Persona BLEACHED 2: Part 25

Chapter 25: Artisans, Inc.
February 17, 2029
Lunch period at the academy. Kibō sat beneath a tree, with Barbara in his lap, watching a video on his phone. The video showed his mother, Kyoko, wearing flashy black-and-white wrestling gear with "Kyoko" strewn across her pants. She was standing beside a bald, muscular man with a goatee.
"Is...is that Bautista?" Barbara asked.
"Just watch." Kibō replied.
"What are you doing?" Kyoko asked.
"I'm standing so completely still...that I'm slowly becoming invisible." the man replied.
Kyoko proceeded to pick the man up and carry him away, as interviewers and spectators clapped and laughed.
"Oh...my God." Barbara uttered.
"Yeah." Kibō added.
"Your mom is crazy, dude."
"Tell me about it. It's crazy the pictures she has around the house. I haven't even told you the Rock story..."
"So wait, didn't she have a metal band when she met your dad? Was it a side thing, or...?"
"She balanced the two for a while, but after having my brother she stuck to wrestling until she had me. I know how much she misses it. It's an unfortunate side-effect of staying anonymous. Whenever the WWE or MMA have an event in Japan I know she wants to race over there and be part of it. This isn't the only video I have of her with the big names. They absolutely loved her whenever she showed up. More than I can say about my dad's family."
"It's a shame they weren't fond of her. I get that it's a bit of a culture clash, but I don't know how you don't get a big, stupid grin on your face when she's around."
"Easy. When you're rich, politically-inclined snobs."
"Well for what it's worth, I'd much rather watch one of your mom's matches than some boring political debate."
"If you mean that, I actually have a highlight reel saved on my laptop. It's a reminder that, as tight as she squeezes me when we hug, there are people out there she's squeezed much, much harder."
A figure approached the couple. "Hello." 
"Oh, hello, Sakuya." Barbara said back.
"I hope I'm not interrupting. It looked like you were enjoying your discussion."
"It's alright. Did you need something?" Kibō asked.
Sakuya sat on the grass. "I know you must be tired of hearing my apologies. Perhaps I hope deep down that it might curb your friends' harsh glares, deserved as they may be."
"My brother never has taken well to being tricked. Same goes for Kitty. Given her past, she understands nobody's irredeemable. You just have to give them time." Barbara assured.
"Maybe so. But back to what I'm here for. Remember how I told you that the key to victory was in making the public side with you? I had an idea of how to make that happen. Are you aware that not every corrupted heart forms a Palace within the Metaverse?"
"I assumed as much. Not every person is going to have their worldview completely warped." Kibō replied.
"Correct. All Shadow Selves reside within the Metaverse. Some good, some not so good. Not every not-so-good person is going to be as prominent as a Kagami or a Hirano. In order to really begin to turn the public to your way of thinking, you'll have to find a way to expand your reach to all kinds of offenders."
"That sounds like a great train of thought. What did you have in mind?" Barbara asked.
"People are talking about you all relentlessly online. Several forums have popped up requesting aid from the Ashen Artisans. Carrie-san has programming experience, yes? I would suggest setting up your own, official forum to take requests from the public. Have Carrie-san hide the IP from detection. Split the most pressing requests amongst yourselves. Really drive home that you all are serving the public at large."
"That's a brilliant idea, Sakuya. Honestly, I don't know why we hadn't thought of it already. Tunnel vision regarding Death's Hand, I suppose." Kibō said. "We'll make sure to get the others' thoughts on it."
"I'm sure they'll all get behind it. Thanks for the idea, Sakuya." Barbara added.
"And on the subject of requests...oh, never mind. It's selfish to ask anything of you after the ordeal I just put you all through." Sakuya said.
"No, by all means, what else is on your mind?" Barbara asked.
"Well...with all the resources you have at your disposal...I was wondering if you could help me find someone. My mother."
"Your mother?"
"She left my father when I was seven. It wasn't long after that I was taken in by the Master. I haven't seen my mother since then. If she's looking for me, she probably won't know who to search for. Sakuya, or..." She paused. "...Sakutarō."
"Where do you think your mother might be?" Kibō asked.
"I have no idea. I'm not even sure if she's even worried about me. My memories of my mother are hazy. And my father would always tell me that she left because she was disgusted with me. This could be a fruitless effort, but...I need to know for certain. She's my only family. If my father couldn't accept me, I need to know that my mother would. I have no right to ask this of you, but..."
