Shantae: Clash of Arms

by IllusoryNomad

After her Tinker-Brain was destroyed, the notorious Risky Boots hatches yet another dastardly scheme to annihilate Sequin Land as we know it. Only this time, she's managed to pilfer an extensive collection of military weapons from another world! With the threat of Risky's conquest more perilous than ever, Half-Genie Hero Shantae and an unlikely ally must join forces to stop her!

50. Special Delivery

Chapter 21: Special Delivery

Hm? Oh! Back so soon? Wow, that was fast… huh. You certainly are quick on the draw if I do say so myself. Uh… Nevertheless, you also have impeccable timing. Why? Well… it's a funny thing, but almost immediately after we left off last time, Shantae had begun stirring about even more in her sleep as her mumbling became steadily more coherent. And before you say anything… No, I was NOT watching her in her sleep while you were away. Stop making assumptions! And no, I'm not just assuming you're making an assumption to counter the assumption that I assumed you're making… which, I'm not assuming at all! Ahem! Heh, er… A-anyway, I supposed we should stop arguing with each other and dig right on in. So…

LOCATION: MIMIC'S WORKSHOP, SCUTTLE TOWN, SEQUIN LAND

DATE: OCTOBER 9TH, 16 P.G.F.

TIME: 0102 HOURS

"Hrrgh… Go… Go where…?" Shantae, still mostly asleep, grumbled as she tossed and turned in bed. In the small hours of the early morning on her sixth straight day asleep, Mimic's Workshop was stone silent, save for Mimic's snoring from the bed in the other room, and Shantae's flopping about and sleep talking. "I… Whu… Why am I going back there…? Who are you…?" she asked, her flopping growing more rampant as she nearly began doing an impression of a fish out of water. Evidently, she'd been dreaming about something… About what this time, I couldn't begin to guess. Based on what she was saying, however, it seemed like she was being given instructions to go somewhere, but she wasn't sure who was telling her or why she needed to go… as if you couldn't pick that up from what she just said. "W-wait… lamp…? I thoughttherewerenomoregeniela…" she continued to mumble something about a lamp…? Jeez, now I'm really wondering what's going on in that head of hers. If only we could simply jump into her mind and explore her thoughts as they were racing through her subconscious... of course, we don't have powers like that (or at least, I don't), so I suppose we'll just be left to wonder. "Hey, where are you going? Whywon'toyutellmewho...? Wait, wait…! My stomach hurts…! Andnoweverythingizzspinnin... Oh, goodnezz, I'm gonna be… Oh, wait... where'dthefloorgo...? Am I falling…? Oh, noooo…." she… very peculiarly mumbled some more as this dream of hers seemed to take a turn for the weird… which, thankfully, we didn't have to deal with that for long before…

"WAH!" she suddenly shouted, her eyes springing wide open as she flinched like someone prodded her with a hot pole to make her trip over a pot… hole. Her rude awakening wouldn't end there, however, as she went tumbling out of the bed with a *PRAPLOPOOMPH* of her nightgown-covered form plopping on the floor with all the style and grace of groceries being spilled out of a ripped bag. Yet somehow, even with all the commotion she made, she DIDN'T wind up waking Mimic up, as he could still be heard snoring from within the other bedroom. "Woogh… Oww…" Shantae grumbled, very much awake this time as she yawned and scratched her head before gingerly picking herself back up and running her fingers through her frizzy, tangled bed hair. "Oh, man… How long was I out…?" she asked herself with another long yawn and a most emphatic stretch as she tried to clear her vision in the dim laboratory with no light coming in except for the gleaming shine of the moon outside through the window. However, as she covered her mouth while yawning... "Ooh… My breath smells like I drank a smoothie made of old diapers and roast beef… Yuck… Ergh, what time is it…? Hm…" she continued trying to figure out while also giving us a most wonderful olfactory image of her six-day long morning breath. It… probably went without saying that even heroes like Shantae had days where they didn't exactly roll out of bed looking picture perfect. But, I digress. Nevertheless, Shantae drowsily trudged her way through the opaque workshop, making sure not to trip on any of the loose pairs of shoes or piles of textbooks Mimic had lying around. Before long, she found her way to the bathroom and turned on the light to get a view of herself.

"Yeah, I'm… gonna need to freshen up… Looks like I'm all healed up, though, so that's something…" she observed as she looked in the mirror above the sink, noting the whirling tornado of purple she called her hair and the absence of the wounds she sustained from her last big battle. Just as she went to begin brushing her teeth, however, she felt a sharp, nauseous pang in her stomach that caused her to gasp aloud. "Ooogh…! Jeez, my stomach's still twisting and turning…? Gah, and it feels worse, too…!" she complained, massaging her abdomen as she committed herself to brushing her teeth. And while it didn't take long for her to rid herself of the 'roast beef/diaper' aroma on her breath and replacing it with a much more pleasant fresh and minty one, she couldn't ignore the disquieting sensation in her stomach. "Urgh, it feels like I'm about to throw up… Hah… I haven't eaten anything, though... and I'm not hungry right now, either... Agh...! Maybe a shower would help calm my stomach down…" the half-genie theorized, prompting her to hop right into the shower to clean herself off and hopefully rid herself of this awful churning feeling in her gut. Within a few minutes of scrubbing her body and dousing her hair in her Mega Shampoo, the feeling intensified out of nowhere. Gasping again, she likened the feeling to someone reaching directly into her body and trying to squeeze the life out of her stomach.

"Gaaah, wow… I… I don't know what the heck's going on or why it feels like I'm so nervous about something that hasn't even happened…!" she complained again, halting her progress with washing herself up to clutch at her abdomen once more. As she did so, however, she realized something. "And… I'm not due for the month yet, because I'm not cramping up or anything…" she… deciphered, I guess we'll say here, as we go right ahead and tiptoe FAR AWAY from that very, VERY sensitive theory she was about to present before she trailed off. "Wait… Nervous about something that hasn't…? Oh! This… this is the Soul-Link making me feel this way…" she (thankfully) deduced, remembering her last conversation with her Relic Hunter uncle shortly before she took her nearly weeklong nap… which didn't exactly fill her with joy. If anything, she found herself entirely melancholy as she remembered him… "…Tayshan… I… I still can't believe you're not here anymore… but… why does it feel like I'm basically right next to you…?" she pondered, still massaging her midsection as she hurriedly finished her shower, straightened her hair, slathered it with her Mega Hair Cream, and lathered her body up with lotion soon after. "And… why does this feeling keep getting stronger…? What the heck…?" Shantae continued trying to figure out as she was suddenly reminded of something else…

"…Lighthouse… Go… Gift… Awaits…" the faint memory of a serene feminine voice ran through her head… or rather, it should've sounded like it was running through her head if it didn't sound like someone was speaking directly to her from outside of the bathroom.

"H-huh? Who said that!? Who's there!?" she warily asked, covering her… indecent (by which, I mean naked) form up with the nightgown she hadn't put on just yet as she scanned the bathroom with her eyes. "And… why do you sound so familiar…?"

"Lighthouse… Go… now…! Follow… link… Hurry…" the voice spoke again, though Shantae suddenly found herself less spooked. From what she could interpret, this voice was telling her to run to her lighthouse because something was waiting for her? And that she should follow some sort of link…? It was peculiar to her, though she at least recognized the voice as someone she may or may not have known, but whom she possibly talked to at least once.

"Hmm… Sounds like someone from the Genie Realm wants me to go home because something's waiting for me? Is… Is that it?" she curiously inquired, looking up at the ceiling as though this random voice would simply reply to her.

"Yes… go… lamp… at lighthouse… follow… link… hurry…!" the voice actually responded to her, making me look like a total jerk in the process. Nevertheless, the voice sounded like a cross between someone shouting across an entire canyon and someone trying to communicate through a walkie-talkie with a spotty signal. And while most people would either get themselves checked into a psychiatric facility or at least call someone they knew in cases like this when they began hearing voices coming from literally nowhere… it should PROBABLY be known that Shantae was no stranger to such a bizarre occurrence. As such, she never needed any sort of mental status examination… which, considering the wacky stuff she normally dealt with on a daily basis, honestly surprised me. You didn't hear me say that, though.

"I need to hurry up and go to my lighthouse because a lamp is waiting for me there, and that… I should follow a link to get there?" she pondered, scratching her head for a moment, though she couldn't ignore the oh-so clear instruction she'd been given. "Hmm… That's… almost exactly what I heard in my dream!" she soon realized once again, certifiably throwing me for a hundred loops as she was moving a lot faster than I could comprehend. "There must be some form of danger coming…! Shoot, I was hoping I didn't have to spring right into another adventure quite so soon, but when duty calls, I have no choice but to answer…" she vowed, interpreting the cryptic message as a warning to beware of an incoming threat. Hastily, she slipped her nightgown back on and put up her bathing supplies as quickly as she could before rushing out of the bathroom. On her way to the front door of the workshop, however, she stopped in her tracks as she spotted a certain gleaming object on the floor where she'd fell when she woke up. Without hesitation, she picked up the shirt she'd previously been clinging to and folded it as quickly as possible before putting it on the messy bed. Soon after, she picked up the I.D. Tags and put them on around her neck. With one more difficult breath as she fought back the urge to cry, she planted a light kiss on the I.D. Tags and nodded. "Wish me luck, Tay… Wherever you are…" she prayed before rushing out of Mimic's Workshop barefoot and with nothing but that nightgown on… which, of course, is nothing new for Shantae. No matter what time of day it was, no evil would escape her sight. However, she couldn't help but feel progressively more nauseous with the closer she got to her lighthouse as she rushed through the war-torn port town's empty streets in the middle of the night…

"Errgh…! Shoot… Whatever's over there must be powerful… I've never felt anything like this before…! Hah… In that case, I've gotta give it my all from the start…!" she murmured, picking up the pace as she dashed through the monster-infested plains leading to the peninsula where her lighthouse rested…

Just a little later…

And as if we left off an hour ago rather than just a few minutes that felt like an hour, our pajama-clad savior of the innocent reached her home with hardly an issue aside from how incredibly drafty it was outside when she wasn't necessarily dressed appropriately for cold weather in the middle of the starry night. Not one to let such a daunting obstacle as bitterly frigid winds stop her from saving the day, Shantae pressed forward, her resolve as strong as ever as she reached her lighthouse… only to find nothing of interest there, as far as imminent threats go.

"Huh? What the…?" she pondered, warily scanning the environment as she summoned a fireball in her hand with a *FRWOOSH* of magic. She could hardly see anything that wasn't bathed in moonlight, which prompted her to stay on high alert as she scoured the area and slowly approached her home. "Hmm… I don't see anything here… yet, this feeling's been getting stronger and stronger by the minute…" the half-genie murmured, using her free hand to massage her stomach some more as she grew increasingly apprehensive. "Whoever or whatever you are, come out now! There's no use hiding, and your evil plans end here!" she shouted aloud, expecting someone or something to come jumping out at her. When she was greeted only with the ambient sounds of creatures of the night scurrying through the palm trees and the ocean's ubiquitously crashing waves, she became even warier as she slowly spun around, watchfully surveying her surroundings. And as long as that nauseous feeling continued to hit her stomach like a stack of logs being dropped from atop a skyscraper, Shantae would never rest until this potential evildoer was properly dealt with. However, as seconds became minutes without an appropriate response to her previous demand, the genie maiden couldn't help but grow curious as she eventually withdrew her fireball.

"Huh… Nothing at all…" Shantae acknowledged, seeing nothing out of the ordinary as she looked around once more. "I was so sure something was out here… and that voice told me there'd be something waiting for me… So, what's the deal?" she further asked with a scratch of her head as she turned her sights toward her home with the intent to enter it. Within a couple steps, however, she heard the quiet, rustling *clikclaclack* of a foreign object being moved. Startled, the half-genie summoned up that fireball once again and raced toward her door. Yet, when she closed the distance between herself and her home, she noticed something…

"A… A Magic Lamp…?" she pondered, again canceling out her magic attack as she took a couple steps back. The lamp in question, appearing rather decrepit and rusty, had been rumbling and shaking completely on its own, which certifiably unnerved Shantae. Her experiences with magic lamps, in addition to her knowledge of the power they had over genies, made her justifiably distrustful of the object in question. Only… "I don't know what that thing's doing here, but… now that I remember it, the voice told me to come here with the idea to look for a lamp. This must be it… but then, why is my stomach ready to explode with anticipation over whatever's in there? Agh, my stomach hasn't felt this bad since the time I stuffed myself with that entire box of those triple-decker peach-topped cinnamon rolls from the Great Button Province… I'm surprised I haven't had the urge to hurl yet…" she nauseously and cautiously shared as she gathered up the courage to approach the lamp, which had been continuously shaking like something was trying to escape. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Shantae eventually built up the courage to approach the wobbling magic lamp. Very, VERY carefully, she picked it up with both hands as it kept violently trembling in her grasp. Almost immediately upon picking the lamp up, Shantae was hit with another wave of extreme dread that nearly made her drop the accursed object and possibly destroy it. Yet, something made her hesitate.

"Hmm… Something… about the feeling this lamp is giving me… It's… eerily familiar…" the young woman pondered once again, holding the rusty lamp high to let the moonlight shine on it. "Hmm…" she hummed, further studying the lamp to see if she could identify anything else out of the ordinary. As she did so, that almost unbearable feeling continued to resonate in her body. The fact that this lamp was making her feel so… on-edge and so nervous about what could potentially happen if she released the presence presumed to be inside… It almost made her want to toss the lamp into the ocean, where the potentially evil entity inside it could never escape to wreak havoc upon the globe. Before she drew that conclusion, however… "I don't know who or what's in here… but it feels… almost like…" Shantae began to wonder yet again as she processed the sensation in her abdomen that remained salient as long as she continued to hold the lamp. "Huh… I… I don't know… I can't be certain that I should destroy or dispose of this thing, because I'm not sure if the presence inside is evil or not… plus, I don't want to potentially hurt another genie in need… Maybe she's just stuck in there and trying really hard to break out? Hmm… What to do…?" Shantae took a moment to weigh her options. And weigh her options, she did. She didn't at all want to be responsible for another unspeakable evil being unleashed into the world… but she also didn't want to potentially doom an innocent genie in case the nausea she'd been experiencing was simply her magic sense overreacting. For it to react so strongly to this lamp, though? It vexed her that she couldn't figure it out without rubbing the lamp to free the entity inside. After much deliberating, however…

"Hmph. I… I'll rub the lamp to see who's inside and give them a chance," the young heroine concluded with a nod. "If they're evil, they're going down on the spot. I'll make sure of that," she further vowed, taking another deep breath. Afterward, she used the palm of one hand to rub some of the dust off the rusty oil lamp. The very instant she did so, however, the lamp's shaking suddenly became far more aggressive and unruly. "The moment of truth…!" she declared, setting the lamp down and hopping backward. As soon as she created her distance, she summoned one more fireball with another *FRWOOSH* and held it high in preparation for what she was about to deal with. Meanwhile, the lamp began to shake so intensely that it fell over onto its side and began flopping and tumbling all over the grass beneath it. The progressively louder *clitterclatterclickclackclickclick* of the seemingly haunted device only increased Shantae's anxiety as she stared at that lamp like it was a ticking time bomb. Before too long, however, the lamp began to levitate as a blinding flash of white emerged from its tarnished form. Forced to shield her eyes, Shantae remained vigilant as she prepared for the worst. Her wait wouldn't be too long, however.

The lamp, shining bright like the stars above as it levitated and shook uncontrollably, began to spin like it was attached to the world's most powerful industrial fan. A powerful, noisy whirlwind suddenly swirled around it. The unsettling clattering grew even more boisterous as a sudden *CRACK* rang out from it. Shantae couldn't really tell what was happening because of the gleaming light shining from the volatile magic lamp as those gale force winds blew like a hurricane, but she made absolutely sure to keep her guard up. *CRACK* after *CRACK* after metallic *CRACK*, this lamp seemed to begin falling apart as the light grew brighter like the sun itself was about to emerge from it and incinerate everything in its immediate surroundings. If I didn't know better, it seemed like this lamp was about to explode rather than release anyone or anything from inside it… And as if right on cue, the lamp exploded with a sudden *KAPLOWWGH* that sounded off like a gunshot, prompting Shantae to get ready for a battle for the ages, right there in front of her house. However, what she saw once the light dissipated and the whirlwind suddenly stopped utterly floored her. With a *PLOOMPH* of a foot and a knee on the ground, another individual emerged from the lamp, whose rusty shards were scattered around the grassy peninsula.

"Oorgh… Mmmph… Dah... Hah...! Wow, what a terrible place t' be stuck…" the mysterious being spoke, their voice low and deep as they gingerly rose to a stand, stretching their arms out. Rendered speechless as her eyes went wide, Shantae could only stare blankly for what felt like an eternity as she got rid of her fireball yet again and took the moment to process the image of the person who'd just appeared in front of her. It was dark, sure, but she may as well have been able to see this person as though they were in broad daylight. And what she saw filled her with absolute, unmistakable astonishment as she watched this individual slowly stretch the kinks out of their body as they stood, facing away from her and toward her house.

What did she see, you're probably asking? Well… she could hardly make sense of it, but what she saw was what looked like… a young man, rather than a genie… unless this young man WAS a genie, which shouldn't be possible because male genies did not exist… as far as she knew. She couldn't be sure… not that such an idea was even close to the first thing in her mind by this point. Studying him from the ground up, the half-genie maiden immediately noticed that the man was very tall, sporting what appeared to be a dark skin complexion. At a glance of his arms as he stretched, he appeared to be on the lean side, but very muscular. And… his hair… it was… for lack of a better description, huge, wide, and puffy like a giant ball of jet-black cotton, and whose sheen was enhanced by the moonlight.

Studying this mysterious man closely, Shantae spotted a pair of stylish golden shoes. Sneakers, from the looks of it. Scanning upward from the man's feet, she noticed a particularly baggy pair of harem pants that appeared to be black in color, with a golden sash wrapped around the man's waist. He'd… also been wearing what looked like a vest not unlike the common style of a resident of Sequin Land. The vest was also black, though it appeared to have gold trim as the back of it extended toward the man's calves. And when she looked at the man's arms again, she couldn't help but notice the luminescent gleam of two gold vambraces affixed to each of his wrists that... sort of looked like the wristwear she normally donned along with the rest of her usual belly dance ensemble. This man's look… the sound of his voice when he spoke… it… it couldn't be…! Could it? Before she made a sound, however, Shantae noticed something most peculiar about him… A giant gold, sparkling ring hovering over his very puffy hair… A halo, maybe? She wasn't sure. She couldn't gather much of a clue about why this man had a halo over his head, but her mind was far more focused on his identity… It was to the point where that incredibly uncomfortable nauseous feeling completely vanished as her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest like someone plugged it directly into an electrical socket. She was almost at a loss for words and in such a daze that she could hardly snap herself out of her petrified state. Butterflies began to erupt in her abdomen as her mind slowly, but surely drew a conclusion on who this person could've been. It was only when she heard the man speak again… that she became absolutely certain she knew who this individual was…

"Hm. That's the last time I ever let anybody stick me in one o' them awful lamps. I'd be lucky if I didn't wind up becomin' claustrophobic after that… Whew… Now, I know a genie's pain…" he remarked with a sigh as he finished stretching to bring the circulation back to his limbs. One couldn't even TRY to mistake the urban dialect in the man's voice as Shantae gasped in complete shock. Spooked out of his wits, the man jumped and spun around to reveal a most familiar goatee, eyes with gold irises that matched the gold on his clothing, and… a very, VERY familiar series of scars raked over one eye and across his cheek, and… a few very telling scars littered across his torso that were partially hidden behind the open vest he was wearing. It… It was him… It was him…! Or, was it…?

"…T-Tayshan…?" Shantae barely found it in herself to utter, her surprise more evident than a horse with mud on its hooves after it stomped and stormed itself through a crowded museum.

"…Shantae…?" the man uttered back in equal astonishment as he locked his gaze on the gorgeous, sapphire-eyed, pointy-eared, mocha-skinned half-genie standing before him in her frilly pink nightgown. Her luxuriously long, untied purple hair hung over her back and shoulders like a magnificent curtain of lavender that gleamed vibrantly in the moonlight as it spanned almost all the way down to her bare feet. The look on her face, however, told him all he needed to know as a rush of butterflies erupted through his stomach and his heart began to beat just as furiously as hers had. After a moment of gawking at each other as they stood, utterly flabbergasted by the sight of one another, he eventually chose to speak again. "Uh… H-hey, baby… Long time, no… see…?" he very sheepishly greeted her with a rather awkward wave of a hand, seeming incredibly uncertain of how to address the young woman standing before him. Shantae, on the other hand, was not so hesitant.

"TAYSHAN!" Shantae enthusiastically shouted, bolting toward him with not even a millisecond of warning. She couldn't believe her eyes… She couldn't fathom the rush of excitement that went pumping through her every vein like someone injected her with the energy of a hundred leopards while force-feeding her straight-up caffeine. He was back! Somehow, some way, he came back… Acting on a whim without another thought in the moment, she lunged and tackled… and I mean TACKLED the man, now certifiably identified as the supposedly deceased Tayshan, as excitedly as she could.

"Gwaaahah!" Tayshan bellowed, flung off his feet by the unbridled force of Shantae's unprecedented, yet entirely affectionate glomp attack. Landing with a stiff *THUD* of his backside against the ground while he found himself pressed up against the outer wall of the lighthouse. "Ooghah… Heh, I missed you, too…" he confessed, ignoring the jolts of pain shooting through his back from the tackle to wrap his arms around her and stroke her hair. Within a few pats, however, Shantae looked up at him as she remained snuggled up in his arms, her eyes already overflowing with tears. "Hey, now… Y-you alright?" he asked in concern, surprised that she'd burst into tears so suddenly.

"Tay… Oh, my gosh, Tay…!" she began, completely unable to hold back the hurricane of emotions she was feeling as she sobbed and squeezed him at tight as she could. "I'm so glad to see you again…! I don't know how you did it or what brought you back, but I'm so glad you're here… I love you… I love you…! I love you…!"

"Ghaack…! Ahah…! I… I definitely feel it, sweetheart…!" he remarked as Shantae unintentionally squeezed the air out of his lungs. Understanding the rush of emotions she'd felt while trying to temper his own excitement in seeing her again, Tayshan gently ran the fingers of one hand through Shantae's hair while caressing her back with the other. Not long after, he cupped her chin with a hand, prompting the tearfully overjoyed half-genie to straighten herself up as she released him from her grasp. Rather than get back on her feet, however, Shantae scooted herself forward while straddling her lover, allowing him to readjust to where his hands were on her hips while she clasped her hands to his cheeks and took a good look at him to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"You… I can't believe it… I-I thought I'd lost you forever…" she breathlessly confessed, still trying to absorb the miraculous phenomenon for herself. Stroking the scars over his eye with her thumb, she processed the rippled texture of the wound in addition to the overwhelming warmth radiating from the soldier's form as they stared longingly into one another's eyes.

"Evidently, that ain't quite the case," he replied, stroking her back with a hand as he allowed her to explore his face with her hands. "An' believe me when I say this, Shantae: I love you more than anything in this entire galaxy… I can't even put it int' words how happy I am t' see you again…" he lovingly returned her sentiment, his face growing warmer in her hands as they continued their intimate embrace. "And… I'm… sorry that I…" he was about to apologize as he moved a hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. And while Shantae was entirely accepting of his nurturing touch, she would hear none of his apology. On a lovestruck impulse, the excited young woman cupped a hand under Tayshan's chin, allowing the bristly texture of his beard to grace her fingers. Her other hand found itself gently pressed to the back of his neck.

"Tay…?" she called to him again as she looked directly into his eyes. Just from the almost… hypnotized look on her face, it was evident Shantae was trying to figure out if this was a dream or if this was really happening. And on her end, the sparkling golden sheen in Tayshan's widened eyes told her more than he might've been aware of, how filled to the brim with ecstasy he was to be there with her.

"Hm? What's up…?" he asked, his breath catching in his throat as he anticipated what she was going to say.

"I… I need to be absolutely certain that I'm not hallucinating… My mind's drawing so many blanks right now because this is almost too much for me to process…"

"Oh? An'… how might I be able t' prove t' you that I'm not just a hallucination an' that you're not just dreamin'? Need a pinch?" he joked, smiling with glee as he absorbed her exuberant beauty for every powerful bit of what it was.

