Skull x Headphones (Splatoon Manga)

Part 16: Finale

Headphones said no word- only ran and hugged Skull so tight he wasn't able to breathe.

"You're okay!" She cried, refusing to let go, in case someone tried to take him away from her again.

"I am." He replied, and Headphones couldn't resist it any longer.

She kissed Skull, right then and there.

They embraced each other, and when they finally parted, both heads had been cleared of worry. Both of them turned and looked at the phone, which was buzzing angrily, as if it were waiting for someone to answer it.

"I won't let this stand! I WON'T LET THIS STAND!" It said, nonsense about how it was going to take revenge spewing out of its receiver. Headphones walked over, careful not to step on anyone who had fallen during the battle.

She approached the phone, who couldn't see her.

And crushed it with her boot.

The noises it gave were reduced to static, a disturbing mix of cries and frustration, before finally ending with a noise not unfamiliar.

Krrrhhhssshhh...

The sound of an escaping tide on the beach.

The phone stopped moving or making noise, simply because it no longer had the ability to.

Mumbles and groans came from the pile of bodies, likely waking up from their controlled state. Heads turned around, moving left and right, up and down, before escaping the pile and letting their gaze slowly land on the standing duo in front of them.

"W-where am I? Where are we..?" Mumbled Aviators, one of the first to wake up. His eyes locked onto Skull and Headphones, before shaking his head and smiling.

"Shoulda known you would take care of this, Skull. This musta been like a date for you and 'Phones over there, huh?" He said, grabbing his shades in the corner and wiping them off with a tissue he had in his jacket.

"Hardly." He answered, glancing over at Headphones to see if she was alright, before settling into a slight blush.

"Yeah, If this was a date, I'd hate to see what the marriage looks like." Headphones added on, feeling confident. Skull's face heated up more, and he had the misfortune of not having his bandanna to hide it.

"You two flirt too much. C'mon, let's get the others back on their feet."

It took a total of three and a half hours to extract any and everyone inside the building, mainly because the layout of it was so complex. Once everyone was extracted, Off The Hook made an announcement on the news.

"Y'all know what time it is!"

"Yep, Pearl, I bet they know what time it is. And today, we know everyone has been through a lot, so the Local Police Federation of Inkopolis-"

"Cut to the chase, Marina! These people don't have all day, you know!"

"Alright. The police would like to let everyone know that if no one wants to remember what happened today and yesterday, you can opt to forget any and all of the trauma you experienced during this. Just head on down, and you can forget anything that happened during the past two days."

"Sick, yo! They've got memory washing machines, just like that human movie!" Pearl leaned forward in her seat. "And remember, it doesn't hurt at all! With that said... here are today's battle stages for Turf War!"

The people of Inkopolis looked up at the large TV in the Square in surprise. Memory washing so they wouldn't have to remember being temporarily enslaved? Count them in! A large stream of people went to the police station, moving quickly, talking among themselves. Meanwhile, two inklings stood at the back of the crowd, unmoving and unsure.

"Do we want to...?" Headphones contemplated. They did share a kiss in the underground subway, but was it worth it from the trauma?

"I..." Skull took in a deep breath. "I think we should. There's not much I want to remember from that."

With a nod, they both joined the crowd, but not before a quick squeeze of hands between the two.

The chambers of the once full prison now held only one person.

They didn't remember much.

Just that they had to keep riding the train.

And when that train stopped, well, they'd be in the Fates' hands.

It, (he?) knew that it wasn't a he before...

But what else?