Geno POV

I slowly wake up. I look around and see I'm not in Outertale anymore. I'm in some room and telling by the doorknob, I'm locked in it. E!Pap isn't in my sight. I'm alone. I hear footsteps and the click of the door unlocking. I turn over and shut my eyes, pretending I'm asleep or unconscious still. I hope whoever is entering will leave me alone. I hear the door shut and lock. Silence fills the room.

Then, there's tapping like someone walking away, away from the room even. I feel myself relax. I open my eyes and slowly sit up. I find bandages on me. I smile. Maybe we're with someone who wants to keep us safe. Like our friends. I climb out from under the blankets, trying to get out of bed. It hurt at each attempt though. I move slower.

"Geno?"A familiar voice calls

I freeze. I do not move. My body tensed like there was no tomorrow if I did. I was scared, yet part of me didn't know where the fear was coming from. I glance down and see my hands were covered by E!Pap's gloves. Some tension leaves me. That is a relief. They're safe.

"You're awake!"The voice cheers

I look over my shoulder and see it's Reaper. He stands in the doorway. I feel a smile grow on me. I slowly nod. In a blink of an eye, the doorway is empty. It shut with a slam and the lock clicks from the force, locking up. That click makes me jump. I turn my head and jump again when I find Reaper in front of me. He smiles at me sweetly. I feel my face warm a bit. He looks at me sweetly.

"Are you okay?"He asks

"Y-Yes..."I reply

"Good, cause..."He says, reaching out to me

"R-R-Reaper?"I stutter

"I was starting to get worried."He tells me, picking me up and lifting me over his shoulder.

"R-Reaper! What are you doing?"I ask

"Planning.~"He says

"Planning what?!"I ask in alarm

"Relax, Geno."He tells me

"That isn't easy!"I tell him, my soul racing

"Deep breaths, Geno. Deep breaths."He says

"Can you answer my question, please?!"I ask, taking deep breaths

"Ok,"He says

He lifts me up off his shoulder so he could see me. I am able to rest an elbow on one of his arms. I rest my hands on his shoulders to support myself. He wraps both his arms around me, now gazing up at me lovingly with a smile. His face is brightly lit. His hood is making hearts. I start to get an idea of what he's planning.

"I'm planning on showing you that I love you too, Geno."He says

"T-T-Too?"I repeat

"I read the page silly."He tells me

My face ignites.

"Y-You did?"I stutter

"Mhm."He says

My soul pounds.

"Then what are you gonna do?"I ask

"Put it to use.~"He says, lowering me a bit

"H-h-h-how?"I ask

"Just wait..."He says with a smirk

My face burns and then I feel a pain in my skull.

"Agh! My head!"I say, reaching up to feel it

"What's wrong?"He asks

I grip my skull, shutting my eyes.

"Can I help somehow? Geno?"He calls

"I...I dunno if you can..."I say

Just then, some glitches cover my eyes. I couldn't move. I couldn't see or feel anything. I do feel the floor beneath my feet again after a few minutes.

I hear the door open.

"Dust? E!Pap? Somebody? Can someone come here? Something is happening to Geno!"Reaper shouts

I look around but still couldn't see past the glitches. So, I reach out blindly instead. I frown. I feel myself shake horribly. Fear fills my soul and body. A chill goes down my spine.

"R-Reaper? Are you there? Please, tell me you are. This is scaring me."I say

"I'm here, Geno. It's gonna be ok. I'm here for you."He responds

I feel him hold my hand. I smile.

"Thank you, Reaper."I say

"Anytime, Geno. Nobody will cause you trouble."He says

Words flashed on the glitches before my eyes.

ACTIVATED!

Activated? What was activated?

Processing...Loading...

I hold his hand tight.

"Something's happening...R-Reaper..."I say

Accessing files. Complete! Processing files, loading......Edit......

"Nonononononono! Owww!"I cry, pain getting worse and worse in my skull

"I'm here, I got you."Reaper tells me, though I could hear panic and worry in his voice

Memory file updated. Docs and code deleted. Files saved. Mission complete....Ending...

I grip his hand tighter.

"Something's messing with my memory! Reaper! I don't want to forget anyone or see them differently!"I cry

"Don't worry, Geno! I'll keep you safe and help you! No matter what memory you have! Promise!"He says sweetly

"Thank you, Reaper..."I say

The glitches fade away and I could move again. I could see and feel more. I see Reaper in front of me.

