I felt tempted to seriously push 8k this time, but I decided in the end not to bore you. We've all got lives—especially me. This college thing… It's hard. :/ Hence, we have a normal-sized update this time.

And anyways, I know that after two large helpings of filler, what you REALLY want is some Pi. ;D

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The Truth, Revealed

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"What's the matter, 5? Aren't you happy to see me?"

In spite of everything he knew about her, even her sinister smile that promised him nothing but harm, 5 felt conflicted. On one hand, she was a monster; she had tried to tear them apart, and her sudden reappearance was frightening. All his senses begged his stupid feet to run, before she did something terrible and irreversible. But on the other hand… What he really wanted to do was leap forward and take her in his arms. He would never let her go again. He didn't care what she was or what she had done in the past…

But then, as he continued to back away from her, he supposed that he did care, a little.

"Pi… Why did you have to come back?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was stupid to try and take you people while I was so weak. I needed my strength back. And anyway, I always do my best work when I can be myself. None of the sweet, innocent crap to hold me back. Ha, it fooled you all so well last time."

Yeah, he admitted that it had. It was probably a bad idea, but he made a decision to look her in the eye. Even if she had turned out to be evil, even if she intended to destroy him right here and now, she still had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. And at least the view would be memorable, before he died.

And as he did, he noticed something was different—something that hadn't been there before. Or maybe it had been there all along, and he had been too clueless to see it. Her eyes looked strange, as if they were full of swirling silver mist. It only served to make her look more mysterious and dangerous. But at the same time, an alarm went off in his head. This was familiar.

Wait a minute… Isn't that what she did to 7?

Pi met his gaze and laughed shortly. "You haven't changed a bit, you big lummox," she commented. "You can't tell me you actually missed me all this time. Not after you've seen who I really am. I'm not the soft, sweet little girl I played you for—I'm a witch. You know that. You saw it with your own eyes, and heard it with your own ears. So don't' try to tell me you still think you love me."

He gave her a stern but affirmative look, almost as if she was implying something ridiculous. Him, not love her? It could never be.

"Huh… You're either insane or very stupid. Just like your stripey brother."

Before she could continue, something flew through the air and smacked into the back of her head with a sickening thump. She cried out in pain and pitched forward, landing gracelessly on her knees.

"You must have a death wish, Pi."

It was 9, well-hidden in the shadows, with another several large pebbles in hand. All that fury from winter had risen back to the surface in a flash. There was no fear there, for the danger she posed to his family—only rage that she had dared to return. From now on, he was shooting to kill.

"Not the first time someone's tried to beat you to death, is it?" he commented, as he began advancing on her. "I can't say we really blame them anymore."

Pi growled in her throat and rubbed the back of her head. "Do let me explain—"

"Don't bother. It won't matter in a few minutes."

5's heart began to race. He couldn't let his brother do this. Not yet. Before either of them could react much, he dropped to his knees next to Pi and reached for her shoulder, aiming for what he liked to think of as the sleeper circuit. The wire had a technical name, but he never remembered it; the important part was that when it was disrupted, the body it powered shut down temporarily. As a doctor's assistant, it was a handy wire to be aware of. He had never dreamed he'd be using it for this.

But it worked. Pi gasped in surprise… Then her misty eyes slid shut, and she slumped over into his arms. She couldn't hurt them now, and he had bought himself some time to explain what he had seen.

As he quickly checked her pulse and temperature, 9 came to a halt in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked incredulously. 5 was certain his brother wanted to tear his head off, but he didn't care.

"I always knew that something wasn't right," he answered instead. "Come here. Look at this."

"I don't have time for this, 5! She could kill us! I'm not taking that risk again, not after what she did to us before."

"I think she's cursed."

"Cursed, indeed!"

"Would you just look? Please."

9 looked aggravated and angry, and also disappointed. They had been doing so well since she had gone away. He had become so much more like his good old self, the kind, dorky 5 they had all loved and missed so much. And now she reappears out of nowhere, and he falls back into her trap so easily?

I guess I would be disappointed, too…

To his relief, 9 sighed impatiently and dropped his handful of pebbles on the ground. He didn't join his brother on the ground, instead crossing him arms defensively.

"What is it?"

"Look at her eyes," he insisted, gently sliding one of the girl's eye shutters open. "Her eyes are all cloudy. Did you notice that when she was here before?"

"You looked into her eyes? Do you have a death wish? She never looked me in the eye before; and by the time she made a point to try, I knew better. 7 made that mistake and she got cursed!"

"…"

9 made a thoughtful face, considering what he had just said as a connection started forming. "…Cloudy, you say?"

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you? It does to me."

