Warning:ship,language and death.
Dust's POV
I walk around on a patrol. Nothing has happened for weeks. It hardly seems like anything is happening anymore. The radiation thing has passed as well as all the effects. Science made sure of it. I have my attacks back.
Nothing seems to be a threat these days. Heh, maybe those idiots gave up. Or got themselves taken down.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Those were just hopeul thoughts. I realize that now.
A few weeks after the effects wore off and I thought this, I was in the middle of another patrol. Everything seems normal, but I get quickly proven wrong. I see something up ahead and try to make it out. It's coming fast. It looks like some machine. It starts to get closer, but then I see that it had nothing good. It had some detector, chemicals and other weapons that meant nothing good for the destination. But it seems that the destination is trying to be found. Maybe they know that we're hiding and sent this to find us! I fire a bone but it just pings off of the machine. Then, I send four Gaster Blasters and blast them. Nothing. The machine keeps coming. That's when I decide to turn and run. I head back to the hideout and get there. I look around and whistle to get everyone's attention. They come out of their rooms and look at me from the doorways.
"I officially....hate.....inventors! One second....."I say, panting
"Right here!"Science says, holding an invention or do-hicky of some sort
"Hey, you're not innocent."I say, catching my breath
Blue comes over to me.
"Is everything okay?"He asks
"There's some machine heading this way, and it doesn't look friendly. It seems to be trying to find us and attack us when done so. Bones and Gaster Blasters don't work on it whatsoever. I think we should evacuate to some other safe place. Let's not risk anything."I explain
They nod and go to their rooms, grabbing their things. Goth went to assist Shino. I nod and do the same. Then, the ground acting as our ceiling shook and bits fall. I frown, knowing this is not good. Then, I hear Killer of all people yell.
In pain!
I run out and see Killer on the ground with a weird robot-like machine towering over him. We've been intruded! The machine is here but split up! I could see Killer holding himself, covering a wound. He still has his eye-lights, Science hasn't cured that yet. He looks up at this robot, unable to move or reach for his knife a few feet away. The machine lifts an arm to reach for him, some static electricity shown like a taser, seeming like it was gonna hurt him more. But in the next moment, the robot got a tentacle strinking through its chest-like area, a battery at the end. The robot falls apart and the battery is broken. Nightmare runs over to Killer. He is back to his hostile form. He checks Killer out for any additional wounds quite worriedly, the most worried I've seen him even.
"Are you okay? How bad did they hurt you? Do you need help? I'll grab supplies! Do you have your stuff together? A-"Nightmare asks
"Nightmare. I'm fine. It's just a stab wound. I'll be okay. Yes, it's all together. It's okay, Nightmare."Killer says
"Just a stab wound?! Killer! That's serious! One sec!"Nightmare says
His tentacles extend out and quickly return with supplies. He moves Killer's hand away from the wound and bandages it.
"There, that should help it. Nobody hurts you or sends something to do the job and gets away with it."Nightmare says
Killer's face turns a bit red hearing this.
"N-Nightmare...."He stutters
I could not believe what I was witnessing. I never expected this kind of interaction from either of them, let alone between those two! But, it quickly turned from a surprise to something nice. Maybe now they'll be happy.
"You asked me how'd I feel or say if you said it was from you the other day. I never answered you, did I?"Nightmare asks
I have no clue what "it" is. But something tellls me it's a secret good thing.
"No, you did not. Why?"Killer replies
"Because I'd feel happy it's from you and say thank you. Now, here's a little gift from your Nightmare.~"Nightmare tells him
Nightmare places a hand on Killer's cheek.
"N-Nightmare?"Killer stutters, looking at Nightmare nervously
Another amazement.
Nightmare leans in and kisses Killer. Killer's face burned up and was in shock. Nightmare seems to be blushing a bit too but playing it cool. He seems calm.
The kiss breaks and Killer is speechless. Nightmare picks him up, a tentacle placing what he gathered in his hands. He looks around and sees me, quickly coming over. He shoves Killer to me.
"Get him and everyone out of here. Ink and his bro are making a gateway to a safer place now. I'll get the others to you and hold off these annoyances."He says
Killer grabs Nightmare's arm, shaking his head.
