Chapter Three

"WHY THE FUCK DOES THAT LOOK LIKE SOMEONE FUCKED UP TRYING TO IMITATE MY SIGN?!" the 6 sweep old Vantas demanded, looking vaguely like he was on the verge of a panic attack, "And more importantly WHY IS IT IN MY ACTUAL BLOOD COLOR?!"

"Well, not your given names if you haven't introduced yourselves to me… just your last names." you corrected, "And to answer your question… this was what the equal rights advocate known only as the Signless to those not close to him used in place of a signature."

"That looks sort of like that sideways eight thing from math." Dave noted.

"Do you mean the infinity symbol?" Rose asked.

"…Oh, yeah. I guess so." Dave agreed.

"That's exactly the point. This is a broken infinity symbol." you confirmed, "It was related to a concept he used to help explain what he was trying to tell trolls was wrong with Alternia, how things could be or just should've been instead, and what needed to change to fix the broken aspects of Alternian culture."

"Wait… are you talking about the cult of the Signless Sufferer bullcrap?" Vantas asked incredulously.

"Oh come off it Karkat given the circumstances you can afford to go on a little faith here." the Pyrope girl admonished.

"Oookaayyy… Before anything else I think I need introductions from you four." you interrupted, "My name is Kagome Higurashi."

"I'm Kanaya Maryam." Dolorosa's descendent introduced.

"The name's Gamzee, nice to meetcha." Grand Highblood's descendent said.

"I'm Terezi." Redglare's descendent said, "The grouch freaking out over there is Karkat."

"First of all, nice to meet you all." you couldn't forget your manners or Dolorosa might find a way to scold you, "Next… There's some context I'm just not going to understand. Time-and-space travel shenanigans, never trust green and white mysterious figures who try to be suave and gentlemanly yet still manage to seem shady."

"Doc Scratch seems to have had a hand in a lot of schemes." Rose noted, "It's best not to dwell on it."

"Yeah, you're right…" you agreed, "Anyway I can't really explain much regarding the symbol on his cloak or the one Karkat's wearing. But my best guess is that either it started as someone's idea of a sick joke and got reclaimed, or else some important bits of history were either erased or forgotten."

"Well, you're wearing it." Kanaya pointed out, "Why can't you explain?"

"Well I'm bound to have missed or failed to understand some things, aren't I?" you asked, "After all I was like seven years- or about three and a half sweeps- old when I found myself on Alternia and I only spent about a sweep there."

"You were on Alternia in the time of one of the biggest legends known to troll kind?!" Terezi exclaimed.

"I don't believe Earth has technology capable of such a feat." Rose commented.

"Earth doesn't." you confirmed, "It was… I don't really know. Maybe magic? Maybe Doc Scratch or Jade's dog interfered with the well located on the shrine I grew up on that turned out to be a portal through time, maybe something else happened."

"What sort of something else?" Sollux asked.

"Well I'm not sure." you admitted, "Again I was pretty young at the time. All I know is one minute I'm with the trolls who had become my secondary family a sweep after finding myself on Alternia and not sure I even cared anymore if I ever got back to Earth and Japan then the next he's making Handmaid kidnap me so he can get me back to my human family a mere week after I disappeared. My family refused to believe that I'd spent two years on an alien planet."

"So that's what it was. Interesting." Aradia commented.

"Well that explains why you know most of our last names." Sollux said.

"Family is the term for how humans are raised by their ancestors correct?" Kanaya asked, "Would it be too forward to ask their names?"

You held your chin in your hand as you thought.

"Hm, well… To me, they were just my family. When it was someone I was close to I only used the title or nickname of the troll in question under formal or potentially dangerous circumstances." you admitted, "But I'll just say those for now because I have it on good word that Alternian history often lost a troll's actual name within a century of their death or once everyone who knew them was dead. The trolls who raised me were the Dolorosa, the Signless, the Disciple, and the Psiioniic."

Before anyone could ask more questions or fully take in what you said Karkat got them back on track. To your slight relief revealing your backstory was replaced by conversation about random things, funerals, and a plan to fix the mess you all found yourselves in that seemed to involve traveling to an alternate timeline. Or the Sburb session of one, anyway. The most startling was a visitor… a dead one. You got to work trying to either revive him or keep him in good enough condition for whatever help it was implied would be found should you all leave immediately. Finally it was time to go and Aradia and Sollux elected to stay behind. Kanaya briefly considered it but was easily swayed into staying by Rose.

You frowned as they said their goodbyes. Forget how much you wanted the pair to stay so you could get to know them. Karkat's reaction to Sollux- his best friend- leaving was heart breaking. More importantly you'd always gotten a sense that perhaps Psiioniic's feelings for Signless had been underestimated by everyone who knew the two. Except, perhaps, for Signless himself. But that wasn't exactly important anymore. Even if it had mattered you'd never get the opportunity to find out if your sense that a case of what you now could label as hero worship made Disciple's feelings for Signless overestimated was only due to the skewed perspective of a child.

And the sight of another generation of Vantas and Captors who were close had a hint of the heartwarming form of destiny. But even so you weren't even tempted to try to stop Sollux. It was obvious that some sort of tragedy or drama that predated the game was involved in whatever had happened. Sollux and Aradia seemed to have bridges to mend and catching up to do. Besides, it was probably a good idea to have someone who not only was living but had a more realistic perspective to curb Aradia's semi morbid fascination with death. But… there was one subtle way you could try to help the situation. If you really did have something to gain from it… well, that was just a convenient coincidence.

"You two will join up with us later on or at least visit though, right?" you chimed in, "I still want to get to know you better."

"Why not? It could be fun." Aradia agreed cheerfully.

Sollux shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'll probably get bored of the dream bubbles eventually."

You smiled. "Then it's a promise."

Just then you winced. You usually wore very particular socks, and when the glitch was godtier they were a particularly warm sort. Focusing again, you were back in your normal clothes. Even though you didn't need it anymore you still didn't take the cloak off- right now it was a comfort thing, like an old blanket or plushie. You plopped down on the ground and took off the sock off of your scarred foot.

"Kagome, what's- why do you have a scar?" Sollux asked.

It was a little loud so you expected unwanted attention. But luckily everyone else continued their conversations and good byes. You were sure the nosy ones would be sure to ask later though. Gamzee however who wasn't really talking to anybody approached and knelt to get a better look.

"Shit, that's some mighty wicked sunburn sis." Gamzee said, "I got some like it a couple times when I waited too long for Goatdad to come home, but it healed in a couple weeks. Guess humans aren't as durable or some shit."

"That's dumb, Gamzee. Earth's sun isn't strong enough to leave a scar like that." Sollux argued, "And adult trolls who cared enough to take care of an alien kid probably wouldn't let that happen."

"He's right." you admit, "Honestly it's… tied into how I met the trolls I called family."

"Mind laying down that story sis?" Gamzee asked.

You shrug.

"It's simple. As a little kid from a planet much less advanced than the world she suddenly found herself on, I was amazed and confused when the sight of two moons made it obvious I wasn't on Earth." you explained, "Initially I just wandered around aimlessly. It didn't take an hour for things to turn sour. I had stumbled on a couple bluebloods culling a mutant of the more common variety. I was little more than a pupa, and the era the other four and I are from at least tries to be peaceful, so when they noticed me I freaked and ran. Even when I lost my shoe I didn't stop until I collapsed under the shade of a tree as sunrise started. That evening when I woke up, I was lucky enough to be found by the four I spent the rest of my time on Alternia with."

Eventually Aradia and Sollux were sending the meteor on its way. Little did any of you know that the rough adjustment in the coming months was only the beginning.

End of Chapter