??? POV

I come over to Dream while he is stuck in another void I made. I come over to him and smile.

"Hey there. How's my favorite life source?"I say

"What do you want?"He asks

"Oooo, someone's grumpy. I'd just like to tell you that the plan is working out perfectly!"I say

"What plan?"He asks

"The plan you started the moment you started having thoughts against your brother.'''I tell him

"What have you done to him?!"He snaps at me

"Oh, so NOW you care about him?"I say

"Answer the question!"He tells me

"You're not much of one in a position to give orders right now."I chuckle

"Please!"He says

"Okay, but will you let me take you over completely?"I ask

"NO!"I say

"Well, lucky for me, I don't need to take you over. I have gained some negativity from you and plenty from your brother to get a permanent form. And he was easy to use when he has a wound and is scared of you."I say

"What do you mean?"He asks

"He thought I was you back in the form he saw you in when you were with Fresh. He has a bad leg and a spike in his chest, giving me some power from any energy it took from him. I simply had to come and say a few words to him. I didn't even touch him yet and he gave in. He said himself: Just please don't hurt me again, Dream. Don't hurt them either. Please. Our pledge. Does it mean anything to you now? Which is very interesting. Did you break a pledge?"I say, laughing

He frowns, eyes wide and then begins to shake.

"Don't you dare hurt him!"He snaps

"I'll do what I want."I say

He gives me a glare and it gave a deadly message.

"Oooh, that's a killer gaze. Speaking of killer stuff, I have one to visit.~ And I'm sure he will love it!"I say

"No!"Dream shouts

I teleport away and try to track the idiot down. I smile. I picture the look on the guy's face. Oh, the anger. The worry. And fear. I'm gonna savor every perfect moment of it. Plus, who knows what he will put on the table for someone I have that he cares about. Then I find him. Jackpot. I smile even more. I arrive at the area. I find him wandering about, calling for Nightmare. I drop down into sight. He looks at me and charges at me, knives out already.

"Buddy, just don't. I know you will regret any wound you make on me."I say

Killer steps back, but does not put away the knives.

"And why would that be?"I ask

"Because every single injury you cause, I will replicate onto your precious little Nightmare."I say

"Where is he?"he snaps

"He's always been here. As long as I've been here at least."I say, snapping my fingers

Nightmare appears in front of me. I see Killer's face light up with joy at just the sight of him. Killer even steps forward. I wrap my arms around Nightmare to restrain him. Don't want him escaping or trying something. I nudge him. His eyes are pale, a result of what code I stole from him.

"Smile."I mutter to him

He nods and forces a smile.

"See? Look how happy he is! It would be a shame that happened to him because of something you did to me. Don't want to hurt him, do you?"I say, making a finger stick behind his hand to make a peace sign

His finger starting shaking as if to signal Killer no or don't do something. I tighten my grip on him. He stops.

"K-Killer! Don't listen to him! Don't agree to anything! This is not Dream we're dealing with! I can't risk you getting hurt!"Nightmare pleas to Killer

Mmmm. There it is. The fear. The worry. The emotions I can feed on. I feel myself absorb this and make it into power and energy. I smile, feeling stronger.

"Yep, I'd like to be called Agni. I don't work with him, but thanks for making him so easy to manipulate! Ah, he wasn't doing anything you saw or dealt with by his own intention. Ok, I'm off topic. Hmmm, but I didn't say you could talk. You know what happens when you disobey."I say

I feel him begin to tremble. I drop his hand and morph my hand into a weapon. He is quiet, seeming to just accept it and prepare to take the hits.

"No! Please! Don't hurt him! I'll do anything! Please!"Killer cries

I look at him. I smile. I take a picture of these moments in my mind, like pictures of a photo album in my head. The love. The fear. The worry. The desperation. The emotion. It is wonderful. My hand turns to normal.

