I hope I was able to clear some confusion with that last chapter. I would like to thank Author Shiinon-chii for hinting towards the parts of my story that could have been tweaked a bit. Such as Joe being a bit too brave with Herobrine, and the relationships going a bit too fast.
Anyway, I'm done rambling, so…
Enjoy.
A few days had passed since the rainstorm Joe and Andr were caught in.
Joe had been experiencing more nightmares, and had been losing sleep over them.
He laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
I can't take these nightmares anymore…
He then turned to his side.
I can't imagine anything happening to my friends like that...I'm still shaking from that first one…
He looked and saw the strange blue potion that had remained on his nightstand for the past few days.
He took it, and examined it more in his hands.
Just what did you give me…
He popped the cork, and took another whiff of the potion.
"Blegh...still rank…" He said, as he replaced the cork.
He placed it back onto his nightstand, but was still staring at it.
"I don't trust it, but its been poking at my mind ever since I got it…" He said to himself. "I'll worry about it later…" He said, before rolling back into bed.
Joe was still awake, because he had attempted to sleep the previous night, but was kept up because of another nightmare.
He groaned as he rose out of bed. He popped his neck, which popped in pain.
He groaned in pain, as he rubbed his sore neck.
"Damn...I've pulled all-nighters before, but that had to be the worse…" He said to himself.
He looked back at that one potion on his nightstand.
His curiosity got to the better of him, as he popped the cork, and had a quick taste.
"Blegh...Taste's about as good as it smells…" He said, before immediately putting the potion down.
He then stepped out of bed, and went downstairs.
But he had a bit of trouble going down the stairs. His vision was going blurry, making his descent troublesome.
He noticed that the girls were not in their beds, nor in the house. This made his hair stand on end, as it reminded him of his first nightmare days before. His stress was then eased when he saw a piece of paper on the table.
He picked it up, and it read as such:
We went out to find more herbs for tea, and went to the village for food. Please don't get in anymore trouble while we are out.
Cupa and Andr
He sighed in relief.
At least they're out, and not hurt…
He was still light-headed, as he walked towards the couch, and sat down.
"What was with that potion…" He said, rubbing his head.
His mind then flashed to a figure, wearing a cloak and what looked like a hat on it's head.
"What the hell…" Joe said, grasping his head.
His mind then went straight back to normal, as he shook his head.
"Alright, I'm throwing out that potion. I'd hate to see if I drank the whole thing…" He said to himself. "...But I'm going to wash my face first…" He said, before putting his shoes on, and went outside towards the well.
He thoroughly washed his face, and shook his head, shaking off whatever water on his face and hair.
He then heard footsteps.
He turned around, and instantly recognized who it was.
He groaned. "Not you again…"
It was the woman who gave him the potion, and who flirted with him while he took a bath, with both of them naked.
"Oh? You don't seem happy to see me." The woman giggled.
Joe then sighed.
"Well, the whole 'bath incident' was a little weird…" He said, drying his face his his shirt.
The woman then looked at his abdomen, with him distracted with drying his face.
"You seem like you've been quite busy. Anything going on?" She asked.
Joe scoffed through his nose. "Why do you want to know?"
The woman giggled. "No need to be so cold. It was a simple question."
"Just surviving, nothing else." Joe said, walking past the woman.
"Good. Very good." She said, with an eerie voice.
Joe looked back, but found she was not there. As if she had vanished.
"Weird-ass…" He said, then walked back into his home.
Hours pass, as Joe was still sitting on the couch, waiting patiently for the girls to come back.
He then felt a bit uncomfortable.
"I need to take a dump…" He said, as he walked outside, to find a private spot.
In that moment, the girls walked by the door, just missing Joe over the corner of his home.
They went inside, and noticed that Joe wasn't home. They knew he's not one to stay in bed, and they knew he would respect their wish for him not to go gathering today.
"Where do you think he went?" Cupa asked Andr.
"No idea...But he can't be far. We can wait for him." Andr replied.
Cupa then went upstairs, and still found no Joe. But she did notice the potion on Joe's nightstand.
She grabbed it, and looked at it.
"How long as he had this?" She asked herself.
She then took it downstairs with her, in which Andr noticed it.
"What's that?" Andr asked.
"No idea...I think he's had this for a while, but I guess I never noticed it until now." Cupa replied.
She put it down, as both girls then looked at it.
Andr then spoke.
"H-Hey, I think that's one of those potions that's supposed to let you become invisible!" Andr said.
Cupa looked at it closer.
"Really? I've heard of the potion, but I've never seen it…" Cupa said back.
Cupa then took the bottle in her hands.
"You wanna try it?" She asked.
Andr then shook her head.
"M-Maybe we should wait until Joe-kun gets back…" Andr said.
"Oh come on. You can't say you don't feel bad whenever he always help us." Cupa said back.
