Let's journey onward with our heads held high, even if the Warners themselves are dealing in some rather heavy stuff right now.

Chapter 5: Disjointed Mentality

"The cosmos does whatever it can to make sure I don't get to think straight." Slappy stomped to a stop in front of the tavern. It was way too loud in there. It wasn't the usual kind of loud where smelly old guys shouted obscenities and complained about their wives and the way the "big game" turned out last night.

It sounded a lot more frantic. There must've been a bit of a skirmish going on inside. Ha! Oh well. She couldn't complain. Not only did she want a drink but stuff like that she was always certain to put herself at the center of.

That's Slappy.

"Alright, where's the party and who's pants deserve the dynamite delivery first?" She burst in with a straight grin and her arms out, as if she was the guest of honor despite being certain no one expected her to show.

She looked around the room. It was a lot emptier than she was used to it being. That normally would be a good thing but what little people were there, were crowded around the bar. That was her favorite spot.

"… Something interesting on the shelf over there?" She muttered and stepped closer. The instant she did, she heard a glass bottle break and a familiar voice rang out to effectively catch her much needed attention.

"And then they all died. The end." The sentence was followed by a hiccup and yet another bottle breaking. This time she was close enough to see it get tossed to the ground. The bar-tender didn't look like he wanted to touch it. Seems he was a bit too rattled to attend to his own disrupted merchandise. But Who cared though? The sight before her was too disgusting to warrant the presence of fleeting thoughts.

"Yo! Yakko time to rack it in… forever! Get off that counter!" Slappy's voice was harsh and decisively poignant. Yakko Warner was indeed the one laying there, drapped over the counter with a blush face and the four scared Goodfeathers standing beside him, watching his antics.

"Oh, hey Ms. Squirrel. Youse wants some. Its way nasty but it's got this weird power. Makes your eyes go all fogged up and you forget like… ALL da bad stuff…" Yakko smirked and set the bottle into his mouth, sucking on it like a pacifier.

"Talking like Ralph…" Slappy grumbled before she shot her look toward the birds on the counter. They all slunk back a bit. The God-Pigeon muttered some gibberish to Bobby before zipping right off the scene like a dart. Bobby was about to translate but Slappy already had the remaining three in her grasp.

"Oh hey… h-how's it goin' eh?" Bobby asked the chagrined Squirrel through a choked voice.

"D-Don't ruffle the feathers okay. They're very sensitive." Pesto grunted which earned them all a tighter squeeze.

"Shut up." Was Slappy's initial response. The three of them nodded and squeaked out replies of agreement. Slappy looked them over as phrases like "Yeah sure", "Hey, no problem", and "What do we know anyway?" reached her ears.

"Is all gone…" Yakko groaned, now hanging the empty bottle from the tip of his tongue. It slid off and crashed into the ground, making yet another pile of glass to splay the area.

"Hmph. You tell me exactly what happened here. Why's the kid acting like that?" Slappy ordered.

"Well… he was drinking." Squit spoke up. The silence that followed was brief but emphasized how stupid and unnecessary everyone thought the statement was.

"Yeah. But WHY? Why'd you let a minor drink? Look at all these bottles? He dove right in and didn't stop from the looks of it." Slappy pointed across the ground. There was so much littering the floor. She didn't peg Yakko dumb enough to do stuff like this.

"Yeah we know. We tried stopping him but the kid went crazy." Bobby started to explain a lot quicker than before. The fear in his voice actually startled Slappy a bit. "He started throwing bottles everywhere and threatening to kill everyone. You just showed up but I assure you, it wasn't pretty. He went around smashing all that he could with his mallet. He looked hurt too cause he was bleeding from the mouth."

