Shigaraki had been walking for a while and still not found Medea. He couldn't know this, but she was actually coming from a totally different angle towards the main group, and he was going to go past her without encountering her.

The longer he went, though, the more irritated he became...or perhaps just frustrated with his lack of success.

At the same time, Mirko had had more luck finding his trail than expected. She had an idea he'd just go straight, and she was fairly certain she knew what hall they'd been in when he dipped.

Finding it, she tried a few directions, and finding nothing, went a different way. And that's when she found...dust...

If it had been outside, it wouldn't have been noticeable at all, but inside on pale tiling, while it just looked like dirt smudges, it definitely stood out even in dim red lighting.

Mirko stared at the markings...and swallowed....
She wasn't sure what to think about this...but what Silk said was replaying in her head... "It's partially your fault..."

She kept going.
What was her plan here? She didn't have one, but she had to stop this...now...

This felt sort of familiar.

Right...her mom had said something really similar after that time she told her about the cage fighting...

"Do you even think about how your actions reflect on the rest of us?! You know what kind of trouble you cause for us! What if your sisters all decide to become delinquents now?! Is that what you want? For everyone to be as out of control as you!"

"I don't care!" Mirko had yelled back.

"Si! You don't!" A lot of yelling in Spanish had followed this. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, Rumi! You've always done just as you pleased! You think we'll bail you out forever if you get yourself in real trouble!"

"No! I don't need your help!" Rumi had said angrily. "I'll get myself out of trouble!"

"Sure you will." Her mom was sarcastic. "Will if we leave the country maybe... Too much violence here, too many heroes and villains..."

"I don't know if that's necessary--" her dad began.

Rumi had stormed out of the room...

She shook her head now at that memory. She hadn't thought about that argument in years.

No wonder Silk pisses me off so much, she thought to herself with a moment of clarity. She's just like my mom...minus the chancla.

She rubbed her head just at the memory of getting hit with that multiple times.

It was true, though. Ever since then, she never asked her parents for anything...just became a hero to prove a point. Good thing she ended up liking it so much.

But maybe some things never really change. She was still reckless...

This was why she didn't do teamwork. This kind of crap couldn't happen if you were responsible just for yourself.

Mirko had to stop thinking of this, as she had finally begun to catch up to her quarry, if the signs of decay along the wall were any indication... Smart, making sure he could find his way back...

Was that a good sign? Not total rage mode, then?

Maybe she should have brought Compress with her on second thought... A full on fight in these narrow passages would favor her less than Shigaraki.

[Fan art by Julianna Gardner]

* * *

Shigaraki meanwhile had happened upon a few ninja who were not actually attacking him... Well, they would have, but he destroyed their weapons in mid air...and they were too scared to think straight.

They backed up to the wall as he came closer.

Shigaraki was still very lost in thought. "Where is Medea?" he asked.

"We don't know who that is..." one of them whimpered.

"Purple fire. Where is she?" Shigaraki asked.

"We don't know," they protested again.

"Please..." the other whined, "we were just trying to get away... Don't kill us. We'll leave you alone."

"But you didn't," Shigaraki said, dangerously.

He felt kind of sick...whether it was the use of his quirk or the fact that they weren't actually attacking him right now, he didn't know, didn't care.

"This is your fault," one of the ninja hissed at the other snappishly. "We should have just run."

"I thought he'd chase us. They're fast," the other whimpered back. "I'm sorry... This is my fault..."

The angry one just seemed to give up at that.

"Maybe it's both our faults."

The third had run away already. Shigaraki didn't think much of it.

He hesitated though... Was it a waste of time to kill them? But no, they would just try to kill him as soon as he turned away even if he was in a generous mood, and right now he wasn't. It was their fault, wasn't it? All of it...

"You shouldn't have attacked us," he said coldly.

"We were just following orders..." the one who seemed more resigned said weakly. 

"But we're all just monsters to you," Shigaraki said flatly. "Isn't that it? So you attacked us and didn't think it would backfire."

[Image design by Onerose, original template by original creator.]

"I didn't put that much thought into it," the formerly angry ninja said forlornly. "I never thought I'd die like this though."

Nausea was getting worse for Shigaraki, but he didn't stop yet. He reached forward--
Mirko came sliding into this hall--her feet really didn't have great traction on the tile-- right at this moment.

It took her only a second to see what was happening.

"Shigaraki! Stop!" she yelled.

Shigaraki was startled enough by the sudden sound to jerk back and look behind him.

