Forevermore

Squidward had spent the last few hours of his agonizing shift, staring blankly at the brightly lit screens of every arcade cabinet in the lounge, waiting for his boss to leave him for the night so he could go to his little corner of darkness. Although he'd still be forced to listen to those infuriating sounds from the arcade cabinets. Soon, his boss's gone, relieved as always, Squidward retreated to his corner to eat what would be considered his evening dinner he's brought for that night. Afterwards, the former Krusty Krab employee just sits, not moving for the rest of that night as he reflects on his past. And how much he missed his old life, only now had he understood how much he appreciated the life he had and how much he's taken it all for granted when he used to have hated everything about his old life. Squidward... missed them, everyone he's ever known, from SpongeBob and Patrick to Mr.Krabs. Even his old rival, Squilliam Fancyson who's lived his Dreams. He missed them all, but he could never see them again... for they were all long dead... while he was immortal and could Never die.

And it had been all the fault of the scientists who extended an octopi's life span by ways of a special drug they called, *The Elixir Of Life!* He had Refused it when offered, and beyond furious when this drug had been slipped selfishly into his drink, he was almost thrown in jail... that's how infuriated he was... luckily their experiments were stopped by the police however, Squidward was forced to out-live normal living octopi and watch everyone he had ever known die after a few long, agonizing years, as he never shown signs of aging or grew old. Squidward's brought back to reality as, a sudden storm had knocked out the power. Nothing but sweet, sweet silence, apart from the storm, filled the old Krusty Krab cashier with solitude. Squidward knew he Should check the breakers, but really, he didn't care. His boss can't blame him for what a storm did, besides, he was taking advantage of his moment of solitude to reflect on his life as a whole. Squidward had lost track of just how old he truly was now, he had lost count of all his birthdays and stopped caring after a hundred years. The old cashier only wished those idiots had not so Selfishly ruined his life by extended it, for he really alone, all the ones he ever knew were gone. If Only he could see them all again, he missed them all, even his pain in the neck neighbors and pain in the neck rival. "What has your Life become?" 

_"Good Question"_

The old cashier listened, while believing it was the howling of the wind he's heard. 

_"What Has your Life become?"_

Now Squidward was so sure he heard it that time, however loud the wind was.

_"To be wasting your Time in this infuriating trash heap"_

"Who-who's There?" Slowly he stood up, shoulders tensed, had somebody broken in? He haven't heard glass breaking, but maybe whoever it was found another way? If so, Squidward had to be prepared for whatever might happen. "I-I'll call the Police if you-..." The sound of eerie laughter was sending chills up and down his spine. He began shivering when grabbing a crowbar as a weapon. 

_"And how do you Expect to call Anyone, when you have no Power"_

Squidward slowly crept forward. 

_"I remember you being Smarter then That"_

"Wha-who-who Are You?!" The eerie laughter echoed all around the shaken octopus, a bright white light glowing from around the corner, towards the exit and entrance way, slowly crept towards him. "Have you Forgotten me?" Squidward shields his eyes as, what he first thought at the current moment, a flashlight, advancing closer. He readied his crowbar to strike. The laughter begins to grow more familiar, more... nazeltone... Squidward frozed where he stood. "Oh Squiddy?" As the light dims, the former cashier lowers his tentacle, and stared agape with utter disbelief with what he saw, dropping his so-called weapon entirely. "Hello Squiddy. Guess who's Back!" Literally staring him in the face, was his lifelong *Dead* rival, Squilliam Fancyson. Or, in other terms, the *Ghost* of Squilliam Fancyson. Squidward stared at him, eyes wide, rigid and frozen. "Why Squiddy, you look like you've seen a gho-oh wait. You Have! Me! Ahn-ahn-ahn-ahn-ahn!" 

"Sq-Sq-Squil-Squill-...." Squidward stammered, voice faltering, trembling when taking long steps away. The sight of his rival's ghost, wasn't to terrifying, at least in appearance. Unlike the Flying Dutchman who was a sickly green ghost, Squilliam's ghost was a simple aura of light, while the color tones of his skin and robe were pale. But what was terrifying, what really made Squidward rigid, with fear were his eyes. Which were just blank, glowing orbs of pale colored amber. "Is-is....th-that-...." 

"Is it really me, you ask? Me, your old highschool rival? Your old companion from band class?" He bore the trembling octopus his, oh so familiar, trademark grin. "Why, yes. It's me, in the Fles-or Non-Flesh!" As he laughs, his all to familiar nazeltone laugh, he slowly glides towards Squidward eerily, as his legs were simply a glowing trail of light. "I've returned, from beyond the Grave To-...." Squidward recoiled in terror, running and cramming himself in the arcade cabinet's backdoor. "Come now, Squiddy. The ghostly millionaire floats after him. ....That's not how you treat an old friend!" 

