-Six days later-

~Ink's POV~

I was a mess. She's been gone for a week. A week too many. I needed her back as soon as possible yet I couldn't see a single way to get her. Me and the group have talked about nearly every single way yet none of them would work. Cross is too unpredictable.

"Get a fucking grip on yourself, Ink." Blade hissed at me as she hovered over my form. I was sitting on the bed hunched over with my head in my palms and elbows digging into my femur. I found myself in this position often. It helped me think, unlike Blade who had been distracting me for quite some time.

"I can't get a grip on myself! She's being hurt and she's being sick every morning! You heard Nightmare! You can't expect me to sit idly by while I know that's happening!" I shouted at the ghostly figure. I didn't even care if anybody heard me, they were used to me taking some of my anger out on Blade.

"I didn't tell you sit idly by, I told you to fucking put your head on straight! Look at yourself! You've got rainbow tear stains on your face, your clothes are a mess, you smell like shit because you haven't taken a shower this whole week, and do I even need to go on?!" She gestured wildly at me as she went on before crossing her arms with a huff.

"So what?! What do you suggest I do then oh wise one?!" I spat sarcastically at her. I had officially lost my patience with her. Who cares if I'm a mess when I'm sure Y/n is in a much worse state?!

Blade stared shocked at me, her transparency flickering slightly so I could almost fully see the wall behind her. She was at a loss for words apparently.

"That's what I thought." I growled softly and I sat up from the bed. I needed to get my mind off Blade.

"No, wait." She called out to me, floating over and attempting to grab my arm. It was fruitless as she simply phased through me. I was surprised though, most of the time she acted like she wanted to get miles away from me. She grumbled at the fact she couldn't grab onto me but continued, "Fine. You wanna know what I think you should do? I think that instead of focusing on Y/n, you focus on Cross."

"You know I'm already doing that!"

"You're not, idiot. You've been focusing on trying to get Y/n out. Instead, you need to focus on the why. Why did he kidnap her? What is he planning? It's a wonder to your stupidity you haven't already thought about that."

I stared at her, she was making a surprisingly good point. But I couldn't just take my mind off Y/n. How could Blade expect me to do that? I hadn't noticed that I had started to pace around the room.

"I... know how much you care for her but damn it, Ink. You need think with your skull."

I stopped in my tracks. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm fucking tired of seeing you drool all over yourself with her gone."

It was a lie, I could tell immediately. Blade was a good liar but this time she let her voice slip. It had gone up the slightest octave, a clear sign. I cautiously took a single step towards her, "Why are you trying to help me?"

"I just told you, idiot. And I'm not helping you I'm just..." She couldn't think of an excuse in time, leaving the air silent.

"Blade-"

"Don't."

"Huh?"

"Don't you dare even try to act like the good guy right now. 'Oh, Blade you can tell me anything. We can work this out, blah blah blah.'" She mocked me while rolling her eyes, making her voice lower than normal in a (poor) attempt to impersonate me.

"I wasn't going to... I just wanted to ask if there was something you knew that we don't." I phrased gently, scanning over all her features for a shift in expression. I had sat back down on the bed for maximum concentration.

"Of course there's things I know that you don't. I worked hand in hand with Cross and the gang. Even if I was a newer recruit I got well enough along with them. Like hell I'm gonna tell you, though. You just yelled your nonexistent lungs out at me. You can't expect me to tell you anything now." She clearly enjoyed stripping me away from her information. I could tell she was sneering from under her mask. Yet I saw the slightest hint of hesitation in her eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Blade. You know how stressed out I am right now. I shouldn't of done that." I was being sincere. I know I shouldn't be lashing out at Blade despite all the damage she's caused. But maybe, just maybe, she could be redeemed or at least sympathized with.

"Well of course you say that now that you want information out of me. You don't mean it."

I thought for a small moment, how could I prove I wasn't lying? I focused back on Blade and was surprised to see she looked almost sheepish. Maybe she already knew. After all, we are sharing SOULs. Then why is she pretending like she doesn't know when I'm being honest? At the thought of our SOUL I decided to bring it out.

The shattered red heart came floating silently out from my chest. It wasn't a very pretty sight, especially with my current mental state obviously effecting it. It's glow was dimmer than usual (which was saying something as it was dim on normal occasions).

Blade eyed both it and me curiously and perhaps with a hint of fear, "What are you doing?"

"You know what I'm feeling at all times because of this, right?" I asked her while gesturing to the SOUL now hovering over my outstretched palm. It seemed to vibrate slightly, like it was shaking. That didn't seem good...

