Mark stayed in the kitchen. He wanted to pace but then again he knew someone would ask him WHY he was pacing and he didn't want to answer.

In truth, Mark was hurting. 

Yeah, he was always the goofy and japing kind of guy. Never all too serious always with a smile on his face. Or a joke on his lips.

But this . . . .

There was nothing to joke about with this.

He was scared.

This was just like when Celine-

"Hey Mark?"

He looked over to see Sean watching him.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong? I mean . . . besides the obvious?"

Mark snorted, cracking a small smile at the irony, "I uh . . . . I really don't wanna talk about it, Sean"

"Oh . . . sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I mean Mira was one of my best creations besides Dark! I really LOVED the way she came together as a person!  . . .I don't want her to die, Sean" a tear ran down his cheek, "I treated her so  . . ..  delicately . . . . pushed her away. It wasn't fair"

"It's not your fault, kid" Illinois butt in, "Sorry, but I overheard.  . . . we ALL treated her bad. I wish I had spoken to her more, you know? And I know since this, a lot of the other Ipliers feel the same"

"Really?" Jackie stepped closer to the conversion, "But I thought they all hated her?"

"Feared her" Google corrected, "Probability of her instability was high . . . . until Antisepticeye intervened in her life"

Mark smiled, "I suppose they were always perfect for each other. Both stubborn and ruthless"

Sean snickered, "Calms Anti down for sure. I think Mira's been happier, you know. From what I've seen, at least"

"As has Anti" Illinois smirked, "He was absolutely struck by her the very day they met, I believe"

"How would you know, Illy?" Mark rolled his eyes, "You weren't created yet at the time"

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter if I was there or not. You can see it."

"Mark" Chase drew his attention this time, "Before . . . you DID seem worried. What's REALLY bugging ya, dude?"

Mark took a drink of water, " . . . . . Celine . . . . I based Mira off of her somewhat. Without the magic, of course." he paused, thinking about his own words, "But she is far more powerful. . . . I was always afraid of her. Kept her at a distance. And if you must know, I'm terrified I'll never get the chance to apologize to her."

Everyone stayed quiet, not really sure of what to say.

Even Actor didn't say a word. He was the only one in that room of sound mind besides Mark who KNEW Celine. Only he knew what it meant for Mira to be even remotely like Celine. Besides, of course, for the obvious huge difference of her being a sibling unlike Celine was.

It was more . . . strange.

Actor had never met Mira and suddenly something bubbled inside of him. Celine WAS his wife, after all. Yeah, he tried to kill her and Damien a long time ago but many things have changed since then.

"It's alright, Mark" Jackie intercepted on all of their thoughts, "I only met Mira a few times . . . . but if she's anything, it's stubborn. Nothing will keep her contained. She's stronger . .  and far more fierce than to just give up without a fight." he felt his jaw and stomach, remembering how hard she could hit.

Sean pat Jackie's pat, "You're right . . . She'll be, Mark. Ya gotta believe that"

Mark smiled softly, 'Maybe they're right . . . . maybe all will be okay in the end after all'

Anti stood unwillingly next to Dark in the room as Marvin placed the crystal ball on Anti's bed.

It started to flicker again which worried both Anti and Dark.

Marvin rolled his sleeves up, took a breathe and started a chant.

All Anti and Dark could do was watch.

But then again, the tension was killing them both.

"You really give a shite about her?" Dark asked.

Anti snorted, "You really have to ask that?"

"Yes"

He shook his head and sighed, "My god for someone so smart and powerful, you're so fooking stupid and short-sighted"

Dark's energy pulsated but Anti refused to acknowledge it. This wasn't about their rivalry right now. But apparently Dark didn't see it that way.

"And so are you. If you had just stayed away from her, none of this would have happened."

The glitch rolled his eyes, "That's what you'd like to believe anyway, isn't it?"

"Meaning?"

"The demon was after the strongest being he could find.  . . . Celine USED to be that, correct? But now Mira is. It would have been after her regardless of me befriending her or not. And you KNOW it"

"She would have been happier with her family, at least. More protected than just living with you the last few days"

"Months"

"What?" Dark turned to face him and Anti scoffed.

"Seriously? Did you have your head that far up your ass you refused to see it or notice? She had been coming over here often anyway for months. Sometimes sleeping over"

Dark's fists cracks with an unimaginable force but Anti didn't seem to care.

"Besides . . .. she was never happy living with you all and you know it"

"The Ipliers are her FAMILY."

Anti shook his head, "Then your family is fucked if that's how they treat their sibling. You know Mira for years would often come to me? I wasn't easy to find but she found me even if I didn't WANT to be found by her and believe me, sometimes I TRIED to hide. . . .  my point is, though . . . . sometimes she'd just hug me when she found me. Sometimes she'd talk of how her siblings fear or hate her after so long in denial about it. . . . And sometimes she'd just find me and cry on my shoulder as we sat on the couch. And I'd just hold her hand tightly"

Dark stared at Anti, baffled, as he just stared off into space, obviously thinking of the past.

Marvin didn't stop his chanting but he heard every word. He wanted to stop and intervene but he knew he couldn't. He had a job to do.

Dark wondered for a moment and another after that, " . . . . . . how did she know?"

"What?" Anti still didn't look at him, captivated by his vision of Mira in his head and how things used to be.

Dark swallowed, "How would she know the other Ipliers feared or hated her? Did they. . . did someone SAY something to her? To just jab at her or-"

Finally Anti looked back at him, disbelief in his features and he crossed his arms, "I'm disappointed in you, really, that you've never known . . . .. Warfstache feared her and would go unstable around her without you around. Yancy once tried to skank her, if she ever got a cut or bruise, Dr. Iplier refused to treat her, thinking she'd accidentally blow up, they all avoided her presence whenever they could and not mention Bim called her a whore and a slut on multiple occasions. You know the ones . . .."

