Episode 11: Lamenting of the Lost

Rick, Reimu, and Morty had just walked out of a portal, landing in Morty's room. "Ah, that's much better. We're home now..." Reimu said with a smile on her face.

"Totes malotes." Rick replied. "I'm just glad we're out of that damn Citadel of Ricks. We've cleared our names, took down the real *urp* killer, bada-bing, bada-boom." Rick proceeded to walk out of Morty's room and moving towards his own room. It was nothing fancy, it had a rusty old bed and it was packed with boxes and various notes. "Wubba lubba dub dub!" As he entered, he saw Jerry sitting on the room with a teary expression on his face. "Oh. Hey Jerry. Wh-wh-what are you doing in my room, buddy?"

Jerry took notice of Rick and looked up at the scientist. "Nothing! I was just, um, checking the smoke detectors." he lied.

"Alright, okay. Get out." Rick said.

Seeing that he had nothing else to do, Jerry stood up from his spot on Rick's bed and proceeded to walk towards the dining room to catch his thoughts. When he walked towards the window, he saw Doofus Rick standing across the street, seemingly unbothered by the cold, snowy atmosphere around him. Jerry looked towards him as he waved, and he smiled and waved in kind. Reimu spotted this and walked up towards him. "Huh, another one of them out here?" she asked. She took notice that Doofus Rick was waving his hand at a smiling Jerry, and she smiled in kind. She saw a shy-looking version of herself and a Morty with a chiseled face looking back at the group. "I see you made a few friends."

"Yeah, what of it?" Jerry asked. In truth, he didn't want to offend his neice or anything, he was just curious as to what she was saying.

Reimu was about to respond, but Rick walked in with a quizical look on his face. "What's that dipshit doing over here? Are you friends with him!? You know he eats his own shit, right?"

"Wait, what!?" Reimu asked. "He would never-"

"Oh my God, this is rich! I've got like *urp* ten Ricks to call right now!" Rick said, completely ignoring Reimu as he proceeded to dial on his phone.

"-do something like that..." Reimu idily finished. "Dammit, Grampa Rick! Sure, Jerry and I butt heads from time to time, but that's still not cool!" the teen said with a huff before proceeding to take a few deep breaths and looked at Jerry, giving him some advice. "Don't listen to those words, you'll only add fuel to the fire." With that, she walked towards her room and proceeded to lie on her bed. "Grampa, I know you- aw geez, that shouldn't be in the first place, but you're family."

The teen got up and removed her hoodie, letting it hang on the hook towards her door and proceeded to sit on her bed. She knew that Rick is a jerk, but he's her jerk, her grampa, and as such, he's still family to her, and thus, she still cares about him. Sometimes, it may seem hard, but so far, she's done things that are much harder and more deadly, like escaping a homeless man's body that would explode in the vacuum of space, recover from the shock of seeing her actual Rick and Morty dying after other versions replaced them soon afterward, and survive an angry Citadel's attempts to kill them to find the one who framed them. Truly, Rick's adventures were something else when compared to the life she had before. It was no spring breeze, that's for sure, and unlike school, she couldn't just sit down when her teachers ran out of stuff for her to do, for the multiverse is wild and unpredictable, even more so than her grandfather.

While Morty wasn't exactly well-suited for adventures, she was proud of him for rallying all those upset Mortys against Evil Rick, thus saving her skin along with that of her grandfather. Perhaps he is able to go on these multiversal adventures after all, but he still should attend school if he so wishes. Nonetheless, they needed a much-deserved break for the time being, and the seventeen year old girl began thinking about what she should be doing. Sighing, she proceeded to take some pajamas from her wardrobe and proceeded to walk into the shower. As she scrubbed herself off of what dirt she had gotten on her, Reimu let her mind wander off towards the events that had happened.

It seemed like it would be any normal day (at this point, her old view of 'normal' was slowly fading away as she went on more and more adventures) when a bunch of alternate versions of her grandfather accused him of murdering several of his alternate selves when someone else framed them for it. A few dimensions away, they found the real killer, who had apparently taken several versions of the Smith family and brainwashed them to use as guards, though there were a few that escaped, and Morty rallied them up to take down the real killer, and after a quick talk, they left the Citadel, (hopefully) never to see that madhouse again.

Reimu soon turned the water off and dried herself before putting some pajamas on and crawled into bed, yawning as she proceeded to enter the sweet realm of sleep.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, it was a dark winter night in Washington state. The moon and stars did not have a chance to shine, for the clouds covered the sky and send down a flurry of snow and sleet. However, that did not stop the artificial light from streetlamps reaching the interstate highway down below, nor did it stop headlights from various vehicles from lighting the area up. One of these vehicles was your typical city-to-city bus that was likely used by some company out there.

Within the bus, various people were chatting towards one another, yet one person was distinct amongst the rest of the group. She held onto a pole with one hand and her suitcase with the other. This girl had platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back, with her left side bang tied into a braid with a small ribbon. Her green eyes gazed out onto the snowy abyss as she idly ignored the various chatter that came from various people out in the bus as they chatted about whatever it was on their mind. But in the mind of Marisa Kirisame, who had just turned seventeen at January, there were many things that were ringing on in her head.

"It's been three months since last Christmas-ze." Marisa said towards herself. "And over three years or so since I met the man who changed my life forever. To think that the girl I met is his granddaughter is... well, not that bizarre, actually." In truth, the young teen was pondering to herself because she was almost at Seattle. "If it weren't for him, I'd be still in that orphanage, or running away from it. Now, I'm running towards something I know would be rather good." She pulled out a cell phone and proceeded to dial in a familiar number of hers and put it towards her ear. "Oh hey, Bloom."

"Marisa, I'm glad to know that you're still trucking around there. I just got a new ride set up back at Anatomy Park." Bloom said.

"I see. By the way, I seem to be nearing Seattle now." Marisa replied, pointing towards the lights before putting her hand back on the pole. "Actually, you won't be able to see it due to being... well... inside that poor guy who's now the host since Ruben croaked."