"Wha-What do y-you wa-want?" Squidward's quivering voice whimpers from inside the cabinet. From outside the cabinet, he heard the other chuckling. "I thought you'd be relieved to see a familiar face from the past after soon many years!" Squidward felt that the door was giving way to bursting. "Come on out Squiddy, don't be Afraid." Squilliam waits, patiently, Squidward doesn't move. "There's no sense in avoiding me forever, Squiddy.... To the former cashier, *Forever* took on a whole new meaning. ...I can be anywhere and everywhere, especially...your own dreams." Naturally the rich ghost sounded far to pleased when explaining this, that it made Squidward more frightened. Considering he's unable to die, it looked as if Squilliam would be inescapable. 'gulp' "P-p-p-plea-ease-... With the door on the verge of busting open, the old cashier just gave up hiding and shakily slid back out to face Squilliam. ...d-don't ha-haun-haunt m-me! Wha-wha-what ever I-I've done, please...please forgive me!" However the old Krusty Krab employee remains cowering about halfway inside the cabinet, tightly clutching the door as a sort of barrier between him and the ghost. "Squidward, you look at me like...I'm some vengeful spirit out to relentlessly torment you...." From the tone of voice, Squilliam seemed generally hurt. ...It's still me, the same me you've known all throughout highschool and after. I had returned because, I thought I could drop by and pay a Friendly visit." 

Even with his blank, glowing eyes, the former cashier is able to notice the depth of emotion hidden behind the bright light. Now fear evaporates to guilt. "I've watched over you from the beyond, far too long have you set in your darken corner alone, so much that I finally decided you'd be ecstatic to have familiar company." Breaking eye-contact, the rich ghost turns away from Squidward. "Suppose I'll go, Squilliam sighed, turning more transparent as he's on the brink of vanishing into thin air. I...don't want to frighten you." 

"N-no...no no no No!" Straightening back up, Squidward shakily approaches, reaching out with his hand. "Wa-Wait wait! Don't...go!" Squidward's hand passed through the other, as if he were air, yet he was an almost visible outline of faint mist. "I wa-was afraid, shocked to see you... my old archrival... ba-back in the form of a ghost and... Squidward fought the urge to flinch, let alone turn away once the outline of Squilliam grew visible enough to see. ...the only other gho-ghost I've ever seen or known wa-was the Fly-Flying Dutchm-man... Light swept back in as he gave a sideways glance. ....N-n-not that you're anything like him! It's ju-just I-I'm afraid of ghosts!" And this light simply seemed to Squidward, like a dying flicker of flame trying to stay alive and burn. "S-So I-I wa-was afraid of you, bu-but I-I Do Want you here! I Am happy to see you! Squidward struggles to reassure Squilliam, barely able to read or decipher his expression as his face was faintly visable to see. "It's a great change to not be alone fo-for once." The former Krusty Krab employee's heart sank the moment Squilliam's head turns back around. "Please Stay! Don't Leave me!" He pleaded, wringing his hands, the silence with the darkness were deafening. "Squil... please stay." Until he spoke up at last. "Are...you still scared of me?" 

"N-not anymore." Suddenly, before Squidward's nearly blinded eyes, Squilliam become visable once again as he flashed back to life. "Good!" With the way he glowed, Squidward swore he was an actual star burning under the sea. "Then I'll stay and give you, Squiddy, all the Company you'll ever want."

"Fine! Whatever, just try not to Blind me while you're at it." Eerily chuckling, his hand made the motion of patting the old octopi's shoulder whilst floating past him, though his hand simply passes through him Squidward had felt a brief rush of cool air, forcing shivers through him. "Oh! By the way, that storm wasn't the Only reason for your blissful Solitude!" Squilliam mused, mist drifts from his tentacle as he points towards the arcade cabinets. "There was no way I was going to even Attempt to talk over all that infuriating Noise!" The storm had begun to settle even as the ghostly millionaire spoke, the thundering was easing up while the heavy downpour of rain slows to a light drizzling. "So...you-...." Squidward's voice trails off, mind too distracted to think clear enough. "Why, yes Squiddy... Squilliam, though it was hard for Squidward to really tell, seemed to be rolling his eyes. At least, that what Squidward got from his expression rather than his blank orbs. ...-I used my magical ghostly powers to knock out the power, and those infuriating... noise machines!" More mist forms his waving tentacles. "Anywho, how did you End up working in an even Bigger trash heap then that old Grase trap?"