Cross makes a mistake and Nightmare thinks back to how he got to this point

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Human DreamS̴͖̄͛ẉ̸̬̰͂̓͠ą̷̭͔͇̭̱̯̃́̓p̴̨̜͉͙͈̜̙̱͓͛̏̿̀̌̌͐

Cross was running as fast as he could with his new obtained 'hostage'. He hadn't meant to grab them but as soon as he had spotted Ink, he may have slightly.... panicked. He had just wanted to go out for a quiet day out, so why did it have to turn out like this?! Error was going to laugh at him so hard when he came back, that is if Ink didn't manage to capture him before he escaped.

It was a bit strange how protective Ink was over the short human but perhaps it was an important guest that the 'mighty leader' Dream said to look after? It would explain how zealous Ink was in following him and the look of death on the others' faces. Glancing behind him he shivered at the hate he could almost feel pouring out of the other. He thought Ink was supposed to be the emotionless one?!

He yelped as he dodged a knife, thrown a bit too close for comfort and knew this was going to be a pain. Thankfully the person he had grabbed was light and he was making sure to keep them close, as he was convinced it was the only reason Ink had used their more...lethal skills on him. He had read too many reports on the Justice Reigns top soldiers accomplishments, to not fear them.

Talking about his hostage they weren't really moving much and a new worry entered his mind. Was he holding them too tight?....oh god were they even still alive?! He would have checked but it seemed Ink had called some reinforcements for help, making him focus on running. Nightmare would kill him if he managed to get caught on their day off.

-

Karma had started to enjoy the daily outing to the stalls and was currently hovering over an egg shaped item in curiosity. Ever since that first visit it seemed Ink was determined to give him a better day then he had.

His inventory was getting rather full with his new items and he had to lie about having no idea where they could have gone. Another issue was that Dream sensed every time he used his magic as his body still experienced a lot of pain using it.

This meant he hadn't been able to play with his magic much, as Dream had suddenly decided to spend time with him. The quiet atmosphere that he had grown used to was now broken up with Dreams occasional comments, but he didn't dislike it. He still got to read a lot more books, but he was unsure why the other was doing this?

From what he had gathered Dream was the head of a movement set to 'wipe negativity out'. He was a bit baffled why they were doing this but kept his questions to himself.

He didn't forget how dangerous this Dream was and more importantly they were the current provider of housing in the world. The other also seemed extremely paranoid of Karma going anywhere alone, so this current situation was rather funny to him. He had been looking around the stalls as usual when his hand was ripped from Inks and he was lifted like a sack of potatoes over a stranger's shoulder.

He was a tad amused at how fearless people were in grabbing him but realised that others had no idea what his role was. The position wasn't the comfiest he had ever been in but it did let him see more sights then he was used to.

He was sure they had jumped through multiple AU's at this point and he was impressed how this stranger had managed to evade Ink. They started to slow down when Ink was no longer visible. His kidnapper took them into an isolated home, where he was roughly put on the floor.

Before he could react his cloak's hood was pushed back and he glared at the stranger.

" Cross....what did you do? "

He saw another human next to his kidnapper and they felt strangely familiar. The circlet drew his attention, as did the cut out crescent shape in the top of it. The purple and black outfit cemented the idea that this was a Nightmare variant. The brown hair they sported was dull but the purple eyes looking him over were intriguing. Perhaps that was due to their strange SOUL?

Tilting his head to his abductor, the black and white outfit should have made it obvious that this was this world's Cross. He cooed at the red and white eye colours that were similar to his own, giggling at the blush he spotted appearing.

" Huh, isn't this the child Blue wanted to ask for help about? "

He wasn't startled at the new voice as their SOUL was very loud to him.

Karma never knew humans came with such unique eye colours but this world seemed to want to surprise him. The gold and red eyes, of he guessed the Error of this world, were very bold. The other even had some blue markings he was used to seeing on a skeleton face.

"I panicked! their cloak hid them. I thought they were just really short man!"

" Hahahaha. You are such an idiot "

"Hey! I'd like you to do better with Ink chasing you like a mad man!"

This argument didn't seem to be going anywhere so he decided to leave them to it. Karma started to explore the new space he was taken to and at first glance didn't look that large. It looked rather boring with not many decorations around, apart from piles of clothes on the ground. He was tempted to look around upstairs first, when a tapping sound from the back room caught his attention.

