Eh? I got two reviews for this chapter... One five hours ago, and one in DECEMBER. Please note, this chapter was posted January 11th. Either FFN is glitching, or I'm going insane. Possibly both.

Chronological review response time.

Ant: I seem to be having temporal problems with this fic. Things are happening before they should be happening in reality. If you can find the time travelers responsible for messing with me, I would be greatly appreciative.

maizestudent: They're all aware. The only two people not aware are both incredibly thick.

Cat Poster: Your wish has been granted. Do not worry, for he shall return!

Lord-Sylph: Trick is gross and will be treated with the absolute minimum respect.

Xenophos24: I don't know how, but I am convinced you are a time traveler. Thank you, traveler of the fourth dimension.

Leaving Lowee was much, much easier than entering it. It turns out that the whole mess in the Basilicom has earned our party a few fans: rather than having to make our own way out of the Nation, one of the Nation's higher-ups saw it fit to send a carriage and a driver to make our trip to Planeptune easier.

Well, maybe less of a carriage, and more of a bus. It's definitely rather roomy in here for a carriage.

Of course, the driver did apologise that the White Candidates would be unable to join us for the trip, as they were making final preparations for their journey. Since none of us were really planning on heading to the Graveyard right away, it wasn't really a big deal, and we told him such.

Nepgear and Uni were both still sound asleep while the bus arrived, forcing us unfortunate people who were awake to coordinate as a team to lift the two sleeping Candidates into the transport. The Embassy folks were even kind enough to let us keep the blankets. Since there were twelve double seats in the bus, our decision was to just lay down Uni and Nepgear upon seats by themselves. They've definitely earned the chance to catch up on their sleep. I nod off a bit myself, and end up sleeping through the first half of the trip.

Thus, rather than arriving late in the day, and freezing cold like expected, we arrived… comfortable, for the first time in weeks. It's barely noon, and I can already see the gates of Planeptune in the distance up ahead. A nearby groan causes me to look up to the aisle across from mine.

I'm greeted by Uni, newly awakened and just in the process of sitting up. "Huh? Derek, where are we?"

I smile back, before I get up and move beside her, "Just outside Planeptune. Turns out, Mina was nice enough to lend us a bus."

"Was everything fine after I conked out?" asks Uni, who glances out the window for a moment. "I'm sorry for falling asleep on everyone there… I need to be stronger for next time."

"Hey…" I return, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You fought the good fight against a giant slimy pedophile for longer than humanly possible. I think that's strong enough, no?"

"I guess…" Uni glances around, to check the surroundings, "Is Nepgear awake yet?"

Getting up just long enough to check in with the others reveals a negative. "Nope. It seems she's still out cold. Hopefully she'll be up in time to say hello to Histoire, though. I know that the tome fairy will be worried for her."

Carefully, Uni rotates herself until she's seated normally, blanket still wrapped around herself. She pats the seat beside her, and I move over to just a bit to her left. She stretches, re-adjusts her blanket, and murmurs, "Eughhh… Yesterday was gross… Thank you so much for catching me. Wait... Why am I clean? Who clea-"

She turns towards me with a confused, interested, or possibly even murderous expression across her face. I can't tell, and regardless of what it is, it definitely is a terrifying expression.

"N-no!" I reply, throwing my hands up defensively as I slide slightly backwards. "Compa was the one who cleaned you. I was just carrying you around until we got back to the Embassy."

"Oh." replies Uni, tone flat and unreadable. "Oh. Okay. Well, I suppose that's a relief. I'll be sure to give her a thank you for that."

I let loose a short breath, before I try to change the subject. "Anyway… Have you ever been to Planeptune before?"

Uni rolls her eyes, but takes my hint. "Only a few times, and only with Noire… Um. Noire is my sister. I did tell you that, right?"

I don't think she has, but I could have forgotten.

"I don't think so… But it might have been a while ago." I respond, leaning backwards. "What's she like, anyway? Is she like you?"

"What, anxious to learn about her all of a sudden?" Uni smirks back. "Why the sudden change?"