"It's dangerous!"He says
"Since when was anything we did not dangerous? I'll be fine, Killer. You just stay with everyone, okay? I can't lose you."Nightmare says
"...F-Fine....."Killer says
I take Killer away while Nightmare went off to help the others. Killer was very reluctant though. He didn't really want to go anywhere if Nightmare wasn't. But he trusted that Nightmare would come to escape as well.
More wishful thinking.
"Someone's in love.~"I say teasingly
"Oh shut up. So are you."Killer says
I smile. Killer still has his quick wits. That's good. We go through the portal Ink and his brother made. I find Blue and his brother, then hug Blue. He is okay! That's always good. But I went back to make sure that Killer doesn't try anything. Nightmare will surely come, wouldn't he?
Oh, how wishful our thoughts were. How wrong we were.
Nightmare's POV
"Come on! Come on! Go, go, go!"I yell, herding the others out
They all run and thank me. I grab anything they drop and return it to them. I destroy anything that attacked them. I peek out of the hideout, counting everyone going to safety. There is only one person missing. Dream. For a moment, I thought of just leaving him. But we're brothers. Brothers are brothers. We are family, no matter how much I dislike it. And family sticks together, have each other's backs. I sigh and shake my head.
I'm gonna regret this.
I go down back into the hideout, searching for Dream.
"Dream! Dream! Where are you? Answer me!"I yell
Silence.
"Dream!"I shout
I check the rooms and find him in his. I facepalm. This idiot. What was he doing?
SLEEPING!
I do not waste time. I grab him and snatch him out of bed. I run while carrying him. He wakes up and looks at me. He frowns.
"So, you've finally come to your senses and accept that I'm right huh?"He says
"Seriously?"I snap
"What? You were being quite stupid. Defending those bad people. Killer especially."He says
"Says the one who defended bullies. So it's wrong for me to protect my friends, but you can defend bullies and be a jerk? Something doesn't seem right. What will it take for you to accept me and that my friends make me happy? Nevermind. I won't have this argument with a stubborn guy like you while I'm saving you!"I snap
"Wait, what's going on?"He asks
"Oh my Asgoro....We are being attacked and I'm getting your sleepy self to safety! Did you even listen to Dust?!"I say
"Nah, I assumed he was lying."Dream says
"Well he wasn't. Oh crap, change of plans!"I say, taking a quick turn to avoid at least six machines
I run and around as fast as I can, holding Dream tight. It feels like I'm Pac Man running from ghosts. Except these ghosts have weapons, are made of metal and who knows what else
"Do you even care about me?"Dream asks
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here right now or I would've just thrown you to those things. Of course I do. You're my brother Dream. No matter how annoying you can be with your stubborn stupidity and how little care you show towards me, you're still my brother. And brothers stick together. Family has each other's backs. And I have yours. And as far as I'm concerned, it will stay like that forever."I say
"I never knew that. How come that is?"He asks
"You have stubborn stupidity. It causes oblivion."I tell him
"Really?"He asks
"Yep. Oh, and, if something happens, make sure these gets back to Cross."I say, handing him a pair of envelopes
"What is it?"He asks
"You'll learn one day."I say
"I love you, Nightmare. You are a good brother."Dream tells me
I smile.
"I love you too."I tell him
I put him down. We are at the ladder. I smile. We made it! We're getting out! I gesture for him to climb and he does so. I climb right below him, but feel something grab my tentacle.
Then I feel something grabbing all of them.
Before I could react, I get yanked off the ladder. I feel electric shocks and slashed hit me. I yell in pain. It got to the point where I am forced to my passive form. The attacks don't cease. I get my skull bashed and then after many other strikes, get tossed to the ground.
Everything hurt and I could not move. Fighting back did nothing for me. It made things worse. I feel so weak, so hurt. I could hardly stay awake. I gaze at the ladder space, looking and checking my surroundings. I see Dream, frozen in place on the ladder, staring at me. He probably saw the whole thing.
"Dream...help.......me...please."I say
He looks at me and takes a step down on the ladder, as if he heard me. Hope fills me. Maybe he did change. Maybe he won't abandon me again. Maybe he'll help, be there for me. Be my brother. My good brother.
I am proven wrong. So horribly wrong. I got my soul filled and lifted up by hope and then beaten down, broken again by the false in false hope.
