Kaleidoscope Epilogue

Déjà Vu

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The Grand Palace, Luxor, Neo Egypt

Yangu-Grurra System, Planet Vasily (YG-4)

09:45, 07/3/1, 16 XP

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"Artemis? Son?" Iolvin stepped into the dimly lit guest room but kept close to the door. "How are you two doing, son?"

"We're alright. Cher's a bit tired today."

"Oh..." Yoyo stared at his son's back, barely managing to play with the cuffs of his black suit to stave his frustrations. "Well we were about to head off to the ceremony. You can still come if you like. Nobody will care how you're dressed or anything."

"I... I think I'm good, dad. Thanks." Artemis lifted his paw to check his new trinket, a glowing red stone pulsing crimson light. "I think I'll just watch over Cher and pray a little more. Um... You need someone to watch Chelle?"

"Nah... No, Robyn is caring for her. Thanks, though." The distraught father slowly sighed and turned to leave the room. "If you want to talk, I'm here. I'll be here even if you just want to sit in silence, son."

"Maybe later, dad. I'm just... having a bad enough day, and I don't think putting people in the ground is going to help that."

"I understand--I really do. It doesn't hit you at first, but when you go back to your normal schedule and the people you love aren't there..."

"You don't know her. Nobody does. That's why I'm sad." Arty pocketed his stone and slid into bed with Cherenkov. "You don't have to believe me. The universe is working against me on that front. Just... give me some time. I'll pay my respects to the others when I'm ready."

"Arty... I'll let everyone know you're okay. I'll see you when the ceremony is finished." Yoyo stepped back and opened the door. "Adrian was technically your father too, you know. He'd like you to be there."

"Seriously, just let me pray like this." The covers rose and hid the panthott's face. "I won't be able to pay anyone respects until I understand my own shit first. I'm... good, dad."

"I love you. We all love you. Don't forget that."

"As if forgetting wasn't the problem..."

"Damnit, Arty... I'm just trying to keep you from regretting anything. Shit." Iolvin gave up on convincing his son to follow and nearly slammed the door shut, holding it at the last moment as he noticed Nadiya walking up. "He's not in a good mood today either. You're still trying too, sis?"

"He's a friend. We don't give up on friends, let alone family." Nadi gave her big brother a slap with her tail, regretting the motion when she needed to flatten her gray and black dress. "Go on ahead, Yoyo. Have a talk with your husband before we put him to rest. Maybe try to calm down mom, too. I'll... see what little I can do here."

"Thanks, Nadiya. Just be..." Yoyo fought the beginnings of tears as he walked away. "Just be careful with my son. I don't want to lose him too."

"He's not that lost, Yoyo. Go. Shoo." Nadi crossed into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're moping now? You know, you're not the one that lost a mate."

"Nadi, go. I'd rather you not be the first woman I actually strike."

"Oh, Arty..." The concerned friend and aunt tugged at the blanket and revealed two hiding heads. "I'm sorry. We each moune in our own ways. I've just... never had to do it at all. Do you really want to stay here and miss something this important?"

"No. I want to go... I just can't. It hurts too much when everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. I'd rather not ruin their days with that." Arty rolled over, snuggling Cheren in her slumber. "So I'll just keep an eye on Cher and pray to my make believe wife. Laugh. Cry. Whatever."

"I'm not laughing, Arty." Nadi yipped as Yiff climbed out of the well of her breasts and joined the snuggling. "Yiffy! Damnit..."

"Hey, little guy. Listen to Nadi."

"No... Huh?" As Nadiya leaned in to blindly regain control of her pet she noticed tears dripping from her face. "You... really believe it? This wife of yours was real to you?"

"She is real."

The vixen winced her eyes and wiped them clear, holding her paws to her head in confusion. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't tap into people's minds. You're... hurting so damn much. Arty... I'm sorry if we're making you feel this way."

"Then leave me alone for a while. I'll be fine soon enough."

"No, you won't. You're struggling between love and piety. That's not a healthy combination, or at least a recipe for despair." Nadi kicked off her heels and lifted the blanket. Before Arty could protest he had another member added to the cuddlepile. "You need me more than the funeral does. I'm here for you, Arty."