"If I'm right…" I begin, gazing over Uni's shoulder towards the window at the approaching Basilicom, "Well… I will be meeting her and the other CPUs rather soon…"

Uni blinks, seems to think for a moment, and then widens her eyes. "You're right! We're almost there, huh? Hard to believe it… Only a week ago, I'd have thought that saving her would be impossible… But here we are."

"Almost there." I echo, smiling back. "Just one more obstacle until her, Neptune, Rom's older sister, and uhh…" I trail off, unsure of whether I should know who Vert is yet.

Uni seems to crack up the moment I describe Vert as 'The other one'. "You might want to get their names from Histoire… And so should I… Might be a good idea to make a good impression, yeah?"

Impressions. Oh…

My changing face triggers a response from Uni, "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure N-Noire will…"

Uni trails off, and glances out the window once more. I tap her on the shoulder, but she doesn't respond. I could keep pushing, but she did just wake up.

I let loose a sigh. I might've made a good impression with Nepgear and Uni… But I completely flubbed it with the twins. I want to help them, but what happens if I convince Neptune I'm a villain, or I do something stupid and they shun me? I have no idea how they'll react...

I'm almost more afraid of what's after the graveyard than what is during it.

"Uni?" I ask, turning towards the girl. I nudge her on the shoulder again.

"Huh?" she returns, although she still seems to be deep in thought. I can see her frowning in the reflection in the window.

"We've got a day or two before the twins show up, probably." I state. "Is there anywhere you want to go while we're in Planeptune? I've got a free schedule, so if you want to check anywhere out, I'd be more than happy to accompany you."

Uni blinks, and whips back towards me. I narrowly manage to dodge receiving a face full of twintail. "You'd really do that?"

"Whoah there! That twintail nearly took out an eye!" I exclaim, covering my eye in exaggerated concern. The moment I see the smile and rolled eyes, I continue, "I'd love to. I'm certain Nepgear knows a few places that would be cool to check out. We can ask her when we get to the Basilicom."

With plans set in motion, we watch the Basilicom draw ever closer.

"Derek?" asks Uni from my right.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Always." I reply.

Rather than waiting inside of the building like I had assumed, Histoire is right outside of the front door when we finally arrive. She's hovering back and forth frantically, glancing at the bus even as we begin to slow.

Nepmom indeed. It seems that someone must've told her about what happened up in Lowee. I can't blame her, and neither can the rest of the cast, so we make sure to let Nepgear off the bus first.

One by one, we disembark the bus, and with a final nod from the driver, the bus begins its long return journey. It's relatively easy to track as it leaves the city, being the only white object in a sea of violet and indigo.

Turning back around, I can see Histoire practically spiraling around the newly-awakened Nepgear, who seems to be blinking in confusion at the page pixie. The rest of our crew seems to be holding back laughter at the whole thing, and I can't help but find the situation funny as well. Compa mouths the words 'Adorable' at me, and I nod back, smiling widely.

After several more spirals, Histoire either calms down, or becomes dizzy enough to stop, at least for a while. She clears her throat, hovers at head level, and directs us towards one of the meeting rooms inside of the Basilicom.

"Welcome back, everyone." She smiles, glancing at each of us in turn. "And welcome, to those of you who are here for the first time. Welcome to the Planeptune Basilicom."

"Thank you." "Cool!~" "Glad to be here!" are the disordered replies.

"Nepgear, you are carrying the Mascots, correct?" she asks, gesturing with an open hand. Taking her cue, Nepgear shuffles about a bit, summoning the four discs, one by one. The discs hover mid-air for a moment, before they lazily float over to Histoire, and begin to orbit around the fairy's tome.

"Excellent." states the Tome, glancing at each of the Mascots in turn. "We should have everything needed to open the gateway… But are you not missing the Lowee Candidates?"

IF speaks up. "They needed just a bit more time to prepare. They should be here in a few days."

Histoire nods. "They have the right idea. I must tell you: The Graveyard is possibly the least hospitable location in Gamindustri. No plants grow in that cursed place, and the monsters that dwell within are twisted and bizarre. I fully suggest that you all prepare as well. It will be a difficult task to free the CPUs trapped inside."