"We'll do what we can." Kibō spoke up. "I don't know how much help we'll be, but if it's for a friend, we have to try."
"Friend...even after what I did, you still see me that way? Kibō-san...thank you." Sakuya said. "You truly have the heart of a knight."
"And that's why I love him~." Barbara chimed.
The school bell rang. "That's our cue. Let's meet up after school, Sakuya. We can talk more at Carrie and Natalia's place. About the forum...and finding your mother." Kibō said.
"Thank you, again. I'll see you then." Sakuya replied. The students all returned to class.
---
The group gathered in Carrie and Natalia's dorm. "Is this everyone?" Kibō asked.
"Maxie and Kitty really holding out on us, huh?" Sahir said.
"Oh, so that's how we're doing it. Excuse me for a moment." Barbara got up and walked out the door.
"Uh oh. Sounds like somebody's gonna get it." Natalia said.
"They must really dislike my presence. Maybe I should just leave..." Sakuya said.
"Nonsense. The forum was your idea. No reason you shouldn't be present for the full discussion. Although I can't necessarily say those two are in the wrong." Kenji replied.
"Maxwell values justice and honesty. Being deceived and then told to trust the deceiver again must not sit well with him. As for Kitten...she's a bit more complicated. Between her own past and her sister's current employment, I can understand why she would have trust issues." Carrie assured.
"Please don't take this as them being hard to get along with. It's honestly the opposite. Max is very understanding and approachable, and his skill with impressions is second-to-none. Kitty...you'll never be bored with her around." Kibō explained.
"We all love her tons, even if she spends her time messing with us." Natalia began. "When I first met her I asked why she always has her headphones with her. I mean I get it, she's a gamer, but why even in class and when you're going out? She looks at me with a blank expression and says 'Well when I was a kid, I stuck my fingers so far into my ears that I damaged my eardrums and now my ears are really sensitive'. I'm like, really? 'No'. And that was the end of it."
"I remember one time during lunch period I walked out of the bathroom, and she was standing next to the entrance waiting for me to come out. She says, 'Y'know, capuchins are great and all, but where's the love for orangutans, hmm? My dad says they're smarter, so...' And then she just walks away. Never brings it up again." Kenji said.
"So don't take this as being how she is. She's actually the coolest person on the planet." Sahir said.
The door opened, and Barbara walked in with an annoyed Max and an even more annoyed Kitty. Both of them sat down without a word.
"I'd just like to point out that I was brought here against my will, violating the United States Constitution." Kitty grumbled.
"We're not in America. Also, you're not American." Barbara retorted. "You don't have to participate if you don't want to, but if your plan is to act like a spoiled child that just had her game taken away, I would suggest that you sit there and zip your yap."
"You sounded just like Dad for a minute there." Max quipped. He moved out of the way as a shoe came flying at him. "Ha!" A second flew at him, this time hitting him. "Ow!"
"That goes for you too, Maxie. I'm serious. Got nothing nice to say, et cetera."
"Anyway...how does everyone feel about the forum idea?" Kibō asked.
"I think it's brilliant. I can get some mockups done by tomorrow. It'll be good to help more people that we might not hear about otherwise." Carrie answered.
"Plus if they're smaller jobs, we can divide up the work. That way we don't overextend ourselves." Sahir added.
"As much extra work as it would be, more opportunities to improve our public image wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Plenty of people still view us as vigilantes undermining the police. Including the police themselves." Kenji said.
"Tough talk from the same department that had a serial killing vampire on their payroll." Natalia replied.
"I can run through some ideas, and I'll ask Sensei about how to keep it untraceable. I can get that done as soon as tomorrow." Carrie said.
"Perfect. If there's no other questions, we can--" Kibō began.
"I've got a question." Kitty interrupted.
"Kitty." Barbara said sternly.
"Is no one else seriously bothered by a certain someone just sitting here barely three days after taking Kicks and Kenny hostage?"
"I'm right here, you know." Sakuya replied.
"And there's my problem. Y'all instantly forgiving her after all the crap she pulled. She's one of the Alpha hand freaks! Now we're playing nice with her just because Keebster beat her ass? Is that how this works?"
"It's not as if all of us trust her completely. We simply don't have any reason to suspect that she's still being deceitful. Why reveal herself just to betray us again?" Kenji said.
