AN: A requested fanfic for my bestie. I have been writing a lot lately, and with no real idea in mind, she asked if I could write her something. And since we both like Ib, I thought of writing her this! She loves it and I hope you guys do as well! Constructive criticism is allowed, please no bashing. If you find any errors, let me know! I do not own Ib.

My eyes flew open as I look around at my surroundings. It was dark, but not dark enough to not see what was a little ahead of me. It wasn't cold but just dark and scary. I can hear faint noises, causing me to turn in freight at them. I held my hands to my chest as I look around the dark area I had woken up in. In a timid voice, I call out to the intimidating darkness, "Hello? Anyone there?" With no response, I stand to my feet and take a step in a random direction. I can feel my body shaking slightly as I take a couple more steps into the darkness.

As I walk, fleeting memories of my past come to me. I grab my shoulder-length brown hair and comb my fingers nervously through it. My white top and red skirt of a school uniform flutters slightly in a non-existent breeze, my red tie touching my hands softly as they continue to nervously comb through my hair. I keep looking over my shoulder, excepting to see a figure following me, but I only see the dark abyss I'm thinking I'm leaving behind.

I see flashes of purple and green and yellow in my mind's eye. The blurry images of the purple relax me, making me smile softly to myself. But the flashes of green and yellow, even the random small blue, makes me nervous again, causing my breath to quicken. I focus my mind on the purple color, wondering to myself why it made me calm and happy.

I stop dead in my tracks when something squeaks in front of me. My heart sinks when I see what lay in front of me. It was a doll, the image of it switching between a cute pink bunny and a creepy blue looking doll, giving me a wide grin that didn't seem nice at all. I take a step back, shaking my head, "No…" The images of the blue dolls chasing me flash before me, my hand clinging to someone else's. Why can't I remember anything?

The grin on the doll seems to grow wider, its' image stops switching to the adorable pink bunny. A low whisper hits my ear, the chilling breath causing the hair on my neck to stand on end, "Come play with us Ib…"

I give a small screech of terror as I whirl around, seeing nothing but the darkness behind me. I quickly back pedal, forgetting the doll that had original sat in front of me and trip over it. I give a grunt of fear as I land on my butt, quickly scooting away from the doll and its' voice, "Come play with us Ib. Ib, don't leave us. Ib, come play with us." I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes as fear took over me.

"No, no, no, NO." I scramble to my feet, running away from the thing that terrifies me. I knew somewhere in my mind that the dolls never scared me before, they were just creepy. But there was something about them this time, something that just scared me to death. I ran and ran and ran, my red school shoes clicking in the dark world, my heavy breathing filling the silence that follows me. The voice of the doll is left behind as I continue to run away from it.

Then flashes of yellow and green cause me to skid to a stop, my gasps are the only sounds I hear. "Mary…" The name falls from my lips before I could control it and I turn around to the sound of clicking shoes that were not mine. I see a girl about my age, walking towards me with a kind smile, her wavy yellow hair swaying slightly as she walks. Her smile was fake and untrue and it worries me how I knew it wasn't sincere. I turn my whole body this time, taking a step back as she continues to slowly walk towards me.

"Hello Ib. How have you been?" Her fake smile beaming, her hands are behind her back in a relax manner. I knew what she was hiding and I gave her a weak glare.

"Stay away Mary."

She gives a fake giggle, bringing one of her hands around to cover her mouth, "Why should I Ib? You don't have dear Garry to protect you, so nothing is going to stop me." The sound of her clicking shoes fades away as the blurry purple images in my mind clear.

Garry. My friend, the one who had taken care of me when we were thrown into a living gallery of artwork. Who I had helped out when he needed help. He had cared for me and worried about me, while I did the same in return. We had gone through so much and became so close in such little time, I could tell something was wrong with him not being here. I can feel it in my heart.

"Where's Garry?" I demand, my glare solidifying. I clench my hands on my skirt, standing my ground.

This cause Mary to stop in her tracks, her smile dropping and a mask taking its place, "Garry?" She drops her arms from behind her back, confirming my suspicions of her hiding her weapon, a palette knife. A wide, sadistic grin covers her face as she lifts the knife to her face, stroking it like a pet, "He's 'sleeping' Ib. You should know that. You saw him."

