Heartless Darkness (A Kingdom Hearts Tale)

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Colby

A game. It was just a game. They could get out of it. “You got this.” Colby’s eyes flashed to the male, her insecurities haunting her like his eyes always seemed to do. Her lips almost reveled the roots of her hesitation, but she held back just enough to allow him the freedom to do as he wished, first.

She took the role of sidekick, which was obviously due to her stupid weapon and his chosen keyblade. Of course she would play her part, and give what she could in order to protect him. Clearly in this messed up universe, he was the chosen one. And like all sidekicks, it was her responsibility to give her life as needed to keep his safe. Meaning, if any of them had hope to survive, he could not die. Even if it meant she did….Colby didn’t dread the thought. More like lock it away as a reminder for when the time was right. Death wasn’t what scared her most. Looking into Zek’s eyes, she froze a moment as he spoke.

“Don’t worry about me, Colby, just make sure you don’t get hurt, got it?” he was saying. Colby smirked at him before jabbing her wand into his shoulder, gently.


“I’m no weak damsel in distress. You’re going to have to make sure you’re the one not getting hurt. I’ll have everything killed before you take your first swing. First kill count to 100 gets first dibs on dessert back at home. Mom’s making your favorite,” she challenged playfully, trying to lift the mood from that of a soul reaping into more of the game it was supposed to originally be.

He hated her weapon, she knew his style, but that was all right. It was her weapon. And she would figure out how to use it to the best of her ability. Or, she would beat the creatures with the stick if she couldn’t figure out how to make the wand work. Either way, she wasn’t going down without a hell of a fight.


Then, they were at the door. staring, watching, waiting. It opened as though on its own, and they entered, as though they were approaching a loading screen. As the light that surrounded them died down, Zek took his first steps into the room…woods….out…doors? Colby blinked a moment, realizing they were no longer in a room, but now outside in more of an open space. Azekyl was the first to break the silence, which startled the female back to looking in his direction.

“Well, this seems quiet,” he said. “I don’t know if I like that idea,” she responded. Without communication, they both decided to head down the path, hoping it would lead them to anything more than a secluded woods. It wasn’t until a twig snapped that Colby jumped more in front of Zek than behind. She had seriously taken on her role as sidekick and was sure as hell not going to endanger the male any more than she had to. Her shoulder arched and her back began prickles as she listened intently to the sounds of the forest.

Something was coming. She could feel it in her bones, in the air. But she wasn’t prepared for the sheer mass the creature that approached held.


The two males….er, what seemed like a secondary male bear, swung into action long before Colby even realized the bear had blindsided her. Zek and the creature were in combat as she finally moved herself around to take the proceeding visuals into account, just as her friend was bashed against a tree.

Her first thoughts were that he was surely dead, but realizing whatever sick video game logic this world held, they would be more safe from being flung around, than actually in combat with whatever creatures attacked.

Whatever health bar they had, she was not able to see, or cared to look around for. Instead, she joined the action. With whatever abilities she could muster, Colby began sending uncontrolled spurts of magic in the direction of the creature.

Of course, the first several attempts missed, until she finally had enough control to at least slap the creature in the back a few times. Enraging the creature was not really her intention. It had been her hope it would have come down a bit more easily. Instead, it reared up, let out a fearsome roar, and charged her.

Despite her non-combative training, Colby was able to dodge the creature’s head charge with only slight ease, and proceeded to cast spells in its direction, trying to land enough hits to give her melee partner enough time to rise and return to battle.

