Chapter 7

"Nightmare isn't safe anymore. What if he corrupts again? He knows where our base is now!" Ink growls, slamming a fist on the table. Dream just shakes his head, still upset about what happened yesterday. Blueberry looks at the yellow skeleton, sympathy in his eyes, before speaking up. "At least we know what triggers it, that's a start," Ink looks at him, knowing he has a point. "Yes, but how can we prevent the creator of negative emotions from feeling them?" "Not all of them do it though, just a few!" Suddenly, another voice speaks up. "E-Excuse me.." Everyone turns their heads, looking at the figure who just entered.

Nightmare looks back, a bit nervous from yesterday, but trying not to show it. "Ah, Nightmare, you're up," Ink speaks first, his voice dull, lacking anger or happiness. Dream smiles at him, but Nightmare senses something else under it. "Yeah.. I want to apologize about before.. I understand if you don't trust me, and I know that probably messed it up even more.." Blueberry and Dream look at each other for a bit before turning back. "No, no. You didn't know what you were doing! You were just curious, that's all," Blueberry says, shaking his head.

Nightmare looks down, embarrassed. 'But you did know what you were doing.. didn't you? There's a reason you teleported there..' The voice taunts, but he ignores it. He sits next to his brother, and Dream nods before speaking. "So how did you sleep tonight?" Nightmare doesn't respond. He didn't sleep at all last night, he couldn't after what happened. 'What is Cross and those others doing now..' "Nightmare?" His brother calling his name snaps him back into reality, and he turns to him. "O-Oh, I slept good," He lies, and though his brother knows he is, he doesn't say anything.

Silence follows this, and Ink eventually leaves to check on something, and Blueberry does as well, leaving Dream and Nightmare alone. "Nightmare, are you sure you're alright? You can talk to me if you want," Dream says, breaking the quiet. Nightmare looks at him. He knows he can trust his brother more than anyone, and they're alone now. "W-Well.. I guess.. but please don't tell the others.." He says, and Dream nods in response. "I promise," A moments silence comes, and then Nightmare finally continues. "Those other skeletons you fought.. I saw them in a dream once.. they looked at me like I was in charge of them.. and I've been hearing things.. in my head.. they got me to teleport.."

Dream doesn't respond right away, shock in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me this...?" Nightmare feels a pang of guilt in his chest when he hears the tone of his brothers voice. "I was scared and confused.. I didn't know what to do.." 'Stop lying, you know why you did it,' Dream stays quiet, and just shakes his head. "I.. I understand. I'd be scared too.." He finally says, looking at his brother. "Please.. if any thing else happens.. you'll tell me, alright?" Nightmare just nods, and they go silent again. Eventually, Nightmare goes upstairs to the room given to him and stays there for the rest of the day.

While he's there the voice starts to get a bit louder. 'Why are you here? You don't belong with them.. they'll just kill you the moment you mess up,' Nightmare tries to ignore them again, but they continue. 'You know, not everything Cross said was wrong.. your brother did fight you.. and he tried to destroy you as well, for what?' "Why should I believe you?" Nightmare growls out loud, trying his best to not fall into temptation. 'It's because I've been with you threw all of that Nightmare.. I know what you really are,'

Nightmare doesn't respond to that. He just stares at his hand, which now has some bandaging on it from yesterday. He slowly unwraps in and flinches as he sees some kind of black goo now filling the cracks. This brings back a memory to the day at the tree, the sudden shot of pain he felt as goo similar to this covered his sight, as he threw it up all over the floor as his brother stared in horror, and did nothing. He just watched him as his outer shell lost completely form and shatter. He watched as his brother laid there, begging him to do something, anything at all, but just stood there.

A sudden stab of betrayal hits Nightmare at this memory. 'He just stood there and did nothing. This is his fault.... he is the reason this all happened...!' 'Yes.. you know the truth. He didn't help you, he just watched you suffer,' Before Nightmare can respond again, his eye flickers blue and he drops to the floor, feeling the pain from his memory all over again. 'N-No..! You're doing it again.... you're trying to trick me!' "DREAM!" He yells as loudly as he can, coughing out some goo as well.

Almost immediately after, Dream quickly swings the door open, Ink behind him. "N-Nightmare!" He gasps out, staring at the struggling figure on the floor. Nightmare keeps his head down, barely hearing Dream over the voice now. 'I'm not tricking you, I'm helping you. They're not changing and you need to learn that. This is what you are,' By now, Dream is at Nightmares side, and puts his hands on his brothers head, his hands glowing yellow. A bit of Nightmares skull cracks, but the pain starts to die down at Dreams touch.

"You can fight this Nightmare.. I'm here for you, and I always will be.. don't worry.." His calm voice relaxes Nightmare a little, and the voice lets out a silent shriek before ebbing away completely. Finally, he collapses, Dream catches him and with the help of Ink, gets him on the bed. Nightmare weakly looks at the two before finally closing his eyes, giving in to his exhaustion. Once he is fast asleep, the two leave in silence. Eventually, Ink speaks up. "He's leaving tomorrow," Dream looks at him, a bit shocked, but not surprised. "But Ink, it was an accident! He didn't corrupt..!" "Stop lying to yourself Dream, you know what's happening. What if we weren't there? What if he did get corrupted again?"

Dream goes quiet, knowing he is right, but eventually does speak. "But he's safer here where we can watch him.. what if Killer or one of the others find him? You saw what happened last time!" Ink doesn't respond. The silence hits them again, until the brown skeleton lets out a long sigh. "You are correct I guess.. but for now on keep him in your sight at all times," Dream beams up before hugging him. "Thank you! You won't regret this, I promise!" At that, he releases him and heads to Nightmares room again. "I sleep on the chair tonight, thanks again Ink!" He says, giving Ink one last smile before entering.

Inks face stays serious as he stares at the door, a tint of suspicion in his eyes. "What are you thinking Nightmare? Are you still in there.. or are you actually somehow normal again.." He murmurs to himself, looking down. "You're hiding something.. I just know you are.." Ink eventually turns to his room and enters, not leaving his thoughts behind as he closes the door behind him, ready to leap out and fight if Nightmare the moment he attempts to do anything against the Star Sanses.

                                 ~{TBC}~