Welcome to Bugaria: Act 1

It'd been several days after the previous incident, when Anne had gone overboard trying to complete every single request at once. Her friends had allowed her to go back to the house to rest while they collected the rewards, an effort that didn't take too long.

After that, not too much happened for a while. Team Snakemouth had been living comfortably in Ant City for around a week now, waiting for any updates on the music box research. Leif spent most of his time inside, his body still aching a little after all the trials in Snakemouth Den. He was fine, but... hm.

He couldn't laze around forever though. Earlier that morning, Kabbu woke everyone up pretty early, telling them that Tod invited them all to his house for lunch. It was the young moth's thanks for Anne returning his ball while she was on her quest spree. When the afternoon arrived, Tod knocked on the door to Team Snakemouth's house, telling them that he was ready to go, and so the five of them left, Anne bringing her backpack with her just in case.

"Ohhhh this is going to be so exciting!" Tod squealed as he led Team Snakemouth to his house, practically skipping in his steps. "My mom's not gonna believe that I brought over Snakemouth of all teams!" He tried to stop himself from giggling, but just found it impossible not to.

"Wait, are we already this popular?" Anne asked. It was an understandable question, since they'd only been inducted with an official team name around a week ago.

"I'm not questioning it! More recognition means more rewards!" Vi said.

"You're certainly a star in Tod's eyes, Anne." Kabbu added. She did find his ball, after all. To a young child, doing that was the equivalent of being a superhero.

Leif couldn't help but smile, amused at this whole exchange. Finally, this could be a day to just... have fun, without any of the responsibilities or danger of being an explorer. It was a nice change of pace, and if this lunch went well, he wouldn't mind coming back to Tod's place for lunch or other activities in the future.

"What are we having for lunch?" Leif asked, curious to know. His stomach felt a bit empty; he could really use something filling right now.

"It's..." Tod said slowly, making the others wait in anticipation before... "A secret!" He erupted in laughter. Ok, that was a good one, Leif didn't expect that. Something about this almost made Leif feel... nostalgic? He couldn't quite figure out why, though.

Besides, maybe this could take his mind off the crushing truth that he'd somehow been stuck down in Snakemouth Den for potentially decades.

The group of five made it to Tod's place in a matter of minutes. It was smack dab in the middle of the residential district, easily identifiable due to how large it was compared to the other houses in the area. Strung along the wooden house was a blue and yellow banner, and above that were multiple huge banners depicting the Ant Kingdom logo. Was Tod's family rich or something? How'd they get this huge house?

As they walked up to the door, Tod rushed ahead, loudly knocking on the door several times. Excited much?

"I'm coming!" A feminine voice from the inside of the house said. There were footsteps, and as Leif waited for the door to open, he wondered what kind of food he'd get to eat, maybe a recipe that hadn't been invented yet in his time, or perhaps an old classic that he had many times, or maybe even-the door opened, and his thoughts ceased instantly, all coming to a screeching halt.

A pink lady moth answered the door, smiling as she first saw Tod. "Son, there you are!" She then looked up, seeing the others. "Oh, you weren't kidding when you said you got Team Snakemouth!" Tod's mom put a hand to her mouth, playfully trying to stifle a gasp before she giggled. "It's nice to meet you all!"

Her words passed through Leif as if they were nothing. Something... something... was wrong. This couldn't be right, he had to be imagining things, because... He blinked several times, as if that would solve what was troubling him right now. Leif hesitantly took a small step back, his increasingly scrambling thoughts becoming worse the longer he was in the presence of this woman.

"Whoa, are you okay? You look a little... freaked out." Vi said. Shoot. Leif looked at the others; it was obvious to them how distressed he was right now.

"Uh, we..." Leif needed to get out of here, to walk away from the situation. He'd apologize to Tod later; he just couldn't be here right now. "We feel... very sick. We have to go." Even as his friends gave him worried looks, even as one of them looked like they wanted to say something, Leif turned around and quickly walked off before he could become any more distressed.

…

That was... weird. Very strange. Anne almost wanted to raise an eyebrow at Leif's behavior before she remembered the circumstances he was in right now. She wanted to call out to him, but at the same time she didn't want to upset or accidentally trigger him. ...She felt really, really bad for him.

Tod's mom frowned, also upset at seeing this. "...Is your friend alright?" She asked, a bit nervous.

Anne, Kabbu, and Vi all turned to look at each other, completely unsure of how to answer. To tell the truth, Anne had zero idea. She felt horrible for ever doubting Leif, even back when she first met him. Tod frowned as well, also confused about why Leif suddenly left like that.

"Er... I'm terribly sorry, miss. I'm not sure what came over Leif." Kabbu apologized. "Perhaps we should reschedule for another day when all of us can show up." It wasn't ideal, but it was the best solution.

"Aw man!" Tod pouted, crossing his arms in disappointment as his cheeks puffed out. "But tonight's noodle night! You're going to miss out on the awesome noodles and my awesome familyyyyyyy!"

Tod's mom giggled a little at Tod's antics. "It's okay, I can always make noodles another night!" Tod didn't look too pleased at that.

"I'll make sure we can come back as soon as we can!" Kabbu said, taking charge of the conversation. "But for now, we need to make sure Leif is okay." Tod's mom seemed satisfied at that answer, nodding before ushering her son inside the house so the remaining members of Team Snakemouth could focus on their current problem.

"So... what the heck was that?!" Vi asked, a bit annoyed.

"I dunno, dude!" Anne answered, at a loss herself. "But one thing's for sure, we have to find Leif." Back home, Anne would never just stand by and watch when a friend was in distress. No matter what, Anne would be by their side, doing whatever she could to help them feel better, because she cared about Sasha and Marcy that much. She didn't want them to think she didn't care; she didn't want to lose them, ever.

"Right! We should split up; he couldn't have gotten far!" Kabbu said. Splitting up made the most sense, that way they'd be able to cover much more ground. With that in mind, Anne, Kabbu, and Vi went off in different directions, all with the same goal in mind of finding wherever the heck Leif went.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

When Leif ran off, he had absolutely no idea where he was going. He just walked in a random direction, trying to get away from everyone so he could be alone with his thoughts. Before he even knew it, he was near the Anthill Palace, just before the bridge. ...Did he really walk here of all places? Whatever, it didn't matter. As long as he was away from everyone else...

He just... he couldn't believe it. What he saw, it had to be a trick. He stopped walking before he reached the bridge, holding up his forehead with his hand, trying to comprehend all of this. He saw her image vividly in his mind. He obviously would never be able to forget it, how could he? So...

"It's impossible." Leif muttered to himself. It was the only way to keep himself sane right now, he had to stop himself from thinking stuff that could be... "It's impossible... it has to be... it's impossible..."

"What's impossible?"

Leif jolted a little as he heard Anne's voice behind him, instinctively spinning around while extending a hand out, his ice magic sparkling from his fingertips. Anne flinched, stepping back before she held her hands up with her palms out to show she meant no harm. After several seconds, Leif called off his ice magic with a sigh, his hand retreating back into his wings.

"Sorry." Leif apologized as Anne resumed a more neutral stance. "And we're sorry for running off so suddenly." He turned away from Anne, not sure if he could face her right now. He should've expected that either her, Kabbu, or Vi would find him quickly. He was more expecting it to be Kabbu, to be honest.

"Dude, are you alright?" Anne asked, walking toward him. "Why'd you run off?" Her tone wasn't judgmental, she sounded more... understanding, caring. Leif knew he couldn't keep this to himself forever, there'd be no point in hiding it. He hesitantly turned back to Anne.

"We... we're just still so confused about everything, about all this." Leif admitted. It was nothing new, despite how much he tried to occupy himself over these past several days, the recent revelation had answered nothing, only bringing about more and more questions whenever he thought about it.

"We see stuff that looks familiar but we know it isn't the same as it once was, we wonder if anyone from our time is still alive..." Leif had a feeling that was highly unlikely, if not downright impossible. "And... earlier. When we were at Tod's house, we ran off... because we thought we saw-"

A strange sound. Leif stopped speaking, trying to make out what it was. It was soft, strained, high-pitched... "What was-"

"Shhh!" Anne shushed Leif, putting a finger over his lips to keep him quiet, presumably waiting for the noise to happen again. Several seconds passed, and then...

"Mrow..." There it was again. Leif was a bit... confused, though. Hadn't he heard a noise like that before?

Anne gasped at hearing the noise. "Something's in trouble! Quick, find where it's coming from!"

Leif nodded. After hearing the sound for a second time, it sounded very strained, as if whatever made the noise was struggling against something. Whatever it was, the two of them had to hurry. Leif and Anne split up within the immediate area; the source of the noise couldn't have gotten far. After a minute or so of searching, Leif noticed a subtle movement within one of the bushes near the bridge. It was almost impossible to notice, but it was there.

Leif gestured Anne over, pointing to the bush. The human girl ran over, and working together, they managed to pull the bush apart slightly, the bush's movement much more noticeable now. It took a few tries, but after they pulled the bush open, they saw...

Tangled within the bush was a small, fluffy black and white creature that Leif had never seen before, although... why was this familiar as well? The creature has six limbs, almost all of them entangled within a branch or leaves or something else. Leif could only stare at the creature, part of him absolutely baffled at all this. "What... is this?" He asked.

"She's in distress! Help me get her free!" Anne called out to Leif. Right. Save the creature. The two of them reached their arms into the bushes, carefully trying to remove the stuff entangled around the creature's limbs and body. It was difficult due to how much the small creature was struggling, but that didn't stop the two of them.

After a minute or so, Anne finally removed the last branch off the creature before gently grabbing her, pulling her out from within the bushes as Anne and Leif stood up, their task complete. Anne held the creature up, taking a few deep breaths.

"You're safe now little fella-" Without warning, Anne stopped herself, squealing in surprise and delight. Leif flinched at the sudden noise; why did Anne react that way? Coincidentally, Kabbu and Vi happened upon the scene, running past the gate that was thankfully still open. Oh, there they were.

