Light and Dark

Finding

Lust walked her head down, feeling too exposed. The others stared at her, looks of disgust on their faces.

"Slut."

"Whore."

"Bitch."

"...No self-respect..."

Strange words for a virgin. Her arms wrapped around her exposed stomach and she bit her lip in anger. So what if she wanted to dress a bit exposed? That didn't make her a whore! Fucking judging asses. Something hard hit her shoulder and she sped up, fear replacing her anger. Another stone hit her shoulder, leaving a scratch. She began running. Hundreds of stones hit her skin, leaving bruises and cuts. She turned her head to look back and was confronted by a stone headed straight for her head. She closed her eyes and waited. The impact never came. She heard some screams and opened her eyes. A man with half of his skull exposed, a bright red eye and holding an axe over his shoulder smiled at her. The bodies of her tormenters lay around him.

"Well, that's no way to treat a lady," He said, holding out a hand. "Come on, I'll take you  somewhere better." She looked at him, then the villagers. Cautiously, she took his hand. He grinned and they were gone.

Geno sat under her tree, alone again. She played with her blood-soaked shirt and shook tears from her eyes.

"Can't cry, can't cry," She muttered. She looked around, not a single person anywhere near her. "I just wanna die," She said, shaking off another round of threatening tears.

"That's a strange thing to wish for," A voice said from in front of her. She looked up. A man with black hair, pitch black eyes and wearing a black cloak stood before here. "Well, here I am."

"Who are you?" She asked, coldly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why Death of course. Say, do you want me to take you somewhere better?" He asked.

"Anywhere's better than here."

"That's what I thought." He held out a hand. She took it and they were gone.

Nightmare watched Cross lean down and pluck a flower, playing with it before placing it back onto the dirt and watching it with a sad expression on her face. She was an interesting case; the only one he'd ever gotten himself. He remembered it all so vividly.

Cross shivered in the cold her mouth moving as she spoke to someone Nightmare couldn't see. He approached her and she flinched back. Only then did he notice the bloody scars littering her body and torn clothes. A wet jacket lay next to her, getting wetter from the rain.
"What's your name?" He asked, trying to comfort her with a hand. She looked terrified.

"C-Cross. Are you going to kill me too?" She asked. Nightmare shook his head, stepping over one of the dead bodies as he did so, getting closer. Her breath quickened. Stopping he considered his situation. He went passive. Her eyes widened. "Nightmare? Dream's brother?" He hadn't expected her to recognise him so quickly. He nodded. "But you left," she said. He narrowed his eyes.

"I moved," he corrected. "Listen, I can help you. Let me help you." Cross looked at him.

"You killed them." She gestured to the dead bodies.

"They were hurting you."

"You killed them because they were hurting me?" She asked.

"Yes." She studied him.

"How could you help me?"

"I can take you back to my Realm. People will understand you better there. I can protect you there." She considered for a bit, studying his face.

"O-Ok." She held out a hand and he took it, taking her far away.

He remembered everything she did. How she'd reacted. How she'd made him feel. He looked away from her. She hadn't left his side since coming here, except when sleeping or practising hygiene. She sort of talked to his closest friends like Horror, Killer and Dust but other than them she avoided people. She looked up at him.

"Nightmare, why do you grow a garden?" She asked. Nightmare walked over to her and the dying flower.

"Not everything here is broken Cross. Some new things grow." She looked back at the flower.

"But what will grow for me I wonder?" Nightmare looked at her downcast expression.

"Quite a few things I would hope."