Chapter Text
What the fuck, what the fuck, what the-
He could not keep on screaming internally, because he soon did so outwardly. She had loomed over them both for a second, just for one second. They both soon thrashed backwards when a sudden blast struck everything. They hit a van or the side of a truck, parted, short of breath; one wheezed because the slam hurt and the other was dead.
Vivi, or what once looked like her, raised her arms and took an offensive stance, a maniac grin on her face.
“Split up again, boys.”
Lewis’ sockets were impossibly wide, empty as well. He stared as she took multiple strides forward, towards their old van. She had always walked to it with a smile, proud to see it in pristine condition, thanks to a certain blond. But now, she was stepping closer to it with a sick grin, almost mocking its battered state. Those three horrid and unnatural eyes were piercing it… and what sat up weakly against its side.
Arthur groaned, still dazed by the blast. As his eyes rolled, he finally noticed something. With a gasp, he lifted his left arm at his side; or what was left of it. A million curses blared in his brain, noting the sorry state of his limb: there was a very deep slash right past its elbow, cables were torn out, and a thousand sparks were bleeding out of it. He could not keep it from dangling downwards like the arrows of a broken clock. He would have kept staring at it with a grimace… if a shadow did not begin to loom over him.
Amber and sickly eyes met, a shudder running through his whole body as she stood over him, bat twirling. He still tried to regard her as he always did; even if he could see nine horrifying... what he would call tails coming from below her scarf, three pulsing eyes, and a black and green tone on her skin. He somehow found himself calling her name, even if something was telling him it was a bad idea.
“V-vi-?”
He let out another scream and leaned sideways in reflex, because the bat sunk into the wall of his van where his head had been. It quickly unlatched and rose again, by which point he scrambled to his feet, almost falling face-first when his prosthetic tried to push against the ground and failed to hold his weight. She turned to face the direction of his stumbles quickly, grinning as she slammed her bat on the ground repeatedly, always inches away from his frame. He cried out while he tried to dodge her, incapable of processing what was going on anymore.
“What the fuck have I done for everyone to want to maim me?!”
Once, Lewis would have retorted at that very moment; he would have growled the word murder at his face. He couldn’t now.
He doesn't know.
The fear he had seen all this time was not born from him dreading retribution. He was just scared of a ghost, a very persistent one that he did not recognize. As he held him over what had done him in… he was shocked to see him unveil his real self. He whispered his name with incredulity, shock; not because he was dangling over deadly spikes, but because he seemed startled to realize he was dead. There was no reason for him to try to peek into that locket if he knew. As well, he wouldn’t have bothered to stop those shears. That arm… was gone. The very same one he felt on his back.
Her eyes, they had the same murderous look now, as she cornered him again; the same look he saw above at the edge while he fell. As a spirit himself, there was no way he could call what he was seeing natural. That was a possession, now and then.
Vivi chuckled, managing to swing her bat low enough to hit those quick feet. Arthur yelped, losing his balance, falling onto his right side, getting a few scratches on his fleshy arm as he hit the ground. When he sat up, she was already at it again, bat up over his head.
“S-stop!”
The next words were extremely vile, mocking, the bat was just leaning back gradually, building up force.
“You need some damn good rest already…” His eyes widened, her hands dashing down. “Sleep, Arthur!”
The bat came down fiercely. It did. But it did not strike him and force him into eternal sleep in death.
He breathed out, with air he did not know he had held in his lungs. His heart was beating impossibly fast, much like a locket somewhere on the ground. He stared mouth agape at what stood over him, inches away. Something had flowed through everything to float in between, manifesting itself physically as soon as the bat came down.
Lewis huffed with a small shudder, feeling the strange green glow of the bat seep into his form. He eyed it subtly, noting how it was tearing his right shoulder, still pressuring down. He had manifested himself around it, barely any space to prevent collision otherwise. Vivi seemed surprised to see him let himself be struck, but her next expression hinted she had considered it a possibility.
“Ah, Lew…” That nickname should have made his heart melt, but it only made him snarl. “Finally figured it out in that thick skull of yours?”
“Painfully so, dear. It could kill me inside, if I was not dead.”
“You are always so smooth when you put brains into it. Shame you don’t have any now.”
“I had a very smooth fall onto deadly sharp spikes, yes; the dive would perhaps have impressed you, if there was not that much blood.”
“I saw, very breathtaking, loved the front row view. A real shame I forgot how life faded from your pretty eyes.”
“Well, I haven’t forgotten a thing, not your eyes, nor… these vile ones.”
“Ha, beautiful aren’t they? An improvement! You won’t see them much, however, because-“
A voice cut their rambles, confused to no end.
“Are you two fucking FLIRTING right now?!”
