Oh, when I get my hands on him!”

“What?” Alejandro asked, pulling two chairs behind him. “You’re gonna do what, big ears?” On the chairs were Janet and Kevin, tied up and gagged. “This got me what I wanted before.” He gave Janet and Kevin a tap with the knife. “So let me ask you again, how does it work?”

Abbey balled up his fists and opened his mouth to respond but Kizuna spoke up. She had to say something, anything, to delay him. In her mind she was trying to be more like David. What would he do? “You… you have to do a dance first!”

Alejandro narrowed his eyes. “Don’t bullshit me.”

“No, really!” Kizuna said. “It’s a… special suitcase dance! Then it’ll work for you.”

“Show me. Prove it.” The thug said. Kizuna took a step forward but Alejandro stopped her. He pointed his knife in her direction. “Not you.” He moved it to Paulo. “You. I know you’re too much of a pussy to try anything.” Paulo took a shaky step forward. “Now dance, monkey.”

Paulo looked back at Kizuna for answers, but she didn’t have any for him. He anxiously looked back at Alejandro. “Do it.” He said, placing his knife dangerously close to Janet’s neck. “Or we’ll be repainting this room red.”

Paulo nodded and thought back to him and David playing around in the void between worlds. Alejandro retracted his knife and watched in amusement as the somali made a total fool of himself. Abbey’s eyes flicked to behind the thug, and spotted something shifting in the shadows and the darkness. Alejandro was too busy laughing at Paulo’s ridiculous flailing to notice the shape sneaking up behind him and growing larger.

In a flash it revealed itself behind the thug, throwing its arms around him. Alejandro jolted in surprise as his former gang member held him tight. “Run, Abbey!” Augustus yelled.

Many things happened at once. Alejandro howled with rage, doing his best to swipe his knife at anything near him, but his restraint meant only the air was cut. Kizuna dove for the suitcase, and Abbey grabbed Molly and pulled her to safety. Paulo took this opportunity to help Augustus, and kicked Alejandro as hard as he could in his shins. The thug roared and dropped the knife in pain. Augustus was able to wrangle him away from Janet and Kevin while Paulo used the knife to cut them free.

“We need to call the police!” Janet cried. “Honey, get the phone!”

“No time!” Kizuna urged, opening the suitcase. “You all need to get in!”

“Let go of me you fucking spineless worm!” Alejandro said, thrashing about as much as possible. He slammed himself against a wall, crushing Augustus against it. The teen cried out in pain and let go, giving Alejandro his window of opportunity. He grabbed Paulo and yanked the knife from him, giving him a quick slash across his chest for good measure.

While Paulo stumbled back, Kizuna was arguing with Janet and Kevin to get in the suitcase. “You have to listen to me!” She pleaded. “This way we can keep you safe!”

“This is all too unreal!” Kevin said. “Abbey, what is going on here?”

“Just listen to her, guys.” Abbey pleaded. “Trust me! It’s real!”

“I’M DONE MESSING AROUND!” Alejandro yelled as he came for them. “All ‘o you are DEAD!”

“No!” Cried Augustus and he tackled the thug to the floor.

In the brief moment Janet and Kevin were distracted, Abbey pushed them both into the suitcase. “I’m so sorry, guys, forgive me for this.”

Paulo lept in as Abbey took Molly’s hand. “Come with me, okay, Molly?”

“Where are we going?!” She asked, scared.

“Somewhere safe. Away from him.” Abbey said softly. “We’ll go together.”

Molly nodded and stepped forward into the suitcase and disappeared. Abbey looked back at Augustus doing his best to keep Alejandro down on the floor. “I’ll make sure he goes.” Kizuna assured the abyssinian. “Don’t worry.” Abbey nodded and jumped into the void.

“Hey, you!” Kizuna called to Augustus. “Time to go!”

Augustus nodded and weakened his grip on Alejandro, who took that as his opportunity to grab him by the neck and throttle him. “Oh no you don’t!” Kizuna said, aiming a kick of her own towards his chin.

Alejandro quickly let go of the black and white cat when the pain shot through his face. “GRAAAAAAHHHH!” He howled again. Augustus scrambled behind Kizuna, who had already made a mad dash for the suitcase. “Follow me!” She said as she hopped in.

Augustus ran for the small box, but Alejandro was on his feet before he could get there. He grabbed the knife and took aim, throwing it as hard as he could at Augustus. The teen felt the air leave him as it hit its mark, and fell into the suitcase and out of sight. Alejandro ran for the suitcase himself, but it shut tight and vanished in a puff of smoke.

While they fell, Abbey gathered his family together. “I’m so happy to see you again!”

“Abbey, what is going on?” Janet asked. “Where are we? Is this a dream?”

“No, it’s real, alright.” The boy grimaced. “But it’s okay now! We’re together!”

Back at camp, David and Lucy sat next to each other. “Do you think zeppelins are a good investment?” The dog asked her.

Lucy looked at him right confused, and a little annoyed. “Who the heck starts a conversation like that?”

“I dunno.” David shrugged. “This whole end of the universe thing’s got me thinking about what I would do if it doesn’t end. I’m thinking of getting into investing.”

“And your first thought of something to invest in was zeppelins?” She asked, unamused.

Before David could respond, a suitcase popped out of thin air in front of them. “Wow, that was fast!” David said happily as Sue looked up from her spot. “I wanna get Kizuna’s thoughts on zeppelins!”

The suitcase burst open and out came Kizuna and Paulo, and to everyone’s surprise Abbey too… along with his family. Kizuna got steady and ran over to the others. “He was there! He was waiting for us!”

Sue’s chest tightened as she ran to Paulo, who limped over, holding his bloody chest. “Oh my god, are you okay?!”

“He got me real good, I’m not gonna lie.” Paulo grunted. He lifted up the arm he had held across his chest to reveal the gash.

“Oh…” Sue covered her mouth. “Oh no… we have to get this patched up!”

Abbey helped his family get to their feet, along with Princess Sandy, who had come out of her tent at the sound of all the commotion. “My goodness, what happened to you?” She asked.

“That… that BRUTE was there, waiting for us!” Abbey yelled. “We barely managed to escape.”

“What’s his deal?” Lucy asked, nodding to Augustus who was stumbling around, holding the knife Alejandro used. It was covered in blood - his blood.

Abbey looked past Sandy to see the teen stumble. He ran Augustus, whose knees gave way, and he fell into Abbey’s arms. The abyssinian lowered him gently to the ground, keeping his head in his lap. Everyone followed, gathering behind Abbey to watch. “Are you okay? Are you still with me?”

“Is that you, Abbey?” Augustus asked. “I’d recognize those soft hands anywhere.”

“Can’t you see me?” Abbey asked, panicked.

The blood loss had become too great, and Augustus was quickly losing vision. His head swam, and his body felt like lead. “It’s so dark… help me see.”

“I… I don’t know how…” Abbey placed a hand on Augustus’s cheek. He looked at the others. “Don’t just stand there! Do something!” He urged.

Kizuna shook her head and looked upon him with sorrowful eyes. “He’s lost too much blood, Abbey… I don’t think there’s anything we can do…”

“It’s okay.” Augustus wheezed slowly, barely clinging on to consciousness. “You’ve shown me more care than anyone ever has. Real love.”

“Don’t…” Abbey sobbed. “Please don’t…”

“It’s gonna… be okay…” The boy said shakily. “You’re… gonna be… okay…” And with his final word, he let out a raspy gasp, and fell silent. His empty eyes looked up upon the sky they’d lost sight of minutes ago.

“NOOOOOO!” Abbey doubled over, hugging Augustus’s body. “Please… please no…” His words fell into unintelligible sobs, pleading to anyone that would listen, that might have the power, to bring him back. Nobody heeded his call.

As everyone else looked sorrowful, Princess Sandy slowly made her way over to the grieving teen and knelt down. She placed a hand on Abbey’s back. “He s-saved us, y-y-you know? H-he s-st-stopped h-him…”

“He sounds like a noble warrior.” The princess said softly. “He deserves a burial to reflect that.”

Kizuna used the suitcase to produce some shovels, and at Sandy’s request, a burial shroud. While David and Kevin dug the grave, Sue helped Paulo bandage himself up. Abbey didn’t leave Augustus’s side the entire time. Once the grave was dug, Abbey lifted up the teen’s body, mustering all the strength he could, and carried him next to the hole. There he was placed upon the burial shroud, and wrapped in it.

As Augustus was lowered into the ground by Paulo and David, Princess Sandy spoke a few words. “Today, we lay to rest a great warrior. It takes a great deal of courage to put oneself in harm's way, and even more to be willing to sacrifice it all.”

Paulo and David joined everyone else. Abbey stood by his family, who hugged him as his tears flowed. Even a few of the others found themselves getting choked up. Sandy continued.

“Augustus’s bravery very well may have saved us all. For this, he has given his life to protect the royal family of the realm, and will be treated as such.” Sandy took a moment to take a breath. “I am posthumously knighting young Augustus, and shall forevermore be referred to as Sir Augustus the Valiant. May God tend to his soul.” And she bowed her head. Everyone else did too, and they all stood in total silence. Abbey did his best to stifle his tears to maintain it.

After a few moments, the princess raised her head and looked over at Abbey. “I am deeply sorry for your loss. I hope that the future holds better days for you, and for us all.”

Sandy stepped away from the grave. Paulo and David came back, took up shovels and filled the hole back in. Meanwhile, Kizuna used the suitcase to summon an ornate headstone to put at the top. Everyone broke from the group to go grieve in their own way, except Abbey, who sat by Augustus’s grave to mourn.

Molly, Kevin, and Janet would all need a tent to sleep in, so once Kizuna was done with the gravestone she worked with them to get them something big enough. She figured that Abbey would want to be with them too, so it had to fit a family of four. David helped them set up, and they even managed to get them proper mattresses to sleep on.

Lucy sighed, looking at Abbey knelt over Augustus’s grave. “This dream is depressing.”

Sue continued to tend to Paulo’s wound. His bandages were soaked through with blood, and they would need to be changed every so often, as well as the cut cleaned to keep from being infected. Paulo did his best to hold back his flinching and wincing as Sue worked so she didn’t worry as much. The horrified look on her face spoke volumes. After her work was done, she silently hugged him, and he hugged her back. Sue was trying to stay strong for him, as any added stress would make the healing process take longer.

While the others gathered to figure out dinner, Paulo left Sue’s side to talk to Abbey, who was still sitting beside the gravestone. “Hey.” The somali said gently as he stopped beside the abyssinian. “I’m really sorry about… about him. I kinda blame myself.”

Abbey wiped his cheeks and looked up at him. “Your fault? How?”

“I had the knife.” Paulo looked down. “And he got it from me.”

Abbey looked at the patch of upturned soil in front of him. “It was no one’s fault but that despicable, pathetic brute.” He balled his fists up. “If I ever see him again… I’m going to make him regret everything. Death is too good for him.” He growled.

“I can’t imagine what you must be going through.” Paulo said. “I guess he was your..?”

“Boyfriend? No. We hadn’t… gotten that far.” Abbey frowned. “I guess we never will.”

“Kizuna’ll fix this!” Paulo said, trying to instill some hope in the boy. “And when it’s all over I’m sure we can find a way to bring him back.”

“Yeah, she’s been doing a real bang-up job, hasn’t she?” Abbey said bitterly. “It’s a miracle we haven’t all been killed yet.”

Paulo didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t think of anything to make the situation better. Abbey would have to ride out the wave of grief. Before Paulo left, he said, “Well, if you need someone to talk to, man, you can always talk to me an’ Sue.”

“Thanks.” Was all he got in reply. Paulo took his leave to join the others.

Janet helped prepare them a decent meal for once, which was very welcomed by the rest of them. After a few days of basic camping food, a dinner with some substance was just the thing they all needed. She was still limited to what she could make, but Janet managed. Dinner itself was a quiet affair. A melancholy hung over the group as they ate. Afterwards, they all thanked Janet for the delicious meal, and split for bed.

As Princess Sandy headed to her own tent, Kizuna caught up with her. “Hey, your majesty.” She said with a small curtsey, and Princess Sandy responded in kind.

“What may I do for you, Kizuna?” She asked.

“It’s more about what I can do for you!” Kizuna smiled. “I was thinking… maybe we should take you home tomorrow. I don’t want to think what might happen if that thug finds us here, and… well, your kingdom needs you. I want to move camp somewhere new, but first, I want to take you home so you can be safe.”

“I appreciate that.” The princess beamed. While she did not complain about her current living conditions, understanding the gravity of the situation, she was very happy to go back to her comfy life. “I’m sure that Prince Michael will be able to help you on your quest, too!”

“We’ll see.” Kizuna smiled back, not sure how much a medieval Roseville could help the end of all existence. “You have a good night! Sleep well!”

“You too, Kizuna.” Sandy yawned, walking off to her tent.

Kizuna took her leave as well, going back to her tent to flop down on her sleeping bag, which was more welcomed now than it ever was. David was still sitting up, waiting for her. “How was your day?”

Kizuna looked up at him with confusion. “What?”

“How was your day?” David repeated. “Talk about it.”

Kizuna crawled over to David and placed her head in his lap. “It sucked. That jerk found us again.” She mumbled.

“Oh, did you wanna lay down right here?” David said, sliding away, causing her head to flop on the ground. “Sounds like today really sucked though! And poor Final Fantasy cat… he didn’t deserve that!”

Kizuna looked up unamused by being put on the floor. She sighed and returned to her sleeping bag to get in. “Yeah. That’s one way to put it, Davie…”

David got into his own sleeping bag. “Well, better luck tomorrow, then!” He said with a smile. “Time for sleep! Goodnight, don’t let the sleeping bag bugs bite!”

Kizuna looked over at the brown lab with melancholy. She wanted him to hug her as they fell asleep to ease the stress of the day, but it seemed like he was still not picking up on any of her moves. “Goodnight, Davie.”

On another tent, Sue worked the washcloth over Paulo’s gash, which was already starting to heal up nicely. “Does it still hurt?”

“A bit.” The somali said. “But not nearly as much.”

Sue put the washcloth away and went to wrap the bandage around him. “Looks like neither of us are cut out to save the universe.”

Paulo smiled. “I guess not, babe. But then again, you’re my whole universe.”

Sue smiled with a small blush on top. “Thanks, Paulo. You’re my universe too.”

They both got into Paulo’s sleeping bag. “Maybe we should sit tomorrow out. Go on a date.” The somali suggested.

“I’d like that.” Sue yawned, snuggling up to him. “No drama. Just us.”

“Then it’s a date.” Paulo said, kissing her forehead. “G’night, babe.”

“Goodnight, sweetie.” Sue replied.

Abbey sat alone outside his family’s tent. Nowhere felt comfortable. After everything he suffered through, he still lost. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. How could the universe be so cruel? “Are you coming to bed, Abbey?” A voice asked behind him.

Abbey turned around to see Janet’s head poking out between the flaps. “Yeah. In a moment.”

“Okay. Just don’t be too long. I know it’s been a stressful day. You need your sleep.” She said, concerned.

“I know.” Her son said. “I just… I’m sorry for putting you all in peril.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Janet said softly. “And you helped save us.”

“But I couldn’t save him.” His voice cracked and he put his head in his hands. “Because of me, he’s dead!”

Janet crawled out of the tent and pulled her son into an embrace. “You didn’t cause anyone to die.” She said, “And if it wasn’t for you, the rest of us might have turned out the same. You’re my brave little man.” Abbey hugged her and blinked a few tears away.

“Y-you’re right…” he said. “Sorry..”

“No need to apologize.” Janet said, breaking the embrace and looking down at her son with pride. “Now let’s get some sleep.”

The two went inside to lay down. At her tent, Lucy looked at all the broken parties around her and she sighed. “Well, this’ll be something to tell my therapist when I wake up.”

Chapter Text

The kingdom Prince Michael presided over was held in high regard, and for good reason. It hosted many elegant and extravagant festivals and tournaments. Folks from miles around, even other kingdoms, heard tales of the decadence the korat kingdom had, and would travel to see it in all its glory. The Festivale of Spring, which always saw a large turnout, was just around the corner.

Shop owners would work double time for preparations, and the streets would be adorned with flags and banners that represented the royalty of the land, and the miracle of Spring itself. There would be games and feasts and jousting. This is what they were gearing up for when the princess vanished. When she did, so did the promise of another successful Festivale. In fact, it was stopped altogether.

But one thing that did not share the same level of beauty as the rest of the kingdom were the dungeons. They were deep, deep, deep underground where the sun did not shine. The stone was old and rough, and much of it was simply crudely carved out of the rock beneath the castle. What little infrastructure was placed there had long fallen into neglect, having crumbled and weathered over the years. Liquid of unknown origin seeped down the walls of the dungeon, giving the area a musty smell. This is where Sandy was.

She lay on the small pile of hay that was placed in the corner, unable to weep anymore. The hay was coarse and old, mold spots could be found all throughout it. It wasn’t much to lay on, as it had been squashed down over the years, but it was marginally better than the stone cold floor. Sandy was still unsure what she did to deserve such treatment. It seemed that her presence itself was offensive.

The dungeons were dark, too, only illuminated by dimly lit torches along its narrow passageways. Strange noises echoed off the rocks, which sent shivers up Sandy’s spine. She had never been more frightened in all her life, even more so than the night she had been kidnapped by Alejandro. At least then she was surrounded by friends and was in her own world. There was no telling how things would end up here.

Sandy’s ear twitched as she heard the echoes of footsteps coming down the hall. She figured it was one of the guards on patrol. They did not provide good company, only giving her a glance as they strolled by. Sandy would call out to them, but they ignored her cries. Her isolation was so crushing that she cherished the brief moments that the guards made their rounds, but it still only brought her little comfort. Even the ones who brought her food, or what could barely be considered that as stale as it was, did not make conversation.

Yet these footsteps did not sound like those from the guards. They were not accompanied by the clanking of metal from their armor that clattered as they walked. Sandy sat up looking at the front of her cell, anticipating who might be coming. Was it the prince coming to let her go? Or… Sandy’s stomach tied itself up… something more sinister?

Fortunately, it wasn’t sinister forces coming to have their way with her, but it wasn’t Michael either. Instead, a somewhat familiar cream furred cat with curls stepped into view, holding a wooden tray with various things on it. The slightly rotund cat looked around before placing the tray down and fumbling with a ring of keys.

“Oh, drat!” She said to herself as she went over them one by one. “Which one was it again?”

Sandy continued to watch the cat from a distance. She was well dressed, as though she was some sort of worker in the castle. There was something different about her that put Sandy at ease. And that familiarity about her, as though she knew her… or maybe her daughter. The older cat finally found the key she was looking for after a great deal of jangling and unlocked the cell. “Terribly sorry… my apologies…” She said, picking up the tray again.

Sandy did not move or speak as the older cat stepped inside. “I’d been forbidden to see you, but… ohhh, I just had to!” She smiled. “My name is Daisy. Lady Daisy Quimby at your service.” She gave a small curtsey.

Sandy’s eyes widened. That’s why she looked familiar. “D-Daisy? Wow… you’re much older than I remember…”

Daisy wasn’t too entirely offended by the statement about her age. “Well, I suppose I have been getting up there in age.” She paused to look the young girl up and down. “My, you are indeed the spitting image of our Princess…”

“I-I don’t know what happened to her! I swear!” Sandy sputtered quickly. “I wasn’t trying to fool anyone!”

“Calm down, deary.” Lady Quimby said, placing the tray on the floor again. “I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong. Prince Michael is just… concerned for his wife, is all. Here.” She lifted up one of the larger items on the tray. It unfolded into a large quilt. “It’s not much, but it was all I could sneak down here. These dungeons are frightfully drafty.”

She offered it to Sandy, who graciously took it. It was warm, having just been cleaned. On it was an ornate design, but most importantly it was soft. It was also large enough for Sandy to sit on and still have extra to wrap around her, which she did. Daisy Quimby delicately moved the tray toward the girl. What was left on it was a warm bowl of stew, a biscuit, and a cup of water.

“I wish I could have brought more, but I did not want to arouse suspicion.” She frowned. “Prince Michael is truly a strong leader, but with every passing day and no news of Princess Sandy, his madness deepens.”

Sandy was more than grateful for what Daisy had brought her. It made her feel guilty she hadn’t been a better friend to her before. She silently promised that if she ever were to make it home, she would make it her top priority to treat her to a girl’s day out. “Thank you so much for this.” Sandy choked, overjoyed at any kindness shown to her. She wasted no time in eating what was finally a decent meal.

“You’re very welcome, miss.” Daisy smiled. “Not only the spitting image of the princess, but just as kind.”

Daisy gave her some time to eat, where she looked between Sandy enjoying her meal, and the hallway of the dungeon. After a bit, the Lady asked, “Are you certain you know nothing of the princess’s disappearance? Nothing at all?”

Sandy shook her head and swallowed the bit of biscuit in her mouth. “I really don’t… I don’t even know how I got here… I just… woke up in a forest. Honestly!”

Lady Quimby did not suspect her of lying, and even if she did before, she saw the truth in her eyes. She nodded and sighed sadly. “I hope the princess is alright. I’ll try to come back soon with more things to make this dreadful cell a little more bearable.” She picked up the tray now that Sandy was finished. “Keep your chin up, dear. I doubt the prince will keep you here forever. He’ll find somewhere else to send his frustrations. Perhaps then I might convince him to let you go free, or at the very least keep you somewhere nicer.”

Daisy Quimby turned to leave, but Sandy grabbed her arm. “Thank you. For everything.”

“You’re very welcome, miss.” Daisy said with another curtsey. “But I really must be going now. I’ll try to visit again soon. Goodbye!”

Daisy left the cell and closed it, making sure to lock it again so the guards didn’t question anything. The cream colored cat turned back the way she came, and her footsteps echoed to a fade in the darkness, leaving Sandy alone once more. The girl wrapped the blanket around herself and closed her eyes, trying to take herself back to the night her and Augustus had done the same, cuddling underneath a blanket after a terrible nightmare.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Despite a good night’s rest (well, for everyone but Abbey), melancholy still hung over the camp. Everyone slowly got out one by one, with Lucy joining them last, grumbling about when she was going to actually wake up so she could get on with her life. There was no sense for anyone to try to convince her it wasn’t a dream, she’d long made up her mind.

They all gathered around the campfire, giving each other brief good mornings. Sue cleaned up Paulo’s bandages again, though this time Lucy helped since she had experience treating animals. In her eyes, Paulo and Yashy were pretty much the same. “That guy’s a dick, even in my dream, huh?” She said as she worked.

Sue and Paulo looked at each other and then back to Lucy. “Yeah.” Paulo said. “Something like that.”

Janet set about working on breakfast for everyone. Kizuna offered to help, but the mother waved her away kindly. “It’s alright, it’s the least I can do.”