"See! The glitches are gone! How do you feel?"He asks

"The pain is going away......But..."I say

"But?"He asks

"Reaper...My memory is changing...Reaper?"I say

"Yes?"He says

"Who are you?"I ask, blinking and losing memories

"What do you mean? I am your friend! I'm Reaper! Ya know me!"He says

"Then how come I don't recognize you?"I ask

"Your memory was messed with, I'm guessing you lost some. But do you recall anything?"He says

I shrug.

"Not much."I say

He hands me a scrapbook and has me look through it.

"These are from real events?"I ask

He nods.

"That we were part of?"I ask

He nods.

"Man, I must be really stupid cause I don't recall any of that."I say, handing him the book back

"Don't say that! You're smarter than you think!"He says

"Well if I'm so smart or whatever, how come I can't remember anything about you?"I ask

"Your memory was messed with, that is why you can't remember. That is out of your control."He says

"O-ok."I say

Someone knocks at the door.

"Oh thank the stars...it's unlocked!"He says

The door opens and someone walks in. I kind of recognize them. But I don't exactly know them.

"What seems to be the problem?"The dude asks

"He seems to have lost his memory."Reaper says

"Why do you say that?"The dude asks

"Hi hoodie dude!"I say

"Huh?...Oh I see. Well it's better than being called dead dude. Hello, Geno. Do you know what happened?"He says

"Nope! But he's been showing me things that I don't recognize in that book of his and telling me I lost my memory."I say

"And how long has your eyelight been gray?"He asks

"Dunno! I didn't even know it was gray!"I say

"Hmmmm, well how about you go downstairs and get something to eat. I will speak with Reaper here."He says

"Okay! Cya Reaper!"I say, leaving the room

I head downstairs and get something to eat. Many people come over to me, few that I knew. But still, all of them were nice so I talked with them, regaining knowledge I was missing about them.

Some time passes and I'm outside, enjoying the outdoors in the backyard. I was helping Ink with some sketch. And by that I mean telling him ideas that he forgot he was in the middle of doing. I see Reaper come over with a tall skeleton that I recognized quickly.

"Hey, E!Pap."I say

"Y0u kNow mE?"He asks

"Yep! I recognize you and remember working on....something with you. Plus, they've all told me of memories. These are your gloves, aren't they? You can have them back."I say, handing him his gloves

He nods but nervously looks at me. I don't understand why. I notice a flower was growing nearby and reach out to grab it. It wilts and dies when I grab it. I release it in surprise.

"He still has your code, Reaper."Ink says

Reaper let out a sigh.

E!Paplooks at me and puts some gloves beside me. They were blue.

"Do y0u miNd iF I dId sOmeThiNg?"Heasks me

"No! You're my friend! I trust you! Go on ahead!"I say

He puts two fingers on my skull and starts mumbling who knows what. I grow sleepy and soon, I fall asleep.

Reaper's POV

"What did you do?"Ink asks

"PuT hiM t0 slEEp. DOn't wAnt To sCaRe hiM witH wHat wE mAy fiNd. I hAve a feEliNg thOse nEw testS oN hiM aRe tO blaMe."E!Pap says

"Wait, they did more tests on him?!"I snap

E!Pap nods.

"AcCeSsiNg hIs cOde NoW. HoPeFuLlY iT isN't tHat bA-sHoOt."He says

"What's wrong?"Ink and I ask

"ThEy pUt a virus in his code. It's idling there but was recently active. That'S wHy He doEsN'T hAvE mAnY mEmOrIeS....AnD I'm rIghT. The vIrUs cOntAins hIs mEmorY cOde anD sOMe eNcryPted cOde. NObOdY sAy t-R-o-U-b-l-e oR iT wiLl be aCtIvATed."He explains

We both nod.

Anger boils in me. They put a virus in his code. A virus! A virus of all things! And to GENO of all people! Nobody can run tests on Geno. Nobody can hurt Geno. Nobody can put a virus in Geno. Nobody can steal Geno's memory for whatever reason. And they can't get away with it.

