The doors to Arfur's Inn slammed open and Eddie burst in, his chest heaving and sweat running down his face. "Guys… everyone…" He took a moment to catch his breath, flipped his hair, and gave the semi-crowded pub a sad look. "Leena's leaving. Her and her family are waiting at the docks. I figured all of us could go say goodbye…" Eddie's usual stage finesse was completely gone. He was far too upset to put his heart into his announcement.

"It's that time already…?" Gretchen touched a finger to her lips, her brow furrowing.

Bart, who was sitting across from her, didn't need to hear the announcement twice. He downed the rest of his whiskey and stood up, approaching Gretchen and helping her out of her chair. "Shame…" he shook his head. "She had so much potential."

Arfur put the glass he was polishing back on the shelf and boomed: "We're closed, everyone! If you have a heart, get down to the docks!"

Everyone, including the off-duty Helpers, looked at each other and nodded. They all followed Eddie out the door and down to the docks, sadness hanging over them like a black cloud.

VPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVP

Dastardos floated through Leena's garden on his way back from his morning reaping, absent-mindedly messing with his unusually limp scarf. His heart wasn't in his work today; he didn't even play up his scariness to the cowering newbie gardeners he "visited." He just floated in, killed their piñatas, and left without saying a word.

Stupid Avalon… Dastardos thought with a snort as he approached his tree. I don't need…huh?

Scurrying outside was Magnar, a half-eaten life candy in his mouth and a tiny, makeshift backpack made from scraps of Dastardos' bedsheets on his back. When he saw Dastardos, he looked up at him, his eyes wide. The candy dropped out of his mouth and he shrunk back, looking awfully guilty.

"Magnar…" Dastardos folded his arms and cocked a brow. "What are you doing?"

"I… I'm running away!" Magnar sniffled, looking away from his master. "It's all my fault you did all that dumb stuff! I encouraged you and now you're not friends with Affalon anymore!"

Dastardos couldn't help himself. He couldn't stay angry when Magnar was upset! His expression softened and he reached for his little piñata friend. "Magnar, it's not-"

"No!" Magnar hopped away from Dastardos' hand. "I don't deserve to have you as an owner!" With that, Magnar took off impossibly fast, his little legs a blur as he ran away from Dastardos.

"Wait, Magnar!" Dastardos exclaimed, floating as fast as he could after his speedy little piñata. "Come back here!"

"NO!" Magnar shouted, like a petulant child.

Dastardos silently thanked whoever would listen that he had never-ending stamina. He just had to chase Magnar until he got tired… there was no way he was letting Magnar get away!

After all, he had already lost everything else.

VPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVPVP

Leena's family was sitting on the dock, waiting for the boat to come in. Leena wasn't sitting with them, instead standing with the crowd that had come to see her off.

"I can't believe all of you came to say goodbye…" her eyes welled up with tears. "I… I love all of you!" She buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Aww, Leena, don't be sad…" Storkos pulled her into a warm hug.

"We're all going to miss you…" Leafos said softly, joining the hug.

"Storkos said she'd teach me how to use that 'me-mail' thing that's so popular…" Seedos edged in, resting his head on Leena's shoulder. "That way we don't have to say goodbye forever…"

A few more people got in on it and soon Leena was wrapped in what may have been the biggest group hug in Piñata Island history. The warmth of all the people around her only made her sadder; she'd never see any of these people again for as long as she lived…

"Helena, come on!" Mary's shrill voice pierced the air and yanked Leena out of her dreamland. "The boat is here!"

"Don't keep the captain waiting, sweetie!" Leena's father called.

Leena let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I guess I've gotta go…" With that, everyone reluctantly broke apart and waved goodbye to Leena. Everyone said how much they would miss her and that they hoped she'd somehow be able to come to visit in the future.

"Bye, Seedos…" Leena gave him another hug, just one for the two of them. "I'll never forget you. I'll keep my mask forever; even when I'm an old lady. I'll pass it down to my kids, okay?"

