(Prologue)

It's a perfectly ordinary day in Onett city centre.

The great ships move like ghosts down the river, rocking to and fro. Seagulls call, migrating in from the distant shore, settling down on the masts. They peer down greedily at the roads, the bustling marketplace, the writhing mass of pedestrians going about their day. Fresh smells burst from ornate shops, warm bread from Felicity's bakery, greenery from the grocers, even sugar, from the little sweet shop on the corner.

A bell tolls as the HMS Carpainter docks on the banks. A wooden ramp is lifted, sent clattering down to the roadside, and the crew begin to hurry towards a towering pile of nearby barrels.

"One, two, three, lift!" A captain barks his orders as the crew get to work, straining to roll the barrels up onto the deck. The HMS Carpainter complains under the weight, but it's built to last. The Captain built it himself, after all, with his dear father, woodworking in The Great Forest. This ship, it is his pride and joy. His dream.

He's so busy reminiscing that he doesn't notice the tuffet of blonde peeking out from behind the cargo.

A man appears. He's slim, dressed in a sharp-fitting suit, with a bowler hat that covers thinning threads of hair.

"Lucas!" He has a sharp, commanding voice. The ship's crew avert their eyes, fearful. "Lucas! Come out! This second!"

"Can I help you, sir?" The Captain turns to the new arrival with a frown. He doesn't know a Lucas, much less in these parts.

The blonde figure quickly ducks as his barrel is removed. He rifles through his pockets, spilling coins, paper, sweets, over the dock. He doesn't find what he's looking for, packing up his things with a grimace, scurrying to hide behind a new barrel.

"Help?" The stranger pulls his suit further around himself, regarding the captain with contempt. "I need no help - least of all from you."

"Excuse me, sir?" Taken aback, the Captain turns his white hat. He isn't used to being spoken to in this manner, and so he draws himself up to his full height. "May I ask why you are on my docks?"

The stranger surveys the scene in a long, sweeping gaze. The boy's breathing accelerates, trembling hands disappearing behind the barrel as he brings his knees up to his chest. He covers his head, a desperate attempt to make himself as small as possible.

"Searching." The man turns back to the captain with a cold glare. "Again, nowt that concerns you."

"You are on my port," the Captain says firmly, dropping all pretence of politeness. "Everything that happens here concerns me."

The man ignores him, looking over his shoulder, and a dash of blonde disappears hastily behind a barrel. But too slowly - the movement is noticed. The man's face contorts into a grin as he steps forward, shoving the Captain to the side.

"Lucas! There you are!"

The boy quickly ducks, but it's too late. His heart pounds - no more, he thinks to himself. No more.

A sharp hand grips him by the hair, forcing him out from his hiding place. The man grins as he observes his catch.

"Let me go!" The blonde yelps. "Help! Leave me alone!"

"Excuse me?" The Captain rushes forwards. "What is this?"

But the man ignores him again, eyeing the boy with greed. "I told you, Lucas... you can't run from me forever. There's work to be done."

"I don't want to!" He struggles. "I don't want to!"

"Now look here!" The Captain tries again, firmer this time, but the suited man turns with an expression that would send shivers down the spines of even the bravest men.

"Silence! Don't you know who I am? I'm Geldegarde Monotoli! Keep out of my business if you know what's good for you!"

"Keep out of your business?" The Captain stares, affronted. "This is my land, aye! I'll get the police - you're trespassing!"

But Geldegarde ignores him, turning away with a nasty grin on his face.

"You're coming with me, Lucas. And you're going to do exactly as you're told."


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~~o00o~~

Chapter 8: Rotation of Present History

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

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(A few hours before climbing the tree...)

"I'll go and get the backpack," I say, leaving the group.

It's typical of me. I'm so forgetful. I get caught up in my daydreams, and everything leaves my mind. Walking swiftly through the forest, I reach a fork in the path: I think it was left here, but it could've easily been right. Another thing forgotten... but I'll do some trial and error; it's okay. I choose to try the left path first.

I'm surprisingly at ease, the cool wind ruffling my wet hair as I travel. Tonight has been amazing, just me and my friends exploring the forest. Having a good time. Even the death omen of my gravestone hasn't deterred me.

Alright... maybe that's a bit of a lie. It has been lingering in my mind, that thing. The careful inscription of my name beside Ness's… The sheer age of it, too. I think it was decades old at least, covered in moss, in cracks, worn down…

I try to shake it out of my head as I turn a corner, spotting the backpack leaning against a tree.

It bulges as I pick it up, and I begin to worry that I over-packed. I thought about a lot of the things we might need, rather than what we actually will need. Blankets, snacks, check. But a full chessboard? Maybe not.

I find my mind drifting back to earlier as I sling the pack over my shoulder, preparing to return to the others. What had Ness found on Ryu's floor? I'll ask later, I resolve.

Rustle.

I look up.

Rustle.

