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alphashley14 · 1 year

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One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

Chapter 16

Endlessly

“Do not be afraid.”

Those were Mystery’s first words, after the stunned silence dragged on at such a pace that it grew to be unbearable.

Thus far, this wasn’t the worst reaction he’d ever gotten to revealing his true form. At least no one had screamed, run, or thrown a spear at him yet.

Mystery drooped his ears, lowered his tails, and lowered his head submissively, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

I’m like Lewis, Mystery told himself, no matter how much he knew it was a lie. Please realize I’m like Lewis. I’m your friend. I’m a good boy. I’m just as you’ve always known me. Please.

Vivi walked up to Mystery helpfully and gave him a scratch behind the ears.

“Sooo… yeah. We decided to save the best for last,” she joked. But her actions said something else: See? I’m petting him. It’s safe. He’s a friend.

But alas, fear was wafting through the air, curling deliciously into Mystery’s nostrils. It was almost enough to make his mouth water. In another life, he would have done all he could to chase that feeling. But coming from them, his Children of Nibiru, the kids he was supposed to protect… it just felt wrong.

“I was born this way, and this is how I shall die,” Mystery said, laying down with his paws stretched out in front of him, seven tails curling around his body. “I am what is known as a kitsune - a type of yokai descended from Annunaki. My kind are gifted shape-shifters. So like Lewis, I assume an acceptable form so that I may walk among humankind. I’m sure you know very well that dogs are much more acceptable human companions than foxes - a fitting form for the guardian spirit of the Yukino family.”

“So l-like um… this definitely explains a lot.” Shaggy said with his signature nervous laugh.

“You’re a kitsune?” Velma asked slowly, visibly pale.

Oh no. Which of the legends has she heard? “I am,” Mystery said gently with a nod.

“Uhm… what kind?”

“Leave it to you to know the old tales,” Mystery chuckled.

“Just answer the question,” She said quickly.

“I am the son of a yama and a tengoku. As for me, I am a mori-”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Velma said accusingly.

“Why does it matter, Velma?” Daphne asked.

“Because he may or may not be capable and likely to kill us all!”

“K-k-kill us?” Scooby trembled.

“‘Capable’ and ‘willing’ are two entirely different things, Velma.” Mystery said gently. “Scooby’s teeth and claws are perfectly capable of ruining flesh. Fred could kill too if he wished, with his multitude of traps and weapons. Or Lewis or Vivi, with their powers. But they never would, because we are friends. Yes - I am a nogitsune. But I consider each of you to be friends and allies, and have placed you under my protection. So yes - I could kill you all, Velma. But that would be extremely unlikely. I would sooner die.”

“Hold on. Just- hold on,” Fred said, standing up and nervously rubbing his neck. “Let’s pretend for a second that most of us here aren’t familiar with Japanese folklore and start from the beginning. Please.”

Mystery sighed. “I am a kitsune - a fox spirit and a yokai, which is a japanese subclass of demon. What most people don’t know however, is that my people were originally animal descendants of the Annunaki. But not like Scooby and Professor Pericles. When Annunaki breed with mortal animals, the first few generations of descendants retain some of their ancestors’ traits and abilities. Usually, these disappear as the Anunnaki blood is watered down through generations of mating with regular animals. But some of their earliest descendants, my ancestors included, did not want this to happen. Sooo…”

“Sweet home Alabama?” Velma guessed.

“Precisely,” he sighed. “But not just that. Our bloodline also intersected with the native Yokai who already lived in Japan and we became adept with the magic of this world. The result was a new species: the kitsune. A creature part-mortal and part-god, descended from the wild foxes of Japan, the gods of Japan’s spirit world, and the gods of another. This is how I fit and diverge from the pattern. I can talk, and I am a descendant of the Annunaki. But biologically, I am a much closer descendant than Scooby or any of the others, and my blood is intermixed with that of other gods.”

“We know it’s a bit much. Everyone following along?” Lewis asked.

“So far, yeah. But what did Velma mean by different types?” Fred asked.

“And what’s that got to do with killing us?” Ricky asked.

“All kitsune are essentially divided into two diametrically opposed… camps. The zenko, and the nogitsune. Zenko, also sometimes called Inari Foxes, are benevolent to mankind and serve the god Inari. They serve the gods, perform good deeds, and are physically incapable of ever harming a human. Then there are nogitsune, also called the yako. We are… more complicated.”

“By ‘more complicated’, you mean ‘evil’. And you’re one of them.” Velma said.

Mystery nearly growled at her, but he stopped himself. Still, everyone flinched at his slightly bared fangs. Mystery took a step back, took a deep breath, and explained himself.