Pesto continued before Slappy could ask anything. "Every once in a while he'd just collapse, bleed out some more, than get back up and destroy stuff again. We couldn't stop him and whenever we tried to talk to the kid all he did was mutter stuff about failure and murder and nothing mattering anymore and cheese and…"

Slappy blinked at them before turning to face Yakko. He was still slumped over the counter only this time there was drool spilling from his mouth onto the floor. Slappy quickly cupped his chin in the palm of her hand and looked his face over. His mouth was rather bloody. Yakko stared at her, his eyes glassy, and moaned a tiny bit before muttering the lyrics to an annoying song Slappy heard on PBS Kids once.

"Did he hit his jaw or something?" She asked the birds after having let them go.

"Yeah. He slipped and BLAMO! Chin went cha-ching against the counter top." Pesto recounted for her. Slappy sighed and immediately grabbed Yakko by the arm. She tugged on it, effectively hoisting it and him over the counter, which forced him into a standing position. Yakko's body was swaying back and forth. If she let go he'd crash into the floor without fail.

"You're coming with me kiddo. No 'buts' and no hard time. Got that?" Slappy asked him, already knowing that expecting a coherent response was stupid. Yakko grumbled and slumped forward a bit, his face brushing against the side of her body.

Slappy shivered a bit and helped steady him into a preferable walking position. A mallet smashing spree would certainly do this much damage to a bar. It was nice knowing that he hadn't drowned all the broken glasses she had seen before her. That would've been devastating. The way he was now seemed more like a regular drunk… certainly he couldn't have outright poisoned himself. Those birds had better not have allowed that to happen at the very least.

"Erm… We're sorry we couldn't help more." Squit called after her as she left. Slappy scoffed at them.

"Be quiet before I whack you with my purse…"

"Come on kiddo. Just a bit more and you're there." Slappy urged as she was practically dragging Yakko along now. The kid was barely conscious and along the way he had let out a few stuttered coughs filled with blood. That was normal for a hit to the jaw right? She didn't know. She wasn't a doctor.

"Why am I engaging in all this charity anyway? This stupid kid is eating up all my time. Get up!" Slappy shouted in Yakko's ears which made the boy jolt a bit. He didn't get up though. Instead he stumbled forward and plopped on his butt shortly after.

That did it.

Slappy grabbed Yakko around the waist and trudged him toward the Water Tower. She scampered straight up the ladder with a really strong and annoyed determination that allowed her to reach the top just using a single hand and her tail, for a rather springy support.

When she made it to the top she all but dropped Yakko and slammed her fist repeatedly on the door.

"Open up! Special delivery!"

The door flung open, revealing an exasperated and tearful Dot Warner.

"Yakko! Oh my goodness! You're safe!" Dot rushed outside and cradled her older brother into her arms. After she had come back from the Acme Labs and found him gone, she was slightly worried before remembering that she had suggested he go see Dr. Scratchnsniff. It was, in hinesight, not that good of an idea to allow him to go off by himself but she figured she could trust his garbled mind to at least get that down.

When she visited Scratchy after a rather long wait, she received news that he did, in fact, show up but was reportedly seen stomping off in anger shortly after. She figured with how tired Yakko was, he'd want to head right back.

There wasn't anyway for her to have known how odd Yakko's bursts of energy came. One time he'd feel sleepy and drained, the next he'd feel just fine. Yakko hadn't told Dot or Wakko the symptoms for his mysterious sickness aside from what they saw, which was his constant coughing and dizzy spells.

She wasn't in the wrong but she couldn't help feeling terrible. "Oh Yakko. I'm so sorry. I should've known you weren't well enough to move on your own. Look at you." She cried slightly. "Where'd you find him."

"At a pub." Slappy's reply was quick and filled with digust. Dot did a double take. Why would Yakko be at a place like that?

"I don't know what the problem with you guys is but this isn't excusable. Like at all. You're all smart enough to know why this scene I'm seeing right now, should never have to go down. Ever." Slappy pointed at Yakko as she continued. "He was drinking. He drank quite a lot too. I don't know what got into him but that was very stupid. Maybe he is smarter beyond his years but to act upon something akin to what an adult would do if they were in a slump… I just can't stand seeing that."

Dot was taking this all in. She had to but didn't want to. It was just another extension to a horrifying truth concerning the developments going down lately. However, this wasn't any less shocking than the other ones.

