(image shows his memory and situation)

Ye I was listening to this while writing the chapter.

*Reaper's correction: Don't Let Him Go.

Geno's POV, who knows when at an unknown place

There was a time, probably while Ink and Error were locked in the closet by PJ, when Reaper would goof around with some silly game. He would surprise me when I least expect it. I'd often be sitting down and he would sneak up and cover my eyes. I loved that game, though I'd never let him know that.

"Guess who!"He would start it with

"Reaper!"I would automatically yell from surprise

"Correct. Now, who's the skeleton I love?"He would say

"...."I'd be silent

"It's you." He'd say

Then I'd tell him to shut up or something like that. I'd pull away and get out of his hold. He would wait and restart this cycle.

How badly I wished that was just the case now.

I slowly wake up, but couldn't see anything. I try to move and discover that I'm tied to a chair, unable to really move. I try to lean and break the rope, but a hand shifts me back into place.

"No, no, no. You stay still. But at least you're awake."A voice says

I tense, but don't say a word.

"What? You won't say hello to an old friend?"It says

It's not Reaper.

I stay quiet.

"Okay then. Well, I guess you should know why you're here. I was given the powers of the Grim Reaper for a certain amount of time. Within that time, I had to get you. Now, the plan is to use your very disappearance to get the others to my bosses and I. Let's see how well you can depend on your little friends, my good bud Ink, Blue, any of them. Because if none of them show up to get you within the next 24 hours, it's bye bye Geno!"The voice says

"...."I stay silent

"Oh and you were knocked out so long that 14 of those hours have passed."It says

I start to shake.

"Hehe, seeing you tremble for once is nice."It says

I remain quiet.

"Tic tock, tic, tic, tic, tock! Tic tock! Tic Tock Tic!"It says with a sinister joy in their tone

The hand leaves me and footsteps circle me. The voice never stopped creepily speaking to me. I say nothing, not answering anything. Then the voice would go back to making the ticking sounds when I don't answer.

Who knows how much time passed when the hand returns to my face and the ticking was from behind me. I heard a snap and I knew something changed. My scarf is placed on me carefully. Something was still covering my eyes though.

"You should be happy, grateful even. Now, you won't have to deal with anything. No danger, no annoying people like Error, Dust or Reaper, no stress, no worries. Nothing that comes in life. Those pesky kids will be taken off your hands when you die so you won't even have to worry about the promise anymore! It will all work out! Plus, you get to die in your cozy signature outfit! And once we're done here, sending a message out to your 'friends', Reaper will be done for. We'll get him casted out for a false conviction you could say and then, we'll learn what scares Death deep down before we use it against him. That nuisance to you will be no more! It'll all be perfect!"It says

No....The kids! Goth, Shino, Raven! Reaper! I have to keep them safe! But that means I have to get this plan to fail! Escape? Possibly....How can I get the plan to fail? Wait....'false conviction'? Reaper? Shoot, they may be disguised as Reaper and be taping this for when the time comes. They're gonna try and frame Reaper for killing me! Think, Geno, think!

I start to tremble even more. I try to think of a plan.

"What? Not even that entises you to talk?"The voice asks

If I say anything, they could manipulate it in the footage to make it evidence against Reaper.

I remain quiet.

"Hmph, fine then."It says

The voice goes back to the ticking. They circle me for another while.

It felt like an eternity. But then I get an idea.

Oh, if this works, I'll be so happy! Sorry Reaper and Goth, as well as everyone else. I don't have many other options. Or any.

"Hey...."I hesitantly say, choosing every word I say carefully

"Hm? Oh! You're talking! What's up?"The voice says, the footsteps stopping

I summon a bone attack and swing it at them.

"That was a poor attack. You're getting desperate, I can tell."It says

"You leave those I love alone! And maybe, that was just a warning."I say

"I'll do what I want or my helpers want."The voice says

I could hear the bone attack pinging around the walls. I shift myself and the chair, calculating each move.

"How much time is left?"I ask

"6 hours."It says

"Wrong."I say

Then, I feel something pierce my head. The bone attack. I black out again.

Note:Where Geno is runs faster than the festival timeline.

Meanwhile, Reaper's POV back at the festival

I walk to the dance area with two cups of apple juice. I knew I'd have to come back with something for returning to dance later than we agreed. I look around. I couldn't find Geno anywhere. I checked the dance floor and the surrounding areas, even the trees. Not a trace. I find Ink and approach her.