"Anne, what's wrong?" Kabbu asked, running up to her and Leif.

"I heard a scream!" Vi added, lagging a bit behind. It took a few seconds for her to catch up, but she stopped once she was with everyone else. Vi was about to say something else, but stopped once she got a better look at Anne. "Uh... what the heck are you holding?"

Vi and Kabbu appeared equally perplexed, and since Anne was too busy being mesmerized by the creature, Leif was the only one left who could explain. "Well, we found that creature trapped inside that bush." Leif pointed to the bush; anyone who looked at it could surmise that it was tampered with. "It looked like it was in distress, so we rescued it."

"It's some sort of caterpillar that looks exactly like my cat Domino from back home!" Anne explained. She shifted the caterpillar's weight to one of her arms as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, taking a few seconds to scroll through it. When she got to what she was looking for, Anne turned the phone around to show everyone else the picture of Domino, before moving it to the side so the others could see how similar she was to the caterpillar. "See?"

Leif's eyes flickered in recognition; he knew exactly where he'd seen that caterpillar creature before, or rather, something very similar to it. The video Anne showed of her cat all the way back in Snakemouth Den came back to him, the moth perfectly remembering how cute and adorable and cuddly that cat looked... and here was something that looked exactly like it. Well, except for the extra limbs.

The strange caterpillar then let out a soft "meow", and in that moment, Leif knew he had to take it home. He'd passed up too many chances for pets at this point, most notably that Seedling from when they were on their way back from Snakemouth Den. The caterpillar was just... too cute... and irresistible...

"I love my cat more than anything in the world." Anne said as she put her phone away. "She was irreplaceable... but now I found a replacement! Let's take her home with us!" She suggested something that Leif could fully agree with.

Kabbu and Vi looked at each other, completely unsure about this. It was written all over their faces, their hesitation clear. "Uh..." Vi gave the caterpillar a strange look. "I have no idea what that even is." That was a bit blunt. "And all it can do is meow! It's not like it can communicate with us like Anne can!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anne raised an eyebrow, trying to think about the implications of what Vi just said.

"Um..." Kabbu struggled a little, unsure of what to say. "If I'm being completely honest, I think the best course of action would be to take this... caterpillar? To the Queen. We can get an audience with her and ask if she's seen anything like this."

"Psssh, we don't need to do that!" Anne blew off his idea, subtly moving the caterpillar a bit away from Kabbu just in case. "My cat back home was a stray before I adopted her!" Anne's eyes sparkled as she looked at the caterpillar, her mind already made up. "All she needs is love, and patience, and..." Anne bit her lip, trying to think of something to add to her argument. "Love..."

"You said love twice." Vi pointed out, crossing her arms.

"If we may say something..." Leif cut in before Kabbu or Vi could completely dissuade Anne from keeping the caterpillar. The others listened to him, waiting. "We'll just be upfront about it, we want to keep her too. She's too adorable for us to leave her, and..." Leif paused, the events of earlier that day still fresh in his mind. "We really need this right now, if we're being honest."

There was a short silence after that, Anne's shoulders sagging in guilt again. Vi opened her mouth to say something but shut it a few seconds later, and Kabbu's eye lowered, also feeling bad for the moth. In truth, Leif couldn't stop thinking about what happened. He was in no state to go back to Tod's house right now to try and get closure, so... this was the best alternative. Something to distract himself from all his worries and everything else... it was perfect.

"You know Leif, I never thought you'd need a therapy pet." Vi said out of the blue, breaking the silence. "If it's just gonna sit there all the time, I guess it can't be too bad." Good, Vi was onboard. All that was left was...

"I will admit, the caterpillar looks very cute." Kabbu conceded, although he still sounded slightly hesitant. "But..." He frowned. "I'm still... not sure." Leif could understand where he was coming from; none of them had seen something like this before, so it was only natural to be cautious. But Leif's desire for cute, fluffy companionship won out.

"Oh come on, look at her!" Anne said, holding the caterpillar up to Kabbu's face. "How could you say no to a cute face like that?"

Kabbu stared at the caterpillar, its big goofy yellow eyes staring right back at him... and without warning, the caterpillar stuck its tongue out, giving Kabbu's face a small lick, the caterpillar purring afterward. Kabbu let out a small gasp, his heart melting.

"Ngh... okay, I'm giving in!" Kabbu said. Anne moved the caterpillar away from Kabbu's face. "All of us can take it home... but! Anne, Leif, I want both of you to make sure that you're diligent in taking care of her!" Of course, taking care of a pet always was a big task, but it'd be worth it. "You two understand, don't you?"

Leif nodded, giving a thumbs up. If having to clean up after and feed the caterpillar meant he got to give it an overabundance of snuggles and hugs and kisses, then it was more than worth it.

"Yep, got it." Anne quickly said, hopefully getting what Kabbu said. She set the caterpillar on the ground, the small animal just standing on all six legs. "I hereby dub thee... 'Domino 2'." Anne gave a small bow toward the newly named pet, acting as if this was an act of extreme importance.

"Domino 2? Really?" Vi asked. "Isn't that just riding off the fame of Domino 1?" What? What did that even mean?

"Hey. It's a good name." Leif defended, giving a small smile.

"It doesn't matter too much what its name is, but Domino 2 sounds easy enough to remember." Kabbu said. "Also, I think we should get going before one of the palace guards gets suspicious. We... have been loitering around here a little while." That was true. The Ant Palace was just past the bridge, and the four of them had been standing here discussing Domino 2 for several minutes now.

The last thing Leif needed was for someone to try and take Domino 2 away, because... all hell would break loose, to put it lightly.

"Right, we should go." Leif walked ahead of the group, going toward the gate back to the main city. The others followed him, and Leif turned around, seeing that Domino 2 was still standing in the same place. "Domino 2, come on! We're taking you home." Leif called out, hoping his new pet would understand him.

Everyone watched as Domino 2 slowly plopped onto her side, sticking her tongue out. She was so cute...

"I'm starting to doubt this will work." Kabbu said, already appearing fatigued from this.

"Is she broken?" Vi added. Leif frowned; there's no way Domino 2 could be 'broken.' Maybe if he picked her up and carried her...

"Hold up, I got an idea." Anne said. She took off her backpack, zipping it open and fishing through it for several seconds before pulling out some small pink toy of an animal Leif didn't recognize. Anne zipped up her backpack, putting it back on. "This cat toy worked on Domino 1 without fail. Just watch."

Anne turned around, holding up the cat toy by the tail before lightly shaking it, causing a rattling sound from within the toy. Leif guessed that there was some sort of small object inside the toy that could produce that sound.

Almost immediately, Domino 2 meowed, perking her head up. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the toy, entranced by it completely as Anne kept shaking it. Domino 2 stood back up on all six legs, slowly starting to walk toward Anne... oddly enough, only using her front and back legs, letting the middle of the body hang up in the air as she walked.

"Atta girl! You can do it! Come on!" Anne teased, walking away just enough so that Domino 2 would keep following her.

Kabbu sighed, internally hoping that nothing disastrous would happen from this spontaneous decision. Leif couldn't help but stare at the shaking toy himself, almost wanting to reach out and touch it. Anne kept her focus on Domino 2, trying her best to guide the poor caterpillar.

…

Vi was the last one past the gate, the other three and Domino 2 already ahead of her. Vi was about to meet up with them, but... she took one last look at the bush that Domino 2 was stuck in earlier, frowning. How did Domino 2, a creature that she'd never seen or heard about anywhere before end up here of all places, right by the Anthill Palace?

To be honest, maybe Vi's already-suspicious nature got her to read more into this than necessary. Maybe Domino 2 was part just an endangered species of lesser bugs... yeah, that had to be it. Domino 2 just got lost and ended up here.

Vi turned back around, walking past the gate and meeting up with the others.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

It didn't take long for Team Snakemouth to get back to the house. Along the way, Leif opted to start carrying Domino 2 himself, unable to resist the temptation any longer. The way her fur felt in his arms felt so soft... although she was a bit dirty. Maybe he'd groom her at some point.

Kabbu led the group, walking ahead a bit to unlock the front door. "Okay, I'll just get the key and..." Kabbu turned around to make sure the others were still there, only for him to freeze. "L-Leif!"

"What?" The moth asked.

"A-Are you not concerned that Domino 2 is biting your arm?!" Kabbu yelled. Oh, that explained why he felt that pressure and wetness around his arm. Leif looked down, seeing Domino 2 softly nibble on his arm as he held her. Thankfully her small (but likely sharp) teeth weren't on his arm, but even if they were, he wouldn't mind.

"That's just play biting. It's how she shows affection." Leif explained, acting as if he'd known Domino 2 for at least several moon cycles. As Leif stared down at Domino 2, she stopped biting him, instead letting out a soft 'mrow' as she looked at him, her cute, majestic eyes seeping right into him...

Leif couldn't help himself any longer. He brought Domino 2 up to his face, snuggling their faces against each other for several seconds. The feeling of Domino 2's face on his was so wonderful; being able to show affection like this was almost freeing, he didn't care who saw or what they thought. All that mattered was that he had Domino 2 now.

Before long, Leif pulled away, Domino 2's fur a bit ruffled from the assault of affection he'd put her through. But he wasn't finished. Leif gave Domino 2 a small kiss on the cheek, the caterpillar not reacting in the slightest. "You are so unbelievably cute." Leif cooed, right at that moment wanting to just give Domino 2 all the affection in the world.

"Awww..." Anne said, cupping her hands on her cheeks at seeing the interaction.

"First, ew." Vi commented. "Second, I'm pretty sure Domino 2's trying to taste Leif's face." Vi backed away from Leif and Domino 2 a little, not wanting to get caught in any potential crossfire.