"K-Killer...Please, don't do this..."Nightmare stutters

"Don't worry, Nightmare. It's gonna be okay."Killer says

"That depends. What will you offer?"I ask

"Killer! Please! I'm begging you! Just go! I'll be okay!"Nightmare says

Oh, what a liar.

"Name it, I'll do it. I will work for you. Serve you. Whatever you need, just....just don't hurt him!"Killer tells me

"Hmmm....That sounds like a nice offer....."I say, pretending to consider it

He is falling for my trap. I see their connection and know what will happen next. Surrender. Obedience.Sacrifice. What I want. My plan. He doesn't have the potential or qualities to fit the plan. And if I'm right, which I am, something will occur in three...two...And......One!

"I'll obey."Nightmare says

"Huh?"I say, acting surprised

"I'll obey. I give in. I'll do what you want. Just, leave him out of this."Nightmare says

"Is that a promise?"I ask

"It's a promise."He replies

"And you know what happens to those who break promises with me, right?"I ask

He nods.

"Fine. Any last wishes?"I ask, being merciful since he is cooperating with me

"C-Can I say goodbye? Please?"Nightmare asks

He looks so weak. So easy to use or manipulate. So scared. It all works out perfectly. They won't last.

"Fine."I say, releasing him

"Killer!"He cries, running to Killer

"Nightmare!"Killer exclaims, running and hugging him close

Nightmare breaks into tears. Killer tries to comfort him. How badly he was failing was so satisfying to watch. But then they actually have a conversation.

"You shouldn't have done that! I had it handled!"Killer says

"You call that handled?! Neither should you have! I can't lose you, Killer! Not again!"Nightmare says

"Come on, Nightmare! Let's just go! We can get out of here! You can get away from him!"Killer says

"That won't do anything! He will just keep coming and if I don't go, you all could be put in danger! I don't want that. So please, just go!"Nightmare explains

Killer shakes his head. Nightmare places a hand on his cheek.

"It's gonna be okay. If you told me it was, then it will be ok for you. I love you, Killer."He says, leaning in and kissing him

I notice Nightmare put a hand in Killer's pocket. What's that about? Ok, time to break them up before they do something stupid. I extend my arm and grab Nightmare, dragging him away from Killer. I punch him and he's knocked out.

"Ya, you had something to say about it. Thank you for doing so! I would have never been able to persuade him to comply if he didn't get some motivation!"I say

I teleport away. I have Nightmare turn to his hostile form when he wakes up.

"You will stay in this form only. If you don't then the deal is off. You cannot seek out them or let them seek you out. If you get found by any of them, either pretend not to know them or kill them. If I find that you don't do that, the deal will be off."I tell him

"O-Ok."He says

But soon I learned how much I underestimated him.

Killer's POV two hours later

I return to the hideout and explained to the others what happened the best I could. Everyone frowns and started to make plans to get him back. Cross comes over to me.

"Heh, maybe now there's some good or a chance for Dream if that guy said that he was manipulating him. But are you sure Nightmare didn't smuggle you something or give you something in secret? Like a message or tool? This is Nightmare after all."He says

I can tell he still has feelings for Dream. They are smaller than before, but still there.

"I dunno, he didn't exactly say much except telling me not to agree to anything this jerk said. I-Wait!"I tell him, tucking my hands in my pockets

I feel something that was not there before. I pull out a small note. I open it and read it. Killer, go to our castle. More directions will appear when you do....If you do. I know how you get in these situations. You can get restless and get into trouble. This will save you time and keep you out of trouble. Just be careful. ❤️ Nightmare.

"I have to go."I say

"Okay."He says

I leave and go to Nightmare's castle. But now I think about it, it's interesting for him to call it our castle, but I'm sure he means us and the gang, which is very cool. I go inside and see all the damages still here from the incident. I check the note. It changed, having more before the signature.
There should be a single lamp still hanging on the wall. Pull it to the right. A passageway will open up, go through it. You'll see what I mean.

