Splatoon: Th3 Br0th3rs & th3 0tt3r-
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"...Hello?" Splin called out.
Splin stood alone, in a white void, completely devoid of any other life, the floor, sky, anything else in sight was completely blank. Splin took a few steps forward, testing the floor, making sure it was safe. He sighed in relief, the floor appearing stable, until the entire room began to shake. Splin ducked for cover, groaning once he realized you cannot take cover behind nothing. He stood up, scanning the environment around him, the white void surrounding him becoming unpredictable, the white flashing different colors of ink splotches rapidly, the clear terrain becoming a jumbled mess of multicolored discord. Splin stared at the mess in horror, then began coughing. He could not understand why, but every time he blinked, he swore he saw flashes of his life zip across his eyes. Splashes of color blinked across his sight, to the point where it was almost nauseating.
Eventually it paused. Splin blinked spying his brother. Sharq was sitting across the realm laughing with someone he couldn't see. At least he guess it was Sharq who looked older now. He also looked really happy. Splin blinked, staring at his now much older brother. He had a small box sticking out of his pants' shorts, with the shine. Eventually, he stopped talking, kneeling down on the floor. The figure across him gasped. He took the box, opened it, and grinned as a diamond ring shone brightly, the figure apparently crying tears down her face.
"...Nailed." Splin muttered.
The scene changed. Splin stared at his reflection. At least, he assumed it was his reflection. A blinking mess of blue tentacles and a pair of Designer Headphones on the opposite figure's head gave him a decent indication. As Splin watched himself, he turned around, glowing eyes blinking curiously back at his younger self.
That's when Splin woke up, gasping terribly, looking around, blinking his eyes to make sure his delusions were all in order. Everything was still in color. Everything was normal, except for the squid mom glaring directly at Splin.
"Gah! Maria?!" Splin gasped, leaning back.
Maria squinted her eyes at Splin. She immediately took her palm and planted it on his chest, looking to and fro. Eventually she withdrew her hand, sighing.
"Good, you're still breathing." Maria sighed.
Splin frowned. "Of course I'm breathing, what did you think I was doing?"
"Having a heart attack in your sleep. Honey, you've been thrashing in your bed for so long…" Maria told him, holding her chest with a heavy sigh.
"I'm fine Maria… Wait, honey?" Splin asked, staring at Maria.
Maria blinked, blushing light green. "Oh, nothing, I'm glad you're fine!"
Maria immediately turned around in embarrassment and walked off to her bed with a casual strut. Splin was equally embarrassed though he managed to shake off the awkward parental worry wart that was Maria and tidied his shirt up sheepishly. He pushed the sheets off of his bed his vision clearing up ever so slightly as he left the comforts of his cot. Splin walked along the wooden floor off to the kitchen, then immediately tripped over something on the ground.
"Nngh!" Splin groaned, using his arms to block the landing.
"Hi Splin! Do you want to get dealt in?"
Splin turned his head to his right. There, Sharq was sitting with a poker visor wrapped around his Takoroka Mesh cap, a mess of poker chips and a deck of cars on the floor. Ann-Gel and Salty sat side by side, Ann-Gel sneaking a peek at the row of cards facing down by Salty. Salty shook irritably, clustering the cards, Ann-Gel backing away in response, not wishing to cause any issues.
"Hi Salty, you look...normal." Splin greeted the snail.
Salty squeaked in delight at Splin's "compliment".
"...Sharq, no. You shouldn't gamble." Splin sighed.
"It's okay, Maria's teaching us!" Sharq grinned, gesturing to the lime green Inkling.
Splin stared up at Maria incredulously. On her bed, she laughed sheepishly, rubbing her tentacles.
"The television's sort of...broken right now." Maria said, nodding towards the screen.
Splin stared towards the television screen. Smoke rose from the shattered glass. Splin frowned.
"..." Splin sighed.
"Sorry." Maria said, lowering her head.
"What happened?" Splin asked.
"Well, Sharq offered to play me in a game of Super Splat Bros…." Maria said, gesturing to the floor by the television.
Besides the bashed in smoking television screen was an equally smoking Splatendo Wii U console, the Gamepad's screen cracked and burning, the console itself practically a welcoming campfire sight. Splin's hearts sank at the sight.
"..." Maria bit her lip, glancing away.
"Right, I'll just have to purchase a new one… Somehow perform the data back-up too." Splin muttered.