Though it looked like Domino 2 didn't care about his affection at first, moments later she began repeatedly licking Leif's face without showing any signs of stopping. Leif giggled loudly; the caterpillar's wet tongue extremely ticklish on his face. Leif didn't stop her, he just let it happen. It was if all his stress and worries were being melted away, his heart feeling warm, pleasant... although still literally cold. Domino 2 didn't seem to mind, though.

"Oh, that's ridiculous." Anne said, refuting Vi's claim. "Trust me, I know cats."

"Domino 2 isn't a cat..." Kabbu pointed out. "...But alright, if you say so." He took another look at Leif and Domino 2, seeing how Domino stopped her torrent of affection, much to Leif's disappointment. Kabbu let out a sigh as he unlocked the front door, opening it and stepping inside.

The others followed him, Vi shutting the door behind her as she was the last one inside. "So, uh... anything else we need to do today?" She side-eyed Domino 2, Vi looking like she might run away at any second.

"Hm, I don't think-oh, hang on!" Kabbu said, just remembering something. "We need to reschedule a new date with Tod and his family! I completely forgot because..." Kabbu yet again couldn't take his eye off of Domino 2, the caterpillar now resting in Leif's arms. "Yeah."

"We'd love to go back, but it'll unfortunately have to wait." Leif said, further pushing Domino 2 against him. "We have the responsibility of taking care of this adorable little creature now, and we don't have time for anything else." He smirked a little, remembering Kabbu's words about 'responsibility' from earlier.

"Yep." Anne agreed, walking over to Leif and petting Domino 2 a few times. "I for one am content with Domino 2 taking over my entire life."

Kabbu just stared for several seconds, partially in disbelief that they'd let the cute and cuddly Domino 2 do this. He almost wanted to argue, but he sighed, sagging his shoulders as he simply let it be. "Then I'll wait a day or two before rescheduling with Tod's family."

"Gotcha, gotcha." Anne said, not even paying attention at that point as she lightly scratched Domino 2's tummy.

"...Right." Kabbu paused. "Vi, would you mind coming with me for a few errands?" Leif and Anne were already busy, there's no way either of them were gonna go.

"What? No way, I-" Vi started to argue, until she remembered Domino 2. "Wait for me!" Vi yelled, already trying to rush out the door, speeding past Kabbu.

"...I haven't even left yet." Kabbu deadpanned, sounding tired of just about everything going on right now.

"Well, uh... the faster we leave, the faster we can get the errands done, you know!?" Vi made an excuse; her real reason for wanting to leave so fast was incredibly obvious.

"Okay, but I'll warn you that there's a lot we have to get done." Kabbu said, walking to the door before opening it again. "Anne, Leif, keep Domino 2 in check while we're gone!" He turned around, grimacing a bit at seeing Domino 2.

"Get Domino 2 some food while you're out!" Anne called to the two bugs right as they left, the front door slamming shut.

"...What kind of food would Domino 2 need to eat?" Leif wondered, only now realizing he had absolutely no clue what to do in this situation. What would a caterpillar like Domino 2 eat?

"Cat food?" Anne threw out a suggestion.

"Would they even have that outside your world...?" Leif asked, very unsure.

The two of them thought about this for several moments before shrugging, both of them equally lost on what Domino 2's diet was. Looks like they'd just have to guess and find out on their own. Leif didn't have a problem with that, as long as he didn't accidentally give Domino 2 something that could harm her... or worse.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

It took a few hours for Kabbu and Vi to finish their errands, the two of them walking back to the house soon after. The errands weren't anything too exhausting, just stuff that had to get done.

"I don't know, I didn't like that twist near the end." Vi said, continuing an ongoing conversation with Kabbu. "They had to separate, but due to the 'power of love' or whatever they both survived? That's lame."

"Vi, it's meant to be a powerful message!" Kabbu argued. A few days ago, Kabbu had gotten everyone together to watch the entire season of Suspicion Island on Anne's phone, making sure to keep all the spoilers for himself. They'd all wanted to watch it, especially after that incident in Snakemouth Den, after all.

"But it ruins the story! I can't take it seriously, there was absolutely no build-up to it!" Vi replied.

"Fair, but-"

"And why did Vivica get stabbed if she was gonna be just fine in the next scene?! None of it makes any sense!"

"...I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one." Kabbu admitted. He loved Suspicion Island; he'd fight anyone who said it wasn't a good show. ...But Vi was his friend, so he'd have to concede on this point. The two were back at the house now, so Kabbu unlocked the front door.

"Fine, but the next season better-" Vi started to say, only for her and Kabbu to both freeze up, fear crawling up all over them as they witnessed the new, awful state of the house. Kabbu almost couldn't believe it, wishing that his eye was just playing tricks on him, but no... this... all of it was real.

Kabbu hardly even registered Vi stammering to try something. Everything seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time; in the moment everything felt so foreign, so unnatural, it was as if he was an observer simply viewing the actions his body took. "W-What... What in the name of Venus happened here?!"

There were webs. So many webs were strung all over the house, in pretty much every place imaginable. It'd take who knows how long to clean up, but that wasn't nearly the biggest issue. The fact that there were so many... Kabbu and Vi hadn't even been gone that long! Just what could've caused this?!

"So... many... webs..." Vi managed to say, visibly shaking. "Oi, we gotta run! What if the spider survived the flood and then it somehow followed us here to take its revenge and-"

"Get ahold of yourself, Vi!" Kabbu yelled, grabbing Vi by the shoulders and shaking her a bit. "Wild theories like that aren't helping anyone!" Kabbu was still panicking, but... somewhere, deep in his mind, some part of him figured out what... or rather, who was responsible for this. It was the only thing that made sense, so...

"Okay okay okay, stop shaking me!" Vi yelled back, pushing Kabbu off of her. ...Kabbu hoped that they weren't making too much of a racket. Vi looked inside the house again, this time noticing something that Kabbu apparently didn't. "Wait, look! On the couch!"

Kabbu turned to where Vi was pointing, now also seeing it. There were multiple lumps on the couch that he couldn't quite make out from this distance. Could that be...? "Vi, follow me." Kabbu said, walking into the house. Vi followed him, the two of them weaving their way through the webs, making it to the couch to see...

Anne and Leif laying down on the couch, a few feet away from each other. They were on their sides facing away from each other, looking completely passed out, and in between them... was Domino 2, curled up into a ball. Anne was snoring loudly, somehow not waking up Leif or Domino 2. ...Yep, Kabbu had a feeling about this.

"What the heck?" Vi asked, completely confused. "Oi, Anne! Wake up! Now!" The bee moved over to Anne, practically yelling in her face.

"Leif, wake up!" Kabbu said, gently shaking the blue moth a little. Kabbu was still so confused and worried, but at least his friends appeared to be okay.

Anne suddenly snorted, her eyes fluttering open. Around the same time, Leif mumbled a little, lazily opening his eyes, neither of the two getting up yet. Domino 2's eyes snapped open, the caterpillar getting up before deciding to stretch out, kneading the couch with her claws.

"Oi, what happened?" Vi asked, needing answers right away. Kabbu had the same sentiment, he had to know the truth behind this, and if anyone would know, it would be Anne and Leif.

"Why are there webs all over the house?!" Kabbu added, glancing briefly at Domino 2.

"Everything's fine, we're okay." Leif mumbled, not wanting to get up. No, he couldn't go back to sleep at a time like this!

"Yeah, what he said." Anne agreed, yawning before she rubbed her eyes with her arm. "Domino 2's just having a bit of a rough time indoors." Anne explained. Kabbu didn't really buy that, to be honest. Something just... bugged him about all of this, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Maybe if he had one more piece of the puzzle...

But Kabbu wasn't prepared at all for what he'd see next. Anne sat up onto the couch, and Kabbu gasped. As the other side of Anne's body became visible, so did the numerous scratches on the side of her face. Anne bit back a hiss, the scratches still clearly fresh. Kabbu wasted no time in moving over to her, trying to make sure the scratches wouldn't get infected.

"Dude, I'm fine!" Anne argued, trying to push Kabbu away. "Really, it's not that bad!" Despite her protests, Kabbu had to make sure she was okay.

Thankfully, Anne wasn't bleeding; there wasn't any green blood seeping from the wounds. But the scratches on her face weren't the end of it. Kabbu managed to get a look at Anne's back, his eye nearly bulging out of his head. There were even more scratch marks on her back, her shirt ripped up in multiple places. There was obviously only one reason this could've happened...

"Was this because of Domino 2, Anne?" Kabbu asked, his tone soft and understanding. Anne didn't answer, letting out a defiant huff. That was all the answer Kabbu needed, sighing as his eye closed.

"Uh, Kabbu?" Vi asked, trying to get the beetle's attention. Kabbu turned to her, only to see... Leif sitting up as well. "You might wanna take a look at this." Vi added. Kabbu got up, unable to see whatever Vi was seeing from his angle. He walked over to Vi and Leif, and...

Just like Anne, there were numerous scratches on the side of Leif's face. The moth didn't seem to care too much, though, not even as Kabbu noticed that his fluff was a bit matted in several places, some chunks looking like they'd been outright ripped out. "What's wrong, Kabbu?" Leif asked, as if he didn't understand.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Kabbu repeated incredulously, unable to believe that Leif would ask such a question right now. Kabbu glanced at Vi, the bee looking surprised and shocked by all of this.

"Oh, I never should've left you two alone with that... that... wild animal!" Kabbu yelled. He should've stayed and made sure that Domino 2 didn't try anything; he understood if Vi didn't want to be around for it, but he had no excuse! "What if she did something worse?!"

"Worse than spewing webs all over the house?!" Vi questioned. ...Yeah, that was going to have to be cleaned up.

"Look, this isn't a big deal!" Anne reasoned, before reaching into the couch cushion, pulling out the same cat toy from earlier. "We just have to keep an eye on her while she's adjusting!" She dangled the toy over Domino 2's head, the caterpillar perking up at seeing it before starting to lightly swat at it.

As much as Kabbu just wanted to get rid of Domino 2 for the sake of his friends' safety, there's no way he could do that without consequences. Anne and Leif would hate him for it and resist every step of the way, and though Vi would probably be on his side... it just wasn't worth the anguish and potential rift it would cause.

