Four Souls

by KJMusical

Love. An emotion that carries a lot of weight and impact behind it. But what happens when four people get involved with such a powerful emotion? Kris Dreemur, Susie, Ralsei and Noelle Holiday will get an idea. OT4. Krisuselsei (Kris X Susie X Ralsei X Noelle), might even be the first! Rated for strong language, (implied) sexual activity and distressing themes. You have been warned.

8. Amplification

Author's Note: Finally! We've got another chapter for Four Souls done and released! I hope you guys like this one, because I feel that this is the cutest chapter out of all the lot that I have planned. :3

Not to mention, it's now coming up to Christmas as well. It is currently Christmas Eve as of submitting this, so consider this chapter my Christmas present to you all. With that being said, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas) and a Happy New Year! Now let's begin! :D

---

Ralsei was snapped awake by the sound of something popping. He took a look around Kris' living room, now basked in the morning sunlight coming in through the windows. He quickly noticed that the chair and the sofa was now empty, devoid of Kris, Noelle and Susie's bodies. His ears perked at the sound of music coming from the kitchen. Nothing as heavy as the music from the night before, but noticeable nonetheless.

He got up from the chair, allowing his blanket to fall off of his body and onto the carpet, revealing the pyjamas Asriel had allowed him to wear; an blue shirt with a large red and yellow 'S' on it, complete with a pair of pyjama bottoms with a checkered pattern going down it, as though someone had taken a chess board and spread it all over a pair of pants. The carpet felt nice to Ralsei as he walked away from the chair and into the kitchen.

He was greeted by the sights of Kris wearing a dressing gown, sitting at a dining room table, eating what looked like some kind of pastry that he held in his left hand, his right hand scrolling a lazy finger over his phone. As for the pastry itself, it had an odd black color with a spotty white texture on the top. Inside the pastry where Kris had bitten into was another white substance. Ralsei assumed that this must've been some sort of frosting as his attention turned to the others in the room.

Susie was standing by the fridge, talking to Asriel, a mug of what looked like either tea or coffee in her hand, a bitten piece of toast in Asriel's hand. Ralsei couldn't hear the conversation over the music playing on a nearby radio, but he could hear Susie laugh every now and then with the older goat. Susie would then take a sip of whatever was in that mug. Noelle was over with Toriel, presumably helping her cook breakfast, a few eggs being cooked inside a pan.

Ralsei rubbed his eyes and sat down at the dinner table, taking Kris' attention away from his phone to look at him. "Oh. Good morning Ralsei." Kris said to his friend with a smile. Ralsei smiled back while giving a friendly "Morning, Kris." in response. Kris put down his pastry and turned slightly to fully face Ralsei in his seat.

"Did you sleep well last night? Me and the others would've woke you up, but Noelle insisted that he leave you be, since you looked 'so peaceful' according to her." Kris explained, accompanied by a smirk. Ralsei glanced over at Noelle, who appeared to have heard her name and part of the conversation, since she was looking over at the two boys. Noelle smiled and gave him a wave, him returning said wave also. Afterwards, Ralsei turned back to face Kris. "Yeah, I did thank you Kris. I hope you slept nicely too."

Kris' smirk altered into a smile, but that was enough to let Ralsei know that he did in fact sleep well. The goat's eyes glanced over at the plate of the strange pastries. "Umm, Kris... what are those?" he asked, pointing at the treats. Kris seemed to look confused at first as he turned to where Ralsei was pointing. It only took a few seconds to realize what Ralsei was on about.

"Oh! Those are pop tarts. You stick them in the toaster for a few minutes and they get warm. You can eat them cold, but if you ask me, they taste a lot better when they're warm, fresh from the toaster." Kris said. He then got up. "I can get you a couple if you'd like me to." he added. Ralsei paused for a minute, seeming to think about it briefly. After a few seconds, he nodded, adding in a "Yeah, please do." for good measure. Kris walked over to a nearby cupboard and opened it up.

"Okay dude, we've got a few flavors in here. Which one do you want?" Kris called out, looking into the dark wooden space that held boxes filled with the treats. Ralsei turned in his chair to face where Kris was looking. "Well, what flavors do you have?" he asked. Asriel then spoke up with a playful "Too many to count!", earning a laugh from Susie, before he bit into the piece of toast he was holding. All Kris did was glance at his older brother, before turning his attention back to the cupboard.

"Well, we've got raspberry, cherry, strawberry, cookie dough, red velvet, chocolate, cookies and cream or cinnamon." Kris listed. Noelle then spoke up, her back to the boys. "That's my favorite one!" she said, pointing a finger up as she spoke. After that statement, she put the finger back down. Ralsei was just about to say that he'd have the cinnamon flavored pop tart when he looked back at the pop tart Kris had, assuming based on the color that the ones he had were cookies and cream flavor.

"You know Kris? I'll have what you're having." he said. Kris turned back, smiling at his friend. "Great minds think alike, Ralsei." Kris said, earning a blush and a smile back from the prince. The human got a packet out and tore it open, revealing the pop tarts inside. He then placed them inside the toaster and pressed down the lever, sending them into the machine.

After a few minutes, they popped back out, warm for consumption. Kris placed them onto a plate and walked back to the table, placing said plate in front of Ralsei. He looked upon the pastries as Kris sat back down on his chair. Nervously, he picked one of the pop tarts up and held it, taking in every detail present on said item. The goat looked over at the human, who was eagerly awaiting his reaction.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ralsei noticed that the others were watching him as well, all except Toriel who was more focused on the breakfast she was cooking. Noelle gave a subtle nod to the goat, silently egging him on to try it. He turned back to the pop tart before placing a corner into his mouth and biting down. The pastry broke under the pressure of his teeth and the piece that broke off entered his mouth, taking some filling with it.

He sat there, chewing the piece for a few seconds before swallowing it. He was... pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. The warmth of the pastry sliding down his throat, hitting his stomach with such a euphoric eruption accompanying it. Ralsei could only nod, seeing why Kris was into these things. The human only returned a smile, glancing back to see Noelle doing the same. "Kris... this tastes amazing. You gotta show me more of these things when I come back some day." Ralsei said.

"I'll make sure of that, dude." Kris promised with a smile. And that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the morning. Everyone had their breakfast, Kris and Ralsei had their pop tarts, Asriel had his toast while Noelle, Susie and Toriel had some bacon and eggs each. After they had eaten, the group of friends sat down, watching TV. There was no rush for school or anything, so they could relax for a while.

Kris, Susie, Ralsei and Noelle were sitting in the living room, focused on some sitcom airing. Toriel and Asriel were both off, doing their own things. Noelle, Kris and Susie all sat on the couch, while Ralsei sat crossed legged on the floor. He was offered a spot, but he declined, saying the carpet felt a lot more comfortable than the couch. He wasn't wrong, the Dreemur's carpets were often kept tidy and fresh. Anybody, should they chose to, could easily fall asleep upon those carpets.

But anyway, the three on the couch were laughing along to some of the show's jokes and gags, Ralsei being the only one unfamiliar with the humor of the show. He only laughed along because he didn't want to seem like the odd one out of the group. If he was honest, he didn't get a majority of the jokes. "Must be something only Lightners understand." He thought to himself as a laugh track played on the television.

Suddenly, Ralsei seemed to be startled by something. Susie took notice of this sudden change in behavior. "Dude, are you okay? You look like something just scared you." she asked him. The goat seemed to briefly snap out of his state, as he glanced over at Susie, a growing sense of concern appearing on her face. "Uh... yeah. I'm fine. I'm just gonna use the bathroom real quick." Ralsei said, quickly getting up and walking through the kitchen. Kris watched him walk out, right up until he closed the bathroom door and locked it.

Noelle glanced over at Susie. "What was that all about?" she asked her. Susie glanced over at the deer, earning a blush from the younger girl. "Ah, don't worry about it. Ralsei just wanted to use the bathroom. That's all." Susie reassured. Noelle turned her attention back to the TV, briefly glancing over at the closed bathroom door. Kris on the other hand, seemed to have lost interest in the show, since he was digging into his pockets.

After a few seconds, he pulled out his phone and his earphones. He was probably intending on listening to his music. He was just about to bring up his music player when he noticed something. An audio file that he didn't remember recording. He glanced over at the others, who were too busy watching the TV. The last thing Kris heard before putting his earphones in was the sound of the girls laughing at another joke he had missed from the sitcom.

Earphones secure and plugged in, he pressed play on the audio file and sat back. He smiled when he realized it was Ralsei's voice. Must've been talking in his sleep or something. But wait a minute. Ralsei wasn't making random statements, these were full sentences he was saying. He must've woken up during the night and was rambling to pass the time. Still, Kris pressed onwards through the audio file.

"Don't get the wrong idea; you guys are my best friends, especially Susie and Kris. But at times I wonder... what if we could be more than that?"

Kris originally smiled upon hearing that he was considered Ralsei's best friend along with Susie, but the smile quickly vanished when he heard Ralsei wonder if they 'could be more than that'. What could Ralsei mean? Surely he didn't mean... Kris blushed at the thought. He wanted to find out, so he pressed onwards. And oh boy, he got his answer.

He thought it was quite sweet when he heard Ralsei spill his heart out for Susie, despite having a crush on her himself. He had never heard Ralsei speak about romance or crushes until now. It was quite a surprising feeling Kris felt inside, listening to Ralsei's words. He even smirked a bit hearing the goat use the term 'jackass' to describe Berdly. A pretty accurate way to describe him if Kris had heard one himself.

"Kris, you and me are real close. You know that, I know that. It's something I hold dear to my heart."

When Kris first heard his name, he was surprised. He was sure Ralsei felt some way about Susie, especially with all that he had said, but he NEVER thought he'd have ANYTHING to say about him of all folks. He rewound slightly and listened closely to what Ralsei had to say, making sure that he didn't miss a single detail on the recording.

He felt flattered when Ralsei said that he was one of the first guys Ralsei looked up to and wished to be like him, instead of his timid self. But then, he was surprised as Ralsei confessed that he never thought about being with another guy until he met him, even blushing when Ralsei said Kris was toned in the stomach. Kris only kept his stomach like that as a health thing, not to make himself look attractive.

But then came the biggest reveal: that Ralsei thought Kris was handsome, awesome, strong and calling his eyes hot. Those confessions came as massive one two blows for Kris. He wasn't sure if he should feel flattered or embarrassed that Ralsei was so open about his feelings. His face burned into a larger blush and his eyes went wide when Ralsei added that if he had to be the boyfriend of another man, it would be him.

"You ever think that maybe you and me could... work out as a couple?"

Kris was further taken aback by this question. Him and Ralsei... a couple? It wasn't something Kris thought about until now, but his memories of the two together did make him start to wonder. He thought back to the hugs he had given him, the times he made him blush just by standing near him, the things Ralsei had taught him in regards to FIGHTing and ACTing in the Dark World.

Kris did think Ralsei was adorable after all. He had such a caring demeanor behind him. He was affectionate, albeit not in a romantic manner. He was... overall just a really pleasant monster to be around. Maybe they COULD work as a couple. Kris glanced back to the bathroom door, still closed. Now it was HIM wondering about his relationship with the goat boy. He had to admit, he was starting to get butterflies in his stomach at the thought of being Ralsei's boyfriend. Yet, he didn't seem to mind the thought.