“All that you know is what you have read in your books. Against what many of the old stories say, and what many of the so-called ‘good spirits’ spread around… the world is much more complicated than good and evil. Yes - I confess. I am a nogitsune. My mother was one, and my father abandoned his place in kitsune society and became one to run into the wilds with her. Really, it was quite the scandal. But they weren’t evil, and neither am I. However… They were mischievous. And they hurt people… and there was a very long period in my life where I did too.

“But then, I met Mushi. She could have killed me. Maybe she should have. But instead she showed me mercy and treated me with respect. I bound myself to her and her family, and before I knew it… I fell in love. With her and her family, then with all of mankind. So yes. I am a nogitsune. But that does not make me evil. Rather (just like humans, really) I have the freedom to choose the sort of fox I want to be. I can be good. I could be evil… and when necessary, I can walk the gray areas to protect those who are worth dying and killing for.

“The time of the samurai and the onna-musha is over. I may be among the last, but I am not the first of my kind to ally myself with a warrior or to grant them my power. Think about it. As pure as they are, an Inari Fox would be of little help in battle. They are incapable of causing harm to humans. You need a yako for that - like me.”

Quietness settled over the conservatory as the kids processed what they’d been told and made up their minds about what they thought about it.

“I think… I get it,” Scooby said. And he walked over to sit beside Mystery. The dog giggled, looking up at the kitsune. “Wow, you really are big.”

And that was certainly true. The tips of Scooby’s ears didn’t even come up to Mystery’s shoulder.

“Like, if Scoob’s cool with it, then so am I. Like, so long as you don’t like, kill us.” Shaggy gulped.

“Nonsense - I find each of you uniquely delightful. And I see no reason why we should ever become enemies.” Mystery said, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles, tails thumping against the floor.

“Alright. You’ve been good to Vivi, Lewis, and Arthur for this long. So I guess I don’t have much choice but to believe you. But I still can’t say I trust you. Not completely,” Velma said.

“I expect no less,” Mystery said fondly.

“Well then gang, I guess we’re friends with a kitsune, now.” Said Fred.

“Yeah…” Ricky mumbled. “Friends…”

“So then,” Velma said, “You’re a nogitsune. But which of the thirteen types did you say you were again?”

“And uh… go over it like most of us don’t know much about Japanese mythology,” Daphne reminded him.

“There are thirteen different kinds of kitsune that each correlate with a different chakra,” Mystery explained. “I won’t go into all of them, but I am what would be known as a Mori - a kitsune of the forest. I have the same powers as most of my kind, but I have some abilities that correspond to plants, trees, moss, fungi, earth, animals, etc. that the other 12 types don’t have.”

Fred prompted, “And those powers would be…?”

“Shapeshifting, obviously.” Mystery said, and in a flash he changed back into the little dog they’d all gotten to know. “As I said before, I usually take on this form because dogs fit well as companions alongside a human society. You should know from experience Ricky, that something more exotic-” and they gasped as he transformed into a large white moluccan cockatoo, then flew over their heads to land on the back of the sofa behind Ricky. “- Tends to attract a bit more attention.”

He fluffed up his red and black mohawk, then stretched out his wings to show off his black wingtips. “Don’t get me wrong though, the form I would be most comfortable in aside from my own is a fox,” and the bird became a normal-sized, one-tailed fox stretched across the back headrest. “But alas, thanks to your fairytales and legends, people don’t tend to find those too trustworthy-” and the fox hopped down onto the seat, then onto the floor and turned back into a dog. “-So a dog suits me just fine.”

Then Mystery walked back over to where he’d been sitting originally and resumed his true form. “Apart from shapeshifting, there’s my foxfire of course,” he continued. He raised his paw, and conjured a magnificent ball of crimson flame, smirking smugly at the awestruck expressions of his audience. “Fire is as dual as we are. It’s only fitting that we kitsune be so well-adapted to it. Capable of providing warmth or pain. Fostering life or destruction. Leading men to salvation, or luring them to their deaths. That is the purpose of foxfire.” And with a flex of his claws, he extinguished it.

“As Shaggy has already observed, I am also capable of observing and manipulating auras and energies. Let’s see… I can also cast magic spells and have knowledge of runes and potions. There’s also the casting of illusions, the manipulation of dreams, possession, manipulation - though that one is more of a learned skill,” he said with a teeny bit of pride, “- and not one that I would use on any of you,” he paused to assure them. “And… without going into all of the little things I can do with those basic abilities, that’s it.”

And that’s when Ricky finally snapped. “That’s it? That’s IT, he says!” Mr. E roared, and he shot to his feet and stormed past Mystery.

Lewis made a move to stop him as he passed, but Mystery stopped him, “Let him go.”

And he watched sadly as Mr. E flung open the ornate back doors and stomped into the gardens.

“Rut’s up with him?” Scooby asked.

“Like, no kidding. Did I miss something?” Shaggy asked.

“Yeah. What was that about?” Said Velma.

