Chapter 1: Pass the Light

Clawing her way to the light, fighting just a little bit further, out of the darkness. She was so close now, she could almost hear the cries and cheers up above. Could she reach the promised land? Could she finally escape? Her feet pounded on the ground, racing up thousands of steps, too many steps, they felt nearly infinite, but the voices just beyond the light called out to her, beckoning her just a bit further to freedom. They wouldn't follow her there.

"She's getting away!" a voice barked. "Do NOT let her escape! Go! After her!"

The footsteps following her quickened their pace, and she felt something wet fly passed her face, splatting to the wall beside her.

Too close. She couldn't let any more ink hit her now. If she slipped and fell down the stairs, it would all be over. They'd be on her in an instant, dragging her back down to hell, back to the inky depths, back to the whir of machinery and the cold feeling all around her, again and again.

She only had one ink bomb left. She had to make it count. She kept running toward the door. She could see it now, the way out of the subway, and she knew that once she was through, they'd leave her alone. They couldn't follow her there, to the light, to the music and sound. It was too risky, they could be seen, discovered. She knew it was her only chance at freedom, she just had to get there. The footsteps inched closer, they were gaining on her, and she pulled out the ink bomb, clicking it open and counting down the seconds in her head.

Three.

More ink splattered the wall next to her, some at the ground beneath her feet, splashing onto her ankles, a cold reminder of how close she was to losing it all.

Two.

"You're not getting away!" a voice called out, reaching out for her hand.

One.

She turned on her heels, letting the bomb tumble from her fingers and fall in front of her pursuers. Their eyes widened behind their goggles, curses cut off halfway as ink exploded behind her, sending them all tumbling back into the darkness below.

All but one. He grinned, sending shivers down her spine as he continued chasing after her, his fingers inches from her skin. The turquoise ink was pooling at his fingertips, one touch threatening to send her sailing back into darkness, into cramped corridors and testing chambers, into pods and tests. His eyes darkened by the ink, by the sanitization she so desperately sought to escape.

Using her ability felt wrong. It was, after all, their construct. But there was also a beautiful sort of irony in using their precious ability against them. She leaned down and pressed her hands into the turquoise ink splattered at her feet. Her own pink ink raced forth from her fingertips, no ink tank needed to change the ink color as if it emitted from her directly. Pink overlapped blue, reaching down the steps and to her pursuer. His eyes widened as the pink ink overcame him, turning everything, his ink and his hair, pink, before sending him falling back down the stairs, stunned.

She watched him fall, locked eyes for just a moment, before turning back and sprinting out the door, throwing it open, and bathing herself in light.

It had been three weeks since Noelle traveled to the world of light. The world above the subway, above the concrete streets and underground tomb she'd been confined to. She'd finally made it through. It wasn't easy, and she wasn't sure how it had happened, just that someone had finally done it. Someone had finally beaten all of the trials, reached the Promised Land and welcomed the way for others, others like her to reach the world of light only rumored about in hushed whispers. Octolings had long dreamed of what lay beyond the surface, stretching and seeking the light, the music, the sound of freedom. Of something more than just a tool to be used.

At least, Noelle assumed that's how the others felt. Like her, many octolings had been hesitant to emerge, to form new connections. Inkopolis wasn't unfamiliar to octolings. They hadn't always been...friendly with one another. Just a few years ago, the Great Zapfish had been kidnapped by, yup, octolings. And now, here they were, able to move about in the land so often dreamed of. Inkopolis. The one, the only, grand city with flashing lights, music pulsing around every corner, and the freedom and cheer to just be a kid.

The epitome of freedom in the ruins of an age-old world.

Noelle smiled, resting her head on her arms as she watched inklings and octolings walk about the city square. Some were leaving turf wars, shaking the ink from their hair and laughing or groaning at how badly they'd won or lost, respectively. Others tried on new clothes and gear, running out of shops to happily show off for their friends. There were arcades too, and stages where people could sing, and even work opportunities nestled in darker corners of the square. And the back, where Noelle sat, was a great place to people watch after grabbing a snack or drink. They all walked by, oblivious to how lucky they were to just...be.

Noelle stood. No more sitting around. No more just watching people go by. It'd certainly been long enough. Today was the day she was finally going to try turf war. She headed over to the terminal, trying to stop her hands from shaking so much. She double-checked her gear. Goggles, check. They were practical, she could use them to see through the ink and find enemy team weaknesses quickly, giving her a boost in power and accuracy. Boots, check, easier to walk through enemy ink and escape as quickly as possible. She'd already double-tied the laces. Her under-armor was standard for octolings, but she liked the flexibility it gave her in movement. Even if it did have unpleasant memories.

