I had been Ink's toy for fifty-four years and two months now. I felt like I was losing my mind just a little bit more every day. My sides were fighting for control, and it honestly felt like there was a battle going on inside of me; I wanted it to end! I didn't care which side won anymore! I just wanted peace! Ink just kept being himself while keeping me close by; he wanted to see the outcome of my war more than even I did. He also helped my 'Kind' side out by discouraging my 'Sense'; I could do nothing but wait. Recently, my Sense side had been coming out less frequently, which meant that my Kind side was dominating; Ink said that a winner would no doubt be declared soon. As the battle progressed, I could feel it, too. I woke this morning with a bright smile; I didn't care about the broken bones that I had been given the day before - I couldn't feel pain in them, anyway. When I sat up and hugged my Hope, Ink kindly greeted me; he was so kind - he wasn't kind..
"Good morning, Dusty!" Ink greeted.
"Good morning!" I returned happily.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yep!"
"That's so nice! Do you love your brother?"
"Y-" I stopped - why did I stop?
"What was that?" Ink leaned in closer.
"I said..y-yes?"
"Dusty, are you lying?"
"I.."
"Tell me the truth. Do you really, with all that he's done for you, which is nothing, still love him?"
"I..don't know.."
"Aw, are you unsure? Let me help you make up your mind."
"H-how?"
"Well, your brother hasn't been around to help you, has he?"
"I-I guess not.." What was I saying?!
"Well, let's think. Who has?"
"Who has..been there?"
"Yes, who has been with you for the entire time you've been here? Who fed you, made sure you got your sleep at night, and even kept you out of trouble?"
"I.." I couldn't be thinking like that!
"It would have to be someone close.."
"Not you!"
"Dusty, be truthful."
"Stop!"
"I'm only trying to help."
"I can't.."
"It's only one word."
"L-losing.."
"What's their name?"
"D-don't do this.."
"What's their name?"
"I can't give up..."
"Who's been there instead of your brother?"
"I.." My soul tickled once more..before it..stopped.
"What's their name?"
"Why, it would be Ink, of course! You!" I giggled as Ink patted my skull.
"That's right! Unlike your brother, I'll never abandon you!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Your brother simply..failed."
"How did he fail?" I didn't understand.
"He left a great kid like you!"
"I'm not great.."
"You're better than him."
"I'm not better than anyone..I don't want to be better than anyone.."
"Well, that's okay. What do you think of your brother now? Do you love him?"
"No." I was sure of that.
"Do you like him?"
"Like?"
"What do you think about him? Honestly?"
"I don't know..what should I think of him?"
"You mean you'd let me decide?" Ink grinned maliciously; it was probably the lighting.
"Of course. You would know best.."
"I think it would be best to sever all ties. He doesn't care for you, so why should you care for him?"
"A-all ties?" I wasn't sure about that. "H-he is still my brother.."
"It may be difficult to take at first, but you'll get used to it. Trust me."
"Wh-what about taking it slow?"
"Of course! That's a wonderful idea!" Ink patted my skull, making me giggle more. "What do you think of me, Dusty?"
"I think you're one of the nicest souls in the world!"
"Nicest?" Ink looked displeased; I had to fix that!
"Is that wrong? I-I can make it something else if you're not happy with it!"
"So eager to please, aren't you? How about we just replace nicest with best?"
"Best?"
"Yes, best."
"Okay!" That sounded fine to me. "You're the best?"
"That sounds amazing." Ink chuckled.
"You're the best, Ink!" It felt wrong to say that, but Ink said it was right, and I couldn't argue with him!
"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!"
"Should I say it more often?"
"Say it whenever you want."
"Okay!"
"Would you like to come with me to the doctor?"
"Why do you need to go to the doctor?"
"Just stopping in to say hello! Would you like to come?"
"I'd love to!" I hugged my Hope.
"All right! Come along, Dusty!" Ink started to walk towards the door.
"I'm coming!" I stood and followed Ink, holding my Hope tightly.
I didn't know why, but I felt lighter after that conversation. As I followed Ink through the long halls, I found that it was easier to think; I believed that a side had won. It was obviously the side that liked Ink, since I wasn't complaining at all; that was new. With my mind free from stress, I decided to think about my brother, but I didn't seem to think hard enough; nothing was happening. I tried again; no result. Had Ink blocked my thoughts? No, he wouldn't do that! I probably just had too much on my mind! Ink was way too nice to hurt me! When we reached the hospital, I sat down near the entrance and waited for Ink to finish his greeting the doctor; only the lead was here today, but that was fine. I believed that it was some sort of holiday, which would explain the absences. After two minutes of talking, Ink and the doctor walked over to me. The doctor looked tense; I wondered why. I simply hugged my Hope tightly and waited for someone to speak; Ink didn't like it when I spoke out of turn.
"Dusty?" Ink inquired.
"Yes?" I responded.
"The doctor wants to ask you a few average questions, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Hello, Dust." The doctor greeted.
"Hello!"
"How do you feel?"
"I feel fine!"
"And your soul?"
"My soul feels fine, too!" I was smiling.
"Any conflict at all?"
"I don't think so.."
"What do you think about Ink?"
"He's the best!"
"The best? Would you explain that?"
"Well, he knows best! Everything he says is right!"
"What about you?"
"I'm not important.."
"What if Ink said something was wrong, but you believed it was right?"
"Then it's wrong. He knows best."
"I see." The doctor turned to Ink. "I am not sure how to put this..you have successfully changed him, Sir."
"Perfect." Ink chuckled. "Anything else?"