He just gave her the most confused look imaginable.

[Image by the same.]

Mirko took in the scene, then held up a hand. "Don't," she said. "Don't do this."

"I'm going to find Medea," Shigaraki said flatly. "However necessary."

"This isn't necessary," Mirko said, coming a little bit closer. "This is because of what I said before, isn't it? I went crazy...but don't take that out on them."

The ninja in question stared at her in disbelief.

"Is that a Pro?" one hissed.

"No, it couldn't be," the other answered.

But since Shigaraki was distracted, they started edging to the side.

"What are you talking about?" Shigaraki was blank. "Enough of this..."

He felt sicker right now...

"Look...I always do this," Mirko said, tears pricking her eyes despite her best efforts for it not to happen, yet again. "I get angry, you know? But it's not personal, it's just how I am, and I didn't mean to start this...so you shouldn't listen to what I said before. Listen now: this isn't worth it. They aren't fighting you anymore. Just let it go."

"Actually, they did try." Shigaraki was not sure what she was going on about. "And it's not like it matters... I have to destroy them..."

"Who's making you?" Mirko shot back.

Silence.

"I have to," Shigaraki echoed. "Don't watch if you don't want to see it."

Mirko advanced a little more.

[Image by the same.]

Shigaraki stiffened, like he was ready for her to lunge.

"You're mad at me, right?" she said. "That's fair enough, but that's a problem with me, not them. What's it proving to kill them? They're weak. Just...I can't let this happen because of what I did. Maybe it's true, I'm not a very good hero, can't even control myself, but that's why it's not worth it."

"Stop..." Shigaraki was shaking a little, from the strain of his quirk or the situation he didn't know.

Mirko stopped about 3 meters away. "Enough," she said. "Please...I'm sorry, okay? It was my fault, all of it... This was my fault. There, I said it...so let them go."

They were already on their feet, actually. And lacking any bravado to try to kill Shigaraki even now, they both ran for it.

Shigaraki realizing they had gone, glanced back.

Now that they were out of his sight...he realized he didn't really care... It didn't matter...

He looked back at Mirko... Why was she crying again?

"What's wrong with you?" He spoke finally in more of his normal whiny-but-not-spaced-out voice.

Mirko heard the tonal change and let out a sigh of relief. "Nothing." She wiped her face. "Just...dust..."

Shigaraki wasn't that stupid. "That looked more like tears."

"Well, you freaked me out!" Mirko shot back. Then, "No...no, that's not fair... Uh...I just...I guess...my mom was right." She wasn't sure why she was saying this out loud. She was simply too upset to have a filter right now. "I do only think of myself, and I do cause problems when I do that...and I just caused way more than... I always told myself it wouldn't matter...but then...this is why though." She looked back and sighed. "This is why I don't do teamwork... The truth is, it's not about everyone else dragging me down, it's about how I can't do it. I wreck everything I touch when it comes to teamwork. I'm better off solo. I always was like that..."

Didn't that sound familiar? Shigaraki thought...but it didn't make any sense.

"I still don't get why you're so worked up," he grumbled. "It was nothing."

"I shouldn't have attacked you," Mirko said shamefacedly. "That's what I do though. I just lash out. It's better if I'm not on a team. Silk was right--this is just karma... How many did you kill? I counted 5..."

"6," Shigaraki said.

Mirko looked more upset.

"But they were all attacking me." Shigaraki didn't know why he was clarifying. "I didn't have a choice."

"Oh?" Mirko brightened a little. "That's not so bad, then... What, attacking attacking or just standing there?"

"Coming at me with knives, not that it matters--"

"Well, that's just self defense." Mirko seemed to be talking to herself. "So at least it wasn't a murder spree...but it was still my fault... Never would have gone off alone if I hadn't blown up..."

"This isn't your fault." Shigaraki was truly dumbfounded. "What did you have to do with it, and why are you talking nonsense?"

"You have to stop," Mirko ignored him. "Now."

Shigaraki didn't notice it, but his destructive mood had passed. 

"I..." He suddenly thought, what was really the point? "Whatever...stop crying."

Mirko wiped her face again. "I wasn't crying!" she denied it. "I told you, it was dust!"

"I don't know why you came down here anyway," Shigaraki began to complain. "But...

While he wasn't looking, the third ninja had come back around the corner, now with a gun.

Mirko didn't see them at first either. It was too dark for her to be as perceptive as usual, but then she heard the click of the gun safety.

