It was difficult getting used to living in the orphanage.

While I spent the first several days stuck in my room, I felt I didn't need to go outside because of Natasha's considerate nature. She treated me with care, brought food to my bed, and tried conversing while I ate, never pushing me to meet the other children. She probably figured out that socialising was last on my to-do list.

The difficult part came in spending that free time stuck in bed due to my condition. Natasha eventually told me about my left hand and the ice stuck in it. It was unnatural, that much I could figure out myself, but the fact it got… absorbed into my body brought a whole new can of worms.

And I wasn't in the mood to open it any time soon.

"Did you have your fill?" Natasha asked as I finished the last sausage before putting the plate away on top of a drawer.

"Yeah."

She nodded. "Alright, then please lay down and show me your left hand."

I complied and fumbled in bed, removing my heated glove and revealing my bandaged palm while faint blue light pierced the layers. Natasha frowned and carefully removed the bandages, some frozen stiff.

She applied some pressure against my wrist with the tips of her fingers before turning to me. "Do you feel it?"

"Yeah, it's just cold," I answered and Natasha sighed with relief.

"That's good news then. I'm sorry we have to go through with this every time I'm here," she traced her fingers across the icicle jammed in my palm, which tickled a little somehow. "And you feel this as well?"

I hummed, making her mumble a few words I couldn't hear before she touched her chin in thought. "You told me a few Fragmentum monsters attacked you before Dunn found you, right?"

"Yes, it was those flying ice bird things," I said, and couldn't suppress a shiver. "One hit me in this hand, but I thought the ice would just melt eventually."

Natasha shook her head. "It's more dangerous than that, but… are you sure you're feeling alright? No pain, no headaches, or spasms?"

"No, the glove you made works really well," my lips pursed. "Am I in huge danger?"

"It doesn't seem like it," I could tell Natasha didn't believe her own words with how carefully she said them. "If you were afflicted with Fragmentum Corrosion, it would have shown its signs by now. It's been two weeks since we found you, after all."

She lifted my hand to expect the ice. "But I've never seen a piece of the Fragmentum integrate into an organism instead." A groan escaped her lips. "I'll try to look into it more, but let's not complicate things. Don't stress your left hand too much, and make sure to never take that glove off, okay?"

"Yeah, I won't."

"Good," Natasha grabbed a new bandage roll and wrapped my hand tightly just like last time before putting the glove back on. She then broke a smile while leaning her elbows against the bed. "Now with that finished, do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing in particular."

"Then what about hobbies, do you have any?" While she was forcing the conversation to continue, I didn't have it in me to point that out loud. In fact, I was kind of happy she didn't leave immediately.

But it left me somewhat embarrassed. "I… like to draw, and play video games. Other than that, I usually keep to myself."

Natasha blinked. "Video games? I thought only boys were into that sort of thing."

"Yeah, and I didn't have many friends back at school because of it. They thought I was weird," I admitted, pulling at the sheets to cover my entire body, leaving only my head peeking through.

"Now, why would you say that?" Natasha said while patting me on the head. "There's no reason to feel down. You have no idea how much the other kids are interested in you. They are always wondering what kind of princess is locked in a room I forbid them to enter."

"P-princess!? You're exaggerating, right?"

She scratched her cheek sheepishly. "I may or may not have spun a few tales to keep their curiosity sated, so… there might come a point it will backfire. Just a little though."

"Just a little?" I drawled. "What did you tell them exactly?"

"That you are a special person who has lost their memory; something along those lines?" she said, averting her eyes.

"In what way am I special?" I retorted while narrowing my gaze. "And I haven't lost my memory either. You've straight up lied to them."

"And ruin their innocence instead?" she shot back, making my body flinch. "Diana, these kids have it tough as well. So, if I'm able to alleviate their struggles even just a little, that's all that matters."

Natasha grabbed my hand under the sheets, squeezing it a little, before offering me an affectionate smile. "It would mean the world to me if you'd be willing enough to keep that charade going for just a little longer. They will eventually understand the situation as well, you need to give them time."

I stared at her with my mouth hanging open before my shoulders sagged. "Giving things time…"

"Of course, if you're not up for it, I'll try to—"

"No, it's fine," I interrupted her with a shake of my head. "It's just… I still feel like I'm in a dream, that's all."

A hum escaped Natasha's lips. She lifted herself to sit on my bed before suddenly flicking me on the forehead. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"You felt that, didn't you?"