He pressed onwards, listening to Ralsei's thoughts about Noelle, again feeling flattered that Ralsei was open about how he felt. How Ralsei liked how Noelle was, both in personality and appearance. Kris even sighed in relief upon hearing that Ralsei seemed to think Noelle was flirting with them while dancing and singing to 'Rude Boy' the night before, although he mentioned how Noelle seemed more interested in Susie. Well, it was good to know that Kris wasn't the only one who thought that.

After a pause, Ralsei confessed one large secret to the sleeping group within said audio file: that he loved them all, apparently 'with all his heart'. This declaration made Kris' heart skip a beat and begin to fly at the same time. His eyes were wide as he paused the audio file in shock. He sat back on the couch, thinking about everything Ralsei said in the audio file. There was no other way of putting it: Ralsei LOVED him, Susie AND Noelle. In a romantic sense, Kris could only assume.

Again, he never thought about being in a relationship with Ralsei, but he didn't mind the idea. In fact, he found it quite pleasant. He glanced over at Noelle and Susie, wondering how they'd respond to such a statement from their shy and quiet friend. The two girls seemed more focused on the TV than on Kris though. He removed his earphones and placed his phone back in his pocket, everything Ralsei had just said in the audio running through his mind.

After a few seconds of silence, contemplating his next choice of words and actions, Kris leaned forward, catching Noelle's attention. "Hey Kris, are you okay? You look a little shocked about something." she asked, sounding concerned. Kris looked over at his childhood friend. Does he dare tell her what Ralsei thinks of her? Before Kris could say anything, Ralsei suddenly burst through the bathroom, startling the others, even managing to scare Susie of all monsters too.

"You guys! I just spoke to Rouxls! We need to head back to the Dark World immediately!" Ralsei said as he ran into the living room, almost sounding in a panic. Susie sat up. "Wait, Rouxls SPOKE to you?" she asked. Ralsei only nodded, adding in a little "Mm hm." to the motion. This little revelation didn't make ANY sense to the other three. "How? Does he have some sort of psychic connection to you or something?" Kris asked. Ralsei only responded to Kris' question with a vague "Sort of."

The room went silent for a few seconds. Kris glanced at the girls, hoping they'd say something. They were focused entirely on Ralsei, who was just standing there, as if expecting a response from his friends. This silence was so awkward, Kris could feel his skin crawling at the feeling. Unbeknownst to the others, Noelle made a move, raising her arms in an almost shrugging manner. "Well why didn't he try it earlier? The storm passed us a few days ago!" she asked the goat.

"Because that spell is one of the most hardest to master!" Ralsei simply explained. Kris opened his mouth as though to ask something else, but then paused, his eyes looking up at the ceiling, trying to work things out in his head. Ralsei glanced at a nearby clock and then in a panic, ran past the guys on the couch. "C'mon you guys, let's go!" he said. He then raised an arm, a yellow glow emitting from his hand.

In that moment, Kris, Susie and Noelle suddenly felt themselves being pulled to their feet, taking them by surprise. "Whoa!" Kris could only utter as he was suddenly forced into standing, along with his girl friends. "Dude! Alright, we're coming!" Susie uttered, following Ralsei out the front door. Kris then quickly ran back to the stairs, calling up to Toriel. "Mom, I'm gonna hang out with Ralsei for a bit! I'll be back later on!" he shouted up the stairs. He then turned around and quickly ran out the door.

The last one out was Noelle, who stood there for a few seconds, getting over the shock of being pulled up onto her feet. Once she had gotten over it, she noticed Kris, Susie and Ralsei running down the street. "Hey! Guys, wait for me!" the doe called out after them. She then ran out of the door, making sure to close it behind her.

---

It took a while of walking, but they were finally back at the castle again. They entered the main entrance and were greeted by the main lobby, a few Rudinns and Hathys walking around the area, greeting the group as they walked past. "Okay, Rouxls should be waiting for us on the top floor. The stairs aren't far from here, so let's get going." Ralsei said with a smile. He was about to walk over to the stairs when Susie grabbed his shoulder. "Dude, no. I'm not walking up long flights of stairs." she said.

Ralsei turned around to face the purple monster girl. "But Susie... walking up stairs is a good method of getting exercise. You might be able to..." he began to explain, before noticing Kris shaking his head as he moved his fingers back and forth across his throat, telling Ralsei to stop talking. Ralsei fell silent at this gesture, before Noelle spoke up. "Is... is there an elevator nearby? Maybe... we can... use that." she asked, her nervousness seeming to come back in full swing. She had no idea why though, these were her friends. What did she have to be nervous about?

Ralsei pointed at a nearby door, which was metal and had an arch at the top. "The elevator's right over there. We can use that instead, if you guys don't wanna walk up those stairs." Ralsei said, glancing at the others. Kris shrugged. "I'm not bothered." he added. Almost immediately, Susie pushed past Ralsei, uttering a quick "Alright, it's decided! Let's move it, losers!" as she moved past them. Noelle and Kris followed suit, leaving Ralsei to take up the back of the line.

Kris smirked as they walked into the elevator. It brought back memories of him, Susie and Ralsei talking amongst themselves on their way to face the King. Ralsei was the one who pressed the button for that floor, but Susie was already at the console, pressing the button to the throne room. After a few seconds, the doors closed and everyone felt the elevator move into motion as it began its ascent to the top floor.

"Well, like I said to Kris and Susie the first time we were here, it might take a while until we get there, so..." Ralsei said. He then moved forward and sat down. "Get comfy, everyone!" he added with a smile. Noelle wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Surely, it couldn't be THAT long until they get to their desired floor... right? She noticed Kris sitting down, one leg stretched out while the other was bent, the sole of his boot pressed against the elevator's floor.

Susie took a step back and leaned against the wall, resting one of her feet against the wall itself. The doe took glances around at the others before sitting down herself, her legs crossed under her robe. The elevator was silent aside from the whirring of the elevator cables and the occasional clicks as the metal box passed by a floor. This silence kind of left them alone with their thoughts.

Ralsei was thinking back to the previous night, where he confessed his feelings for the others as they slept. He knew they didn't hear a word he had said during that time, since they were all asleep. For a minute or so, he pondered about telling them how he felt right then and there. He took a glance around at the others. The first friend he set his sights on was Noelle, who was twiddling her thumbs out of boredom. The feelings returned as he looked upon the deer's face, which was focused on the digits on her hand.

He smiled as he admired the locks of hair that she had, her cute eyes, her shy personality. Pretty much everything about her was adorable and cute to Ralsei. He rested his head against his knuckles as he continued to admire the doe sitting across from him. After a few seconds, the two made eye contact. Blushing profusely, they awkwardly smiled at each other before averting their gazes elsewhere. For Ralsei, his focus now shifted to Kris.

The human was going through his phone, seeming to be focused on something. He had his earphones in, leaving Ralsei to assume that he was listening to some music on there. Although, he didn't seem to make any movement to imply it. Whenever Kris listened to music, he'd more often or not bop his head in time with the beats or quietly sing the lyrics to himself. Here? He was silent, as though listening intently to whatever audio was playing on his phone.

Ralsei blushed even harder as he stared at Kris. In the prince's eyes, the human was so handsome. He knew that Kris was able to fight if he had to. He even went as far as to protect Susie, so he obviously had a strong sense of protecting those he loved. And judging on the stories Noelle had told him about their childhood together, Kris seemed to cherish Noelle above anyone else outside of his family. Heck, they spent so much time together that apparently, both Toriel and Asgore considered her part of their family.

Ralsei smiled as he thought back to the hugs the two had shared. There was always a warm feeling inside whenever Kris would make such an affectionate gesture towards him like that. He even remembered the first time he ever hugged the goat boy. It was after training him on how to FIGHT and ACT and the only thing Kris had to do was SPARE the dummy he had. Instead, Kris put away his sword and walked over to him. When Ralsei turned around to face him, he was immediately embraced by the human.

"K... Kris?! Ummm, I don't think, um... this is what you're supposed to be doing." Ralsei could only say in that moment. He was actually flattered. It had been so long since anybody had hugged him like that. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time someone did. He was thankful regardless and he wouldn't mind it if Kris, for whatever reason, decided to hug him again. Of course, Ralsei COULD always ask for a hug, but it just felt... nicer whenever Kris did so spontaneously.

On top of all that, Ralsei admired... just how strong he was as a human. It seemed like no matter what Kris did, he was doing it because he wanted what he felt was best for those around him. Almost like a guardian angel of sorts. For a moment, Ralsei wondered if it was destiny that him and Kris' paths crossed. That fate was the reason him and Susie entered the Dark World. So many questions ran wild in Ralsei's head, so many thoughts regarding his relationship with the human, so many-.

Ralsei was snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt the elevator stop abruptly. There was no way they were at their floor already! Even Kris and Noelle looked surprised at this turn of events. The three stood up as they glanced around the elevator. "Huh? Are we at our floor already?" Noelle asked Ralsei, to which he replied with "N-no. It usually takes a good few minutes to get to the top." Noelle, upon hearing this, paced back and fourth a little, worried that they were stuck here and how long they'd be trapped. She only calmed down when Kris said "I can see why the lift stopped.", pointing ahead of him.

The two's eyes glanced over to where Kris was pointing. Susie was still leaning against the wall, her fist slammed against a button. After a pause, she unclenched her hand and removed it from said button, revealing what it was. A big red emergency stop button. Ralsei became confused. During all the first time him, Kris and Susie had been inside this elevator before, how did he not notice that large button? It was big and red, two things that would make it stand out usually!

"Guys, we need... we need to have a talk... about that night." Susie said, walking forward slightly, her body no longer leaning against the wall. Kris' eyes met hers through the fringe of his hair. "I thought we weren't gonna talk about that night." he said, a noticeable tinge of emotion in his voice, although the others couldn't pinpoint exactly what emotion was there. Susie paused, another silence filling the elevator.

She then sighed. "We weren't... but Rouxls told me something about that fruit we tried. I tried not to think about it, but I feel like it just NEEDS to be shared with you guys now." Susie explained, a noticeable blush forming on her cheeks. Ralsei and Noelle walked forward slightly, standing either side of Kris. "R... Rouxls spoke to you about that fruit?" Noelle asked. Susie only glanced at the three and nodded, quickly averting her eyes from them afterward. It seemed like she didn't want to talk about it either, but felt she had to.

There was another pause. After a few seconds, in which the two boys and Noelle shared glances at each other, Ralsei pressed on, holding his arms out as a signal for Susie to continue. "Well, what about it?" he asked. Susie's blush was still holding strong as she glanced over at Ralsei. She then took a glance at Noelle, who was looking evermore concerned for her crush, before focusing back onto Kris who, behind the shield of his fringe, was wide eyed, eager to hear what Susie had to share about that forbidden fruit. Susie then took a step forward, making sure the guys could hear her clearly, before starting to explain.

"Well, the fruit itself is called an Amarero. It comes from a very rare bush that only grows every few hundred years or so. This fruit is usually tasteless as we all know when we ate it, but some of the chiefs here at the castle use both the shell and the juices inside for cooking, even keeping a sample of the bush the Amarero grows on inside the greenhouse. As for the juice itself, they don't know exactly what's in it, but what they do know is there is some... chemicals inside it."

The three were surprised at this. That fruit was something the King's chiefs use in their cooking? Ralsei had never seen an Amarero bush until now, but hearing that it only grows every hundred years or there abouts, it started to make sense to him why he hadn't heard of it until now. Noelle then had a question of her own. "Well, what do those chemicals do?" she asked.

