Just a warning right now! This story does have explicit words. It also points to that same content. No, it does not happen. It is only mentioned in the story. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this story. (AU)

This is a oneshot for the backstories of Lire and Amy in my fanfiction "Neverhurt". No, this WILL NOT give any spoilers to Neverhurt, nor will the plotline of Neverhurt bleed excessively into this story. I would dearly love it if you go and read Neverhurt, though. c:

I hope you enjoy!

"Where's the fucking opium!?"

"Shit-"

"Ugh. Make them shut up!"

You open your eyes a tiny bit, the stench of dirt and bodily odors filled your nose. You tried to gasp, but your mouth was gagged- What had happened? You saw a boot step in front of your face, suppressing your gasp, you quickly closed your eyes.

As the man's aura drifted farther, you scanned your settings. People- dirty people- Wrong people.

You were scared.

Ugh, what's wrong? So dizzy. . . Drifting- No! You struggle to keep awake. It hurts, your head hurts. Why does it hurt? The carriage makes a bump, something hit you but you choose to stay quiet. It was dangerous.

"Shit!"

A husky male voice called out- hoarse. Judging from the smell of cigars, they must have been smoking. Earlier they mentioned something about a weed shipment- No- Don't let your mind drift off. It's dangerous. The euphoria of the drug was still there, and it made you strain your thoughts out more.

You heard a whimper, it wasn't so bad to have long and pointy ears after all, though everyone told you it made you look like a faye.

Opening your eyes, you saw a girl tied up and getting kicked. She looked scared, you wanted to help. Though you couldn't move. What a shame.

Such a shame.

Ugh, your eyes feel funny- Why is that? Everything was blurry, it was kinda funny. You wanted to giggle- but it was so dark.

So, so dark.

Ow! They pulled you off the whatever-you-were-in.

"Hurry and bring out the little whores! We took a good shipment from the nearby towns. 'Kinda feel sorry for the little skanks. We'll charge a whole shitton from those perverts at the black market!"

Whores? Black market- Ugh. It hurt so much. . The dose? Something called opium? Ah, so they drugged you. That explains it. You remember what papa said about drugs- oh, right. He's dead. I miss papa, you think.

You hear sobbing- It's loud. You want to sleep, but your senses are telling you it's dangerous. So many feet. . Everything seems so heavy. It's such a drag.

Why are you thinking like this?

Somebody picks you up- You're so light! It's like you haven't eaten in days. You're starving, but who cares? Nobody does. Nobody. That's why it's so dark, right?

Everything is so dark.

Dark like your room at night, back when mama was still alive. She always told you there were no monsters under the bed, nothing hiding in the shadows. Then why were there shadows here? It's so dark, not to mention the smell of musk.

You heard a piercing scream, a little girl? You tried to open your eyes, but it burned. It smelled awful. The dose was starting to wear off- Finally. You could think straight. First of all, where were you? Your mind buzzed with confusion, then panic set in. It flooded in like a tidal wave; like when the dam broke and your papa and mama died. It was scary.

You opened your eyes and focused, everything wasn't blurry anymore.

"They're opening their eyes. Ugh. Send them to the camps."

Camps? You muffled out some words- what were you going to say? Grown men don't listen to little girls. Your wrists hurt. You just notice that they're wet. It really did hurt, it cut into your skin. Blood, maybe? Ah, that must be it. Maybe the drug was still there, it didn't hurt as much- Thank god.

Unfortunately, as you looked about, girls were screaming, crying.

"Mother? Father? W-where am I!?"

"Why am I here!?"

Wails and cries screamed into your ears. Something overpowered both, though.

"Hey, do you want to survive?"

A sheer whisper, bold and quiet. You peered to your side, and saw a pretty girl. You stared into her bright, brown eyes. Ones that would look cheerful and beautiful- If the place wasn't so dark. You were mesmerized, she was so pretty. Her pigtails were slightly undone, and her hair and skin was dirty and covered in soot. There were parts in the dirt, you realized. You think that she's been crying for some time, yet she looked so strong now.

"Do you want to get out?"

In a daze, you nodded. She smiled quickly, but that smile faded as a huge man came up to the both of you.

"Here. Eat up, we're planning to ship you out next week."

He threw down a bowl of. . . What was that? It was disgusting. . . A murky, mud colour drifted through the slobber.

"Hey, what are ya waitin' for? Ben' o'er and eat up like the little pigs you are!"

You winced as he gave you a dirty, filthy, hoarse laugh. You loathe this man. His aura was shrouded in greed. He did not care for the wellbeing of others, he just wanted the money.

