Black. The purest shade of black. That's all Patti could see at first. However, her conscience was steadily creeping out of her coma state. Light from the outside world began to filter out the darkness. Once her awareness had perked up a notch, her eyelid muscles decided to twitch. She cracked her eyes open a fraction, blinked at the light, and raised up the curtain of her eyelids.

"…Mm…?"

As she licked her dry lips, the girl tried to focus her vision on the blurry brown sky. Wait, no-it was the ceiling. A bronze colored ceiling with orange glass lights. Turning her neck to the side, she saw walls similar in design with mighty columns lining them. The regal interior was an ill match to the hospital style beds standing side by side against the wall.

Her brain sparked up the image of the Hamelin infirmary from her memory photo album. Overcome with realization, she sat up with a gasp. She let the oxygen enter her lungs, fueling her brain with air to think. One second she was lying exhausted on the cave floor, and now in the Hamelin palace. How in the world did those two puzzle pieces fit together in this mystery?

She then registered a dip in the mattress she occupied. Patti glanced at her side to find a mass of red hair resting against the bed, buried in a pair of folded arms. The body it was attached to rose up and down gently, asleep.

"…D-Dad?" Patti whispered hoarsely. When the man didn't budge, she lightly poked one of his arms. "Dad?"

"…Mmph-huh?" The man mumbled. His head groggily rose up and his blue eyes flickered open. They then grew wide as they adjusted to the preteen before him.

"Dad!"

"P-P-Patti!"

The girl nearly leaped out of the bed to embrace Oliver. He buried his face into her peanut colored hair as he held her tightly to himself.

"Oh, Patti, thank goodness you're awake!"

Patti clung onto his yellow cotton shirt before pulling away suddenly with wide eyes. "Wait-w-what happened? How'd I get here? And where's Penny?"

"Don't worry-everything's okay now. And your friend's right behind you." The Savior pointed over Patti's shoulder. She turned around and found, lying in a bed with her mouth open mid-snore, was her spunky soulmate. Her cocoa hat dangled from a bedpost at the foot of bed, giving her hair the freedom to spread out where ever it wanted. Sitting in a nearby chair was Swaine, dozing off in a similar but louder manner.

"Penny!" Patti cried as she swung her legs over the bed and dashed to her friend's bedside. She leaned over and stared at her face. "Penny, are you awake?"

"Zzz…whuh…?" Lazily opening one eye half way, the tomboy looked at her visitor for a moment before turning over with the thin covers pulled around her while she mumbled, "Five more minutes…Zzz…"

Patti remained silent for a second before sputtering out a giggle that escalated to a laugh. Oliver chimed along with her as he walked over to his daughter's side. This laughter must have acted like an alarm clock, for the lanky ex-thief had returned from dream land.

"Zzz…eh…?" He mumbled. "W-what time is it…?"

Patti blinked as that question swiftly slipped into her mind. For the first time since waking up, the girl got a good look at herself. No longer clothed in her favorite blue dress, she wore a plain white gown over her small frame instead. Her feet were bare of her boots and her hair stripped of their pigtails.

"Dad," Patti whispered. "H-how…how long were we asleep?"

The man was about to answer, but was cut off as the older man came back to his senses with a slow yawn. Swaine rubbed his jaded eyes before glancing at Patti. "Mmm? Patti?"

"H-hi, Swaine."

He didn't reply, shifting his gaze to his daughter. Hesitating for a second he reached out his bony hand and tapped her shoulder. "…P-Penny…? Hey, you awake?"

The man tapped a couple more times before she turned over to her other side, grumbling, "Oh, c'mon, it's Sunday…"

"P-P-Penny!" Swaine cried, overjoyed. He excitedly shook her shoulder. "Penny, get up!"

"Mm…alright, alright…" She moaned in a drowsy tone while slowly sitting up in her bed. As she raised her head, her caramel hair bunched around her face like a wild mess of straw. The girl stared into space half awake, and then shook her head.