Susie looked at her before continuing. "Rouxls said that the chemicals work in a similar way to how alcohol works. When the chiefs use it in their cooking, they make sure only one drop get used in the dish, because the chemical is so strong, even a swig of it is powerful enough to give some... side effects to those who drink it. Think of it this way: drinking the juice entirely out of an Amarero would be the equivalent of drinking a whole bottle of pure vodka. Highly dangerous and not recommended."

Kris took everything Susie said and was now starting to ponder about the night in question. "So that night... did we get drunk off of Amarero juice?" he asked. Susie turned to face away from the group. "Yeah, in a way, we did." she said, a slight hint of shame present in her voice. Just the thought of getting drunk off of Amarero juice brought up memories of her father coming home drunk. She then quickly turned back to face them as she continued.

"Because of how strong the chemicals are, it is strictly forbidden to drink the Amarero juices pure straight from the fruit itself. Not even spitting it out will change how it alters our thoughts and such. Not only does the juices alter the inhibitions of those who drink it and make them unpredictable and stupid, but it can also make those who consume them act upon their deepest desires and wants. Even those shoved into the subconscious comes out in full effect when the individual is under the Amarero juice's influence."

Deepest desires? That wasn't something the others expected to hear about the Amarero and its juices. Ralsei didn't think anything of this. To him, this was just an interesting piece of information that he should keep in mind next time either him or the others come across this fruit again. He smiled, knowing there was some piece of mind with him after hearing Susie explain what the Amarero fruit was and what its juices did.

Kris and Noelle on the other hand, could only glance at one another, their faces now a bright red. So red with embarrassment in fact, that if they walked near any roads, every car in the vicinity would more than likely stop, no matter how close they were to the two. They thought back to that night, before Ralsei and Susie burst into the bedroom. Both Kris and Noelle lying on that accursed bed, sharing passionate kisses as the boy dry humped his childhood friend, mimicking actions only done by intimate lovers and pornographic stars.

The two came dangerously close to having sex in that room. Did... did those two WANT to do that together the whole time?

Ralsei looked over at the two, frowning. "Kris? Noelle? What's wrong?" he asked, snapping them out of their thoughts. "Huh?" Noelle asked, not hearing what Ralsei had said. Even Susie was taking notice at this strange behavior from the two friends. "You both looked embarrassed about something. Is something the matter?" Ralsei asked in the most reassuring tone he could.

"Well, m-m-m-me and Kris... when we woke up that night... we went into this other room..." Noelle stammered, before Kris interrupted her with a blunt "Me and Noelle came close to having sex in that bedroom.", earning a shocked "Kris!" from his friend, a look of shock from Ralsei and Susie's wide eyed glance at him. "I knew it." was all Susie could say. She might've been in a state similar to being drunk that night, but she KNEW something was about to go down with the deer and the human. Noelle hid her face in shame, but Ralsei gently removed her hands from her face. "Noelle, don't worry about it. None of us were aware of what we were doing that night. The Amarero juices made us act in ways we normally wouldn't." the goat reassured the doe.

This seemed to calm Noelle down, but it didn't take away the awkwardness that hung in the air. After a few seconds, Kris spoke up, aiming his words at Noelle. "Just so we're clear Noelle, whatever happened that night between us doesn't change anything, okay? As much as you're really sweet and one of my best friends, that's ALL we are. Just childhood friends. I'm not gonna start calling you my girlfriend over some stupid shit we did, when we weren't in our right minds to know what we were doing."

Noelle sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm aware of that. And the idea of us being together is just... weird, especially after knowing you for such a long time." she said. Kris leaned back, pressing his back against the wall, much like how Susie was earlier. "Yeah, it would be. That applies to all of us, right?" Kris asked, his focus now on Susie and Ralsei. Ralsei just nodded his head, replying with a "Y-Yeah. It applies." Susie folded her arms. "Yeah, We're just friends." she said as she turned her gaze away from the human.

Kris smirked, happy that everyone was on the same page as he was. Ralsei sat back down as Susie took out a piece of chalk from her pocket and placed it into her mouth. She bit down on the rock and began to chew it, the elevator now being filled with the muffled sounds of the chalk being destroyed inside Susie's mouth by her powerful teeth. It almost sounded therapeutic to Noelle. If she had an audio file of Susie's eating sounds, she'd listen to it all the time. She just stood there, taking in the atmosphere of being alone with her friends in the elevator.

Kris on the other hand, couldn't focus on anything but the thoughts in his mind. Despite him saying that the night they slept together meant nothing and didn't change their feelings for each other, he couldn't help but wonder about certain things. Susie mentioned that the Amarero makes those who got 'drunk' of its juices lose their inhibitions and act on their desires. That might explain why him and Noelle smooched and why he dry humped her on the bed. That could be chalked down to teenage hormones going wild. But what about Noelle's words? There was only one way to find out the answer.

"Hey Noelle? When you said that I was 'fuckin' cute' to you, did you mean it?"

This question brought another emotion over the group. Surprise. Ralsei and Susie were both surprised that Noelle said such a thing, even though they heard Noelle say the word 'shit' after they burst into the room. Regardless, never did they once think Noelle would ever call someone cute, especially not Kris. Noelle, who was facing away from the human, didn't answer. Instead, she just stood there, frozen like she was caught in some headlights.

She was surprised that both Kris remembered her saying that to him and that she had the gall to actually say it in the first place. Granted, it might've been due to the Amarero juices, but it was still a thought she had for a while that she normally would never think of letting out to him. Beads of sweat ran down her face as she silently pondered an answer. Should she say that she DID mean it and potentially ruin her friendship with Kris? Or should she lie and say she didn't, blaming her choice of words on the juices?

So many potential results ran through her mind. What if he returned those thoughts about her? What if he rejected her? What if the others felt jealous that SHE was the one he could be returning her affections for? What if, what if, what if? That was every question running through her mind started. Kris was behind her, still expecting an answer, but as the silence continued, his thoughts retreated to his mind as his face began to glow red again. After a pause, he sighed.

"You know what Noelle? Forget I even asked. I was just curious. I was thinking that maybe there was something you wanted to get off your chest, since the Amarero..." Kris said, a slight tinge of sadness in his voice before it trailed off. Noelle turned to look back at her friend as he continued, starting with a frustrated groan. "Ugh, this is so stupid!" Noelle frowned. There was no way she was going to allow Kris to beat himself up over this.

"K-Kris..." she began, before he continued, either unaware of Noelle speaking or choosing to ignore her. "Honestly, I don't even know WHY I expected an answer from you!" he said, his voice growing into a mix of frustration and sorrow, something Noelle and the others noticed. "Kris." was all Noelle could say before Kris once again spoke. "It's not like you're even open with your feelings about others! I mean everybody can flat out TELL that you have an interest in Su-!"

"Kristopher Liam Dreemurr!"

Kris stopped mid sentence, a look of shock and surprise on his face, almost mirroring those of Susie and Ralsei. Rarely would Noelle EVER use his full name like that. The last person (or monster in this case) who did such a thing was Toriel! She would always refer to Kris by his full name whenever he was in serious trouble. But here? If Noelle of all monsters was using Kris' full name, surely it must mean something serious. And that wasn't taking in her expression to consideration, which was full of what looked like frustration from having Kris interrupt her so many times.

"I. Meant. It."

Those three words were something Kris did not expect to hear coming from Noelle. She said them slowly and with pauses after every word, making sure he could hear them clearly. And hear her clearly he did.

Noelle looked away briefly, as a blush grew onto her face. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, but she felt like she didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. Susie and Ralsei could only watch with intrigue as Noelle took a step towards Kris, her eyes focused on his. She took a breath before beginning to spill her thoughts on her childhood friend.

"I know you and me have... drifted slightly, to say the least. We've had so many laughs, shed so many tears, been on tons of adventures together. You, me, Dess, Asriel... all those days I hold dear to my heart. All those times we hung out, listening to 60 Minutes to Saturn, staying up late, the video games we played, the pranks we pulled on each other. ALL of them. They hold a special place in my mind. Nothing's gonna ever destroy those memories we've shared. But I have to admit, during those times, I do wonder... if you and me could've been so much more."

Kris was speechless. How did he not know that Noelle felt that way about him all those years? Susie was surprised. She had a hunch that the deer had a crush on her, but she NEVER would've guessed she also had a crush on Kris too! She assumed the two smooching was due to the Amarero juices, but after hearing this from her friend, she was starting to wonder. Noelle placed a hand onto Kris' shoulder as she continued.

"I always think back to when you would hold me in your arms whenever I had a nightmare during our sleepovers. How despite being... rather cruel with your pranks, you always made sure that I was okay. Honestly, it feels like we know each other more than anybody else. And that's not JUST because we've been friends since we were 4 or 5. While I was intoxicated that night, I was being serious about wondering how our lives would be different... if you and me were together. I still think that maybe..."

She paused, glancing back at Susie briefly, before continuing, her attention now entirely on Kris. "Maybe, if we didn't meet certain monsters, we could've been together by now. And before you ask, yes. I do have a crush on... Susie, but there are moments where I feel myself fall for you at times, Kris. The same could be said about Ralsei. There were moments I found myself falling for him too."

Noelle turned back to Susie and Ralsei. Both of their faces were turning a bright red as they stared wide eyed in shock at the deer girl before them. Noelle blushed herself as she then made a confession. "You know, whenever I would... play with myself late at night, so to speak, I'd usually be thinking of Susie. But after that night, thoughts of you and Ralsei would creep in while I was... having some private time. At first, I tried to block them out, but after some thinking, I realized what it all meant." Kris blushed at this. He didn't want to admit it, but it was the same for him too.

She then turned back to face Kris, a soft smile on her face. "Kris... I... I love you. As in, the romantic sense. I'm madly in love with you." Noelle finally said to her friend. At first, Kris didn't move or say anything. He was in too much shock to say anything. Noelle's smile faded, being replaced with a look of concern, which then turned serious. "Kris... I'm not repeating all of that to you." she said. Finally, Kris spoke. "N... no. I heard you. I heard every word you said."

"Hold on, hold on!" Susie finally said. All eyes were on her, which she wasn't prepared for, but she quickly got over the shock of it. "So... you mean to tell me Noelle, that this WHOLE time that we've known each other, you've had a crush on me?" she asked, eager to understand the situation. Noelle paused, before answering with a simple nod. Silence fell over the elevator. Susie just sighed.

"I knew it."

That was all the reptile girl could say as she faced away from the group, arms folded. Noelle walked over to Susie, making sure her eyesight never left Susie's. "You knew?" she asked. Susie nodded. "Yeah, it was obvious! Even Kris and Ralsei could've seen it! I'm sure even Toriel and Asriel could if you asked them! You're hiding emotions and your feelings for your crushes from the world, yet your body language gives it away so damn easily!" she explained, briefly throwing her arms up at Noelle, startling her in the process.

Noelle, still blushing, glanced over at Ralsei. "Was it really that obvious, Ralsei?" she asked. The goat prince didn't even need to say anything in response. He just gave a simple nod and a "Mmm hmm." to give Noelle the answer she wanted. The deer paused, before she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, seeming to find some extra confidence. She had it when telling Kris how she felt about him, so she might as well be open with Susie and Ralsei too.