I look around and see what he was talking about. I do as ordered and sure enough, a passageway opened up. I go through it and quickly get overwhelmed by amazement of what was there. I quickly call the others. Geno and Error arrive. They are shocked too.

"Half of these aren't even on record!"Geno says

"I nEvEr hEaRd Of tHeSe AUs oR pLacEs."Error says

In the passageway was a single room. And it was full of doors or lists of AUs and places. Like voids, antivoids, etc.

"Well apparently he has records of them."I say

"How'd you find this?"Geno asks

"I just read a note."I say, showing him a note

"Nightmare is amazing."We agree on

"We could search these doors for him. It will just be a matter of time until we find them."Geno says

"I wILl gEt mOre oF oUr bUds heRe. ThE mOre oF uS sEarChiNg mEaNs wE wIlL seArch mOre oF thEsE fAstEr, lOweRing tHe cHancE thAt sOmeThinG bAd hAppens."Error says, going through a portal he summoned

And that's what we did. Cross, Geno, Error, Ink, E!Pap, Ink!Pap and I all worked together to search every place on these records. Days passed or it seemed like it did. A lot of time passed, hard to tell with timeline differences that we go to. But it was, no, IS worth it. Because one day, it worked.

I go through one of the doors listed as a newly made antivoid. I wander about, checking for any inhabitants. Then, I hear footsteps. I look and see a familiar silhouette in the distance, tentacles and all. I smile. But the silhouette begins moving away. I head toward them, getting a good feeling. I get closer and see that it's Nightmare. But I gotta make sure they are MY Nightmare. I take out my phone and call Nightmare. This one took out their phone and clicked something.

"Hello?"Nightmare says on the phone

"Hey Nightmare."I say

"K-Killer?! I-I mean...who is this?"He says

The silhouette of Nightmare up ahead said the same thing.

It's him.

"Don't try to pretend you don't know me. You messed that up. How are you? Are you ok?"I ask

"I-I'm okay. I'm just stuck without anything to do."He says

"I think that's gonna change soon."I tell him,  making my way over

"W-Why do you say that?"He asks

"Because I see you."I say

Nightmare tenses. He looks everywhere but behind him.

"N-No!"He says

"Turn around Nightmare.~"I tell him

He turns around and looks at me. He clicks the phone, hanging up. I smile. He steps back. He seems on edge.

"K-Killer....It's you? This isn't a test by that jerk?"He says

"Sure is. I'm so glad I found you Nightmare."I say

He steps back.

"K-K-Killer...You can't be here. Please....He can come at any moment. If he catches me with you...he'lll....he'll...."He says

"Nightmare, I'm not leaving you. I'll fight him off if he comes. I will protect you."I say, wrapping my arms around him

"You are so stubborn."He says

"Stubborn with love.~ But I like to think of it as protective. I love you after all."I say

His face lights up.

"Shut up!"He snaps

"Oh, come on. I know you love me."I tell him

"Yes, that's why you have to go before something goes wrong."He says

I then notice something. On one of his sleeves is the symbol of a broken star. This gets me curious.

"What's this?"I ask

"Oh.....A sign of so-called loyalty or that I'm on his side or whatever, his to use. But...You really gotta go."He says

"I'm going nowhere without you."I tell him

"And that's exactly the problem!"He says

"Isn't there some loophole we could use?"I ask

He looks at me.

He sighs and shakes his head.

"No...."He says

But then he gets this look that told me an idea is forming. He looks at me again. Then, he slips out of my hold. He begins to pace, which is a sign that the idea is getting better or bigger, like a train building momentum. I just stand there, waiting in silence and trying to think of ideas on my own.

I feel something wrap around my wrist. I look and see it's a tentacle. Before I could react, I get pulled forward. I look and see Nightmare pulling me over. I look at him, smiling. He feels my arm. Then he smiles and places it on my cheek. I know where this is going. But I pretend not to. I pretend to be clueless and surprised. He leans in slowly. He kisses me. I enjoy it and loosen up. I feel him wrap his arms around me. I shut my eyes. I feel my face burn. But then he parts.

