𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐰

Without A Guiding Light

Everything was not fine.

Rain was pacing, ignoring Swiss' panicked pleas to sit down and calm down. "They should have been back by now, I can't believe I let Sodo go off on his own, we don't even know where they could be, Lucifer, I'm so stupid."

"It's not your fault, Rain, you know how Sodo is," Swiss maneuvered his packmate to sit at the counter of their kitchen, and got to making a cup of tea. It felt wrong for Swiss to be the one taking care of Rain, wrong for both of them, but it needed to be done, and Rain needed someone to care for him.

"I know, but I just wish he'd told us where he was- fuck," Rain clutched his chest and breathed heavily, short gasps and pained noises the only sounds coming from him.

"Rain, what the fuck whatthefuck, what's going on? Was it the tea?"

"It's Dew, he's in trouble," Rain managed to gasp out. "I don't know how I know, but it feels like my chest is- shit, I don't know, collapsing."

Swiss looked on with panic etched into his features. "I'm- I'm gonna go get Mountain. . . He probably knows what to do."

Rain nodded and waved him off, feeling the telltale signs start to take shape inside his head. His element was touchy sometimes, usually calm like a river or lake, but with just a hint of danger in the air his mood would resemble that of a raging ocean. Murderous and unpredictable.

Other times he'd be the deep sea, cold and calculating, his soul so dark you would never be able to see what was coming. When he got like this the rest of the ghouls knew to stay away, lest they be just another victim of the ocean.

Rain could feel his self control slipping, so he left the den, wandering down the halls of the ministry aimlessly. The river-esque part of him was really really hoping he didn't run into a sibling in this state, but the part of his mind slowly giving into his natural ghoulish tendencies was just waiting to sink his teeth into something.

He rounded a corner and—

The sister dropped the papers she was carrying, and quickly dropped to the floor to pick them up. When she stood up, a quick retort obviously waiting to be unleashed, she froze. "Uh. . . I'm sorry- I'll just be going now."

Rain cocked his head, lifting his arm to stop her from moving. "What are you doing up?"

The question itself was nice enough, but there was an unspoken threat behind those aquamarine eyes, something dangerous lurking in the shadows.

"I could ask you the same question," the sister lifted her trembling chin, causing the ghoul to grin widely.

He stepped forward, crowding her against the wall, "That you could, but that doesn't mean you'll get an answer." He grinned down at her, resembling a shark, especially with the way his gills flared, drinking in her fear. "What's your name, sister?"

"Uh- Sister Evelyn," she swallowed hard, watching his eyes travel down to the papers she'd gathered in her hands.

"Well, Sister Evelyn," he stepped away, giving her room to move. She didn't. "Those look like important documents, you better scurry along."

She nodded and almost reluctantly turned away and ran along the hall. Rain finally relaxed his shoulders, letting them drop with the effort of containing himself. He was so close to the woods, just a flimsy wooden door in between the place he could finally release himself, calm down enough to find Dew with a level head.

Too late.

Everything burned, his chest, his hands, his gills especially. He couldn't breathe, he was left gasping for air, clawing at his neck and chest. "Fuck," the usually soft-spoken ghoul was losing control, the urge to return to his element was overpowering, he couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe.

"Rain!" Swiss' voice, thank Lucifer. "Oh, Sathanas, what the fuck happened to you?"

"Help," Rain croaked, his chest was tightening with the lack of oxygen, he couldn't. Fucking. Breathe. "Lake. Water. Please."

Swiss scooped him up, wincing when Rain cried out that it burned. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry."

Soon enough, they were at the lake and Swiss unceremoniously dumped the nearly unconscious Rain into the water with a splash. He waited anxiously by the edge to see if he would emerge, and thankfully the glowing blue of the water ghoul's eyes could be seen in the darkness. He stayed down there for a few minutes, waiting, watching, before he swam to the top at lightning speed, getting out of the water and using his power to dry himself off before Swiss could even stand up.

"I'm leaving, make sure Sister Evelyn got home safe." Rain stalked off towards the forest, determination written in every step.

"Who? What? Where are you- Rain!" Swiss hurried after him, much clumsier than the graceful water ghoul. "What happens if you get stuck again and can't breathe? What happens if Void is more prepared for you than you think? What if—"

"Swiss," Rain's voice held all the tension that was shown in the way he held himself. "It's happening, I can't control myself right now and it hurts, and I need to be alone. Please?"

Swiss was struck dumb. It was so very rare that Rain gave into his instincts, usually holding the same reserved and calm nature as a slow-moving stream. "Okay, just don't. . . Eat anyone, okay?"

Rain rolled his eyes but Swiss could see that he had the same worry. They didn't have enough time to give the rest of the ghouls and the siblings inside the ministry the proper warnings, and so Swiss would have to make do with the time Rain was giving him.

He nodded and hurried off towards the bright lights of the ministry, leaving Rain alone in the dark. He sniffed the air, and upon finding the leftover cinnamon and smoke scent of Dewdrop, set off in that direction.

As he walked, he slowly let his anger take over him, and soon enough he reached the small cottage in the woods where he could smell Sodo's fear.

By that time, there was hardly anything that resembled Rain, he was just the cold fury and calculated rage of the unbridled ocean.

And Lucifer help anyone who crossed his path now.