Kizuna retreated to talk to Princess Sandy about the upcoming trip. Said princess was being bombarded by question after question. “So are you a queen yet? Have you ever seen a dragon? Do people there know magic? What’s Mike like as a prince?”

“Ohh, Davie!” Kizuna frowned. “Don’t worry the princess with all these questions!”

“Oh, that’s quite alright!” Princess Sandy giggled. “It is not often I come across such an inquisitive mind. I like talking about home, it makes me feel better.”

“And speaking of which.” Kizuna brought the suitcase to the forefront. “We should discuss your return, if you’re ready.”

“Of course.” Sandy smiled. “How does this mysterious little box work?”

“All you have to do is hold it.” Kizuna handed it gingerly over to the princess, who took it by the handle. “And then think about where you want to go.”

Princess Sandy instinctively thought of her kingdom, and felt a slight rumble in her hands. “I… I think it’s worked!”

“Good!” Kizuna clasped her hands together. “Then let’s not waste anymore time, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of important things to catch up on!”

Sandy was not ready just yet to return home, but waited for Kizuna to finish rather than interrupt. “Actually, would it be alright if I stayed for breakfast? I’d like to say goodbye to everyone.”

Waiting any longer to get the princess safe made Kizuna anxious, as it seemed the thug Alejandro was getting better at finding them, but she held her tongue. It would be best not to deny the princess her request, especially after how lovely she’d been to all of them. “I don't see why not.”

“Thank you, Lady Kizuna.” Sandy curtseyed.

“Awesome! Now I can ask you even more questions!” David fist pumped.

Sandy smiled politely and allowed herself to continue to be interviewed by the excitable brown lab. Kizuna stepped away to see how everyone else was holding up. First stop was Paulo and Sue. Paulo’s bandages were now fresh and his wound clean. “I can assume you two will be staying behind?”

“Oh yeah, I got a hot date today.” Paulo put an arm around Sue. “Wouldn’t miss it for the universe.”

Sue blushed. “We decided to take a little break if that's okay.”

“Of course! Just try not to stray too far from camp.” Kizuna said. “Can’t risk getting lost out here. Who knows what’s around?”

Kizuna went up to Lucy who was picking her teeth with a nail. “Hey Lucy, did you want to come?”

“I must say, it would be most interesting.” Sandy said, walking up to join them. “You are a noble knight where I come from.”

This piqued Lucy’s interest. “Am I? That sounds badass, count me in!”

“Good!” Kizuna smiled. Lucy began to ask Sandy more questions about herself as a knight as Kizuna walked away to meet with Abbey and his family.

“Goodmorning, Abbey’s parents.” She said with a wave. “Thanks for making us breakfast, miss.” She directed towards Janet.

“You’re welcome, uhh… I don’t think I know your name.” Janet said, flipping over some eggs.

“My name’s Kizuna!” The girl replied. “And I’m sorry you all had to be dragged into this.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Kevin said. “If it weren’t for you, who knows what might have happened.”

Kizuna looked around for their son, but he was missing. “Where is Abbey?”

The parents went silent, but Molly spoke up for them. “Big bro is over there, yellow dog.”

Kizuna turned her attention to where Molly was now pointing. Abbey was sitting by Augustus’s grave. “Thanks.” She left the family to go greet him, and overheard Janet quietly scolding Molly for calling Kizuna ‘yellow dog.’

Abbey heard Kizuna coming before she arrived. He knew what she was going to ask of him, and he already had an answer. Kizuna stood in front of him and politely cleared her throat. Abbey looked up at her. “Good morning, Kizuna.”

“Good morning, Abbey.” She smiled. “Would you like to come with us to drop off the princess?”

“I…” Abbey felt guilty. The princess had been so kind to him, but he didn’t want to leave his family… or Augustus. “Think I’ll remain here today, if that’s alright.”

“I understand.” Kizuna nodded. She didn’t expect him to say yes anyway. “Well, we’ll be leaving after breakfast, so now’s the time to say goodbye.”

Abbey needn’t move as Princess Sandy had finished with Lucy and was now on her way to say her goodbyes to him. “I want to thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me.”

Kizuna slipped away to meet up with David and wait for breakfast, which by the smell of it would be done soon. “I’m so excited!” He said to Kizuna. “I’ve watched so many fantasy animes, I can’t wait to travel to medieval Roseville!”

“I just hope nothing goes wrong this time…” Kizuna frowned. “Looks like it’s just you, me, the princess, and Lucy.”

“Chin up, ‘Zuna!” David clapped her on the back. “You’ve gotten us out of every sticky situation so far!”

“Yeah…” Her frown did not change, as she knew this wasn’t true. Everyone around her was constantly saving her life. Liam, David, Abbey, Augustus… all she did was put people in harm’s way.

Kizuna didn’t have much time to spiral into despair because her thoughts were interrupted by, “Breakfast’s ready!” from Janet.

It was a very welcomed breakfast. With the trip across the Candyverse becoming increasingly stressful and dire, anything to bring the comforts of home was appreciated now more than ever. In some ways, none of them could ever truly go home. How could things go back to the way they were after seeing everything they had? They might be able to convince themselves it was all a bad dream, but would it still weigh on their minds?

The princess tried to keep their spirits up, giving out more bittersweet goodbyes and telling them how grateful she was to have met them. “Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.” But the look everyone had told her they hoped never to cross any of their paths again. As per her princess charisma, her smile never faded, her hoping that, even if a little, her optimistic outlook might give them some hope as well.

Yet it was easy for her to be cheerful, she was going home soon.

But then again, going home didn’t always mean safe.

The meal was finished in silence, and Kizuna gathered up the three who would be traveling out. “We’ll be back soon…” she said, feeling uneasy as it was the same thing she said before she went to take Abbey home.

“Stay safe, guys!” Sue waved.

Kizuna popped open the suitcase and placed it on the ground. “After you, princess.”

With one final curtsey goodbye, Princess Sandy stepped into the suitcase and got pulled into the void. David and Lucy followed in after, with Kizuna giving a wave goodbye and a “Stay safe everyone!” Before stepping in herself.

Kizuna dove to where the others were, who were gathered around the princess as she spoke. “I can’t wait for you all to see the kingdom! It’s beautiful! And the Festivale of Spring should be underway, it’s a lot of fun! You can even stay in the castle as my guests!”

“We get to live as royalty? I might just stay.” Lucy said. “I don’t care if I never wake up.”

“Can I sit on the throne?” David asked. “I can finally be the king I always knew I was! You know, I had a feeling I was going to be crowned prom king anyway. And Amaya would have been my queen.” He added with a dreamy look on his face. Kizuna pushed his swooning over another girl out of her mind.

“I am not sure they will let you do that.” Princess Sandy smiled pleasantly. “But you all will most certainly be welcomed as heroes.”

“We’re about to find out!” Kizuna said, pointing to a bright light that they were barrelling towards. “Brace yourselves!”

Kizuna and David were squeezed out at the same time, Lucy fell on top of them, but Princess Sandy came out on top, daintily landing on her feet. “I will be most appreciative to not have to go through that anymore.”

“Are dreams supposed to hurt this much?” Lucy groaned, getting to her feet and rubbing her back.

Princess Sandy helped Kizuna and David to their feet. They all took stock in their surroundings. All around them were trees, as far as they could see. “Did… did we go anywhere?” Lucy asked.

The look on the princesses face told a different story. “I know this place! Prince Maish- I mean, Prince Michael and I came here when we were courting.” A blush came across her face. “He was so charming…”

“We gotta get a move on, your majesty!” David said, tugging on her dress, which had fallen into some disrepair over the last few days. “Your prince awaits!” He put his arm out to her. “I will be your bodyguard! Shall we?”

“We shall.” Giggled Princess Sandy as she hooked her arm around his. The two went on ahead, with David and the princess talking even more about the world she lived in. David still had many questions, but the princess had a wealth of knowledge, and politely answered even the most ridiculous of questions.

Lucy and Kizuna lagged behind, with the latter looking at David longingly. Now that they were walking through this tranquil forest, her thoughts had time to wander. She wanted so much to be his princess, to be the one his arm was hooked around. Lucy noticed the look on her face, recognizing it as the same one she used to give Mike when he wasn’t looking. Those feelings were far behind her now, but she never forgot them.

“Tough break with David, huh?” Lucy asked.

“What do you mean?” Kizuna replied, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. “Everything is fine between me and Davie.”

“Ha!” Lucy laughed. “I’ve heard that one before. From my own lips! Seriously, what’s going on?”

“You ever liked someone so much it hurts?” Kizuna sighed, hugging herself. “And you’re so scared you’ve lost them?”

“Every single day of my life.” Lucy said. “At least, up until a few months ago.”

“What happened a few months ago?” The dog asked.

“I got help.” Lucy shrugged. “Learned to love myself. I didn’t need someone else to help me get through life.”

“Ah…” Was all Kizuna could respond with. She did love herself, but she loved David a whole lot too. What could she do to really get his attention?

They reached a dirt road that stretched farther than they could see, straight through the trees. “If we follow this road, we’ll be home in no time.” The princess said, point up the path.

Before they got too far, the sound of horse hooves could be heard coming up the path behind them. They all turned around to see a knight riding up, looking rather tired. David let go of the princess and put his fists up. “Get behind me, princess, I’ll protect you from this ruffian!”

The princess looked up to see who the rider was and smiled. “There will be no need to rough this knight up.” Sandy giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know this gentleman. Greetings, sire!”

The knight blinked and looked up to see the odd crew in front of him. His eyes glazed past Kizuna, Lucy, David, and then.. “Princess! Can it be? Is it really you?” He stopped his horse so he could get down.

“The one and only!” Princess Sandy smiled, giving a twirl. “It’s all me from top to bottom.”

The guard fell to his knee. “My princess! I have been searching for you for so long! You must be returned to the castle at once!”

“Of course.” Sandy gave him a nod. “I imagine that Prince Maishul must be worried sick about me.”

“What about us?” Lucy asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You wouldn’t happen to have any more horses under that armor, would you?”

This was the first time the knight took really notice of the rest. Kizuna cleared her throat and swung the suitcase outward. “We’ll be okay if you go ahead without us, Princess.”

Sandy’s eyes shifted down to the suitcase, and she understood. “Very well, Kizuna.” She turned to the knight. “Take me to my prince!”

The two got aboard the horse, with the knight helping Sandy up first. “I will send for you once we’ve arrived at the castle. I am sure the prince will want to reward you handsomely.” He said, and whipped the reins with a ‘Hyaa!’

“Well that’s great!” Lucy said, standing in the middle of the road, watching Sandy and the knight disappear off into the horizon. “And how exactly are we supposed to get there?”

“Nothing wrong with a little waltz through the woods, Lucy!” David said, walking in place, lifting his knees up high to accentuate the motion. “Just put one foot in front of the other and we’ll be there in no time.”

“Oh yeah, that won’t take forever!” Lucy rolled her eyes. “You’re carrying me if you think we’re doing that.”

David lifted up his arms and kissed his muscles. “I’ve done it before, Lucy baby! Remember?”

Lucy frowned. “Yeah. I remember.” She leaned forward. “Are we remembering the same thing?”

“Guys.” Said Kizuna.

“Silvershore!” David said.

“Acapulco!” Lucy said at the same time.

“Guys!” Kizuna repeated, a little louder this time. “Nobody has to walk. Look!”

David and Lucy turned around to see Kizuna standing in front of two beautiful stallions. One stark white, the other a hazel brown. They were both adorned with a saddle and reins. Kizuna shut the suitcase. “Let’s ride in style!”

The next minute found the three riding off, with Kizuna looking disappointed on one horse, with David and Lucy on the other. It was an easy ride, there was but one path to follow. David and Lucy talked about what they would do if they were king or queen while Kizuna looked on with jealousy, wishing she was Lucy.

Soon the road became more defined and well kept. The plants that lined the road were trimmed back to keep it clear, and the ground itself was more even. The dirt turned to gravel, and the first signs of medieval civilization began to pepper themselves along the road. Small dirt paths lead off the main road, which was now turning to cobblestone. Ahead of them, the trees cleared away to reveal a massive opulent white stone wall, and an arch in the center holding a heavy wooden gate. There were guards posted in front, behind, and on top of the gateway. The ones on top held crossbows and manned ballistas while the ones below carried polearms. On their shields was the kingdom’s emblem.

As the three approached on horseback, the guards stood at attention. The ones on the ground crossed their polearms to block them from going further. “What business do you have here?” Barked one of the guards. Everyone had been more wary of strangers since the princess’s disappearance, despite her return.

“We’re here to see the princess.” Kizuna stated with officiality.

“No one is permitted to see the princess at this time.” Was the stiff response she got back.

“We’re friends of hers!” David said.

The guards tensed up and moved the tips of their spears closer. The one who was speaking before narrowed his eyes. “You don’t look like any friends of the princess I have ever seen. Nor like anyone I’ve ever seen come around here.”

“Well not all of ‘em.” A guard on top of the gate called down. “That white one there… innit that Knight Lucy Luoet?”

One of the guards down below moved around to the side of the horse David and Lucy were on, being mindful to keep them as spear’s length. “She looks like her, alright. But not quite… maybe her daughter?”

“My mother’s name is not Lucy…” Lucy began. “And my last name isn’t Luoet, it’s-”

“Quiet, you!” The guard said. “This is an imposter! Not the first one what come through here, either!”

“We’ll bring them in.” Said the first guard that spoke to them earlier. “Off your horses and line up here.”

The three quickly did as they were instructed and lined up in front of the guard. “Take these horses to the stable.” He instructed the other guard. “You three, march. And give that to me.” He said, yanking the suitcase from Kizuna’s hands.

The gate was slowly raised by the guards at the top, and the four walked through. The three interlopers didn’t fully know what to expect from Princess Sandy’s world, but it wasn’t this. The streets were totally empty, and Kizuna could have sworn she saw nervous faces peeking through windows at them. There was nary a sound from those who lived there, and the only sound filling the background was the wind and a few chirping birds. Ahead was a large beautiful stone castle, closed off to the rest of the world by a large wooden door.

“Stop there.” The guard said, and he hurried around to the front to knock on the door with one of the large iron knockers that was nailed to it. There was a brief moment of nothing and then a panel slid open on the door.

“State your business.” Said a voice from within. Now that there was an opening, Kizuna could hear worried and raised voices from inside.

“I have some folks here. They say they know the princess.” The guard paused and lowered his voice. He got real close to the slot. “And one of ‘em looks to be another imposter.”

The slot closed with a slam, and the great wooden doors rumbled. There was a large clang as what Kizuna imagined was a large lock being removed, and the doors swung open. There was a rush of air as they wooshed past the group, and they all had to squint to shield their eyes from the dry air.

Inside was an ornate throne room with stained glass windows that shone down in brilliant colors on them as they passed. For the second time that week, a motley crew had arrived on Prince Michael’s doorstep, and he was already tired of it. At the far end of the room he stood scowling at the princess, unsure of her legitimacy. There had already been a clear imposter. His scowl only deepened when he laid eyes upon the new, unwelcome guests.

“Maishul, please…” Sandy begged. “It really is me!”

“And I suppose these are your frie-” Mike stopped when he saw Lucy. “What is this?”

“Yes, these are the friends I told you about!” Sandy said happily, walking down to greet them. “They saved my life.”

“So you think.” The prince said, walking down slowly. “Perhaps they were the reason you were lost to begin with. If you really ARE my Sandy.”

“The yellow one had this with her, sire.” The guard who had escorted them said, bringing Mike the suitcase.

“Interesting…” He inspected it, but found nothing but an ordinary suitcase. “Put this in the holding area.” He said, giving it back to the guard, who hurried off to do what he was told.

There was a loud ruckus outside, and suddenly the doors flew open. In came a very angry looking Lucy, though older than the one who was already there. A group of guards scrambled in after her. “S-sorry sire!” Gasped one of the guards. “She managed to slip past us!”

“Where is she?” Lady Lucy Luoet demanded, eyes boring into the prince. She was so dead set on confronting Mike that she had failed to take notice of the princess.

“Lu- Knight Luoet, I’m right here!” Princess Sandy smiled with a wave and walked forward. “I’m okay. I was just explaining that these young ones saved me.”

Lucy Luoet’s expression softened when she saw Sandy, but grew to concern when she saw who she was standing next to. It was her, but… younger. “Damn, I look badass.” The younger her commented.

“I have had ENOUGH of these unwelcome guests!” Prince Michael roared. “I need time to think… guards! Throw these kids in the dungeon with the other one.”

The trio looked horrified, but also confused. “The other one?” David whispered to Kizuna.

“As for you!” Mike pointed at Lucy Luoet. “I want you gone! Now! Things are complicated as it is.”

“What exactly is complicated about carelessly tossing a group of kids in the dungeon?” She remarked, hands on her hips. “As arrogant as always, Prince Michael.”

“How dare you!” The prince hissed.

Kizuna, David, and the young Lucy were being forced by spearpoint away out of the room as the prince and knight argued over the situation. The last thing they heard was Lucy smarmily saying that she could tell if the princess was genuine if they kissed before the door they went through slammed shut with a cold thud.

Down, down, down they were taken. The air grew stiff and stale, and a new chill began to bury into their fur. The smooth stone of the castle gradually faded away into rough stone, so sharp that it might cut them should they brush up against it. Sunlight faded, and all that was left lighting the narrow, dank passage were the occasional torch.

“This sucks.” Lucy grumbled, squeezing past a particularly thin part of the hall. “So much for a warm welcome.”

“We just have to trust it’ll all work out!” Kizuna said, trying to keep their hope up. As their leader, it was her duty to keep everyone from falling apart.

“I’ve seen worse.” David hummed as he let his fingers run along the side of the wall. “Could use a few paintings though.”

“Quiet you three!” The guard called. “There’ll be no paintings nor anything to work out down here.”

This shut the three of them up, wallowing deeper into their misery until they reached a level ground. Ahead there were some rusty metal bars illuminated by a single torch. The guard pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the cell. “Oi, imposter, you got some company!” He opened the door and gestured for Kizuna, David, and Lucy to go inside. “You three, inside.”

They all begrudgingly did as they were told, with the cell door squeaking loudly behind them, and shutting with a deafening clang. The guard shoved the keys back into his pocket and with one last scowl, he walked away.

“Well that’s just great!” Lucy kicked some small pebbles that lay on the stone floor in frustration. “I see Mike is as much of a jerk here as he’s ever been.”

“But I thought you loved Mike…” Came a voice that was all too familiar to them. Everyone turned around to see a Sandy much younger than the princess sitting in the corner of the cell.

“Sandy?? Is this where you’ve been all this time?” Lucy asked, bewildered. “You’ve been missing for, like, weeks, and you’re here?!”

“I only showed up a few days ago.” She said, getting up. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to return you!” David said. “But now we’re here to take you away!”

“Huh?” Sandy tilted her head slightly in confusion.

“We brought back your highness only to be rewarded with imprisonment.” Lucy said bitterly. “Got any ideas on how to get out of here?” She directed toward Kizuna. “What do we do now?”

Kizuna was gripping the bars, head hung in defeat. She took a deep breath and turned around. “We hope for the best.” She said with a smile.

Hoping for the best did not set them free. Instead, they spent the rest of the day in the freezing, dank, rough cell. They did their best to explain the situation to Sandy, who was receptive, but was unable to completely wrap her mind around what happened. It didn’t take long for them to figure out that she was the one who switched places with Princess Sandy. That, and she was in a loving relationship with Augustus.

“Augustus?” Lucy wrinkled her nose. “That creep? How does something like that even happen?”

Sandy shied away, not wanting to relive the night in Alejandro’s house, especially given their situation. “I’d rather not talk about it…”

“There’s nothing wrong with Sandy loving Final Fantasy cat. He is an upstanding citizen.” David said. “He saved your life when you tried to fly off a building. At least, I think that’s what you were doing. What were you doing up there?”

“I don’t know…” Lucy said, annoyed. “I never did that.”

Kizuna did not join in their discussions. Instead, she sat off to the side, thinking of a plan to get out. There were the others back at the camp to consider. It was hard to tell time with there being no way to see the sun, but some hours later a guard came down with a meager meal for them all. “Split this between yourselves.” He said with disdain, and left.

It wasn’t much at all, a few rolls, slices of unidentifiable meat, and a few wooden cups of dirty water. Sandy was used to it by now, but Lucy turned her nose up at it. “Gross.”

“It’s all they’re going to give us… unless Daisy pays me another visit tonight.” Sandy said sadly.

“It’s not so bad, Lucy baby!” David placed a small piece of hay on her meat. “See? It’s like a garnish. Just close your eyes and pretend you’re at a fancy restaurant.”

Kizuna stayed quiet still, eating her small portion. It wasn’t so much them that she was worried for, at least they had the suitcase… somewhere. But the others would be left defenseless for who knows how long. And they really didn’t have a lot of extra piled up from other meals.

“Who are you?” It was a question Kizuna had been asked a lot from new people recently, this time from the younger Sandy.

“My name is Kizuna.” The dog managed a smile. “We’ve never met, but I did hear a lot about you from Mike. It’s funny.” She laughed to herself. “We all thought you were made up, and now I’ve met two of you.”

“I see.” Sandy said. “Well, thank you for coming to rescue me.”

“Yeah, ‘Zuna’s the best!” David put an arm around her shoulder and she blushed.

“We’re not out yet. We need to find a way to get that suitcase!” Kizuna said with determination.

They finished eating and put the tray aside for the guard to collect later, and then sat in silence. Kizuna stewed over how they could get out. There were four of them in there, maybe they could rush the guard when he came back, but then what? They could take on one guard, but not a whole group of them. David played rock paper scissors with Sandy, who was just happy to have company, and Lucy closed her eyes and leaned up against the wall, tuning them all out.

Suddenly David stopped mid battle and turned his head toward the cell door. Sandy looked concerned. “David?”

“Shush!” He said, lifting a floppy ear. “I hear something…”

They all got quieter than they had been, but heard nothing for a few moments. Then, slowly, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard coming down the stone pass. Sandy sat up. “That sounds like Daisy!”

The others sat up too, and sure enough, Daisy came huffing up to the bars. “Daisy!” Sandy said, and quickly walked over to the wheezing woman. “What’s wrong?”

The others got up too, eager for news from their friend… their older friend. Daisy nodded and put up a finger as she doubled over catching her breath. She did not often run, but she had an important message to deliver. After a few moments, she had her breath, and began to speak. “I have good news, and bad news. The princess sends her regards. She would have come down herself, but the prince has her on a short leash. He fears she might disappear again.”

“What’s the good news?” Kizuna asked, anxious for any glimmer of hope.

“Well, the prince has decided not to have you executed…” Lady Quimby said slowly.

“And the bad news? WHAT’S THE BAD NEWS?” David cried, grabbing the bars.

“She.” Daisy pointed at Kizuna. “Will have to fight for your freedom. To the death.”

“That’s not execution?” Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He does not consider it - Wait a minute, I just saw you moments ago!” Lady Quimby said, flabbergasted. “You were outside headed for the inn.”