[nukelawls]

Zek’s pupil slit slightly, and he launched at the monster, he jumped off its head and as he came back down he drove his blade into the back of its neck. It let out a loud shriek, and shadows twisted like smoke as it engulfed the beast’s body and it disappeared. Azekyl stood in the vanishing fragments. His eyes distant, and he could feel the dark mark on his side start to spread, it burned as it scrawled up his ribcage. He became hyper aware of everything, the wind felt like microscopic razors against his arms, he tried not to falter, his vision blurred slightly he silently prayed it wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

His face then was etched with confusion, images of black and white flooded his eyes, his past? He watched scenes he couldn’t place, he saw people he didn’t remember, and then static. The palpitations of his heart went out of sync, the voices and memories drifting amongst his questioning thoughts. On the surface he stares blankly a head, it almost could be mistaken for calm, even though he was far from that. His palms were sweating, his breathing slow and hardly noticeable. He was stuck in an enigmatic hallucination. The nightmare plane, the images yielding their insignia, Everything Zek knew now drowned in an achromatic hell. Everything fell silent, everything faded to black. He blinked and tilted his head looking at Colby. He had no idea how long he stood there, she was arm length and he couldn’t read her expression.

“Everything alright?” the first words that left his lips. He then cocked his head up to see it was night. “Time flys, eh?” he tried to seem like his normal self, forcing down the questions he had, the conflicts that raged war inside him, he silenced as he shook his head. He flashed a smile at Colby. “Maybe we can find a cave or something to rest until morning, I can’t see much in this twilight.” He could sense his own words being flat and emotionless, which even at his best attempt, he couldn’t understand or process what was wrong with him. He walked the path, eyes scanning for a place to stop, a place that could shelter then from a surprise assault, or weather, for at least the night. He wondered why there wasn’t any lights for miles. There has to be something other than monsters in this level, right?

They seemed to walk in silence for a long while, it made him slightly uneasy, he didn’t want to worry Colby, he didn’t want to think about what the end game would mean… He didn’t want to think about not making it home… He vowed to himself that even if he didn’t make it, he’d make sure Colby did. After a while, he looked back, his shadowed-stained eyes, he smiled slight, and chuckles. “Man I wish this was more like a game where we didn’t actually have to feel the walking, or the injuries.” He chuckled nervously. “ Maybe we can just find a tree to sit against til morning, I don’t think there’s much else out here.” He assumed that Colby had to be just as exhausted as him, he found a tree and put his back against it and slid down, and he looked at Colby as she joined him on the ground. He put his head against the tree, and he smiled. “We’ll get out of here, I promise.” His voice was raspy and tired. His eyes were heavy and his breath was silent. It didn’t take him long to ease into slumber, his form went defenseless. Blissfully ignorant to his surrounding at last. The dawn broke over the horizon, a thin line of light laid on Zek’s cheek as it broke through the tree above. He still laid unmovingly, still unaware, still asleep, and still at peace.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Colby

The light irises that had once been filled with life now remained dead and still as she watched Azekyl’s eyes fade away from her. Whatever thoughts he now held were no longer of their situation. She could tell he was spaced out, and decided not to bother him until he came to. She made her way a safe distance and began searching the ground. As she looked, skinning the dirt, the female picked up objects along the way and slid them into her pocket.

After a few minutes of searching, she returned to Zek’s side. He focused back in. “I’m fine,” she responded to the male, her eyes adverted from him as she allowed him to rise. “You did well,” she encouraged, though her voice was strained and forlorn. She moved to the west, towards the skyline that now hid the son. “A cave would be good for warmth,” she admitted as she allowed the boy to catch up to her. Colby followed Zek silently for a little while, convinced he was injured but was not showing it.

Her eyes were faded once more, her mind lost in a thought she could not yet process. They were silenced by the stillness around them, Colby’s own mind echoing the guilt she felt for this happening in the first place. Had she not invited him over, or played the stupid game with him, they wouldn’t have been in this mess. Maybe, if she had started the game up earlier, she would have been the one there, and not him. He wouldn’t be injured like this.

And, more than anything, he would still be able to survive. Grow up, go to school, get a good job. Now, now it all seemed for naught. “Maybe we can just find a tree to sit against til morning, I don’t think there’s much else out here,” he was saying, as the female jerked back to reality. She nodded, knowing full well how tired she really was. But she couldn’t afford to sleep.

There was too much on her mind, too much going wrong in the world for her to just collapse. No, she had to stand guard. Be the guardian for him like he had been for her during the fight. Even if it meant exhaustion, she could not risk just passing out.

