Hey guys, this is my first Mystery Skulls fanfiction. I got inspired to write one after reading Best Served Cold written by HeCallsMeHisChild (which if you haven't read you really should check it out). And I'd like to thank HCMHC for helping me with ideas and giving me tips for my fanfic as well as allowing me to use some ideas from the fic. I'll be going back and forth with editing even after posting so please be patient with me :) Takes place at the end of the DA comic mixed with the "We Stand Together" and "Arthur's Thoughts" which can be found on youtube.

Summary: Lewis has rejoined the gang, however, he still harbors a lot of hatred for Arthur, who is unable to tell him what really happened. However when Lewis realizes something is really wrong can he, Mystery and Vivi do something in time to save him? Warning Swearing, mentions of abuse of a child, and self-harm. And a hint of Boy x Boy- Arthur/Lewis don't like any of these or if any are triggering please avoid reading.

I'll try and add new chapters after I completely edit the current chapters... Anyway please enjoy and leave some tips and comments.

I DO NOT OWN!

UPDATE: If you have already read this previously I suggest re-reading it because I have added more to the story as well as changed some minor things. Also, OMG! This would have been reedited and posted yesterday but Heimingway App, what I was using to really correct my mistakes this time, kept screwing me over when I was almost done editing... Three flipping times... I can't describe how mad that made me.

Story:

General Pov

"Oh look. It's your friends." The demon's taunting voice echoed behind a startled Arthur. Arthur frowned as he solemnly watched his friends from behind- as always.

Vivi, Mystery and... "Oh God- Lewis!" The three teens were smiling and laughing together. He moved in to join them, but the demon placed a hand on his shoulder making him freeze in his tracks.

"But Wait! Don't be rude." It paused for a few seconds for dramatic effect. "You can't interrupt them. Just look how happy they all are... Without you." It chuckled.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"What?" Arthur mumbled, afraid of the answer.

"You're... Not... Needed." It enunciated the words as slow as possible. It was obvious the demon was getting off on Arthur's growing misery.

Arthur's eyes widened with shock and disbelief.

"You know it's true." It mocked. "They pity you. If you vanished, they wouldn't even notice, would they? Just like they never did..."

'No! It's not true.' Without realizing, tears rolled down his cheeks. Arthur could feel the demon's arms reaching around his shoulders into a hug.

"Why are you crying?" It asked with mock concern. "You should be happy for them..." Mock concern turned into one of disgust as it pushed him to the ground.

"How selfish, how absolutely selfish." He knew it was true, but he couldn't help feeling miserable at the thought of not being needed...Again. Of being alone again.

He still remembered the pain he felt when his family abused and abandoned him. He just knew he wouldn't be able to handle it if his only friends were to abandon him as well.

"Look at you. You're nothing more than a worthless coward." Its claws then dig into his shoulders, the pain makes him gasp silently.

"They... Don't...Need...You!" It repeated with more force and confidence as it knew Arthur believed it himself.

"No! You're wrong! Vivi- Mystery- LEWIS!" He cried out. The three stopped and turned to face him. Arthur's breath hitched when he saw the dirty looks he received.

"Guys~" He whimpered. "That's not true... Right? You have to know I would never hurt you on purpose."

Lewis frowned with disgust. "Every word of it is true, Arthur. You're weak! You killed me, and you don't even have the guts to own up to it. You wanted to kill me, admit it!" Arthur recoiled.

"It wouldn't have been able to possess you if you didn't- yet you keep using it as an excuse for your own actions. You're a liar and murderer! You're the worst kind of coward."

Vivi chimed in with anger. "We should have never have let you into our group. We would have been better off if you had never come into our lives."

Lewis then pointed at the now trembling Arthur. "Face it, Arthur, we don't need you. We never needed you. You've already taken away my life, what more do you want from us until you're satisfied?"

Arthur felt tears welling up in his eyes, knowing deep in his heart that every word was completely true.

"I'm sorry," Arthur mumbled, his voice cracking.

