Migrate


Deep within the mall, the food court was becoming emptier. Lunchtime was over and not many people were occupying the many tables and booths. In this low-populated food court, sitting in a booth from outer-most to in, was Ferguson, then Jackie, then Janna. Across from them: Alfonso, then Star, then Marco. Jackie had a shopping bag from Rapture full of panties and bras she got for Star. Janna was distributing the bento boxes she had bought for herself and her other three friends.

It was a quiet scene. It had been explained to Ferguson and Alfonso what the group had gone through and they were having issue believing it. Janna was setting the bento boxes in front of her friends with a noticeable frown on her face. Marco and Jackie were waiting for a response from Alfonso and Ferguson. Star was just sitting excitedly for her bento.

"So you guys are trying to help her—.. Star—..." Ferguson asked with a thumb pointed to her, "get her memories back?"

"And to do that, she has to fight shadow monsters?.." Alfonso added on with a raised eyebrow.

"Y—.. Yeah.." Marco answered, knowing it sounded completely insane. He gave Jackie a look for back up.

"When she killed it yesterday, it manifested into a vision that helped Star regain some of her memory." Jackie told them carefully. "Right?" She asked Star.

"Mhm!" She responded with a head nod. "I destroyed it with this!" Star held out her hand and a light slowly began to illuminate like a tiny flare appearing slightly above her palm. Ferguson recoiled back as soon as it became visual to him and Alfonso gasped in awe. Star giggled and dimmed it until it was gone. "Ta-da!"

"Th–That's that magic light you mentioned?.." Ferguson asked Marco with a shaky finger.

"Yeah, that's it.." He responded with soft chuckle.

"Can I touch it?" Alfonso asked Star with glistening eyes.

"No!" She retaliated bluntly, surprising him.

"That's so fucking cool!" Ferguson said, ecstatic. "How could you guys keep us out of this?!"

"Because Marco almost died!" Janna responded angrily, astonishing the group with her outburst. She had been quiet since they sat down. Now everyone else was silent. Marco looked down, feeling guilty about not mentioning it. Jackie felt similarly. Janna just opened her bento and began eating with a passive aggression.

"R—... Really?" Ferguson asked.

"Yes!" Janna answered quickly. "We were trying to avoid getting people involved because of it." Star leaned forward on the table and began playing with her bento box, feeling slightly remorseful. Jackie noticed and decided to chime in.

"...Marco was attacked and put in really bad shape by the monster.." She explained. "Luckily, Star was able to heal him up.." Alfonso and Ferguson took in the information with concerned expressions. They didn't know what to think now. Amidst the awkwardness, Marco sat up straight, with a diligent look on his eyes.

"I don't want that to stop me, though." He said aloud getting the attention of the others. Janna looked at him with an irritated face, being frustrated at his stubbornness. Marco noticed it but was adament to push his feelings. He looked at Star who gave a surprised look. "I don't care if I'll be in danger, Star. I'm gonna help you." Star blushed and sat up with her hands locked in an adoring manner.

"Aww, Marco, thank you!" She said lovingly. Janna was about speak up before Star cut in again. "But..." She sat back in a more relaxed state. "..I think Janna should tell you all how she feels. Before we say anything else." Star looked at her with a supportive smirk.

"Uh.." Janna blushed a bit. The group looked at her, waiting for what she had to say. She exhaled and crossed her arms and legs. "Like I told Star,.. it's not that I don't like her. It's just.. that I want her to go 'cause.." She grit her teeth as she struggled to say the next part. "Tch! Just.. that—!.." Her blush grew deeper. "Arrgh! Listen! You all mean the fucking world to me! I don't want you to die!" She looked at the group, her lip quivering from the embarrassment. "I want you safe.." She looked away with a scowl.

"Hm.." Star grinned and leaned her head back, satisfied. Marco looked at her with a warm smile before looking down with a hint of guilt. Jackie looked at Marco and put her hands on her cheeks to convey surprise, making him chuckle. She had an open smile before leaning over on Janna to hold her. She put her arms around her and rocked her back and forth.

"Awwwwww!" Jackie let out in an overly sentimental voice, feeling genuinely pleased while also keeping the same joke-y attitude she does with Janna. "We love you too, bitch!"

"Stop it!" Janna's blush adhered as she tried distracting herself by eating her food. Jackie looked at Star with a knowing grin.

"Janna.." Marco called out to her softly. When Janna looked at him, her heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry about earlier.. At the store." He told her.

"D—... Don't worry about it.." Janna looked away and tried her best to keep a smile away. As Jackie held her, she felt the familiar tension between the two. Like she did when she and Janna first showed up at Marco's home last night.

"Uh.." Alfonso butt in with his finger up. The group looked at him. "So.. What happens now?" This question made the table silent for moment. As Marco, Jackie, and Janna thought, Star stretched out her arms and let out and satisfied moan.