"That's it!"He cheers

"What's it?"I ask

"I think there is a loophole!"He says

"Really?"I ask

He steps back. He takes a moment to think.

"Do you want to stay with me?"He asks

I kneel down and smile, holding his hand.

"I'd do whatever it is to stay with you, protect you and just be with you, Nightmare."I tell him

"Ok....Then will you stay with me? If I can convince him that I made you an ally to him?"He asks

I take his hand and kiss it. I see his face brighten and wink. His face gets brighter.

"Of course! I don't care what happens. If I'm with you and you're safe, everything is ok! Besides, I think the others will understand the situation. I don't ever want to leave you again! I can't risk losing you!"I say

"K-Killer! Are you sure about this?"Nightmare says

"Yep."I say

"O-Ok. Just...Hold still."He tells me

I nod and kneel down all the way. He leans in and starts rubbing his finger on my cheek gently like a piece of chalk on a whiteboard. I hold still and enjoy gazing at him. He finishes and I smile.

"That should last as long as our 'allience' with him does. Soon as it ends, it will change or fade."He says

"Okay."I say

A few moments pass. He links elbows with me. A portal opens. In walks Agni. He glares at me.

"Ahem, explain."He says

"He came and surrendured! He said he wants to join your side!"Nightmare says

"Of course. Now, as interesting as that seems, that's not why I came."He says, coming over

"Of course it isn't."He says, bowing his head

Agni reaches out and Nightmare begins to tremble. I quickly read the signs and block him from Nightmare.

"You aren't laying a hand on him! Back off!"I growl

"Oh and what? You, protect him?"He scoffs

"Yes, you wanna test me?"I snap

He rolls his eyes at me.

"Fine, let's go celebrate."He says

Celebrate? He goes back through the portal. Nightmare follows him so I do the same. Agni hands us two cups with some kind of fluid or beverage inside. I am quickly suspicious. I turn my back to him and check it for any chemicals with some tool Cross "borrowed" from Science. The results were inconclusive. I turn back and see Agni smile.

"Here's to new allies! Cheers!"He says, lifting his cup

Nightmare lifts his so I do the same. I follow his lead. We clink the cups together but I am doubtful when it comes to drinking it. I look at Nightmare. He takes a sip of his and then gives a thumbs up. I guess I may be over-cautious. I take a sip. It didn't taste so bad, but seemed stale. I decide not to take another sip. Then, I hear clapping. I look and see Agni is clapping. Odd timing to clap. I look over at Nightmare. He seems to get weaker and weaker at each clap, as if the energy is being sucked from him. I come closer to him just in time, he falls back, fainting. I catch him and hold him protectively.

"What did you do to him?!"I snap

"Relax, he is serving his purpose. There was a hint of poison in his drink. In fact, I'm surprised you're still awake since I put much more in yours."He says

"I never drank the whole thing."I tell him

"Dang it. Hmm, but you will face the side effects and symptoms from the other chemicals I put in it then."He says

I hold him tighter.

"You are not getting near Nightmare."I say

"I know you didn't surrender. He broke our little deal so now he faces the consequences. And on the contrary, I don't think you will get near him again."He says, snapping

He takes Nightmare from me and I begin to feel dizzy. He snaps more and next thing I know, I am out.

Dream's POV

I sit around, unable to do much. I hear something that now sends chills down my spine. A portal opening. I look and see a portal, but nobody comes through. And it looks different from Agni's so I decide to take a chance. I get up and go through it. I find this small room full of portals and a single hallway. I try to go down it but trip and fall. I hear footsteps. Shoot!

"Dream?!"A voice exclaims

I look up and see Cross standing there. I quickly get up and hug him.