“I’m not her.” Lucy said. “Though we’re both equally cool so I can understand the confusion.”

“O-oh… erm… right…” Daisy blinked. “Anyway, the prince considers it fair if she gets to fight for her freedom.” A deafening silence fell upon the room. It certainly would not be a fair fight, and Daisy knew it better than anyone.

“I better get back up there…” Daisy said with melancholy. “I wish you the best of luck tomorrow.” And with that, she sighed and looked at the long walk upwards to the surface, and left.

Everyone went back to where they were sitting before, a new weight on their mind. David tried to bring everyone up. “Hey, you’ve fought that crazy thug a bunch of times and won! Mike will be a pushover!”

Kizuna gave him a little smile. “Thanks, Davie. I’ll try.” But what David said wasn’t entirely true. She’d run from every fight, and whenever Alejandro was ‘beat’, it was someone else doing it. But Prince Michael might be more prim and proper than rough and tumble, and that could give her an edge. If she didn’t cut herself on it with her two left feet.

“We should probably get some sleep now.” Sandy said when the silence had become unbearable.

Sandy tried her best to share the large quilt gifted to her, but it was barely enough to cover them all up. It also didn’t change the fact they were all sleeping on a hard stone floor. It was a small comfort that Kizuna found herself cuddled up against David. It cooled her fears for the time being, no longer stressed about the day coming, but appreciating the warmth and softness that her brown companion provided.

Chapter Text

When Kizuna awoke, she did so alone. She didn’t notice at first, more focused on the sharp pain in her back from sleeping on the cold hard ground. By herself, Sandy could wrap up in the blanket to offset some of the pain, but with four sharing the blanket, it was stretched too thin. Somehow she managed to sleep through the pain, but it was now catching up with her. She winced and rubbed her back, and turned to ask David for help, but he wasn’t there. This is when she noticed she was alone.

The girl blinked. No one was beside her. Was this a dream? Could she still be asleep? The pain in her back reminded her that she was very much awake. She looked around the cell. It was dark, and empty, and… frightfully quiet. A cold chill went up her spine and she wrapped the blanket around herself. Was this how Sandy felt all those days she was alone down there? She didn’t know which was worse, the total isolation or dealing with Alejandro. At least she had her friends by her side then.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Kizuna jerked her head toward the cell door just as a guard holding a tray of food stepped into view. He clanged his metal gauntlet on the bars, producing an ear splitting sound. “Hey you! Get up!”

Kizuna hopped to her feet as the guard unlocked the door. “Where are my friends?” She asked.

The guard opened the door and scowled. “Wouldn’t you like to know, criminal?” He dropped the tray inside the cell and pulled the door shut. “Now eat up. Might very well be the last meal you have.” Without another word, he walked off and his footsteps faded into the silence.

Kizuna looked at what he’d brought her. A bruised apple, some stale bread, and a cup of dirty water. She soured her lips at it, but it was all she was going to get so she grinned and beared it. It tasted as bad as it looked, but it was finished all the same. After that, Kizuna was only left to her thoughts, and they ate away at her.

Was this really it? Was she just being led to her death? And this fight was just a dog and pony show to make an example of her. What would happen to the others? And where was Liam, he helped her before, but not now? How was she going to fight the prince? Where were her friends? Kizuna’s stomach flipped, but she wasn’t sure if it was her anxiety or the paltry breakfast.

She had to be confident. She had to be strong. Her friends, nay, the entire universe was depending on her. Failure was not an option. Plus… she got to kind of cuddle with David last night. And perhaps he was right, maybe this Mike would be a pushover. He always was kind of wimpy when she knew him.

And so Kizuna sat, stewing in her own anxiety, which only amplified with the dark, dank space she sat in. It was hard to say if time was crawling, there was no way to tell it. She existed in a void, even less welcoming than the multicolored flashing void of the suitcase. There was nothing to do but sit, wait, and listen out for anyone who might be coming. Sure enough, some time later, footsteps and clanking could be heard descending down the hall and growing louder.

A new guard walked into view and unlocked the door. “Alright.” He pulled out a set of manacles and let one side drop. “It’s time.” Kizuna slowly got up and walked out the cell, and the guard put her in chains. “Now march!” The guard demanded, pulling on the chain.

Kizuna and him made the long walk up the thin hall. As they reached the top, the air got better, less stagnant, and warmth enveloped her again. The sounds of the kingdom faded in, breaking through the deafening silence of the dungeon. When they reached the top, the guard pushed through the heavy wooden door that led to the throne room. “Move it.” The guard said, and pulled Kizuna on through. The guard led her to the large castle doors, which were open to invite in the sunny spring day.

It was a stark contrast to the previous day. Rather than desolate streets with suspicious onlookers, it was teeming with life. It had been some time since people felt comfortable leaving their homes, lest Prince Michael find them suspicious and bring them in for questioning. Now, with Kizuna on her way to her unorthodox trial, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. They went about, buying and selling, but stole glances at Kizuna as she was led in chains by the guard down the street. It was a walk of shame, and the citizens whispered quickly to each other about the odd looking dog.

Kizuna did her best to pay them no mind, she had bigger fish to fry, like how she was going to get out of this. Was it a fight to the death? She didn’t want to kill anyone, and certainly not a prince. “Keep it movin’!” Kizuna felt a tug on her manacles. Lost in her thought, she was starting to lag behind. They walked down another main street and off in the distance Kizuna saw the outside of a grand arena. There were already lines outside of it, eager citizens wanting to get good seats to see the weird yellow stranger get what she deserved for kidnapping their princess.

“Mommy, mommy, look!” A young boy said, pointing frantically at Kizuna as her and the guard strolled by. “It’s the kidnapper!”

The mother pulled her child back. “Hush now, don’t get too close! She might get you too!” Kizuna’s brow furrowed. She would never hurt anyone! The rest of the crowd gave the same gawking look the other citizens gave her.

The guard pulled her along around behind the back of the arena, to a little shack built on the side that led into the main area. Once inside, the guard unshackled her. “You are to remain here until the game begins.” He informed her, and left, locking the door behind him, giving it a solid tug to make sure it was locked. Kizuna rubbed her wrists where the metal cuffs had been. They were sore and some of the fur had been pulled.

Looking around, Kizuna surveyed her new cell. It was certainly a big step up from the one in the dungeon. At least here there was light from a small, barred window, it wasn’t miserably cold or silent, though she did miss the quilt. There was a bench on the far side of the small room, which she took a seat on. There were no weapons in here, either, so she wondered what she would be fighting with. Perhaps this one on one really was just a spectacle to make an example of her, and she’d simply be slaughtered.

So there she sat, enjoying the little bit of sunlight that graced the room through the little window. At one point she attempted to use the bench to see what was going on outside. It didn’t help much, it was too high to really see anything. With a sigh she sat back down and placed her hands in her lap. She would try to clear her mind for now, and prepare herself for the struggle ahead.

It was some time later when the noise outside had grown louder as the crowds grew when there came a knock at the door. Kizuna looked up, and before she could say a word, it opened and Princess Sandy came in. “Good afternoon, Kizuna.”

Kizuna hopped to her feet. “Princess! It’s good to see you! Where are Lucy, David, and… well, the younger Sandy?”

Sandy closed the door behind her so they would not be disturbed by onlookers. “They’re safe! They’re being held in the royals box for now before you and Prince Michael duel.”

Kizuna let out another sigh, but this time one of relief. “Good.” The brief moment of relief slipped away and Kizuna hung her head. “What am I going to do? I can’t fight him! I have no experience fighting! Well, I kind of do, but… there’s nothing here to fight with.”

Sandy stepped forward so she was just a few inches from Kizuna and kneeled down. “You’re allowed to choose your weapon.” She whispered and produced the suitcase from underneath her large, poofy dress. Kizuna’s eyes went wide.

“No way! How did you..?” She gasped.

“A princess has her ways.” She winked, standing up. “I must be off now, I told Prince Michael I needed to powder my nose. I wish you the best of luck today! Prince Michael is one of the best.”

“Thank you, princess.” Kizuna said. “I will try!”

Princess Sandy curtseyed and left Kizuna in the little dusty room. Kizuna ran a hand over the leathery surface. Endless possibilities… she thought about popping in to see how the others at the camp were doing, but given the thundering sound of the crowd outside, they could be coming for her any moment. Whatever it was, she needed to think of it fast.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Fighting me is one thing, but fighting a child?” A whistle of disappointment came from behind the Prince. “That’s a new low, even for you.”

Prince Michael’s eyes flared and he spun, flinging his sword at full force at the voice. It whizzed past the knight standing there and embedded itself in the wooden wall behind her, but she did not flinch. “I could have ended you.” The prince said after he didn’t get the reaction he wanted.

“How? That was a terrible throw.” Knight Lucy Luoet said, pulling it from the wall. “And your sword may be more efficient if it were properly sharpened. Along with your mind.”

“Who let you in here?” Mike demanded to know, currently in the royal’s preparation chamber which was far nicer and better equipped than Kizuna’s.

“As if I need anyone’s permission to do anything.” The knight said smugly.

“This sort of mentality is what drove us apart.” Michael hissed as he snatched his sword back from Lucy’s hands.

“You cannot control others.” She scowled back at him. “You can barely control yourself.”

“Rich coming from someone who abandoned her kingdom.” The prince said slyly.

This angered Lucy. “I did NOT abandon anything. There was nothing left for me here! I needed to start a new life!”

“Right, you couldn’t have your debaucherous ways with my wife, so you ran for the hills.” Michael narrowed his eyes.

Lucy sighed. “It wasn’t always about Sandy, you know? Just because it was for you, doesn’t mean it was for everyone else.”

She paused, expecting the prince to respond, but he just had his back to her, pretending to inspect his sword. Lucy continued. “We were friends once, too. And I even…” Lucy shook her head. “Whatever, jerk. Have fun massacring a child. I’m sure that’s going to look really good for you.”

Lucy turned away to leave, but met the princess in the doorway. “O-Oh, your highness.” Lucy kneeled, and Mike perked up a little too.

Princess Sandy giggled a little too sweetly for the prince’s liking, and motioned for Lucy to get to her feet. “There’s no need for all that.”

“Indeed there is, my queen.” Michael said, giving her a small bow of his own. “It’s been quite a while since you left to powder your nose, I was wondering where you’d gone on to.”

“Just getting some fresh air, Maishul.” Sandy moved past Lucy to take his hand. “It gets so dreadfully stuffy in here.”

“I am just glad to have you in my company again.” The prince said warmly.

“I’ll leave you two to it, then.” Lucy Luoet said with a hint of bitterness, and she left, closing the door behind her.

“Sweetheart…” Princess Sandy said. “I implore you to exercise some mercy… Lady Kizuna has done nothing wrong!”

“Someone must be punished for this transgression.” Prince Michael said coldly.

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Maishul.” Sandy said softly. “It was completely out of anyone’s control.”

“Then we must regain control.” He replied. “And this is how we will do it. And to whoever did this kidnapping on you, let it serve to them as a lesson that this will not be tolerated.”

The princess frowned but did not push it further. “If it is your will, my king.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Before long, it looked as though everyone in the kingdom had turned out to the arena. It was a mixture of those who wanted to be there to see the spectacle, and those who were apprehensive about what was a public execution of a child, but were afraid of consequences if they didn’t show up. Prince Michael was sitting on the throne in the royal’s box with Princess Sandy at his side. Meanwhile, Knight Lucy Luoet had taken her seat in the crowd with everyone else. Vendors walked up and down the stairs carrying trays with varying refreshments calling out to any prospective patrons. The air was electric, and no one could wait for the games to begin.

Prince Michael stood up from his ornate throne, and the crowd erupted in cheers. The prince smiled and waved at them all, reveling in the admiration of his subjects. After he’d had his fill (which was far too much if you asked Lucy Luoet) he waved them all to sit down and be quiet. Michael inhaled deeply and spoke to his admiring public.

“One week ago… my beloved wife… your princess and future queen… vanished from our lives.” He spoke with sincere confidence, putting emphasis on each statement. The crowd stayed silent. “And by the grace of God, and a miracle, she was returned to us…” his voice then turned harsh. “By those perpetrators that took her from us to begin with!”

Prince Michael pointed to a cage that held the young Sandy, David, and Lucy. It was placed next to the royal’s box. The crowd jeered at them, and Princess Sandy put on her best fake smile. “And this crime will not go unpunished!” The prince continued. “And if they be not the ones responsible, let it be a lesson to ALL THOSE WHO OPPOSE US. These despicable crimes will not be tolerated!” The crowd blew up in cheers again, stomping their feet, praising the prince and calling for the downfall of the prisoners.

“This is the most annoying Mike has ever been.” Lucy frowned deeply, peering at the prince with disdain

“The most annoying Mike has so far!” David said with a smile, placing a hand on the white cat’s shoulder that was quickly knocked away by her.

“But these three vagrants had a leader!” Prince Michael called once everyone settled down again. “And I have been gracious enough to give her the chance to decide her and her friend’s fate… If she beats me in a duel, I will let her and her friends go.”

The crowd booed. The prince smiled. “However, should she lose, her life will be forfeit, and her cohorts will never see the light of the sun again!”

This was what they all wanted to hear. The audience cheered and howled. “Bring her out!” He called, and backed off from the front of the box so he could walk down the stairs and get on his horse. The guard posted outside the door that led to the room Kizuna was in turned and unlocked it. “Alright, criminal.” He said, stepping inside. “It’s time.”

There was no response. “Oi, are you listening? Where are you?” He asked, stepping further in. If he had been more perceptive, he would have seen the shadow slip behind him and through the door. “Hey, the prisoner has-” The guard stopped when he turned around, watching a Kizuna clad in all black cloth and wearing a black sheath around her side walking into the arena.

“It appears my opponent has already put on her burial shroud.” Prince Michael jeered as he sauntered out on his horse, holding a long jousting stick. The stadium laughed and echoed his sentiment at her.

Kizuna ignored the naysayers. She kept her focus in front of her. She hadn’t trained all her life for this moment, nor all of a single day. But, this was all she knew, and if she was going to even have a chance to survive, she was going to need to pool all her ninja knowledge together and fumble around until she got it right.

Prince Michael stopped his horse at one end of the long divider that ran down the middle of the arena. His horse scraped at the ground in anticipation. Kizuna stood at her end, far from everyone else, waiting on whatever signal to get started. A hush fell over the crowd as tension grew. The match would most likely be over in one fell swoop.

A canon went off from above the stands, signaling the duel to begin. Mike gave his mount a stiff kick and it sped off down the dusty arena as it had many times before. The wind and cheers roared in his sensitive ears, but he shrugged it off and lowered his lance.

Kizuna was running too, ignoring all her detractors. Her eyes were focused on the end of the lance, and she prepared to make her move once she got closer.

“Go Kizuna! Go!” David yelled from the cage. “Kick his butt!”

“It’s just a shame it’s not me down there.” Lucy clucked her tongue.

Sandy covered her face and turned away. “I can’t watch this!”

Even Lucy Luoet gripped her seat in the crowd and tensed up. Closer, closer, closer they got, and as they did the crowd quieted down as the spring of tension pressed down on them all, and then…

Kizuna had meant to slide under it, but her two left feet caught up to her and she slipped instead. Prince Michael’s lance whiffed the air and the crowd blew up in cheers until the dust settled and Kizuna started picking herself up. Her katana had fallen off in the tumble and she walked over to get it. The prince thought for sure that he’d nailed her, how could he not with all that dust and cheering? But his smug smile fell slowly as he saw the girl lifting the sheath back around her shoulder.

Kizuna finished her walk to the other end of the fence and waited for the prince to make the first move. The whole time the crowd was booing her, but above the noise Kizuna heard David cheering her on. It filled her with more confidence and determination. Prince Michael took off after her again, and Kizuna sprinted forward as well. They got closer, and the yelling got louder, and Prince Michael lowered his lance so he was sure he would hit her should she try to slide under it again…

And he missed. Kizuna leapt over it but didn’t stick the landing, falling on her face as her foot caught the side of the long stick. Prince Michael was nearly pulled off his steed at the sudden jolt from the end of his lance, which only served to make him angrier. He started wildly swinging his lance around, feeling humiliation bubbling up inside him as the crowd was demanding that he finish her. The yellow dog was faster than his unwieldy stick. As good a knight as he was, it was heavy and took time to course correct.

Finally Kizuna took a chance and grabbed the end of the stick, and when the prince swiftly lifted it up, it brought her with it. In his blind rage (and because of the sizeable dust cloud they had kicked up), he didn’t see her come up with his lance, and when the dust settled, he, along with the crowd, looked around confused as to where she went.

There was a tapping on his armor from behind, and he turned around to look. Kizuna waved and smiled wide, she was now sat astride his horse too. Michael’s cheeks flushed with rage, which was only compounded by everyone in the audience laughing at the situation. Even Princess Sandy found herself giggling, and Lucy Luoet laughed the loudest.

“That’s my girl!” David called from the cage, shaking the bars.

“I have had enough of this NONSENSE!” Prince Michael yelled. He grabbed Kizuna and threw her off his horse. “Do you all not see how slippery she is? This is how she kidnapped your princess and you’re laughing!” A shadow moved in the royals box as Mike chastised the crowd.

“Oh, get over yourself!” The younger Lucy said from the cage. “You know, I really thought it wasn’t possible for you to be more arrogant but you have really taken the cake.”

“Silence prisoner!” The prince jabbed his lance in her direction.

Young Lucy and Mike fell into one of their classic arguments as though they had known each other all this time, with the crowd looking on in amusement. The older Lucy nodded along with everything her younger self was saying. There was a level of decorum that she had to maintain as a knight that her counterpart didn’t have. She was unfiltered, raw, even explicit, and seemed to know every angle to get underneath the prince’s skin. And Knight Lucy Luoet respected her for it. If by some cast of fate the girl survived the day, she would buy her a nice, warm meal.

As everyone looked on distracted, the shadow that loomed in the royals box grew larger behind the princess until two hands clad in all black armor grabbed her from behind. She let out a sharp yelp that no one, not even Michael who had sensitive hearing, heard. He was far too busy yelling at Lucy.

The younger Sandy in the cage noticed though, and she pointed at the royals box frantically, calling for them to stop fighting. “Look! Look! Someone is kidnapping the princess!”

Prince Michael’s head jerked around to look in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough Princess Sandy was grappling with an unknown assailant clad in black armor. Try as she might, she couldn’t wrench herself from his iron grasp, but she wasn’t making it easy on him either. Kizuna narrowed her eyes… there was no way he followed them there…

Both the prince and Kizuna leapt into action at the same time as the crowd caught on to what was happening. They jeered at the black knight, while urging Prince Michael to save her. Kizuna, though clumsy as she was, hopped up some barrels that were precariously stacked in front of the royals box to make it up faster. She unsheathed her katana and pointed it at the black knight, or rather, who she suspected was the thug Alejandro once again. “Seems that trying to go straight for you isn’t working, so I’m thinking a little leverage.” He growled. “Besides, me and her can have a good time while we wait.”

“Ugh! Let me go!” Princess Sandy brought down the full force of her foot onto Alejandro’s, but it served no purpose but to hurt her. He was clad in armor from head to toe and laughed it off.

“Gonna have to try harder than that!” He sneered, and turned around to start pulling her to the stairs, but was stopped by the tip of another sword.

“The only reason you aren’t dead.” Prince Michael said with grave seriousness. “Is because you have my wife in your hands.”

“Then that’s not a very good incentive to let her go.” The thug said smugly, but his attitude changed when he felt the blade of Kizuna’s weapon poking into his back.

“Nowhere to run.” The prince commented, sword still holding firm in his direction. “There’s only one way in and out.”

The crowd had gone silent, holding onto every moment. Even the vendors had stopped crying their wares. Everyone craned their necks to get a good look. As uncomfortable as the cage was, the trio inside had the best seats in the house for it. The tension built as the four were at an impasse. No matter what Alejandro did now, he was dead. The only question now was, would he take their beloved princess down with him?

Alejandro was an idiot, but had brains enough to know when he was outmatched. “Fine then. You want the princess?” The prince tightened his grip on the sword. “Take her!” Alejandro yelled and pushed Sandy towards the stairs.

The prince immediately dropped his sword in surprise and dove down to catch his beloved before she hit the staircase. Alejandro turned around and in the same move, knocked the sword out of Kizuna’s hands. In the moment, she was staggered, and the thug took the opportunity to finally land a good hit on her. He charged forward, grabbing her and pushing them both through the thin wooden railing that lined the front of the royals box.

Wood and splinters rained down as Kizuna fell backwards with Alejandro on top. She hit the ground hard, and it was compounded by the full weight of Alejandro and his heavy metal armor crashing down on top of her. The wind was knocked from her lungs, and she struggled to catch her breath as Alejandro began pummeling her. Above, David shook the bars of the cage they were in, yelling unintelligibly, but very clearly in distress that his partner was being brutalized.

Suddenly, the rope suspending the cage gave way, and it fell a few feet with a clatter, causing it to break open. There was further confusion as David, Lucy, and Sandy tried to figure out what had just happened, but they didn’t need to wait long to see Knight Lucy Luoet leaping into action. She ran from where the cage’s rope had been anchored to the bloody mess that Kizuna was becoming.

Back on the stairs, Michael was helping his wife to her feet. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine!” Sandy replied, dusting herself off. “Go help my friend!”

The prince didn’t argue this time. He took off down the stairs, over to where Alejandro and Kizuna had fallen. Knight Lucy was already going fisticuffs with him, but good as she was, she wasn’t armored up like Alejandro was. The thug managed to land some devastating blows across her face, leaving it bloody and bruised. Much worse off than her was Kizuna, who was being helped to her feet by David and the others. The crowd was going ballistic.

Alejandro saw Prince Michael sprinting at full tilt, sword drawn, and decided he’d had enough. Once Michael was close enough, he grabbed Lucy Luoet and shoved her as hard as he could into him, and ran for the exit of the stadium. The prince and knight collided in a loud clang as their armor met, and fell into a pile of themselves.

“Get off me, Luoet!” Mike shouted as he struggled under her.

“You think I like this?” Lucy Luoet shouted back as she flailed, trying to get off him.

They untangled themselves and gave chase to the thug, who was nearing the archway that led out the arena. They played an unspoken game with each other, both trying to outrun the other to see who could catch him first. The gate was down, he was trapped. And yet, as he got near it, he put his arms up and crashed through it too, making off for the nearby wood. Prince Michael and Knight Lucy stood at the edge of the trees, catching their breath. The black knight blended in with the darkness of the thick forest, and vanished.

“Damn.” Prince Michael cursed. “If only you’d gotten off me faster.”

Knight Lucy Luoet looked at him with annoyance, but his passing the blame was nothing out of the ordinary. “We need to send people out to capture him immediately. We didn’t kill him, which means he’s gonna try it again.”