"Only when I'm hiding in it, aka when you don't see me in this ghost form. But I have become able to read your ticks and tell what you're feeling anyway." 

"So you know I'm not lying, then."

"...There's no point in me trying to hide that truth, is there? Yes, I know exactly when you're lying or not." Blade sighed in defeat, loosing her crossed arms slightly and tucking her knees towards her chest. She floated even higher in the air than before now.

"So why are you so determined to distrust me??"

I seemed to have hit a nerve in her. Her eye twitched, her arms clenched in their crossed position, and she untucked her knees so she was standing on the ground. In one fluid motion she ripped off the mask that always covered her lower face. I could feel myself go pale as I stared at the scars littered all around her mouth and cheeks. "I don't exactly have a lot of reasons to trust people."

"Blade... I..." I was at a loss for words. There was something about her that I clearly was missing. Did Nightmare cause those scars on her? 

"Save your breath. Save your fucking pity. It's oozing all over your face, it's disgusting. You disgust me, Ink. You and all those bleeding hearts out there. You really think you can save everyone? Just because you were able to convert Nightmare doesn't mean you can convert me, I know you've been thinking about it. There's nothing to be saved now, you made sure of that when you murdered me in cold blood. I'm- I... I didn't wanna die..." To my horror, at the end of her rant a tear started to slip through her eyes. She didn't seem to notice. Her breathing was quickening, she was clawing at her chest, and more tears started to flow down her face. It was un-mistakenly a panic attack.

Before I had a moment to react she started to yell again, but not at me. "THEY TOLD ME I WAS GOING TO HELL AND THEY WERE RIGHT. THIS IS HELL. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I'M TRAPPED FOREVER LIKE THIS. A FUCKING GHOST THAT IS HATED BY ALL! NO, I'M NOT A GHOST AM I? NO, I'M A DEMON. I'M THE DEMON THEY SAID I WAS!" She was sobbing but also laughing hysterically as she breathed spastically. She was doubling over herself, coughing painfully through her guffaws and cries. I had no idea what to do to make the situation better. 

I glanced to the SOUL that was still over my hand. It was shaking even more violently now and a few cracks were starting to move their way across the surface. In a moment of panic I lost all abandon and grabbed onto it. I shuddered heavily, my ribs rattling as an intense wave of pleasure but also pain crashed over me. 

Blade was even worse than me. All her movements had halted, she wasn't moving an inch. I could've mistaken her for a glass statue if I didn't know better. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she moved her head to stare wildly at me. "How. Fucking. Dare. You." Her voice wasn't echoing at all, it was the same as it had been when she was alive.

"I-I'm sorry Blade I wasn't thinking. Are you alright...?" I was panting from the sensation that had flown through my bones. It had felt intense and foreign.

"Obviously I'm not alright. How would you like it if I molested your SOUL?" Her voice had returned to its normal echo state. She was shaking only slightly but it was noticeable. Then, she smirked as she got an idea.

Before I knew it, the heart in my palm was being pulled towards Blade. I barely had time to react when she grasped it tightly. I felt like I was being choked and at the same time I was being stroked everywhere by invasive hands. Was this what she had felt? Guilt crashed over me as the sensation ebbed away, Blade had let go of the SOUL.

"You should be guilty. I didn't mention it before but that was the exact feeling I felt when you got busy with Y/n all those weeks ago. It's awful isn't it?" Blade leered quietly, glaring into my very being.

I felt embarrassment and shame appear as a blush on my face. I hadn't known she could feel that happening. I'm still new to the fact my magic is now attached to a SOUL. I figured she had known I had been intimate with Y/n since that's a bit hard to cover up when she knows everything I'm feeling. Still, it was embarrassing.

I was saved the trouble of answering because there was a knock at the door. I quickly de-summoned my SOUL and Blade disappeared into nothingness. I was glad for the interruption.

"Come in!" I said loud enough for the knocker. The door cracked open enough for me to see who it was. To my surprise, it was Nightmare. He looked nervous about something.

"S-Sorry for interrupting you but um... c-can I talk to you real quick?" He was glancing back and forth into the hallway, like he didn't want anybody seeing him come talk to me.

"Uh... sure, I guess." I answered hesitantly while eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. Y/n trusted him so that should be good enough for me. Plus, he could've killed her in the VOID... I'm very glad he didn't.

Nightmare looked around one last time before shutting the door behind him.

~~~