(I'm totally not catching feelings for Y/N. I refuse. Although the abundance of drawings I've made for her says otherwise. Shhhsushshsush.)

As soon as we made it to the cover of the underground tunnels made by Sonju I collapsed on the ground. They were alive... Yuugo and Lucas... They were alive! I leaned my head against the wall of the cave, tears beginning to fall freely. 'I did it! I...'

"Y-Y/N!" I heard Jemima exclaim, the little girl giving me a hug. "W-why are you crying?? Are you okay??" She asked worriedly, her own tears falling.

I shook my head, sniffling, and wiping the tears from my face. "I'm okay." I said, wrapping my arms around her in a hug. The attention in the room was shifted to me while I calmed down.

"W-WE DID IT!!" The kids suddenly chorused, erupting in celebration. Several of them began crying from happiness or from the release of stress that was leading up until this moment.

The celebration passed as we began to simmer down, the younger kids falling asleep. Everyone 10 and up held a meeting of sorts- or more like we all ended up sitting together coincidentally, in the dim light of the glowing plants we stored in a lantern. I was chewing my lips as an uneasy feeling began to rise inside me.

After ensuring everyone was sleeping safely Yuugo and Lucas joined the circle we were sitting in. We were all silent, the guilt of killing so many beginning to weigh down on us.

'Their lives don't matter.' I told myself repeatedly. 'Not when placed up against Yuugo, Lucas, and everyone else's.' But no matter how hard I tried to bury my guilt it kept on rising to the surface. We killed people today. As pitiful examples of humans they were, they had a soul. No matter how both Sonju and Mujika were more human than them at heart. They died because of us.

We sat in silence longer and I felt the guilt in the room rising, making it hard to breathe. With a simple look around the room it was easy to see that the guilt was definitely hitting Emma the hardest.

I opened my mouth to speak, to say something reassuring, but nothing came out. What could I say? I looked back to the ground and chewed on my lip, picking at my hands as they rested in my lap.

"We took lives today." Yuugo's voice rang out throughout the room, cutting the unbearable silence. I"There's no going back from that." He sighed, scratching his head awkwardly. I blinked the tears that rose to my eyes away quickly. These children... I'd tainted them. They were innocent beings, but my interference changed that. After today... everyone involved... had I caused them to lose a piece of their humanity?

"I would've liked to avoid involving all of you." Yuugo said, Lucas nodding in agreement. "Children shouldn't have to bear the burden of taking human lives." He continued. I nodded my head slightly. I should've found a way to do this without involving them. But could I have? Was there a way?

I cleared my throat to keep the frog from rising any further. "Yuugo's right." I said, all the attention in the room turning to me. "You-you've all done something you weren't ever supposed to... to take away a human life, the very thing you're trying to preserve." I was failing against my battle to keep emotion out of my voice. "I'm sorry for involving all of you in this-" My voice cracked and I took a hiccuping breath. "For involving you in my stupid plan-" I surveyed the faces of everyone in the circle. Everyone was looking away from me, whether their gazes being directed at the floor, at their hands, or at each other, all of them seemed to refuse to look at me in the eye.'Sh*t. Have I done a bad thing?'

"I'm sorry, I should've found a way to deal with it myself, please forgive me-" I began apologizing frantically, but this time Emma looked up, her eyes snapping to mine.

"Y/N, is that what you think?"Her voice was wobbling and dry. I swallowed heavily. What was she going to say? "I don't like this feeling... knowing that I cut short the life of a person..." She said, tears beginning to fall from her face. I felt my own cheeks dampen as my own tears began sliding down.

"Sorry..." I muttered once again while Emma continued.

"But..." She said, wiping her tears. "If it meant that my family could keep on living... I'd do it again. And again. I'd take a human life- but only as a last resort." She said, wearing a determined smile. "And I'm sure that's what everyone else here is thinking." I surveyed the room, looking to the faces of everyone. A few were smiling brighter than others, some were crying, but everyone wore the same determined expression with a smile.

"Y/N..." Yuugo said softly, a small smile carved into his old face. "You don't need to ask for forgiveness."

Lucas nodded, letting out a small sad laugh. "If anything, Yuugo and I should be the ones in your position. It's laughable, if anything. That an 11-year old girl like you had to take charge in the presence of adults." He said sadly, looking to the floor in shame, his laughs riddled with guilt. 'Is that why they were guilty?'

"That's not-" I tried to butt in, but apparently everyone still had more to say.

"We're sorry for relying on you again." Oliver said, bowing his head in shame. My eyes widened again and I waved my hands in front of me in rejection of his words.

"I-It's fine wait-"

"We're really sorry!! We'll stop forcing everything onto you!! " Everyone said, bowing their heads. I watched in shock, tears sprouting from my eyes once again. 'Dammit. These idiots are going to have to pay for my water bill. I keep on becoming dehydrated around them.'

"Now do you get it, idiot?" I felt a bop on my head and looked up to Ray. He turned to the circle of people all bowing their heads. "If anyone's sorry, it's us. So stop apologizing." He said, taking a seat beside me. "...it makes you look stupid." He finished, turning to the opposite wall as if refusing to look at me as he said so.

