A Darker Shade of Violet

Three of Them Might Be Dead, Actually

(I wasn't kidding, this gets disturbing, and chances are, later chapters will be just as disturbing.)

I couldn't contain my glee when I saw him in his cell, and, with the knowledge that he didn't have to die and could stay alive at least a bit longer, I didn't feel angry at all.

I had a feeling that would change in a couple minutes. At least I was lucky enough my Vio was still here, and that the others hadn't come to rescue him. I found it weird they hadn't tried to save him yet, maybe they didn't know, or were angry at him, or maybe they had been caught by some monster and were now all dead.

I waited patiently for him to wake up; he was leaned against the wall, arms around his knees pressed to his chest, he didn't look well and I had a feeling he hadn't been sleeping any, my poor baby, probably thinking he was going to die. He stirred eventually and locked eyes with me.

After the longing to take him out of there and hold him close faded, the anger returned, and it was hot and unbearable and left me shaking.

"Shadow, I-I'm sorry," he said, his voice was hoarse, maybe from a lack of water or from just waking me up; but the sound of his voice almost pulled me out of my rage.

"I'm going to make you sorry."

He got to his feet and almost fell, his clumsiness brought a smile to my lips. He stepped closer to me, closer to the hard, cold metal bars of his cell. "Shadow," he said slowly. "I know you're angry, you have every right to be angry and upset, every right to hate me for what I did, I hurt you, and that's unforgivable."

"Oh, no, Vio, I'll be able to forgive you. It's just going to take me a while."

His eyes were soft. "Shadow, I didn't know what to do. And I didn't make the right decision, I should have thought it through, I shouldn't have betrayed you like that."

The burning feeling in my body ebbed a little bit. "You mean you regret trying to break the Dark Mirror?"

"Yes," he said. "I never wanted to hurt you, Shadow."

"Then why don't we put this whole mess behind us and you can exit your cell and come with me."

He shook his head. "No, Shadow, you misunderstood."

"What is there to misunderstand? Do you want to stay down here and rot or come with me?"

"Neither," Vio said gently. "Shadow, I love you, and I shouldn't have hurt you like that, but I can't turn my back on them--they need me."

The rage came back with more force. "But I need you too! You just said you made the wrong decision trying to save Hyrule, so come back with me and I'll forgive you, and we can be happy together, just the two of us, no Hyrule, none of those idiots...I thought that was what you wanted."

"I didn't just have those two options, that was just all I saw, and I shouldn't have just seen those, I'm supposed to see more, and I'm not supposed to jump into conclusions," he said. "It's my fault, and you can be angry, but you need to understand."

"I thought that was what you wanted! I thought you didn't care about them, I thought--"

He interrupted me. "I just want us all to be happy, and I want everyone in Hyrule to be safe."

I shook my head. "You lied to me."

"I know, and I'm sorry, I've lied to everyone, and it was wrong, I can see that. But we can still be happy! Maybe we won't have the world, but we can be happy, and the others, as soon as they get to know you, they'll love you almost as much as I do! We'll all be happy, and Hyrule will be safe, and..."

"What about the Four Sword?" I asked hotly.

"What about it?"

"You're putting it back when everything is done, aren't you?"

"I..." He didn't finish, instead looking away from me. 

"Of course. You apologize for lying, so you lie to me again so you can manipulate me into doing what you want, just so you can leave me."

"Shadow, please, it isn't like that."

His hand went through the bars and grabbed onto my hand. I glared at him but he didn't let go. 

His tone became desperate. "I did what I thought I had to, but I didn't have to do that. I can't hurt you. I love you, Shadow, I really do, but you've hurt people."

"You didn't have to do anything, and you've already hurt me. And so far, all you've done is lie to me, and you have the nerve to say you love me? And you expect me to believe you? ...I hope I've hurt people, I hope I killed them, I'll burn down your precious world of light you love so much."

"Shadow--"

I decided I didn't want to hear him say another word.

I reached through the bars and grabbed his collar before slamming his head into them. He yelped in pain and fell to the floor when I let go. I spoke slowly, voice shaking with anger. "You didn't have to do anything before, but now you have to do something."

His hands were clutching some part of his head that was bleeding, I might have underestimated the damage they could have done, but I didn't care, I just wanted him to shut up, every word he spoke hurt. "Stand up."

He didn't stand, he just looked at me, teeth gritted in pain.

"I told you to stand."

He slowly got to his feet, and his blood-covered hands fell to his sides.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Vi; beg me for my forgiveness and agree to come quietly with me so we can never have to think of this again, or be the son of a bitch you are and rot down here."

"Shadow...I can't."

I slammed his head into the metal for the second time, then a third, then a fourth. He cried out in pain each time and his legs nearly gave out. His eyes were all glassy. "Please, stop."

I let go of him and let him drop to his knees, hands over his forehead and nose, I saw blood leak through his fingers and I was filled with an intense desire to see even more blood, but I didn't want to hurt him again, I figured it would kill him. He probably already had a concussion and was probably already close to passing out, and him passing out meant there'd be a chance I wouldn't be able to wake him up.

But I decided I didn't care.

His breathing was shallow, he might have been holding back tears, it looked painful.

Good. He deserves it.

I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face, giving me a chance to see the actual damage I had done.

His nose might have been broken, it was gushing blood all over his face, and on his forehead was a nasty bruise, and over that a large cut. I watched blood fall down his cheek and jaw, some dripping onto his shirt or on the floor.

A large streak of blood went from the cut on his forehead, down the side of his face and his neck. Before I could stop myself, I licked his cut and was savoring all the blood on my lips while he tried getting away from me. 

I pressed a couple fingers to his nose and he gasped in pain, trying to turn away. I pressed down harder and heard a cracking sound. 

My anger started to ebb. "I'm sure you'll forgive me eventually, Vio." I sighed. He was still trying to get away. I kissed his nose and his cut before pressing my nose into his cheek, my hands still around his wrists. I smelled his blood all over him, metallic and so good. "You're lucky I love you."