She cut off Shigaraki in the middle of of his whining by yelling, "Shigaraki look out!" and dashing up the wall.

Shigaraki didn't know what she meant, and by the time he'd turned to see, the ninja had already fired.

Since Shigaraki had moved slightly, it didn't hit him where it was aiming for, but it did hit him in the torso.

He thought that it felt harder than when it was a limb...

Mirko used the wall to ricochet off of faster than the ninja could aim at her, and she slammed into him, knocking him flat.

She stomped on his arm with the gun hard enough to break it, then kicked him multiple times until he stopped moving. Out cold.

"That was excessive." Shigaraki saw no irony in saying that.

Mirko cast him a look of disbelief. "I--hey, you're bleeding!"

Shigaraki looked down. "Oh...yeah..." He didn't sound concerned.

"You were supposed to move!" Mirko cried.

"Just yelling look out isn't very helpful!" Shigaraki shot back.

Mirko thought she should have just pushed him. So much for thinking she could get the ninja first. She just kept screwing up on this mission.

Why did quirkless people give her so much trouble? It would be easy to take them down, you'd think.

The look on her face made Shigaraki think she might start crying again...

"It's nothing," he said flatly. "It's not like I've never been shot."

"What?" Mirko was understandably dumbfounded.

"4 times actually," Shigaraki reflected.

"By who?" Mirko said.

"Snipe."

"Snipe? Where?" Mirko was almost a little annoyed. Weird thing to boast about, but even most Pros didn't survive getting shot.

"Arms and legs..." Why did it matter? Shigaraki wondered.

"Ouch...wow...but that's not as serious. There could be a vital organ," Mirko said. "Here, let me see."

"What? No!" Shigaraki backed up.

"All Pros are trained in at least some first aid, and there's not enough time to wait," Mirko argued. "Don't be a baby about it. I have to do something. You want to bleed out right here?"

While that made perfect sense, Shigaraki still didn't want her to do it...for some reason. Why was that making him nervous? It wasn't like he hadn't had to get medical help in the past.

"Oh, for the love of-- sit!" Mirko pointed at the wall. "Don't make me make you. Honestly, men!" She put it down to bravado.

Which was funny, since if the roles were reversed, she'd probably have put up even more of a fuss.

Shigaraki wasn't just going to, but that tone kind of cowed him. Mirko sounded just like her mom, if she could have heard herself.

Taking a closer look at the shot, Mirko tsked... "Ah, well, it looks bad... You care about this jacket?"

"Yes--" Shigaraki didn't have that many.

"Too bad." Mirko used it to make a bandage. "I should carry First Aid supplies... Always thought I'd just break it though if I did... This is going to have to do until we can find Yaoyurozu..."

"I don't think--" began Shigaraki.

Mirko got up. "Come on," she said. "If you can walk..."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking!" Shigaraki snapped, offended. "It wasn't my feet! And you're being really--"

"Really what?" Mirko cocked her ears and tilted her head to the side.

Shigaraki was at a loss.

"Annoying..." He fell back on old faithful.

"Well, you're acting like a child," Mirko replied dryly. "And if you hadn't gone off alone, none of this would have happened."

She started moving as she spoke.

Shigaraki did too.

"I can do what I want!" he argued.

"Oh, sure you can, genius, and then you whine if something bad happens because of it," Mirko replied.

Arguing was honestly easier than acting upset was...

"And who was just saying it was her fault?" Shigaraki retorted.

But then regretted it as Mirko immediately looked crushed...

"Yeah," she said in a low voice.

Oops...wait, why did he care?

Because she was getting careless, that was why.

"Focus," he said. 

"Shut up." Mirko snapped a little out of it.

Passing a different hallway, suddenly Shigaraki felt dizzy... He was still losing blood...

He stopped and leaned on the wall.

Mirko stopped too. "Are you okay? If you're gonna pass out, sit down."

"Stop it..." Shigaraki grumbled. 

Mirko came closer. "This is not gonna work..." she mused.

"Oh my goodness," a cheerful voice cut into this.
Mirko jumped. But then she looked down the perpendicular hallway to them. "Miss Joke?"

"Hello, Mirko," Miss Joke waved joyfully. "Oh, you can't think how glad I am to finally see someone I know...but wait, I have to be sure you're not a clone... Oh my, what happened to you?" Eyeing Shigaraki.

"Ninja," he said.

"It was my fault," Mirko said. "I...didn't pay attention."

