So this is going to be a lot darker than usual. Two characters do die. If it bothers you please leave. I don't think I'll write this type of story again. For the record I like these characters. This was kinda hard to do.

It was an ordinary day. I got ready to greet a new day it was gonna be a great one like always. I got my peanut butter sandwich and sat down to watch TV. It was odd Marina seemed confused and Pearl was nowhere in sight. The headline said breaking news anyways.

"Wait, aren't we gonna wait for Pearlie?" Marina asked rubbing her arm.

"Marina… how's about you sit down for this one okay?" another inkling took her place as she was led to her chair.

"why? What's happening?"

Nobody answered her. They only had sad looks on their face.

The news finally started after they sat Marina down. I thought this was odd. Off the Hook were the newest Inkopolis News reporters and they just switched Marina for some random guy.

"This just in, tragic and shocking news. Idol of Inkopolis's new hit band "Off the Hook", Pearl Pigmy was found brutally beaten to death in a nearby alley. Reports were saying that…."

Marina covered her mouth and she bolted out the studio.

I dropped my toast out of my mouth. I quickly grabbed the phone and called Marie. It rang and rang.

"Hey, this is Marie..." The voice replied

"MARI-" I stopped when I realized it was her answering machine.

"I'm a bit busy right now. Leave your name and number and I'll get back to you later. For now, stay fresh!"

I slowly hung up as it beeped to record a voice message. Marie always picked up when I called. I felt a chill run down my back. I closed my phone and decided to go see Marie. Something in my gut was telling me, there is something wrong and I had to go see Marie.

I wasted no time and called a taxi to Marie's condo. I felt my hearts race as I got closer to her door. I rang the doorbell and there was no answer. I slowly took her spare key she gave me and unlocked the door. When I opened the door, the living room was in ruins as if there had been a great struggle.

"M-Marie...?" I slowly walked into the living room to see the damage, I froze when I saw Marie's blood splattered around the floor and walls.

"MARIE?! MARIE!" I ran to her room to find her laying face down on her bed.

I ran to her and shook her. She didn't react. I flipped her onto her back and saw her battered and barely recognizable body.

I fell back onto my butt. I saw it. A message was written using Marie's blood. "Unforgiven" in big letters.

I got back up, the world around me seemed to have stopped. I shakily pressed my fingers to her neck and felt no pulse.

"Oh god…. Marie! PLEASE WAKE UP! MAAAARRIIIEE!" I desperately screamed.

My screams attracted people to Marie's condo and soon the police shut the area off.

_Marina's POV_

I ran like I have never ran before. I was screaming in my mind that this was just one of Pearl's pranks. She is completely fine and just gonna laugh at me.

I stopped when I saw it. A puddle of magenta blood with a white cloth over the body in the center. Huge letters written with her blood spelled out, "Unloved".

I feel like time froze as I moved into slow motion towards the white cloth. Despite the authorities orders I pulled back the cloth. It was unrecognizable with its head smashed in. The ruined outfit and dented crown told me exactly who this was.

"No…" My tears blurred my sight as I collapsed onto my knees beside her. My best friend. But why? So many questions filled my head.

The authorities tried to take me away from the body, but I fought them back.

"Miss Ida! MISS IDA! CALM YOURSELF!" the officer restraining me shouted.

I cried my eyes out struggling to just be next to her. Eventually, I calmed down and the officers started asking me questions. The questions like 'when was the last time I saw her?' 'was anything off about her behavior? Where was I at 10 pm?"

"Everything was normal... We hung out after work like every other ordinary day and left at 8 pm to go home. I was getting a hot chocolate from the cafe near my house…." I sobbed, "I didn't think… I-I didn't know my best friend would…"

"Yes, I know… do you know who would have done this?" the detective asked.

"N-no… I know how Pearl can be blunt and childish… BUT she's a wonderful person! She treats everyone with respect and never hurt anybody! I don't understand who would have the heart to… t-take her life away..."

"Alright, I'll tell you what? How about we go to the station to talk more okay?"

"...yes sir…." they led me into the car and we drove to the station.

_Third POV_

The police brought the idols to the station. Callie was shaking and crying. She deeply wanted this day to be just a horrible dream. She seemed to be spacing out as they brought her into the office.

Marina walked into the office and was surprised to see Callie in there.

"Callie?" Marina walked to her.

"Marie was found murdered this morning…. We have reason to believe that the murderer was the same person." the detective sat down.

"No way…." Marina hugged Callie, "Marie too?"

"Marie…." another tear ran down Callie's cheek.

"yes… While Pearl's time of death was 10 pm, Marie's was early morning at 4 am." he looked at the reports.

"why?... who would do this?" Marina gently rubbed Callie's back.

"either someone who hates your bands or just really hates Pearl and Marie. Now I must ask. Where were you two at those time periods?"

"are we suspects now?"

"I can't overlook that detail ladies."

"Marie is my cousin! We are very close!" Callie snapped.

"Pearl is my bestest friend! I would never hurt her!" Marina was beside herself.

"ladies you have to understand that. We need to be sure"

"I was asleep still at 4 am. There are security cameras all around my condo. You can check them if I ever left my house. As for 10 pm, I was talking with my gramps on the phone for a good half hour if not more." Callie replied.

"ah, yes Captain Cuttlefish, right? And you Marina?" the detective noted down

"I told you on the way here." Marina sighed, "I was asleep at 4 am. Also, I put in security cameras, all around the outside of my house, at the request of my manager. At 10 pm I was… recording my daily diary…. There is a record on my laptop… You can check it but… don't show it to the media..."

"yes, very well. If we may go into your homes to check your alibis?"