"No. Kiss me…~" she whispered, blinking tears out of her eyes and leaning forward while nudging him with her hands. Reading her signal loud and clear, Tayshan offered no resistance as he desirously wrapped his arms around Shantae's hips and pulled her closer. And, within a second, the half-genie's lips lovingly met with the serviceman's in a truly electrifying embrace the likes of which this world had never known. Their amorous embrace created such an enthralling heat wave between the two of them that the very ground beneath them may as well have been scorched to ashes. The overwhelming rush of euphoric bliss that came with their unlikely reunion quickly consumed both the half-genie and the serviceman as they advanced their connection to an almost incomprehensible level. Smooch after tender peck after powerfully tantalizing kiss, the two lovers immersed themselves in one another's boundless romantic affection as they made out under the starry night sky. "Hmm…~" the mesmerized maiden hummed into her significant other's mouth, her breath catching in her chest as she separated for a split-second before planting another hungry kiss on his lips. The instant she did so, Shantae's body was practically engulfed in the heat of her desire as she scooted just a bit closer and pressed herself onto his lap. To lock herself in her position, she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. "Hah… hah…~"

"Ooh… Heh… You're already about t' drive me crazy, Shantae…~" Tayshan shared with her just above a whisper, staring longingly into her eyes as he grinned with a most telling level of feverish excitement. His breaths hot enough to melt titanium as he processed every bit of the physical reactions he'd been experiencing, Tay shifted himself into a slightly more… comfortable position as he planted a most affectionate kiss on her cheek. Just from the graceful touch of his lips on her face, he could feel the scorching heat radiating from her that let him know just how she was feeling. Then again, it could also have been because she was slowly and subtly, if not possibly unknowingly rubbing up against him in such an enticing way that he, too, had become engulfed in a rather… lascivious heat that he shared with her. "Mmph… Hm… I love you so much…"

"I love you, too, Tay… More than anything…" Shantae confessed back to him, pressing her lips to his once more and inviting an… almost magical rush of what may as well have been pure, unfiltered electricity shooting up her spine as her stomach erupted with butterflies yet again… only, the feeling intensified tenfold as she kissed him again… and again… and again… and soon enough, Shantae found herself awash in this miraculous, overwhelming, tingling warmth radiating from her core. Her ears grew hot like someone was holding active light bulbs on them. Her heart had been pounding nonstop as her face began to feel like she'd taken a dip in a hot spring. And… the entirety of her lower body felt like she'd been sitting atop a bed of coals whose scorching heat enraptured her instead of burning her. Taking deep, pressured breaths through her nose as the world around her began to spin, the blushing young lady planted a particularly heart-melting smooch on the soldier as she instinctively rubbed her body firmly against his. Her chest pressed up against his as she practically glued herself to his lap, the mesmerized young lady made it abundantly clear that she wanted more… "Hmm~! Mmh…! Mmnnnnh, Tayshan…~" she moaned, completely submitting herself to her physical desires as she fully and affectionately embraced the man she loved with all her heart.

"Hmmph~! Mmm…" Tay grunted in a mixture of unadulterated joy and mild discomfort as he suddenly found it in himself to break the kiss with a notably slick *pop*. "Whew… H-hold up a second…" he breathlessly requested, pressing his hands to the half-genie's hips, prompting her to stop wiggling into him as they each took the moment to catch their breath.

"You okay, babe…?" Shantae innocently asked, though she'd been trembling with such anticipation for where this encounter was headed that she remained seated atop her significant other with her forehead pressed to his.

"Far more than okay. Trust me…" he assured her, nuzzling his head into hers as he caressed her curvaceous form that was so beguilingly shrouded under her nightgown. "But… I'm wonderin' if we're on the same page here, or if we're gettin' caught up in the moment…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean… I have an idea of what direction this might be goin' in, but I don't want t' make any assumptions. I want t' know exactly what you're thinkin', so I know if we're clear or not before we do anything else," he humbly requested, causing the young woman in front of him to perk up in a most telling nervousness as her face heated up.

"I see… Well… I… was thinking… um…" she sheepishly stammered, her cheeks glowing hot enough that someone could use her face as a stove as she brought a hand to her mouth and began nibbling on her finger. "…er… well… that we uh… we could… kiss a little more… or… o-or maybe a lot more… and… maybe cuddle a bunch… and… maybe eventually work up to um… y'know…? That thing couples do when they really, really, really like each other…? Y'know… um…? I-I think one term they use for it is… um… m-making… love…?" she oh-so innocently requested, causing Tay to nervously chuckle a bit at her adorable innocence as he internally exploded from her very forward suggestion. It was almost poetic in how oxymoronic it was.

"I… figured that much," he smilingly remarked, reaching forth to gently remove Shantae's hand from her mouth with one of his own before interlocking his fingers with hers. "And… yes, I'd… love t' do that with you, too… but I won't lie, honey… I'd feel kinda rude if that turned out t' be the very first thing we did as soon as we saw each other again."

"Oh! S-sorry… You're right…" she repented, breathing out an exhale rife with shame as she scooted back while remaining seated on top of him. "I guess I got caught up in the moment, like you said… Gosh, how embarrassing…" the half-genie guiltily admitted, casting her dissonant gaze elsewhere, though her partner cupped her chin with his free hand and directed her attention back to him.

"You ain't got a thing t' be ashamed about, Shantae. Trust me, I want to… well, I want t' share that experience with you just as much as you want t' share it with me. But, I think we should at least spend some time catchin' up before we get t' that point."

"…I suppose that makes sense…" the half-genie further admitted, feeling just a bit more embarrassed as she momentarily cut her eyes toward the ocean.

"Hey now, I'm only sayin' this because I want t' confirm that we're all good after the time we spent apart, baby," Tayshan assured, smiling as he caressed Shantae's face with his fingers and leaned forward to plant a quick, reassuring kiss on her lips. Judging by the way she joyously smiled back at him after their kiss, he could tell that she understood where he was coming from. "An' just as importantly, I gotta be sure…"

"Sure about what, Tay?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head as she eagerly stared into his eyes and awaited his reply.

"Well… for one thing, this would be… your first time," he rather reticently began, though he considered his words. "Are you sure you want t' have it with me? I mean… You know I'm… not technically alive…"

"I couldn't be more certain if I tried, Tayshan. I love you more than anything in this whole world, and I can't imagine anyone else being in this spot with me right now… Heck, I could never have expected you to come back either, so imagine how overjoyed I am just to see you again…" she sincerely confessed to him, feeling not an ounce less than absolutely positive about her decision. "And… I could figure by that halo over your head that you haven't necessarily been resurrected, but what's most important to me is that you're here at all," she further reasoned, glancing up at the ethereal golden death marker.

"Ah, so the halo is that obvious. Hm," he remarked with a small chuckle, removing a hand from the half-genie's face to reach upward and flick the floating ring with a finger. The melodic, vibrating *Twiiiiiiing~!* of the otherworldly object resonated through the quiet, peacefully atmosphere like the hum of a bell. "And here, I thought you wouldn't notice…" he further joked.

"Oh, definitely not. Only when you pointed it out did I notice, because you hid it so well…" Shantae remarked with an elated giggle as she reached up and grabbed the halo with both hands, at which point its enthralling warmth radiated through her arms. "Wow, this thing is hot… yet, touching it feels… soothing…" she further observed, gently rubbing her fingers around the rim of the halo as she scooted closer to her lover to get a better feel. "Hmm…"

"Well, I'm glad you're takin' such a liking to it, because it's there t' stay," Tay half-joked, reaching forward and gently running his fingers up and down Shantae's sides.

"Owah!" she bellowed, flinching hard as she plopped herself back down onto the serviceman's lap. Her surprise soon turned into another fit of giggling as she grasped his hands to get him to stop messing with her. "You bully! You caught me by surprise…"

"Sorry, sorry," he humorously apologized, chuckling along with her as the two of them affectionately hugged one another. "I couldn't resist… You're so adorable…"

"Oh! Am I?" she asked in surprise, another rush of sweet, exhilarating heat coursing right to her face as she took his compliment to heart.

"Absolutely, though you don't need me t' tell you that," he confidently let her know as they broke their hug, though their hands remained planted on one another… while she remained planted on his lap. Goodness, they couldn't get enough of each other…

"Well… it's still good to hear it from you, babe…" she assured with just about the brightest smile she could muster as her heart beat heavier in her chest like the hooves of a charging mountain goat. "Thank you…"

"I'm only tellin' the truth, hon," he blushingly assured her right back with a cheerful grin of his own as he took the moment to bring himself back into focus. "Bringin' it back though… I love you more than anything in this world, too, an' I'm… w-well, I'm both flattered and honored t' be the guy you want t' share such a special connection with… despite my current livin' status…" Tayshan further shared back, trying his hardest not to explode with such excitement that one could've seen the mushroom cloud from the next planet over. "And as long as we're on the same page, I'll… I'll do everything I can… t' make it the most excitin' an' soul-bondin' experience imaginable…"

"Funny you should say 'soul-bonding,'" Shantae joked with a short giggle at the irony behind his unintentional quip.

"You would be one t' laugh at somethin' silly like that at a time like this," he playfully remarked with a chuckle, though his smile didn't stay for long. Sensing that something was up, Shantae's smile disappeared along with his. After breathing a deep, heavy sigh, however, Tayshan pressed on. "That aside, honey… um… I'm sure we can't ignore that… well, that this wouldn't be my first time…" he further admitted with an enormous sense of regret over a past experience he very much wished hadn't happened. Knowing exactly what he was getting at, she tensed up a bit as she offered her rebuttal.

"I know, but I'm not worried about that," she countered, though she couldn't deny that the reminder of such a circumstance had her heart pounding as she nearly lost her words. The last thing she wanted to think about in this most cherished and coveted moment with Tayshan was that miserable Risky Boots… who'd at one point done something truly awful to him that, as it appeared, he was unable to cope with… even after his death… Shantae nearly found herself consumed with regret for potentially forcing herself on Tayshan at a time where he may not have been ready, as well as unbridled, wrathful anger at Risky Boots for even DARING to do what she did to try and tarnish Tay's connection to her. Nevertheless, Shantae nervously continued. "At least, not so much that it would make me change my mind on wanting to do this with you, Tay. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I completely accept you for who you are and the bond we share, regardless of your experiences. That situation with Risky doesn't change that in the slightest for me, because we still came together and made sure she got her just deserts for what she did. Of course, I can only say all that from my perspective, because I know next to nothing about your experience… Shoot, now I'm worried we really did move too fast, and I apologize profusely if I'm making you uncomfortable…"

"Trust me, Shantae, I'm the most comfortable I've ever been with you," he assured, running his fingers through the half-genie's lush lavender locks as he gazed into her beautiful face. "I… I know I shouldn't be bringin' that horrible situation up like that, though…"

"No, no, it's fine," she assured. "It's actually better that we talk about it now anyway, so we know for sure we can move forward… together. Much as I hate to admit it, I… I feel like this is important… for both of us…"

"I agree without even the tiniest bit o' hesitation," he replied with a pensive nod. "I mean… at this point, I can only acknowledge that it happened while keepin' my head on straight about it. The memory does me absolutely no favors, but I can't go back an' change it," he further shared with a shaky sigh. "Granted, I… I wouldn't want that t' keep hauntin' me, either. I'd rather be keepin' myself assured that she didn't destroy our connection, nor did she break an' permanently corrupt me like she was tryin' t' do. An'… well, I wanted t' know for sure that, since we're really at this point, that we can realistically climb that mountain together instead o' just assumin' that everything's okay because we love each other…"

"Absolutely, Tay…" she offered her support, though his statements helped her realize his point. "I guess you mean that you want to make sure we're drawing nothing but positive feelings out of this, considering just how special the experience is for us and how easily it could be tarnished if we didn't go in with the right mindsets… right?"

"You hit the nail on the head, Shantae…" he confirmed with a solemn nod.

"I'm glad I did… because I agree with you a hundred percent. I want this to be special between us, too. I'm… also glad to know that you're considering my feelings about it…" she confessed with a sigh of mild relief, though she remained nervous.

"There would never be a time where I didn't, sweetheart. Sappy as this might sound, I… well, I want t' give you the absolute best o' me at every turn… no matter what," At that, the half-genie gasped in a mixture of surprise and… dare we say, lovestruck wonder at his poignant statement.

"Gosh…! Tayshan, you don't have to…" she tried to object, though her words caught in her throat before she could finish her statement.

"But I do," he interjected, looking her squarely in the eye as they held one another. "Or rather, it ain't a matter o' havin' t' do so. It's that I want t' do so, like I said. We've been through way too much together for me not t' be committed t' makin' you happy, because you've made me happy in more ways than I can even count…"

"Oh… W-wow, you're… you're really blowing me away, Tay…" the flustered young lady stammered, though she couldn't help but feel ecstatic that he felt so connected to her. "But trust me, you've made me much happier in our time together than you might know. I couldn't possibly put it into words, but… trust me, I'm very, very happy… Right now, I can't imagine how I wouldn't be. Either way, it sounds like you've been thinking really hard about how to push forward from that incident with Risky…"

"Bein' dead certainly helped with that, though it wasn't such smooth sailin'," he remarked with a tilt of his head, though it startled the half-genie a bit to hear. "Even now, though, an' even with us havin' talked about this before... It's… hard t' feel completely at ease because of how… vulnerable I was at that time. How powerless I was t' stop her… an' how distraught I was about bein' permanently tainted an' defiled by her…" he further shared with an enormously sigh as he did his best to keep from becoming too deeply distressed by reflecting on the experience in question. Nevertheless, he kept going. "…how furious I was at myself for lettin' her completely take advantage o' me, knowin' that she was mainly doin' it t' spite you an', in a sense, steal me away from you as she forced that gem t' gradually bend my mind t' her will over the course o' that night… and even how worried I was that she really did find a way t' permanently damage our friendship… Shantae, that was the worstexperience o' my entire life… Nothin' else I'd ever been through comes close…" he further admitted, trembling a bit as he finally admitted his inner turmoil to her in full.

"Oh…" she murmured, caught way off-guard by his extremely harrowing admission. The distress in his face as he momentarily broke eye contact with her was all too evident to Shantae…

"I-I mean, I… I had t' let it happen, so she wouldn't hurt our friends, but... I didn't realize until sometime after I died that... well, as much as I hate to admit it... She scarredme in a way no one could ever see just by lookin' at me… The physical scars on my face an' body are merely scrapes an' scratches by comparison… an' I'd never wish such an experience on anybody… an' since then, I… well, I'd hoped that I could still be considered good enough for you, or anyone… even myself, as I also wondered about what would've happened if I was just a bit stronger… or if I handled that ambush in Inseam more appropriately… I-I don't know… I didn't get t' think much about this piece of it at all, considerin' everything that happened between then an' our last big battle with Risky, but…" he eventually trailed off, breathing another heavy sigh as he took in the incredibly worried expression on the half-genie's face. "…I-I'm sorry… I'm sayin' too much…"

"No, no, it's… it's alright. And… well… I see…" Shantae acknowledged after a moment, realizing for herself that the aftereffects of that experience ran deeper than she thought. FAR deeper… She'd hardly had words for how to console him in such a gloomy state. She felt terrible for him as she watched his face contort into this pensive frown that communicated nothing but pain… and at that, her extreme displeasure with Risky Boots grew a LOT more intense. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and persevered before offering the best response she could conceivably give. "Well, Tay… I… I can't for the life of me imagine how much suffering she put you through, and it hurts me to no end just to acknowledge that now. For what it's worth, though… um… I want you to know that you shouldn't hate yourself or doubt yourself as a person for what happened. Not one bit of what she did to you was your fault. And… while it's true that we can't go back and change experiences we don't like, you already said it that the best thing you can do is move forward as best as you can without being so overwhelmed by the memory that it tears you apart from the inside out."

"I hear you…"

"Good. And while I could never truly understand your pain on that end, I want you to know that Risky could never take away your strength. Not a single bit of it. You proved that many times over by now, and if I have to say it myself, then I'll tell you that I've only seen you get stronger since then, not weaker. And aside from the Dark Magic she forced into you, I still see the same man I've been bonding with since the day we met. She couldn't ever, EVER hope to take that from you, though I'm sure she tried. You're much stronger than she could've ever hoped to acknowledge, and she got to see just that when we battled her. If her goal was to permanently taint you by manipulating your willingness to protect Sky and Rotty at the time, she failed miserably… Thank goodness… and of course, she didn't do a thing to change my feelings toward you, Tayshan. Evidently, she didn't do anything to change your feelings toward me, either."

"You can say that again," he agreed entirely, grinning a bit as he felt something of a burden lift off his shoulders. "If I haven't said it before, I'll say it right now: I appreciate you an' everything you've ever done for me through thick an' thin… Thank you so much for the reassurance…"

"No need to thank me, honey," she smilingly dismissed, glad to see that she was able to get through to him. "And you know I've always been here for you, just like you've always been there for me. And in case it needs to be clarified, Tayshan… I appreciate you and everything you've done for me and our friends as well. And our connection, I think was made stronger than ever. Risky can't even HOPE to destroy what we've built together, no matter how hard she tries. I… hope that's appropriate to say…"

"Absolutely, it is," Tay affirmed with a smiling nod, his heart thumping in his chest like gorilla fists as his love for the half-genie before him grew deeper than ever in that moment. "An' I'm sure I've let you know time an' time again that I always aimed t' look out for y'all. And Shantae…?"

"Yes?"

"…I just want t' make sure that, if you really do feel comfortable sharin' your first experience with me… well, that, for absolutely certain, there ain't a single reason related t' her that would make you uncomfortable."

"Me?"

"Mm-hmm. We already talked about why she did what she did, sure, an' we've spent a lot o' time clarifyin' my feelings on it... but we never talked about how you'd feel if you an' I ever got the chance t' get this close…"

"Oh. In that case... and believe me when I say this, Tay: There isn't a single thing about that predicament that I'm holding against you or thinking about in terms of how it could ever mess things up for us right now. I… can acknowledge how odd it must feel for you to be with me right now after she stole your first experience for her own gain… But again, that wasn't your fault in the slightest. That's completely on her. And no one, not even Risky herself, should be able to convince you otherwise," she fervently let him know, wanting to help him get past the internal doubt he'd been experiencing. And, judging by the glimmer in his golden eyes as the two lovebirds locked gazes once more, she could tell that she'd struck a chord in him. Of course, the half-genie acknowledged that he had a point in asking her how she felt about it. She hadn't considered it in full previously, but... she wasn't intimidated by his inquiry. As such, she answered as candidly as she could after a moment of thought. "...And despite what Risky's intention was, I haven't lost even an ounce of the ginormous, unshakable love I have for you. As far as how I feel, though? I feel confident that we can push ahead. I feel relieved that we can even talk like this so openly after what happened... I also feel... I feel... I guess, excited in a sense..."

"Excited?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Because to me, it means our connection can keep getting stronger..." she revealed, catching him by surprise.

"Wow..."

"Yeah... and well... I won't lie to you and say it hasn't been a thought at the back of my mind that could've made me shy away from the idea..." she admitted, momentarily casting her gaze elsewhere. Tay silently absorbed her response and contemplative frown, though he wasn't at all surprised to hear she did have her own doubts. If anything, he was at least glad that she brought the concern to his attention when he asked. Before long, however, Shantae turned back to him and shot him the most confident grin she could muster in that moment. "...but that thought was totally washed out when I realized for myself just how much I love you and everything about you... as well as how I should NEVER let Risky destroy my interest in a person, though it both opens my eyes and upsets me to know how far she'd go to hurt the people I care about to get to me... but, to be clear, I would never let her have that kind of control over me, or you, or anyone as long as I'm alive."

"Ah... W-wow, I see..." he remarked, taken aback by the honesty and... dare he say, determination in her reply.

"I'm glad you do. Like I said, Tayshan, I haven't lost any bit of love for you. I can tell you haven't lost any love for me, either… right?"

"You know it. If anything, Shantae, I actually gained love for you since then… an' a lot of it…" he admitted, causing the young woman to blush as her heart skipped a beat.

"Aww, Tay…~" Shantae hummed in excitement, though she kept herself focused. "Well, if that doesn't sound like we're clear, then I don't know at this point what does. We both still love each other, and we still… w-well… desire each other… and at this point, I don't care if it's my first time or my thousandth time… and I don't care if this was your first or thousandth time, either. The important thing is that… is that we fully accept each other and share our love without a thing in this whole universe to stop us. And Tay… regardless of what happened or how you came back… I'm completely thrilled that you're here with me… and I… I want to show you just how thrilled I am… right now…~" she very brazenly informed him, though she was ironically VERY sheepish about it as her face grew hot enough to roast everything within a five-mile radius. Tay, feeling every bit of the heat radiating from the flustered half-genie, nearly melted into a puddle under her as his heart began pounding in his chest like he was about to fight a pack of lions and his body became awash in a sensual heat that nearly drove him into a state of delirium. The only thing keeping him from passing out, however was uh… well, a certain 'problem' that made him shift a bit to make himself just a tiny bit more comfortable.

"…Shantae, you certainly have the most excellent way o' puttin' things int' perspective…" he admitted with a nervous titter as he continued trying to play it cool while he adjusted himself. He would find this daunting task incredibly 'hard' (and I mean, INCREDIBLY HARD) to complete. Even harder when Shantae took immediate notice and began giggling with such jovial glee that one would've thought she'd been watching someone fall victim to a prank. "And… uh… hoo, boy… uh… wow, I… didn't think you could do this t' me without even touchin' me yet…" he murmured, though she heard every word of it and found herself both amused and very flattered.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean, hm~? That you like me, Tayshan~?" she 'innocently' teased with a mischievous grin, acting on a most excited whim and scooting herself further onto the soldier's lap and… ever so gently planting herself right where he was hoping she wouldn't plant herself in that moment. The instant she sat down, she got just the confirmation she needed when she felt something suddenly prod at her from down below… as well as Tay flinching again as he tightened his grip on her hips as though it was on impulse. "I suppose that answers that question…~"

"Oh, you…!" he remarked as he panted, barely able to contain his total astonishment at the half-genie's sudden forwardness. Of course, he found himself more than impressed with how capable she was of driving him up a wall with just her beguiling energy and her unrivaled beauty.

"…That wouldn't happen to be your 'gun' again, now would it? Goodness, you really ought to find a better place to put that thing…~" she poured it on with the honey-laced taunt and wink, not-so-secretly enjoying how much of an 'effect' she was having on him. Of course, it was no surprise that she'd also been feeling this 'effect' herself. Her breaths were hot and heavy… her heart was basically exploding in her chest with every beat… her ears were roasting like marshmallows over an open flame… her entire body felt like she'd been drenched in the sweltering humidity of a mid-summer day… and that maddeningly arousing 'tingling' feeling she'd been experiencing in her stomach was the most intense it had ever been… She swore she could've melted right into his lap at that very moment, she felt so aroused.

"…So, that's how you wanna play it, huh?" Tay remarked, his tone low and sultry as he kept his eyes locked on her. Granted, he had a most… mischievous grin plastered on his blushing face as though he had some sort of plan. Getting something of an 'idea' as he took in the fully enrapturing image of Shantae's also-blushing face as she affectionately grinned at him, he did his best to prepare for whatever it was he had in store for her. "You must think you're real slick…"

"And if I do, Tay? What are you gonna do about it…~?" she taunted with a slight chuckle that radiated with nervousness as her mind drew an immediate blank after she made her statement. It… should PROBABLY be made clear that, despite how smooth she appeared to be here, she had little to no actual clue how to appropriately navigate such an intimate encounter that was definitely going to lead… somewhere fun, maybe, if she played her cards right? She'd never tell Tayshan this, but she was mainly ad-libbing and reciting dialogue from some of her most… intense romance comics to help… spice things up, she guessed? Judging by his reaction, it seemed to be working. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. She, of course, hoped she didn't run out of cheesy one-liners to sprinkle him with as they marched along this exciting new path together…

"Hm. Don't you worry… I got somethin' for you…~" the serviceman hinted as he immediately upped the ante. Keeping one hand on her hip, Tay inched himself forward while gently caressing her cheek. Immediately following the signal, Shantae leaned in to fully accept the incoming embrace. However, as she closed her eyes and awaited that next amorous union of their lips, Tay took the moment to toy with her. Rather than go for her lips, he craned his head around and planted a hot, wet, heavy kiss on her cheek.