"I knew this would only lead to conflict. I should take my leave." Sakuya uttered.
"Please, do. Maybe go tell His Spookiness that his double agent plan sucked ass." Kitty ordered.
"Kitty, aren't you being kind of a hypocrite right now?" Sahir fired back.
"Don't start that, man. There's a difference between being a thief and being part of a murder cult." Max retorted.
"Her sister proves otherwise." Sakuya piped up.
Kitty grew angry. "The fuck did you just say?"
"Oh, no." Barbara mumbled.
"I'm curious. I'd heard that you could detect when someone was lying. Yet you never caught on to my deception. Is your judgement that faulty, or is your hounding me an example of projecting?"
"You're walking a fine line here. You have no room to judge me. None."
"I'm completely open about my own mistakes. One would assume your history of stealing candy from babies would make you more open to me being repentant. Yet here you are with your accusatory tone. Are you perhaps angry that I'm not your sister?"
"Shut up."
"Do you think your friends wouldn't be so forgiving if it was her standing here?"
Kitty stormed to her feet, moving to punch Sakuya, who closed her eyes, resigned to her fate. Sahir got in-between them, taking the hit.
"Owww...that's gonna bruise..." he groaned.
"Did you all just forget what her legion of assholes have done to us? Kidnapped, tortured, almost killed? You heard it from her own flapper. They lie, and act like however they need to get what they want. How is she any different? It's because of lying asses like hers that hundreds of people get put on the path to being wrecked by us."
"You use my sister against me. She's gone because of you. You played the same magic lying game on her and now she's the same as you." Kitty got in Sakuya's face. "Don't ever, ever talk about my sister when people like you are why she's where she is. If you ever talk about her, or think about her, or use her to make a shitty point again, I'll bury my foot so far up your ass I'll be kicking you in whatever black tar-like substance you replaced your heart with when you joined those fuckers. And Kicks won't be there to take the hit." 
She started for the exit. Tears were apparent in her eyes. "Y'all want to just forgive her like nothing, go ahead. I'll just go back to pretending that my family's not ruined." She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Max got up and headed for the door. "I hope you're happy." He left.
Silence. 
"Should...should one of us go talk to her?" Natalia asked.
"I think we're the last people she wants to see at the moment." Kenji replied.
"I have to go back to our room at some point. I'll try to talk to her after she's cooled off." Barbara said.
"Judging by the force in her fist, that might take a while..." Sahir uttered while rubbing his cheek. 
"Why did you take the hit?" Sakuya demanded.
"Kinda did it without thinking. She was out of line."
"She was completely within her rights to react that way. I went too far with what I said. I've caused you all nothing but grief. It would be best if you all just forgot about me." She somberly headed for the door.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. And Kibō-san...just forget about my other request. A monster like me doesn't deserve a family. Not after I've helped destroy so many others. Good night to you all." She walked out the door.
"Well that could have gone better..." Carrie mused.
"I shouldn't have dragged them here in the first place. I was just asking for trouble." Barbara chided.
"What do we do now?" Natalia asked.
"For now, I would say keep working on getting the forum up. I think it would be best to let Kitty calm down for a while. And I'm not ready to give up on Sakuya yet. We have to find a way to smooth things over." Kibō answered.
"Easier said than done..." Kenji muttered.
---
February 18, 2029
"Still haven't heard from Kitty?" Natalia asked.
"I got home and her door was shut. She was gone when I woke up this morning." Barbara replied.
"Maxie wouldn't give up where she was going, either." Sahir added, holding an ice pack over his cheek. "He was sorry about how it went down, at least. Said he should've done more to calm her down."
"Considering her rage, I don't know how much he would've helped. You could've held a slab of ice over her head and it would've melted, so hot she was." Kenji replied. "And what of Ms. Tsumomo?"
"No idea. She told me yesterday that she was off work today. Someone said they saw her heading out this morning, but I've got no clue where she could be going." Sahir replied.
"What a mess. I understand why Kitten was so upset, but she didn't need to resort to violence. But Sakuya didn't have to provoke her like that, either." Carrie said.
"If you read between the lines, though, it's as if she was trying to get Kitty to hit her. Like if Kitty hit her it would've made her less angry. Instead it just got uglier after that." Kibō surmised.