"I don't need you. I don't want you. I just want some quiet from the whispers about me." Arty tried to shake Nadi's arms from his sides and found absolutely no resistance. "Huh? Are you going to let me mope now or what?"

"Not quite." Nadiya snuggled up behind Artemis but kept her paws to herself. "Mope, cry, or lose your damned mind. Whatever you do, just do it with love and with those you love."

Artemis fell limp, an arm rising up to shield his damp face. "Thanks, Nadi."

Medical Barracks, Obrenheim Castle

Darius System, Darius Prime (Darius-3)

19:35, 25/2/4

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"Push!"

A very large pillow flew hard into Vydr's face, courtesy of Evelyn. "Too early, you eager fool. Caitlyn, you go at whatever pace you think is right."

"Thanks, mom. Now give me space while I... figure... this out..." Cait widened her eyes and swallowed hard as she ducked her head between a set of cabbit legs. "Just... try to breathe, Ria. Relax while I--"

"Are you fucking crazy, bitch? I'm not hiking a damned football--" Ilaria squinted and shook her head, the pain of childbirth giving her a bit of control over her other personality. "S-Sorry... Keep going, C-Cait..."

"Okay. Just... try to hold out for us."

"Doc, please tell me she'll be alright. She--"

Another pillow beamed right into the nearing father's head. "Think positive, Void."

"No! This is important!" That pillow returned to Evelyn so hard it make a pop, though she stood unaffected by Void's counter. "Her mother said she could die! Now tell me, is she safe or not?"

"Well we've been able to help her so far with meds. I'm just unable to tell if..." Cait lifted her head and checked Ria's chest. "She's not breathing. No no no no no..."

"Gods, no..." Suddenly Void couldn't find his voice, his lungs paralyzed by fear. "Ria... No..."

"No no no...!" Cait heaved herself over her patient and attempted to use her magic on her lungs, the helpless cabbit staring back at her in silent terror. "Don't give up on us, Ria. We'll fix you right up."

"Damnit! I love you, Ria! I lo--"

"That's enough!" Evelyn snagged Void with a pinch to his clavicle and frog marched him out the room. "You are only making her panic! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's going on, Eve?" Carbon stole a look into the procedure room and got the hint. "Is it what we feared?"

"Her hormone treatments might not have been enough. It looked like her airways were inflamed."

"Paths..." Carbon stood along with several others in the waiting area. "Okay, how do we help? Who do we grab? What tools?"

"You're not opening up my wife with a fucking power drill, asshole!"

"I only want to help. Bad wording, okay?" Carbon pushed past Void and went to help his daughter with the delivery woes. "I have sedatives if you need them..."

"Don't you dare stab her, Carbon! That plant shit stays out of--"

"Her heart... stopped..." Cait held up her gloved paws and hovered them over a defibrillator unit. "I've... never had to..."

"You can't, not with a pregnancy." Carbon peered right through the cabbit's body at the squirming twins inside. "She's... given up the fight, but we can still save the kids."

Evelyn stamped her hindpaw hard enough to crack the stone floor. "No. We're not doing this again."

"Ria... No, my... My lovely Ria..." Vydr broke free of Evelyn, scanned the room, and stormed over to a very plump Artemis. "You did this! You lonely, crazy son of a bitch!"

"Hey, back off your broth--" Iolvin found himself clasping his jaw, gladly taking the vent of anger in place of his pregnant son. "You're going through something tough so I'll let that slide, but if you touch Artemis I'll put you in the next room, son."

"This bastard fucked my wife! How do I even know the kid is mine?"

"Twins, plural. You need to calm down and listen, Void." Arty took the next punch right to the face. "Ah... Damn. Just get out of my way."

"Yeah, you run the fuck off! That's all you--"

Iolvin soon found himself standing over his overstressed son. "I told you what would happen. Stay down if you don't want Cait looking over you next."

"I... Fuck, I just..."

"It's okay, Void. I know you despise me." Arty eased himself upright and hobbled with Eve's help. "Get me in there. I might... I pray for a miracle."

"No. No! Don't let that crazy asshole touch her! He's hopped up on drugs for that shit in his head and you--"

"Enough!" Yoyo pressed his boot to his younger son's neck and prepared to knock him out. "Choose carefully: Sleep through this or be there for your wife, even to the end. You made her a promise, Vydr."