"Hello?" I call cautiously. I'm met with silence. "I know you're there - I heard you," I add, in case there actually is someone there, and it's not just an animal or my imagination. But, to my disdain, a figure steps out from amongst the trees. I'm fairly sure I recognise it.

"Future Human?" I ask.

"Placet Auxilium!"

My knees shake, remembering the dream in the library. It had cornered me against the bookshelves. I'm suddenly not as comfortable… but it's different, somehow. Around its eye, there's a silver ring; the moonlight from above reflects off it, and it dazzles me momentarily. Its arms are enhanced with wood, I notice, and there's a steel cog, jutting through its damaged chest.

It takes a step forward.

"Placet Auxilium!"

"I know what that means!" I say clearly. "I dreamt of you before in the library - I must be dreaming again now - what was that book that I saw you in?"

It begins to advance again.

"Placet Auxilium!"

"Can you say anything else?" I shrink back under its horrific gaze. It's just a dream, I remind myself. "What are you doing here?"

"Placet-"

"Y-Yes, I know, you need help. How, what can I do?"

It freezes. It stares at me, unmoving.

"Please." I hold up my hands. "I don't want to hurt you - please don't hurt me either..."

There's a flicker of something in the trees. Was that a girl? Or am I seeing things?

"What happened to you?" I try one last time.

It doesn't speak - I don't think it can speak. I can hardly speak myself, it's an awful, awful thing, and it starts dragging itself towards me again. I tense. I won't fluster, I shouldn't show any signs of weakness, but it growls suddenly, revealing dripping fangs, and it's horrifying-

Giving up on reason, I turn and run. Thoughts split through my mind. Is it the same beast as in the library? Are there more Future Humans than just one? What does it - or they - want? I dash forward, but suddenly I'm cornered, visions of the gravestone swimming through my mind, and then there's a bolt of blue, and I'm sinking to the floor.

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I wake up in the middle of the clearing.

I stand and shake myself out in a frantic panic, looking around for anything out of place, but I'm completely alone. What happened? Another dream? I must've fallen asleep - but, what, in the middle of the woods? I'm uneasy as I get to my feet. I need to get back to the others, and fast; it's not safe to be here alone.

My mind races with questions as I return, the backpack hoisted over my shoulder. What help does the creature need? And what was that I'd seen in the trees, a flash of someone, and the bolt of blue? It makes no sense. And yet, it was all just a dream, it shouldn't be important… but I can't shake the feeling that something is there. Besides, the Face, is that not an impossible beast as well? But maybe I'd drifted off on the train? Though, that encounter had felt as clear as day. Maybe The Face was a human? A bedraggled escaped prisoner? I shake my head in worry, as I arrive back at the others. Of course, Ness is asleep - he's never been a night owl - he seems to be lying next to Villager. Toon Link waves. I drop the backpack to the ground, breathing heavily, and I tumble down beside my friends.

"Is Ness asleep?"

"It looks like it." Villager sits up slightly, yawning. "He sort of, shut his eyes, and then drifted right off. He'll be up and around soon, I'm sure."

"How long was I gone?" I ask.

"Thirty minutes or so."

I wince. "Sorry, I said I'd be five, didn't I?"

"It's alright," Villager says. "We went to check on you to make sure you were okay - it turns out you'd fallen asleep as well. We let you be."

"Sorry. I'm tired." I blush.

"You don't need to apologise," Villager assures me. "We've just been lying around."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me either!" Villager laughs. "It's okay. Really."

I smile. "Then I won't say anything at all."

Villager grins, momentarily slipping his hand into his pocket. But evidently, he thinks better of his plan, as he speaks again. "You know, completely off-topic, but what was it like at your primary school?"

"Well..." I think it over. "I transferred when I was eight, but the first school was in my old village, you know, Tazmily."

"Oh yeah, the place that Onett wants to declare war on?"

"Yeah," I say, my expression darkening. "And Tazmily would never do all the things that Onett is claiming they would."

Villager looks sympathetic. "I'm sorry they're doing that to your home."

"It's not your fault."

"But what was it like?" Villager takes a mysterious coin out of his pocket, tossing it in his hand. "How were things at Tazmily Primary School?"

"Good, I think." I consider it, trying to dredge back the ancient memories. "I went there with my twin brother. There were some nice people, Fuel, Ollie, Angie…"

Villager gives an appreciative nod. "And how about Onett?"

These memories surface a lot more easily. I give a faint smile. "Onett Primary School was mixed. There were some awful people, a lot of bullies. They mostly picked on me and Toon Link… I think that's why he decided to teach himself how to be more confident before coming here."

"I don't understand why people bully," Villager sighs. "It's not fair."

"Were you ever bullied?" I ask quietly.

"Well... not really." He frowns. "I didn't have many friends though, aside from Red."

"Ah..." I slowly nod.

"It can't have been all bad?" Villager questions, back to tossing his coin. "You must've met the others there?"

"Yeah," I smile. "That was good."

"I'm glad." Villager smiles too.