"Well, since we're all sharing our feelings, you're right Susie. I HAVE had a crush on you for a while. You've never picked on me or tried to get into trouble with me at all. There's... just something about you that draws me in. I don't know if it's the blase 'I don't give a flying fuck' attitude you have or if it's the fact you're so willing to use your strength to solve your problems, but either way, it makes you that much cooler... and hotter, to me." Noelle explained, the blush growing ever more noticeable as she went on.

Susie was stunned into silence. She had a hunch Noelle had that crush, but she had no idea how deep it went for her. Before she could explain how SHE felt about the doe, the shy girl turned her attention to Ralsei. "And Ralsei, I know we met only a few weeks ago, but you're one of the most cutest boys I've ever met. The way your fur is so fluffy, how your glasses are a little oversized for your eyes, your adorable horns, your personality. I even find those little movements your nose makes when you're happy cute! You're so adorable, I could just...! Ah! I can't even form words right now! That's how cute you are!"

Ralsei blushed. He took off his glasses and looked at them, checking to see if they were oversized like Noelle said. After a few seconds, he put them back on. "Is... is that really how you feel about me, Noelle?" he then asked. Noelle nodded. "Yeah. You're really are so adorable. I see a lot of me in you, Ralsei." she added, as she gently took Ralsei's hands in her own. The goat's cheeks burned as he glanced down at his hands, interlocked with Noelle's.

Susie looked down at the two (possible) lovebirds. A million thoughts ran through her mind. She thought back to the counseling Toriel gave her the night before. Toriel did help Susie get her emotions out. She was able to let her hurt out about her mother's death and its aftermath, so surely, she'd have the same catharsis upon releasing how she felt about the others, right? There was only one way to find out for her.

"Okay. Since we're all sharing our feelings for each other, I might as well tell you guys." Susie began, a blush forming on her face. Firstly, she turned her attention to Noelle. "First of all Noelle, I think you're... a very beautiful girl. Cute even." she began. Noelle's eyes went wide at this and a small gasp escaped her mouth. Susie Accrue... found her cute? Her mind went blank at this sudden revelation. "I always think back to when you offered me one of your pencils during my first day at the school. You... were just too precious for me to do anything bad to you." the bully explained.

"Susie..." Noelle could only say, before Susie turned to face Ralsei. "Fluffy boy... I know I make fun of you all the time and... for a while, I wasn't sure why. But now, I think it's because I was falling for you. You always look out for me and Kris, you want what's best for us and you're a big softie. I used to make fun of you for that, but I now see that you're cute too, both in your looks and your personality." Susie explained. Ralsei let go of Noelle's hands and could only look up at Susie. "Susie, I'm flattered. I really am, but I..." Ralsei began to explain.

Susie however, turned around, facing Kris. "And finally, you Kris. You, I have a lot to say about. Remember when I said quiet people piss me off?" Susie asked. Kris stood there for a second, before replying with a "Yeah, I do.". Susie scratched at the back of her neck as she continued. "Well, I was lying. Quiet people don't actually piss me off, they actually fascinate me. I want to know more about them, you know? And you're no exception to that." The reptile explained.

She then walked over to Kris, placing a hand on his shoulder, much like she did when they first left the Dark World. "You're brave, especially when we first came here. You look out for me and Ralsei, even when I make fun of you. God, even our fight with the King showed me how willing you were to put yourself in harm's way if it meant I'd be safe!" Susie said. She then moved her other hand to Kris' face, removing the fringe in his hair from his eyes, so she can get a good look at them.

His eyes were wide and red, a strong contrast to their usual blue color in the real world. They were almost like rubies in the light of the elevator. Even Noelle and Ralsei noticed, seeming to fall for him further. "And dare I say it Kris, you're... sexy for a seventeen year old." Susie added with a smile, a blush forming on her face. Kris' face fired a blush back in response to such a statement by Susie. Kris looked over Susie's shoulder and noticed Ralsei and Noelle were both taken aback as well. He then felt Susie's grip on his shoulder release as she stepped back.

"So Kris, tell us. How do you feel about us?" Susie then asked. Kris was at a loss for words. What could he tell them? "Well, I like you guys. You guys are my friends and..." Kris began. Noelle, much to everyone's surprise, scoffed at this. "C'mon Kris, cut the crap! We know you feel MUCH more than 'like' for us. Just tell us Kris: how do you REALLY feel about us?" she said. Kris paused, unable to form words.

He then walked over to Susie. "Well, firstly Susie, I think you're fucking hot." he said. This response almost took Susie by surprise. "D-Dude! Surely you don't-!" Susie began, before Kris interrupted with a "I do mean that." He then raised a finger and trailed along her stomach as he continued.

"I always had a thing for tough girls. Something about brute strength in a woman always found a way into my cold heart. You've proven multiple times that you know how to fight, Susie. Hell, you'd probably be able to kick my ass if the two of us ever got into a fight. You said quiet people piss you off when we first met. Well, strong people turn me on." Kris whispered the last part into Susie's ear, giving her shivers. "Ever since we first came to the Dark World, you've been in my thoughts."

"Wait, in what way do you...?" Susie began to ask, before she got an uncomfortable feeling about what he could mean. She then shook her head as she then said "Actually, I don't wanna know, dude.", a blush showing full of pride on her cheeks. Kris smirked as he began to circle around Susie like an animal circling its prey before moving in for the kill. "I also think that as much as you put up a front, you're in need of help, maybe even... company. From people and monsters like me. Ever since we started hanging out, I've learned to read you like a book Susie." Kris explained, not once did his smirk leave his face.

He stopped once he was in front of Susie, looking up at her. He then continued, the smirk fading into nothing.

"You know something Susie? I admit, when you came to school for the first time and took Noelle's affections without even realizing it, the only thing you made me feel was jealousy. All the time, I wished you'd do something stupid to get expelled, just so I could get Noelle to myself. And I know that sounds possessive in hindsight, but that was how I felt at the time. But then, after you and me spent our time in the Dark World, it all made sense why Noelle fell for you. Because you're hot, you're fierce and you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, if you know what I mean."

The elevator was silent, save the sounds of everyone breathing softly and quietly. Susie could only stand wide eyed. She never knew the extent of how much Kris felt affection for her. Not that she minded, in fact, she was flattered that the human felt that way about her, despite her brute personality and rough exterior. She was taken back to reality when she felt Kris' soft hands pressed on her cheeks, his eyes appearing to glisten through his fringe as he looked deep into hers, a soft smile on his face.

"I don't know where things will go now that I've said everything, but I promise you Susie: I want to be there for you, because... I love you so much."

That was all Kris had to say as he removed his hands from her cheeks. Susie's eyes began to water, so much so, she turned away from him. "Dude... don't. You're gonna make me cry." She said, trying to sound confident, although she was clearly getting choked up over this confession. Outside of family, this was the first time somebody had told her directly that they love her. She only looked back when Kris placed two fingers onto her cheek and gently pushed her face back to his.

The two fingers became a full hand as Kris then said "Don't you worry one bit. I think it's beautiful watching tough girls cry." with a smile. The two froze, the smile never leaving Kris' face. Susie's eyes began to slowly close. She wasn't sure what it was making her do this, if it was desire on her end to return Kris' affections or if it was the shock of the moment itself, but it just felt... right for her. Once they were closed, she began to lean forward, expecting the feeling of Kris' lips to meet her halfway.

But while she expected a kiss between her and Kris, she received nothing. Confused at the absence of lip locking, her eyes opened to see an empty spot. "Ralsei?" Kris' voice said behind her. She turned around to see Kris talking to Ralsei. "You are a lovely monster." he explained, earning a blush from the prince.

"Geez, quite forward, aren't you Kris?" Ralsei could only say, his hand gently rubbing the back of his own neck as his eyes averted elsewhere. Kris smiled, for expected this sort of reaction from Ralsei. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I should say that you're handsome instead." he said, earning a bigger blush from Ralsei. He then continued.

"I admit, I was unsure how I felt about you at first. The way you spoke to me and Susie just felt off to me. But after spending a lot of time with you, and sharing a few hugs never hurt either, I see that you're a cute monster that's looking out for all of us. You're so helpful, you're considerate to the feelings of others and overall, you care. Not just about me, Susie and Noelle, but others. I'd even say you could be a better mentor to Lancer than Rouxls could be."

Ralsei was speechless. He just stood there, his mouth hanging slightly open, unable to form words. "K...Kris... I..." he began, before he suddenly felt his hands being softly gripped. He glanced down and noticed the human's hands interlocked with his own. "Kris...?!" the prince stammered, surprised at such an action. He glanced back up at Kris, who was smiling warmly at him, much like how he was with Susie.

"I haven't even gotten into how adorable you look either. I mean, when lights hit your fur at certain points, it makes it look like fresh snow. Your eyes are almost like a pair of golden coins to me, especially when you look into mine. And the horns... my god, the horns. They're so cute to me. I don't know how you got them in your genetics, since mom, dad and Asriel never had horns, but still. Like Noelle said, even your glasses, while oversized for you, look cute when they're over your eyes." Kris stated.

Ralsei could only stand there. He was flattered at Kris' confession, but at the same time, he didn't know what to say either. Kris let go of the fluffy boy's hands and moved on to his last crush, Noelle. Unlike the previous crushes Kris had, Noelle greeted Kris with the same warm smile that he had shown the others. Also unlike the previous two, as Kris got closer to her, she took Kris' hands in hers. The two looked into each other's eyes, full affections present, before Kris spoke.

"And finally... you, Noelle. All those things I said that night... they were true. I always found you beautiful. There are so many memories that I hold close to my heart. All those pranks, all those nights of singing we shared. Everything. And in every single one of those memories, those thoughts about you lingered inside my mind. I couldn't ask for a better childhood friend than you." Kris said, smiling, Noelle returning said emotion back to him. After a few seconds however, Kris' smile faded into a saddened frown.

"Although, I do wish we could be more at times. Dare I say it, as we were growing up together, you became the first girl that I developed a crush on while we were kids. I would've told you sooner, but you know how the old cliche goes: the childhood friend holds onto their love because they fear that confessing will ruin the friendship after so many years. But right now, I feel like I should be honest with you. There's a lot of things I love about you. I mean there's-."

Kris was about to speak when Noelle placed a finger onto his lips, silencing him effectively. "It's okay Kris, you don't have to explain. I love you too." she said, removing her finger from his lips. She then leaned forward, aiming to kiss him, her eyes slowly closing, Kris starting to do the same. However, Susie's voice interrupted with a "Sheesh, will you both get a room already?", abruptly putting a stop to their would be kiss.

There was an awkward silence in the elevator, before Susie spoke up with a "That just leaves one more monster in this room.", everybody's gaze turning to Ralsei, Kris having a knowing smirk on his face. It took a few seconds for him to realize that all eyes were on him. "Wh... wha-? Wait, you guys want to know how I feel about you all?" Ralsei stammered, his cheeks firing up with a blush. Noelle smiled at her friend. "We all did the same Ralsei, it's only fair that you do so too." she said to him. Ralsei could only stand there, his feet awkwardly shuffling against the elevator floor and his index fingers pressing together.

It was pretty clear that Ralsei wasn't as comfortable with sharing his feelings as the others were. "Uhh... well... I think you guys are cool. I like you all." Ralsei said to them, after a bit of pondering of what to say. The others weren't buying it though, even they knew the socially awkward goat felt more than he was letting on to them. "Again, cut the crap. Tell us how you REALLY feel, dude." Susie let out, frustrated by Ralsei deliberately leaving out how he actually felt. The prince felt a sense of worry upon hearing that. "Well, here it goes..." he thought to himself, but just as he opened his mouth...

