Loyal Servant (CrossMare) (BEEN REWRITTEN.) (READ THE NEW ONE I SEE YOU VOTING)

Ark Two, Chapter One

Cross stood silent on the balcony, scanning the star-lit garden below while the wind rolled over him, dragging his scarf up with the breeze. He eased in the cold wisps of wind, though his mind kept racing behind a calm expression. 

When the wind settled and the sound of rustling leaves silenced, he heard gentle footsteps behind him. He swiveled his head back only slightly. In the shadows of the doorway he could only really make out the blue eye of Nightmare watching him. 

"You're stressed," Nightmare commented, to which Cross hummed and bowed his head in a simple gesture of agreement. 

"I'm always stressed," He pointed out, looking back to the dark garden below. Nothing had changed like it hadn't the last several times he checked, but he just had to make sure. 

"I know. I can sense your emotions, remember?" Nightmare replied. Cross remembered. Nightmare had gotten good at sensing when there was negativity festering in him. "Do you really think he's coming back? Ink and his group?" Nightmare then asked. 

Cross let out the smallest sigh. His worrying never seemed to give him a break at this point. Nightmare stepped forward, and Cross felt his arms slip comfortably around his waist in a gentle hug. Cross leaned back into him, pressing the side of his head against Nightmares jawline.

"I have guard rotations to organize," Cross whispered after a long while. Nightmare shifted to place a kiss on Cross's cheekbone before slowly loosening his hold on Cross until he was free to step away. 

Cross moved around him to head back into the hall, but a inky black tendril blocked his path before he could. He looked to Nightmare again, and found an affectionate gaze. "I love you, my loyal servant," He told him. 

"I love you too, your Majesty," Cross said back, a small bit of tease in his voice. Nightmare didn't demand the respect or fancy titles he used to, but there were times Cross loved dropping them anyway. A strange endearment perhaps, but one he enjoyed nonetheless. 

Nightmare shifted his tendril away then, and Cross walked back into the castle and down its dark halls. He felt comfortable in the cool air that lingered in the corridors. He heard voices, and perked up upon finding them recognizable. Platonic affection shone inside him like a light in the dark when he made out Fells sarcastic tone which Chara gave a long even more sarcastic response to. 

When he turned the corner at the end of the hall, they were there. Fell leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets and eyes closed. At his side Chara stood, seeming a bit more tired than her monster counterpart. 

"What is the argumentative topic tonight?" Cross asked curiously, making Fell open one of his eyes to look at him. He sat up a bit and tilted his head towards Chara. 

"Maybe you'd know… How much sleep do you think a human needs? Like… It can't be more than seven hours, right?" Fell asked while Chara rolled her eyes. Clearly she gave the answer before, but Fell wasn't taking it. 

"I cant be certain," Cross replied. "Most humans find a way to infuriate me, therefore I tend to make sure they sleep forever," Cross finished, giving a small chuckle. Perhaps it wasn't that funny, but dark humor grew on him when Nightmare was always around. 

"Eight to nine hours. It's eight to nine hours. Can that get through your thick skull, Fell?" She asked, elbowing his side gently. It still made Fell narrow his eyes on her. 

"I was messing with you, sweetheart. Let's not be fiesty about it," Fell growled softly, which immediately triggered another series of bickerments from both sides. Cross just slowly backed away until he was sneaking off down the hall. 

Once a distance away he let out a content sigh. Then there was a voice. One he had hoped to never hear from again. 

"You got close to it, Cross. But I'm not going to sleep forever." The voice of a human he knew all too well spoke up from behind him. He whipped around, startled, but X-Chara wasn't there. There was just an empty hall. Had he just been imaging that? There's no way he had actually heard him… Right?

With uncertainty, Cross began to walk again, glancing over his shoulder a couple times just to be sure he walked alone. He saw nothing, so he started to settle. He must just need some rest.

"You look jumpy. Which is odd for you," A voice chimed in out of nowhere. Cross flinched at that alone but looked forward to see a particularly harmless bunny looking up at him with a few herbology books in hand. 

"Ah, sorry Zoie. Just have a few things on my mind," He told her while he recovered from his moment of shock. In all honesty, he felt like Zoie could scare him worse than that if she tried… She could be surprisingly… Hmm… Capable of murderous tendencies if she can't squeeze herself out of a situation with cuteness alone. 

"Clearly. You've been so out of it lately. Has something happened?" She asked, ears perked. Her nose twitched slightly as she held her books a little closer to herself. 

"No. I just feel… Well, I don't know what it is, but I feel there could be something on the horizon," He explained, and then it happened again. This time it sounded like it was right beside him, whispering to him. 

"Because there is Cross. Something is coming. The games changed. There's new targets, Cross." X-Charas voice told him. He stayed perfectly still as if he could hide his discomfort from Zoie. "This is a brand new X-event. And its about to begin… And when it does begin, which it will, I will enjoy every second of it..."

Horror flooded Cross like a tsunami, and he feared he might drown just then. It didn't fade quickly, the harsh words echoing in his mind.

The games changed...