"Sorry? Ha! You kill your best friend, lie to his girlfriend and you think sorry is enough? I should have left you in that cave to die." Mystery spoke up, every word cutting Arthur deeper than any knife or razor has.

"It's too late for you to be sorry, Arthur. Lewis is dead, and it's all your fault!" Vivi's tone was emotionless, much different than her usual caring and lighthearted attitude. Arthur choked back a sob.

"Feeling guilty now? Heh fine." Lewis smirked, changing into his ghost form. "You want to know how you can make it up to us?" Arthur felt the breath leave him when Lewis, Vivi, and Mystery stated in unison.

"Disappear."

"Go away."

"Die!"

Without warning, Arthur found himself alone at the last place he ever wanted to be. The cave that ruined the lives of his and his friends. He found himself staring at the same spikes as before...

While staring down the cliff Arthur felt two hands shove him. He had felt this rush many times and each time was as terrifying as the last. As he fell he turned around and his eyes widened at the person he saw again. His eyes were full of hatred and venom, and a sneer plastered on his once kind face.

"Lewis." He gasped before he felt a sharp pain in his chest, one he felt a hundred times before. Then it all faded to black.

Arthur shot out of bed, a silent scream stuck in his throat. Cold sweat drenched his white muscle shirt. He still felt a pain in his chest from where the spike pierced him.

He took a deep breath and calm down when he realized he was back in his own room. He figured he would be numb from having the same nightmare for so long, but he knew it would always affect him.

The most recent nightmares, he noted, were getting far worse and frequent. At first, they happened once in awhile, but since the return of Lewis, they happen every night. His sunken, dark-circled eyes and pale skin proved how little he slept.

He glanced at his clock.

"10:32" he groaned, knowing he would be going another night without much-needed sleep. The taunts from his latest nightmare still echoed in his brain.

"Disappear! Traitor! It's all your fault! We should have never let you join our group! Coward Murderer!" He gripped his head in an attempt to block out the inner dialogue that never seemed to quiet down anymore.

Why did the stupid demon have to target him? What did he do to deserve what that creature brought upon him? Why was Lewis the one who had to die? Why couldn't it have been him?

"Why?" He choked out.

He found himself asking those questions a lot recently. Each time he would the sinister voice in his head answered. This time was no different.

"Because you're weak! You're useless! Not even your own family wanted you! What makes you think they would?" Followed by maniacal laughter while repeating the insults. When the voice first showed up he had tried to deny the things it said. After a while he found he couldn't and kept quiet, allowing it to further beat him down.

"You killed your best friend! And not only that but the man you fell in love with! Ha ha ha! What would he have thought of you if he found out? Easy, he'd call you disgusting. He had Vivi, yet you still wanted him to love only you. But now thanks to you~ he hates only you." It practically sang the last four words.

Arthur threw the covers off and jumped off of his bed. He grabbed and hooked his prosthetic arm back on in record timing. He raced to his wooden desk and flicked on the lamp and then pulled open a drawer. He rummaged through it until he wrapped his hands around the desired object; a small box. Upon opening the box he pulled out box cutter blade that hidden inside- one of many red stained blades.

"I'm so sorry, Lewis, Vivi, Mystery." Arthur mumbled over and over as he dug the sharp, silver object across his forearm.

"Do you think that helps them now? He's dead because of you!" Arthur blocked out the voice as best as he could.

"I didn't want to do it. I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me..." Arthur whined as tears poured from his golden and red eyes.

The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the never ending guilt and emotional pain he felt every single day. The feeling of hopelessness seemed to grow since Lewis' return. Lewis pretended to get along with Arthur for Vivi, though he made it clear he would not forgive him for his death. Even now only Mystery and Arthur knew the true story.

Arthur still remembered the night Lewis returned and cornered him in his room. He had terrified the blonde with death threats, but he couldn't bring himself to blame the ghost. Though, it didn't do anything to ease the sadness he felt.

Past

Lewis insisted that his "friends" would live with him the mansion he had created to save space. Vivi accepted the invitation without hesitation.

