Another goal! Duri high-fived his teammates with a grin while nearby, Tritan watched proudly. He was doing so so well! She couldn't wait to congratulate him! Sure, the others had seemed scared of her, but she could always swat those silly people away and protect her children from them!

Hm, what should she do now? Maybe she should visit Hana or Semo? Ooh, she could maybe check on Dingyo too! 

A grin formed on her face as she began slithering away, unaware of the truck that was slowly following her from behind. 

Limo was on Zero, looking around the city with a frown. "Hey, you see her anywhere?"

"I do not." There was a touch of concern in the Tobot's tone. "Limo, those sightings... I sincerely hope no one gets any horrible ideas..."

"I agree there. Let's hurry and find her before..." he didn't even want to think about the ending of his sentence. He shook his head violently. "No. Things won't end badly. I won't let it happen."

He had messed up already, he wasn't about to let it happen agai- Hang on, was that a truck? It looked... a bit too familiar...! 

His eyes widened. Of all the people...! "Zero, follow that truck in front of us!" 

"Why?" the Tobot inquired, a bit confused by the sudden franticness in his tone. 

"It's... it's an old Boorong Motors truck! I don't know who could be behind this, but what I do know is that it definitely isn't up to any good!" he answered, a curse threatening to burst from his lips. He really should have realised that Tritan would seem like a potential weapon to evil minds... ! He refused to let her be taken and treated horribly as he had before!!!

"Understood!" Zero didn't hesitate to step on the pedal, allowing the two to speed up while sliding into cracks in the traffic from time to time. The highway was definitely bigger than he expected and he was grateful for that, really. Otherwise he would have lost the truck's trail a long time ago...

But it was only after sliding over to another lane beside the truck that he could see their target...

Tritan, snaking along a highway as if she were a normal car...

"We need to cut them off," he told Zero. "Scare them off somehow, but how?"

"We must tell Tritan of the danger, although..." Right, there was THAT problem... Plus, she would think HE was the one behind the kidnapping. 

He groaned under his breath. This was bad. Like, really, really, bad... Should he call for backup? No, that wouldn't work. They had relocated to the countryside. There was no way they could arrive on time...! 

He had to convince her, then. He had to convince her somehow that she was being hunted and that the Boorong Motors truck, no, that he wasn't the same guy he was a long time ago... 

He bit his lip, uncertainty coursing through him now. Would he be able to do this? He knew that Tritan still didn't trust him but... 

"Limo, focus. The kids will be sad if you don't do this." There was... urgency in his tone, Limo noted, and it did pull him back to the present. 

He took in a deep breath. "You're right. It's now or never isn't it?"

"You can do this." Even if it was blank, he could sense the sincerity in the Tobot's words, and it did make him feel better.

"Thank you." He was going to need it, but... it was nice to know that someone had his back here. "Get me closer to her then."

"Of course!" Zero stepped on it, and soon they were side by side as Limo pulled the window down.

Tritan definitely seemed to notice him, if her eyes narrowing was any indication. Definitely not happy about this...

"You need to get out of the highway!" He yelled to her. "There are people trying to get you!"

She hissed back at him, and hoo boy, it was not a friendly one. He should have seen that coming, she even tried to snap at Zero. 

"Please! You have to believe me!" He pleaded. "I know that I've messed up a lot, Tritan! You have no reason to trust me, but those people...!"

He looked back, and through the glass, he thought he saw...!

His eyes widened. 

So did Tritan's, if her slower pace told him anything. She seemed almost frantic as she sped up, okay, bad bad bad! He had to calm her down, but ho-

"Hey, Limo, do you think the baby will like this song?"

"It's a pretty old song, but hey, it's a classic right?"

"So true! *laughs*"

His eyes widened. Hang on... hadn't he...

He had modeled Tritan from... the unborn baby. And he HAD hummed the song some times when around Tritan's AI before the accident.

Could it... could it really be the key?

He... he didn't hold out hope, but it was something he could try!

He opened his mouth, the words coming back to him as he began to... to sing, in a low falsetto voice that nearly sent Zero sprawling on the highway cause what the heck Limo-

https://youtu.be/f99tZQ8XtGM

Tritan... she slowed down even more. She... she recognised that song, she had heard it. A faint memory of a smile, of a kind-hearted man, who was lost in grief until recently...

Her eyes widened, looking at those green eyes behind those black frames. For a minute, she could really see him. She could really see the man who she had once called Father. 

"Alright, let's get her now, boys!" A loud voice made both their heads snap back to see a net being launched, but Zero skidded to a stop and Limo got his Tokey out. "Not happening! Zero, Transformation!" 