Seedos' stomach tied into knots. He appreciated the gesture, but the idea of Leena having children with someone else… No, Seedos. She's not yours. She never was, and she never will be.

Great, now I've made myself sad.

Seedos ruffled Leena's hair and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I won't forget you either. I promise."

"HELENA!"

"I'm coming, Mom! Geez…" Leena grabbed her suitcase and carried it over to the dock. Everyone hollered out more goodbyes as Leena's mother pushed her onto the boat. Leena leaned over the side and sighed and Mary sniffed in disapproval.

She couldn't believe she raised such a sentimental fool!

Seedos sniffled and fought back tears. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Storkos, who was smiling sympathetically at him. He threw himself into her arms and started to sob into her poofy dress.

Seeing Seedos cry got Eddie going. He hurled himself onto the ground like a tantruming two year old and sobbed like one too. Maxime rolled her eyes, but Petula crouched down and did her best to soothe Eddie.

The boat retracted its ramp and began to float away. Leena raised her arm to give one last wave, but then a realization struck her like lightning.

It was crazy, it was contrived, it might not even work, but God, she was desperate.

She didn't want to leave her home.

She didn't want to leave her garden to rot.

This is what Pester probably wanted!

He wanted Leena to leave so Jardiniero's garden would never be as glorious as before. He wanted her heart to break. He wanted the Village to lose one of its gardeners. Leena wasn't going to let that happen.

Besides, she had lots of important things to do!

Without thinking for another moment, Leena took a deep breath, put her hands up above her head, and dove into the sea.

"HELENA!" Mary exclaimed, attempting to bolt towards the side of the boat and jump in after her daughter. Leena's father gasped and grabbed his wife, holding onto her tightly.

"Girls, help me out!" he called over his shoulder.

"Y-yes, Dad!" Alyssa nodded and the two of them held onto their mother and rendered her immobile. Mary cawed and crowed like an angry Crowla, but her family didn't let her go until the boat was a safe distance from the Island.

"Aww, Leena left her stuff!" Renee observed, sticking out her lower lip at the suitcase.

"I don't think she cares," Alyssa snickered.

"I hope she's safe…" Leena's father bit his thumbnail, looking at his fuming wife. She flumped down on the suitcase, her arms folded and her face purple with rage. "We should have never tried to make her come home with us."

"I hope she catches the flu; that'll teach her…" Mary groused.

Meanwhile, Leena was climbing the ladder next to the dock, her clothes heavy and her nose full of water. She ignored all of that stuff; she had to get over to her friends and let her know she was staying!

Leena sprinted from the dock at full speed, dripping wet. She didn't care that she might fall, she didn't care that she ruined her clothes, she couldn't leave the Island.

The crowd around the dock stopped gaping and began chattering in their confusion.

"She's crazy!"

"I didn't expect her to do that..."

"So I wasn't seeing, things, then?"

Seedos was the most shocked of all. He stepped forward, the giant mouth of his mask wide open with shock.

Leena finally reached him and doubled over with her hands on her knees, panting. After a moment, she raised her head, locked eyes with Seedos, and placed her hands on the sides of his mask.

Seedos broke out of his shocked trance, gave a quick nod, and Leena moved his mask aside. Neither of them cared about the crowd at all.

Leena leaned in and kissed Seedos, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could as if someone would take him away from her. Seedos bristled from shock at first, but relaxed into the kiss after a few moments. After years of tension, all of the passion Leena kept bottled up came flooding out through this one kiss. Seedos was a bit overwhelmed, but he did his best to keep up with her. The noises of the crowd faded away and all Seedos could hear was Leena's little breaths as she kissed him.

The crowd silenced and their jaws dropped. Storkos was an exception; jumping in the air like an over-enthused jack-in-the-box and shouting "WOO! GO SEEDOS!"

Leena pulled away from Seedos and smiled into his uncovered eyes.

"Seedos…" Leena squeezed his hands, her cheeks turning pink. "I…I love you too."

