Pomegranate looked up, eyes sharp. Dark Choco frowned, and Licorice shuffled uncomfortably.

"This isn't a logical way out, Pomegranate. Why can't we just drop the situation here?" Dark Choco pleaded. She gave him a bitter glare.

"Traitors don't deserve happiness. They deserve to rot in their own anguish. Dark Enchantress couldn't manage it, but I... I can. I will. I must." She muttered. Dark Choco shook his head.

"How? How? Our master couldn't! How could we?"

"Yeah! Don't get me wrong, Dark Enchantress is amazing, but how could we win? She's more powerful than all three of us combined, and those two beat her!" Licorice piped up.

Pomegranate gave him a side-eye, and laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her fist. "We're not the only ones hunting after them."

"...Who else is?" Dark Choco muttered.

"Y/N's own father. I've watched Y/N and Red Velvet so closely. The only thing that can hurt Red Velvet now is losing her or Chiffon. And if he does what I think he'll do next, and Y/N responds accordingly, her loss will hurt him more. If we're lucky, she'll die right in front of his eyes. All we want is to hurt him. He betrayed us."

Dark Choco shuddered. "You're a psychopath..."

"Tsk. Bit rude. Are you in, Dark Choco?"

He paused, and took a heavy breath.

"Do I have any choice now?"

"Perhaps. This is your last shot at proving your worth, Dark Choco."

"...Fine. I'm in."

Pomegranate smiled behind her fist. "Good decision. Maybe you are smartening up, hmm? What about you, Licorice?"

He had originally been standing shrouded in the darkness against the wall, however now he stepped into the center, grinning. "Of course I'm in! This is our chance to prevail!"

Pomegranate nodded, and stepped forward, analyzing the notes she'd written. Dark Choco and Licorice shuffled over, looking over her shoulder at the neat writing.

"Alright. Our first plan of action is..."

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

A bird chirped in the pine forest, which was behind you now. You'd just gotten out, and the day was finally ending; dusk started setting in. You turned, and looked at Red Velvet.

You hated to admit it. You really did. All that anger you'd let out against him in the tower was for nothing now...

But maybe you were head over heels.

Everything about him. The way the light sparked off his eyes with a new gleam, his firm yet gentle demeanor, his talents... you could go on for hours. Hours. Maybe....?

He noticed you staring at him, and he turned his head slightly towards you, chuckling. "You good over there?"

You swallowed harshly, nodding. "I'm fine. Just..." Your voice trailed off. Oh, you'd done yourself in now. But you still weren't sure yet. And what if he didn't feel the same? What if you weren't actually being true to yourself, and were creating false feelings through confusion? What if...

"...Just....? Go on..." He said, leaning towards you a little. You looked quickly down at the horn of your saddle.

"It's nothing." You said firmly. You thought you saw a bit of disappointment flash in his eyes, but when you glanced back over, he was focused on the trail. You fidgeted with the reins self-consciously.

There was no way in hell he would feel the same. Purely platonic. That's what you kept repeating in your head. You were friends. Nothing more. You'd never be more.

Right...?

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Almond looked up, eyes sharp. The train to bring him to Hankala, the place he guessed they'd go next, was going to be extremely late due to weather, and now he was forced to stay in town for a bit longer. But he had no more money to spend on a hotel, his paycheck hadn't come in yet...

He was sitting by a campfire in the woods, yet still freezing. It was barely night; the sun had just set. He had heard a rustle. And then footsteps. Three pairs, it sounded like. He stood up quickly, pointing the gun. "Who's there?!" He demanded. A pair of cherry red eyes gleamed through the dark, and a cookie stepped out of the shadows, two others on either side of her. He recognized them instantly.

"You... you three were exiled! What do you think you're doing here?!" He shouted. Pomegranate raised a finger to her mouth.

"Shhhh. You don't want to alert someone, do you? We're here to inquire a little something."

Almond took a shaky breath. "Inquire about what exactly...?"

"Your daughter." Pomegranate glanced down at the gun. "You're not closing this case until she's dead, are you?"

Almond looked taken aback, before he hesitantly gave a guilty nod. "...Why do you ask?"

"It just so happens we're on the same mission. We're killing her. Do you want to help?"

Almond looked between all three. "But that's... that's treason!"

"We'll all be traitors then. Red Velvet to the Cookies of Darkness, us to Dark Enchantress's orders, you to the law, and Y/N to everyone. It would be an even playing field. But they won't know whats coming. I've foreseen it all. I know exactly what will happen. She'll be dead or dying. If we do this right. Will you join us?"

Almond paused. "...Oh, what do I have left to lose? Fuck it. I will. I'll join you for this mission alone. That's it. No more."

Pomegranate smiled. "Excellent. Be at Hankala town as soon as you can. They're going there next."

"Called it." Almond muttered under his breath. "The trains are down for a bit due to weather. But I'll be there as soon as I can. What's the latest I can get there?"

"If I remember correctly, they'll be where we need them in three days. Give or take. Be there."

"I will. What are you going to do until then...?"

"Observe. We're going to threaten Red Velvet right after we're done here. We're both just doing the same task with different motives. We want Red Velvet to suffer, and you want revenge."