"I'm not sure if that makes it your fault," Miss Joke said nicely. "But I don't think a clone would bother to fake bleeding so it must be you. It's all right, Eraser, it's them!" She waved at the hall.

Then to their shock, Aizawa appeared, still carrying Shine.

"Shine..." Mirko thought she was seeing things for a second.

"Likstar?" Shigaraki thought he'd hallucinated because of the blood loss.

"Oh, hello again." Shine looked at them sleepily. "Oh my, you're bleeding!" She sat up more.

"Don't do that." Aizawa almost fell over.

"But...how...? You..." Mirko stuttered.

"She told us what happened," Miss Joke said. "And how she got away from that horrid Hantai person. You'll never believe this, Mr. Shigaraki, but it was your old friend Kurogiri who helped her."

"Kurogiri?" Shigaraki looked up.

"Let me see that injury," Aizawa said. "I have a first aid kit. It'll be better than that makeshift job."

Mirko looked embarrassed.

"You did fine," Miss Joke said. "I have some first aid supplies too...but a bandage that big? I hope you have it, Eraser."

"I do...I expect these situations, with my quirk," Aizawa said.

"Perhaps I could try to help," Shine offered.

"Shine, I really think you should rest." Miss Joke helped her sit down. "Oh, but goodness, she's begun to remember a few things."

"Really?" Mirko was still looking at Shine like she was a ghost. "And...Hantai didn't...hurt you?"

"He tried, but I was delivered," Shine said. "And then these very nice friends of mine found me. I was just about to give up hope too...Divine Timing, you know. I hope that you didn't worry too much. I'm sure it looked bad...but you're okay....Was it Hantai's shot that got him?" She meant Shigaraki.

"No..." Mirko said.

"Where are the other two though?" Shine asked.

Mirko bit her lip. "Well, we kind of struck out on our own--it's...uh... Medea is still not back. So..."

"Oh, looking for your student, Eraser can relate." Miss Joke said. "This happens to his every other month, eh?"

Aizawa gave her a look.

"I mean, not that it's a good thing," Miss Joke added hastily. "Well...I hope she's okay. I know it's hard to let them go off on their own, especially at a time like this, but we have to trust them too."

"Oh...you weren't here when we gave her teaching advice," Shine said. "That's really too bad...yours is classic, I'm sure."

Miss Joke laughed.

"Did you just remember something about me?" Mirko said hopefully.

"Eh...well, more like about Fuyumi...but I feel like we were talking to you," Shine said.

"Yeah, you were." Mirko deflated again.

Shine stared at her. "I'm sorry...I don't know what's triggering memory and what isn't...it seems like happier memories are easier to remember...less aversion to them, maybe. Emi just hugged me and I started to remember."

"Also her ones around UA are suppressed the most," Miss Joke said. "And the LOV, I imagine."

"B-----ds" Shigaraki said unceremoniously.

"I know, right?" Shine said. "I really can't believe I don't remember you more, Mr. Shigaraki, you seem pretty  hard to forget... You won't resent it when I do remember, right?

"No," Shigaraki said. But suddenly he looked kind of guilty. "I killed some people though."

Silence.

"Why?" Aizawa said, pausing in his bandaging.

"Self Defense," Mirko said.

Shine nodded. "I'm sorry to hear it, but it happens... Are you okay?"

Shigaraki looked at her oddly. "Am I okay? That doesn't sound like you."

"I mean, you seem kind of upset," Shine said. "Unless I'm reading you wrong..."

"I'm not upset." Shigaraki was definitely upset, he just didn't know it.

"It is too bad it came to that," Miss Joke said. "But we did agree in our compromise that it would be a last resort... I suppose there wasn't much you could do about it. These people are definitely out to kill us. Eraser and I managed to survive because of our reflexes...but it was close. But, Mirko, why didn't you just stop them first?"

Miss Joke had no idea how much of a touchy subject that was. Both Mirko and Shigaraki gave her venomous looks.

Mirko was more guilty though. "I...was...too slow..."

Aizawa was suspicious now. He could tell something was up here.

But it was Mirko, the famously violent hero, so he wasn't that surprised.

"Well, I think this will do for now." He tied off the bandage. "But we need a healer. Though both of us know, one gunshot is far from the worst thing you've somehow survived."

Shigaraki glanced at him. "How's the elbow?" he said kind of snidely.

"It's fine, actually. How's your kneecaps?" Aizawa shot back.