Prince Michael went back into the arena without another word. There he found the princess attempting to tend to Kizuna’s injuries. When the prince got closer, she looked up at him. “She’s badly hurt. We need to take her to the infirmary.”

The crowd waited with baited breath. Some ways away, Lucy Luoet was instructing some guards about the direction Alejandro had run off in. They nodded and took off themselves. Prince Michael stood in thought of what to do next. This was meant to be an easy execution, but now he was in the position to spare her life. The look of urgency in his wife’s hazel brown eyes won him over. “Fine. Take her away.”

With the help of David, Lucy, and the younger Sandy, they lifted up the bleeding girl and carried her away. Prince Michael looked up at the crowd in the stands. “That’s all there is to see! Don’t you all have work you need to be doing?” The crowd let out a simultaneous sigh of disappointment and began filing out of the stadium.

The princess cleared the way to the castle while David carried Kizuna. The girl rested her head on David’s chest. Bloody as she was, the brown lab didn’t mind it, and was determined to make her trip to the infirmary as comfortable as possible. Young Lucy and Sandy brought up the rear.

“Ohhhh, I hope she’ll be okay…” The young Sandy said to Lucy. “I’ve never seen someone so beat up since…” And she trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

“She’ll be fine.” Said an older sounding Lucy coming up behind. She looked worse for wear too. “She took a beating, but I’ve seen worse.”

“So you’re the knight me.” The young Lucy whistled. “Not bad!”

Lucy Luoet smiled. “Thanks, young one.”

The two Lucys chatted about themselves as their troupe walked up to the castle and made their way to the infirmary. David carefully lowered Kizuna onto one of the plush beds that lined the walls of the room. Other beds were being occupied by various guardsmen, some of which were asleep, and others being attended to by a nurse. “I’ll be right back.” Princess Sandy said, and she went off to flag down a nurse.

The rest of them stood around Kizuna’s bed. The yellow dog attempted to remove the black balaclava covering her face, but was too weak to do so. David gave her a hand, though it caused Kizuna to wince in pain. With the mask removed, they saw the full extent of her injuries. It was hard to look at, her face was covered in bruises and welts, mixed with her own blood. Alejandro, for all his terrible plans, had finally done a number on her.

“Looks like we finally met our match, eh Agent Babe?” David asked.

Kizuna looked at him pitifully, though it was hard to tell through her injuries. She took his hand and pulled him closer. When he was just about an inch from her lips, she whispered so quietly that even his big dog ears could barely pick it up. “Get the suitcase. It’s in the room where I came out from.”

David nodded and stood to attention. “I, uh… I need the little boys room!” He said suddenly. “I’ll be back!”

He tore off through the infirmary and disappeared around the corner. “What was that about?” Lucy Luoet asked.

“Knowing him, probably nothing important.” Her younger counterpart replied with a shrug.

“My goodness, what a state you’re in!” Squeaked the nurse that Princess Sandy had brought over.

“Can you help her? Is she going to DIE?” The young Sandy asked, terrified.

“Oh, goodness no, young miss…” The nurse faltered, seeing the young spitting image of their princess for the first time. “She will come out alright, but it’s going to hurt for some time, even when the swelling has gone down… oh dear…”

The nurse got a bowl of warm water and a rag, and began sopping up the blood. Her face didn’t look as horrid as it was being cleared away, but from the gasps and wincing it was clear it hurt terribly nonetheless. As the nurse did her best to clean up Kizuna, Prince Michael burst through the infirmary doors. One of the nurses who was hunched over another patient stood up straight to tell the intruder to keep it down but upon seeing the prince she quickly changed her tune. “Your majesty!” She said with a bow. This led to the rest of the nurses looking over and following suit.

“There you are.” Michael said, ignoring the nurses and making his way over to Kizuna’s crowded bed. “What’s become of her?”

Princess Sandy sidled up to her prince and hugged his arm. “She’s hurt badly, but still with us.”

“Mm.” The prince responded quietly. He looked over the injured girl while he figured out what his next play was. The nurse finished wiping up Kizuna’s face, which was looking much better now that it wasn’t covered in blood. Bandages were placed over her wounds, helping keep more from leaking onto her face.

“I suppose I owe you thanks.” Prince Michael said stiffly. Everyone looked up at him, and Princess Sandy looked offended.

“More than just a thanks! An apology too.” She told him.

The prince looked at her discontented face and then went back to Kizuna. “Indeed. In that case, I extend a full pardon for any crimes you may or may not have committed.”

Kizuna gave a weak thumbs up to him. Just then, David came racing back into the infirmary carrying the suitcase. “I got it!”

Kizuna pulled herself up on the bed so she could sit up properly. “We have to go…” She said weakly.

“Oh, not so fast young lady!” Her nurse protested. “You still have a lot of recovering to do!”

Kizuna looked at Princess Sandy, who smiled from her to the nurse. “She will be okay. Kizuna is very busy these days.”

“More of a reason for her to rest, your highness.” The nurse acknowledged. “I only want to help her to the best of my ability.”

“I would trust my wife’s judgment on this.” The prince said, something that surprised everyone, especially Lucy Luoet. He took her hand and kissed it. “As I should have sooner.”

“Very well then.” The nurse said. “Then I insist that she take a clean set of bandages with her.”

While it wasn’t necessary given the infinite possibilities for medical help from the suitcase, they graciously accepted the bandages. David helped Kizuna to her feet, and they made their way out of the infirmary, along with both Lucys, Sandys, and Prince Michael bringing up the rear. “It is a shame you all leave so soon.” He said. “For I believe a great feast is in order. Ah, and the Spring Festivale is back on the list of things to do.” This got him a look of approval from his wife.

“Maybe another time.” Kizuna croaked, hobbling along as well as she could. Even with the others, she stood out as they walked down the main street to the gate of the city. The gates were now open, as all had calmed down when Prince Michael had believed the perpetrators were caught. When they reached the gate, they turned to say their goodbyes. Both Lucys exchanged their admiration of each other while David wildly shook the prince’s hand, thanking him for such good seats at the jousting match.

“You normally have to pay an arm and a leg for a view like that!” He said enthusiastically.

“Yes, well…” The prince took his hand back quickly and looked down at it with slight disgust, as though it were tainted now that a commoner had touched it. “Try not to get into too much trouble. I will not be so merciful a second time.”

The younger Sandy looked exasperated, while the Lucys exchanged looks of annoyance. “Yeah, yeah, try not to be too nice, Maishul~.” The knight teased.

Prince Michael’s face went beet red. “Do NOT call me that!” He sputtered, stepping up to her.

“Easy, dear…” Princess Sandy said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Temper…” Prince Michael took a deep breath and stepped back. Sandy smiled. “I wish to say farewell to my friends before they leave. I will walk with them a little ways further.”

For once, both the prince and the knight were on the same page. They apprehensively looked from the princess to the motley crew holding the suitcase. Yet, once more to everyone’s surprise, the prince relented. “I will allow it…”

“Like she needs YOUR permission…” Knight Lucy said offhandedly.

“Silence!” The prince said sternly. “I will allow it, but do not stray too far… that madman is still out there.”

“I don’t think you’ll need to worry about him.” Kizuna said, wincing as it hurt to move her face. “He’s not interested in your princess.”

“All the same.” The prince said, resolute in his feelings. “Take your leave, and safe travels.”

The four turned around and walked away, heading past where they were sure the Prince and knight could see them, and turned off into the woods. After losing sight of the main road, they stopped. “I suppose this is it for us, then.” The princess said, looking at all of them with a bright smile. “The parting of the ways. I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me.”

“Princess, the pleasure was all ours!” David said, extending a hand to shake. The princess took it, and matched David’s vigor.

“Everyone always called me a princess where I came from, I just never thought I’d ever become one.” The young Sandy said in awe. “I wish we could have more time to talk… oh, your dresses must be so nice!”

“They surely are, young one.” Princess Sandy said, turning her attention to her. “I know you would look stunning in one. But being a princess is more than just being royalty. It’s about who you are in here.” She placed a hand over her heart.

The princess looked over to Lucy, who folded her arms. “Hey, I don’t need any of that sappy Saturday morning cartoon nonsense.”

“Oh, what a shame.” The princess said in faux disappointment. “I was just thinking how regal of a knight you would make. Your friends are lucky to have you.”

“Yeah… thanks…” Lucy replied sheepishly.

“And last, but never least, Kizuna dear.” The Princess said sweetly to the yellow dog. “You’ve sacrificed so much, I wish I could do more for you than a few parting words.”

“Your words are all the encouragement I need.” Kizuna gave a weak smile. “Finally, after all this time, I did something right. Brought someone home to stay.”

“And I will forever be in your debt.” Princess Sandy bowed to her. “Please, send everyone at the camp my regards.”

“I will do!” Kizuna clutched the suitcase and thought of their base. It rumbled, and she popped it open. “After you all.”

David hopped in first, eager to get back to his cozy tent, followed by Lucy, and an unsure Sandy, but she went in as well. Kizuna gave the princess a nod. “Goodbye. I’m glad I could help.”

“Dear? Are you okay?” They both heard the prince’s voice in the distance.

They both looked back to where the city was. Princess Sandy turned her eyes to Kizuna after a moment. “I better get going. You should too! Fare thee well, Kizuna! May your travels be blessed.”

Kizuna delayed no further, lest they risk the Prince walking up on her jumping into the suitcase. Things were difficult enough with him without having to explain all of that. She saluted, stepped back into the void, and fell, with Princess Sandy’s smiling wave the last thing she saw of the world.

Chapter Text

Down, down, down they fell as they had many times before. The rushing air stung at Kizuna’s face as she did so, from all the injuries she had sustained. She still didn’t know what it looked like, and shuddered at the idea of looking like an unrecognizable mess. David swam over through the air and laid on his side. “Hey, it’s clearing up already!”

Kizuna looked from down below (or what she figured was below, it was hard to tell there) to her friend’s brown furry face. His smile gave her some confidence, but if her face was looking better, it wasn’t feeling like it. “Thank you, Davie.” She replied.

Meanwhile, Sandy was screaming for her life, flailing about in the endless colorful tunnel. Lucy fell beside her, looking at her lazily. She was just bored. “There’s no use in panicking, there’s nothing you can do.”

“That’s not reassuring, Lucy!” Sandy cried, tumbling about. “I want something solid to stand on!”

“Is it any worse than where you were?” Lucy asked.

Sandy thought about the cold, lonely nights in the dungeon, and how poorly she’d been treated. “N-no…”

“Just put your arms out like me.” Lucy splayed out. Sandy nodded, and though still terrified, did as Lucy recommended. Slowly her body leveled out, and she was falling face first just as Lucy was. “See? Not so bad.”

Sandy looked forward as best she could with the rushing air making her eyes water. “Is this taking us home?”

“Not exactly.” Lucy frowned. “More like a holding camp.”

“Ohhh…” Sandy said, disappointed. Her ears pinned back. “I just want to see my Auggy again…”

“Augustus?” David, who had just swam over with Kizuna, asked. “Sorry, Sandy, but he’s dead.” This was something that had been neglected to mention the previous night.

Sandy gasped in horror, and she threw a hand over her mouth. This comment also earned David a sharp elbow in the chest by Lucy. “Not HER Augustus, I’m sure. You know, since Abbey and him were lovers?”

“Huh? What?” Sandy was even more confused.

“It’s a lot to take in still…” Kizuna said sympathetically. “You’ll get used to it in time.”

“Better hurry up and get used to it.” David pointed out. “Here comes camp!”

The white light at the end of the tunnel enveloped them all, and they fired out of the suitcase one by one into the center of camp. They all picked themselves up, with Kizuna having rolled dangerously close to the campfire that was still burning hot. Sandy was worse for wear, moreso than the rest, shaken by the sudden end of their trip. Lucy extended a helping hand and pulled her to her feet. “Are you alright?”

Sandy nodded a little and looked around. “This is camp?”

“Yup!” Kizuna smiled, relieved to be in a place that was somewhat homey. “It’s not much, but it’s cozy.”

Sandy counted all the tents, and then back at the three others. “Is it just us?”

“No, we have a whole party here!” David said. “Friends, and family, and even a corp-” but he stopped when Lucy shot him an unamused look.

“Speaking of, where are they all?” Kizuna pondered out loud. Camp was normally quiet, but now it was abnormally quiet. Yet, that was the only thing out of place. The tents looked like they were in good condition, and the fire was burning in earnest. “Let’s split up and look in the tents.”

There was an uncomfortable pause, like the world was breathing in, and then a firm, booming voice rang out. “DON’T MOVE.”

The quartet looked around frantically for the voice, but what they found were several armed soldiers rushing them with their guns pointed forward. They all put her hands up, Kizuna lifting the suitcase. Sandy looked like she was about to break down in tears.

“Drop it!” Said the same voice, and now they identified it coming from a soldier wearing a slightly different uniform. Kizuna didn’t need clarification on what he was referring to, and let the suitcase fall to the ground. The leader of the group of seven men gestured with his gun to the man next to him to go and grab it, which he did. Kizuna shifted uncomfortably, which led to the group readying their weapons further. “Watch it.” The leader said sternly.

Once the suitcase was retrieved from the ground, the soldier got back in line, and the leader pulled out a walkie talkie. He hit the button on the side, it let out a chirp, and he spoke. “Individuals in our custody. We are on our way back. Over.”

There was another chirp over the walkie talkie, “Understood. Chief is ready to receive the package.”

“All of you, march!” The leader said, gesturing behind him. The soldiers got in line around them, and began walking. The four others each felt the barrel of a gun at their backs and began walking too. They walked out past camp, farther than any of them had dared to go before.

Sandy began sobbing to herself, just wanting whatever nightmare she was in to be over again. She felt a sharp pain in her back as the soldier walking behind her gave a sharp jab with their gun. “Quit yer cryin’” He said harshly. Sandy did her best to suck it up, but still felt a few silent tears dripping down her face.

“May I ask where we are going?” Kizuna asked the lead soldier after they had been walking for about an hour.

“No questions.” He replied gruffly.

“I’m just worried about our other friends, I don’t want them to get lost.” Kizuna said.

“And no talking.” The soldier replied just as gruffly.

Things were going nowhere fast with him, shooting down every attempt Kizuna made to get a better pin on the situation. David was in happier spirits, humming along as they walked, and Lucy just accepted the uncomfortable situation as the new normal for them. After some time, the trees began to thin, and they heard a great deal of noise up ahead floating on the breeze. They reached a rise, and over it they saw a vast military compound. Beyond that, a decrepit town that somewhat resembled Roseville.

The four stopped in awe of it, but were forced forward by the barrels of guns before they could really get a good look. Down the hill they went, and soon Roseville was obscured by the base. Once at the bottom, they came to the tall, electrified fence that surrounded it. In one section was a gate, letting people and vehicles in and out, surrounded by guards armed to the tee. The soldier that was leading them showed his badge to one of the guards, who nodded and looked over the soldier’s shoulder at the teens before barking out an order to let them all in. No sooner had the large gate whirred to life, Kizuna and the others were ushered through to the other side.

There was even more to see on the inside. Military personnel of all levels briskly walking to and fro, going about their daily tasks, following orders. Planes landed and took off from an airstrip, tanks patrolled around, and there were watch towers everywhere. The soldiers made sure Kizuna, David, Sandy, and Lucy kept walking forward whenever they slowed down to get a better look though. They were all headed to a large olive green tent, which was guarded by even more people. Once there, the leader flashed his badge, and was permitted entry into it.

It was quieter inside, though guards were still standing at every corner, and in the center was a large wooden desk. On the other side, in a leather chair fitting of such a desk, sat a man who looked even more serious and battleworn as the guy who was leading them. The suitcase was placed on his desk, and his darkened eyes shifted down to it briefly before looking back up to the four newcomers who were lined up in front of them. Kizuna wondered if she should say something to him, but she didn’t have to think for long because he spoke first.

“There will be no need for all the hostility, my god they’re just teenagers!” The man said, in a voice much warmer than any of them were expecting. “Put yer guns down.” He smiled and shook his head, now addressing the four teens. “They think everyone is just as dangerous as the ones in the exclusion zone. I think I’m working them too hard.”

He stood up from his chair, tall and stoic. “My name is Christopher Maverick. But you can just call me General.”

There was a pause, where none of them spoke. Kizuna had gotten the point of not speaking, David was still in awe of everything, Lucy didn’t care and Sandy was scared she might break out in tears if she opened her mouth. “Well don’t be strangers! Tell me your names!”

“How can I trust you?” Kizuna asked, suspiciously. He was acting nice but being marched for hours at the end of a gun barrel was hardly a warm welcome.

The General seemed a little surprised by this assertion. “How can ya- young miss, we are the government, you can trust us.”

Kizuna was about to speak when David chimed in. “I’m Agent Big Chocolate. This is Agent Babe, Agent Snow White, and Agent The Other Snow White.” He said, looking down the line of Kizuna, Lucy, and Sandy.

“Agents, huh?” The General mused. “Really, because none of your friends we found camping out in the woods were agents.”

“Do you know where they are?” Kizuna blurted, anxious to know if they were okay.

“Don’t worry about them. We gave them a place to stay in a secure facility.” He laughed. Kizuna let out the sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding in. “No harm done! I have no reason to hurt them. Or you four, for that matter. Although, I do have some questions for you. Perhaps you can help me.”

“Okay…” Kizuna said, uneasily.

The General inhaled and placed a hand on the suitcase that was still sitting on his desk. “This is quite an impressive suitcase you have. Brass latches, secure, and I do think this is genuine leather.”

“Why thank you.” David smiled.

“Da- Agent Big Chocolate, please.” Kizuna gave him a look. “Let me talk.”

The General said nothing on this, but made a mental note. He continued on. “Over the last few days, we have been getting energy spikes from the woods. The same energy spikes we got when another strange visitor stumbled onto our base some time ago.”

The four stood still, staring blankly at the General, so he kept talking and paced back and forth. “He was an odd fellow. His name was Carter. We know this because he spoke in the third person, and went on and on about a girl named Lucy.” He spun on the spot to look at the Lucy that was standing in the tent. “Who is you.”

“Yeah, I know Carter. What of it?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, that wasn’t our concern. You see, he kept talking about the end of the universe. That all of it was going to be rewritten.” He walked back over to stand behind the desk. “Does that mean anything to any of you?”

All four of them shook their heads, and only two of them even knew who Carter was. “I see. Well, he also had with him an inconspicuous cardboard box with the words time machine spelled incorrectly on it. Does THAT mean anything to you?”

In fact, it did mean something to Lucy. It was a memory from back in freshman year of highschool, where she and Mike were forced to work with Carter on a school project. They used the box to travel through time to learn about history, but it hadn’t been much help. Ultimately she kept the box, but after Carter used it to sneak into her room she threw it out. None of this she divulged to the General, who was now becoming more imposing and less inviting with each word. Again, they all shook their heads.

“Mm.” He mumbled, not entirely sure he believed them, especially Lucy, who he saw a flicker of understanding cross the face of. “He isn’t here anymore, you know. We let him have free range, he seemed harmless enough, but one particularly bad night he broke into our stores and took the box back. We had meant to do more questioning on him and the box, but he vanished before we could apprehend him.” The General gave a nod, which signaled the soldiers to point their guns down at the teens. “He got away, along with his mysterious little box, but we aren’t going to be making the same mistake again. We’re fairly certain we know what it was used for, and I have a high suspicion that this…” He tapped the suitcase. “Can do the same thing. Take them away, put them with the others. And take this suitcase down to the lab without delay. It’s finally time.”

Before Kizuna could protest, her and her friends were pulled away from the desk, out of the tent, and forced to walk across the military base. “Well that’s just great.” Lucy chided. “We get pardoned by that prince asshole just to be thrown in jail again!”

“Shut it!” One of the soldiers said.

“We got out of the last one, we can get out of this one too.” Kizuna whispered to her, but given that she was to the left of Lucy, she didn’t hear her.

“I said shut it!” The soldier ushering Kizuna along said, giving her a solid shove, almost making her trip over her two left feet.

“Hey! Don’t hit her!” David protested. “It’s not nice to hit girls!”

“If you don’t keep yer trap shut, I’ll do worse to you.” David was warned.

They walked in silence for the rest of the way. Along the way, they got a better look at the base. Large warehouses housed tanks and other military vehicles. They had to give the right of way to a few of them a few times on the way to the building where they were going to be held. It was as tall as it was wide, made of large, thick gray cement bricks. Behind it was an even larger structure that looked like it didn’t belong with the rest of it, as though it had been added on much later after it was built. The soldiers were buzzed in by a guard on the other side, and Kizuna and the others were let through. They were joined by a prison guard as they marched down a hall that extended out of sight on one side, down a flight of stairs, and down another darker, dingier hallway until they came across a long empty wall. At the end of it, there was a metal door.

The guard slid a key card onto a slot next to it, a green light above it flashed red and a buzzing sounded off. “Get in.” He said roughly, and the four didn’t argue or resist. One by one they entered the poorly lit room, and the door was slammed shut tight behind them.

“Well it’s not as bad as the last cell we were in.” David said. “We have a light.”

“Hello?”

The voice came from out of the darker part of the room. From it, emerged Mike, along with… a whole group of their friends. Amaya was there, two boys, a borzoi and another brown and white cat that Kizuna nor the others recognized, Daisy, Abbey, his family, Sue, and…

“Oh my goodness! It’s Kizuna!” The Daisy squeaked. “And Davie and Sandy!”

“Whuh?” Kizuna scratched her head. “You know me?”

“Well yeah… we met and you helped me with Paulo, and that thug attacked us…” She said.

“Oh wow!” David exclaimed. “It’s like a double crossover event! How have you been?”

“Well, after you guys left, I-” Daisy started.

“Where’s Paulo?” Lucy asked, cutting her off, noticing he was missing.

“They took him…” Sue said, hugging herself. “That was about… I don’t know, it’s hard to tell time in here.” There was a dreadful silence, as though they all felt he was dead, and they were paying him respects

“And who are you all?” Kizuna asked, breaking the tension.

“I’m Mike.” Said Mike, walking up with Amaya. “And this is Amaya. We were flying kites when we were… I’m not sure. We were in the woods, and then came across this base, and they threw us in jail.”

“I’m Finn.” Said the borzoi, cuddling up with the brown and white cat.

“I’m Felix.” Said the cat, who looked rather bored.

“Kizuna.” Janet said, stepping up. “Do you have a plan to get us out of here?”

“Well, no.” She admitted. “Not yet. But we just got out of a dungeon, I’m sure we can break out of here too.”

“You make it sound like we escaped.” Lucy corrected. “We got lucky when that thug showed up.”

“What thug?” Mike asked.

“Surely not the one who…” Daisy gasped.

“Yup.” David said. “He was the black knight and everything!”

“He helped you escape?” Abbey asked, skeptical.