On the other hand, Arthur was hesitant but after Lewis put on a convincing smile and urged him to accept the offer. For once in a long, long time Arthur had hope that things would be alright. But that hope was short-lived.

Arthur had finally removed his metallic arm and was ready for bed when Lewis had taken him by surprise. He shoved him into the wall at full strength, Arthur struggled to regain his breath from the force.

"Ah!" He cried out in pain as his back collided with the drywall. He opened his eyes to find Lewis pinning him with his arm to his chest, making it difficult for Arthur to breathe.

"Lew~is?" Arthur gasped at the pain in his chest.

"I may have told Vivi I would forgive you for 'abandoning me' but that doesn't mean we're friends again."

When Vivi regained her memories of Lewis he told her Arthur let him fall after he slipped near the edge.

She bought it and defended the mechanic. She exclaimed how the event must have scared him so bad he couldn't move. Lewis pretended to forgive him and said all was good between the two.

"Did you believe that I would ever forgive you? You're lucky to still even be alive right now. The only reason I haven't killed you or told Vivi the truth is because I know it would kill her if she knew what you were. It would hurt her even more if I killed her only living friend- no matter how much you deserve it."

The rest of the night was filled with hateful words, threats, and tossing around. Arthur knew the threats would be followed through if he so much as stepped out of line so he stayed quiet and took it all.

Arthur told himself he had that he deserved what he was getting. Mystery tried to convince him he didn't deserve this. Despite the attempts to alleviate his fear, he knew Arthur would never believe him.

Present

Any chance he got, Lewis would psychologically torture the blonde. One night Vivi had almost discovered their nightly rituals. Luckily for Lewis something had distracted her at the last second. He realized the danger of Vivi being so close so he threatened Arthur to move out.

Vivi was completely against it when Arthur told her he was moving back home. He exclaimed that he needed to be at the shop for when his customers needed him. She tried to convince him to go back during the day, but Arthur insisted it would be too much trouble to go back and forth. After much more convincing, Vivi agreed but made him promise to visit often and be there for their cases. Mystery left with Arthur, determined to be there for Arthur when no one else would be.

Mystery insisted several times that he talk with Lewis and explain the situation to him. He wanted to, but the fear of Lewis still hating him, even after knowing the truth, scared all logic right out of him. He knew he wouldn't be able to take it and wouldn't risk it- and the demon's words did not help his worries at all.

Plus, he didn't think Lewis would believe him anyways. Lewis was back and, despite the verbal and psychological abuse and threats, as long as he was back Arthur could manage... Or so he told himself over and over. Anytime he saw Vivi and Lewis together he felt a pang of sadness and loneliness, which made him hate himself more. He knew he should be happy they were back together and finally happy, but he couldn't seem to get over the despair.

He didn't see the group as much as he had promised Vivi he would. Lewis, however, still paid random nightly visits until he felt satisfied and left.

Arthur could no longer feel comfortable when they weren't alone. Lewis would take any moment he could get to glare at the blonde any moment he got. They only spoke civilly every once in awhile and that was only for cases.

Despite his hostile demeanor towards the mechanic, Arthur never once blamed the Specter. Even so, the cruel words and near physical abuse never hurt any less. After the third day of the gang getting back together, Arthur had returned to his old habit- cutting.

The demon constantly teased and mocked him for resorting to such a pathetic act, but Arthur chose to ignore it. It was the only time he could find peace and feel like he could somewhat atone for his sins.

When he thought about it, he couldn't quite remember the first time he turned to cutting. What he did know it was long before the demon made him murder his best friend and secret crush.

Arthur thought back to when he was a child, a place he usually turned to when cutting.

Kids at school bullied him because of his unnatural gold-tinted eyes, gravity defying hair, and strange eyebrows. His father abused him almost daily at home when he wasn't passed out drunk or at another woman's house.

He remembered his teenage mother leaving him stranded on a deserted road one day. She and his abusive, alcoholic father had a major fight that day, one of many of course. This happened when Arthur was at the ripe young age of seven.

