Note: Shoujo is the female equivalent of Shonen.
To say that The Guests were upon both Graham and Mono mere seconds after they had entered the interior of The Maw would be quite the understatement.
After obliterating a metal gate that stood in their way with the power of Bushido, Graham and Mono descended a long flight of stairs before they found themselves in a massive room. The Guests cluttered the room with little to no regard for personal space, with each and every one of them stuffing their faces with food items that were atop their tables. It was a wonder how their chairs even managed to keep them up…
The hole in the ceiling didn't seem to disturb The Guests in any way, shape or form, and for the most part, they ignored Graham and Mono as they began to walk past the rows of tables and towards an elevator on the far side of the room. However, right as they were a quarter of the way there, a Guest suddenly stopped his feast and sniffed the air… and not long after, his gaze locked onto Mono, prompting his large eyes to widen and nearly bulge out of their sockets as he gasped and reached for the child.
"Tsk, I was hoping to get through without catching their attention!" proclaimed Graham in anger as he watched the other Guests turn to look at him thanks to the actions of the first. For the most part, they seemed completely fixated on Mono rather than Graham, much to the latter's dismay as he began sprinting forwards.
For as fat as The Guests were, when they were crawling on all fours, Graham had to begrudgingly admit that they were rather fast. They had quite literally boxed him and Mono in right as they reached the halfway point to the elevator, and as he stood surrounded by the pudgy 'human' visitors of The Maw, Graham found himself grimacing as he fell into an offensive stance.
"I see no pleasure in fighting the disabled, but so be it! Mono, prepare yourself!" urged Graham, and before Mono could even ask what he meant by that, the soldier quite literally threw Mono into the air, above the heads of The Guests, much to his horror as he screamed out in shock, though before the shock could be overwhelming, he saw Graham lunge forwards and punch the wall of Guests with his left fist.
"GRAM PUNCH!"
And with a single, decisive swing, The Guests were sent flying into the air. Graham himself jumped up into the air and leapt off their airborne bodies to reach Mono, with him snatching the child out of the air with little issue before he landed on the ground with a decisive thud.
"G-Graham! Maybe you c-can be a little less… dramatic for my sake?" pleaded Mono as he recovered from the shock of being lobbed like a rugby ball. In response, Graham snorted as he kicked the face of an approaching Guest before he sprinted towards the elevator once more.
"Only if my dramatic tendencies will not save you, Shonen!" responded Graham as he ran, with him jumping off the back of another Guest, breaking his back in the process, and crashing into a whole mob of them. On impact, the mob of guests scattered as Graham continued his run, with Mono held close all the while.
It didn't take long to reach the elevator, with Graham holding Mono out to push the button before he set him down and assumed a defensive position against The Guests. Each and every one of the pudgy wankers were attempting to outpace one another to get to Mono, and while some had their sights set on Graham himself, they all seemed mostly focused on the child as they slobbered hungrily.
"Vile beasts, come no further!" proclaimed Graham as he slammed one of his feet into the ground, shaking it all the while as he clenched his fists. The mindless Guests didn't acknowledge the warning, however, as they continued their advance towards Graham and Mono, with the latter shivering in fear while the former pressed the elevator button several more times to goad it into coming faster. "Brace yourself, Mono, and stay behind me! I do not wish for you to get caught!"
"R-Right…!" replied Mono meekly as he grimaced at just how… useless he currently felt. He couldn't contribute to Graham's battle in any way… and the guy has done so much for him already! It was only fair that he did the same!
Staring down at his hands with a determined look on his face, Mono grimaced as he clenched them tightly. He had the ability to use the Signal… right? His older self had demonstrated that he could do quite a lot of amazing things with their power… and as such, who was to say that the younger Mono couldn't replicate some of his moves?
Out of a desperate need to feel useful, Mono grimaced and held his hands up towards the inbound Guests and focused hard on them. As he did so, he felt a surge of power flow through his body and up to the tips of his fingers as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut in concentration.
And seconds later…
"What the-"
Graham's honest to god confused voice made Mono open his eyes in confusion, though when he did so, the boy realized why he had sounded so shocked when he looked at The Guests with widened eyes.