"It didn't even sound like Kitty was mad at Sakuya in particular. If it was any old Death's Hand grunt it might've brought the same response. I think it's more about what Sakuya represents. They tempted her sister away. That anger must've been boiling inside of her all this time. Last night it just exploded." Barbara explained.
"Let's call around, see if anyone's seen either of them. We can at least try to get them to see eye-to-eye." Kibō said.
As the others went outside to use their phones, Carrie pulled Kibō aside. "I'm sorry I couldn't make any headway on the forum. After last night I couldn't get my mind straight." she lamented.
"It's fine. I don't think anyone could've focused after that."
"By the way...before she left, Sakuya mentioned that she had requested something of you. What was it, if you don't mind me prying?"
"Oh, that. She actually wanted your help with finding someone. Her mother."
"...oh."
"Yeah. She hasn't seen her mother since Death's Hand took her in. Her living as a girl now makes any search on her mother's behalf that much more complicated. She was hoping that you might be able to help with the search. I know that it's a...sensitive topic for you."
"Sensitive, preposterous. Nothing would make me happier than bringing her and her mother together after so long. Of course, I'll need some information from her..."
"Right...first thing to do before anything else is find the girls and try to work things out. Where to even start..."
---
A quiet neighborhood. A quiet house. One that has remained unoccupied and undisturbed for years. Silverware and bedsheets lay in the same position as they had years prior. Time seemingly hadn't passed here for a long while.
Sakuya made her way down to the basement. The bottom was filled with charms and other religious paraphernalia. It was dusty.
She sat down in the spot where she resided for much of the time after her mother left. She was met with quiet.
This was where Sakutarō died and where Sakuya could begin to live, she thought. The Master made sure that she had as many hormone treatments as she needed. Aside from the organ that gave away her secret to Kenji, the estrogen was doing its job. Her voice was light, her hair was long, her figure was getting there. Every few months she would have to return to the doctor to check her progress or potentially continue treatment, but it was worth it to have a body she felt reflected who she was.
Now all of that was in jeopardy. Her betrayal of the Master meant that paying for continued treatments became that much more difficult. If her treatment suddenly came to an end, she would likely begin to experience drastic health issues. 
A life built on secrets and deceit was now being undone by that same deceit. She had nobody to blame but herself. She thought this situation was fitting enough punishment for her naivete.
She sat in silence. As she was eight years before, she was, in every sense, alone.
---
"Whatcha doing, Kitty Kat?" Shizuka asked.
"Trying to set up a video call, princess." Kitty answered, seated at a table in the Kubo residence with her laptop. Shizuka was seated next to her, drawing. "I just hope they aren't asleep."
"Why would they be asleep?"
"Well, princess, where they're at right now it's actually nighttime. Knowing them they're probably still up, so hopefully I caught them in-between fun time." Kitty stared at the screen. "Oh, I think they're picking up. I'm gonna start talking in a different language so don't weird out and think that I'm possessed or something, OK?"
The video feed popped up, and a dark-haired woman resembling Kitty and wearing tropical clothing appeared. It was dark, on the deck of a cruise ship, with festive music in the background. "Hello? Hellooooo?" she chimed in Korean.
"Hi, Mama!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Oh, So-yin! Sorry about the noise, I wasn't expecting you to call so late."
"It's morning where I'm at, Mama, remember?"
"Oh, right. Duh."
"So how's the cruise going? As if I can't hear it."
"Cruise has been wonderful. We just left Costa Maya a little while ago. Your father swam with dolphins."
"Oh, boy. Did you play the Flipper theme song?"
"You already know the answer to that question, sweetie."
"So where is Papa, anyway?"
Her mother let out an exasperated sigh, and moved the camera to show a large group of people in a conga line, amongst them a bespectacled, dark-haired, slightly pudgy man. "Wei! Quit being extra for five seconds and come say hi to your daughter!"
He walked over. "What is it now, Joon? What did Lin do this time?" 
"Hi, Papa." Kitty said.
"Oh, hi So-yin! For a second I was afraid your sister got herself in trouble again. That'd be the perfect way to end a vacation."
"No, just little old me."
A voice in the background called out, beckoning Wei. "They want me back."
"Go on, can't keep your subjects waiting." Joon groaned.
"Sorry, honey, my people need me." Wei ran back.
"Bye, Papa."
Joon rolled her eyes. "I can't with him."
"He's just having fun, Mama. It'd be bad if you paid all that money just to sit on your bum for a week."