Andr then blushed. "W-Well, he does it because he's kind, and caring...not because he feels obliged…"
Cupa then smiled. "Well, don't you think it would be helpful to him if we could help gather without facing any danger like he does?"
Andr was silent.
"I-I guess…" she said, looking at the floor.
"Alright. Then I'm gonna try this potion, and show him I can help. If you don't want to, I won't force you." Cupa said.
Andr nodded.
Cupa then popped the cork, and took a smell. She nearly gagged on the smell.
"Blegh! What kind of stuff is brewed in this?" She asked, holding her nose.
"Well, It can't be too good to swallow, but it can help." Andr said.
Cupa then nodded. She took a few breaths.
"Okay...One...Two.." She said, as she downed the entire potion, with her nose plugged.
She nearly gagged on the taste, even though she had her nose held.
"Blegh...It tastes about as good as it smells." She said, putting down the empty bottle.
"How do you feel?" Andr asked.
"I feel...funny…" Cupa said, her head swaying back and forth.
In that moment, Cupa then stood up, her face blank from expression.
"C-Cupa-chan?" Andr asked.
Joe made his way back, done from releiving himself.
"Man, leaves for toilet paper sucks…" He said, adjusting his pants.
He walked around the side his home, when he heard Andr's voice.
"C-Cupa-chan? Whats wrong?"
He then jogged towards the door, only to have the door slam open to Cupa, with her blank face.
"Cupa? Whats wrong?" Joe asked.
She stood still, as Joe waved his hand in her face, trying to get her attention.
She ignored this, as she said one thing.
"Mary-sama…"
Joe was surprised.
"Mary? Sama?" Joe said.
Cupa then walked past Joe, going towards the direction behind his home.
Andr then ran up to Joe.
"J-Joe-kun! Cupa's acting weird!" She said.
"Yeah, I know...Who's Mary? and Why does Cupa call her with the prefix '-sama'?" Joe said.
"You know what '-sama' means?" Andr asked.
"Yeah. Its a Japanese term. Like you two calling me with '-kun'. I've noticed it, but never talked about it." Joe said.
"Cupa-chan has never, ever mentioned a 'Mary-sama' before. What's going on?" Andr asked.
"I don't know. I'll follow her, you stay here." Joe said, before starting on his way.
He was then stopped by Andr, who tugged on his sleeve.
"Be careful. We don't know who this 'Mary-sama' is, and we don;t know if this person is dangerous…" Andr asked of Joe.
Joe then smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, I'm sure its nothing too big." He said, rubbing her head.
He then ran in the direction Cupa went, as Andr then went back inside the home.
Joe followed Cupa, but hid behind trees to not attract attention.
He watched as Cupa kept walking, him tailing behind her.
He followed her eventually until they approached the same lake that Joe encountered the woman.
"Huh? Why's she going here?" Joe asked himself.
He watched as Cupa walked along the shore, him making sure to stay behind the trees.
She then stopped near what looked like a tree house, nearby the other side of the lake.
"A tree-house?" Joe whispered to himself.
He then saw as Cupa climbed up the ladder up to the house.
Joe watched as Cupa climbed up the stairs, and followed after.
He slowly went up the the ladder as Cupa was climbing up.
He looked up, and then went completely red, as he remembered Cupa never really wore pants, and he could see her underwear, or bloomers or whatever.
He quickly looked away, and waited for Cupa to be completely up the ladder, and inside the treehouse, then he did the same.
He looked over the top, and saw, to his surprise, the woman earlier form this morning, along with Cupa fawning over her.
"Mary-sama…" Cupa said, infatuated with the woman.
"Oh, poor dear...that potion wasn't meant for you." the woman said, caressing her face.
Joe then hopped up on top of the ladder, standing above the ladder.
"Hey! You don't touch her!" He yelled.
The woman looked over. "Oh, its you. It seems you let this young girl drink the potion you dropped."
"I never dropped that, and you know it! You gave it to me!" Joe yelled back.
"Oh, details, details." the woman said, looking at Cupa.
Joe then balled his fists.
"So. Your name is Mary, eh?" Joe asked.
The woman then looked over with a smile.
"Yes. Though, you were supposed to drink the potion, not her." Mary said.
Joe then looked over at Cupa, who was currently obsessed with Mary.
"Mary-sama…" she said, kneeling against her.
Joe then made an angry face. "Turn her back, now!"
Mary then giggled. "And why should I? She could suffice for a slave."
Joe then ripped off a thick branch, and held it at Mary.
"If you don't then I'll force you." Joe said, in a menacing voice.
Mary then giggled, then turned to Cupa.
"Take care of him darling. I don't need him anymore." She said to Cupa.
Cupa then nodded. "Yes, Master." She said, then darted towards Joe.
Joe couldn't react in time, as Cupa then tackled him, sending them flying out of the treehouse.