Sliding next to the male against the tree, she heard his promise as though he was reassuring more of himself than her. “I don’t doubt we’ll get out of here. You’ve never let me down,” she almost whispered, her voice soft as she saw him drift slowly off into a slumber of whatever dreams he could have in their current situation.

Colby herself, looked down to her wand in her hand. A useless weapon, but no more so than the shield she could have received. Just protecting herself was not going to do anything to help Zek. At least she could say with the wand she could at least help do damage, and hopefully assist him later on as she learned more spells. But, for now, she was weak and useless to help him. And above all else, that’s what killed her the most.

She leaned her head against the tree for a little while, letting the boy rest silently beside her. She remained there for a few hours, lost in thoughts and plans of escape, before she finally rose as sleep refused to take her.
She gave the boy a silent glance as she disappeared into the wooded expanse behind them, finding herself a safe distance as not to disturb the sleeping hero.

Here, she practiced her magic, until she felt she could no longer stand. Although she wasn’t much better after her self-training session, at least she could say that she could now hit a target with decent accuracy. She wasn’t any stronger, but at least now she could aim. Tired, weakened, and ready for bed, she began her march back to where the boy slept. It was probably 2 or 3 in the morning by now, but it was hard to tell without a clock or phone. She had never been a stargazer, and would never be able to tell the time based on the stars.

She knew she wouldn’t be getting much sleep, but hopefully the practice would be enough to prove she could help fight. She wouldn’t be the damsel in distress forever.

Colby slid back down next to the boy on the tree, and fell asleep almost immediately. Even though she only was able to rest a few hours, as the daylight struck her cheeks and played with the locks of her hair, Colby curled her legs closer to her body. She was laid out at the moment, asleep resting on Zek’s leg, her hair covering half of her face in her sleep movements to rest against him. It wasn’t until her eyes fluttered open, that she realized her position.

She didn’t move away, but simply looked up at the boy above her. Batting his cheek with her hand gently, she tried to stir the tired male. “Zek, it’s morning. We gotta move,” she stated to him, batting him a few more times until his eyes opened. Only then did the female rise herself, and stretch. She was still beyond tired, but she had to keep pushing. Only when she collapsed, would she finally allow her body the rest it needed.

“We should keep going. There has to be some sort of village, or other NPC’s, or anything around here somewhere. I know this game had to do with questing and if it follows any of the game’s storyline, we’re bound to find something. Somewhere. That isn’t going to eat us. Where they would be, I have no idea. I don’t have a map. The best I can say is follow the path. Where there is a man-made path, there are men. Hopefully we’ll find something if we just keep moving,” she stated, as she proceeded to head in the direction of the path.

“If you want breakfast, I suggest finding fruit or something along the road. Or nuts and berries. I don’t know. But I’m almost afraid to stay in one place too long,” she told her partner.

[nukelawls]

He opened his eyes and raised brow, and stretched. “And here I was thinking I’d wake up back in our universe. “ he chuckled he stood up and popped his neck. “Hopefully that NPC can give us a map, I mean that would be pretty useful, or a horse, or something didn’t involve us walking for miles, and getting no where.” He sighed and looked down the long winding path. “Nah, I’ll pass on breakfast, I don’t want to accidently get killed by eating something poisoned. Yeah, me too, staying in one place to long, would make us an easy target.”

He hoped the NPC were friendly, and wouldn’t come at them with torches and pitchforks. Suddenly a pain pulsed through his side and he stumbled, and grunted. “Damn it.” He groaned, he then shook it off and tried to recover with a smile. “Wow I’m a klutz.” He walked next to Colby and it felt like miles, and he made a glance at her, her eyes kept looking towards the distance, and he felt guilty for not telling her about his deal he made. He didn’t want to scare her, but he also feared if the pain got any worse he might succumb to this darkness.


