Pluto was staying in the waiting room, patiently waiting for a doctor to come out and update him on everything.
The expedition was suspended for too many unknown variables. The whole group stayed quiet on the way home, a little because they were too wounded, too tired to say anything, mostly because nothing could actually fix what happened in their minds.
Before arriving in his association's hospital, he tried to reassure his girlfriend and his family about what happened, but that didn't do much.
His gaze was fixed on the ground, when a familiar voice broke the silence.
"Hey, man."
Zanone sat next to him, patting his shoulder with his hand weakly.
"That strange guy... the doctors said that he just... can't die.
I think... they sort of hibernated him, somewhere."
"Are Reya and Vano alright?"
Pluto shook his head before raising his eyes from the ground, his voice unusually soft.
"What do we do, now?"
Zan sighed anxiously.
"I think... we just wait."
And so they did. In the meanwhile, the whole world was disappointed, insults appearing on socials like they were nothing.
A few hours passed before Zan and Pluto started walking away, down the hall.
They passed through the reception, their association's name shining like the sun:
"Soul Ruiners".
They reached the dormitory and sat down on their opposite beds, while the thunders outside got harder and harder.
Pluto lay on his bed and closed his eyes, ignoring all the messages from his family and his girlfriend that were flooding his phone. He let himself get reached by sleep.
"Pluto."
"Hello, myself."
"What's up, how are you feeling?"
"Uh... I don't know, I feel like... my route just changed."
"Are you still searching for a reason to keep walking down that path?"
He sat down, waiting as his own self did the same.
"Well... yes. But... I think that what I want to do is possible."
"It is not, why do you keep blinding yourself with these stupid thoughts like your father?"
"Everyone is blind in the world, why can't I do the same?"
"You can't be blind, that is not permitted if you want to obtain perfection."
Just as he was about to reply, he felt something brush against his cheeks, while the alarm clock filled his ears with it's sounds.
It was soft, almost like a woman's hand. He grinned half-asleep and almost began to pur when he opened his eyes and saw the ugliest man alive(Zanone) pinch his face with a glowing, stinky and disgusting bright item that was shaped like a hand.
He scrambled away after letting out an high-pitched yell, and the air got filled with laughs.
Zanone smiled, holding Zano's hand(that was somehow... amputated and had it's own heartbeat).
He glanced away, before spotting Reya and Vano, grinning and sitting on the floor. They survived.
"What...?"
His voice got dissolved into a grumble as they got up and hugged him way too tightly.
The news soon got on socials: the original squad was still alive and was getting ready to go on an other expedition, that was programmed in the next 2 years.
During that period, they began knowing each other better, and their bond got strong easily and maybe, just for a second, perfection wasn't that far away.
Everyone was going forward with everything: studies, relationships, personal goals and many other things.
Zan and Pluto got even closer, even training every single day together to get stronger.
Life was actually going great this time.
Pluto stayed near the association's pool on a wooden reclinable chair when Zan sat next to him.
"Hey, bro. I brought you some leftovers."
He muttered before placing the food on the table near them.
"You know, I'm having a lot of fun lately, maybe this life isn't that bad.
Yet, I still feel like Reya and Vano aren't ready to forward, what do you think?"
Pluto ran his hand through his hair.
"I don't care, if they think that their strength is good enough, let them be."
Zan sighed.
"I just don't want them to get hurt."
"They for sure will, in a way or another. But... probably not that soon. They still have a lot of time to train."
"I think you're right."
Zan turned on his phone, scrolling on the socials and ignoring all the excited comments about Pluto(damn him).
He was about to get up to go to his room, when he read one, single message.
"Wait... if Zanone can rebirth from bodies... could he actually rebirth from anyone at any moment? What is his real body? Who is the real Zanone?"
His eyes widened in shock, Pluto catched it immediately.
"Hey, are you okay."
Zanone nodded quickly, scrambling to get up and go to the bedroom.
He sat down on the bed as he felt his breath get faster and way more ragged, his eyes darting everywhere in the room as a single question appeared in his mind.
"Who am I?"
He stood up, looking at himself in the mirror .
He stared, for 2 exact hours.
He saw everything: his reflections moving even slightly slower, his body feeling disconnected and numb, his face looking slightly different. But that was all in his mind.
"Am I... real?"