"Ah yes, last Christmas was... rather eventful for our time at the park. I can't believe that damn Poncho was the snake behind all of that." Bloom said, with those last words after the mention of Poncho seething with venom. "Sometimes, I just wish you stayed with me back at the park... well, the new one inside that guy, Rick didn't give us their name or whereabouts. Even with the new employees, I still feel kinda lonely in there."

"You know-ze, I sometimes think to myself 'Why didn't I get Rick to portal all my stuff over there?' when I had went to get it instead." At this point, the kleptomaniac couldn't help but to snicker to herself. "I can't believe I sometimes do things that seem convenient when they aren't at all, it's just weird."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying, Marisa." Bloom said. "Though to let you know, the new Anatomy Park has done some... pretty impressive progress since our talk at Christmas, just after Ruben's corpse blew up and I had no other choice but to settle in on a new body. Of course, Annie is busy taking charge this time, they're looking at a place to build a new ride inside one of the guy's blood vessels, likely the aorta, considering it's an artery which lacks valves unlike veins, which is redundant telling you because you would know since you've been inside a human body for years now."

"Yeah, I guess so. I wouldn't have known as much if it weren't for my decisions-ze." Marisa said. "Defyin' my father, leaving him out of spite. I am not sure where he is or what he's doing now, haven't been for a year since I came into Ruben. In all accounts, since I first met you, you were like a father to me, Bloom, more so than my own flesh and blood at the moment." The young blonde sighed and looked out into the dark, with the faint sight of city lights dead ahead in the cascades. Letting out a smile, Marisa knew that she was that much closer towards Seattle. She had raised enough money to take care of herself, and her bosses did agree to pay her. Doctor Bloom served as a de jure guardian towards her, and while Rick hated bureaucracy, he did set aside his hatred for the moment to get things set up, though Marisa insisted on retaining her surname for reasons left between the three of them. She very much knew that Seattle was only a metaphorical arm's length away. Already, she could see the outside starting to brighten up a bit, clearly the sun was rising from beyond the clouds. "Welp, there it is, at least I hope it is."

"Well, I'm not sure what is going on inside that head of yours, but what I do know is that you seem to be under a lot of stress." Bloom said. "Believe me, I was kinda stressed out with the idea of Anatomy Park, but we managed to break through, the new staff and I, that is." Marisa heard Bloom pause for a moment. "Well, I suppose you should have a good time over there. Cheerio."

"Goodbye, Bloom-ze." Marisa said, the two of them hanging up on their respective sides of the call. Marisa idily stared at the outside world at bit, thinking back to a past where things were a little more normal. She wasn't always that angry at her father, and she still doesn't exactly hate him. But she did remember what happened for him to get that way, and a time when things used to be a little more fun and enjoyable. Like when she was celebrating her sixth birthday, for example.

Februrary 23, 2003

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARISA!"

Marisa, now six years old, looked out in faux surprise as she saw her mother, her father, and all of her friends turn on the lights to reveal an elaborate display of baloons, streamers, and all sorts of things and knicknacks suited for a party. She looked on with so much glee that one would think they would see stars glitter in her eyes. "EEEEEEEEEEE! Thank you so much, I wanna see presents! Cake! PARTY! LOVE!" With little control of herself, little Marisa rushed towards the table and was about to blow out her candles, but her parents stopped her.

Her father had slicked-back blonde hair and blue eyes, and wore a casual wear of a blue buttoned-up T-shirt and some khakis and black shoes. Her mother also had blonde hair, yet she also had green eyes on her, and she wore an outfit consisting of an apron over a nice white blouse and a long lavender skirt that went down towards her shins, as well as some black high-heels.

The father, Esteban, worked at an office complex downtown while the mother, Yulia, worked at a flower shop that was stationed just outside the house. All the while, their only daughter, Marisa, played and frolicked around like the innocent little girl she was. Esteban knelt down and put a hand on his daughter's head, lightly chuckling as he ruffled her hair. "Happy birthday, my dear daughter."

"We've got a very special surprise for you, dearie," Yulia said. "But first, we would have to wish you a happy birthday, Marisa."

Marisa didn't pay that much attention to the 'Happy Birthday Song' as they sang it. For one, despite being six, she still found it annoying, and two, she goes to the birthday party mainly to be with her friends (and to have some cake) and to be the young, sort of near pure-hearted child she was, 'sort of' as in still getting into mischief every no and then as kids like her do. The only thing she DID pay attention to was how long it was, and she was polite enough to let them finish, and before they could say 'and many more', she immediately blew out the six flames dancing atop their candlespot.

"Woah, that was... quick." Yulia remarked. "What did you wish for, sweetie?"

"ANOTHER GREAT YEAR WITH THE BEST FAMILY A GIRL CAN HAVE!" Marisa declared. There was laughter, fun, and everything you can find in a birthday party, and Marisa herself was the crown jewel of it all, surrounded by her friends and family near and far. Truly, she was having the time of her life at her sixth birthday party.

Marisa smile towards herself, yet she noticed a few tears trickle down her throat. Sniffling for a minute, she wiped them off her cheek. "What's wrong, young lady?" a curious passenger asked.

Marisa looked at the man for any sign of malice, harrassment, anything. So far, she found nothing. All this time 'on the run', if you will, has had her get pretty observant with who is doing what. "It's... I'm not willing to talk about it, mister."

"It's all good." the man said before proceeding to text on his cell phone. Marisa looked on to see the city lights slowly starting to fade away as the background brightened up. She couldn't help but smile as she found what she thought was Seattle coming up, but soon noticed the sign.

"Another false alarm. Perhaps maybe I should've thought about it before I rushed ahead." Marisa lamented. She wasn't the type to think before her actions, but she was also not the type to stand around and do nothing, either. And, on some level, she is well aware of it. But, then again, it hasn't been the same since she was ten. It didn't come with any form of warning, but for one reason or another, her mother died. At that thought, Marisa began to wonder to herself about something. 'Why did it have to happen?'

She never wanted to tell anybody, as it brought too much stress into her whenever she thinks about it. She was trying to distance herself from it, which may have seemed hypocritical due to the path she chose, she wanted to curl up into a ball thinking about it, that she knew. At one point, she was the loving daughter of a happy family down in the quiet little town of Chattsville on the California/Oregon border.

