(Y/n) opens her eyes to see that an empty void surrounds her. She called out to Riddle, but she couldn't find him. Suddenly, a bright light nearly blinds her. She opens her eyes to see a memory planning out. By the looks of it, the memories were Riddle's. The memory shows a child Riddle, sitting on the dining table with a sad-looking cake in front of him. Beside him was a woman, and by the looks of it, she was his mother. "Awww, Riddle looked so cute when he was small." (Y/n) smiled.

"Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. This year's birthday cake is a low-sugar recipe made with nuts and lecithin-rich soy flour to improve your cerebral function." Mrs Rosehearts proudly announced. Riddle gave her a small smile. "Thank you. But, Mom...Just once, I'd like to try one of those tarts covered with bright-red strawberries..." He gently requested. His mother's eyes widened. "Absolutely not! Those tarts are monstrously unhealthy. I might as well feed you poison! Even just a single slice would exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar." She then composed herself. "Now, dinner tonight will be a tuna sauté rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. Now that you're eight, your caloric intake should be 600 kilocalories per meal, so don't eat more than 100 grams of it. Understood?" Riddle nodded as he looked down. "Yes, Mom."

(Y/n) watched Riddle's upbringing. She could see him not enjoying his own birthday, thanks to his mother. She glares at the woman. She then suddenly heats Riddle's voice, echoing in the void.

"I'd always wanted to try one of those tarts with the bright-red strawberries. The local cake shop had them in the window. They shined at me like forbidden jewels."

Then, the memory changed into Riddle studying in a study room with his mother as his teacher. "That's enough classical magic study for today. Your homework is to read the first fifty pages of the Philosophy of Language book referenced in today's magical philosophy texts. You may now have one hour of independent study before your potionology lesson." His mother explained. "Thank you, Mother." Riddle nodded "I need some time to prepare the lesson materials. I will see you in one hour, okay?" Then, his mother leaves him alone. Riddle frowns as he continues his studies on his own.

"I was studying every possible subject, scheduled down to the minute. When I didn't understand something, the lesson was extended until I did. That was my "normal."

(Y/n) continued to watch Riddle's memory as she tried to understand more of Riddle. The child Riddle was studying peacefully until he was interrupted by a knock on his window. He looks up from his book curiously. "...Is someone knocking on the window?" He goes over to open the window to find a child Trey and Che'nya.

"Awww! They all look so cute at that age!"(Y/n) smiled again.

"Whoa, he heard us!" Trey smiled at Riddle. "Hey, come play with us!" Che'nya waved. "Who are you?" Riddle questioned. "I'm Che'nya, and that's Trey. Let's all play croquet! Oh, but it's LOTS of fun!" Che'nya introduced happily. "I can't. I'm supposed to be doing independent study, and I have a lot of homework to do." Riddle declined the offer as he pointed at his books. "Independent study" means you pick what to do, right? My grandpa says play is a form of study!" Che'nya happily explained as he placed his hands on his hips. "Just play with us for a little bit!" Trey holds up a soccer ball. Riddle is hesitant at first, but he agrees. "...O-okay... Just a little, though!" Trey smiled at him. "Hey, what's your name?" Riddle smiled back. "R-Riddle. Riddle Rosehearts."

"I had the best time playing with Trey and Che'nya. We did so many things I'd never done before. They taught me lots of things I didn't know. After that, I snuck out of my room every day. To play with them during independent study time."

(Y/n) smiles as she watches the memories of the three children having fun and playing their little hearts out. She could see them taking a break from running around and relaxing on the soft grass.

"Whaaat? You've never even tried a strawberry tart? They're out of this world." Che'nya's eyes widen. "Yeah. My mom says sugar is basically poison." Riddle sheepishly told. "I mean, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it, but calling it "poison" is kinda...yikes. You know, my family runs a cake shop. Let's go get a tart right now!" Trey suggested. "Really? But...I shouldn't." Riddle lowers his head. "Just one slice. It'll be fine." Trey suggested. "One slice for YOU, maybe. I want a whole one!" Che'nya's mouth watered as the three children laughed at his silliness.

(Y/n) couldn't help but laugh at how much fun they were having. She stopped when she heard Riddle's voice again.

"A bright-red strawberry tart on a white plate. To me, it shined more brightly than any gem could. That first bite was so sweet. It tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten before. With each bite, I became more entranced......and completely lost track of the time."

