CHERRIES WAKES UP.

1777, JULY 20th, WEDNESDAY 10:42 am.

A faint breeze brushed against tufts of orange hair as Cherries's eyes fluttered open. He awoke with his head fuzzy and confused. He sat up as best he could and found himself in a normal bedroom that was filled with medical equipment. There were little boats on the wallpaper.

"He's awake – he's awake!" A man in a doctor's uniform said. "Someone contact General Trio. Let her know the patient woke up."

Cherries rubbed his face and then his hair. His eyes blinked as he felt the top of his head, then a smirk crossed his lips.

"Where's my hat?" He asked.

"Cherries, please lay back down. You've been in a coma for a long time."

"Coma?" His eyes widened slightly and he paled a little. "How long?"

"It's been over two years."

Cherries's hand went to his forehead and glided all the way to the back of his head.

"Two years," he paused. "Two years... Fuck."

The orange-haired boy laid back down and looked around the room. Just outside the window, in the distance was a beach with a bunch of cattails swaying in the breeze.

"Where are we?"

"We're currently in an old fishing village that burned down two decades ago. You may have heard of it. This was the private island that Professor Grim and his family lived on... It's been abandoned ever since the fire he mysteriously disappeared in," the doctor said. "More specifically, we're in a home that Trio rebuilt. We moved you here rather than keeping you at Cross because she wanted to keep you hidden from the Grave brothers."

"Ok... Lot to take in. Why would I need to be hidden from the Grave brothers?"

"Because they tried to have you assassinated."

"They what!"

"Take it easy, you've just woken up. Once we make sure you're ok, then we'll update you on everything that happened."

"The Grave brothers tried to kill me? Why?"

"I don't know the full reason myself. All I know is it had something to do with a woman named Noche."

Cherries turned to look the doctor in the eye.

"Noche – is she ok?"

The doctor shrugged. "I'm not familiar with her. I can't say."

Cherries closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He held it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.

"Ok. Two things. Do we know where my hat is? Do we know where my cellphone is?"

"Unfortunately you showed up with neither."

"Cool. Right. That's fine. Great," he took in another deep breath. "Two years. Fuck. I hope Varen and Noche are ok... As well as Mary and Alice. Hell, I might even be interested to know what Hectare's been up to... Two years, god damn."

"I'm going to make sure Trio is aware that you're awake."

"Yeah. Thanks... Wait, if I was moved here in secret, do they all think I'm dead? Oh gods. I can't imagine how they all handled that. I hope they didn't do anything stupid... I hope they tried to make the world a better place, in my memory."

It didn't take long for word to reach Trio and the General to arrive at the island. By the time she arrived in his room, he had already defied the doctors in three separate ways and was standing out of bed. His legs were a bit shaky, but with his super human levels of augment, he was managing.

"Hey Trio!"

"Cherries! Dude what are you doing out of bed!"

"Eh, I've laid still for long enough."

As he finished his sentence, prismatic energy became a flash of new clothes. Each stitch was done with a master craftsman's eye for detail. Including a brand-new newspaper cap. Cherries grabbed the hat and put it on.

"Finally. I feel naked without my cap."

Trio appeared exasperated; Cherries grinned.

"What's wrong Trio? I don't think I've ever seen you so worn out."

"A lot has happened while you've been gone."

Cherries's expression hardened. "Speaking of, I have a lot of catching up to do. I don't intend to stay here any longer than I have to. Especially when Varen and Noche think I'm dead."

Trio sucked in a breath. "Right. Cherries. You'll want to sit down... I have a lot to tell you."

The next day, the tailor was still in shock. Varen was dead, Noche had killed a bunch of Cross soldiers when she was framed for massacring a PLC village, Medusa was kidnapped by the Grave Brothers, and Cross was losing the war. This whole time he could've helped, but he was comatose. He could've been there. He could've done something.

He let the intrusive thought enter his mind and then allowed it to pass. There was no sense lingering on the stuff he couldn't change. He had to be better, he had to focus on doing good for the future.

Learning of Varen's death was the hardest, but he could still be there for Noche. Granted, from everything he heard about her, she seemed to not be doing too well. The image of her in his mind seemed to sharply contrast with the words and actions she's displayed in recent days. He never would've believed Noche could have gotten this bad.

Taking away a person's choice to sacrifice themselves to save their sister, calling someone infertile when they shared that secret with you in a moment of vulnerability, and just overall how harsh and rude she's been to every one. Trio spilled every terrible secret as if she had personally experienced it. As if she wanted Cherries to fully understand and recognize all of Noche's sins.

Overall Trio was acting rather unnerving. By the time the general was done, it was as if she had let every dark secret she'd been holding for years off her chest. Now she was all sunshine and rainbows, as if she had just come back from a confessional. Yet none of it was about her, it was all about Noche. Weird. Just weird.

Cherries had to put his thoughts on hold as he arrived before the entrance to Cross HQ. The giant double Viking doors were too much for his weakened strength, but Trio was more than glad to hold them open for him.

Meeting Medusa was another matter entirely. The President of Cross wasn't known for showing emotion other than anger, so it caught him a bit by surprise when Medusa had tears in her eyes when she gave him a hug.

Rust and Salt were also equally emotional. It brought a smile to Cherries's face as they all welcomed him home. However, the reunion wasn't to last long.

"So Trio, hold down the fort in our absence," Medusa said.

"Where are you going?" Cherries asked.

"To Movecity. We have some business over there. First off, the leader of the PLC wants to meet me there. Which is more than suspicious since it's the largest gathering of Create users on the planet. The second reason is I've heard report that Noche is starting to defy orders and even went so far as to strangle Mary."

"Noche did what!"

"I know. I don't want to believe it, but unfortunately, with the way she's been acting, I could see her doing it. I'm going to see for myself while I'm there."

"I want to come with!"

"What – no! You've just woken out of a coma!"

"Please! I promise I'll be fine. I just need to check up on Noche. Make sure she's ok."

Medusa opened her mouth to argue, but Cherries's expression drew her up short. The President of Cross let out a defeated sigh.

"Very well."

So it was only a few hours later that Medusa, Dreg, Rust, and Cherries all stood in Movecity. They made their way into the heart of the city around nighttime, walking past the beach as they did so. Not one of their group noticed the heavily scared blonde in a black bikini as she packed up her things. Nor vice versa.