Author Notes - Not much happens in this chapter, really. Just Oona and Nonny playing catch-up after 12-13 years. Though, that's kind of a big deal, so you can argue a lot happens in this chapter after all.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - AN OVERDUE REUNION

In the quiet afternoon of Bubbletucky, away from all the buildings and crowds, two strangers stared silently at each other. Of course, they were not 'strangers' at all. They recognised each other easily, no question about it.

Nonny stared at the lady before him. There were no pigtails, and a lot more make-up than he could remember. But that pink star in her lavender hair… it was her, alright. He stared at her for a while, before she broke out into a smile.

'IT'S REALLY YOU!' She cried.

Oona zoomed towards him and brought him into a hug before he could respond. One moment, he was standing by himself. The next, he was wrapped up into the warmest embrace he had felt in years.

'I almost forgot all about you!' Oona said, hugging him tighter by the moment. 'But when I saw those green eyes, I knew it was you!'

It surprised her that she was able to recognise him at all. His scruffy hair had been smoothed out and straightened, and he was seemingly half-a-mile tall. Yet, those deep green eyes behind those goggles-shaped glasses could belong to no one else. Something within her mind told her that he didn't like being hugged for too long, so she backed away.

'W-What are you doing here?' Nonny asked, as though the question didn't also apply to him.

'I was just coming by the school to pick something up,' Oona replied. 'I forgot a book that I really wanted to read to my niece tonight. I never expected to see you here! What are you doing here back in Bubbletucky anyway?'

'I… Uh, a friend of mine told me that it might be a good idea for me to visit this place to see if I remember anything. I could remember a little, but it was so long ago that those memories have mostly faded. But you. I remember you.'

'I thought you would! But do you remember this place?'

Nonny looked around again. He knew this place was familiar somehow. Most likely, this was where he went to school back when he lived in Bubbletucky. The specifics of those memories, however, were strenuous at best.

'Sort of,' He said. 'I think I went to school here. That's about all I can recall, though. As for what I did, or anyone else I shared this class with, I don't remember.'

Oona spun a keychain on her finger. 'Well, I don't think Mr Grouper would mind it too much if I gave you a tour of the place. As long as we don't break anything, of course. Come on!'

As she went to unlock the door, Nonny found another memory coming back to him. Mr Grouper… That name was so familiar! When he thought about that name, it brought feelings of comfort and joy. Of safety. Thinking about it more, the name brought to mind a fish. A big orange fish with a friendly smile.

'I'm not sure if you remember Mr Grouper anymore,' Oona said. 'I only remember him cos I've been working as his assistant for a few years now. Tell me if this sounds familiar. … Well, good morning, everyone!'

Nonny nodded. 'It does. I think he said that a lot.'

'He still says it now, to the new class. And I think it's rubbing off on me too! Maybe I should come up with my own thing before I take over as teacher for real. Or maybe I should keep it, as a way of honouring him. He won't be around forever, you know, and I think I should have something like that to remember him by.'

She unlocked the building and opened the door. It slid open like a garage. Even with the lights off, the whole room was illuminated just enough by the big windows on every wall. Nonny followed her inside, and was hit with a massive swarm of memories unlike anything he had experienced before. Even though there were no children in the room, he could hear joyous laughter from all around him.

Most of all, he could remember a young girl who always sat next to him. Who was always there for him when he got sad. Who-

'This is where we went to school together!' He blurted out. 'You and me!'

His voice echoed in the empty building. He swam around, feeling his mind and mind swell with all the wondrous memories this very classroom contained within it.

'Mr Grouper has photos for every class he taught here,' Oona said. 'Including us. Do you wanna see it?'

Nonny stopped swimming. 'Would he be okay with that?'

'Of course he would! Come on. I'll show you.'

He followed her into the teacher's lounge. Despite almost being an adult who didn't even attend this school anymore, he felt like he wasn't supposed to be there. It felt almost forbidden to be in a place like this. It was tidy and quiet, unlike the main classroom, with all the luxuries a teacher would need to help them teach the class and get through the day. Such as the coffee machine.