“C..colby” he said with a long pause, and he looked down, he could feel her eyes on him. “When we first fell into this game, I could feel you fading, and I couldn’t wake you up… And I panicked… I thought I was going to lose you…and I thought you were hurt… This guy in a black hoodie, he came up to me… and he said something, I cant remember all the details, I cant remember much of anything… I-i… “ He pulled up shirt to show the dark mark, that almost looked like a tattoo, that covered one side of his rib cage. He winced slightly and brought down his shirt, it was the first time he looked at it. “I guess, if it spreads, I lose.” He chuckled nervously. “Colby…if I turn into a monster, please promise me, you’ll take me out…I don’t want to even have an opportunity to hurt you.” Suddenly he heard shouting, his eyes flickered, he looked to Colby. “Did you hear that?”

A small girl with a red hood was running towards them, he was wearing a black dress, and scythe was strapped to her back. Her eyes wildly examed both of them, Zek rose his brow confused. “….Uh, hello?” “What are you guys doing out here? Its dangerous, and wow, your clothes are…uh different? I’m assuming you guys aren’t from around her. Usually hunter and huntress are the only ones brave enough to go inside the forest.” “Yeah, you can say were travelers, I guess. So if this place is so dangerous, why are you out here all alone?” “Well that’s a funny story see, I’m training to be a huntress, and well my teammates and I were kind of separated, the creatures of grimm multiplied like crazy, they crawled out of everywhere, and I kind of got flung by a giant scorpion.” She laughed nervously. Zek exchanged a look with Colby and raised his brow. “So you need help finding your teammates?” “Well, I’m sure they aren’t far, you guys should get to safety, cos if we cant fend them off, they’ll start attacking Vale and pouring into the normal populace.” “We wouldn’t feel right letting you go in there alone, trained or not, right Colby?” The hooded girl smiled and she shrugged, alright, “just try to keep up, I’m pretty fast.”

Before Zek could even manage to blink the girl was gone leaving a trail of rose petals behind her, his eye twitched. “What the- How the- That’s bull…. Theres no way we can run that fast.” He shrugged. “Well at least we know where she went” he looked down at the red petals. He ran alongside Colby as the pair followed the petals. He then stopped dead in his tracks, a large shadow flew over them, he looked up a large black dragon, with parts of its skeleton exposed, it screeched loudly as it flew over. He could see 3 females fighting the creatures below, flashes of magic, of shadows, and flames, blasting away at the creatures. He ran and he jumped off the side of the cliff, which he should have had the forethought to embrace for landing, but hit and rolled on impact, almost positive the bones in his left leg shattered, he grunted, and he ran towards the beasts as his weapon appeared and tried to help the others fend their city from the grimms.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Colby

The hope had been there. Colby had seen it. That desire for a way out, the belief that they could. But that all flickered away and died as Zek spoke. “And here I was thinking I’d wake up back in our universe,” he was chuckling as though it would rid the pain of their reality. “Hopefully that NPC can give us a map, I mean that would be pretty useful, or a horse, or something didn’t involve us walking for miles, and going nowhere.”

Colby had to admit he was right. But, then again, when wasn’t he? “Nah, I’ll pass on breakfast, I don’t want to accidently get killed by eating something poisoned. Yeah me too, staying in one place to long, would make us an easy target.” She just couldn’t win with him. All her ideas, her want to help, it was for naught. Anything she said was shot down. But, that’s how it had to be. Stop offering ideas. She couldn’t help much fighting. Her magic was stupid, and her ideas were no better. What was she good for here with him? Just another body to take care of. A weight dragging him down from their ultimate goal: home.

Self-consuming thoughts filled the female’s mind as darkness seemed to lap at her heart, silently beckoning her forward as well. Claiming two lives instead of one would make an excellent fairytale ending, and the same darkness was bent on two souls to claim. Before the thoughts could reach her, Zek had stumbled in pain. Alarms set off through Colby in enough time to move under his arm and use it to hold him upright. He wasn’t a klutz, and she knew something was far more sinister at work.

His eyes gave away all. But, before she could question, the male had moved from her grasp, a sign she was not to touch. “C..colby,” he started. The female almost shut his mouth and ran away screaming. Something in his tone told her what was about to come would not be a pleasant statement. “When we first fell into this game, I could feel you fading--” He should have let you die, her mind hissed. “and I couldn’t wake you up…and I panicked…” He doesn’t care about you. Just his reputation should you fall.