October 19, 2007

The cold fall air had finally reached the area, being heralded by a cool breeze, the coloring and falling of leaves, and the various hustle and bustle of people that were busy decorating their houses for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and on a few occasions, Christmas, despite it coming far later in the year. By now, four years have passed, and Marisa, who was now eight years old, was well into elementary school and just away from middle school by a few grades. At that age, she was nearing her double digit years, and has styled her hair up into a messy ponytail in contrast towards the twin pigtails she wore when she was six. She had gained a tomboyish personality, rough and tough yet still quite friendly among her peers. She was also developing some freckles across her nose, cheeks, and chest area. Due to the cold fall air, she had taken to wearing a striped/banded scarf for the upcoming cold seasons. She was also wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of overalls, and some black boots that fit her size.

As of now, she and her classmates have just finished school, and had just exited out the door to see that there was several other students. They were all currently walking towards the main entrance area, where dozens of voices were being heard from various deizens of the crowd. She could see a whole array of kids around her age as well as a couple of preschoolers, kindergartners, and even a few early middle school students here and there. During the time she had attended the school, she has seen so many people enter and exit, yet she herself had no care about it in the world. She just spent her earlier years playing around, and she's even developed an interest for soccer, and perhaps a bit of basketball. Sure, she likes watching other people play sports such as football and whatnot, but she wasn't really interested in playing it. If anything, she was more interested in parlor tricks and illusion like how stage magicians do it. In the later years, she began to take her actual studies, and honestly, she found the work boring, but did it all so she wouldn't be left with any homework at the end of the day. In her mind, homework was just a way to keep you from relaxing after a long day's study, and she'd rather focus her energy on having a good time than anything else.

Soon enough, they saw the various cars enter the parking area in a line, and eager students were happy to see their parents once more. Marisa herself was just as happy to be back with her family, along with their new cat, Mister Peaches (Marisa named the grey cat the moment she found him), who was found as a stray in the local park the August of the previous year. She always loved it when he came up to cuddle with her at night. It is always better when you're with someone that can comfort you, even if they cannot do it in words or speech. But enough about cats, as soon enough, the cars began to advance with the more each kid managed to get towards his or her respectful parent/parents and/or guardian/guardians. Soon enough, she spotted a familiar beige car head towards the direction of the school, and she knew in her heart that that was her mother and/or father picking her up from school. She sprinted towards the vehicle with a grin on her face that displayed she was missing a few of her baby teeth, with a few new adult teeth growing out in their place. With swiftness and glee, she rushed towards the car and took off her favorite backpack. She proceeded to look as the door opened, and sure enough, her parents were there to pick her up, both of them, in fact.

"Mom! Dad! Guess where we went tonight-" Marisa caught herself saying 'tonight' by mistake and chuckled. "Today, not tonight. Today! Sorry."

"It's nothing to worry about, dearie. Sometimes, we all happen to have a 'slip of the tongue', if you will." Yulia informed.

Marisa couldn't disagree with that statement. She soon hopped into the car and watched as Esteban proceeded to drive them towards the direction of their old homestead. No, they were not content with moving, but rather staying in their lovely little town, not only is Marisa growing up here, but her parents grew up there as well. Sure, they did take trips for vacation, but for their ol' stomping grounds, it was their homestead for life, as they thought of it. The school itself was not that distant from the suburbs, merely separated by a little park, a few shopping centers, and nothing else. It was only a ten minute drive from there to their home, and needless to say, their home sweet home was a two-story brick building with shingled roofs and a well-decorated wall of windows, with a front porch and a garage next to the house. Esteban pushed a button latched onto upper mirrors of the car, and the garage door began to open. As soon as it finished opening, the family got out. The parents proceeded to stretch, and Marisa immediately rushed into the living room to catch some quality TV programming.

The moment she went in, she went towards the living room (aka the den), and proceeded to sit on the couch before noticing something. "Whoops, hee hee. Forgot my backpack back at the car." Marisa was about to turn around, but she heard something from the direction of the garage. She soon saw her parents walk out towards her spot, Esteban being the one who held her backpack for her.

"Whoops, you forgot about this, Marisa." he said.

"Thanks, Dad." Marisa replied.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Esteban answered.

"Now, you know of what we're gonna do tonight, huh?" Yulia asked.

At this point, the young Marisa began to groan. "Really? That mushy stuff you do behind my back? You guys can be so embarassing sometimes." Marisa began to glare at her parents, and they returned the favor. After a short while, all three of them chuckled and broke out into laughter. Marisa was the first to die down, and developed a saddened expression in contrast towards her previously gleaming smile. "But what about you? I know I'm a big girl, but sometimes, I can get really, really scared."

Yulia looked at her daughter with a twinkle in her eye. "Dearie, we're not gonna be gone forever. We're just going on our weekly dinner, remember? Don't be afraid, it'll do ya no good to be scared forever."

"Thanks, Mom. You and Dad are the best parents that I could ask for." Marisa said, giving those two a hug. "Alright, I guess you're going to go to your dinner then, right?"

Yulia nodded, and it was Esteban who spoke. "Trust me, your old man and his loving wife have been through a lot together. We'll be fine on our night out. Now sit tight and stay safe while we're gone, m'kay?"

"M'kay..." Marisa said. In truth, she was scared for her family. She loved them, and she knew of how strong they are. They're her parents, after all, but still, she worries for them as they do for her. They're all her family, after all, so like they worry about her, she HAS to worry about them. She shed a slight tear as her parents both kissed her and she gave them both a hug. "Stay safe, stay happy..."

"Don't worry, kiddo. We'll be sure to bring you something back." Esteban answered.

Marisa looked up, smiling back at her parents. "Thanks."

She hated having her parents leave, or having to leave her family. For as far as she's been concerned, she knew her parents her whole life, but even then, she knew when to suck it up and let them settle down and have their 'me time' every once in a while. Fortunately, it was a Friday, so she didn't have a bedtime. Marisa ultimately decided to take the backpack she was holding and take it to her room so she can find it later, and then, she proceeded to go onto the couch and turn on the TV with the remote. She hoped that with a movie in play, she would be able to get this worry off her mind.