Joe then held Cupa close to him, in an attempt to cushion her fall.
They landed with a thud, Joe taking most of the impact, as Cupa got on top of him.
She then curled her hand into a fist and raised it. She swung it down, but Joe moved his head, avoiding the blow.
"Cupa! Snap out of it!" Joe yelled, avoiding all Cupa's attacks.
He then saw her ready both of her fists, preparing for a double-handed hammer punch.
He then decided to counter this, by using his forehead to take the brunt.
He was a little dazed, but the attack wasn't much, as he finally threw Cupa off him.
He stood up, and stumbled.
"Damn, that hurt…" He said, rubbing his forehead.
He then saw Cupa immediately dash for him, and swing a punch, but he quickly countered it, getting Cupa in a headlock.
"Cupa! Cut it out! Whats wrong with you!?" He yelled.
Cupa then grabbed his wrist, and twisted it.
He lost his grip from the pain, as Cupa then quickly subdued him, bringing his arm behind him, getting him in an arm-lock.
"H-Hey! That hurts!" Joe said, then twisted himself. He then got into position to judo-throw Cupa, but she countered it by kicking Joe in the back.
He fell forward, as Cupa then walked up to him.
He stood up. "C-Cupa, don't make me hurt you!"
He then heard a cackle of laughter. He saw Mary on the standing by, spectating the fight.
"It won't work. She's completely under my control." She said.
Cupa then ran up to Joe, and jumped, using both feet to kick him in the face.
He was sent flying, as he tried to recover from the blow.
"Shit…" He said to himself, his hand on his jaw where Cupa kicked him.
"Limber, isn't she?" Mary said, laughing.
Joe then watched as Cupa ran towards him.
"I didn't want to have to do this…" He said, readying himself.
Cupa was unaltered by this, as she readied another fist.
Joe then took a deep breath. "Remember what you were taught in those self-defense classes back home…" he said to himself, closing his eyes.
He readied himself, with Cupa getting closer.
She then swung her punch, and in a slow-motion scene, Joe opened his eyes, and caught Her fist.
He held onto her fist, as she attempted to free herself.
He then pulled her past him, and hit her upside the head. He hit a pressure point, as Cupa then collapsed.
She was out cold, as Joe looked over her.
He then turned her head towards Mary, who flinched.
"No one makes me hurt my friends!" He said, then dashed towards Mary.
She then grinned, as she then pulled out two curved bottles, both filled with a grey concoction.
She then lobbed them at Joe, but in his fury, he caught the potion, and threw it right back, with a greater force.
She took the brunt of the splash potion, and immediately fell to her knees.
Joe then stopped and walked up to her.
She was too weak to even raise an arm, as Joe grabbed her, and held her in front of him.
"Cure. NOW." He demanded, in a loud tone.
Mary was terrified of Joe now, as she shook profusely.
"I-I can't! It has to be a different way!" She yelled back in fear.
He then dropped her, leaving her on the ground. He took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"How do I do it then?" He asked.
"G-Give me some time...I can't even stand…" Mary asked of Joe.
Joe could only grumble, as he helped Mary to her feet.
After a few moments, the potion of weakness wore off, and she could move again.
"Alright, it wore off. Now tell me how to cure her." Joe demanded.
Mary cleared her throat.
"T-The effect can only be removed by someone close to her…" She said, looking at Joe.
"What do you mean?" Joe asked.
Mary sighed. "She needs an act of love to be cured."
Joe then froze.
"How friggin' cliche can you get with this kind of stuff…" he said to himself.
Mary looked at Joe. "She must have this to be cured."
Joe sighed. "Man, how cliche is something like that to cure her…"
"So you know what you must do?" Mary asked.
Joe thought to himself.
"Would she have any family to help her? Or something?" He asked to himself.
Mary then sighed. "How dense can you be…"
Joe looked at Mary in confusion.
"It would seem she holds you close to her heart, just as you do. You should suffice." She said.
"M-Me!?" He said, going pink.
Mary giggled. "You know what you need to do then."
Joe realized, and sighed.
"Man, this is embarrassing…" He said as he walked over to Cupa. He turned her over, to where she was laying on his legs, but still laying on the ground.
He went completely red, as he knew what he had to do.
"You and your curiosity, you know?" he said, before holding her cheek with his hand.
He gulped.
I'm really going to have to do this…
He then took a deep breath, and looked at Cupa.
She looked so cute in her sleep to him. He lowered his head, closer to her face.
He then closed his eyes, and readied his lips.
When he was mere centimeters away, he heard a voice.
"J-Joe-kun?"
He opened his eyes to see Cupa was awake, and she was staring at Joe.
He then threw back his head away from Cupa's, and sat away from her, as she sat up.
"W-What Happened? What were you doing?" She asked.
Joe was completely red, looking at the ground in extreme embarrassment.