They were all… still. Unmoving. Alive, sorta, but they were all frozen in place. The entire room had also taken on a purple hue as well, and the purple colour seemed to be affecting everyone but Graham and Mono themselves as they remained able to move.
"Shonen, did you-" began Graham, only to pause yet again when he took note of the… glow in Mono's eyes. His eyes… they were now glowing a powerful shade of blue as he stared up at the Solbrave Commander, though it didn't seem to impair his vision in the slightest as he tilted his head.
"Is something wrong, G-Graham?" asked Mono awkwardly, to which the soldier in question shook his head.
"...no. Did you do this, Mono?" asked Graham in shock. When Mono responded by scratching the back of his neck and offering a "I think so…?", Graham couldn't help but chucke heartily as he nodded in approval. "Nicely done, Shonen! Your abilities are growing at a remarkable rate!"
"T-Thanks!" thanked Mono bashfully as he shut his eyes and smiled brightly at Graham, who chuckled at the unadulterated adorableness of the Shonen before him.
He paused briefly, however, when he heard the elevator come to a stop behind them, prompting him to crack his neck and motion for Mono to follow him in.
And that he did, with the Shonen moving to stand beside Graham in the elevator as it descended one level.
"We shall investigate every floor of this structure, Mono. In order to find this Shoujo, we must be vigilant!" proclaimed Graham as he saw Mono's eyes return to their normal colour. He reckoned he had released The Guests from their predicament, though he didn't question it as he watched Mono nod enthusiastically.
"I hope we'll find Six soon though. This place is dangerous enough on its own," commented Mono as he began worrying for his friend. Graham, on the other hand, took this as a chance to comfort his charge as he knelt down and patted his back.
"Not to worry, Shonen. If what you told me is anything to go by, that Shoujo is incredibly competent. We will find her, and you will be reunited!" assured Graham as Mono found his smile widening.
"Y-Yeah, I'm looking forward to it…" said Mono as he rubbed his upper arm meekly. At that, however, the soldier took note of some tension that was present within the Shonen, prompting him to crouch down and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Shonen…?" muttered Graham as he stared at Mono, and at that, the child in question shuddered a little as he tensed up further and glanced at Graham with an awkward gaze. His sudden movements were more than enough to tell Aker that he was on edge, prompting him to smile gently. "Are you scared?"
"S-Scared? Haha… you're funny, Graham… I…" began Mono, with him trailing off near the end. Before long, however, he gave an exasperated sigh as he nodded. "Yeah, I'm scared, alright…?"
"You fear the prospect of reuniting with your friend, do you not?" clarified Graham, and though he didn't wish to answer at first, Mono ended up giving Aker a mild nod of his head, prompting him to nod understandingly. "I see. I for one do not blame you."
"You… don't?" muttered Mono in surprise, and at that, Graham chuckled as he nodded and ruffled the child's hair.
"Not at all. You two have been through a lot, according to what you've told me, and a betrayal that severe is bound to leave several deep scars in both your heart and soul," explained Graham as he offered Mono's shoulder a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. "However, I must commend you for your bravery, as I doubt any other Shonen your age would so willingly confront a ghost of their past."
"Thanks…? I guess?" muttered Mono, with him having not understood more than half of what Graham had said, though he got the basic gist of it as he offered a small smile to the older man. What a strange one he was. He was so unlike any other adult in this world, though then again… he wasn't from this world. But even with that little detail discounted, it still felt odd. He wasn't trying to kill him, nor was he indifferent to his presence…
But for once in his life, Mono reckoned that he could get used to this oddity as he reached his hand forward to grab onto Graham's, much to his surprise, and squeezed it.
"Shonen?" quipt Graham, raising a scarred eyebrow as he stared at their intertwined hands, and at that, Mono giggled gently.
"Six and I did this a lot. It's a sign of friendship," explained Mono cheerfully as Graham smiled rather widely. He didn't acknowledge the gates of the elevator opening up as he stared at Mono's smaller hand in his, and before long, he nodded and flashed a wide smile as he shifted to a kneeling position in front of the Shonen. Gently, Graham wrapped both his hands around Mono's and stared him directly in the eyes.