You moved closer to this new girl you had met. She was afraid and shaking. Leaning gently on her, she seemed to steady herself. The man left, apparently have had finished his gist.

All of the men left, snarling at the girls like beasts. Laughing over their horrible jokes and jests. It made you feel sick. They made you feel sick.

It's funny, how much one can hate after a small amount of time with them.

The girl next to you sighed. Ugh, the blood on your wrist. It started to sting- God it hurts.

"My name. . It's Amy. Amy Aruha."

"Aruha? My name is Lire," you stutter, "Lire Eryuell."

She nodded.

In the meanwhile, you realized that the entire room was thrown into panic and turmoil. Girls were screaming and thrashing, many were crying. Some were passed out, probably from doses of opium.

You wriggle your fingers, your wrists hurt. The ropes weren't well tied; though hard to move in, the entire movement wasn't constricted. The bondage must have loosened in the overhaul. You quickly pressed a button on your ring, and the predicted blade popped out from underneath.

Cutting the rope, you were overwashed with the feeling of euphoria; that was soon drowned out by the wails and cries.

"Ah, so I was right about you."

This girl named Amy smiled a bit, she looked relieved.

"You don't seem like the person who would panic," she gently grasped your hand with the ring, "It was smart of you to bring a weapon like this."

"A. . . Weapon?"

You were confused, but soon got it.

.:: 'Hey, do you want to survive?' ::.

"We can. . Get out? With just this?"

"Of course not, silly."

She pulled out a brooch. It was on a long chain, it was long enough to hide the brooch in her dress.

"What good will that do? My ring. . It has a knife. A knife. It's only three centimeters at most. Too small to do anything. ."

"No, look."

She took off your ring and held it up to hers.

"I knew it. I know a certain jewel maker's work anywhere."

"Huh?"

"See? They're made by the same person," she told you, enthralled.

"I don't get why that's so significant. . ." you looked down, completely confused by what she was saying, but she's a trustworthy person. Your aura-ability let you know that much.

You lifted your head and stared at her. She gestured you to the jewelry.

"Watch closely."

She put her finger on one of the two rings surrounding the gemstone to hold it in place. She moved it.

It turned.

You gasped in new knowledge; the ring popped open. She put it on the ground carefully, then did the same to her brooch. Underneath the two gemstones was a powdery, yet pasty substance.

You knew what it was.

Poison.

"W-Why would something-"

You stumbled back, afraid of what was inside of the rings all this time. You didn't know at all.

"Shh, it's alright. Don't worry."

She smiled at you, then closed the two gemstones in and re-locked them in place. She then grasped the blade on your ring, you quickly cried out quietly, but realized that she was grabbing it by the flat sides with her thumb and index.

"Look closely."

She turned the second ring that held the gem in place, and the blade was able to be pulled out. At an estimate, you guessed that the blade was now at least fifteen centimeters. . How!?

"You see, my father made these. He was also an alchemist and studied magic. One day, a man with blonde hair and green eyes walked in with his daughter by the name of 'Eryuell'. Father said that your father was an old friend of his, and was making something for his daughter. Something to protect herself with."

She smiled at you, and you felt connected to her even more.

"You were the girl. ."

She nodded.

"I know how to get out, and we need these."

She held up the two pieces of jewelry. She gave you the ring back, and you retracted the blade into the ring.

"How so?"

In that instant, Amy quickly put her amethyst on and tucked it into your shirt. You put the ring back on. Amy turned to you, clasping her wrists closely together and pushed her back against the wall. You got the message, and did the same.

The door opened, and the girl feigned freight, and you did so the same. She whimpered and pushed closer to you. A man walked in, dirty and smelled musky. He was huge compared to the girls, and was extremely displeased.

"Shut up you little whores! I can't wait to ship you off to get fucked until you can't move!"

The room fell silent, all of the girl's eyes were wide in freight. The man sneered, then spit at the ground. He then left, but not without slamming the door violently, which made some girls gasp out.

You squeaked out, then sighed when his aura wasn't detected anymore. It appeared that Amy had the same ability, you realized now. Only, her ability was stronger.

"Let me tell you the plan, now."

You quickly regained your sensed and faced towards her, quietly whispering.

"Yes. Of course."

This plan. . Amy seemed to be well acquainted with this place. How long has she been trapped here? In this damp and dark place? You shuddered.

She beckoned you behind a large crate. You followed suit. This plan was going to get you out. This plan was going to get the both of you out.

Only. .

.:: At what cost? ::.