“I was afraid of this,” Mystery groaned with drooped ears.

“What do you mean by that? I mean, he was fine with Lewis being a ghost. Whatever happened to ‘at least they were honest about being dishonest’?” Asked Daphne.

“Emotions often contradict each other. Emotions and logic contradict each other even more often. Though in this case, not trusting me is actually the logical thing to do,” Mystery said with a shake of his head. “Don’t forget: the pain that followed the last time a talking animal - specifically one whom he considered a friend - lied to Ricky about his true nature.”

Mystery Incorporated looked at each other, then cringed in unison with a chorus of “Yeeeah…” “Yikes,” “Ouch,” and “Oooohhh…”

“Poor Mr. E,” Daphne said thoughtfully. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Most wouldn’t,” Mystery said. “But I’ve had about a thousand years to observe humans and learn their ways. I won’t be so arrogant as to say that I’m usually right, but if I didn't acquire some level of emotional intelligence after all of this time, then what kind of trickster spirit would I be?”

“You need to talk to him,” Lewis said.

“I think not. At least not now,” Mystery said. “Give him a bit to himself to process. Children, one of you,” Mystery said, turning to Mystery Incorporated, “If you wouldn’t mind…”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Through his anger, Ricky was in fact aware that he was being stupid.

Fuck, why did I storm out? He groaned to himself, absentmindedly petting the head of the purring Dead Beat in his lap. Three of them had come out after him a minute or two after his dramatic exit - courtesy of Lewis, he imagined.

Damn it. How was he going to go face everyone after walking out like some overly dramatic soap opera character?

Well, it’s long-since gotten dark and all of the yard lights are on…

“I’m going to have to go back in eventually, aren’t I?” He groaned. The three Dead Beats around him made noises of agreement and nodded.

Or I could just stay out here and let the darkness swallow me, he considered.

The latter seemed less daunting than the former at this point.

Just then, he heard a distinct squeeeak as the back door opened. The Dead Beats made a couple happy noises at the newcomer and one of them zipped over to say hello.

Crap.

“Uh, hey? Mr. E? Or um… Ricky? Sorry - still getting used to that. How’re you doing?”

“I’m uh… I’m fine, Daphne.” He said, glancing back but not looking at her. He heard the click of her heels as she crossed the stone patio, then she sat down in the chair beside him, holding the third Dead Beat like a cat in her arms. They didn’t talk for about a minute, and Ricky stubbornly looked out over the illuminated gardens to avoid looking at her. Out of shame, not her own wrongdoing. He hoped she knew that.

“Hey guys,” Daphne said to the Dead Beats, “I uh… kind of want to have a word in private for a minute so no offense but could you…?”

The Dead Beats chirped affirmingly, then zipped back into the conservatory.

And then they were alone. And it was quiet.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Daphne finally asked.

“Nope,” Ricky replied way too merrily. “I’ve just gotten so good at pretending otherwise that at this point it’s just easier. Next question please.”

“Are you mad?”

“Furious, but not at you. Or Fred, Velma, Shaggy, or Scooby. Or even the Mystery Skulls. It’s fine though. I’ve been angry for over 20 years. Why stop now?” He sighed, resting his chin on his palm.

“So… you’re mad at Professor Pericles?”

“You’re surprised that I’m mad at Professor Pericles?”

“Not really. Out of everyone angry with Professor Pericles, you definitely have the most reason to. I was actually fishing for whether or not you’re mad at Mystery.”

“Did he put you up to this?”

“He wants to talk to you, but gets why you’d be upset with him. So he asked one of us to talk to you first on his behalf. He’s worried about you. But… he’s not the only one worried. I’d be checking on you even if he didn’t.”

“Well… thanks.”

“So are you mad at him?”

“No. Maybe…? No. Just-” He scoffed with frustration. She’s going to think I’m so fucking stupid, he thought.

“He reminds me of Professor Pericles.”

“Oh,” said Daphne. “So… you’re upset because he reminds you of Pericles? And you hate Pericles?”

“Not exaaactly. But- Kind of? Will you judge me if I tell you?”

“I don’t know,” Daphne said. “I think that the big problem between us- that is, between you and my friends and I, is that we haven’t talked. It’s been over a year since you started sending us your clues. But we never said anything. And things have gotten so much better in just a day because we finally actually said something. So… whatever you have to say, I want things to keep getting better. So I’m listening.”

Ricky sighed, “Thanks Daphne. So… I guess I’ll say something, then.” He looked up at the starry indigo sky, bouncing one knee, composing his thoughts before he began. “Mystery has reminded me of Pericles from pretty much the moment I met him. But… in all of the best ways. He’s… wise, patient, supportive, and just- always seems to know exactly what to say. In other words, he reminds me of the Pericles I used to think I knew.”

“Oh. So… like the way he was when you were a kid?”