"A sign of friendship. I always thought myself to have lost that privilege after my defeat by that Shonen, but I have since realized that I am still deserving of camaraderie," commented Graham as he smiled at Mono. "I accept your sign of friendship, Mono! From this day forth, I, Graham Aker, shall be your friend! I shall carry your burdens, fight your battles and celebrate your victories with you, not as an acquaintance, nor as a soldier, but as your friend!"
And though it was admittedly very cheesy of him to say all that… Mono found himself blushing at such a bold declaration as he placed his smaller hand atop Graham's pair.
"Thanks, Graham… that… that means a lot coming from you," thanked Mono as the man in question smiled. And, after a short moment of silence, the hat loving child shook his head and turned towards the now opened doors of the elevator with a smile. "But, uh… for now, let's start the search-"
And right as those words left his mouth, both Graham and Mono heard the sound of a terrified yell in the distance, prompting them to exchange a quick glance.
"Shall we start there, Shonen?"
"Probably as good a place to start as any…"
Meanwhile
"OH GOD HE'S COMING!"
"Calm down already."
At the urging of Six, Seven did his best to calm down. It didn't work, to say the least, though one couldn't exactly fault him for that.
Though he has been through a lot of crap, the runaway kid had not seen as many horrors as Six has during his escape attempts. And likewise, unlike the raincoated girl, Seven has not had the displeasure of having a Guest crawl towards him hungrily, and as such, the whole experience unnerved him enough to get him to panic.
With a disgruntled groan, Six shot her arm towards Seven and seized his hand. The boy in blue noticeably gasped at the strange sensation as he felt himself being pulled behind Six, though the girl in question didn't think much of it as she began pulling the two of them away from a Guest that was pursuing them.
They only stopped their sprint when they entered a conveniently placed vent in the wall. Once they were in, they heard a thump on the other side, signifying that their pursuing Guest could no longer follow them, prompting them to sigh in relief.
The past few minutes had more or less been like that. Seven was, by all means, not as stealthy as Six was. Hell, he was probably worse than even Mono! At least the formerly paper bagged boy had a mask to muffle his cries of terror! Seven had no such thing! He had attracted the attention of so many Guests that it was a wonder that they had even made it this far without losing a limb or two, and though it was nice to have a companion, Six much preferred one that wasn't going to get her killed.
'Tsk… Mono was a better companion for fucks sake!' cursed Six mentally as she glared over at the boy. He was still… useful to her, sure, though she didn't know if his use was as important as her actually surviving this whole ordeal.
"T-Thanks for that, Six," thanked Seven, snapping Six out of her mild trance, as he noticed that their hands were still connected. With a scoff, the raincoated girl undid her grasp on the slightly older boy's hand and began trudging off, much to his dismay as he followed her. That hand holding was a new experience for Seven… and he wanted it to last for at least a little longer.
As for Six, however…
"You know, you were very Mono back there," commented Six's Shadow self as she and the runaway kid squeezed their bodies through some scaffolding. Six offered the Shadow no response as she did so, though as they entered the next room, she saw that her Shadow counterpart had followed them in, much to her dismay as the Shadow kept on talking. "He rubbed off quite a bit on you, huh? You're not so you these past few days."
Now laying on her side atop a dresser, Shadow Six appeared rather bored as she propped her head up on her palm. Six herself ignored her while Seven didn't even notice her as he followed his friend(?) forward. Shadow Six didn't seem to enjoy being ignored, however, as she apparently pouted and spoke up to get her host's attention.
"He's gonna die, y'know? Seven has always been fated to die, as is how you were always meant to come to The Maw, and just like how you will always drop Mono, one way or another," pointed out Shadow Six as the raincoated girl stopped in her tracks in confusion. She didn't wish to speak to her Shadow, though her body language was enough to tell her that she wanted to know more, prompting the Shadow to chuckle. "Say please~"
Nothing came at first as Shadow Six rested her chin atop the back of both her hands. Likewise, Six stared up at her Shadow with an irritated scowl while Seven remained passively silent, appearing confused as to why they had stopped so suddenly. He glanced up at where Shadow Six was at, though he saw nothing, confusing him further.
"Uh… Six?" muttered Seven, only for the girl in question to silence him with a raised hand.