The most notable part, however, was a row of photos pinned up on the wall. They depicted all of Mr Grouper's (and Oona's) classes, lined up in chronological order. The class Nonny himself belonged to was not the first in the row, but one of the first.

'Here it is,' Oona said, pointing at a certain Guppy. 'And that little guy was you. You were always the little one.' She giggled. 'Look how much you've grown!'

Nonny peered closer at the photo, and almost fell backwards when he saw himself. That photo was so obviously years ago, because Younger Nonny was such a little thing. Despite it being a group photo, he wasn't smiling. He hardly ever did back then. The young girl next to him was rather familiar too.

'Wow…' He said. 'You changed a lot.'

'We all did. You'd hardly recognise any of us now. Well, except for a certain someone.'

There was someone else in that photo that caught his attention. And it wasn't the famous pop singer Molly, since he knew he attended class with her at some point. It was someone else. Someone with a very iconic hairstyle.

His eyes went wide.

'Wait, that's Deema Swimmer!' He yelled. 'You know, that world beloved actress who's young but quickly making a name for herself. Starring in some great movies. Being the only enjoyable part of that one movie no one liked. Even lending her voice to a couple guest roles in cartoons… she was in our class?!'

Oona cocked an eyebrow. 'You don't remember being in class with her?'

'I remember a girl with a crazy hairstyle. 'Come to the right place'. She said that a lot. But I didn't think they were the same person!'

'Our class had a lot of famous people in it. Not all of us, of course. Goby and I didn't care for fame at all, so we chose more quiet careers. But then there's Zooli. She's already appeared in a wildlife documentary or two!'

Nonny looked at the photo again. There were fleeting memories of these people, but nothing solid. His face fell as he thought about it. How come he couldn't remember them at all?

'Don't blame yourself,' Oona said, apparently reading his mind. 'It's hard to keep memories from that age. I only remember because all these photos kept rekindling it for me. No one should be expected to remember any of that.'

The more he stared into the photo, the more Nonny began to question the whole thing. All those adventures and games they had together? Gone, as far as his memory was concerned. He could only remember such fleeting parts of it now. To think that such a wonderful part of his life had vanished into the void…

'But even with those photos,' Oona continued. 'There's only one person - other than you - I'm really able to remember. And that's just because he was the only other person in our class who never moved.'

'Who?'

She pointed at one of the boys in the photo, the one with short indigo hair. In that particular photo, he had paint all over his hands.

'That's Goby,' Oona said. 'Luckily enough, Bubbletucky is a pretty cool place for geology! He never had to leave, and he didn't want to. So we stayed in touch after all these years. We don't see each other very often, I'll admit. But every now and then, our paths cross. Maybe at the train station, or maybe at the supermarket. Once or twice, at the bakery! We talk for an hour and two, and then we go about our lives again. I always love it when that happens.'

'Goby, Goby…' Nonny muttered. 'That's sort of stirring up a memory. Is there a way I could… talk to him again?'

Oona smiled. 'I'm sure there is! I know his address, so maybe we can write a letter to him! I'm sure he'd love the opportunity to see you again.'

Nonny glanced back at the photo one last time.

'... What if he doesn't remember me?' He asked. 'I hardly remember him.'

Oona shrugged. 'I don't know. He might. He might not. But there's only one way to find out!'

Nonny sent a text to his parents to let them know that he'd be staying in Bubbletucky for longer than anticipated. Oona offered a place at her house, and he would be silly to decline it. She wrote the letter to Goby while he settled in, resting on her couch and appreciating the peace and quiet. Oona's parents were going on an anniversary trip out of town, leaving them alone in the house.

'You're lucky you showed up today and not tomorrow,' Oona said, sitting right next to him. 'My brother's coming over tomorrow, and he's bringing my niece with him. It won't be so quiet with her around.'

'You mentioned a niece before,' Nonny said. 'I vaguely remember your brother, but… a niece? You have a niece now?'

'Oh, she was only born a few months ago. Aiko, her name is. My brother Kian named her after our mother.' She hesitated. 'Our birth mother.'