She pauses, noting the silence. "I have full faith in your combined abilities. Together, this task is within your grasp, but please, take the time that you might need to prepare. We are only able to open the portal to the Graveyard twice… once to enter, and once to leave."

She claps her hands twice. "You are all dismissed for the time being. Should you wish to ask questions about the Graveyard itself, or the process which you will be using to travel there, merely come see me in my office. I personally recommend taking the rest of the day off, and beginning your preparations the trials ahead of you tomorrow."

One by one we rise to our feet, and we begin to exit the room. I can see MAGES. hanging back, probably to ask Histoire about the portal… I don't blame her in the slightest. I'd stick around too, if the whole process wasn't entirely over my head.

I'm barely halfway out of the door when a sudden force jerks me to the right and forwards.

"Wha?" I utter, whirling towards the source.

"C'mon! I just remembered something really cool from back when Noire last took me here!" exclaims the raven-haired Candidate, who is continuing to tug on my arm painfully. She is definitely excited.

Well, with a statement like that, how can I resist?

Following the girl's lead, I'm led into a cavernous room. Glancing upwards is enough to induce vertigo, and dominating the center of the room is a rectangle of padded flooring. The room itself is ringed in countless lights, both spotlights and area lights. Is this some sort of arena?

"Purple Heart was all about progress way back when, and invited Noire and I over to check out this room a couple of years ago right when they completed it. Let's see if I remember how to activate it…" murmurs Uni, who takes a few steps inside.

Uni runs over to a switch on the wall, and clicks it. The area lights turn on. They seem to be fluorescent, and a few of them seem to be flickering. Need to be changed at some point in the future. I walk up towards the mats, and press my hand onto them. Soft, but still firm. They're probably tatami mats, although these ones have a little bit more give than any mats that I'm used to.

"Er…" states Uni, glancing at the lights. She clicks the lights on and off one more time. "Don't worry, I totally got this!"

I wander over towards the handy benches flanking the mats and take a seat as she runs over to another cluster of switches. One more button press, and… Wait, there's fans in here? I lower a hand down towards a vent on the bench, and there's definitely cold air flowing in.

"That one's the fans!" I call, glancing over towards Uni, who seems to be getting more and more frustrated as she tries each of the nearby switches in turn. She manages to open and close the curtains, elevate the mats, and then… Why are there spike traps in the middle of the mats? "Do you want me to go get Nepgear?"

"No! I've got this… One last try." is the response, as Uni continues to frantically toggle the countless switches on and off. "Why are all of these switches unlabeled? Noire always labels the switches! I swear, if I need to label them myself..."

She moves over towards another cluster of switches, and sighs, before pressing another button. Nothing seems to be happening… I instinctively duck, expecting a blade or darts or something to come shooting out of the walls. I swear, this place is like the temple of doom.

Instead I'm greeted by the hiss of pneumatics from below. I grip my seat as tightly as I can, as I feel myself getting launched skyward. I debate jumping off of the platform, but fortunately the ascension stops before I make my decision.

It seems that I did not in fact sit on a bench… Rather than at ground level like before, I am now several meters up, on top of a metal platform which has risen out of the ground. Across the mats, I can see an identical platform, perched atop of a rack. Countless weapons are housed on the wall… There's almost as many weapons on this rack there was when I was in the shop. I can only assume a similar set of weaponry is underneath me as well.

"Yeah! Finally found it! That's the one… Uh… Derek?" chimes in Uni from the ground below. "Where'd you go?"

"I chose a bad place to sit!" I state, waving at her from my new perch. "... Although now that I think about it, this is probably the observation platform. Do you think it goes with that switch that raises the mats?"

Uni pauses, before she slowly moves her gaze upwards. "Oops!" she says. "Do you want me to lower the platform again so you can get off?"

I shake my head. "I'll be down in a second. Don't mind me." And with that, I hurl myself off of the platform, aiming dead center for the mats. It's a fall that's nearly half again longer than I am tall, but I stick the landing at the dead center of the mats, absorbing almost all of the impact with bent knees. I don't even stumble on collision.

"Hahah! Yes!" I exclaim. That one felt good. I'm halfway through congratulating myself when actual applause erupts from my right.

"Nice one, Derek!" smiles Uni, clapping all the way. "You been practicing that one or something?"

