Stranded in Paradise; Welcome Home [An II Au]

Mend and Repair

"TEST TUBE!!"

Fan banged on Test Tube's lab door.

"TESTY!!"

Tears spilled down the Chinese hand fan's cheeks as he continued to throw his fist against the iron. Suddenly, the door opened up to Fan's bidding, and Test Tube peered through the crack. "Fan? What's going-" Her eyes widened when they locked on what was in Fan's hands. The two pieces of Cabby's file, which was torn from the center down. Fan mumbled out countless apologies as Test Tube took the pieces of the file in her hands, quickly turning back towards the table in a center of the room. Fan quickly ran in after her. He followed close behind as Test Tube put the file down on the table. "Fan, what happened? Where did you even FIND Cabby's file?" She looked over at the hand fan. Fan fumbled on his words a little bit, practically word-vomiting a bunch of nothing at first. But when he eventually got himself together, he just sighed.

"Yin-Yang took it, we got into an argument, and we-...I-...I'm so sorry! I wasn't think I...I was just trying to take it back so you could read it!"

"Fan, calm down...it's..." Test Tube peered over at the door, where Yin-Yang stood. One side had a face of remorse, while the other had the face of reluctance. Test Tube seemed to lose track of what she was saying as she looked at the duo. "...Why did take it?" She asked. While the two just stood there quietly for a moment or two, they eventually let their voices break. "It was Yin's idea in the first place. We just wanted something to remember Cabby by...! It's not fair that the file is the only thing we have left of her...Yang and I have been...so destroyed over her death! How we couldn't save her! How we couldn't...do anything! It's...ugh, I can admit, even I felt some...emotional...feelings...about her death. And I...I may or may not have cried about them...but that doesn't mean I'm weak! I'm still...I'M STILL A MENACE TO SOCIETY! Yang...Please, let's just...calm down..."

"You three need to think before you do stuff like this! I know things have been hectic since we got back from the island, but you two just can't argue like we're still there! It's like...you guys don't realize your actions have consequences anymore..." Test Tube said as she looked over at Fan.

"...I know....It's just...we've been on the island so long, it's...kinda burned itself into my mind. I think I'm starting to go insane..." Fan said under his breath.

"No, Fan. You're not going insane. Not you, not Yin-Yang, not anyone. We're home now, okay...? We'll try and get back into how everything was, okay?"

"...Okay..."

"And Yin-Yang..." Test Tube looked at Yin-Yang as she went over to a nearby drawer, opening it up and taking some tape out from the inside, "No one could've seen Cabby's death coming, not even you. You're not the one to blame for her death...I know you wished you could've saved her...I did too...but...the truth is..."

Test Tube paused.

"No one can bring them back..."

Yin-Yang wiped a tear from his eye.

YANG's eye.

"I'm so...soorrr...sor-uuuhhh...sor-RUUHHHH...we're sorry, Test Tube..."

"It's...okay."

Test Tube opened up the two pieces of the folder, putting the two edges together before taping them up with the masking tape she retrieved. As she flipped through the pages upon pages of the file, her eyes widened ever so slowly. The realization of everything she wrote down about herself...what she wrote down about others. How she...

How all she wanted to do was...

Remember.

And quite possibly...

Fit in.

...

Test Tube just set down the file and looked at the male trio. "...We've got to tell them." She said.

...

...

"Here you go, Mephone." Soap said as she gave the broken phone a bowl of cereal. His favorite brand too, Springtastic. Sugar, milk, and plastic. Mephone's shaky hands held onto the handle of the spoon, scooping up some of the cereal with a bit of hesitance. "You need anything else while I'm here?" The bottle of soap asked as she sat down next to the phone. Mephone shook his head, biting into the cereal and chewing slowly. Soap nodded and stood up, looking over at Pickle, who was sitting on the other sofa in the room. "He's getting better..." Soap said.

"I know, but...still. What are we going to do about all his apps? Some of those apps are integral to our lives..." Pickle said as he put his hands on his knees.

"...I'm gonna go get Test Tube." Soap paused for a moment before saying, making her way out of the living room. "Hey, wait! Soap-!" Pickle said, reaching out to stop Soap, but was unable to do so. He sighed and slumped back down on the couch, looking over at Mephone.

"...I known you're still there, Mephone...I know you can still be saved...I know...EVERYONE...can be saved. But..."

Pickle just sighed and looked at the ground,

"...I just want to know how..."