"Now I can leave!" She told them, getting disappointed reactions. "I was planning on going anyway.. I don't wanna be around people I like if it's gonna hurt them." Star looked at Marco, as if for confirmation. A meek smile curved his lips.

"...Alright. But if you need anything, you know where the house is.." Star nodded happily.

"Mhm! I'll eat the Bekmo box and go." She said.

"Bento.." Janna corrected.

"Ham Sheet." She responded softly, getting a happy exhale from her.

"Wait!" Jackie disrupted. "I only got you panties and bras!"

"That's fine for me." Ferguson said jokingly.

"Me too." Star conformed, getting an excited face from him.

"No.." Jackie contradicted. "Let's at least finish our day at the mall.. then you can go." She looked at Janna with a raised brow. Janna smiled and propped her arm on table to put her hand on her cheek.

"Yeah." She agreed, getting pleased responses from the group.

"Okay! Bekmo!" Star opened her box and became in awe at the food. There was two big compartments, one full of rice and other with chicken katsu. The other two smaller compartments had seaweed salad and octopus sausages. "Wow!" She excitedly grabbed the sausage and looked at it. "So cute!" She eats it and starts hopping up and down in her seat in joy. The rest of the bento owners opened their own and began eating as they conversed. Unbeknownst to the group, Alfonso had been admiring Star's looks the whole time. She was just his type.

"S-So you're a princess, huh? That's pretty cool!" He complemented her.

"Thank you!" Star said with a full mouth. Alfonso got quiet, unsure of how to keep a conversation going. He rubbed his leg nervously before finding a topic.

"Oh! H-How old are you?" He asked. "I'm sixteen."

"Eight."

...

...

..."Eight"...

......

"Eight..."...

... Eight..

......

I bet if she was half that age, you'd creep on that! ...

......

... You go for the underage ones!

......

... You pedo!...

Pedo! ...

... PEDO!

......

...Lolicon scum!...

......

...Want them to call you big brother?

...

I know your Hentai seeeaarch...

......

F—B—I

...

..Eight!...

...

...Alfonso likes small girls.. REALLY small..

...

...Ew!...WTF!

...

..Does he have a problem?..

...

..Eight!..

...

..Eight!!..

...

...PEDO! ...

"Fonso." Ferguson called out to him, noticing he looked completely distraught. Alfonso's eyes widened at his name, like he had just woken up.

"Mm.. Huh?" He muttered to his friend with a distant look to his eyes.

"You alright, there?" Ferguson smiled at him goofily. Alfonso's stare slowly drifted away as his vision aimed downward.

"...Yes.." He answered awkwardly before he stood up from the booth.

"Wh—... Where you goin'?" Ferguson asked in confusion. Alfonso stopped moving and without looking back at him said..

"To find the closest vat of acid to stick my head into."


The day progressed as the group spent more time at the mall. It was almost three in the afternoon by now. Janna was starting to feel exhausted from being around the crowds. She sat with Marco, Ferguson, and Alfonso on a wooden bench. They were waiting for Jackie and Star to exit the store in front of them. It was called Search and Destroy. The logo was white and had a font that resembled a Black Metal band's logo. The posters in front had rock bands and models in very dark attire.

"Surprised you didn't wanna go in there." Ferguson teased Janna.

"I'm way too tired to give a shit right now, man.." She responded with her hands in her jacket pockets. "Just what kind of style is Jackie building for Star? We've gone to like, six stores."

"Hope we get to see." Ferguson chuckled. "That girl's hips don't lie!"

"I thought you liked girls with really.. bouncy parts." Marco mentioned.

"I like anything with a pussy." He answered casually.

"You know, Hope's got a dog in heat right now." Janna informed.

"Ooh..." Ferguson winced. "Walked right into that one.."

"You talk so much, you don't think about the consequences." Marco scolded with a smile.

"When you get turned down by as many girls as him, you lose the ability to feel impending shame." Janna told him.

"Okay! Okay! Mom! Dad! I apologize!" They share a laugh before Ferguson looks at Alfonso. "Dude, you've been quiet for like, an hour!" He leaned in closer to him and put a sad puppy-dog face on. "What's wrong Fonsíto?"

"I am a worthless husk of a human.." He told him with great despair in his voice. Ferguson's expression became cautious. His eyes shifted from his other friends to Alfonso intermittently.

"...The fuck?" Ferguson whispered to the others for an answer. They just shrugged, understanding just as much as him. In the corner of his eye, Marco saw Jackie walk out of the store and towards the group. He turned to her and saw another girl with an unfamiliar outfit following her.