Dark fell silent but not for long, " . . . . . Google, Illinois, Eric, Wil and I have all come for her. Not every Iplier is-"

Anti scoffed, turning away from him again so he was off-put on continuing his sentence.

"We love her, Anti! I love her so much it kills me inside to see her like this!" Dark suddenly yelled in his ear, "She's my fucking sister! Not that you'd ever fucking know or realize what any of that means! You've never loved anything in your fucked up life, you piece of shit!"

Anti just stared at the crystal ball flickering and realized that Marvin had stopped chanting, "Marvin . . .. . why'd you stop?"

Neither of them had realized the magician was on the floor, panting, using the bed as leverage to try and keep his body upright.

"F-fuck me . . . " he heaved, staring back at Anti apologetically, "I. . . . I-"

Anti knew that look in his eyes.

A look that screamed of one losing hope. He recognized that look far too well, unfortunately. 

And in reality, and especially in this situation, he had hoped he'd never see it again.

"Wh . . . . what are you saying? . .  M- . . Marvin?"

Just then, the door opened and the others were just coming in to see if anything knew had transpired.

Marvin shuddered, "I . . . "

"What's going on?" Mark walked in, sensing a problem, "Guys?"

Marvin shook his head, "N-no. . .no, I can try again. I-" he tried to stand up but fell on his knees again, "fuck", he muttered, still breathing heavily.

Sean knew then and there, "Shit . . .you really can't-"

"I can!" Marvin argued, "Do NOT tell me I can't do something! I won't have it! I can do anything! I'm a fucking magician!"

"Who apparently can't make the girl pop out of the ball" Actor snorted, "Which I knew, of course. I mean, Celine was FAR more brilliant. She locked away this demon for fucks sake!" he laughed.

Illinois slapped Actor upside the head for his jape, "Not the time for jokes, can't you see that?"

Anti was still troubled, though. He didn't understand.

"No . . . . wh . . .what are you saying? What are any of you saying?"

Dark was just as frozen but chose to enact his confusion in rage instead, "TRY AGAIN! DAMN YOU, TRY AGAIN! FUCK!" His aura vibrated through the room and even Wilford turned serious, staying quiet.

"  . .. ." Mark tried to calm him, "Dark . . .  just-"

"NO!" Dark's eyes went black, "THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT! ALL OF IT!"

He gripped Anti's shirt hard and screamed in his face, "IS THIS WHAT YOU INVISIONED!? HUH!? MY PAIN!? MY FURY?! MY FUCKING SANITY BREAKING!? SHE WAS MY SISTER, YOU FOOL!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! AND NOW SHE'S GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT HER! OTHERWISE NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE EVER HAPPENED! YOU DID THIS TO HER! YOU!!!"

Anti, for a moment, was still blank. He watched Dark spit in his face with yelling and sharp words. But for a moment, he didn't care. Dark didn't matter. Anti was deaf and blind to Dark.

No one else mattered in his eyes.

She was everything to him and the mere possibility of never seeing his best friend again broke him.

And Anti snapped.

2020

Anti's apartment; Two years ago

"Hey, Anti?"

Anti hummed, waiting for her to go on. He was lost in his own mind watching her cook for them in his kitchen. She always WAS the better cook.

She stopped cutting up the vegetables, making Anti blink out of his hypnotism and look up to her. She was pondering something and Anti found he was worried about it.

Whenever she pondered something of this degree that she wanted to ask anything of him, it wasn't good on her heart.

She sighed, getting red in the face but it was warm in his apartment. It was summer and he didn't have air conditioning.

"What is it, Mira?" he finally asked, wanting her to just rip off the band-aid already.

'Fuck, I hope she hasn't decided we can't be friends anymore, after all. I don't know if I'd be able to handle that today. It's too quick! Too fast! Fuck!'

But she looked away from him, as if embarrassed to ask, "I . . . what do you feel for me, Anti?"

He froze, unsure of what she just asked. But he thought on it and put the words back together in his head.

"Oh . . . you're a friend. Why do you ask?"

"Oh . . okay. No reason" she smiled, "I guess I was just worried for no reason was all! Intrusive thoughts! Pay me no mind!" she laughed.

But Anti had known her for a long time now. He knew her better than that.

Did Dark say something to her? 

Did Bim? Yancy? Mark?

What was said?

"Mira" Anti raised a brow at her, "You're everything to me. You're my best friend. With how close we are now, there's no way I'd ever be able to live or go on with out you. Aggressive, I know, but it's true. You're a part of me . . . And I can only hope I mean a fraction of this to you"

Mira stared back at him, completely taken aback but then again, she always knew he'd go overboard with his feelings most of the time. So full of emotion but always too stubborn to let them out.

She smiled, "Of course you do. . . . you're everything to me, too, Anti. Like I've said a million times before, you're stuck with me"

They both laughed, smiling and teasing one another.

"Host pondered on this section, wondering if it were too obvious and disgustingly cliche. The Host was never one for things such as this. No . . . .Only if things really HAD happened that way. Then Anti wouldn't have had such a visceral reaction to Darkiplier's words, would he have? The Host chuckled thoughtfully to himself. No . . . . Onto the next chapter. We will then see how things REALLY transpired that evening two years ago. Stay tuned, my friends"

Host never got involved in relations of friends, enemies or others. He pondered of what things COULD be like, yes. But he never intervened.

Not in narration, at least.