His brother finally knelt next to him, daring to finally look closely at Pi's open eye. He was silent for a long moment, grappling with a very difficult decision.

"9, I kept telling you something didn't seem right. Maybe we can still help her."

"I don't want her in our house, 5. I don't care if we can help her, I can't have her in our house, plaguing us again. What are the others going to say? They won't allow it, either."

It wasn't like 9 to deny help to someone in need; but he was afraid. He had a wife and three children to think of, all of whom had been touched very personally by Pi in the past—even Dixie, who had gotten caught and nearly forgotten in the crossfire. And while 5 could understand his brother's fear, he couldn't give her up. Not this time, when he was so close to the real truth.

"…Then I'll do it myself," he said resolutely. "I'll do it all on my own, if I have to."

"Still? After all this time? After all she's done to us, you would still risk your own life like this?"

"Yes. Yes I would."

9 sighed heavily, tapping his finger impatiently on his knee as he weighed the conflict he faced. Perhaps, knowing firsthand the strange things that love could inspire, he would find favor with his brother's noble cause.

"…I'll let the others know that we have an unexpected guest, then."

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Pi felt consciousness return, to the sound of irritatingly familiar voices. She also realized with a start that she couldn't move her arms, and that frightened her. Her eyes flew open to a cozy space, illuminated by firelight, as always. She was lying on the sofa in the fifth clan's common room, and her arms were bound to her sides by a thick, inescapable coil of rope. With a yelp of unpleasant surprise, she tried to wriggle free—only for a pair of grizzled faces to appear above her, one brandishing a hammer, and his brother a wrench.

"Don't move," 2 growled, threatening to club her if she didn't settle down. She had never seen him angry before, and that was as frightening as it was amusing. She couldn't help the evil smile that spread over her lips.

"Surprised to see me?" she teased.

"Shut up!" 1 snapped back. "You are lucky I am no longer in charge of this clan—you would be a head short of a full body, if I had my way."

Pi didn't dare say another word, though she very much wanted to. Instead, she wondered to herself what it was with 1's desire to remove people's heads. It was like it was his punishment of choice, though she doubted he had the nerve to see it through on anyone.

"So she wakes," said that mellow voice, though it certainly didn't ooze the gentleness it had the first time she's heard it. 9 appeared in front of her, looking unimpressed, though not as angry as before. He put his hand on the doctor's shoulder, forcing him to lower his wrench. "2, you see what we mean, right?"

"Hm…" he agreed, looking her steadily, unflinchingly in the eye. If only her hands had been free to direct the power of a spell, it would have been the opportune moment to ensnare the old man. But alas. She could only imagine that far away, in their garage, Alpha was furious with her for failing again.

Don't do anything rash just yet, my love. There may yet be a way around this.

"I suppose it is very similar," the old man commented slowly. "How do we know it's the same thing, though? I don't like this."

"I don't like it either, but 5 has a point," 9 insisted. "If it is the same thing, maybe we can help her."

Pi couldn't help flinching at the oaf's name. What had he seen? What had he done? One trouble after the next…

"I can look," said a meek voice nearby. It was googley-eyed 6, slowly stepping forward to offer what service he could give.

"I can look," he repeated, wiggling his pen nib fingers for emphasis, making it clear what he intended to do.

"No! You don't have to do that," someone flickered from a corner. Pi craned her head around, expecting to see the skittish little twins. But… They couldn't be the twins. They were taller, their heads uncovered, and the one who appeared to have spoken had a full head of long brown hair in a braid over her shoulder.

"Remember what happened last time?" the girl continued, her eyes flashing brightly. "I don't want you touching her again!"

And yet it was them. Pi felt her eye twitch a little. What sorcery was this?

"No, no, I'll do it," 6 insisted, first to the twins, and then he turned to his fearless leader. "I can do it. I really can. I can do it. Please."

9 didn't seem to like it any more than his adopted children did. But 5 stepped up to save the day again.

"Just let him try," he pleaded. "If he wants to help, let him."

"…Alright, then, 6. If you insist, I'm not going to stop you."

Now she was confused. Fickle 5, do you have faith in your Prophet, or not? You should, of course—they're never wrong. Your lack of faith gave me some time, before. And now you're going to doom me, I'm sure.

6 bravely came to stand right over her, bracing himself for the pain that would surely come if he touched her. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself… And then grabbed her hand in both of his, as tightly as he could. His grip was like iron and made her gasp in pain, certain that he was going to break her hand if he went on like this. But his own pain looked to be much worse than hers. His touch didn't burn her like it burned him. He was in so much pain, but he refused to let go. Whatever he was seeing, it was much more than the glimpse he had seen before.