"I'll... Fuck."

"You don't have to trust me, bro. You're not the one that trusted in me." Arty leaned over the motionless mother-to-be and closed his eyes. "I owe her this much. I'm sorry, Vix."

"Arty?" Carbon watched as the babies slowed their movement, the lack of oxygen finally hitting them. "Fuck it. We're losing the kids now. Uh... Oh, shit. Cait, clear!"

"Clear? Oh!"

Artemis placed a paw on Ria's belly, then slid it up and under her shirt to fondle the area below a breast. He found the spot he needed and moved his other paw to just atop her heart. He started generating an electric charge with his magic affinity and leaned in for a soft whisper. "You and Nadi are all I have on my side. Don't quit me now, Ria. We need new life, not less."

"Arty... What the hell are you--?"

"Stay b-back, Carbon. Not-t safe." That electric field fed into Ria through Arty's fingertips, where the panthott guided the assistive charge targeting specific areas of her heart. He gently used his magic to massage her heart, forcing it to pump different ways as he figured out the rhythm from his own heart. Then he managed to find the perfect tempo and followed it, helping Ria's heart remember how to function. He finally fell to the side as he dumped the charge in her diaphragm and inducted a breath. "G-Good..."

"She's breathing! It's faint, but she's... Fuck, Arty! Way to--" Carbon went to pick up the panthott and found him in a puddle of his own fluids. "Crap... You put yourself into labor?"

"Almost three weeks early, too. That's not good." Cait pointed to another bed as she worked her magic on her current patient. "He's got time. Move Arty while I, um.. intubate! Right! Thank you for teaching me this, Elliot..."

"Come on, Arty. Hold on." Carbon used his strength to lift the pregnant man with his queoo, the tendrils gently laying him on the bed. "We're keeping you close just in case we need you again, okay buddy?"

"Forget m-me... I'm... worthl-less..." Artemis pointed to Ria and she held up a paw to meet his in the middle. "New... l-life..."

"Son!"

Carbon used his piercing vision to verify Arty's vital organs were still functioning to notable levels. "He's not doing so hot, actually. His heart's, uh... fluttering."

"Arrhythmia. That shock must have affected himself too since they were touching." Cait took a deep breath as she piped a tube down Ilaria's throat. "Carbon, you keep her breathing normally. We have twins to deliver first."

"Damn... Arty, man..." Vydr collected himself in awe of the miracle he just witnessed, barely phazed in comparison by his bloody snout. "I... I've got this, Carbon. Go... make sure my brother doesn't..."

"We're on it." Iolvin hovered over his failing son, a firm grasp adding Vydr's paw to the other two. "You're brothers. That's a sacred bond of trust, son. Don't ruin that with anger."

Vydr clasped both paws on his brother and wife's own, then turned his attention back to the breathing system. "I'll try. Now let's do this, dad."

Guest Suite, Obrenheim Estate, New Volkton

Darius System, Darius (Darius-3)

19:42, 06/2/2, 17 XP

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"Nn... Adri!" Iolvin snapped awake, his heart racing as he reached for someone that wasn't there. "Damnit... Fuck..." A baby girl built up a bit of crying into a fit in the portable crib the otter guarded, drawing him into the fray to calm the tiny red panda, fox, and otter mix. "It's okay, Cassie. I'm here. I've got you."

"Hm?" Zoë sat up on a nearby couch and tried to relieve her husband's post. "No, Iolvin. I said to get some rest. I've got her."

"She likes me better though. See?" The otter rocked the firefox in his arms and she hushed almost immediately. "Must be the big arms or something. Maybe it makes her feel safe with all the constant crying she does..."

"It's because you care so much, dummy. That and you're the first person that ever held her. She's imprinted on you." The human walked over to her man and gave his arm a squeeze. "I mean, the guns here do probably help. It's mostly because you're a good dad though."

"Except I'm not her dad. Cassandra deserves to spend time with Artemis."

"Iolvin... You know that's not... safe..."

"That's not true. My son used to be such a gentle person." Yoyo shook his head and pulled up his Slate to check the time. "The anniversary of that day probably isn't helping, though. Maybe I should...?"