Seedos said nothing, but pulled Leena into a tight hug. He couldn't believe she'd take such a risk to stay here... to run back and tell him that she loves him! Leena really was something else...

Leena embraced him back, a tear rolling down her cheek from underneath her mask. It was good to be home.

One person in the crowd started clapping slowly. Before Seedos and Leena knew it, the whole crowd had erupted into loud applause. Seedos put his mask back into his rightful place and the two of them smiled at the crowd, their arms still around each other.

"I knew she couldn't stay away! I knew it!" Eddie laughed through his tears, pulling both Maxime and Petula into an enormous group hug. Maxime and Petula briefly looked disgusted at the very idea of being in close proximity to each other, but after a few seconds they laughed and hugged.

"You're crazy…" Gretchen gawked at Leena. Leena had never seen Gretchen looked so shocked… After a few moments, Gretchen smirked and said: "I like you even more now."

"While I don't exactly approve of your taste in men…" Jardiniero wrinkled his nose at Seedos, who pouted. "I'm glad you'll still be here to work on my garden. If only my legs still worked, I'd help you to the best of my ability…"

"We'll all help her, Dad," Leafos smiled at her father. "Let's all make Leena's garden one the community will be proud of!"

"Hear, hear!" Sahari threw her fist in the air. Everyone followed suit, cheering loudly.

"We should get you dried off…" Seedos whispered to Leena once the cheering subsided.
"No kidding…" Leena laughed a bit, wringing out her skirt. "I'm gonna catch a cold…"

Everyone, their moods lifted immensely, headed back into town, happily chattering and laughing together.

Though there was one observer who wasn't happy at all…

Dastardos, having chased Magnar halfway across the island, finally caught up to him at the jungle at the edge of the beach.

"Got you, you little runt!" Dastardos had grown frustrated with the Macaraccoon during the chase and was proud of himself when he scooped him up. "Ugh, don't ever run away from me again! Don't you know how... worried..." Dastardos trailed off, looking at the beach, his lips parting with shock.

"Stardos?" Magnar prodded him. "Helloooo?"

Dastardos had looked up just in time to see Leena run over to Seedos and plant an enormous kiss on him.

Guess she's… not leaving after all. Dastardos thought without any emotion. After a few moments of reflection, a realization hit him like a train.

He's all grown up. He doesn't need me anymore. Hell, he hates me. I bet he'd be happy to never see me again… he wouldn't be the only one. Dastardos' chest felt heavy. He hadn't felt that way in a long, long time… it felt weird, but he did his best to ignore it. Patch wouldn't care if I was gone. Leafos wouldn't care. Especially Avalon, since she obviously detests me now…

Dastardos started shaking. Magnar looked up at him, his brow furrowed with concern. "Stardos… are you okay?"

Magnar got his answer when two drops of water hit his back.

Fat tears poured down Dastardos' mask and landed on Magnar. Dastardos did his best to stop them, but he absolutely couldn't. He also couldn't remember the last time he cried… it felt awful. He missed being numb to everything; Pester was right. He really had gone soft…

"Magnar…" Dastardos sniffled, shifting Magnar to one arm so he could wipe his eyes. "Magnar, we're leaving."

"Where are we going?" Magnar asked, placing his paws on Dastardos' chest in an attempt to comfort him.

"Anywhere but here." With that, Dastardos tucked Magnar into his sweater and took off towards the horizon, beginning a long, aimless journey to find a place far far away from the Village he used to call home. "I can't stand this place."

"Okay…" Magnar nestled himself against Dastardos' ice cold chest. He was going to miss the old tree which had been his home for so long… he hoped there would be life candy wherever they were going. Maybe the new place would actually make Dastardos happy…

"Don't worry, Magnar…" Dastardos was still crying, but Magnar could tell from the heaviness of his voice that he was fighting back tears. "We'll be fine."

Magnar hoped with all his heart that Dastardos was right.

The End