Empty.

Complete blackness.

Keiko opened her eyes, not into the real world, but into that same emptiness. Nothing at all.

Then something was there. Slowly, something cyan-green spread across her vision.

Sanitized ink. That's what it was. Keiko tried to step away from it, but she couldn't. She couldn't move at all. She looked down at herself to see the sanitized ooze spreading across her body. It encased her completely, leaving her to scream into it.

She was trapped. She was. . .

"Keiko?"

Someone was speaking her name. It was someone she knew, right? Wasn't that Eight's voice?

"Eight?" She asked softly.

"Keiko!"

Yes, that was most certainly Eight.

"I. . ."

"Please wake up. We're worried."

"I. . . like. . ." Keiko said. "You."

- - -

"Keiko?" Eight asked nervously. She gently shook Keiko's shoulder.

"Eight?" Keiko asked, her voice quiet and weak and her eyes still closed.

"Keiko!" Eight said.

"I. . ." Keiko said, trailing off.

"Please wake up." Eight said. "We're worried."

"I. . ." Keiko started. "Like. . . you."

"What?" Eight asked, very confused.

"I think she's just loopy right now," Marina said. "Her brain activity is all over the place."

"Oh," Eight said, not knowing how to feel.

"How're her vitals?" Marie asked.

"Stable," Marina said. "She's perfectly fine, just unconscious. Probably dreaming."

"Why would she be dreaming about you, hmm?" Niika said to Eight, clearly teasing.

"Stop it," Eight said.

"What?" Niika said, teasing again. "I didn't do anything."

"Hmmph," Eight said, turning away from Niika.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Niika said. "I'll stop."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group.

"What if she does like me?" Eight suddenly whispered to Niika.

"That depends," Niika whispered back. "Do you like her?"

Eight blushed. She paused, then nodded.

"Then that's great for you two," Niika whispered. "Just so you know, she's always said she's Bi, but she hasn't ever seemed into guys."

Eight blushed even more.

"Okay, I'll stop this line of conversation," Niika said.

Then, suddenly, Keiko gasped and sat up, her eyes open. She looked around, confused, and asked, "What happened?"

"You touched the sanitized ink," Marie said. "It knocked you unconscious, so we brought you to this island."

"Oh. . ." Keiko said.

"Do you feel okay?" Marina asked.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah," Keiko responded. "My scar itches a little though."

"We need to find out what is up with that hole though," Callie said. "Right? I mean, there's nothing good about it."

"Yeah," Marie said. "But how? There's no way we can get through all that ink."

"Hold up," Pearl said, holding up her hands. "What about Ahato?"

"Oh yeah," Ryo said. "She'd be able to easily get through it and tell us where in the metro that is."

"Wait a minute," Eight said. "Who's Ahato, and how is she able to get through the sanitized ink?"

"Oh, umm. . ." Misuno said. "Ahato is a friend of mine. She's um. . . She's. . . a sanitized octoling."