"Can we swap the code back to each other? The code that got mixed up in the explosion? I feel like I'm in a killer of a mood...."I say

"Meaning?"Ink asks

"I want to kill somebody."I say

"Ah, putting the fridge list to use?"He asks

"Mhm."I say with a nod

"OkAy...wAit...SHOOT! ThEy mAde a sMarT vIrUs! I hAte smArt vIruSes!"E!Pap says

"What's a smart virus?"I ask

"It uSeS stRaTEgIes tO mAke gEtTinG rId oF iT haRd. ANd tHiS onE cOnNecTed to yOuR cOde. If We rEmOve iT, tHat wIlL sEt iT oFf lIke a tRiPwIre aNd thE vIruS wIlL tAke EvEryThing. GeNo wIlL bE gOne. It wIlL eVen rEpLace Geno'S coDe wIth oThEr cOde. ThE GenO wE kNow WIlL bE gOnE iF wE do aNyThing."He explains

"Frick."I mutter

"I'll tRy to gEt wHat I cAn. No gArUnTeEs tHouGh."He says

"We will let you work. Reaper, let's go inside. We need to tell the others."Ink says

"Ok."I say

We go inside and spread the word. Everyone was upset and angry as we were. But you know what everyone did?

Started making scrapbooks. They wanted to make memories. Remember good times and such. Some even made posters of memories. Ink joined right in but I simply flip through the scrapbook Geno gave me. I smile, looking at all the time we spent together.

"It's a nice book isn't it?"A voice asks

I jump and clench the scrapbook, holding the book protectively. I hear laughter as my hood fell over my face.

"Relax, I don't bite. How are you Reaper?"The voice says

I look up and see Geno standing next to me with a smile. I smile, pushing my hood back.

"I'm doing good. How are you?"I ask

"Pretty good. I remember more now! Did I give you that book?"He replies

He seemed quite proud of himself so I decide to mess with him.

"No, I gave it to you. It's vice versa."I say

"Aww come on! Dang it! I thought I was getting somewhere!"He says with a shake of his head

"I'm kidding."I say

"So I am right?"He asks

I nod.

"Yes!"He cheers, fist pumping the air

"Someone's happy."I tease

"Hey, I don't want to be clueless and without memory forever!"He says

Quick to answer as always. ^w^

He sits beside me and we begin to chat. It is almost like nothing changed. It almost felt like just another one of our conversations. It feels almost like how we usually hang out. That everything was okay and normal. Almost. Except he is injured and has a memory-eating virus in him with my code as a trigger as well as a t word.

But still, it was nice to talk with him.

Then, he got this look like he got an idea. Or another memory. He smiles at me and puts a finger to his chin. He has this sly look on his face.

"What?"I ask

"Nothing.~"He says

"Come on, tell me."I tell him

"I think I remembered something else about you. I'll be right back. Stay here."He says, getting up

He leaves my sight. I try to think of what he could've remembered. Or what memories that virus could've made. And I try to think of what he could be doing. While I was thinking, something gets shoved into my face that makes me snap out of my thoughts. My face warms at the sight of it.

"I remembered this!"Geno says

I look up at him and smile nervously.

"You sure did."I say

"And you made it, right? That was what you actually gave me, right?"He asks

"Mhm."I say

"Well it's beautiful! I love it, Reaper! We must have been really close friends before I lost my memory!"He tells me

Even without memory he likes it. And he doesn't know when! Maybe he liked it on the holiday? With his memory too?

I get a warm feeling in me when hearing this.

"That's good to hear. And yes, in a way, we were."I say

"Hmm...."He says, getting this perplexed expression as he puts it down and sits next to me

He looks at me and narrows his eyes.

"What?"I ask

He puts a glove on and places a hand on my cheek softly. My face burns up. I look at him nervously. This is unusual.

"G-G-Geno? What are you doing?"I ask

"Your face is so bright now. Is this what you look like when you blush?"He asks

"N-No!"I lie, my face burning more

"Don't lie to me, Reaper."He says

"F-Fine! It is."I say, pulling my hood over my face

"Interesting. Hmmm, Reaper? Do you wanna make a bet?"He asks

"What kind of bet?"I ask

"With wagers."He says

"Go on."I say

"I'll ask you a few questions that you have to answer honestly. They'll be the right or wrong kind. If I get any of them wrong, I lose the bet and you get whatever you want. But if I get all of them right, then...."He explains

"Then what?"I ask

"It's a surprise.~ Are you in?"He asks, extending a gloved hand

Curiosity gets the better of me. I reach out and shake his hand, nodding.

"I'm in."I say

He smiles and returns the finger to his chin.