"Of course I did! And it hurt!" I shouted at her while caressing the spot, but that somehow made Natasha chuckle.

"Then how could all of this be a dream then?" she remarked. "You can see me, and I can see you just as well. You can feel pain and don't look like you're about to disappear into thin air either. We can safely assume all of this is real."

"I…" I couldn't find the right words and instinctively pouted. "You know it's a lot more complicated than that."

"Of course, how could I forget?" She stood up from the bed before brushing her coat. "Now, I still have some paperwork left to do so rest up. I'll come back later in the evening with dinner."

She reached the doors and opened them with a soft click, but before she disappeared into the hallway, she turned to me one last time. "But if you want to meet the kids, feel free to seek them out outside. It's not like you're grounded just because of your condition."

"B-but you told me not to stress it."

She nodded. "That I did, however, the rest of your body is beyond healthy. You're a lot more resilient than you give yourself credit for. Besides, stretching your legs would do you some good."

Natasha didn't wait for me to reply and closed the doors behind her, leaving me sitting in bed, unable to decide. Sure, I could go down and meet them, but I was left still flabbergasted by my situation.

For all intents and purposes, I couldn't be here, and yet, when I looked out from the window down at Rivet Town, I was struck with both awe and fear. Opening the window filled the room with the constant screeching of minecarts speeding through the rails with piles of geomarrow, the ringing pickaxes hitting the ores with gusto, and the kids below me playing their hearts out in the park.

I just… didn't know if this world was truly real, even if the place felt alive, and whether I would be able to integrate myself into it. These nagging thoughts made me lean against the window while I stared at the scenery before me, trying to comprehend my life.

I was failing at it miserably.

"Hey! Look!" I heard from the park below, and I naturally looked down, only to see a boy pointing directly at me while his eyes glittered with curiosity. "Isn't that the girl Aunt Nat was talking about?"

The kids around him momentarily stopped playing before one set of eyes after another turned in my direction, until I had a whole group of kids staring right at me. "Yeah, but… why is she wearing a uniform? Is that what makes her special?"

Another kid in the group shrugged. "I don't know, but she has a room all to herself."

"Wait, maybe—," the kids began rambling to each other, making up all kinds of theories that tried to explain what Natasha said to them. The more ridiculous it got, the redder my cheeks flushed until I eventually hid away, burying my head into my hands from embarrassment. I could even hear the disappointed cries right after as if I was a spectacle they missed already.

"Natasha, what did you say to them!?" I said out loud before a muffled groan escaped my mouth. If I ever needed to crawl into a hole, this would have been the right time.

"Do you think she doesn't like us?" one of the kids said, making my breath hitch.

"She probably doesn't even want to be here," another one remarked, and I didn't miss the disappointed tone either, and I hugged my legs.

Why are you all putting me on the spot like this? I thought before a drawn-out groan escaped my lips. Fine! Whatever! What's the worst that can happen!?

I rose to my feet before storming out of my room and into the hallway. Each determined step I took creaked under the wooden floor until I found the stairs leading to the main doors. However, as I got closer to opening my way outside, my will to meet the children waned, until my stride slowed to a crawl.

I was only a few paces away from the doors, yet they somehow felt extremely far away. In trying to prove the kids wrong, the introvert in me wanted nothing more than to return to my room and brood, but that wouldn't fix anything.

My feet no longer pushed me forward, and I stood in place, anxious and indecisive.

"Diana?" I turned around and saw Natasha walking out of one of the hallways, her expression slightly worried. "Why are you standing here?"

"I…" my mouth hung open, unable to speak. My eyes darted back and forth between Natasha and the doors, trying to find a way for me to explain things, but I couldn't find the right words.

Natasha couldn't help but suppress a laugh. She reached my side before putting her hands on my shoulders. "Do you want some help?"

"N-no, I can do this alone," I said while hugging myself.

"Are you sure?" she asked with a snarky tone, but in no way condescending. "You're going to be the centre of attention after all."

I tilted my head away from Natasha. "...maybe a little."

"Alright," Natasha lightly pushed me towards the doors, never letting go of my shoulders, and when I grabbed the doorknob, she leaned forward, leaving just a few inches between our heads. "Can I count on you keeping up our little charade?"

Right, that charade, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before tentatively nodding. "I'll try."

"Then let's go."

The doors clicked open with the turn of the knob before I pulled at them. The park slowly but surely came into view, and the kids running around the place hadn't noticed anything unusual. The gathered bunch that stared at me moments ago were all over the place as if they had forgotten about me completely.