The adults were still busy, so he peaked his face into the newly discovered kitchen and his eyes landed on a chicken. It had bold golden feathers and green and yellow eyes. Getting closer he understood how he had missed this beings SOUL.

He grinned at how one of the magical apples had been fed to a chicken of all things. He almost wanted to find more of these apples and see how it would affect other animals.

Squawking right next to him made him look down and he realised that the animal was heading towards the living room. Following them he saw a rather large pillow on the ground that must have been for them. He sat on it as well, happy it easily fit them both and the chicken bizarrely got closer to his wings. He had hardly been around many animals, in fear of Reaper's reaction to disobeying a rule but he did adore them.

Their SOULS were usually so calm and their intentions much easier to understand then monsters or humans. He hesitantly used his hands to stroke along their wings, happy when he was allowed. It seems they wanted to groom him and he was happy to oblige. Karma even took off his cloak, to make it easier for them to reach his feathers.

He returned the favour, overjoyed at this new experience. Maybe he should ask Dream if he could be around more animals. There was no one really stopping him from trying things that were denied to him in his home multiverse.

-

Nightmares life was one disaster after the other. He hardly remembered his birth parents but from what he had been told about them he was rather glad he didn't. He had grown up in the temple that was dedicated to a magical tree, that bore golden and black apples radiating power. His 'father' had thought it a smart idea to try and steal the apples and even managed to convince another to join in his plan.

Of course their 'genius plan' failed and they were instead killed by the tree, in question. With how much power that thing had been doubted it needed protection from others. The tree had then decided that as further punishment he and the other accomplices' child would become the guardians of it.

When he first heard the tale he had been bewildered at it even needing protection. It seemed to be doing fine by itself and he sometimes felt he was more a protector for the humans than the tree.

Nee names were thrust upon him and the other child and this is how he became known as Nightmare. He had cared deeply for his counterpart named Dream and they had been a solid foundation of support, in this new fate chosen for them. When they both realised they were no longer ageing and would have to watch their loved ones die, they became even closer.

While not happy with his forced role he knew he could learn to live it, but it seemed Dream had other ideas. One day the other had taken most of the apples and consumed them, growing wings in the process. He had at first been worried for the health of his counterpart, before he heard their words to the priests that had gathered.

"We need to get rid of all the negativity in the world. So no one will ever have to suffer again. I vow to wipe it all out with the power gained from the apples!"

He felt crushed at those words, as he himself could be considered a negative spirit in a way. That the person he had considered a friend his crush was advocating for his death, was painful. He pushed those thoughts away and spotted two apples that Dream had missed, running as far away as he could from his old home.

The years passed and he grew lonely in his isolation. He heard news of how Dreams' goals were going and wanted to cry at how far his friend had fallen. He had eaten the gold apple from the tree and it made his SOUL feel strange, but allowed him to use negativity energy in non harmful ways.

The Golden apple he held felt like it was taunting him and he only saw Dreams smug face whenever he spotted it. It might have been impulsive to feed it to his pet chicken Kevin, but he didn't regret it. He had watched to see any negative effects and was pleased when it only seemed to make his pet live much longer than others of his kind. He was glad he would have at least someone with him, even if the multiverse banded against his existence.

His life of hiding from Dream continued and he had managed to meet humans who didn't care what he was. They even became his friends and lived together, making his days much more lively. They even helped him fight against Dreams' rule, that seemed to spread further every day.

He was worried it wouldn't be long before he was captured and executed, as he could no longer go outside without being recognised. He had no illusions that Dream actually held any care towards him and knew if they ever met, one of them would not survive the encounter.

It was why he planned his acts of rebellion far away from the base of the Justice Reign, so Dream would never be there directly. The weeks passed as usual before he spotted a new pattern from his counterpart. No news had been heard about Dream and even the papers were quiet on the 'leaders' whereabouts.

He had even contacted Blue, who while not firmly on either side did side more with Dream. The other happened to be close friends with Error, so he reluctantly trusted them with their home location and so far that trust wasn't misplaced.

Blue had just mentioned a 'negativity spot' Dream went to deal with and left it at that. They both knew that usually meant Dream killed whatever caused it to 'cleanse' the multiverse of the taint.