"Too much stuff has thrown me off of it in a short period of time for me not to practice." I smile back. "After all, not all of us can fly."

Uni nods back. "So… This is Purple Heart's training room… Although from the dust on these weapons…"

With a slightly irritated expression, Uni pulls a rapier off of the shelf, and rubs the side of the blade on her dress. I rifle through my pockets, and pull out a cloth, probably pocketed when I wasn't paying attention up in Lowee. Damn accidental kleptomania. I hand the pilfered object to her before she can do any permanent damage to her clothing.

"... Thank you. Seriously? Does no one dust these things?" scoffs Uni, who holds up the now-shiny blade. "Noire was considering installing one of these rooms in our Basilicom too… But unfortunately, we didn't have time to do that."

I step over towards the weapons, and one by one examine them until I find an acceptable weapon: a longsword. It's the length of my entire arm… The suggested size for an arming sword. Just like the sword Uni pulled off the shelf, it's dusty, but not rusty. The blade is a dull silver, and the hilt a light magenta. It… feels a lot lighter than it should. I suppose it's meant to be used as an oversized weapon by a person half my size, but it's about the correct one for me.

I experimentally swing the sword twice. If I were to guess, a chunk of metal this size should weigh at least twice this amount. This one weighs the same as an aluminum baseball bat the same size. The hell is this thing made of?

"Anyway. You brought up Noire a bit earlier, and I was thinking. Noire's a bit of a perfectionist… If you know what I mean." continues Uni, who experimentally flourishes her own weapon. "And then I remembered how much she practiced…"

I nod. "So…?"

Uni points at me. "You're still a bit sloppy with your weapons. Why not take the time to practice?"

"So you plan on… training me?" I ask, eyebrow raised. "Wait. Can't you only use guns?"

Uni smirks back, and taps me on the shoulder with her rapier. "Training weapons. They're usable by anyone, any time. Non-lethal too. Noire even managed to show me a thing or two when handling a rapier. Don't worry, I won't go easy on you."

"Oh, bring it on." I respond, recieving my cloth back and wiping my own weapon. Ew, the white cloth is already stained grey. "You're right. Practice would help."

With a pair of exchanged nods, we step onto the mats. I make sure to toss my coat to the side, where it flutters to the ground. I pause to take a knee and examine the mats… No marking from where the spike traps came up. Weird, but not too bad as far as video game logic goes.

"So, how are we doing this?" I ask, shifting the blade through a series of positions… With all honesty, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have basic stances down, but I can only hope that Uni is as new at this as I am, or else this is going to get really embarrassing, really quickly. "Points on touch? Any other rules I should be aware of?"

Uni nods. "Try not to go for the face, okay? And definitely don't go for the crotch."

I raise an eyebrow. Seriously? "Of course not."

With exchanged nods, we step apart, pause for a moment, and then shift into motion.

First step of a duel… Find an opening to exploit.

I step sideways and begin to circle Uni. Find a gap in her defenses…

Uni raises an eyebrow towards me, but raises her blade up just in time to deflect a testing stab aimed at her upper body. I lunge backwards out of the counterattack, and swipe leftwards. It barely grazes her, and we break apart.

"One nothing?" I ask, but I barely have enough time to open my mouth before I get a blade right to the chest.

"One one." smirks back Uni, who retreats backwards. "C'mon, at least try a little!"

"Oh… That's how it's gonna be, huh?" I shout back, and counter with a whirling strike which clashes across a lightning-fast parry from Uni. We cross blades several times, but I can't find an opening… Point after point rack up against me. Finally, I manage to regain some footing, allowing me to push her backwards and circle again.

"Seriously Derek?" asks Uni, eyebrow raised, but guard still up. "Why are you holding back? I've seen you fight. You aren't even trying!"

I breathe in. "I am trying though."

Uni rolls her eyes. "What part of 'anything goes' don't you understand? It's no good practicing if you aren't doing you, after all."

I blink.

She snorts at my expression. "Seriously! I wouldn't have said that if I was going to hold it against you. C'mon. Let loose a little."

I glance at my sword, and then at Uni. "Y'know what? Challenge accepted. Here we go!"