Splin walked over to his bed where his headphones laid by the dresser. Picking them up, he placed them on his head with a comfortable sliding motion. Splin began walking off out of the house through the doors, taking in the sights of the morning sun. He waved towards Maria and Sharq, who waved back, Maria avoiding his gaze. He switched to a blue squid, before jetting off into the sky, leaving behind the hills.
Maria frowned, covering her face in her hands in sheer embarrassment. "God I feel horrible."
"It's okay Maria. I break stuff all the time and Splin bears it all the time!" Sharq smiled at Maria hopefully, Maria just sighing in response.
"...I'm just worried about him. He didn't even eat breakfast." Maria commented, staring out the shattered remnants of the window pane, out to the sky.
"Splin will be fiiiine. He's fourteen." Sharq pointed out with a smile.
Maria shook her head, sitting down on the floor with Sharq. "Well, deal me in. Maybe I'll feel better after a game."
"Sorry Maria, Salty already won the tournament!" Sharq announced.
Maria blinked in a sort of genuine. "Really?"
Sharq nodded happily, turning the the Super Sea Snail sat on the wooden floor. He was decked in coins, doubloons, and a golden crown, a pair of dark sunglasses on its face. Ann-Gel was by the bottom of the kitchen counter, without a single poker chip to call her own. Maria shook her head at the display, though she concealed a smirk.
Splin's trip through the sky was going swimmingly. Somehow this time around, it felt much more serene, more tranquil, despite the fact that he was going to spend every single cent of his savings just to buy a replacement system. The clouds felt cool as he passed through their white fluffiness, Splin sighing, although raindrops happened to sting his skin ever so slightly as he traveled through the azure light of the sky. As he neared the ground, he closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. Suddenly, the asphalt of Inkopolis' streets bugged out, flashing different colors.
"What the-" Splin gasped, switching to Inkling form.
Splin slammed into the asphalt, coughing. Getting up to his feet, dusting himself off, he blinked, kicking the dust off his feet. The black tar below him did not look nor feel odd, though it felt a bit warm in the light of day. Swiftly, Splin left the street in favor of the safer sidewalk, breathing in and out. Aside from the odd stares he received from passerby after the initial landing, he was ignored. Splin sighed, leaning back on a building. Staring at the sky, he debated whether or not he should keep moving for fear that more delusions would cloud his vision. Nonetheless, Splin decided for the sake of curing his boredom, he would press on to purchase a new system. Splin took a brisk jog through the sidewalk, making his way through the city.
Maria hummed to herself as Sharq worked on serving up a meal over at a stove, Salty wearing a golden bib, the snail eagerly awaiting food on a cushion, grinning. Ann-Gel and the Tele-Cube glared with jealousy.
"You know, you don't have to flaunt your wealth." Ann-Gel huffed, crossing her arms.
Salty's shell rattled as if to tell her off. Tele-Cube simulated a face sticking its tongue out at Salty, the snail glaring in offense. Maria put a hand on her chin, staring at Sharq.
"Hey, you never did mention how you and your brother...inherited this house." Maria spoke up.
Sharq frowned. "What do you mean?"
Maria raised her hands. "Nothing, nothing, nevermind."
"No, it's fine, what'd you say?" Sharq asked, flipping the pan he was working with.
"...How'd you two inherit this house?" Maria asked.
Sharq bit his lip, looking up at the ceiling. "...It was a long time ago. I can't really remember, but before our parents…left us, I had to watch over Splin. It was a tough two years, but we made it."
Maria frowned. "Two years?!"
"...Yep, before Splin and us grew into full fledged Inklings, our parents pretty much...left. I don't know why, but Splin and I have been waiting here at home for a long time." Sharq told her.
Maria remained silent, staring down at the counter.
"I'm sure they'll come back some day. 'Til then, I'll just hang out with Splin!" Sharq beamed, flipping the pan again.
"...You're a good brother, Sharq." Maria smiled.
Sharq smiled lightly, turning his gaze towards Maria. Then he glanced back at the pan, the scent of smoke alerting him. He frowned.
"Uh...breakfast is done." He said.
Everyone perked up. Sharq turned around with a blank expression, lifting the pan so everyone could see the contents of the pan. An unrecognizable mess of black soot lined the pan. Everyone waiting at the counter mirrored his expression.
"...So, um, Maria, how about you? You must have some stories." Sharq offered, grinning.