"Understood!" He said, grabbing Tritan and barely tugging her out of the way from the net's range. 

"Phew, worst case averted...!" Limo sighed in relief, but then he felt himself being grabbed as another net was launched at him.

He was being grabbed, by Tritan.

"What the-" He gasped at her, but she only nodded. 

"We should retreat for now, Limo!" Zero urged.

"R-Right!" He agreed, and the three immediately made their getaway, the nets blocking their pursuers from further chasing.

"Ugh! Stupid nets!" The leader cursed. "We need to get her another way then!"

"How did that Kwon Limo get him to trust her?!" One of the henchmen panicked. "That wasn't part of the plan!!"

"Regardless, we have to retreat!" The leader yelled. "Fall back!"

"Understood!" They all stood at attention, even when they paled, knowing that they were doomed, oh, they were so doomed when they got back to base...

Looking back, the leader swore under their breath, "I WILL get my hands on that snake. I won't settle for anything less."

But when the police arrived, they and the truck were gone, as if they were never there...

He didn't expect to see her outside that night. They had split up after they had gotten away from the city, but to see her here? That was... something. 

"Hey?" He waved at her slowly. 

Tritan nodded in reply, her head on the grass as she closed her eyes. 

The stars twinkled above, constellations shining bright. It was a beautiful night for stargazing...

He took a slow sip from his cup, looking up to the sky with a sigh. "... the kids are asleep now."

She shifted, but he saw her head nod in understanding. That was good...

Limo inhaled, and took another sip before he finally spoke again, "Hey, erm, you should be more careful in the city."

Her head turned slightly, and that serpentine eye looked back at him with distrust. 

He bit his lip. "I... know today was probably surprising, but I didn't want you to be caught by those people and hurt again like I had done to you all those years ago... heck, I'm sure Mika would have been distraught to see what I had done with you..." 

He willed the tears in. "I won't deny it. So... I'm sorry for everything I had done to you. Grief is not a reason to lash out against you, and..."

The Mind Core now pulsating in Tritan's heart... had come from the loving nature of one Kwon Mika. 

"I had hurt people because I wasn't thinking straight. I don't expect forgiveness, and honestly, it's fine not to forgive people sometimes."

Her eyes widened. What was he...?

Limo wasn't even looking at her, leaning back and looking up at the stars as he said, "You don't have to forgive the people who hurt you horribly in the past. I can't ... I won't force you to do that, but I do want you to know that you've been fighting a really tough battle on your own for so long. That... that is mental fortitude. You have a family here, with the kids, and I... I really happy for you."

(How could he have messed up so badly? The baby they could never have, it gave him the idea to create the Mind Cores... How much alterations had happened during his insanity bout? How many screams went unheard? 

Limo didn't remember it all, and it scared him, but...)

"They're good kids, but they get into trouble a lot. I think you'll have your hands full," he said with a soft laugh. "Regardless, you have a home now, a nest to rest in."

Tritan paused at that. A... home? She... could have one? Or had she...?

Limo waited for her to process it. The realization that she had a home now. She had... she had made it beyond those walls. She had... she had finally found family... 

And to the mama snake, this was... this was something she couldn't truly comprehend. Being loved, having a home...

She could have it too?

"So... thank you, for hanging in there for so long and for saving me this afternoon, Tritan. You've finally...you've finally found the home you've always wanted," he said, head looking downwards, ignoring how the tears of relief fell. "And I'm... I'm sorry for what I did..."

Tritan quietly watched him as he hurried to swipe the tears away. Man! He hadn't cried this loud before!

Even when his heart hurt, he still gave Tritan a soft, gentle smile with what he hoped was a lack of malice. "T-That's all I came to say, really! S-So please, stay safe Tritan... those people could hurt you... and I refuse to let that happen. I'll find out who and I'll put a stop to them, no matter what."

Oh, that.... That just...

As he turned to leave, Limo felt a tail coil itself around him gently. Tritan simply gestured to the sky, leaving no room for complaint as a small smile formed.

It.. wasn't the best of starts, but rocks weather away into pebbles eventually and so do initial impressions of someone. 

Limo smiled softly in reply, and the two looked upwards, observing the twinkling stars above while a new journey begins, side by side; the story of a snake experiment who found a home, and the story of her "father" who sought her forgiveness against selfish forces. 

Littlexheatwave I wrote the second half while sleepy, but I hope you enjoy it! I wanted to highlight on how forgiveness isn't easy to gain, so I hope this piece, short as it is, is helpful for you too!