But my expression falters. "There was also a girl, Inkling… she went off to a different school. We don't see her anymore."

"Inkling? What was she like?"

"Crazy." I laugh. "She was always energetic and up for an adventure. She was a lot of fun."

"You four must've been close," Villager says, giving what he must assume to be a neutral expression. It's a throwaway comment, but I catch the undertones.

"We were..." I trace my finger through the dirt, suddenly a little awkward. "Ness and I were always closest, though."

"Yeah." Villager tosses the coin once more, and he fixes his eyes on it as it catches the moonlight. "You and Ness are incredibly close."

"We are…" I trail off, unsure what more to add. "But what about you? What was your primary school like?"

"Ah..." Villager runs the coin between his fingers, looking up at the clouds. "Back in Anville, there was quite a nice school. Everyone was friendly, the teachers were friendly, the lessons were... somewhat educational. It wasn't anything special."

"What's the biggest trouble you ever got in?" I ask, curious.

"Good question," Villager chuckles, thinking. "That must be when I threw a tantrum because I didn't like the ending of a book."

"What happened?"

"You must understand, I was about six at the time." He grins wryly. "I wanted the ending to be really dramatic, it was a great opening, but then, the ending was extremely inconclusive. So I threw a tantrum, and got kicked out of the classroom until I calmed down. How about you? What's the worst trouble you ever got in?"

"Probably when we were using chalks, and Ness and I drew self-portraits on the stone wall." I opt for the answer that'll cause the least concern.

"An artist, even then." Villager laughs. "Primary school was a simpler time."

Nearby, a sleepy Toon Link opens an eye. "Wha's going on- ooh, what's that shinyyy…"

"It's a coin," Villager sighs. "Probably copper, maybe twenty years old?"

"Coin creature." Toon Link grins dizzily.

"You what?" Villager stares at Toon Link's half-lidded eyes.

Toon Link nods vaguely before drifting back off to sleep. Villager and I make eye contact and burst out laughing.

There's a sudden rustle in the bushes, and we turn.

"Headmaster Hand!" Toon Link shouts in alarm, suddenly reawoken. "What are you doing here?"

I close my mouth, which seemingly opened in shock. What's the headmaster doing here? We're in for it now, I'm sure… but he looks off, off colour, panicked and ragged.

"Headmaster Hand, are you alright?" I ask in trepidation.

"Yes, yes..." He nods, just slightly. He checks rapidly behind him. "U-Uh, tell nobody I was here, and I won't punish you for being out of school. Don't even tell Ness."

"But, good Headmaster, what are you doing?" Red asks curiously.

"That doesn't concern you." Headmaster Hand casts another glance over his shoulder, his face painted with worry. "There is great danger - I'll be - I'll be on my way now, okay?"

"Okay, Headmaster," we say.

And just like that, he rushes into the undergrowth.

We stare around at each other in confusion. What's he doing out here so late? Away from school? What could've been so secretive that he had to sneak out here in the dead of night...? I shiver. I hope he's alright; he's a good headteacher, with our best interests at heart. It concerns me to see him out here, especially looking like that.

I glance at Ness, who seems to be having a disturbed sleep now; he's shaking and shuddering like a steam engine. I hope he's not having more nightmares, as he often does. He rolls over. I gently rub his back, and the shaking subsides a little, but not much... I decide to leave him to fight off the monsters of his mind by himself, moving instead to sit beside Toon Link, who's woken up from his stupor.

I haven't had much of a chance to talk to Toon Link so far this term. I like talking to him though, he's much easier to talk to than Red, and we have a surprising amount in common. His shy side is definitely still there, and I sometimes privately think that only I get to see it.

"Hey," I whisper.

"Hey," he whispers back. "You good, Lucas?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I nod. "This was a nice idea."

"It was." He nods too, pleased with himself. "Even though it's been kind of scary, we should do this again."

"We will," I assure him.

He lowers his voice. "But how are you, what with the, well, the grave?"

My stomach flips, as the words on the stone bore back into my mind. But I force a smile. "The grave isn't important. I don't want to think about it."

"Understandable." Toon Link glances down at the others. "Just know we've got your back, okay? First that face you saw, now this. I'm worried, Lucas."

I stare at him. "You've gone soft."

"Shut it," Toon Link grins, poking me in the forehead. "You're one to talk."

"Hey!"

"Ah... well, I'm going back to sleep. See ya, Lucas."

"See you," I say, deciding to hang the blankets up to dry. By the time I've done that, Ness is awake, and there's a whole debacle over him not remembering if he slept. I'll have to tell him about Headmaster Hand, but I can't do that yet, not when he might still be here.

"Ness," I say, trying to convey that something-happened-but-I'll-tell-you-later look.

"What?"

Later, say my eyes.