She shook her head. No. She was putting that awful time behind her now. She wasn't going to focus on those things anymore. It was a new dawn. Her life was her own! Noelle looked up at the tower before her and gulped, trying to steel her nerves. Her eyes widened at the glistening steel and upper rafters, where on special occasions, idols would come out and sing on stage. She couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face. This was the closest she'd been to the terminal before. She'd always been too nervous before, but now, her nerves were slowly but surely turning to excitement and curiosity. What would it be like?! Would it be an exhilarating battle of strength and skill?! Would there be laughter, fun jeers and taunts all in good fun? Would she make friends with her teammates? Or...

Would her teammates get mad that she was such a new player? Would they just leave her behind to go off and do their own thing? What if she was bad at the game?! What if no one wanted to play with her and she gained a reputation as a bad player and-

"First game?"

Noelle looked over, seeing a cute inkling girl staring up at her with bright eyes and a big smile. She was a few years younger than Noelle by the looks of it. Her hair was up in a side ponytail, lots of curly hair that was tied together with a ribbon. She grinned again, waiting for an answer. Noelle nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. "Y-Yeah, is it that obvious?"

The girl giggled. "Don't worry, we're all like that for our first game. What weapon are you using?"

"P-Paintbrush," Noelle answered. She pulled it out, and the girl walked over to look it over.

"Hmmm...decent starting stats. Not really a beginner weapon, but I appreciate someone who's willing to go big or go home right from the get-go." The girl pulled back and outstretched her head, small considered to the over-sized hoodie she was wearing. "I'm Io!"

"Noelle," she said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Are you about to play too?"

Io nodded. "Yup! Don't know if we'll be on the same team though, it's all random. My brother's in there too. He's the one I'm hoping I'll go up against," Io said, pulling out a Splat Bucket. Her eyes gleamed and her grin got even wider. "Loser has to pay for the winner's dinner tonight..."

Noelle laughed, covering it with her hand. "Sounds serious!"

"I'm always serious about food," Io said with a chuckle, putting her weapons away for now. "Well, good luck on your first game Noelle. Don't worry if it doesn't go well the first time, okay? It just takes lots of practice!" She reached up to put her hand on Noelle's shoulder, a humorous sight considering she had to stretch out on her tiptoes to do so.

Noelle took a deep breath, letting it out slow. "Yeah. Thanks, I feel better now."

"Good!" Io said, nodding to herself and heading to the terminal. She flashed her a final thumbs up. "Knock 'em dead! Unless it's me! Then, uh...good luck," she let out another giggle and disappeared behind the doors, leaving Io in the entryway by herself once again.

Another deep breath. It would be alright. She was sure there would be loads more friendly people just like Io. No more excuses. If she wanted to make friends in Inkopolis, if she wanted to feel like she belonged, this was going to be the best way to do it. She could do this. Heck, maybe...maybe she'd even be good at it.

Steeling the remnants of her courage, Noelle headed inside. She was greeted by a few neon lights and an automated machine, prompting her to register her ID and pick what kind of battle mode she wanted. She went straight for turf war, she wasn't anywhere near confident enough in her abilities yet to try out ranked. Besides, she'd seen a few ranked and league teams walk through the plaza, and they always looked so serious. All business. The thought thrilled her that one day, maybe she'd be a part of team like that too. But not yet, she had to work her way there first. And it all started with the first battle.

Noelle picked her mode, then walked over to a pod-shaped container in the middle of the room that would transport her to the battle stage. She was finally going to do it, and there was nothing that could stop her.

For just a moment, past images she'd long buried flashed to mind. Cold ink and sneers.

She swallowed the bile rising in her stomach and pushed those memories away, out of mind.

No one needed to know where she came from. Or what she could do.

The pod hummed for a moment, then slid shut.

Go time.

She spawned onto the arena a moment later. They were on a stage, fitting, she thought. The bright sun illuminated the currently turned-off spotlights and speakers, still awaiting the show. She briefly wondered how the electronics could possibly be kept clean from all the ink, but at the same time, it was such a deep part of their culture, she didn't doubt that every item, no matter what it was, had some level of resistance.

"Heck yeah! We're on the same team!"

Noelle turned to see a grinning Io at her side.

"Good thing too, wouldn't have wanted to completely crush your dreams, going up against me your first time," she said with a giggle.