But then what about Domino 2 herself? If she were to stay, then Kabbu needed to understand her better to prevent any worse incidents from happening. He wouldn't let anything happen to any of his friends... ever again.

"Aw, look at how cute she is..." Leif said, infantizing his voice a bit as he reached down, petting Domino 2's soft fur. The caterpillar stopped paying attention to Anne's toy, instead leaning onto Leif's hand, purring. "You're adorable, yes you are, yes you are, aren't you?"

As much as Kabbu wanted to join in, giving Domino 2 some affection of his own... he just knew he couldn't. He couldn't give in, he had to get to the bottom of what was going on with Domino 2... no matter what.

After several seconds, Domino 2 started drooling some kind of green substance, her pupils dilating to the point where her entire eyes were black, now reflecting Vi's face off of them as the caterpillar looked in her direction. Vi nervously laughed, clearly uncomfortable by this. Without warning, Domino 2 suddenly sneezed, a huge web flying out of her mouth.

Time seemed to slow as the web landed on Vi's face, the bee letting out a muffled scream as she fell backward onto the ground.

"Vi! Kabbu yelped, immediately coming to Vi's rescue, kneeling down as he helped get the thick webbing off her face. His mind briefly flashed back to when he was in a similar situation, when Anne had to free him from the spider's webbing.

"That's just how she says, "I love you."" Anne explained, lightly scratching Domino 2's back, the caterpillar loudly purring in response.

...Kabbu had a very hard time believing that.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

After all of that, things were... mostly calm. After Kabbu freed Vi, the first thing the bee did was make up an excuse before leaving the house, Kabbu letting out a sigh of exhaustion afterward. Leif didn't think too much of it, he was still more focused on his new adorable little pet who he just wanted to scoop up and carry forever. Besides, Vi would be back later.

However, there were still things to be done. Leif couldn't deny that the numerous amount of scratches and cuts on him... did hurt a bit. Kabbu opted to try and help him and Anne, but Leif said he could take care of it himself, using his ice magic to hopefully get rid of any inflammation from the scratches. Afterward, he, Kabbu, and Anne had to spend a few hours getting rid of and disposing the various webs strung around the house. All the while, Domino 2 simply slept.

Once that was taken care of, all of his attention could once again be on his beloved Domino 2. He wanted to do something for her, so Anne suggested that they build a cat tree, pulling up an image of what it'd look like on her phone; it was some sort of obstacle course, with places inside for a cat to crawl around in. ...Leif was immediately onboard.

The two of them got to work, gathering the tools needed. They weren't able to get anything to replicate the fuzziness of actual cat trees, but that wasn't too big of a deal. It took until later afternoon the next day, but eventually, Anne put the finishing touches on the makeshift cat tree, hammering the last nail into place before she and Leif admired their handiwork.

"It looks beautiful." Leif said, looking over it all. It wasn't nearly as complex as the one Anne initially showed him, but he knew that Domino 2 would love it. There was even a sign on it with Domino 2's name written, as if it would further invite the caterpillar in. Sure, there were a couple nails sticking out, and it did creak and groan a little... but it would be fine.

Within seconds, Domino 2 darted over to the cat tree, clearly enjoying it. She meowed as she popped her head out of each little hole, Leif and Anne giggling at the sight of it. The arduous work sure was worth it- wait, why were her meows becoming fainter?

"Oh no!" Anne cried out, turning around. Vi had accidentally left the front door slightly open when she left earlier that day, making it easy for Domino 2 to crawl her way out. Leif and Anne raced over to the door, trying to figure out where Domino 2 could've gone so fast.

Leif's heart dropped as he saw Domino 2 walking into the nearby general store; the one belonging to Madame. Leif and Anne wasted no time rushing to the store themselves, walking inside only to be greeted with Domino 2 eating a bunch of the food off the shelves. Madame was busy stocking on the other side of the small store, completely unaware of what was going on right behind her.

Before Domino 2 could eat her eighth mushroom that minute, Leif picked her up, yoinking her off the counter and hauling himself out of the store. At the same time, Anne dumped a bunch of berries onto the counter, hoping that would be enough to cover the costs before she followed Leif out of the store, slamming the door behind her.

The noise startled Madame, the butterfly turning around... to see a whole load of berries on the counter, while part of an entire shelf of merchandise was gone.

"What?"

…

Early that morning, Kabbu went straight to the Anthill Palace Library with only one thing in mind: he had to try and find more information on Domino 2. This wasn't anything like the Calamity Box situation, where he remembered seeing the awful thing before, knowing exactly where to find it. Kabbu didn't remember seeing Domino 2 depicted in any of the books in the library... but he had to try.

He checked out a handful of books, carrying them back to the house before sitting down on his bed to read. He was uninterrupted for several hours, forgetting to eat as he poured over the books, trying to find any trace or hint of where Domino 2 could've come from. So far, Kabbu turned up nothing, but that wouldn't stop him-

Out of the blue, Domino 2 was on the bed (did she hop on earlier? Was he too busy to notice?), and she opened her mouth, chomping down on the book Kabbu was trying to read. Kabbu let out some kind of weird noise at the sudden intrusion, going into panic mode moments later as Domino 2 tried to yank the book away from him.

"Let go, I need that!" Kabbu yelled, trying to pull the book back. "I need to return this, you know!" Despite his protests, Domino 2's grip on the book was tight, which only made Kabbu worry more. He had to get the book back before Domino 2 damaged it even more than she already had!

It got to the point where Kabbu lifted up the book, Domino 2 coming up with it. Kabbu lightly shook the book, hoping that the caterpillar would fall off, the beetle becoming increasingly frustrated with each second that passed. Anyone watching this display would probably laugh from how comical it looked, but Kabbu didn't care.

Eventually, Domino 2 finally let go, happily falling to the bed. Kabbu grimaced a bit at the new state of the book, there were teeth marks on it, clear as day, as well as stains from the amount of green drool that Domino 2 left on the book. Well, that was gonna be hard to explain. Domino 2 softly meowed at Kabbu, and... he so badly wanted to pet her, to not blame her for doing anything that a normal animal would do.

But instead, he turned around, ignoring her completely.

…

Late that evening, Team Snakemouth decided to fulfill a few requests for some extra berries, to make up for paying for what Domino 2 ate earlier that day. Domino 2 was sleeping on Leif's bed when they left, so Anne managed to convince everyone that nothing would happen while they were gone.

When they returned around an hour later, Domino 2 was still on the bed... but there was a dead, mutilated lesser bug on the pillow. Anne instinctively gagged at the smell, pinching her nose shut as her eyes watered. She... certainly didn't expect this.

Kabbu stepped back a few steps; Vi looked like she was about to throw up, and Leif's mouth ticked into a small smile, albeit it did appear a bit forced. "Is that... for us?" Leif asked, to which Domino 2 let out a small meow in response.

Was that supposed to be an offering of some kind? Anne remembered how Domino 1 would occasionally bring a dead mouse into the house; according to Marcy it was because cats thought their owners couldn't hunt, so they'd bring them food themselves. Was a similar thing happening here?

Regardless, it was still pretty disgusting. ...But worth it, since this was Domino 2 she was talking about.

…

Vi went to bed as soon as Leif got his bed cleaned up, not wanting to be awake any longer to witness whatever shenanigans that Domino 2 would get up to. She woke up the next morning pretty early, already trying to think of another way to get away from the house and Domino 2.

"Uh... oh yeah! I'll go reschedule with Tod, since everyone else is busy! Okay bye!"

"Vi wait, w-" Kabbu tried to say, but Vi was already out the door. Sorry Kabbu, but the less time she spent around Domino 2, the better. That thing was so creepy... she shuddered just thinking about it.

Well, if she was outside, she may as well follow through on what she said she was gonna do. In any other circumstance, Vi would pass the responsibility onto someone else, but right now she'd do practically anything before willingly spend time with Domino 2.

Tod was out playing with his ball near his house, the young moth perking up the moment he saw her walking over. The two got to talking, Vi avoiding the topic of what she'd been doing for the past few days as she idly passed the ball back and forth. When the topic of rescheduling came up, Vi only then realized that she had absolutely zero plan for that.

"Uh... like I said, we've been kinda... busy." Vi admitted.

"Busy with what?" Tod asked, tilting his head a little as he caught the ball from Vi.

"Explorer stuff. It's uh... private business!" Vi lied, waiting for Tod to throw the ball back to her. "And I can't talk about it until after it's finished so you can't ask about it!" Despite her lies, Tod still listened intently to every word she said, as if she were some kind of superhero. Huh...

Unbeknownst to either of them, Domino 2 was crawling up to the scene, purring and meowing. To make matters worse, as Domino 2 crawled up to Tod, she opened her mouth, starting to salivate. Neither Vi nor Tod noticed, even as Domino 2 was right behind him, about to bite his leg-

At the last second, Leif picked up Domino 2, rushing off before anyone could see him. Domino 2 protested as she was picked up, letting out a loud mix of a meow and screech, likely scratching Leif a bit as she flailed around. Vi and Tod turned to see what that noise was...

Only to see Anne standing there, waving at them with a very wide smile on her face. Vi swore she saw Leif running off out of the corner of her eye, the bee quickly piecing together what actually happened. Typical.

…

Later that night, Kabbu was already on his fourth round of books from the library, practically skimming through each book at this point to try and find even a speck of information regarding anything about Domino 2... but he still came up with nothing. He wasn't going to give up, though.

Earlier he realized that he was so focused on what he was doing that he read the same pile of books twice, which was... concerning. That forced him to take a break for all of five minutes so he could eat, sharpening his brain up once again. Now, he had a system to prevent any mishaps like that again. There were two stacks of books on his bed, one for what he's already gone through, and the other for the books he's yet to read. Simple, but extremely effective. The beetle sat on the floor, leaning on his bed.