"Hmmm, gotta make these questions good...Hmmm....What don't I know? Hmmm....Oh! I got it!"He says

"What's up?"I say

"First question:We were or ARE best friends, right?"He asks

"Correct."I say

"Interesting....Did you ever have a crush on me? That's my Second question."He says with a wink

I feel my face get warmer again.

"Be honest, Reaper.~"He says with a sly tone

"I...I did...."I say

"Ooo! Okay, final question. Do you still have it?"He asks

I pull my hood over my face, feeling it burn. If I'm honest, he gets them all right and wins the bet. But I can't lie to him. And the wager makes me curious but nervous at the same time. He pulls my hood up gently, knowing the same as me.

"Your answer please."He says with a smirk

"I...I do."I say

"Interesting, and I'm guessing you know you lost the bet?"He says

I nod.

"So what must I do?"I ask

"Nothing. Just stay still.~"He says

He places the gloved hand on my cheek. I feel it burn. I look at him nervously. He leans in and kisses my cheek. My face ignites and burns. He looks at me and grins. Then he hugs me, nuzzling my head with his.

"W-What are you doing?"I ask

"Showing you the love you deserve."He tells me

"...O-Ok."I say

"Is there a problem? I can end the wager for now if you want."He says

"F-F-For now?"I repeat, catching the wording

He nods.

"No, there's no problem. I'm just not used to it."I say

"I didn't do this before?"He asks

"You didn't know before. Or you did and denied it."I tell him

"Oh, alright."He says

He sits beside me, putting the other glove on. He rests his head on my shoulder, softly nuzzling it. He dozes off with a smile on his face. He looks so peaceful. So sweet. So....cute. And, I am struggling to handle it. My face is burning, soul racing, and thoughts flying through my head.

Was this how he felt when I messed with him? How long was I clueless to it? How long until we can recover his memory? Will he recover it? Will he remember anything that happens here if he does? What do I do? Just take care of Geno and go from there. Keep him happy.

Days pass and Geno spends plenty of time with me. He stays very close with me and was nervous whenever we are apart. I got nervous whenever I lost track of him too, but he would surprise me or give me reassurance by coming back and holding my hand with his gloved one. He continued to be sly and affectionate, loving to me. He claims it is his wager. He seems happy and I didn't mind, so I don't bother with it. His happiness is what matters. Plus, we've been recovering his memory recently.

Nearly two weeks have passed. I look around for Geno, knowing he has to be around here somewhere. I find him chatting with Error. I sigh with relief. I feel a tap on the shoulder. I turn around to find E!Pap there.

"Hey, E!Pap! How are you?"I ask

"ReApeR, wE nEeD t0 tAlK."He says

I quickly get the sense that it's about nothing good. I nervously nod. E!Pap leads me to another room and shuts the door. We both sit in chairs and he nervously tugs at his scarf.

"So what's up?"I ask

"WelL, I HaVe bEeN cHeCkiNg uP oN GeNo aNd tRyInG tO gEt rId oF tHe vIrUs, bUt rEcEntLy, I f0uNd somEThiNG nEw out."He says

"What is it?"I ask

"I'm sOrRy, bUt tHe vIrUs wiLl bE baCk iN aCtiOn bY tOmOrRow. It'S goNnA tRy tO pUt tHe neW cOde wHeRe hiS mem0rY wAs."He says

"What do we do?"I ask

"ThErE's n0tHinG wE cAn do. We mUst hElp hiM wiTh wHatEvEr hE iS sEt to. SciEnCe, Err0r anD I aRe w0rKing 0n aN aNtivIrus bUt iT wilL tAke tIme. ThErE iS a cHANce we mAy loSe hiM, sO enJoy yoUr tiMe wiTh hiM noW."He tells me

I nod, saying nothing. He comes over and hugs me.

"Let's not tell anyone. Don't want them to panic."I say

He nods.

Soon, I'm sitting with Geno, S!Geno and S!Reaper. We're watching some random videos that were funny. I'm hardly paying attention. Geno leansagainst me and I wrap my arms around him.

"I guess those cats are feeline mischievious today!"S!Genosays, wrapping an arm around S!Reaper

We are currently at a cat vid.

"Pffft!"S!Reaper snickers, trying to hold back a laugh

The two joke back and forth.

Thoughts fill my head, full of worry. I cannot relax, too many worries. I'm not even paying attention. Tears fill my eyes and I start shaking.

