Olivanne walk out of the freezer with the now unfrozen Plantars.
"WOW!, that was...INCREDIBLE!" exclaimed Sprig, excited. "How did you do that, Anne!?...Oliver?, um...Olivanne?"
"Hmm, must be another human thing." mused Hop Pop.
It was at this moment that Olivanne collapsed, dropping their magic staff.
Their body glowed white, and with a flash separated into Anne and Olivier once again.
"ANNE!" exclaimed Sprig, as he, Polly and Hop Pop ran to her.
Hop Pop Lifts Anne up a little. "come on, anne...wake up."
Amazingly...Anne did open her eyes. "wa-what?...ha-hop pop?"
"You're alive!" exclaimed Polly.
"oh, thank frog..." spoke Hop Pop, relieved.
((*SQUAAAAWK!*))
Anne looked to see a greenish falcon tapping it's beak at a downed Olivier Clawthorne.
"OLLIE!" exclaimed Anne, quickly getting up and running to him.
Anne lifted Olivier up much like Hop Pop did with her, and tried in vain to awaken him.
"Oliver...come on ollie. Wake Up...PLEASE."
Fleetwing perched onto Anne's shoulder, also bearing a concerned look.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Polly.
"I don't...know. he took a really bad hit from that Frobot." said Anne.
"Well, we better do something." said Polly. "If your parents see him like this..."
"ANNE!" exclaimed Hop Pop. "Your eyes...they're BLUE again!"
Anne turned to see her reflection against the glass door of the freezers,
and indeed saw her usually light brown eyes glowing bright blue.
She also noticed that Fleetwing's eyes were glowing with the same blue color.
And once the bird fluttered off her shoulder, her eyes returned to being brown.
Anne watched as Fleetwing dropped down to Olivier's staff, became a wooden statuette again.
"I...I think I have an idea." said Anne, laying Olivier down on the floor.
Anne then grabbed the magic staff and twisted the wooden falcon tightly onto it.
She then gripped the staff in her hand, gasping as she felt Palisman magic surge into her body.
Once again, her eyes glowed blue as her Calamity Powers returned to her.
a gust of wind billowed around her as she opened her palm over Olivier.
She finally planted her palm upon Olivier's chest, and spoke: "heal."
Anne's eyes flared full blue as blue energy flowed into Olivier.
Anne then groaned as her legs started to wobble as if made of jelly
She held onto the Staff, trying hard not to collapse as energy was drained from her.
Once all became still. Anne fell to her knees, Dropping the magic staff.
"ANNE!" exclaimed Sprig. "are you okay?!"
Anne groaned in response. "I feel...eh-exhausted. GOD, is this what it feels like for him!?"
At that moment, Olivier began to stir a but. Anne (forgetting her fatigue) rushed over to him. "Oliver!?"
Olivier looked at Anne. "hi...what'd I...miss?"
Anne forced a chuckle, and then helped Olivier back onto his feet.
"you had me scared for a moment there." said Anne.
"sorry..." said Olivier, as he picked up his magic staff/Fleetwing.
"Oh hey. There you are guys are." spoke Oum Boonchuy,
as she approached with her husband. "and how was your-WHAT THE HELL?!"
Anne winced at her mother's sudden change of tone.
"What happened to your BACK, Oliver!?" exclaimed Bee.
Olivier groaned as he turned back to the reflection of his back.
"I, uhh...I had an accident. with a...machine." spoke Olivier. "I wasn't paying attention...i'm sorry."
Oum sighed. "we'll grab some ointment on our way out."
"Thanks mom." said Anne. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day."
Olivier approached, and handed Oum something. "here is the fish you wanted Anne to get."
"Oh...thank you, Oliver." said Oum, taking the frozen fish.
"Anne...we're sorry for being so overprotective earlier." spoke Bee. "We were going to have Oliver watch you,
but it seems you clearly can not only can you take care of yourself, but take care of your friends, too."
"Yes. We are actually very impressed...AND probably should have had YOU watch Oliver."
Olivier blushed, feeling embarrassed.
"thanks, but you don't have you apologize." said Anne. "You were just doing everything you could to keep me safe."
Anne then looked at the Plantars "and...I get it."
"Yeah well...some kid made a mess at the cooking aisle." spoke Bee.
"and we're just lucky to have a daughter who would never do something like that."
Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy laugh, and then Anne, Olivier and the Plantars giggle.
...but then the Plantars start cackling like lunatics.
*...don't overdo it.* said Olivier, in a hushed voice.
[Later]
It is Dusk when the Boonchuys, Plantars and Olivier finally leave the supermarket.
Anne is walking near Olivier, helping to support his body as they approach the minivan.
"Are you sure you two are OK?" spoke Hop Pop. "You both didn't look too good back there when-"
*shh!* shushed Olivier. *we'll talk about this later...NOT in front of Anne's parents.*
*ditto.* said Anne *but seriously, we WILL need to talk about...what happened back there.*
*we will, Anne...In time. I promise.* said Olivier.
As the side doors of the Minivan slide open, the Frogs 'hopped' right in.
"Hey, anyone else craving those noodles?!" spoke Hop Pop.
"Yep. Turns out this world ain't half bad." said Polly.
"Yeah. As long as that robot never comes back, I think everything's gonna be fine." said Sprig.
Both Anne and Olivier cast a stare at the pink frog.
"are you TRYING to put a hex on us?" spoke Olivier, annoyed.
"Yeah, dude. You really gotta stop saying stuff like that." said Anne.