"Yeah, of course," Callie and Marina said at the same time.

"good I'll get right on that. You may wait here" the detective got up to make a call.

The girls waited in silence. Time seemed to slow as they thought about Marie and Pearl. 3 hours past by as they spaced out. The detective returned snapping the two back to reality.

"your alibis check out. So you are in the clear. I wanna thank you, ladies, for your time," the detective sat down at his desk.

"Sir, if I may. I want to help find who did this! I can't sit around knowing this despicable person isn't behind bars." Marina clenched her fists.

"I know you feel but-"

"even if you refuse I'll look for them myself!"

"me too! I can't let them get away with this" Callie agreed.

"I figured you two would be this way. So I won't stop you. After all, I'm sure your grandfather will grill me if I didn't let you."

"Thank you. Detective…"

"I guess I should tell you about what we have so far…. Well, it's not going to be easy talking about how they died, but will you guys be okay?"

They both nodded slowly.

"so with Pearl… her body was covered in bruises. Her abdomen was the worst of it. I can only assume the killer hit her over and over again. They finished her off by smashing her head in. The murder weapon here was a metal pipe and a cinder block."

Marina bit her lip.

"now for Marie… she had bruises and cuts on her body, but that wasn't what killed her. She was strangled to death. We think she was attacked with a knife. She struggled with the killer. They fought causing some cuts and bruises on Marie's sides, arms, and legs. She managed to knock the knife away, but the killer got a wire and strangled her in the bedroom. After they repeatedly beat her corpse."

Callie winced at the thought.

"the killer must have really hated them… They did go through the trouble of beating their corpse after the victims died. You girls think may have an idea whom may have done this?"

"No not a clue," Marina replied.

The detective's phone rang and he picked it up, "Inspector Humbore here….. yes... It's that so? Alright, I'm on my way."

"Did they find something?" Callie and Marina looked at him eagerly.

"Yes, they seemed to have caught the suspect on a video surveillance. From what it sounds Pearl's is pretty gruesome. It captures Pearl's beating pretty well. As for Marie we only get a look at him entering and leaving the condo."

"what are we waiting for then?! Let's go!" Callie stood up.

"Marina will you be okay? You don't have to watch if you don't want to" the detective suggested.

"... but I have to. I will make sure that they get locked up forever." Marina's eyes lit up with determination.

The detective patted her back and they drove to the building where Pearl was found. They reviewed the footage.

It showed Pearl walking in the alley to get home. A person wearing a cloak rush at her from behind and stuck her into the wall. They hit her over and over. The person stopped for a minute as Pearl tried to escape. But Pearl stopped and seemed to reached out to grab their feet. THEY continued beating her with the pipe. Pearl's blood splattered around her. Pearl weakly reached for the person. They grabbed a cinder block and smashed her head. They threw the cinder block aside and hit Pearl's now limp body over and over again with the pipe. They finally left after casting the pipe away.

Marina's tentacles bubbled out of anger.

"The suspect was wearing a black cloak…. In Marie's security footage too." They switched the footage to the fire escape where the cloaked person entered the building and exited 2 hours later.

"If the suspect is still wearing the cloak, why hasn't anyone reported anything?" Callie asked.

"Because they discarded their cloak into the river… Pretty stupid of them, because we can easily take the items that they discarded and get a clue to where they may be"

The forensic team pulled out an ID from the pocket of the bloody clothes. It did not take long before police were sent to the address.

The police busted through the door only to see a young skinny boy sitting there waiting for them. He didn't seem to be all there as he smiled at them.

"Hello, officers. Did you come to arrest me?" He asked his grin grew, "For Pearl's and Marie's death right?"

They cautiously move towards him.

"I won't fight. I did what I did" He giggled as they handcuffed him.

Marina and Callie wanted to rip his head off as they watched his playful reaction to getting arrested. They took him away and started interrogating him back at the station. He pretty much confessed to killing them.

Marina finally snapped, "WHY DID YOU KILL HER?!"

"MARIE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG! WHY WOULD YOU KILL HER IN COLD BLOOD?" Callie yelled.

"...Why?... Because I was curious…" He faked being surprised they reacted that way.

"C-curious?"

"Yes, what would this world be like if one of you died?... Some people say that they prefer it this way… They never get to see how the other would feel if their partner suddenly disappeared…"

"You killed them because you were curious how people would react?! You're a fucking monster!"

"I got the answer from your partners… how much they care about you. Hehe… I never said whom I would kill. I just told them that if I didn't kill them I go after you two after." He laughed hysterically, "They stopped fighting me right after and begged for me to spare you until their last breath. Pearl kept repeating, 'please don't hurt her' trying to get up and beg for your life. Marie was much more feisty until she grew weak and repeat 'Callie' and I'm sorry'."

The girls had to be held back as they tried to kill the crazed inkling.

"They felt they were unloved and unforgiven. You never forgave Marie…. She told me how she's wronged you as she struggled. It was so sad and pathetic. She gave up so you could live. They both did. Perhaps in another world, they are alive and well. Maybe they are loved, maybe they are hated… maybe they were killed or maybe they took their own life. Maybe in this world, they are gone, but maybe in another world, it is not too late… This is what they wanted, after all, right?"

Author's Note:

Hey, it's been a while. I had to write this because I was kinda annoyed by people liking one of the characters and being a dick to the other. I really like Callie and Marie / Pearl and Marina. I feel they complete each other. I wanted to try to get people to think about how the characters may feel to have their partners gone. I could have succeeded or utterly failed. My writing skill/ confidence has pretty much gone to heck in my mind. Well, thanks for reading. Sorry if you are upset with me. I'm not gonna write things like this hopefully ever again.