The happy, fun memory changed into a sad one when (Y/n) watched Riddle being scolded by his mother. He was sitting on a chair as he held in his tears. "I cannot believe this! Not only are you cutting independent study time, but I find you eating a mountain of sugar?! Those two hoodlums must have incited this behavior. You must never play with them again!" His mother then storms out of the room as Riddle follows her. He clutches her skirt. "I'm sorry, Mother! I promise, it will never happen again." He cries out. His mother pulls her skirt back. "Be quiet! You've broken the rules, and I'll not hear another word from you." She yelled as Riddle stopped his crying, but tears still streamed down his face. "Clearly, you're not able to handle the freedom of independent study. I need to keep a closer eye on you." She proclaimed as Riddle lowered his head down in sadness.

(Y/n) gasped as she understood why Riddle was so adamant about rule breakers. His mother had pushed him over the edge. Never got a true experience of having a happy childhood.

"Because I broke the rules, my favorite part of my day was taken away from me. I vowed to never break my mother's rules again. After all, she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct. But Mom...Why? Why does my heart hurt so much? I want to eat a tart! It's my birthday, so can't I have some just this once? I want to play outside all day long! I want to make lots and lots of friends! Tell me, Mom, please...What rule do I need to follow
to make this pain go away?"

(Y/n) followed the sound of Riddle's voice. As she walked closer and closer to his voice, she could see a few puddles of blot on the floor. She carefully walked over them. She then heard Riddle crying. She looked up and gasped at Riddle's appearance. Riddle was curled up, hugging his knees as he softly sobs, and he still had some blotches lingering on him. She felt sorry for him as she walked closer to him. She kneels to his level.

"Riddle?" (Y/n) calls out. Riddle looks up at her, and he has some blot on his face. "Riddle...There's no rule on how to make things better. You just do what you think is right. And others can help you make things right." She smiled at him. "But...what about the rules my mother gave me...? I'm afraid I'll do something wrong like last time..." Riddle tears up. "Riddle, your mother put too much pressure on you. You were just a child at the time. No parent should overwork their children. I should know, my parents wouldn't allow me to train so hard until I collapsed." (Y/n) told. Riddle looks up at her curiously. "One time, I trained myself so hard that I became physically sick. I wanted to go train more, but my parents made me go to my room and rest up." She explained. "They did?" Riddle asked. She nodded and laughed a little. "My mother threatens to chain me to my bed if I don't rest myself." Riddle laughed a little as he gave her a small smile. She smiled back and held his hands. "Riddle, it's alright to cut back and relax. You need to know your limit and take time for yourself before you burn yourself out." She said. They smiled at each other as they pressed their heads against each other. Soon, everything was bright as they heard someone calling their names.

"Riiiiiddle!"

"(Y/n)!"

(Y/n) opens her eyes to see that she is back at Heartslabyul Rose Maze. She lets go of Riddle as Trey goes over to the other side of Riddle. They waited for the Heartslabyul dorm leader to wake up. Riddle jolts up as he holds his side.

"He's back!" Ace crossed his arms. "Well, it's about time... We were just about losin' our heads here - figure of speech, sorry - 'cause we thought you might never wake up!" Cater sighed in relief. Riddle gasped at his surroundings of the rose maze. "... What in the world happened...?" He asked. "Ah, Mr. Rosehearts appears to have regained consciousness. Excellent." Headmage Crowley arrived after the battle. "Don't worry, Riddle. Just try to rest." Trey tried to get Riddle to sit back down. "Yo, that's just the sort of coddling that led to him going nuts in the first place!" Ace gestured to the entire rose maze. "Now the garden is tore up from the floor up, not to mention that we could've died!" He even points at (Y/n). "(Y/n) was bleeding a lot from her nose, thanks to you!"

"It's alright, Ace. I've healed it with my powers." (Y/n) reassured him. Deuce went on to agree with Ace. "He's right. It was looking bad for a while there." Grim crossed his arms. "For cryin' out loud. When you humans let that stress build up, the results sure ain't pretty."

"The truth is, I... I really wanted to eat the chestnut tart." Riddle began to tear up as everyone looked at him confusedly. "And I don't care if the roses are white, or the flamingos are pink. And I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea better than lemon tea anyhow. And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone..." More tears fell from his eyes. "Riddle...?" Trey reached out to him. Riddle turns to Trey. "And I really wanted to play with you and Chenya more, Trey." Riddle couldn't hold it in anymore and cried out loud. Cater's eyes widened. "Riddle Rosehearts, in tears... Hashtag #WOW." Ace just glares at Riddle. "You think a few crocodile tears is all it'll take for me to forgive you?" (Y/n) turns to Ace. "Ace, please. That's enough." Deuce nodded in agreement. "Give the guy a break, Ace."