Kabbu wasn't bothered too much during all this, only needing to shoo off Anne a few times when she tried to show him 'a funny meme,' whatever that meant. Any distraction could potentially get him off-track of an important lead! ...Even if he hasn't found much of anything yet.

Regardless, there were still plenty of books to go, both here and at the library. Kabbu felt his eyelid becoming a bit heavy, his body tired and hungry, practically begging him to rest. But it was still so early! He heard Leif talking about something, and Kabbu tried to tune him out, focusing exactly where on the page he was. He continued skimming, and-

A sudden crash behind him caused Kabbu to freeze up for a moment, before jolting up and turning around to see- ...Oh, Venus why. What were previously two stacks of books on the bed were now a pile of books strewn about all over the place. All his hard work, ruined! Kabbu had made sure that he'd stacked them extra carefully... what could've gone wrong?

Domino 2 poked her head out from underneath the mess of books, and Kabbu had his answer. The caterpillar meowed at him, and Kabbu's heart broke, realizing how angry he almost got at Domino 2... but still. Kabbu groaned, knowing that he now had no way to know which books he read already... guess he'd have to start over.

Kabbu held his hand to his forehead, starting to get a headache from all this. Domino 2 purred, walking over to him, her eyes so big and cute... Maybe he could just pet her, just one time? Maybe... No! Before he could change his mind, Kabbu swiftly turned around and walked away, getting some food before he resumed his quest to find out just what was up with Domino 2.

…

The next day, Team Snakemouth went to different places to get breakfast. Anne got a bit of extra food for Domino 2, not wanting her precious, beloved animal to get too hungry. She seemed to eat whatever Anne and Leif fed her, so everything was fine on that regard.

Anne was the first one back to the house, opening the door while humming a little tune to herself. "Domino 2, I hope you're ready for the breakfast special from the-" Anne stopped herself as she walked inside, a very familiar and unpleasant smell wafting through her nose.

Domino 2 was yet again sitting on Leif's bed. Unlike before, now an entire pile of dead lesser bugs and other creatures on the bed, Domino 2 sitting upright next to it, looking proud of herself. Anne nervously smiled, giving Domino 2 a thumbs up at seeing this.

Anne didn't feel like having breakfast anymore.

…

Anne forgot about all that a few hours later, the young teen picking up Domino 2 before spinning the caterpillar and herself around. Domino 2 didn't do anything to stop Anne, practically melting in her hands. Anne giggled, a wide, genuine smile on her face, realizing once again that all of this was worth it. Domino 2 was the perfect replacement for Domino, in fact she might as well be better in a few aspects.

Maybe Anne should introduce the two Dominos to each other sometime! ...As soon as she figures out a way back home, of course. Taking care of Domino 2 did pass the time; at this rate the music box research would be done before she knew it.

…

Not too long later, now Leif was the one spinning around with Domino 2. Once he saw Anne doing it, he couldn't resist. It looked so fun... And it was just as wonderful and enjoyable as he imagined. All his worries washed away, almost completely forgotten by now. Anytime he thought about that, he just had to remind himself of Domino 2, and he'd be happy again. She was just so cute, so adorable, so cuddly... his heart melted when he saw her derpy face as the two spun around, Leif wanting this to last forever and never end no matter what.

Leif did get a little tired though, starting to slow down a bit. He eventually stopped, instead opting to sit on his bed (which he had to clean up again earlier, due to Domino 2 leaving out more stuff for him), snuggling Domino 2 up to his face.

Her loud purring sent vibrations through his body, soothing the moth all over. Leif hummed, closing his eyes as he just let himself sit there, taking in the moment. It was as if nothing else existed except for himself and Domino 2, the two of them content with staying there forever.

Before Leif realized it, Domino 2 yet again began licking his face. Leif was more than used to her doing this by now, happily accepting it without any resistance. With Domino 2 around... everything was going to be okay.

…

It was a bit later that evening. Kabbu yet again made his way to the Anthill Palace library, carrying the stack of books he finished reading a bit ago, only stopping to eat before taking them back. Despite the sheer number of books he was carrying, he was easily able to get them back to the library, finding his way back to the place within several minutes.

The two librarians were still sitting behind the desk, just as they always did each day. They were a fair bit away from each other, each of them having their own job to do. Kabbu was acquainted with the two of them; Libren was a blue ant, more calm and joyful. Meanwhile, Brooke the red ant was angrier and more temperamental.

As Brooke saw Kabbu walk back into the library, she rolled her eyes, groaning. "Let me guess, you're gonna return these books," She gestured to the books Kabbu was carrying over to the desk. "And then you're gonna check out even more books. For like... the dozenth time this week?"

Kabbu held the books over the front desk before letting go, letting all the books fall onto the desk while still stacked. "Yes. Yes I am." He'd normally be nicer, but... he was honestly so tired of everything at this point. Only earlier that day did he realize how little sleep he'd gotten when he nearly fell asleep when pouring a cup of water for himself.

"You've read all these books before... is everything okay?" Libren asked, sounding a little worried. Yes, Kabbu has read these in the past... but in the here and now, this was for entirely different reasons.

"Maybe he's trying to speedread every book in the library." Brooke sarcastically commented.

Kabbu huffed, not in the mood for any of this. "Look, I'm just gonna check out some more books and then-"

"No you're not." Brooke interrupted, shaking her head. Kabbu had an incredulous look on his face, about to ask why before Brooke continued speaking. "My shift is over soon, and I'm not about to file an overtime claim because of all these books I need to mark as returned," She gestured to the books Kabbu set down on the desk. "Which I'll barely have time for WITHOUT you trying to check out any more books!"

"Come on, can't he at least check out just one book tonight?" Libren asked, hoping she wouldn't trigger Brooke's temper. "I'll even take care of the check-out process! I promise!"

Brooke paused for a moment, seemingly calming down. "Whatever." She waved a hand at Libren. "Just don't involve me and let me get this done." Brooke got started on the tedious process of marking every book Kabbu brought back as 'returned'.

Only one book, huh? Whatever, one was better than nothing. Kabbu didn't think too hard about which book he grabbed off the shelf, as long as it was one he didn't have yet. He brought it over to Libren, hoping that it wouldn't take too long for her to mark the book as checked out.

...Briefly, Kabbu thought about the book containing information about the Calamity Box, wondering if either of them had noticed it was gone. Hopefully not, but still. And yes, he checked that book too for information on Domino 2, and there was nothing but a horrible reminder that he had to do something about both that caterpillar and that horrible music box... with time, he would.

"Thank you!" Libren said as he handed the book to her. "Again, are you okay? You look a bit... uh..."

It was as if in that moment, the floodgates were opened. It was just an innocuous comment from the poor librarian, but Kabbu couldn't take it anymore. "It's because of Domino 2!" He blurted out. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone else in the library except for him and the two librarians, to which both of them were dumbfounded at Kabbu's outburst.

Before one of them could say anything, Kabbu continued, spilling practically all of his feelings out. "I know Domino 2 is just an animal, but still!" The beetle began pacing around the library, not acknowledging anything else. He had to say all this, or else he may as well explode from stress. "She's scratching up all my friends, bringing dead things into the house, and flinging webs everywhere that I have to clean up! I'm sorry Venus but I can't take it anymore!

"Sure, she's sooo cute and cuddly!" Kabbu mocked, imitating a babyish voice. He'd never say any of this in front of his friends, and he already felt horribly guilty for doing so here. "Yeah, she's 'cute' alright, with her six legs, creepy yellow eyes, black and white fur..."

Aside, Libren's eyes lit up, as if in recognition, not that Kabbu noticed.

"And just... ugh. What am I saying?" Kabbu asked himself, stopping before he said something that he'd probably regret. Libren had finished marking the book as checked out, so he walked over to grab it. "Never mind what I said. I'll just take the book and I'll be on my-"

"No!" Libren yanked the book away before Kabbu could ever reach it. Kabbu flinched back in surprise, him and Brooke giving the blue ant confused looks. "O-Oh, what I mean is..." Why did she look so nervous? "There's uh... uh... An expired tag! On this book! Yes, an expired tag on this book."

"...Okay?" Kabbu replied, perplexed. "So should I check out a different one or-"

"Nonono, I can fix it!" Libren interrupted, turning around before fiddling with the book, Kabbu unable to see exactly what she was doing. She hid the book away from view, not even Brooke able to ascertain what was going on. Kabbu gave the red ant an expectant look, and she simply shrugged. What the heck was even going on anymore?

After a minute or two, Libren turned around, holding the book in both hands. There was a wide smile on her face; a stark contrast to when she was grabbing the book away. "I'm terribly sorry about the wait!" She reached the book out to Kabbu. "Here you go, please return the book within a week!"

Kabbu took the book, looking at it curiously for a few moments. He thought Libren had to change or fix something about it, but... it looked the same. "Uh... thanks." Kabbu wasn't sure why he was suddenly feeling uneasy... maybe it was just late. He should get back home, anyway.

Without much hesitation, Kabbu left the library.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Ah, the evening... also known as the perfect time to relax and hang out with a pet. Leif sat on his bed, happily watching Domino 2 play with some random object. He thought he'd seen it somewhere before but meh, all that mattered was that Domino 2 was happy. The caterpillar was laying on her back, tossing an object into the air before catching it again, content to do that over and over without stopping.

Anne stood a few feet away, recording a video on her phone of Domino 2. The teenage human made several cutesy comments, enjoying every single second of this. Surprisingly, Vi was back in the house, Leif noticing how she'd leave for most of the day after he and Anne adopted Domino 2. Vi only just returned several minutes ago, choosing to sit on the other side of the house, near the kitchen.

Vi stared at Domino 2, her face crinkled into a look of slight disgust before she turned away, an exasperated sigh escaping her. "I sure hope there isn't gonna be a Domino 3!" Vi called out to the others, expecting some kind of response.

...Leif kept relaxing, Domino 2 kept tossing her new toy, and Anne kept snapping pictures and taking videos. Vi was totally and utterly ignored.