“Yeah. But… without all of the bullshit that I know I should have recognized as red flags. And now that I know what he is, it makes sense as to why he reminds me of Pericles. Only now, I also see all of the worst ways he reminds me of Pericles.”

“Liiike…?”

“First off: his age. I told you all earlier today how much older than the rest of us Professor Pericles was. But Mystery? From my limited knowledge of kitsune, he is hundreds of years old, Daphne. Do you have any idea what the implications of that are? How much he’s seen and done? The skills he’s perfected? The things he’s had time to learn and experience? He’s so much smarter, wiser, and more powerful than any of us. I didn’t know to be afraid of that when I was a kid. But I do now… it’s scary.”

“I… can definitely get that,” Daphne shuddered.

“And beyond that,” Ricky said, “A kitsune is a trickster spirit, Daphne. By definition. How am I to know what’s real when it comes to him?”

“I get it. Pericles revealed that he’d been using you all along, and he chose the treasure over you. So now you don’t know if you can trust Mystery.”

“In a nutshell… basically.”

“Well… Mystery decided to show you his real self without betraying you first. He’s trying to be honest. That says a lot, doesn't it?”

“Uuugh, and I know that, but just- it was all so overwhelming, learning all of that. All those thoughts at once. So of course it only occurred to me after I stormed out. Which is why I haven’t come back in… because I know how stupid I was.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid.”

Ricky jumped out of his skin and whirled around. “Chhheese and crackers, Fred! Make some noise when you move! You gave me a heart attack! Wait a minute- how long have you all been standing there?”

All four other members of Mystery Incorporated were standing behind them.

“Long enough,” Velma said. “And Fred’s right: it’s not stupid. Those are perfectly valid concerns to have, all things considered.”

Scooby padded over and sat beside him. “So uh… what are you going to do?” He asked.

Ricky sighed, reaching over to give the dog a pat. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know how I feel about all this or if I trust him, so I really don’t know what I should do next. Or how I’m going to show my face indoors again.”

“Like if it helps man, like Mystery is just as stressed about what he’s going to say to you,” said Shaggy.

“Really? Why?”

“He feels really bad about turning into a bird. Something about ‘his mischievous side came out too much’,” said Fred.

“No shit,” Velma added under her breath.

“That’s probably true,” Ricky shrugged.

“So… it’s dark out. And it’s getting colder. Ready to go back in?” Daphne asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Ricky sighed.

Walking back into the conservatory, Ricky realized that he’d missed just how grand it was. The sun had gone to bed and where one world was now sleeping, another was waking up. And the house of the dead was as alive as ever. Three chandeliers in the same style as the room’s metal frame hung from the ceiling, sconces attached to the walls and every other vertical frame held floating mystical lights, and the ghost fish in the koi pond and the artificial brook shimmered so bright it was as if the water itself was aglow.

Seeing the lights shining through the dark, it made Ricky wonder how he’d ever failed to see the magic.

“You okay?”

Ricky jumped, looked around for the source of the voice, then looked up.

“Okay. Lewis, I’m still getting used to the whole ‘ghost’ thing as it is, but you doing that is not helping.”

“... Sorry,” the ghost apologized, floating back down to eye-level in his true form. “Seriously though, is everything good?”

“No, but… it never was. As for us though, yeah. We’re good. Mystery though… ehhh… I need to talk to him.”

“He figured as much,” Lewis sighed. “This way, he’s waiting for you.”

Vivi spared Ricky an encouraging smile before leading Mystery Inc. back into the manor. And Ricky followed Lewis deeper into the conservatory. Wordlessly, the ghost pointed down a lit, dense green path, where ahead on an unseen radio, a song was quietly playing. He patted Ricky on the shoulder, then disappeared into thin air.

Ricky gulped, and stepped into the brush.

“Tears that I cried... I've been hol-din’ on…”

He came to realize after a few steps that he was walking into a sort of indoor natural area, complete with big, twisting Japanese maples and cherry trees.

“… I've been hold-in’ on~…”

Fallen crimson leaves and pink petals covered the ground atop trodden mossy cobblestones like a multicolored carpet.

“… I've been hol-din’ ooo-on~…”

Finally, he moved a large fern leaf out of the way, and before him was a hidden oasis within the conservatory - a small clearing among the trees and bushes, at the center of which was a rather curious bonsai tree.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

Notably, the tree was dead. Or at least very close to it. With a couple of rather pitiful orange petals hanging limply on the edge of each branch that may very well have once been pink. And the bark- Ricky may have been mistaken but he could have sworn it was green.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

And yet in spite of this, the pitiful plant was the most revered thing Ricky had seen in the whole conservatory. It was planted directly into the ground with the richest, darkest soil and a ring of pink, orange, and white stones lovingly placed around it. And there were three giant pink necklaces placed around it with candles, burning incense, and Japanese blessings inscribed upon paper.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!"