What could really be so bad about me? Certainly, I mean them harm, but why this?

Several long, intense seconds passed this way, until he couldn't stand it anymore and released her from his grip. He collapsed on the floor, exhausted and twitching convulsively from pain. Before either of his brothers could help him, 4 skittered to his side and gathered him into her arms.

"I told you not to touch her!" she scolded gently, beginning to rock him slowly. She held his hand solidly in her own, softly flickered comforting words in his ear. Her very presence seemed to soothe him a little, and he stopped twitching so badly; but he was still in pain, wracked so badly he could barely speak.

Pi was even more confused, partially by all the sticky, gooey affection that had exploded between the girl who had grown up so suddenly, and the striped boy who had blown her cover. While seeing him in so much pain didn't inspire any sort of sympathy, it inspired unease. What could I have done to him, she wondered, without even uttering a spell? What power is this? I didn't know I even possessed it.

9 knelt beside his shaking brother and took his free hand, and the boy shuddered violently.

"It's okay, 6, it's okay," 4 insisted, looking like she might cry. "I'm here, I'm right here—we all are, see? Everything's going to be okay, okay?"

"…The curse…" he finally stammered, his voice raspy.

"What about the curse?" 9 insisted gently. "Come on, you can tell me. Tell me about the curse."

"The spider," he continued, struggling the get the words out. "The curse…. The kiss… Freedom…"

There weren't many things those words could mean. But what it added up to was implausible. Impossible.

No… He couldn't have… Alpha would never… Not me! He would never put a curse on me, of all people! That's for us to use on others—he was the one who taught me in the first place! He would never turn our own magic on me! Never!

But it wasn't like the fifth clan knew any of this. 9 nodded knowingly and looked to his daughter.

"You and your brother, take him back to the globe. Give him some paper and let him draw this. When he's done, bring it to me, alright?"

The twins did as they were told, and helped 6 to his feet. His legs shook horribly, and he had to lean heavily on them as they silently made their way to the door. 4 only looked over her shoulder once, looking upset and a little put out.

"Don't let his pain be for nothing, dad."

As soon as they were gone, he looked back to 5. "What was that thing you did to her?" he asked, pointing to his neck.

"The sleeper circuit?"

"Yeah, that. Do it again."

5 looked puzzled—not unusual. "Why?" he asked.

"Just do it."

With a disapproving sigh, 5 came and knelt beside the sofa. He placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, and she flinched away; but bound as she was, there was no escape.

"I'm really sorry, Pi," he said quietly. "I don't want to do this again; but it's the only way you can stay here. It's the only way we can save you."

Before she could try to argue, he gave her shoulder a hard pinch—the same as he had done before. The sharp pain was followed by darkness, and she knew no more.

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"So... What do we think?"

The clan was still more than dubious about Pi, that was for certain. 9 wasn't sure how he should feel about her, himself. They had all congregated in the globe—say for 8, who had been left guarding the sleeping witch like a vigilant falcon. And he was against her being in their home again, as much as the rest of them.

To his question, the clan was silent for a long moment. He looked around and observed all their varied emotions. 1 and 2 were impatient; 3 and 4 were worried; 5 was hopeful, of course; 6 was still exhausted, but not altogether upset. And 7 was furious. He couldn't blame his wife, nor could he try to reason with her. She had defensively carried their sleeping baby into the meeting with her, unwilling to leave her precious child alone with a monster in the house. But Dixie went on sleeping, and had nothing to offer the group. Thank goodness.

9 also looked over his brother's latest work of art, tacked to the wall where everyone could see it. 6 had drawn something very similar to this in January, when he had first sensed that something was wrong with Pi. He wasn't very good at drawing living, moving things; so when he did, they appeared as menacing shadows. The shadow he had drawn today was distinctly Stitchpunk-shaped, and riding what looked like a mechanical spider—very much like the previous drawing. The sketch was surrounded by scribbled letter A's, all upper case, though of varying sizes, shapes and neatness.

Most of them remembered the same shadows from before, and the same upper case A repeating itself. However, there was a marked difference. In the first drawing, the shadows had been separated—the dark 'punk had been standing proudly beside the spider, which looked dead and dormant. Today, they were united—the spider seemed to have roared to life, carrying its rider forth to wreak havoc on the world.

Also, the letter A—called Alpha, in this instance—had been surrounded by other letters of the Greek alphabet before. Pi's name had been there, shaped like a table. There had been a triangle called Delta, which 6 had pointed to with particular excitement that even he couldn't explain. An upside-down letter L, and a letter O with a line through it—Gamma and Theta—stood side by side, as if they belonged together. Four other, smaller letters floated in the upper right-hand corner—Kappa, Mu, Epsilon and Sigma—apart from the others, as if they mattered, but not really.