Dot forced her brother's head up so that she could meet his half-open, bloodshot eyes.

"Yakko, wake up." He voice was soft but stern.

Yakko's pupils flickered a bit. He was aware of Dot's presence but didn't respond to it. He felt his eyes droop…

Dot slapped the side of his face. That jolted him completely awake now.

"What the heck do you think you're doing? Tell me what you're problem is? Did your brain melt? Why would you do something so stupid!" Dot scolded him. She had found herself furious. Wakko was missing, he was terribly sick, their debt was only getting bigger… what was he doing going out drinking of all things? It would've been stupid if he was of age but the fact that the act was totally illegal made it so much worse. It was the kind of thing Yakko would scold her and Wakko for even considering!

If Dot's anger was already flaring it got worse with the response he came up with.

"Doesn't… matter… not anymore…" Yakko's words hit the onlookers like a ton of bricks.

Dot was thoroughly confused. Her heart was pounding and her head was reeling. How could she convey a response to something so… stupid? Horrible? Insane? What word could possibly be used to describe what was happening right now?

Dot yanked Yakko into the tower and lightly pushed him at the couch. He stumbled rather easily and fell into his seat, not moving.

"Thank you Slappy. It's nice having people who care so much about us." Dot turned to say to the senior. If anything it was commendable how strong and determined she was despite being so old.

Slappy stared at Dot for a few seconds. She was contemplating just what exactly this picture was. Yakko was drapped over his couch, completely drunk and unknowingly out of his mind while Dot, stood by the door thanking her as if she were Yakko's mother. Not even an older sister but a mother. It was even weirder considering that she was neither in reality.

"You three… need to get your act together."

Dot's small thankful smile faded instantly. If there was anything she wanted to avoid entirely right now, it was the truth.

"Mallets, dropping anvils, gookies; all of that is so much more entertaining and spells for more success than this nonsense I see before me. Get back on your feet and go back to that. It's what you're best at." Slappy turned and began heading down the tower. "Check out Yakko's jaw. He wouldn't stop bleeding out of it the whole way here."

Dot nodded at the last of the advice she gave and shut the door. Slappy wasn't one to pull any punches, that's for sure. At the very least, she was being honest with them. She even said "You three" as if insinuating that Wakko was already home with them…

Dot made her way over to Yakko and sat beside him. Her older brother was awake now but his red eyes and his twitchy demeanor didn't make her feel like he was any closer to her.

What it felt like didn't matter. The fact was that he was here and she wanted an answer to the question from before, even if it killed her.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter anymore?" Dot's voice was moderate sounding. Yakko's eyes darted to her for a few seconds before they looked back out at the door again. "Answer me Yakko. So help me, I'll-"

"It's nothing. My mind collapsed on me for a bit." Yakko's words were unbelievably hoarse. His mind was still fresh sounding to him though.

'That's a lie. It's still collapsed. Even now, I can't stop generating all these random thoughts. The need to destroy whatever I can find and hurt somebody just to do it…'

"Yakko, tell me why you said it." Dot spoke, seemingly not having accepted that answer.

Yakko didn't accept the answer either. After all, it was a lie. He had expected her to accept something that even he hadn't? How rude was that?

"I'm just…" Yakko trailed off rather quickly. Horrid images flashed through his mind. All of them were blazing and red. It made him seize up.

"Just what?" Dot asked. Yakko was a talker. He was usually able to articulate his words better than this. However, the pattern of speech he was using now didn't make any sense.

"… Gonna hurt… someone…"

"Gonna hurt who?"

"Dunno. Losing my mind. I'm… losing m-" He stopped instantly.

"…?" Dot blinked at her older brother. This was just… so bizarre. What was wrong with him? Did booze do this to a person?

"Are you still drunk?"

"Dunno…" Yakko grumbled, his eyes fluttering. His sickness came and went all the time. Was drunkenness any different? Maybe Yakko just had a really weird body that fended off normal processes that took place within a regular person's body. Maybe it was an ability that he didn't notice until just this point of his life.