Dream paused from climbing down. He looks at me again, then smiles! He waves to me and climbs up the ladder faster than I've ever seen him move. He leaves my sight.
Abandoned again. Betrayed again.
This time stung me and only makes my wounds feel more painful. But then, I remember something. Curiosity kills the cat. And Dream is curious. Something tells me he will open one of those envelopes and get hit with karma. I smile.
"Get....dunked on....Dream."I say, then shut my eyes
"Self-destruct in 60 seconds."The machine says
Crap.
I cannot do anything. I feel like the same little skeleton I was with those bullies, hurt and abandoned. But as I thought. I realized something. I am more than what I was then. Better even. I fought back. I saved others, even though certain people weren't deserving. That makes me feel better.
Killer's POV
I pace back and forth, waiting. There was just a head count and only Dream is missing besides Nightmare. I am worried. I keep pacing, waiting for them to come. I see Dream come through....without Nightmare. This told me nothing good. I run over to him.
"Where's Nightmare?"I ask
"Wow, not even a hello."Dream says
"Oh I'm sorry!"I say sarcastically, shaking my head
"Hello, how are you? Still stupid? Ok. Now where is your brother you idiot? Was that better?"I ask
"Ugh, it's a start. I dunno."He says
"Don't lie to me, I can tell. Where is he? And what are you holding?"I ask
"Just some envelopes Nightmare gave me. Speaking of...."Dream says, opening one
He pulls out a letter and reads it. His eye-lights shrink but then he gets this blank expression. He lowers the letter.
"I just got dunked on."He says
"What does it say?"I ask
He shakes his head, not answering. I snatch it from him. It looked like an acrostic poem, but in Nightmare's handwriting,(I've seen him write messages to the gang for plans that don't want to be online or tracable with an electronic footprint). It was a poem of Dream's name.
"Dishonest and disloyal
Rash
Evasive coward
Abandoning brother
Miserable liar
If you are reading this Dream, then I was right. You would go against my word and open one of the envelopes. And, telling by that, I probably did not take it back from you because I am not with you. Soething may have gone wrong and you abandoned me again for your benefit. I probably would have told you how I feel and you lied saying you loved me. Then you left me again. You. You got rid of me. Probably because you were mad at me or ashamed of me. You weren't getting your way so thought getting rid of me would make everything perfect for you again. You'd be 'the hero' the good guy again. Life doesn't work like that. I am ashamed of you. I hate you. You are no hero, you are rather the one who eggs the trouble on, wanting it to continue. You are a manipulative son of a bitch that I have the misfortune to call my brother. I am probably wounded and you do not give two shits about it. You never did. But, if there's anything that I know now, it's that I do have worth. Not everything is about you, I'm as good as you. I have friends and more of a family than you could ever GENUINELY have. And if I learned anything from Shino and those kids making me watch those movies, it's that Ohana means family. And family sticks together. They have each other's backs, they don't leave each other. They don't abandon each other. You have abandoned me as far as I can remember. You never had my back, not even now. So, by that logic, you are no family of mine. If I do not ever show up, which I probably won't, you will never know what I did. That other letter I may have given you is a fake, completely blank. Get dunked on. I know for what I've done in the multiverse may not be found like something fair or good, but you are no angel or innocent. I look forward to seeing you burn in hell. Get dunked on, jerk.
If anyone else is reading this, like Killer or someone that IS NOT DREAM, hey....I'm sorry....I may not be coming soon or ever. I don't know exact details, but I bet anything a certain brother of mine does. I love you all and want to thank you all for everything. You all made me feel accepted, loved and to have a home. Or to have an actual family. You gave me chances and made me know I had some worth. You all did this in your own way over time. And I am grateful for that to every one of you. I look forward to seeing you guys live your lives happily and then soar in heaven or some good place after being taken off Reaper's list. You all deserve it. I hope for the best for all of you.
Sincerely,
Nightmare
P.S.But if things are really bad, then something should happen in 3....2....1.....Now."
BOOM!
I jump and look up. Dream turns around. He covers his mouth in shock.