"Huh?" Penny whipped her head around, hastily absorbing her surroundings. "H-hey, this isn't the ca-"

"Penny!" The preteen was cut off as Swaine hugged her abruptly. He buried his nose into the crown of her hair affectionately. "Oh, thank god you're alive…" He muttered to himself.

"Oof, pfft, Dad, your stubbles tickle!" She said as she held his lanky arms in return. "Hehe, not so tight!" Somehow she managed to push herself gently away and look him in the eyes. "So, what happened? Like why are we here?"

"Yeah," Patti chirped quietly, "How did we get here? From the cave, I mean."

"Well, after we found out you two had run off," Oliver explained, "we got Marcassin to tag along with me and Swaine and used Travel to go after you guys." He paused for a moment as his expression switched to a stern one. "Patti, Penny, why on earth did you two go to The Tombstone Trial alone?"

"We just wanted to help!" Penny interjected loudly. "There's no way the Hamelin soldiers would have found Fido, get his spit, and get back here in time!"

"That doesn't mean you have to go and pull a stunt like that." Swaine narrowed his eyes at the tomboy. His previous joy had melded into anger. "You could have been ki-hurt, or worse! What in the Sages were you thinking, Pen?!" By this point the thin man had stood up to his full height and glared down at his daughter.

"Dad, I-"

"W-wait, Swaine!" Patti dashed to her soulmate's side protectively and held a hand to her chest. "I-it wasn't her fault! It was my idea!"

"…What?" He blinked. "Your idea?"

"Yes, so…if anyone should be in trouble, then it should be me." Her head hung down as her shoulders grew slack. "I just didn't want to see Mom and Esther…d-die…"

The man's body language froze. His lips twitched, unable to form any words and unsure of what to even say. Before he could recover, his spunky daughter spoke up.

"Wait, what about Mom and her soulmate? Her name was Myrtle, right? Are they okay?!" Penny swung her legs off of her bed, staring up at the man. "Well? Are they?"

"O-oh, yeah, they're fine." He said. Patti and Penny's blue eyes lit up like a pair of Christmas lights.

"R-really? They're okay?"

"Aw-YEAH!" Penny punched the air ecstatically. "We did it! Woo-hoo!" She jumped in the air until a bony hand pinched her ear sharply.

"OW! Hey, what's the big idea, Dad?!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that you ran off without anyone's permission." Swaine growled.

"W-wait, I did have permission!"

"Eh? By who?"

"By me! And I told Aunt Sapphire and Ben where we were going!"

"Ugh…" Slapping his hand over his eyes, he gritted his teeth. "Neither of those cases count, and you know it."

"Ehehe…" The tomboy scratched her neck sheepishly. "W-well, since we didn't die, you can cut me some slack, right?"

"You're going to be grounded for three weeks. End of conversation." Swaine crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

"What?! Aw, c'mon!"

As the father-daughter duo bickered, Patti cautiously crept away to Oliver. She whispered, "Dad…I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make everyone worry, but…I couldn't just stick around and let Mom and Esther die." Her fingers fiddled with each other. "I…I was really scared…back when I saw them…and when Penny and I were fighting-"

Patti felt a hand land on the crown of her head. She looked up to the Savior's eyes.

"It's okay, Patti. What matters is that you and Penny are alive."

"And Mom…?"

"She's fine, thanks to you." Oliver said, "We collected the monster's saliva and brought you two back to Hamelin with it. After the doctor gave you the antidote, he treated your other injuries."

"…how long were we asleep?"

"Yeah, you asked me that earlier…" The redhead hesitated for a breath as the girl stared at his face, eager for an answer.

"Two days."

"Two…days?" Patti repeated, stunned.

"Well, almost two and a half, counting today."

The brunette looked around until her eyes landed on a wall clock with its pendulum swinging back and forth in the air. Sure enough, the hour hand rested on the eight while the second hand rested a hair past the six.