Noelle smiled, and opened her mouth, but was cut off by a scoff.

"Oh great, so she's new?"

She turned to see an inkling boy with short, shaved hair glaring at her. He rolled his eyes, hoisting his splat roller over his shoulder.

"Just great...guess we're a team of three then."

Noelle winced, looking away, but Io puffed out her cheeks.

"Hey asshole, don't make me report you," Io said, standing on her tiptoes and sticking her hands on her hips. "Everybody has to start from somewhere!"

"Lay off pipsqueak," he muttered again. "Just stay out of my way newbie. At least try to distract them or something, then maybe you'll be somewhat useful. Come on Yvette," he said to the inkling girl at his side. Noelle couldn't see much else beside her eyes, which looked plainly disinterested. The rest was hidden behind a jeering facemask with pointed teeth and a blaster Noelle recognized as being pretty high-quality and definitely expensive. A few long strands of hair hung out of her beanie. She glanced over at Noelle, but then back to the stage in front of them.

"Don't listen to him, Noelle," Io said. "You'll do just fine for your first time. Some people just have a stick up their butt because they can't crawl out of C-Rank on a good day," she shot to the other guy. "Just do your best to stick with me, okay? I'll help you out. Just remember; to win the game, it's about inking the most turf, not getting the most kills, okay?"

Noelle nodded. "Y-yeah, thanks Io, I'm sorry if I'm a bother."

Io grinned widely. "No bother at all!"

A timer above them lit up, and Io immediately tensed, her expression changing. "Here we go."

Noelle nodded, turning back to the countdown. She moved her goggles from her hair, keeping her bangs out of her eyes, and moved them to her face. Her heart was beating wildly inside of her. She felt nauseous for a moment, but that feeling was replaced with butterflies of excitement, all crowded around and vying for attention. This wasn't training. This was diligent work or orders drilled into her skull, haunting her even when she slept. This wasn't life or death. This was...this was fun. She'd have fun, and she'd make friends.

She glanced over at Io and smiled. Maybe she'd already made one.

The countdown ticked, ticked, ticked, and then:

GO!

Io immediately threw out blobs of bright pink ink, their color for the match, and swam on ahead. Noelle stumbled to catch up, turning to see that the other two had already ran off as well. She dove into the ink, felt it wrap around her, and swam after Io as quickly as she could. Io popped out a few feet away, immediately throwing ink at blank areas of the map. Noelle didn't waste any time, and started slashing out with her paintbrush.

Io interrupted her, cutting her off with her brush. She quickly shook her head. "No walls!"

"Got it," Noelle said back, turning her attention back to the ground, then dove into the ink to recharge.

Her heart was beating out of her chest, but she couldn't help the wide grin stretching across her face. This...this was fun! She was having fun!

"Come on Noelle!" Io shouted, waving frantically for her to move forward.

Noelle nodded and followed after her, finishing recharging her ink along the way. Io led her around corridors toward the center stage, where Noelle could already see bright green ink splattered some of the surfaces.

Io raised a finger to her lips, hushing the two of them. Noelle moved to steady her breathing from shaky and excited rasps to quiet, deep breathes. 'Special?' Io mouthed.

"Splashdown," Noelle whispered.

Io nodded and grinned, giving Noelle some much needed approval. She motioned for her to follow close behind, and Noelle's grip tightened around her brush. Io took off again, splattering the ground with ink as they went. Noelle stuck her paintbrush to the ground, creating a smaller path behind her that allowed her to move more quickly to get up on the stage. The two other members of their team were firing away at the green team. The girl with the blaster, Yvette, was good, throwing bombs and ducking into the ink, but she got surrounded by three green team members. The mean inkling boy from before was quick to help, splashing two of them with his roller and letting Yvette finish off the last one. Io immediately kept going toward the enemy spawn point while the other two started inking the stage, and Noelle followed as quickly as she could with her brush.

"Tch," the inkling boy said as Noelle passed him. "You'll never get anywhere just following others," he muttered under his breath. But Noelle heard him. She had grown up training herself to listen to hushed whispers and things spoken as quietly as possible. At this point, she tuned into it almost as much as if someone were shouting, for better or worse.

Noelle hardened her gaze, ignoring him and splattering the turf as they went. Io led her toward the enemy spawn, where most of the ground was painted green, and got to work, sloshing ink out of her bucket. Noelle followed suit, and soon Io started spraying out giant bubbles. "Hit them with your brush!" she shouted.

