DarkerTale (crossover fanfiction)

Chapter 19

Mimi

Who will love her real self?

Chara navigated the dark corridors. The castle was enormous from the outside and no smaller within. The halls were cluttered with odds and ends, sometimes too narrow to move through easily. What's the point of having so much unnecessary stuff? She walked through the silent halls, keeping her dagger at the ready and glancing over her shoulder every now and then. She didn't want to be caught off guard by anyone.

Chara heard something. Noises. Footsteps. Someone fighting! Was that Ink? She sprinted towards the sounds. She arrived in a large room. There stood Ink, pressed against the stony wall. A tall man with a brown beard held him up by his scarf. It was O'Clock. Ink looked defeated, the gap in his head was widening. His body hung limp in the air, his brush broken on the ground.

"Little skeleton, not so good at fighting! You lost, and I won! Now I'll show O'Clock what happens to losers like you," laughed the bearded man, raising his fist. Ink showed no sign of defending himself, he was too weak.

"NO!!" Chara screamed with rage and ran towards the big man. She didn't care if this jerk had more muscles than her or was bigger than her. She had to save Ink. Since the battle against O'Clock in the swamp, she had experienced even more, and now her body trembled with anger. He won't forget her so easily. Nor will he forget all her victims. SHE WILL BE THE LAST THING HE SAW!!

O'Clock turned to her in confusion, and Chara seized the opportunity to plunge her dagger into his shoulder. He screamed in pain and dropped Ink. The big man stomped around, trying to shake her off, but she clung to his back tightly. She struck his face until her fist was bloody. He fell backward, but Chara was prepared for this move and leaped off him. The knife, still lodged in his chest, dug deeper into him.

"ARGH!" he yelled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He tried to get up, but Chara planted a foot on his chest and pushed him down. He gritted his teeth as the dagger cut deeper into his wound.

Chara leaned closer to O'Clock and stared into his eyes with her ruby-red gaze. "Are you giving up?" she asked him.

"O'Clock never gives up!" he shouted, but she pressed down on him more, causing him to whimper. Somehow, she enjoyed this sight. It had been too long since she had seen something so defenseless.

"Chara!" called out a familiar voice. Ink had woken up and was sitting on the floor. "You're going too far." She was going too far? ... Yes, he was right. She stepped away from O'Clock and knelt down next to Ink.

"How are you feeling?"

"Nothing's broken. Just sprained," Ink explained, touching his side. "But... how are you still alive?" he asked, looking at her in amazement. "I saw you die."

"I know, it's a long story. I'll tell you everything once we're done here. We need to keep moving now." They were in a hurry. Who knows how far the Void of Babylon still was.

"I... I can't," Ink said.

"What? You were so determined to save the world!"

"I know, I know... but... so are you." Chara fell silent. Of course, she had made this decision: "I believe in you, that you can do it. When I'm ready, I'll follow you," he handed her the remaining hearts.

"And what about him?" She glanced at O'Clock. "I don't want him to finish you off."

"I'll take care of myself. When I got here, I used up all my magic for teleportation. I didn't stand a chance against him, but I saw Dimentio."