"Can you tell me… anything? Anything at all?" Dot wouldn't stop prying. It made Yakko's head hurt more.

"Too tired…" Yakko muttered and slumped back.

"No Yakko. You can't sleep yet." Dot spoke. She was afraid if he went to sleep and woke up tomorrow, he'd forget all that happened and why his thoughts were the way they were now.

Yakko had lost all the tact he had when he was sober. His head slumped against her shoulder and he was in a rather spontaineous deep sleep. Dot sighed in slight frustration. The fact that Yakko had woken up and was able to speak at least a little coherently was a blessing in of itself. She was pushing her luck asking him to stay awake.

With too hard an effort on her part, Dot managed to drag Yakko to his bed and got him under the covers. She patted his head and watched him sleep with her own tired eyes.

It seemed like Yakko really wasn't going to be much help from now on…

Finally they had managed to reach the Warner Brothers lot.

Honestly, Buttons figured that the party would've been the last time he'd be able to see the place in quite some time. There shouldn't have been any real need to come back.

Actually, there wasn't. However, he already went on his mental rant against Mindy's mother.

It was morning now and the two of them actually had to sleep at the park for the night. It was a good thing Mindy was a fan of camping out. She had brought all the supplies she needed for it on her own, despite her mother's insistence that she wouldn't need it.

The walk was rather long and it'd probably be longer if they couldn't find a ride back. He knew that the stuff Mindy had absent-mindedly shoved into her backpack might've come in handy despite wishing that it didn't have to.

Well, whatever. They were here now and that's all that really mattered.

For about two seconds.

Mindy was hunched over a dumpster in his line of sight. Normally Buttons would've rushed after her and pulled her back away from it with his teeth but… she didn't look like she was about to jump in which honestly startled the dog. Instead she was crying frantically at something inside it and pointing.

Buttons shook his head and raced toward her. As soon as he arrived on the scene, Mindy turned and jumped into the dog for a hug. She looked devastated.

Buttons didn't have to guess as to why. Whatever she saw was what did it. Surely it couldn't have been that awful. She was a child after all.

The thought was axed the very second he looked inside though. Panic coursed through him. He was about to yelp when he realized Mindy was still clutching him tightly, now crying. Buttons looked around frantically, not seeing anyone. His mind had gone into a jumble so quickly. When a plan of action finally hit him, he considered none of the others that came to mind soon after and acted immediately upon it.

His destination was the Water Tower.

"Urghhh… nuhhh…" Yakko let out sharp and painful moans as he clutched at his head. It was a hangover. His first ever one and hopefully his last.

Last night's fiasco was coming back to him in short painful bursts, but only the part that took place at the bar seemed to be in focus. His thoughts back there and what he was doing with himself all relaxed him rather than made him feel any shame.

It seemed all so fun. Taking his aggression and fear out on all those drinks… and those people… ! The scared and frantic looks on their faces when he-

Yakko bent forward at the next surge of pain that hit him.

'What am I thinking? Why would something like that make me happy?'

It's your nature.

'My nature? Yeah... it… it was… right?'

Yes it was.

'I… really want to do more… even more. I can't though. Wakko's still missing. I gotta focus on getting him back.'

But he's dead.

'He's not dead… '

If he came back he'd just be in danger.

'Why?'

One day your siblings will get hurt because of you.

'They will?'

Yes.

'They will. I'd hurt them. I'll hurt Dot eventually. I gotta… stop myself.'

You can't.

'Y-Yeah… it's hopeless… nothing else matters anymore. There's no way to save anyone. I never would've thought that the world was so pointless before. It's so exciting, being able to do whatever you want. Haha…Heheheh…'

Dot was standing there in the doorway, watching Yakko grab at his head and fidget on the bed. She was already scared and concerned. Suddenly hearing a soft, gush of laughter come from Yakko as he entertained himself with his thoughts didn't help matters any.