Those memories come to me as well, walking back down those stairs to get Garry, to tell him the bad news about his rose. I see him lying against the wall, his eyes close. I touch his hand to try and wake him up but it was icy cold. I drew back in surprise and then touched his face, which was cold as well. Not understanding at the time, I took my tie off my own neck and placed it on his shoulders to try and warm him up. I gave him a weak smile and whispered softly, "I'll be back."

My hand reaches for the tie around my neck only to not feel it there. I could have sworn it was there earlier, touching my hand when I was touching my hair, walking in a random direction in the darkness. Then it suddenly hit me. The realization of what I had not known before. Garry had died when Mary ripped the petals off his rose. He's dead. Mary laughs at my expression, her smile seeming to grow wider, "He's gone Ib! He's dead because I killed him! I'm your only friend now." The tone in her voice grows darker, her feet moving towards me. The palette knife in her left hand shines from an invisible light source as she drops it to her side, turning it slowly.

My body won't move as tears form in my eyes again, "No, Garry can't be dead. Garry… Garry!" I try to scream but it wouldn't come. I can only raise my voice to a shout, my red eyes lock onto Mary's black ones.

"There's no one to save you now Ib. You're all mine." She stops in front of me, the knife lays on my neck as a sweet smile appears on the painting's face. "Come play with me~!"

"NO!" My eyes open again as I fling myself up from my bed. My heart is pounding and my breathing is heavy. A cold sweat covers my body as I shake in my pajamas, my blanket on the ground from my tossing and turning. I wrap my arms around myself to try and stop my shaking, but it doesn't work.

"Ib, are you alright?" A sleepy yet alert voice asks from my side, causing me to jump slightly. I can see a tall figure sitting on the edge of my bed, placing a lanky hand around me protectively, "It was just a bad dream Ib. Nothing is going to get you."

Tears form in my eyes as I make out the face of the figure, "Garry!" I throw my arms around him, surprising him, "Garry, I had the worst dream. M-Mary was there and t-those dolls and y-you…. You were…" I couldn't finish my sentence, my sobs cutting me off and me not being able to complete the sentence.

The older man hesitates for a moment before wrapping his arms around me, giving me a comforting squeeze, "Ib, I'm right here. Mary is gone, we burned her painting frame remember? We don't have to go back there anymore, we're safe now." His words of comfort were awkward but sincere.

I nod as I cry into his tank top, my grip not loosening from his waist. He pets my hair, letting me relieve my feelings from the terrible dream. When I finally calm down, I pull away slightly and Garry let's go, "Feeling better?"

I give him an embarrass nod, wiping my eyes, "Yes… I'm sorry."

He gives a quiet chuckle before ruffling my hair, "Don't worry about it. You're still young, so nightmares affect you a lot more than they do for me. I understand." Garry leans over my bed to pick up my blankets and I grab his tank top.

"Garry?"

He turns to look at me as he places my blankets back on my bed, "Yes Ib?"

I grow embarrass from the request I'm about to make, I look down at my lap, "Can I sleep with you for the rest of the night?" I mumble my words, slightly scared he might say no.

The older man blinks his purple eyes as he gives another chuckle, ruffling my hair again, "Yes, you can. Just don't make a habit of it." His teasing catches me off guard and I look up at him, pouting.

"I-I won't! It's just tonight…" I follow him off my bed and climb into his, climbing over him so I can be in between him and the wall. It makes me feel safer, with Garry sleeping on the outside. "Mom and dad would be worried about this, but it's okay because I trust you." It was a random thought, but I spoke it out loud.

Garry chuckles sleepily, "Though it's been 2 years since we've met, you're only 11 Ib. I don't blame your parents for worrying about you sleeping over at my place." He brushes my hair out of my face as I watch him talk, his eyes close as sleep starts to take over him again, "You're like a little sister to me though, so they have nothing to worry about."

I give him a soft smile that he can't see and nod, "You're like a big brother to me Garry… And I'm glad I met you." I start to grow sleepy as well, my words slurring slightly near the end of my sentence.

The older man nods as well, too tired to respond. Just before I fall asleep, I give a soft mumble, "Good night Garry." I hear a mumble in return, giving another smile as I understood its' meaning. I drift off into a blissful sleep, my dream calmer than before.

It was the memory of after we had escaped the living world of the gallery, meeting again in the original gallery, remembering each other. We had made plans to meet at a café the next day, with my parent's approval, and I remember eating macaroons with a smiling older man, the troubles we had experience the day before disappearing into the breeze that blew that afternoon. I was happy that day, happy to hang out with someone I soon call my best friend.