"Go. I'll watch Cassie." Zoë gently took the baby into her own arms and nudged her nose to the bedroom door. "He's probably sleeping, if you want to check. Just watch the shocks if you go to touch him..."

"I'll be fine. I'm just trying to get Amy son that way too." The concerned father walked over to the door and frowned as he noticed an untouched platter of food nearby. "He didn't eat today? Zoë, that's twice in a row. We can't let him waste away like this."

"Let me help after all." The human moved behind her mate and rubbed his tail with her hip. "Want me to grab the food? We can... try to force him again..."

"No. I think the date's got him upset. We'll try for a good breakfast." Yoyo grabbed the handle of the door and silently eased it open. He stepped inside and headed for the bed, but paused when his good hindpaw snagged on something. "What's this...?" He grabbed the soft item with his toes and picked it up, his eyes going wide as he realized he was holding a still-damp pair of lace-frill panties. "What the hell? Is he also having gender issues now? Damn my fucked up genetics..."

A meep sounded beneath the covers, a figure rustling in the sheets. "Yoyo! I thought I said to knock!"

"Nadiya? What the fuck? When did you get here?" Yoyo went to give his sister her delicates but noticed the scent of her heat in them. "I appreciate keeping my son company, but maybe now's not the best time for you to visit? If your heat's bothering you enough you've got to shed these, it's got to be bothering him even--"

"Just... shut up, bro." Nadi left the cover of the sheets once her clothes were haphazardly donned, but nothing could hide the river of fluorescent azure running beneath her skirt and practically lighting the room with its volume. "Don't judge me. He's hurting so damn much and... It gets him to respond in a good way. He's still in there, and his mind speaks volumes when... well..."

"Nadiya, I... don't..." The vixen snatched her panties and left the bedroom, heading straight for the bath. "Sorry. What you do is your business. I'm just..."

"I can't stop you caring--I know that." Nadi halted at the bathroom door and took a deep breath. "What's bothering you about it? I'm just trying to help him."

"I appreciate that. I just... wonder if you should put more of that attention toward your own family." Yoyo took Cassie back into his arms as her crying started again. "You have a wife and a kid of your own. If you're having... problems at home... at least pay your dues to little Huey."

"We're not having any problems, Yoyo. Qesis knows what I'm doing and my child has two loving mothers. We just... sort of adopted a second kid is all."

"Adopted...? Oh, right. Thank you, sis."

"If you want to thank me, you can believe in your son more. I can't place it, but what's running in his head is absolute truth. Fact. Axiom." The vixen held open the door and paused in the frame. "He feels better at times like now, when his meds are wearing off. Try backing down on them and... give the guy an honest shot. He's not crazy, not the way his mind's working... Not the way he latches onto me and cries that woman's name."

"Clean up. I'd appreciate the company if you're willing." Yoyo nodded to his sister and she finally entered the bath. "I guess that complicates things, but at least you've got more people who feel for you still. You okay, son? Feeling... better after that?"

Artemis rolled to his side silently, trying to shut down the pep talk.

"You haven't said a word to me in weeks. Son, please..." Yoyo brought his son's child closer and sat where he had no choice but to stare at her. "You still feel something." He touched a paw to the glowing glaze all over his son and the sheets. "You don't make this kind of mess if you're dead inside. If you still have even a little left in you, don't waste it on me. Just promise me you'll give your daughter the time of day. She hasn't even touched her father yet. You know how horrible that sounds?"

Arty shook his head when Yoyo tried to approach with the child, a ball of lightning forming in his paw.

"Dear... Maybe we should get his meds..." Zoë reeled her husband back for her granddaughter's sake and reached for the oddly calm baby. "In fact... have you looked into that institution I mentioned on the Furnace? Cassie can wait a little longer..."

Artemis quelled his electric charge and barely perked his head. "C-Cass...ie...?"

"Your daughter, yes. Damn, you didn't even know her name? Or... that she existed?" Iolvin took back control of the child and held her so father and daughter could meet face to face. "This is Cassandra Elliot Ganzfeld, your baby girl. I took some liberties naming her since... you weren't responsive... but it's early for her so we can always--"

"No..." Arty fought every atrophied muscle in his frail body and sat himself upright. "It fits her."