Groaning, Vi went to get out her beemerang, hoping to fiddle around with it to curb her boredom, but... "Oi, where'd it go?" Vi stood up and looked around, trying to find her missing beemerang. "Come on, I know it has to be somewhere-"

Vi was starting to panic a little, but that all shifted into frustration when she did find her beemerang. It was easier than she expected, but the place she found it almost made her want to scream. It was the toy Domino 2 was playing with.

Furious, Vi stomped over to Domino 2, Leif and Anne only now noticing the bee. "Hey, give that back!" Vi demanded. Domino 2 jolted, turning to her side as she held the beemerang for dear life. Vi didn't care, managing to get a grip on the weapon, trying to pull it back... only for Domino 2 to cry out, resisting as much as she could.

Vi didn't care that Leif was giggling, or that Anne was getting the entire thing on video. All she wanted was her beemerang back! She did manage to yank it out of Domino 2's grip, a smug look on Vi's face as she realized her accomplishment. "Haha, take that!" Vi triumphantly yelled, waving the beemerang in Domino 2's face for a moment before stepping away.

To tell the truth, Leif didn't even notice it was Vi's weapon that Domino 2 was playing with. But that problem was solved, so it didn't matter now. Domino 2 didn't seem to care about it anymore either, the caterpillar instead yawning before walking around in a small circle a few times, trying to figure out where to lay down. Once she found a suitable place to rest, Domino 2 plopped down onto her side, before spinning a web out of her mouth, wrapping part of her body in her own web. She stopped about halfway up her body, falling asleep soon after.

Leif and Anne gasped at seeing this adorably cute display; it was also nice to see Domino 2 use her webs for something that wouldn't... require any cleanup. Seeing her peacefully sleep, her soft snoring... Leif loved it all so much.

Anne put away her phone, walking over to the bed and kneeling in front of it, using her hands to lean on the bed. "See? All the trouble is worth it when you get to watch your adorable little boo take a nap!" Anne clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling as she couldn't take her eyes off Domino 2.

Leif put his hand on the part of Domino 2's body that wasn't covered by webbing, softly petting her. She was so... "She is in perfect snuggling position." Oh, Leif just so badly wanted to crawl up behind her, scooping her up into his arms as they both slept peacefully... Maybe Leif could do that in a few hours, when he actually fell asleep.

"Fine. I'll admit it." Vi huffed, crossing her arms. "I guess... Domino 2 does look a little cute like this. Only a little!"

Leif could go on and on about how precious and adorable Domino 2 was, but he didn't have the time to. Just then, Kabbu returned to the house, opening the door and walking in before kicking it shut behind him, the beetle appearing more than exhausted, also carrying a single book.

"Hey, you're right on time!" Anne said, standing up and walking over to Kabbu. Before the beetle could say anything, Anne draped her arm over his shoulder, walking him over to Domino 2. "You cannot miss this, and if you do you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Just look at how precious Domino 2 looks!"

Anne and Kabbu stopped a few feet away from Leif's bed, Anne stepping away so she could get a good angle to take more pics of Domino 2. Kabbu stared down at Domino 2 for a few moments, before... "That's nice." He sounded uninterested. "I've got a book I need to focus on, though."

"Oi, what is it with you and books lately?" Vi complained. "Every time anyone's seen you the past few days you've always been sticking your mandibles into another book!"

"I'm trying to figure out what Domino 2 is!" Kabbu countered, defending himself.

Leif already had the 'answer' figured out. "She's obviously our cutie-patootie." He pet Domino 2 a few more times, the soft fur amazing on his hand.

Beat.

"Never say that again." Vi deadpanned.

Anne's stomach growled, the loud noise distracting everyone. Oh right... Leif was a bit hungry too, now that he thought about it. Anne snapped her fingers. "Hey, why don't we all get dinner while Domino 2 is napping?" Anne suggested.

"Anything to get out of here." Vi said, already onboard.

"Yes, I could afford to have a little something in my system before reading the new book I got." Kabbu added, holding the book tightly to make sure he didn't drop it.

"Dinner sounds nice." Leif said, getting up off his bed. The moth reached down, giving Domino 2 a few pats on her head. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon. Just get some good rest, okay?" He whispered, giving Domino 2 a small kiss, trying to be gentle so he wouldn't wake her up. Leif smiled, unable to take his eyes off her... She was so adorable...

"Oi, come on!" Vi called out. Leif snapped out of his trance, seeing that Vi was by the open door. ...Just her, apparently Anne and Kabbu had already walked out of the house. Oops, Leif didn't mean to get so caught up in thinking about how cute Domino 2 was that he lost track of time.

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon." Leif said, walking to the door. Vi didn't waste any time walking out of the house, Leif holding the door for her. Leif took one last look at Domino 2, his heart warm with undying love for her as he gently closed the door behind him.

...Inside the house, more webbing began to cover Domino 2's body, slowly but surely wrapping around her entirely.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

Dinner went without incident, Team Snakemouth spending an hour or so at the place they went to, getting both dinner and a dessert after. Leif could still taste those sweets... he wished he could've ordered a bit more to-go, but the others chided him, not wanting to spend too many berries in one go. Oh well.

Regardless, the group of four were on their way back to the house. Anne whistled as she checked her phone, giggling at some photos she'd taken of Domino 2 earlier that day, Leif craning his head over to get a good look as well. Ah, memories... soon enough, he'd be back with his precious, sweet Domino 2.

"Why'd you even bring that?" Vi asked, the bee in some other conversation with Kabbu. "You didn't even read it; you could've just left it at the house!"

"No, what if Domino 2 did something to it? I already had to pay a fee for the last book she ruined, Vi!" Kabbu argued.

"Well maybe you should keep it in a place where she can't find it, like-" Vi suddenly paused, noticing something weird with Kabbu's book. "Oi, those bugs at the library are already ruining their own books! Look, there's a loose page!"

"Loose page?" Kabbu raised an eyebrow. By now, Team Snakemouth was almost at the house, the building in sight. "That's ridiculous, there's no..." Kabbu checked the book for himself, and there it was. Around the middle of the book, there was a single piece of paper sticking out among the rest.

The ensuing conversation piqued Anne and Leif's interests. "Wait, how could you not see that before?" Anne asked, only slightly interested.

"Whoever bound that book together must've not done a satisfactory job if it's gonna fall apart at the seams like that." Leif surmised. Either that or the book was really old, and its age was catching up to it.

"Er... I'm not sure what this means, myself." Confused, Kabbu gently pulled the page out of the book, passing the book along to Vi to hold. The page itself was a different size from the book, which was odd, but not enough for Leif to get too concerned about it. Domino 2 was waiting inside the house, after all...

Kabbu muttered to himself as he read over the page, Leif unable to get a good look at what the beetle was reading. Meh, it was probably noth- "W-What?!" Kabbu suddenly blurted out. Now that got everyone's attention.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Anne asked. Leif wondered what could've possibly been written on there to get Kabbu to react like that, but... he could see it. Kabbu was ever so slightly shaking, almost frozen in fear.

"We... er..." Kabbu tried to figure out what to say before he shook his head, snapping himself out of it. "We need to get in and check on Domino 2 right now!" He clutched the paper tightly in his hands, almost crumpling it.

Leif was immediately on high alert. "Could something have happened to her?!" He questioned, but wasn't met with an answer. There was some sort of crash from inside the house, the moth spinning around toward the house, already readying his ice magic. If anything happened to Domino 2... no, he couldn't imagine it. He couldn't even think about it.

"W-W-What was that?" Vi stammered, shaking as well. "Oi, hurry up!" She pushed Kabbu toward the front door, relentless in her efforts. "Open the door already!"

"I'm gonna, I'm gonna, quit shoving!" Kabbu yelled back. He got the key out, opening the door within seconds. Team Snakemouth walked into the house, many worrying and frightening possibilities swarming through Leif's mind of what could be happening.

He reassured himself it was going to be okay, it had to be... It had to be.

It was immediately clear upon entering the house that something was different. Yet again, there were webs strung about all over the house... darn. Leif thought that Domino 2 was starting to get over that habit. But that wasn't all.

"What the heck is that?" Anne cringed, pointing at something on Leif's bed. That must've been where that putrid stench was coming from; Leif almost didn't notice it. It was some sort of white, sagging object, a huge hole ripped in the top of it. Green liquid surrounded it, seeping through the covers of the bed.

"Is that..." Leif gasped, taking several steps toward it. "Domino 2's cocoon?" Of course, she partially wrapped herself in a cocoon before he left. So then why... "Domino 2, where are you?" Leif called out, hoping for any kind of answer. His eyes darted through the darkened house, but... he couldn't find her. His baby precious...

"Okay, I am SO CONFUSED!" Vi yelled, getting fed up. She turned to Kabbu. "Just what was on that paper that got you so freaked out?!"

"It told me Domino 2's real identity!" Kabbu said. ...What? "I knew all along that something was up with her, and I was right! It says right here that she's a Costal Kill-a-pillar!"

While Leif was thankful that Kabbu didn't waste time boasting, he couldn't forgive Kabbu's lies and slander toward his beloved Domino 2. "What... even is that?" Leif asked; he'd never even heard of something like that before. He was trying his best to keep up with everything that was happening, but everything one after another was too overwhelming for him. Domino 2... where was Domino 2?

"I don't know!" Kabbu answered, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "But it has the world kill in it, so it's obviously not anything good!"

"What else does it say?!" Vi yelled, desperate for more answers. She snatched the paper out of Kabbu's hand, about ready to read through it herself.

"Lemme see!" Anne said, also needing to know. All four of them crowded around the paper Vi held, trying to get a good look at it. Leif didn't want to believe that Domino 2 could be anything like the lies the paper surely told, which was why he had to see it to fully disprove it.

"It says that Costal Kill-a-pillars are dangerous... amphibivores?" Vi read aloud, becoming confused at the last part of that sentence. She read it exactly as it was on the paper.