Then, one set of curious eyes met mine, and they instantly lit up. "See!? I told you she would come!"

The boy who shouted immediately caused a rippling effect that stopped almost all the kids from playing. Once that boy started running towards us made the others do the same until a dozen kids were practically charging at us.

That made me extremely anxious, and I wanted to run away as quickly as possible. Natasha had something else in mind. Her hands tightly grabbed my shoulders, locking me in place.

"N-natasha!?" I whispered loudly, and she smiled, forcing me to wait until we were inevitably surrounded by very eager kids.

"Aunt Nat, who is she?" one of them asked. Natasha opened her mouth to speak but was rudely interrupted.

"Did she really lose her memory?"

"She's so tall!"

"Her hair is the same colour as mine!"

"Can she play with us!?"

Natasha wasn't given a chance to calm them down. They kept bombarding us with questions that we didn't have the time to answer, and it overwhelmed me. At one point, I wanted this kind of attention, but now? Now I realised I had to satisfy these kids' expectations and didn't know if I could.

"Children," the firmness of Natasha's voice made everyone, even me, turn to her. She wore a small but noticeable frown, making the kids sheepishly calm down as if they were caught stealing a cookie. "Either formulate your questions one at a time or wait for my introduction. I've already scolded you all once when Bronya came here and I hope I don't need to do it again."

Their eyes lost a touch of their sparkling curiosity, and their shoulders sagged. Natasha didn't have it in her to reprehend the children more than necessary before her frown disappeared completely.

"Anyway, this is Diana," she made me take a step forward. "And she's going to be your new big sister until she finds her footing. She's a little shy, so be considerate and make her feel at home, alright?"

They eagerly awaited me to say something, but nothing escaped my mouth. I had a strong urge to hide, but then, one boy with spiky black hair came forth before extending his hand towards me. "Hi, my name is Lauder! Do you want to play with me?"

It was… so small. His hand was so small compared to mine, and despite them being dirty from all the playing, the warm gesture alleviated my anxiousness. My eyes glided towards Natasha standing behind me, and she prompted me with a nod.

A small smile crept on my face before taking his hand. "Sure."

"Alright!" the boy shouted before tugging me towards the park with surprising strength. "Let's play hopscotch!"

Natasha let go of my shoulders, and I let myself be taken by Lauder while the other kids followed suit, leaving Natasha behind. I turned my head back to her for one more time, and she waved me off before disappearing inside the orphanage.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

I was never an energetic person, and it showed.

While the kids around me were playing their hearts out, chasing each other in tag, flying on a swing, or running down slides, I was merely a bystander. Sure, I occasionally joined in with the kids, but they never fixated on just one thing.

It was a constant whirlwind of random ideas and games accompanied by a question or two aimed at me. They were never important enough for me to remember, but some of them came so out of the blue, I had to do a double-take. One of the kids even asked me if I knew what lizards tasted like.

It all tired me out, but… I couldn't say I hated it.

Seeing them so free-spirited despite the fact their parents abandoned them or were gone showed their resolve to live. Or I looked too much into it and Natasha's caring nature was enough for them to forget.

Maybe I could learn a thing or two from them, and just… not worry about the details.

A sigh escaped my lips while staring at the ground, gently rocking from side to side on the swing. "That's a lot easier said than done."

"What is?" I jolted in place before my head snapped towards a group of four kids, hanging around the swing I sat on.

Right, I forgot I'm not in my room.

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm just having a hard time remembering, that's all."

"So you really lost your memory then?" one of the kids asked, the one named Lauder, and I gently nodded. "That's… quite scary. Then how do you remember your name?"

"Um…" I paused, not meeting him eye to eye. "I guess some things come naturally. Figuring out the details is the difficult part."

"But there has to be something you can remember, right? Like where are you from?" he prodded, and while I wished he'd dropped the topic entirely, I didn't have much of a choice.

"No, I don't," I eventually said. "But one thing is for sure, Belebog isn't my home."

The group collectively gasped, but instead of being frightened, they eagerly wanted to know more. The glint in their eyes just never seemed to fade as if I became a new shiny toy. I would be lying if I said they didn't look funny.

Might as well give them a little more to chew on.

I began spinning a slightly exaggerated tale of how Natasha found me in the Snow Plains. I didn't go into much detail, leaving out certain parts of how I was attacked and the wound on my left hand. That wasn't something I wanted to divulge into.