"H-huh…?" the understandably surprised young woman grunted in surprise as her eyes reopened, though the exhilarating touch of his lips on her face sent an incredible spark up and down her spine. He didn't stop there, however. Peppering her face with kiss after supple wet kiss, the serviceman began to gently rub her leg with his free hand while keeping the other on her opposing cheek. "Ah…~ Oh, wow…" she hummed, trying not to completely lose herself in the experience of being taken on the most tantalizing ride she'd ever been on. Careful of his actions, Tay made sure his pecks were light and delicate, only sporadically ramping up the intensity at random points to keep the young woman guessing. As he did so, he slowly crept his hand up toward Shantae's upper thigh, his fingers so enticingly tickling her along the way as they grazed and glided over her. Soon enough, he pressed his palm into her and gently kneaded her leg near her hip while brushing his fingers along the surrounding area. If his fingers crept any higher up her leg, he would've driven her entirely out of her mind with amorous desire… which Shantae was… not-so-secretly hoping would happen as she instinctively began pressing herself up harder against his lap as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and intertwined her fingers with his hair. Aiming to make things even more enthralling for her, Tayshan ran the fingers of his other hand through her sleek, voluminous hair as he continued peppering her with smooches that she found herself increasingly enamored with. Hardly able to control her clearly communicated desire for such an intimate embrace, Shantae reacted almost entirely on impulse as she found herself… rubbing against him in a way that sent this… just, ELECTRIFYING rush of excitement through both of them as she began to pant like she'd been jogging for the last seven hours straight. Before long, she involuntarily sucked in a sharp, trembling breath through her teeth as he kissed her neck.

"You like that, Shantae…? Hm~?" Tay dared to whisper directly in her ear, not-so-secretly enjoying making her squirm with pleasure as he temporarily stopped kissing her while continuing to tickle her thigh.

"Hmm… Y-you're playing so dirty right now, Taysh… anh…~ Ooooooh…~ Y-yes…~" she cutely complained as he kissed her neck again and continued massaging her, making him sweetly chuckle into her ear as he continued to toy with her. Oh, just the alluring vibrations of that smooth, heart-meltingly deep voice of his in her eardrum as he laughed… She could hardly take it as her body temperature skyrocketed alongside the rampaging intensity of the butterflies in her stomach. Driven almost completely over the edge, Shantae found herself suddenly hit with a powerful shiver that rocked her entire body as she gasped in a mixture of surprise and inconceivable delight. Taking that as a sign that he'd made his point, Tay ceased almost all actions as he relented and met her breathless gaze with his own. He made sure to plant one more mind-blowing smooch directly on her lips, humming into her mouth as he did so before completely withdrawing with a slick *pop* to marvel at the results of his little 'game.' And judging by the heaving of her bosom in conjunction with the furious blush on her face as she stared at him, he could tell that he drove his point all the way home.

"Did that feel good?" he slyly asked with a most telling grin, though he knew the answer he'd get.

"…Is that a serious question or are you just messing with me…?" she incredulously asked back, barely above a whisper as she found herself pouting at him as she caught her breath.

"Hmm… A little bit o' both, really," he taunted with a wink, chuckling at her thoroughly flustered state. At that, Shantae smilingly shook her head.

"…D'oh, you're such a jerk for doing this to me…" she playfully shot back, her grin widening as she took in the experience of being so close to her significant other that she felt like they were about to become one at any given second.

"Hey…!" Tay jokingly protested, pretending to be insulted as he pouted at her.

"But you're my jerk, and I wouldn't have it any other way…" she added, hugging him tightly to the point where she could feel his heart thumping through his chest. Fully absorbing the endless love she was showering him in, Tayshan returned her hug with gusto.

"Heh… Thanks, I guess," he laughingly accepted her 'compliment' as they practically snuggled up to one another before she lifted herself up to face him again.

"You know I mean that in the most affectionate way possible, right?" she asked to be sure, as she didn't want him to read her statement as an actual insult.

"No need to explain it, boo. I know what you mean," he assured her with a smiling nod.

"Good. So… Where do we go from here?" she asked, hopeful that they could continue getting… more 'familiar' with each other. Tay, however, had a different idea in mind as he contemplated the moment for what it was. He'd momentarily cast his gaze up to the stars above, making Shantae curious about what he was thinking. "Er… babe?"

"…I suppose I should tell you about how I wound up back here first… or at least, I should tell you exactly why this halo ain't just for show…" he shared, pointing a finger to the giant golden ring hovering over his head.

"Uh-oh…" she remarked, suddenly nervous as she found herself anticipating what he was going to say… and what it would mean for their relationship. And, while she didn't find it the best of times (like, AT ALL) to switch from amorously fooling around with each other to talking about something completely unrelated with the subtlety of a brick smashing through a windshield, she at least acknowledged that it was going to be important. So, she forgave him… this time. "I… guess I should've asked you about that before we got all cuddly with each other…" she admitted with an anxious titter, though she sighed as her face contorted into a somber frown as she kept her eyes locked on his. "…but, I get the sudden feeling that you're gonna tell me that you're only coming here to say your final goodbyes before you depart to the afterlife… like your old friends did with you in the Grotto of Judgment… right?"

"No, but I can't say the alternative has me jumpin' for joy…" he grumbled, momentarily cutting his eyes elsewhere, though he knew Shantae wasn't able to pick up on what he meant right away. "Er, anyway… it's true that I won't be around for too long…"

"Oh…" she voiced her disappointment, her heart sinking immediately.

"…but, the silver linin' t' that cloud is that, accordin' to a… certain person who was the entire reason I got stuck in that lamp, I'll be able t' stay with you for… about a year from the day I died… give or take. At least, that was her prognosis."

"Oh! Well… That's better news than I was expecting, even though it isn't exactly what I was hoping for," she admitted, finding some form of solace in his statement. "So, what's the deal behind that?"

"Among other things, it turns out that my death did NOT cause our Soul-Link to break," Tay revealed, much to Shantae's surprise as she gasped.

"I knew it! I'd been getting those weird danger sensations in my stomach since the day you disappeared," she shared, much to Tayshan's surprise as he reeled back. "I had a hunch it was because I was still sensing you, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why it was still happening."

"I felt the exact same way the entire time… Add that t' the list o' mysteries about how magic works…" he remarked with a shake of his head. "Oh, and get this: Because of our Soul-Link, I've got no chance o' goin' t' the afterlife. Because my soul is tethered t' yours while I'm dead an' you're alive, it makes me ineligible o' goin' anywhere where souls are granted eternal peace." At that, Shantae nearly exploded with complete surprise.

"What!? Seriously!? You can't even…?"

"Aw, yeah. And it gets better," he warned, picking up on her shock and dismay at his revelation.

"How?"

"I'll tell you right now. So, the other twisted piece about it, is that not only will the bond NOT break, it… apparently gets stronger with time," Tay further explained, throwing Shantae for yet another loop.

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was, sweetie," he acknowledged, hardly able to believe it himself. "I think I speak for us both when I say Hypno Baron ROYALLY screwed up here…"

"From the sound of it, he totally did…" she agreed, shaking her head in disbelief. "So, you can't pass on because your soul is linked to mine while I'm alive, and there's basically no way to undo it?"

"There apparently is a way t' undo it, but it ain't really worth it. Buuuut yeeeeah, we're stuck like this until… well, as it was explained to me, until the Soul-Link becomes too strong for my post-death physical form t' sustain. An' once that happens, I'll… not be goin' t' any afterlife… Instead, I'll… apparently disintegrate an' be absorbed int' the forces o' magic flowin' all over this planet… or you'll wind up absorbin' the magic I have in me… or somethin' t' that effect. That is, unless somethin' can be figured out that halts that process in some way. That's the long an' short o' what I was told before I was allowed t' come back t' you…"

"Wh… what…?" she remarked in immeasurable concern, just about ready to begin shedding tears once more. "Tay, that's the saddest thing I've ever heard… Oh, my gosh… You don't even get the chance to rest in peace after you died…? You'll just… be able to live here for a while, and then just… completely cease to exist…? And for that matter, what would we need to do to break the link, so your spirit can rest…?"

"If it sounds crazy t' you, then believe me, I was completely floored by how lucky, yet somehow unlucky this situation has been for us…" he stated, reading every bit of her concern. He sighed soon afterward, as he'd still been trying to wrap his head around the circumstances. "As for what we could do t' break the bond? Well… I… was told that there was the option o' havin' the Soul-Link undone by a genie from the Genie Realm, so that I could potentially visit the great beyond or whatever giant garden beyond the cosmos I was destined for… but I was also told that the procedure had a very high, if not certain chance o' permanently corruptin' or damagin' both of our souls beyond repair. Very high risk, considerin' this sort o' thing basically never happens. An' there's hardly any reward for it, either… You… can imagine what choice I made, no?"

"Knowing you, you chose the safer option of spending your last days here before you… from the sound of it, eventually became one with the forces of magic or… I-I guess you essentially become a part of me… right?"

"Yeah. I… I couldn't believe that it could've ever come down t' that choice, but much like another decision I made that landed us here, I was never gonna decide t' do anything that could've brought you harm."

"Oh, Tay…" Shantae murmured, strengthening the grip of her hand in his as she took a deep, heartfelt breath and tried to fight the incoming tears. "You'd already given up your life to save me… And now you're telling me you're giving up your chance to find eternal peace to protect me again?"

"…In a nutshell, yes."

"…But, why? I… I don't understand… Or, well, I do, but… Jeez… Tay, I could never ask you to give up everything for me like this…" she informed him, though she was absolutely touched by his dedication to her. "Why, though? That much, I've gotta know… Why surrender so much for my sake…? I don't deserve all that… You deserve to be happy in your own right… So, why?"

"Because I love you. Simple as that," he matter-of-factly replied, causing her heart to skip a beat. "At this point, makin' you happy, makes me happy, too."

"Aww, Tay…"

"On top o' that, when I'd lost nearly everything in our quest t' stop Risky Boots, you gave me somethin' t' fight for. You helped me gain new purpose in a world that I had no idea even existed, but that I found myself stranded in with no way out. You an' our friends helped me grow accustomed t' life here, even before it became apparent t' me that I was never gonna be able t' return t' my original world. I'd be selfish not t' do my part t' return the favor. Plus, as we recently figured out… certain things… had t' happen in order t' keep you an' the others safe. And… as an honorary 'genie,' I… had a very special wish to grant for a certain someone. I… hope you know where I'm comin' from…" he concluded with a very sly hint, causing her to gasp in shock.

"…You… heard my wish for you to come back to me…?" she asked in wonder, her eyes glimmering as she gave him her full, undivided attention.

"Mm-hmm… I remember gettin' one last chance t' see you grant my wish t' make all the weapons from my old timeline disappear… I remember hearin' the pain in your voice as you summoned up all the magic you had in you that night… I remember hearin' your wish just before everything went black… after which point, I ended up in the Village o' Lost Souls with no memory of who I even was or what I was doin' there…"

"No way… Tay, that's… I-I'm speechless…!" she stammered, her heart racing in her chest with the combined power of a thousand stallions as she barely resisted the urge to hug him again. "But then… if you went to the Village of Lost Souls and lost your memories, then how…?"

"I got my memories back with the help o' some o' the folks who unfortunately also died during our adventures. Sana, Priyanka, Melody… even Mr. Fuzzles…" he explained, shocking the half-genie stiff as she tuned in. "I don't exactly know how much time passed, since time always seemed t' stand still over there, but I met with all o' them. We went on an adventure, they helped me get that raggedy lamp I got stuck in, they helped me remember some o' the key parts o' my travels alongside you, an' I even got t' see Mr. Fuzzles finally let go of his regrets an' ascend t' the afterlife from there…"

"…Wow…"

"Crazy, right? I promise you, though, I ain't makin' it up. But… the one person who helped me the most in terms o' rememberin' who I am an' how I wound up there… was this one light-skinned, red-eyed girl in glasses with short black hair that wore a schoolgirl outfit… who, ironically enough, didn't look the slightest bit familiar t' me… at first, anyway," he described, causing Shantae to gasp in complete and utter shock. Silently taking her surprise in stride, he continued. "She couldn't even remember her own name or how she wound up there, but she said she'd been there a long time. I didn't get t' learn much about her because she kept vanishin' on me in the middle of any conversations we had… only t' suddenly reappear, barely rememberin' anything we talked about later on. This happened at least a few different times, an' we never figured out why. Despite me not knowin' who she was, though, she an' I both swore we knew each other…"

"…I'm… Oh, my gosh…! You… met her… You actually met her…!"

"Indeed, I did," he remarked with a knowing grin. "An' whatever conversation we did have, this girl would drop these unintentional memory bombs on me that eventually helped me t' realize exactly how I wound up in the Village o' Lost Souls… Although, the most important piece of it all came when I was fightin' this gigantic ogre monster with a sledgehammer who was tryin' t' steal that lamp from me…"

"…Jeez…!"

"Yeah, my time there wasn't exactly peaceful. Anyway, uh… as I fought that ogre, who had to be at least the size of a one-story house, I slowly, but surely began to regain my abilities…"

"Whoa…! No way! You were still fighting Boss Monsters down there? And you battled this one without having any clue of how to fight because of your amnesia at the time?"

"Yep. An' I almost got crushed…" he answered with a chuckle, though he wasn't surprised she didn't laugh with him. "Thankfully, my fightin' skills came back to me with the more I fought him… an' along with that, came my access t' the magic I absorbed throughout our adventures…"

"No way…! You still have access to it?"

"Yeah. As it was explained t' me, this magic… it completely became a part o' me when I finished up in the Grotto o' Judgment. At least, the Light Magic did. As for the Dark Magic…"

"…You still have access to BOTH kinds of magic!? Even after you died!? What…!?" Shantae questioned, trying her hardest to fathom the entirely extraordinary, enigmatic information being delivered to her.

"I should probably stop droppin' these bombshells on you like this," Tay joked with a chuckle. "You look like you're about t' burst with enough questions t' fill five hundred notebooks with…"

"Well, of course!" the flabbergasted half-genie exclaimed, feeling that it should've been obvious that she was as surprised as she was. "But anyway, go on… What were you saying about the Dark Magic?"

"That it permanently became another part o' me after Risky made me swallow that Dark Magic shard… an' both forms o' magic got especially woven int' me during our last battle with her, when we were all pushed to our absolute limits," he explained, which did nothing to ease the young woman's astronomical levels of astonishment that could've been spotted from outer space with a satellite. "There's… a longer story behind all that, but I should stay focused on how I rediscovered it…"

"Oh! Uh, o-of course," Shantae understood with a nod, though she was Uncle Mimic-levels of curious about what the phenomenon was with Tayshan permanently being imbued with what she considered Genie-levels of magic that, for all she knew, should NEVER have been possible for a human without it destroying them from the inside out… especially like she'd seen it almost do to him on multiple occasions during their travels and numerous battles. Nevertheless, she put that theory in her metaphorical pocket before refocusing. "Don't be surprised if I have a ton of questions about that later on, though…"

"Trust me, I'm hopin' that tellin' you more about it will help me understand it, too," he rebutted. "Even with the way it was explained t' me before I came back t' you, I couldn't make sense of it."

"Oh? Huh…" she hummed in wonder, even more curious about the person who apparently attempted to clarify the functions of magic to him. More questions to be asked at a later time, however. She wanted primarily to hear about this battle that caused him to reawaken the magic before she dug into him about anything else. "I'll… make a note of that, too…" she warned him with another perplexed nod. "Anyway, what were you saying about getting your abilities back during that Boss Battle?"

"Right. So, the more I fought this hammer-swingin' ogre, the more I remembered how t' fight until I eventually woke up enough an' got the upper hand. After that, I tried t' convince him t' stop attackin' me or else he'd risk gettin' himself hurt. He didn't listen, of course, an' we was about t' battle it out some more. But then, that girl reappeared in the middle o' the fight… We fought a bit more after I saved her once, but then he got desperate once he realized he was strugglin' against me." he continued to explain, though it made Shantae nervous about what happened to the girl. "He attacked her as soon as he saw an opportunity, an' he hurt her bad…" he further revealed, causing her to gasp in horror.

"Oh, no…!"

"I managed t' save her, though, because the minute he attacked her, the full force o' this magic came burstin' out o' me the same way it did when we fought Risky."

"Ohhh… Goodness, that explains so much about how I could still sense you after you died…" the half-genie murmured in wonder, glancing at her abdomen for a moment. At that, Tayshan also hummed in wonder.

"Hm… I suppose this mystery's gonna run a lot deeper than we expected, huh?"

"No kidding," she agreed. "But then, the girl… Was she okay? How'd you manage to save her from that ogre?"

"Uh… S-so, you might be glad t' hear that she made it out okay," he nervously replied, gulping a bit as his heart began to pound in his chest again. "But uh… I won't front on you, Shantae… that battle had a very… uglyend to it… Quick, but very ugly…"

"Oh, boy… You're not gonna tell me you wound up killing that ogre, are you?" At that, Tay flinched in shock.

"Er, y-yeah…" he admitted, causing her eyes to widen for a moment. "He was about to either attack her or try t' hold her hostage t' get me t' give up the lamp, but by that point, I reacted on pure instinct. I'm… not gonna give too many details, but uh… let's just say that he uh… 'lost his head' over how disastrous that battle turned out for him," he delivered a most chilling euphemism, though Shantae got the point right away.

"Yikes, Tay… That's brutal…" she remarked in total bewilderment, unable to fathom the idea of the serviceman doing something so… uncharacteristically violent as what she was thinking he did to that ogre, whoever he was.

"I know, but that wasn't my intention," he did his best to explain himself. "All I did was punch him in the face after I kicked his knee out from behind him, expectin' t' just knock him out or at least stun him a bit an' give the girl a chance to escape, but… This magic, in conjunction with how angry I was that he attacked an innocent girl in cold blood an' was about t' do it again…" he trailed off, taking a moment to take a deep breath as the memory freshened up in his mind. "That was the point where I remembered I even had access t' that kind o' power, an' that was the point that I remembered what triggered it… Intense emotions…"

"Oh, I see…" Shantae realized with a nod, sighing in relief that her boyfriend hadn't become consumed by the very magic that allowed him to survive so many perilous journeys during his time in Sequin Land… and evidently helped him survive the horrors of the Village of Lost Souls. "You were just trying to protect that girl, but you didn't know your own strength at the time."

"Y-yeah…" he nervously admitted, hoping she wouldn't judge him. "I had no clue just how much stronger this power made me…"

"That's magic for ya. It can be completely unpredictable at times," she offered her sage words. "That said, I'm glad you saved that girl from that monster, Tay. I get it if you thought I'd be upset with how you did it, based on that guilty look on your face…" she pointed out, causing him widen his eyes in astonishment as he locked his gaze on her.

"…That obvious, huh?"

"Not at a glance, but I can read you better because we're so close," she informed him to make sure he knew that she understood. "And, however violent the end of that Boss Battle was, I know that you only did what you had to do to protect someone. It's the same thing we talked about before, with only going to that length if all other options are exhausted and the bad guy continues to hurt people. Plus, I have no place to judge… considering Spider Web Island…"

"Right…" he remarked, nodding and sighing in relief that she wasn't judging him. "Well, if it makes you feel better, Mr. Fuzzles is in a better place now," he further assured her as he patted her on the thigh. "And… well, thank you for understandin'."

"No need for thanks, Tay. As long as we keep holding true to our beliefs, there should hardly ever be a time where one of us misinterprets the other's intentions… or even, our own."

"I agree."

"Good! Glad to know we're still in sync," she cheered before moving to change the topic back. "So, you rediscovered your magic by fighting that monster and saving that girl. That sound about right?"

"In the most condensed nutshell, yes," he remarked with a light-hearted chuckle, at which she grinned.

"Awesome! I mean, I have a ton MORE questions about your adventures in the Village of Lost Souls, but… I suppose that, for right now, I'll just say I'm proud of you for doing the right thing, as always. And… well, congratulations on unlocking your potential!"

"Oh, gee, thanks," he flatly retorted, much to her amusement. "I aim t' please, I guess."

"That had better not be sarcasm, mister," she playfully warned him, poking his chest with a finger. "It's not nice to mock your mentor when she's offering you praise for a job well done."

"Never in a thousand lifetimes, Shantae-sensei," he humorously shot back, both of them giggling like children in a playground as they teased one another. "Your teachings have carried me a long way on this journey, and as your faithful sidekick and student, I wouldn't dare bring shame or dishonor to the name or the legacy of the Half-Genie Hero."

"Ah, you have learned well, grasshopper. I have no more lessons to teach you, then," she joked, giggling along the way as she played the role of the proud martial arts master straight out of a comic book. "From this point on, you may address me simply as Shantae, my star pupil-turned-sidekick-and-faithful boyfriend. Your only task from here is to make sure you are the best of all boyfriends—and sidekicks—in all existence across the realms. This will be no easy task, mind you, but I trust that you can handle it."

"I shall accept this arduous challenge without fear, my love," he joked back once again, at which point the both of them cracked up for what had to be a solid TEN MINUTES at their adorably cheesy, campy humor. After that ten minutes, however…

"Whew, now THAT was a good laugh… best one I've had in ages…" she admitted, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Couldn't agree more," he replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself all the way back down.

"Absolutely…" she concluded before changing the subject again. "So, about that girl… I'm curious…"

"Hm? What about her do you wanna know?"

"Not too much… but I do wonder just how much you got to talk to her and… well, if maybe, by any chance, she recovered her memories like you did?"

"Um… It's tough t' say…" Tayshan admitted after a moment of thought. "None of our conversations lasted long between her disappearances."

"Oh. Well, shoot…" Shantae remarked in disappointment that came across as… just a tad unusual. Tay appeared not to catch on, however.

"Yeah… I didn't really get the chance t' try t' help her remember her old life like I was hopin' I would, which I regret… but she did tell me that whenever she vanished, she'd always come back rememberin' dreams she had about livin' freely an' happily outside the village… an' interestingly enough, she told me that she had a very special purple-haired genie friend that she loved very, very much…" That statement shook the young woman to the core as her thoughts for that moment went right to a certain undead best friend of hers. Why was she thinking of Rottytops at that point? I have no idea. Shantae couldn't help but shed a mournful tear for her, nevertheless. For fear of potentially exposing a certain… sensitive detail, however, she peculiarly decided against pressing further into Tay about the woman he apparently met in the Village of Lost Souls.

"I see… and I'm sure she knows I love her just as much," she confessed with a tearful grin, at least revealing that she knew who the other girl was while not revealing any other details.

"There's no doubt she knows, honey," Tay confirmed with a nod. "Oh, an' just in case you think I haven't figured it out myself…"

"Huh?" she perked up, wondering just what he was about to follow up with.

"…Let's just say… that this mutual friend of ours is just as charmingly zany, yet super affectionate inside the Village o' Lost Souls as she is outside the Village o' Lost Souls; no matter what form she takes," he very coyly hinted, though his wording was a dead (no pun intended) giveaway. At that, Shantae couldn't help but mirthfully giggle at his attempt to be mysterious.

"…Sooooo, you already know that that girl was Rottytops in Ghost form. Is that what you mean?" At that, Tay chuckled with glee.

"Ah, I knew you'd catch onto it. T' be fair, though, it took me a longer time than it should've for me t' figure it out," Tay readily admitted. "Y'know, the first time she saw me, she didn't even know who I was. Yet, the first name that other version o' her addressed me as, was 'Stud Muffin,'" he further shared, making the adorable young woman bust out laughing in absolute joy. Finding just as much humor in it, he laughed with her.

"Yep! Sounds just like her…" she laughingly replied before catching her breath. "But yeah, since you know already, I'll… let you in on a little secret regarding that, because we need to be careful about it…"

"Lemme guess: Neither version o' Rottytops is fully aware o' the other, an' until the Ghost version of her puts the pieces together, she'll continue t' live this eternally tormented dual existence an' never be allowed t' eventually move on because she can't figure out her identity or remember anything about her old life?"

"Uhhhh…" Shantae droned, stunned beyond belief that he figured out one of Sequin Land's biggest (yet, most unexplored) secrets in such a short time.

"That, or you're gonna tell me that 'Rottytops' ain't her actual name, but that her real name was lost t' the sands o' time after she an' her brothers became zombies, right?" he further asserted, hitting the nail on the head so hard that the nail burrowed its way almost to the core of the planet… metaphorically speaking, of course.

"Ahh, there you go again… Figuring things out WAY before I get the chance to tell you," she flatly remarked as she crossed her arms, though she was still grinning at him. In response, he shrugged in total nonchalance.

"What can I say, baby? Context clues… Plus, I went through mostly the same experience, minus bein' divided int' two different versions o' myself…"

"Cute, Tay. Real cute…"

"I'll bet," he further playfully remarked with a wink, fully enjoying their time together while letting her 'cute' comment slide. "That said, I… I hope she finds some form o' closure that brings her the happiness she deserves," he solemnly remarked as his smile faded. "She seemed so… lost an' so upset… even though she tried her best t' hide it behind that adorable smile o' hers an' her perky demeanor…"

"I know…" Shantae agreed, her smile also fading as they both thought about the zombie maiden. "That's why I do so much to protect her and make her happy, to be honest with you… No one understands her like I do at this point… Well, except maybe you now."