Noelle swung hard and fast, popping the bubbles and spraying pink ink in every direction. Io whooped and hollared. "Atta girl, Noelle! Great job!"

Noelle smiled happily, but a shot rang out. Io's eyes widened, but she instantly disappeared in a pile of ink, her squid form being shot back to spawn almost instantly. A small puddle of green ink surrounded her, and Noelle pressed herself into the wall, diving into the ink to stay hidden. She heard footsteps above her on the lookout, and a disgruntled sigh.

"Really Io, gonna just cheer out in the open? You're better than that," the voice said softly. "Now...wasn't there one more?"

"Icarus! Did you get one?" Two more green inklings came into Noelle's vision, immediately starting to spray the turf green. She gulped at how close some of the ink came to her. Any closer, and she'd be discovered. If green ink mixed with her pink, she'd stand out like a sore thumb. For now, she just stayed hidden in the ink, trying to stop herself from panicking.

It was just a game, it was just a game, she was fine, she wasn't in danger.

"Yeah. Mighta been one more, but they probably got away by now."

"Got it, we'll push forward. You wanna move ahead to the stage? We'll cover you until then."

The boy, Icarus, chuckled. "You go on ahead. The only one I'm even remotely concerned about is my sister, and she won't be able to beat me. The rest of this team is just a bunch of noobs."

The two green inklings chuckled and headed out toward the stage. There was more movement above her, and a few seconds later, a form leaped to the ground right in front of her. She couldn't make out too many features with his back to her, just a black jacket and heavy-duty boots, similar to the ones she was wearing actually, meant to get out of enemy ink quickly. "Geez, you two could have at least inked up our home turf a bit more before heading out..."

Part of Noelle knew she should just stay hidden, but the other part fluttered to life.

This was her chance. He didn't know she was there. This was her chance to strike, to get the sneak attack, come up behind him and attack, then ink as much of their turf as she could before he respawned in. He wouldn't get a chance to tell his other teammates, and she could make a lot of progress before-

A shot splattered the wall right beside her, spraying in residual ink. She popped out of her octo form with a yelp, hitting the ground to the side with a splat. The green ink stuck to her clothes and hair, not hurting persay, but making it difficult to move. She looked up.

Icarus stared down at her. His eyes were cold, uninterested, and slightly insulting. His hair hung down in front of his green eyes and he smirked, kneeling down over her. "Newbie, huh? Level 1? Rule number one newbie, it's always better to try to run than hide. You'll always be found out." He turned his sniper to her, and Noelle's eyes filled with panic. That smirk, that attitude, having the weapon trained on her like that, it was too much, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to-

"Stop!" she shouted, plunging her hands into the enemy ink. She squeezed her eyes shut and winced, and a moment later, pink ink erupted from her hands. It spread like oil to water, turning the green ink to pink almost instantly, widely spreading out around her.

Icarus's eyes widened and he took a step back. "What kind of-ah!" He shouted, stumbling back as the pink ink spread even beneath his feet, all without Noelle even raising her paintbrush. It spread across the small area, spreading out from Noelle as if she were the source. Icarus slipped and fell,the ink surrounding him and spreading over his clothes. He coughed, trying to crawl his way out, the sun above blinding him for a moment before a shadow covered his face.

Noelle stared down at him. Her eyes were wide through the goggles, but her smile was wider as she clutched the paintbrush in her hands. There was something wild in her eyes, something Icarus had never seen before.

"Turf war...is so much fun!" Noelle said with a giggle, raising her paintbrush and swinging it toward him in one swift movement, spraying him with ink.

VICTORY GOES TO THE PINK TEAM!

"Whoohoo! That was awesome, Noelle! Getting behind enemy lines, sneaking up behind my brother of all people and taking him out?! You sure you're just a level one?!" Io asked, jumping up and down outside of the terminal. "Incredible, just incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Io continued to ramble, but Noelle was still coming down off the high of battle, her chest rising and falling with her still erratic breathes. She couldn't wipe the wide smile from her face, couldn't shake how exhilarating it had felt to win, to defeat that green team member with barely any effort. Well...there was some effort. That startled look on his face, being able to wipe that cocky grin off of his face...and just the thrill of the battle itself!

"...you totally have to add my number to your shellphone! You do have one, right? Oh come on, please add me, we gotta battle again sometime! You're a natural!"