"Hang on, let me just..." Joon moved away from the party. "There we go. Alright, spill it. What happened?"
"Why would you think something happened?"
"You're calling me out of the blue with that sad puppy dog look you'd give me when one of your controllers broke. Are you doing alright in school?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Did that Max boy hurt you? If he did, I have a helicopter pilot on speed dial..."
"Sparky hasn't done anything wrong!" Kitty sighed.
"Is it about Lin? That's it, isn't it?"
"...yeah and no. It's more about me than her. I...I messed up, Mama. I messed up really bad."
"What happened? You didn't steal anything, did you?"
"It's not like that. So...you know that Lin's been running around here for months. I haven't run into her for a while, but I ran into someone who has. And this person is friends with some of my friends. So last night we all met up, and I got upset that they were still hanging around this person. Then she said something about Lin and I just...I lost it. I got in her face, I blamed her for all the trouble Lin is in now, and when I got so upset I almost punched her, one of my friends got in the way and took the hit."
"You punched one of your friends?"
"I punched one of my friends."
Joon groaned. "So-yin..."
"It was so bad, Mama. I know it wasn't this girl's fault, but I've just been so angry with Lin for so long, I just...I threw a fit. Now my friends probably hate me, which I would get completely..."
"So-yin. When are you going to stop letting your sister dictate everything you do?"
"Hm?"
"You remember all the friend you used to have back home, right? How come they don't come around anymore? It's because whenever they talked about Lin, you'd get upset and defend her. Do you think she'd do the same thing if your places were switched?"
"....."
"I love Lin as much as I love you, but your father and I accepted a long time ago that we can't save her. It's a horrible thing to accept, but everything we've done to try to get her to turn her life around failed almost instantly. Lin is an adult. Her choices are her own. No one where you're at is to blame for her current predicament. You know that."
"I know, Mama..."
"We sent you to Japan so you could get on-track away from her. I know she's your hero and you want to defend her, but you can't lose your friends over her. Not again. You need to call your friends up ASAP and work this out."
"Yeah. I know."
"Is there someone there with you?"
"Oh, yeah." Kitty turned the camera. "This is Shizuka. She's my Professor's little girl. I'm looking after her."
"Isn't she the cutest thing! Are those Jack Skellington headphones?"
"Yeah, me and my roomie bought them for her. She's my number one fan. Likes me for whatever reason." She briefly returned to Japanese. "Princess, this is my Mama. Can you say hi?"
"Kon'nichiwa." Shizuka replied.
"Adorable. You know what you need to do for her now, So-yin. Be a better example for her than Lin was for you. Admit that you were wrong and apologize. Okay?"
"Yes, Mama. Sorry for crashing your cruise."
"I'll call you when we get home on Sunday. I want to hear that everything's okay on your end. Now I have to make sure they haven't thrown your father overboard."
Wei's singing could be heard in the background. Joon shook her head. "Chances aren't looking very good."
"Go save him, Mama. I love you."
"Love you too, sweets. Good luck."
The call ended.
Kitty picked up her phone and started dialing. 
"Whatcha doing now?" Shizuka asked.
"Calling my friends over...I'm gonna teach you something my sister never did. How to say sorry."
After a while, there was a knock at the door. Kitty answered it, and it was Natalia at the doorstep. "Heya."
"Hoodsie? With no Care Bear attached? Or...anyone else." Kitty said, somewhat dejected.
"Don't look so bummed. Everyone else is scattered around trying to find Sakuya. She walked out right after you, um...said what you did."
"...I've made a royal mess, haven't I?"
"C'mon, let's sit."
The girls sat on the couch. "So...how's Kicks? I got him pretty bad..."
"Well, he's got an ice pack over his cheek. You didn't knock out any teeth, at least, ahehehehe..." Natalia laughed to diffuse tension. "How are you doing?"
"I'm looking after my favorite little person. And I just got done talking with my parents. Everything's..." Kitty began showing signs of oncoming tears. "...everything's going honky dory."
"Kitty, take it from someone who's on antidepressants. I can see you need a hug buddy right now. What's going on with you?"
Kitty looked away. "I don't wanna."
"Come on. The tough girl act is fine for someone that doesn't know you. You don't have to hold back with me here, OK? Just let it out. You'll feel better if you do."