Shigaraki scowled. "Shut up."

"This is like that Vegeta and Yamcha scene from DBZA," Shine noted.

"Yeah, it was," Mirko said.

"What?" Miss Joke was lost.

Shine glanced at her then at Mirko. "Wait...I think I do remember... I met you when I was hanging with Emi, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Mirko brightened.

"Yeah, you were yelling at me for trying to help her," Shine said.

Mirko's face fell. "Oh...well..."

"She didn't know who you were, at the time," Miss Joke said. "She thought you were just a stupid citizen, so don't take it personally, Shine."

"But didn't you yell at me after we explained...?" Shine said. "And we talked about the LOV, I remember...a gazebo...right?"

"Right, you're doing great," Miss Joke said encouragingly.

Mirko looked humiliated.

"That does sound about right," Aizawa said glibly.

"You talked about us that soon?" Shigaraki was insulted. "You swore secrecy, Likstar!"

"I'm sure I wasn't explicit..." Shine rubbed her head. "Why do I feel like that meeting was indicative of our relationship over all though... Do we get along?"

Mirko shrugged. "We...don't...argue as much... I mean, we're friends..."

"But you do fight a lot." Aizawa wasn't helping. "As you both seem to get some kind of kick out of. I think your friendship makes sense if like forces attract."

"But they repel," Miss Joke said. "Opposite forces attract, that's why our friendship makes sense."

"I always thought you have to be both alike and different to attract," Shine said. "Too similar and you repel, but too different and nothing would draw you together at all. In nature, like forces do attract--water finds other water. So you know, it's a two sided rule."

"You are recovering splendidly." Miss Joke clapped her hands. "Soon you'll be lecturing us all again. I never thought I'd be looking forward to that."

Aizawa sniffed, as if to say "Me either."

* * *

Somehow they made it back to the main group without running into any more trouble, and the main group still didn't have anyone attacking them, because they'd hid in a hallway that led to the bathrooms, of all places. Even evil cults had to have those.

"Fun fact, it's illegal to have security cameras in the bathroom," Wally said.

"Ew, gross," Kitsune said.

"But the ninja don't use cameras anyway," Momo said.

"That's the only reason we're still alive," Bakugo said.

"Where did they go?" they heard Mirko say.

"Oh my, I didn't notice she was gone," Compress said, "I guess there's so little of her, she's easy to miss."

Mirko's hand came around the corner and yanked him forward, then she smacked him.

Compress still thought it was worth it.

"No Medea still..." Silk noted. "And one of you is shot."

Aizawa was reluctantly helping Shigaraki along. He was the only one tall enough to do so.

"What are we, invisible?" Miss Joke and Shine came into view.

The two boys and Wally just blinked for a second.

Shine didn't recognize the boys, but she locked on Wally and her whole face lit up.

"Shine!" Wally grabbed her so fast that Miss Joke fell over from the sudden release of pressure, but she just laughed.

"Shine-sensei!" Shoto and Momo cried.

"Finally." Bakugo tried to pretend he wasn't totally relieved to see her.

"My, my, she's still in one piece," Compress said.

"But...Hantai?" Silk was stunned.

Wally was covering Shine with relieved kisses and asking if she was okay far too much for her to explain anything, but Aizawa and Miss Joke sort of did.

"I'm sorry, babe. I'm a total mess right now," Shine said, between questions.

"Like I would care. I'm just glad you're okay. They said--" Wally stopped.

"I'm glad you're okay. No one would tell me anything about you," Shine replied piteously. "And I didn't remember what happened, so it was horrid, and there were a bunch of creeps around--but I remembered Emi, so that was something, and Kurogiri helped out too."

"What?" Wally was lost.

"Like we've been trying to tell you over the ruckus, she's not fully remembering yet," Aizawa told the kids.

Shoto and Momo looked crestfallen.

"Shine doesn't remember us?" Momo seemed on the verge of tears.

"Those b-----ds!" Shoto was livid because he was upset.

"I'll kill them!" Bakugo was unceremonious. "And Lethe, whenever I find that little piece of s---!"

Shine finally took notice of them. "You...must be my students I have, right?"

They all looked at her sadly.

"Your first..." Momo said. "I'm Momo... Don't you...? I mean, nothing?" She sounded very sad.

Shine looked at her a long moment. "I know I know you," she said finally. "I just don't know how... Does that make sense? Like a familiar face on TV, but I don't know what show it was from."

That wasn't much better.