Lewis finally remembered he had Arthur behind him. He growled a sigh, because she remembered too, those eyes twisting to glare through him. The bat moved again, quickly yanked back. The ghost let out a haunted snarl, feeling the green mist around the bat claw him inside out. And still, he stood firm in between, knowing he was the only thing in between her murderous intentions and her victim.
“Wouldn't it be nice to have a ghost buddy, Lew? I’m sure he would like to find out how you’ve felt all this time.”
“I would certainly not appreciate it.”
Arthur was feeling a terrible migraine in his head, soreness on his whole body, and the horrible idea that he was not dreaming Lewis dead and Vivi possessed. The only thing that could make things worse would be Mystery trying to tear his other limb too, but he was unconscious some feet away. So he could only yell, mostly to himself.
“Can somebody just explain to me what’s going on?!”
“Later!” Lewis grabbed him much like he did when he hauled him into the truck, which did not help his anxiety any. But he had to, because she had lunged at him with a swing of bat again. “Just move!”
Vivi growled in exasperation, leaning side to side, each time blocked by Lewis, preventing her of batting Arthur’s head in. The ghost kept putting one arm in between, while the other was dragging the blond by his collar away from each slam.
“Drop him!”
“I won’t! Not again!”
“I’ll do it faster than any illusion you may invoke!”
“Won’t let you, you disgusting thing!”
“If I must, I will do it over your dead body!”
There was a rip, and a pained ghostly gasp. Arthur stumbled back and onto the ground again, that hand finally releasing him mid yank. He stood quickly onto his feet, no fear able to freeze him with what he saw. Lewis let out a silent curse, his figure flickering in pain. A shotgun had startled him, but it did not hurt. Somehow, he hurt now, very much like those spikes had made him. His ghostly eyes moved to glance at those three vile ones, which were gleeful and intent. Her left claw was holding tightly the bat, entangled in icy green, which in turn was stabbing into his chest, right where his locket used to float.
“You know… I hate to have to kill you twice, you numbskull. But I guess it will be fun to make him see you disappear once more, this time forever to remember, in what little time I will let him suffer.”
It was her voice, but it was completely clear it was not her at all. This thing started it all, hurt the two of them, and now her.
And he… could only drop to one knee. Vivi smirked, having noticed his fists rise subtly, only to drop in impotence. He could so easily invoke his flames on her. So easily, and yet it was so hard. He just could not do it, there was no way he could hurt her, even if she could not understand the pain at this moment. She would feel it.
And the demon knew he couldn’t. And so, she twisted her hand slowly, taking her time, seeing his figure flicker again, slump more, that skull unveil for a second, each jolt revealing his living eyes more. She gave him a sweet smile, one it knew would hurt more than the glimmers that were stabbing his whole form. Those multicoloured threads outstretched and caressed his face, as she whispered mockingly.
“This time you might finally disappear.”
The bat’s glow intensified, her will strong, fixated. And finally, he screamed. If exorcisms existed, he was feeling one now. Or perhaps, that thing was trying to tear him and consume him on a spiritual level. He could not know. But he knew that it was agony. She was not even hitting him, just letting her weapon sink. And yet, he was feeling a million worse stings than any stab from those spikes. It was true death.
She laughed, even though deep inside, something was screaming too, horrified and finally struggling. It had a tight grip however, her sudden emotions incapable of making it let go of her bleeding heart. Her fingers twirled over the handle, applying a little more pressure, making his hands tremble over the bat.
Just one last push, and finally-
It could not finish that malicious whisper in her mind. Those three eyes shot open, shocked to see something that should not be happening. It was not part of its calculations; it could not truly grasp human emotion.
Vivi stepped back, the bat unlatching from the ghost’s form; because it stopped being there. But it was not torn off from existence like she was trying to. Something had thrown itself onto the ghost from behind, clutching painfully tight in a fast embrace. It was a desperate and panicked move. A contact in which the ghost retreated, not really pondering much, knowing it was better than the pain and fading into nothingness.
“You… two-faced bastard.”
They took a few steps back, their frame still jolting and slightly engulfed by magenta glows. Those quickly pulsed inwards, fading from view. Their once amber eyes glanced all over their body, panting, afraid and confused. Only one had hoped for this outcome, even if perhaps deadly afraid of it. The other was still dazed from the agony, but was slowly processing the feel of flesh, the capability of breathing, even if laboured.
“What have you-“
“Don’t know. I don’t know, Lewis.”
She could not hear the panicked conversation they were attempting. So she just snarled and began to close in on them, while they shivered and cowered from her with confused and uncoordinated moves.
“She’s going to kill you.”
“She was about to kill you!”
“I’m already dead!”
“I know! And I’m so fucking scared of it! Why are you dead?!”
“I’ll save you the details! But it was this thing inside her!”
“But… how?!”