Before Natalia's eyes, the cast iron shell Kitty had long guarded herself in began to break away. She took her glasses off, and covered her eyes with her hands. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I've treated my friends like crap for my whole life, all so I can defend the honor of someone that only cares about herself! No matter what I do, I always screw up every relationship I've ever had with someone!"
"I've known you all for, what, six months now? Look what I've done in that time. I screamed at you to put your life at risk so I wouldn't get in trouble, and now I threw the mother of all hissy fits and socked Kicks in the face. The same thing that happened back home is happening here, and I can't help myself. Someone says something about Lin, and I lose my cool and go off, even when I know deep down they're right about her. She's made so many screw-ups and dragged me down with her, but I keep trying to back her up or be like her in some way, so maybe she'll see me as something other than someone to take the fall for her."
Kitty took a fetal position and buried her face in her arms. "I'm so, so sorry, Hoodsie. I don't know what to do anymore. I know Lin is the enemy, and that she's selfish and unrepentant and all these other awful things. But...I don't want to fight her. I can't bring myself to be angry at her, even after everything. It's always been easier to get mad at someone else. I really, really wanted this to turn out different. But every problem I had back home followed me here. Now it can just go the way it always does: every friend I have turning on me, and falling back in as my sister's meat shield."
A door opened, and Shizuka stepped out, rubbing her eyes. "What's goin' on...?" she groggily said.
"Oh, no no no, don't let her see me like this..." Kitty muttered.
"What's wrong with Kitty Kat?"
"Kitty's just sad right now, sweetie. I'm trying to help her feel better." Natalia replied.
"How come she's sad?"
"Come here, princess..." Kitty beckoned Shizuka over, and the girl sat on her lap. "I told you earlier that whenever you do something bad, you have to say sorry, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well I said and did something really bad to my friends, so now I have to say sorry. Because now I feel bad, and my friends feel bad, cuz I said something I shouldn't have."
"But Kitty Kat's always super nice, why did you say something bad?"
"Well, princess...*sniff*..." Kitty trailed off.
"Hey, Shizuka. You really like Kitty a lot, huh?" Natalia asked.
"I love Kitty Kat bunches, she's cool and nice and funny. I wanna be like her when I get bigger!"
Kitty held her tight and patted her on the head. "Bless this child, she knows not what she's saying."
"Oh, I think she does. We all love having you around, Kitty. But things like last night can't keep happening. What I see happening is you acting like an extension of your sister, so when she's in trouble, you're in trouble. She made her choices, you don't have to be the one paying for them. You have to start living for yourself. Your sister might be a thief, but that doesn't mean she can take away everything you have. You've got us. And you've got your mini-me." Natalia explained.
"Oh, Hoodsie...I'm sorry I caused this mess. I'm gonna be the hero this little angel deserves. In ten years time she won't be saying what I've been ranting. I owe it to younger me. She won't lose any friendships because of me." Kitty proclaimed.
Natalia got an alert on her phone. "Oh, it looks like the others tracked down Sakuya's phone. She's...not that far from here, actually. Just a couple of streets over. Everyone's headed over there."
"I'm gonna come with. We're going on a little adventure, princess. I've gotta finish my apology." Kitty said.
---
"This is where her phone is?" Kibō asked.
The students were in front of what appeared to be an average house. There was no car in the driveway, and most of the plants in front had long since wilted.
"It's where the signal came from, yes." Carrie replied.
"Doesn't look like anyone's home. Inside looks like nobody's been here in years. Why would she come here?" Sahir asked.
"I wonder. Could this have been her home prior to Death's Hand taking her in?" Kenji pondered.
Kibō tried the door. "Locked. That won't help matters."
"It looks so dark and dusty in there...if any house was gonna be haunted..." Barbara shuddered.
"We've spent the last six months fighting demons and you're spooked of ghosts?" Max asked.
"Sh-shut up, I never said I was spooked..."
"Yoo-hoo~!" Natalia called out from behind.
Kitty was with her, carrying Shizuka on her back. "Yo."
"Kitty! You're okay...you are okay now, right?" Barbara asked.
"Getting there. You need help getting in? Could you take Her Highness for a sec?"
"Don't even need to ask." Barbara picked the girl up.
"Here's another phrase for ya, princess. Do as I say, not as I do. This thing I'm about to do to the door? Don't do it. Like, ever." Kitty dictated.
