Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

Keeping it Together

Cross felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. He hovered, eyes closed in a realm of pure darkness. He wasn't sure how long he was there, drifting within his own mind. Every now and then a conscious thought passed him by. It's so empty... His brow twitched, but aside from that he remained still. Eventually he heard a sound, nothing like a voice. Is that rattling chains? It stirred his mind into a proper consciousness, and finally he opened his eyes.

Darkness plagued his vision, though when he glanced down he could see his body, hovering within the void. He lifted an arm, and heard the chains rattle once more. He then saw them, red links coiling up his arm. It took him a moment to process the situation. When he understood, he felt a wave of panic.

"Chara," He whispered, his sockets growing wide. "No! I'm not going through this again!" He was pretty sure he hadn't meant to yell that bit aloud, but here in his mind it seemed his every thought could be heard whether he physically spoke it or not. He grabbed at the chains, attempting to pry them off his arm. They wouldn't budge, only tightening every time he struggled. "Damn it!"

"It's been far too long."

Cross looked up, his soul racing- No... their soul. He could feel the human's presence within him now, watching his every move. The chain rattled and its leash tugged him forward, towards a second figure which loomed in the darkness. All he could see of the human was the glisten of red eyes and the curve of his smile. The sight sent a shudder up Cross's spine. "You shouldn't be here," He warned, attempting to heave himself free one last time. His efforts got him nowhere.

"Where should I be, Cross? Do you by chance mean... TRAPPED IN THAT DAMNED LOCKET?!" Chara yelled, leaning in to finally show his face. He looked beyond mad, his rage morphing his mouth into near fangs as he screamed. He began to reel Cross in, clawing the chain ever closer while he continued to yell. "There are no words to describe the way being sealed within that stupid little heart felt! I could do nothing for months! YEARS even!" He snapped, lashing the chain. That caused Cross to fling forward, close enough that Chara could grab him by the front of his coat. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to believe that this was aaaall over; That I wouldn't find some way to return and finish what we started. You're so stupid."

"You didn't find some way to return, actually. Fatal freed you," Cross pointed out, sort of unable to stifle the thought.

"Oh, shut up!" Chara immediately complained. He raised his hand and tried to plunge it deep between Cross's ribs. Realizing he meant to take hold of their soul, Cross used his free hand to snatch his wrist and hold him back. Chara glared at him. "Stop struggling. It's easier for you to just give up."

"I'm not letting you take this life away from me," Cross argued, shoving Chara away. He didn't get too far, as the same chain which held Cross wrapped around his arm in a similar manner. "I'll fight you every step of the way," Cross told him. Chara scoffed.

"I can't wait to see you lose this fight. It will be so satisfying," Chara chuckled as an array of knives spanned out behind his head. Cross looked up at them, a couple beads of sweat forming on his skull. This definitely wouldn't be easy...

...

Killer let out a long exhale, leaning back against the couch cushions. He closed his eyes, his only sense of content coming from the weight of Dust's head currently resting on his femur. Horror sat on the other end of the couch, Ghost lightly purring as she sprawled herself out over Horror's lap. At least she's happy. Everyone else was clearly still in a daze, especially Horror who stared at nothing while he rhythmically drummed his fingers over and over again.

"Welp, today was the worst," Killer grumbled, the other two letting out small hums of agreement. "I felt useless as hell," He admitted, glancing down at Dust. He idly trailed his finger up and down the bridge of Dust's nasal cavity. Somehow such an odd and simple action helped to calm his nerves. Dust clearly didn't mind his touch, his eyes shut.