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Mono and Six huddled inside one of the dilapidated buildings in the sprawling Pale City, waiting for the thunderstorm to pass. It almost always rained here, but this was a torrential downpour unlike anything Mono had ever seen. He didn't think Six had seen anything like it either, because she was scowling and flinching every time a particularly loud thunderclap would sound.
So Mono had decided to take shelter for the night, to let the storm blow itself out and to give themselves a little break from the wind and rain. Six had gratefully taken this suggestion and was now squeezing her wet hair out in a corner, the hood of her raincoat down.
Mono sighed and checked around the apartment they were in, pulling thin rugs over to where Six sat and started to lay them out as beds. She glanced over at him, then shuffled over and laid out her own.
She didn't talk much, that was fine with him. He made up for it anyways. She hadn't really seemed annoyed with his chattering, if anything she had seemed amused by it, but they had saved each other's lives enough times by now to trust each other with them.
They had escaped the Tower, the Pale City was almost behind them. He had saved Six from the Hunter, from the school, from being a monster for a brief time, and she had saved him from falling to his death so many times he had lost count. He knew he could trust her without a shadow of a doubt.
Although, he did want to know why she was able to read, and yet still didn't know what certain things were, like snow or lightning. He had already tried to explain to her what lightning was and she had been a little confused, he supposed he couldn't blame her. He wasn't exactly a teacher.
“Hey, Six?” her head swiveled over to him, he continued. “Where did you learn to read?”
She turned away from him, the neutral expression shifting into a small frown. “Before..all this.”
He nodded slowly, that made sense. “Did anyone ever read to you?”
Her gaze snapped back over to him, he unconsciously shifted and tried to adjust his bag, but he didn't have it anymore. “I think, I think I remember someone telling me a story. A bedtime story.”
Mono's expression lit up and he scooted over to her. “I can tell you a story! I'm good at that!”
Six's mouth quirked in a smile. “Really?”
He nodded eagerly, then let her wriggle under the makeshift covers and stare at him, he sat there for a moment trying to think of a good story to tell Six.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl, more so than any other in all the world. She was like a princess. However, this girl was treated terribly by many others, and she lost her hope in the world.”
Six made a small snort at his words, when his face fell a tiny bit she gestured quickly for him to go on.
“Eventually, the girl wandered into places that were big and scary, and she was trapped in a prison for a long time, with no one to remind her what life was like in the world, with no one to remind her that they cared.
But one day, everything changed for this little girl.
She was rescued from her prison by a boy, a boy who had always been shy and had never known how to make friends. This boy had grown up more sheltered than the girl, but as a result was less understanding of how to interact without coming across as annoying. He was awkward, and often spoke his mind without thinking.”
Six opened her mouth, but he made a shushing gesture and tapped his finger to her lips. She giggled and settled further into her bed.
“In a normal world, these two would most likely have never been friends. But because of the dire situation, the girl and the boy were brought together to go on a journey together.
At first, the girl found the boy annoying and reckless. But as time went on, she found a strange thing happening. Every day, the boy would smile at her and tell her how amazing she was, how she was the best friend he could ever hope for. She didn't know what to think about that at first, but as their adventures grew more perilous, she began to realize that the boy's recklessness caused him to jump headfirst into danger just to protect her.
When he told her he would die for her, he meant every word.
She became utterly terrified, because she still didn't understand why he would risk everything for her.
So one day, she asked him.”
Mono's mind flashed back for a split second to their time in an apartment building, just before the fateful television and their encounter with the Thin Man.
***
“Why do you like me so much, Mono?”
He turned to stare at her. “What do you mean?”
Six shifted uncomfortably, she looked sad for some reason. “Why are you my friend, why are you still hanging around me?”
He hesitated, unsure of how to answer the question, but very quickly he was able to come up with an answer.
“Because…well first of all, you got me out of a time where I had no friends, so there's that. I really like talking to you, you're funny, and kind, and you always make me smile. And…” he grinned at her. “And because I know that everybody needs a friend, so I want to show you that you're always going to have one no matter what.”
Six looked visibly better, she gave a genuine smile. “Aw…thanks Mono. I guess….I just never understood why anyone would want to be my friend. I still don't.”
“Then don't understand it, live for it.” Mono replied. “You make me smile, you're a one in a million friend and I wouldn't want anyone else.”
The two best friends hugged, both feeling a little warmer inside.
***
“But just after he told her the truth, something tore them apart, and the girl was imprisoned again.
The boy was gone a long time.
When he returned to save her, she had completely lost hope in the outside world, and was perfectly content to stay a prisoner as long as the boy was there.
But when he tried to save her, she didn't understand. He tried to help her through his kindness, but he was hurt by her words and her actions.”
Six visibly flinched, probably remembering her sheer anger at her beloved music box being destroyed by him trying to save her. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over it, she smiled gratefully at him.
“He underestimated just how far hopelessness can go, because he had never experienced true loneliness.
And the girl ran from the boy to escape on her own, and for a split second in the cold bitterness of the abyss, the boy discovered what it meant to be truly alone.
But outside, the girl rediscovered life and all its beauty. And then, going against every instinct in her body, she plunged back into the darkness to save the one who had rescued her from her own shadows.
And to this day, the boy and girl remain best friends. Neither of them are perfect, but they know this and are still friends to the end, because the girl shows the boy that he is not alone, and the boy shows the girl that she is truly loved.
The End.
Mono watched Six as her breathing steadied, he smiled and tucked her sheets in, then brushed her hair out of her eyes.
“Goodnight, my Princess Six.”
The End