She went up to the door. She looked over at Sahir, who winced. She raised her hand, and he shirked away. "OH GODS, NO--"
Kitty wrapped him in a hug. "Sorry, Kicks. About, y'know, last night. That wasn't cool. You only get that treatment when you're being a perv. So, sorry. Again."
"Uh...okay. You're fine, I get it. Just, don't get scary like that again. Please."
"Katherine being apologetic. How very miraculous." Kenji sneered.
"Wow, Kenny, I didn't think you'd be out and about so soon after your liposuction." Kitty said.
"Excuse me...? I've never had liposuction done."
"You've been telling me all week how you were gonna get it done last night. Said you met some guy behind the burger joint who could do it for cheap. I would ask for a refund if I were you."
"Th-that is a lie, that is a flat-out lie...!" 
Kenji scrambled to disprove Kitty's claims as she set about picking the lock.
"Alright. It's open."
Kenji bared his chest at everyone. "Look here. No cuts at all. I've done absolutely nothing."
"Yeah, that's not what I'd call cut either, Kenny. C'mon, let's go in."
Kenji grumbled as everyone went inside the house. "Barbie, stay out here with Shizuka. I don't want her going in there with all that dust." Kitty requested.
"Don't need to tell me twice." Barbara replied.
"The ghosts'll be disappointed." Max joked. Barbara stuck her tongue out as everyone else went in.
"Ugh, the dust's even worse than it looked from outside." Kibō pulled his shirt collar over his nose.
"No lighting at all. Suppose if it's been abandoned for years, they would've shut the electricity off a long time ago..." Carrie said.
Kitty found the basement door. "Hey, guys?" She looked down, and saw a figure sitting at the very bottom. "I think I found her."
Kitty made her way down the creaking stairs. Sakuya opened her eyes to see her standing in front of her.
"...come to finish me off?"
Saying nothing, Kitty sat down next to Sakuya.
"'Kay, you're about to get something very rare, indeed. A 100% genuine, no BS apology from an internet streamer." 
"Really? You're...apologizing?"
"Yep. Before we get to that, have you ever heard of this little indie title called Raid: Shadow Legends?"
"Kitty!" Max called out.
"Sorry, sorry, that's just me being dumb. Speaking of me being dumb..." Kitty scratched her head. "Alright, look. I said some really awful things to you yesterday. Truth is, I know you're being honest with being our friend now. I just..."
"I said those things about your sister, and it set you off, yes?"
"I've been that way since I was little. I'd get defensive when people talked about her. I dunno how many times I got into it with someone who accused her of stealing something from them, only to come home and see her flaunting it around like a damn trophy. I lost a lot of friends that way. All cuz part of me still thinks she isn't as bad as I know she is. The trouble she's in now is cuz of her, and nobody else but her. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that. So...I'm sorry."
"Hm. I honestly didn't expect this. Mainly since I believed I deserved it. Someone who believed such obvious lies for so long should be punished for their foolishness. I truly thought that I could be handed the world I wanted..."
"Hey, you were a little kid. And someone told you he could give you whatever you wanted. What kid wouldn't believe that?"
"Even so, I shouldn't have taunted you about your sister. I brought what happened on myself. Any pain I experience from here on is fitting enough."
"What are you talking about?"
"I asked Kibō-san if you all could help me find my mother. I don't know where she is or what she could be doing. Not to mention, I've been taking estrogen ever since I hit puberty. Between school and my current income, I can't afford treatment for much longer. If I were to suddenly stop my treatment, then...I don't know what might happen."
Sakuya shuddered. "My greatest dream...having the body I desire...it's slowly turning into a nightmare. I can just hear Father saying 'I warned you' from his grave. Is being who I am really so sinful?"
Kitty put her hand on Sakuya's knee. "Don't worry, Maggie. We'll help you out."
"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"
"Maggie. Cuz of the magnolia thing you have going on. I've got nicknames for everyone. It'd be weird if I left you out."
"So...does that mean..."
"I might be the baby of the group, but I'm mature enough to admit when I've been dumb. I'd rather have you partying around with our bunch of misfits than wasting away in a creepy basement. We're basically Mystery Inc. Just without the talking dog, or a skinny guy that might secretly be into weed. Although Kenny never lets anyone into his room, and it smells a little funny..."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Kenji yelled out.
Sakuya giggled. "You really are as light-hearted as they said you were. If you all would have me, I'd be happy to tag along. There is still much for me to do."
"I don't think there's gonna be any objections to that."