I prepare a stance to lead into a high blow, and just as I expected, Uni raises her blade to counter. What she doesn't prepare for is my leg sweep, which sends her stumbling backwards onto the mats. I tap her lightly with my blade, as she stares back up to me, slightly stunned from her new position on the floor.

But that expression is rapidly replaced with another. An ear-to-ear smirk I'm not sure I entirely like.

"Finally!" she laughs, grasping my hand firmly and pulling herself up. "I was wondering how long you'd try to hold back. Well...I suppose I should stop holding back as much too, right?"

And it was then, that I remembered that I wasn't sparring off against just some girl… I was sparring with a Goddess, even in human form.

"Oh shit." I reply, but I take my position.

And yes, Uni was definitely holding back on me before. Her first movement is fast enough to force me to go full defensive, dodging under the blade and backwards towards the edge of the mat. Not willing to lose all of my ground, I return with a kick to the midsection to force space, but leave myself too open to the counterattack.

Time after time we clash and soon, the battle's nothing more than a rhythmic dance of steel and whirling limbs. She's too fast and far too strong for me to overpower, but she can't react fast enough to counter everything I do and just doesn't have the reach that I do, allowing us to trade back and forth between offense and defense.

I've long since given up on trying to think about things besides the battle, instead relying upon my instincts and muscle memory to weave between her hail of blows and return my own. I find myself focused entirely upon finding weak points in her guard and using them, which is all I can do to stay ahead. After a while, we no longer pause between the rounds, instead only giving each other enough time to recover before going again.

We've thrown each other to the mat several times, and I even manage to sneak in an arm bar as a counter to a poorly-timed stab. That one definitely threw her for a loop.

Finally, when I am too tired to continue, I wave her off, and collapse to a single knee to regain my breath.

"What… was the score?" I ask, arms stinging. How many times did I get whacked by that rapier? I'm only starting to feel it now. I rub my forearms, but it does nothing to sooth the feeling. I guess I'll just have to walk it off.

"No idea. I lost count after seventeen-fifteen." smiles Uni, who looks just as tired as I am. "Whooh… Glad I didn't turn off the fans. What a workout..."

"It was fifteen-fifteen… And you know it…" I breathe. I get a chuckle back.

"You wish."

A quiet applause from our left and above draws both of our attentions.

"Okay… How long have you all been sitting there?" I ask, unable to keep my irritated tone in check. Slowly, I turn my head until I can see the source of the noise out of the corner of my eye.

There, atop of the platforms is Nepgear, IF, and Compa, who are down smiling on us and applauding heartily.

"We were wondering where you two were, and decided not to interrupt you." smiles Compa. "Not bad, either of you!"

"T-Thanks…" I breathe, and I accept Uni's hand that pulls me up. "I'm not used to using a real sword…"

Nepgear nods, looking rather thoughtful. "Neither of you are… I hate to tell you this, but you both still have a lot to learn. You two did great for beginners though."

Both Uni and I groan. IF chuckles at us. "Don't worry. Nepgear's been using a sword for as long as I can remember. If she said that you two did great, then you did great."

"Riiight." says Uni, who scratches the back of her neck. She pauses for a moment, before her eyes snap towards the exit. "I think I'll hit the showers. Okay? See you!"

And then she leaves before I can properly complain or reply. II still try anyway.

"Uni!" I shout back, still too winded to run. I attempt to chase her anyway, but find myself stopping far too soon. Before I even get halfway there, the door's closing behind her. "No fair! Ah well…" I groan. "I'll get the next one I guess."

With another huff, I amble over to one of the racks, and lean against one of the surfaces not covered in weapons. I bend down and grab my coat along the way. As I reach my destination, I dig through its pockets for my inventory, and then through that for a bottle of water. As I chug the whole thing, I have time to properly examine the rack. Huh, so there's ladders on the back of the racks? I suppose that's how the others got up top. I probably should have looked, rather than jumping off.

"Hey IF… Want to give it a go?" asks Nepgear from above.

IF gulps, loudly enough that I can hear her from down here. Seems someone else is aware that sparring with a Goddess is exhausting work.