Nonny definitely noticed the pause, but chose not to ask. Even with a fuzzy memory, he could tell the story behind 'our birth mother' wasn't pleasant. He must've done a poor job hiding his apprehension though, before he could see Oona giving him a concerned look.

'Oh, right, you wouldn't remember,' She said. 'My birth parents passed away in an accident soon after I was born.'

'… Oh…' Nonny said, wincing and wondering how she was so casual about it. 'I'm sorry. I-I…'

'Don't worry about it. What's done is done. I know my parents wouldn't want me or my brother Kian spending our lives grieving over it. We've come to terms with it. I'm just thankful that my brother is still alive, and that I have a niece at all. And I've got so many other people in my life. Like Goby.'

She signed her name at the bottom in the prettiest handwriting Nonny had ever seen, and tucked it into a simple envelope. What surprised him was that she didn't write the address or zipcode or anything. Just Goby's name with a little 'From Oona' at the bottom.

'Uh, don't you have to write the address?' Nonny asked.

Oona giggled. 'Street comes next, house number too. It helps make sure the letter gets through. Remember that?'

'... Vaguely. But that doesn't answer my question.'

'Oh, we don't need to write down the address. I'm going to be delivering there myself. It won't take long!'

'Wait, what?! Then why-?'

'Writing a letter seems a little less intrusive than showing up at his doorstep. Besides, I think this is a little more fun!'

'... Fun?'

She was out the door before he could get an answer. Was she always this… chaotic? Or did she become this way as she got older? Or did an already chaotic nature grow through the years? Nonny couldn't be sure. All he knew was that she was already gone, and she would hopefully be back soon.

'No, Nonny, you are not just gonna sleep on the couch tonight.'

Oona got back quickly. And now, she was trying to arrange a good place for him to sleep. He had kept insisting that he sleep on the couch, especially as her brother and niece would be visiting soon, but she didn't approve.

'Look, you're going to have visitors anyway,' Nonny said. 'I shouldn't-'

'Nope!' Oona said, crossing her arms. 'My brother won't be staying all day. He lives nearby, so he doesn't need to stay for long. But you, however, will be staying for a little while now. The guest bedroom is perfectly fine!' She gave him a grin. 'Unless you wanna share a bed with me.'

Nonny's cheeks went bright red so quickly it was like a house catching on fire.

'W-What?!' He cried, his voice hitting a pitch so high it almost broke glass. 'N-No!'

'We'll be fully-clothed. I'm sure my mothers won't mind.'

'Uh, I-I think I'd rather sleep in the guest room!'

'That's what I wanted to hear.'

The guest room of the Takahashi household was small but cosy, with just the bare necessities to have a good night's sleep. The bed was well made and clean, and it had a little lamp on the bedside drawer. The light from the hallway spilling into the dark room made it seem all the more calming. Nonny swam over to the bed, and felt just like a kid at a sleepover.

'Tell me if you need anything,' Oona said. 'My house is your house.'

'I'll be fine,' Nonny said. 'I'm practically an adult. I can take care of myself. But thank you for the offer.'

'Any time. I'm just happy to see an old friend of mine at last.'

That was how she left him. She closed the door and didn't speak to him again for the rest of the night. Somehow, she remembered that he liked quiet privacy. He got himself tucked in, sleeping over at someone else's place for the first time since a sleepover with Abyssa a couple years ago. It was surprisingly just how comforting it was to sleep in the house of someone who should've been a total stranger.

Author Notes - I hereby do NOT apologise for the 'share a bed with me' joke. I'm glad I chose to focus this story primarily on Oona and Nonny, since it makes the conflict more personal and easier to deal with when I'm not trying to work with seven characters at once.

Unlike other fanfics about the Guppies growing up (including my own), I don't plan to have all the Guppies to reunite at the end. It's a common trope in cartoons for friends to be friends 'forever', but reality isn't quite like that. Does anyone here still hang out with a friend from preschool? It's not impossible, but I end up getting a new friend group every other year. I don't think I've seen anyone from my early school days in recent years. A large portion of that is due to moving around all of Eastern Australia, sure, but that only goes so far.

Because a show about singing mermaids in a world with underwater fire and dragons is CERTAINLY the most important place for realism.