Maria smiled, tilting her head. "Yeah, okay… Well, there was the time I first met a person named Silas…"
Splin sneezed. He was shivering, staring to and fro. Throughout the mall, no one else seemed to be experiencing the same chill he was, if anything, they were the opposite, enjoying the sunshine streaming through the glass roof. Maybe he had a cold. Or he was standing under a long line of vents.
Splin scolded himself mentally for thinking something as stupid as that. He walked throughout the mall, making his way through the mall, reaching an escalator. Inklings filed in a line, from young to old, ascended up and down the set of them. Splin made his way up, standing on a step, waiting for the step to climb up the escalator automatically. He stared down at the cracks between the steps. Flashes of green, most likely the machinery, peered through the cracks back at Splin. Splin sighed, rubbing his arms. As he reached the top floor, Splin shivered, walking to the side.
"Cod, this is absolutely freezing… Maybe I should stop by a pharmacy." Splin thought to himself.
Splin made his way across a store, television screens indoors flashing high definition pictures across. As Splin walked by, the screens fizzled ever so slightly, then blinked off.
"And that's when Rem and Ix met Callie and Marie." Maria explained.
"Wow! That's cool." Sharq grinned.
"Yeah, rather nice story you had there." Ann-Gel smiled.
The Tele-Cube concurred with them, shaking its cube head up and down. The alarm clock, situated comfortably on Splin's bed beeped warningly. The four of them blinked, staring at the clock in confusion. The clock made a fire symbol on its screen. All four of them turned around, the ever aromatic scent of smoke wafting from the stove towards them. The pan was alight.
Maria's pupils shrank, Ann-Gel backed away, and Sharq, quite possibly the most calm reaction of them all…
Ran out the door and flopped in the grass as Maria desperately began searching the house for something to extinguish the fire with.
Splin shook his head. He definitely had to go to a doctor now. Whether or not before, it was extraordinarily clear now. As if experiencing sunspots without gawking at the sun like a buffoon, Splin blinked constantly, as if to cure it. For a while, it worked. Splin sighed, seeing the last dot fade from his vision, before turning to the left.
Splin nearly screamed. In the window pane his reflection bounced, broke into pieces, and flashed. Splin took a step back, bordering on the edge of the floor he was on, then sighed in relief once he read the sign above the storefront.
"'Tricky Mirrors'. Heh, of course." Splin sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead.
Splin walked off towards where he presumed the nearest game retailer was. Unbeknownst to him, as he walked by a storefront labeled "Regular Mirrors", the mirrors in the shop retained the same dysfunctional reflection, bouncing and breaking, with colors shifts that could rival a chameleon.
Maria and Sharq were panting, each lying on the counter of the kitchen with charred faces. The other sentient objects sat on Splin's bed, watching them from a safe distance. Now, while they had managed to douse the fire, but they had a new issue on their hands.
"Blast." Blastoise yawned, snoring as it slept on top of the stove, which resembled a waterfall more than a stove now, water slowly submerging the house from the inside.
"We're going to need a bigger counter." Sharq commented as he tapped the surface of the water cautiously.
"Don't worry I'll handle this." Maria reassured Sharq as she reached at the side.
A shining red and white sphere remained still on the counter. Maria swiftly spun her Golf Visor around, and tossed the Poké Ball at the humongous turtle. The Poké Ball smacked into Blastoise's shell, then opened with a burst of light. Maria's eyes widened.
A pillar shaped swath of fire blasted out of the ceiling.
Splin sighed. Far from feeling one-hundred percent well, he managed to make his way towards GameShark, where a collection of games in shimmering plastic cases lined the shelves. With a yawn, Splin went inside, immediately stopping to stare at a system. An identical match to the one that was smashed in laid behind the employee working at the counter, who looked equally as tired as Splin, grayish green tentacles wrapped in a lazy ponytail sagging somewhat low behind a grayish green set of eyes. On his black shirt uniform, a name tag labeled, "Prothe" stuck at his chest.
Upon notice the younger brother, the employee seemed to straighten up, and cleared his throat.
"Welcome to GameShark, how may I help you?" He asked in a voice with all the enthusiasm of a victim of a cold.
Splin responded by reaching into his pockets, taking out a wallet, and emptying a small mound of coins onto the counter.
"I'd like to purchase a Wii U." Splin told him.
The employee nodded, turning behind him, taking the system off the shelves. Splin turned around as he worked, staring at the game titles. One caught his eye, a simple game strategy game of sorts. Squinting his eyes to read the title, he read.