The feeling of abandonment and betrayal as his mother glared at him and muttered "It's all your fault! Why did I have to give birth to a monster like you!" before driving away and leaving him for good still lingers with him as fresh as the day it happened.

After two and a half days of hopeless wandering as car after car passed by him, he almost gave up all hope of living. Luck was on his side when an elderly couple noticed him. They had been on their way home from their annual vacation when they noticed a young boy lying on the side of the road.

They took him to a nearby hospital when they realized he was still alive. The elderly lady, he would soon call mom, noticed the markings left on the child's revealed arms and neck. She felt sick to her stomach then called the police.

It took a few days after Arthur was better before he spoke to anyone. The first person he spoke to was Mrs. Welsh due to her kind nature. After the police had questioned him Mr. and Mrs. Welsh insisted they'd take him in.

"If you want to, that is." She added. That threw him off. No one had ever cared about what he wanted before and he felt happy and cared about for the first time.

He agreed and soon found himself in a new home in a new city. The authorities were brought in and tracked down his "family" after three weeks only to find them living completely happily with a new child... They were put on trial and arrested for the abuse and abandonment of their child.

His so called mother blamed Arthur for everything, claiming he was nothing but a curse. The jury found them guilty.

"You should have died out there! You don't deserve a good family! Monster!" His mother yelled as the cops escorted her and her husband out of the room. "You ruined everything!"

After getting over the initial depression caused by the incident. Things were great for a long time for Arthur and his new family.

He was thirteen and right about to enter high school when his dad passed away, soon followed by his mom. With no other relatives, Arthur found himself in a foster home.

He stayed in that home for a full two months before running away to a new city. He met, lived and worked with a mechanic named Lucy and her brother Lance until he could afford a place to live. It wasn't long before he was able to afford a small apartment a block away.

About a year later Lucy died of a terminal illness and Lance moved away. He left the house and business to a more than capable Arthur. He also informed him that he had to go to high school and graduate before he could take over it.

He finally started high school as a freshman and Arthur knew he had to be in hell. Bullies instantly targeted the timid teen, reminding him of his elementary days.

Despite knowing all the material and passing the tests his teachers disliked him. He was never able to complete or turn in his homework and always caused disruptions in class, in their eyes.

Unable to fight back he allowed it to happen. Day after day. Month after month. Until the end of his third year of being at school, a junior, when he met Lewis. He was a purple haired teen with a muscular build who had transferred into the school as a sophomore the previous year.

A stinging pain Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and back to the present.

"Oh," He stated, indifferent to the situation while staring at the crimson staining his pale arm. "Almost went too far this time..."

He hated himself, sure. Everyone may have wanted him dead and he knew he probably deserved it-

Hell, he knew he deserved it, but he could never bring himself to do it.

Arthur had tried to many times. It was usually when Mystery was away searching for a solution to his possession.

He tried overdosing on his sleeping pills but instantly threw them up. He once tried to hang himself from a beam in his apartment but somehow the rope snapped. He even drove all the way out to the cursed cave one day, a couple of weeks after the hanging incident. He planned to end it the same way Lewis had died. He figured that maybe life wanted him to die the same way he had killed his friend.

However, he stood, silent at the edge for hours; fear and second thoughts caused him to not go through with it. Mystery had unexpectedly returned home early that day to find he had been missing. He tracked the blonde down to the cave rather quickly to find him bawling his eyes out at the cave entrance. Arthur broke down and told Mystery about the failed attempts to kill himself.

At first, Mystery had been very upset but was understanding. He explained the demon was most likely the cause of the attempts ending in failure.

Mystery was thankful to the demon for keeping his friend alive but kept it to himself. He claimed he had managed to learn that the demon trapped in the cave could only leave with a vessel. If the host was to die or it left on its own then it whatever bound it to the cave would force it to return. After the talk, Arthur finally agreed to stop trying to end his life and wait for Mystery to find a solution. One that didn't involve him dying- for multiple reasons.

When Arthur completely came back to his senses he noticed that the demonic voice was once again gone. At least gone for a while.