"Hey, Geno? Is he okay?"S!Reaper asks

"He looks upset."S!Geno says

"Hmm, I dunno. Maybe he's holding a laugh back? Or maybe he's a cat person."Geno replies

The two look at each other. Geno looks up at me.

"Is that the case?"He asks, wiping my tears

I nod.

I lied to him.

"Awww, it's okay. You can laugh. And we can agree that the cats are lovable."He says

He believed it.

I nod.

He smiles and continues to watch, though now holds my arm around him. I begin to pay attention to the funny videos. I laugh more, feeling the stress and worry drain away. I will enjoy the the time we have.Hours pass and we're having fun.

Hours later, Geno's POV

I smile and laugh, watching the videos. I also laugh at the puns S!Geno was telling. I start to hear whispering. I look up and see Reaper quiet, but holding me close. Error was whispering something to him that made him seem upset.

"What's going on?"I ask

Error looks at me. He frowns and shakes his head.

"NoThIng. NoThing fOr yOu tO wasTe yOur tImE wOrRyiNg aBouT."He says

"So you're whispering the word nothing repeatedly to him? That seems like a waste of time, don't ya think?"I reply, narrowing my eyes

He's trying to lie to my face. He's trying to keep me in the unknown. I don't like being lied to. I don't like the unknown. He can't do that easily.

"Good point. BYe."He says, walking away

"Heh, Geno, it really was nothing."Reaper says

"You're a bad liar, Reaper. What was he telling you? It made you upset and I don't like you upset."I tell him

".....Can we just enjoy the videos? I don't want to talk about it."He says

"Sure...."I say

Time passes and the swap versions of us leave for sleep. They turn the TV off on us too. I look up at Reaper. He looks at me. He smiles, getting up. I assume he's leaving to do the same. But he picks me up, even though he knows I can walk fine on my own.

"Reaper, what are you doing?"I ask

"Taking you to bed. It's late and you're still healing so you should rest."He says

"But I can walk on my own. Why do you pick me up?"I ask

"Cause then I can do this.~"He says, kissing my cheek

I feel my face warm. I smile and look at him.

"Did I usually let you pick me up?"I ask

He gets this thinking expression.

(-Reaper remembers all the times Geno yelled "Put me down!"-)

"....Yes."He tells me

"Ah, okay! Are you sure you're okay though? I could tell what Error was telling you wasn't good or made you happy."I say

"It's...nothing. I can assure you."He says

I nod, trusting that if that's what he says, it's nothing big. He places me in bed and lays beside me, which is new. I look at him in surprise. He wraps his arm around me, pulling me close.

"R-Reaper? You sure everything is ok?"I ask

"Y-Y-Ya. I...I love you, Geno. Now, please rest."He says

"O-ok."I say

I shut my eyes, feeling his grip on me. I feel a strange feeling in my head. It was piercing. Then it's gone. I go to sleep. But something strange happened. Everything Reaper told me repeats in my head, as if I am holding on to it. Why? It's not like the memory of it is going anywhere...Is it?

.

.

.

.

.

.

Tomorrow comes.

I wake up slowly. I smile and look around. Reaper is gone, but the door is shut so I assume he left. I get out of bed, check my bandages and wounds. I find that the wounds have healed greatly so I remove the bandages. Then I get dressed. But something feels off. I go over to the large mirror on the wall. I look at it to see if I could find anything off or different. I put a hand against it. I notice my eye-light is a darker gray. Odd. I thought it was a white eye light. I blink and it's different. Glitched eye, red scarf, gray clothes, no need for gloves. Same pose as my reflection.

"Oh, you poor dude. They're messing with your code! But don't worry, I'll help. Just like all those nice people downstairs looking to help you. Correct a virus even. You'll have your memory back in no time."They say

"V-Virus? W-W-Who are you?"I ask

"I'm another you. You'll understand when you have your memory back. Think of it as a repayment for a promise you made me."He says

"O-Ok, thank you."I say

"Don't mention it. Just beware Fresh."He says

"Fresh? Who's that?"I ask

"Okay, just beware the YOLO man then. You see someone with shades saying YOLO or junk like that, you run, okay? Do whatever you must. Just get away from him! Got it?"He tells me

"O-Ok."I say, nodding

Then, it changes again.

The YOLO dude takes form.

