OctoSquids (Splatoon story)

OctoSquids 1 year special - A Happy Memory

(This special chapter contains major spoilers to the main story, OctoSquids. For the best reading experience, I recommend reading the story first, then head back here.)

It had been a year since Moray and Plum met; a year since all the trouble Leven had put them through. Neither were even able to sleep soundly afterwards for the first few weeks, but slowly, their fears began to become forgettable, despite being aware of the everlasting feeling of dread. Now, to Moray, it was just another silent night in her home, sleeping with Plum at her side, making her feel much more protected. However, despite feeling protected with him at her side, a lingering thought stayed in her mind: It had been an entire year since it all happened, since she was forced to fight her friends, and even lost one throughout the whole turmoil. Moray was not nervous of the day itself, but rather, she was much more concerned with how Plum and the rest of their friends would behave over the course of that day. She did not want their conversations to be awkward, but then again, she always did find it difficult to speak about it.

A moment of feeling uneasy was enough for Moray to carefully turn her body to face Plum, hoping a bit of the sheets' and mattress's white noise would be able to soothe her a bit, but as she did, it felt like Plum was not even laying next to her, like she remembered he did right before going to bed. She opened her eyes and found Plum sitting on the side of the bed, facing away from her. She could clearly see the cracks that originated from his giant scar peeking out from the openings in his black tank top, crawling all the way to his shoulders and halfway down his arms. Wondering what was going on, Moray sat up. 
"Plum, are you okay...?", she asked him in a whispered, almost drowsy tone. Plum turned his head towards her quickly, now realizing she was awake.
"N-No, I'm fine..", Plum whispered back to her. 
"Why are you awake, then..?", Moray asked right after.
"I...", Plum trailed off before he could answer right away, but continued with a sigh. "I...guess I'm starting to miss Ridley again...a lot...", he finished his sentence. Moray knew this had to be because of this deranged one year anniversary Leven had set up for them. After a bit of silence, she also sighed in response. 
"Yeah... I'm starting to miss him too...", she replied as she sat up and scooted over next to him, clenching his hand with her own. "If it makes you feel any better...we could go and see him...", she offered him.
"D-Don't worry about me. We'll be able to see him in the morning.", Plum reassured her.
"But are you going to sleep well..? Let alone, sleep at all?", Moray retorted, making Plum think it over for a bit. "Who knows? Maybe it could be what you need to relax a bit. The night breeze is also a win.", Moray continued trying to convince him, and after a moment of silence, Plum turned his head to Moray and nodded.
"I guess it has been a while...", Plum admitted.

Plum and Moray changed into more comfy attire for them to go out late at night, hoping to not catch a cold as they tried to relax. Plum had sometimes avoided going through this specific path as to not get too close to the cemetery whenever he wanted to go to Inkopolis Square from his house, but he also knew that he had to go back sometime. He always told himself he didn't want to get distracted with so much grief during a seemingly calm day. Tonight, he knew it was not going to be as calm as he would hope for. As they both arrived and made their way towards Ridley's grave, Plum took his time to look at the graves that surrounded him. He could make out some names under the darkness, like Misairu Samon and Thames Zale. So many lives worth grieving for, and even if he felt sorry for the families who had lost their loved ones, his focus was entirely on seeing Ridley.

Eventually, both Plum and Moray were standing right in front of the grave that had Ridley Clifford Jardine's name engraved on it, as well as Plum's poem to show how much he regretted not protecting him. The poem read "You could once beat a whole army / Now, your life breaks for my mistake / I am so terribly sorry...".
"Do you still feel bad about...that?", Moray asked Plum, wondering how he has dealt with this loss after a year.
"Not as much anymore, but... I still feel a bit responsible...", Plum answered Moray as the cold breeze blew through their tentacles they had for hair.
"You really shouldn't think that, Plum...", Moray tried to comfort him.
"I know...", Plum sighed as he stared at Ridley's grave, then smiled as he remembered something he said. "Ridley always wanted me to live a happy life, even if he was gone. Right now, he's gone and...", Plum continued.
"How has that worked out for you..?", Moray asked him again.
"I... I've been doing surprisingly well. I guess losing Ridley, even if it hurt to see him go... It was a learning experience.", Plum answered Moray, chuckling awkwardly a bit. This made Moray smile.
"It was a learning experience for all of us..", Moray agreed as they both continued staring at the grave, letting a moth perch itself onto the top of it. Plum could not make out the color right away because of the darkness, but he could tell it was a shade of orange. "I'm sure he would've loved to hear that.", Moray commented as she stood close to Plum, tightly clenching his hand as he did the same. 
"Yeah... He really would have...", Plum agreed.