"...But will eat whatever living creatures are available?" Anne continued where Vi left off, that next section even more confusing than the last. None of this made any sense to Leif whatsoever, which was why he had to find out more.

It just didn't add up. Amphibivore sounded like a made-up word, and Domino 2 was just a small little caterpillar... Leif continued reading where Anne trailed off. "...And they only get white spots right before they're about to-"

"Wait wait wait, back it up a second." Anne stopped Leif in his tracks. "If this is true, why does Domino 2 exist here if it says she eats-"

Even though Anne was raising a good point, she'd never get to finish her sentence. The four of them heard a loud growl, a shadowy figure darting across the ceiling, the pitter-patter of many limbs alongside it. The movement stopped, and the group turned their heads up to the ceiling to see... glowing red eyes, accompanied by an eerie, almost devilish smile.

Leif was about to say something, but the large figure dropped to the floor, turning right-side up to land on its legs, and... no, it couldn't be. The moment Leif got a good look at who it was, the truth laid bare right before him. There was no use trying to deny it.

Domino 2 was no longer the cute caterpillar he'd come to know. Instead, she was in her true form; a huge moth-like creature. She was massive compared to her tiny caterpillar form, her six limbs now white and elongated, sporting razor-sharp claws. Her wings were black and red, with white spots on them, and her abdomen was grey, a stark contrast to her white face and black fluff.

It was as if everything was moving in slow-motion, Leif's body almost unresponsive. Like he was just... going along with the motions. No, he couldn't believe that Domino 2 would be...

Moments after she landed, Domino 2 slowly flapped her wings, rising into the air above everyone else. She let out a screech, droplets of green spit flying out of her mouth. The others screamed, instinctively backing away slightly.

"Could it really be... We can't..." Leif knew this had to be Domino 2, but he couldn't accept that she'd turned into some kind of bloodthirsty creature. It was impossible to believe-there was that time she almost bit Tod's leg-No, that was just-"A-Are you not concerned that Domino 2 is biting your arm?!"-No, it was wrong, wrong wrong wrong wrong-

"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, SHE'S GONNA-"

Kabbu slapped his hand over Vi's mouth, shushing the bee into silence. "Quiet!" Kabbu whisper-shouted, before nodding in Domino 2's direction. "She's not doing anything, she's just... staring at us." ...That was true. Domino 2's wings continued to flap slowly, allowing her to stay in the air as she stared at them, baring her pointy yellow teeth in a smile.

"Maybe if we all back away slowly and quietly..." Kabbu said, taking his hand off of Vi's mouth as he glanced back at the open door. "We can get out of here and get help."

And that's what they did. Slowly but surely, Team Snakemouth backed away toward the door, keeping their eyes locked on Domino 2. Leif still tried to rationalize Domino 2's behavior; after all he and Anne found her helplessly tangled up in bushes, there's no way she could be dangerous. But another thought entered his head; one that he wished didn't.

He... didn't really know anything about Domino 2, did he? Nobody had seen anything like her before, so no one had any idea who or what she was. Could Leif really have been taken for a fool this whole time, letting a predator into his home without even knowing it? Did Domino 2 lick his face a bunch just because she was tasting him? Leif's worries and anxiety crashed and blended together, all of them creating a disturbing sense of unease that almost made him feel foreign, like-

At the worst possible moment, just when the group was several feet from the door, a loud, aggravating alarm began blaring, a voice accompanying it moments later. "Dinner time! Dinner time! It's your dinner time, Domino 2!"

"Oh no, Domino 2's dinner alarm!" Anne yelled, reaching into her pocket to try and find her phone and turn off the loud noise. Leif vaguely remembered watching Anne program that alarm into her phone so neither of them would forget when to feed Domino 2.

Domino 2 let out another screech, starting to flap her wings wildly, causing gusts of wind to knock stuff over and topple over furniture. Leif managed to stay standing, the wind not strong enough to knock him down.

"Run!" Kabbu bellowed, his plan of keeping everyone quiet an utter failure. Anne stayed still, trying to turn her alarm off in the midst of the chaos.

"Dinner time! Dinner time! It's your dinner time, Domino 2!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BECOME HER DINNER!" Vi screeched as she bolted out of the house, Kabbu right behind her.

Leif... stayed behind, because even if Domino 2 looked like this now, even if she could potentially destroy the house, even if she only got close to him so she could eat him and his friends... somewhere in there had to be the old Domino 2. The one who snuggled with him, who played with him... she just had to be in there, somewhere.

Anne was still in the house too, just now turning off her phone alarm and shoving the device back into her pocket. She saw Leif, giving him a nod. They were on the same page; both wanting the Domino 2 they knew and loved back with them.

"Domino 2, can you hear me?" Anne asked, fighting against the intense wind. "It's me, Anne!"

"We're here too, Domino 2!" Leif cried out, desperately hoping this would work. "It's us, Leif! Remember how we rescued you?"

By some miracle, Domino 2... calmed down. Her wings slowly stopped flapping, her smile falling to a slight frown as she lowered herself to the floor. It... it was working. It was working!

"We bonded!" Anne continued, reminding Domino 2 of everything that happened as she carefully walked toward the moth-like creature. "I gave you treats! You gave me... dead things!" Domino 2 blinked, her eyelids sideways.

Leif slowly walked over to Domino 2 as well; just a bit more... "We snuggled together so much, we gave you so many kisses..." Leif reached Domino 2, a few tears escaping his eyes. "Domino 2, please..." Slowly, gently, he placed a hand on the side of Domino 2's soft, fluffy face, the moth-like creature not reacting to it at all.

"Don't you remember?" Anne asked, also putting a hand on the other side of Domino 2's face, and...

Was Domino 2... cooing? Yes... yes she was. Leif's heart felt warm, he almost couldn't believe it; against all odds- Domino 2's coos turned into a screech, the moth-like creature jerking her head back before flapping her wings, kicking up more wind throughout the house.

Anne fell onto her butt, and Leif lurched his hand back, stunned and confused, unable to move. "W-What...?"

He couldn't react. Domino 2 flew at him...

…

...Tackling Leif, slamming him to the ground before grabbing him with her claws. Anne could only watch in horror as Domino 2 picked him up, dragging him outside, Domino 2 needing to squeeze through the door. It was an almost comical sight, watching her squirm for a few seconds before finally fitting through.

But the current situation was anything but comical. "Wait!" Anne yelled, even if it was futile. "Come back!" Forget about trying to get Domino 2 back to how she used to be, one of her friends was in danger.

Anne bolted outside, shutting the door behind her so no intruders could get in. Taking several deep breaths, she gave herself just a moment to rest... only to see Domino 2 throw Leif to the ground several yards away, the moth tumbling a bit before stopping. Anne gasped, putting her hands over her mouth as she stepped back, her eyes transfixed on the scene before her.

Leif groaned, managing to stand up. He appeared slightly dazed, as if unsure what to do, looking around before his eyes landed on Domino 2. He just stood there as Domino 2 swooped down at him- Kabbu pulled Leif out of the way at the last second, Domino 2 just barely missing both of them.

"Snap out of it! We have to fight her, there's no other choice!" Kabbu said, trying to get through to Leif. Domino 2 turned around in an arc, her next target clear.

Anne couldn't move, her legs were like jelly. Her eyes were wide; she was internally screaming at herself to get her tennis racquet out and help her friends, but... as she stood there, watching... one thing would stand true, far truer than anything else that'd happened over the past few days.

This was all her fault.

"Take this!" Vi yelled, winding up her beemerang before throwing it at Domino 2, landing a direct hit on her face. This intercepted Domino 2's current path, causing the moth-like creature to screech before re-directing herself, flying toward Vi. The bee yelped, jumping out of the way, Domino 2 barely grazing her.

Anne was the one who suggested they take Domino 2 home in the first place. She insisted on it, not listening to her friends when they weren't sure about it and even roping Leif in on the whole thing, all for her own selfish gains. And look where it got everyone.

Kabbu charged at Domino 2, waiting for the right moment as she was swooping down to him... and struck upward with his horn, hitting Domino 2's underside. The sudden motion caused Domino 2 to screech as she flipped over and over through the air, her limbs flailing wildly, unable to control herself as she flew through the air.

Because of Anne's reckless actions, she put all her friends in potential danger, and now they were facing the consequences of her decisions. Back home, she'd take the fall for her friends any day of the week, but now that she was on the other end of the stick... she felt like a huge jerk. Why should they have to suffer from her mistakes?

Domino 2 fell onto her back, struggling to get up. She hissed and thrashed about, desperately trying to get back on her feet. "Leif, now!" Kabbu yelled, trying to get the moth's attention. "Freeze her!" It was the perfect opportunity; she was on her back and unable to move.

Leif raised his arm, trying to will his ice magic into existence, but... "We... Domino 2..." Leif looked at the large moth-like creature, his face clear with distress. He couldn't do it, and Anne knew why. Leif still loved Domino 2, unwilling to hurt her. Anne loved Domino 2 too, but if Leif just stood there...

Kabbu and Vi screamed at Leif to hurry up and freeze her, but it was no use. Leif's arm shook, his ice magic only coming out in tiny pieces that fell to the ground, useless. In the same second, Domino 2 managed to get back up, letting out a screech.

Anne let out a gasp at the same time that Domino 2 charged at- "Leif!" Anne cried out, trying to warn him. Leif let out a pained grunt as Domino 2 slammed into him, Leif roughly falling backward onto the ground.

Frozen in shock, Anne couldn't take her eyes off the scene before her. Leif tried to get up, but Domino 2 slammed two of her right arms onto his body, pinning him to the ground. Kabbu and Vi probably said something, but Anne couldn't focus. If the two of them did anything, that might only agitate Domino 2 more.