"(Won’t let them take youu!)”

Ricky tilted his head, curious.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

But where was-

“I worried you wouldn’t come.”

Ricky jumped and inhaled sharply through his teeth. “Oooookay then. This is just going to be a regular thing now? You people talking out of nowhere and scaring me out of my skin?” Ricky asked, looking up at the source of the voice.

Mystery was draped like a leopard across a large, thick tree branch. His head rested upon his crossed paws and his seven tails hung down, swaying gracefully yet playfully to and fro.

As he stood, the kitsune laughed in a way that was not quite human; animal-like, high-pitched and a little silly, like a hyena- no. Like a fox. Then he bounded down to a lower branch and bounced to the ground to stand beside Ricky.

“Apologies. It’s been a while since I last revealed my true form to a human,” Mystery said with a dip of his head. “I suppose I need to get used to ‘easing people into it’ again. My manners aside… I really am glad you came.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You are upset with me,” the creature said sadly, ears drooping. “If you had wished to avoid me for a while, I would have understood.”

“Don’t apologize,” Ricky sighed, rubbing his temples. “Yes - I’m surprised. But I understand why you kept this from us. Really, it’s me. Not you.”

“Still. I should have been more mindful of your… experiences.”

“If you’re referring to you turning into a bird, yeah - that might have been crossing a line,” Ricky grumbled.

“Believe it or not, I do realize how much I have in common with Pericles,” The kitsune growled, baring his teeth. “And I hate it. But let me assure you… my hatred for him runs deep. And I’ll die before I make the same mistake he did.”

And there it was again - that intuition. Just like Pericles. Or perhaps he’d just been alive long enough that he could guess. Dealing with basically immortal beings was kind of a new thing to Ricky.

“What mistake?” Ricky asked, clearing his throat.

“Isn’t it obvious? You. Or rather - what he did to you. And your friends.”

“No offense, Mystery. But…” It then occurred to Ricky that Mystery may find what he was about to say extremely offensive.

“But?”

“In my miiiind~

“Nothing.”

“I thought it was just an illusion.”

“Do not be concerned with my feelings,”

“I wished for something like thiiis,”

“-Whatever you have to say, I am ready and willing to talk about it.”

“Now I just can’t run.”

Ricky sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just- you’re a kitsune, Mystery."

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

"I’m not… deeply familiar with Japanese mythology, but I know enough to know that your kind are tricksters. Agents of chaos. I’m probably being ignorant,” he apologized, running a hand through his hair.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“How am I to know which of the stories are true? But from what do I know, I guess, shouldn’t you sort of… respect what he did?” Ricky asked, hugging himself.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!"

"(Won’t let them take youu!)”

“I mean to me (and to most people really) it was horrible. But at the end of the day, he took what he needed from his pawns, used them up, took a calculated risk, and got what he wanted. I was a naive, trusting, meddling, stupid kid.”

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“I mean, heh- if you look at it from a tactician’s standpoint, I was almost asking to get hurt-”

“DO NOT BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF!”

The kitsune surged forward so fast it made Ricky stumble back and fall upon the soft moss.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

The change had been jarringly abrupt. When speaking of Mystery’s own kind in such a way, the kitsune had been fine. But the moment Ricky had started talking about himself, an animalistic sort of rage had crept in. And now, Mystery stood before Ricky as every bit the beast he was. Tails lashing, hackles raised, eyes glowing red, ears flat against his skull, teeth bared inches in front of Ricky’s face.

“Do not be ashamed that your fate was put into the talons of a FOOL, Ricky Owens!” The kitsune barked.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“HE was supposed to look after you. You were a CHILD, and the one who should have protected you fffailed!"

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!”

“He grew so distracted by something as frivolously human as GOLD that he failed to see the value in what he already had!”

As Mystery got the words out, the fur laid flat on his back and his eyes ceased their glow.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“I will not make the same mistake, boy. Unlike him, as your elder I see fit to look after you. Upon my tails, I swear it.”

Mystery darted back, pacing agitated to and fro between the walls of fauna.

And as the music came to an end, Ricky took deep breaths to slow the racing of his heart, processing what had been said.

I see fit to look after you…

“You and your friends were more precious than any treasure,” Mystery said, his voice losing that deep echo as he calmed down. “You and Cassidy still are. He is the one who should be ashamed for failing to see that.”

There was a moment of tense silence when Mystery was done talking, broken only by the babbling of the brook. Ricky opened and closed his mouth fruitlessly searching for words. “I- um- thank you?”

“I need you to say it, Ricky.”

“Say what?”

“You were a child.”

Ricky scoffed, “I was a kid yeah, but I was seventeen. Hardly-”

“A child,” The Kitsune repeated, eyes flashing. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Ricky,” he said with forced calmness, “I think we can both agree that… Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy are children.”