"Yo Geno broseph! Don't listen to them! They're lying to you! They put the virus in you! But we're fixing you! You'll be like us in no time! You'll be on the rad side! You'll be where you belong."He says

"W-What?"I stutter

"Ya. You don't remember anything because of that unrad virus! But do not fear! We'll get rid of them all soon!"He says

"Get rid of-?"I repeat

"Yes! They are so annoying!"He says

"But I don't want to get rid of them. They're not bad. They're nice. I like them."I say

"No, they're unrad!"He snaps

"Then why are they so good? Are you on the wrong side? The bad people?"I ask

"....Nope."He says, with a shaky tone

I don't trust him. I try to back away. He grabs my hand.

"You'll be rad and come with us. Be like us."He says

"No! I don't want to!"I snap

"And what are you gonna do that's gonna stop us?"He asks

"I'll...I'll...um..."I say, struggling to speak or think and panicking.

"See? You can't say anything because you can't do anything. Besides, you are too rad to do the unrad. Now come along, stupid Geno."He says, then reaches out and hits me

I dodge it but he held something that slashed me in the side. This scared me. He is not safe or good. I need to get away from him.

I swing my arm back.

"I can! I can do this!"I say, punching the mirror

It cracks. He jumps back.

"Hah, you can. So unrad though. And you won't escape us."He says

I punch it again, even harder. It shatters with a loud shattering noise.

In the blink of an eye, the YOLO dude was gone. I feel myself shake. I drop to my knees weakly and feel myself. I could feel my soul pounding. I cover the wound he made. I frown. I look at the mirror again and reach out to it. My reflection doesn't change. I see myself.

But, my eye-light changed. It got brighter at the bottom. I stare in shock, but making sure it doesn't change to the YOLO dude again.

What do I believe? Was I like YOLO dude? Am I on the wrong side? Or is he the wrong side? Do I stay away from him? Yes, he seems dangerous. Am I safe? Am I bad? What the heck happened that I can't remember? And since when did I get a virus? So many questions...But until I know what's going on, I'll do as the other me said.

I hear a loud banging noise. Like a door getting kicked open. I turn and see E!Pap shoving the door aside and running in.

"GeNo! I heArD a lOuD shAtTeRiNg sOunD! I gOt sO wOrRieD! ArE yOu OkAy? WhAt hApPeNed?"He asks, running over to me

"E!Pap I-"I begin

"HoLd tHat tHoUghT, GeNo."He says

He proceeds to check me for injuries. He looks at me and sighs when he didn't find any.

"Go 0n."He says

"I saw the YOLO dude."I say

"ThE wHo noW?"He asks

"ThE YOLO dude. The dude with yolo shades that annoys everyone. The one that Error talks about. I saw him. He spoke to me through that mirror."I say

"Oh! YoU mEaN FreSh! Go0d tHinG y0u br0kE it! FreSh iS nO g0od."He says

"Then am I no good?"I ask

"WHaT? WhErE'D yOu gEt tHaT aBsUrD iDeA fRoM?"He says

"Fresh said something about a virus and fixing me. He said that I'll be like them or be where I belong. He said stuff about harming you all, but I don't want to. You all are so nice. Was I bad? Was I on his side? What did that all mean? I'm sorry for anything I did! Was a virus really in me? For how long? What am I missing from my memory?"I ask, breaking into tears at the thought of harming them

He looks at the mirror.

"GueSs thEy gOt hAlLuCiNatIon or sOme kInD of cOmMunIcAtIoN cOde In ThaT vIrUs."He mutters

He hugs me close and looks at me.

"I'm sOrRy hE pUt tHoSe lIes iN yOuR hEad. YOu wEre nEvEr bAd. YoU aRe oN oUr sIde. He'S juSt mAniPulAtiNg yOu. You dId nOthIng. YeS, tHey pUt oNe iN yoU bUt I'm mAkIng aN aNti-vIrUs. ThE wHole tIme yOu losT yOur mEmoRy. YOu aRe mIsSinG a LoT bUt nOthIng yOu cAn't rEgAin. Do nOt wOrry."He says

"So we're all safe?"I ask

He nods.

"I'll kEep yOu sAfe."He says

I feel the pain grow in my side. I grab it and hold it carefully, trying to ease it. But I look and see it's bleeding. E!Pap notices too and bandages it. I put another shirt over it to hide the bandages.