Noelle snapped back to reality, blushing and taking a step back in surprise when she realized Io had been talking this whole time. "O-Oh, sure, here's my number," she said, pulling out her phone. She gave her number over to Io, who started rambling again about the battle.

"Hey. New girl."

Noelle flinched, turning to see the two other members of her team standing before her. Yvette still looked as disinterested as ever, playing on her phone, but the boy was staring at her with an odd look, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head. Then he gave a half-smile. "Not bad." He handed her a small piece of paper. "Add me. We should battle again sometime. What's your name?"

"N-Noelle," she stuttered, taking the paper hesitantly, as if waiting for the punchline.

"Noelle," he said, repeating it to himself. "I'm Denver. This is Yvette." He walked passed her, waving over his shoulder with Yvette following close behind. "See you around, new girl."

Io scoffed and crossed her arms. "Oh sure, NOW he wants to be friendly to you. What a pompous jerk," she said. "Did you have fun, Noelle?"

Noelle grinned. "So much fun! It was so much more than I could have hoped for, it was so amazing, so heart-pounding!"

Io giggled. "Well, let me buy you lunch sometime! I owe you since we won the battle, and now my brother will have to pay for my meal. I'll order extra dessert just for you. Oh! Speak of the devil," she said, grinning as the terminal doors opened.

Noelle turned and instantly winced.

Icarus looked pissed.

He threw off his headphones and stalked right passed his gloating sister to Noelle, getting right in her face. She gulped and took a step back, not used to someone practically leaning over her. He got inches from her face, she could see the rage in his eyes and the scowl on his face.

"How the hell did you do that?" he growled.

"U-Um...do what?" Noelle squeaked.

"You changed the ink. You changed my team's ink. You didn't cover it up, you didn't use your weapon. You actually changed the color of our ink with your bare hands. Are you a cheater, or what? What did you use? Some new ability not in stores yet? Huh? Tell me!" he shouted.

Noelle took another step back, her eyes wide, and Icarus's hand reached out, grabbing her arm to keep her from falling backward.

"Icarus! Leave her alone!" Io said. "What's your deal?! It's just a loss."

"No. She cheated," Icarus said lowly.

"I-I didn't, I swear," Noelle said, her eyes watering. "Please let me go..."

His eyes narrowed again, but then he let her go, stepping back. Noelle rubbed her wrist where his tight grip had been, and Io stalked over to him, smacking her brother on the arm. "Icarus! Why do you have to be so mean to my new friend?! Just because you lost doesn't give you the right to be a jerk!"

Icarus didn't answer her. He just grabbed his sister's arm and stalked off. "We're leaving."

"UGH! Sorry, Noelle, I'll talk to you later!" Io said, waving to her as Icarus pulled her away. "Nice meeting you! And great job today!"

Noelle waved happily back at her, giving a small little smile before letting it drop away again.

She really needed to be more careful. Using her ability like that...

"You're just a tool for us to use, you know that, right? Don't forget that."

Noelle shook her head. Next time, she wouldn't do that. No matter what. No matter how scared she got, she wouldn't use that ability. There may not have been anything in the rules against it, but that probably just meant it'd never been a problem before now. Being able to change enemy ink just by touching it...yeah, she understood Icarus's harsh reaction. Hopefully he'd forget about it, and Noelle wouldn't have to interact with him anytime soon. Io was nice though.

She headed down the steps, away from the terminal, and headed back to her small apartment. It was a bit of a walk away from here, it was the only cheap place she could find, but it was home. Once her lingering thoughts of Icarus faded, she was left with a happy smile and a spring in her step. She'd had so much fun in that turf war that it had been easy to forget who she was and where she came from. She was already looking forward to playing more tomorrow! She looked down at the two new numbers in her phone.

Maybe she wouldn't text Io right away though...Icarus would probably say some less than pleasant things about her. Still, this was just the beginning of her life in Inkopolis. Her life in the world of light.

Heyya squidkids! Hope you like Chapter 1 of In-Sanitize. While my other Splatoon fic, Yaki Zakana Means Grilled Fish, is going to be more of a daily, slice of life piece, I wanted to write something for the Splatoon fandom that was more the style of writing that I enjoy and am used to: action-adventure fantasy stories. Except a bit of dark material, but nothing above a T-rating, mostly language and violence. I usually just do higher ratings to be safe, it won't be too dark.

Expect fairly regular updates, though I am working on other fics alongside this one, so not tooooo frequent updates, hopefully at least one every two weeks. Let me know if you have any suggestions, criticism, or other comments. Thanks, and Stay Fresh!