“Of course. What’s that got to do with-”

“Shaggy is the second-oldest, and he only recently turned seventeen,” Mystery said pointedly, pausing to let that sink in. “They are children. And they are no older than you were. So. You were…”

“... a child,” Ricky admitted quietly.

“You were a good kid, Ricky.”

“I- I was a g-good kid…” Damn it, why was his throat closing?

“-And he took advantage of that.”

He knew all of this already! So why were his eyes filling with- “... and he took advantage of that.”

They didn’t speak for several minutes. To his credit, Ricky didn’t sob. But he did cry, tears falling silently with the occasional gasp, shudder, or sniffle. Mystery just laid there and let Ricky get through it, leaning against the kitsune’s large shoulder. And when there was a sizable wet spot in Mystery’s white fur, Ricky sniffed and moved away, trying to get ahold of himself. “S-sorry,” He croaked, hoarse from the effort of holding his sobs in. “Heh, I- I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” He chuckled, trying to laugh it off.

“That’s because there is nothing wrong with you,” the kitsune said gently, pulling Ricky back in and enveloping him in his warm, soft tails. “I learned a rather fun fact about you humans recently,” he said, licking the tears from one of Ricky’s cheeks. “Did you know… that human beings have three different kinds of tears? Basal tears form the wet coating of your eye and reflex tears flush things out. Like say, having a bug fly into your eye.” And he swatted Ricky playfully in the face with one of his tails.

“Hey…” Ricky said in mock-warning, rubbing his watering eyes.

The kitsune chuckled. “And then… There are tears of emotion. That’s what these are,” Mystery said, collecting a tear from Ricky’s cheek with the tip of one long claw. “These are the ones I find interesting. You see, aside from magical creatures, human beings are the only species on Earth who burst into tears when they’re in pain. Whether that pain be external or in here,” he said, gesturing to Ricky’s heart with his nose. “But there’s more than just water in these tears. They purposefully have proteins in them that make them fall slower, dry slower, and stick to your face.”

“What’s your point?”

“That these tears were never meant to be hidden. When you cry - when these tears fall… they were meant to be seen. Humans are such social creatures. Don’t you see? You evolved this way because you were never meant to carry your burdens alone.”

“How would you know?” Ricky grumbled bitterly, resting his forehead on his knees. “If only humans have them, then how many tears have you shed?”

“I have cried a thousand lifetimes worth,” the kitsune murmured. “Descendants of the Annunaki have the gift of humanity. Which means that just like humans… we are corruptible. But we are capable of growth and change at all stages of our lives as well.”

“So what’s your point? That Pericles can cry too? That I should try to change him?”

“No.” The kitsune snarled. “If a miracle happens and he changes his stars, it shall be his own doing. You are not responsible for fixing Professor Pericles, nor do I think anyone could. The point I was trying to make… was actually about myself. You see- there is a reason I have such a deep hatred for that bird. Why I am so disgusted and angry at what he has done. It’s because-” And reluctantly he admitted, “In another life… I may have been the same. And you would have been right about me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I meant what I said before. I wasn’t always a good boy, Ricky. In fact, there was a time when I was just as bad as Professor Pericles. Probably worse, even.”

Ricky gulped. “Oh yeah? Is that so?”

“It is so,” the kitsune said sadly.

“Then… if you want me to trust you, then why would you tell me that?”

“That is a rather curious thing to do, isn’t it?” The kitsune chuckled. “It’s certainly contradictory to my goal. Hardly the tactical thing to do. I suppose that it is because most of the relationships I’ve built throughout my life have been founded upon lies - at least at first. And from now on I wish to begin with honesty when I can. So, before you and the kids, I wish to lay my sins bare.”

“Is this… why you seemed so keen to give me a chance?” Ricky asked. “Because you also changed your ways once?”

“Partly,” the kitsune shrugged. “But even at your worst Ricky Owens, I have seen evil. And you’re not it.”

“Then, if I may ask… what changed? For you, I mean?”

“Mushi,” Mystery said sadly yet fondly. “But that is a long story, and one I wish to repeat only once. And as it happens, this place is a rather good place to begin. Come. There’s someone I would like you to meet.”

The kitsune stood and walked over to the dead bonsai in the center of the oasis. Ricky wiped his eyes on his sleeve and crawled over a few feet on his hands and knees to watch.

“I assume you noticed this when you walked in,” Mystery said.

“Yeah,” Ricky gulped to clear his throat. “What is the deal with that tree? It’s dead, isn’t it?”

“Seemingly. Apparently… Probably. But hopefully not completely.”

And then the kitsune dug with one massive paw around the base of the tree, disturbing as little as possible. And when he had uncovered the roots, he beckoned Ricky over with a gesture of paw and tail. “Come, and look upon a consequence of my past.”

