I own nothing. Mother/Earthbound is owned by Shigesato Itoi and Nintendo.

The Day That PK Love Came To Play

Chapter 2

Explaining the situation to Lucas was an absolute nightmare. Throughout much of my monologue, he was panicking, breathing deep and fast. I explained how I know about him, his game, how i found him, and generally tried to not sound insane. I asked him not to think of himself as coming from a game (partially because I didn't know if he was familiar with what that was), but rather that he is from a seperate reality and, somehow, he was yanked out of his world and plopped down in mine.

After a long, awkward silence following my explaination, he asked to be excused to be alone with his thoughts. He then got up and walked into the guest bathroom (don't know why he chose THAT room, honestly) and closed the door behind him. Even from the living room, I could hear him muttering to himself. I wondered what he was talking about, and was worried if he was gunna be alright. After around five minutes, he went silent. I got up, knocked on the door, and started talking to Lucas from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Hello, Lucas? A-Are you OK in there?"

"Y-Yes... I'm fine, I suppose."

"Sigghhh, I know. It must be a lot to take in."

"Everything I've went through... Mom, Claus, the destruction of everything I've loved... was it even real?"

"Of course it was real! If it wasn't, how would I be talking to you? Just because you're from a 'game' it doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"So, it's like I'm from another world?"

"Basically, yeah."

"So... do you think I'll ever get back?"

"...I don't know. I'm honestly as clueless as you are. Honestly, I just know your situation from when you were 8 up until when you pulled the final needle. Why you're here specifically, and why I'm... basically a caretaker is beyond me."

"Caretaker? What do you mean"

"Well, you appeared in my house, and I don't think you have anywhere you can go, and I don't think you can buy a home for a while, so... I guess you'll be living with me and my family? I don't know how I'm gunna explain this situation to them, but we won't have to worry about that until 5, at least!"

"Parents? Where are your parents?"

"Dad is at work and Mom is out with her sister. We've got the house all to ourselves until they get back!"

Lucas fell silent.

"Painful memories?"

"Mhm..."

"Wanna come out?"

"...Ok."

After a short pause, he opened the door and walked out. His eyes (which, naturally, were black ovals, like in his game) were looking down, his hands in his pockets, and he looked very... I don't know how to describe it. Conflicted? Troubled? Is that the word I'm looking for? He looked up to me, smiled lightly, and stretched out his arms. I knew exactly what he was trying to initiate.

I knelt down, so I was at eye-level with him. I gave him a reassuring look, and gave him a hug. Now normally, I assume, hugging a person you've just met probably isn't the best idea. However, 1: Lucas and I are both the same age, so... that has to count for something, right? And 2: Lucas has been through more rough patches in a few years than most people go through in their entire lives, so at this point, I think he needs a little bit of comfort from someone who knows what he's been through.

After we broke off the hug, I decided to go back to eating my cereal. Lucas sat down next to me, and looked at what I was eating. "What is that?" he asked. "Cinnamon Toast Crunch," I said, slightly muffled due my mouth being full of cereal. "It's pretty good!" After I said that, he grabbed a piece (is that the right word? I'm bad at word-using) of CTC and put it in his mouth. He nodded with a thumbs up. However, he didn't seem all too hungry, as he walked off after that.

He sat on the couch, and noticed the large, solid black screen attached to the wall. Despite not looking much like the things he was thinking of, he asked "Is that... a happy box?" "Well, we call it a 'TV,' but, yes, it is," I replied. He looked... how do I even describe it? He looked completely emotionless, and yet somehow filled with every emotion known to man. So many awful memories were connected, not to the happy boxes themselves necessarily, but to the people who sold them. The monsters who led to the death of his mother, the corruption and eventual death of his brother, and the destruction of all he knew and love. I could tell just from his facial expression that he was conflicted. He was sent to this world all on his own, everything he knew either gone or lost in another plane of existence, and it seemed nice, a fresh start even, and yet it had a device brought in by the ones who ruined his life in it. Is this new world really as good as it initially seemed, or is it gunna be a repeat of the pain he felt again?

...Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. It was just a blank face after all. Am I just being paranoid? Am I misusing the word 'paranoid?' I really don't think I'm adequate to take care of Lucas, but sometimes you just gotta take the cards life deals you.

"Maybe this room isn't the best place to be right now. Wanna go outside? It's pretty nice." He smiled a little. Maybe what he needed was some sunlight on his skin and fresh air in his lungs. He got up and, before I even told him where the backdoor was, he made a beeline for the thing and leaped outside on the grass. I went outside, and I saw he was looking out at the distance. Beyond the suburbs where my home was, there was a lake. Next to the lake was a field. The field was filled with lush, green grass, several species of flowers, and a large hickory tree in the middle. It was truly a sight to behold! Lucas seemed to think so! He seemed awestruck at this new world he found himself into. It was peaceful, with no real danger he could sense, and if there was, he had PSI he could protect himself with. He seemed truly excited for what this world had in store for him, and I guess I'm the one who's gunna lead him through it.

God help me.

oOoOoOoOo

Kind of a random place to leave things, but it's getting a little long. Please follow, favorite and review this story for more chapters! What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? What can be improved? What kind of stuff do you think could happen? Please let me know. It's my first time really writing a fanfiction like this, so I hope it's up to snuff! I hope it's not garbage! We'll see I guess! See you next chapter!

-Garrett!