“No! It’s complicated, we-” Kizuna started, but her voice was overpowered by the loud buzzer that indicated the cell door was to be opened soon. The brighter light from the hallway lit up the room more as a figure was pushed in forcefully. It fell to the ground, but made little in the way of noise.

“We’ll be back later for another one of ya.” The soldier growled, and slammed the door shut.

“Paulo!” Sue gasped and rushed over. The rest of them saw it was him too, or at least what was left of him. “Oh my god…” The girl lifted him up in her lap, cradling his head.

Everyone gathered around, but Abbey shooed them off. “Give them space!”

Paulo’s eyes barely fluttered open. His breathing was labored. “I must be dead…” he mumbled to Sue. “‘Cause I see an angel…”

Sue gave a little teary laugh. Even at his lowest, he still couldn’t help himself but flirt. “No, sweetie. You’re not dead.”

Paulo placed a weak hand on Sue’s cheek, and she placed her hand on top of his. “Good.”

“How are we gonna get out of here?” Lucy asked. “I doubt that general guy is as stupid as Prince Michael and is going to challenge you to a duel.”

“And we don’t even know where the suitcase is!” David lamented.

“We’ve been stuck here for a while.” Felix said, leaning on Finn. “It seems like they have no plans on letting us leave.”

“Did they torture you too?” Sue asked, still cradling Paulo close to her.

“None of us were harmed, outside of being put in here.” Mike said. “I mean, they did ask where we came from, but we couldn’t tell them how we got here. I’ve overheard some of their conversations, though. They seemed particularly interested in you guys.”

“Because we had the suitcase.” Kizuna paced back and forth as she thought aloud. “They said it was giving off the same energy signature that Carter’s time travel box did. And if he escaped, then we can too!”

“But I thought the area we set up camp in was safe!” David said.

“I asked for it to bring us somewhere secure.” Kizuna corrected.

Lucy threw her hands up. “So much for security.”

“It makes sense.” Kevin said, sitting next to Janet, who had Molly in her lap. “It’s a military operation, probably top secret, so this whole area would be secure, and hidden.”

Kizuna sighed and leaned against the wall. “At least we got the princess home safe.”

Everyone sat in silence, the energy in the room disappearing. Everyone was just huddling with their loved ones, and Kizuna slid down the wall and sat in front of them. It was not a hopeless situation. They were all together now, and as David pointed out, this cell wasn’t nearly as bad as the dark isolation of the castle’s dungeon. It helped that David slid down next to Kizuna and sat right up against her. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

It was totally silent down in their cell. It was far enough below ground that the normal, everyday operations were blocked out by the layers of dirt and concrete. There was a clock on the wall outside the cell, but judging by how the arms seemed to be stationary, it was definitely broken. Either that, or time really was dragging.

“Jana… I’m hungry…” Molly complained, putting a hand on her stomach.

“I know, sweetheart. We’ll eat soon.” Her mother replied softly, giving her a hug.

“Any ideas?” Lucy asked, taking a seat on Kizuna’s other side.

“Without the suitcase we’re going nowhere.” Kizuna lifted her head up. “And we don’t even know where it is.”

“I do.” Paulo said weakly, trying his best to sit up, to the chagrin of Sue.

“Paulo, no, you’re too weak.” She protested as he pulled himself up.

“I’ll be fine.” He said, though the wheeze he let out betrayed him. Still, Sue put a supportive hand on his back to help prop him up.

“On the way back, I saw where they took it.” He wheezed again. Every breath looked like it brought Paulo pain, but he pressed forward. “It was this… HUGE room, dude… and there was some metal ring in the center…” He took a moment to recover his breath and collect himself. Sue gave him a few reassuring rubs on his back. “There were all these wires coming off of it…”

Paulo didn’t say anything more. His body went a little more limp as he laid back, and Sue helped ease him down. Kizuna got up and kneeled next to him. “What about the rest? Did you see what exactly it was?”

Paulo shook his head. “I only saw a little bit… and my vision was blurry.” Kizuna sighed.

“What’s this about a suitcase?” Mike asked. “I doubt you’ll be needing it since it looks like we’ll be here for a while.”

“It’s our ticket out of here.” Lucy said. “It’s some magic portal box or something.”

“So let’s plan a great escape!” David hopped to his feet. “I’ve seen a ton of prison escape movies.”

“We can’t go anywhere with Paulo like this!” Sue protested. “Look at him!”

“I’ll be fine, babe.” Paulo gave a weak grin.

“No you won’t! Can you stop pretending like everything is okay? Like this is all going to work out!” Sue cried in despair. “And look at you!” She said to Kizuna, who looked messed up in her own right. “I don’t know what happened to you, but you don’t look like you can take much more either!”

“So what would you have us do?” Abbey asked. “Lie down and die here?”

Sue regressed. “I… I don’t know.” She looked like she was about to cry. “I’m just scared!”

“Babe, take a deep breath.” Paulo cupped her cheek in his hand. “It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get out of here.”

“We’ve been here for so long.” Felix drawled from his and Finn’s corner. “I don’t know how long, but it feels like it’s been an eternity. And I’ll say this, anything is better than being locked up here.” He got to his feet, with Finn standing up alongside him. “So any plan’s good by me.”

David smiled, and looked down at Sue. “Nothing’s truly hopeless, Susie baby. We just gotta believe!”

“It’s a dumb way to put it but he’s right.” Lucy said, standing next to him. “We made it out of the last disaster, we can make it out of this one.”

Mike and Amaya stood up too. “We’re in if you have a plan.”

“We’ll help any way we can.” Janet said, standing up with Molly and Kevin.

Sue closed her eyes and leaned into Paulo’s hand. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll trust you on this.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The plan was simple - almost too simple. Would it be as easy as beating up the guard when he came back for another one of them? There were a lot of them against just one. Then there’d be the matter of restraining him and preventing him from calling for backup. They’d only have one shot at it, too. No doubt there’d be more security sent to monitor things if they revolted.

Using a crayon that Molly just so happened to have in one of the pockets of her sleeping gown, Paulo mapped out what he remembered from his trip to the interrogation room. It was on the far end of the building, but on the way was the massive room he described before.

“Yeah, and then what?” Lucy said. “You don’t think there will be guards and other people in that room?”

“We can take ‘em!” David said with great gusto.

“Something tells me that isn’t going to happen.” Abbey frowned.

“Well if we can hold them back long enough for me to get my hands on the suitcase, we can fight back.” Kizuna said. “And surely that guard we’re beating up will have a weapon or two with him.”

“I’m not a fan of the idea of shooting anyone.” Finn said.

“And I’m not a fan of gunfire.” Mike said, thinking of his sensitive hearing.

“We won’t have to shoot anyone. I hope.” Kizuna said. “We’ll just use it as a deterrent.”

“I’m not so sure about this plan of yours.” Janet said, holding Molly closer. “I mean, any one of us could get hurt or killed along the way. It’d take a miracle to pull this off.”

“Well it’s something.” Felix said. “A start is better than nothing.”

“So beat up the guard, tie him up with Mike’s scarf, make a break for the stairs and go to the first floor, and run to the big ring room, threatening anyone in our way.” David recapped. “Grab the suitcase and make our escape!”

Everyone stared at him for a moment, realizing how impossible the plan was now that he had said it all out loud. Any one part of it sounded good, but all of it together… “You know what? I agree with Sue, this is not gonna work.” Lucy crossed her arms.

There was an audible sigh from everyone as they let out their frustrations. “Oh, come on, guys! We can do anything if we put our minds to it! We just gotta work together!” David countered.

“Do you have any more generic motivational phrases you want to throw at us?” Abbey asked, really beginning to get annoyed at his constant misplaced positivity.

“I do, actually. Would you like to hear them?” David smiled. “Let’s see, there’s… nothing is impossible! And nothing to it but to do it! Oh, how about -”

“Shush!” Mike said urgently.

“Not you too, Michael-san.” David said with disappointment. “You’re supposed to be my-”

“Quiet!” Mike urged again, and he walked around the cell slowly. All eyes fell on him as his ears swiveled. There was total silence, but the look of concentration on Mike’s face showed he was hearing something. After a few moments of him pacing back and forth, David spoke up again.

“Do ya hear somethin’ Mike?” David said in a loud whisper. “What is it, boy?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Can you please just shut up!”

There was a low rumbling, and the room shook. They all thought they’d imagined it, but it happened again. “They’re all yelling up there. Something’s going on…” Mike said.

There came another, more defined rumble, and this time when the room shook, the light outside the cell blinked off and back on. “Jana, I’m scared…” Molly whimpered, hiding her face in her mother’s chest.

“It’s okay, baby. Probably just a thunderstorm.” She cooed, hugging her close. But she knew deep down this was not a mere storm. She didn’t know what it was, but for something to reach them all the way down where they were, it must have been powerful.

The yells became more apparent as they echoed from upstairs. Hurried footsteps were heard, along with more rumblings that were beginning to sound more like explosions. The booms got louder and louder, the shaking more and more intense until… The lights shut off again. There was a metal squeak as they all sat in complete pitch blackness. Sue’s heart thumped loud enough for Paulo to hear, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She hugged him in return, though not so tight it might hurt him.

There was a loud buzzing somewhere else in the facility as the backup generators came on and the light outside the cell flickered back to life… and brighter than ever. “Everyone, look!” Amaya said excitedly, pointing to the large metal cell door, which was now open. The electronic locks had shut off in the brief moment they lost power.

“Let’s go!” Finn said, already running to the door. Everyone agreed, and took to their newfound freedom.

“Wait, Amaya can talk here too?!” David asked in disbelief. “Geez, doesn’t anyone understand she doesn’t talk?!”

No one cared about Amaya speaking. Kizuna now led the charge to the stairs and they all bolted up them. Paulo did his best to keep up, but lagged behind even with Sue’s help. “Guys, please…” She pleaded. David and Mike fell back and propped Paulo up between them. They practically carried him up the stairs to the door at the top.

Kizuna held up a hand as she scoped the other side of the door through the small window in it. There were still guards and soldiers filing out the building. The explosions and shaking were even more intense now that they were on the ground floor. David and Mike carried Paulo to the door, who peered through with Kizuna.

“Down there. Where they’re coming from. That’s where the room is.” He said, nodding in the direction all the soldiers were running from.

“It looks like our guard problem is being taken care of.” Lucy commented, also squeezing in to get a look.

“Is it clear up there?” Sue asked anxiously.

“Nearly.” Kizuna said, seeing the rush of guards trickle to a stop. “I’m gonna stick my head out and see if anyone is around.”

As gently as she could, Kizuna turned the handle. The door was mercifully quiet as it swung open an inch for Kizuna to peek through. The sound of yelling and panic grew as the thick door wasn’t closed to muffle it. The hall was completely abandoned, everyone having left in a rush. Kizuna opened the door a little further, checking the other side of it. It, too, was clear. Another explosion went off, and Kizuna shut the door. “Looks like it’s empty out there. We still need to be quick!”

Everyone nodded silently, and Kizuna opened the door. Paulo was helped through first by Mike and David, with Kizuna following them up, then being followed by everyone else. Paulo pointed down the opposite end of the hall from the front door. “That way. It’s not too far.”

They all hurriedly made their way down, thankful for their odd stroke of luck, but were on edge still expecting to be halted by some stray guard or soldier at any moment. Their way remained clear, and soon they came up on some large metal doors that didn’t look like they belonged with the rest of the architecture. “Stop!” Paulo said. “This is it!”

The doors were open, no doubt as a result of everyone scrambling to head off whatever was going on outside, which was still giving them hell. Kizuna and Lucy opened the double doors the rest of the way, and ushered everyone inside.

What they found made their jaws drop. It was a massive room with a ceiling several stories high. Around the edges of the room were machines and computers of all sorts, whirring away with lights flashing on and off. And in the center, which took all of their attention, was a large metal ring that stood as tall as the ceiling. In the center of that was a swirling mass of technicolored energy, shining brightly. Sparks occasionally escaped and dissipated in the room around it. Daisy gasped in amazement. “What is this!?”

“It looks to be some sort of portal.” Kizuna observed.

“Well what are we waiting for, let’s go!” Finn cried, rushing toward it, but Felix grabbed his arm.

“We have no idea where it leads.” Felix said. “For all we know, it could tear you apart.”

“We might not have a choice.” Mike said, looking back at the double doors. “Those explosions sound like they are getting closer.”

“You’re super smart, Daisy. What do you think?” Paulo asked.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, Paulo.” Daisy scratched her head. “This is way beyond our highschool curriculum!”

“Look, the suitcase has to be here somewhere, right?” Lucy pointed out. “So let’s just grab it and go!”

“What’s this suitcase look like?” Mike asked.

“It’s brown leather, with two brass clasps and a handle on top.” Kizuna said. “Now let’s split up.”

They all broke off, all taking on different areas of the room. Daisy was fascinated by the machines, taking a little bit of time to look at all of them. “This would be fascinating to study if we weren’t in such a hurry!”

“This isn’t a field trip, Daze.” Paulo said, limping along.

“I know…” She frowned. “It just looks so neat.”

“I found it!” Came a small voice from behind some of the larger machines, which were covered in more wires than the others.

Everyone gathered around Amaya who had come across a glass case with the suitcase held firmly inside. “They must be using it to power the machine.” Sue guessed.

“Hey, that’s our plot device to exploit!” David said, grabbing a nearby chair. “Get outta the way!”

Lucy facepalmed as everyone backed up. “David, I HIGHLY DOUBT this thing is just gonna shatter, and you’re going to try anyway.” She said, realizing that reasoning with the brown lab was an impossibility.

David hurled the lab chair with all his might at the glass case, it struck it full force, and bounced off. There was nary a scratch left behind and Lucy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, wow, there you go.”

“Maybe we should try to find a heavier thing to throw at it.” Finn suggested.

Suddenly, a small crack appeared in the glass casing. The chair hadn’t broken the case, but it had weakened it just enough to let the energy that was bursting out of the suitcase to take care of the rest. The crack expanded, splitting off into all new cracks until the whole case looked like someone had haphazardly carved scribbles into it. Then, it shattered into a bunch of tiny glass shards. Everyone jumped back as bolts of energy shot out, almost as if they were happy to be free, and then the suitcase fell to the table the glass case had been on.

The portal became unstable, and the swirling started to slow. Mike turned his head to the double doors they came in through. “Uhh… guys?”

There was a deafening boom as the part of the building across the hall blew to bits, and the double doors were blown off their hinges. Everyone jumped, and Kizuna scrambled carefully over the glass and nabbed the suitcase. There was gunfire and maniacal laughter as the building on the other side crumbled down. A large tank rolled in, undeterred by the soldiers' attempts to stop it. Kizuna closed her eyes and tried to think of a new place to go hide, and opened the suitcase, but there was no void inside, just the normal inside of the suitcase.

“Huh?!” She blinked in confusion. She closed the suitcase again and opened it up, and still it did not change.

“Ohhh, we’re trapped!” Daisy cried in terror. “We should have just stayed in the cell!”

“No we’re not!” David pointed to the massive portal, which was now beginning to fade and flicker.

“We don’t know where that takes us!” Felix protested.

“Ya got any better ideas?” Lucy argued.

The tank on the other side of the hall fired another round, blowing the wall to the portal room apart.

“I’m taking the chance!” Janet said, and grabbed Molly. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”

Everyone followed her lead, running over to the portal. Kizuna kept trying in vain to get the suitcase to respond as she followed them too, and each attempt left her more hopeless. The tank stopped in its tracks, and the soldiers caught up with it, firing every round they had into it. They were so focused, they didn’t even notice Kizuna and the others escaping one by one into the withering wall of energy.

The hatch on top of the tank opened, and Alejandro popped out, still wearing his black knight armor. The soldiers turned their guns to him, but their bullets were useless against it. He pointed to Kizuna, who was holding open the useless suitcase. “All out of juice, eh?” The thug laughed. “End of the line, bitch.”

David grabbed Kizuna’s arm. Everyone had already filed through the portal, leaving them with the mad villain. “We have to go, Agent Babe!” He called over the gunfire.

The tank’s gun raised to point at the top of the metal ring that housed the portal. David yanked Kizuna’s arm hard, pulling her along with him. “What are you doing? We have to go!”

Kizuna was petrified. The suitcase was their only means of defense, and now it was just an ordinary suitcase. The tank fired on the ring, and the top flew off in an explosion. The energy was blipping out, and with all his might David pushed Kizuna into the last patch of energy. It seemed to reach out to her and pull her in, and the last thing she saw was the room, and David, fading out of sight.

Chapter Text

There was no gush of wind, nor a multicolored tunnel, nor even the sensation of falling. There was only a black void that stretched out infinitely in all directions, and the deafening silence was only pierced by Kizuna’s deafening shrieks. She cried out for David, but he was not there, left behind in the crumbling laboratory. Sue rushed to Kizuna, who had now fallen to her knees in a heap of sobs.

“D-Davie!!!” She choked to the darkness. “N-no…”

“Kizuna…” Sue said softly. “What happened? Where’s David?”

But the dog couldn’t answer. She gripped the suitcase tightly and heaved bitter tears. All Sue could coax out of her was little headshakes. Abbey came forward and knelt down with her, putting a comforting arm over her shoulder. One by one, everyone else followed suit, most of them not knowing her, or understanding what was going on. Yet, they all hugged her as she cried, unconsolable as she was.

Her sobs didn’t travel far in the void, but her sorrow was endless. David, her precious David, gone in a flash, giving his life for her. It wasn’t just. She was the one who faltered, the one who led them all to such great danger. Once more, others were paying the price for her mistakes. After some time, everyone let go and broke off to sit nearby as Kizuna choked out the last of her misery. There was more her heart had to give, but her body was spent, and now her stomach hurt.

“I’m so sorry, Kizuna.” Abbey said. “I know how much it hurts.”

Kizuna sniffled and nodded, wiping away her tears. “It’s all my fault… I froze and he pushed me through… he wasn’t even supposed to be there…”

“But he chose to be, didn’t he?” Abbey asked. “He knew what he was doing.”

A big sigh escaped Kizuna as her tears stopped entirely. “He was so brave…”

“Agreed.” Paulo said, limping toward them with Mike’s help. Although the David they had been travelling around with wasn’t his, it was clear it still messed with him. “Big d-dumb brave idiot…”

They all sat in silence, no one sure of what to say, or where to go, or what to do. There was nothing around them to latch onto. It was just an endless expanse of darkness, a pitch blackness the likes of which none of them had ever seen. Quiet, too, maddeningly quiet. There was nary a breeze to be felt, nor light, nor warmth or cold. Just… nothing.

“Now what?” Lucy asked, looking around. “Is this it? We came all this way just to get stuck here?”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with that thing?” Paulo asked, nudging the suitcase that was still in Kizuna’s tight grasp with his foot. “It’s not workin’ anymore?”

The yellow dog shook her head. She clicked open the latches and opened the suitcase. It was a normal suitcase now, with a solid colored interior. “It’s all out of energy. That machine must have sucked all of it out.”

“Wait, what exactly is going on?” Felix asked, stepping forward outward the grieving dog. “What’s going on with this…” he gestured in a circular motion to the open suitcase. “Thing?”

“It would take too long to explain…” Kizuna sighed, closing it back up.

“Try me.” Felix put his hands on his hips. “Looks like we’ve got nothing but time.”

“Why don’t you lay off?” Lucy asked, stepping in between Kizuna and Felix.

“I just want to know what is going on!” He replied, raising his voice. “Because this isn't exactly what I had in mind when she said we were breaking out of jail!”

“It’s fine, Lucy.” Kizuna stood up. “It is, really.” Lucy frowned but backed down. “My name is Kizuna. I’m supposed to be helping you all get back to where you belong. This suitcase…” She lifted it up for all of the new party members to see. “It's what helped us get around before, but it’s not working now.”

“Are you saying we’re trapped here?” Finn asked. “Like… this is it?” A murmur went through her friends.

“We don’t know that.” Kizuna said. “I mean, that portal had to have taken us somewhere. Maybe something will come up.” She tried her best to put on a smile, but David’s sacrifice still weighed heavily on her mind. “I’m sure if we just start walking, we’ll come across something.”

“Because following you last time worked out.” Felix countered. “I’m sorry, but I’m staying put.”

Kizuna looked hurt, but she understood. She hadn’t necessarily made the best first impression. Once more, Lucy came to her defense. “Alright. Stay here, then. And the rest of us will go find a way out of this place.”

Sue got up and stood by Lucy’s side. “If we stay here, we won’t make it. At least out there somewhere there might be a chance.”

“I agree with her.” Paulo said. “And not just ‘cause she’s my girlfriend. Take it from me, anywhere is better than that military place.”

Sandy, Mike, Amaya, Abbey, and Abbey’s family all took Kizuna’s side as well. Finn took a few tentative steps forward to her, only to be stopped by Felix, who took his hand. “Finn, what are you doing?”

“Look, she seems to know what’s going on…” He said. “I think we should go with her.”

Felix looked at everyone who had taken the yellow dog’s side and sighed in defeat. “Alright. I’ll trust YOU, Finn.”

Finn smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

So it was decided, and the group gathered themselves as best they could and headed forward… or where they thought was forward. The void was totally directionless, and for all they knew they were all walking in place, and it only seemed like they were making progress. In the meantime, they all talked amongst themselves. Mike, Amaya, Finn and Felix were already acquainted, having been in the cell the longest, but the new batch of friends held all new stories.

“How long have you two been together?” Mike asked Paulo and Sue.

“Is it really that obvious?” Paulo smiled.

“How could it not be? You’re hanging all over each other.” Mike smiled back. “Back where I come from, you two really don’t like each other.”

“Yeah, it was like that for a long time between us.” Sue took Paulo’s free hand, the one that wasn’t draped around Mike for support. “Circumstances forced us to get along, and it turns out we had a lot in common.”

“Plus she’s a total babe, I mean, how could I not?” Paulo grinned at her, and lifted her hand to place a kiss on it.

“So, you and Amaya?” Sue asked.

“Oh yeah. She was just the peace I was looking for.” The korat smiled at his partner. “She’s helped me through a lot.”

Up ahead, Abbey caught up with Kizuna. “Hello, Kizuna.” He greeted her.

“Ah, hi Abbey.” She said with a small smile.

“Again, I wanted to say I’m terribly sorry about David. I know he meant a lot to you.” He said.

“I’ll be okay…” Kizuna trailed off and looked ahead. “We have to succeed. We can’t let his sacrifice go to waste.”

“I’ll see to it that it doesn’t.” Abbey smiled.

Back with Abbey’s family, Molly lagged behind. “Jana… I’m tired…”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Do you want me to carry you?” Her mother asked sweetly.

“I got it!” Abbey fell back from Kizuna and got down on one knee. “How about a piggy back ride?”

“Yaaay!” His younger sister cheered and clambered onto his back.

“How long have we been walking?” Felix asked, looking around for anything.

“I don’t know, they took my watch when they put us in that cell.” Kevin replied.