"I'm sorry, Riddle. I knew you were suffering, and all I did was pretend not to notice." Trey admitted as Riddle continued to sob. "So I'm gonna say what I should have said earlier. Your way of doing things was wrong, and you owe everyone an apology." Trey suggested. Riddle sniffled as he turned to everyone. "... I'm sorry... I'm really sorry." He cried. "I know I've been saying I wanted an apology from Riddle, but now that I got one, y'know what? One stupid "I'm sorry" doesn't even come close to making up for what he did!" Ace yelled at Riddle. "DUDE! Way to be a capital-J Jerk!" Cater exclaimed surprisingly. "And proud of it! Have you forgotten how he made a total fool outta me?! He insulted (Y/n)'s family and injured her!!" Ace pointed at (Y/n). "I'm fine now, Ace." (Y/n) tried to calm Ace down. "Have you forgotten how he just threw away that chestnut tart we worked so hard on?! That ain't something you can make go away with a few tears and a flimsy "I'm sorry"!" Ace continues. "Wow. I ain't never met anyone who was better at holdin' grudges than I am." Grim crossed his little arms.

Riddle wipes away the last of his tears. "Then... Then what do you want me to do?!" Ace thought for a moment before he looked back at Riddle. "You know... I don't got a birthday coming up anytime soon." Deuce looks at him confusedly. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Ace crossed his arms. "So I demand a do-over for the unbirthday party! Except this time, we ain't gotta do squat. This time, YOU'RE the one who brings the tart! And no getting Trey to make it for you! Do that, and then things are square between us."

"Ace, if I remember correctly, you had help making your tart." (Y/n) smirked. Ace pointed at (Y/n). "Quiet from the peanut gallery!" He turns back to Riddle. "What do you say, Riddle? We clear?" Riddle nodded in agreement. "Yes... We're clear."

Headmage Crowley smiled at all of them. "Ah, yes. Compromise is a beautiful thing. I believe that concludes this matter."

"Welp, looks like we got some cleaning up to do. All that work making the garden Magicam-worthy, and now it's a total tire fire. Laaame." Cater whines as he looks at the garden. "I'll help out." Trey offered. "No, why don't you get Riddle to the nurse's office. That was a full-blown case of overblot. We need to make absolutely sure he's okay." Cater pointed out. "Mr. Diamond is correct. I will go along with you." Headmage Crowley walked over to Riddle. "Understood. Thank you, sir." Trey thanked him as he helped Riddle up. He and Headmage Crowley helped Riddle to the nurse's office. As they were walking, they stopped when they felt an earthquake. It wasn't big, but it was enough for them to stop moving. It only lasted 5 seconds, but it felt longer than that. Once the earthquake stopped, everyone went back to what they were doing before the earthquake.

Once they were gone, Grim sat on the floor from being exhausted. "Man, am I STARVED after usin' so much magic! Hmmm. Hey, check it out!" He sniffs the air. He followed the scent and found a familiar black gemstone on the ground. "That's another black magestone, just like the one we found at the Dwarfs' Mine!" He cheered. Deuce looks at the stone. "You're right. Wonder where it came from?" Ace already knew what Grim was thinking. "Just don't put it in your mouth this time."

"No way. After how great that last one tasted, I can't get that thing in my mouth fast enough!" Then Grim chomps down on the stone. "Aaand there it goes." Ace shook his head. "Grim! That's disgusting! Quit putting junk from the floor to your mouth!" (Y/n) scolded. "Oh, Grimmy... Have some self-respect, honey! That was literally trash." Cater exclaimed. "Ahhhhh! Rich and sweet, but with a complex hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. Equally delicious, but with quite a different mouthfeel from that last one I ate." Grim rubbed his stomach. (Y/n) sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you get sick, Grim."

"As a monster, maybe his stomach works differently than ours?" Ace suggested. "Even still, eating trash can't be good for anyone." Deuce pointed out. "Oooh! I just tried the grass, and the flavor was surprisingly pleasant! Crisp, even!" Grim then eats the grass. Deuce quickly pulls Grim from the ground. "That's our lawn! Don't eat that!" Cater just stared at them. "Uh, A-F-K while I go throw up... But...seriously, guys. Thanks." He said the last part quietly. "Did you just say something?" Ace asked. "Hm? Nope. Not a thing." Cater waved his hand. But (Y/n) did hear him. She smiled as she walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome, Cater." He was shocked at first but smiled back. "You're too sweet, (N/n)."