"Arty, my boy..." Yoyo slid against his son and held Cassie for her straining father. "Cassie, meet your dad. He's a good man if you get to know him."

"Cassie..." Arty reached out a finger and a tiny webbed paw grabbed onto it. "She's beautiful."

"I... haven't seen her smile before. She doesn't like being touched at all." Zoë leaned in to watch the sputtering giggle monster a little closer. "I'm pretty sure I'm always hurting her, but she loves you."

"He's got the heart in him to be a good father."

"She... looks so much like her mother." Art made a spark that jolted his father a bit but strangely caused Cassie to start purring. "You've got her bright eyes... and her smile..."

"No... Arty, you are her mother." Yoyo backed away after the shock, drawing the girl out of range. "You were making so much progress. What is with this imaginary wife of yours?"

"She's not fake! You just can't remember her! I'm the only--" Artemis froze as he soaked up the genuinely broken expressions on his family's faces. "I can't keep doing this, can I? I can't have Vix and our child at the same time. Lord, I... can't share this burden with Cassie..."

"You have to let it go, son. You can't heal until you admit this Vix isn't here in the real world. She's all in your head."

"That's the problem, dad. That's always been the problem." Artemis fell limp against the headboard and pulled out the rough crimson rock from a pouch about his neck. With a shaking, distraught sigh he began to cry. "I'm sorry, Vix. Goodbye, my love." He placed the trinket atop the nightstand and reached for his child. "Cassie, I choose you."

"Son." Iolvin rejoined his grieving boy, hugging him close as they both shared a good cry. "It'll be alright. We'll help you forget about this... uh..."

"What was her...?" Zoë joined the family snuggle, shaking her head in confusion. "No, his name?"

"I don't..." Arty turned to a sound on the table and found a pile of fine red dust. "Were we talking about this? Where'd this come from?"

"I think we were talking about Cassie's father, right?" Yoyo groaned as his Slate started vibrating from several text messages. "Damnit. I thought I silenced it or you, son."

"It's okay. You can answer it." Arty held his daughter for the first time, freeing Yoyo's paws after months of taking the reins. "Hey, baby girl..."

"Thanks. Something must be up with the family now that we're past midnight. Today isn't a fun anniversary."

"Oh, put that thing away." A familiar voice in the dark grabbed everyone's attention, culminating with dropped jaws as a lithe panthress set herself on the bed and pet the grandchild holding her name. "You know how I feel about phones during family time, Yoyo."

"Sa... San..." Iolvin fell off the side of the bed, probably to pick his jaw off the floor. "Sandy?"

"M-Mom...?" Arty just blinked and cradled his daughter, the daze of the whole night's events culminating into mental paralysis. "How are... you...?"

"I don't know. One minute I was in bed at home, the next I'm standing in this strange stone room with lava lamps for walls." Cassandra slid into the snuggle where her lover had fallen and gave the baby a closer look. "This is why I don't drink anymore after the chemo. You guys can..." She finally got a good look at her son's face, his expression and slight aging snapping something into place in her head. "I was dead. I... saw you in that place... I thought it was Heaven, Artemis. Please tell me we're both not--"

"We're very much alive, mom. We're... God..."

"Shush. Blasphemy does not become you, son." Sandy passed her fingers through her baffled son's hair. "What? Did I say something wrong? Do you... not believe in...?"

"I do. I just... There was something about what you said." Arty shook his head and shoved his face into his mother's chest for a tight hug. "I love you, mom. I missed you so fucking much."

"I love you too, honey. But hush with the language, Artemis. Not in front of the child." Sandy looked at the baby, then scanned the room and grabbed at little details quite literally. "Wait, who had this kitten? Do you have someone in your life now?"

"No, I don't. I... I'm still a little hazy from the drugs, because I can't remember the mother..." Arty held Cassie up for her grandmother. "This little gem is... Cassandra, actually."

"You...? I'm... I'm honored, really." The proud panthress fought back teary eyes, forcing a change of topic to buy some time. "Speaking of gems... Who do these belong to, Artemis?" She held two glowing, solid ruby rings and placed them in her son's paw. "They were on the table and they look precious. This one looks about your size, and... Lord Almighty... Do you have a mate now, Artemis?"