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~~o00o~~

(8 hours later)

~~o00o~~

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I wake. It's dark. Then I remember I'm snuggled up to Ness, wrapped up in a blanket. I can't have been sleeping for long… so what awoke me? Ness sighs in his sleep. He seems undisturbed, at least. I listen for a bit, in case anything's outside, but there's only silence. Shivers course through me - it's freezing cold - why on earth did we decide to sleep out here in midwinter? I'm lucky I haven't caught hypothermia.

Yesterday comes back to mind. I shiver to think of being up that awful tree. I don't know why I'd dared Ness to climb it, it hadn't seemed so tall from the ground, but that feeling of being so beyond help, in absolute peril, with the trunk swaying and the wind tearing at me, I...

I shudder at the memory. I think Ness feels it, because he pulls me a little closer.

How did we end up here, cuddled up like this? We must've been tired last night; I can't remember much from after the tree. I think we just dropped off. Ness is warm though, and truth be told, he keeps the nightmares away. When we were younger, we'd always sneak into each other's beds if we had a nightmare, and we'd hug away the demons. Thanks to him, no Future Humans - or evolutions of Future Humans - infested my subconscious last night.

I lean my head against Ness's chest, hoping to get some more sleep, but he stirs - dammit, did I wake him? He stretches a little, so I watch his face for any sign of consciousness, my fingers crossed… and his eyes flicker open, catching my staring.

"Hey," he mumbles. "Is it morning?"

"I can't tell," I say. "I'm trapped in this blanket."

"Oh - s'rry," Ness murmurs sleepily. He unwraps us, and I stand, looking around. Villager is asleep against a tree and Red's still on the grass, but Toon Link is nowhere to be seen. I prod at Ness, who seems to have fallen asleep again.

"What?" he whines.

"Gettup." I stretch out a hand. "Toon Link's gone missing."

"No, Mother, it's the weekend, not yet-"

"C'mon, you sleepy thing." I sigh, pulling him up by his sides. "We got a Toonie to find."

He sluggishly gets to his feet. I feel kind of bad - he's a heavy sleeper after all, and it's hard to wake him - but I feel uneasy about going into the forest alone.

"What are we doing?" Ness gives me a blank stare.

"Finding Toon Link," I repeat. "We have to go into the woods, okay?"

Ness nods, but he stays still.

"Come on, you big zombie." I smile slightly.

He nods again, this time walking alongside me.

We find Toon Link sitting by the river, surrounded by the stillness of the night. He skips a stone across the water, staring at nothing in particular.

"Hey," he says quietly. "What's up?"

"Just wondered where you were," I explain.

"I couldn't sleep." Toon Link says, not meeting our eyes. "You know - insomnia. It's really pretty here."

"It is," I agree, looking at the purple flowers that scatter across the bank. Ness nods, leaning against my shoulder. I wrap an arm around him, sensing his continued tiredness.

Toon Link pulls a face, skipping another stone through the current. The river froths and churns a little more vigorously than yesterday, consuming the stone, dragging it down to deeper depths.

"We should wake the others," Toon Link murmurs. "We should head back before dawn... so we're not noticed by the professors."

"Good plan."

I shake Ness awake again, giving him a small hug, and I move over to rouse Red, while Toon Link wakes up Villager.

"Time to go back, I hope?" Red says alertly.

"Yep," I say, helping him up. "We don't want to get caught, after all."

I stare around at our little clearing. We're all still drowsy and quiet, and it almost feels like if we speak, we'll disturb the sleeping wildlife. I wonder vaguely what lives in this forest, what rare creatures may be amongst the trees.

We assemble ourselves, packing up. I realise the blankets will probably have to be cleaned, but I don't mind doing that. It's something to do, weekends usually end up getting quite boring, aside from playing chess with Ness (a strange pastime that we both enjoy) and swimming. Wii Fit Trainer often holds sporting events on the field, but none of us are particularly athletic, so we rarely join in.

"Does anyone know the route?" Villager asks.

"You were leading us." Toon Link frowns. "I thought you would."

"I know the way," I say, before an argument breaks out.

It takes five minutes or so to reach the original clearing, but that's long enough for Ness to huddle up to me and hold my hand. I can tell he's uneasy about something or other, because he's shaking, not too much, but there's a little tremor in his fingers that's a dead giveaway. I'm starting to get worried. Lately, he's been getting upset more often than usual. What with all that's going on… I shake my head, gripping tighter onto his hand. He'll be okay in time. He has to be.

The rest of the walk back passes by without any problems. Toon Link sneaks open the great wooden door, and we creep into the entrance hall.

"Good," Red sighs, evidently pleased. "I was sure that we'd be caught."

"5:36," Villager observes, seeing the large grandfather clock in the hall. "We should head to our dorms, I suppose."

But the path to the stairs is blocked by none other than Professor Bowser.

"I don't think he's seen us!" Toon Link hisses, pulling us into a nearby cupboard. "Just wait for him to go by..."

Red gulps. "I don't want detention..."

"Me neither," I mumble.