"Oh my stars!"He shouts
Through the portal, a view of the hidout is seen. There's a chain of booming noises, then fire shot out from the ladder space. The ground collapses inward. The hideout is gone. But there is nothing but fire, catastrophe, holes and sloped dirt in sight. No sign of Nightmare. The worst of scenarios flood my mind. Dream grabs me but I slap his hand off me.
"No! Nightmare! Nightmare!"I yell, running to the scene
Not an answer or sign of him.
"Nightmare!"I yell
Nothing.
I fall to my knees in tears.
Nightmare could be gone and I did nothing but pace! What happened? Where is he? Is he gone? No! That would hurt more than anything! He's got to be okay! Please!
I look up and see something go flying. It's coming right to me. Hope fills me. I put my arms out and smile a bit. But I catch a flaming punching bag instead. Shino runs over with a fire extinguisher, putting it out but Geno calls her back before she could do much else. I pick the bag back up and notice there is something different. There's a hole and inside, there's something within the stuffing. I pull it out and it's the flower. That breaks me into tears again. I hug the flower. Then I notice there is a note inside. Two, actually. I pull one out. I unfold it and read it.
"Note to self:Ask Error how the hell he had the ability to confess to Ink. Ask for advice, for C.T.K. Plan and C.T.K."It says
What's CTK? I pull the other note out. It is folded and says that it's for Shino. I tuck it away. Maybe Error will have some answers. I look back to the others. Cross tore the letter from Dream, who took it from me and reads it. Then he looks at me. He quickly comes over and grabs me.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"He asks
"Didn't you see what happened? Nightmare....."I say, glancing at the scene
"Oooh, Killer, it's gonna be okay."Cross says
"You don't know that! Neither do I! Nightmare is gone! I loved him! I...I can't lose him! That'd be like you losing Dream, wouldn't it?"I cry
He's silent. Then he nods.
"But you gotta trust me. We don't even know if he is gone. He could be out there. We hardly know what happened."Cross says
"Hey, guys....Nightmare disappeared from my list just now."Reaper says, coming over and showing his list
"Dude! Bad timing!"Cross says
"Sorry....Especially to you, Killer. But I checked the info of his em...removal, let's call it. Turns out, the last person that saw him was Dream and the last things he said was for Dream to help him. I don't know about you, but something here doesn't add up. And Geno says I can be bad at adding."He says, then glances at Dream
Cross and I look at each other.
"Thanks for telling us, Reaper."Cross says
I march over to Dream and grab him the the clip of his cape, yanking him forward.
"What the?!"He snaps
"Don't act surprised. You should have known what this was gonna happen. You better explain why you left your own brother behind! That letter doesn't make you look good and neither does the fact that on Reaper's list it is found that you were last with him and his last words was calling for your help. Some positive guardian, huh?"I snap
He is silent, staring at me in shock.
"Come on, you jerk! Talk! You were so talkative before! Or are you the kind of manipulative bullies where as soon they lose their advantage, they become all talk and no bite?"I growl
He does not answer.
I shake him violently and full of anger. Tears run from my eyes. I want to beat him down, but Cross wouldn't like that. It wouldn't do anything either.
"O-Ok..I'll explain."He says
I frown and glare at him.
"It better be a damn good explanation because I loved him more than you ever did to him or will ever know."I tell him
"Wait, those were honest feelings?"Dream asks
"Yes! Now talk!"I snap
He tells me what happened and then explained why he left Nightmare behind.
"I thought that when he called me for help, he was tricking me and trying to put me in danger. I thought I wasn't gonna fall for it, so I kept climbing out. I thought he was just gonna make one of his sneaky last-second escapes."Dream explains
"So after he saved your life from those machines and possibly in that explosion, he must've gotten beaten terribly to call to you for help. And in that moment, of all moments, you thought that he was tricking you? That he was just gonna get up and walk out? How stupid are you?!"I snap
"What? It's reasonable."He says
"Ya, remind me that when you are laying on the ground, wounded and calling for help. You do realize that you costed Nightmare his life for your stupidity right? And that goes over well for nobody! Do you even care about him?"I tell him
"Of course I do! He's my brother!"He snaps at me
"Oh ya? Sure doesn't seem like it. You've broken the number one rule for brothers or any family again! Family sticks together, protect each other, and you did nothing but leave him unprotected. If you did care, you wouldn't have left him. And don't even try the I couldn't do anything excuse! You have a freaking bow and arrows as a weapon that is waiting to be summoned. You had the high ground advantage on that ladder! You could've helped him! Saved him! But you didn't! What? Shooting it at him is an easy peasy but when it comes to using it to save him, you can't find it in you? You are a real son of a bitch, Dream!"I snap at him
He goes completely silent.