Marisa thought about the various movies that came about, and ultimately, she decided to watch an old series of Disney classics, starting with her personal favorite: Aladdin. It was originally a Chinese tale, but Walt's Arabian Nights proved to be quite the entertaining piece of film. But first, time for popcorn. Marisa had come prepared, going for Orville's movie-brand popcorn to pop and some Coca Cola to drink while she's at it. The sound of the popping was soothing, and this movie was sure to excite her. As she watched the opening where Agrabah was first being shown, she started to feel rather confident, and not just that she knew that her parents were going to be fine. The movie itself, she and her family watched dozens of times, but it didn't stop feeling any less magical. She swore she watched it well into the night, yet she did not really care. Eventually, she saw Jafar fall for a simple trick, and that part made her laugh. He wanted to be a genie, and he got it, having to serve a master and all. It came towards the part where Agrabah's desolation has been reversed (pre 2010s Disney magic, don't question it) and Alladin was just about to wish the Genie free, when suddenly-

"We interrupt this program with some breaking news." Suddenly, the movie was interrupted, causing Marisa to look in shock.

"What!? I shouldn't be interrupted on a DVD! This is bogus-"

"This just in, a mass shooting has happened in Downtown Chattsville." The image on the TV displayed surveillance of a masked criminal breaking into a restaurant and started shooting everybody that they can find, holding a rifle in their gloved hands. Marisa screamed in horror at the sight and desparately tried to change the channel, but the reporter spoke in an almost mocking tone. "The shooter was first sighted in 'La Cave Douceur' at approximately 6:30 PM in Pacific Standard Time. Several dozen casualties have been identified in the dozens. Casualties that were deceased include Dorian McGiggles, Jordan Caswell, Baxter Richardson, Yulia Kirisame,-"

Marisa gasped. "MOM!"

"-and more. The killer is still at large with nowhere to be found. They seem to be heading eastward, past Gerson Park and down Mulberry Road. If you see any suspicious activity, call the police ASAP. They could be heading your way." Marisa, who had just turned the TV off, couldn't help but tear up at what she just heard.

"Mom... why?"

Marisa shuddered at the memory. Yulia was her mother, and she wouldn't be there without her. That whole event wasn't exactly as she remembered it, and yes, she was not watching it on a DVD back then, but still, it was a pretty scary experience just seeing it first hand. The events that had happened afterward weren't the best, to say the least. Her dad did survive the attack, but he was, needless to say, not the same as he used to be. Before the whole thing came about, he was her jolly father, and after the shooting event, he was hospitalized with several bullets stuck in his torso. Thankfully, they did not hit any vital organs, but he did have to stay for a couple of days.

Losing someone was quite hard for anybody who cares about that person. For the Kirisames, Yulia's death devastated them. Her father became increasingly brash and angry, at first it was in private, but it eventually became visible. Soon enough, he started to get angry even when she was around, and his condition worsened. Pretty soon, the whole thing went into an argument about something completely unessessary, but it became clear that at that time, she had to run away.

January 23, 2008

"For the last time, I will not allow you to go on these silly parlor tricks!" Esteban yelled.

"Dad, please, this is just parlor tricks! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Marisa rebutted.

"ENOUGH! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN AN ORDINARY GIRL! I CAN'T LOSE YOU LIKE WE LOST YULIA! For all we know, that shooter is still out there!"

"You're being superstitious! The shooter was arrested a month ago!"

"JUST... just... JUST GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

Marisa winced at that recent memory. Her mother's death had made some rather unrealistic effects, or possibly realistic yet too quick. Marisa found that her father's behavior had become increasingly worrisome and superstitious, with a little aggression to boot. He was even at the stage of locking her in her room now. Something had to be done about this phase, but she was just a ten year old girl, so what can she do? She was locked in her room, but as she was thinking, she turned towards the window and smiled. "The window, that's it!" If she could not get out at the door, then the window would suffice. Fortunately, her father hadn't descended that deep, so perhaps she could escape before he does, or maybe she would wind up making a mess out of everything.

Ah well, she was willing to roll those dice. She reached into her closet and pulled out some tied handkerchiefs that were hidden away in the shirts and coats. She gathered some necessary supplies, and tied the handkerchiefs to the window, beginning her climb down. She knew she had to find some help, she knew she had to run away before her father's mental state worsened. Whatever the case was, she needed to go far enough away before he becomes abusive, and fast. As soon as she got onto the bottom, she ran away as fast as she could, the sound of snow boots clamping against the new blanket of snow were apparent. She had to run away, but where was she going to go?

Marisa still hated that day to this day. She may have been rather petty with the situation with her father, which lead her to being a de facto orphan, but then again, she was much younger, a little more rambunctious, and a little less wise at the time. She didn't like seeing her father like this, so she did what most children ultimately did not: run away and never turn back. She was unsure why she did that, but afterwards, she's been hopping from city to city like Disney's Bolt did with Mittens and Rhino. Weirdly enough, she started doing it before that movie came out (and even longer than she has heard of it). Somehow, she refused to get adopted, and she had to take care of herself fast.

Early on, she has developed some theiving tendencies, but it did not really go that far, so she attempted to earn money through odd jobs and getting payment from the locals to earn herself a keeping. School was one of the few places she continued to go to, and she found one where she didn't have to pay for lunch money. There was also this attempt at stage magic to impress those who walk the street, but that really didn't go as expected. She was struggling, yet she did manage to get herself on her own two feet, but not anywhere near where she was before it all went south.

Even if it felt unrealistic, she still, clung onto hope. And sometimes, hope can get you on your feet during a lucky break. Such as what happened to drive her to the not quite so fabled Anatomy Park. That was the second day her life changed forever.

