The moonlight felt good on Marja's skin. There was a feeling of...vindication, watching the crackling of the Pizzeria as it burned to the ground before the Agency. There would be all sorts of hullabaloo in the morning about what had happened and how it had happened to begin with. The night sky was slightly illuminated by the orange flames that crackle in the wind, though thankfully nothing was there to spread the flames in the park. But for them, for Ve and Marja, it was good enough.

"Well… that's that I guess? No way the robots are gonna survive that." Agent 1 eventually spoke, getting murmurs of agreement from 2 and 4.

"What about Sal- no, Sapphire?" Marja asked, still snuggled close to her Octoling's side. She was nuzzling her with small movements that soothed her pained stomach, "Did you think she, ah… got out of that?"

4 stroked his chin in thought, leaning on his Hero Shot, "It doesn't seem too likely. Besides, even if she did she lost all her robots and base of operations. Either way, she won't be hurting anyone anymore."

"...Sapphire..." Marina's voice was heartbreakingly soft, full of sorrow. No one dared to comment on her supposedly now dead ex, less they hurt a sensitive topic even more. They all gave the burning murder building one last look before heading back to Inkopolis. They had to clear out otherwise the "secret" agency would be exposed in broad daylight. They left, silently and quickly, Ve looking back one final time as the embers from the kindling remaining danced amongst the winds. She didn't see another Octoling, eyes blazoned in black and yellow, also staring amongst the flames before turning back towards a pale blue light and an ethereal hum.

/

It was a long, sullen tread back to the Canyon, back to the Tentakeel Outpost. Callie, still dressed in her leather garb, was now shivering; both from the cold of the night and the painful memories from down in the Domes. Marie shushed her darkened thoughts, bringing a silver blanket out of her emergency supplies pack and draping it over her cousin. Agents 3 and 4 were conversing, laughing like old friends, perhaps even sneaking a kiss in here or there. Agent 3 seemed more cordial here, sighing happily with nary a meme in sight as she and 4 embraced. Ve smiled lovingly; she knew that, underneath all of 3's shenanigans, lay a bond with 4 not even Tartar could break. Marina had long since gone off to rest, though no one could exactly know if it was because of lack of sleep or painful emotions. Ve made a silent promise to visit her and make sure her mom was okay.

But for right now, she was cuddling up to her own partner, Marja. She had her wound looked at, thankfully being only a bruise and nothing major. One of the Inkling's arms were wrapped around her smaller body, her snuggling nicely into the side of her cyan friend.

Red eyes lazily looked down at her, full of fondness even when she raised a brow, "How are you not cold Ve? Those clothes don't cover much."

Ve pretended to be in deep thought before nuzzling into the girl's neck, "Maybe it's my burning love for you~?" She whispered, before giggling loudly at Marja's sputtering. She was so cute when flustered! "Nah, just something you adapt to in the Domes. We don't exactly have stella heating there."

Marja nodded though pouted a little, "Flirt, much?"

"Only with someone as cute as yo-"

"Cease." She interrupted, gently covering Ve's mouth with a finger. The girl simply giggled adorably before snuggling closer. Marja doesn't know what deity gave her this magenta haired girl, but she knew she was going to treasure their friendship for as long as she could.

"You two having fun?" They looked up to see Marie grinning down on them. But not the typical 'I'm going to save this for a meme later' grin, a genuine happy smirk. "You two did great today. Callie was impressed."

"Well you weren't that bad yourself!" Marja said, somewhat satisfied, "And here I was, thinking you two idol types were a load of hot air and implants."

Ve spat out the water she had just sipped upon that last remark. Marie took it in stride, however, and smirked, "That so? Well, that's all part of the act we gotta put on for the producers. Gramps...uh, Captain Cuttlefish, made sure we were more than a couple pretty faces, no matter what Octavio seems to think…" she looked over to Callie. She was dressed in spare clothes, her leather getup finally on the floor, "Sapphire was right about one thing...he DID do nasty things to her. No matter, he's not going anywhere. Not on my watch."