"Hey, Ink? Do you know where Geno is? I can't find her anywhere."I ask her

"What are you talking about? This is the second time you've asked me. I told you, she's in the dance area! You took her away elsewhere after she passed out! Saying that, why are you here and not with her?"Ink says

"I don't know what you are talking about. I haven't spoken to you all night. I can't find her there! I haven't seen her in ten songs! I never took her anywhere. I'm not with her because I never was with her!"I say

"Then who came to me in a grey cloak claiming to be you and looking for her?"She asks

"I dunno! An imposter!"I reply

"Wait....So if you are here, she's not here and the person taking her wasn't you....Geno! Geno!"She says, then runs off calling Geno's name

I try to think and figure out what to do or where to look. But then, I got the worst feeling I've ever felt. And I know what it means. Geno is gone.

"Geno...."I mutter, tears filling my eyes

Then, a sight flashed before my eyes just like any other time I get this sense. It showed the Geno I was just dancing with, the one that I've had suspicions about. Then it showed my Geno. This could really only mean one thing. Wait so I was right? That Geno was MY Geno in disguise? That was him? I was just with him! I hugged him! Danced with him! And didn't even know? Then I left him! I failed him again! I had one task and couldn't even get that right! He got taken and now, he's...he's....He's GONE!

"GENO!" I yell, crying

What am I gonna do now?

Currently, cry and blame myself. That's what. Then, the song "Let Her Go" begins to play. Worst timing ever. It only made me cry more. But then, I calm down, tears still flooding down my face. I ask myself the question

What will I do now?

Memories of Geno flood my mind. Including one where I promised to be there for him and if he's ever in trouble, I'll do whatever I can to get him back and make whoever troubled him pay. This filled me with guilt and more motivation.

Then, the impossible happened.

I get a sensation overwhelm me. One that told me so much. Usually I'd hate getting this sense, but this was about the Geno I know and love. He was back! I dunno how but he's back! I run out of the festival and search around, thinking he's nearby. But I was wrong. Then my eye glows, telling me that something's happening.

No! I won't lose him again!

I summon my scythe and instantly turned back to a skeleton, cloak and all.

I take out my list and see Geno's name and timeline number fading back onto it. I've never felt so happy to see a name appear on my list. I smile, getting more info as the name solidifies onto the list and my eye glows. I got another chance and I won't pass it up. I'm coming Geno. and I'm coming to keep you safe. I won't let them take you away or hurt you again. They will pay.

I teleport quickly to the location according to the map. I want to see him more than anything. I want to hug him, protect him, heal him if needed and get him out of there asap. I want him to be okay. I cannot lose him. I cannot fail him again. And I want to also use the oppurtunity to apologize to him big time.

Unfortunately, something was messing with my teleport or some force was strong enough to keep me away because I didn't end up with him. I end up outside some old building surrounded by a forest. The door was locked and boarded up, no windows besides windowsills heavily covered in bars. Someone certainly didn't want anyone in, or anyone to leave. But that's never stopped me before and it won't stop me now. Not with the knowledge that Geno is in there right now. I check to see if there's any tripwires or traps. I won't be stupid enough to fall for anything that could cause trouble or cost Geno something like his life. I notice a camera in the peekhole. It points right at me and a flashing red dot shows that it's recording. And when something is recording, someone is watching. I raise my scythe and look right at it.

"Whoever is in there, you better open up and hand Geno over! Or else! I will find a way in and you will pay! You won't like what happens next! And if I find the slightest wound on him, this scythe here is the last thing you'll see!"I growl

The camera stops recording. But nothing happened. And you can bet nothing opened up. I pace and circle the house cautiously. I find someone curled up on the ground on the side of the building. I quickly approach them and point my scythe at them. That was until I saw they are shaking. Not from fear, but clear sign that they're crying. They lift their head and look at me.

"Hello....So, they took your Geno, too, huh?"The dude whimpers, wiping some tears

I sit beside him. He releases a cap that he held beside him.

"What do you mean? Wait, you're a Reaper?"I ask, putting a cap back on him

"Swap!Reaper, nice to meet ya. My world's Geno went missing and I've tracked him here. He may be annoying but I still care for him. I've been trying to find a way in and have been camping out for weeks. He went missing last month and I haven't seen him since. No actions have been shown. It's best to say he's gone and soon, so will yours if he ain't already."Swap!Reaper says

I could tell he's upset and have lost hope. I get an idea. I lower my scythe and get my list out. I scroll through it and find the Swap section.

"What timeline are you both from?"I ask

"12S68-9GROE5, why?"He tells me

I scroll through the list with a finger. I find a match. I look at the status.

"Gotcha! Hey, don't be so down. I just found your Geno on my list."I say

"Really?! How is he?"He asks me in shock but a smile growing on his face at this news

"He's doing okay. Says here he is too determined to go down. He ain't going down without a fight at least."I say

He peeks and sees that I'm being honest. He looks at me and hugs me.