"C'mon Iffy! I believe in you!" states Compa, and from what I can hear, she lightly slapped the girl on the back. "You can do it!"

"I… Okay." replies the Agent weakly, who climbs down the ladder beside me, slightly scared expression on her face. She mutters quietly to me as she passes, "If you want, Derek, you can wait up top."

I shake my head, and wander over to the edge of the room, away from the ring. The benches on the very outside look rather comfortable right now…

I throw my legs over the length of the bench, and wad my coat up below my neck. With the fans bearing down on me, I can't help but drowse off.

"Derek. Derek? Derek!" speaks Compa, who is occasionally poking me on the shoulder.

"Huh?" I raise my head from my oh-so-comfortable position of being buried into my balled-up jacket.

A satisfied, tired-looking Nepgear and an utterly exhausted IF are leaning against a water fountain which has appeared in the corner of the room. I wonder which switch controls that.

"You fell asleep."

I shake my head. "Thanks for waking me up. It's a good thing you did, or else I might've just slept till the morning."

My legs still feel like cement and the room's still the perfect temperature for me to go out like a light.

Compa shoots me something vaguely resembling a smirk. "I didn't notice you had fallen asleep until I tried to get down."

"Well uh…" I reply. I rub my eyes as they turn towards IF, who seems to have fallen asleep against the fountain.

"... I think I'll go get that shower now." I decide, and follow the example set for me earlier, sprinting out of the room before anyone else can object.

IF is far too out of it to complain, and Nepgear seems to be busy trying to figure out where to move her now-sleeping friend. Compa watches me leave for a moment, before she turns away to deal with her brunette friend.

See? Everyone's happy.

One refreshing shower later, and I'm finally free of the clammy, sticky feeling that always strikes after a person sleeps in their work clothes. My dirty, sweat-soaked clothes are immediately tossed into a washing machine, and soon I'm lounging about in my spare clothing, leaning against a sofa.

The others are all off doing their own thing, leaving me alone in one of the recreation rooms. I don't feel like trying to find Neptune's console systems. It's equal parts laziness, respect for personal property, and fear that I will somehow break the console. Thus, I just sit back, in a half-awake haze that often only is found on particularly lazy Sunday mornings.

A door opening nearby forces me to slowly turn towards it, but I don't see anyone coming through. Still, the door closes a moment later, forcing me to finally shake myself out of my daze.

Quite fortunately, it wasn't a ghost that had opened the door, it's merely RED.

"Oh, hey RED." I murmur, rolling into a seated position and stretching. "Sorry… I'm still kind of sleepy."

"That's okay.~" nods RED, who takes a seat in a chair across from me. She stares at me expectantly.

We are both silent for a moment.

"Uh… Is something wrong?" I ask the very short redhead.

RED nods seriously, but her tone is light, at least. "I heard about what you said in Lowee. I'm willing to give you a pass on this just once, but the rest of the wifeys are mine, you hear?"

"Uh… Okay?" I reply, not entirely sure what to make of this. None of my brain cells seem to be working right now.

"Cool. Glad to have that cleared up!~" smiles RED, who springs to her feet and skips away. "I'll hold you to that!~"

I stare for a moment at the door as it closes behind her. The hell was that about?

I sit around for another hour after that on the sofa, fully expecting another interaction with a member of the party, but to my surprise, nothing happens. I suppose we're out of event flags for today.

Time passes in a blur from then on. After I finally get off my ass and get moving again, we spend a few hours wandering about Planeptune, stocking up on supplies, talking with each other, and then returning back to the Basilicom to sleep. The next morning though, the twins finally arrive.

Unlike yesterday, the day before our departure is slightly less restful, but definitely still eventful. We spend a majority of it wandering about the streets of Planeptune, stopping at the occasional quarter arcade, and leaving an hour later with the scoreboards full of brand new initials. Eventually though, the day draws to a close, and we find ourselves returning once more to the Basilicom, where Compa awaits, veritable feast prepared for us.

Our meal is full of joking, laughing, and small talk. The twins still don't like me, but they're treating more like I'm beneath them, rather than someone they actively dislike. I'm not sure whether I like this more than the alternative. Still, they aren't objecting to my company, and seem to be entirely prepared for our little journey into hell.