"MY ESCAPE RECORD IS SIX YOU KNOW!" came a bellowing shout from outside the cabin, "I CAN GET OUT AGAIN!" He was quickly silenced by Agents 3 and 4, keeping a close eye on the general, him grumbling to himself with a frown.

"So…" Marja said after a pause, "Now what?"

"Yeah…" Ve sighed, "I mean, I GUESS our contract is over… that, or it burned up with the rest of it. But, aren't we gonna get in trouble for this? We did...kinda set fire to their theme park."

"Don't worry about that one, Agent 8," Captain Cuttlefish said, sticking his head through the doorway, "I've got a few connections, they'll cover the damages just fine. On the contrary, I hear my little granddaughters are gonna bring the hurt to THEM, amirite?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Marie said, "They used our faces AND Off the Hook's faces without license in a very derogatory and...well, lethal way. Pearl's spent the last week cobbling the papers together with one of her lawyer relatives, she is apocalyptically angry!"

"So long as that money goes towards that Octoling Orphanage," Cuttlefish said sternly, "They could do with the funding."

"Yes Gramps," Marie grinned, saluting as he retreated back to his game of cards with Octavio. Marie looked back at the two, "Well, maybe a LITTLE bit of that court cash will be heading your way. 'Rina's been telling me you two have been struggling with rent for a while."

"And food," Marja sighed, "...And, a lot of things, actually."

"Well, make that a sizable amount of that court cash," Marie said, "It's the least we can offer for your help...well, actually, there is ONE more thing. How would you like to join our little mission here, Mags?"

Marja's eyes grew wide, everyone had now shifted their focus on the two girls, all intrigued, "Me?! An Agent?! I-I…"

"You demonstrated incredible skill during all that fighting back there," Callie called out, "You're a natural bad buy beatdown-er! We could use your skills on our team, I think! Have a Gorge and some Octo Remnants we've been meaning to crack."

"W-Well…" Marja stammered, "I…"

"Come on, Marj," Ve pleaded, "You and me, and them, against the world. You can prove you're truly something. More than your family ever thought you were."

Marja paused. Yes, her family. Her abusive family that terrorised and abandoned her while showering her sister in praise. She wasn't even supposed to exist, but she did, and they hated that. All her waking life, right up until she met Ve, they made it known she was NOTHING. But now...Ve was right. Marja could be something after all. That would show those lunatics! If...they hadn't all been incarcerated eons ago. She stood up straight, "I accept."

"Then welcome to the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Agent 7," Marie said warmly, the two shaking hands, "It's great to have you here. Well...I guess we'll need to rearm and resupply. And I am NOT sending you two on a mission after the week you've had. Take a week off. Get into some Turf, just lounge around. You've earned it, and then some."

"Thank you, Agent 2," Ve beamed, "Well, we best be going. Night!"

"Goodnight, Agents," Marie sighed.

With her new Agent status, Marja and Ve made their way over to the manhole back to Inkopolis, saying goodnight to all the others. Callie gave a bright smile, 4 nodded with a small smile and 3… was violently vibrating on her rear, constantly yipping "WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WOOMY!" Then in a blink, she was gone and a wave like thunder roared in the distance. Both had a questioning look before 4 shook his head, clearly not in the mood to explain his wacky girlfriend's antics.

Marja let out a small, soft laugh, "These guys are wacky, but eh. They're alright in my book." Ve nodded happily, her smile brighter than any firework Marja had ever seen. Her heart thumped as that one sentence replayed in her mind.

"What you did to Marja, to the girl I love… you'll pay for that, I SWEAR!"

Her heart fluttered at the thought. But was it in the moment of a stressed situation, or… did Ve actually love her, like, TRUE love her? Marja knew her cheeks were a little heated, but she couldn't really wait any longer. Heck, this week was supposed to be normal but then they nearly got killed, killed AGAIN and now she was an Agent. If this week had any lesson, it's that you can never predict the future. There will always be a surprise that you can't or couldn't predict. Ve was here. There right here and now.