"Fire Emblem Fates Birthrights...is that new?" Splin pondered.
The game cover flashed, shocking Splin. On the cover, Corrin stood with a legion of others. Strangely enough, he lacked the tentacles and black marks over his eyes, distinguishing him as an Inkling.
"?!" Splin gasped, backing up into the counter.
"Hey." A voice cleared its throat.
Splin turned around, noticing the employee staring down at him. He laid the game console on the counter, awaiting Splin.
"Would you like to extend the warranty? Only five extra." The employee asked, leaning his elbow on the counter.
Splin's mind shifted to the sight of smoke and the nonexistent crackling of electricity. Without hesitation, Splin slapped five more coins on the counter, and took the boxed console.
"Thanks… Prothe." Splin read with squinted eyes.
At the mention of his name, Prothe grinned, or at the very least curled his mouth minimally. "No problem."
Prothe waved the younger Inkling off as he left his store. Splin stumbled with the box, shaking his head to relieve the dizzy feeling and the fizzling in his ears.
At this point, Maria was about ready to collapse on her mattress. Having corralled the Pokémon in their encapsulated resting spheres, she was ready to collapse at any moment. Practically anything could make her collapse to the floor. Only problem was, she was not willing to nap on the burning grass below.
The house was as if a mismatch of elements were mixed into it, with fire jutting out the top and water flooding out of the bottom, ruining the house in tandem with each other instead of say, the water putting out the fire. Maria felt beyond awful at this point, gloomily stuffing her head in her legs as she sat by a tree.
"Aw, come on Maria, it could be-"
"Worse?" Maria muttered through her legs. "Sharq, please, if you try to cheer me up like that…"
Sharq frowned. Behind him was a collection of the house denizens, Ann-Gel sitting on her pedestal with a wide eyed expression, hands on her cheeks. The Tele-Cube and alarm clock flashed either the time or blinked lights for the sake of it. Sharq frowned for about the umpteenth time.
"...Sorry Maria. I didn't even get to serve you breakfast!" Sharq sighed.
Maria's head rose up from her lap, a melancholy smile on her face. "It's okay Sharq…"
"It's not okay though! I've been screwing up too much lately!" Sharq sighed. "I don't even think I've cured Splin's teenager yet!"
Maria smirked. "Are you still on about that?"
"Yes! I don't want him to grow older just yet!" Sharq shouted, staring down at the ground. "It's like he's growing distant… You've noticed it, right?"
Maria tilted her head.
"He's staring off into the distance like he's daydreaming… Only he has this really glazed over look…" Sharq muttered.
Maria stared at Sharq in surprise. "Sharq…"
"Gah!" Sharq groaned, falling onto his back. "And our house is burning down too…"
"What are you two talking about?"
The two turned towards the source of the voice, Splin standing over them with a curious stare. He lifted a bag in his right hand, tilting his head in confusion.
"I bought a replacement system. All we need to do now is hook it up." Splin told them.
"...Err, but Splin, the house is…" Sharq pointed behind them.
Splin blinked, turning around, greeted by a house ablaze with fire. Splin stared straight through the flames out the other side, his eyes flashing from their normal brown hue to that of purple and black.
"What's wrong?" Splin asked.
"Wh-What's wrong?!" Sharq gasped.
"Splin, are you feeling okay?" Ann-Gel asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" Splin yawned. "I think I just need to take a bit of a nap."
"...Whuh?!" Sharq was taken aback.
Splin stretched his arms in the air, lazily walking towards the house. Everyone's eyes had grown in shock. He shown no sign of stopping, Splin walking through the grass, the heat growing warmer. Sharq attempted to tackle Splin, only succeeding in slamming into him, attempting to drag him back by his legs. The Tele-Cube attempted to push him back, Ann-Gel followed Sharq's lead, attempting to drag him back, only succeeding in parting the grass she was dragged off on. The alarm clock, for lack of a better word, attempted to help by chanting them on. Maria ran in front of Splin, glaring at him.
"That's far enough!" She shouted, holding her hands out to stop him.
Then she shivered. She shook her head, staring down at her feet, where Sharq and the others laid, hands still grasping at the air. All of them blinked, then turned around. Splin somehow made his way behind them, and began entering the house, flickering in and out like that of a candle flame.
"NO!" They shouted.
