"Poppy..."

. . .

"Poppy...?"

. . .

"Poppy...!"

. . .

"POPPY!"

Poppy's eyes shot open before the top half of her body shot up in alarm. When she did, her head bumped with Branch's, sending them into a fit of disorientation.

"Sorry," Poppy apologized as she coughed up water in her lungs.

"For what?" Branch shook his head, "For not listening to everybody who tried to tell you that your plan had holes in it or for bumping my head with yours?"

. . .

"Yes," Poppy nodded as she adjusted to a better seating position, "It's... It's my fault that we're here. In this situation. On this island."

"I won't deny that," Branch honestly stated as he sat beside her, "but sometimes mistakes are made in the face of desperation and overambition. It's our job to make sure we learn from them."

"I know that. My dad taught me this when I was preparing for my coronation. But...none of the mistakes I made before and after I was crowned Queen resulted in anyone I loved get hurt or killed."

"You don't know that, Poppy."

"I do know that, Branch. The vibrations created by the explosions caused the bubbles to burst. Everybody fell into the sea! DJ, CJ, Prince D, Hickory, Delta Dawn, all of Vibe City! Even the Rock Troll who helped me and Prince D restore the power! Everybody is either hurt, dead, or missing, and it's all because of me!"

"Poppy..." Branch stood up in concern, "You need to calm down! This isn't your fault!"

"No, I won't, Branch!" Poppy stood up and backed away, "You said that you wouldn't deny the truth that everything that happened in the span of almost a week was all my fault! I was the one who came up with the idiotic idea of using a Pop Medley to persuade the Country Trolls to take our side! I was the one who wrote a letter to Queen Barb with the intention of making another friend without even considering her feelings about it! I was the one who came up with the idea of our own world tour in the first place!"

By this point in the speech, Poppy's eyes watered before tears finally broke through her eyelids. Buring her face into her hands, the Pop Queen sobbed and fell on her knees, completely shutting down at the idea of what to do now in her darkest hour. As he watched on in utter pity, Branch felt extremely guilty. He did his best to soften the blow and deliver the truth in its entirety, but he blew it. What he and Poppy said was true, but they both knew could've said it better. Both were at a crossroads on what would happen next.

. . .

. . .

. . .

I hate that you're perfect, perfect for me
If I didn't know better then I would believe
We were made for each other
But I'd know the truth
You're no good for me, I'm no good for you
And I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me
I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me...

After calming down and recuperating from her breakdown, Poppy looked from her hands and towards Branch in surprise. Knowing that an explanation would be needed, he pulled out from his hair a piece of slightly soggy paper.

"Before we left... Before this World Tour... I wrote a song. It helped me cope with my feelings."

"For what?"

. . .

"For you..."

Her eyes widening, Poppy's surprise increased tenfold before diminishing somewhat.

I should've noticed the signs; I'm his best friend! Of course, he would've had feelings for me...and be broken up at the thought of being just a friend.

"Can I...look at it?"

"Y-Yeah. Sure..."

Both sat down again as they both overlooked the song together.

("Perfect For Me" - Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick) [Film Version]

Branch decided to sing in order to give Poppy an idea of the general tone of the song.

I know your favorite song
I hear it everyday
Whoever made your smile
Made it to get in my way
And every time you laugh
You make that little sound
It's just the hardest thing
To love you but not know how

Poppy herself immediately noticed it, the somber and melancholic feel of the song not at all what she was used to. It began to grow her with every word sung...

So I spend all my nights in the dark and afraid
'Cause I've tried to forget you but these things just don't go away

...and subsequently hurt her as such. She really wished she had noticed the signs much earlier, the revealing of his true colors being the closest thing she ever had to a hint.

I hate that you're perfect, perfect for me
If I didn't know better then I would believe
We were made for each other
But I'd know the truth
You're no good for me, I'm no good for you
And I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me
I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me

It was at that moment that she decided to do something upon that fact. Standing up and pulling Branch with her, Poppy pulled him close and embraced him close in a slow dance...before singing along with him.

What good are words when they always just get in our way?
And it hurts the most just to know that you don't feel the same, the same...
So sometimes I get down on my knees and I pray things will change
But life is what happens when things they don't work out our way, our way...

In the midst of their slow dance of romance, Poppy gazed lovingly into Branch's eyes just as Branch gazed lovingly into hers.

So I spend all my nights in the dark and afraid
'Cause I've tried to forget you but these things just don't go away, away...

They held on to each other's sight for some time before that bittersweet look returned into their eyes, causing them to glance away for a minute...

I hate that you're perfect, perfect for me
If I didn't know better then I would believe
We were made for each other
But I'd know the truth
You're no good for me, I'm no good for you
And I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me
I hate that you're perfect, you're perfect for me...

...but in the end, they slowly returned each other's gaze as a smile grew on their faces.

"I'm...really glad you came with me."

"Me too."

After being stuck in a standstill for more than a minute, Branch finally mustered up the courage to say what he wanted to say to Poppy all the time.

"I...love you."

Momentarily shocked, Poppy returned the smile Branch shared with him and began to confess something to him as well.

"I..."

SNAP!

Abruptly thrust back into the real world, Poppy and Branch turned back into the forest. Fear and alarm coursing through their veins, the couple grabbed each other's hand and took each other's side to protect each other from the impending threat. Their eyes narrowed further and their ears perked higher at the voices, which belonged to a group...of teenaged girls.

"You see me...?"

"I can see you...!"

"Let's get 'em..."

"One, two, three!"

Suddenly, a strand of purple-and-black wrapping paper shot out of the forest and did its job, splitting in half and bounding Poppy and Branch, respectively. Caught off guard, they were slammed in the sand to disorient them before pulling them along, seperated from each other as they cried out their names.

"POPPY!"

"BRANCH!"