“It may as well be forever.” Finn said. They all agreed. It was as though time had stopped entirely.

“You know, as scary as it would be to just die here.” Felix commented gravely. “Being stuck in time here, living forever would be even worse.”

It was a pretty grim thing to consider, and an even more grim thing to say out loud. With this new thought in everyone’s minds, the mood which was already pretty low hit rock bottom. Kizuna did her best to cheer them up, walking backwards as she did so. “Hey all, don’t be that way! I’ve been in far worse spots before. And I’m sure if it gets really bad, Liam will help us out! Somehow.”

“Who is Liam?” Felix asked, skeptical.

“Oh, well he is the guy that sent me on this quest.” Kizuna said. “He was really nice and explained everything to me!”

“Seems like he sent you on a suicide mission.” The cat retorted.

“Felix, what is your deal?” Finn looked at him with concern. “You’re being such a downer.”

Felix frowned and said nothing, but did walk slower. Him and Finn fell back from the rest of the group, though Kizuna still did her best to bring their spirits up. “What’s going on, bud?” Finn asked. Felix crossed his arms and his ears pinned back. “Please, Felix, don’t keep me out.”

It took a few moments before Felix spoke. Opening up was difficult for him at the best of times, and so far, the past few days had been the worst of them. “It’s just so much… I miss my family… I miss home… what did we do to deserve this?”

“I don’t know.” Finn said, taking his hand. “Maybe we don’t have control over anything. But what I do know is that we’re together, and I’d be way more scared without you.”

“I… suppose I would be much worse off without you too.” Felix blushed. “I just want to go home…”

“We will, I’m sure.” Finn looked over at Kizuna who was talking about her triumphant victory over Prince Michael. “We just have to trust her.”

They caught up to the rest of the group as Kizuna finished her tale. It sort of dispersed the tension in the group, renewing them with hope that things really would work out. Yet, the void went on and on, and the lively conversation slowed to a stop once all was said and done. It felt worse than malice, the void was simply indifferent. Then Kizuna began to wonder. “Why were those military guys so interested in this place? There’s nothing here.”

“Maybe a place to do some top secret military weapon testing?” Lucy guessed, looking around at nothing in particular, as nothing was there to begin with. “No one around, nothing to destroy, you could do whatever you wanted here and it would be totally secret.”

“It’s such a lonely place…” Sandy said somberly, hugging herself as she walked.

“Not now that you’re all here.” Said a new voice behind the group. It sounded Australian, and spoke with great authority, filling the silence of the void. They all spun on the spot to find a rather tall figure wearing a cloak and hood, obscuring their face, and holding a hammer whose shaft extended all the way to the floor, and the head of which was made of some black and blue material with a large red exclamation mark on both faces. The group stood in stunned silence, unsure if this new figure was friend or foe. After there was no response, it removed its hood and spoke again. “It looks like you have all come a long way. Some longer than others.” He said as he eyed Paulo and Kizuna.

It was a creature that none of them had seen before. He wasn’t covered in fur, save for the top of his head, which sat blonde hair. He had some facial hair, as though he had shaved recently but hadn’t been bothered in a few days to keep it trimmed. His eyes were brown, and they slowly looked over the group, one by one. Kizuna plucked up the nerve to step forward and address him. “Hello. I’m Kizuna, these are my friends.” She gestured to the people around her. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

“Straight to the point, huh?” He asked, a little amused. “Give me a moment.”

He turned and walked away into… what looked like a curtain. It was as though the void was cut open and he stepped right through. There was some light that spilled out in the brief moment that he walked away, which vanished leaving them in total darkness once more.

“Who the heck was that?” Lucy asked.

“WHAT the heck was that?” Paulo seconded, which is what everyone else was thinking.

“I just hope he’s nice… whatever he is…” Sandy said.

Abbey walked over to where the void curtain had opened up. Molly reached out, but nothing was there. “Come back here, kids.” Janet cautioned. “Don’t get that close.”

“I can’t feel anything, Jana.” Molly said, looking back at her mom. “Where did he go?”

Another void curtain opened up behind all of them, and the man from earlier stepped through. “She is ready to see you now.”

Everyone turned around, and Kizuna being the closest now stepped through without hesitation. The others followed her lead, and soon they were in a massive room - this one a library. Book shelves extended way into the air, far beyond what any of them could see. The room seemed impossibly large in all directions, too. The floor was wooden, and on the far end was a massive window. Beyond the man they followed was a woman wearing a similar cloak, looking out the window over the galaxy Liam had shown Kizuna, but it was looking far more different. All the tiny colorful lights were congealing into one spot, orbiting around the center. The woman heard them entering, and turned around to greet them with a smile. “Kizuna, I was wondering if we’d see you.”

“You… know me?” The dog asked hesitantly.

The last of the group was through the curtain now, which sealed shut behind them. “Of course.” She said, walking towards the group. “I know all of you!” She stopped next to the man.

“Well… who are you?” Kizuna asked.

The woman looked at the man. “You didn’t introduce yourself, did you?” The man shook his head. “That’s okay. My name is Veronica Vera, and this is my husband Oliver.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The gears inside Kizuna’s head churned. “Wait a moment… are you Taeshi?!”

A look of understanding flashed in Veronica’s eyes for a moment. “Why, yes. Where did you hear that name?”

Kizuna suddenly remembered that her mission was supposed to be kept a secret from them, and faltered. “Erm, well.. Uhh…”

“Been talking to Liam, it seems?” Oliver asked, eyes shifting down to the suitcase.

“Oh, Liam.” Taeshi shook her head disappointedly. “He’s so misguided…”

“He… he said I needed to help my friends…” Kizuna said, looking back at them. “That they were misplaced.”

“Oh, they weren’t misplaced, Kizuna. They were right where they needed to be.” Veronica smiled. “We are simply cleaning house at the moment, there is no reason to raise an alarm.”

Kizuna’s eyes shifted past Veronica to look at the swirling galaxy outside. Everyone else looked on in confusion. “I… I don’t understand.”

Veronica stood to the side so they could all get a better look at the galaxy. “As you probably know, if you talked to Liam.” There was the sound of disdain in her voice as she spoke. “This is the entire universe that you and your friends belong to. And the center there.” She pointed to the brightest light. “Is where you used to live.”

“And all of your friends.” Oliver said. “Belonged to all of those little lights that are now coming together just around the center.”

“Now the light in the center was made by me.” Veronica stated.

“I helped a little bit too.” Oliver mumbled.

Veronica pressed on. “But all of those extra little lights were not. They were made by people who liked what I made.”

“You’re saying… we’re not real?” Lucy asked tentatively. “That all of this is just made up by other people?”

“Exactly!” Veronica beamed at Lucy. “Always the most attentive in the room, Lucy.”

“But there’s just one problem.” Oliver said, leaning on his hammer. “And it’s that we have no control over what people make.”

“Well what’s so bad about that? Shouldn’t people be free to make whatever they want?” Abbey asked.

“No, they should, I agree.” Veronica said. “And while there are a lot of wonderful things out there…” She lifted a hand, and a visage of Augustus playing guitar for Tess appeared. They took no heed of anything, continuing on as if everything was normal. “There are also some terrible things.”

With a wave of her hand, Tess and Augustus morphed into Alejandro, and a very pregnant Lucy. Everyone gasped, and Lucy wretched. “Hey!” Mike yelled at them.

“What’s wrong, green eyes?” The thug asked smugly, running his hands over Lucy. “Don’t like Lucy’s new look?”

Veronica closed her hand and the visage vanished. “So you see, we have to do something about this problem.”

“But what does that have to do with us!” Kizuna said, still confused. “We didn’t do anything!”

“Ah, but you see, we have to be fair to everyone.” Veronica said sweetly. “What we think is bad might be great to someone else, so in order to keep things fair across the board, all of it must go - which brings me to my last point, I’m going to have to send you and all of your friends back now.”

“Wait, what?!” Kizuna cried, and there was a wave of concern among her friends. “There has to be another way! It can’t just end like this!” Her voice cracked. “I tried so hard to help them! Surely we can- “

“ENOUGH!” Oliver’s voice boomed around them, and he lifted his hammer. “It might not be a popular decision, but it’s fair and it is final!”

“How is it fair?!” Abbey challenged. “There’s so many issues with your decision!”

He was ignored. “Farewell, Kizuna, and all your friends.” Veronica waved as Oliver lifted his hammer above his head. “I wish we could explain more, but there really is a lot of work to be done still!”

Kizuna ran forward. “Wait, stop! Please!” But the hammer swung down with ferocity, and the moment it made contact with the ground, everything wavered. It was unlike being sent through the suitcase, things turned upside down, moved every which way. The Candyverse spiral twisted and turned, Oliver appeared bigger than he ever was and Veronica’s eyes looked like slits. This all spun and congealed until it poofed into nothing.

“Nicely done.” Veronica said to Oliver as the dust settled. “Now for those other matters… ALEJANDRO!!!”

Her voice boomed through the void, and in poofed the thug, looking terribly bent out of shape. He was still clad in his black armor. “Take off that ridiculous outfit.” Oliver growled, lifting his hammer and bringing it down again on the floor. Alejandro’s armor cracked and flew off him, landing with a clatter.

Veronica lifted her hand and Alejandro’s body went up with it. With a clench of her fist, Alejandro was pulled toward her, stopping just inches in front of her face. “You had ONE. JOB.”

“She wasn’t alone like you promised.” Alejandro grunted with a frown. “Her friends kept getting in the way.”

“And your half-witted attempts at killing her were not to blame?” Oliver scoffed sarcastically. “Surely you did nothing wrong.”

“You let me do whatever I wanted!” Alejandro spat. “This was your idea! You broke me out of prison! You gave me my body back! It was all you!”

“Shut it!” Veronica hissed. “We gave you chance after chance!” She turned around, walking toward the galaxy beyond them. “Souppy, can you bring me this ingrate’s paper, please.”

Oliver did as he was told, procuring the paper from within his robe. Veronica opened her hand, letting Alejandro drop to the floor. She took the paper from Oliver, and held the top of it in both hands, prepared to rip it. Out in the galaxy, the rest of the lights were morphing together into the one that orbited around the center, and the woman stopped. “On the other hand… you did slow her down.” She looked at the pathetic thug with disdain. “Perhaps your usefulness to us hasn’t run its course just yet… Liam is still out there, somewhere, hiding like the little coward he is.”

Veronica slid the paper into her robe. “Find him. Do NOT fail me.”

Chapter Text

The wind was knocked out of Kizuna as she felt herself being pushed back into a familiar sight, the multicolored world between worlds, yet the colors weren’t as plentiful or as bright. The end she was hurtling towards was unbearably bright, and Kizuna had to turn her head and close her eyes to keep from going blind. Even behind her eyelids the bright light came through, growing ever brighter as she got closer. Her hands went up over her eyes to block it out further, and now there was even more noise and clamor. Everything began to shake and then… POOF!

Kizuna shot out and slammed into the ground harder than she ever had before, tumbling and falling over herself until she came to a complete stop against a parked car.

There was a “Where is she?” from nearby as all of their friends looked around for her on the other side of the car.

Kizuna shrank down on her side of it. There was no way she could show her face to her friends. “Where are we?” Another asked.

“Looks like Jasmine’s house.” Paulo said, looking at the house they were all standing in front of. Around them everything seemed normal, it was Roseville as they all knew it. Yet… it felt very empty. For such a beautiful day, no one was out and about.

Kizuna hugged herself and closed her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, everyone… Really, I really tried…’ She thought to herself.

“Well this place isn’t so bad…” Sandy said, looking around.

“Where’s Molly?” Abbey asked with worry. “And Janet? And Kevin?”

“Hey, that tan dog and multicolored cat are gone, too!” Lucy noted.

There was a loud groan all around them, as though the world was heaving. A loud crackling began above them, and they all looked up. The sky changed, it looked like it was peeling away. Cracks formed into nothingness, splitting the clouds apart. Beyond the cracks, other worlds faded in, and slowly objects and people began to come down from them. It was an unbelievable sight, seeing their friends from all different worlds drifting down towards them. Kizuna opened her eyes and looked up. She felt weak in her stomach. Things were truly hopeless now.

“Oh my God…” Sandy gasped, eyes filled with the unbelievable. “It really is the end of everything, isn’t it?”

“All in favor of going inside?” Paulo asked, not keen on being outside when everything hit the ground. “I’m sure Jasmine won’t mind…”

There was a unanimous agreement, and Paulo, helped along by Sue, led the way to the front door. Paulo rang the doorbell with the hand that wasn’t draped around Sue’s shoulder, and soon a very confused Jasmine answered. “Paulo? Sue? Abbey?!” She looked past them to the others, some of whom she didn’t recognize. “How? What?!”

“Hi, Jasmine.” Abbey waved.

Jasmine looked up at the sky. “OH! What’s happened out here?!”

Sue smiled anxiously. “Mind if we come in… I think we can explain…”

Jasmine, bewildered, accepted her request and she stood aside so the others could come in. Jasmine’s living room filled up fast, and Sue was able to finally let Paulo go to rest on something soft. Jasmine closed the door behind her, and joined the rest of the group. “Now, what is going on? Did all of you want to spend your last minutes with me too?!” She pointed to the other Paulo, who was resting on his back on her couch. “And what happened to him?!”

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Kizuna hadn’t followed the rest of them in. She walked away slowly when the others chose to go inside. It was for the best. She had just caused so much damage. For all their suffering, their great effort, their triumphs and bitter losses, in the end, it didn’t matter. And Kizuna had led them all to their doom. Well, ‘led’ was a strong word. Leader was not a title she much felt like she deserved. Leaders were strong, had all the answers, and never faltered. And Liam… had he really just sent her on a suicide mission? Was this all for naught right from the start?

Kizuna stopped. In her wandering, she had walked right up to the house she recognized as the one she used to live in. She slowly went up to the door, which she was surprised to find was unlocked. Inside was a mess, as though the occupants had left in a hurry and couldn’t be bothered to clean up anything. The layout was familiar, but the decor was not. It felt hoity-toity, like a wealthier family than hers had lived here. Kizuna sauntered up the stairs, a lump forming in her throat with each step. It was like stepping into a nostalgic aura, and with each step she grew closer to the way her life had been a week prior.

All that had mattered then was school, her friends, and her desperately trying to get David’s attention. Homework was the biggest drag in her life. Kizuna entered the room that would normally have been hers. Inside it was decorated in all pink, with ribbons and trophies placed on shelves. There were fancy clothes everywhere, designer named brands, nothing she would ever wear. On the far wall was a bed, just where hers used to be, and above it was a name spelled out in big, white letters nailed to the wall - Katie. Kizuna sat down on the plush bed for a few moments. Then she laid down, her lump turning to sobs.

She cried harder than she ever had in her life. A week's worth of stress and worry flowed out in each tear little by little, though the well was deep. Every fear, sadness, worry, doubt, or otherwise terrible thought she had bottled up burst out of the cap. She cried for David, whom did not even ask for this adventure, he was perfectly fine where he was. Even after everything, he protected her, gave his life for her to give her another chance to save everyone. What did she do with that chance? Completely blew it. Kizuna closed her eyes and pretended she was in her original home again, safe in her own room. Soon everything would be gone, and it would be like her and her friends never existed at all.

In her grief, she didn’t notice a figure had begun sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He looked down at her with pity, and sighed. “I’m sorry, Kizuna. I never said it would be easy.”

This startled her, and the girl jumped up and fell off the bed. She pulled herself up to see a familiar face smiling sympathetically at her. “L-Liam?!”

“Yes. I’m here.” Liam patted the bed next to him. “Sit with me. Talk with me.”

Kizuna, teary eyed and still sobbing to herself, climbed up and took a seat next to the white cat. He put his arm around her, and she hugged him. “I’m sorry!” She cried. “I failed!”

“The universe hasn’t ended yet. Until then, there’s still a chance!” He said with warmth. “It’s not over until it’s over.”

“B-but it is!” Kizuna choked and she let go. It was now she realized she didn’t have the suitcase with her. She’d dropped it back where she landed with the others. “The suitcase… It’s powerless! It can’t d-do anything!”

“You know…” Liam said, looking out the window. “I’ve seen a lot of things over the course of the time I’ve spent being a guardian. But nothing has surprised me quite like you.”

“Was I th-that bad…?” Kizuna asked bitterly. “You should have j-just left me to d-die…”

“Not at all!” Liam said brightly. “Anyone else would have given up at any point along the way, and yet you didn’t! You didn’t, you kept going! No matter how hopeless it was.”

Kizuna wiped the tears from her face. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“Nothing else. That’s the thing.” Liam pulled his arm back and stood up. “That’s why I chose YOU, Kizuna. Because you always failed, over and over and still you kept trying! With David, with your friends, with school. And I knew someone like that could be trusted with such an important mission.”

Kizuna blinked, her tears now drying up. “But now I can’t do anything! We ended up meeting Veronica and Oliver and they’ve made up their minds. The whole universe is coming apart! And the suitcase ran out of power.”

Liam leaned in. “But it can be charged, Kizuna. It can be charged!” The cat looked out the window. “I have to be going now. I’m the one being hunted by that guy, and there’s still a lot of work to do. Plus, so long as I can keep giving him something to chase, he’ll be off your back.”

Kizuna gave a small smile. “Yeah. I guess so.”

A glow began to form around Liam. “You’re the best of them, Kizuna, you must never forget that, even if others do. You can try and maybe fail, or give up and fail for sure. The choice is yours.”

A stray thought came across Kizuna’s mind. “Wait Liam! Have you seen Carter?”

The glow stopped and Liam became normal again. “Carter? No, not for a few weeks at least. Why?”

“The place we came from before here… this general guy said Carter had shown up.” Kizuna explained, and Liam listened intently. “He said he was talking about the universe being rewritten, and then he disappeared.”

“Interesting…” Liam said. “I’ve just been so busy trying to keep all of this under control I guess he sort of flew under my radar. I’ll keep a lookout for him, though. Farewell, Kizuna. If you succeed we will be seeing each other real soon.” And in a flash of light, he vanished.

Kizuna walked to the window. The sky for as far as she could see was filled with cracks and crevices opening up to worlds beyond. Uncountable numbers of her friends were streaming through. So much destruction, terrors beyond her comprehension. Everyone in the universe was counting on her whether they realized it or not. And all of it hinged on one last fool’s hope. Kizuna nodded with determination. She wouldn’t let David, or Augustus’s, or anyone’s sacrifices be in vain.

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“I thought it couldn’t get any worse…” Jasmine felt faint and fell back in a big armchair. “I guess it wouldn’t really have changed much anyway…”

There was a frantic knock at the door, and Jasmine went to get up, but Mike waved her down. “I’ll get it.”

When he opened the door, another Paulo greeted him on the other side. “Mike? What the hell are you doing here?!”

Jasmine jumped to her feet in a heartbeat. “Paulo?!” She looked from the somali on the couch and then around to the front door. “There are two of them?”

“Two Paulos?” Paulo pushed past Mike to enter the living room. Mike frowned and closed the door behind him. “What do you mean, two Paulos?” He saw his other self laying on the couch, currently being pet by Sue. “Oh god, what the fuck?!”

“How are there two of me??” He asked in total shock. “And why is SUE of all people all over me?!” He then pointed out the window at the chaos. “And what is going on out there?”

“Welcome to the club.” Abbey said, and Sue just rolled her eyes. By now, she was getting quite used to the adverse reaction to her and Paulo showing affection for each other.

Jasmine hugged the upright somali. “It’s… it’s a lot…”

“I was hoping we’d have some privacy…” Paulo looked at everyone else in the room. “Did everyone else think to come here too?”

“Not exactly… let’s sit down…” Jasmine tugged on him to sit in the armchair, and once he had taken his place, she sat down on his lap. “I think it’s best if they tell you… I’m still not entirely sure…”

Sue was about to open her mouth to launch into her spiel again when she was interrupted by another knock at the door. Mike got the door again, as he hadn’t moved away from it, and in came Kizuna holding the suitcase. “Okay, we’ve got one last shot and I have no idea how we’re gonna do it, but we’re not done yet.” She looked over all her friends. “I know I’ve asked a lot from you…” She said, “But I can’t do this alone. I still need you.”

“What is it, Kizuna?” Daisy asked. “Anything!”

“The suitcase just needs to be charged!” Kizuna said.

“I’m sorry, who is that?” The Paulo in the armchair asked.

“Right, well we’ll just plug it in somewhere, right?” Abbey said, ignoring him. “How long should it take?”

Kizuna thought back, way back, to what Liam had told her when he first sent her out on this mission. Her smile and optimism fell. “I… we need the energy of one megaton of TNT…”

“That is a lot of power…” Mike whistled.

“In order to produce that much power...” Abbey thought aloud.

“You’d need a nuclear blast!” Daisy concluded.

“Oh, wonderful!” Lucy said with great sarcasm. “Where are we going to get one of those?”

Jasmine and the Paulo she was sitting on looked at each other. “Uhhh…”

Jasmine grabbed a nearby TV remote and hit the power button on it. The TV went straight to a news broadcast talking about a war, with the news pundit explaining what to do in a nuclear situation. There was also a message at the bottom of the screen specialized for the New Jersey area warning of an incoming ICBM.

“This is the most convenient disaster of all time.” Lucy said flatly.

“Okay!” Kizuna pounded a fist into her hand. “There’s still a chance! An insane chance, but still a chance! We just gotta capture this thing in the suitcase and hope for the best!”

“That’s great… but where is it supposed to hit, exactly?” Abbey asked, skeptical of the whole thing despite his agreement.

A map flashed up on the TV, showing the ICBM’s trajectory, and its estimated hit point, which looked to be at the park. “There!” Kizuna tapped the screen.

“But that says it’ll be there in twenty minutes!” Sandy squeaked. “We’ll never make it in time.”

“If we walk, maybe.” Abbey said. “But if we drove, we might just make it!”

“No way!” Sue sat protectively in front of Paulo. “He is in NO condition to drive!”

Paulo sat up and put a hand on her shoulder. “I got this babe.”

“Paulo, NO!” She protested. “You’re too weak, you NEED rest.”

“Look around!” He said. “There’s not going to be anything left soon! Will I rest when we’re dead?”

Sue looked like she was about to cry, and Abbey put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go with him.”

“Me too!” The other Paulo said. “I’ll watch my own back.”

“Wait, can’t you drive?” Mike asked.

“No.” The somali shook his head. “Besides, I ran here.”

“Guys…” Kizuna said anxiously. “We really need to get going…”

Paulo shakily got to his feet, with aid from Abbey. “Let’s go.”

The other Paulo kissed Jasmine. “I love ya, babe. I’ll… I’ll see ya later.” He said with certainty.

“Go save the world for me.” The girl purred, nuzzling his cheek. “You can take my mom’s car… doubt she’ll miss it. Keys are hanging by the door.”

The better off somali helped Abbey and the hurt Paulo the rest of the way. He grabbed the keys at the door and they headed out with Kizuna.