The only time to act was the present. Marja tried to steel her nerves before calling out, "Hey Ve? Mind, uh. Ahem, m-mind if we can talk?"

Ve blinked but quickly gave a small smile, "Sure Marja, what is it?" Cods she was so cute. Her rounded face, her beautiful amber eyes, her dorky toothy grin, her cuddly frame.

The Inkling could feel her chest flutter even more, "Well, uhh… r-remember when I got hit?"

"You mean against Pearl or your past?"

"P-Pearl, l-literally tonight." She clarified before coughing into her hand, "I-It's just… I-I heard what you s-said to her, a-after she knocked me away, you know?"

To her credit, the Octoling kept her composure, though a noticeable amount of blush coloured her face, "I-I see."

"I-I just, uhh… w-was that "in the moment", uhh, kinda thing or?" If Marja could shout at her mental self, it would put some game ranters to shame. Why can't she just say it in one, nice, neat line?!

Ve blushed even more, hugging her arm and shyly looking away, "I… Hmm" She bit her lip slightly, seemingly thinking how to phrase it. A slight hook of dread dug into Marja's chest, but she hoped, PRAYED that it wouldn't yank her apart. The agent in leather then slowly took both Marja's hands and held them together, then both stared into one another's eyes. "I… I r-really like you Marja. Like, I really, REALLY like you. When I started helping you, b-back at the turf game, I-I thought you were nice and could be a really good friend. B-But you're so much more to me now!" She smiled brightly which the Inkling couldn't help but replicate, "The more and more you got better and happier, the more I really cared for you. A-And you really care about me too! Even when I mess up, like with cooking, you always help me back to my feet. Y-You watch out for me and make sure I'm happy and okay. I… I love you Marja. I-" Neither noticed they slowly had leaned closer and closer to one another until Ve quietened. The tips of their noses were barely touching as they both blushed.

Yet neither backed away. Neither wanted to.

Amber and red stared into one another, almost like a silent communication they could only understand, before they inched closer. Small breaths tickled Marja's nose as their lips soon connected. Neither really knew what kissing was like or could imagine. Yet the small, soft contact sparked their bond and love. Neither pushed or pulled back, the simple contact was more than enough as they melted into each other's embrace. Eventually they parted their kiss with a tiny pop, yet both hearts thumped with new found feelings.

Marja then suddenly giggled and scratched the back of her head, blushing brightly, "Well, uhh… d-damn. I-I love you too, if, uhh… that didn't clarify, so..." Ve blinked before giggling loudly which Marja couldn't help but join in with.

The various members of the Splatoon had watched this debacle with glee; a returning 3 was cheering, 4 was silently celebrating, Marie and Cuttlefish merely watched from afar. But Callie...well, Callie was gyrating on the floor in pure happiness, screaming in utter delight at the spectacle laid before her. Marie was sure she was screaming about how she "shipped" it, which only made her smile even wider. It was good to see her happy again. Soon, the entire Outpost cheered and whooped as the two Agents cuddled and kissed some more, framed by the silvery light of the moon.

/

The next week or so was certainly eventful for the majority of the Splatoon;

Agent 3 and Agent 4 continued their Agent-y duties while Ve and Marja recovered back home. Agent 4 continued to scour the Canyon for any traces of Octarian uprising, quelling it wherever he could while gathering supplies for the raid on the Gorge. Agent 3, meanwhile, was often taking trips into the dank misery of the Deepsea Metro, long since opened to the public, to help the various underwater denizens find their way back to the surface. They continued to fight and flirt, 3 each day seeming to find a brand new eons-old human meme to torture her partner with. But 4 didn't care. She was lovely, really.

Wahoo World's owners, Carousel Entertainment Inc, were soon entangled in obscenely heavy lawsuits from both the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook. Pearl's anger during the trail was legendary, and could be heard across the city. That plus their building being suddenly burnt down entirely more or less meant they were KO'ed in a money sense. In the rubble of the wreckage however, a proper security office was being planned to be built in the next year or so. Since no one knew why the pizzeria burned, the general community agreed some extra security wouldn't hurt.