October 23, 2011

Marisa was in the place she was staying in since she was eight. Her clash with her father had led the two to be estranged towards one another as she moved a few towns up north. She has been working in simple chores throughout her life in order to raise money for herself once she figured out she needed it in order to obtain her needs, learning how to take care of herself that way. School was one beast, and she was commonly bullied due to her status as a de facto orphan and a few other tendencies she picked up. She could admit that she was a bit of a thief, a trait she had gained in her early years of her estrangement, and curiosity sometimes grabs a hold of her, only to fade just as quickly as it arrived. Currently, she was holding a list of possible jobs for her in one hand and a pencil in her other hand, scowling at the list she went through.

"Paper deliverer, nuh-uh." She grabbed the pencil and crossed it out. "Community service, nope." Another possible job was crossed out, and she looked at another label for a possible job. "Babysitter?" She was about to cross it out before openly sighing. "Why am I crossing out these when I have no other choice in the matter!? What other stuff could a teenage girl in the middle of high school do, ze?"

Thankfully, she did have enough money to sustain herself for a while, so she decided to clear her head and walk around the park, where she could hopefully think about what she was going to do later on. Walking out of the apartment, she walked out of the door and into the city to get some fresh air, perhaps stay at the park for the afternoon and plan from there. She walked through the various blocks across crowds of people, at first going to a McDonalds, despite their unhealthy tendencies, but for her, it was enough. It was mind-boggling how she wasn't identified as, well… Marisa, but then again, several years have passed and she's grown quite a bit, so that was something.

As she walked, she couldn't help but to feel that she might've been a little off about her argument with her father, and felt it to be kind of petty, to say the least. As she walked, the wind started to blow. Summer gave way to fall, so the temperature was bound to drop. She should've brought a jacket, now shouldn't she? Fortunately, the McDonalds was just up ahead, and she was hankering for something to eat. She walked into the red and yellow building, looking to see that it was not quite as dense in terms of people as she had expected. Smiling, she went towards the cashier and smiled.

"Woah, hey. Aren't you a little young to be all alone?" the cashier asked.

"Don't worry, I've managed, ze. I've just come by to order a ten-piece Chicken McNugget meal to go, with a large drink as well." Marisa ordered.

"Um… right away. You do have money, do you?" the cashier asked again.

"Yes. Again, don't worry, I've managed this long." Marisa answered, holding out her wallet and handing the cashier a couple of dollar bills and smiled as she received her change. A little waiting later, and she watched as someone gave her a small bag and a cup for her drink. "Thanks."

After filling up her drink and packing some ketchup for the trip, Marisa proceeded to walk towards the park, with a bag containing her food in one hand and her drink in the other, she proceeded to walk onto one of the benches and eat as she enjoyed the cool fall air. As she savoured the fresh taste of her McNuggets dunked in ketchup, she proceeded to think about her future. "What am I to do? Since I've been estranged from Dad, life's been pretty tough, 'specially since there was nobody to look after me." she said, talking to herself before taking a sip from her drink. She looked around to see that many of the children were within the vicinity of their parents' sight, or just holding hands with them, and she couldn't help but sigh at the memory of her loss.

But, then again, perhaps she was always this rebellious, and for her, it was too late to turn back. She did not know what to do. Was she gonna wander around the country for the rest of her days? Perhaps she might look for someone to marry, though it might be a little early. She was in a bit of a tight spot, and she might've developed slight kleptomania after running away, but she is not stupid. By then, she had finished the last of her Chicken McNuggets, and decided to walk around some more. After throwing away the bag and its contents, she proceeded to walk towards her apartment when the wind kicked up again, this time a little harder than it originally blew. Marisa held her arms to her body, slightly shivering at the cold air.

"Brr… didn't think that it would get this cold pretty quickly." Nonetheless, she had a trek to go. Before she could walk any further, a few pieces of paper blew in her direction, one blowing right in her face. "Gah!" Marisa nearly stumbled, but caught herself and grabbed the paper with both hands. "Hmm… what is this?" Marisa proceeded to look at the text printed onto the paper. "Help wanted… new employees… Anatomy Park…"

The young girl, at first, began to doubt it, but she wanted to do something extraordinary. Having several odd jobs and collecting stray pieces of money dropped by clueless people was not enough for her, and needless to say, she was getting kind of bored. She sighed, having the feeling that it might be an elaborate prank by some troll out there, but it seemed too-well made for a prank, and she had to entertain herself somehow. Looking at the phone number, she grabbed a notepad and began writing it down so she could get onto a community phone and call whoever they are. She looked at the paper once more before stuffing it under her hoodie. She might need that… just in case, of course.

She might be new to this town, but she knew that there was a community phone in the downtown area. She proceeded to walk towards the first community phone that came into mind for her. She admitted to herself that she was jumping into it blind, but then again, she wanted something extraordinary to happen to her. She had to be crazy just barging into something, but then again, she's probably been a little crazy. Marisa looked at the tall box before her, that being the community phone. Seeing someone walk out of the booth, she went into it and inserted a coin inside before dialing the number. Marisa sighed. "Welp, here goes nothin', ze."

Upon pressing the button to call, she waited a few seconds before the person speaking answered. "Oh thank God, I've finally gotten another call!" The person didn't sound like a run-on-the-mill prankster, but a kind-hearted man with a slight British accent in his slang. "Hello, who is this?"

"Ain't nothin' special. I was just eatin' my lunch when that flyer thing of yours landed on my face." Marisa answered. "I take that it was yours, ze?"

"Yes, that is true." the man answered. "My colleague and I have been looking for some people to fill in for a job at a little project of ours."

"Yeah, yeah. Anatomy Park. I've gotten that on that flyer." Suddenly, Marisa started to burst laughing. "Oh my God, a 'flyer', BAH HA HA HA! That was actually kind of funny once I got the joke!" Soon enough, her laughter died down, and she went back to business. "Anyway, jokes aside, whether intentional or just by some cosmic… joke… thing, I've been looking to apply for your park-type-thing." At that point, she mentally slapped herself for acting without a second thought. "Wait a minute, is this just some giant prank?"

"Oh, heavens, no." the man replied. "Besides, aren't you a little young to be applying for a job?"

"Yes, yes I am." Marisa admitted. "But still, you have not told me your name."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Apologies for being rude." the man said. "I am Doctor Xenon Bloom, and you are?"

