Chapter Six:

In Her Memory

Meggy and Embra watched from the shadows as the Killer Ink Leader, Vin Valentine, was led away by the police and the rest of the cops turned to attend to the other Killer Inks.

Nobody looked to the night sky, to the rainy clouds, not one soul batted an eye to the near-unseen ghostly human and the cloaked figure observing the scene in the Plaza.

"Serves her right." Meggy said, a slight hint of satisfaction mixed with disdain in her voice.

Embra placed a comforting arm around her. "If you are satisfied with the results, then that means you are at peace and ready to move onward." Said the Lady of The Lost, "I may not have the power to revive anyone from the dead, young child, but I can let you speak with your friends one more time, should you choose."

Hearing her words, Meggy thought about it, she thought about her friends. Mario, Luigi, Tari and SMG4, the people she'd grown to know for so long. What could she give to have one last conversation, to see them one more time, say her final goodbye?

"Yes…"

"Meggy?"

"I'll stay a little longer, see my friends one more time."

Embra smiled beneath the shadow of the hood, "A decision one can never deny. Times pass, lives end and bonds linger on in the memories of many, Meggy Spletzer. Embra will allow it."

She sat alone, isolated, surrounded by darkness.

It had been an hour since she was brought to the dark cell, very little light poured through. And thus, she was alone in the darkness. The guard occasionally came to give her food, but that was it. The only time she left the cell, it would be to eat with other prisoners in the cafeteria.

But the only relief for Vin was that she wouldn't be hounded by any ghosts again, not for a good long time.

At least her sentence wasn't a life sentence, she would serve... two and a half years, perhaps that was for the best, especially for a former Splatfest champion. No, not a champion, an Inkling. She would never carry the title again, neither would she be able to lead any teams.

Team Killer Ink was banned from Turf Wars. No, Team Killer Ink was disbanded. Vin was a leader no more, her old outfit replaced by a prisoner uniform, she was Prisoner #2282020.

If she'd been on the SquidBeak Splatoon, what would she go by; Agent 2020?

None of that mattered, nothing else would, not for the duration of her sentence. Vin sat up, looking at her reflection in the mirror on the wall above the sink where she would get drinks or wash-up, thinking of how her life used to be different. And now, all she could wonder was where her future would go.

Marko Mart was closed, but janitorial duty was allowed during late hours. Volunteers were a rare sight, but tonight was exceptional. The store's janitor, a kind brown Inkling, handed the latest janitors, a trio of cyan-blue Inklings, a pair of brooms and instructed them to start sweeping.

What a better way to start community service than by helping to keep a shop clean.

"Back and forth, you guys. Back and forth, remember that." The janitor said, sweeping with the broom, "And remember, janitorial shifts last until after midnight hour. Get every inch of this floor and every sector, sweep carefully. Got it?"

"You don't have to tell us twice." Rays said as he swept a pile of dust bunnies from underneath a shelf full of canned squid beans.

The janitor smiled. 'Kids.' He thought. The Inkling walked off, leaving the trio of former Killer Inks to their job. Gahsk looked to Mosque and Rays with a somewhat upbeat smile, he'd set aside his mask and was wearing a janitor's hat.

"Least we're not in jail with the boss, right?" He said.

"The less we worry about that the better." Mosque said, "Right now, we gotta sweep and assist the Inkling community. Unless we want to wind up in jail with Vin, we gotta work. And chances are, after we've cleaned all the floors in Inkopolis, then we'll be given more mercy. For now, best to take it away with the sweeping."

Rays tipped his glasses, "You got it, Manager Mosque."

"Shut up, Rays."

The three Inklings went back to sweeping the floors for hours on end, no conversation, just silence between the pair of... Sweeper Inks. Killer Ink no more.

The next morning, the Inkling-filled bustling environment of Inkopolis Plaza made way for a familiar pair of humans as they entered the city's number one hub. Mario, Luigi and Tari as well as SMG4, the events of the past night at the funeral had been rough, especially with the proceedings and the reception.

But, after all that, today had quite the surprise in store for them as they went for a stroll in the city, hoping to get their minds off the heartbreaking events of yesterday.

"Mama mia..." Luigi quipped, looking around the Plaza, "Nobody seems to be-a minding us that much."

"I wonder if-a we can find a spaghetti shop." Mario asked.

"Excuse me, fellas. You got time?"

A ponytail-haired Inkling boy approached them, wearing a formal suit. "I'm the assistant to the Squid Sisters." He said, "They'd like to see you."

"What is it?" Tari asked.

"Yeah, I wonder what's going on." SMG4 quipped.

Callie and Marie walked out of the studio and approached the group, both the Mario Brothers, SMG4 and Tari wondered what the matter was, especially since Inkopolis' top idols wanted to see them at this time. It had something to do with the Splatfest, didn't it?

In fact, a good many Inklings in the Plaza stopped to notice the Squid Sisters' appearance, then they all turned to face the pair of humans.

"How are you folks doing after yesterday?" Callie asked.

"We're-a okay." Luigi replied.

"Mostly okay..." Mario lowered his head sadly, "But-a after Desti, we're going to-a miss-a Meggy so dearly. There was-a so much we could have-a done together and did together. It's-a meeeeee, Mariooooooo. Okie-dokie, mama mia, let's-a gooooooo..."

"I dunno what that was, but that's pretty good." Tari said.

"Killer Ink's thrown in the towel." Callie said, "Their Leader came clean last night, screamed about how badly she messed up and said something about Meggy's ghost attacking her..."

"Mama mia!" Luigi cried, "A ghost attacked Killer Ink?! And I wasn't even there..."

"Eh, yeah." SMG4 chuckled, "Luigi often battles ghosts if something spooky comes up, he's got a vacuum for sucking up ghosts made for him by Professor E. Gadd, the same guy who made the Ink Bois."

"Anyway…" Marie piped up, "The Killer Ink Leader's in jail and the others are doing some... community service, so the team's history. And that leaves you guys here, even without Meggy in the picture."

"What does that-a mean?" Mario asked.

"Congratulations!" Callie held out a large golden Inkling bust, "You're the Splatfest Champions..." She handed it to Tari, "I believe this goes to you, Tari, especially since you were friends with Meggy."

"Oh my gosh! We won?" Tari said happily as she accepted the trophy, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"I don't-a believe it." Luigi laughed.

"Ay, all right!" SMG4 grabbed a camera and clicked a photo.

Every Inkling in the Plaza surrounded the remaining SplatSquad members, squealing and clamoring with excitement as the Mario Brothers fist-bumped and Tari found herself welling up with tears. This was astonishing to the maximum, they'd won the Splatfest in Meggy and Desti's memory, this was all for them!

"Tari?" Callie handed the cyborg a microphone, "I believe you'd like to say something?"

"I'd like to thank Mario and Luigi and the others who helped us get here." Tari said, "I know we all have our differences but we couldn't have done this without our friends. What we went through together, it strengthened the bonds between us, and after what we dealt with on the island, our bond was more important than ever.

"When we... lost Desti, her last words were for Meggy to win the Splatfest and we vowed to win it for her, but then... we lost Meggy just as we lost Desti, but we made it despite the odds. W-We did it, Meggy, this is for you and for Desti. Th-thank you…"

The cyborg broke down in tears, sobbing happily as she cradled her team's hard earned trophy, before Mario and Luigi had to hug her, followed by SMG4.

Several Inklings clamored in excitement, astonished by the fact that a team of humans were taking the title of Splatfest champion and all in the memory of two dead comrades; In an Octoling's memory, and now, in Meggy's memory...