"Yakko… um..." Dot spoke up, allowing Yakko to know that he was here.

Yakko flinched and turned to face her. His look seemed as if he was wondering why she was standing there. Why would that have been something he needed to question?

"Dottie…" Yakko's voice seemed so sad… despite the giggling he was just doing. What's with the consistency surrounding his behavior? It was creeping her out.

"It's Dot. Call me Dottie and you die. You remember that at least?" She spoke, not at all amused but not trying to take the name calling all that seriously.

"Then kill me."

Now that sounded serious.

"Yakko, please don't try to joke around. The way you are now, you wouldn't be able to pull it off." Dot spoke, eyeballing his sullen features. Yakko's frown turned into a sudden grin. He started to giggle, seemingly in an uncontrollable fit.

"Right… a joke… that's what that was." Yakko spoke clearly and looking right at her. How does she respond to that?

"Yakko, things aren't that bad."

"Ha. Oh yeah they are. If you don't do it to me, life will eventually. Time to go out and have as much fun as I can. No limitations this time. No more bullcrap moral code. Sound fun?" Yakko's speech was rather spastic. Still, it didn't blind her from what he had just said.

"Knock it off! You're not being funny! This is just morbid and stupid!" Dot yelled at him.

Yakko blinked and his frown returned.

"Right… I'm sorry…" Yakko's voice was sad again. Just a second ago he was giggling like a madman.

As if Dot needed more reminders that Yakko's mind was on the fritz…

As Yakko began clutching his head in pain again, a knock on the door caused them both to jolt upward.

"Is that Wakko?" Yakko blurted out, sounding hopeful. His voice seemed so desperate there.

"I-I doubt it… Yakko, just stay in bed. You're obviously not well in more ways than one…" Dot hated, absolutely hated, having to admit that.

Yakko felt his body shiver as he laid his head back on the headboard of the bed. He let out an exasperated sigh and groaned to himself. Dot gave him another concerned look before going to answer the door.

What was with his behavior? She knew this wasn't normal already. She got that. It still didn't explain to her how his behavior could possibly be described. Ever since he had woken up, he had jumped from sad, to scared, to outright depressed, to laughing at nothing. When he was laughing, Dot could tell that they weren't laughs originated from happiness. They were spontaneous bursts that seemed to come from some sort of realization he had made within his head. Apparently, every single one had enticed him to giggle about it before he went back into his slump.

Whatever thoughts were crossing his mind wasn't helping him. What could she do about that though? Tell him to stop thinking? That was something you could scold anyone for and yet they could still do and get away with scot-free.

Dot opened the tower door, letting these thoughts take hold of her, when she was suddenly being barked at by Buttons the dog. Dot was taken by quite a surprise. What was he doing here? Why the sudden visit? Why was he barking at her? How'd a dog climb the ladder?

Buttons grabbed her dress by his teeth and pulled her forward, beckoning her to follow along.

"Uhm… I-I can't exactly… Yakko can't really be left alone, he…" Dot began before noticing the fear scribbled on Buttons' face. She found herself at the ladder and making her way down it because of that alone. Buttons didn't often make that face. However, when she saw Mindy, of all people, standing at the bottom, crying and shaking with such a a big eyed drawl of tears streaming down her face, Dot almost fell off the ladder trying to reach the bottom.

Buttons no longer had to drag her along. Dot followed obediently, knowing something was terribly wrong. Something that warranted her immediate attention apparently.

She felt an ever growing sense of dread as she pushed herself into a sprint. The faster she went, the faster Buttons seemed to go, and the heavier her heart got.

The destination was the dumpster near the enterance to the lot. Buttons stopped in front of it with Mindy clinging to the rattled dog's back. Apparently it was in there; whatever it was they wanted her to see.

No. She knew what it was. Her sweating features, fast heart rate, and flickering pupils could vouch for that. She knew exactly what was in there. Each step she took toward it made her heart beat ever faster. If it went on at the rate it did, she'd pass out before she got to see over the edge…

But she made it... and slowly, ever so slowly, looked inside.