"An' it took me dyin' an' meetin' her other half t' pick up on it, but I certainly get it now…" Tayshan concurred with a nod. "You're the most important person she has, Shantae. By a long shot. You know that already, I'm sure, but I definitely acknowledge it now. It… actually kinda made me feel bad that I couldn't stay longer t' try an' help her just a bit more, but almost immediately after one o' the times she vanished on me, er… S-someone else appeared before me… an' that person's appearance hit me with just the spark I needed t' recover all my memories…"

"Who?"

"This one, I can't reveal the identity of," Tay cryptically answered, though it already gave Shantae an idea of whom he was referring to.

"The jackal lady. It was her, wasn't it?" she guessed as she looked him in the eye.

"I can neither confirm nor deny," he remarked with a tilt of his head, though she knew him well enough to understand that she was correct in her guess by reading his mannerisms.

"Understood. So, in that case, why did this person show up?"

"I wasn't sure at first, because my mind was still clouded. But once I remembered everything after I saw… a certain piece o' headwear they had, we had a talk. In a nutshell, this person gave me the news that, because I remembered who I am an' that I died protectin' you from Risky Boots with no regrets about savin' you, I was no longer allowed t' hang around in the Village o' Lost Souls. Of course, that's where I also learned that because of our Soul-Link, movin' on int' the Great Beyond was impossible for me… an' of course, how we find ourselves in our current predicament."

"Wow… What a twisted series of events, Tay… Even in death, your experiences are an adventure I couldn't ever imagine going on… Even with having visited the Village of Lost Souls before, I couldn't imagine going there as a ghost with amnesia after dying… And even with how you wound up here in the first place to even experience everything you did from the beginning to the end… This was such a wild ride…"

"I should probably write a memoir on it or somethin', right?" he joked.

"That or make a new video game out of our adventures together," she half-joked back with a wink.

"Oh, really?" he flatly remarked, humored by her outlandish suggestion.

"Yes, really! You have plenty of material to work with, too," she excitedly began her next bout of nerd gushing. "You've got the story already, so you'd be way ahead of the curve there. You could probably add multiplayer, a coop mode, or like, maybe some sort of competition mode, time attack, or score attack mode, and a ton of playable characters other than me with unique abilities that get stronger with the more you play as them! Oh! And you could totally switch between characters in the middle of an adventure if you were playing single player! Or maybe you could even add character-based Team Attacks based on which characters are being played during any adventure, just like the Team Attacks you and I used! And maybe for completing the game, you get to unlock extra content, like alternate costumes for everyone, or bonus adventures in new locations that take place after the main story was completed! Or even at points parallel to the main story to flesh it out more and add plenty of replay value! I could even see the possibility of 'What-If' scenarios taking place, based on that jackal lady's predictions…" she further rambled, letting her very colorful imagination run rampant out of nowhere. Used to this sort of thing by this point, however, Tayshan played along.

"Rrrrrriiiight… because I know EVERYTHING about programmin' an' game development t' pull that off…" he teased with an amused chuckle. "An' even if I did, I'm positive it'd take longer than the single year I have t' make a game that big and with so much content. That sounds super expensive, too. An' then there's the copyrights, an' licensing, an' publishing, an' game rating, an' all that, on top o' debuggin' an' pickin' an' choosin' which parts o' the story would work an' which parts need t' be cut out or altered… an' then you gotta convince people t' fund the project, an' hire other programmers, designers, directors, writers, voice actors, developers, play testers, music composers, an' so on, an' so forth…" he also rambled, allowing the half-genie to take him down this wild and unusual game development rabbit hole. And while he never could quite understand Shantae's fixation on video games, he happily accepted her quirk for what it was. At the very least, he knew how incredibly, SUPREMELY unlikely it was for such a thing as having this story made into a game was. I… am not gonna lie, though: Even I find myself curious about what that would look like… "Suffice t' say, we MIGHT wanna aim a little lower than that."

"Hm… Oh, fine," she voiced her disappointment with a pout, though she didn't stay disappointed for long. "How about a comic series, then?"

"Ah, I knew you'd say that next," he remarked, amused by her idea. "Of course, you'd suggest that…"

"You know it! Trust me, I'd become the BIGGEST fan of it whenever it was published. It could totally chronicle our journeys in a way that would blow people's tops like dynamite! Just… make sure you give proper credit where credit is due. And just for safety, make sure to change some of the characters' names around to protect the identities of some of the people you might include unless you get their permission to be included. Y'know, in case they don't want the sudden incredible fame your comic would bring on."

"Sure thing, Shakyra," he teased with a wink, making her whimsically giggle as she caught his reference. "Because those S.U.G.A.R.S. comics didn't sound enough like a total parallel to our time together."

"Smooth one, Jayid," she teased back, playfully poking his chest and making him chuckle along with her. "Of course, I think our adventures were a lot more action-packed and a lot more compelling and dramatic than anything I've ever read in the S.U.G.A.R.S. series."

"Heh… You won't hear me argue with that," Tayshan wholeheartedly agreed as he and Shantae stared into one another's glimmering eyes. "It… definitely brings int' perspective just how much time we spent together… in addition t' how short it was…"

"Short? I know it was only about a month we got to spend together, but it felt like years!" she countered. "I mean, I wish we could've spent more time hanging out than we actually got to, but still…"

"Well, while I can't manipulate time t' reverse the clock, we can still make the most o' what time we have now. In that context, your wish will always be my command, baby. Fittin', considerin' you're technically my Master in a sense other than the student-teacher relationship we started off with… if I'm understandin' how this whole 'genie in a lamp' thing works…"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You were the one who summoned me from that lamp, were you not? An' technically, that means I'm bound t' you until I grant you a certain number o' wishes, right?"

"Ohh… Ohhh, I see what you're getting at… Hah, that's REAL clever of you, Tay," she pointed out with a chuckle. "But of the very few things I'd ever wish for, my faithful 'genie…' you already granted the most important one of the bunch by coming back to me, so we could continue to love each other as boyfriend and girlfriend…"

"And aside from the awful condition attached to us otherwise bein' fatefully reunited, I wouldn't have it any other way, Shantae… Mind you, I'd still like t' grant any 'other' wishes you might have for me while I'm here with you…" he hinted, reaching for her face with a hand and gently caressing her cheek.

"Oh, yeah…? You'd really do that for me…?" she quietly asked as she contentedly cupped his face with one of her hands in return.

"Without a doubt… that is, as long as it ain't anything weird. I know how you get sometimes with some o' the ideas swimmin' around in your head," he slyly remarked again, drawing out yet another adorable giggle out of her that just warmed his heart to hear.

"You got me pegged, alright," she unabashedly admitted. "Also, how could I forget? You become more and more genie-like with the longer you're here in this world. It's even to the point where you're dressed up like the most handsome and stylish genie on the planet as you come busting out of magic lamps and granting wishes like you'd been a genie all your life… which, I suppose is kind of ironic, considering your old military faction was also called the G.E.N.I.E.S.," she happily informed him as she rustled his hair with a hand, finding herself highly amused with all these uncanny genie references in relation to a man who, by all accounts up until his death, was human. "And then there's the fact that you have access to magic now… Aaaaaaand, as if we hadn't noticed it already, you and I have the same name, but we're opposite genders and the syllables are switched… on top of the fact that we switched bodies once upon a time… I'm starting to doubt that these are mere coincidences…"

"Yes, because ALL o' that must be proof that I'm somehow a male version o' you from an alternate timeline, right?" he joked, catching on quickly.

"You said it, babe. Not me," she cutely remarked with a grinning shrug.

"Hm. Well, if that was the case, then life has a REAL funny way o' drawin' two different versions o' the same person together," he shot back with a chuckle. "But, as far as your guess about me bein' a 'genie' in general goes… It probably doesn't help my case that I'm also the boyfriend of the most adorable genie in the universe, now does it?" he added with another humored chortle as he blushed a bit at the compliments she cleverly slid into her statement as she played with his hair.

"Hmmm… Probably not," she proudly, yet blushingly answered, so overjoyed to have his company again that she moved to cup his face with her hands once more as she found herself incapable of taking her eyes off him. It was then, however, that Shantae knew all over again… that she really, really loved this man. As a human, as a ghost, or as a so-called 'genie,' Shantae loved Tayshan unconditionally. And considering the fact that he returned from beyond the grave—even if he couldn't stay forever, as far as she knew—to be with her? She had all the proof she needed to know he loved her, too. Just laying her eyes on him as they held each other made her want to explode with joy a hundred times over.

"Heh. Again, I wouldn't have it any other way…" he conclusively and affectionately confessed. "Well… except for if I at least got more time than a year t' spend with you, of course. Then again, it's still a lot more than what anyone else ever got in a similar situation t' mine, as far as I know…"

"True…" Shantae replied with a nod as she brought herself back into focus. She didn't let go of Tay's face, however. Those… 'feelings' of hers hadn't quite gone away (by which, I mean they had only been growing exponentially stronger), and the longer she stayed seated on top of him as they bonded and laughed away most of their worries… the more difficult it became for her to resist the urge to pounce on him again. She still had herself under control, of course. At least, for the moment. Anyway, focus. She was focused. All of the focus. And with that focus… "So, what were you saying earlier, about this person appearing to you and you regaining your memories?"

"Oh! Right, where was I…?" he murmured, pondering for a few seconds before finding a suitable point from which to continue. "So, I was visited by this person sometime after Ghost Rotty disappeared on me for the fourth… or fifth time. I may have lost count there. Anyway, I'll try t' nutshell the conversation I had with this person. So, she basically explained the whole 'Soul-Link' conundrum t' me, an' revealed t' me that she actually sent Sana, Priyanka, and Melody on a mission through this place called the Oubliette o' Sufferin' t' retrieve a Tarnished Oil Lamp hidden deep within the confines of its darkest, most trap-infested prison cell. They were apparently havin' trouble fightin' through the hordes o' monsters in there, so they eventually came an' asked me t' help."

"The Oubliette of Suffering!? Of ALL places, you had to go through THAT nightmare of a dungeon!?" Shantae remarked in total surprise.

"I… take it you know the place?"

"I do! I had to go there on that quest we talked about a while ago. Y'know, the one where I had to traverse through this gigantic dungeon maze, complete a couple of fetch quests, wound up meeting the ghost of Rottytops, fought a giant skeleton dragon monster, and helped overthrow the oppressive guardian of the Village of Lost Souls to appoint a much nicer one as I eventually rescued Barracuda Joe's soul after Sky's dad accidentally turned him to stone! All this, while not even having my powers and relying on Risky Boots's pirate gear on my quest to defeat the Pirate Master. Remember?"

"Uhhhh… I remember the part where I was told you had t' save Barracuda Joe's soul…?" he remarked in humored surprise. "I… may have missed the memo on the rest o' that." The half-genie chortled at his apparent confusion.

"I see. I suppose we'll trade stories over a nice, steamy cup of hot chocolate sometime, hm?"

"You had me at 'hot chocolate,'" Tay remarked with an ecstatic grin that Shantae shared. "Also, most definitely. And… since you just reminded me, I have a warnin' t deliver if my hunch is correct..."

"What hunch?"

"The hunch that your efforts t' save Barracuda Joe turned out t' be the story I heard while I was down there," he clarified. "Of course, I know you well enough t' fill in the blanks an' guess that it was you they was talkin' about. That said, Shantae, that trip you took back then caused the people watchin' over the Village o' Lost Souls t' tighten their security measures by a ton..."

"Oh... Oops," she remarked in a mix of astonishment and a little bit of uncertainty. "Uh... In what regard did they beef up the security over there?"

"They didn't paint a clear picture, but... well, I was told that if you or anyone ever tries t' repeat what you did t' rescue Barracuda Joe's soul t' revive him, you're… well, let's just say things would get messy. VERY messy. As in, they'd instantly punish you for all eternity because o' how important it is for the life-an'-death cycle t' be respected an' kept flowin' naturally…" he ominously shared with her, nearly frightening her stiff for a moment as she reminisced a bit about her time in the existential wasteland that was the Village of Lost Souls.

"Oh boy… Noted…" she heeded, gulping as she did so. "I… won't lie, though… I did have a thought about that with regards to taking your soul out of there in case the Village of Lost Souls was where you ended up…"

"Well, it's a good thing it never got t' the point o' you tryin' it, Shantae, because they're not messin' around down there," Tay further warned. "I wasn't told exactly what would happen if you tried it again, but the hints were… thorough enough. I appreciate the thought, no less."

"No problem, Tayshan. Also, I understand. No more last-second lost soul resurrections… though it begs the question of how it's possible for you to have returned to the world of the living in your state without whoever brought you here getting in trouble."

"I ain't sure either, but I… understand that I get a pass because o' the Soul-Link, an' because I wasn't 'resurrected,' per se. As this halo would imply, I'm still technically dead, but because I recovered my memories, I wasn't allowed t' stay in the Village o' Lost Souls. I was told that this is the case because my soul is no longer 'lost.'"

"Ohh. Huh… Wow, this is… this sounds really complicated…" she remarked in notable befuddlement, scratching her head.

"Trust me, I feel you. Er, anyway, the person. So, I lent a hand gettin' that lamp, though it wasn't at all easy. We was lucky the Boss Monster was Mr. Fuzzles, who was appointed the prison's de facto warden. An' before you ask, I didn't have t' fight him this time. He recognized me on the spot, an' after a heart-t'-heart conversation, he handed me a couple chocolate bars that were made with ACTUAL ingredients, an' before long, he vanished… I ate one of 'em an' gave the other t' Rotty. She devoured it in what had t' be five seconds or less."

"Wow…"

"Yeah… The guy certainly deserved t' be happy, with all he'd been through. Hopefully, he is now," the technically undead serviceman noted, paying respects to his fallen friend. "But yeah, Sana, Priyanka, an' Melody helped me escape from the cave an' handed me the lamp. An' as it turned out, the person I met needed it for the purpose o' suckin' me inside like dust in a tornado… I… wouldn't recommend the experience…"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Shantae assured, all the way invested in her boyfriend's story. "I already know magic lamps are dangerous to genies, but to ghosts? Or, actually… now, I'm curious… Are you absolutely sure you're not actually a genie, Tayshan?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as far as I'm aware, only genies can get sucked into magic lamps…" she explained. "Unless, of course, the lamp is specialized for absorbing things like smells or loose clouds of Dark Magic… I've never seen a ghost get sucked into a lamp, though… at least, aside from Barracuda Joe's soul when I collected it into the Magic Lamp I had… and a few other miscellaneous things. But then, he was intangible, and he hadn't retained his physical form when I picked it up. You were somehow able to keep your full physical form, all the way down to the scars you picked up during your time here? And then, there's the case of the halo… I've never seen anyone post-death with a halo over their head, inside OR outside the Village of Lost Souls…"

"Yyyyep. I don't have much clue how any o' this death stuff works here, so you unfortunately won't get many answers out o' me in that department…" Tayshan acknowledged with a shrug, knowing that his statement would only make Shantae more curious.

"How odd… Huh… And, were you fully tangible when you got sucked into that lamp?"

"The way I look now is the way I looked when that er… that person trapped me in there," he affirmed. "Completely solid, with nothin' able t' pass through me, an' with me not havin' any ability t' walk through walls, disappear, or fly."

"Then it shouldn't have been possible for you to get trapped inside if you weren't turned into a genie and you were completely solid… That is, unless it was because you're still loaded up with both Light Magic and Dark Magic like you were when you were alive…?" she asked, scratching her head in wonder once more.

"I guess, but I wouldn't think that'd be enough t' make me susceptible t' gettin' trapped inside a lamp like a genie. That said, I'm pretty sure I'm a 'genie' in name only an' human otherwise, as always," he answered with utmost certainty… that may have been mixed with some UNcertainty about the reason his being trapped in the Tarnished Oil Lamp was possible. "But then, it stands t' reason that I'm not exactly human anymore, either. Technically speakin', since I look exactly like I did when I died… I… I'm a WRAITH now, but minus the ill intentions toward the living…" he further shared, thought he very utterance of his statement sent a chill up his spine. In all his days, he could never have imagined describing himself as anything other than human… Yet, here he was, fresh from the confines of this unusual world's limbo after having been stabbed to death… and on top of that, as he pointed out, he mostly looked the same as he did right as he drew his final living breath days prior. "Thank goodness that person granted me a chance t' freshen up an' handed me this outfit t' wear instead o' the torn-up pants an' those beat-up Propeller Boots…"

"Whoo… Wow, that's one heck of a thought, Tayshan… You, as a wraith instead of a human… I mean, I'm beyond glad you kept your appearance, but man… when you say it like that, it does sound scary," she agreed with a tinge of worry in her voice. "Well, at the very least, you're still the same person you've always been. That said, if you still have your magic, then my only theory is that your magic signature is strong enough that when a lamp is used on you, it can lock onto it as if you really were a genie. Then again, it should've only sucked out your magic instead of sucking you entirely into it… Maybe it's different for wraiths, as opposed to lost souls or genies…? Or maybe you've, like… become some sort of half-genie, half-wraith hybrid? I mean, that sounds super cool, but still… Huh… It's… sort of weird how everyone seems to have a different experience with death. Either they become a zombie, they get stuck the Village of Lost Souls as a restless spirit… they can linger around in the world of the living… they can depart to some sort of afterlife… or, they can apparently retain their memories and their appearance and actually be allowed to LEAVE the Village of Lost Souls with a halo over their head, whether they return to the living world or move on into the afterlife… and I'm sure there's a ton of other things I'm not considering… How wildly unpredictable… Now, you've got me thinking…" she pondered, taking the moment to rub her chin as she peered up into the sky.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter that much," he remarked with a dismissive shrug, not too keen on giving himself the migraine that would come with questioning the circumstances of his post-death experience. "Tryin' t' figure it out now is only gonna endlessly torment us both… though I do gotta admit that I like the whole genie/wraith combo idea you came up with…"

"I had a feeling you'd agree with me there. Buuut… Hmm… Maybe you're right in that it doesn't matter too much… for now, anyway," Shantae agreed, stashing the idea into her subconscious as she turned her attention back to the wraith beneath her. "I can't help that I'm still curious about it though. Anyway, you were saying about this lady?"

"Right, uh… So, she had us pick up that lamp because, as I eventually found out, she was gonna use it t' smuggle me out o' the Village o' Lost Souls… I think it was because souls, whether they're lost or not, can't just waltz in an' out o' there as they please, an' that lamp was the only thing she could use t' help me cross the existential barrier because even with this Soul-Link bein' in place an' me havin' gotten rid o' my amnesia, the barrier wouldn't just open… or somethin' she said t' that effect. It was really complicated the way she tried t' explain it t' me..."

"Oh, well now it makes sense," Shantae remarked with another quick laugh.

"It does?"

"Yeah! Basically, your soul would've been stuck inside the Village because while your situation was unique, there still wasn't any real exception to be made as far as you being able to leave the Village of Lost Souls on your own. So, as far as I can understand, that lamp was needed for the jackal lady to help you sneak past the barrier. It sounds a lot like the way I had to smuggle Barracuda Joe's soul out of there."

"Of course…" Tayshan flatly remarked with a humored grin, only slightly more enlightened by such a confusing explanation. "It's certainly nice t' know that the apple don't fall far from the tree there…"

"Hm? What do you mean by that?" she asked, tilting her head as she wondered about his statement.

"Nothin' at all, sweetheart," he remarked, nervously clearing his throat as though he'd gotten some apple stuck in it. Huh. How peculiar… "Er, anyway, once this person came t' me, she explained t' the best o' her knowledge our situation for what it was… An' even then, she didn't know everything."

"Wow… Even she couldn't completely wrap her head around this messy Soul-Link business? Gosh, we must be some sort of cosmic anomaly…"

"I'd believe it at this point… shoot," he absolutely agreed. "Still, she knew enough t' explain the situation t' me as it was… and, like I said earlier, she granted me the choice t' either come back t' you with the knowledge that I couldn't exist here forever or find a way t' undo the Soul-Link, which she predicted would've messed up our souls beyond repair. She… never explained exactly what would happen, but she made it clear that you'd be lucky t' walk away from the experience… while I'd be lucky if I didn't wind up bein' ripped apart or warped beyond recognition…"

"Yikes…! The way that sounds, you really didn't have a choice at all but to come back here… I mean, I'm undeniably grateful, but shoot, that alternative…"

"Trust me, I'm right there with you. But then, even if that wasn't the case, I… probably would've chose t' come back t' you anyway."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" she asked, though she half-expected him to say it was because he loved her. Not that she was hoping for that or anything…

"No amount o' time I spent in any kind of afterlife would rid me o' the eternal regret I'd feel for surrenderin' my opportunity t' see you at least one last time," he confessed, taking her by surprise once again. "An'… once she gave me a bit t' think about it, I realized that… in a sense, I could… I dunno, help ease everyone's minds," he further explained, looking her right in the eye. "My time in the Grotto o' Judgment, in addition t' our big battle with Risky Boots, helped me realize just how precious life really is, an' how quickly anyone could wind up losin' it…"

"R-right…" Shantae acknowledged, trying not to think about that terrible, terrible battle that cost her boyfriend his life… The memory was still incredibly distressing for her, and just the mention of it caused her heart to sink as her throat tightened a bit.

"I know that's still a sore spot for us, but it's gotta be said, Shantae," Tayshan continued, brushing his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear that had crept down from her eye. "I didn't get the chance t' properly cope with the losses o' my old friends until the Grotto o' Judgment. An' before then, both my heart AND my brain were wracked with self-loathing, guilt, an' suffocatin' anxiety because I blamed myself for not being strong enough or smart enough t' save them… an' at the very least, I want t' use this chance partly t' help you get rid of any residual stress you may feel over Risky stabbin' me…" At that, Shantae exhaled and nearly froze, the very moment in question plastering itself at the forefront of her mind right when she didn't want it to. Just the sight of him in that critical moment… in such unbearable, agonizing pain right after he pushed her out of the way of Risky's deadly attack…

Her mind went totally blank, save for the haunting memories of her brush with death that… that led to that grisly, soul-rending scene of Tayshan being stabbed in her place… and eventually succumbing to his wounds… and then vanishing within seconds of him passing away… In that moment, she only stared at the serviceman with a mortified look on her face for what had to be a solid minute. And in that minute, she tried… and failed to keep the distressing flashbacks from crowding her every thought… and the look of concern on Tayshan's face unfortunately didn't make her feel better. Yet, just as he was about to speak…

"…But Tay… If… if I didn't let my guard down…" she began, a fresh tidal wave of sadness ripping through her heart as she began to weep again. "If… if I'd have been a bit more prepared… You wouldn't have had to die… I… I wasn't supposed to let you die…! I was supposed to protect you…!" Tay, understanding of Shantae's grief, pulled her in for a most nurturing hug. Fully accepting the embrace, Shantae laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck and… well, she fell into another fit of woeful, regret-riddled tears as her agonized sobs ripped through the otherwise peaceful atmosphere. Tay hugged her tight and stroked her hair, doing his best to make her feel better. "I'm so sorry…! I'm sorry… You put all your faith in me, and I completely messed it up…! She killed you because I wasn't strong enough to protect you…! I… I can't stand it…! You didn't deserve to die… Especially not because of me… It's not fair…"

"It's okay, Shantae… You have nothin' to apologize for…" he whispered to her, nuzzling his face into her as he hugged her just a little tighter. "An' trust me, we were as prepared as we could be. We did everything we needed t' do t' stop Risky's plan from succeedin'. Plus, I made it clear that nothin' that happened there was your fault. And… t' be honest, it SCARED me how close I was t' losin' you at that point… how easily this situation here could've been reversed to a point where you'd be the ghost instead o' me. I couldn't bear t' see you get hurt, an' we both know this world desperately needs you here t' protect it. I've seen the proof o' that myself," he continued to console her as she continued to sob.

"I get all that, but you had your whole life ahead of you," she replied through her tears as she lifted her head up and revealed her tear-soaked face. The devastated frown on her face practically destroyed Tayshan to see. His heart sank as he frowned in immeasurable concern for the grieving half-genie. "You deserved a chance to live in this world after everything you'd been through. You deserve to be happy, Tay… You… deserved so much better than what you got… And even now, after you've already died protecting the entire country from Risky Boots and the other monstrous threats we dealt with, you're coming back for my sake to make sure I'm okay, even though you might eventually cease to exist because of it? I… I'm not worthy of that level of commitment, but you've given it to me anyway… The LEAST I could've done was make sure you stayed alive, so you wouldn't have to go through this endless torture…"

"Hey, now, don't say that…" Tay tried to console, though Shantae's immense guilt and devastation over his demise permeated the atmosphere to the point where it was almost tangible.