"So…it's morning?"

"Mm-hmm."

"What about Mom and Esther? Are they awake?"

Oliver stood up from his seat and straightened his posture. "I don't know…but we can go and see for ourselves."

"That won't be necessary."

Patti and her father jerked their attention to the direction of the male voice. Standing by the door was Marcassin with his trademark staff in his hand.

"M-Marcassin!" The girl stared at the man. "What do you mean by that?"

Grinning, he stepped away from the door, revealing a pair of women standing in the hallway behind him. One wore a long blue dress and simple sandals, while the other was clothed in a more exotic shirt and long purple skirt. Both, however, had long golden hair, creamy pale skin, and cobalt blue eyes.

"Mom!"

"Patti!"

The girl sprinted to Myrtle and swung her thin arms around the woman's neck.

"Oh, Patti…" The blonde whispered. "I've been so worried about you…"

After a tight squeeze, Patti pulled away to look at her mother in the eye. "I'm glad you're okay, too, Mom." She glanced to the other lady at the side. "And you, too, Esther."

The said tamer smiled and reached out to ruffle Patti's hair. "Same here, Patti." She then turned her head to see her oblivious husband and daughter still arguing. At that moment, Swaine was firmly pinching Penny's right ear.

"Ow! C'mon, Dad, we got the spit! Can't you cut it to two weeks?"

"Sure, when Hurlabaloo's fly." He grumbled sarcastically. "Listen, you and Patti could have been dead meat if we didn't find you in time! You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, really!"

Swaine let go of her ear and stared blankly at Penny. He pinched the bridge of his nose with closed eyes, thinking.

"Either way, we're both still going to get an earful from your mother..." He sighed.

"Mm? Why you?" Penny cocked her head to the side. "Did you get into trouble while we were away or something?"

"No, for not keeping you out of trouble."

"Aw, but I was just trying to help Mom and Myrtle!" She whined. "I still don't think that counts as 'trouble'."

"Oh, but it does." Esther took a step towards the pair, staring at them. Both of them froze to stare back at the tamer.

"Esther!"

"MOM!" Penny galloped from her spot and to the blonde, jumping into her arms.

"Mom, mom, mom, you're okay!" She chanted excitedly.

"Yes, and I'm happy you're alright, too, Pen." Esther patted the girl on the head as she held her close. After a brief embrace, she put the girl down.

"But from now on, don't ever, ever, run off like that again. Understand?"

The tomboy pouted. "Aw, Mom, I was trying to help! Thanks to me and Patti, you're all better, right? Can't you give us a little credit?" She stepped to the side, grabbed Patti's hand, and pulled her soulmate to stand closer to her. Penny stared up at her mother stubbornly while her partner in crime simply gazed at Esther.

"…Fine." She sighed and knelt down to look at them straight in the eyes. "Patti, Penny, I thank you for bravely and selflessly venturing out and finding the vital saliva. I admit if it wasn't for you two, Myrtle and I wouldn't be alive. But," Her tone grew low, "if you ever-ever-do something like that again, then you will be grounded for an entire month. Do you understand?"

Both of the brunette's eyes widened. They nodded a "Yes, ma'am."

"Good!" Esther chirped, standing straight. Then she eyed the lanky man. "Alright, Swaine, now it's your turn."

"Huh? Me?" He pointed to his chest with a raised eyebrow. "…Oh. For not keeping an eye on Pen', right?"

"Right." She waltzed over and tugged him away by the collar of his shirt. "Now we need to have a little chat!"

"Ow, hey, not so hard!" He cried while being dragged away. "I'm sorry, I was feeling sick, really!" Just before they reached the door, he desperately grabbed onto the door frame, haulting them in their tracks for a moment. "They slipped out while I was emptying out my stomach! Oliver can vouch for me, really-hey, ow!" Esther wasn't willing to let go of the man, and tugged him away from the door and down the hall, with his protests growing fainter.