A small shriek exited her mouth, followed by her covering it with the palms of her hands. She shook her head back and forth and let tears spill from her eyes. Her knees knocked and she was feeling sick.

She turned away from the dumpster and vomited to the side. The queasiness had taken her over for a good long minute before she sucked in her gut and wiped her mouth clean.

Yes, it was Wakko. Of course it was Wakko's body.

They weren't doctors so they could only assume the worst, when they had found Wakko Warner's body in there, bloodied and beaten to the point where he looked doused in crimson splotches.

The way he was just splayed there, with his leg at an odd angle, without his hat but instead with long slashes across his body that allowed his substinance to leak through like mini waterfalls was way too much for her. She was only a child. The youngest of the three Warners in fact…

Dot hurriedly, darted inside the nearest open building. It was still early in the morning but someone had to be on the lot at all times. It was a saving grace.

Ralph was in there. Dot didn't care who it was she had found. He was a familiar face and she ran up to his leg crying and begging for him to call an ambulance. She screamed it at him and pleaded for him to do so, as if he was holding her at gun-point and saying that he wouldn't.

The Guard was confused but new that whatever this was, it wasn't to be taken lightly. It wasn't every day a Warner came up to him to do this.

The number was dialed. The people were notified. And once Ralph was dragged outside to see what the fuss was about, the location was identified.

Needless to say, he didn't mind allowing the girl to grip at his leg and cry into it after seeing the body.

Everything was moving in slow motion for everyone around the scene. When an ambulance made it's way onto the lot, Plotz was the first person to hurry there, demanding to know what had happened. Next came Dr. Scratchnsniff, than Hello Nurse. Rita and Runt followed suit with Pinky and the Brain tailing them.

More and more crowded around the area, effectively making a large spectacle of the discarded body found in the dumpster by a little girl and her dog.

It was all too cruel a world out there.

Yakko fell out of bed. He did that a lot lately. He supposed the surprise of hearing a knock on the door was a good enough excuse to. He wished it didn't have to be so bombastic though. His hangover still hurt.

"Maybe I could mallet them… that'd be fun. I'd so get even." Yakko muttered, a small grin forming on his tired lips. The thoughts of physically abusing people just kept crossing his mind. He couldn't get the images out of his head. They scared him so much… at times. Others he'd find that he rather liked indulging in the fantasies his brain supplied him with.

As a cartoon, he had limitless imagination too. The things someone like him could do with a mallet, an avil… an axe…

The door was pounded so hard it seemed as though it might spring open any moment. Yakko quickened his pace and made it there before he effectively gained another migraine. Opening it, he was greeted with Slappy's, unusually shaken, but recognizably angered face. Was it directed at him? His memory of last night was fuzzy but he remembered hearing someone sounding like her, raving at him about something.

"Yakko! Get your butt down to the hospital! Pronto!" Slappy shouted at his face.

Yakko stood there wide-eyed. Hospital? For what? Wait… where's Dot?

"Where's Dot!" Yakko found himself shouting. His newfound extreme paranoia was kicking in again. He hated how the things he felt and the emotions he expressed switched on a dime all of a sudden now. Or did he? He didn't know. Where the hell was Dot?

Suddenly, the thoughts of torture and pain weren't entertaining to him anymore. As they all started rushing back, his vision was filled with red. The unpleasant red that didn't remind you of a candy apple…

"She's at the hospital!" Slappy grabbed Yakko's arm. She wasn't waiting for any of his answers. This was too important.

"She-She's hurt? Is she hurt?" Yakko's pupils dialated.

Good. One less mouth to fee-

'NO! Dot! Little sis! Please be alright!'

"Dot's fine!" Slappy interjected, hoisting him over her shoulders and sliding down the ladder. "It's the other one. Wakko!"

Hopefully I'll arrive too late.

'Wakko? Wakko's been found! Is he gonna be alright! No! Please not the hospital!'

He'll die.