"Seriously, what kind of messed-up, totally backwards alignment of the stars had to happen for you to go through all the AWFUL things you suffered through for the sake of protecting me and our friends, only for you to be murdered in front of me when it was my turn to protect you…?" she ranted, only growing more distraught as she dwelled on the unfortunate incident. "The one thing I needed to do to make sure you could stay with us was keep you safe from Risky Boots, and I failed miserably… I failed myself, I failed our friends… and I especially failed you when I just about promised you that you were in good hands…"

"Shantae…"

"I wasn't good enough for you when you were alive, and I'm not good enough for you now, after you came back from the Village of Lost Souls just to grant my selfish wish… I don't deserve you, Tayshan… I don't deserve to have anyone like you if I'm too weak to protect them…"

"Alright, I'm gonna need you t' stop beatin' yourself up over what happened," he sternly remarked, passionately looking into her shimmering sapphire-hued eyes as he brushed some of her hair out of her face and caressed her cheek. "This is one o' the exact reasons I came back here. I can't help but understand that you feel guilty for me dyin', but I will tell you till I'm blue in the face that it wasn't your fault. It was Risky's. You didn't tell her t' pick up that sword. You didn't tell her t' throw that flashbang at you while you wasn't lookin'. You didn't tell her t' come chargin' in at you while you were disoriented. She did all that on her own because she thought she got an edge on you. An' even if it made that jackal lady's prediction come true, I was ALWAYS gonna give it my all t' protect you. Like I said, I don't regret it one bit."

"What…?" she remarked in surprise, though she hadn't stopped crying… "How could you not…?"

"Because you're still alive. So is Sky. An' Bolo. An' Rottytops… kinda-sorta. An' all the people we managed to protect durin' our adventures. I mean, we couldn't prevent every casualty, an'… I still acknowledge what I did in both the Inseam Municipality an' the Baron Desert, but we tried our absolute hardest t' stop Risky an' save the day. An' we succeeded. It was bittersweet, yeah, but we did it. An' as long as y'all are alive, an' you're still more than capable o' protectin' this world from evil, then my mission has been accomplished. And… you know what? I might not get t' grow old or get a full life's worth of experiences, but it's alright. Truly, it is…"

"It is…?"

"Yes. Because, in a sense, my life's journey… for redemption… for a new purpose… is complete, as far as I'm concerned. I told that jackal lady the same thing, but I feel like I accomplished just what I set out t' do by even goin' on all these wacky adventures with you an' our crew. That doesn't mean my journey ends there, mind you, but thanks to you, I got just the chance I was lookin' for. An' for better or for worse, it was worth it," he confessed, though he breathed a heavy, HEAVY sigh as he realized for himself just how much life he'd be missing out on as a result of his very untimely demise. He tempered this feeling of uncertainty with the knowledge that his sacrifice allowed Shantae and the others to keep living... and to get those experiences themselves. As such, he continued. "Your journey, though? This might be weird for me t' say, but you're far from finished with it."

"What do you mean by that, Tay? I get what you're saying, but…"

"Well, I'm sure you remember our first talk out here, where we opened up to each other about our goals in life. That, an' many other conversations we've had on the topic, as well as you takin' up the role as my teacher t' help guide me on the path to becomin' a hero. Right?"

"How could I forget? Our conversation was one of my biggest drives on making sure you became the hero you wanted to be," she remarked, wiping her tears away and sniffling before laying her hands on Tay's shoulders as she calmed down enough to listen to him.

"I'm glad t' know it was," he acknowledged with a nod. "But still, you knew from the start that I was gonna help protect Sequin Land, no matter the cost. An' while I eventually stopped focusin' on bein' a hero an' shifted more toward bein' an adequate teammate for you an' the rest o' the crew… an' even after it became apparent I'd be livin' in Sequin Land forever, my ultimate goal was still t' protect the country, considerin' the threat all those weapons from my old world posed. An' while I can't say I know if I could be considered a 'hero' when I'd done my fair share of 'evil' things throughout my life, I can at least rest easy knowin' I helped you get stronger by the day, on top o' helpin' you shut Risky down. I didn't need a big, fancy, happy fanfare, nor did I expect t' be forever remembered by Sequin Land's citizens for ages t' come; I just wanted t' do the right thing, like you inspired me t' do. I can also rest easy, knowin' I kept the promises I'd made t' protect an' cherish you, and t' make sure I never lost you the same way I lost my old friends…" Tay shared, choking up a bit before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I know it's not the happiest ending t' our adventures, but we've got t' make the best of it. An' believe me, the last thing I'd ever want t' do is linger around in some other plane of existence for all eternity with the knowledge that you were hurt by the fact that I died an' I chose not t' do anything t' help you heal from it."

"Tay…" the half-genie called to him, more tears streaming down her cheeks as they remained in their intimate position.

"My journey's purpose was realized when I got the chance t' fight alongside you throughout that entire day, workin' side by side as we tore through Risky's Tinkerbats, stopped her from annihilatin' the capitol, an' gave her an epic battle for the ages that she'd never DARE t' forget for as long as she lives… and I wouldn't change any of it. I was granted the chance t' do somethin' truly good for someone's sake other than my own, an' I have you t' thank for even givin' me that chance, Shantae. Through thick an' thin, I want you t' know that I appreciate everything about our time together. An' I promise you this: Now that I'm here, I'll do anything an' everything I can to make the time we have as special as can be."

"You… You really are an amazing guy, Tayshan…" she tearfully replied, touched by his affectionate sentiments. "And no matter what anybody says, you ARE a hero. I thought I could simply teach that to you, but you built on what I taught you and learned your own style… and you even taught me a few things about being a hero that I didn't think were possible. We built off of each other, and we complemented each other every single time we worked together. I could go on for weeks talking about all the interesting ways we collaborated, and even when we worked separately, only to come together in the end. You're literally the only person I've ever seen convince enemies to permanently turn good for the sake of working toward a common goal. You're the only human I've ever seen get so much stronger through his own discipline and training that, even with magic powering him up, he easily became one of Sequin Land's most incredible warriors. Heck, you even became the only person other than me and the Pirate Master capable of defeating Risky Boots, who is arguably the strongest non-genie individual on the planet, on your own, you got so strong. You, a full-fledged human being… You showed me in many more ways than one, how important it is to recognize human potential, which is something I sometimes struggle with because I was still so used to relying on my genie powers before I met you, that... I even took my past experience saving the world without my powers for granted. More importantly, you never gave up, even when things got tense… you faced almost impossible odds and gave it everything you had, you've saved many people—myself included—multiple times over, and you… you sacrificed yourself for the sake of Sequin Land… and for me…"

"Goodness, I… I didn't know you observed so much…"

"I did, and I'm incredibly glad I got to witness it for myself. It's the perfect reminder of just how powerful humans can be… and it's a perfect reminder for me not to underestimate my human side and to find a way to make both halves of me work together. And, even for what happened with Ammo Baron, I… well, you won't hear me say it often, but karma has some mysterious ways of working, considering what they did to the Inseam Municipality in Risky's name. I know how you feel, but it wasn't your responsibility alone…"

"Hm… I suppose so, but that don't exactly make me proud of it, considerin' how I went about 'avenging' the citizens of Inseam, in addition t' makin' Ammo Baron an' Techno Baron pay for what they did to us."

"I know, but it's like I said the other day: Your heart was still in the right place, even though your mind was completely clouded by the Dark Magic feeding off your anger at them and Risky Boots. It's complicated, I'm aware, but you're still a good person at the end of it all. And Tay, I owe you a debt I could never fully repay for everything you've done for me…"

"…J-jeez, Shantae…" he stammered, surprised at her heartfelt reply to his statement.

"It's true. And… well, I-I get it that you don't want me to blame myself… but to be honest, Tayshan… you're… you're the only person I've everlost like that… and I never want anything like that to happen ever, ever, EVER again," she revealed, choking up as she took a deep, almost pained breath of the chilly early morning air. "And while I can understand that it had to be done, I… I still feel like I want to go back in time to save you… To erase that horrible experience from all of our minds and get a do-over, so we can be happy and celebrate like we wanted to… You didn't deserve to die… especially not the way you did…" she further confessed, another stream of tears running down her face as she tried to keep herself under control.

"Ah… I-I see…" he realized, stricken almost speechless by her admission. "I had a feelin' it hit you hard, Shantae, but not like this…"

"Yeah… It broke my heart to see you die like that, and the memory alone is fresh in my mind like it happened five minutes ago… I've had nonstop nightmares about it happening over and over again, and I couldn't do anything to stop it… and I'm also worried about how disappointed everyone else might be in me because I failed to save you… and… and in my nightmares, I couldn't stop stressing out about what would've happened if any one of our other friends was in your place… and until I woke up, I couldn't bear it…" she further shared, unable to hold back as she broke down again. "I totally understand where you're coming from, but… I can't help but feel responsible for your death, even if Risky caused it. I was there. There's no skirting around that. As far as I'm concerned, I could've prevented it. I should'vebeen able to prevent it. But… I know what you're gonna respond with, and I agree with you."

"Oh? What was I gonna say?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I should be using that experience to get stronger, not to beat myself up over what happened or think about how to get revenge against Risky Boots or… or even how to make it up to you. I'll get stronger, so I can do a better job protecting everyone. I'll get stronger, so no one else has to die on my watch. I promise I will. None of our friends will EVER be put in a position to get hurt in the ways they were this time around… and especially not in the ways you were… and I'll use this experience to improve myself in every avenue."

"Hmph… Lucky guess…" he lightly teased, wanting to brighten her mood as he momentarily cut his eyes elsewhere and pouted. That seemed to do the trick, as Shantae let out a charming, gleeful giggle at his bashful demeanor.

"I know you a LOT better than you think, which has allowed me to take that neat little trick out of your book," she teased back, smiling ear to ear as she took another deep, shaky breath and reeled herself back in and wiped her tears again. "Sorry for crying so much, though… I'm just… so happy you're here with me, but I'm so sad about how it got to this point, as well as how we can only be together for a year before you're gone again unless some miracle happens… Gosh, I'm such a mess right now…" At that, Tay felt a pang in his heart like he couldn't believe as he observed the melancholy smile of the young woman. He knew all too well that she always strived to do the best she could at every turn, but… it was only after hearing her reasons for feeling as guilty as she did, in conjunction with how miserable she seemed to be… that he truly understood her pain. After another pressured silence…

"…Shantae…" Tayshan called to her, understanding her emotional turmoil in full.

"Yes?"

"I… I get where you're comin' from…" he somberly shared with her. "And nobody in the world could fault you for your feelings about this jacked-up mess of a situation we found ourselves in. And… I should've been far more aware of how much of a mark that fateful day left on you. I'm sorry for not pickin' up on it right away."

"What? What are you apologizing for? You were right in that I shouldn't be getting so down on myself for it… no matter how much it hurts… I-I should be more motivated to become stronger and become a more capable hero."

"Yes, but honey…" he began to make another statement, though he found himself… rather hesitant to offer her advice about how to 'properly' cope with such a traumatic situation. "Just… make sure you have time t' take care o' yourself, okay?" he worriedly requested of her, gently brushing his fingers along her cheek as he studied her saddened facial expression. "We both know for sure that this whole thing's been hard on both of us, but I at least want t' make sure you know you're not alone in processin' what happened. I know that this situation could never stop you from bein' the hero you always have been, an' I know you're absolutely gonna keep gettin' stronger an' more capable with every passin' day. But, I guess… if nothin' else, make sure you're doin' it primarily for your own reasons."

"My own reasons? What do you mean?"

"I… suppose I mean like… well, that you're doin' perfectly fine with bein' a hero because you want t' be, an' because you're destined t' continue accomplishin' great things on your journey. I, on the other hand, initially wanted t' be a hero because I wanted t' earn the approval o' people who weren't here t' watch me. An' on top o' that, I wanted t' be a hero to… in a sense, 'make up for lost time' by atoning for past sins, while also achievin' a higher status than where I was at. An' after I met you, I… well, I wanted t' impress you as often as I could, but I got so wrapped up in that, that I wound up goin' backward a bunch o' times an' nearly ruinin' our friendship over it."

"Tay…"

"In a nutshell… I put a lot o' pressure on both of us t' be the best heroes we could be, even though I had very little clue on what bein' a hero truly meant until you enlightened me. And if it wasn't for the Grotto o' Judgment, I'd have still been bearin' the emotional weight o' tryin' t' make it up t' my old friends an' my parents because I couldn't save any of 'em from their fates…"

"I understand, but… I can't deny that your approach to being a hero has been super beneficial in ways I couldn't have imagined before we started working together…"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! I mean… I know we didn't always agree on everything, but you've taught me so much more than you might know. I learned a ton from you about how being a hero isn't always simply charging forth into danger, saving the innocent, being a good influence on others, and beating up bad guys. Like I was saying, you negotiated with enemies and turned them into allies that you actually got to work cohesively with. You stuck your neck out for me and the rest of our group more times than I can count. You turned your doubts about yourself into your biggest motivators to succeed, even when it seemed like it was certain you wouldn't. You… you took full control of the Dark Magic inside you and used it for good, which I have NEVER seen, much less done before… You even came up with that genius defense strategy to stop Risky's invasion of Scuttle Town, where EVERYBODY got to play an important part… I'd have never thought to build up a team and assign them specific roles to contribute to the cause. You even came up with most of the details about how to infiltrate Risky's base to make absolutely sure we destroyed the Tinker-Portal as early as possible."

"Sure, but you don't have t'-!"

"If it was entirely up to me, I'd have probably just done the same old thing of charging in completely alone and wound up getting hurt, considering how prepared Risky was to completely overwhelm me this time around. Thank you for sticking with me to the very end and protecting me…"

"Shantae, you don't have t' thank me for…"

"…and now that it's already happened, I realize more than ever now that, even though you knew you were going to die by the end of our crusade to stop Risky Boots… you still marched ahead and gave up everything to make sure we succeeded and that I was safe… Through it all, you've been so noble, so strong, so brave, so mature, so intelligent, and so determined to save Sequin Land that it honestly amazes me how incredible an ally you were… and how much I took that for granted until I lost you… Tay, this may sound weird coming from me, and it stings me to finally acknowledge it, but…"

"But what…?"

"Well… I'm starting to think that, in some ways… you became a far better hero than I could ever be…" she admitted, frowning as she seemed to lose confidence in herself with the more she talked about his accomplishments. "…and that maybe I've got a lot more to learn myself about what it really means…"

"Come on now, Shantae," Tay urged her. "Like I've been sayin', I would never have gotten the chance t' be a hero at all if it wasn't for you. If I was anywhere close t' bein' a decent hero in your eyes, it was because I mainly followed your example," he further asserted, taking her by surprise. "I did as much as I could because I saw you give as much as you could in every adventure, every Boss Battle, an' every challenge in between. An' I don't have the powers that you do, so I had t' improvise. Anything I've done, you're most definitely capable o' doin' yourself. An' while we're on the topic, I have t' ask… Why are you comparin' yourself t' me? I was your apprentice. Your student. Your sidekick. Your protégé."

"Because even though it started off with me taking you on as a student, you learned more from simply being out on the field than you did by just having me teach everything to you. You learned so much faster than I thought you would, and you accomplished things that I didn't think were possible, even for myself. Ironically enough, I also wound up learning a ton from you… More than I probably could've taught you."

"I see… Well, I'm glad t' have opened up your mind, an' it seems like we really did help each other grow. That much can't be ignored," he appreciatively acknowledged in full. "As for me learnin' more from bein' on the battlefield than havin' you teach it t' me? I… don't know about that, babe," he further voiced a mild disagreement. "After all, if it wasn't for you callin' me out on my flawed motivations an' challengin' my 'must-do-right-because-I-always-feel-wrong' viewpoint early on, I'd have never woken up an' gotten my act together enough t' become a worthy partner t' you, much less the hero you set out t' help me become."

"What? R-really?"

"Yes, really!" he excitedly answered, copying her reply from moments earlier. "Don't underestimate your ability t' talk some sense int' people. That said, us spendin' time around each other opened my eyes on what it really means t' be a hero. Like I was sayin', I was originally doin' it t' gain respect… t' make a name for myself an' t' make up for all my past misdeeds. You taught me that it's far better t' be a hero because it's the right thing t' do. Anything else that followed after you taught me that lesson, was me lookin' t' simply… do the right thing. I almost always looked t' you for guidance, though…"

"Wow, Tay… You… you really mean that…?"

"It wouldn't be comin' out o' my mouth if I didn't trust an' believe it, honey bun," he affectionately confirmed, unknowingly filling her heart with so much elation and relief that she could've soared past the sparkling stars above like a rocket ship.

"I… I see… I-I don't know what to say, but I see… Thank you…"

"I'm only tellin' the truth," he casually acknowledged. "An' like I've said t' you at least once before, don't sell yourself short, Shantae."

"Got it… I've still gotta work on that," she appreciatively accepted his feedback, taking his words to heart.

"Good. I… also have another point t' make, while we're on the subject."

"What's up?"

"Well… if you remember what I've told you about my reasons for wantin' t' be a hero, in addition t' what I told you about my time in the Grotto o' Judgment, just… uh… make sure you don't feel overwhelmed at any point," he rather nervously informed her, though his hints tipped her off right away.

"Ohh… I see what you're getting at now…" she remarked with a confident nod, picking up what he was putting down.

"You do?"

"Yeah… You want me to make sure I'm not going to push myself too hard and/or stumble down a dark path of soul-crushing guilt, self-loathing, crippling fear, and seething hatred that could ultimately destroy me from the inside out because I didn't take the time to process my feelings about our friends' suffering and your death… Right?"

"Jeez, maybe you've spent too much time around me…" he joked, getting her to laugh once again. "You sound like the world's most anxious philosopher…"

"Yep, and that's all your fault, Tay," she joked back laughing a bit more with him as their moods brightened up a bit. "But… all jokes aside, maybe you're right. It would be a good idea to find some sort of balance between coping with it all and figuring out how to keep pushing toward the future, but… it's… it's hard, y'know? Like I said, I've never had someone close to me die before… and while it's comforting to have you back here—even as a wraith—to help me get through the grieving process, the fact that you're not gonna be here forever is still haunting to me… and… and I'm still absolutely furious at Risky Boots for hurting you and our friends… and I'm even a little bit scared about if we'll ever heal enough from this to make sure it doesn't tear us apart inside…"

"You're spittin' facts, babe. You are spittin' facts…" Tay agreed, listening intently. "An' believe me, I would never tell you how you should feel. As long as you ain't thinkin' about hurtin' yourself or somebody else t' make yourself feel better, your feelings are normal. As far as how long I'll be here... Well, nothin' seems t' be set in stone, so there's always hope that we can somehow change this in our favor. I'm not sure how we'd even begin t' go about that, but we've gotta keep our heads up every step o' the way, no matter what happens."

"Right... I certainly will, Tayshan... and... I'm glad you get where I'm coming from. Although, I suppose I should ask… How do you feel about everything?"

"Me?" he began, seeming surprised she would inquire about his thoughts. He answered her, nevertheless. "Well… Aside from me bein' glad t' get the chance t' be with you without the threat o' Sequin Land's destruction loomin', an' my endless concern for you, I… I guess you could say I've… come t' accept this for what it is, despite how grim it seems at a glance."

"Whoa, really…? How can you be so calm about having died and come back the way you have?" she asked, truly taken by surprise.

"It's… mostly because dyin' took an edge off, weirdly enough," he stoically and candidly replied. "Or rather, it's because I know my death served a very important purpose in keepin' you an' the others safe. I could never feel upset about that if I tried. An' while I do still harbor nothin' but bitter resentment toward Risky Boots for what she did, it's not enough t' make me want t' go find her an' haunt her dreams or attempt t' kill her like some vengeful revenant."

"Goodness, sweetie…"

"I know, that's a little dark. Mind you, I feel that way partly because you reminded me that revenge was never the answer. Had I not remembered that when I died, I'd have never even gotten the chance t' come back t' you. Of course, I still think she'll get what's comin' t' her someday, especially if she pops up again an' launches another ill-advised world domination scheme, but that won't be because she had such an influence over me after death that I'd waste my time chasin' her down an' torturin' her t' make myself feel better." At that, the young lady perked up in surprise as she was hit with another thought.

"…Is… is that also why you stopped me from killing her…? A-at the end of our battle with her…?" Shantae dared to ask, both intrigued with his reasoning for harboring next to no ill will and… a tad concerned about her own actions immediately following the conclusion of their battle with the Queen of the Seven Seas.

"Yeah," he plainly confirmed. "I mean, I'mma be the first t' say I was really hopin' we'd have beaten her down, locked her up, an' had her gift-wrapped for the Sequin Land Palace guards, but we can't go back an' change that now. She's lucky t' have been able t' walk away from that fight alive. Of course, I still believe that if she does wind up dyin' in battle someday, it'll happen because she set herself up t' be killed. She keeps goin' the way she does, an' she's bound t' cross that line with somebody; be it you or someone else…"

"I… I get that," she understood with a contemplative nod. "I… can see that happening to her, which wouldn't surprise me if it did at this point. I mean, I'd never wish that on her, no matter how much I absolutely HATE her for what she did to you, but… if she's wise, she'll at least consider quitting while she's behind before she gets herself in more trouble than she can handle…"

"I don't know how 'wise' she is, all things considered, but… only time will tell…" he remarked with a shrug, though he had zero faith in Risky's ability to break from her evil ways. If anything, he figured she'd deserve anything she got as far as comeuppance went. "Anyway, don't take this the wrong way, hon, but… You ain't a killer."

"Oh. Uh… Thanks…?" she awkwardly expressed her gratitude, though it didn't exactly take a decorated psychiatrist to tell that she was confused. At that, however, Tay chuckled.

"I should be glad you saw that as a compliment, but listen: What I mean by that, is that it wouldn't suit you t' kill your enemies unless you had to, as we discussed before… an' considerin' the situation with Risky, you'd have killed her in revenge for her killin' me while she was already down an' at your mercy… which is not that far off from me almost murderin' both Ammo Baron an' Techno Baron out o' revenge for sellin' me out an' ambushin' you, respectively."

"Right…"

"It goes back t' what we talked about, with not killin' someone if we don't have to," he elaborated.

"That it's unbecoming of a hero to kill anyone, no matter how evil, because we can't take the law into our own hands?"

"Exactly. Of course, we can't ignore the fact that there will be times where that 'no killing' rule winds up needin' t' be broken. An' by that, I mean there very well could be situations in which you have t' choose between defendin' yourself at the cost o' the enemy's life… or hesitatin' an' bein' killed by the enemy when the enemy refuses t' stand down or listen t' reason…"

"…Is… is that the thing you learned as a part of the G.E.N.I.E.S. from the last time we had this talk?"

"Yep. Kill or be killed… Yet now that I think about it, we both experienced that dilemma a few times before we even talked about it," he plainly reminded her. "And… even after we talked, considerin' what I told you about that ogre attackin' Rottytops in the Village o' Lost Souls. It doesn't feel good in the slightest because he forced my hand an' tried t' hurt her, but… you get what I mean, no?"

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear. Difficult as it is to admit, I get it…"

"Right. Granted, not every situation will turn out like that, but you gotta be prepared for when it does. Even now, though, I don't think anything could make that statement ring truer than Lady Radiyah in the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth, where she was bent on killin' us all if you didn't stop her."

"Oh, yeah… Good point…" Shantae fully acknowledged once he gave her an example they could both relate to. Granted, she didn't feel entirely comfortable with the reminder, but she understood his reasoning, nevertheless.

"And as far as Risky goes, I… I had a feeling you'd have regretted it, despite how… similar the situation was."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm. We both defeated her at separate points durin' that fight, an' we both had a chance t' finish her while she was weak," he explained. "…but until the very end, Risky wasn't tryin' t' kill us. She wanted t' capture us until she got frustrated enough with losin' to us that she figured killin' you was her ace in the hole. She said it herself, if you remember."

"…I do…"

"Right… That said, we weren't tryin' t' kill her, either. Our original goal was t' capture her an' bring her t' the authorities. But then she impaled me. After that, the goal changed for us in different ways. For me, my goal was t' survive an' protect you as for as long as I could. For you, it was t' beat Risky down once an' for all. Our goals converged and led to us beatin' her together, thank goodness, but… well, you tell me. If you were allowed t' burn her alive on the spot in front of her Tinkerbats like you were set t' do before I stopped you… then would you have felt bad for doin' it after the fact?"