"They're back.." He informed the group with awe in his voice. Everyone else looked and saw Star in her new attire. Her hair had a red band with horns. She had a black short-sleeve top that was tied at the waist, exposing her belly. It was designed with a mischievous-looking skull that had dashes of red and blue to give it contrast. She had yellow ankle-exposing skinny jeans with a black belt wrapped around it. There was a chain that attached to the pocket in the front of her right leg to the pocket in back. Lastly, she wore white socks over her feet that lied within black flat shoes with white laces.

"Damn!" Ferguson cheered as he and the others stood.

"She reeeaally wanted to wear the horns.." Jackie informed with a disappointed look. "Other than that, I think I found a good look for her."

"The horns fit." Janna said with a smile. "Star is kind of a little demon." She nuzzles the top of Star's head with her hand.

"Do you like it, Star?" Marco asks her.

"I like it.." Star looks herself over. "..but I'd just rather be naked."

"Hey, you're a free spirit." Ferguson told her. "Go for it!"

"No." Jackie went against with a sigh. "So.. now, what?" Everyone grew silent at the question, looking at one another for an answer. Nobody gave one.

"I guess I could go now.." Star suggested with a shrug.

"Wait." Janna said, getting the group's attention. "..Let—.. Let's go back to Diaz's real quick. You can leave from there."

"Oh, that's right!" Marco remembered. "I'd like that. I wanna give you a bag and some food for the road." He told Star.

"Mm.. Okay!" Star agreed.

"I'd have to go afterwards." Jackie informed with an apologetic smile. She tapped Janna on the shoulder and gave her a scheming look. The gesture made her unsure of what to think. "My mom doesn't want me out for too long today."

"A-Alright.." Marco said. "You all ready?" With that, the group departed for the Diaz household. Having fun while conversing and laughing on the way. They relished the remaining time they had with Star.


Regrettably, they've arrived to their destination of departing. Everyone but Marco was in the front yard, waiting to say goodbye. Ferguson was sitting with Alfonso on the street curb, seemingly comforting him from something.

"Star, if you ever need any help with anything, come back here and we'll be here for you." Jackie told her.

"Okay!" Star said gratefully.

"I just hope you don't get to that time before you age up.." Janna mentioned with a worried face.

"That time?" Star asked.

"J–Just if anything happens,.." Jackie butt in. "we're here! Hehe.."

"Mm.."

"Oh,.. and Jan," Jackie called to her. Janna looked at her. She hasn't seen Jackie make a serious face directed at her like that for some time now. "I don't actually have to go home."

"What?" Janna asked, confused with this statement.

"I'm leaving.. because I want you to make a move." Jackie added, crossing her arms. Janna had a faint idea of where she was taking the conversation. The thought made her blush and look away. Jackie caught on to her body language. "Seriously. If you don't do anything today, I will."

"Y—..You will?" Janna worried.

"Yeah. I'll make a move" Jackie smiled at her. "Do you think he'll turn me down?" Janna didn't know how to answer. Where did this come from? When did she find out? Was it that obvious?

"Hmm?.." Star was completely lost, raising her brows at them. The front door of the house opens and Marco steps through with a red backpack.

"Sorry for the wait!" He tells them, closing the door behind him. He approaches Star with the bag in front of him, stepping between a flustered Janna and an enthusiastic Jackie. "There's water bottles, juice, some sandwiches, snacks, a blanket, and 300 dollars in here." This gets a shock out of his two preoccupied friends.

"Dude, seriously?!" Janna asked in astonishment. "300?"

"Yeah, you just spent so much at the mall!" Jackie added.

"It's okay.." He tells them with a head shake. "Here, Star. Take it. Please.." Star looks at the bag with a sad face. Before looking up at the three people in front of her and smiling sentimentally. She stretches her arms out and pulls all three of them into a surprising group hug.

"Thank you.." Star tells them with a soft voice.

"Oh, Star.." Jackie smiles and hugs back, wrapping one of her arms around Marco and the other around Star. Marco feels this and gets shivers. Janna notices and rolls her eyes before hugging back herself. The hug is broken and Star looks at the three once again.

"Okay.. Time to go!.." She said sadly. Marco looks down at the backpack and hesitantly hands it to her. She grabs it carefully before running her arms through the straps. Except she did it backwards. The pack was resting on her stomach. It got a soft laugh from the three.

"Like this.." Marco removed the straps from her shoulders and equipped the backpack properly on her.

"Oh!" She understood, now wearing the pack on her back. "..." Once again, they looked at her and she looked at them, really stretching out the time they had together. "Bye.." Star begins to walk off, looking back in the process. Janna looked at her with a bit of guilt. Would Star have stayed if she wasn't around? She glanced at Marco then at Jackie. Do they hate her for being so against Star staying? By now, Star was a shape in the distance, only getting further away.

"She'll be okay,...right?" Jackie asked with a worried hope.