It seemed to always disappear midway through the act, or at least by the time he finished.

He pulled himself off the floor, swaying from dizziness once he reached his feet. He gradually made his way to the bathroom to clean himself up. He wasn't worried about waking anyone or someone walking in on him. These times everyone else, minus Mystery most nights, was at the mansion. The nights he received a visitor he didn't need to.

After getting cleaned up, Arthur decided to make his way into the garage. He decided to forget about the mess he left in his room.

"No one'll see it anyway." He shrugged.

He figured that maybe keeping busy and finishing up some repairs to the van would help him forget about the demon... about everything... for a while.

He didn't plan on a stronger wave of dizziness washing over him, causing him to stagger. He attempted to steady himself but managed to grab an unstable rocking chair. He lasted a whole two seconds before his face met the floor, everything turned black.

He was unsure how long he had been out, but he soon came to and found himself standing outside. It was still dark out but the sky hinted it was close to daylight.

He soon realized he was standing in front of a one-story brick house that he recognized right away. It belonged to a kind elderly couple.

Arthur had spent a lot of his free time there when he first arrived. He took care of the difficult chores and after every day the lady would always gift him with baked goodies. The three had grown close enough to where they felt like family to him. It didn't last, though.

One day their eldest son moved back in to take care of the two. Arthur decided it would be best to keep his distance. He knew they would no longer want him around when they had their own son with them.

Confusion swirled in his mind he looked down to see his prosthetic arm missing and a chef's knife in his only hand. What scared him most was his reflection in the blade.

Green covered more than half of his face. He felt nausea rise in the pit of his stomach at the realization. He bolted down the street, careful to conceal the knife in case anyone happened to be out at that time.

"What the hell!?" Arthur cried out in fear and anger.

He froze in his tracks when the demon chuckled in his mind at his reaction.

"Why after all this time? Why them? Oh god! You didn't hurt them, did you?! I swear if you hurt them!" He threatened, angry he allowed the demon to take over once again.

"Relax, they are not who I am after. I simply decided it is time you learn who is in charge. I may have let you have control until now, but I can easily change that. My power weaker than normal but they are still strong enough to do what I please. I'm growing less fond of these games and I believe it is time to have some real fun now." Arthur so didn't like the sound of that.

Arthur had no clue what it was planning, but he knew it wasn't going to be good at all.

He felt something inside flicker for the first time in what felt like a long time.

"I won't let you control me." He announced determined, earning another chuckle.

"That's cute, you think you have a choice in the matter. Look how easily I took control of you. I could have made you kill that couple along with their offspring if I so choose to. I only gave you control again to propose a challenge." Arthur started panicking once again, unsettled by the demon's declaration of a challenge.

"Aw, come now, you needn't be afraid. Before I get rid of you and take for good, I'll allow you the opportunity to go to your little "friends" to warn them."

Arthur knew it was a trap but couldn't see any other option. Well, besides to try and run, but he knew that would make things worse for him and his friends. Mystery still hadn't found a solution yet but Arthur had his own and if he wanted to save everyone he had to get to Lewis. Fast.

He knew the only way he could save them was for him to die, even though he didn't want to. But, it had to be done and he could think of only one person- or ghost- to do it. Not only would he be unable to do it himself since the demon would surely take over and stop him.

Besides, Lewis deserved to finally get revenge for his death. As he made his way back home he found it growing increasingly harder to walk. 'You're not going to make this easy, are you?' Arthur mumbled, knowing the answer would be yes.

"And where would the fun in that be?" It teased.

"Should have known that." Arthur groaned.

Re-Edited! No excuses but I finally managed to sit my arse down and re-edit this now. There were a lot of typos and mistakes so I wanted to fix it and add on to the chapter. If I can't post regularly I sure as heck want it to be worth reading.

OMG the timeline got me lol. I think I re-updated his one chapter more than six times just because I couldn't get the high school timeline to fit right lol.

And yes I do realize this is probably the darkest thing I will have ever written...