There is silence as we wait. I stare at the door handle, and I look around at the cupboard we've found ourselves in. It's unusual... it seems to go quite far back. It's hard to see how far, though. It disappears into a mass of boxes.

"Do you-"

"Shush!" Villager exclaims abruptly. Toon Link covers Villager's mouth, and Villager tries to scramble in protest.

"Guys," Red hisses. "Stop that! You'll be heard!"

The pair instantly stop scrambling, and I grab Ness's hand as footsteps sound outside.

"Can you see him?" I whisper. Toon Link tries to look through the crack under the door, but I assume he sees nothing, because he comes up shrugging. I wait with bated breath, certain that Bowser's going to come in any second, but it seems that we might be okay for now.

Even so, I back away from the door. It's nearly pitch black in here, and I don't love the dark. It was fine in the forest with the moonlight to keep things bright, but something about this room is deeply off-putting. And suddenly, my legs fly out from under me - there's a crunch as I fall on a pile of broomsticks that all clatter noisily to the floor.

Fantastic.

Ness hastily picks me up, backing us into a shadowy corner. My heart pounds - why am I such a klutz? Footsteps echo from outside - Ness tries to carry me behind a row of boxes, but he knocks down a stapler, making even more noise.

"Hide!" Toon Link whispers, as a growl sounds from the corridor. Ness quickly puts me behind a box, throwing himself down beside me. Red stumbles as he tries to join us, causing a mop to fall from who knows where and land with another clatter on the floor. I spot the door handle starting to turn - I breathe heavily, accidentally inhaling cobwebs and coughing loudly - we're completely for it now - Villager tries to blend in with the broomsticks-

There's an eerie silence, as suddenly, the handle stops turning.

But suddenly, Toon Link opens the cupboard door, sprinting out with a cry of "COME AND GET ME BOWSER!"

A noble sacrifice! I suddenly feel extremely warm towards him. I watch through a crack between boxes as Bowser's shadowy figure makes chase down the corridor. The door swings loosely on its hinges, a mere shadow of Toon Link's presence. There's a hush.

"Do you think it's safe to leave?" Villager whispers.

"Not yet," Ness says. "I can still hear Bowser."

But Red's facing the other way. "How far back does this cupboard go?"

I turn, and the light from outside the door seems to reveal that, hidden behind the boxes... this isn't just a cupboard. This is the entrance to something much bigger.

There's a small gasp from Villager. "What is this doing here?"

Ness takes a couple of steps down. The stone walls of the cupboard seem to become dirt pretty quickly, as behind them, a passage slopes downhill. It's highly unusual - I feel a slight chill from looking down it.

There's a loud noise from outside the door, and Villager quickly shuts it. A flash of adrenaline jolts me; we don't want anything else finding us here…

"I told you, Professor Bowser," Toon Link's voice echoes from the corridor. "I was the only one in the cupboard!" I feel another jolt, as Bowser's footsteps fill my ears. "Besides," Toon Link continues, "If anyone was in there, they'd be sensible enough to have hidden somewhere else, wouldn't they?"

"Down here! It's the only option!" Villager starts clambering towards the passage.

"What?! No way!" Red disagrees, but Villager is already in. I gulp. I don't want to follow, but suddenly, the door swings open - and there's no choice - and grabbing Ness's hand, I start to run.

"See? Nobody here!" Toon Link's voice reverberates, as we plunge into the darkness. The musty scent of old tunnels fills my nostrils, dampness, coldness, and suddenly, we round a corner, and all residual light vanishes.

"Guys!" Ness exclaims, screeching to a halt. "We're at a fork - left or right?"

"Right!"

We hurry on through. I screw my eyes tight shut, already afraid of this dark, filthy tunnel, with its enclosed walls, little ventilation, stale air, the possibility of anything being down here-

I don't feel too well.

"Ness?" I whisper hoarsely, trying to catch my breath.

"Lucas, where are you?"

I quickly squeeze his hand. "I'm here - I don't like this-"

"Sorry Lucas, I didn't think! I should've - what with you hating the dark… it's pitch black!"

"Yeah, well noti-"

Clunk.

We fall silent.

"N-Ness… Was that you?"

"No-"

"Villager? Red?"

Their voices sound from further away. "No, not us either."

"Do you think - Bowser-?"

"I don't know," Villager says in a hushed tone. "We just need to stay quiet."

I nod, before remembering that nobody can see me. A wave of nausea hits - why did we come down here? This place is awful - what if the roof caves in? Nobody would ever find us, and what if this has something to do with the disappearances?! Worriedly, we advance, now only walking. I hold tight onto Ness's hand - I'll never let go, I decide. Never.

Clunk.

It's closer. Oh hell, it has to be Bowser - he's going to catch us and cane us and who knows what else - the walls are closing in - but suddenly, we're going up, up, up, and there's a trap door above our heads. Villager hastily undoes the bolt, and we scramble out… dappled by moonlight in the forest.

"What!?" I look around at the pillars of trees.

"Dammit!" Ness says. "This is no good - we need to go back in and go the other way!"