"Geez, it feels like forever since I did something like this with friends."

Ralsei shut his mouth immediately. It WAS his voice, but they didn't come from him. He looked around the elevator at where this duplicate could've came from. Susie and Noelle looked confused as they bare witness to Ralsei glancing around. This was until the prince laid eyes on Kris, holding up his phone, a cruel smirk plastered onto his face. The audio continued playing on the phone, the girls now turning and realizing where it was coming from. "You know, I had a think... about you guys. Ever since that night..."

Ralsei's eyes went wide in shock as it suddenly dawned on him what Kris was playing. It was the confession he gave the night before! "Kris, no! Stop playing that audio!" he said in a panic as he suddenly moved forward, intending to snatch the phone off of Kris. The human swiftly moved back, still holding the phone up as if to taunt him, as the girls grabbed Ralsei's arms, holding him in place, leaving him to struggle against them, trying to break free from his new bonds.

"Girls! What are you both doing?! Please let me go! I don't want him to play that audio!" Ralsei protested, trying to resist the girls' grips. "If you won't tell us, we'll let your past self tell us for you!" Susie snapped back, her grip not letting go of his arm. He was about to protest when the first set of damning words were heard by all. His first thoughts about Susie.

"...overall, aside from your bravery, your appearance is kinda hot to me. The way your hair flows, how you look in purple, the yellow eyes you have. They're beautiful." was all they picked up. Susie, upon hearing the description of her, turned in shock. "Wh... what?" she could only say as she let go of Ralsei's arm, causing it to fall to his side, limp. Kris rewound the audio as she walked towards the phone, making sure every piece of audio was clear. It then played again, as Ralsei managed to break free from Noelle's grip with a simple tug. Ralsei's cheeks burned as the audio continued, moving on from Susie to Kris.

The goat turned away from the others, his back of his middle finger gently pressed against his mouth. There was NO way he was gonna watch for their reactions after they hear what he thought about them. It was a painful process for him. Hearing him spill the beans over the audio recording. First about Susie, then to Kris and finally, to Noelle. It was bad enough it was HIS voice saying those things, but the fact he had no idea about it until now made it worse. Then... came the biggest statement he made during that confession:

"Screw it. I might as well just say it now. I... I love you guys. With all my heart."

Ralsei clamped his eyes shut. He dare not turn around now. He felt as though they were silently judging him as they took every word from his confession. After the audio was over, he was greeted by silence, although this silence didn't last long as he then heard a "Ralsei?" from Noelle, followed by a "Turn around Ralsei" from Susie. The prince said nothing. He only shook his head to signify that he wasn't going to do that.

"Ralsei, look at us!" Susie said, sounding frustrated. Slowly, Ralsei turned his head, his face now becoming visible to the others once again. To his relief however, they weren't angry or upset with him at all. In fact, aside from Susie's look of annoyance from having to repeat her command, they all seemed touched by Ralsei's words. Noelle having a warm smile on her face as her eyes met the prince's. After a pause, Ralsei turned his body around entirely.

"Well, there. I just said everything. Are you guys happy now? Or is there any more audio you want to embarrass me with, Kris?!" Ralsei said, his voice straining with that last tirade aimed at Kris, who was still smirking at the fluffy boy. The human just shook his head. "Nah, I got everything I needed." He said with a smug demeanor about him as he put his phone away.

Once the phone was gone, his smugness faded. "But being serious for a second, I'm really flattered you feel that way about me Ralsei. I haven't had someone fall for me in a long time." he said, pressing his fingers together, much like Noelle and Ralsei did in the past. "Yeah dude. I think it's... cute that you said all that, even if we were asleep when you did so." Susie added, Noelle nodding in agreement. "I like hearing your thoughts, Ralsei. And I think it's cute that you were so open with us." she added.

After a pause however, Susie frowned. "Though, that leaves us with another problem." Everybody's eyes were on her, looks of confusion on their faces. "Wh-what's up?" Kris asked, causing Susie to throw her arms out to the side, as if she thought the problem was blatantly obvious. "Well, duh! We ALL like each other! If one goes with another, that leaves two of them in the dust! This confession thing has left us with more problems than it has solutions!" she explained. It was clear she was getting frustrated by this outcome.

After a pause, Kris then raised a finger as a suggestion came to him. "Well, two of us could get together and then if it doesn't work out, you can have them." he said. Susie then shot a glance at the human in response. "What? And wait a possible good number of years waiting for whoever I wish to be with to either break up or divorce the one they're with? That's not gonna totally destroy friendships!" she said, her comment practically oozing with sarcasm with the last statement.

Kris lowered his finger. As much as it hurt, Susie was right. If for instance, he got with either Noelle or Ralsei and had Susie wait her turn to be with him, who knows how long she'd be waiting. Not to mention the possibility of somebody else coming along and stealing her heart. Susie then sighed, before speaking her mind. "You know what? Maybe we should forget about it. I mean, it isn't fair on ANY of us to form relationships with each other and we CERTAINLY can't all be in a relationship at once!"

"Well, what's stopping us from trying that out?"

Everybody looked at Noelle, surprised she made that suggestion. The doe took glances at her friends as all eyes were on her. "I mean... it might be fun if we dated each other at the same time." she added, a shy blush forming on her cheeks. Ralsei and Kris broke their stares of Noelle and took a glance at each other, before snapping back to Noelle. Susie could only stare at her female friend, wide eyed at the suggestion, still trying to piece the things she said together.

"I mean, it's not a bad idea, I'd be happy to try it out, but... isn't having multiple partners in one time... illegal in this country?" Susie asked, unsure of how to word her question. Everything she had just said was the first thing that popped into her head, although it came out easily, it still came out rather choppy for her liking, like a set of violent waves going down a river. Noelle looked over at Susie. "N-no. What you're thinking of Susie, is polygamy, where you're married to multiple partners. That practice IS illegal in about... half of the world. Polyamory on the other hand, isn't." Noelle corrected.

Polyamory. Kris had heard that expression before in various novels, movies and the like, but he had never seen or heard in real life. Judging from Susie's reaction, it must've been the same for her. Ralsei was alien to such a phrase. He had never heard of such an act, and thus, he was the first to step forward and say "Okay, I gotta be honest, I found the idea of being with three others felt wrong at first, but if it's with you guys, I'll give this 'polyamory' thing a shot.", complete with a smile. Kris blushed, shocked that Ralsei was eager to try it out. Ralsei glanced at him, smile still present on his face.

"You never know until you try it, Kris. It might be fun for all of us to be together." the prince explained. Seeing how comfortable Ralsei was at the idea, Kris created a smile of his own. "Alright, I'll give it a shot too." he said, Susie turned around in surprise at hearing this. "D... dude?" she could only ask before Noelle said "Okay, I'm up for it also." and looked upon her, awaiting for the purple girl's acceptance to give a polyamorous relationship a go.

All eyes were on Susie, each of them having a smile on their faces, eager to see if Susie would join them. She wasn't sure at first. She had boyfriends in the past, but she never thought about being with three other people. This was it. She would be the girlfriend of two boys and another girl. This felt wrong to her, as though she was being unfaithful to them already, even though she knew what being polyamorous meant. That being said, she felt like this might be her one chance to get with them. A smile crept onto her face as she made her mind up.

"Alright, I'm in."

Susie, smiling widely, raised her arms outward, inviting the others in for a hug. Noelle, tears forming in her eyes, walked into Susie's arms, Kris following suite. Once both were in her grasp, Susie closed her arms, placing the two childhood friends in her embrace. For the first time in a while, Susie felt happy, as did Kris. Maybe now, they could finally find some peace within themselves. The three stayed locked in that hug for a few seconds, before realizing Ralsei hadn't joined them, staying in his corner of the elevator.

"Dude, why aren't you joining us? Aren't you happy you're in a relationship with us?" Susie asked the goat boy. Ralsei stepped forward, awkwardly pressing his fingers together. "Well, technically... I'm not actually with you guys yet. Down here, whenever Darkners form relationships, there's a ritual that needs to be done. I've seen it a couple of times before, but I've never thought I'd be doing it myself. It's usually between a couple as well, never with more than 2 people." Ralsei explained. The hug broke as the others glanced at Ralsei. Kris then shrugged. "Well, what are you waiting for? Why not do the ritual now?"

Ralsei's eyes went wide. "Y... you want ME to do the ritual for all of us?" he asked. Kris nodded, Susie said "Yeah, you want to be with us right?" and Noelle adding in a "I don't see the problem behind it." to the goat prince. Ralsei paused, processing that his friends want to go ahead with said ritual, despite not knowing what exactly it entailed. Nothing dangerous, but it was certainly something. Ralsei then stepped forward further, towards the center of the elevator. "Alright, if that's what you guys want, we'll do it." he said. He then proceeded to hold out his hand to the others.

They all looked at it confused. Ralsei then explained. "For the ritual to start, you'll all need to hold onto my hand." The group were still nervous. Such a simple act, but they had a feeling this act would lead to something bigger than they could imagine. Kris was the first to walk forward, placing his hand in Ralsei's. Feeling confidence seeing her friend do so, Noelle then walked up, locking her hand with the boys. After a few seconds of mentally preparing herself, Susie was the last to do so. There they were, standing in the center of the elevator, a small tower of hands between them.

Ralsei then shut his eyes as he raised his free hand up. "By the powers of the darkness invested in me, I commence the bonding ritual to commence." he said out loud. Almost immediately after those words were said, Kris, Noelle and Susie noticed a fog starting to surround them, the elevator itself fading into the haze. What was strange about this fog was the various colors within it. Noelle became familiar with the meaning of each color as she bear witness to them taking forms.

The first color she noticed was red, the color of excitement, passion, love, desire, power and the like. The next color: pink, the color of love, romance, calmness and tenderness. Beige and ivory followed. Noelle remembered from her, Kris and Susie's classes that this color represented unification, a fitting word for what the four agreed to do. There was also white, all colors formed together. In symbolism, it represented reverence, purity, peace, humility, precision and innocence. There was also shades of lavender and turquoise with the fog, but red, pink, beige and white were the main colors of this fog.

Shutting his eyes and his face contorted into one of focus, Ralsei then spun his arm in a circle. The group looked up and saw a ring of light forming above them, the same ring forming around them on the ground. The circle seemed to slowly turn as it hung over them. Happy with the ring's energy, Ralsei opened his eyes, his golden eyes looking upon the others. With a smile, he spoke.

"The heavens have been gathered here to witness the bonding of four souls. The owners of said souls shall protect, love and cherish those to which they have agreed to bond with. May each of them find peace with their company, through stormy weather and the troubles that life may give them. May they be together to support each other through hard times and through good times."

Such beautiful wording. Kris and Noelle glanced at each other, noticing that their clothing was fading into their Light World clothing. They then noticed the same was happening to Ralsei and Susie. Although, Susie seemed too focused on the prince to notice. Her smile present, she wiped away a tear that was forming in her eyes. Ralsei then got down onto one knee, still holding onto his friend's hands. The group blushed. If they didn't know better, they would've said that Ralsei was about to propose to them. The prince looked each of them in the eyes, starting with Kris.