"Reaper would panic if he saw it. I don't want that to happen."I say

"GoOd iDeA."He says, firing bones at the mirror.

I go downstairs and get something to eat. I look and see Reaper sitting nearby. Once I finished eating, I go over and sit with him.

"Hey, Geno."He says

"Hello!"I greet him

"Did you rest well?"He asks

"Mhm."I say

"Wait, your eye is brighter."He points out

"Is that a bad thing?"I ask

"No! That's great! That could mean....Um..."He replies

"That the virus is falling apart? That I'm getting better?"I suggest

"How'd you know about that?"He asks

"E!Pap told me. Reaper, thank you. For everything."I tell him

"What do you mean?"He asks

"You kept me safe, from doing stupid things and have been a great friend with it without my memory. You even helped me regain some memories. You're the best and I'm so glad you are my friend. Plus I....I love you too."I reply

His face lights up. I smile at him. His face gets brighter. He is absolutely silent.

"Are you ok?"I ask

He nods.

Still complete silence.

(*Reaper.exe has stopped responding*)

I tilt my head at him. I look at him and smile again. His face gets brighter. I feel him wrap an arm around me and pull me closer. I look at him, feeling my face warm.

"Say that again?"He says

"I...I l-love you too."I repeat, stuttering a bit nervously

His face brightens. He pulls me in. He smiles.

"R-R-Reaper? What are you doing?"I ask

He says nothing. He places a hand on my cheek. I know where this is going. I feel my face warm even more.

"R-R-Reaper?!"I stutter

"I got an idea. And I'm guessing you wouldn't mind if I try it.~"He says

"R-Reaper..."I begin, but he begins leaning in so I go quiet.

"Relax, I'd never hurt you."He says

He leans closer. My soul beats quicker. I don't say anything. I could feel my hands shaking, trying not to touch him since I have no gloves on.

"Hey! Geno!"S!Geno shouts

Reaper breaks away from me before he could put this "idea" to use. He releases me too. He looks away from me, his face extremely bright. I get up, looking around.

"Ya?"I ask

"Come on! I wanna show you something!"S!Geno says

"Okay!"I reply

I turn back to Reaper. I lean in closer to him.

"I'll be back soon to let you do that idea. Promise.~"I tell him, kissing his cheek

His face lights up brightly and he looks away from me. He couldn't respond. So sweet. I turn and walk out to where I heard S!Geno, which is out front.

"S-Geno?"I call

"Down the street! I want to show you something pawsome!"He replies

I head down the street. I smile. I saw no harm with anything. I thought he found a critter, telling by the pun.

.

.

.

.

Big. Mistake.

.

.

.

.

 I stop and look around. I think I saw someone. But nobody is in my sight. Then, I hear quick footsteps. Arms wrap around me and a hand with a metal mask is placed over it. I reach up and try to tear the arms off me.

"We warned you. Now quit fighting."A voice says

"MMH! MH! MMMH M MH!"I growl, muffled by the hand when trying to yell

I was trying to say "Hey! No! Let me go!"

"No, you are coming with us. If you continue to restrain, you'll go where you belong."They say

I struggle and keep trying to fight. I hear a click and they lower their hand from my face, wrapping around my neck. The mask stayed. I try to speak but fail. I still try to break free from their hold.

"I'll take this."They say, snapping

A small cube comes out and lands in front of me. I guess it's the virus. He kicks it and it pops away.

"There's nothing you can do, Geno. Just give in. You and I both don't want to regret what I will have to do."He says

I start to give in and he begins to drag me backwards. I stomp on their foot and kick them in the shin. I reach behind me and try to tear the mask off.

"You're right. There's nothing I can do to keep me from trying to escape you. It's better to give in to freedom. But I don't regret that."I say

He swings a punch at me and gets me in my wounded side. I drop down slightly. He grabs me.

"Then neither do I."He says

I look up at him, scared now.

"Activate 22F6UW. Keyword:Belonging"

I feel an electric shock get through me and I feel weaker. They begin to drag me away like I was nothing. I feel the urge to close my eyes, rest, gather my strength, if I were to keep my soul safe from the pain. I'm sorry, Reaper, I may not be able to keep that promise.

"The hell?!"He shouts

I open my eyes. There's an orb flying up and away. This guy tries to lasso it. A fugure swings by and scoops it away. The figure mistook it for a bird. Then he continues to pull me away. Everything goes black.