"Please tell me about what you know," said Six reluctantly, sounding as though she had to push the words out as she held back a grimace. This confused Seven further, though when he noticed the pissed off look on Six's face, alongside her tightly clenched fists, so tight that blood began to drip from her palms, he opted to not ask about it as he backed the fuck away from her.
"Much better," was all Shadow Six bothered to say before she snapped her fingers, and in an instant, Six found herself gasping in pain as a sudden rush of information blasted into her mind. Likewise, Seven felt a massive rush of information force its way into his mind, prompting him to stumble back in terror as he realized… his death had been caused by SIX! "Happy? You got what you wanted~"
"It… it was all pointless…?!" proclaimed Six, with her eyes wide and mouth agape as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Everything had come to mind so suddenly that she couldn't process it all without getting emotional… the time loop… her dropping Mono over and over again… his anger boiling over as he became the Thin Man… all because of a reckless, in-the-moment decision made by Six…
Not only that, but her arrival to The Maw… severing The Janitor's arms, outwitting the Twin Chefs, bypassing The Guests and, if the new flash of info was anything to go by, her killing and eating part of The Lady's neck, part of her older self's neck, had all been preordained! Her journey to The Maw had been nothing more than a fucking sick joke ever since the beginning!
"I wouldn't say it's pointless. It was made to keep the Signal Tower up and running after all. Of course, it doesn't really focus on you after you drop Mono. Once you do, it kinda forgets about you. Hell, the time loop you're currently experiencing is born from another eldritch being altogether. Somewhere west of this place, I think," countered Shadow Six as she laid on her back and held a hand up into the air. This only served to anger Six immensely as she clenched her fists tightly.
"Mono… is he…?!" demanded Six, only for Shadow Six to chuckle.
"Yep. He's not dead," confirmed Shadow Six as it smirked a tad, with Six herself feeling a weight being lifted from her shoulders as she slouched a little in relief. She was still trying to grasp at the fact that the time loop even existed in the first place and the fact that her friend was indeed still alive, though her knowing all that was enough to make her smile a little.
"But… why didn't you tell me?" asked Six, sounding a little unsure and perhaps a little hopeful as she spoke. And in response, Shadow Six chuckled as she seemed to smirk.
"Because honestly, I didn't even know about it till like, three hours ago. When the Tower was destroyed," answered Shadow Six nonchalantly, and at that, Six felt her jaw drop as she processed her Shadow's words. Almost as though she knew of her next question, Shadow Six continued. "You do know that I'm technically a construct of the Signal Tower made from a part of your soul, right? I'll know if it falls. And before you ask, I'm still here because, as I said, I'm tied to your soul. I'm here till you die, baby."
At first, Six found herself a little relaxed at the knowledge of the Signal Tower having been destroyed, though before a few seconds passed, she allowed that fact to fully sink in, and at that… she kinda lost it.
"Wait… wait wait WAIT! WHO DESTROYED IT?!" demanded Six at max volume rather abruptly, with a small amount of… hope gathering in her chest all the while. She only knew of one person who could potentially damage the Signal Tower after all… though she didn't dwell much on that (for now) as her Shadow laughed at her, angering her further. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THE TOWER WAS DESTROYED EARLIER?!"
"Didn't want to, and honestly I don't know who or what destroyed it. It was… huge. And very blue," replied the Shadow innocently, and at that, Six appeared ready to climb up there and give it a piece of her mind, what with her believing that her Shadow was talking out of her ass, though before she could do so, Six heard a whimper behind him alongside a giggle from her Shadow. "By the by, don't forget about your… other friend and what you did to him."
And at that, Six widened her eyes in shock as she was reminded of what she had done to her current companion, prompting her to turn towards him with widened eyes as he stared at her in shock.
"Y-Y-You… you a-a-a-ate me!?" proclaimed the runaway kid, screaming as though he had seen the end of the world as he slowly backed away from Six. If it were any other point in her life, Six probably would've told him off for being such a pussy in regards to such topics, but now… she found herself unable to find her usual survivor attitude as she stepped back in guilt and looked away from Seven. "You… ATE ME! I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU!"