(Y/n) wanted to go see if Riddle is doing any better and maybe see if it's alright mentally. Only taking a few steps, she collapsed to her knees. "(Y/n)!!!" Grim and the others raced to her. Ace and Deuce helped her up. "I'm fine, really. I may have used too much of my energy during the battle and healing myself." (Y/n) said. "Maybe you should see the nurse just in case." Deuce suggested. "No, I'm fine. Just tired." Ace wasn't having it. He picks up with ease and takes her to the nurse's office. "Ace, I could walk on my own, you know." (Y/n) said. "Not a chance. Can't have you collapsing again." Ace shook his head at her. (Y/n) couldn't help but smile at him. It looked like he cared for her, after all. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Ace. For helping me and defending my family and me." Ace smirked at her. "It's not a big deal."

In the infirmary, Riddle and (Y/n) were seated next to each other as Trey, Deuce, and Ace were with them for company. (Y/n) wondered where Grim was, but Deuce told her that he went to Ramshackle real quick. Before she could say anything, Grim runs in with Kiki following him. Kiki whimpers at seeing (Y/n) in the infirmary. She leaps into the princess's arms.

"Kiki, I'm fine now. Don't worry about it." (Y/n) Kiki close. Grim hops on the bed. "I told her that you're fine, but she wanted to see for herself." (Y/n) smiled as she opened her arms for Grim to join in. He happily leaps into her arms. Riddle was still ashamed of himself that he didn't dare look at (Y/n). She looked at him and called out to him. "Riddle, I said I'm fine. No need to look away." Riddle shakes his head. "I have harmed you and insulted your family." (Y/n) smiled. "From what I saw, I do not blame you for the stress, but you took it out for the wrong purpose. I can help you find ways to help cope with your stress." She offered. Riddle smiled back at her.

Suddenly, (Y/n) pulled out her communication talisman when she felt something was wrong. It was beginning to glow as she tossed it to the bed. Everyone took a step back, but as they walked closer, they saw images appearing. (Y/n) gasped at the sight of the images of a woman with two toddlers. "Mother....Brother..." Grim looks up at her. "Those people are your family?" He asked. "Yes, back when my brother and I were toddlers." She nodded. Everyone sat closer to (Y/n) as they watched what was happening.

They watched a toddler (Y/n) and Lijin playing with their toys as Kitana smiled and watched. Lijin grabbed one of the toys and began to run. (Y/n) giggles at her big brother and follows him. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and accidentally tripped on another toy on the floor. Kitana gasped as she quickly went to her daughter. (Y/n) sat up as she whimpers from her fall. She had tears fall from her eyes. "Oh, my daughter. Don't cry." Kitana picks up (Y/n). She rubbed her daughter's back to help calm her down, but she still heard the cries. Kitana smiled as she thought of an idea of how she could calm down (Y/n), and she began to sing.

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part
Baby of mine

Kitana adjusted her hold on (Y/n) to allow her daughter to look up at her. (Y/n) stopped her crying as she stared at her mother curiously.

Little one, when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear
Baby of mine

Lijin walked over to his mother to see his sister finally stopped crying. They both stared at their mother as they both slowly smiled at her. Kitana gave her daughter a warm smile as she wiped her tears away.

If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

(Y/n) smiles as she placed both her hands on her mother's cheek. Kitana smiled as she loosed her daughter on her forehead.

From your heads to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Cute as can be, babies of mine

Lijin held his hands up as he wanted to be held up too. Kitana smiled and carried her son too. She placed her head with theirs as they giggled together. Now she was singing about both her babies.

All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

As Kitana continued to sing, she looked over the window and glared down at a few members of the court since they disproved of her children and her niece, Meena. One pair in particular was the parents of Atara and Zarina. Luckily, they didn't notice her as she sat back on the sofa.

From your head to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Cute as can be, babies of mine

Lijin and (Y/n) snuggled closer to Kitana as she rocked them back and forth. Her children smiled as they slowly closed their eyes and fell asleep to hearing their mother's lullaby.

Babies of mine

Kitana finished her song as she kissed both of her children's heads. She smiled as she held her babies close. Never wanted to let go.

The communication talisman had finished showing a memory of (Y/n)'s children. (Y/n) smiles as she had a few tears in her eyes. "...Mother." She wipes the tears from her eyes. Grim and Kiki were tearing up as they held onto (Y/n). "Wow. Your mom is pretty cool for doing that to cheer you up." Cater smiled. "Yeah, that's very sweet. It just shows how much she loves you." Trey added as Deuce and (Ace nodded in agreement. "You know, I'm quite jealous. Your mother is someone truly amazing." Riddle gave a small smile. (Y/n) smiled back. "Thank you.  It was great seeing my mother again. Even if it's just a memory." Everyone huddled closer as they asked what else her family was like. (Y/n) happily smiled as she told them as much as she could about her family.