Crouching, Ricky came forward and was so surprised by what he saw that he recoiled.

Mystery hadn’t uncovered the tree’s roots. Rather, the tree was attached to the top of a wooden head. And his digging had uncovered a sad, dead face with empty, soulless eye sockets and tear-mark cracks down each side.

“What is that?” Ricky asked, wrinkling his nose.

“This is my daughter,” Mystery replied sadly, unbothered by Ricky’s reaction. “Her name was Shiomori.”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Nearing 10:00 at night was not the most opportune time the plane could have touched down on California soil. And it was nearly 11 by the time she left the airport.

But as antsy as she was to rush, stealth - not speed - was the goal, here. If Professor Pericles knew she was coming- if he even realized she was alive, then it would cost her a huge advantage that he’d already proven could cost her life.

And if she could help it, Cassidy Williams would like to go a lifetime without ever coming that close to dying again.

Weirdly enough, it wasn’t all bad. In a lot of ways Angel was grateful for the experience. It had reminded her just how much she loved being not-dead. More importantly than the little things though… seeing her reflection in the reaper’s scythe had rather annoyingly put some things in perspective for Cassidy that she’d been denying hard for over fifteen years.

Namely: She was in love with Ricky Owens.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, she was in love with Ricky Owens.

She used to ask herself why. She used to try to convince herself that she didn’t love him anymore. That the asshole who’d put her heart through the ringer wasn’t the same person as the adorable, awkward boy she’d fallen for. She used to try reasoning with herself that she could move on if she just forced herself to start over with someone else, no matter how many dates ended and relationships failed because no matter how nice they were they just were. Not. Him.

... Why did she only stop doing that the moment she realized she had to die?

There would have been a sort of purpose to Angel’s death: giving up her life to save those wonderful, stupid, meddling kids of hers. But as the Kriegstaffebots closed in and the clock neared zero, one regret stabbed at her heart like a thorn.

Ricky.

It’s true what they say. About your life flashing before your eyes. Most of Cassidy’s life had come to her in flashes of color and memory. But he struck her mind like a bullet train, and in what would have been- should have been her final moments, she fell in love with him and had her heart broken into a thousand little pieces all over again.

Except… those weren’t her final moments.

Cassidy still wasn’t exactly sure how she’d survived. Everything after Moby disappearing under the waves got kind of blurry and she couldn’t string together even a semblance of how she’d gotten from point A to point B. What she did know was that for all intents and purposes, she should be dead. It honestly didn’t make a lick of sense that she wasn’t. Cassidy still didn’t have an explanation for it.

Neither had the Mystery Skulls, before she had sent them to Crystal Cove. She would have come with them, but the attempt on her life had left her battered and bruised and with a badly dislocated shoulder. Even after popping it back into place it had taken weeks for the swelling to go down. In her condition at the time she would have just been a burden.

But that was a mystery Cassidy wasn’t the slightest bit worried about at the moment. She was all healed up now and all that mattered was that Professor Pericles had tried to kill her, but she’d survived and now she was back in California and on her way to kick some tail! Woo-hoo baby!

…And she was in love with Mr. E.

There was that, too.

Cassidy didn’t know why that seemed so damn important, but no matter how hard she tried to think about the kids, the planispheric disk, the Mystery Skulls, or about Pericles, Brad, and Judy, all she could seem to think about was her last phone call with Vivi.

Ricky’s in trouble.

Those words kept ringing through her ears on loop and she hadn’t been able to relax since she’d heard them.

Cassidy had thought once, that if there was one person whom Pericles might have a soft spot for, who was off-limits and may actually be safe with him, it would be Ricky.

Wow, she’d been naive. But then again, Pericles loved to surpass her expectations of how rotten he was. If she had a nickel for every time he’d proven her wrong, she’d be able to rebuild K-Ghoul.

Angel wished that Vivi had just come out and told her whatever-the-hell was going on. But Vivi had given her an abbreviated, vague, and clearly cushioned version in an attempt to keep her from worrying. And in doing so had done just the opposite, because in a haze of ambiguity, it seemed like now all Angel could do was worry.

He wasn’t hurt. He was safe. Vivi had said that, right? Nope. She’d said he was sort of safe, and that he was kind of not hurt.

Cassidy wanted to scream. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!

If he wasn’t hurt, then why couldn’t she get visions of every possible way he could be hurt out of her head? Was he in the hospital? Had he been shot? Poisoned? In an accident? God, there were any number of things that feathery lunatic could have done to him.

And it was all so frustrating because even though she loved him so much she thought her heart might cave in from the weight of it, Mr. E had made it abundantly clear that he didn't love her anymore. Not to mention Angel wasn’t sure whether he had anything to do with her assassination attempts. Had her Ricky… really tried to kill her? She just couldn’t see it. Or maybe she just hoped not so much that it was blinding her. Still, the factory hadn’t been Destroido property.