"N-Nothing...Glad you're back to normal…" He said, looking away from Cupa.
Cupa was slightly confused, but the thought of Joe that close to her face made her blush as well.
They then heard a fit of laughter from Mary.
"It seems that it wore off just in time, huh?" She said between fits of laughter.
"Hey! What does that mean!?" Joe said, standing up and facing Mary.
Mary then calmed her laughter, and looked at Joe.
"I was merely playing with you. It would have wore off by itself" She said.
Joe was filled to the brim with anger and embarrassment, as he balled his fist.
"W-Why you!" Joe yelled, but was stopped by Cupa hugging his arm, holding him back.
"J-Joe-kun, there's no need to hurt her…" Cupa said, holding his arm tight.
Joe was flabbergasted at her request. "B-But she-"
"Please! No more of this! I can see the bruises on you! I know I caused them!" Cupa yelled.
Joe's face then sunk.
"Y-You...knew?" he asked.
"I-I just couldn't control myself…" She said, holding tighter on Joe's arm.
He then calmed himself down, and sighed. He then returned Cupa's embrace, pulling her in his arms.
"I-I'm sorry I had to do that...I-I just didn't want to hurt you…" He said, feeling extremely guilty.
Cupa the looked up at him. "Come on, I tackled you out of that tree-house, punched and kicked you, and caused you more pain…" she said, before digging her head in his chest. "Please forgive me…" she said, crying into his chest.
Joe sighed, and rubbed Cupa's head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse." He said, giving an unconvincing smile.
They then heard Mary sigh.
"Well, this is no fun…" she said.
Joe sighed, and turned his head toward Mary, still holding Cupa in his arms.
"Could you cut it out? She's crying because of you." He said, rubbing Cupa's head.
"So? Why should I care?" Mary asked.
Joe then gave her a dead stare.
"Because next time, I won't be so lenient." he said, showing the fury in his eyes.
Mary flinched at this, then sighed.
"Alright, I'm done." She said, before climbing back up her tree-house.
Joe watched as she went up to her tree-house, and couldn't help but feel pity for her.
What a poor, alone soul…
He then turned his head to Cupa.
"Hey, feeling better now?" he asked.
Cupa was sniveling, wiping her eyes. "Y-Yeah...I'm ok…" she replied.
Joe then gave a smile, with one of his eyebrows raised.
He pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Its alright. Its not your fault…" He said.
"B-But...I-I…." Cupa started, but was silenced with Joe's finger on her lips.
"No buts. Its fine." he said, wiping her tears.
Cupa then smiled back, still sniveling.
He then let go of Cupa.
"Now lets get back. I'm sure Andr's worried about us." He said, holding out his hand.
Cupa smiled, and took his hand, locking fingers with him.
They started on their way back, holding hands.
"So...note to self and everyone...don't drink potions you haven't made yourself." He said, having Cupa giggle slightly.
They walked until they approached their home, as they let go of each other's hands so Joe could open the door for Cupa.
She went in first, as Joe followed.
Andr, who was on the couch, noticed them walk in and jogged up to them.
She noticed the bruises on Joe's face, and grew worrisome.
"W-What happened?" She asked. "Y-You're all beaten up…"
Joe scratched his head. "I-Its fine, just had a scrap with a spider is all." Joe said.
"Cupa-chan?" Andr said, looking at Cupa.
"Its alright now, I guess I was just sleep-walking…" she said, scratching her cheek.
Andr cocked her head in confusion, when Joe then spoke.
"Alright, now that's all over with, who's hungry?" He asked.
Both girls then smiled excitedly, and raised their hands.
He smiled. "Alright, then I'll get cooking." He said, as he went towards his furnace., and started cooking food items.
The two girls then walked over to the couch, and sat down, waiting for dinner.
"S-So...what happened?" Andr asked.
"Well…" Cupa said. She then told a fake story to convince Andr that Joe fought a spider, and the potion made her sleepwalk, all while Joe was cooking and thinking to himself.
Maybe I should...Even after all that.
Moments pass, as Mary was sitting down on a chair in her treehouse, with the sun setting.
She crossed her arms, as she thought about what Joe said.
Or else I won't' be so lenient.
She then heard a knocking sound coming from outside. She looked outside and saw Joe walking away from her treehouse, his hands in his pockets.
She looked over to her side to see a basket, covered in a cloth.
She moved the cloth to see the basket filled with cooked beef and pork chops, cookies, and with some bottles of tea.
She then looked over at Joe, smiling.
Thank you…
Man, Its freezing in my room… I'm lucky my fingers are working in this cold to type… Anyway, This will be the second chapter I've done in the time span of twenty four hours.
But seeing your positive criticism and praises makes it all worth it. You have no idea how much it makes my day to see people taking interest in my work.
I'm rambling again, so without further ado, I will see you all in the next chapter.