It's better this way

He couldn't stand to see his puppeteer suffer, the thought of him losing his partner pained the puppet to see. To hear them speak to one another, "if they don't get me, my immune system will, i can't live like this. The pain is unbearable." Both so defenseless. So many years keeping them happy just to lose them to a virus? No. It can't happen like this. Not now. Like a bad dream.

To his surprise, they opened the game, presumably to see him one more time before their laptop would lose power for good. To feel their strings one more time, bliss, but their bliss was cut short with a loud crash; a burst of glass shattering as infected found their way into yb and shroom's home. They stumble through the main room, quick, loud, destructive. In a singular moment, Batter felt himself panic for the first time. Shelves fall with loud thuds, pictures break in the shamble through the halls. Shroom screams when they pounded against the door, it didn't seem it would hold too long as the door began to splinter. 'No. no...no!' batter felt the air escape him as shroom touched the keyboard full of fear.

he blanked out. In A bright flash of light, he felt himself between yb and an infected, bat in both hands, just barely pushing the monster away from his beloved player. Another moment, he begins to finally focus hard. Alpha, omega, and epsilon materialize at his side, he kicks into full gear fully shoving the infected off of him and into the wall. Another enters, letting out an alerted gargle as it spits what seemed like cup fulls of blood at him. "demonic child, You will rest for eternity before you come between us and our sacred mission, you will be set FREE!"

Holy as light, the fury of his swing lands wholly, splattering the infected's head into spray on the wall. Alpha surges into action, supported by epsilon's baroque drama, making a fountain of the first infected that dared enter their space. 3 more infected come, screeching their arrival and batter swings again 'furious home run', a critical hit lands sending one's head flying, blood pouring all across the carpet and sputtering out of their throat. Distracted with one already, the second infected throws itself at the baseball player taking him off guard. reinforced by epsilon's baroque drama, omega surged forward using his photographic blur before it could truly sink its teeth into the purifier.

Yb could only cover himself and cower behind the man, cradling the laptop as near showers of infected blood fly over the both of them. A furious crack rings out above him as batter lands a hit on the 3rd infected. Seemingly the instant the event happened, shroom was gone, yb choked out a sob, holding his throat tight with one hand. Looking in all directions, under the bed, to the open closet, they were gone. "Gone, GONE???? "WHERE ARE YOU!?!!?! SHROOM??!!!" He screams

The last of the infected was reduced to a mere pile of meat as batter took his rage out on it. ensuring of its demise, he turned to yb. covered head to toe in the flesh and blood of the monsters, he bent down to hold the frightened man. Alpha, omega, and epsilon positioned themselves near the door on standby for more infected that would inevitably come

"vaer safe, yb. No more tears." He wiped a filthy hand on his no longer pristine white jersey, and then wiped a spec of blood away from the much shorter's eyebags. "Look. In the game." He spoke up, pointing out the status of their player 2. And the puppeteer was astonished, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shrooms closed eyes and smile filled the place of his batter, class: restorator, status: pure. How did this happen? As it comforted him, it filled him with dread. "It.. the lap- my laptop doesn't have much power??? What are we going to do? I'm still going to lose them-" yb stuttered until the words came out no longer. batter placed a hand on his back, coaxing him back into his arms, "we will find a way to charge it again. There is always a way."

after about a minute, Yb jolted in his arms once more. Slipping out of the purifier's grip, he knelt to the laptop, he moved to the save point in game and closed OFF. After fiddling with the computer a bit, he released the usb drive from the laptop and fixed onto his necklace.

"there... Safe and sound just like i kept you all these years." Yb let out a sigh of relief, cupping the usb close to his heart.

The batter caught himself with a smile creeping onto his face. It felt nice to see him caress the usb as he did when it was him. He didn't feel himself moving forward until he was holding the player once more.

'i promise to you, we will see them again. Vae will not remain there forever, i promise i will do anything to keep the both of you safe, by any means necessary. Even if it means i'll be ripped apart. No pain is too great.' what he thought to himself remained in his mind, a promise to keep, but let himself speak after he felt he was silent too long for yb's comfort.

"we will rid the world of this virus, this is our mission." Batter places a hand on yb's shoulder, other hand cupping his chin to look him in the eyes. "This is our sacred mission. We will eliminate all spectres and free this world. Together." The puppeteer's eyes widened, full of fear, "promise me you will stay by my side." a tear creeps the corner of the player's eye, silent. "please. I won't be able to do this without you. Even now, your light guides my steps and my faith in you renders me strong. We will succeed-" in a fit of passion, yb finally speaks, cutting him off, "-i love you. I- i wont leave you. Never. Not of my own will. "