"Marisa Kirisame." Marisa greeted.

"Well then, Marisa, I suppose I'll be ready to fill you out. I'll be ready for you in a jiffy." Before Bloom hung up, he had one question he needed to ask her. "Oh, and hold on, where do you live, anyway?"

"Would you laugh if I told you?" Marisa asked.

"No. Why?"

Marisa took a deep breath. A few times around, she had to resort to stealing in order to get money for food, but recently, she has been attempting to get out of that habit through the use of jobs, and this sounded rather crazy, but then again, she wanted to make sure she was certainly up on her feet, so, she knew what her answer was. "Alright, I'll tell you... but I have to warn ya, I'm not all that rich, nor do I have any legal guardian with me, nor do I have a good place to stay at."

Marisa couldn't hear it, but Bloom stopped for a moment. "Alright, just tell us where you're currently staying and we'll be with you."

ONE WEEK LATER…

The blonde-haired, green-eyed teen had just come home from another one of her different jobs, that being another newspaper delivery. She whistled as she entered the small kitchen, pulling out some Ramen noodles and heating up a pot full of water. It wasn't as fancy as the stoves from her clients from when she was babysitting, but it was enough for the job to function properly. As she dropped the noodles in and stirred the flavoring into the soup, Marisa quietly smiled as she took in the fresh smell of the noodles.

It took a few minutes for it to cook, but the end result was worth it. Marisa poured the Ramen noodle soup into a bowl and waited for it to cool before she heard a knock on the door. "Are you… *urp* you're Marisa Kirisame, aren't you?" The voice that spoke was that of a gruff, elderly man who's been drinking for so long.

Marisa looked at the door. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"The guy who fucked your mother." the man behind the door replied.

"Hey! Take that back!" Marisa shouted. "Who are you, ze!?"

Soon enough, and quite rudely, the man opened the door, revealing himself to be an elderly man with a spiky blanket of blue hair and a unibrow and an attire consisting of a lab coat over a blue shirt, some khakis held up to the waist by a belt, and some black shoes. He seemed to be sipping on some sort of flask with drops of spittle oozing from his mouth as he drank. "The guy who'd *urp* give you your job, dingus." he said, taking another drink.

"What the fuck, ze!? Is… is this some kind of joke?" Marisa asked. "Who are you, anyway!?"

"Urgh, I suppose I've walked into that one." the man said. "The name 'Rick Sanchez' is a name as good as any. Now shut the fuck up so I can explain every-*urp*-thing you need to know." Marisa sighed and facepalmed, then proceeded to eat her noodles as the old man walked in with a disheveled, bearded hobo with wrinkled skin.

"What the…" Marisa said.

"Vietnam." the old man sputtered.

"Vietnam? What does this have to do with Vietnam, anyhow?" a confused Marisa asked.

"Forgive poor Ruben, he's… he's been through a lot." Rick answered. "He's an old… an old friend of mine, we've gotten a long ways back, he and I." He proceeded to pat Ruben on the back as Marisa proceeded to continue eating.

"Midway." Ruben sputtered again.

"Long story short, the guy's a war veteran who's gone completely rock bottom, and being the 'generous little piece of shit' I am, well… you'll find out soon." Rick (sort-of) explained. "Look into it at the *urp* theater we had before he got all shitty."

"Wait, what?" Marisa asked. Soon enough, Rick pulled out a weird gun with a shiny green thing on it. Marisa reached out to touch it, but her hand got slapped away. "Ow!" She looked to see him shoot a glob of liquid out, creating a strange green circle, to which a weird device fell into view. "What the heck is goin' on?"

"You might want to bring a book for this… Marisa." Rick said. Suddenly, he put an earpiece in her head before fastening an air tank and helmet onto her body and shoving her into the device. "Now hold your breath when you're shrinking or else, your lungs will collapse."

"I haven't finished my NOODLES YET!" Marisa's sentence ended in a scream as Rick rapidly shrank her without warning. Marisa closed her eyes and soon found herself swimming in some weird fluid, and just as suddenly, she found herself being washed away through the fluid, and soon landed on solid ground. "SOME WELCOMING YOU GAVE ME!"

"Yeah yeah, and keep your shirt on. You know I can hear you, right?" Rick's voice said through her earpiece.

"Wait, what!?"

"Oh, so this does work after all." Rick said. "Well, long story short, you're inside Ruben. Hopefully, you should be a few steps south of your new workplace."

"Workplace? This is a dream… isn't it?" Marisa asked, mostly to herself.

"Well, does the feeling of being rapidly shrunk down and thrown into a guy's guts tell you anything?" Rick asked.

"It does, doesn't it?" Marisa answered. Soon enough, she found that across the tissue, there was a gigantic park out in the distance. "Oh. My. God. What did you do to this guy?"

"Oh nothing, just built an amusement park inside of him." Rick answered.

"Wait, you made this… all inside some homeless guy?" Marisa asked. "Now I know why nobody believed it, ze, but why is it someone like him?"

As Marisa looked around, Rick began to explain. "Again, Ruben's… not been himself for the past few years. You would likely not agree to have a park built inside you unless you went down the same shithole he's been in. Gone down the drain real hard, yes he did. Downward spiral and depression, look, I can talk all day, but you're probably gonna get overwhelmed by all the shit I'll spout. There's an office to the left of you, that's all I can say, and about as far as I'll go until you find Bloom. Hopefully, he's in there."

And with that, Rick's voice stopped talking in the earpiece, leaving Marisa alone with her thoughts. In a fashion that was out of character for her, Marisa huddled her arms to her body as she shivered and looked around with a semi-afraid expression on her face, eyes widened and teeth jittering. She has been known as this rough and tough girl sometimes, but finding yourself inside someone else's guts with nothing but an air helmet and a few directions to follow and no other instructions can leave someone in a rather tight shape. She could see many of the rides around the area, some of which were a little gross for her taste. Looking at a sign for directions, Marisa tried to scratch her head, only to realize that she was wearing that glass helmet still. Sighing, the estranged teen followed the map towards the direction of the office, and sighed.