"Woah! Hey! What the-?"He exclaims

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Cross! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do anything that I did! I'm sorry! I know I'm wrong now! I'm sorry I did all of that! I-I-I, Wait....."I apologize to him

I look around. I need to apologize to someone else even more than him.

"Where's Nightmare?"I ask

"We're trying to find him. The same virus that got you got him. And did you just...say sorry? Admit that you're wrong?"Cross says

"Yes! I was being an idiot! I know nobody will forgive me but I need to see Nightmare! I have to make sure he's okay!"I tell him

"He's been gone. We are searching. I told you. But...That's nice to hear. You've changed, Dream. In a good way."He says

"Is Killer at least here?"I ask

"Nah, he's been gone. He's searching the most."He says

"Shoot..."I mutter

"Dream, what's going on? What's the problem?"He asks

"The virus thing has taken its own form. And it has a plan. It's going after Nightmare and Killer. It's gonna.....I can't say, it still has connections."I say

"I'll get E!Pap."He says

I nod and lean against a wall. I start feeling weak and dizzy. Everything spun and went out like a light. Moments pass. I slowly come back to consciousness. I look around quickly. I see nobody with me. But thwn a door opens and in comes E!Pap. I open my mouth to speak and apologize. I reach out to him but he covers my mouth and wrists.

"DoN'T eVeN sTaRt. YoU wErE mAnIpUlAtEd aNd yOu cAn'T bE bLaMeD fOr ThAT. ThE vIrUs cAn bE. CrOsS tOlD aBoUt yOUr ApOlOgY. EveN wHeN yOu HiT mE, I cAn sEnSe yOu wEreN't iN cOntRol. BuT I aM gLaD tHeRe iS sTiLl sOmE goOd In yOu. NoW, I'm gOnNa lOwEr mY hAnd. YoU sPeAk tO mE aBoUt wHaT tHat vIruS iS dOiNg oR dId, nOt aPolOgiEs. ThE cOnNeCtIoN iS gOnE."He says

I nod.

He lowers his hand.

"NoW wHat dId iT dO tO yOu?"He asks

"Use me as energy source and drop hints about his plan."I say

"I seE..."I say

He smiles.

Something flashes in my mind. I frown. I get up quickly and go to him. I take of my crown.

"WhAt ArE yOu dOiNg?"He asks

I shake my head. I get onto another chair in the room and stand on it carefully. I smile, thinking of this as a good decision. I place my crown on his head carefully.

"HuH?"He says confusedly

"I now make you the true guardian of positivity. I need to learn how to be one again. But you have always been positive and protecting the positivity. Now, I'll be going now."I say, hopping off the chair

"WhErE aRe yOu gOiNg?"He asks

"To make things right with my brother."I say

"You aren't going anywhere."Geno tells me

"Oh I am. Unless you want to share blame or guilt with me for letting those two die!"I say, pushing past him

Nobody stops me. I go through a doorway and down the same hall as before. I snap and blink, seeing a trail of thermal footprints like a thermogram would. I recognize one quickly. I follow it. I go through a door and find another anti-void. In it, I find Nightmare laying on the ground, not moving. I run to him. I kneel down and find him horribly beaten. I nudge him.

"Brother! Wake up! Please!"I beg him

He starts to shake. He opens his eyes slightly.

"D-Dream? Please...don't....."He says

"Don't worry, brother! I'm turning over a new leaf! I won't leave you, hurt you again! I'm so sorry! I got you!"I tell him, holding him close

"Ah, so you've managed to get here to your'precious brother. Surely you won't last long."A voice says

I look and Agni comes over.

"You are not coming near him."

"How will you fight?"He asks with a cocky tone

"Simple, no more nice guy."I say, glaring at him

I blink and see he is surrounded by golden arrows. His face is full of shock, not expecting this. But the more he stares, the arrows multiply. I smirk and watch. Then, when everything seems right, I smile and nod. The arrows fire and destroy Agni. I smile happily as he gets absolutely destroyed. Then he lays down, fallen apart to a hundred of pieces, like a bunch of puddles. I check Nightmare and find his soul fall apart. I quickly think and make my soul appear. I break it in half and put one half with his. The two adapt and form a solid soul. I put him down and start to help his wounds.

