'Till We're Over

Chapter Ten: It's All in the Headphones

Chapter Ten: It's All in the Headphones

Time: a couple minutes later

Place: the air by the cliff

Sky's POV

"JUST TRUST ME!"

I hit the water with an insane splash, and then I'm letting the current pull me towards the cave while the rest of Team Crafted tries to gather up the nerve to jump off of a cliff. I almost knock my head on a rock, but before that can happen, I dodge around it and boost myself forward. Seto's bag is held tightly against my side.

"S-Seto!" I cough out as the water washes me into the cave. "Jason! Guys, I-I'm here!" I glance around, already lifting the bag over my head so I can dig around for the potions.

Wait.

Hold on, wait a minute-

This isn't the right cave.

No, no, no, what now!? What do I do!? I have no idea how to get to the other cave, it was really just random luck that we all found each other the first time, I-

"Woah, don't go hyperventilating a second time, idiot," Ty says, rolling his eyes as he stands up and wrings out the bottom of his shirt. "Once a day is enough."

"I'm not hyperventilating," I huff, forcing a calm expression onto my face as I walk a few more steps forward into the cave. "I'm fine. I just- We're in the wrong cave, is all."

"That's all right, we'll figure this out." He walks past me and peeks around the corner, taking our surroundings into account. "Hey, look, there are torches over here. Someone must have been here recently- oh, this must have been where the others landed the first time we came down here."

"Right, you're right! So we can just follow their path, then. Wait, weren't you with them?"

He nods, looking down at the ground behind me as he speaks. That water, though. "Yeah, but only once we'd met up in the cave you and E-Ty were in. Until then, we'd been separated."

"Oh, okay. So I guess you wouldn't know which branch of the cave to go down, then?"

"Sorry, no. But don't worry, Sky, we'll get there in time," he insists.

I cringe. "And what if we don't?"

He glares at me. "We will. Come on, let's head this way... Uh. There's a hole in the ground over here."

"How big is it?" I ask, running to catch up with him.

"Not very, but it does go down pretty far," he replies. I peer down into the hole with him.

"Seto, Seto, do something!" Jason's panicked voice pleads, and my eyes widen. "This is my best friend we're dealing with!" Ty winces.

"That's them, come on!" I say excitedly, jumping down into the hole without a second thought. "Jason, Seto, we're here!"

"Sky! Dear Notch, run!" Seto shouts, and Jason skids around the corner to meet me and Ty.

"Sky, it's Ty, it was Ty all along, and he's so close to leaving us, Sky, fix it! Please, fix it!" he rambles as Ty and I run into the part of the cave that E-Ty and Seto are in.

"What? Shh, just calm down. We're here now, we can save him," I respond almost-calmly. Jason looks frustrated, but he stays silent in favor of dragging me around the corner.

"Sky, you don't understand-" Ty begins, sounding guilty.

We turn the corner to be faced by a fear-stricken Seto.

"It's too late."

I freeze in place, and Ty skids to a halt next to me.

"No, you- you don't mean that. T-There's no way-" Jason says, grasping for some kind of hold.

"I can't feel his pulse," Seto replies weakly, pointlessly moving his fingers around E-Ty's neck.

"No," Jason whispers, horror showing on his face.

I can't stop staring at E-Ty. His headphones are bloodied and still damp around his neck, his hair is still sopping wet – he's lying in a pool of ocean water and his own blood. Why... How did his health go down so quickly? I mean, we knew he was hurt, but... not this hurt.

"Notch," Seto breathes, shaking his head. Jason squeezes his eyes shut tightly.

"S-Sky? Are you okay?" Ty asks hesitantly.

Okay? How could I possibly be okay? E-Ty was... We had gotten really close in the short time that we'd been friends. I destroyed his entire dimension, I killed everyone he loved, and yet... he saved my life. More than once, by the way. He was sarcastic and rude and technically evil, but he was loyal, too, and he was my friend. And... he's gone now. I already lost him once, but to get him back and then have him brutally ripped right out of my life again...

How could I possibly be okay?

"Sky, please, just say something," Ty begs.

I swallow. "Well... A-At least move him. We can't leave him like that. Let's..." I blink a few times. "Let's clean him up a bit, and then... then we'll bring him up to the surface for a proper burial. He deserves it after risking his life to cure me of my Red Eyes and then dying all over again at our hands."

Ty flinches guiltily.

"You," Jason says quietly, looking up at Ty. "You! How could you!?" He's seething with rage.

"Woah, Jason, calm down! It's not Ty's fault," I defend him, standing in front of Ty. "I was the one who made the choice, it isn't his fault."

"No, Sky, it's- he tricked you! He tricked us all!"

"I'm sorry," Ty whispers. I furrow my eyebrows.

"What? No, you didn't trick us, it's fine, Ty. What are you on about, Jason?"

"He lied to you, Sky!"

"I'm so sorry," Ty repeats, blinking rapidly, and I frown.

"I still don't get it. For what?"

"That horrible, selfish monster switched the headphones!"

"I'm so sorry, Sky!"

"What!?"

"Stop it!" Seto's voice brings all our thoughts to a halt, and we slowly turn to look at him. "Stop, this isn't helping anything. What's done is done, and..." He takes a deep breath. "We can't reverse it."

"I still don't even know what happened! Please, can someone explain?" I beg them all, glancing at each of them in turn.

"I'm- Notch, Sky, I'm so sorry. I... know how much it hurts. To lose your best friend." Ty swallows hard and looks down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Sky."

The realization hits hard, but the pain, fear, and disbelief hit harder. "You're kidding."

"Why would I joke about something like this?"

I let out a sob and drop down next to my best friend's body.

It's not E-Ty that I've lost. Not a double of Ty that I just happened to get close to.

No, no, it's not that. I've lost more than that. I've lost the first, the original, the best Ty alive.

My Ty.

☼☼☼

Whelp. XD