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He woke, the room around him fuzzy and glazed in a purple hue. He looked around, blinking as his vision slowly returned to him. He saw beneath his frazzled hair the smoke radiating from the smashed music box, and behind it, a girl in a yellow coat with tears streaming down her face. He wanted to call to her, to apologize for what he’s done, to explain it was the only way he knew to save her, but there was no time. The eyes emerged in a rush, and a wave of familiarity ran through Mono’s veins and he felt overwhelmed, stumbling up as he watched Six run past him. He had an unnerving sense of insecurity, realizing she had seen his face now, and he felt as though their beautiful friendship had been dented. It had been all his fault, after all. This had always been his fault.
He ran, tripping and stumbling over falling debris and the panic of the eyes following him from behind. Why was Six running so damn fast? He fell, winded, realizing how badly injured he was. He could see the light of the glitching door ahead of them, could see Six making a leap, could see the ground crumbling in front of him. Terrified, he made his faithful leap into his partner, his friend’s, hands. Instinctually, Six caught his hands, held him, but this time she didn’t immediately pull him up.
Oh. She was going to drop him.
He squirmed, trying to pull himself up in her grasp. Mono gasped, feeling her grip weaken. He looked at her pleadingly. He felt his eyes water and a heat rushed to his face. What a stupid time to cry. He hated being so emotional, especially when Six had been through far worse and was so much stronger than him. He’s so weak.
“Hey, Six,” he urged, “please.”
She looked straight into his eyes and he noticed her lips go from a flat line to a grimace as she let go of his hand forcefully. There was not a single look of remorse in her eyes as she stared at his falling figure.
Mono felt the tears surging now, there was no way around it. He watched her get further away from him and clutched his hand to his chest in remarkable devastation. “Bye, Six.”
This was where he would die. There was a bit of familiarity in the moment of near death. It was pitiful.
He fell for an extension of time which felt like eternity, wondering when he was going to die. As he felt a new pair of tears fall from his eyes, his head smacked the ground with a soft boom. His eyes squeezed in fear and he wondered why he hadn’t died yet. He peeked with one eye, noticing the ground he landed on was soft and… oh my god it’s living it’s blinking at me he was alive. He did not die from the fall.
Shakily he stood, cringing at the feeling of fleshy mush beneath his feet. He walked along, noticing nearby there was a chair resting on the tip of a flesh mountain. He sighed, knowing the chair was made for him.
He knew this would be his fate, could tell by the way the Thin Man fought him. There was a sense of familiarity in the blue man’s tired eyes. He noticed their eyes looked the same. He saw the static in his pupils, the black of his irises. He remembered why he never wanted to show Six his face, and was forced to recognize this as he watched his crumpled bag float away. He pulled the tower to himself and shuttered. He knew how this would end.
The room transformed around Mono, the fleshy eyes fading into a blank room, full of trash on the floor and dull, gray walls. He sighed. At least I can finally rest. Though he was alone, it was satisfying to know he could finally take a break. He was still reeling from falling off of the train cart, then his fight with the Thin Man, and then having to fight Six. He felt the splinters and aches in his hands from the axe, the splitting headache that racked his skull from the fall, the fight, the pulling of buildings, the screeching of Six in her monster form, the feeling of falling forever. He felt the emotional injuries as his heart hammered in his chest. Six had dropped him. His companion. His friend.
He watched her get kidnapped, from up in the tree. He watched her pause in her tracks as she looked up at the boy in the trench coat, face hidden by a brown paper bag covered in moonlight.
She was taken. He didn’t know her, but he had hurt someone again. He had to find her.
His only friend. She had dropped him. He knew somewhere deep down, like a sense of deja vu, that she would drop him. He remembered the way it felt to hold her hand, remembered the feeling of it as she let go for the last time.
They were hiding behind a hill, waiting for the opportune time to run from the Hunter. He looked forward, trying to figure out a plan, when he felt a tug on his hand. Glancing back, he saw Six put her hand out, a suggestion. He looked at her palm, much smaller than his. She urged it forward. Oh. She wanted to hold hands. That’s new. His face heated as he laced his fingers with hers.
…
The bridge was too short. He held it long enough for her to jump, but it was too short for him. He panicked for a second, questioning his choices, when she bent down and reached her hand out. He sighed, praying that she wouldn’t drop him into the bank. He walked back, giving himself room. Running, he leaped and reached for her hand. She caught him, quickly pulling him up. He didn’t let go of her hand afterwards, and she didn’t say a word.
…
The Hunter was shot, he was dead. They grabbed hands in fear, ears still ringing from the cacophony of noise. They rolled down a hill, small giggles escaping their lips, when they approached a door. The two children glanced at one another, unanimously agreeing that this would be their next move. They pushed the door down, jumping on as it began to float. Mono scooted closer to the girl, holding her hand.
He curled in on himself, flooded with memories.
They sat on their boat, holding hands. Mono curled into himself, shock shaking his thin frame from the gunshot. He needed a distraction and he needed one now.
“Hey,” he said, tugging her hand. She looked up, signaling with her eyebrows that she heard him. “Um, what’s your name?”
She sat quietly for a moment. Hesitantly she replied, “Six.”
“Oh. Like the number?”
A nod.