After the meal is concluded, Histoire makes her speech, and declares that tomorrow, we assault the Graveyard. Her speech acts as an ultimatum. There's no backing out now. Tomorrow, we move.

It's hours after that, and the twins have tucked themselves into bed, and the other have all retreated for the night as well. I, on the other hand, find myself walking through the deserted halls of the Basilicom a quarter to midnight, moon overhead, skies black. Thoughts of fear and doubt swirl through my mind, refusing to leave. It's impossible to sleep, even after an hour of laying on a bed.

I spent the day talking to Nepgear, Uni, Histoire… Even Rom, when she was separate from Ram. All of the questions were pertaining the CPUs. Who they are. What they like. How to make a good impression. Tomorrow is the day I really meet them, face to face. I don't know them. I know of them, I know what they might be like, but…

I take in a sigh as I step down yet another hallway. I can't sleep. I'm too nervous. I shouldn't be nervous… Not about this. I should be trying to rest for tomorrow, where absolutely anything could be waiting for us in the Graveyard...

"Mr. Derek?" speaks a light voice from behind me. Whirling around, I find myself staring down at the petite form of Histoire.

"Pardon me for a moment." speaks the Oracle, and over the course of several seconds, she elevates herself to my head level. "It's rather late, isn't it?"

I shake my head slowly. "I couldn't sleep. I'm worried about tomorrow."

Histoire smiles. "It is good to see that you are not charging into this situation without fear. Still, I must recommend you get your rest. The others will need you tomorrow."

"I guess. Wouldn't want to oversleep our little excursion into hell, now would I?" I mutter back, but I nod. "I'll try, Histoire. Thank you."

As I watch the pixie fly away, I rifle through my inventory, checking my things. One by one I check my weapons, until I find myself holding something I seem to have forgotten about for quite some time.

"Gooey?" asks Seamus, as I pull him out. The Dogoo blinks at me. Does time pass in my inventory?

How long has it been since I've taken him out? At least a few days. And he does seem to be alive...

"Hey there, Seamus." I murmur, scratching the Dogoo behind the ear. "I'm about to go to the Gamindustri Graveyard. Do you know where that place is?"

The Dogoo blinks, before it suddenly shrinks down, ears shrunken in fear. It lets out a frightened murmur.

"Yeah, yeah... I know. I'm not looking forward to it either…"

"Gooey?"

I take in a breath. "Seamus, I'm pretty sure that, as fun as it is for you to stick around, you'd probably want space for a bit, yeah?"

The Dogoo growls slightly at my pun, but the growl slowly fades. It returns to its confused expression.

"C'mon, buddy. We're not too far from Virtua Forest, where I first found you. I'll let you go outside." I whisper. I retrieve a few goosberries from my inventory and feed them to the slime, who gobbles them greedily.

Brandishing my slime on a stick, I step outside into the crisp night air. Seamus sniffs about for a moment, but emits a panicked noise as I lower the stick towards the ground.

"Here. You're free." I state, and I slowly attempt to pull him off of the stick. When that fails, I just press against him with my shoe instead. It kind of ruins the effect I was going for, but at this point I don't think it matters.

With a glorp, he finally comes loose, and falls to the ground with a slap. He bounces up a moment later, after having gotten his bearings, I guess.

The freed Dogoo pauses just long enough to reconstitute itself, filling in the now-stickless portion of itself. "Gooey?" it asks, staring at me. I toss the stick away, no longer needing it.

"I'm not going to bring you to that hell with me. I'm not going to leave you in my inventory forever, either." I state, bending down to look it in the eye. "Good luck, little slime, and sorry for lighting you on fire."

The Dogoo stares at me, before it jumps into my face, and whacks me right on the nose. I wince and stumble back.

"Gooey." huffs the slime. It makes no further aggressive movements though. "Goo gooey."

With a tone of what I can assume is acceptance, the slime burbles, wags its tail, and then begins to hop off into the distance. Even as I turn away and close the door behind me, I can still hear the distant wet slaps of the slime hopping off into the night.

It's time for me to sleep as well.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Gamindustri Graveyard.

Here we come.