He starts to open his eyes. He looks around and gets this worried look on his face.

"Killer!"He shouts, getting up with a lot of struggling

I grab him before he hurts himself.

"Where's he?"He asks me worriedly

"I dunno. I haven't seen him."I say

He frowns at this.

"Killer! Killer! Can you hear me? Come here! Please! Killer!"He cries out

"Nightmare, let's get you out of here."I suggest

"No! Not without him!"He tells me

"Okay..."I sigh

We sit there, waiting. So much time passes. Arrows litter the ground and fade. I look at him and could sense his hope fading. Worry was eating away at him, breaking him down. He begins to get misty eyes, bowing his head.

"Do you think Agni.....?"He says, trailing off from the very fear of mentioning the possibility

"He'd be an idiot to do that."I say

"But aren't the worst of people the ones who do the stupidest of things?"He asks

"True...But those people often pay."I say, pulling him closer

I hear footsteps. Nightmare nods and weakly shuts his eyes. He lays back down and I watch over him. But then, I hear running footsteps and look around. I hear growls and reach out to Nightmare but then some beast leaps over, sliding between us. This animal bares its teeth, growling at me. It legit gives me the stink eye. It has a moon mark around its cheek. Guess this animal is Nightmare's. And very protective of Nightmare too. It looked like a large cat or some kind of tiger. Like a bengal tiger.

"Relax, I'm just trying to help him."I say, scooping Nightmare up and running before I could get attacked

The tiger chases me but I quickly go through the portal and put him in a bed. The tiger closes in on me but Cross blocks me off with E!Pap.

"What did you do?"Cross asks

"Repaid him for the times I didn't help him. Even gave a sacrifice."I say

"And where'd the tiger-cat thing come from?"He asks

"Dunno, but it seems to be Nightmare's telling by the mark."I say

E!Pap kneels down and puts a hand down. This beast smiles and lowers its head, allowing E!Pap to pet him.

"NoW wE wAiT, hE nEeDs ReSt."E!Pap says

I nod.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A few days later, Nightmare's POV

I slowly come back to consciousness, but don't open my eyes. I hear someone come in and I begin to shake. But then someone holds my hand. Next, I hear Dream talk. Except, he's apologizing. Everything he ever did, he apologized for. Even some things that I didn't even know, like eating my leftovers in the fridge at a former hideout. I open my eyes and look at him.

"Dream...?"I say

"Nightmare!"He says, hugging me

He beaks into tears. I don't know how to react. I don't know what to do. I try to pat him on the back and head. I try to comfort him. But I am so confused. He holds me tighter and tighter.

"D-Dream? You're holding me a bit too tight."I say

"Sorry! Sorry! I don't mean to! I-I-Do you need anything? Want anything? Emmm, I-I-I-"He says

"I'm fine...."I say

I can't remember much.

My head is pounding.

He explains what happened though. I thank him for helping me. He soon leaves the room to update the others. But worry fills me. I remember Killer. I remember calling for him. But I passed out after. Did he ever come? Is he okay? Is he back?

I gotta find that out. And since Dream practically AVOIDED speaking about Killer, he won't be any help. Gotta do this myself. Just like the saying goes. If you want something right, you do it yourself. But, there are some problems.

One, my injuries are a major set back.

And two, I can't get up.

But those won't stop me.

Nope.

Not me.

I start to slowly try to sit up. I succeed, though my arms are shaky while trying to support me. I turn to a side and push off the bed. I land on my feet. I look around. I take a step forward and stay upright, though limping. I take some steps but then one of my legs give out. I fall down and hit the floor.

