Chapter Text
Even after confronting Death and living to tell the tale, Puss liked to think he'd go out in an interesting way, worthy of a hero. In his dreams, he'd live a long, fulfilling life, before going out fighting dragons, and stealing from a ruthless king. But there he was, on fire, after an oil lamp spilled on Team Friendship's boat.
He was vaguely aware of Kitty calling out to him, and of Perrito running towards him, a bucket of water gripped in his teeth. And he was definitely aware of the body of water right outside the boat. All he had to do was get to it. But the fire kept burning as it snaked its way up his fur, clouding his vision with smoke and tears.
He heard his name being called, and then it was just like falling asleep. At least the pain stopped.
It was bright when he woke up again, just a never ending field of blue above him. All of Puss's other deaths were never permanent, so he wasn't really sure what to expect. But it certainly wasn't what looked like the sky, complete with fluffy clouds that drifted across it.
He certainly didn't expect to see Perrito and Kitty's faces looming above them.
"Puss?" Kitty asked, reaching out to touch him like she couldn't believe he was real.
"Gah!" Puss scrambled to his feet, brushing clumps of ash and burnt fur off of him. "Wh-where am I? Did you die as well?"
"Calmado, Puss, we're not dead."
Perrito trotted up to him, nuzzling up against his hand, but Puss barely noticed. He was too distracted by the ringing in his ears. "But I was just burning, and now—" he flexed his fingers "I feel great. Strong, you know?"
"I checked your pulse, and you weren't breathing..." The wobble in Perrito's voice made Puss's heart break. "But then you just stitched yourself together."
"But how? I'm on my last life...I promised the Wolf I wouldn't run anymore."
"Now that you say it, I didn't see him around this time. Shouldn't he be here?"
Puss just stared at Kitty, his eyes wide. "You're right! He should be, he's always around—"
"And how could you die if Death isn't there to take you?" Kitty finished for him.
Puss didn't know what to say, but Perrito's tail started to wag. "Oh oh! We should test that."
Kitty raised an eyebrow at him. "What? That's a crazy idea! What if it doesn't work and you do die?"
"Well, how will we know if we don't try?" Perrito glanced over at Puss for support.
And he was conflicted. Of course if it went wrong it meant his death, or worse, one of their deaths. But if they really couldn't die...the idea was as terrifying as it was alluring.
"I think it's worth a shot."
"You all are idiots." Kitty rolled her eyes, but nevertheless crouched down to Perrito's level, her hand resting gently on her sword. "But fine. You better not die though, okay?"
"Can do!" Perrito grinned, laying down on the ground.
"Close your eyes, okay?" Kitty whispered. Her sword wobbled ever so slightly, but Puss couldn't blame her for her shaking hands. After all, if this went wrong...he couldn't think about it. "I'll make this nice and quick."
And that she did. Her blade slid quickly in and out of him with an expertise that was usually impressive. But this time, all either of them could do was wait with held breaths, watching as blood dripped out of their friend.
They didn't need to wait for long, though. Less than a second later, it was as if time had been reversed. Perrito's wound closed up, sucking the blood back in with it. Even his sweater had been stitched back up. The only sign anything had happened at all were the streaks of crimson still on Kitty's sword.
Perrito jumped to his feet, his tail wagging with almost more energy than he had before. "Woah! Kitty, do you want to try?"
"I think I'm good," She said cooly, wiping off her sword, before slipping it back into its sheath.
"Well, that settles it!" Puss nearly laughed in relief, pressing Perrito's head to his own. "We can't die."
"Which means that somthing happened to Death," Kitty reminded him.
Puss was conflicted. On one hand, this erased his last life problem entirely. Yeah he'd gotten over it, but with his friends and his new life, of course he didn't want to lose that. But for no one to die ever, it was unnatural. It was...wrong.
"Well, we were in need of a new adventure."
Kitty's eyes sparkled as she met Puss's. "What happened to not wanting to die, huh? Isn't this, like, a dream come true?"
Puss chuckled nervously. "It was," he admitted. "But now, I don't want to live because Death is gone. I want to live on my own terms, with both of you."
"There's the man I fell in love with," Kitty purred, making Puss's heart skip a beat.
"Woo!" Perrito cheered. "Team Friendship is back at it again!"
He placed a paw in the middle of them, waiting expectantly. Puss and Kitty shared a look, before adding their hands to the pile as well.
Puss glanced back to their ship. There was a mild burn, but for the most part, it looked like it would hold itself together. He adjusted his hat, the familiar warmth of adventure buzzing in his chest. "Well team, looks like we have a wolf to hunt."