"What did he see in you to trust you again? To love you, call you family again? Protect you? Do everything you failed to do for him! Cause all I see is a selfish, stupid jerk that is put on a pedastal more for what he says than what he does."I snap
He says nothing. I shove him away and go through the portal with Reaper and Cross at my sides. I soon trail behind them as soon as I hear the portal shut. I take the flower out, gazing at it. It reminds me of Nightmare already. All the good memories. Yes, I focus on those. Every little detail. Every moment. It makes me feel better, plus, I know Dream can sense these types of things so it will make him feel much worse for what he did to my Nightmare. Abandoning him like that. Who does he think he is? Word quickly spread through the group and Error tied him up with his strings, dragging him away. Palette put a sign on him saying "I'm in mobile naughty corner" and soon Shino stuck a note to his back, like a shame sign people post others holding on the UnderNet. It said:"I abandoned my beloved brother and let him be put in danger. I broke the Ohana rule and am a bad meanie. Everyone is not happy with me and I can't even shed a tear."
Then, Shino comes to me. She looks at me and hugs me. That...I really needed that. I hug her back and smile. Then she looks up at me as if she has a question but was not sure if she should ask. I look at her curiously. She sprints to Raven to give him the fire extinguisher she held. Then she comes back over to me.
"If this isn't bad timing, can I ask you something?"She asks
"You just did."I say
She shakes her head.
"Sure, kid."I say
"Did you find a note for me in that punching bag?"She asks
I nod.
That got her excited.
"Can I see it? Can I see it? Please, please please?"She asks, hopping up and down with a hopeful look in her eye
"Sure."I say, taking it out and handing it to her
She unfolds it and reads it. Joy fills her immensely, she did not hide it whatsoever.
"I knew he would not fail. Yes!"She mutters
"Who's he? What's going on?"I ask
"Okay, so before I got taken by those meanies, I wandered around the multiverse trying to find my brothers. I made this friend who was really nice! He helped me track down my brothers and gave me the location! Then of course the meanies took me...But he said if I needed any help, to call him! I called him while Dust was explaining what he saw and he said he'll come to help! This note proves that he was there! It's from him and says that he did what he could and got out of that chaos!"Shino explains
"And?"I ask
"He took Nightmare with him! Before he turned to dust or those machines blew up!"Shino cheers
"You're serious?"I ask in shock
"Yep and trust me, I know that he's very fast so it's no surprise! Here, I'll read it!"Shino says
I fall into step, slowing to be able to walk with her. Taking smaller steps. She looks at the note and reads it again.
"Dear Shino,
I came to help like you asked but just found a small skeleton wounded and laying on the ground, their skull broken like Horror's. I assume he's a friend of yours? Some machines were counting down from 30 so I took the dude and got the heck out of there. I'll be going to the Mid-Void, as you can guess. I will heal him the best I can and contact you soon to give an update. I hope whoever your friend knows is okay. If they get worried, show them this note. I won't hurt him and I hope the rest of you are okay. Cya!
-R"She reads
I stare at her in shock, amazed at what I heard. Tears run from my eyes.
"W-What is the Mid-Void?" I ask
"It's like the Save Screen space. It's a space between two world's. Except the mid-void is a chain of spaces between the anti-voids and voids or worlds in the multiverse. Nothing can be detected from the outside, so anyone who goes there is off-the-grid you could say, unrecorded. And only certain people have the power to get there. My friend is one of the few. Don't you see how good this is?"She explains
"Huh?"I say
"Nightmare went off of Reaper's list! He went off the list or record! He is at the Mid-Void! He's not dead! He's alive! Just untraceable! We could find him!"Shino cheers, hopping up and down again
I am silent. I am amazed. But uncertain. I am full of hope and joy at this possibility. But the other part of me is ready for Shino to smile, laugh or tell me this was some childish trick or joke that she did. That she put the note there and made this all up to get my hopes up. But then how would she know Nightmare would go missing out of all of us? She's just a kid. She can't tell the future and she seems too nice to try a trick like that. I could see in her eye honesty and joy. This was real.