What certainly made some Inklings and Jellies shiver was the investigation that occured. Multiple mutilated bodies were found in the burned wreckage. Most reports were classified, but there was a list of the victims. Two Inklings, an Octoling, a few Jellyfish and even a Salmonid were found. What was more heartbreaking was the next two casualties found, both small children. Parents cried and mourned over their loss, but what had been done couldn't be changed.

Desti, with the knowledge of her wounding of Marja being accidental, was barred from Turf War for two weeks to quell protesters. She remained at Meggy's apartment for the time being, bumming off from her for Sea Snail Shells and fresher gear. Meggy was at least happy she had mellowed out with time. She wondered what would have happened if they remained rivals to the bitter end. Desti was forced to relinquish her Flingza Roller, and the rest of such stock was quickly recalled for reinforcement of the latch that had caused all this to begin with. Nevertheless, she and Meggy trained daily, with their eyes on the prize of the Splatfest Tournament trophy. Only one thing stood in their way; the Killer Inks.

With the pizzeria gone, a new one was quickly built to take the now empty market. Thankfully it was lacking deadly robots and actually had really good quality food. A new Octoling Chef called Cream had opened it and it spiked in popularity fairly quickly. Entertainment was covered by smaller, lesser known pop stars and talented entertainers. Some guard jobs were sent out as well, with Markus and Hale quickly taking the roles. No one had to know they had Ray Guns instead of fancy looking tasers. And more than once had the glasses wearing inkling warned his friend not to show the squishies how it worked, regardless of how cute their baby eyes could be.

Sapphire's body was never found.

/

"Wow!" Marja called out in victory as she carried her partner into their apartment, her warmed Aerospray by her side, "Those were some INTENSE matches! How did you even snipe that dude out of the air so consistently?"

"I dunno," Ve chuckled, "How did you manage to keep the pressure on them so well with a glorified spray nozzle? We absolutely destroyed 'em!"

"Well, it wasn't just US," Marja said humbly, setting Ve down on the sofa while she went to rummage through her pockets, "That new kid has REALLY made a name for herself, hasn't she? Remember when she took a look at my leg and ran away screaming?"

"Man, that feels...so long ago," Ve sighed, "Glad all that's over. But, y-yeah, she really took to the Turf well, didn't she? Got some snazzy clothes, a new friend, rockin' that N-ZAP like a pro!"

"Glad she wasn't traumatised by it," Marja sighed, "Should keep in touch with her. What was her name? Denim? Demiare? D-Demi? Demi, it was Demi!" she smiled with glee as she placed the bags of coins down on the breakfast bar, "And oh boy we've got quite the earnings, here! Dinner's on me, you hear?" she could hear Ve giggle. Cod, she loved it when she did that. Suddenly, something caught her eye on the dining room table, "Oh? What's this?"

Marja turned and saw what Ve was looking at. On the center of the table was a box, with multiple holes poked on the top. On the side was a note taped to the side, along with some smaller packages next to the main box. What puzzled them both was that they had not ordered anything. Ever since they confessed, they had practically been attached by the hips, one never leaving the other's side. They both knew they didn't order this, so what WAS it?

"Check the note," Marja suggested, which Ve quickly snatched up. But after a brief glance, she gasped in surprise! The Inkling was instantly to her side, "What is it?"

"It's Marina's handwriting!" Ve squealed happily! This must be a present, it MUST be! All the good things came in boxes, like her Null Armor! She cleared her throat quickly before reading out loud, "Dear Eight and Seven, I hope you have both been relaxing like we ordered you two to do! But I also hope you've both been alright. I can only imagine how stressful that horrible place was… Which is why me and Pearlie came up with this super fresh idea! You may have noticed the package by now. We wanted to get a gift for you two, for being strong and brave for all those nights. And, well, I'll let him introduce himself. His name is Snow! I hope you love him as he will love you!

Don't get cooked, stay Off the Hook~! Marina and Pearl! :3"

Both girls shared a curious look before Marja carefully lifted off the box's top. And they instantly both gasped.