Outside, the crumbling of reality had only gotten worse, with the sky ripped totally to shreds beyond the horizon, and the air filled with all manner of buildings and people floating toward the ground. The Paulo that they were helping along got considerably lighter. In fact, they all felt lighter, and seemed to bounce with every step.

“Why is everything so light?” Abbey asked.

“The tears in the sky must be causing the gravity to be all wonky!” Kizuna said, though this was a wild guess. Perhaps this was part and parcel for the end of the universe.

They helped Paulo to the driver’s side of the car and Abbey opened it. Paulo slid inside with a grunt and they all took their seats. Paulo stuck the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. “Damn!” Paulo swore, looking at the fuel tank. “It’s almost empty.”

“We can still make it to the park, right?” Kizuna said, grabbing the seat in front of her to pull herself forward to look.

“Yeah, we’ll make it.” Paulo said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

The somali put the pedal to the metal and peeled off. Abbey gripped the overhead handle and grit his teeth. He’d never ridden with Paulo before, and if they survived this day, he would make a note to never ride with him again. And Paulo was hurt too, he didn’t want to think what it might be like if he was feeling his best.

The roads were near empty, and Paulo had no qualms maxing out the speedometer. He drove over lawns, hit trash cans, and smashed through fences. “What?” He said, seeing Abbey’s unamused expression in the rear view mirror. “The world’s gonna end anyway, may as well have some fun!”

“Hell yeah, this is just like Steal Wheels Five!” The other Paulo whooped. “Oh, oh, look! A ramp!”

Ahead was a large wooden board that had been abandoned when the owners of it fled town. It was propped up against a car, begging for an irresponsible driver to go full tilt onto it.

“Are you kidding?!” Abbey gawked in disbelief. “Are you both twelve?!”

“HOLD ON!” The passenger Paulo yelled. Abbey gripped the ceiling handle tighter, and Kizuna hugged the suitcase. Driver Paulo sped up to take the ramp at full speed. The car flew into the air, and floated along for a bit longer than they were expecting. Abbey opened the window to look down, and saw the road flying past below them. The Paulos cheered and hollered in the front, while the car slowly descended, kissing the ground with a light bump.

Abbey dared to look above them, and the situation there was not better. The sky had split into even more fractals, squeezing every last inch of it into chaos. There were no patches of the real sky left, and the air was filled with panicked cries as an endless rain of their friends drifted down gradually. He stuck his head back in, looking quite worried. “It’s getting bad out there.” He said. “Maybe going faster isn’t the worst idea.”

“This thing don’t go much faster.” Driver Paulo said. He pulled the handbrake and everyone was pulled to the left hard as he drifted around a corner. “We’re almost there anyway.”

Buildings were beginning to crumble as otherworldly counterparts blipped into them. Debris flew everywhere, and all four of them yelled as it rained down on them. Paulo attempted evasive maneuvers to avoid the larger debris, but it wasn’t enough to avoid smaller pieces from hitting the car. The metal crunched and the car groaned as it was pelted on all sides. Fire hydrants exploded, sending shrapnel and water into the air.

“Watch out!” Kizuna screamed, but there was not much to be done. A brick came careening to the windshield, but… harmlessly bounced off. In fact, the car was slowing down. The gravity had become so weak that traction was becoming an issue. Paulo hit the breaks as they arrived at the park, but the car just sailed forward after bumping the curb.

The car was flying right toward a tree, and no amount of trying to reverse did anything to avert their course. “Brace yourself!” Driver Paulo cried, and they all yelled, holding onto the car’s interior, but all that happened was the car lightly jolted and came to a stop. They all stopped yelling, and would have laughed at the situation, if the world outside hadn’t been in a state of apocalypse.

They all breathed a sigh of relief still, and the injured Paulo closed his eyes and laid his head on the seat’s headrest. “You go on without me…” He wheezed. “I… I just need a moment…”

Kizuna leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” The somali smiled weakly and opened his eyes just a crack.

“Yeah, ‘Zuna. I’ll be okay. You all need to get a move on.” He unlocked the doors. “Now go!”

There was no time to argue, and they all got out. Abbey looked back at the ailing cat in the driver’s seat, and remembered his promise to Sue. He elected to stay behind. “I’ll watch him.” He told the healthier Paulo and Kizuna. “It’s all up to you now!” He smiled at the girl. “You’re really brave, you know that? I wish we could have been friends where I came from, but I am glad to have known you while I did.”

Kizuna smiled back, getting misty eyed. “Thank you, Abbey! I promise not to let you down!” She looked up into the sky with purpose. “I have a gut feeling… Maybe things aren’t as hopeless as they seem.”

“Are we going?” The other Paulo asked. “Or you two gonna make out?”

Abbey frowned. Clearly this Paulo needed some work. “Go! Godspeed and good luck, Kizuna!” He waved.

Paulo and Kizuna raced off to the center of the park. A few citizens who had given up trying to get away were gathered, but in awe of the destroyed sky above them. In the distance was a metal cylinder flying their way. “That must be it. The low gravity must have slowed it down!” Kizuna guessed.

Kizuna took a running start and lept. She flew a few feet into the air and then turned around and did the same back to where she started. “What are you doing?” Paulo asked, bewildered at her behavior.

“Testing something out.” She looked up at the debris filled sky. “I might be able to use all that stuff to hop to the bomb… but…”

“But what?!” Paulo said, getting more anxious as the bomb got closer, and wondering why Kizuna wasn’t doing anything to stop it.

“I’m very, very clumsy…” She admitted.

“Are you kidding?!” Paulo exclaimed, exasperated. “We’re all counting on you!”

“I know, I know!” Kizuna said, feeling worse about her two left feet. “I’m gonna try though!”

“Try your best, then!” Paulo said after her as she scrambled up a tree as best she could with the suitcase. “We all die if you don’t.”

Kizuna inched her way across one of the highest limbs, and eyed her target. It was a bathtub floating several feet above the ground, but just possibly within jumping distance for her. She held onto the suitcase tightly, and leapt. It was a clumsy jump, her foot slipped when she propelled herself forward, but the low gravity did a lot of the heavy lifting. Despite the misstep, her aim was true, and she landed in the tub.

“Great job!” Called Paulo from the ground, though it was in part sarcastic. “Now just a hundred more to go!”

Kizuna didn’t let his comments get to her. She focused on her next jump, this time to a wardrobe. She didn’t slip this time, but without anything solid to keep the bathtub from being pushed back she didn’t go as far as she thought she would. Kizuna just barely managed to grab hold of the wood surface before she came slowly falling back to the ground. Time was of the essence, and any delay such as that would surely spell their doom. No, there was no time for error. Each jump must be successful.

The next one was to a washing machine, then to a bed, and then a car. Up above more buildings were coming down, and Kizuna poised to take advantage of the platform they would give. A bank came drifting down past the car, and she lept for it. For a brief moment the dog slipped down the side, only having one free hand, but she grabbed a decorative vine that was growing on the side and used it to climb to the top. The bank began turning on its back so that the front faced upwards, and Kizuna lost her footing as the building shifted.

As she fell, the suitcase left her hand and began to slide backwards. Kizuna gasped and crawled toward it, nabbing it just as it was about to slide off the end. Using her free hand, she propelled herself with all her might upwards, floating to the front of the building. She landed on the glass doors, taking note of the missile coming ever closer. Looking down, she spied a fire extinguisher near the entrance. An absurd idea popped into her head. It felt like a David idea, and so far those had mostly worked. It was now or never, and without hesitation she opened the door to get inside.

Now she noticed all the terrified bank patrons holding onto anything solid for dear life. “I hope you don’t mind if I use this.” Kizuna said, taking the fire extinguisher. Everyone was too afraid to answer.

Back outside, Kizuna positioned herself on the bottom step, and opened the suitcase, preparing it to take in the missile. She pulled the pin and grabbed the hose and handle. She jumped, squeezed, and the white contents of it spewed out behind her. This thrust her through the air, far off the bank, much quicker than she was anticipating. There was a terrifying moment where she lost control and began to spin out, but she kept her cool and let go of the handle. Kizuna slowly came to a stop, and then looked desperately for the missile.

It was several feet away above her. Kizuna grit her teeth and pulled the handle again. The fire extinguisher launched her forward, and then sputtered out. It was enough, and Kizuna used what momentum she had left to hold the suitcase out in front of her. It was terrifying, facing down a rocket like this, but after all she’d gone through it was like any other day. The missile got closer and closer and Kizuna trembled, all sorts of doubts now clawing their way into her mind. It was insane, this was insane! But still, she held to her plan, and closed her eyes just moments before the roaring rocket made contact with the suitcase.

Kizuna felt nothing, and for a moment she thought she was dead… but no! The rocket was flying into the suitcase, as though it were still a bottomless pit. It seemed impossible, the nuke was so much bigger than it, but it squeezed in all the same. The roar of the engines was deafening, but in just a few short seconds it slid nicely into the suitcase, and Kizuna closed it shut.

She held her breath and waited. What was supposed to happen now? Was it charged? Should she test it? Just as she went to unlatch it again, there was a massive jolt, and it flew out of her hands. Kizuna made a mad dash for it, swimming through the air to little success. The suitcase began to glow brighter and brighter, shaking all the more intensely as it did so. It looked like it might explode, and Kizuna feared that perhaps the nuke had been too much, but it calmed and the glow went away.

Kizuna let out a sigh of relief. A coat stand floated within arm’s reach of her, and she used it to fish the suitcase back. Kizuna closed her eyes, and thought of her previous destination. She opened it up and slipped in. She had a job to finish.

Chapter Text

Silence. Total silence. Darkness black as pitch. This is what greeted Kizuna as she traversed the tunnel between worlds. The sights and sounds of worlds in passing had all faded into the one spot behind her, and now she flew into the unknown. She was travelling, to be sure, as the catastrophic mess she was leaving behind was quickly moving away from her. Kizuna took one last look back at everything, everywhere, and looked forward again.

There was nothingness. Devoid of hope and warmth, of the comfort that she was going to arrive at a destination. Staring into the void beyond filled Kizuna with a sickening dread that she fought off with all of the courage she had left in her. Though, this courage was fading as fast as the somethingness she left behind did. The Candyverse was worse than malicious now. It was indifferent. Whether she made it or not was beyond her control, and she had nothing to help her along. There was no escape, no going back now.

A terrifying thought occurred to the yellow dog - what if this had all been a mistake? What if she was trapped in this empty tunnel forever? Would she be spotted on the Candyverse map and snuffed out? Or would they doom her to drift endlessly for all eternity? Kizuna shut her eyes. If she was going to see nothing it would be on her own terms. While she meditated, Kizuna reflected on her journey.

Despite it all, she was glad she took it. Even if this were the end of all things, she had one last hurrah with friends, old and new. She’d seen things that none of her original friends would have ever dreamed of. She laughed at the memory of the strong headed Prince Michael getting outsmarted by her. Other memories of eating among her friends, of David carrying her. Even when faced with certain death, he sacrificed himself to save her. In the end, he really did care. The idea that he loved her filled her with warmth. It gave her new strength.

And when Kizuna opened her eyes, she pondered something else. Why would a creator be so bitter towards something so sweet as a loving community? Surely she could have let SOME things slide… Did it all really need to be burned down? Torn asunder? Wouldn’t you want to appreciate all that everyone had made, inspired by her world?

And there were so many friends she hadn’t seen on her travels, either. Tess came to mind. She’d spent so little time with many of the others, too. Mike, Amaya, the cat and dog, Felix and Finn that she didn’t even know. And who even knew where Carson and Carter were… Kizuna frowned. Poor Carter, he only ever wanted Lucy, she couldn’t imagine the devastation he felt having his whole world taken from him. Forever to wander alone. The girl felt it a shame she didn’t know what was happening before it was too late, she would have brought him along with her. At least he seemed to understand the reality of the situation if the general was to be believed. The whole universe being destroyed and rewritten.

Wait? Rewritten? Liam had never mentioned that happening. In fact, how could Carter have known any of this to begin with? Liam never even got a chance to talk to him! The image of Veronica’s slit eyes popped into her mind. She’d thought it had just been a trick of the world going topsy turvy, but… No, it couldn’t be…

It was now Kizuna realized she had stopped moving. Wherever she was going, she was there. The dog took a timid step forward, and found solid ground. She heard faint, jovial voices ahead of her. Reaching out, her hand brushed up against something that felt like cloth. She moved it aside, and revealed the room she and everyone else had been invited into before. Veronica and Oliver were looking out over the Candyverse, which now only consisted of two bright spots, though one was far brighter than the other, and it orbited the center.

Kizuna let go of the curtain slowly, fearing that it may rustle and alert the two humans to her presence. She thought hard about what she wanted, her ninja outfit and katana, and the suitcase provided. Now suited up, the yellow dog clutched the suitcase and slinked through the curtain with grace. When she was behind the mask, she was everything she wanted to be. Veronica’s eyes flashed up from the Candyverse and she smiled.

“That suitcase won’t be much use to you here.” The woman laughed. Her and Oliver turned around in sync to face Kizuna. “Let me just take that off your hands.” Veronica held her hand out toward Kizuna open, and Kizuna felt a sharp jerk yank the suitcase from her hand. It flew across the room, landing in Veronica’s grasp. It glowed brightly, then blew apart, small pieces flying everywhere.

“Such a pity.” Oliver commented with faux melancholy, watching the pieces. “And it was such high quality leather, too.”

Kizuna did not let Veronica’s show of force sway her. She held steadfast and defiant. “I’m not scared of you.”

“I already know you are a fool.” Veronica frowned. “And here I was, hoping for a little more from you, afterall you managed to claw your way back here to us.”

Kizuna stared stoically at them through the eye slit in her ninja garb. “You’re not really Veronica and Oliver, are you?”

“How dare you-” Oliver said, raising his hammer, but Veronica put a hand on it to sway his motion.

“Easy now, dear. Let’s hear her out.” She looked down her nose at Kizuna. “Pray tell, who do you think we are?”

Kizuna steeled herself for her accusation. “Carter! And I haven’t figured out who the other is… Carson, maybe?”

Veronica laughed a high, cold laugh. “So, that’s where you were when we couldn’t find you, eh? I don’t know why I didn't figure it out sooner.”

Veronica and Oliver’s bodies began to tremble and morph. Veronica's eyes turned to black slits, her hair fell away until all that was left was a deep widow’s peak. Her body shrunk in size, turning into the cat Kizuna recognized as Carter. Oliver fared much the same, though one of his ears sprouted an earring, he didn’t shrink as much, and he wore flamboyantly bright clothing.

“Haaayyy, girlfriend!” Carson said with a small wave and waggle of his fingers. “Took ya long enough!”

“Carter should stop underestimating Kizuna.” He said. “She is far more capable than Carter initially expected.”

“What’s going on here!” Kizuna demanded to know. “What have you done with the real Veronica and Oliver!”

“Oh, they’re TOTALLY safe.” Carson clapped his hands, and a spotlight appeared several feet away, highlighting a man and woman roped up suspended above the ground via a wooden arm coming out the wall. They made no moves, for they were completely out cold. “Though, they are a little tied up at the moment.” The cat licked his lips. “One day I want Mike to time me up like that…”

“Enough!” Carter said. “None of this changes anything! Carter plans on moving forward with his retribution!”

“What retribution?” Kizuna asked angrily. “They’ve done nothing to you!”

Carter laughed. “Oh, Kizuna. They are the reason Carter is the way he is.” The cat motioned for Kizuna to join him. “Look, Kizuna. Look at Carter’s masterpiece.”

The dog hesitantly followed his request, and stood next to him to look over the Candyverse. Or, what was left of it. “Carter was much like you. Head filled with love, a world to live in. But one day, this was all taken from Carter. Lucy… was taken from Carter just when she told him she loved him.” His face lowered and his expression darkened. “It tore Carter apart! But Carter was smart, Carter escaped! Carter survived!”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around.” Kizuna said impatiently. “What’s this got to do with everyone else?”

Carter’s expression changed to that of frustration. “Carter decided to do something about it. He didn’t deserve this! Veronica took everything from Carter, so Carter took everything from her.” The doodle cat looked at Kizuna with a prideful smile. “So Carter used his Time Masheen to find Veronica and Oliver, he took them away and burned everything to ashes. And Carter wanted to destroy what she had made! But the story was too strong, and so he had to try something new.” He turned his head and his eyes fell on the orbiting light mass. “If Carter could use the rest of the Candyverse as a weapon, he could shatter the center all to pieces. All of it would be totally gone, and then Carter could use his power to write a new story, a new universe! One where Carter loves Lucy, and Lucy loves Carter!”

“Don’t forget dear Michael and me!” Carson said in a sing-songy voice.

Kizuna looked between the both of them, disbelief welling up inside her, and blurted out, “WHAT?! That’s your plan? You can’t possibly even consider destroying the entire universe!”

“Can’t Carter?” The cat said, cocking an eyebrow that didn’t exist.

“I mean, why couldn’t you just make a new story somewhere else? Why did everyone else have to suffer? All of our friends?” She reasoned, gesturing to the large light mass she came from.

“Carter’s so-called friends never cared for him! And they didn’t really care about Kizuna, either.” He fired back. “Think about how many times Kizuna was the butt of the joke. There’s no one there that even knows you existed.”

“But…” Kizuna looked back out over the Candyverse, training her eyes on the large light that held all of the people she met along the way. “I made all new friends. And… you could make new friends too.” She looked at the short cat. “I can be your friend.”

Carter looked at her coldly. “Oh, Kizuna. Carter could never replace Lucy. And Kizuna is nothing like her, regardless.” Anger and pain flashed across his face. “The only way to make things right is for Carter to make his own story. And in order to do that, THIS ONE MUST BE DESTROYED!”

“You think Lucy’s just going to love you?” Kizuna asked. “It’s wrong to force something like that!”

“Kizuna is one to talk.” Carter said smugly. “What about her and David! Kizuna is no better than Carter!”

Kizuna took a step back, guilt setting into her heart. “What… what are you talking about?”

“Don’t think Carter hasn’t seen the way Kizuna has been treating David!” He laughed. “Taking David from his date, trying to get him to call her babe! Laying your head in his lap! Kizuna is just like me!”

Kizuna grabbed Carter. “I’m nothing like you! I don’t want to destroy the universe over it! And I won’t let you do it, either!”

Carter grinned and grabbed her with far more strength than she realized he had. With a swift motion, he threw Kizuna across the room, away from the Candyverse window. “Kizuna may try to stop Carter, but try is all she will do.” He laughed, and his laughter echoed around, filling the room. Each echo turned into a specific point, like hundreds of invisible speakers between Kizuna and Carter, and in their places faded in an army of Carters.

“Ohhh, you’re in trouble now honey!” Carson said in a sassy voice. “I’ve never seen him this mad!”

Kizuna unsheathed her katana and pointed it forward. “If this is the last time I fight, it will be worth the death.”

Carter raised his hand and prepared to send them all after her, when a flash of light appeared and Alejandro stumbled in from it, wheezing and holding his stomach. He looked like he’d just run a marathon. “Ah, Alejandro. Carter trusts you were successful in your mission? Seeing as Alejandro is in one piece this time, he must be.” Carter pulled out a sheet of paper. “Because Alejandro knows what will happen to him if he wasn’t.”

The thug caught his breath and looked up at the strange voice, and viewed an even stranger sight of someone he didn’t recognize. “Who da hell are all of you?!” He gasped.

“Who, me?” Carter asked, voice sounding just like Veronica’s. “The woman who is going to ruin your life more than you already have if you don’t answer me!”

“What da fuck?! What is your deal?” Alejandro took a step back and shook his head. There was a more pressing issue. “Whatever, it don’t matter cause-”

There was a rumbling that started quietly, but grew. It filled the room, shaking everyone standing in it. Behind Kizuna cracks formed in the curtains, digging deep, travelling far and wide. They crossed every which way, and with each intersection pieces of the curtain fell away to a blinding white light. The light filled the room, shining over its occupants, giving Kizuna a long shadow that cast over the army, all the way to Carter. Then the figures started fading in from the tears.

More of Kizuna’s friends than she could count stepped through, lining up behind her shoulder to shoulder. The Sue, Paulo, and Abbey that recognized her ran up to her and hugged her. “Guys!” Kizuna gasped from their tight embrace. “What are you all doing here?”

“A friend of yours told us you’d need some help.” Sue said. “And how could we turn down the opportunity to help save the universe?”

“There’s a lot of us…” Kizuna said, looking over the handful of duplicates of her friends that had come in with them. “But we’re still outnumbered!”

“I would count again.” Paulo grinned, who was looking much better than he did before. “An old friend still owes you a favor.”

Behind them all rode in familiar faces on mighty steeds. Prince Michael, Knight Lucy Luoet, and Princess Sandy Olbrecht looked over the army of Carters, but did not waver, for the prince had an army of his own. They faded in behind him, as strong and as proud as their leader. “Men!” He cried out. “Ready your arms!” The prince’s army unsheathed their swords and held them at the ready, waiting on his go ahead.

“So what’s the plan, Kizuna?” Abbey asked. “Where do we gotta go?”

“Yes, young one.” Prince Michael asked, riding up alongside them. “What is the plan?”

Kizuna turned around and pointed her sword at the main Carter and Carson standing at the other end of the room. “Those two were pretending to be Veronica and Oliver. They must be stopped.” She turned the point of her blade to Veronica and Oliver who were tied up to the arm. “They are the real creators, they must be saved.”

“We’ll mow down these ruffians.” The prince said. “And clear you a path to that vagabond.”

“And we’ll have your back too!” Paulo said, taking Sue’s hand and putting his other on Abbey’s shoulder.

“This is adorable!” Carter laughed, and the other Carters laughed along with him. “Carter has an infinite number of himself! But you are welcome to try!”

Kizuna looked at him, eyes locked on him from across the room. “And try is what we shall do!” She pointed her katana at him again. “And we will succeed.”

“MEN!” Prince Michael bellowed, pointing his sword at the Carters. “CHARGE!”

There was a loud yelling from everyone as they ran at each other. The Carters took this as their cue to advance as well, and everyone clashed in the middle. Kizuna looked at Abbey, Sue, and Paulo. “Please, be careful. He destroyed my suitcase so there’s no backup plan. We either win this, or the entire universe will be wiped out.”

Paulo saluted. “Careful is my middle name!”

“It is most definitely not!” Abbey scoffed. “Do I need to tell Sue about your little car stunt?”

“What car stunt?” Sue gasped, looking at Paulo angrily.

“Guys, focus!” Kizuna said, charging into the fray. “And follow me!”

Carter turned to Alejandro and produced a sword. “Alejandro! Get out there and bring Carter their heads!”

“I ain’t doin’ shit else for you!” He growled. “I’ve been shot, blown up, stabbed!”