"You saw how she took care of that shadow thing." Janna responded. "I'm sure she can beat up anything that comes her way.." She looked at Marco who was still just staring out at Star getting further away.

"Yeah.." He says with a noticeable sadness. Janna looks away, disliking to see him so down. Jackie takes her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. She groans and puts it away.

"I should get going.." She tells the two next to her.

"Oh, that's right.. You really have to?" Marco asked. Janna just looked at her, knowing the truth.

"Yeah.." She lets out a sigh of relief. "It's been a hell of an eighteen hours, huh?" She chuckles getting a smile from Janna and Marco. "...Oh! Before I forget.." She takes her phone out once again. "Gimme your number." She tells Marco.

"...W–Wait, me?" Marco points at himself in disbelief. Janna gives him a tired look.

"Duh!" Jackie giggles. "I already got the number of my bitch." She tells him, acknowledging Janna who flips her off. "I've slept and gotten naked in your house, dude. It'd be weird if I didn't get it."

"Right.." Marco agreed with a blush. "Alright.. H-Here are my seven! Heh!" He takes his phone out and shows her his caller ID.

"Let's see.." She leans in and begins to copy the digits. Janna stares momentarily before looking away with a frown. "One last thing.." She scoots in to Marco's side and takes a selfie with him. She smiled as charismatically as she always did while Marco looked embarrassed and out of his element, as if he forgot how to breath. "Awesome!" Jackie said with a laugh, putting her phone away. "I'll send you the photo."

"Yeah!.." Marco said stiffly. Jackie looks at him with a soft smirk.

"See ya, guys.." She walks off getting goodbyes from Marco and Janna. She passes by Alfonso and Ferguson, who were still sitting alone muttering to each other. "I'll see you guys later!" She tells them as she walked by.

"See ya." Ferguson says with a grin.

"I'm trash.." Alfonso says. Marco watches Jackie go for a bit before looking back to the direction Star went. She was gone, making him sigh. Janna watched his sadness grow and reached her hand out to touch his shoulder. She hesitates but moves her hand in for the connection.

"Hey, guys.." Ferguson approached them, leaving Alfonso alone. Janna pulls her arm back before making contact. She and Marco look at their friend to see what he has to say. "I'm gonna take Fonso home. I think he needs to watch an anime or something to get his mind off of.. whatever the fuck he's feeling." They look over at him sitting on the curb. He was slumped so low, his head was almost to his knees.

"Oh.." Marco let out.

"What's his deal?" Janna asked, crossing her arms. Ferguson shrugged.

"Later." Ferguson walks to his buddy and stands him up. "Just relax, relax.."

"Only hell awaits me.." Alfonso mumbled.

"It awaits all of us, man.." The two walked away, leaving only Janna and Marco.

This was the first time in years that they were alone in the house together and they both knew it. It made them feel like they had to choose their next words carefully, bringing a different mood to the air. But they shouldn't have to be careful with what they said. The two had been close friends since middle school. They could talk about anything with each other.

What Jackie said kept playing back in Janna's mind. Did she say she would make a move on Marco to specifically urge Janna to make one herself or did she actually have feelings for Marco as well? When did she find out about Janna's feelings? Marco's been Janna's friend for years and tonight was finally her push to be more than that. A fire began to grow within her and a wave of confidence was overcoming her. Janna couldn't let this opportunity slip. They realize that they hadn't said anything since Ferguson and Alfonso left. It was time to speak up.

"So—"

"What—"

"..." They spoke at the same time, cutting each other off.

"Oh.. Y-You, first." Marco told Janna. She smiles and looks away, her arms still crossed.

"...So do you want me to go too?" She asks looking at him. Marco scratched the back of his head, embarrassed about his next words.

"You don't.. have to.." He blushed slightly. "We—.. We can hang out, just the two of us, right?" Janna's smirk grew. "It's not weird, or anything, right?.." Marco couldn't help but dart his eyes around. He wanted to know what Janna meant earlier at the mall when she brought up her feelings but he was getting worked up over it and didn't want to make it obvious. Meanwhile Janna's eyes stared unflinchingly at his. "Is it..weird?.." Marco slipped his hands in his pockets and looked at Janna. It took all his might not to look away. She laughed at the face he was making and punched his shoulder.

"No." She answered and walked toward the front door. "Don't try anything weird." She opens the door and walks in.

"I wasn't gonna!" Marco hesitantly follows her in. Why did this feel so different?

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Hey, look at that! A chapter! And you actually came back and read it! Thank you!

Remember when I said I would keep updates consistent? HAHA

What an ignorant FOOL I was. Life slapped me on the back of the head and said "NO"

The next one will be out when I can manage. Sorry. (T_T)

I hope you don't forget about me!

Byyyyyye!