I stare at Ness incredulously. "But what about whatever's in there?"

"There's one of Bowser and four of us," he grins, confident. "Quick! Come on, we've got no other choice."

We hurtle back into the tunnel. Dead silence comes over us as we creep along, no sounds of water dripping, nor Bowser, nor anything. It's deeply chilling. We need to stop blundering into things that could be dangerous; exploring these passages had seemed like a decent idea to escape, but once again, it's quickly spiralled out of control.

We reach the junction at last, and we take the other path, which instantly widens out into a much larger-seeming passageway. It's a sudden relief not to worry about claustrophobia, despite the continued darkness. We surge forward, feeling our way through like moles in the darkness.

Clunk.

Bowser! My head spins suddenly, and I stumble, falling to the ground. Ness helps me up off the floor, and I check for any injuries, but I only feel nicks and bruises. My ankle still throbs from yesterday's fall, but compared to Ness's awful wounds from that tree... I'm fortunate, I conclude. But my breath is short. I don't think there's much oxygen down here...

Clunk.

It's coming.

"Run!" Red exclaims, and we break into a sprint. Ness is slow though, in a panicked moment I find him slowing me down, Red and Villager power on ahead, but it's okay, I will wait for Ness! But suddenly, paths are splitting off in every direction, and Ness comes to an abrupt halt, catching me by surprise... and my momentum carries my hand out of his.

"This way!" Ness shouts, running - which way? Has he forgotten that I can't see in the dark!? My legs tremor. I'm rooted to the spot, suddenly alone in mysterious caverns, with who knows what behind me-

"Ness!" I call desperately, but there's no response, meaning he must be too far away. Why didn't he wait? I start to panic, feeling my chest closing up, my neck constricting - it's overwhelming - but I'm not going to have a panic attack down here. I - I need to be brave, and-

Clunk.

Just pick a path! My rational side interjects. I blindly pick left, hurtling headlong down the corridor.

Clunk.

It sounds so close - I start panicking again, my legs screaming with velocity - another choice of path and another come up, and I guess and gamble my way through them all, praying and hoping that I don't meet a dead end. Everything seems so much darker without Ness's touch.

Clunk. Clunk.

It's coming. It's coming for me. I have to run - run out of here, but I'm blinded by fear and darkness - surely not much longer, not much more. I pick a path out of another three options and hurl myself down it, but I'm gasping for breath - it's not going to be enough - but the passage tilts up - I cross my fingers as I slope upwards, up through a passage - into what looks like another cupboard!

I breathe easier as light returns, flooding the surroundings with beautiful, beautiful colour.

But I'm not free yet! I cross my fingers that the cupboard door is unlocked, and to my great fortune, it is. I spill out onto the floor of a corridor, stumbling over a box. Hastily, I look around, trying to gauge exactly where I am in the school, quickly shutting the door behind me; I think I recognise this hallway, yes, this is the corridor leading to the pool. I can just see it down the left. It's not the best, because that means a decently long walk to my dorm, and who knows where Ness turned out. What if the passage crumbled, and crushed him? No - he'd be sensible enough, and lucky enough that that wouldn't happen to him... right?

I start running down the corridor, taking a shortcut up some stairs and past the Trades classroom, through the corridor of dorms for the year below, round a bend, round another bend, down more stairs, avoiding the great hall in case of anyone being there. I slow down around Ryu's history classroom - I have a strange feeling that he sleeps in it - and I tiptoe past the door. I avoid any meeting with him, and I instead come out to the main corridor from the hall. Nearly there… I catch sight of Toon Link going up the stairs and taking the left to his dorm.

I take the right - our dorm is the first one in our corridor. I gasp for breath, thanking my lucky stars that nobody saw me. And I'm delighted as I see a dust-covered Ness coming up the stairs just behind me.

"Ness!"

"Lucas!" He hugs me, his relief evident. He must've been worried about me. If only I hadn't been so slow. "We made it!" he breathes, collapsing in my arms.

"Just about." I hug him tight. "I was so worried-"

Ness pushes open the door to our room, but he gasps.

There's a beat of quiet.

"What? What's wrong?" I look inside, pushing past Ness's shocked form.

It's a mess. Everything is everywhere. I step slowly inside, and Ness follows behind.

Ness picks up a torn book. "I don't understand!" he stammers cluelessly. "How-"

I look around at the devastation. It seems nothing's been untouched. Everything's strewn about; all of Ness's possessions, given mine are limited to just things that Ness has got me in the past... I rush over to the art equipment that Ness bought me for Christmas, and with a horrified gasp, I see that all of the pencils and paintbrushes have been slowly and deliberately snapped in half. I try and hide the debris so Ness doesn't see, but he's too quick.

His eyes practically pop out of their sockets with outrage. "Who did this!" He exclaims, no doubt waking up the whole corridor - oh no - people are probably going to come in now.

"It's okay, Ness," I say quietly.