[Boonchuy Home, Much Later]
Downstairs in the Basement, Olivier was busy moving boxes around to clear up some space.
He was making decent progress, as he already had enough clear space
to lay a spare mattress down on the floor to sleep on.
"hey." spoke a voice. Olivier looked to see Anne descend down the stairs with something in her hand.
"Mom says you need some ointment, sooo...could you please sit down?"
Olivier breathed out as he stopped working, and sat down on the mattress.
As Anne sat next to him, and proceeded to remove his hooded cowl and tunic.
Anne blushed at seeing Olivier shirtless (but it wasn't something she hadn't seen before)
and proceeded to rub ointment upon the large burn that was on the boy's back.
Olivier winced as he felt a stinging sensation...but he endured it.
"so..." began Anne.
"what?"
"Are we going talk about what happened today?...and Last Night?" spoke Anne.
Olivier paused as his mind raced on prior events. "such as...?"
"oh, don't be coy with me Oliver." spoke Anne, sternly. "You KNOW what I am referring to."
"I honestly wouldn't know where to begin...even I don't know how we did that." said Olivier.
Anne paused as she looked at Olivier. "so...two people fusing into one ISN'T a thing in your world?"
"I don't think so...I learned everything I know about magic from my mother and Aunt." spoke Olivier.
"They were both the greatest witches in all the Boiling Isles, and they NEVER taught me...what did you call it again?"
"Fusion." answered Anne. "It's real popular in Anime...and some kid's cartoons."
"doesn't ring a bell at all." said Olivier. "then again, *MY* magic has always been...Random.
When we were in Amphibia, I learned to do things there that I never thought was possible."
Anne continued to put ointment on Olivier. "well, however we did it...I wouldn't mind doing it again."
Olivier nodded silently. "me too. it somehow felt...Right. being merged into one being."
"one body...one mind." mused Anne.
"one soul." finished Olivier.
a brief silence washed over the two.
"do you...mind if I...you know."
Anne struggled with her own words. but Olivier understood what she meant. "go ahead."
Anne breathed out deeply as she lifted up Olivier's long sideburns so to access his...'ears'.
She frowned at seeing the deep scars that encircled Olivier's ear holes,
and proceeded to rub ointment upon the scars (which made Olivier flinch a little.)
"do they...hurt?" asked Anne, concerned.
"just don't touch them too hard." said Olivier. "they hurt more when it's cold, though."
"I'm sorry." spoke Anne, softly.
"you have nothing to be sorry for, anne...you weren't there when it happened."
"I know...but I still feel bad that it did."
Anne then lifted the sideburn of Olivier's other ear. but before she rubbed more ointment on it,
she leaned over...and kissed Olivier's scars. Olivier shivered at the touch of Anne's soft lips on his skin.
*I promise...* whispered Anne. *I won't let anyone hurt you again.*
Olivier froze as his mind raced to prior events. "neither will I."
"pardon?" spoke Anne, as she put ointment upon Olivier's scars.
"I never should have left you alone..." mused Olivier. "If I hadn't gotten to you in time-"
"It's okay, Ollie. Everything worked out in the end." said Anne.
"But what if it didn't?" argued Olivier, dread in his voice. "There have been many times in the past
where things 'worked out' for us, when it could have just as easily ended badly.
What if I hadn't gotten to you in time?...what if you couldn't get your powers to work in time?
That machine was built to KILL, and if it HAD killed you...I don't think I could've ever forgiven myself."
"Oliv-"
Olivier turned, and faced Anne. tears forming in his eyes.
"Anne...when we first met. I was a very different person." began Olivier, his tone somber.
"I lost my trust in others, and locked my heart in a box so it wouldn't hurt me anymore.
and even when I kept everyone at arm's length (even YOU), you still managed to open that box and get at my heart."
Anne let herself smile. "well...I am pretty good at opening boxes."
Olivier managed a chuckle. "yeah...I guess I should have known back then."
Olivier then grasped Anne's hands and looked at her.
"the point I am trying to say is that I used to think that I didn't need friends...or love.
That apart from my mother, it wasn't worth trusting other people if it meant getting hurt like...I was."
Anne looked at Olivier softly.
"but you helped me learn to love again...to TRUST again." continued Olivier.
"You were the best thing that could have happened to me...and I will never regret having met you."
Anne held her breathe, feeling a warm feeling sweep over her as she listened to Oliver's words.
"Once...my mother was the most important thing in my whole life." continued Olivier.
"She still is...but you are JUST as important to me. I...I love you, Anne Boonchuy.
I love you...and I am terrified of losing you. I don't think I could live in a world without you in it."
"same." said Anne, finally.
"I was so scared when you called me...and I heard you being attacked." continued Olivier.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. but I swear...it will NEVER happen again."
Anne looked at Olivier. "you weren't the only one who was scared back then." began Anne.
"When that Frobot shot you...I was afraid you were going to die in my arms.
and if you had died then...I wouldn't had cared if it DID kill me."
Anne then touched Olivier's cheek (who did the same with her.)
The two teenagers then leaned forward, their foreheads touching each other.
"you protect me...and I will protect you." spoke Anne.
"whatever else happens...whatever the future holds. We face it TOGETHER."
Olivier looked into Anne's eyes...and managed a smile. "Olivanne against the world?"
Anne smiled wide. "Olivanne against...ALL Worlds."
Both Anne and Olivier both smiled at each other. They then leaned in closer...and finally kissed.
...and then all the lights went out, leaving the room pitch black.
[End of Part Eight]