“I thought I was going to lose you….” You already have, her mind resounded to her as he continued to speak. Colby couldn’t shake the voices in her head. “and I thought you were hurt. This guy in a black hoodie, he came up to me…and said something, I can’t remember al the details, I can’t remember much of anything….I…i….” You did this to him, the voice reminded her. It’s your fault.

“I guess, if it spreads, I lose,” he was saying. Colby was staring at him with a pained look. As though he had just told her he hated her. He wanted her out of his life forever. “Colby…if I turn into a monster, please promise me, you’ll take me out…” Kill him, her mind whispered. “I don’t want to even have an opportunity to hurt you.” Colby stared at him a moment her eyes almost void of life and feeling. As though she could double over at any minute and sink into the ground. She had done this to him. He had given himself to save her. She couldn’t do it. “I can’t kill--” but her voice was cut off as he asked if she heard something. The feelings she wanted to share, were cut off once more and she was forced back into silence.

It was too late to respond much as a female appeared and the scene unfolded well before Colby’s mind could catch up. Something about other people. Something about keeping up with her fast run. Something about her interacting with them. Was she an NPC or one of them? That was the biggest question. And then, they were running. The only thing that kept Colby going even as she tired was the thought of losing Zek by her side. If she faltered now, she would be left behind. And she couldn’t allow that.

Weak and starved, the female slowed only once. But gained enough boost to fight on. As they followed the petals in the female’s wake, a shadow loomed overhead and encircled females just ahead. The dragon itself was no of the real world meaning it was part of the game. Ah, hell no.

Before Colby could demand that they stay away, Zek was already running into the fray. Seriously? /Dude. Colby’s mind flashed a certain image. A reminder of what could be, and she ran forward, too. He was rolling, jumping and plain out being the hero. Something Colby never would be. But after what happened their first battle, Colby was determined never to allow Zek to get hit again.

If she couldn’t protect with magic, or be smart enough to offer good suggestions, she would be the bodyguard. Zek would not die here. Pushing forward, Colby threw herself into the battle as well, her wand casting spells as if on its own. She aimed and fired as often as possible, staying close enough to Zek to react should the dragon turn on them. It didn’t have to. There were plenty of other creatures there to keep them occupied. Colby remained close, although they got separated only once as the creatures blocked her path from her partner. In a rage, she smacked the creature to the side with her wand, using it like a baseball bat and flinging the creature to the side. She would not be estranged from him. It wasn’t until the dragon attacked that things began to look bleak.

The creatures were losing pretty badly, until the dragon turned on the two humans in their world. It gave a knowing eye to Zek, and promptly turned its attention to him, as though it knew. It knew everything. Colby shrieked and tried calling the male out of the way as they were separated in wave of creatures once more, but it was too late. The dragon’s tail easily swept Zek off his feet and onto the ground, knocking his weapon from his hand. Colby could do nothing but fight forward, lessening the distance only as quickly as she possibly could.

It wouldn’t be enough, she knew, as the dragon charged forward at the male. Colby let out a yell, and in a last ditch effort, pointed her wand and let out a powerful blast of energy. It wasn’t enough to knock the dragon over, but a stunned look crossed its almost stoic face and it turned towards the female, who was now directing her attention the creatures hat were piling in around her. The three other NPC females, or assumed NPC’s, were fighting their way to help Zek from the ground, as the dragon charged Colby.

She had expected this, almost welcomed it, and jumped backwards at the last second of impact. It wasn’t enough as a creature behind her lay behind her ankles and tripped her. Falling on her back, Colby remained on the ground for less than a second before she fought on. To fall here was to die here, and she wasn’t about to leave Zek unprotected. The dragon gave a low grumbling growl, which Colby wasn’t sure if she should take as a good or bad sign, but went underneath the dragon’s belly as it lunged at her, mouth open. Colby slid under the dragon’s stomach, firing magic into its scales as she rolled out from the back leg. The creature let out a pained roar, flinging its tail around at her.