'Not Wakko! He can't die! No! God no! PLEASE!'

Slappy wasn't surprised by Yakko's silence. He must've been stunned. It must've seemed that way at least with Yakko fighting with himself inside his head. The oldest silbling gulped suddenly and muttered out something almost inaudible.

"… Wakko… I can't believe…"

Skippy continued to pat Dot's back as she cried and blubbered all over herself in the waiting room. Skippy didn't exactly know how to cope with this either. He knew his fear and his feelings couldn't compare to Dot's at the moment though. His comforting probably wouldn't get her anywhere. This seemed especially true with him not knowing how to deal with his own stance.

Beside them were Pinky and the Brain. A large row of papers were splayed out in front of them, leading right off the bench and onto the floor. Brain looked terrible, as if he had taken the pencil he always hit Pinky with and smashed it against his own head numerous times. Pinky looked just as awful though. Anyone could tell they were tired and forcing themselves awake as they looked the notes over.

"Nope. Twice now Brain. You've looked through all that junk twice. There was nothing wrong. The machine was just being mean! I told you we should've given it a spanking." Pinky spoke out wearily.

Brain groaned and pulled at his hair. He simply couldn't accept that the machine had been working properly. "No Pinky. There's gotta be something here that I missed. Keep looking."

He wouldn't stop. The only way it couldn't work is if he were trapped in something organic or buried under ground. There's no possible way he'd have been buried in the ground for over a week without death overtaking him. Even if his captors were that cruel, and whoever this was obviously were, there's just no getting around how ridiculous the notion was that he could've survived it.

This was Wakko they were talking about. When was food not a priority? Never mind the lack of oxygen.

Dot, who was shelling out sob after heart-wrenching sob had managed to compose herself just well enough to turn and see how Pinky and the Brain were agonizing over this situation. She couldn't help having the thought cross her mind concerning how nice they were being and how broken up they seemed over this. She couldn't blame them for their machine not working right. Or maybe it really was working right like they said. Either way, it's obvious who's fault it wasn't.

Dot didn't want to have more people fretting because of all this. She loved knowing that people cared but if too many people cried, spazzed out, and worried, it'd give off the feeling that Wakko might not ever recover from this. The more dire the situation was treated, the more dire the consequences are predicted to be. Maybe things truly were as bad as they seemed but… it wouldn't hurt to lie about it, right?

She just wished somebody would tell her things will be okay. She wanted the doctor to come out and not only say that Wakko was perfectly fine but there was a cure for whatever was ailing Yakko and there was enough money stock-piled in their accounts for any and all complications. Maybe there'd be enough hidden in there to get them back on their feet. They could start a new show and it'd be a hit and this time they'd use the money wisely instead of wasting it on the more trivial stuff. They'd be happy again.

"Dot!" The people waiting on the bench outside the operating room turned to face the direction of the voice. Yakko was sprinting right toward them and skidded to a complete hault once he came face to face with Dot. The wind blew Brain's papers up a bit. He was too distraught to care.

"Y-Yakko?" Dot looked genuinely surprised. When she saw Slappy bring up the rear she understood though. She hadn't exactly told Slappy about what she figured Yakko's mental situation was. She didn't really wish to tell anybody though. Still, even if he had a right to be here, was it okay to allow it?

How do you treat someone whom you think may be on the brink of insanity? The question couldn't be any easier to answer if that person wasn't your older brother.

How was she supposed to know how to treat him? She needed to get him help. But then, how would she go about that? Dr. Scratchnsniff had already tried right? Wasn't that his field? Does she just keep him locked in his room and hope it goes away? Just thinking about this made Dot want to cry. For goodness sake, she wasn't the oldest nor the smartest or even the most mature. Yakko was. Why was all of this falling onto her shoulders. She had no idea what to do.

"D-Dot. I-I'm here. Where's Wakko! Let me see him!" Yakko had raised his voice at her, as if she was hiding him behind her back or something.

"Yakko… I-I can't see him either. He's-" Dot gasped when Yakko grabbed her shoulders.