"…Yeah, I would've…" she agreed after a moment of intense thought, however begrudging her answer sounded. "If anything, I know I'd have probably felt worse than I do now if I wound up letting her drive me over the edge like that… but still, I was so, SO mad at her for doing that to you…!" the half-genie practically growled, almost welling up with tightly contained rage at the Pirate Queen that she tempered by sighing out some of the frustration. "I… I hardly even know what came over me, because I know that's not like me at all, but after everything she'd done to us, I almost felt… compelled to make her suffer for all the harm she caused… and I'll even admit that in that moment, I thought back to how you initially suggested we kill her if she didn't stop being evil…"

"I see…" he remarked with an understanding nod. Granted, he was surprised to hear her considerations, but he understood all the same. "An' that right there, Shantae… is how I felt when I almost killed Ammo Baron," he revealed, causing her to gasp. "And… even how I was feelin' toward Risky before you talked me out o' goin' that far with her myself."

"Oh…! Oh, I see it now… Wow…" she exhaled in shock, connecting their experiences with nearly taking the life of an enemy out of revenge rather than for the sake of the greater good when all other alternatives were exhausted.

"Yep. An' as far as Ammo Baron goes, that feelin' is what drove the Dark Magic inside me t' nearly take me over until you literally dropped in an' stopped me," he further revealed, causing her heart to sink as she came to a harrowing realization.

"…That was it. It was Dark Magic…!" she murmured in fright, causing Tay's eyes to widen.

"Wha…?"

"It was Dark Magic… I remember now…" she explained. "My skin was burning… my anger was through the roof… and the only thoughts in my mind at the time revolved around punishing Risky as harshly as I could, somehow thinking it would've made me feel less horrible about the fact that you were dying… Oh, my gosh…! No…!" she quietly panicked, astonished by the knowledge that, even when she felt she was at her purest, Dark Magic could still influence her actions under extreme circumstances…

"It's… safe t' say that you an' I are alike in that aspect, then… huh?"

"Y-yeah… But… I guess I should ask you, since you're more experienced with it… How do you get that feeling to go away? I… I don't want to wind up getting so angry that I wind up losing control and either transforming into Nega-Shantae or seriously hurting someone before I even realize what I'm doing…" she asked, hoping he had an answer for her.

"Well… I'm not an expert on it, but… It ain't all about gettin' the feeling t' go away, as much as it is more about understandin' why the feeling is even there, as far as I can explain it," he clarified. "An' only then, an' with a lot o' lookin' int' yourself an' understandin' the consequences of anything you're about t' do while it's active, can you realistically reel yourself back in. It also took a LOT o' regular ol' human willpower t' control it, but it worked. I… I learned that in the Grotto o' Judgment, too, when I accepted the 'evil' version o' myself as just another part o' me. The jackal lady gave me another pointer or two after the fact about keepin' myself focused an' makin' sure my actions weren't so fueled by intense negative emotion that it would've allowed the Dark Magic inside me to completely take me over. Of course, I learned that the hard way in the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth, in the Inseam Municipality, and especially in the Baron Desert."

"Whew… Gosh, Tay, that sounds so difficult… I mean, I saw what happened in Inseam through my dream, but wow… Accepting myself unconditionally, understanding my feelings, and pure human willpower, though…? Hmm…" Shantae pondered, making sure to take as many mental notes as possible from her significant other about how to keep Dark Magic from overwhelming her. She realized already that she often underestimated her human half because she almost always relished her abilities as a genie… but listening to a full-fledged human (or at least, a wraith that USED to be a full-fledged human) share his experience on how he conquered his inner demons and turned them into one of his biggest strengths… it struck a spark of inspiration within her as she continued to listen to Tay.

"Yep… I got the chance t' understand how the Dark Magic worked when we went t' the Thimble Canyon, but it wasn't until our final battle against Risky began that I really started t' get a grip on it," he further revealed. "An' even then, I barely had it under wraps until we actually started fightin' Risky in her base. I… couldn't even begin t' explain why I was suddenly able t' start usin' Light Magic AND Dark Magic at the same time at that point, but my general point is that your emotions an' your ability t' regulate them seems t' play a huge role in how much influence Dark Magic has on you."

"I see…" she murmured, keeping her eyes locked on Tay as he finished explaining his experience. "I definitely see it now… Accepting myself unconditionally, understanding my feelings as they occur, and pure human willpower… It makes total sense…! I'll DEFINITELY be taking that lesson to heart, Tay… I hope you don't mind. I'm gonna need it if I want to avoid being influenced by Dark Magic like that again…"

"Go for it!" he encouraged her with a confident grin. "If you can learn it in an easier way than I did, then by all means."

"Absolutely! Thank you so much… And… if I ask you sometime later to show me that Light Magic/Dark Magic fusion form… which I guess I'll call your 'Magic Flux' mode for the sake of naming it, would you mind giving me a demonstration? Maybe we can both learn about how you pulled that off if you did it again…"

"Magic Flux mode, huh? I… like the ring t' that…" he admitted, causing her to grin with pride and a bit of amusement. "Also… It's… not the easiest thing t' pull off, so don't get your hopes up too much about me just transformin' like that on a whim when it comes time t' demonstrate… but I'll happily oblige, nevertheless."

"Awesome! I can't wait to see it…" she readily confessed, all but eager to witness that incredible transformation once again. "Getting back to the main point, though… and as much as I don't want to admit it right now… I'm… I'm glad you stopped me from attacking Risky."

"Really?" he asked in another short burst of surprise.

"Absolutely. You saved me from making a terrible mistake that I know I'd have never been able to live down. Sure, she might still be sailing around somewhere out there, plotting her next convoluted world domination scheme, but it only means I'll be more prepared than ever to bring her to justice instead of simply beating her and letting her walk away the next time she shows up to cause trouble. And any time after that, should there be any other times I have to stop her."

"Motivated as always, you are," Tay proudly acknowledged with another grin. "One o' the many, MANY reasons I like you so much…"

"Oh, stop…" she blushingly deflected with a flick of her hand. "You've got me hot and bothered enough already, don't you think~?"

"Have I? Huh… I suppose we'll… find out in a little bit," he shot back, chuckling with her. "Goin' back, though, the road t' recovery's gonna be a long an' bumpy one, Shantae… but as long as I'm here, I'll do everything in my power t' help you get through it."

"Thanks, but what about you? You sound like you're not nearly as affected by this as I am…"

"Oh, don't be mistaken, baby. If I wasn't affected by it, I would never have come back here," he clarified. "I'm just calm because bein' undead has… in a weird sense, given me a whole different outlook on life. Granted, I was never expectin' t' come back as a wraith with a halo over my head, much less come back t' the livin' world for however much time I have, but I take it in stride. I initially thought that when I died, that would've been it. Comin' back here after dying is the biggest blessing I think I've ever received…"

"I see… Well, then… First of all, I'm glad to see that you're coping with it well. Second, if I haven't said it already, then thank you so much for coming back to me… And… Third, you make it seem like dying is easier than living…"

"In a twisted way, it is. Buuuut I'm sure Rottytops knows far more about that than I do…"

"I don't know about that, sweetie," Shantae disagreed. "Whereas you got to keep your body after you died and eventually regained your memories, Rotty has two separate halves of herself existing at the same time, neither one of which is totally aware of the other, like we mentioned earlier. On top of that, I'm under the impression that they're never awake at the same time, either…"

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.

"Yeah. It's just a theory, but based on my conversations with Ghost Rotty in the Village of Lost Souls, I'm pretty sure she's only visible when Zombie Rotty is asleep. And, if that part is true, then based on your experience, it's… pretty likely that whenever Zombie Rotty is awake, Ghost Rotty vanishes into thin air… which probably means they can't be awake at the same time because both forms share some sort of split consciousness instead of them being totally independent of each other…"

"Yet another unsolved mystery that I hope gets an answer… Goodness, that's such an existential nightmare… Poor Rotty… It would explain the ghost version's constant disappearances, though…"

"We can only wonder…" Shantae concluded with a shrug of her shoulders, though she certainly did keep the thought in mind about the nature of Rottytops's harrowing dual existence.

"I guess so… but goin' back t' your previous point, yeah… Dying's a lot easier than livin'… at least, in the sense that livin' comes with a whole checkerboard o' things t' watch out for, t' figure out, an' even t' take risks to accomplish. It's filled t' the brim with uncertainty, fears about the future, an' the process o' grievin' when someone dies… while also wonderin' what happens when you die… Death, on the other hand? It's… not better, but it's different."

"How so?"

"Well… barrin' how slow an' excruciatingly painful my death was, I carry on with the knowledge that it can only happen once," he explained, though it did Shantae ZERO favors to be reminded of how agonizing the soldier's demise was. It also did her no favors that he mentioned it so nonchalantly when the wound was still so fresh for her. "I can't imagine what it would've been like if I was fully resurrected, knowin' that I was just gonna die again at some later point anyway… but that's beside the point. After dying, it's just… well, your only concerns at that point are about where you'll go, who else you'll see, an' how much you'll miss the people who knew you in the livin' world."

"…Wow… Wow, wow…"

"Mm-hmm. There's also the worry o' whether you'll retain your memories or regain 'em if you wind up losin' 'em like I did, but I guess that depends on the person… Other than that, time loses its meaning. As of right now, I have no idea what day or time it is, because there were no clocks in the Village o' Lost Souls an' the sky never changed. I can only tell right this minute that it's either night or early mornin' because the moon an' stars are out. Oh, an' as time loses its meaning, so do the concepts o' sickness, aging, or anything havin' t' do with how t' maintain your daily life. You can still get hurt as a ghost, as far as I've experienced, but my point still stands. Shoot, I even stopped worryin' so much about where I even came from after I went t' the Village o' Lost Souls…"

"Gosh, Tayshan… That sound so… so crazy… No worries about the things people have to care about to maintain their lives? And for it to be to the point that you don't even want to figure out whether you came from the future, an alternate timeline, another planet, or a parallel universe anymore?"

"Yeah… well, mostly. Even though I'll most likely be the only person t' have ever been ripped entirely from another reality t' come here, the allure o' figurin' out the mystery… loses a chunk of its appeal when you die, visit some form of afterlife or purgatory, an' then basically become a lingerin' spirit, who technically exists outside the concept o' time anyway. That said, I still do wonder what the heck Risky did to even make the idea of warpin' reality t' her will possible… an' I will eternally remain curious about what sort o' reality I did come from… an' hey, maybe just for the sake o' figurin' it out, we could always brainstorm about that together once the time is appropriate..."

"Jeez… this is all so complicated…" Shantae agreed, scratching her head in wonder yet again before sighing. "I can't wrap my head around much of this at all… Eh… I'm sure we'll eventually figure it out, but… to be honest, I'm not too concerned with that right this minute either," she dismissed, thereby (at least temporarily) shelving the idea of cracking the cases of what alternate reality Tayshan was from and what it was like to be undead. "The important thing is that we can hopefully find some way to move forward from here. It seems to me like you're already in that mindset."

"As much as I can be," Tay affirmed with a small nudge of his head. "Ain't got a choice, really."

"Right. And for what it's worth, I hope that, even with you being a wraith, you can find some enjoyment in spending your remaining days with me…"

"Are you serious? Spending my remainin' time with you is the BIGGEST reason I'm gonna enjoy this experience! We've… also got quite a bit o' copin' t' do, an' I'll do my best t' navigate every step o' the way alongside you…"

"Thank you… Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you… for everything…" Shantae expressed her gratitude, emphasizing it by clasping her hands to his face once more and planting a quick, innocent kiss on his lips. Tay, absolutely receptive to it, wrapped his arms around her hips and kissed her right back, their combined sweltering heat almost hypnotizing him as they embraced one another.

"You're all good, baby. Trust me, you are," he assured as he looked up at her, though his attention would soon be drawn to the I.D. Tags hanging from her neck. Reaching for them and pressing his thumb against the tarnished metal tags, he found himself reminded of something. "Hm. You didn't happen t' get the chance t' go to the Crown Jewel Inn, did you?"

"No, unfortunately," she answered, nervous that he'd be disappointed. "As soon as we got back from that island, our friends, Uncle, and I… We took a few hours to try and collect ourselves after we lost you. I was so stressed out and so exhausted that I only ever got the chance to clean myself up before going right to bed. I didn't wake up until maybe an hour or so ago, so I don't know what day or time it is, either. I don't even know if the hotel opened back up since the Tinkerbat ambush… Sorry, babe…"

"No need to apologize. It ain't nothin' t' sweat," he assured with a tap of his hand on her hip. "We should probably make it a point t' pay them a visit as soon as we can, though, because they were only gonna honor my request but for so long…"

"I guess we have our first errand for the next day, then. Sure thing. What were the hotel staff going to do if I went there to show them the tags, anyway?"

"Hand you all that money I had stashed away in that hotel room," he answered, taking her by surprise yet again. "As in, that money is as good as yours."

"What!?" she practically shrieked loud enough to wake her nonexistent neighbors. "All of it!?"

"All of it."

"Whoa, whoa, no way! I couldn't…! You had a LOT of money hidden away in there. We're talking thousands, if not at least a MILLION gems, on top of all those treasures you claimed from the Sheared Spool Shrine! I don't have a CLUE what I could do with all that money!"

"Well, they'd serve more use t' you than they would t' me at this point. Ghosts hardly have any use for cash, as you might know," he laughingly countered. "I was never a very big spender in life, and I wasn't buyin' much more than the bare essentials anyway."

"Sure, but I can't take all that money!" she comically refused with an emphatic shake of her head. "I've always gotten by on earning my wages… with some assistance from Uncle, of course. And you earned all that money on your own. If anything, I feel like it'd probably be better off being donated to help rebuild Scuttle Town than being donated right into my pocket…"

"Heh, I figured you'd say somethin' like that," he remarked with another chuckle, though he acknowledged that she made an excellent point. "All things considered, I bet the town could use somethin' of a boost t' get back on its feet, when we think about the shape it was in. Of course, I don't know if what I picked up could possibly be enough t' cover EVERYTHING, if that's what you're gettin' at. Plus, I'd still recommend you at least take SOME o' the money for yourself."

"I know, but I'd feel guilty for not giving Scuttle Town as much help as I could deliver; financially or otherwise," she reasoned. "Plus, I've… never been super great with money, as you might know…"

"Alright, I suppose we'll… have t' figure out what t' do when we get over there. I will say, though, that there ain't no harm in treatin' yourself. At least take enough t' pay your rent with, or buy some new furniture for your house, or… heck, maybe even BUY the house, so you ain't gotta keep gettin' billed for rent, which would help you with savin' for a vacation an' more o' those fabulous outfits you got stored up in that wardrobe o' yours… or at least buy yourself some more comics? Or even put some of it into a bank account or toward a retirement fund or somethin'."

"I guess those are good points, but come on… Retirement fund, Tay?" Shantae incredulously asked, giggling as she did so.

"Hey now, it ain't too late t' think about buildin' a financial safety net for when you eventually get too old t' keep doin' your hero thing," he warned, though he grinned at her as he did so. "That, or if you wind up gettin' sick or injured an' your health insurance doesn't cover your hospital bills. Or, especially when you consider that whole '999 gem' maximum issue you mentioned once upon a time, your best bet would be t' open your own bank account—with your uncle's help since you might be too young t' open one yourself at this point—an' save a TON more for your adventures. Or, if ever you find yourself so curious, you could pay for formal education courses, since you were interested in goin' t' college with Sky… though you might need t' get a high school diploma or some sort o' formally recognized graduation certificate before you get t' that point…"

"Oh, wow…" she remarked, reeling back in mild shock at his shrewd financial advice. "Jeez, Tay, you're throwing a LOT at me right there. I don't think I'm at the stage where I'm considering making life moves like that just yet."

"I… suppose I am throwin' a lot at you, but it's better t' start figurin' that stuff out sooner than later," he rebutted with a shrug. "If you really want t' be prepared for when you become completely independent from Mimic when you're not out savin' the world, I'd say you get that ball rollin' now."

"In that case, I'll ask my trusty consultant and soon-to-be accountant for tips and tricks on how to navigate the more complicated aspects of adulthood."

"Consultant an' accountant?" he asked in surprise. "When did you get those people in your corner? An' who are they?" At that, Shantae burst into a fit of mirthful giggling at the fact that Tayshan didn't readily understand her.

"YOU, silly!" she playfully declared, poking a finger into his chest and catching him by surprise. "You're both of those people to me!"

"Me? What? How do you figure that, when I've only existed here for a month, as compared t' you bein' here your entire life?" he incredulously asked, chuckling in a mix of astonishment and flattery as he finally got what she meant.

"Clearly, you've got plenty of knowledge to share about smoothly transitioning into adulthood, and you've always been really insightful about a lot of things in regular life that I never paid attention to," she clarified, still grinning brightly at him. "And it seems not to matter that you're from an alternate reality either, because your advice has always been super relatable and super practical! Plus, from the sound of it, you're really good with money. Therefore, I hereby offer you the job… or jobs, in this case."

"Hm. Now, I don't remember fillin' out any application or doin' any job interviews for all that. I ain't even give you my resume. Therefore, I don't think I'm necessarily qualified for such a prestigious role…" he respectfully 'declined.' At that, the young woman exhaled in disbelief.

"Is that a refusal I hear, Tayshan?"

"And if it is?" he challenged, grinning with defiant glee.

"Then, as my genie, I wish for you to be my consultant and accountant~," she raised the stakes, catching her 'genie' by total surprise.

"What!? You…!" Tay was about to complain, though he realized in that moment that she had him checkmated because of his status. "You really gonna do me like that, Shantae?" he dared to question, trying to resist the urge to laugh at her sneaky tactic.

"You forced my hand, unfortunately, and I find your advisory skills too valuable to let slip away," she joked, shooting him the smuggest of smug grins. "No applications or resumes are needed for this position, buuuut… you'll probably be disappointed to hear that it doesn't pay in cash."

"Just as I figured," Tay acknowledged with a TOTALLY deflated sigh. "I bet your 'currency' in this case is hugs an' kisses…" he further grumbled, though he wasn't entirely against the idea.

"Exactly! See, you already know how this'll work," she cheered, though she found herself especially excited about the payment arrangement. "And I doubt I'd hear any objections from you about that…~"

"…Clever girl…" he begrudgingly conceded as he bowed his head, though he kept his humored gaze locked on the equally amused half-genie. "Fine. Your wish is my command. Count yourself lucky that wish is BARELY within my power. I also find it ironic how you're makin' me your teacher now, when I'm supposed t' be your sidekick. I'm sensin' a little bit o' role confusion here..."

"Nonsense, Tay! There's no role confusion to be spoken of," she exuberantly disagreed. "Considering the dynamic between us, it's clear we'll get along just fine... if not better than 'fine.'"

"An' how do you figure that?"

"Easy! We can keep working together and going on adventures together, and we can keep teaching each other different things about life along the way. We seem to have a sort of... like, dare I say, 'symbiotic' sort of deal going on between us. In more ways than one, I might add!" At that, Tay let out an astonished chuckle.

"You just HAD t' say 'Symbiotic,'" he remarked as he humorously shook his head.

"Ah... right... I almost forgot about that," Shantae picked up, laughing along with him. "My point still stands, no less."

"I... suppose, but forgive me for sayin' I'm not sure how much you're expectin' t' learn from me."

"Ah, we'll be fine," she cheerfully assured him. "I know you'd never lead me astray, and I trust your shrewd judgment."

"Oh. Well… thanks for that, hon…"

"I'm only telling the truth, Tay," she remarked with a smiling shrug, though she wasn't done messing with him just yet. "Besides, if anything you tell me turns out to be wrong, you're taking all the blame for it." At that, he scoffed in comical disbelief.

"Wow… You're terrible," he declared, shooting her a deadpan stare.

"The worst!" she happily accepted as she hugged him, having long since gotten used to lightly teasing him to get a rise (and a catchphrase) out of him. Of course, he lovingly hugged her back before the two separated once again in the following moment.

"Glad you acknowledge that now, I guess…" he laughingly acknowledged, at which point she joyfully laughed with him. "Well… in any case, the first thing I'll advise you t' do as your consultant an' accountant, is treat yourself," he further advised.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yep. You ain't gotta go overboard, an' I'd advise you t' set a strict limit, but it wouldn't hurt t' pick up a couple o' nice things for yourself every now an' again. You never know when you'll come int' this much money again, an' while I agree with your idea t' donate a bunch of it to the cause o' rebuildin' Scuttle Town, you'd do well t' understand that true philanthropy comes when you're able t' KEEP givin' in controlled amounts as you figure out ways t' build your own fortune, as opposed t' givin' everything away an' havin' nothin' t' use for yourself. We'll… touch on that topic another time, but for now, we focus on how you'll treat yourself."

"…Hmmm… Now that you mention it…" she contemplatively murmured, casting her gaze to the side and resting a hand on his shoulder while bringing the other one up to scratch her cheek with her index finger. "…I have been eyeing up a couple of places overseas to visit with our crew sometime… and I could probably spruce up the place a bit… and I have been eyeing up these stunning saris and cosplay outfits in my fashion catalogs… as well as this new comic series I saw during one of our adventures… Hmmm…"

"Ahh, now I got you thinkin'~," Tayshan pointed out, humored by her change of heart.

"Only in the short term!" she hurriedly corrected, blushing a bit as she returned her gaze to him. She… didn't want to make it seem like she was seriously going to use some of that money to fuel her own absurdly expensive habits. "Er, I-I'm still going to give a bunch of it to the town, so they can rebuild all those homes and businesses. Plus, seeing as you're going to be here for a bit, you may as well take some of it to buy yourself some clothes or something… I can't possibly spend all that money alone."

"You ain't gotta explain yourself t' me, Shantae. If it's gotta be a secret, then your secret's safe with me," he teased, smilingly sticking out his tongue as he rubbed his hands across her hips. Unexpectedly, she flinched and giggled.

"S-stop that! That tickles…" she laughingly shared with him, tapping him on the shoulder as she scooted herself just a tad closer… which I wasn't even sure HOW they could get much closer when she was already basically shrouding him with her nightgown and her hair.

"Oh, I bet I could work with that…~" he taunted again with a mischievous grin, flexing his fingers as he seemed to get ready to make her pay for letting him know she was ticklish.

"Do it at your own risk, Tayshan," she warned, poking his nose with her finger as she beamed at him, her grin brighter than the moon above them as they continued to horse around with each other in the middle of the night. "I'll make you regret it." At that, Tay let out a hearty chortle, pulling her even closer to the point that they may as well have fused together as he found himself engulfed by another rush of intoxicating warmth. In return, Shantae pressed her hands to the back of his head, fully embracing him as she nuzzled his face into her chest and ruffled his hair with her fingers.

"Hmm… It's freezin' out here, but you feel so hot… It's like wrappin' myself around a most wonderful dancin' flame…" he hummed, happily nuzzling his face into her bosom as he caressed her curvaceous form with his hands. In response, the half-genie strengthened her grip on her boyfriend's head as she desirously traced her fingers up and down the back of his neck. "Just the sensation o' you pressin' yourself up against me as I'm snugglin' you in my arms is too enjoyable t' resist... So soft... Your heartbeat in my ear is like a rhythmic masterpiece I can't help but endlessly listen to… An' the tangy scent o' the shampoo in your hair, which feels like the finest silk I've ever been so lucky t' come int' contact with… Shantae, I could sit here holdin' you for hours… You feel soooo good…~"

"Well, you certainly have a way with words, as always…~ And I'm glad you like holding me so much, Tayshan… because I like holding you, too. If I feel hot, though, then you feel positively scorching…~" she countered, giggling with ecstasy as she began to rock her hips slowly, but surely as she straddled him. Hardly trying to resist the overwhelming physical temptations that came with indulging herself in the soldier's romantic embrace, the mesmerized half-genie cupped his face with her hands once more and directed his gaze up to her eyes. The firmness of his hold on her, the enticing aroma of what she could only describe as sweet and earthy like fresh flowers, the tickle of his breath on her chest as they embraced each other… Let's just say that the tension between these two was palpable. VERY palpable. And just when their tight, snuggling hug seemed to be intimate enough, the vivid, positively ensnaring image of the soldier gazing up at her with this… utterly smitten, half-lidded grin on his face like he wanted to be absolutely nowhere else other than in her arms… it practically drove her wild as that tingling sensation returned with a vengeance. "…Hah…~ To this very moment, Tayshan… I don't know what it is you do to me that makes me feel like this, but I don't want it to ever stop…~ You make me want to melt all over you…" she confessed, planting an especially affectionate kiss on his forehead. Hearing her racy proclamation loud and clear as he absorbed the euphoric rush garnered from Shantae's sweet kiss, Tayshan nearly jumped out of his skin as his body temperature skyrocketed… as if it was possible for these two to get any hotter. Seriously, they may as well have just set the ground beneath them ablaze.