Splin grinned. The house felt warmer for some reason. It was as if flames were wrapping him in a heavenly blanket of warmth. He yawned, walking over to his bed. Strangely enough, his bed looked nothing more than a block, but Splin did not mind, resting on top of the cushy block anyways, yawning. Splin did not mind the warmth. It was as if flames were there, except instead of searing heat, it was a pleasant breeze. Of course, he knew his house never had this much warmth in it, even during summer. So, he decided he needed to turn down the heat.
The others watched hopelessly as Splin had entered the fire, becoming increasingly more upset. Maria slumped down to her knees, tears threatening. Sharq could hardly look. Of course, that is when the fire went out. Like a snuff of winter air engulfed the house, the flames flickered out. The water flowing through the floor evaporated almost immediately. They stared at the house. As if a reset button was flicked, the house was back to normal, with no scratches or burns to begin with. They all gawked at the house. The doors opened.
"...Gah, I don't feel great." Splin muttered, rubbing the back of his head's tentacles.
"Splin!" Sharq beamed.
"Hmm? Gah!" Splin gasped, Sharq tackling into him.
"You're okay!" Sharq laughed.
"Of course I'm okay. I told you I just needed to sleep." Splin told Sharq, the odd color in his eyes having switched back to their default brown.
Maria could only sigh in relief, falling to the ground in exasperation. Ann-Gel frowned.
"You okay Maria?" The little statuette asked.
"Peachy…" She muttered almost breathlessly.
"You were really worried about him, weren't you?" Ann-Gel asked.
Maria looked up with a bit of an offended stare. "Of course, what kind of mother would I be-"
Ann-Gel arched an eyebrow. Maria frowned.
"Y-You know what I mean." Maria huffed, crossing her arms.
"...Parental nature?" Ann-Gel asked.
Maria turned around, light green crossing her face. Ann-Gel stifled a laugh at the motherly nature Maria attempted to hide. Meanwhile, Sharq was practically suffocating Splin with his brotherly affection.
"Okay Sharq, yeesh, I took a nap, why are you so excited?" Splin asked.
"Because you're not dead!" Sharq cheered.
"...Why would I be dead?" Splin asked, breaking the hug.
Sharq attempted to explain, "The house was on fire, the floor was flooded! Plus, you might've gotten another seizure in your sleep!"
Splin deadpanned. "...Sure. Okay, well I'm going to go inside and catch up on breakfast."
Splin began walking inside. Sharq followed closely behind, the others beginning to catch up, Maria rubbing her arm sheepishly.
"Oh, wait I forgot to get the replacement system, hang on." Splin spoke up, dashing out of the house.
In the grass below, Splin made his way over to the system still wrapped in a box. Splin kneeled down to pick it up, when his vision flashed again. All that happened was the logo on the box, "Splatendo" briefly changing names, then shifting back. Splin blinked, his eyes glowing ever so slightly.
"I need more sleep." Splin muttered.
Yes you do.
"Voice? Where have you been?" Splin asked, cocking an eyebrow curiously.
That's none of your beeswax silly goose, now go home and be a family man.
"...What?" Splin asked.
Go home and plug in the system or something.
"Oh." Splin muttered, standing straight. "Right. Can you at least explain what's been happening lately? Not feeling myself."
That's a story for another day.
"...Whatever voice."
Splin walked back into the house, new system cradled in his arms. He entered, set the system down on the floor, and was about to set it up when-
Maria began breathing rapidly, falling to the ground.
"Maria, what's wrong?!"
"Maria, calm down, you're okay!"
"I'm scared…"
Maria laid on her bed, unconscious. Everyone stared at her worriedly.
"What is going on today?" Splin muttered. "Either the appliances are broken, or the people here are. Is there a flu?"
"Dunno…" Sharq muttered.
Splin blinked, staring at Maria. Flashes of battle and lights echoed across his vision. He blinked again. Maria laid there, her Golf Visor wrapped around the frame of her bed.
"...Something's wrong." Splin muttered.
AN: Splat X nods. Hoohah isn't that original. Will Splin get his mind out of the gutter and start thinking straight? What's happening with Maria? Is Sharq being overprotective? Will Ari ever ask Tai out on a date?
"Silence! I'm working on it!" Ari cried out towards the sky fiddling with a bouquet of roses and a suit.
"...Who're you talking to?" Rit asked, Ari's other squad-mates staring at him curiously.
Thanks write n wrong for reviewing, by the by, I honestly hadn't really thought about that way, but yes, that does seem like an accurate representation of their relationship with everyone else!
Thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, find out next time on Xenoblade Chronicles X!
(Or this story, I dunno)