Today, the letter Alpha stood alone, with no other letters to compete for attention. It was frightening, and no one fully understood what it meant, not even the artist.

"Well?" 9 repeated when the clan remained silent. "What do we think?"

"I think this was a stupid idea," 7 snapped angrily. "I think you've put us all in danger, and I think we should go back in the common room and kill her while we have a chance."

Most of the heads in the room nodded earnest agreement. If they had an opportunity to rid the world of the plight that was Pi, they ought to take it and do everyone a favor. And judging from 6's latest prophecy, keeping her alive in their home would only bring them more trouble. There was no room for compassion or mercy this time, and frankly, most of them were content and more than satisfied with that.

But 6 came to stand by his sister, took her by the arm, and shook her gently for emphasis. "No, no, you can't do that," he insisted, earning a most incredulous look.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"The curse—"

"I don't care about the curse, 6!" she shouted, pushing him away. "My children are all in danger! I have to take care of them, not her. If some people can't do that," she said, glaring at her husband, "then I'll have to do it myself. And what has she ever done to earn our help?"

"Nothing," 6 answered meekly, standing his ground.

"Then why are you pestering us like this?"

Now he turned an incredulous look of his own on her, as if her excellent points were all ludicrous. "Because it's just true," he answered, counting off the pieces of his prophecy on his four fingers. "The spider. The curse. The kiss. Freedom."

7 shook her head. "I don't understand. I don't know what you're talking about."

"…Would you like to?"

"No. No, I wouldn't."

Perhaps that was enough for some of them. But 9 couldn't help finding himself overwhelmingly curious. 6 knew what was going on. He had seen it clearly, and was trying desperately to explain it in words they could also understand. What was the message hidden in his drawing? What was that one word he was leaving out, that would make everything click together? The truth was right in front of them, staring them in the face, begging them to see it as clearly 6 always did. What kept it veiled so well? What was lurking behind that cloud? Did he even want to know?

Once again, trying to get the message through to 7 had failed abysmally. 6 turned to 9, grabbing him by the wrist and hauling him closer to his drawing. He reached up and smacked his hand down solidly against the shadowy figures.

"The spider," he repeated, with a note of irritation in his voice. "The spider. The curse."

"Are they the same?"

"No, no, no," 6 mumbled, thinking frustratedly of the right words to use. "The source."

9 felt his heart stop for a split second, and he was sure that everyone else felt the same. "You mean the talisman? The spider has one, too?"

"No, no! Not the Source, the source," he cried, his voice rising. "The spider. The source. The curse."

"…The spider is the source of the curse?"

6's whole face lit up with surprise and relief. Finally, they had figured the first part out. And indeed, it was painfully obvious now. How else could the two pieces really be connected? The truth was falling into place, exactly the way 9 feared it would.

"Then the spider put the curse on Pi, right?"

6 wordlessly nodded his head, cautiously optimistic.

"And it is the same curse she put on 7 before… right?"

Once again, he nodded his head. "The same. She isn't who she is."

"Or who she thinks she is, just like 7… So what are we supposed to do, 6? Do you know?"

"The kiss," he answered plainly. "The kiss. Freedom."

Seriously? True love was seriously the only way to lift this curse? 9 felt his spirits plummet. It had seemed that a reasonable solution had been within reach; maybe they really could have done something. Behind him, he heard 7 scoff impatiently.

"True love's kiss? Really?" she fumed. "You've got to be kidding me! When it was me, and my husband, that was one thing. But this is Pi. She's a monster. No one could ever love her."

6 gave her that unfathomable look again. "…Really?"

"Yes, really! We have to face it now—if true love's kiss is the only way to lift this curse, then Pi is trapped this way forever. She can never be freed, she can never be helped, and she will go on terrorizing us if we let her go again. 9, 6, I know you don't like to hear it, but the only way we can free her now is to destroy her."

"She has a point," 1 agreed right away, perhaps a little too eagerly. "At this point, it would probably be as much a favor to the girl as it is to us."

It was such a weighty conflict, and 9 hated it that the decision rested solely on his own shoulders. He had already caused so much death and destruction in the past, caused the loss of so many innocent lives. He had thought that was finally behind him, buried in the past, never to resurrect itself. If Pi could be saved, he was very tempted to go off questing again, searching for her salvation, before he had to kill her. Before, she had been nothing but a monster that deserved death. But now he knew the truth he had longed for, and it only served to complicate everything. Beneath the spell that bound her, Pi really was innocent.