Leif tried to squiggle out from the weight of Domino 2's arms, but it was useless. "W-Wait, Domino 2, please!" Leif cried, but Domino 2 either wasn't listening or didn't care. Her mouth opened wide, a long, green tongue covered in spikes coming out, tauntingly slow as if teasing her prey. "No, stop!" Leif turned his head away as much as he could, cringing away from Domino 2's deadly tongue, green saliva dripping onto Leif's face.

It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. Something gruesome would likely occur, and yet you just couldn't take your eyes off of it. And it would be all Anne's fault... Anne groaned loudly, beyond frustrated at how lousy this all was.

"If I don't do something, Domino 2's gonna bite Leif's head off!" Anne said. She had to fix this. Somehow. She'd never forgive herself if she couldn't. In the seconds that passed, Anne racked her brain, trying to think of something, anything... That paper Kabbu had didn't have a weakness written on it, and she couldn't remember Domino 2 reacting negatively to anything before...

Anne cursed herself for just watching what was happening and not doing anything sooner while Domino 2 was toying with her friends. Maybe if she did, then- toying with her friends- then...- toying with... Anne let out an audible gasp. "That's it!"

Leif let out slow breaths, his eyes closed as he tried to not make a sound, hoping Domino 2 would get disinterested. Even as her spiky tongue drifted across his face, Leif stayed still, despite his visible shaking. He hated every second of this, opening an eye just a crack only to see Domino 2's large, gaping mouth closer than ever-

"Hey, Domino 2!"

Anne called out the moth-like creature's name, Domino 2 pausing before moving her head back, her tongue retreating into her mouth. Leif would've let out a much-needed sigh of relief if Domino 2's arms weren't still pressing down on his chest.

"Over here!" Anne called again. She was super lucky that she'd kept the cat toy in her pocket, Anne now shaking it around continuously. The bell inside the toy jingled rapidly as Anne shook it harder, almost straining her arm. Domino 2 turned her head, letting out a disgruntled 'mrow', as if Anne's interruption was a great inconvenience to her.

But then the shaking cat toy filled Domino 2's vision, her eyes lighting up as she meowed again, this time much more pleased as her mouth opened in a wide, voracious smile. Losing interest in the others, Domino 2 stomped toward Anne, and in that moment there were two things on the girl's mind.

First: it worked! Second... it worked, and now Domino 2 was after her. "Oh crud." She really didn't think this through.

Her fight or flight instincts kicking in, Anne turned on a dime, running as fast as she could. Domino 2 was hot on her tail, not letting up as the moth-like creature took flight, the human in her sights. Anne ran wildly, her breaths shallow as she tried not to trip over her own two feet. Adrenaline pumped through her body like there was no tomorrow; it was almost as if her vision a faint blue tint.

Not slowing down for a second, Anne ran out of Ant City, not wanting Domino 2 to go after any of the innocent citizens. Thankfully it was late, so not a lot of bugs were up at this hour. As Anne passed the Association in the outskirts, she turned left toward the direction of the pier. Her chest and lungs burned from how hard she pushed herself, but hearing Domino 2's wings flapping right behind her only inspired her to push harder, clutching the cat toy tightly.

To tell the truth, Anne wasn't sure where to go or what to do now. Obviously she couldn't run forever, maybe if she found a cave or something to hide in, she could get Domino 2 off her trail- wait, stop! Anne skidded to a stop, only just then realizing that she was right about to run off a cliff. That... was close.

Anne turned around, realizing just what a precarious position she'd put herself in. The cliff next to her was too steep, there's no way she'd survive if she tried to jump off to escape Domino 2, and there was nowhere else to run, either.

Thankfully, Domino 2 slowed down, landing several feet away. She looked at Anne curiously, as if wondering why her prey had stopped. Her prey... her prey... that was all Domino 2 ever saw her and her friends as, wasn't it? Anne sighed in sadness as she held the cat toy close to her chest, truly realizing the error of her ways.

"I thought I could change you, but I guess I was wrong." Anne said. Domino 2 seemed nice at first... but then again, she was a completely foreign creature from a completely foreign world. Very unlike Domino back home, where Anne could take her to the vet if something was wrong, or give her treats that Anne knew she'd like... but here, Domino 2 was a wild animal. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anne stared at the cat toy, Domino 2 letting out a weird noise and inching her face closer as Anne held up the toy. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it work." Anne loved Domino 2 so much, her heart aching at the inevitable fact that she wouldn't have any future days like the previous few. Anne tried so hard...

Even when things were rough on the first day after she and Leif brought her in, Anne fondly remembered all the good times with Domino 2. The cat tree they built, taking many cute pictures and videos, spinning around Domino 2 in her arms... Anne would always treasure those memories for the rest of her life. She'd never stop loving Domino 2, even though in the end she just wanted to eat all of them.

And at the same time, Anne recognized the effect Domino 2 had on the others. Vi was scared to the point where she felt like she couldn't be in the house, Kabbu lost hours upon hours of sleep researching Domino 2, and Leif... his own love for Domino 2 almost got him killed. It was unfair that they had to pay this price for Anne's mistake, they didn't deserve any of this.

Tears filled Anne's eyes, the teen girl not bothering to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, Leif." She whispered, knowing what she had to do next. "It's time to go!"

After all, not all good things lasted forever. If you love someone, you'll know when it's time you have to let them go.

Anne turned around, grunting as she threw the cat toy off the cliff. She fell to her knees, only watching as Domino 2 flew after the toy, disappearing down below the cliff... presumably never to be seen again. Anne wasn't sure what would happen to Domino 2, but... there'd always be a place in her heart for the adorable little thing.

"Sayonara, Domino 2." Anne wiped away the last of her tears, staying there on her knees for a few moments to let everything sink in. Domino 2... was really gone. For good. She'd only known her for a few short days, but... wow. Anne looked up at the sky, the stars and the red moon shining particularly bright tonight.

(WTB-LINE-BREAK-WTB)

As the adrenaline rush left her, clarity returned to Anne's mind, realizing that the others must be looking for her. Dejected over everything that happened, Anne shoved her hands into her pockets, beginning the long walk back to the house. When she neared the Association, she saw Kabbu, Vi, and Leif not too far away, the three of them apparently not noticing her yet.

"Hey..." Anne took one of her hands out of her pocket, waving nervously at them. Kabbu whipped around and noticed her first, practically sprinting to her on-sight.

"Anne!" Kabbu said, tears in his eye as he pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you okay? Did Domino 2 hurt you? Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"...I'm fine." Anne simply replied, letting Kabbu hug her for as long as he needed.

"Okay, I thought you jumping after that spider was the stupidest thing you'd do..." Vi began. "But THIS? Do you know how dumb it was to have that thing chase after you?"

"She did what she had to." Leif said, blunt. "Otherwise, we would've... yeah." He didn't need to continue; everyone saw what Domino 2 almost did to him earlier. Kabbu frowned, letting go of Anne and walking over to Leif, patting his wings. "Thank you, Anne." Leif added. "But..." He paused, as if he almost didn't want to ask.

"Where's Domino 2?"

"She's gone." Anne answered, looking away. Silence filled the area, all four of them realizing that... yes. Domino 2 truly was gone, never to come back to them again. For some it was for the better, but for others...

"We loved her unconditionally while she was around." Leif said, voicing his true feelings. His voice was still strained, the moth shaking slightly. "And... we still do."

"Really? That thing was a monster!" Vi yelled, Leif looking away guiltily in response.

"You're right." Anne replied, grabbing her own arm and rubbing it slightly. She sighed; her heart heavy. May as well get this over with now. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I had no right to put you all in danger, no matter how much I missed my cat." It was short, but honest and to the point. "I hope you can understand."

"Anne..." Kabbu said, taking a moment to think of a reply. "I forgive you. I can understand how it feels to miss someone, doing whatever you can think of to replicate how it feels to have them around... Just know that I'm always here for you."

"Yeah, uh..." Vi frowned. "I guess we're cool. As long as you don't do anything like that ever again."

"...We'd like to apologize too." Leif eventually spoke up, turning the attention to himself. "We insisted on Domino 2 being brought home, we tried to use her to distract ourselves from... distressing thoughts. It wasn't right for us to do that at your expense."

While Anne did mostly blame herself for what happened... it was true that Leif did play a part in it as well. But Anne wasn't gonna blame him or anyone else. Especially when she had a good feeling about why he wanted Domino 2 in the first place... but who knows.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Leif?" Kabbu asked, concerned after the moth's last statement.

Leif didn't respond for a few moments, staying silent... until he shook his head, making it clear that he didn't want anyone to press it any further. "No. We just need to rest."

"Yeah, I think after fighting a huge monster all of us should rest." Vi cut in, feeling tired herself.

"Aaaand I'm pretty sure that tomorrow we're gonna have to spend the whole day fixing the house up." Anne realized, remembering all the wind that caused a bunch of stuff to tumble around. And all the webs that Domino 2 strung everywhere. ...And anything else that she might've left behind.

"Well, that's that. Let's go, team." Kabbu said, and with that, the four of them began making their way back to the house.

"You know, what's the deal with that paper you found?" Vi pointed out, only one of the many remaining unanswered questions from the ordeal. Right, Anne had almost forgotten about that.

"Oh, who knows. A previous owner probably just left it in there by accident. Stuff like that happens all the time." Kabbu explained. It was a reasonable explanation. And now Anne had an excuse not to think about it anymore, instead cherishing the memories she had with Domino 2, wishing her the best of luck, wherever she was.

…

Domino 2... At this point, Leif just wanted to sleep and forget the entire thing ever happened. He loved Domino 2, and yet thinking about her brought him pain... and he also wanted her back, more than anything. Feelings were so confusing...

As he walked to the house, behind everyone else... he thought back. The reason he really wanted Domino 2 in the first place... the distraction that only made everything worse in the end, bringing him back to the thoughts he so desperately wanted to escape from.

"That lady we saw..." He whispered to himself, low enough that nobody else could hear. That memory from a few days ago was still fresh in his mind. He still told himself it was impossible over and over again, as if trying to convince himself. He had to convince himself, because...

"That couldn't have been Muse... could it?"