Momo sniffled miserably. 

"This is hard for her," Aizawa warned them. "Don't make it harder than it has to be. Her memory should return within a few days, based on past experience. It's already starting to come back. You three need to be patient and brave for her sake and not make it worse with an emotional display that will make it seem like you blame her for it."

Mirko looked at him, then looked away and down at her feet.

"It's hard not to." Shoto was so blunt. "It's quite upsetting."

"You're a bit stoic, huh?" Shine said. "But I can tell I would like you."

Shoto looked sad. "I never thought it would hurt so much to hear that."

"Hey, when I hugged her it brought it back," Miss Joke offered. "Maybe that would help."

"Why would that help?" Bakugo just didn't want to do it.

"If I had to guess," Shine said, "it's because touch and smell trigger memory more than sight and sound do, often enough... Almost everything triggers memory more than sight. Funny, isn't it? Taste does too. That's why your mom's cooking makes you nostalgic... Sorry, am I over explaining? It seems to upset you all when I do that."

"Not at all. You're helping us help you," Miss Joke said.

Mirko looked guilty again.

"I'm willing to try it if you think it would work," Momo said. "I mean, you've hugged all of us before, so it's not odd at all, is it? And I want you to know who I am."

"I'm okay with it," Shine said. "I'm not shy, am I?" She looked at Wally.

"Only when you're complimented. It's cute," Wally said.

Shine looked embarrassed. "Wally..."

"You see, right there, adorable," Wally said.

"I ain't hugging her," Bakugo said. Not with all these people watching, he thought.

"I will," Shoto said bravely. "If it will help."

Shine started laughing suddenly. "The way you all treat it so seriously... Are you always like this?"

"Always," Miss Joke said. "You laugh at them all the time for it when we talk--or was that oversharing?"

They cast her annoyed looks.

"She laughed at us behind our backs?" Bakugo said.

"All teachers do that if they like their students, sweetie," Miss Joke said comfortingly. "If they don't, then they hate you. A sense of humor in teaching is your only link to sanity."

"She's right," Shine said. "It sounds like something I would do. For that reason...I'm sure you're  a real riot." She meant Bakugo.

Bakugo gave her an annoyed look. "Shut up, Likstar. Just because you don't remember me doesn't get you off the hook!"

"Bakugo!" Shoto and Momo both said reprovingly.

"Frick off!" he said.

Shine smiled. "That's Bakugo for you," she said. Then she blinked. "Oh, shoot...did I actually remember him? I did!" She clapped her hands.

"See? You're doing great," Miss Joke encouraged her.

Momo hugged Shine. "I'm glad that you're safe at least, Miss Likstar--I mean Miss Shine--Uh, I always forget you don't like being called that."

Shine hugged her back. "You're so sweet..." She blinked. "Momo Yaoyurozu... No, Wally always calls you Peaches, huh? Because we thought your name meant that at first."

"It's like how I call Batman Bats for short," Wally shrugged.

"You remember me?" Momo smiled.

"It's coming back to me now..." Shine said slowly. "You're the really smart, kind one, right?"

"Yes." Shoto had no sense of it being odd for him to say that so freely.

Momo blushed, though under red light you couldn't really tell.

"And you're Todoroki," Shine said, looking at him. "I remember because Momo and I talk about you all the time."

Shoto looked suspiciously like he might cry too. "I think we talk a lot too..."

"Come here." Shine held out her arm.

Shoto let her hug him.

Shine sniffled too. "Oh man...I know I don't have all the details, but...just the flavor of what I remember is making me emotional...wow..." She stepped back. "I can tell we have a lot of history...Shoto."

Shoto nodded.

"This is really sweet." Wally wiped his eyes, hoping no one would notice.

"Ew...." Spinner said.

"Aw..." Kitsune said. "I have no clue what's going on, but this is cute anyway. But who the h--- are you?"

"She's the person we were tying to find. Do try to keep up," Compress said.

"Hey, in my defense, dude, I only just met all of you," Kitsune said. She waved at Shine. "So don't feel bad if you don't know who I am, lady, cause I got no frigging clue who you are."

"Oh, good, one I don't need to feel guilty about," Shine said.

"No need to feel guilty at all," Miss Joke said. "You did your best. Now, we're all here except for Medea and Monama, right?"

As if on cue, Medea came passing through the wall at the end of the hall next to them, and then she went back to wave to someone.

And then Monama and Lethe came into view.

[Uh oh...]