Almond nodded. "...very well."

And then they were gone. Almond sat there for a bit, silent, before he buried his head in his hands and sighed. Why the fuck did he agree to that? He already hated what he was doing enough, why did he have to make it worse?

He pulled out the gun, and looked at it; the same shining silver that he'd originally seen a determined face in was already dusted, and when he wiped it off, he didn't see the protector others made him out to be.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Red Velvet sighed and smiled, tucking Y/N's hair behind her ear. She had fallen asleep outside her tent again, and was leaning against him, lights completely out. He picked her up, standing as he did, and carried her to her tent.

It was always unzipped for whenever this happened. It kept happening more often; he wasn't sure if it was the season or if something was going on. He didn't care too much about having to carry her anyways. He set her down on her sleeping bag, figuring he'd let her get into it when she got the chance, and Chea slipped into the tent next to him. He smiled, petting the wolf's head.

"You keep her warm, alright? I can't get her into the sleeping bag. It's too much of a confined space in here."

Chea curled up on top of Y/N, tail wagging slowly, and Red Velvet walked out, zipping it behind him. As he did, he noticed something between the trees.

Two red eye-like shapes.

He did a double take; they vanished as soon as he made eye contact. That couldn't be good at all. Not thinking twice, he grabbed his sword, and went at a brisk pace towards where he saw the eyes.

The last thing he expected was an old ally.

And yet there she was.

Pomegranate was standing at the edge of a clearing, back turned, but she whipped around when Red Velvet stumbled through the bushes. A smile grew on her face.

"Red Velvet. It seems we meet again."

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

She gave a fake pout. "What's with the cold attitude? But I guess I'll tell you what I want." She took a step forward.

"We're going to be doing a little something after you both pass Hankala. Y/N is going to want to investigate something alone. And you're gonna let her." She said, an unwavering tone. Red Velvet could have laughed.

"I'm not an idiot. I know exactly what you're going to do. You're going to kill her! No way in hell would I let her die, especially since I know how she'd pass! Not now. Not ever. Just leave us alone."

Pomegranate tilted her head. "Oh, we won't kill her. Atleast, we might not. But that's besides the point. You think there's a choice here?"

He lowered his sword slightly. "What do you mean by that??"

"If you say 'no' then we'll leave her completely dead and you barely on the edge of living so that you can die painfully and alone. It'll be so much easier if you just let her go alone."

Red Velvet stood in horror, before regaining his composure. "We? You and what army, Pomegranate? You and what army."

She grinned. "Oh, you thought I was alone, did you?"

As if on cue, purple lightning tore through the trees, barely missing Red Velvet and Pomegranate. Looking to the source, he saw the last two cookies he wanted to see. Licorice, with Dark Choco just behind him. A few Licorice Servants tumbled out of the bushes, fighting their way through.

"If you don't listen, I'll have these little guys tear you to shreds. You'll be nothing but undistinguishable crumbs."

He stood there shocked, before shaking his head and running towards Pomegranate, swinging his sword. She jumped out of the way.

"Go for their camp!" She shouted to the Licorice Servants.

"NO!" Red Velvet backed away, and they stopped. "Please... just stop. You're not gaining anything."

"Oh, but we are. We're gaining everything."

Red Velvet didn't respond. He just stood, torn.

Pomegranate tilted her head. "You agree, then?"

A knot felt tied in his throat. "...If I must. Just.... Don't make it painful. I couldn't bear that thought."

She smiled. "Good. Clever, eh? You're getting smart too."

As she started to walk away, Red Velvet felt like he was going to be sick. "Why do you want to kill her...? Why not me?"

She looked over her shoulder.

"Because traitors deserve to live on with nothing but pain."

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

You frowned, concern in your eyes. "Oh, come on. What's got you troubled?"

Red Velvet wouldn't look at you, frustrated guilt written all along his expression. "It's not important."

"But I'd still like to know..."

He balled his fists up, taking a raggedy breath. "I can't tell you. I can't. I'm sorry."

That was alarming. You looked away slowly, staring at the ground. You'd just woken up, and the first thing you'd seen was Red Velvet sitting miserably by himself. He looked like he'd been crying, but he wouldn't tell you why. He wouldn't tell you anything at all.

Eventually, you stood, going over to the horses and untying them. You redid up Fructose's girth, patting his shoulder, and taking Batik's reins as a lead. You held them out towards Red Velvet, and he looked up at you, meeting your gaze for the first time that morning. His eyes looked glossed over, and he took the reins from you quickly, looking away again. You went to pack the tents.

Was he angry? What had you done...?

But if he was angry, why would he look so guilty...?

The question tormented you. You shoved the tents into your bag, throwing it over your shoulder. The leftover money jingled inside, and you got onto Fructose, grabbing the reins tightly. Red Velvet was already standing near the edge, ready to go.

"...lead the way." You said softly. He just nodded and started Batik through the woods back to the main trail.

There was silence for a long time. Too long. You had to break it.

"When are we getting Hankala? I haven't checked the map in a while."

"We should get there today." He responded quietly.

You dipped your head. "Good."

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

A/N: I am dangling what you want right above your heads aren't I.