"Kristopher Liam Dreemur..." he said, shifting his attention to Noelle, looking her in the eyes. "Noelle Merrian Holiday..." he said before finally turning his attention to Susie. "And Suzanne Alicia Accrue..."

Ralsei then leaned down and planted his lips onto the hand pile, kissing Susie's hand which was on top. Despite this, Noelle and Kris felt the same kiss on their hands as well. He then sat up and continued with a simple question for the three: "Are you ready to have your souls bonded? To protect, love and cherish each other until the end of your natural lives? And to vow to be loving and devoted partners, without judgment or scorn and with an open heart and mind?"

The group was silent in this foggy realm. This only lasted for a few seconds before Noelle was the first to answer. "I am." she said with a smile. Kris followed suit with his own "I am.", his own smile accompanying the agreement. All that was left was Susie. "How on earth did you know our full names?" she asked, before a gentle nudge from Noelle made her correct herself. "I mean, I am." she said, a blush forming on her cheeks, just like many times before. With a smile, Ralsei dipped his head, the others following suite, as though they were familiar with the ritual by this point.

"Then from this point on, our souls shall be intertwined by the red strings of fate, and the rivers of darkness that bind light and shadow together, till death do us part." Ralsei said. Almost immediately after the words were said, a strong gust of wind blew through the area, seeming to originate from Ralsei's hand. The ring of energy above them began to spin faster as the fog began to swirl. Red strings began to come down from the 'sky' and made their ways around the group's bodies. Once it reached each of their souls, it split and connected with others, forming the bond that Ralsei spoke of.

After a few seconds, the wind died down and the fog, as quickly as it appeared, vanished, leaving the group back in the elevator. Happy that the ritual was successful, he released the group's hands, all of them back in their Dark World outfits. "And thus, the pact has been formed. We're now officially together." he said, smiling warmly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. This was a remarkable moment for him, something to cherish until his dying days. Although, it seemed the others didn't feel any different, as they looked at each other confused. "Umm, was something meant to happen, Ralsei dude?" Susie asked. "I mean even after that little light show you gave, I don't-."

Noelle suddenly interrupted Susie with a exclamation of shock. "Oh my god, Susie! You've got a ring on your finger!", this notice accompanied by her pointer at her crush's finger. The reptile looked at her ring finger on her left hand. Indeed there was a ring on it, made of what looked like silver, complete with a small purple gem on it. If Susie had to guess, it was more than likely an amethyst diamond encased within the ring itself. "Oh my god..." Susie could only say as she gazed upon the new accessory she had on her.

This made the others curious. Noelle then looked down at her finger, finding a similar ring, only the diamond was an orange stone that reflected the lights off of it, more than likely a Pumpkin Diamond. Kris glanced at his right hand, but was disappointed to find none. He then glanced at his left hand to find his ring. This one being gold, complete with a cyan diamond. Kris smiled at how nice it looked. "Is... is that an opal diamond?" Kris thought to himself as he studied the diamond in his ring. "You're not the only ones." Ralsei then said, getting everyone's attention.

They looked up to see Ralsei holding up his left hand, a green diamond encrusted ring visible on his finger. If they had to guess, Ralsei's diamond was more than likely an emerald. "These rings contain part of our souls, a little something to keep us together. As long as the rings hold part of us, they will never be able to slip off. Think of them almost like being painlessly welded to your fingers. You guys don't have to worry about losing them at all!" he explained with a smile.

The elevator was, once again, soundless. This was broken by Kris giving a "Huh." in response to what Ralsei had said. The prince frowned. "Hmm? Is something the matter Kris?" he asked. The human stammered. "N-no! No. Nothing's wrong, it's just... back in our world, we don't do a massive show when making a relationship official. We usually just do one action." he explained. Ralsei tilted his head in intrigue, his hand coming up to rest on his lips. "Oh? What is this action?" he asked.

Kris opened his mouth, but Susie was quick to answer. It was a simple word, but it was something that made everyone blush profusely:

"A kiss."

"A k- a ki-ki-k- a kiss?!" Ralsei stammered in surprise, making sure he heard his purple girlfriend correctly. Susie nodded. "Yep, usually people kiss each other to make their relationship official." Ralsei glanced at Noelle, who, after a brief locking of eyes, nodded slowly, her own cheeks burning with embarrassment as she confirmed this detail. Ralsei glanced at the others, who were watching his every emotion and movement as his mind raced with what to say next. "But I...!" he began, before realizing he had to make another confession. He dropped his head in shame before spilling the beans:

"I've never kissed anyone before."

After a pause, Susie let out a soft laugh. "Dude, that's nothing to be ashamed of. I've had my fair share of kisses." she explained. Almost immediately, there was a snort and a giggle from behind her. She turned back and saw Kris trying very hard to stop himself from laughing. "What?! I HAVE kissed people and monsters before!" she snapped, blushing as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Once he was able to stop, Kris gave a simple "C'mon Susie, don't bullshit me.", a grin on his face. It was true though: while Susie had partners in the past, she never managed to get a kiss from them. She was still a virgin of the lips.

Susie could only grit her teeth, before turning back to face Ralsei, who was looking quite confused at the events going on before him. "Okay dude, I'M gonna be your first kiss. You can thank me later." Susie quickly said to the prince. He was only able to get out a "Wait, wha-?" before Susie crashed her lips onto his. Kris, who was smirking at the idea of Susie kissing someone, went wide eyed at the sights in front of him. Even Noelle was surprised at how forward Susie had gotten.

Ralsei's mind went blank in that moment. This... this was it. His first kiss. And it was with Susie of all monsters. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates as this alien feeling overloaded his senses. He could swear he heard both of their heartbeats pumping inside his head as the two continued to lock lips. The sense of shock eventually became replaced with a new feeling for the goat prince: euphoria. Finding the strength to move again, Ralsei's eyes closed as his arms made their way to Susie's back, gently pressing down so that Susie would keep kissing him.

Susie smirked as she felt Ralsei begin to kiss her back. She got him right where she wanted him. And she must admit, she was pleasantly surprised at how good of a kisser Ralsei was, despite never having done so in the past. The soft clicking of their lips as they parted, only to rejoin gave a sense of peace to the elevator's atmosphere. Kris and Noelle watched on, blushing as what was going on in front of them reminded them of the kiss between them that fateful night.

After a few seconds, Ralsei and Susie broke their kiss, the euphoric sensation the two sharing fading as their bodies separated. Ralsei just stood there, his eyes closed, reliving that moment in his mind. "Wow." was all that he could say in the afterglow of him and Susie's kiss. Susie smirked at this reaction, although she was in a bit of an afterglow state too. Unlike the goat prince, she was trying hard not to show that. Susie turned back to face Kris and Noelle, who were standing beside each other in awe.

"Well? You guys gonna do the same or what?" Susie asked them. Kris and Noelle snapped out of their awe and looked at each other. They then blushed, the thought of them sharing another kiss making them feel awkward. But then again, it was something they both wanted to do with each other. Sure, that night might've lead to some mistakes, but part of them won't deny that they enjoyed the kiss they shared. "You... you want us to kiss as well?" Noelle asked nervously. Susie only gave a simple "Well, duh! Me and Ralsei smooched, so it's only fair you both do the same!", Ralsei quickly butting in with a "If you guys want to, that is."

The two friends looked at each other. The thought of them kissing made them blush, adding to the numerous times they've done so within the last 10 minutes of everyone being inside this big metal box. "Sh...should we?" Noelle asked her friend, unsure if she should go ahead. Kris smiled warmly and replied with "Only if you want to.", Noelle giving a warm smile back. Noelle looked back at the two other lovebirds briefly, before looking back at Kris. "Well, I kind of do to be honest." Noelle confessed. Kris continued to smile at her, as he then said "In that case, don't hold back."

This was it. They were gonna kiss each other. They both had been dreaming of this moment since they were kids, but they never thought they'd see the day they'd actually have the chance to achieve this fantasy of theirs. If this was some cheesy motion picture that the two had watched, this would more than likely be a scene in which the dialogue is silent and all audio within said scene is replaced by some copyrighted and familiar love ballad playing over the scene. Either that, or some sort of swelling score building up to that big damn kiss between them both.

The two turned so that their bodies faced one another entirely. Noelle took a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled from her mouth, before walking up to Kris, the two meeting halfway Their bodies pressed together, they both looked into each other's eyes lovingly. There was so much desire that could be seen and felt within them. The two childhood friends smiled at each other before leaning in... although it was made awkward since as they leaned in, they tilted their heads in the same direction, to the right.

Upon realizing this, the two backed up, embarrassed. "I'm sorry Kris, I think I just..." Noelle stammered with Kris giving a "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were going..." before they both leaned in to try again, this time both turning their heads to the left. They realized this again, backing up to meet each other's eyesight and apologizing. Ralsei gave a little giggle at the scene playing in front of him, while Susie just smiled, amused by the events. Kris then gently grabbed Noelle's cheeks in his palms and tilted her head to the right slightly. "Oh okay, this... this works." Noelle said, before leaning in again, both of their eyes closing.

Kris tilted his head to the left as he leaned in, finally allowing the human and the doe's lips to lock. The same euphoric feeling that they felt that night returned, only stronger than before as the two kissed. Kris' hands moved from Noelle's face, down her shoulders and stopped at her lower back, holding her close as the two continued. Noelle's armed rose to wrap themselves around the back of Kris' neck, just like how they did during the night they were alone. There was passion behind the kiss this time. This... this was true love felt like for the two friends.

The two didn't want to stop, but the need to breathe overtook them both. As a result, the two parted, their eyes slowly opening. The two smiled at each other. The silence was broken by Noelle of them saying "Hey Kris, have you... kissed anyone else other than me before? Because you're a really good kisser." Kris just shook his head. Not counting the kiss he shared with Noelle while under the influence, this was his first kiss. The two looked over at the others, who were smiling themselves. "Hey... Susie. You wouldn't mind if we...?" Kris began, before Susie held up a simple index finger, telling him to shut his mouth.

"I know EXACTLY what you want, Kris. Come here and get it." Susie said in the most flirtatious manner she could, her finger made a beckoning motion. Kris smirked. It seemed Susie was just eager to try this out as he was. Kris walked up to Susie and almost immediately, planted his lips against hers, their eyes slamming shut as they kissed, seemingly more intense than the previous kisses they shared with their respected partners.

Both Kris and Susie even seemed to let out a few moans as they locked lips aggressively. Susie's hands gripped onto Kris' hair while Kris' hands dug into Susie's back, coming dangerously close to groping her ass at points, though Kris had a feeling she wouldn't have minded in this situation. Still, he chose to play it safe. The two were obviously not gonna hold back on how they felt for each other. Judging from how rough they were, it seemed that both Susie and Kris had wanted to do this with each other for a long time. Now that they had their chance in front of them, they most certainly were not going to waste it!

Ralsei and Noelle could only watch as Kris and Susie smooched, Noelle's eyes burning a little with what seemed to be jealousy, her wishing to be in Kris' place. Sure, they were all each other's boyfriend and girlfriend now and she DID finally get her kiss with Kris, but her heart STILL lay with Susie, just as much as it did for the human. She was the one that stood out the most and she was eager to get her kissing game on with her.