"Well, here goes nothing, ze." Marisa said. She proceeded to knock on the door. "Um… hello?"

"Come in." Marisa recognized that voice. It was the voice of Doctor Bloom. Perhaps he was another guy like her, seeking things that are extraordinary. She opened the door, but her joy turned to shock when she saw an amoeba staring right back at her.

Marisa could not help but stare back, her mouth opening and closing, failing to make words. It took a while for her to catch her speech. Soon enough, Marisa shook her head and prepared to speak. "Alright, so… so you're Doctor Bloom… you are, aren't you?"

The amoeba adjusted his glasses and spoke. "Yes, that is me. Sorry if I appear a little daunting, I take it that you've never seen what you would call 'aliens' before?"

Marisa shook her head. "No… only in the movies have I seen them." Her confused look turned into one of surprise and slight happiness. "I can't believe this… I'm seeing a real life alien right before me. Is this real… this is a dream, isn't it?"

"Nope. No dream." Bloom answered. "Now, while my colleague isn't the biggest fan of this kind of stuff… you know what, I might as well start right now."

Marisa let out a smile. "Alright, so what do you want me to do?"

And that was how it all started. She got the job at Anatomy Park, and then at the Christmas of 2013, she met Reimu and they wound up going from there. It was a pretty wild ride, both metaphorically and literally. She began to look around and proceed to walk towards the nearest intersection, being sure to walk across the sidewalk as she headed towards whatever direction she was heading towards. She knew where the place was, but for the how to get it, not really that much.

Marisa let out a light smile, remembering that very day her life changed forever. Without it, she would likely live her life as some outcast girl, trying to find her place in society as she moves from place to place, not really knowing what she wants to do for a future career. However, she thought back to the now deceased Ruben, remembering his fate of dying due to Poncho's betrayal and seeing his corpse blow up. Seeing such a horrible fate to a man who's been through a downward spiral for who knows how long… it made her shed a few tears as she looked out into the snowy landscape out in the distance. "Ruben, I wish I could've met you, I mean, really met you, and properly, too. Shame to see you go down that way, you were a war veteran, and I salute you for that."

Marisa had learned some interesting tidbits about Ruben, and she was inside the guy that whole time for a little over a year. At first, she thought it was a dream, but as time came and passed on, she was more or less accustomed towards the environment inside of the homeless man. It was unfortunate she could smell all that alcohol through those glass helmets she and the employees were wearing during their stay inside of the hobo. Perhaps she could save those stories for another day. But for now, she could relax and enjoy the bus ride towards what would hopefully be her final stop on the trip she went through for half of her life.

And speaking of that final stop, Marisa let her mind wander. She remembered 2013's Christmas as one of the best Christmases she's even been through so far, and while she had no close friends in the park other than Bloom and Roger, the latter of which, she is still getting over his death. She did make a potential new friend in Seattle. In all honesty, Marisa's curiosity peaked at the thoughts of what she and Rick were potentially doing. Well, to be fair, it was nighttime, but still, she was sure they had great potential. Soon enough, she saw some more golden lights out in the distance. There it was. Or, at least she thought it was Seattle, it was kinda hard to tell. She looked for any signs that would be coming by on the interstate, and she smiled when she saw what she was looking for. "There she is... good ol' Seattle."

Marisa took some time to look at her luggage to make sure she didn't miss anything important. "Cookies, check. Manga, check. Parlor equipment, check." Marisa let out an uncharacteristically feminine giggle for a tomboy before going back towards her default slang. "I think I'm set up, and thank goodness for the phone I kept with me. I should easily be able to call for a long ways with that bad boy." And as an added bonus, the phone (designed by Rick) can call somebody even when they're several dimensions away. But there was one reason why she left. She was not really wanting to admit it, but the reason she left was to see what has happened towards her father. She left him at a time where things weren't too hot, considering the death of Yulia came into play, and it still kinda haunted her.

She was this rough and tough, yet still pretty kind-hearted girl, but there were some things that she was afraid to do. During her time escaping from a dead Ruben's body on the verge of being blown up by oversized dynamite, she began to think about her past and wanted to find ways to correct it. She couldn't revive her mother, and she hoped that her father could be salvaged from depression. Upon returning to her old roost in Chattsville, she found a huge wad of blood and viscera leftover from Ruben's body, appropriately being cleaned up by the Sanitation Department. She had reunited with a few old classmates, and she told them the whole story, and why she returned. Unfortunately, she did not get the news she hoped for.

December 27, 2013

"What do you mean by 'He is no longer here.' anyhow? I just returned to reunite with Dad and help him heal!" a worried Marisa asked one of her old friends.

"In all honesty, I am glad that you are fine and all, but your father, he didn't make it." Marisa's old friend replied. He was a boy with dark caramel-colored skin, a fluffy head of short, dark brown hair, and dark eyes. He had an outfit that consisted of blue jeans a light purple sweater, some thick glasses, and white and purple sneakers. "Well, not in the way in which he died, but his mental condition worsened, and they had to put him in a mental hospital."

"WHAT!? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, XAIVER! WE'VE KNOWN THIS TOWN SINCE WE WERE BORN!? CAN'T YOU FIND OUT SOMETHING ELSE!?" a desperate Marisa pleaded. "I'VE WENT THROUGH HELL AND BACK AND ESCAPED AN EXPLODING SANTA CLAUS JUST FOR THIS!? WHY!?"

"Wait... exploding Santa Claus? Like what Mom, Dad, and I saw in the news?" Xaiver asked.

"Oops... I must've said too much, didn't I?" Marisa answered with a blush, nervously chuckling as she did so.

"In all honesty, I am quite surprised you were THERE, of all places." Xavier replied, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "They're still picking up chunks of flesh and bone that landed on the Earth. Thankfully, a new covering of snow hid the blood and washed away that awful smell. Shame about the southern states, well, unless it rained after the Sky Santa blew up, but again, I am surprised you were there, of all places."