Patti glanced at her father, grinning. "They still argue like in your book, Dad."

"Yep. Still like an old married couple." He chuckled.

"You've got that right, mun!"

Oliver, Patti, and Penny flinched with surprise at the Welch voice. Everyone in the room, including Marcassin, shifted their gaze to the door, where a round fairy rolled out at top speed. The Lord High Lord of the Fairies skidded to a stop at Patti and Penny's feet.

"Oi, there, girls! Glad to see that you two are up and about!" Drippy spun in a circle as he spoke a mile a minute. "Could hardly believe it when I heard you two had run off to that oversized graveyard to find that spit and save youer mums-blimey, nearly wet my knickers I did!" He was pacing absent mindedly at this point. "Worse part was I couldn't go and save you myself because Ollie-boy and the others had already left, and I may be the tidiest fairy to ever live, but catching up to them at that old cemetery would have been like a hitting a bowling ball with a tissue, mun!"

Drippy shook his lantern and turned his attention to Marcassin, who was still standing by the door. "And after waiting for what felt like a flipping century-bam!-Marcy here slammed open the door with Ollie and Swaine right behind him with a pair of lifeless lasses in their arms!" He paused from his long rant and moved his attention back to the girls. "Oi, oi, oi, that was NOT a tidy sight. You two really gave everyone a proper bad scare!"

Patti stared at her feet as she rubbed her big toe into the ground. "Sorry…we should have left a note or something at least."

"Yeah, heh heh…" Penny chuckled half-heartedly. "B-but we were in a hurry, see? We didn't have time to do something like that!"

"Well…at least everything worked out in the end." Oliver grinned, walked over to Patti, and lifted her up in his arms. "So, Pat', ready to go home?"

Her eyes lit up for a second. "Ye…" Yet the light in her eyes suddenly fell. She craned her neck behind her to look at her spunky soulmate. The current of emotion in Penny's face shifted in a heartbeat from bright joy to sharp disappointment.

"W-w-what?! You're leaving already?" She whined.

"W-well, we've been gone from Motorville for several days, and everyone there is probably worried sick." Oliver's eyes hovered to the side, uncomfortable. "I really wish we could stay, but-"

"But-But everyone's back together now!" Penny cried. "You, my mom, my dad, Uncle Marcassin, even Mr. Drippy! Just when the whole gang that saved the world is together again, you decide to high tail it out of here? Without even a good-bye?!"

"Penny…" Marcassin bit his lip, unsure of how to calm his niece. "I-I'm sure Oliver wasn't going to leave without saying farewell, at least."

She stared at her uncle for a moment, then to Patti and Oliver, and then dashed out the door.

"Oi, Penny!" Drippy called out, but the girl was already galloping down the hall. A few seconds later, her muffled voice boomed from further away.

"…can put off your argument for later; Patti's leaving!"

The girl reappeared from the doorframe, but now dragging her parents behind her. Swaine nearly tripped over his feet while Esther skidded to a stop. Before either of the adults could speak, Penny spun towards them.

"You gotta talk them out of leaving right now!" She cried. "Even if they could stay a couple of hours is fine! Pleeeeeeaase?" Penny slapped her palms together and bowed her head, begging. "I just want to play with Patti some more!"

"Pen', I…I think that's up to Oliver." Swaine scratched his curly hair. "I mean…I'm sure he's got some friends back in Motorville worried over him and his family."

The brunette raised her head and stared up at him with a pair of extra-shiny, sweet blue eyes glistening with cuteness. "Pretty pleeeeeaase~?"

The lanky man merely rolled his brown eyes. "Nice try, Pen, but I became immune to that look ages ago." He deadpanned.

Her face fell, and her once crystal-dazzling eyes went down with it. "Aw…" She grumbled.