She then heard Ralsei next to her clear his throat. Upon turning to face him, she was greeted by the sight of the prince holding out his hand. "I know you want to kiss Susie too. She has the kiss of an angel if you ask me. But until you get the chance... you want to try kissing me?" Ralsei asked her, blushing profusely. The doe pondered for a few seconds. There was no way that kissing Ralsei was gonna feel the same as kissing Susie, but since he was her boyfriend now, she thought that it wouldn't hurt to do so. Smiling, Noelle lifted her own hand and placed it inside Ralsei's.

The two walked towards each other until they were practically touching each other and after a seconds of mentally preparing themselves, leaned forward, their eyes closing, until their lips met. The two's kiss, in contrast to Kris and Susie's, while passionate, was a lot slower and tender. If there was music for this scene, it would either be grand and passionate, representing how everyone felt for each other in that moment or the chorus to a pop song blasting out as they felt each other's embrace and lips.

On one side of the elevator, you had Kris and Susie roughly smooching each other, hands rubbing all over each other's bodies, grabbing lustfully at each other's clothes. On the other, you had Noelle and Ralsei sharing a tender kiss between them, simply ensnared in each others embrace, simply letting the kiss they were sharing do all the talking that was needed.

After a good few seconds, Ralsei and Noelle broke their kiss, still holding onto each other. They both looked lovingly into each other's eyes, feeling total heaven inside their hearts. As they looked at each other, Kris and Susie breathlessly stopped their kissing, their tongues hanging loosely out of their mouths with a small trail of saliva between them. It seemed the two tried a bit of French kissing for their first time. The two lovers locked eyes with their partners across the room, then walked over hand in hand.

"Well, you guys seem to have gotten used to the taste of each other's lips." Kris said teasingly with a smirk. Ralsei, blushing, walked up and gave Kris a slight push. "Screw off Kris!" he said defensively. The human could only laugh as Susie walked over to stand beside Noelle. Upon noticing this, Kris gestured for Ralsei to come on over. Once the prince was next to him, he whispered something into the goat's ear, making occasional glances at the girls.

Ralsei's eyes went wide as he blushed at whatever idea Kris shared with him. "Dude, trust me. It'll be hot." Kris whispered, prompting Susie to ask "What? What'll be hot?". Kris smirked as he looked back at the girls, while Ralsei seemed to look unsure and embarrassed. "Well, we're all each other's boyfriends and girlfriends now, and you said a kiss is usually done to make it official. Considering that, we've yet to see you girls kiss yet." Kris explained with a smug demeanor about him.

The two blushed profusely, almost as much as Ralsei. "W... wait a minute. You want me to kiss Noelle?" Susie asked, her voice full of uncertainty. Noelle on the other hand, looked away from her crush, her fingers pressed together. Kris glanced over at his childhood friend and upon meeting eyes with her, gave a subtle head tilt in Susie's direction, almost as if to say "You know you want to." without saying a word. Noelle glanced over at Susie, who was still flustered at the suggestion of her and Noelle kissing.

"I mean... I... wouldn't mind, dude. Noelle's a sweetheart, she really is. But I don't know if Noelle would WANT me to kiss her, especially since she was just kissing you boys a few minutes ago and-."

Susie was interrupted by a sudden grab of her jacket and a pull towards Noelle. Her eyes went wide as she felt her lips pressed against the deer's, her hands opening in shock as her arms hung limp either side of her body. She had noticed that Noelle's eyes were shut, intent on kissing the more brutish girl that she had a crush on. Her mind raced with a million thoughts all at once, but those thoughts eventually faded into pleasure as Susie shut her eyes and began to kiss Noelle back, her arms wrapping themselves around the more reserved girl's waist.

Kris smirked at the scene playing out in front of him, while Ralsei was stunned. His eyes were wide, but he was... kind of enjoying it also. "You see dude? I told you watching Noelle and Susie smooch would be hot." Kris whispered, not taking his eyes off the girls. Ralsei smiled, as the two did a little friendship gesture that Kris taught Ralsei when they were alone together, Kris bumping his fist on the top of Ralsei's, followed by Ralsei doing the same, ending with the two fist bumping each other.

Susie and Noelle broke their kiss a few seconds later. Noelle backed off, blushing as she uttered "I'm sorry Susie. It's just... I've always wanted to do that with you. And-.", before she was interrupted by Susie shushing her softly and placing a finger onto her lips. "I'm flattered Noelle. I really am. I enjoyed that little kiss we shared, and I hope we can do the same again soon." Susie told her, a warm smile on her face. The doe looked over at the boys, who were smiling at the scene. It was then she had an idea.

She then got Susie to lean close to her and whispered something into her ear, pointing at the boys as she spoke. Susie, who glanced over at Kris and Ralsei while Noelle whispered, had her mouth fall open smiling. Whatever Noelle had just told her, she must've liked the idea. Noelle then backed away from Susie, a smirk on her face, the same one that Kris would often do. "Actually, now that we've had a think about it, we think it would be right if you boys..." Noelle uttered, not once dropping her newly found smug demeanor.

The boys' smiles faded in confusion. Kris made a look at Susie, who, much like he did to Noelle, did the same subtle head tilt and glance in Ralsei's direction. Kris glanced over at Ralsei, who was also looking at him. If Kris had to guess, Noelle must've done the same thing to him. The two boys blushed as it dawned on them what the girls were asking them to do. "I would only be fair if you boys kissed too." Susie said, a smirk on her face. Kris, blushing, laughed nervously as his eyes began to dart around the elevator.

"I mean, I WOULD kiss Ralsei. It's just that... I've never actually kissed another guy before." he explained. Noelle then stepped forward, resting a hand on Kris' shoulder. "Well, it's just us in here. I'm sure nobody's gonna know about it. And besides, who would care if they did?" she said before stepping back to Susie's side. Kris was about to protest when Ralsei said something that surprised him:

"Kris. I don't mind if you want to kiss me at all."

The human noticed the blush on Ralsei's face. Despite this, it seemed like kissing Kris was something Ralsei wanted to do also. He glanced back at the girls, who were smiling at him, eager to see the boys smooch just like how they did. Kris then turned himself so that his body was fully facing Ralsei. "Are you sure you want to do this, dude? It's just, I've never kissed another-." Kris began to explain, before feeling Ralsei's paws on his cheeks, forcing him to look Ralsei in the eyes, a serious expression on his face.

"Kris, please. I WANT you to kiss me. The only monsters here besides us are Susie and Noelle. They've already kissed for us, so it's only fair that we do the same for them too." He said, holding onto Kris' face. "Plus, I'm a little curious myself on how it feels to kiss another boy." Ralsei then admitted with a blush and a glance to the side. The human sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want..." Kris said before taking a step forward, Ralsei's hands moving from his cheeks to around his waist, while Kris placed his hands around the back of Ralsei's neck, just like how Noelle did to him.

Ralsei gave a small smile as he looked into Kris' eyes. Kris smiled back before it quickly faded. The two boys leaned in, their eyes closing. By the time their eyes were shut, their lips pressed together. To Kris, this was a surprisingly pleasant experience. Ralsei's lips felt soft, much like his fur, minus the fur itself of course. Kris pulled Ralsei closer to his body, deepening the kiss between the two boys. The girls on the other hand, looked at each other and smiled as they took in the sight of Kris and Ralsei sharing a rather passionate kiss.

This felt like heaven for Ralsei. His first kiss with another boy and it was just as good as kissing either Noelle or Susie. It felt like there were fireworks going off inside his head as multiple synapses fired one after the other, each burst filled with pleasure and strong affection for the human he was sharing his kiss with. This was also the case in Kris' head too; there were so many emotions and thoughts being scrambled as he continued to lock lips with his friend. He never thought that kissing Ralsei would feel just as good as kissing any of the girls.

After a few seconds of kissing, the two separated, opening their eyes. They both looked into each other's eyes, Kris giving a simple "That felt... amazing." to Ralsei, before the goat pulled Kris into a hug, one he happily returned. Noelle and Susie walked up to the boys and wrapped their arms around them also, forming a living, breathing cocoon of sorts around them. Their warmth feeling euphoric for all four of them, their souls aflutter with love for each other and a strong bond between them.

"Guys, I... I love you." Ralsei said, his voice filled with emotion. There was a brief pause before Noelle broke the silence with her declaration of love. "I love you too Ralsei.", Susie following with a "Yeah. I love you too dude.". Finally was Kris, who with a smile, said his own declaration too. "I love you so much Ralsei, just as much as I do Noelle and Susie." The goat prince smiled, happy with the bond he had created with his now boyfriend and girlfriends. With this bond, they hoped for a bright future between them. Where they stay together until death does them part, just like in Ralsei's words when he commenced the ritual.

---

The elevator dinged as the doors opened to the throne room. All four of them walked out, Kris holding Noelle's hand, while Susie held onto Ralsei's. After a few minutes of walking, they met up with Rouxls Kaard, who was seated upon the throne to the Dark World, Lancer sitting on the floor next to said throne, playing with some sort of toy. The throne itself was facing out the window. Kris, Susie and Noelle weren't certain, but they had a feeling it was facing away from the window the last time they were here. Ralsei cleared his throat before speaking. "You wanted to speak to us Rouxls?"

The duke rose out of the throne and turned around to face them. "Ah yes!" he said as he walked towards them. He then stopped a few feet away, leaning down to glance at each of them. "I must say I'm very happy that you're okay Ralsei. I was worried sick that the spell took you somewhere that would get you hurt." Rouxls explained, trying very hard not to show any emotions that might suggest concern. Ralsei smiled, happy that as much as Rouxls Kaard was a little aloof at times, he made sure that Ralsei was okay.

"Thank you for your concern Rouxls, but Kris allowed me to stay at his place for the while. I met up with his parents and brother and I really enjoyed my time up there." Ralsei said, accompanied by a smile, one that his partners always thought was rather cute. Rouxls Kaard seemed more at ease upon hearing this as he stood back up, looking over at Kris.

"Well, Kris. I must thank you for offering Ralsei some sanctuary in your home. I assume that you made sure that he was looked after during his stay?" Rouxls Kaard asked him. Kris didn't say anything, just gave a simple nod. Rouxls turned away from the group and began to walk towards the window. "Good. And he hasn't used any of his magic while up there, has he?" The duke asked. Kris, surprised at such a question, turned to face the others, who looked just as confused as he was.

"Umm, not that I'm aware of. Why is Ralsei casting magic such an issue?" Kris asked. The duke stopped in his tracks, Lancer standing up and walking over to his side. Rouxls looked out the window, his gaze not averting from the glass as he explained. Lancer, who usually had a chipper toothy smile with his tongue hanging out, looked strangely nervous, as if the question Kris had just asked was going to uncover some horrific truth about Ralsei's magic.

"Because Kris, we're unsure of how well Darkner magic will work up on the surface. I assume that Ralsei never told about the last Darkner prince who tried such an act?"

Kris glanced over at Ralsei, who was looking forward in what seemed to be confusion. "What... what are you talking about? I was never told about this." Ralsei answered. Rouxls looked surprised, although the four couldn't see this as he made sure to hide his shock. Having his back to them certainly helped at least. He then turned around, facing the group once more. "Come along with me and I'll tell you all everything." he said, before walking over to a nearby doorway, Lancer following suite.

Kris was about to walk forward, when Noelle's voice stopped him. "Hey Kris, is it okay... is it okay if we hold hands?" she asked. The human turned back, finding that Noelle had already locked a hand with Susie's. He then turned back to the doorway briefly, before holding out his hand with a "Sure.", which Noelle, without a second thought, took in her own. Ralsei took up the back, gripping onto Susie's free hand, the four lovers now making a chain together out of their arms, Kris leading the way as he walked forward.

