"Pretty slick, right? I think you owe me a big 'Thank-you.' What do you think?"

"You did good, Old friend. Thank-you."

"And as part of the deal: I'll be keeping the Great Zapfish!"

"Wouldn't you rather stay with us on the surface?"

"Are you-... What!?"

"There's going to be plenty of space…"

"Oh, I see… Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. It isn't your fault. C'mon, let's see Squid and Octopi united once again."

"You mean… just like old times?"

"Just like old times."

X

Warmth and comfort enveloped Myo's drowsy body. Soft blankets and pillows gave a heavenly lave of luxury, tempting her to fall back asleep. She felt no pain save for a stiff soreness in her gut. Was this the afterlife? There was no other explanation she could think of.

A profuse sadness awoke with her, in her dreams she had recollected what had happened to Humbo and Molly. But somehow she had already known, refusing to recognize it as truth until now. She would find the time to mourn them properly later. For now, she needed to know where she was.

With a yawn, Myo found the strength and motivation to lift herself up and gaze at her surroundings. Blurry warm colors greeted her, and she wiped away the morning sickness from her eyes to see better. She was in a bed with white and plush covers. Golden rays of sun filtered in through translucent curtains. Other beds, all empty, were lined up beside hers.

"So, you're awake." a calming voice spoke to her from behind. Myo turned around to see a pale pink face.

"Y-you're an Octoling!" Myo gasped. She tensed at seeing a member of the rival Octarian race.

"Don't worry. We are on good terms from here on out." The tall Octoling approached and sat next to Myo's bedside. She was careful to not present any sign of threat. "You can relax, you're safe now. You're in the Moray Hospital resting up."

"What? You mean you have been taking care of me?" Myo then noticed a few rings of bandages covered portions of her head and body. It was such a surreal thought: Inklings and Octolings allied with each other. That was something that had not been seen in over a hundred years.

"Yeah. Long story short: They are all gone."

"What are you-? The Ancients are… gone?" Myo looked dumbfounded.

"Yeah, pretty much. There actually might be more of them out there in space. But we will be ready for them if they decide to rear their ugly mugs again!" the Octoling declared patriotically. "It's all thanks to us! You should be thankful!"

Myo was taken aback at this. The Octarians had rescued her? She gazed over at the Octoling uneasily when she suddenly began to panic. "W-wait… Where's Psid!?"

"Hmm?" the Octoling blinked.

"M-my friend: Psid! He's a little boy with blue eyes and…" Myo paused, thinking of a very recognizable physical feature Psid now bore. "He got two of his fingers bitten off…"

"Oh, him." the Octoling said thoughtfully.

"You've seen him!?" Myo perked up, though this information did not confirm Psid was okay.

"Yeah. He's been spending most of his time sitting right here, actually." the Octoling said with a smile, her pointed fangs visible with the grin. "He's been waiting for you to get up all day."

"You mean he's okay!?" Myo inquired.

"Mostly. He's seen better days, but he's fine."

Myo collapsed back into her pillow. That was all she needed to hear. A wide smile grew on her face as her eyes rolled back and shut, the news of Psid's health was like a lullaby to her. Once she had finished savoring her moment of relief, she looked up at the Octoling. "Where is he?"

"I'm sure he'll be back soon if you wait for him." The Octoling lifted herself to her feet. "Or you could come with me to look for him if you like."

"Y-yes!" Myo excitedly rolled onto her side to approach the edge of the bed and swung her feet over the side. She groaned from the soreness in her gut as she began to exert herself to stand, bare feet touching the cold tile floor.

"Take it easy." the Octoling advised. "Don't push yourself."

Myo was able to stand on her own much to her surprise. She trotted out of the room behind the Octoling, eager to reunite with Psid.

The hallway she entered was much more quaint than the ones of the Ancient's ship. Much shorter ceilings and doorways, better fitting Inklings, and windows lined one side allowing natural light to enter. Through them Myo caught a glimpse of the Ancient space ship sitting in the distance, huge punctures in the side of its hull and certain areas torn off completely. Some of it's legs had been pulled out from underneath it leaving the structure lopsided. A second large metallic body stood tall next to it; it had a large bulbous head and building-thick robotic tentacles extending down holding it up. It was not as large as the ship, but they were comparable.

"What's that?" Myo pointed.

"Hmm?" the Octoling stopped to see what Myo meant. "Oh, that's the Great Octobot! General Octavio himself piloted it to victory! It was powered by your very own Great Zapfish, don't ya know. Captain Cuttlefish gave him to us as a peace offering, but we will be living together from now on so don't worry about it."

Myo blinked in surprise. There was a great irony to an Octarian super weapon rescuing the Inklings, considering their role in the Great Turf War a hundred years ago. She supposed with so many of the Inklings dead there would be more than enough room for both races to occupy the surface once more; a tragic convenience for the Octarians.

Finding their way into a cafeteria, Myo noticed how hungry she was; smelling the well prepared food made her mouth water. But she forgot about it when she spotted Psid's face among those sitting at the tables. Her heart quickened, filling with warmth.

She did not get his attention right away, instead she was mindful of how happy Psid looked as she approached him. Never had she seen such a simple cheer in his face. She moved around behind him and tapped him on the back.

Psid turned around and was greeted by Myo's smile. "Myo!" He jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around her. "You're awake! How are you feeling? Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Myo answered. "I feel amazing actually."

"T-that's great!" Psid let go of her and looked up to meet her eyes. His eyes twinkled with dew drops of joy.

Myo moved to look at Psid's right hand, lifting his arm from around her. It's index and middle fingers were completely gone, the stumps hidden by bloodied cotton bandaged to his hand. Myo felt the pain of guilt wash over her upon seeing it.