Esther's delicate hand patted Penny's peanut butter hair lightly. "You really want to spend more time with Patti, don't you?"

The child nodded silently.

Patti jumped down from Oliver's arms and walked to her friend's side. "I do, too." She stared up at Esther.

The blonde nodded. "I know how close you two have gotten between traveling with us and embarking to The Tombstone Trial for that saliva. But whether or not Patti can stay for a little longer is up to Oliver and Myrtle."

Penny's expression glazed over with reluctant defeat. "…Okay." She finally huffed.

"You just had to inherit that stubborn streak from your father, didn't you?" Esther smiled jokingly.

"Hey, I heard that, you know. " The scruffy man barked. Esther coyly shrugged with a raised eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Patti glanced at her mother, who harbored a sad look in her ocean blue eyes.

"I…I wish we could stay, Patti." Myrtle's eyes glued themselves to her shoes while she wringed her hands with one another. "But we've been away from Motorville for several days, and I'm positive that Phil and Mrs. Leila and everybody else back home are still looking for you…along with me and Oliver, probably."

"The lass is right, Pat." Drippy suddenly leaped onto the girl's head, holding Penny's paperboy hat. "As much as I hate to see you and Ollie-boy go, it's for the best that you head back to your world lickety-split."

"Mm-hmm." Patti nodded, nearly tilting the fairy off of her head.

"Tidy." He said and tossed the hat in his tiny arms on top of the other soulmate's hair. "Ya' all tidy with that, too, Pen?"

"Yeah…" The spunky girl adjusted her hat as she looked at her quiet soulmate. "Just…just come back and visit sometime! Alright?"

Patti's smile reflected the emotion in her eyes. "Of course we will! You can count on that!" She quickly glanced at her father. "Won't we…?"

"Well, of course we will, Patti!" Oliver exclaimed positively. "You can count on that, or I'm not the Savior!"

The girl giggled and ran to her father, hugging him as she looked up.

"I'm ready to go when you and Mom are."

Oliver reached for a nearby satchel, slipped his hand into it, and retrieved an orange tipped wand from its depths.

"Wait-isn't that…?" Patti asked.

"The very wand you found back at that cave. We've got the rest of your things in here, too." The redhead replied. "Pat', Myrtle, hang on tight."

Myrtle walked to the wizard's side while Patti held onto his free hand. As he drew the Gateway rune that started this crazy adventure in the first place, she looked to her soulmate, waving at her family.

"Till next time, Pat'! Don't keep us waiting for too long, alright?"

"Okay! You too, Penny!"

Penny continued to wave with her toothy, spunky grin plastered on her face. Behind her, Esther, Swaine, Drippy, even Marcassin waved their good-byes with her.

"See you soon, Oliver!"

"Yeah, and don't be too good, remember? Heheh!"

"Come back to our world soon or else I'm gonna start calling you crybaby buntin' again! Ya hear me?"

"Farewell, Savior! And farewell, Myrtle and Patti!"

Patti smiled at her new friends. "Good bye, everyone!" Oliver and Myrtle waved back as well while the shimmering blue light of the spell steadily rose from the ground. With a handful of enchanted sparkles and a beam of bright blue magic, the spell whisked the family of three away from this world and back into theirs.

In the fleeting moments before they vanished, the timid girl caught one last look at this world's version of herself; a confident, rambunctious tomboy with a big heart. The other girl gazed back at the gentle, kind girl with a brave soul. Even though they had their differences from their fashion senses to personalities, the duo had formed an invisible, invincible bond.

With one last smile at each other, the girl's lost sight of the other, knowing the tale of these two soulmates wasn't ending…it was just beginning.

AN: Well, this is it, everyone. The closing chapter of my NNK fanfic. Thank you so much for your support and reviews! It's crazy to think I started this back in January and spent nearly six months on it. This one's my longest fanfic yet. I may do more with my soulmate OC's here, but not for a while. In the meantime, 'till we meet again. :3