Rouxls lead the group out onto a balcony, looking over the scarlet forest, a few Rudinns and Hathys paroling through the lush sea of trees. The soldiers appearing and then vanishing behind the red leaves that fluttered and swayed with the wind. From up on this balcony, it was like they were various breeds of fish swimming around in the ocean, coming up for any food that floated on the surface of the water before going back under as a wave crashes over them. Such a view was beautiful for the four. How come Rouxls Kaard didn't invite them out here earlier?

"There's a legend that involves a prince just like you, Ralsei." The duke began to explain once everyone was caught up to him. "They were curious, eager to learn new spells, always trying new things out, regardless of what others thought or said to them. Until one day, while venturing upon the surface world, they tried out using Darkner magic. As to be expected, it awed and wowed the surface dwellers and they traveled the globe, inspiring others with his magic and miracles."

After Rouxls paused, Noelle spoke up. "That doesn't sound so bad." she said, Susie nodding in agreement. "Maybe so, but..." Rouxls then said, holding up a finger. As Rouxls continued, what he described began to play out in the group's minds like a film reel playing through an old projector. "This wizard was naive. He started teacher Lightners how to do Darkner magic as well. It was easy for them to do. They started using it in their day to day lives, but one student of theirs became corrupted by this magic. Over time, that student used it against their fellow Lightners and became what you would call... a tyrant."

Ralsei raised his free hand to his mouth in shock. None of his books back in his castle mentioned ANYTHING about this. He would've more than likely told the others had he known about it sooner. Lancer glanced over to the others and upon seeing their hands locked, gestured and mouthed to them to release them immediately. Seeing the usually so happy Lancer turn serious was a shock to them and they quickly stopped holding hands. Lancer turned back to his lesser dad as he continued.

"They ruled over Lightners with a iron fist, treated them like slaves and anybody foolish enough to challenge their authority would find themselves executed. After many years, this wizard confronted the tyrant and this negotiation of theirs turned into a duel. Luckily, the wizard was able to strike the tyrant down and destroy him. But to the kings and queens of the Dark World at the time, such a feat mattered not to them. That they undid their mistake and destroyed the tyrant with the same magic they taught them was of no importance. In their eyes, their foolishness put the world in danger and thus, they were made to pay for their teachings with their lives."

The group were stunned, silent, wide eyed. They could only imagine such terrors that occurred at the time during this legend. Rouxls then turned around to face the others. "Now I know not if the legend is true, but I would rather play it safe for your safety and for the safety of us too." he explained. The duke then turned his attention to Ralsei, the prince walking up to him, the rest of the group behind him. "Ralsei, I want you to promise me, that under no circumstances are you to teach them the ways of Darkner magic. Such an act could become dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands."

Ralsei looked upon Kris, Noelle and Susie, their eyes on him, awaiting his response. He could tell they didn't want him to agree to those conditions. And who could blame then? The use of Darkner magic could be very helpful to them in their day to day lives. But he felt as though it was better to be safe than sorry. Plus, he hated the idea of being responsible for something cataclysmic. He faced the duke as he made up his mind. "Alright, I promise. I won't." he said.

Almost immediately, he heard a disappointed sigh from Susie and a subtle "Damn it." from Kris. "Very good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important business to attend to." Rouxls finished before walking back into the throne room, leaving Lancer with them. Ralsei watched the duke leave the balcony. Once he was out of sight, he averted his gaze to the others and gave a smile and a wink to them, causing their hopes to peak once again.

"Oh, and congrats on you guys getting together!" Lancer suddenly said, his usual smile now returning in full glory. Ralsei turned to face him in shock. Kris, Noelle and Susie all shared the same expression. Surely, they were ALONE in that elevator during their first kisses with each other, right? "Lancer... how did you know that...?" Susie began to ask, before Noelle interrupted. "We didn't see you at all inside that elevator! How could you've known that we're all couples now?" Lancer quickly shushed Noelle, frantically waving his arms out in front of him.

He peered into the throne, Rouxls nowhere to be seen. The young king breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention back to the others. "Okay. I watched you guys through the security camera in the elevator. When it stopped suddenly, I was playing near the generator for it and there was an alert for it. I was about to flip the switch when I overheard you guys talking about your feelings. It was like watching a romance movie play out, especially when you guys start kissin' each other!" Lancer explained, his happiness peaking as he mentioned the group sharing their kisses.

The others blushed. How could they have not known there was a security camera inside the elevator? It all made sense now that Lancer had mentioned it. "Oh yeah. I should've thought about that camera." Ralsei said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Noelle then stepped forward. "Okay, that explains how you know about us being together. But, why did you shush me when I mentioned about us all being a couple?" she asked the boy.

Lancer's smile faded into a look of concern and worry. He then stepped closer to Noelle and leaned forward, Noelle backing up slightly. Through the darkness of Lancer's hood, Noelle had a front row seat to seeing Lancer's eyes piercing through. Kris and Susie could see this as well. It was just like back when he joined their party briefly before he had them thrown into the dungeon. The only exception here was that there wasn't a single ounce of pride on his face, only a tense glare as he looked upon Noelle.

"Because Noelle, as long as the Dark World has existed, no Darkner has EVER been in a romantic relationship with a Lightner. Such things were thought impossible. Even lesser dad is certain that such a thing like that is impossible." Lancer explained, not once losing his tense and stern demeanor. Susie then spoke up. "Well, dude... isn't all this proof that it IS possible?" she asked. Lancer then glanced over at Susie. It put the brave girl on edge, seeing Lancer's eyes so full of... well, tension.

"It is, but I just KNOW Lesser Dad won't have any of it." The young king explained. "He's got a very strong belief of order and the like. If he found out about you guys being together, he'd more than likely try to break you guys up. He'd more than likely try to rationalize it by bringing up a possible apocalyptic scenario of sorts, but for all we know, it could be a load of gobbledegook."

Noelle smirked a little at Lancer saying 'gobbledegook', but it quickly faded when Lancer turned back to face her. "It could be the same about the legend. He could've easily made it up, but there's no way to know for certain. All I'd say is this: whenever you're around Rouxls' presense, do not, and I mean DO NOT, make your relationship so obvious. Please." Lancer finished. There was a tense pause, everyone on edge, unsure of what to make of everything Lancer told them.

"Alright, we won't tell him." Kris finally said. Susie followed suite. "Yeah, we won't." she said. After a pause, Lancer's stern expression suddenly switched to his more happy and upbeat self. "Good! Now that that's out the way, why don't we play something together now that you're here?" he said, all tenseness in his voice gone. Noelle smiled, along with Ralsei and Susie, happy that Lancer was back to his usual self. "Sure, I'm down." the deer said to her friend. Lancer then took Noelle's wrist and led her back into the throne room, Susie and Ralsei following along.

Kris stayed behind, watching his new partners walk away with the child king. They all walked through a doorway and vanished into the castle. He was now left all alone on that balcony. His smile faded as he turned back to face the scarlet forest, the millions of soldiers still patroling below. He looked up at the black skies above, thinking. Letting his thoughts run wild. He thought back to that night him and Noelle shared their first (drunk) kiss together.

"I wish I could be more happy than I am now."

That wish replayed in his mind as he took in the sights of the skies above him. His smile returned as he thought that maybe, just maybe, his wish had came true. He certainly WAS happier than he was that night. Not only was he able to spill his feelings for Noelle, Susie AND Ralsei within that elevator, but now, he was WITH them too in total polyamory! He imagined what a bright future they'd all have together. Sure, they couldn't legally marry on the surface, but maybe, if they were up for it, they could marry each other here in the Dark World and stay down here as their new home.

Of course, he'd go back to the surface every now and then to visit friends and family, but this would be his new home. He could just see it now; him, Susie, Ralsei and Noelle, living under one house, sharing happy memories together and creating new ones. Spending eternity with love in their hearts. He loved them dearly, and he knew now that they loved him too.

So... why did he still feel miserable then and there?

There it was again, another cloud of misery forming in the human's mind. He should be happy right now, so how come he wasn't? It was as though something wasn't right. Like something was... off. Kris couldn't think of what exactly was 'off' about his new relationships, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was... he wasn't sure how to describe it, but it brought his mood crashing down to the ground in a firey blaze that only spread once it landed, coating the area around in a large wall of flames.

"Why am I doing this?" Kris thought to himself. "Why are you doing this? You know they're going to leave you once someone better comes along." Perfect. It's those damn thoughts again. Kris cursed himself for thinking he had gotten away from them. He didn't want to believe his new girlfriends and boyfriend would leave him, but he felt that there was some truth to it. It hurt to imagine them leaving him behind. He could see it now; he would do something to screw up the relationship and just like that, Susie, Noelle and Ralsei would hate him and abandon him for the slime that he was.

Feeling tears beginning to brew in his eyes, Kris glanced down over the balcony's stone wall. Below was a sheer drop, the ground too far away to be made clearly. Through this cloud, he envisioned himself free falling from this height, the balcony fading from his view as his body rushed to meet the ground below. He could envision the forest getting bigger and bigger as though it was rising up to swallow him whole. He imagined the crunch that would follow the impact of his body hitting the solid ground.

"Would this height be high enough to kill me?" Kris thought to himself as he observed the distance from the balcony to the ground. He felt... tempted to find out the answer. Just one step onto the balcony wall, then another off of it. He'd fall for maybe a few seconds and then everything would go black once his body collided with the ground. Maybe then, he'd finally be free of these thoughts. Kris was about to take a step onto the wall when he heard a familiar voice call out behind him.

"Oh Merry Krismas!" Noelle's voice called. Kris snapped out of his wallowing in self pity and turned around. Noelle was walking up to him, a huge smile on her face. Kris gave his own smile back as Noelle came up to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Lancer's got us playing a video game downstairs in the lounge. You wanna come play with us?" she asked. Kris paused, looking back over the edge. The ending can wait. For now, he was happy.

"Sure. Lead the way Noelle." he said with a smile. Noelle took Kris' hand and the two walked back to the throne room. The human stopped suddenly, Noelle surprised at this. She turned back to face him as he gave a piece of information to her. "Oh, Noelle? Just because I'm your boyfriend now, doesn't change how things are between us, aside from us being romantic, alright? I'm not gonna start calling you, Ralsei or Susie 'babe' or 'baby' or anything like that." he said. Noelle smirked. "Yeah, I'm aware. C'mon! Let's go!" she then said before taking off with Kris, the two still hand in hand.

Kris smiled as she lead the way. Yeah, this was going to be the start of something beautiful between the four of them.

---

Alright, so the Krusiellesei ship has set sail! I highly doubt it will catch on, but I still think it's something worth throwing out there.

Now, just to let you guys know, for next month, I won't be submitting the next chapter of Four Souls until the following chapter is complete. I'll still write behind the scenes, but I feel like doing this monthly drains a lot out of me TBH. So now, I'm going back to my original plan of not submitting chapters until the next one is done. The bright side of this is that there is a possibility that you guys might get two chapters in February instead of the one, depending on how quickly I can get the chapters written.

Because of this, it might be a case of the chapter will be submitted when it's submitted. I hope you guys understand and I will try my best to keep myself active with writing, even if it means you'll get the next chapter later than usual.

All that being said, I'll see you guys soon. And once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)