"Oh, my… That's pretty forward o' you, though I ain't complainin' in the slightest," Tay retorted, absorbing the unrivaled spellbinding image of the woman he loved as she was blushing hard enough that even the tips of her ears were red. Seeming to draw from the irresistible passionate energy, he observed as Shantae contentedly cozied herself up to him on his lap. He swore in that precise moment that every inch of her body heated up like she was sitting on the sun. That gesture alone was more than enough for Tayshan to almost completely give in to his urges… and it certainly didn't help that she'd been pressing herself against him and just so… tantalizingly wiggling her hips into him to communicate her unmistakable eagerness to push this amorous embrace to the next level… "Ah~! Hah… You keep this grindin' stuff up, though, an' you're bound t' make me lose my mind," he playfully warned her as he slowly slid his hands just a little lower than her hips and planted one more peck on her lips.

"Anh…~ Oh… Hah…~ Oh, my…~" Shantae hummed as she bit her lip, her breaths growing heavy and ragged as she felt another powerful surge of scorching heat rushing from her very core throughout every inch of her body. Her hair felt like it had been electrified from the very base of every follicle. Her heart felt like it was ready to burst like a balloon with how hard and how heavily it was pumping… and she very nearly lost her sense of awareness as the world around her began to tilt and shake. What really enthralled her, however, was the feel of her lover's big, rugged hands on her backside and the sensation of her body pressing and grinding up against him as he kissed her with all the luscious passion in the world. At this point, the pressure had been mounting like an overflowing water tank about to burst… and the immensely captivated young woman could barely hold herself together as she began trembling with excitement while she cradled the back of his head and pressed her hands into his fluffy hair. "Ah… Y-you wanna talk about you losing your mind…?" she griped through her heavy breaths. "I see the moon and stars above us spinning like we're in a carnival ride and I'm about ready to completely blank out, you've got me so riled up… Gosh, my insides feel like they're being stirred up into a hot, melty soup… Hah…~"

"Feelin' that good, huh? Then, what should we do from here, my love? Are… are you ready to…?"

"Yes… A hundred thousand times, yes…!" she practically demanded, planting two more of the hungriest smooches on the soldier that she could manage, pressing herself harder onto his lap as one of her hands darted from the back of Tayshan's head to… somewhere directly beneath her in the blink of an eye, causing him to jump in mild surprise. One could plainly tell just how 'ready' she was just from the slick, wet *pops* of their lips parting that could very well have rivaled firecrackers in their sheer volume.

"Ooh…~! H-hang on, sweetheart… No need t' rush," he advised, kissing her just one more time as he found himself also blazing hot and short of breath from her embrace and… rather impulsive and unexpected move. He… didn't seem to find it necessary to remove her hand, however.

"Rush? Are… you sure about that?" she asked, pressing her hand into his lap and squeezing the spot she grabbed hold of while looking him directly in the eye. "Because I'm… picking up a slightly different message from you, considering how you feel right now… and how you just eagerly reeled me in… I'm pretty sure you're as 'ready' as I am…" she teased, grinning with endearingly mischievous, blushing glee as she rubbed and prodded the serviceman while he was at his most… dare I say, 'sensitive.' Much as Tay tried to resist the urge to flinch as he absorbed the stunning visual beauty of his smiling half-genie lover and the maddeningly arousing sensation of her hand energetically kneading into his lap…

"Oohoogh~! Hah…! Sh-shoot, I wasn't supposed t' make that sound…" Tay grumbled after wincing in enamored surprise at her move, his voice wavering like he was in the middle of an earthquake. Reading just how flustered she made him, Shantae snickered in whimsical enjoyment out of making him squirm the same way he'd been making her. She… may have also taken some arbitrary sense of pride in getting a boy she liked so undeniably… 'excited' for her. It was strange to her, but she acknowledged how happy it made her to make him feel as good as he was making her feel. Meanwhile, Tayshan acknowledged that she was laughing at him while not removing her hand. As such, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What's so funny…?"

"You're so cute, Tay-Tay…~" she teased, though the second she uttered THAT name, the serviceman's bothered, blushing facial expression quickly turned into a disapproving pout as he groaned and momentarily cut his eyes to the side. "Aww, I'm sorry! I forgot you hated that. Don't be mad at me…" she laughingly 'pleaded,' patting him on the shoulder.

"Hmph. First of all, I am a man. Men are not supposed to be 'cute,'" he complained in comical dismay, bringing it ALL the way back to the beginning.

"Then it'd probably help your case if you didn't blush and pout like that every time I called you that, now wouldn't it?" she badgered him, catching him off-guard yet again.

"Hmph…!" he grumbled, taking a deep breath as he tried his best to straighten his face into the most neutral expression he could muster as he returned his gaze to Shantae.

"That face still screams 'pouting,' but it gets a pass for now…" she remarked with another giggle as he tried to resist smiling at how much fun she was having.

"Fine, then. I also see the 'Tay-Tay' bug has bitten you, too…" he further griped, causing her to laugh some more as she ruffled his hair with her free hand.

"Sorry, sorry… It's too tempting a name not to call you," she reasoned. "I mean, despite its origin and your apparent burning hatred for it, it really does suit you."

"D'oh, it does not…!" he protested, resisting the urge to pout harder. "That's like if I called you… uh, I-I dunno… 'Shae' or 'Shae-Shae' or somethin' mushy an' sugary like that…" And while he was hoping Shantae would cringe at the mention of such a terribly sappy nickname and somehow be convinced to stop calling him 'Tay-Tay,' he would find himself sorely disappointed when she instead grinned with absolute elation and let out possibly the cutest giggle he'd ever heard from her. It was then that he realized that there were just some battles he could never hope to win.

"D'aww, I love it~!" she declared, evidently super approving of the moniker. "Those names are so adorable! Aside from Rotty occasionally, albeit very rarely calling me 'Tae,' I've never been given a nickname like that before. You can call me that anytime you'd like, Tay-Tay…"

"…Sure thing, Shae," he conceded with a defeated sigh, realizing even harder that he dug his hole too deep when it came to the nicknames. "Don't expect t' hear it from me too often, though."

"I'll take it for what it is," Shantae, who I guess would henceforth be sometimes regarded as 'Shae,' acknowledged with a nonchalant shrug. "Aaaanywaaaay…" she trailed off, leaning toward him while she kept that same hand planted on that same spot she never removed it from. As such, her face lit up like a hundred red streetlights as she made him flinch again. "Um… Are… you ready to… to… do it… with me?"

"Heh…~ Been ready," he affirmed through the unbelievable physical pressure as he, in retaliation for her groping him, tightened his grip on her backside and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to flinch just as hard.

"Ooh! T-Tayshan~!" she yelled at him, her own face contorting into a playfully disgruntled, blushing pout.

"Sorry… Finger slipped," he tried to 'apologize,' intentionally using the lamest excuse in the book. Accordingly, Shantae shot him a most scrutinizing stare as he sheepishly grinned back at her.

"Yeah, okay. Except it was EVERY finger. All over my butt. Naughty boy…~" she accused, squeezing him harder in a certain area and making him jump again.

"Hoogh…~! Gahh… You've certainly got some nerve there, Shae…" he complained, unable to resist the urge to laugh at the fact that she'd just gotten sweet, sweet revenge on him.

"Sorry, Tay. My fingers slipped," she mocked, chortling at him and his reactions to her touching him so intimately.

"Touché…" he conceded once again as they shared their laugh, though he continued to rub and caress her backside. Reading this as a nonverbal sign to continue, Shantae returned the favor by rubbing and caressing him back as she arched her back and allowed him to keep going. "Hah… W-wow… Hm…"

"…You like that, hon…~? Should I keep going…?" she gently asked, reaching her other hand down to the same spot as she continued rubbing him, causing him to begin panting like he was being suffocated just by her touch.

"Oh, most definitely, baby… That… feels great… Hah…~" he approved, though he barely managed to utter his response. The more she did this to him, the more difficult it became for Tayshan to keep himself under control. At this point, the young man's every nerve felt like they'd all been firing off at once as he instinctively pulled Shantae closer and kissed her once again while never removing his hands from her rear.

"Hmmm…~" Shantae affectionately hummed, pouring a great deal of her energy into granting her boyfriend as much pleasure as she could deliver to him. Pressing herself onto him once more, the half-genie rhythmically rocked her hips back and forth, grinding into him as he peppered her lips with just about the hungriest, most love-dripped smooches he could muster. Each tantalizing *pop* of the two lovers' lips as they kissed again and again drove both of them into a state of complete sensual bliss. "Haaah…~ T-Tayshan…~" the half-genie moaned once again as she felt him stiffening under her… which only made it easier for her to derive her own form of pleasure from the lustful entanglement the two of them found themselves in. Kissing the serviceman deeper as her breaths grew heavy and she grew increasingly delirious, Shantae fully committed herself to the progressively more intimate embrace. She never let up as she felt the soldier's fingers enthusiastically gripping and kneading into her rump as she found herself grinding even harder into his lap. "Nyaaanh…~!" she sang in undeniable pleasure, the sensation of his body pressed so snugly against hers threatening to send her mind blasting off into the next solar system. The enthralling warmth… the endlessly arousing tickle of his form against hers as they lovingly cuddled with each other… this almost maddening feeling of this intense, lust-driven pressure welling up inside her, ready to just… BURST at any moment as she anticipated their eventual union with every deep, passionate kiss they shared… She almost completely lost control of herself right then and there as she trembled in rapidly building excitement.

"Hah… Whew… I can… tell you're really enjoyin' yourself, Shae… But I'd better not be selfish about this…" Tayshan suddenly asserted as he took a deep breath and shook his head, lifting his hands off her for a moment. Wondering what made him stop at such a critical moment, Shantae also temporarily paused.

"Hm? What do you mean, Tay-Tay…?" Shantae barely found it in herself to ask, tilting her head as she took in the entirely mesmerized look on his blushing face. She knew already that he was just as aroused as she was, but she found herself curious about what he had in mind.

"Well… You've been makin' me feel really, really good, but I'd like t' make you feel good, too…" he let her know, leaning forward to kiss her neck a couple times as he pressed a hand to her hip to pull her closer.

"Mmmh~…" the enamored half-genie sang once again through a breathy sigh, fully welcoming his affectionate gesture as she scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck. "What… What do you want to-! Gah~! Oooooooh…~ Mmmh, I really like how that feels… Hmm… Tay…~" she amorously praised as Tayshan planted an especially enticing pair of deep, wet kisses on her neck while tickling her thigh with a hand. In that most beguiling moment, Shantae shivered with such world-shattering delight that she felt a most monumental rush of butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She felt herself hotly stirring up from her core as she grew warmer and warmer by the second… as if she hadn't gotten hot enough by this point. At this point, however, she felt hot enough to heat up the entire galaxy. This continuous, feverish warmth pervaded to the point where she was almost convinced she really would melt into Tayshan's lap. She… could hardly BELIEVE it was possibly to feel this good in her entire life, but she had zero complaints. Yet, just when Shantae thought this exciting new experience couldn't get more sensual…

"If you feel comfortable with it, I… have a suggestion…" Tayshan spoke up as he pulled back a bit and looked her right in her sparkling blue eyes while rubbing her backside with a hand.

"What do you have in mind…?" Shantae asked, taking deep, heavy breaths as she anticipated his request.

"Turn around. I… I think you might enjoy this a lot more…" he hinted, though it seemed he was hardly able to hold in his own excitement as he affectionately grinned at her.

"Oh? S-sure thing…" Shantae complied, equally as nervous as she was excited to find out what he had in store for her. As such, the half-genie shifted her position to where she had still been straddling him with her back turned to him as her knees remained planted on the ground. "Like this?"

"Yes. Now, come here an' have a seat…" he requested once more, reaching his hands around her waist to nudge her toward him. Trusting him completely, Shantae scooted herself back, sitting down atop Tayshan's lap with her back pressed against him in a surprisingly comfortable embrace as her long, silky hair found itself draped all over his chest… and she felt something hard prodding and nudging her from behind as the foreign object vigorously pulsed as she sat on it. Immediately following, the serviceman pulled the half-genie into another warm and especially inviting hug. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he nuzzled his face onto her shoulder before planting a light, yet exhilarating smooch on her cheek. "Hmmm…~" he hummed into her ear with the lowest tone he could muster.

"Haaaaaanh…~" she suddenly hummed with an enraptured shudder as she felt his warm breath tickling the nape of her neck and she registered the deepness of his voice ringing in her eardrum. Her mind almost completely blanking out for a moment, Shantae reached a hand up toward her shoulder to graze her lover's cheek with her fingers while the other hand rested itself on his arms. She could feel his heart rapidly thumping into her back, they were pressed so close together. Making things more intense, she could feel his every reaction to her movements as she wiggled her hips ever so slightly to scoot further back onto him. And just as she expected, Tayshan flinched yet again as he hugged her tighter and tickled her neck with another string of quick kisses on her cheek, neck, and upper back. "Hoo…~ Wow, I'm feeling it already… Wh-what do you have in mind for this, Tay-Tay?"

"Well… do you want me t' tell you, or show you? I want t' be sure you're okay with this…"

"Hmm… for the sake of curiosity… show me," she quickly chose, trying to keep her excitement in… until she felt one of his hands slowly glide itself up from her hip to her breast, after which he cupped her and began to gently massage her. Meanwhile, his other hand found itself slowly shifting toward her midsection, if not a little lower. "Ooh…~ T-Tayshan, what… what are you…?"

"Tell me… how you like this," he politely suggested as he began to smoothly run his fingers up and down her body. Immediately, she was hit with a powerful… and I mean POWERFUL surge of a sweltering euphoria as she instinctively brought a hand up to press his fingers harder into her upper body to nonverbally tell him to keep massaging her. As such, she felt his fingers on that hand shift, glide, and graze all over that particular spot. Her legs tensed up at first, but she quickly found it in herself to relax them as he planted another smooch on the back of her shoulder while he nuzzled into her and continued to massage her.

"Hmmm~! Haah… Oh… I-I had no idea you'd suggest something like this…" she tried to inform him, though she found herself just a tad… preoccupied as she began instinctively squirming with pleasure in his spicy and enchanting grasp. "B-but please keep doing it… It feels… it feels wonderful…~ Hmmmmmh…~" Seriously, these hands of his were driving her totally NUTS as they glided and rubbed across the fabric of her nightgown and gently poked and prodded at her in just the right spots…

"Your wish is my command, Shantae…~" he sultrily whispered in her ear as he planted another peck on her shoulder. Within the first few seconds of this incredibly racy encounter, however, it ramped up by a country mile. It hardly took any time at all for Shantae to lean to her side, hooking one arm behind herself and around her partner's neck, which prompted him to crane his head around to meet her entirely enchanted, glimmering gaze with his own. And once again, their lips passionately met with vigorous zeal as they each felt what may as well have been a potent, yet fascinating tingling electric current running through them. Immeasurably enticed by the way he was caressing and cuddling her, however, Shantae quickly grew hungry for more. "Anything you want me t' do for you, just say the word, baby…"

"Mmmh… Tay…~ T-touch me… right here…~" she humbly requested through hot, pressured breaths, reaching her free hand downward and resting it atop the hand he had firmly planted around her waist. Instinctively, she moved his hand to where she felt he would have the most success in tickling her fancy… underneath her nightgown. And the second Tayshan's fingers made contact with the desired spot… "Nyaaaaaaaanh~! Hmm… W-wow… Hanh…~"

"Whoa… You alright there, Shae-Shae?" Tayshan asked in a mixture of concern and endless curiosity as he allowed her to use the hand she guided beneath her nightgown for her pleasure… Meanwhile, he continued to caress and nuzzle her to make absolutely sure she was as satisfied as could be. Though he found himself surprised beyond belief to see Shantae in such a state of momentous sensual bliss, Tayshan saw this as motivation to keep on pleasing her. She deserved EVERY bit of pleasure he could deliver to her, as far as he was concerned. And he was determined to give it to her. As such, he took the liberty of upping the ante by continuously gliding and grazing her most tender areas while allowing her to guide his hands as she pleased.

"Hah… W-wow, this is… Nyaaaaah…~! Oh my gosh, this feels so amazing…~ Kiss me, Tay… Please…~" she breathily moaned her next request before ensnaring her boyfriend's lips into her own again… and again… and at least one more time after that. With each increasingly enthusiastic, love-drenched smooch and every alluring inch of movement between them, both of the nearly star-crossed lovers grew almost entirely hypnotized by each other's overflowing affection. Their combined body heat grew intense enough that one could've roasted entire steak dinners simply by being within a mile of them. Yeah. THAT hot…

It… was a strange, yet… supremely satisfying feeling to Shantae, knowing that she could make a guy feel the way Tayshan did about her, despite her having little to no previous experience in this sort of situation. No amount of romance novels or comics she read could've EVER prepared her for this… and if she had to say it, then she STRONGLY preferred the real thing to simply reading about it. Granted, she also arbitrarily acknowledged in that moment that many people she interacted with in the past had harbored some form of attraction to her or some physical desire for her that couldn't always be considered 'pure' by any means. She couldn't understand it for herself in full, but she at least had enough of an awareness of it that she couldn't necessarily be called oblivious. But this time… it was… dare she say, 'different.' VERY different. Maybe it was because she actually wanted Tay's affection and subconsciously gauged it through his reactions to her moves and how he so… so lustfully cast his sparkly, warmly glowing, golden-eyed gaze on her as they caressed and kissed each other that made her literally shiver from head to toe with delight? Or maybe it was because she simply found herself just as… aroused by him as he was by her, considering she was lustfully staring back at him and fully participating in this sweet, exhilarating embrace? Whatever it was, Shantae was beyond glad it was happening this way between them after so much time spent guessing away at how she really felt about him… and especially how he felt toward her.

Of course, it was one thing for her to know how attracted he was to her. For him to be so… well, so stirred up and so strongly responsive to everything she did with him? The half-genie's heart skipped a beat as her stomach flipped at least fifteen times in excitement at the thought. And as she blushed, panted, shivered, and wriggled herself into his lap with the more they indulged themselves in each other's limitless physical and emotional desire, Shantae found herself even more… let's say 'intrigued,' as her body heated up even more, and her body began to… dare she say, ache with an almost unfathomable yearning to share a deeper, closer bond with her beloved boyfriend… It was to the point where her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, and… well, where the entirety of her body experienced an even more feverish warmth from head to toe that nearly drove her insane.

Her breaths were catching in her throat. She'd felt slightly dizzy, but she knew she wasn't getting sick… She… She found her thought process clouded as her mind began to conjure up an alarming plethora of ideas exclusively oriented to what it would feel like if… or rather, when she and Tayshan officially engaged in the ultimate act of coming together with one another in a blissful union of true love… She couldn't at all explain it, but she was the farthest thing from frightened by or concerned about it. It… helped that she was at least somewhat familiar with these powerful, almost overwhelming feelings as she harked back to the night after she shared her first kiss with the soldier in the Kitschy Quilt Desert… and how she dealt with these exact same feelings back then… Of course, that thought only AMPLIFIED the half-genie's desire for the wraith cuddling her as she registered the sensation of his hands lovingly stroking and caressing her body… his heart pumping into her back as his body endlessly rubbed and prodded against her in… 'certain' ways that made his potentially insatiable desire for her painfully obvious… his lips eagerly pressing tightly to hers with every sweet, soul-bonding smooch they shared… and the arousing tickle of his breath against the back of her neck between kisses…

Shantae knew her true feelings for Tayshan all too well by this point, but she was no longer afraid of them. All that mattered to her was that Tayshan was there with her, sharing his own brand of indisputable, undying love and desire for her. Without him even saying anything in the moment, Shantae could already tell Tayshan really, really, REALLY loved her with all his heart. That acknowledgement made her heart flutter as another rush of warmth and inconceivable excitement washed through her abdomen with the force of a tsunami. At this point, Shantae began to openly welcome these intense, melty feelings as they grew stronger by the second while she and her boyfriend were indulging themselves in each other's boundless affection…

"Huh…?" Tayshan eventually hummed, seemingly out of wonder after the two shared just one more deep, sopping wet kiss out of the thousand they'd already given one another before he stopped massaging her. Seeming to find something amiss, he lifted one of his hands to where he could see it. There, he noticed that his fingers were… soaking wet. Strangely, this puzzled him even more as he flexed his fingers, studying them intensely as he tried to figure something out. "What the…? Hm… I hope I ain't trippin' here…"

"Hm? What's up?" Shantae asked, wondering why he'd suddenly stopped when they seemed to really be getting the groove going.

"Uh… you'd be surprised t' find that I've suddenly got a question for you before we finally get ourselves ready…" he hinted as he looked back at her, though he fought through a wave of very distracting pleasure to do so.

"Yeah? What's on your mind…?" she asked, barely above a whisper as she leaned back and planted a most tender kiss on his cheek and continued to rub up against him to keep the energy going.

"…You uh… Are you… not wearin' anything under this nightgown?" he asked, completely throwing her off as she froze.

"What…?" she asked, certifiably confused by his completely outlandish inquiry as she raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I know it's kind of a weird thing t' ask right this minute, but… I dunno… It kinda feels… like you're… not… uh… I-I didn't wanna say anything earlier, but um…"

"Tay, don't be silly," she grumbled, ceasing all forward momentum as she shot him a most perplexed stare. "Why wouldn't I be wearing anything under this?"

"Hey now, I ain't doubtin' that you would, but uh... I think you should probably check for yourself if you don't believe me," he advised, raising an eyebrow at her as he found himself equally perplexed that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Check for myself? Goodness, you're picking a really weird time to pull a prank on me..." she suspiciously remarked as she lifted herself off his lap, though she planted herself back on her knees while still straddling him. Accordingly, Tay removed his hands from her. "I'm telling you, I'm not bare under…" she was about to inform him, though she would soon find out why he asked the question as she patted herself. "…What the…? No way… I was totally wearing something… R-right…?" she asked herself, patting and gliding her hands across her body. After a couple seconds of frisking herself, she found herself utterly flabbergasted at the discovery. It… didn't take her long to realize exactly why Tayshan had asked her the ostensibly arbitrary question.

And then, as she gasped in complete embarrassment, she remembered… She'd only gotten the chance to slip on the nightgown after she showered. Almost immediately following that, she dashed full speed out of Mimic's Workshop at the behest of the genie voice she'd heard, thinking she was about to face some imminent threat… which turned out to be Tay… who had apparently just found out she wasn't fully dressed… and here she was, just like uh… well, maybe we don't need to go into THAT much detail.

"…Oh, my gosh… Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my GooooooOOOOSH…! Ohh, no…! Are you kidding me…!?" she quietly panicked, hurriedly planting her hands down on the front of her pajamas as she drilled holes into the ground with her eyes. She wanted to get up, but she feared what would happen if she moved too quickly. She wanted to stay put, but she was sitting, straddled over her flustered boyfriend, whom she could no longer look in the eyes as her face got hot enough to possibly annihilate the entire galaxy. "I can't believe I really just rushed out here before I even…"

"Er… It's okay, Shae. Really, it is," Tay did his best to offer his support as he reached forward and gently laid his hands on her shoulders. In a most adorable sense of total shame, Shantae turned and glanced at him with glimmering puppy dog eyes as she kept her hands firmly locked on her nightgown. He'd… also been fighting as HARD as he could to keep from laughing because he knew she was quite… sensitive, for lack of a better term. "It sounds like you didn't mean to, so I… guess I'll say it happens t' the best of us," he awkwardly assured her as he cleared his throat. "Besides, we're right in front o' your house in the middle o' the night. Nobody else saw you."

"…You're… not upset or put off by it…?"

"Of course not," he assured with a nod. "We should be far more than familiar enough with each other by now, no?"

"True…" she agreed, feeling just a bit better as her nerves eased a bit.

"Glad you acknowledge that. Plus, considerin' what we were about t' do, I… don't suppose it would've mattered much anyway…" And at that INCREDIBLY smooth statement, Shantae groaned and cast her disgruntled gaze elsewhere for a moment.

"That's NOT helping, babe…" she grumbled through gritted teeth as her embarrassment returned tenfold.

"Sorry…" Tay apologized, genuinely wanting her to feel better. "But look, uh… we've been out here long enough as it is anyway, an' we may as well go inside. We'll pretend this didn't happen, speak of it t' nobody, an' move on. Sound good?"