Noticing her expression, Psid got her eye contact again. "It wasn't your fault. I'm fine."

Myo tugged him in for another hug. So many thoughts and feelings hit her at once; relief that Psid was finally safe, guilt that her guard had not been enough to save him from harm, sadness at the loss of her old friends. Too much had been fused into one emotion, leaving her unsure if she should be upset or experiencing the greatest happiness of her life. Either way it lead to tears.

Apparently Psid was not sure how she felt either, opting to give her silent reassurance by absorbing the embrace completely.

"I'm sorry." Myo said finally letting Psid go. She decided to change the subject. "How long was I out?"

"All day." Psid sat down, offering her a seat next to him. "I got up this morning. It's sunset now."

"I should probably eat then…" Myo moaned, remembering her hunger.

"Oh! Try the crabby cakes! That's my favorite one!" Psid bounced in his seat.

"O-okay!" Myo giggled seeing his display. Never had she seen him so excited about anything. Everyday privileges like good food and care would not be taken for granted ever again by any Inkling.

- Months later -

"Are you sure you can hold it properly?" Myo asked the now fourteen year old Psid.

"I can do it." Psid nodded in confidence, and Myo handed him a Splatter Shot. It was her first weapon when she was his age, and it felt only fitting to give it to him. It was a simple but reliable weapon. But missing his index and middle fingers on his right hand, he would not be without difficulty operating it. "I hope…"

"You can always use a roller you know!" Pata teased, slouched in a cushioned seat off to the side. "No dexterity required. Huh?"

"No. I wanna use a shooter…" Psid said, embarrassed. He struggled to align his two remaining fingers and thumb into a viable position of holding the ink weapon.

"Here." Myo intervened and helped him to grip it; his pinky and thumb wrapped about the hilt and his ring finger gingerly reached for the trigger. "See? You can still do it!"

Psid smiled warmly and gave a nod. "Yeah!"

"Well, I think I better get going. It's pretty late. Happy Birthday, Psid." Pata made her way out of the apartment. There was currently no power to light their homes with; the Great Zapfish's electricity being diverted to reconstruction efforts. This meant the sun was the only light source for now, and as such the Inklings had made a habit of going to sleep as the sun went down. "My roller offer is still open!"

"Yeah. Thanks." Psid said plainly.

"Goodnight, Pata. See you tomorrow?" Myo asked.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah of course! Gotta see how the birthday boy handles himself in turf war!" Pata exclaimed as she shut the door behind her.

Psid now lived in Myo's apartment under her care, since he had been too young to be allowed to own anything until today. Psid had lost everyone he knew in the initial attack so he had nowhere else to stay. A few weeks ago Myo had suggested finding him his own place now that he was turning fourteen, but Psid didn't like the idea of being too far away from his caretaker. Myo certainly didn't mind the company, and did not resent him for staying with her in the slightest.

"She's just joking around." Myo began once Pata had left the room. She had noticed how Psid was slightly disheartened at Pata's mention of his handicap. "Don't mind her. She didn't mean anything by it."

"I know. But… What if I'm not any good? I don't want you losing because of me…"

Myo lifted his chin up so she could look at him straight. "I'm sure you'll do fine, so don't worry about it. Okay? Besides: It's not about winning. I'll be happy as long as I see you happy and having fun."

Psid smiled at this. "Then… I can't wait until tomorrow!"

"You better get to bed! You'll need your strength for your first turf war!"

"Okay! I should go get ready!" Psid hopped up from his seat and ran off to the other room to prepare for bed. Myo chuckled at his childlike enthusiasm.

X

That night Myo lay in her bed half awake, reflecting on the events of the past. Some nights would be like this: Sleep would never come, and she would simply lie in rest until the morning sun alerted her that she did not need to lay there any longer.

She shifted her weight to find a more comfortable position. Her side was sore, even after several months it never truly healed completely.

The shadowy outline of Psid stepped in from the other room and into the line of moonlight that peaked through the curtains. "U-um… Myo?" he whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Myo returned. "What is it?"

"I can't sleep…" Myo knew what this meant. "C-can I sleep with you tonight?"

Myo scooched over under the sheets to make room for the boy, and he gratefully slid his body underneath the covers, pulling them up and over his shoulders. Myo, laying on her back, felt Psid wrap his arms around one of hers. He hugged her like a child clinging to its mother. "I saw them…" He said. Myo noticed he was trembling.

"It's okay. It was just a dream." Myo reassured. "You're safe. They can't hurt you."

Psid pressed his face against the upper sleeve of her shirt, and Myo felt small wet spot slowly grow from the tears soaking into her clothing. "They-… They took you and-... they just wouldn't stop... Y-you… you died…"

At this Myo reached her other arm over to caress his face, hushing him. "It's okay… Be strong, Psid. You're a kid now, an adult Inkling. Don't you worry about anything. I'll always be right here."

He held on to her arm tighter as if afraid that the tall demons might be lurking behind the veil of darkness in the room, watching them. Eventually his shaky breath and grip on her calmed, Myo hushing and humming him to sleep. Her voice did wonders to ease his nerves, and amazingly Psid's warmth did wonders on her.

Myo placed a small kiss on the top of his head once he had fallen asleep. "Psid… I'll always be here to protect you… I promise."

A/N: The Great Octobot is the robot DJ Octavio uses at the end of hero mode. Most of you probably know this but some might not know what it was called. Octavio didn't so much win with ink but rather brute force considering the sheer size of the tentacles in the background during the boss.

Thanks to everyone who read my story to completion! I know it's dark, the idea just seemed right in my mind.

Special thanks to IssacDenev for the cover image!