So maybe Ricky hadn’t had anything to do with it.

Both Pericles and the kids thought she was dead, now.

Did Ricky think so too?

Maybe he had been… sad to learn of her death.

Maybe he didn’t even know.

Maybe he was even looking for her.

She was so fucking scared of the answer to those questions. And she was so fucking angry that if Ricky’s stupid, handsome, scowling face was in front of her right now, she didn’t know if she’d tackle him in a hug, kiss him, or smack the shit outta him.

Whatever the truth was, and whatever was happening back in Crystal Cove, Ricky wasn’t with their old group anymore. He was with the Mystery Skulls and the new Mystery Incorporated.

The question was… what had happened to drive him there? It would have taken something big to snap Ricky out of his codependency. And it scared her to imagine what that could have been.

She wouldn’t be so naive as to wonder (or hope) if it had happened over her.

But on the other hand, she didn’t know what she’d do if it had happened because Pericles had… hurt Ricky in some way.

Wait- no. That isn’t true, Angel realized as she flung a leg over her new motorcycle - courtesy of Kingsmen Mechanics. It didn’t matter if Ricky didn’t love her. If Pericles had harmed so much as a single hair on Ricky’s head, she was going to pluck, baste, and boil that bird alive.

As for uh… them, Cassidy really didn’t know what she was going to say to Ricky, but she supposed it largely depended on what he had to say to her. And she had a whole night to figure out the possibilities.

But as uncertain as the road ahead was, as she revved up her engine there was one thing Cassidy Williams knew for sure.

She loved Ricky Owens. She was done denying it or fighting it. And even though he’d made it abundantly clear that he didn’t love her back, (and shit, did that hurt) Angel knew her heart wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything happened to him.

This time, she was going to protect him.

She would fight for him. For them. Endlessly.

Hehehehe. At LAST, I am soon to arrive at the point where I can ACTUALLY WRITE RICKIDY! 😍✍️ Oooh, the chapter song for this one turned out to be so much more meaningful and on-the-nose than I thought it was! I've never written alongside music before but now I see why people do it. Mystery and Ricky's conversation flowed so well because it was written in time with the song. Seriously, in the future I'm going to make an entire post about my song choice for Endlessly, because there are some things about it that I can't say without spoiling parts of my master plan. So, this chapter turned out to be mostly about Mystery, which is good because as a character I kind of felt like I haven't done as much with him as I could at this point, so finally it's starting to hint at how important to this story he's going to be. Makes sense tho that he'd make his true debut late - what sort of sneaky trickster spirit would he be otherwise? Lol Speaking of sneaky, Shiomori managed to burrow her way in here. Tbh I wasn't expecting that. She wasn't on the original guest list for this fic but now that I've thought of how to include her, I can't NOT do it. I think Mystery must have invited her. She didn't exactly RSVP but ya know what? Happy to have her. Will she have a major role in the fic? Or is she a tool used to tell Mystery's backstory and make references to the events of the msa music videos? Only time will tell. Who knows what my brain will be doing by the time I get to that point? I sure don't. And lastly of course, her return is long overdue but Angel, the QUEEN 👑, has made her debut!!! I’ve been SO EXCITED to write that part it’s not even funny. And I’ve had the vision of what’ll happen next time we see her in my head since some of the earliest imaginings of this fic. GOD, I cannot WAIT to show it to you!!! 🤩

I would like to give a huge thank you to @lesbian-duck-lord for helping me out with this chapter. I got super stuck on how the conversation at the beginning went and I swear the writer's block looked like the walls from Attack on Titan. But talking to that magnificent person was a HUGE help. Seriously they are so good at characterization. Busted a hole in that wall like the colossal titan. (Yes my brain works in references. Why do you think I write crossovers so much?!) And with this shout out, now you're tagged in this post. So you'll know immediately that Chapter 16 is out!!! Thanks again, Duck!

I would also like to take this moment to congratulate whoever the like, ONE person was who guessed the next chapter song correctly on my recent poll. Because only like two people voted for it, and the other one was me. (I had to put a vote down in order to see the votes as they came in.)

22% of you thought the next song would be Fake (which IS a great song, and I DO have a very specific plan for that one), and Hellbent, Every Note, and Freaking Out tied for second place. Funnily enough, I do also have plans for both Hellbent and Every Note. And joke's on you - I already used Freaking Out! You fell right into my trap! Ha!

I jest of course. It actually rather delights me that only one of you guessed right. How I do love hitting you all with a curveball. 😏

Chapters 1-15 of One of Us are presently posted on Archive of Our Own.

Chapter 16 should make it to Ao3 sometime in the next two days or so. Probably tomorrow tho. Because I'm impatient.

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