"Yeah…" she acquiesced, though she hadn't initially moved from her position. Tay had motioned to get up, but he stopped when she sat back down on his lap instead of climbing off him.

"Hm? You okay, Shae?" he asked, seeming to be growing accustomed to addressing her by the new nickname.

"Um… I-I don't know if you still want to uh… well, if you want to… t-to share our love… after this, but… I uh… if you're still willing, then y'know… s-so am I…" she sheepishly requested, making her desires as clear as she could in her characteristically meek, timid way.

"I'd be happy to. And don't worry, the mood is still VERY much in place," he assured her as he reached forward and nudged her shoulders. Seeming to understand as she found herself both relieved and excited, Shantae scooted herself all the way back onto him. The couple shared another deep, passionate kiss as they affectionately wrapped their arms around each other. However, rather than continue to straddle Tayshan, Shantae opted to sit on his lap sideways with her legs crossed, making sure her gown covered her up appropriately. "Although, there is one more thing we should be careful of…"

"What's that?"

"If we're really gonna do this, then… Let's… take it slow," he sagely advised, oddly reminded by the incident with Shantae's wardrobe malfunction. "We… we're kinda goin' int' this underprepared, as far as 'safety' goes. An' I want t' make absolutely sure you're okay with this the way things are. If you are, then we'll need t' be very, VERY careful."

"Hm? What do you mean?" she innocently asked, seeming not to get his avoidant mention of a most… important conversation topic regarding the activity that seemed all but imminent for the two of them.

"Protection," he bluntly stated, though she still didn't seem to get it.

"Protection? From what? Monsters?" she naively asked, causing him to chuckle a bit. "What's so funny? I don't get what you mean…" she further complained in mild confusion.

"…Oh, Shantae, my darlin'… We've got a lot t' learn here," he calmly replied, shaking his head as he scooped arms under her to secure her before rising to a stand with her in standard bridal carry position. Her long, silky amethyst-hued hair draped over his arm like a blanket that reached almost all the way down to his feet from where he was holding her. Careful not to ruffle her hair, Tay made some small adjustments to make sure she was well supported in his arms. Accordingly, the half-genie slung her arms over his shoulders, feeling entirely enthusiastic… if not a bit nervous about what they planned to do to spend the remainder of the night together. Nevertheless, the young lady pulled herself up and planted a most wonderfully loving kiss on Tay's cheek.

"I trust that I'm in good hands, then," she confidently asserted, fully absorbing the experience of being carried by the man she loved. As she looked at his face, she couldn't help but be smitten with his radiant smile, the bristly texture of his curly, ebony-hued hair, the gleam of his vibrant golden eyes, and that dashing goatee she'd grown so fond of. She'd hardly noticed the numerous scars in that moment, though it didn't matter to her if he had them or not. She was just glad he was there at a time where she thought she'd never see him again… and even if she couldn't help but notice the sparkling golden ring hovering over his head under the starry Sequin Land sky, she made sure to absorb the exhilarating image for what it was.

In response, Tay looked back at her and found himself entirely enamored by the youthful, innocent beauty that was Shantae in her frilly pink nightgown with her hair down. He couldn't get enough of how beautiful she was… Her beet red cheeks, her positively luminous sapphire eyes, that wonderfully long, sleek mane of lavender that was her hair… and that utterly intoxicating smile of hers that could melt even the coldest of hearts… The unprecedented beauty of the half-genie was amplified by the way the moonlight shined onto her face, causing her eyes to sparkle like the rippling waves of the sea around them. To say that Tay felt like the luckiest man ali… er, well, maybe not necessarily 'alive,' per se… Heh… S-sorry about that one. Um… T-to say that Tayshan felt like… like the luckiest man to ever exist (whew, saved it… sort of…), was an understatement. Suffice to say, these two couldn't get enough of each other.

"An' I will do everything in my power t' keep your trust in these hands strong…" he vowed, leaning forward and sharing a couple of very, VERY spicy smooches with her as she cupped his face with one hand and poured on all the love she had to share with him. It… had also carried on to a point where he went in to kiss her one more time, only to find something other than her lips gliding across his. Though mildly surprised (by which, I mean completely alarmed), Tay planted the kiss without issue before licking his lips and processing what she'd just done. The experience only intensifying his desire for her, however, he kept himself focused. "Shall we?"

"We shall…" Shantae breathlessly affirmed, beyond eager to get started with spending quality time with Tayshan like they'd been so wistfully yearning to do since they became connected to each other… in the romantic sense, not the Soul-Link sense. And with that, the newly reunited couple entered the lighthouse, where they shared their most precious moments… that we, out of consideration and respect for their privacy, would certainly NOT be prying on. Like, at all. At. All. You hear me? AT ALL.

Okay, that's it. We'll meet again real soon for the finale. Yes, the finale. The final chapter. And I know that, right as you read this, you're definitely thinking about what a wild ride this has been, and NOT what a certain couple were up to in the confines of Shantae's home. You're thinking ONLY about how much you're gonna miss hearing my delicate, soothing voice once we hit the very end. You're definitely, TOTALLY thinking about how this story ends and how you probably want to share these tumultuous, titillating, tasty tales with all your friends and colleagues. Okay, now that we're clear on what you were thinking, you may go. Bye-bye! See you soon! It's gonna be rough getting used to not seeing each other anymore after we part ways, but we'll find a way to cope! Don't you worry! See ya!

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Hm? You're still here? What, do you like me that much now? Clearly, the love is in the air… D'aww, I'm flattered… but you see, I am naught but a disembodied voice in your head, dear reader. Thankfully, not the kind that would get you set up on a hot date with a psychiatrist or an all-expense paid trip to a crisis facility, though. Alas, I cannot technically date you, though I… certainly am honored to know you feel after all the wonderful time we've spent frolicking together… and while I know that such a scandalous revelation is a shock to you after all the time you definitely spent trying to sneakily uncover the secret of my true identity as we bonded, I'll at least let you know that I always had fun with you…~

...Wait a sec. No, you're not here to keep me company or to woo me and make me swoon with your bewitching, devilish charms, are you? You're here for… Le GASP! For shame, reader! For SHAME! Look, we're not supposed to be digging into such… er, intimate personal matters like the depths of Shantae and Tayshan's relationship. I know you want to know what happened, but it's completely inappropriate here. Come on now, don't be like that. Don't be nosy. Besides, haven't you seen the rating of this story? We've pushed the boundaries enough throughout these wacky and enlightening adventures, and I refuse-! That's right, I said I REFUSE to spoon-feed you details about… about the quality time they spent together… no matter how tempted I definitely WOULDN'T be to do so. So, go on. Run along. Get out of here. I'll see you-!

"Hmmmh…~ Y-you didn't tell me you were gonna do something like this for me, Tay… I-I mean-! Ah~! I-I really like how this feels, but you didn't have to… Hmm…~"

"For you, Shae, this is the least I could do for you. I'm glad it feels good for you… Shall I keep goin'?"

"W-well, um… Ah…! Y-yeah, keep going… Hanh…~ But… I… I ah…~ Hah…~ I-I didn't think you were gonna use your mouuuuuuoooooooooh~! Hooooh~! R-right there… K-keep doing that right there…~"

"Like this…?"

"Y-yes…~! Gaaah, you're gonna drive me CRAZY like this~! I'm… I'm about to… Hah~! O-oh no, I just spilled it… Tay, w-wait a sec! I need to clea-! Gaaahaaaah~! Uh-oh~! I-I can't hold it anymore! I'm… I'm… gonna…~!"

"Give it to me, Shantae… Come on… Let it all out…~"

"T-Tayshan…! Anh…! Anh~! NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~! HAH~! HAH~! HOOH~! Y-YES~! HOOH~! WHOOH~! HAH~!"

"Gagh! H-hey! You're squeezin' me too ti-! Ow! My hai-! Goorgh! Grrrmmmph! Gurgh…! Ghaack…!"

"Hah…! Hah…! Hanh…~! Hah… Hah… Hoohoohooohooo…~! Hoohoohooh… S-so good…! Oh, my gosh… Hooh… Hmmmmmh…~ Aaahahahah… That was… that was absolutely AMAZING…! I can definitely go for much more though, Tay…~ Can we?"

"Ah-hack! Hah… Hahhk…! Hah… Hah… Ain't no doubt about that, but uh… Wow… Hah… What a mess… I'm glad t' see you enjoyed that, sweetie, but we're… gonna need t' get a towel or two t' clean this up before we continue… Ahem! Agh… Aw man, the floor's all drenched, an' it soaked right through the blanket… Shoot…"

"Sorry… I… might've gotten a little carried away and lost control of myself… It's just that I haven't felt this good in… well, ever! Thank you so much…! Is your jaw okay, though? I see you rubbing it a bunch. And… uh, do you maybe need a breather? You're coughing a lot, too."

"I'm fine… for now, anyway. It just went down the wrong pipe… I also wasn't expectin' you t' put me in a triangle choke an' pull my hair like that at the last second…"

"S-sorry… Hee-hee! I uh… I don't really have an excuse for that. It was… it felt really, really nice. Like, I had no idea anything so unusual could be such a wonderful experience… I'm… a little embarrassed that I almost choked you out, but… thank you for that, Tayshan. Seriously, I mean that…"

"Heh… Well, as long as I know you ain't tryin' t' kill me, you're forgiven. I'm already a ghost as it is anyway."

"Tayshan! Come on, don't joke about that. Hah, that's not funny… Hahah, that's way too soon."

"My bad, babe, my bad… I'll be more mindful o' that. I'm sorry. Heh."

"I forgive you this time, and this time only. You hear me?"

"Noted. An' as if it needs t' be said, you ain't gotta thank me, Shae-Shae. I'm always happy to oblige. You sure you're up for more, though? You seem a bit winded…"

"Of course! You just caught me by surprise, so I'm just catching my breath. Still, I want everything you have to give me, Tay-Tay…~ I'm ready for you…"

"An' that's a call I wouldn't dare ignore. Alright, then… Let's do it."

"Yes! Come here…~!"

…

Oh, jeez! Who the heck kept the focus on the lighthouse!? Whoever did that is SO fired! Uh… Ignore that! Nothing to see here! Keep it moving! Don't ask me what that was, either! And if you MUST know, that was uh… Th-that was them making uh… hot chocolate…? Yes! Hot chocolate! Some delicious, soothing, TOTALLY INNOCENT hot chocolate… because there was DEFINITELY a stove somewhere in there, and the two of them really enjoyed drinking such an incomparably delectable, heartwarming beverage… But uh… b-based on that tidbit of conversation you weren't supposed to hear at all, it sounds like Shantae spilled some of the hot chocolate because it was so lip-smacking delicious that she couldn't contain herself. And uh… sh-she spilled it onto a blanket lying on the floor or something? I don't know… Tayshan, being the upstanding young wraith he was, offered to clean up the mess before whipping up another batch… or seven… a-and he was choking on his cup because he got startled by Shantae's very vocal enjoyment of her cup. He was probably tickling her or something, too…? I… don't have a clue why they were wrestling and tickle-fighting while drinking hot chocolate, though, so don't ask me about why she had him in a triangle choke. I don't know. And… The uh…

…D'oh, for Pete's sake… You're not gonna leave until you get your fill, are you? Le sigh… I had expected far better of you, reader. Far, FAR better. Tsk, tsk, tsk… But fine. If you really want to know THAT badly, then I suppose we could just… take one QUICK peek… only, I still think you're in the WRONG place for this sort of thing. Also, we're only going to be taking a look at a point of MY choosing. I may have been tempted to look myself, but I am a narrator with standards, darn you. STANDARDS! …Aaaaaanywaaaaay, just so you'll stop pestering me so much…

Hours later…

So uh… a-after many rounds of er… mindlessly indulging in… c-celebratory hot chocolate (y'know, because the two of them loved it so much) and late-night professional wrestling, the wonderful pair of lovebirds finally got settled in to get some rest… when the sun was already on its way up and birds could already be heard uttering their noisy wake-up calls outside. Hardly fazed by this most unexpected turn of events, however, the wrestling hot chocolate enthusiasts were found snuggled up together under a thick, fluffy velvet red blanket while lying on top of a decorative, multi-colored quilt that was sprawled out over the floor of the half-genie's sleeping quarters. As the two cuddled up to one another immediately following their latest… uh, 'sparring match,' however, it appeared that neither of them was asleep.

"Hmm…~ Mmmh…~ I… I can't believe we finally did it… After all this time…" Shantae blissfully murmured as she stretched while lying atop Tayshan while they were both fully hidden under the red blanket. The half-genie's blushing grin of unshakable delight, mixed with her long, frazzled hair draping all over herself and her partner, and the fact that she was resting her chin on the serviceman's bare chest, spoke volumes about how happy she was. "That… was incredible…!"

"You certainly ain't lyin' about that…" Tayshan agreed as he lay face up under Shantae, caressing her face with one hand and stroking her back with the other. Judging by the joyous, yet moderately fatigued blushing smirk on his face and the fact that he seemed unable to tear his eyes away from the young woman he shared the comfy blankets with, it was… not terribly difficult to tell that he relished her company just as much as she did his. "You completely blew my mind… I'm still a bit fuzzy…"

"You look the part, too, babe… No offense," Shantae teased, drawing circles on his chest as she hugged him and nuzzled her head into his chest. "And you're not alone there… I still feel like I'm in the world's most awesome dream that I don't want to wake up from…"

"Yeah, I'll bet. I won't lie, though… I never thought you'd enjoy it that much… I figured we'd have kept takin' it slow throughout the night."

"Are you kidding? That went out the window after the first time you made me com…pletely lose control of myself," she openly shared with him with a most… peculiar inflection. "I even spilled the hot chocolate we made before we came to my room!" she further revealed, thus totally confirming how right I was that they were just making hot chocolate… and hardly anything else but romantically cuddling… and wrestling. Y'know, in the most WHOLESOME way imaginable.

"Y'know, I dare t' question why you wanted t' make hot chocolate of all things before we got ready…" he remarked with a chuckle. "We're lucky those towels soaked most of it up, but we're gonna have t' scrub the rest of it off the floor."

"I know, but it was cold outside, and we were out there for, like, seventeen hours before we came in," she laughingly retorted, not at all ashamed of her sweet tooth. "Plus, weird as it might sound, it helped me ease my nerves about us having our… first time together…" she further shared, her blush deepening as she snuggled up to him. "But then, I wasn't expecting you to start us off the way you did… w-with your hands… and your mouth… That helped a lot more than I could've expected."

"I'm glad you liked that," he rather nonchalantly acknowledged before nervously clearing his throat. "Uh… Thanks for the pointers, by the way. That helped a bunch, too. I hope it didn't get annoyin' that I asked you about what you liked as we went along…"

"Of course not, Tay! I'm actually super appreciative that we communicated the whole way through instead of just winging it without saying a word to each other," she very happily assured him. "And just by asking me what I wanted, you helped calm me down so much more, that… well… when it came time to actually start… it didn't hurt at all like I heard it was supposed to… even though I thought it was too big to even fit…"

"Heh, w-well…" Tay nervously chuckled, getting what she meant. "It… was just a matter o' takin' it slow, findin' a comfortable spot, an' not forcin' it t' work… which gives me a strange déjà vu feelin' as though we had this conversation before…"

"Considering everything we talk about, which amounts to… basically EVERYTHING under the sun by this point, I can definitely see how you'd feel that way…"

"As long as you agree, I know I ain't crazy t' think so. That aside, it's a good thing we took it slow, considerin' we thankfully got it t' work… right?"

"Most definitely. To be honest, that was the part I was most nervous about before we began… but once we got started, it was like magic… I can't emphasize enough how good I felt… and how I had this sensation of being 'full' in a way I didn't think was possible… and I wound up loving every minute of it after we found our rhythm…"

"That's certainly good t' know," he acknowledged as he ran his fingers through her hair. "My aim from the very beginnin' was t' make sure you were comfortable. I… won't pretend I'm an expert on this sort o' thing, but I wasn't gonna mess up our first time together like I messed up on that talk after our first kiss…"

"Aww, Tay…" she hummed, stifling a chuckle as she continued to contentedly press her blanket-shrouded form on top of him. "For what it's worth, we both kinda messed up on that talk because neither of us wanted to admit what we were feeling. No need to beat yourself up over that. I'm not holding it against you, either. I promise."

"Hm. I suppose I could take that for what it is…"

"You'd better," she playfully warned him. "Anyway, um… if it makes you feel better, I wasn't expecting you to be an expert by any means. I was just expecting us to enjoy being with each other. I mean, how could I expect anything more when I had zero clue on what to do myself? I'm pretty much certain I showed you just how… inexperienced I was a few times… especially when I tried to use my hands and almost hurt you… or when I asked to be on top, only for me to not even know how to move correctly…"

"Ah, don't sweat any o' that," he dismissed with a lighthearted rub of her back as he leaned forward and gave her a peck on the forehead before lying back down. "I'm just happy you was curious enough t' try all the things we experimented with together. Besides, we talked a bunch, an' we eventually got the hang of it when it mattered most. Practice makes perfect, either way. An' in case it needs t' be said, Kitten… you were incredible through an' through. I loved every second o' this experience with you… No complaints here."

"Aw, thanks! That… that means a lot…" she replied in a mix of relief and contentment that the two of them were able to appropriately savor their quality time together. "Also, 'Kitten?' Where'd that nickname come from?" she asked in wonder.

"From the point where you clamped ont' me so hard that you dug your fingernails in my back an' raked them across one o' the times you… 'lost control' o' yourself," he teased, making the flustered half-genie shoot him a most comical disapproving pout as he chuckled. "That and… how you kinda-sorta sound like an adorable little kitty cat when you're especially excited…"

"Hrrrmmmph!" she groaned, pouting even harder as she read his 'compliment' as him making fun of her. It didn't necessarily take Tayshan long to pick up the signal.

"Er, t-that was meant in the most affectionate way possible, I swear," he assured with a slight chuckle. "But as for the scratches… I mean, I know we got caught up in the moment with all that was happenin' between us, but jeez, your nails are sharp… My back still stings from the cuts you left…" At that, Shantae managed to see the humor in it as she relaxed her facial expression and giggled.

"Sorry about that… I uh… I tend to tense up quite a lot when I feel really good…" she sheepishly admitted. "In this case, I tensed up to the point where I couldn't help but cling to you as hard as I could… I-I guess it's a sort of… like, a passion thing? Like, when I hit that moment, I couldn't think of anything other than how amazing I felt being with you, and like… the only thing keeping my mind from totally going blank was my latching onto you like a koala bear… or, as you said, a 'kitten.'"

"I hear you," he understood with a nod. "I can't help but be grateful that you felt the 'passion' in our embrace," he further asserted, feeling just a tiny bit proud to have brought the young lady the happiness she deserved. "I mean, it generally sounds like we both had a really good time, which I ain't ever gonna take for granted. Buuuut, if I may make one suggestion…?"

"Hm? What's that?"

"If we plan on doin' this more, we're takin' appropriate safety measures from now on," he sternly suggested. "We cut it REAL close at least three out o' the… what, five, six…?"

"…Fourteen," she hesitantly corrected, momentarily shooting her flustered gaze elsewhere. At that, Tayshan's eyes went wider than pizza pans for a moment.

"Whoa, really!? We did it that much?"

"Well… I may or may not have lost track, but that's the number I remember…" she shared, causing both dread and relief in her love partner as he sighed out much of his contemplative fear.

"Huh… Oh, man… Thaaaaat's kinda scary…"

"Yeaaaah, we… had a lot of uh… 'chances,' huh?"

"Yes. Yes, we have… So, three out o' fourteen times, we almost made a huge… life-changin' thing happen…" he warned, treading carefully as he considered his words.

"I… I know… and the thought kinda scares me a bit, too," she admitted as she also took a deep breath to dispel some of her contemplative fears. "I loved every bit of our experience together, but I'm… not exactly ready to have kids yet. I know that much for absolutely sure. I could never be a mom at my age, and I've got so much more to accomplish in my life before I ever decide to settle down. Heck, I haven't even babysat a kid before…"

"I've babysat once or twice in my life, an' it's for that exact reason that we should definitely play it safer from here on," he sagely advised her. "I'm glad we're on the same page, regardless."

"Of course, we are!" she proudly acknowledged. "And if there's anything I appreciate about this more than anything in the world, Tayshan… it's that you were totally honest, informative, and forthcoming with me when I had next to no clue what to do or what to expect… You were so gentle, too... and, mushy as it is to say, you made me feel like I was queen of the world from start to finish... I learned so much from this… Thank you…"

"No thanks needed, kitten," he assured with a disarming grin as he hugged her. In response, the lavender-haired young lady inched herself forth and planted a most affectionate kiss on her lover's lips as she hugged him back. "Plus, we both learned a lot from each other, like we always tend t' do. And… like I said earlier, I just wanted t' make you happy…"

"And make me happy, you have, Tay-Tay…" she lovingly returned his affection. "You made me really, really, really happy... Of course, I hope I made you happy, too…"

"As if it even needs t' be said. I'm overjoyed that we're even here together. An' the fact that we got t' really enjoy each other's company after all we've been through? I couldn't dream of a better experience than this."

"Awesome! And… I'm… not sure how this will come off, but… I'm glad my first time was with you…"

"O-oh! Uh… heh, well… I-I'm honored…?" he nervously stammered, evidently caught off-guard by such an alarming admission and expression of gratitude. "And… I'm… glad… that uh… w-well, that we connected like this… I've never felt closer t' you than I do right now, and I love every bit of it."

"Agreed," she confidently acknowledged, grinning in amusement at his flustered mannerisms. "I couldn't have said that better myself…" she further stated, though she found herself… almost hypnotized by the image of the young man beneath her as they continued to share their warmth with one another while ensnared in the blankets. In that moment, Shantae didn't even acknowledge the halo still hovering above his head; she found her eyes practically glued to the soldier's as the two of them went silent, longingly staring at one another. And in that moment, her heart pounded in her chest as butterflies erupted in her stomach like she'd been hurtling through the clouds…

"…Alright, I suppose it's about time we got up an' washed ourselves off before meetin' up with the others an' tacklin' the day," he suggested, tapping her on the back with a hand before motioning to slide out of the covers… only to find that Shantae didn't budge. "Er… Shantae?"

"Can we just… get a few more minutes of this?" she innocently requested, laying her head down on his chest and sighing in total satisfaction as she wrapped herself around him to keep him from escaping. "You feel really, really nice…~ And, if you don't mind, I want to absorb the fact that we're together like this just a little longer… It feels like a dream come true…~"

"Hm. You really are a kitten, ain't you?" he lightly taunted, stroking her hair with a hand as he settled back down and wrapped his other arm over her under the blanket.

"…Meow…?" Shantae teased back, flirtatiously playing the part as she nuzzled into him more. Unable to resist her incomparable charm, Tayshan let out a hearty chuckle as he snuggled her right back.

"…Alright, fine. You win," he conceded, though he hardly found any reason to complain about canoodling (yes, we finally get to use it!) with the woman he loved.

"Thank you…" she calmly replied with a thoroughly relaxed sigh, basking in the fully enrapturing pleasure of canoodling (we get to use it twice!) with the man she undoubtedly adored with all her heart. "Just a little longer, and then we can tackle the day… I know for sure everyone's gonna be so happy to see you again, but I have to be sure this is real and not just another dream…"

"…Well, if ya ain't woke up yet after however many hours, an' you're still hearin' everything I'm sayin', then I'm like… 99.9% sure this ain't a dream."

"I like those odds, but I won't take my chances," she countered, holding him tight as he continued tenderly stroking her like the kitten she pretended to be in that moment.

"Heh… I love you, Shantae…"

"I love you, too, Tayshan…"

…

OKAY! There you go. I hope you're happy now. I hope you're so happy that your heart melted into pudding and your teeth turned into chocolate bars. I hope you're so happy that you can step outside and feel like you won the lottery fifty times in a row. I hope you're SO unabashedly, undeniably, indisputably, indescribably, gob-smackingly, explosively, enchantingly, absolute bouncing-off-the-walls-before-shooting-up-into-outer-space-and-causing-a-supernova-that-would-wipe-out-all-of-existence-as-we-know-it, GOSH DARN HAPPY… that you got to witness the amorous union of what may very well have been Sequin Land's most saccharine, lovey-dovey couple, figuring out just how much they adored each other. Now, if you DON'T mind, I'VE got a finale to prepare for. You got your fill. Now go on! Good day to you, sir or ma'am. I'll let you know when it's time to finally close the book on the 'Clash of Arms' saga once and for all. Love ya! Byeeeeeee~!