“That’s really cool. I’m Mono.”
Silence.
Mono sighed, assuming that would be the end of his distraction. At least they were properly introduced if they were to go on this journey together. Truthfully, he didn’t know where they were going, or for how long. He just hoped he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
A small voice, for the first time, broke the silence. “Mono?”
“Yeah?”
“What does your name mean?”
“It means one.”
“Oh. Why is that your name?”
Mono sat in contemplation for a second. “I don’t know. I think that I was given the name because I was always a lonely kid. My friends always left me behind, and I traveled alone. My parents, if I had them, I can’t remember… they never loved me either. So I’m Mono, I’m one.”
“Oh.” The girl lowered her head, eyes covered by raven hair. He wondered momentarily what was going through her mind.
“Why are you named Six?”
She looked at him and smiled. Her explanation was short and terrifying. “Sixth Deadly Sin. Gluttony.”
“O-oh.”
She giggled and it made his heart beat a second faster. He decided not to ponder it.
Why did she drop him? Why was he alone here, waiting for her to come back? Why would she never come back? “I always came back for her, didn’t I?”
His mind flashed back to the school, where he realized his feelings were slightly more than just friendly.
They took her. They took his best friend. His only friend. These beasts of porcelain stole the only person who mattered to him.
He pushed the locker off of himself. He began to scout the school.
He ran past the teacher, with the neck that extended further than any normal neck should. He shuddered as he watched her contort and did his best not to be caught in her anger.
He destroyed porcelain dolls one by one, dragging his hammer through the wooden hallways, skipping over the death traps that were set for him.
He snuck through the cafeteria full of fighting children, dressed as one of them with the head that fell from one of the shattered dolls.
He slaughtered the dolls from every angle. He smashed the two holding his best friend hostage to pieces, breaking the wood that she was tied to. She was going to fall!
He dropped the hammer and slid, catching the girl in his arms before falling over with her. A blush rushed to his face as he realized his bag slid up to reveal his mouth and she was on top of him.
He quickly sat up, sitting her up with him. She woke up, rubbing her head. She glanced around, fear in her eyes. “Mono?”
He grabbed her hand and smiled before pulling his bag back down. “I’m here.”
He expected her to get back up and keep moving, as she always did. It came as a shock when she shot into his arms on the floor, nearly knocking him over again. He held her close, running his fingers through her dark hair and cleaning her face of tears. “I’m here, it’s okay.”
She held him tighter. Reflexively, he leaned down to kiss her head. He paused, realizing what he had done. He expected to be pushed away. As he was about to apologize, she whispered softly, “Again.”
He felt an overwhelming rush of heat run to his face as he nodded, lifting his bag and bringing his lips to her head once more. Their journey could continue soon. For now, this was all they needed.
He found himself crying at the memory of saving her, of kissing her, of holding her, and he began to wonder if his tears made the rain pour harder on the Pale City. He wondered momentarily if Six was being rained on. If her raincoat would keep her dry.
Another memory then, of her in her yellow raincoat, keeping warm.
The Doctor was burning. They had burned him. Absolutely murdered him alive. He was being turned into ash.
Mono was shaking. He looked over at his companion, who sat and warmed her hands by the fire. The sight disturbed him more, and he started to head to the door. A small hand grabbed him, causing him to pause in his tracks. He turned to look at her.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
He noticed his face dampened at the question. He shook his head no, to which she pulled him down to the fire with her.
Mono assumed she was unaware of how to give affection, and figured he would just have to endure warming his hands with the Doctor’s ashes. This was what he believed, of course, until he felt his bag being pulled from his head.
Panicked, he averted his eyes. Did she want to hate him? Why would she do that? To push him back into the fire after seeing his face?
To his surprise, the girl looped her arms around him, rubbing his back and—oh. Oh.
She kissed his head.
He felt tears pooling in his eyes. He couldn’t help but break down. “It was so scary Six. I thought I was gonna die. And- and the hands, the patients, they chased me and I, I couldn’t move my flashlight from them and they grabbed at me from everywhere and I’m so scared and I can’t be alone!”
“It’s okay, Mono. I’m here,” she whispered, holding him close and kissing his head.
Oh. So it’s true.
He loved her.
Sobs racked his thin frame as he fell apart on the chair. His jacket felt heavy, dipped in memories of when he would gift it to her. He remembered lending Six his trench coat on their ride to the Pale City, and when they had escaped the school together. He remembered everything. He remembered loving her, he remembered the feeling he got when they tumbled and she was laying on him. He remembered when she cried quietly as she hugged him. He remembered when she felt weak and needed a rest, and so they played toys in the hospital.
He remembered when she betrayed him.
He looked up at her, dangling over the abyss. He pleaded quietly, his lip quivering pathetically. She stared into his static eyes with a look of distaste. He knew it would end like this, it always did. She let go of his hand, not a single inkling of remorse lingering on her face. She didn’t just let go, she pulled her hand away in disgust, letting him die like he was some disgusting monster himself. Maybe he was. He remembered his eyes.
And now he sat here, pathetically wiping at his eyes, sorrow spilling into his veins, through every one of his organs, passing through his blood. He was alone.
…
The door in front of him cracked open, just the slightest, before closing again. Then, it was swung open.
Oh.