"*sshole." I growled, punching him in the arm lightly, a small smile rising on my face. I then turned back to everyone as they raised their heads. I sniffed in the rest of my tears- I'm sure it was a horrific sight- and smiled. "Thanks, everyone. But don't apologize. I'm just glad we all survived...this time" I trailed off, the last two words barely audible even in the quiet room.

"There it is again!!" Poppy exclaimed, sitting up from her seat. I turned to her in surprise.

"You're withholding something from us, aren't you..." Reina said, wearing a terrifying expression on her face. She leaned in close to me, her eyes wide, pinching my cheeks.

"I notice it too!!" Emma exclaimed, raising her hand. "The way she speaks older! And the way she talks as if already knowing everything!!"

Ray sighed exasperatedly. "Let's not forget the way she seems to know the future. And the way she makes references to things I've never even heard of."

"YEAH!!" Daisy exclaimed, apparently still awake. "Like "That hurt like a buttcheek on a stick!!"" She exclaimed as I began to go pale. "I've never heard anyone say that before!!"

"AND DON'T FORGET THE WAY SHE KNEW RAY WAS A TRAITOR-!!" Don exclaimed, pointing a finger in my direction. 'SH*T AFTER RAY'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT TOO-'

"THAT'S RIGHT!!" Ray exclaimed, snapping his focus to me. 'ohshitohsshitohshitohshit Y/Nyouf*ckingdumb*ssyouf*ckedup sh*tttttttt'

"Now that you mention it..." Chris was speaking, cupping his chin. "She's always seemed more mature for her age. I think that's why I liked her..." He trailed off, realizing what he'd just admitted. He turned bright red like a tomato and I stifled a snort.

"WAIT WHAT-?!!" Ray exclaimed, looking between everyone.

"WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED??" I asked turning to the dumbstruck boy, letting out a loud laugh.

"W-why aren't you??!" Ray asked, seeing my nonchalant reaction.

I snorted. "No offence to Chris but he wasn't exactly... subtle..." I hummed, trying not to embarrass the poor boy any more.

Chris looked as if he was passing away. "It's okay... I'm over you now anyway... So I won't get in the way of-!!" Poppy clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Now, now, there, Chris. Don't spill our secrets now..." She said darkly, wearing the scariest expression I've ever seen on the bright girl's face.

"Get in the way of... what?" I asked curiously, feeling left out.

"NOTHING-!!" All the kids exclaimed, laughing afterwards while Yuugo face-palmed and Lucas sighed, laughing a little himself. Oliver and Zack stifled snorts and Reina karate-chopped Poppy on the head. My shock raised as I even noticed Hayato stifling his laughter.

Where they all in on it??? I looked to Ray in hopes of him explaining something, but he unfortunately looked about as clueless as I felt. We shared a shrug before turning back to everyone else.

"Ahahaha... anyways... I'm going to go to bed now!!" I exclaimed, standing up and trying to sneak away.

"Hold it." Ray said, grabbing my wrist, his eyes narrowing."You aren't escaping that easily."

I let out a loud and awkward laugh. "Ahhhahaha!!...Idontknowwhatyouretalkingabouttttt..." The look everyone gave me made me gulp and sit down.

"It's no use hiding it!!" Gillian exclaimed. "Everyone already knows something's up!!" The girl exclaimed.

"E-everyone??" I winced. 'Was it that obvious?'

"To answer the question you're asking yourself at the moment, let us quote you," Ray said, raising his eyebrows. "You weren't exactly...subtle." He ended with a smirk and I smiled nervously, releasing a giggle. This conversation is reaching a dangerous topic. Abort, abort! Find a way out of this Y/N, before-

"Honestly," Gilda sighed. "Even the little kids asked us questions." She pushed her glasses up her nose.

I snorted. There's the anime glasses move.

"THERE IT IS AGAIN!!" Several kids exclaimed, and I recoiled back in shock. 'Can they read my mind???' "Laughing about something completely random and seemingly irrelevant!!"

"And no, we can't read your mind." Ray finished nonchalantly. I whipped around in shock. Ray rolled his eyes. "This is what we're talking about." He shrugged. "You're not... subtle."

"Subtle people are boring anyway." I crossed my arms and huffed. I peeked through my eyelashes and saw several people staring at me expectantly. I sighed, scratching the back of my head. "And there's no chance of you letting it go?" I asked hopefully.

My question was met with many closed-eyed smiles that very clearly read "No way in hell. Now speak, peasant." I gulped. There goes my out.

I groaned, tugging on my hair. "I really wasn't intending on telling anyone this..." I muttered, still searching desperately for a way to change the subject until he last moment. Alas, there was no way to get out of this- and I found myself okay with the idea of telling them- or telling them some variant, at least, of the truth, as time goes on. "Promise you'll believe me?" I asked and everyone nodded their heads.

"Whatever you say!!" Emma exclaimed.

Ray sighed. "As long as it's not something like-"

"Icanseeglimpsesoftheoriginaltimelineofthisuniverse." I said on one swift exhale, squeezing my eyes shut.

"well, that." I heard Ray finish, certain he was pursing his lips.

I opened my eyes slowly and nervously, awaiting the reaction of everyone in the room.

(MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. MISSING ALEX YET? 👹👹)