"It's not okay! That was - that was yours and they deliberately-"

"Ness, it's fine, it's just, it's just stuff after all-"

"Who would do this to you?"

"To us-"

"Everything is destroyed!"

"Not everything," I say, picking up the books that I got him for Christmas. "These are alright still! And the blanket you got me."

"But - the art stuff - and you don't have much else-"

"Ness, it's okay. I've still got you, don't I? I don't need presents and stuff to be happy..."

But he turns with outrage. "It's not fair! All my clothes are salvageable. Even my teddy bear is alright! Whoever did this, they did it to spite you, and that's not okay!"

"Ness, I don't mind-"

There's a knock at the door, and then people are flooding in. It's the Pits, closely followed by Villager and Red.

"We heard shouting," Pit says, concerned.

"It's okay-"

"They got you too?" Villager cuts me off, scanning the room.

"Too?" Ness turns sharply.

"Our room was messed up as well."

Ness balls his hands into fists. "When I find out who did this, I swear-"

More people drift in.

"Can you keep it down in here?"

"Holy-"

"What happened?"

Ness throws himself onto his bed, evidently stressed out by all the people.

"Everyone," I turn to face the growing crowd. "Sorry for waking you, please go back to bed…" But my voice is lost amongst the general chatter. The whole corridor must be here by now - I spot Olimar and Meta Knight grinning at the back. My suspicions grow. Of course they'd be involved somehow.

A tired-looking Shulk, the Professor who monitors our corridor, bursts in.

"What's all the noise? Come on, everyone back to bed - Ness, Lucas, what's going on, hm? I'm guessing you didn't throw all these clothes around…"

"Yeah," I begin.

"Someone must've broken in!" He concludes. "But who?"

"Meta Knight and Olimar," I declare, putting the pieces together. Revenge for us reporting them to Ryu, I figure.

"It was them!?" Ness exclaims, shooting up and squaring right up to them both. "Come on, two vs one, you'll pay-"

"Ness!" I warn. "Don't be an idiot, please."

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"What are you going to do?" Meta Knight grins. "Fight me in front of a Professor? Very inappropriate behaviour…"

Ness stamps his foot in frustration, which causes some laughter. I glower at all of the new arrivals.

"Ness, I get that you're frustrated, but please calm down, hm?" Shulk says. "And didn't I tell everyone else to go to bed?"

There is some grumbling, but people finally start to leave our room.

"Wait," I say. "Red, Villager, they should stay, the same thing happened to them."

"If you say so - come on boys, come back..." Shulk makes himself at home, sitting worriedly on my bed. "Now, is anything missing?"

"Not that I know of," I say. Ness curls up in a ball.

"Not in our room either," Villager clarifies.

"Alright, so probably just a bit of good old bullying," Shulk decides. "I'm going to have to bring this to Headmaster Hand, okay?"

"Can't you do anything now?" I protest. I don't want Headmaster Hand getting involved. Plus, he might still be wandering around the forest.

"Look, this isn't something I know how to deal with." Shulk shrugs. "We're just told to tell the headmaster directly."

"Fine." I give in.

"I'll let you clear things up, yeah?" Shulk stands up, giving us a last look. "I'll make sure whoever did this gets punished, 'cause this isn't fair. And if anything else happens, please let me know."

He leaves.

"Fat lot of good that was," Ness complains. "I hate them - Olimar and Meta Knight. So much."

"I know," I console him, patting his back.

Red grumbles. "All my books are everywhere. I had them catalogued by subject, publisher, and author."

"I don't have the heart to clear everything up right now." Villager covers his face with his hands. "I just want to go back to sleep."

"I get that," I say, suddenly yawning. "Ness, come on, you need sleep too."

Villager and Red stand. Red's a little bit in shock, I think. He's absentmindedly chewing on his thumb, a habit I thought he'd dropped.

"See you tomorrow," Villager says heavily, as the pair leave.

"See you."

Once they're gone, I try to pick up some loose clothes from the floor, but it's no good. Clearing up is a job that'll take some time, and I am so, so tired.

"Come on." I lean against Ness. "You need rest."

"Yeah." He nods vaguely.

"This all sucks," I say, hugging him, "But we can move on. It's fine. We got out of the forest without being caught. We can go again, sometime. We could even sneak out of the passageways."

Ness nods sleepily. I don't know if he's really listening, but he seems to be calmer.

"Come on. Count it up," I continue. "Count up the good bits, and they outweigh the negatives of tonight. Count up the time in joy."

"Lucas," Ness turns to me, stumbling on his words. "I'm sorry for getting angry at Meta Knight-"

"It's okay," I say hurriedly. I'd been expecting this. "I'm angry at him too. Shulk will make sure he's dealt with."

"Those passages scare me," Ness shivers.

"They scare me too," I confess. "A lot."

"I know, because they're dark and all that," Ness says. "But they scare me because they mean anyone can get into the school."

There's a pause.

"Like, say, The Face." Ness continues.