"I… I didn't know! T-The… the hunger! It was-" defended Six, only for Seven to cut her off.
"You don't have to make up any e-excuses! Just… g-get away from me!" proclaimed the slightly older child as he began to sprint away from the raincoated girl. As he did so, however, a memory from the most recent time loop popped into Six's mind as she gasped and held a hand out towards the runaway kid, and instinctively, she began running after him.
"SEVEN, WAIT!"
The words came out too late, as before he could even turn around to acknowledge her, a sliding door opened, allowing a formerly resting Guest, having been woken up by the yells of the runaway kid, to crawl out into the room Seven was running through. Upon seeing him, both Six and Seven gasped in shock and ran for their lives, though Seven had a head start as he barreled on ahead.
"S-Seven!" Proclaimed Six as she kept her pace up, with her short legs struggling to keep up with Seven's longer pair. As they ran, several more doors slid open as more Guests were awoken by the yells and footsteps of the children, prompting them to give chase.
And before long, both Six and Seven were no longer persueing/fleeing from one another, respectively. No, instead they began to run away from the massive amount of Guests that were chasing them with shocking tenacity.
Running out of the Guest Cabins, Six and Seven descended a small flight of stairs and avoided two falling cabinets before they leapt up onto a table. The Guests that sat behind it attempted to grab at them, though they remained out of reach as they headed for the edge.
Though when they were close enough, Six widened her eyes when she remembered how this usually played out. There was a lantern… a single, solitary lantern… and she would grab onto it and swing off over a crevasse and over to safety.
Now, however, it wasn't her who was grabbing onto the lantern. No, instead, Seven had leapt up and grabbed onto it with all his might and swung himself over to the other side. His safety, oddly enough, came as a relief to Six, though it reminded her that she was now screwed as she came to a halt at the edge.
'... so this is how it ends, huh?' thought Six bitterly as she noticed her Shadow standing atop the incoming wall of Guests, looking as though she were surfing atop them. It would've been comical if Six herself wasn't about to get crushed by them.
What an anticlimactic way to go, though she supposed she deserved this…
And as such, she closed her eyes and got ready to accept her fate…
…
…
…
Huh, this was sure taking awhile. She wondered what-
"SHOUJO!"
What the fuck?
Confused beyond belief, the girl began to open her eyes a little… and she promptly widened them to their fullest when she saw that the world around her had an oddly purple tint. That gave her some bad memories, to say the least, though the memories were quickly suppressed when she saw that the Guests were all… unmoving. Frozen in place…
And immediately after, a guy in a pilot uniform lunged over her head and kicked the frozen Guests, a sight that made Six widen her eyes in shock as he pulled his fist back.
"WORRY NOT, SHOUJO! I, GRAHAM AKER, ALONGSIDE YOUR SHONEN FRIEND, MONO, HAVE COME TO SAVE YOU!"
And before Six could even process what he just said, Graham Aker roared out in anger and fired both his fists forward.
"GRAHAM HAY MAKER!"
And then, the wind pressure from the punch annihilated the Guests, sending each and every one of them flying backwards with ease… and left behind a very slack jawed Six as she stared at her savior in complete awe. Hell, though she couldn't see him at all, Six had a feeling that Seven was slack jawed at the sight as well, though before long, Graham Aker pulled his fists back and cracked his neck.
"Hahaha! Nicely done, Shonen!" praised Graham as he stood up from his punching pose, with him turning around and offering someone a thumbs up. As he did so, the world around them lost its purple tint as the older man glanced down at Six, who noticeably flinched, prompting Aker to respond by holding both his hands up passively. "Worry not, Shoujo. As I have said, I have come here alongside your Shonen friend to save you from this nightmare!"
"... you what?" was all Six could respond with at that point as she stared up at Graham in utter confusion, though within seconds, her confusion became pure, unadulterated shock when she heard a familiar voice…
"SIX!"
"... M-Mono?"
And before she knew it, Six was hoisted up into the air by Graham, who held her carefully on the palm of his hand, before he jumped across to where Mono and Seven were at.
The memes continue, and the reunion is at hand! There will be Mono X Six and you cannot stop me! Also this story has a cover picture now, drawn by me! Woooooooo!