"Ugggghhhh....Ow....."I groan, shaking my head

I hear footsteps and shift onto my back, trying to look around.

I freeze up. There is some kind of animal staring at me in the doorway. My wounds don't let me move. I frown and still try but fail. I look at the animal, feeling uneasy.

"H-Hello..."I say

It smiles and steps back out of my sight. I stay silent, unable to move. Then it runs and leaps onto me, tail wagging and all. I see its teeth and they're very sharp.

"Help! Help! Somebody!"I shout

I frown, shaking. I look at the doorway. E!Pap comes to it and sees my situation.

"AwWw! H0w cUte! G0oD t0 sEe y0u'rE uP! I'Ll giVe y0u b0th pRivAcy!"He says, shutting the door

Cute?! This is cute?! What is going on?

I frown. This beast begins nuzzling its head against me lovingly. I am confused.

"G-Get off me! I gotta find Killer! My friend!"I snap

It sticks its tongue out and doesn't move.

"P-Please! I need to know he's ok!"I say

I then notice a mark on the animal's cheek. A moon. A crescent moon. The mark I made on Killer to fool Agni. It looks at me and smiles. This could be him? My soul beats faster and I feel my face warm.

"K-Killer?"I ask

The creature nods. He smiles.

"K-Killer! You're okay? I'm so glad! I was so worried. I-I-I-!"I cheer, but get cut off

He starts to lick me. Licking my head, cheek, anywhere he could. I could not move. My soul pounds. My face is burning.

"K-Killer! Quit it! This isn't funny! I can't move! I was being serious!"I say

He smiles, sticking his tongue out and shaking as if he is laughing.

"Killer!"I exclaim

He wraps his paws around me. He shifts me onto my side, nudging my arms around him.

"Killer?! What are you doing?"I ask, my soul doing backflips

He looks at me and licks my cheek as if to kiss me.

I look away from him, but nuzzle his head with mine, feeling as if I had butterflies in my rib-cage or none-existent stomach. I start to feel sleepy again. Plus, his fur is soft and warm....so....I shut my eyes. That's when I hear and feel movement. I open my eyes and see him going to the door. He puts a paw on the knob. I hear a click of a lock and he turns to face me.

"What is going through that head of yours? K-Killer?"I ask

He smiles.

I start trying to move and sit up but then he stand over me, making me unable to get up. I see an idea forming in his gaze.

"Don't you dare! Killer, I-!"I begin

He circles in place and then plops down on me like a cat or dog finding a spot to lay down.

"I hate you."I sigh

He licks my cheek as a response. It is as if he's saying that he knows that isn't true. I feel my face burning. He smiles at me.

"Oh, who am I kidding? I love you!"I say, nuzzling my head against him

Then I kiss his cheek. He looks at me with some kind of surprise, his ears going down.

"Something wrong?"I ask

He places a paw on my bandages. He gives me an apologetic look. I do not understand. He finds a paper on the floor and writes:I should have protected you better.

"Killer! You shouldn't think that! Trust me, some things are just out of your control! Besides, I'm fine! It will take some healing time but I'm fine! And so are you! And that's what matters!"I tell him

He turns his head from me.

"Look at me, Killer!"I say

He reluctantly does. He looks at me. I place my hand on his cheek and smile at him.

"I love you, Killer. You've been an awesome protector. An awesome friend, too. Besides, you're still protecting me. I can't get up so I can't get into trouble. Now cheer up."I say

He smiles. Then I feel him put his paws under me. He shifts off of me. I look at him confusedly. Then, he tosses me up above him. I land on his back in an instant and he smiles. I look at him, my soul pounding.

"What was that for?"I ask, clinging to him

He just smiles and winks. He unlocks the door and paws at my head, signaling me to close my eyes. I do so but could feel him moving, walking out of the room. Soon, I doze off. But we dunno what is going on right now or what's to come.

—————————————————————————————————————

TBC