"Long story short, I was working for a mad scientist named Rick Sanchez and his amoeba-looking colleague, Doctor Xenon Bloom. Weird, I know, but anyway, Bloom and I were stationed inside that guy. He was any ordinary hobo at the time, homeless... drunk... randomly sputtering a few words here and there..." as Marisa explained, her tone became slightly more somber as she thought about what she had experienced. "Okay, so he was below average, but he got a park built in him since he was depressed, and his immune system has been disabled for a long time. Unfortunately, that left for easy sabotage, and it was even more unfortunate that they used his body to store some of humankind's most noble and ferocious diseases."

"Normally, I would have a hard time believing this, but considering the giant naked man in the sky, that doesn't really sound farfetched." Xaiver replied. "But, honestly, I think that this Rick guy should've picked a healthier specimen with a functioning immune system for this circumstance."

"You got that right." Marisa replied. "He sent his granddaughter, Reimu, to put a stop to the problem. Unfortunately, we couldn't save him, and most of the people with me from inside my body were killed, including the saboteur himself. The emergency exit was rather gross, and you wouldn't want to see how it was thrown out, trust me, so we had to do some rather... creative decisions. That is why the Sky Santa appeared in the sky. It was Rick's idea-ze."

Xaiver nodded. By now, they were sitting on a bench, with the former writing on his notepad. "Interesting, indeed. This all seems so very convoluted, and I appreciate that you were able to get through to this in one piece, but I wonder what you're going to do about your living standards? You could come live with me if you'd like."

"That's sweet of you, Xaiver, but unfortunately, I've got someone else to attend to, if you'd know what I mean..."

Xaiver's eyes widened in shock. "You're planning on living with that guy, aren't you?"

Marisa let out a laugh. "Why yeah, I'm plannin' on livin' there for the time bein'. We Kirisames have been known for bein' tough and rough'n it. I do wish Mom and Dad were still together and at their prime, though, and maybe I could've convinced them to move to Seattle with me. During my time outside of Chattsville, I did regret my decision of leavin' my deteriorating father, but I also discovered a taste for adventure, for danger, for all that shit, 'specially during the time at Anatomy Park-ze." Marisa got up from the bench and took her time to stretch. "I may be putting myself into a lot of trouble, and I do have my regrets, but I've made a decision."

"But- is this- what..." Xaiver was pulling this new information together. "Is this the last time we'll talk?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Marisa stated. She pulled out a phone. "Rick and Bloom gave me this after I left for my unfinished business, it's a fully-functional cell with hyper-advanced anti-virus, free games, a full-in-one package! I can call numbers on my phone from other dimensions, if needed!"

Xavier was puzzled. "Look, I'm pretty new on this, but what's your number, anyhow?"

Marisa lept to his ear and whispered it to him, with Xaiver writing it down with every step. After they finished, Marisa was about to walk away, but looked towards him with a bright smile on her face. "Welp, I guess it's time I say goodbye for now. See ya."

That was the last time she's been at her old stomping grounds. Xaiver was not the only old friend that was worried about her during those times. A couple of old elementary school friends had offered her a place to stay, but she rejected it, and regretted it, that she would admit. She had chosen the path she was to take, and needless to say, she intends to make the most out of her adventure time. She snickered to herself, remembering some of the few times she got to watch TV, and among them, Adventure Time was one of her most favorite of them all. She only got to see a few episodes, but everything turned out to be pretty fun to watch.

Soon enough, she turned her head towards Seattle. She's been spending some time trekking down memory lane, collecting some things she would need and earning a little more money for the trip, and even taking an stray penny on the road, whether or not the heads or tails are facing up. Even with the final pay granted to her by Bloom (which was quite a lot), she still felt like a little extra work wouldn't hurt. Marisa looked to see the city grow closer and closer and smiled before letting out a slight frown and pondering what her next steps would be. She was a runaway prior to meeting Rick, so she wouldn't exactly know how the Smiths would interact with her, considering the only thing she saw from them was them working on their electronic devices and nothing more, well, aside from an occasional shrug from Jerry as he looked out towards somewhere.

Hopefully, with Rick having shown up, and his granddaughter showing signs of friendship with her, then maybe she did have a chance after all. She'd probably have to get on the good sides of the parents, being Beth and Jerry. For now, though, she pulled out a manga and began reading it. She would take her time with this one, just as she did with all the others. Whatever cool, fun stuff will happen will happen on its own time. For her, she has done things she wasn't very fond of, but she did hope that it will all be worth it, that it will all go as planned. As the bus entered the city, Marisa knew that while she didn't have either of her parents by her side (which still brought now metaphorical tears to her eyes), she will aspire to keep dragging on, for when life gave her lemons, she made lemonade and went the extra mile, metaphorically and literally.

Still, whatever she happens to be doing, she shall aspire to have fun doing it as well. And perhaps, after thinking about it, she might start to be comfortable enough to tell her story more often. "This time, I'll make sure to make the most of it, ze."

Well well well, I've been away for a while, haven't I? After writing out the start-out for Marisa's return, I was puzzled onto how I would tie her in to the Smith family's dynamic despite not being blood related. A lot of you wanted her to accompany Reimu on most of her adventures with Rick, basically having her function as a second sidekick towards the cynical mad scientist. Her tomboyish attitude and theiving tendencies would be something to play with, and I decided to give her a love for stage magic, referencing her occupation as a hermit witch in canon Touhou.

And speaking of her status as a hermit, I was wanting to have her backstory immitate what most fans see it as (or is it the actual backstory, I am not quite sure how it is). Basically, the common backstory for Marisa is that her mother was a powerful witch, and after she died, her father didn't want her to follow the same fate and tried to keep her from practicing magic, and so, Marisa ran away or something. I hope I made it realistic enough as I translated it towards the fanfic, but I am worried I might've screwed up here and there, yet after several tries, as well as some schooling, I think I have finally figured out how to execute this beast. Hopefully, I did a good enough job to make something noteworthy.

So yeah, she'll officially be returning to Reimu's life on Ricksy Business, so be ready for the Season 1 Finale, folks! I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day, and I hope that you enjoy watching the two-part Season 5 Finale of Rick & Morty, and I'll see you in the next one. Tune in, next time.