“How about this one?” Carter pulled out the paper again along with a pencil. He wrote something down on it, and looked up at Alejandro with a twisted smile. The thug felt a warmth under his fur, which quickly turned to burning. His lungs seized up, and he fell to the ground, gasping and clutching his chest. “See, Carter could just kill you, but it’d be more fun for him to watch you squirm.”

“F-fine!” Alejandro wheezed, eyes rolling back. “Just st-stop! Stop!”

Carter erased what he wrote, and Alejandro was able to take back control of his body. “That’s what Carter thought. Have fun!” Alejandro stared daggers into him, but said nothing and grabbed the sword before running into the battle.

In the fight, Prince Michael and Knight Lucy rode side by side, slicing their way through the sea of Carters. “I wager I can take down more of these things than you can!” The knight teased the prince.

The prince rolled his eyes. “I need to prove nothing to you!”

Knight Lucy laughed, racing forward. “For there is nothing you can prove!”

“I’ll show you what nothing there is to be proven!” The prince called to her, but all he received in response were laughs that faded into the sound of battle.

The rest of the Prince’s army were making short work of the onslaught. Kizuna’s other friends didn’t fare as well, but were managing to hold their own. The Carters were not particularly strong, but what they lacked in strength they made up for in numbers. “You’re looking really good.” Kizuna said to Paulo as she took a swipe at a lunging Carter.

“Oh, you noticed?” Paulo grinned at her, which prompted a swift stomp on his foot from Sue, who also shot Kizuna a look of disapproval.

“No no! Not like that!” Kizuna waved a hand in a ‘no’ gesture as Paulo shook the pain out his foot with a groan. “I just mean you looked so beat up before!”

“Liam helped him.” Sue answered while kicking a Carter in the chest. “There was this glow, and… he was all better!”

Abbey threw a right hook at a Carter. “Said we would be fighting… I didn’t think he meant a whole war!”

“Did he say anything about Davie…” Kizuna asked anxiously, mowing down a few Carters with her katana.

“I’m sorry, but no.” Paulo frowned, taking his frustration out on another Carter. “I did ask, but Laim said there were some things even he couldn’t change.”

Kizuna looked up towards her goal. Carter was standing with Carson, attempting to move the Candyverse glob into position to throw it full force into the center. She grit her teeth and gripped the katana tighter. Carter would pay for everything he’d done to her, to David, to all of her friends. If she couldn’t save the Candyverse, she would at least make sure he wasn’t there to rule the next one.

The large mass of worlds was unwieldy and hard to move. Carter focused all his attention on it, pushing himself to his limits in order to speed up the process. He moved his right hand up, which pulled the mass away from the center. He was going to need a lot of room to build up speed if he was going to destroy it. “Do you like, need any help?” Carson asked, noticing the progress that was being made on Carter’s massive supply of himself.

“No!” Growled Carter, not taking his focus off the world mass. “Carter just needs to focus! Go stand by Veronica and Oliver!”

Carson sighed and shook his head. “Okay, whatever you say.”

In the battle, Princess Sandy felt a tug at her dress that ended up pulling her right off her horse. She gasped and fell to the ground in a mess, surrounded by Carters who were now closing in for the kill. The princess jumped to her feet, her petit sword at the ready, swiping at any that came near. A few feet away, the one who pulled her from her horse smiled and walked forward through the fray. “We meet again, princess.” Said Alejandro with a fake curtsy.

Sandy lifted her sword and pointed it at him. “You will do best to stay away!” She growled.

Alejandro laughed and lifted his own sword, which was much larger than hers. “There’s so much more we could be doing! It’s the end of the universe, babe. Why not have some fun?”

Sandy yelled and ran forward. “I will teach you some manners yet, young man!”

Alejandro poised himself to strike, but Princess Sandy was faster. Her blade swiftly fell upon his cheek before he could react, shaving the fur and whiskers off one side of his face. Alejandro howled with rage, and placed a hand on his face, which was stinging. Sandy brought down the sword to his other side, but Alejandro lifted his in the nick of time and blocked it. They clanged, but Sandy’s smaller sword vibrated rapidly at the sudden stop. It traveled down the length of the blade, ending in Sandy’s soft hand. Her grip loosened, and Alejandro furthered his advantage by pushing the blade away, causing it to fly out of Sandy’s hand. It landed several feet away, swallowed up by the sea of marauding Carters.

“Looks like you’re all out of options.” Alejandro smirked. He threw his sword down, leaving it sticking up in the ground.

Princess Sandy put her hands up in defense. “I don’t need a sword to fight you!” She squeaked.

The thug laughed and grabbed her wrists. “We don’t need to fight at all.” He threw her to the ground, and she let out a yell of pain.

Alejandro got down over top of the woman, looking his prize up and down greedily. “I always wanted to fuck a princess…”

“LET GO OF ME!” The princess howled, thrashing about underneath him.

“Aww, c’mon babe, don’t be like that…” Alejandro smirked. “Haven’t you ever heard of make love, not war?” He sat up to pull off his shirt when a sword pierced his back, and it exited out through his front. Alejandro gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs and he was lifted off of Princess Sandy and the ground. The sword’s owner belonged to Prince Michael, and in from the other direction rode Knight Lucy, who effortlessly brought her own sword into a swing right at Alejandro’s neck, relieving his head from his body.

Prince Michael pointed his sword down to let the thug’s disgusting body slide off it as he slowed his horse to a stop. He hopped off, stepping over the bloody mess, and ran to his wife. “Are you okay, love?”

“Yeah, I’m okay…” Princess Sandy smiled weakly. The prince pulled her to her feet. “Now that my knight in shining armor is here…”

The prince smiled at his princess, and he held her close. Knight Lucy rolled her eyes at the display, though secretly she wished she too was getting rewarded for her efforts. “Alright, break it up! We’re in the middle of a battle.”

“Right!” Prince Michael took Princess Sandy’s hand. “You’ll be riding with me, my love.”

Far ahead, though not as far as he had been at the start of the battle, Carter had paused to turn his attention to the thinning numbers of his clone army. He grunted in frustration and grit his teeth, more determined than ever to get his schemes done. When he turned back around to continue moving the Candyverse mass, he was met with the tip of a katana.

“It’s over, Carter. Surrender.” Kizuna said, not moving her eyes from his black slits. She was accompanied by Abbey, Sue, and Paulo as well.

Carter smiled and laughed. He procured another sword from nothing, this one for himself. “Fine, then. Carter will kill you himself.” With a wave of his hand, he pushed Kizuna’s friends away, with a forcefield now in place to keep them back. Carter had been fast, but in his preparation Kizuna managed to get a well aimed strike in. Her sword slashed his main arm, and the cat cried out in pain. He responded in kind with a swing of his own, hitting her off hand, cutting her ninja garb sleeve to ribbons.

“Kizuna… what can we do to help?” Sue called as Kizuna and Carter traded blows. Kizuna’s eyes darted to Veronica and Oliver who were hanging helplessly above the ground.

“G-go!” Kizuna grunted between parries. “Go save them!”

Her three friends nodded and ran away to the side of the battlefield, fighting off any Carters that came near along the way. Carson saw them coming, and stood at attention. “You three are like really bumming me out!”

“Let them go!” Abbey demanded, pointing at the couple. “We don’t need to fight.”

Carson scoffed. “Like I’m going to give up everlasting love from Mikie because you don’t wanna fight.” He pulled his scarf from around his neck, and whipped it, transforming it into hard leather. The end cracked loudly as the transformation completed. “You’re gonna have ta tie me up with my own scarf if you wanna get to them!”

Paulo rushed in without thinking, earning him a sharp sting across his face. The somali put his hand up to feel blood leaking out. Sue gasped and ran to him, but she too was mowed down by the flick or Carson’s wrist, and the harsh sting of his scarf whip. “Ah ah ah! No heterosexual couples in my presence!”

“How uncivilized!” Abbey called as he went in for an attack of his own. Unfortunately, Carson was faster with his whip, but Abbey took the sting and grit his teeth through the pain. Carson went in for another crack, and this time Abbey caught it, but let it go immediately with a yelp as his hand burned.

Carson grinned from ear to ear. “I can’t WAIT to hear Michael make the same noise!” He said dreamily, fantasizing about all the things he was going to do to the korat. “It’ll be so hot!”

Paulo looked up at Abbey who was holding his now bloody hand. He nodded at him, and Abbey nodded back, a silent plan shared between them. Paulo rushed at Carson again, but was met with another slash straight down the middle of his chest. A cry of pain escaped Paulo’s lips as he felt the full force of the whip slice him.

“Paulo, what are you doing?!” Sue called, running to his aid again. Carson laughed mercilessly at their repeated mistakes, treating Sue to another whip of her own. It wrapped around her arm, and when Carson pulled back, Sue came with it.

“You asshole!” Paulo wheezed, and stumbled forward to get him, but he was met with another crack that put him on the ground next to Sue.

“You two are too easy!” Carson bellowed with laughter.

“So are you!” A voice behind him said, and Abbey put him in a hold. Struggling as Carson might, the abyssinian was simply too big for him. He whipped frantically, trying to get one of Abbey’s legs, but each attempt missed, there wasn’t enough room for him to get a good shot in. “It’s over!”

Things were not going well for Carter, either. Kizuna had the experience on him, and though Carter was stronger, he was wearing down. Kizuna’s friends and the Prince’s army were getting steadily closer as well, and being distracted by Kizuna had made it impossible for Carter to create fresh troops. Kizuna and Carter’s blades met one last time in a shower of sparks before Carter’s arms gave out. His sword fell to the ground along with him, and Kizuna pinned him down.

“GRRRAAAH!!” Carter struggled under her weight.

“There’s no point in struggling, Carter.” Kizuna wheezed as she caught her breath, and looked down her nose at the pathetic sight. “Give up this plan and put everything back where it belongs!”

“NEVER!” The cat yelled. “CARSON, DROP THEM INTO THE VOID!”

“But Carter!” Carson yelled back, still restrained by Abbey. “If we do that, we can’t-”

“CARTER DOESN’T CARE! JUST DO IT!” The unhinged cat replied.

Carson threw his head back and hit Abbey full force in the nose, which caused his grip to weaken enough on the flamboyant cat to allow him to slip away. Kizuna leapt off Carter and turned to run to Veronica and Oliver, but it was too late. With a flick of his wrist, Carson’s scarf wrapped around a nearby lever, and with a yank it was pulled.

The world moved in slow motion as the rope went loose from the arm, and Veronica and Oliver began to fall. Kizuna still ran, hoping to grab them before they were lost forever. Sue and Paulo were trying to scramble to their feet, and Abbey was still reeling from the headbutt, holding his broken, bloody nose in his hands. Veronica and Oliver fell down, down, down, out of sight in a hole of nothingness…

And then the rope went taut. Everyone looked up slowly to see Liam at the top of the arm, holding onto the two humans with all the strength he had. “Sorry I’m late!” he grunted with a smile. Kizuna sighed with relief.

“NOOOOOOO!” Carter screamed. “HOW ARE YOU ALIVE? WHERE IS ALEJANDRO?!”

“The same place you’re going, little daemon.” Said a regal voice behind him. Carter turned around to see himself surrounded by the prince and his army, along with all of Kizuna’s friends. There was no way out this time.

Kizuna ran the rest of the way, climbing up the arm and helping Liam pull Veronica and Oliver to safety. They went up past the hole, and Abbey leaned against the lever to close it up. The two humans were put down safely, and cheers erupted from everyone. Liam wiped his brow and let out the breath he had been holding in.

“Next time, we’re doing this together.” Kizuna said. “That was awful.”

“Sorry.” Liam smiled sheepishly. “I still had some work to do. And I never doubted you for a moment.”

The cheers continued as Kizuna and Liam climbed down. Everyone ran over to applaud them. Kizuna smiled and waved at all her new adoring fans. She got a pat on the back by Abbey, who, despite his nose dripping with blood, was smiling too. Carson tried to sneak away from them, but was stopped by Sue, who took his arm in a firm grip. “Not so fast.” She took his scarf from him. “And I’ll be taking this as well.”

Veronica and Oliver stirred in their sleep, and everyone went silent. First Veronica opened her eyes, and then Oliver. The woman blinked confusedly and looked around. “What’s going on here?”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Liam moved to be in front of Veronica. “You two are okay.”

“Liam, what the Hell is going on here?” Oliver asked. “Why are we…”

“It is a long story…” Liam frowned, offering a helping hand to both of them. “But it looks like Carter and Carson tried to take over everything.”

Both humans got to their feet. “Carter and Carson? Really? I would have expected YOU to betray me!” Veronica said, eyeing the white cat suspiciously. She looked to Sue and her prisoner. “I see Carson, but where is Carter?”

“Why, he’s right here your -” Prince Michael started, but in everyone’s distraction Carter had slipped away.

“Nice try!” Carter yelled from across the room. He was halfway into his Time Masheen box, poised over the precipice into the Candyverse. “But it’s going to take a lot more than that to catch Carter! See you all soon!” The brown cat cackled and pushed off from the edge, the Time Masheen falling into the Candyverse. Carter slipped inside, still laughing at his great escape.

Kizuna furrowed her brow and ran forward, pushing past everyone. She readied her katana and flung it as hard as she could, aiming straight at the box. Her aim was true, but it merely left a scratch down the side. Everyone ran forward to watch what would happen. The box began to glow as it got ready to vanish into wherever Carter was running off to hide, but the scratch grew and grew until it became a crack, and…

There was a massive explosion of multicolored light and sound, just like how the suitcase used to be on the inside. The shockwave it produced threw everyone back, save for Veronica and Oliver who stood resolute. “See you on the other side, Carter.” Kizuna said to herself.

“Well.” Veronica looked up at the two masses of the Candyverse floating around each other. “He sure made a mess of things.”

“You will be able to fix it, right?” Sue asked anxiously, still holding Carson in spot, now with the help of Paulo. She was more ready than ever to go home. This question permeated everyone else’s minds as well.

Veronica smiled down at the tan cat. “Oh, I’ll be able to. Watch!”

Veronica held her hands up with her fingers together. She then threw her fingers apart, and the one large light mass untangled into multiple different colored lights. Her hands and fingers danced through the air, and the massive group of lights fell into various different places, all now peacefully orbiting the center. Everyone stared in awe at the sight, mesmerized by the hypnotic dance of the lights. The woman nodded at her handywork and turned to look at the group of cats and dogs staring up at her. “All better. And I think it’s time you all went home. Please talk to my husband and he’ll sort you out.”

These were the magic words. Everyone agreed in their own ways, some nodding, others cheering, though two cats were not so pleased. “Wait, you’re saying we have to go back and blow up?!” Jasmine asked, terrified.

“Yeah, this isn’t exactly a great thing for us!” Said the Paulo who also was also going to be going back to that world with Jasmine.

“It’s not up to me.” Veronica shrugged. “Take it up with whoever made it.”

“But!” Paulo started to say, but Veronica put a finger to her lips and the somali settled down. Everyone filed over to the blonde haired man, all trying to get his attention at once so they could go home.

Veronica wiped her hands. “That oughta do it.”

“I’ll take over from here.” Liam said to Sue and Paulo, putting a firm hand on Carson’s shoulder.

“Thanks.” Paulo said, letting go of the gay cat.

Sue let go as well. “I really appreciate it.” And the two walked off together.

As Veronica walked slowly over to Carson with a look of disdain on her face, the brown cat looked at Veronica pathetically.

“Please! I didn’t mean any of it!” He cried, tears streaming down his face. “It was Carter! All Carter, he forced me to do it! I know it was a mistake!”

“You were a mistake.” Veronica frowned, waved her hand, and Carson vanished into nothingness, taking his sobs and excuses along with him.

Now her attention turned to Kizuna, who was still looking out over the Candyverse, which was even more brilliant than when she had first laid eyes on it. Paulo, Sue, and Abbey stood by her, but there was a somber expression on Kizuna’s face as she knew her adventure had come to an end, and she too would most likely be turned into nothing. “I suppose this is goodbye, then.” Paulo said.

“Yeah…” Kizuna replied sadly. “Thank you all so much for everything… I could never have done it without you.”

Sue hugged Kizuna. “I hope we remember you after we go home.”

“It would be a shame to forget someone so extraordinary.” Abbey agreed. “I hope our paths might cross again, under better circumstances of course.”

Abbey and Paulo came in for another hug and Kizuna felt a lump form in her throat. “I love you guys… please stay safe out there.” She choked.

They all let go. “I’ll keep this guy out of trouble.” Sue grinned, ribbing Paulo lightly, who put his arms around her and gave the space between her ears a kiss.

“It’ll be nice to finally have Christmas, after all this time.” Abbey said. “It’s been Christmas Eve for me for the last week!”

“See ya, Kizuna!” Paulo said, taking Sue’s hand and walking away with her. Abbey followed along with them to find his family, waving until they had melded into the crowd of others.

Veronica walked up beside Kizuna and looked out over the worlds.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked the dog.

“Yeah.” Kizuna smiled sadly, turning around, afraid she might burst into tears if she looked at her friends any longer. She soaked in the sights. “It was an honor to be a part of it.”

“It always is.” Veronica agreed, smiling down at Kizuna. “To be among friends.” Kizuna sighed and looked down. “You know, you did us a great service.”

“It was nothing. I did it for my friends.” Kizuna said, looking at the group of cats and dogs all vying for Oliver’s attention. “I guess I have to go now.”

The woman looked at her with confusion. “Go? Where are you going?”

“You’re going to erase me, right?” Kizuna asked timidly. “Like Carson?”

Veronica laughed softly to herself. “You know, Kizuna, I’m going to throw you a bone. I want to do something nice for you. I can… alter… certain things if I want. What would you want altered?”

Kizuna’s heart raced. “I… I want to go back home! And live with my friends!” Kizuna looked at the center of the Candyverse. “Just like before…”

Veronica looked to the center of the Candyverse as well, and then back to Kizuna with a frown. “I am afraid that won’t be possible. I’m sorry, Kizuna.”

Kizuna immediately felt deflated. “Ah.”

“Don’t despair, little one.” Veronica said sympathetically. “How about we give you something you forgot you wanted.” She looked to an empty spot a few feet away, and appeared two older yellow dogs holding a baby.

Kizun’s eyes went big. Her family looked around in surprise, but Kizuna pulled their attention when she ran over. “Mom! Dad! Kenji!” She cried.

“Kizuna sweetheart, what’s going on?” Her mom asked, looking at the thinning crowd of characters talking to Oliver, which got smaller with each tap of his hammer.

“Where do I even begin? Oh my gosh, Kenji!” Kizuna smiled at her little brother, who smiled back and cooed at her.

“I think Liam could use some help around here, too.” Veronica said, looking at the cat disapprovingly. “He’s shown this job can get to be a little too much for him.”

Liam smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh… sorry…”

“You mean…?” Kizuna turned around, an excited smile on her face.

“You could become a guardian of the Candyverse, if you’d like. You can’t live with your friends again, but you could see them.” Veronica said. “It’s a big responsibility, though. It’s not just threats within the Candyverse that need stopping. There’s multiverses upon multiverses out there, anything could happen.”

“I’ll do it!” Kizuna saluted. “You have my word!”

“Excellent!” Oliver exclaimed, sending off the last Mike and Amaya. “Then that’s that. We’ll be off. Oh, and Liam?”

Liam looked up at him nervously. “Yes?”

“Try not to make a mess of things again.” Oliver frowned.

Kizuna remembered something very important as Veronica joined her husband. “Wait! Wait!”

“Hm?” Veronica asked, cocking an eyebrow. “What’s wrong.”

“When we were out there… Well, David and Augustus… they didn’t make it.” She frowned, tail drooping. “Are they still..?”

Veronica smiled at her. “Oh, no, no. Everything is back to where it should be. If Augustus and David died… well, they’re not dead anymore. They are where they should be. And… I wanted to save you the burden of knowing this, but none of your friends will remember any of this. And if they do, it will be like a dream.”

“Oh…” Kizuna said sadly. “Well, I am glad they are all okay, at least.”

“Is that all?” Oliver asked, getting impatient.

“Yup!” Liam gave a thumbs up. “I’ll show her around.”

“Good.” Oliver said, and he hit the ground twice with the bottom of the handle of his long hammer, and he and Veronica disappeared.

Liam looked at Kizuna. “Well, we have all the time in the world. Maybe we should make this place a little homier since we’re going to have more than just me living here.”

Kizuna nodded. “I think so too.”

“We are still lost, Kizuna!” Her dad said. “What exactly is going on here?”

“It’s a long story.” Kizuna smiled, walking back to her family. “But we’re home. We’re finally home!”

Chapter Text

Aeris Cole shivered as she trudged down the frosty streets of Toronto. The sun was starting to set now, setting the sky alight with oranges and ambers. By the biting chill of the wind, the temperature was going down with it. Aeris hugged herself tighter still, breath clearly visible in the dying light. The snow had melted a little and refrozen, leaving the ground a slippery, sludgy mess that Aeris almost ended up losing her balance on. It only aggravated her mood.

And her mood was already in a foul place to begin with. Leo Leonardo the Third was meant to have met her for the presentation of their new game, and he had stood her up. Though they shared an apartment, she hadn’t looked in on him before leaving, as she had left early and assumed he would be there on time. There was a lot riding on this meeting, and his absence nearly ruined everything. Then again, he was pretty stupid, maybe it was for the best he didn’t show. Still, a meeting is a meeting.

The pink cat was relieved to finally make it to their apartment building. She pushed the front door in with her shoulder, not wanting to freeze her hands anymore than they were by using them. There was instant warmth, and she sighed and basked in the heat. Their apartment building sucked, but it was at least good for getting warm. Aeris checked the mail real quick before making her way upstairs on the old concrete staircase. The elevator was too slow, and they weren’t exactly high up on the building either.

Aeris walked down the hall past their neighbors doors until she got to theirs. She heard noise coming from the other side, and pressed her ear to the door. Yeah, that slacker had been playing video games the whole time! A new one too, judging by her not being able to recognize the voice. Did he seriously just forget the date? She at least had been giving him the benefit of a doubt by thinking he showed up to the wrong place, but no, there he was playing video games.

Without another moment, Aeris inhaled, unlocked the door, and prepared to berate the grey cat on his forgetfulness. All the lights were off, save for the soft glow of their flatscreen. Aeris harrumphed. A new game indeed. This one was about a black cat. Aeris could see the back of Leo’s stupid grey head sticking up over the couch.

“So this is where you’ve been all this time?” She said harshly, dropping her bag off at the door, then kicking off her shoes. The head on the couch winced at the yelling. “Yeah, I'm talking to you, Leo! We were supposed to meet today to present our game to the investors!”

The grey cat stood up, walked around the couch to see her, and Aeris was ready to let fly another volley of frustration at him when she noticed something was off. He was a grey cat alright, but he stood without clothes, save for a blue scarf. He was completely grey as well, missing the white fur pattern of his face and chest. “I… I’m sorry… I don’t know who Leo is… My name is Mike… Can you tell me where I am?”