Inside, snuggled on a soft blanket, was a baby sea bunny. He was so small that he could easily fit in either girl's hand. Most of his body was pure white, but his ears, nose and tail faded into a dark black. His tiny nose twitched as he slowly uncurled, stretching his tiny legs that were a similar black. Small blue eyes slowly opened as he looked up to the two girls looking down at him and gave a small, adorable squeak.

Ve cooed like Callie seeing a squishy while Marja opened her mouth with the joy of a birthday party kid. "SO CUUUUUTE!" They both cried, wanting nothing more than to cuddle the small poff of a bunny. Said bunny just flopped onto his back, giving a silly look of a smile.

"Brrrrr!" Ve instantly fainted and Marja suffered one heart attack. Thankfully her other two were still there. Snow simply squeaked happily. Ve came to and the two girls brought Snow to the sofa where they began to cuddle him relentlessly. He for the most part seemed to enjoy it, nuzzling into their chest and continuing with his purrs and squeaks. Every now and then, the two girls would reach up to smooch each other before resuming the cuddles.

It was a perfect sort of ending to the week. The light at the end of the tunnel. Marja simply couldn't ask for more.

The End

...Or, is it?

/

Somehow, even the management of the park weren't sure how, some of the animatronics had survived burning down. None were salvageable, fewer still were recognisable except for the Fresh Fish suit, and even that was burned beyond repair. Not like they'd even try to, considering the lawsuit it had just put them through. They all ended up in the same place; a small ditch outside of the city. Even the city dump wouldn't take it. They were simply abandoned and left to rot.

It was dark, and silent, in the ditch. It was night, only the moon shining on the remains of the robots. Only the Marina, Callie and Fresh Fish robots remained, and in hideously warped form at that; Marina was still headless, her body merely charred by the flames but otherwise intact. Callie was likewise headless, though one of her melted tentacles remained, while the gnarled remains of the miniguns spewed from her damaged torso. She missed an arm and both legs and was likewise charred. The final of the three, however, was Fresh Fish. Only the torso and the head remained, warped beyond instant recognition from the fire. The torso plates had broken off, revealing the complex and uncomfortable writing lining the inside of its internals. The controls and straps Sapphire had used remained, with dried patches of her ink on the sharper parts.

All was silent. All was still. And then...it wasn't.

A crunch of gravel and scrap as figures approached. Four of them, in total. The first, tall and lanky, dressed in revealing white stage clothing and endlessly brushing her bushy tentacles aside. The next, a younger Inkling in a blue leather jacket and goggles, carrying a shotgun in her hands. After that, another cuttlefish-eared Inkling with a green jacket and a robotic left hand. Finally, a smaller Inkling buried in an oversized hoodie, chugging mercilessly at a can of some "AAA Energy" - with a noticeable trail of cans running behind her.

The Octoling stopped, bending down to pick up a scrap of the robotic remains. She chuckled, her tone of voice one that oozed smugness, "Well, would you dearies look at that! Looks like my alternate and my ex had some braincells between them after all."

"Thank Cod for that," the shotgun-toting cuttlefish growled, "After all the ssssssshit we went through just to get this stuff…"

"How many kids have those things killed…?" the robot-handed cuttlefish shivered, "Why can't we just leave them be?"

"Because, Marie…" the Octoling said tersely, "We need these bots. We need 'em to get the advantage over those War Splat losers. Get what WE want, ya know? Don't you wanna rule the roost?"

"I wanna stop this…" 'Marie' sobbed, "Don't you wanna stop, Cal?"

"If these ssssssshitheads can kill those Octoling scumbags," 'Callie' growled, "Then they're fine by me."

"Then it's settled," the Octoling cackled, pointing to her twitchy, caffeinated companion, "Pearlie, dear! Be a good little girl and get these scraps back to base, and that goes for you two as well!"

"W-Why?" Pearlie whined.

As she lifted the scrap up to her gaze, Raw Marina's black and blue eyes shone brightly and she grinned, "We've got some reverse engineering to do…"

Okay NOW The End