"At this rate, if you tell him to jump off a bridge, he will do it. He will do anything for you, even to his own detriment. I would not be surprised of the lengths he could go to just to please you. In other words, you have got his life in your hands. If you are willing to take advice..please, do not abuse your power on him; he is fragile."
"I'm not taking advice, doctor. I'm taking control."
"All right..you may want to go easy on him the first few days, though; if he is pushed too hard too soon, he could end up in a coma, or worse."
"Ugh..I guess I don't want that. How long?"
"Perhaps a week."
"Right. What is classified as 'too hard'?"
"Large amounts of physical activity and mental strain. Aside from that, he should be fine."
"All right. I've been looking for the Head of Announcements for a week, now; where has he gone?"
"I believe that he is spending the holiday with his brother. If you are willing to wait, he should be back tomorrow."
"I was never good for waiting. His AU?"
"Correct."
"Right. Come, Dusty." Ink opened a portal.
"Okay!" I was ready to go, holding my Hope closer.
Ink then led me through the portal and to a house, where I assumed the skeleton brothers of this universe currently were. Ink knocked on the door a few times before a Papyrus opened it and greeted him.
"Oh, hello, Ink!" The Papyrus smiled. "Are you here to see my brother?"
"As a matter of fact, I am!" Ink declared. "Is he here?"
"He is. Come right in, and I'll fetch him."
"Thank you."
Ink entered the building, closely followed by me, and sat on the couch; I sat on the floor. I didn't mind sitting on the floor, really; Ink liked it when I sat on the floor, and I would do anything to make him happy! We only had to wait one minute for the Sans of this universe to come; he wasn't a guard, of course. Some judges had other jobs based on their talents; this one wasn't skilled in battle, which meant that he took one of those. He was the Head of Announcements, responsible for making sure everybody got the current news that Ink wanted spread. He took a seat on a coffee table.
"What brings you here, Sir?" He asked.
"Business." Ink replied. "I need you to spread an announcement - a large one."
"Well, you came to the right place! What do I say?" The Sans pulled out a notebook.
"I have decided that I will finally pick a right hand; the high ranks have been bugging me for decades, and, well, I won't let them down."
"That's a bold move, Sir. How do you know the one you pick won't betray you?"
"I have my ways."
"All right. When are you planning on doing it?"
"Ten months. Dusty's anniversary would be appropriate."
"That it would. Any extra comments?"
"It's going to be difficult to get the position. The one selected must be skilled in diverse weaponry, have a loyal attitude - at least around me, and most of all, the one selected must gain my trust. The one chosen can be someone from any rank, as long as they are willing to pledge their service to me now, if they haven't before, and the one chosen, after they are chosen, must complete a mission given by me alone. If they fail, another will be chosen one year later, but it will not be them. This is a one try deal."
"Yes, Sir. You've put quite a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
"I've been planning it for quite some time."
"Is that all?"
"One more thing."
"I'm listening."
"The mission will not vary from year to year unless someone completes it during the year. It will be announced in ten months, and not a day before."
"Yes, Sir."
"That is all. You may finish your time off, but I expect the announcement to be in full swing by the end of the week."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Come, Dusty!"
Ink opened a portal back to his room, and I followed without hesitation. When we arrived, Ink had a bit of business to work on, and he had to do it alone; my sitter was called immediately, and he was present within five minutes. I was excited to see Fell; he hadn't been called since the holiday break started, and there was so much to talk about, especially with that new announcement! When Ink left, Fell joined me on the floor.
"Hey, kid." He smiled.
"Hello!" I felt energetic.
"You seem happy today. Did something happen?"
"A lot happened!"
"I see."
"I think the war ended."
"W-war? The war..your war?" Fell seemed very surprised.
"Uh-huh. The Kind side won."
"I see. Do you..feel better?"
"I feel great!"
"Well, that's good to hear. You deserve to feel great after all you've been through. Has Ink been nice?"
"Really nice!"
"That's good."
"Guess what else!"
"There's more?"
"Ink's gonna pick a right hand!"
"Wait, seriously?!"
"Yep!"
"That's another person in charge.."
"He said it could be someone from any rank.."
"And that's another thousand or so that actually want the position. I'm one of the ones who doesn't."
"That's understandable. I just hope they're nice, whoever it is."
"Agreed. So, do you want to hear about what your brother did recently?"
"..Not really."
"D-did I hear you right?" Fell was unsettled.
"I don't want to hear about him."
"Did Ink.."
"Ink just told the truth..my brother doesn't care about me; why should I care about him?"
"Oh, Dust.." Fell hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry.."
"For..what? You didn't do anything."
I could hear him softly crying; I didn't understand it. I decided to believe that he had made a mistake somewhere and was sad because of that; it was the most logical assumption. I decided to comfort him, but I didn't say anything, in case my guess was wrong. We stayed like that for a few hours, and by the time Ink had returned, Fell had stopped crying and was in a discussion with me about colors; I liked colors. My favorite was blue; I didn't really care much for red, though. As soon as Fell left, Ink started to talk about his day, which I enjoyed; he talked for over an hour about things people said and the priceless reactions he received towards the announcement; he had told a few of his associates about it, and they apparently took the news quite well - for Ink's standards. I wondered who would become Ink's right hand; it would be exciting to see it in the future. When bedtime came, I laid my skull on the floor and held my Hope near; I enjoyed that dusty nightmare as much as I could.
I had no reason not to.
~~~chapter end woot~~~
Dust bean...oh no.
Thanks for reading my mellifluous writing!
Bye!