"I need to see him! Please! My mind is reeling right now. It hurts a whole lot! Let me see him!" Yakko began to shout with his grip on Dot tightening. The littlest Warner was feeling scared now. She forced her eyes shut to endure the pain.

"Y-Yakko. Please. You're hurting me…" Dot managed to get out.

"Wh-What?" Yakko blinked and looked at the position his hands were in. He jerked himself back as if Dot's fur were composed of acid. Yakko had frightened himself apparently. His eyes were shifty and his sweaty features began to rattle a bit. Dot sat back next to a stunned Skippy Squirrel, not as shocked as him, but still rather taken aback.

Slappy had been about ready to pry Yakko off of her before he did so himself. His behavior wasn't registering to her at all. Pin-pointing what the deal with other people was when they acted out was usually something she could do quite well. At least it was clear as of right now though. Yakko wouldn't stop staring at his hand.

"R-Right… I'm sorry sister sib." Yakko muttered just loud enough for her to hear. Dot, now starring at the wall, simply nodded and didn't retaliate. There didn't seem to be much point.

Yakko slammed his back against the wall and slid down it until he hit the ground, just looking at his hand in disbelief. Slappy eye-balled him with a collective amount of destain and confusion. Turning her gaze back to the equally quiet and distant Dot Warner sent off warning bells. What exactly they were warning her of, she couldn't say, but it was something bad. Most definitely it was worth looking into… after it came to light what Wakko's condition was.

Yakko himself though, wasn't thinking about that at all. He was a monster who didn't deserve to think. What was that all about? Why'd he do that to Dot? He hoped she would forgive him. He wasn't stupid enough to go and ask for it though.

Maybe he wasn't actually the older brother. Maybe he was just some sort of creature that ate the real one and took up the mantel because he thought it'd be fun?

No. No. Too harsh. You're being way too harsh Yakko.

'Am I?'

Wakko and Dot are important. Will they remain that way?

'They will. They're my sibs.'

The sibs need to be informed of the plight that befalls toons who just allow life to happen to them rather than take charge and change life for themselves.

'That's true. A chance… I just need to give them a chance…'

If they don't take that chance than who needs them… they have no more significance otherwise…

'But… I love them… right… Dot and Wakko… everything I do is for them… why am I fighting with myself over this! I know what I want! I know that I love them! SHUT UP! Leave me alone!'

But I'm the one who's talking. Me.

'Yes! I know it's me! I know that… but… … '

How do you tell yourself to go away?

'… I … I can't…'

Yakko let out a whimper, now hunched over with his hands over his head, which was now buried into his knees. He stayed like that for a good ten minutes before the doctor finally decided to show himself.

Dot and Skippy shot their heads up, about ready to barrage the man with questions before he began talking; effectively getting the jump on them.

"We know you have a lot of questions but-" The doctor began. It was a shame that he wasn't keen on how little Slappy cared about tact.

"Is he awake yet? Answer me." The squirrel demanded.

"Well… no. As he is now, he's been seriously injured, dehydrated, and starved to the point where it's a miracle that he's even alive."

Dot let out a cold, hard breath. It wasn't one of relief but of extensive worry. How could he just up and say something like that with her around?

"We're looking into his rehabilitation but for now, we don't expect him to awaken anytime soon..." The doctor actually trailed off, finally noticing the abundance of kids in the room. Of course, they all knew what this meant.

Wakko was in a coma.

Yakko didn't move from his spot on the floor.

He had heard everything though. Immediately after he did, he left their world and re-entered his own. The place where his thoughts fought to dictate his actions…

The subject matter was even scarier than the rest but… he couldn't hold the conversation with himself off. Not for this. Yakko allowed his tears to hit the tiled floor. A harsh realization had overtaken him. It scared him to his very core.

It was time to debate whether or not acting upon the desire to murder would lead to something prosperous…

And whoever did this to Wakko; he didn't want to allow them to live…

He didn't want to allow it…

'And maybe... maybe I don't have to...'