Their magenta eyes widened, hearing her swing her bat. Again, they dodged, somehow managing to dash below the truck and gain some distance. They kept on arguing as she growled, refusing to crawl like them, instead chasing around. It gave them some time, not much, but some.
“I’m out! I need to face her or she will-“
“That’s not her. It’s not her. It’s something else and it can take you out. I’ve been looking for so long, please stay, I can-“
“You can’t do shit against it! You are flesh and bone!”
“Lewis…” The ghost snarled in his mind, hating to hear his next thoughts. “I was up there with you that night. Wasn’t I?”
“I fell, it was an accide-“
“Nooo, no. I’m good at math. I was there. I totally was. I remember a cold sensation, a damn blur, I felt numb and out of it. And I’m so fucking scared right now, because I’m having trouble piecing it together. But I know some things. This thing is in her, like you are in me. It was hiding in that cave, and it did something. And there is no fucking way… that she could have been controlled then. She was DOWN there. And I felt something, something that only stopped crawling on my skin when I felt myself bleeding.”
“Art-“
“You were so fucking hellbent on tearing me to pieces, Lewis! You owe me an explanation before she rips me instead! Because I swear, I need to know before the chance slips from my cold fingers!”
There was an admission as they carefully leaned around a corner of the truck, her shadow stepping closer slowly, looking for them.
“You did lose an arm, Arthur… I felt it push me.”
Their magenta eyes opened more, each sharing something in their mind.
“Mystery ripped it.”
“I did push you.”
In their mind, Arthur was laughing slightly out of it, while Lewis was cursing himself for not seeing before.
“Oh god, I did shove you! So fucking obvious, and here I am, still trying to accept it! So-“
“Arthur.”
“Fucking stupid! No wonder you were so angry! Why are you not angry?! Why are you not controlling me and making my hands twist my neck right now?! Or making me walk towards her?! It’s easy, so damn-!
“Arthur!”
“What?!”
“I need you alive, for fucks sake! So shut up!”
“But-!”
He could not keep complaining. Arthur would have yelled in alarm, but he did inside instead. Lewis finally took control as he suggested, but not for such reasons. Their body jumped back when a bat swung from a corner and dented the metal of the truck. Her eyes peeked from the edge, a playful smile on her sickly looking face.
“I’ve always liked tag more than hide and seek~”
Lewis made Arthur stand tall, even if he could feel him struggle for control. He was panicking, not able to move his own body, even if it was nothing compared to what he felt that night. The ghost was not strangling his will, just merely leading with much more focus. If he were to allow him control, they would be running for the hills, something that would not help them any.
“Stop struggling.”
“Ah, now you want her to slam my head in?!”
“No. I’m saving your ass. So stop, I need you to relax.”
“How do you want me to relax?! Her bat is already-!”
Lewis dodged her next swing, precisely and with an elegant sidestep, one Arthur would have never managed in his entire life. It would have been impressive, if their frame was not jolting faintly, both yelling inside.
“Stop keeping her close!”
“She will chase anywhere if we run! And I feel your exhaustion; you have not slept at all!”
“Well, I was being chased by a wraith! Who I might add-!”
“Do you want me to leave and let you run?!”
“N-no! We can flee together and-!”
It was getting harder to dance around her slams and dashes of claw, their left arm was broken and sparking madly. There was only one way in which they could both be safe from her attacks, and only Lewis knew it.
“Arthur, please, just trust me! Let me lead! I can’t bring myself to force you! I can protect us!”
Lewis feared, because they hit a wall, both gasping as they glanced over their shoulder. They quickly glanced back again, her tails and weapon high over them. And so… the ghost rose their arm and hand, in what would have stopped the hit if he were manifested out of Arthur. He trusted, trying to invoke what would only appear if there was enforced submission or… willing compliance.
Those three eyes blinked, a glint blasting and reflecting on them. It was not the glimmers of her tails or bat; it was not the hue of blood pouring. She shuddered and growled in anger, again seeing something it could not understand.
Lewis and Arthur panted, their hand clasped tightly onto the point of the bat, keeping it strongly away from slamming onto them. Its green icy glow should burn them, hurt them. But it did not. It could not.
Vivi stepped back, finally losing confidence. Her play was over. She did not have an advantage anymore. Not when she was staring at a willing possession, one between two souls that were not trying to tear each other inside, no malicious grasp. They both flowed freely, each trying to listen to each other’s wills and wishes. And with it… flames seemed to flow and tangle. Not as strong as the ones the ghost could invoke, incapable of burning… but able to shield against any ill-spirited icy flow.
Both stood there, vile and magenta eyes meeting. It was their voices what broke the silence.
“Two’s company. Three’s not a crowd… but a fourth should fuck off.”
They did not flinch when she took a step closer.