Dodging the best she could, Colby continued her pursuit of the dragon, trying to pay no mind to the other creatures around her that were closing in. By now, the other three females had helped Zek up, and given him back his sword and were on their way not to rejoin the battle. They wouldn’t reach her in time.

Creatures had cornered Colby in a circle, chattering or laughing, she couldn’t tell which. Distracting her. The dragon gave another fast swoop of its tail, and landed between Colby’s chest and stomach. The skeleton part of its tail digging into her skin, Colby’s eyes grew wide for merely a moment as the pain registered long before the realization of what happened did. The creature finished its sweep, lifting the female from the ground and into the air, flinging her further back and hitting one of the buildings behind her.

As she fell, Colby only saw some of the smaller creatures move to where she would land. As she hit the ground, the breath knocked out of her, and what she could only assume was blood seemed to seep around her, the creatures dove on her. It was like a dog pile and covering the female in black as multiple of them got on her. She didn’t rise again, didn’t seem to fight as they piled in around her.
.

[nukelawls]

Zek’s eyes turned purple, they split as soon as he saw Colby hit the ground. His body started to flicker, and dark tendrils licked up his body, he smirked and tilted his head at the creatures before him, his teeth serrated. The other 4 females didn’t notice his sudden change in demeanor as they fought on. He took a running leap and swirled as he fell, decapitating the surrounding creatures of grim. He ran and he killed everything in his passed, his body soaked in dark blood. 

He smirked as the bodies continued to fall around him and turning into dark dust, the dust settled on him along with their blood. He finally was face to face with the dragon, he swayed as he ran, and he jumped onto its head and smashed the beast’s head with the end of his sword. The monster squealed out, and spread his wings and jumped off the ground with Zek as a passenger. 

The dragon flung Zek high into the sky, and dark green flames trailed behind Zek, he was engulfed in the flame, but the darkness surrounded Zek, and he gave out maniacal laugh. He fell through the flames and into the dragon’s mouth. He stuck his sword into his throat and slid down, the beast’s blood rained down on the ground far below. It let out a loud high pitch screech, and then spiraled downward limply. 

The beast’s body hit the ground and bounced, bones cracking on impact, the body fell on top of Zek, but still on high off the adrenaline he paid no mind to the injuries he had acquired, he kicked the body off himself, and ran to Colby. He growled as he saw her form, limp and covered in blood, he checked her pulse, and she was alive. He sighed in relief. He gently picked her up and held her close to his chest. 

The team members stared at him in awe, and also somewhat scared. They approached in caution. The youngest one, the one wearing the red hood and left the rose petals when she ran, was their leader; she looked at Colby and then looked at the girl in complete white. 

“Weiss, do you have any of that purple dust left?” 

Weiss checked her pouch and she nodded, handing it over to ruby. 

“You know that’s really hard to come by Ruby, so try not to use it all, will you?” 

“Weiss, these people just saved our lives, can you just try not to be so cold for once in your life?” 

Ruby poured the dust on Colby’s opened wounds, and they begin to heal. Weiss pouted angered by the remark her teammate made. The other two, one wearing a black bow in her hair, dressed in monochromic colors, the other in yellow and orange, stood in the distance, the one in the black hair leaning weakly on her teammate. 

Ruby looked at Zek and tilted her head as she wondered why his semblance didn’t fade; she didn’t ask instead she smiled softly. 

“The dust will heal her, but she might still need to go to the medical wing for a while, we’ll take you there.” 

Zek allowed the girls to lead him to the academy, he walked down the halls behind them, the yellow girl carried the one in black on her back. They followed a medic into a room. A medic approached Zek with a stretcher, and Zek laid Colby gently on the bed, and he glared at the medic warningly. The tension was interrupted when Ruby put her small hand on Zek’s shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, they’ll heal her, it won’t take long; she’ll be fine.” 

Zek watched as the medic rolled Colby away, and he turned his attention to Ruby. 

“She better be, or this place will be grounded when I’m finished.” He hissed. 

“What’s your problem? We’re trying to help you, you dolt.” Weiss snapped back. 