He dearly wished that there was a way to help her, but his wife was correct—as she usually was. How he had hoped that the truth would clarify things, make it easier to make a decision. He now wished that it was still as easy as nobly ridding the world a pestilence.

And then it suddenly dawned on him. Of all the voices and opinions clambering for his attention, one was distinctly missing. 9 took a second to look over the crowd, and realized with a start that his brother had vanished.

"…Where's 5?"

Everyone looked up to see with a similar start, the place he had been standing was empty. It was as if he had never even been there.

"When did he leave? Did anybody see him go?"

"Why would we be looking at him?" 3 pointed out. "We were all watching you, and 6, and mom."

"And where do you suppose is the one place he would run off to, at a time like this?" 7 concluded, her voice a threatening growl.

There was no time now to stop and consider all the courses of action before him. Without thinking much more about it, 9 started off at once for the common room, praying he could stop his poor stupid brother before he got himself in real trouble.

He can't think it's him. Not after everything that's happened…

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"The kiss. Freedom." That was all the permission 5 felt he needed. True love's kiss, huh? Then it was worth a shot.

He marched into the common room alone, feeling as confident as he felt nervous. 8 was still there, standing guard, and Pi was still unconscious on their sofa. When he came in, his brother looked up, slightly surprised.

"You're back," the giant commented.

"Yep," 5 agreed flatly, walking to stand beside the sofa. He paused, taking a moment to appreciate Pi's pretty, sleeping face. She looked so peaceful and serene. It was hard to believe that she was under the influence of such dark, powerful magic. He couldn't fathom what her real self must be like. But he honestly couldn't care less about that. It didn't matter who or what she really was. He would love her just as much—maybe even more, if that was possible.

He sat down on the edge of the sofa and gently scooped her up in his arms, but she barely moved. He was somewhat grateful for that. If she had woken, he couldn't imagine how she would have recoiled. As if an added insult of the spell was that the victim was repulsed by the one person who could save her. But for right now, it was safe to hold her close, even to sweetly nuzzle her face.

"You once said," he said quietly, "it's always easier to make a mess than it is to clean it up, especially when it's someone else's mess. My family doesn't care, and I can't say I really blame them. Why should they have to clean this up, when it's not their problem? But I care. I always have cared, Pi. And I think the good part of you—the part that's been stolen—has always known that, too.

"What's been done to you isn't right, and it isn't fair. And if you can't clean up your own mess, then I want to be the one to do it. I want to be the one to save you. I want to be the one…"

He caressed her face, brushing her frizzy hair away from her ear. "I want you to be free, Pi. If nothing else, I want you to be free."

He lowered his face to her ear and whispered, "I love you. With my very soul, I love you."

The nervousness melted away. What he was about to do, he knew in his heart that it was the right thing. There was no shame, no shyness, no selfishness or ill will. There was only her, and the bright future that loomed for her on the horizon, just beyond the kiss he couldn't believe he had the privilege of giving.

This is why I've come back. This is why I'm alive again. It's for you.

As he gently pressed his lips to her sleeping face, he wondered what it would be like. And it turned out to be pure and perfect, just like he had hoped it would be. It was the sort of perfection he understood only existed in stories and fairy tales, only very rarely among mere mortals. It was so grand and so profound, it could only exist in small pieces at a time. How else could it be special enough to break such a deep, dark bond as this?

And yet, he had found it. Of all people, it had chosen to find him, and his Pi, and dared to defy the very fabric of nature to unite them.

He was startled from that perfect moment by someone shouting his name in unpleasant surprise. Of course 9 would have noticed he had left; he hadn't thought his absence would go unnoticed for long, and especially not by his sharp brother. But he was too late to change things.

"What are you doing?" 7's voiced demanded angrily behind him. Naturally, she would insist on getting herself involved. She always did, somehow. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Wait," he countered, holding up his hand to silence them. Something was happening. She still appeared to be unconscious, but Pi drew in a deep breath, as great as her mechanical lungs would allow. She released it in a long, almost unearthly sigh, and her breath hit him in the face like a frigid, icy wind. Suddenly, 5 was worried.

"Her breath is like ice," he fretted, checking her pulse and temperature. Both were normal, steady and warm, as if nothing had changed at all. He turned to his brother and sister, slightly terrified. "What's happening?" he asked, hoping they could help.

They both looked shocked and mildly alarmed, by what they had just seen, and what they had just heard.

"Like ice?" 9 repeated, sounding disbelieving, but almost hopeful. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive! What did I do to her? What did I do? Tell me!"

9 was silent, his eyes locked on him in what might have been wonder if it hadn't been shock.

"…She's free. You freed her."