But despite my sub-par storytelling, the kids were infatuated anyway. More of them decided to sit down and listen to my story until they surrounded me. They were putting me on the spot more than I'd like to admit, but it didn't feel bad.

Quite the opposite.

Instead of worrying about timelines, the game's story, or its characters, I had children here listening to a simple story of what happened to me so far, and somehow, that eased my heavy shoulders. Tricking little rascals into believing my somewhat fabricated backstory was much easier to think about than the potential ripples I could cause in the future.

Of course, that depended on how much I wanted to include myself with the main cast, but again, the attention the kids gave me washed away these kinds of thoughts. I didn't even have time to do that when the moment I stopped talking, a similar bombardment of questions dropped on me, asking for more details about the story I had just made.

I… never thought I'd find solace like this and couldn't help but smile.

"I guess Natasha was right," I mumbled.

"Anyway!" Lauder stood up from his sight before putting his hands on his hips. "This means only one thing!"

He turned to the other kids in their makeshift circle before pumping his fist. "Aunt Nat gave us a mission, and that is making sure big sister feels at home until she recovers her memories!"

The children together followed suit and declared the same as if they were loyal soldiers, ready to complete their tasks. While cute, it made my cheek flush with colour.

I coughed into my hand before patting Lauder's head. "No, you don't have to make it your lifelong mission." I turned to the kids and smiled at them. "Just do what you've been doing so far, and I'll simply tag along. I think I'm going to stay here for a while anyway."

My words caused the kids to stare at me for an uncomfortable amount of time, the only things filling the silent air being the workers in the mines. A part of me started to panic, but then, they suddenly tackled me into a group hug, knocking me from the swing while the kids surrounded me.

It hurt, but I couldn't be mad at them.

Once the cuddle time was over, finally allowing me to breathe again, the kids dispersed, resuming their antics. Like I said before, watching them was enough for time to fly by extremely quickly. It wasn't long until Natasha came, calling the kids for dinner and their eventual sleep time while I stayed behind, still in a semi-trance.

I just… didn't understand how my mind eased by paying attention to the little things instead of anything grand. Once the realisation dawned on me that I was welcomed here made those few moments of anxiety somehow worth it. Natasha didn't see me as an outsider and the kids were glad to find out that I liked them enough to spend my time fooling around in the park.

Was it always this easy to make friends that would help you when you asked? Or were they willing enough to offer a hand even if you didn't? If it was… then why did it take a world-hopping accident like this for me to find that out?

Maybe my previous environment didn't let me, but I didn't have a way to figure that out anymore. The only way for me to have even a sliver of a chance would be…

"The Express," I said out loud before digging my feet into the ground to stop myself from swinging. "Right, them."

"Who?"

The sudden question made me jump to my feet and incidentally couldn't balance myself, making me fall to the ground. My hands scraped against the gravel and a hiss escaped my mouth. I tilted my head where the voice came from and spotted the purple-haired girl with her hands on her hips and a frown on her features. Now that I realised, I hadn't seen her playing with the kids in the park today.

A sigh escaped my lips before standing up while caressing my hands. "Please, don't jump on me like that, alright?"

She huffed. "You're more of a scaredy cat than I thought, but what were you talking about? What Express?"

I hastily shook my head. "No, it's nothing. Something popped into my mind, but I couldn't remember much else."

I could already tell this charade was going to bite me eventually, but imagining this as payment for Natasha made me feel a bit better about it.

"Right," she drawled before pointing at the orphanage. "Aunt Nat told me to get you. She talked about a 'checkup' or something."

"Ah yeah, I should probably go," I admitted and turned around, but once I took a few steps, the girl just stood still and stared at me with her pale purple eyes. "But I don't think I should leave you out here alone either."

"Eh? It's not like the orphanage is miles away. It's quite literally in front of us."

Why was she trying to be such a handful?

"That's true," I said before offering her a hand, trying my best to smile. "But what kind of big sister would I be if I left you behind like this?"

While caught off-guard, she eventually pouted before taking my hand. "Whatever."

Right, she's probably not doing it on purpose, I thought before I brought her back to the orphanage. Of course, the walk was short, but with how stubby her legs were, it took a bit longer than normal.

"By the way," I remarked while walking down the hallway, leading to my room. "I don't think I caught your name."

"It's Seele," she answered curtly and I flinched, causing me to tighten my grip around her small arm. She yelped, yanking her arm away. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Sorry! I-I didn't mean to!" I blurted out before scratching the back of my neck. "I really didn't mean to."