"So, two months ago, I was taken here to be shipped off as a sex slave- As I have deducted from eavesdropping and the bastard's speech. Last month, I was taken to be picked out by some old perverted pedophille, and I had discovered something: We were taken outside, surrounded by a barbed fence. Outside of that fence was foliage, we can probably make it through there. While I was in that area, I took notice of the surrounding items. There was debris, crates, and a sign. The sign will be our guide."

You listened in awe, but there was a question.

"H-How will we get there?"

"Ah, yes, I have that covered. . You see, I was one of the lucky girls who wasn't picked during that time. I caught the leader of this shitty camp's attention, and he asked me: 'What's your name?', I replied with only my first. He seemed to like it, and proposed that I should be his adopted daughter. He told me that I wouldn't be sent to any of the bastards coming here for black marketing, and I accepted, knowing that the position gave me authority."

"Why are you here, with the girls who are going to be shipped off? Shouldn't you be somewhere else. . ." You were quickly interrupted. You didn't mind at all, because of your pacifist nature.

"Teehee. I begged and cried my actress tears to go play with the other girls. Of course, me being his 'unofficial daughter', he had let me come here to 'play'. In reality, of course, I was just looking for a smart and calm girl to be my subordinate- Someone like you. I really like you."

She smiled at you, and you felt warm inside. She was going to get you out of this hellhole. . .

"And so, tomorrow they're going to bring all of the girls, including you, to the washrooms. Trust me, it's so not worth it going. They strip you down, then try to touch you- It's absolutely disgusting."

You cupped your mouth with your hand. These people, these men. They're ruthless. Absolutely despicable.

"Yea. In the line, I'm going to sneak you out. You have to be as careful as you can, so listen closely. While taking advantage of my special privileges, I walked around, making a map on a piece of paper that my 'unofficial father' gave to me to doodle on. There will be two guards at the entrance. That's where our jewelry will come in. Before we approach them, you will hide behind a crate that I had moved over for a hiding spot. It's marked with some doodles of hearts and flowers, alright?"

You nod. Amy Aruha, such a smart girl. You admire her.

"Hide behind that crate. While there, quickly coat your blade in the ring of yours in the poison. I will already have coated mine. I will talk to them and distract them, when they turn their back to you, charge in and stab the back of their necks. To fix the height difference, I will try to make them squat down. You will take care of the one closest to you."

You nod in understanding. Walk in line, have Amy cover, hide behind a crate, coat blade in poison, then when she gives the signal, rush in and kill someone.

Kill someone.

You suddenly became sick to your stomach. Why should there be any death? Why would they have to die? Wouldn't they just be hurt? Can they survive?

But they don't care about us. They didn't care if the other girls were sold off and violated by bastards.

They didn't care.

You hated them.

Quickly, you pushed your rage and anger towards the men who kidnapped so many girls. So many defenseless innocents.

"I'll do it."

"I thought so~ When we get there, the entire area isn't guarded. I had already cut a hole in the fence, we have to make it through in quick pace. We must stay close together at all times."

"But . . How do we get away from here? There aren't any directions."

"Ah, yes, but, there is a railroad track for transporting girls and the rich buyers. We'll follow that road. It all leads to one town, so we're good. Before I was captured, I heard of a distant orphanage that housed. . . Strange. . Children. We'll go to there. It's called . . If I recall. . . 'Grand Chase Orphanage', a weird name. The saying is 'Forever chasing dreams, without parental guide', or something like that. I guess it fits. Anyways, we'll go there."

You nod, easily comprehending her outburst of information. If you two stick together, you two might just make it out alive.

If not, it'll mean certain death.

But death is better than life, in this chase for freedom.

You're in line with the other girls. They're terrified, scared, horrified, and you blend right in. Acting was always your forte- And it was also Amy's too, you've realized. You look around as you grasp Amy's hand. The warmth reassures you, you turn to her and she smiles.

You wonder what it would be like to kill someone.

You wonder what it would be like to taste the air of freedom.

It's been a week, and in that week, there was already a smell of decay emanating from the room. Countless girls were beaten, tortured, ridiculed, and starved. Many had bruises, many were crying. It was torturous- and it has only been a week.

It wasn't according to calculations.

In a game like this, nothing can be predicted by calculations.

You walk with the other girls. The smell of uncleaned bodies clogged up your senses- The smell was disgusting. There was already lice infesting your hair. You couldn't stand it. . .

In desperate times, it calls for desperate measures.

"Desperate measures" always meant death.

It's a simple act, really. Poison them before they know what's coming, then let the poison do the work.

One. Clean. Swipe.

You blink, the dust getting in your eyes didn't bother you anymore.

