“Thanks for carring me,” Tenemae said to Gatage, who held Tenemae in about as best a bridal position he could, trying not to aggravate her injuries.

Tenemae was offered help by Cooro, but she rejected, saying that she would only trust someone like Gatage. Cooro had stepped down, allowing Gatage to carry her. Menae had regain consciousness by now, managing to fend off the Mentaphage, followed by an ominous promise of its return. Because of such a large claim made by Tenemae, Menae had begun to make certain assumptions, some being more ‘down to Earth’, or whatever planet they were on now, than others.

“Don’t mention it. I wouldn’t have left you behind either way,” Gatage assured. Tenemae looked away as if to hide something.

“Gatage, are you sure you know where this place is?” Menae questioned. “I thought you said we were going to a school, not to go make a nest.”

“Menae, I don’t know what’s going through that mind of yours, and I don’t want to know. Don’t be jumping into conclusions. Things like that can do more bad than good,” he said, quoting Tenemae words from when they ‘first met’, according to his memory. Gatage coughs a couple more times, and spits out some phlegm, trying not to disgust Tenemae, who isn’t very easily disgusted.

“You and I were good friends. However, you lost your memory, so I don’t expect you to take my word as truth,” Gatage remembered Tenemae’s words from several years ago.

“Well, you’re the only alibi I have,” Gatage remembered what he replied.

“Okay then, I’ll tell you everything I know,” Tenemae said, according to Gatage’s memory, leading up to everything he knows and doesn’t know about the intimate relationship the two had before his memory loss.

“Gatage!” Menae snapped, calling his attention out of his memories.

He staggered a bit, almost losing Tenemae from his grip, but held her close to keep her from falling. It’d hurt him more than it would hurt her if anyone in his crew, especially Tenemae: the first person he remembers from his memories has to suffer through any more pain.

“What did you want?” Gatage questioned.

“Do you… ‘like’ Tenemae,” she asked.

Gatage and Tenemae looked at each other, then at Menae, and answered unanimously “no.” How truthful those answers were could be brought up to question, but for now, Menae accepted them as truth. Gatage sighed, again disappointed in Menae. If everything was a joke, Gatage would laugh every step he took. Heck, if everything was a joke, Noctus wouldn’t be in the state of depression he was in right now. He coughs some more times, this time with no phlegm. Something else was expelled by his body…

Cooro walked alongside Noctus trying to console him with kind remarks that “everything would turn out for the better” and “she’s in a better place now,” while carrying Cadaveo, who hasn't seemed to have woken up as of yet. Alas, Noctus would reply with “like how I tried to save Sanae life in vain” and “are you saying she’d’ve rather died than be with me?” To these responses, Cooro was afraid to add to what could be used against him. The good friend he was, he decided that Noctus’ loss was something Noctus needed to deal with on his own, and not something he should intervene in.

What could have happened, what should have happened, and what would have happened otherwise were completely different, and that was something Noctus needed to realize. Passing his hand down his side just to check in his pouch for anything he could use as a memento of Sanae, his hand came in contact with the handle of his knife. What he saw it as was his ticket out of this world so he could be back with Sanae. He pulled his knife out of its sheathe.

“Noctus, you sense something? What is it, boy,” Menae teased, but was serious as she could be, considering that Noctus probably heard something.

Noctus held the knife in his knife. Unusually, he was not in a defensive stance, but in a stance submissive to himself. He fell to his knees, and was happy to find something he could use to return to being with Sanae. Gatage stopped and looked back at the three. Tenemae could manage a small view. She painfully nudged Gatage, and he moved himself so that both he and Tenemae had clear views.

“I don’t think he senses something,” Cooro warned. “I think he just realized he still had a knife with him.”

Noctus quickly placed the knife up against his neck. By instinct, Menae slapped away the knife with a vector. Noctus, naturally, ran after his knife where it fell. Menae pulled Noctus down but pulling a leg out from under him, making him lose his balance. Then, she pulled him up and off the ground, holding Noctus in the air by his right ankle with a vector. Cooro instead was who went after the knife.

“Noctus, I don’t know why you were trying to do it, but I do know what you were going to do,” Coor spoke to Noctus as he picked up his knife. Cooro was too strong for his own good. He almost could never manage an object without at least damaging it. Menae would be the best person to pick up the knife, considering the knife was even within her range. The only reason Cooro would are handle such a prized possession of his best friend is if he intended to…

“And I intend to not let you kill yourself over the past,” Cooro said. The knife was already beginning to bend within Cooro’s hand. “I know how much this is going to hurt you, and it’s going to hurt you more than what it’s going to hurt me, but-“

And thus, the knife just snapped before Cooro could finish what he had intended to say. Menae resisted the urge to laugh very well, but Noctus couldn’t contain his anger. He flailed and squirmed within Menae’s grasp, fighting her hold with every ounce of body he had. Noctus had no chance in breaking Menae’s hold, but Noctus was soon beginning to flush with red in his face. With blood rushing to his head, he was beginning to pass out. Menae gave him a strong but not killer shake, and Noctus had become a ragdoll, losing all control of his limbs. Menae gave Noctus to Cooro. After all, Cooro felt that he was best suited to carry Noctus’ weight. He wasn’t heavy, but Cooro didn’t want to overwork Menae. Cooro then carried Cadaveo on his left shoulder, and Noctus on his right shoulder. He didn’t know when the last time she ate was, and her mind might begin to fail her soon.

“I can feel your hunger growing,” the Mentaphage prodded at Menae. It had fulfilled its promise of returning. “I suppose you know what will happened when you’re too hungry to do anything, right?”

“Get out of my head already,” Menae told the Mentaphage inside her mind. “I don’t want you reading my thoughts or taking over my body or doing whatever creepy things you do.”

“Oh? But I’m only here to help. When you’ve done your job, and the dust has settled, I will take over for you, like partners taking night watch shifts,” it prodded even further.

“It’s not like you can keep knocking on my head forever,” Menae said, trying to assure no one but herself. Or was it fool herself into believing she was secure? She couldn’t tell the difference, which made her cringe.

“I have all the time in the world, unlike you. Eventually, you will grow weak, and I will make you strong again. It’s only a matter of time. But do not worry. You’re friends will be dead before they can feel the pain, the same with you. After all, the two of us can be in one body for only so long, and I have no intention of leaving a body with such a large potential,” it chuckled.

“Get out of my head!” she screamed aloud, pulling at her hair.

“Uh… Menae? Are you okay?” Cooro asked, worried she might have gone insane…

“I’m fine,” Menae answered.

“For now,” the Mentaphage added.