"What? I think I'd remember if I... had a... mate?" The panthott squinted and shook his head, unsure why those words stood out to him. "All I have is my little girl to remind me of..."

"What?" Yoyo sat upright with his Slate to his ear. "That's not possible!" He looked up to his revived lover and swallowed a heavy gulp of reality. "No, that's not true. Excelle, stay on the line. I'm getting another call."

"Iolvin? Seriously? What's so important you're ignoring your..." Sandy pushed the phone down, her words failing her. "...your fiancée, if... you'll still have me..."

"Sandy... But I thought...?"

"Dying changes your priorities, dummy. I think if God wills me to live again, he's done it for a good reason..." Sandy held up a ring and lowered her voice almost to an inaudible level. "Plus... I remember what we talked about in that... bright place..."

"So you... don't mind that I'm already married now? What changed your mind?"

"That girl did. I couldn't let my son get married like that without having a proper marriage to his fa--"

"What did you say? Who are you talking about, Mom?" Arty stared at the familiar features of his daughter's face. "All I have to go on is this... fun, silly, happy... beautiful... brilliant daughter we dreamed of..."

"Artemis, son... I finally figured out my purpose here. I think these were meant for you." Cassandra grinned as she looked into the empty darkness of the room. She reached out and placed the two strange rings in her son's paw. "You two should talk."

"What? W-Who?"

Artemis looked up at a new figure in the room, his heart fluttering as she walked to the far side of the bed to crawl beside him. "Welcome back, my love."

"V-Vix?"

"You remembered. Thank you." The vixen grazed a paw below her bearded husband's chin. "I love you, Art."

"I l-love you t-too..." Artemis struggled to keep his overworked brain from fizzling, offering Cassie to her proper mother. "Look, w-we..."

"Cassandra is wonderful, love. You did well with her, considering your burden." Vixellyn ran a paw over her daughter's face, then sighed as she looked at her own paw. "I only wish I could really touch her. Perhaps it's better with her condition."

"What...? I don't unders-stand..."

"Oh, Art... I'm sorry..." Vix took her paw and moved it effortlessly through the headboard. "Willpower gets you pretty far, but not everywhere you need to go. We've still got some work to do, and I for one am happy to spend our lives together reaching that goal."

"Y-Yeah..." Arty started to understand what was happening and calmed himself with a few breaths. "You don't have a body because it doesn't exist yet. We'll... just have to make you one, somehow. Our daughter needs a proper mother."

"We've got a bit of a Path ahead of us, but we'll make it eventually." Vix checked around the room, giggling as she noticed the mess Arty had made. "For now... where's my favorite genie? Is she the cause of all this?"

"No, actually. Cher... is not doing well. I haven't seen her in days, actually. She's lost her color, her glow..."

"Well you're stuck in this bed, so that's a given." Vix took hold of the larger of the two rings and placed it in a perfect fit on her husband's finger, the material parting to wedge around one side of the webbing of his paw. "That one is for you. The other I'll let Cher protect for me."

"You... think this can help her? Cher can be saved?"

"Cheren? We can bring her back? Who's on your phone, son?" Yoyo stood tall and held out his own Slate, about four callers queued on hold. "We're having a bit of a miracle, son. My... My Adrian, too... Gods, they're all coming back..."

"Most of them." Vix sighed at an admission. "I couldn't save them all. Trading a life for another... an immutable pact of souls..."

"We'll take what we can get. I'm just happy to have you back for now." Arty pulled his mate into a calming hug. "We'll get through it. We'll work on saving everyone we can."

"Iolvin, his Slate and Sense..." Zoë picked up the completely dead pair of devices by the bedside and quirked her head to the side. "Who are you talking to, Arty?"

"Oh, of course! I'm such an idiot!" Artemis took Viellyn's paw in his own and shared a very real kiss with his wife. They smiled for each other momentarily, then Arty took the spare ring and placed it in his mother's paw. He layered his other parents' paws over the stone and beamed a hearty smile as their eyes lit up. "Guys, let me introduce you to my new wife."

The cheerful vixen wiped away a tear of happiness and took a bow. "Nice to meet you all again, my new family."