"How come you are so willing to help me and my buds? You do realize that we're considered bad, right? But yet, you choose to tell me first? Instead of helping or telling the others?"I ask
"Because to me, there's no such thing as good or bad among us. Things aren't so black and white or right and wrong here. You guys just have different viewpoints. I consider you, Dust, Cross, Error and Nightmare my buddies. We've all been through a lot so there's no reason you guys should be left out, or not helped. You're considered Nightmare's ohana. Ohana means family. And family sticks together. You've proven yourself, as well as your buds, to be more than just 'bad guys' as Dream tries to make it seem. We're all in this together. We're all monsters here, even those humans. You've also proven to be more of a family than Dream has been. You keep the ohana rule, so Nightmare made a right judgement of classifying you guys his family. Therefore, I told you first since you're his ohana. And ohanas deserve to know first. I help you guys before the others because if I don't who will? There may be bad in the multiverse and you may have done some bad things, but that doesn't really mean anything. Anyone can be good if they try, Dream just hasn't learned that or tried himself. And wherever there is bad, there is good. There's good in you. You and the rest are good. I help those who are good. Plus, friends are like family, so I like to think you're part of my ohana."She explains
I stare at her in shock and amazement.
"Is that okay...Killer? Wait your eye-lights are back!"She says
"Ya, side-effect. Science said they may come for a few moments when I feel certain ways. They may go on and off for a bit, like lights. But they will mostly be gone."I tell her
"So, is that okay? What I said?"She asks
I pick her up and hug her, crying.
"Killer! Are you ok?"She asks
"I'm better than okay. I'm great. Those were the nicest words I've ever heard. Thank you so much, Shino. For everything you've done and said. Don't change, Shino. I'd love to be your friend and I am so glad to be considered it. Thank you for being so kind."I tell her, smiling
"Oh. Okay! No problem! I won't! It was my joy to help! You already are! Heh, kindness is what I do! It's both a mercy and weapon!"She says
I smile and put her down. I take her by the hand and run with her to the group. I feel a lot better now.
"The next note or contact from him will be most likely at our destination or on our way there."Shino says
I nod and stand beside her as she retold what info she found in the note. She retells her explanation. I do nothing but smile now, feeling happier. And I know why.
Ohana means family. And I'm part of one of the best. We will get our member back. My Nightmare will be back soon. We'll find him and this friend of Shino's. The family will be complete again. Nightmare will be okay. But it will just take time. I'm willing to wait. I smile and think of Nightmare. I think of all the good times and imagine a future full of more good memories or good times with him. Sure, Dream glares me down, but I don't care. I just think in deeper detail and see the guilt or shock fill his face and then he looks away. He knows what he did. He is no family. Not good at least. He is bad. And I'm gonna find the good. His equal. The only and the nicest brother he ever abandoned and had. I will make it clear that he is wrong and make up for any pain he caused.
Nightmare will be okay.
"No he will not."Dream mutters to me as I walk behind Error and the group
"Oh, as if you know anything. You were wrong multiple times about him and nothing makes this time any different. Besides, you are the jerk that ensured he wasn't okay in the past. And due to that, I'd say it's best you shut up before you dig yourself into a deeper hole, so-called brother of Nightmare. Protector of positivity and good, huh? Heh, even that title is a lie. The only way you could fix this is if you genuinely change for the better."I say
"I'm sorry....For everything I've done. I'm sorry for what I did to him and all of you..."He says
"Oh, of course now that he's gone you admit it! What? Losing him was what it took for you to grow some conscience or some self-awareness? That doesn't make you seem any better. And you have some horrible timing. Just shut it. Apology not accepted at all. Besides, it will take more than that to make up for what you did."I snap
Dream goes silent and bows his head. I take out the flower again and gaze at it.
"Ohana means family....Family sticks together...Nobody left behind.....Heh, Nightmare. Your ohana is coming."I say quietly, feeling the petals gently
Then I get an idea. I take out some paper and a pencil. I write and think as I walk behind the group. Now, something is coming together. I smile, this idea may just work.
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TBC