“We’ll Princess, you want to know what my fucking problem is? Is that this fucking place just almost killed my best friend, and it’s fucking crawling with these fucking skeletonized demonic animals, and I’m more than fucking likely stuck in this pathetic place.” 

“Wow, do you treat everyone you meet like their some sort of enemy? I wasted my dust on your friend and you can’t even show a tiny bit of gratitude!? How dare you! You know what, be angsty and be a little jackass about your situation, but it won’t get you very far here.” Weiss crossed her arms and looked at Ruby. “Come on, let’s go check on Blake and Yang, maybe this jerk will calm down eventually.” 

Ruby sighed and she looked at Zek. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have gotten you involved ….” She trailed behind Weiss into another room. 

Zek got up and sauntered towards the exit; he hated the smell of the medical wing. It smelt like antiseptic and bleach. It reminded him of home, where his mother worked, where his father died. Those images flashed away, the memories stolen and replaced with static. His heart beat was loud and heavy, he swayed slightly, and he felt like he was falling. Then he heard a whimper, several boys were pushing around a bunny eared faunas. Zek smirked, his eyes flashed. Walked over to them casually. He grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her from their grasps. He smirked, his body shaking, darkness began to flare around him again.  

“So four think its fun to pick on little girls?” Zek said with a slight growl at the end. 

“Y-you don’t have to pr-protect m-me from them I-I’m used to it” said the faunas.  

“Yeah why don’t you mind your own business, you freak.” Said the male with the faux hawk. 

Zek turned to the girl. “Go, run, I’ll fix them.” 

The faunas nodded and she was about to leave then the male with the armor grabbed her by her throat forcefully. Zek grabbed his wrist and forced a release, the girl scrabbled and scurried off. Zek spun and ripped the muscle in the males arm, the boy screamed out, and Zek shoved his face into the brick wall. The other 3 males ran off. Zek whispered venomously to the male. “I should kill you.” He slammed the boy’s face into the wall harshly, and knocked him out leaving the body to crumble onto the ground. Zek took a shaking inhale, it was like breathing static. He couldn’t calm himself down, and he walked back into the building, and looked at the medic, and asked him to take him to Colby. He followed the medic to the room where Colby laid on the bed, connected to machines, her body seemed almost healed, and Zek sighed in relief. His hand brushed Colby’s hair from her face softly. He put his forehead against hers, and whispered. “I’m so sorry… I… I should have been faster, I should have not jumped into a fight without you close to me… “His lips touched her forehead softly. “You have no idea how important you are to me.” He sat in the chair next to her, and held her hand, his head on the bed staring at her as she slept. 

Finally calmed enough to go back to his original form, his body shook slightly, slightly in shock from the events that it went through. He felt a spark in his spine and he bit his tongue not to scream out, he dug his face into the side of the bed, his body sheeted in sweat, and trembled. He dug his nails into his knees. Bruises formed on his torso, and other injuries began to appear, he became dizzy and he kissed Colby’s hand softly.  

His eyes closed and he passed out, his torso and head held up by the bed. His breath was rigidly escaping. It must’ve been hours that he laid that way. The team he met were patched up and they checked in on the room to find him sleeping, they decided to leave him to his slumber, and the medics told them they’d report to them when the two travelers awoken. His body didn’t stir at all, he was loss in a dreamless sleep.  

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Colby

It was over. Darkness had claimed her and had one. Her heart was no longer hers to give, and the world she had left behind would never be restored to her. Colby’s mom would be mourning the loss of her child and all would be forgotten. No more rides to school, no more crazy misadventures in the snow. It was over. But….not, really. The darkness that surrounded the female was nothing more than the thought of death, reality and acceptance of a dreamless eternal sleep, something Colby was most welcoming towards. She would not see, could not feel, and hardly noticed any movement as she was carried off into the unknown.

Colby’s limp body was carted away and cared for, while her internal mind forced her into the acceptance of her fate. To her, she had met her end. Died caring for the boy she had fought so hard to save. And, in reality, that was enough. She was happy to slip away knowing that she had kept Zek taken care of and safe. In her mind’s eye, she could see herself in the hospital. Could hear the voices, but she took no notice of them. Instead, her mind focused on the secret desires of her heart, and her mind toyed with her own emotions as dreams fell in and out of conscious thought.