How Dream didn't sense how terrified some of his citizens were, underneath the forced positivity, was a mystery to him. It was probably why the other could stand to keep Ink around. Nightmare refused to be near Ink, as the other felt strange to his senses. Dream probably lobbied for having a soldier they could trust, not to get over emotional but he found it creepy how lifeless the other could be. It was like looking at a toy soldier that only did things when commanded.

While suspicious of the peace he was getting, he trusted his sources to be able to catch anything sinister planned, so let it be. He eventually heard from Error that Dream had brought in a ward to live with him and would most likely adopt them.

Now that was strange as he knew how afraid Dream was with getting close to others. Maybe this was a publicity stunt to bolster the peoples opinion? It did sound like Dream but he doubted they were that cruel to use a child like that.

He would look into it more later but for now he was enjoying one of his quiet days. Error was busy looking things up for Blue and Cross was out 'browsing' in some AU's. They better not come back with a pile of stolen items again, as it was getting them too much attention.

The door slammed open and he sighed at his alone time being cut so short. He closed the book he was reading and went to the front door, wondering why Cross was feeling so panicked. This better not be like the time Cross cried because an old woman had bought the last item he had wanted. The negativity they had produced had been rather potent for such a small thing.

He loved having others near him but he wished they were less stress inducing. Standing next to his friend he looked at what was scaring them and froze.

" Cross....what did you do? "

Why was there a child in his home? And a clearly abused one at that. At least they were calm and felt amused at what was happening. Probably due to their young age, not fully understanding what was going on.

" Huh, isn't this the child Blue wanted to ask for help about? "

Now that he thought about it the description he was given did look like the child. The red eye looked much more sinister than described but it was the white that alarmed him most. Could they even see out of that or was there something special about it? Just who had Dream found?

"I panicked! Their cloak hid them. I thought they were just really short man!"

" Hahahaha. You are such an idiot "

Nightmare felt his SOUL want to exit his vessel, at what issues this would cause. They were not strong enough to go against Dreams' army but maybe this wasn't as bad as he thought. Leaving the two to continue arguing he walked into the living room, where he felt their emotions, and felt his hopes crushed.

While the sight of Kevin grooming the child was cute, that was also a very problem. Blue had mentioned what they looked like but failed to tell him about the wings. No wonder Dream had taken them in, it must have been amazing finding someone similar to them.

Getting nearer even their magic felt rather potent, if uncontrolled. He stood in silence, amused despite himself at how the child stretched their wings to allow Kevin to reach all of their feathers.

When he spotted something glittering in the dark wings he choked at the feeling of Dreams magic. Crouching behind them he touched the gold and recognised it was made out of Dreams magic. Dream was finally forming connections but it only made the position he was in now so much worse.

Of course the universe was not content with his misery, as a blue satickly portal opened and Blue stepped out. He wanted to berate the other for just turning up but the crazed look and the numerous glitches surrounding the other stopped him.

" NiGhTmArE! YoU BeTtEr ExPlaIn wHat YoU dId OR I'm dRaGgIng DrEam HEre Myself "

He flinched back from how staticky the other sounded and worried how much they must have teleported to sound that bad. He hastily tried explaining what he knew, as he knew Blue did not make false promises. As he spoke he was relieved to note how the glitches settled down and eventually dissipated.

" How did you know he was here? It should be impossible to track him here "

He would know, as he had tested it thoroughly himself. He enjoyed having his own place that he knew Dream couldn't easily get to. The cheeky grin and the other summoning his strings confused him. That was until he spotted blue on one of the child's wrist. He had dismissed it as a random bracelet but it seems Blue was getting sneakier everyday.

"Blue! Where did you go? You hardly visited anymore"

Nightmare watched as glitches flowed over Blues body, before fading away. The negativity drastically increased and he knew Blue was thinking of how to get out of this situation, without Dream finding out from the kid that Nightmare had been involved.

"You see, the thing i-"

"Blue was just doing a few jobs for me, little apple. I'm sure he will visit more later, after i deal with some pests "

Nightmare felt himself pale at seeing Dream in his home, his only truly safe place. He stood up, getting into a defensive position knowing this would not end well for him.

~~~~~~

*Karma spots Kevin*

Karma: This has to be the best thing that has ever happened to me
-
*Error and Cross arguing. Blue stressing. Kidnapped child in his home*

Nightmare: I am the most stressed i have ever been!

*Dream appears*

Nightmare:... thank you universe, for teaching me i have new limits