"You're still angry at me because of what happened when you got here, aren't you?" she suddenly remarked, making me freeze on the spot.

"What? No, I—"

"Well, I'm sorry, okay!? But that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!" she shouted before pointing at me, her hand redder than usual. "Besides, I'm the one protecting the kids here, not you! We don't need a big sister!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My shoulders sagged before I grabbed my right elbow, averting my gaze. Here was the snag I just remembered. No matter how much I felt included or how much affection I'd be given…

"You're right," I resigned.

"Yeah! Now you know—," she paused, her pointed finger lowering bit by bit. "Wait, what?"

"You're right," I repeated. "I don't have a reason to be here. I don't need to be here. I probably shouldn't be here either, but… just like Natasha said, I don't have anywhere else to go."

A sudden puff of vapour escaped my mouth. "I know I'm being a burden more than anything, but now, I can't even leave this place, because… circumstances don't allow it. So, Seele? Can you make room for one more person?"

I took a sharp breath, but the chilling air stung my lungs. Why was it getting cold? "You don't need to protect me, or even call me big sister like others. Just, don't resent me, that's all I'm asking for."

Silence followed after. I didn't know how Seele took my answer because I stared at the ground instead of directly at her. However, she still didn't answer, and as time passed, I eventually lifted my head. "Seele?"

Her shoulders lowered, and her lips puckered. She balled up her hands into fists before mumbling a few words I couldn't hear.

"Could you repeat that?" I asked her, and she whipped her head away.

"I told you it's fine," she said before grabbing my hand and pulling me further down the hallway. "But don't try making me feel sorry for you. I hate it when somebody does that."

While I fumbled around to keep up with her brisk walk, I eventually found my stride but not the right words to say. Seele probably wasn't even expecting an answer from me either, and we both remained silent until we reached the doors leading to my room.

"By the way," Seele stopped while letting me go, her skin even redder than before. "Why is your hand so cold?"

"Huh?" I looked down at my palm before a gasp escaped my lips. The glove Natasha made me was torn and the gooey substance leaked out while the leather screeched from being frozen. Faint blue light escaped the glove's confines, and I hid my hand behind my back.

"D-don't concern yourself with that. It's nothing serious," I said with a forced smile. "And… keep this secret to yourself, alright? I don't need more people fawning."

I quickly opened the doors to my room and hid inside before peeking through a small gap. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"W-wait!"

I closed the doors shut and quickly locked them. However, it didn't stop Seele from banging against the wooden surface. "Hey! You can't do this to me twice in a row!"

A hiss escaped my mouth. The ice started to bite at my skin, and I finally realised why I felt so cold earlier. "This isn't something you need to see, Seele. Natasha will help me."

"Help with what?" My head snapped towards my bed and saw Natasha already sitting next to it, her medkit opened on the table.

I embarrassingly raised my left hand, and Natasha couldn't help but sigh. "I thought I told you to be careful."

"I was, but…" I shuffled in place, thinking how to explain the situation, but Natasha raised her hand.

"No, it's fine. I'll just make you a new one instead," she stood up from her seat before unlocking the doors to find Seele still standing in front of them. She smiled. "Go to bed, Seele. I'm pretty sure it's past your bedtime."

Seele put her hands behind her back before a pout adorned her features. "Will you tell me what's going on?"

Natasha pressed her index finger against her lips. "It's a secret that I'm not allowed to tell, not until Diana thinks it's fine."

"Fine," she huffed, jolting her head away. "Keep your secrets then. I'm going to bed."

"As you should." Natasha then locked the doors once again, before turning to me with a worried frown. "Is it painful?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it stings a little."

"Then to bed with you, before it gets worse."

AN: Alright, what the fuck?

I... was not expecting this kind of reception. I thought I was only following a muse to pass the time, and yet it turned into this. I don't know whether to hate or love you guys, because now I have another project I can sink my teeth into. Whether it's for better or worse, I have no clue.

Well, since you are interested in this story one way or another, here is another chapter. The reason it's not as big as the first one is that larger chapters are extremely clunky to work with, so from now on, expect the usual 3-4k words-long chapters.

But as I stated before, chapters are going to be extremely sporadic, so think of this as a present more than anything. You don't always get it.

Anyway, thank you so much for the support. Hopefully, you liked today's chapter, and I'll see you later.

God's speed.