“You promised you’d tell him, Colby,” Colby’s eyes narrowed at the female in front of her, a bit shorter than herself. “I can’t, Annabelle. You know how that ends up. You tell your best friend anything, and they hate you for the rest of their life. And he’s like my only real friend. I can’t afford to abandon that,” she whined. Annabelle giggled, shaking her mop of red hair. “You’re going to die alone if you don’t let him know soon. What would happen if you told him? Nothing? Something? You don’t know until you try. One day you’ll see he can be a knight in shining armor. He’s a good boy. He’ll protect you from the world,” she stated.

Colby clearly shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. I’m no princess, though. This isn’t a fairytale. It’s life. And he’ll walk away, just like…..” “You never know until you try,” came the faded remark as the dream passed back into her subconscious.

Colby’s next dream rattled her a bit further, pulling her even more out of reach from those in trying to save her in the hospital. A hooded figure appeared in front of her in the darkness, smiling with what seemed like razor teeth and shielded eyes. Colby couldn’t see the face, but could feel the malice intent it carried with it. Her feet glued to the floor, she was unable to resist or run away from what lay before her.

Reality or fantasy, she wasn’t sure which but it was not a pleasant feeling to deal with. “Colby….” The whispering voice called, echoing as though it were a ghost. “Colby…..” She shuddered mentally, though her body seemed frozen in time as the creature reached out with a bony finger to run across her cheek. Colby could do nothing but watch, as though her dream was forcing her to witness whatever I was that this creature wanted. “You have failed,” the whispering voice continued.

“What you have tried to fulfill to protect those you care for will not be a certain fate. What will come to pass is the real reason he hides from you. You cannot save him. You should not try. He is slipping into darkness. A darkness you cannot reach.” “Y-you can’t h-have him!” she managed to stutter. The figure seemed to give a hoarse laugh. “Neither can you,” it stated, and the darkness surrounded her once more, and the figure faded.

The female whimpered softly, though the real world could not hear, and dreams of her family passed slowly, reminding her of all she still had left to fight for. Friends reminded her of hope to continue on, but it was Zek’s face that remaining ever present in her mind that kept her breathing. Long after she felt the pain of the wound finally reach her dreams, it was Zek’s memory that kept her from relinquishing herself to the darkness. Somewhere far away from her ears, she heard a soft voice calling for her. She was still engulfed in the blackness of her mind, unable to respond, but she could hear. “I’m so sorry….” The voice was saying, a though it were choked with emotion. “I should have been faster…” Faster? Faster than what? “I should have not jumped into a fight without you close to me….”

He left me…her mind whispered in deception to her. He left you to die. She felt something warm press to her forehead something comforting. But in an instant, the feeling was gone. “You have no idea….” The words faded out as her mind slipped once more away from reality and into her own darkness.

Fighting herself, Colby spent the remaining hours of her coma-like state convincing herself that it would be okay if she opened her eyes. That he would be there, and would not hate her for taking his kill. Maybe, maybe he would be okay with her staying around. Or, maybe he’d force her to walk away. Either way, she knew she still had a purpose to keep going. They had to. Colby’s eyes fluttered open after a long battle with herself, and her eyes settled to the ceiling above her.

Something called her own, called her home, but the force of another body on the mattress made her look down. Zek was laying there, apparently sleeping soundly in an odd position. Weak, though not frail, the only thing Colby could do to help his position was to pull his arm. Although he did not wake, his body reacted enough to allow her to coax him over to her and lay next to her in the bed. He did not wake, but his own movement was enough to help her guide him into place and allow him to exist in the bed.

Colby’s only other reaction was to lay her head on his chest and wrap her fingers into his shirt, clinging to him as though she sought safety against him. He would stir eventually, and the female fully expected to be shoved aside. But at least in that moment their weak and fragile moment, they could be there together. At least….at least she could pretend.