"Thank you! This means so much to me!"He says

"Buddy, I know. Trust me."I say, patting his back and then feel him cry

I let him release it all out. He cried for a little bit and parts from me. He smiles.

"Now let's get in there before those idiots get any ideas!"He says, running to the front and starting to bang on the door

I follow and could tell he's not getting anywhere besides making noise. I raise my scythe and swing it. I swing it four times and the door falls apart. There's movement almost instantly. I pull Swap!Reaper close to me. Out walks a skeleton, but not a Geno. I don't recognize them.

"Hello.~"He says with a sly tone

"Who are you and what the hell do you want? Where is Geno? Or his?"I snap

"I'm Lavender and I want what my bosses do. For you to back off. They're probably turning to dust in a closet."He says

"Why you-little! Come over here and I'll show you what you get when you mess with my Geno!"Swap!Reaper snaps, shaking fists

"We're not going anywhere. Not without our friends."I say

"That's a shame, cause my bosses don't plan on letting you get near them."He says

My eye glows.

"Then we have a problem."I say

"Oh I just love the hard way!"He says

I shake my head. This better get overwith fast. Don't want to risk any troubles or being stalled. I spin my scythe and summon another for Swap!Reaper.

We back up to get some ground and to ensure that Lavender doesn't have the element of surprise with whatever is inside. Or the Home advantage, even grounds.

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Geno...Swap!Geno....Please....Hang in there. Please be okay. We're coming.

Geno's POV

I slowly open my eyes. I look around. I'm in a small closet. I jump. How am I alive? The bone should have broken my skull and then, bam, I'm done! But no, I'm alive. I pinched my wrist to check. I'm a skeleton again of course and no longer blinded. But dang, my head hurts! I reach up to feel it, only to find a hole in my skull. Then, a voice speaks.

"Oh thank goodness! You're up! I was beginning to worry that you'd never wake up!"A voice says

I jump. I look and see another skeleton.

"Huh? Who are you? Where are we? H-How-?"I ask

"I'm Swap!Geno. We're in what they call, 'The Dusting Closet'. Basically they lock us in here for us to turn to Dust. I used an ability I learned to heal ya."He says

"O-Oh...Okay. Thank you."I say

"So, your plan worked too?"He asks

"What do ya mean?"I ask

"They tried the 24 hours trick on ya? And to stop it, you sent an injury to yourself, right?"He responds

I nod. He lowers his hood to show a scratch.

"That's how I got here as well."He says

I look to the door and see it's locked. The window was boarded up. I shakily stand up and Swap!Geno bandages my hole.

"There's no real way out. One that I can find at least. They really want to make sure we dust or stay until we're needed for whatever they want."He says

I look at the locked door. The floor shakes and parts of the ceiling fell. I press against the wall, startled and confused. It stops and I look at him in confusion.

"Do you know what's going on out there?"I ask

"Not really. It's been quite quiet. But then there was a banging sound by the front, meaning a door was busted down. Faint noises have happened since, only moments before you woke up. Then there's that. My guess is that someone came and trouble is going down. Either that or whoever took us are up to no good."He responds

"Well, let's get out of here then!"I say, digging through my pockets

"Already tried. Nothing's working."He says

I feel something in my pocket. I pull out a hair clip and a tiny note that says:You need to pull those bangs back! Use this!-Ink. Thank the stars I went to that world and hung out with her of all places or people. I begin to bend and reform the clip, then slip it into the keyhole. I shake it up, twisting it in there until I hear a click. I turn the knob and it opened.

"How'd ya do that?"He asks

"I have my ways. Never know what you'll need or when. They certainly didn't expect skeletons to have these clips. Now let's go before they realize."I say

We exit the closet and quickly walk around the halls. We find a staircase and go down it. We walk a bit but get stopped. This time, I know the voice.

"Tic, tock, tic, toc! Someone's trying to avoid the clock! Oooo! Two! Hmm, you must think you're real clever!"A voice says with a sinister tone

In slides Epic to our view. He wore a black cloak, much like Reaper's. He has a sinister grin on that face of his. It creeped me out.

"Hmm, now should we mix your dust with your little friends' once we're through with them? Or should we leave you all in little trails? Welp, I will be sure to ask my bosses when I bring you both in."He says

"We're going nowhere with you."I say

"And nobody is becoming dust."Swap!Geno says

"Don't get too cocky!"He cackles

"Same to you!"I snap

"Well you can't make us."Swap!Geno states

"Or can I?"He chuckles

"Bring it on."We say, both very angry

"He is so dead."Swap!Geno mutter

"Agreed."I say