My stomach slowly drops.

"I don't feel safe anymore."

"We need to tell Headmaster Hand about these passages," Ness says.

"You're right, we do." I nod in strong agreement. "But right now, we should sleep."

"Yeah. I'm tired."

"Me too, Ness."

I stand up, ready to head back to my bed, trying to avoid the sharp splinters of wood from all of the broken paintbrushes. I glance at Ness, who's already curled up under his covers. It's actually pretty cute.

I think back, remembering being in the forest:

"Lucasssss?"

"Whaaaaaaat?"

"You're cute."

I blush in spite of myself. I'd forgotten about him saying that; I'd been so tired at the time, after all. He really thinks I'm cute? Is that a thing best friends say to each other? I don't know… but it's kind of awesome.

Cute.

"You going into bed, Lucas?" Ness's sleepy voice comes from the other side of the room, and I smile secretly.

"Of course."

I snuggle up under my covers. They're still as comfortable as ever, despite the warmth of the room. It's a relaxing warmth, I decide.

But my thoughts drift to the less relaxing topic of Future Human. I wonder distinctly if I'll dream of it tonight… I realise with a small jolt that I forgot to tell Ness about what happened with the Headmaster in the forest... but maybe he doesn't need any more to worry about. What was Headmaster Hand doing out there, anyway? Had he been attacked while taking a late-night stroll? And why was he so secretive? Everyone's been a little bit weird lately, I conclude. Red too - I'm sure he's been quieter this term, more reclusive. It disturbs me.

I still haven't talked to Popo. And Mega Man, the friend of Villager, I haven't spoken to him either, not since he complimented me in Business. I guess I have a fair amount to do tomorrow. I hope I wake up on time for breakfast, for once.

I'm not particularly a hungry person; it's probably because I'm so skinny, meaning my stomach is smaller. I suppose that's fine, even if maybe it's a bit unattractive. Since when did I care about that, though? Perhaps I should consider doing some exercise or something to build up some muscle… though the thought of me with muscle makes me slightly uneasy. Would I still be 'cute'? I blush to myself again.

I wonder what Father is doing now. Well, sleeping, of course, but I wonder if he's got a pay rise yet, or if he's finally got everything financially covered… I made a decent amount of money over Christmas, so he should last for the term just fine, but I can't help but worry. I wish he worried about me too.

I think back to Tazmily as well. I wonder how it is now, under the threat of war from Onett. My beautiful village will stand, I have to believe. I know Tazmily can't be as good as it is pictured in my mind, I know it can't be just as sun-dazzled as I remember it, but I can only taste the joy of the sunflower fields. It would be so nice to move back there with Ness. I think he'd love it, he doesn't like the city, he much prefers nature to the buildings, and Tazmily is full to bursting with wildlife; the Sunshine Forest, the sunflower fields… I over-fantasise about Tazmily, and I am not ashamed of it...

~~o00o~~

I'm just five, and so is Claus, even though he seems like the older one. It's a pleasant morning in our home, Mother has put a new bunch of sunflowers in the vase on the kitchen windowsill, and Father is probably working. He doesn't earn much, but combined with my mother selling sunflower oil, we make enough to get by and be happy.

"Luuuuuuuuucas!" Claus shouts happily as I come down into the lounge.

"Claus!" I smile.

He beams, giving me a hug. "Wanna play?"

"'Course I do!"

He laughs, and I giggle.

"What do you wanna play?"

"I wanna play… pirates! Let's be pirates today!"

"Graaaah! I'm gonna make you walk the plank!"

"Never!"

I run outside laughing, and he chases me, waving an imaginary sword...

~~o00o~~

I smile into my pillow, but it's bittersweet. It's one of the only memories I have left of Claus. I like to disappear into my memories sometimes, to relive the best times… it's weird, I know. I feel oddly compelled to write a song about him, suddenly. A slow ballad, perhaps? But no, not for his liveliness. A happy song. I think the happiest songs are sometimes the saddest.

What am I thinking about? How long have I been lying awake? Too long, drowning in my nostalgia. What I have now is good, and I know that, as I resurface, staring around the room... which is steadily getting lighter. Ness snores softly in his bed, and suddenly, I feel drowsy too. At long, long last.

I hug my pillow, as I sometimes do, and my eyes close, dropping me into a restful oblivion.


A/N

Ah, how lovely, Tazmily… I almost want to move there myself. There's not much else to say about the chapter, it was kind of one to patch up holes and tie off a couple of loose ends… whilst still creating many more loose ends. I wonder what those passages are doing there?

Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please review, and I'll answer all reviews in the newest chapter.

Notes:

-I slightly referenced the poem "The Emigrée," by Carol Rumens, a poem about leaving a country that you loved as a child.

-The title of the fic is finally relevant! Count it Up is a song by a great band called Field Music.

Thank you for the quadrillionth time for reading! I hope to continue my run of a chapter every three days :)

~ReadyforTeddy