"Psst-"

Amy tugged at the hem of your skirt. You ducked down into the crowd of girls and tumble quietly and swiftly towards some nearby crates. Amy stepped out of the line, which put the attention to her.

When you got settled into the crates, you signaled her that it was clear- You could see the two men clearly. Rigid bodies, tall, and dangerous. Their uniform was a dirty green colour; the colour of mulch and dirtied grass. They had caps- which thankfully only covered the top of their heads. The cloth was clearly woven tightly together. It'd be extremely durable and hard to stab through, but the poison was highly reactive. Your target was the neck. Don't make any other moves.

It was a one-hit shot.

It had to be.

Amy cheerfully acted her way, impressing you even more.

"H-Hey! I have something to show you! My new daddy gave me paper and a pencil, and I drew a pretty picture! See? It's me and butterflies and flowers!"

She gave a bright smile.

"No no no! You aren't looking!" she pouted, "Come on! Look closely! There are tooons of details!"

She beckoned them to squat, and as they did so. . .

You pull your fist into punching position, poisoned knife in the ring. Quickly rushing forward, in a blur, plunging into the soft flesh of his neck. As the blood rushed onto your body, the feeling of exhilaration flared over in a passion- Red. Their blood was red.

You wanted to laugh in joy.

It was so pretty.

You quickly glanced at Amy, who was having trouble with the other man.

He pushed her down to the ground.

He was ready to punch.

He was on her.

You couldn't forgive it.

Ripping your poisoned blade from the back of the man's neck and disattaching it from your ring, you threw it in a haze of anger and heat. The man's beautiful colour came from his back. It surged out in a single wound- so much in one blow.

Deadshot.

You rushed in a fury, taking the knife and stabbing him over and over, wanting to giggle all the while. It felt so good; so so good- Taking back what rightfully belonged to you. A gorgeous garnet-red liquid poured from his mouth. The gemstone-like blood surged out violently, spurting on the cold, debris-littered ground.

Grabbing Amy, who looked at the extermination in horror, you dragged her. Running on adrenaline, you quickly saw where the open hole in the fence was. She was in shock- was it really that terrifying?

You shook her as she regained her thoughts.

"Y-Your-"

She couldn't talk. Whatever you looked like, it must not have been pleasant.

"The little bitches did this!? Bullshit! Find them! Tear down the place if you have to! Find them!"

Amy was suddenly brought into her senses in an instant. She clung to Lire's unbloodied hand and ran with her, though the foliage and overgrown grass. It was damp and murky, but it was fresh. Both of you were running as far as you can, only thing powering you two were adrenaline.

It hurt.

It was sweet.

You quickly stopped at a railroad. The gravel hurt your feet, though they didn't bleed. You dropped to the pavement and caught your breath. Sweat lined your forehead, your hand was bruised a bit by how tightly Amy had woven her hand around yours.

Amy.

"A-Amy! Are you okay!"

You looked over to Amy, who was panting just as hard. She looked at you, a tired smile appeared on her face.

"We got out. . . I'm happy."

She stopped at the sight of you. You whipped behind you, readying your ring, but there was nobody.

"You're. . . Red. There may be a river somewhere nearby?"

Red?

You quickly run your finger along your cheek and took a look. Red. Blood. It was still wet. .You need to wash this off, you think. It's so wrong. . .

But why does it feel so. . . Free?

You're going insane, you think.

You're a freak, you think.

You're a killer, you think.

Salty tears part ways in the liquid- Uncomprehending why you're crying, a confused sob breaks out.

"I. . . I- I!"

You let the tears fall. You didn't want to kill, you didn't want to enjoy their bloody, God damned screams of horror. But it was the truth.

Suddenly, there was a flood of warmth. Something squeezed you with kindness. A beautiful surge of support came from the embrace.

"T-Thank you. . . Lire. You got me out. I'm happy now."

Amy smiled brightly.

"Let's continue," she helped you up, though her feet probably ache even more than yours, "I think we can reach the place without any problems. I hear water- it must be nearby."

You nod, blinking tears from your eyes. She doesn't think you're the monster you thought yourself to be in that moment. You're her friend, and she's your friend.

Friendship is a beautiful thing.

As you walk with her, supporting her footsteps as she supported yours, you think that it'll turn out fine for you both.

.:: Though what of the costs? ::.

And there you have it! A bloody oneshot featuring the growing friendship between Amy and Lire! Be sure to check out Neverhurt. Please also review! c: I want to hear your opinions.

-/10 Originality

-/10 Plot

-/10 Interest

-/10 Quality

-10 How much could you connect with the cararacters?

(other opinions and thoughts you wanted to add)

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I would very much appreciate it!