Thanks for all the reviews! ^-^

I realise I should probably put warnings on these chapters just so you guys will know what the hell you're getting into and when you should run. (I would have suggested running at the first chapter but I forgot.)

Sorry about all the slow updates...

Warnings: Violence, Blood, slight feels. Probably failed fluff, depends on how you look at it. And uh, close character death? You're welcome. :}I'm a sadistic little fuck, I know.

~Chapter 4 of Chained Heart~

Their movements were in perfect sync. Star would blast the monsters in front of them and any monsters strong enough to withstand her magical attacks or manage to dodge/sneak up on them, Marco would immediately act as Star's shield, protecting her from further harm.

He didn't know how he did it - maybe it was the adrenaline of battle or the invisible link that had somehow discreetly formed between the two without them noticing, hell, maybe it was the fact that he felt safe, happy even, when he fought alongside Star, acting as her shield, but he had somehow managed to forget his pain entirely. His injury was still there, that was undeniable - if the mass of blood was anything to go by - but the pain had seemingly faded away.

For a split second, the pair's eyes locked together. They shared a look. They could both feel it. It was as if they were hypersensitive to each other, feeling the other's movements before they actually followed through. Their hearts beat in perfect synchronization, their souls side by side.

Despite their perfect synchronization, no one saw the darkness. The darker inner turmoil, threatening to destroy that sacred bond.

After all, the stars had to shine through the darkness of endless space to reach our planet while some stars were enveloped entirely by the darkness.

Marco jumped up above a monster's fist and quickly, using a sort of combo move, jumped off the monster's fist to avoid Star's attack which he earlier sensed. He landed on the ground, crouching immediately at the next fist that came his way. Instead of jumping up to attack, he remained on the ground as Star's next bolt flew overhead.

Marco flipped up, back-flipping and landing next to Star. His wounds stretched painfully at the action and Marco was immediately reminded of his injuries. In the midst of the battle and with the adrenaline flowing through his veins, he had genuinely forgot about his bleeding stomach. He wheezed as he landed, his vision blurring slightly but he immediately shook it off. He couldn't afford to slow down now...

He could practically feel Star's worried gaze as she most likely sensed his pain.

"Marc-." She started.

"I'm fine," Marco immediately stated. "Don't worry about me."

"But you're-."

"Now isn't the time," Marco sent a sideways glance to her, returning her worried glance with a determined look. "I'll be fine, Star. Sure, it hurts a lot, but that's it. I can't afford to slow down now. You should understand that," He stated, his determination following through their bond. Star blinked, sensing the unwavering of his heart. She nodded, accepting how he felt. She quickly blasted a monster that had managed to get close to them, although she didn't actually pay the monster any attention as she shot him away.

"Alright. I'll leave you be. But if it gets too much, tell me, okay?" She asked. Marco nodded, a smile on his face.

"Thank's for trusting me," He stated.

"How can I not trust you? You'e my best friend and- MOONLIGHT SUN BLAST! I'd trust you with my life at any moment," She smiled. Marco could feel the warm comfort radiating off her and despite being in the middle of a battlefield, he felt safe and she felt secure. They would always be there for each other...

They were one and the same.

Star yelped as the ground thudded. She froze, as did Marco as everything suddenly went quiet - excluding the crackling of fire. The monsters before them froze as well, wide eyed and fearful, although their eyes held... Respect?

Marco backed away from the monsters, his earlier feelings of security vanishing. He stepped next to Star just as the ground shook once more, this time sounding closer. Both Marco and Star nearly tripped as the ground trembled.

"Marco... What..." The ground shook again, and this time Marco fell to his knees, clutching his stomach as the pain returned, the adrenaline fading.

"What is that?" Star whispered, her voice full of fear. Marco looked up, eyes fearful and full of panic.

"I don't know..." He whispered back, scared that his voice would attract whatever was causing the violent tremors. The monsters they had been previously fighting lined up, as if waiting for their commander. Marco's eyes widened.

"Star. We have to get out of here," Marco stated, his mind realising what was happening. Star crouched down next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This just got worse. I think that's their leader and I don't know about you, but I don't want to meet who or what that is," Marco explained. Star nodded, looking up.

"Let's find some survivors and get outta here." Star helped Marco up, allowing him to use her to gain his balance. Marco smiled once more before releasing her, finding his own sense of balance and keeping himself up. The two stood up, turning around to run in the other direction, only to run straight into Redturner. Marco crashed to the ground. Star let out a scream of surprise as Redturner grabbed her as she too fell to the ground. Star struggled fruitlessly, desperately trying to free herself from the monster's crushing grip. Her wand lit up, but as Redturner restrained her arms, she was unable to get a clear shot of him.

"Star!" Marco cried, jumping up, only to be tackled from behind. He face planted the floor, his body skidding forward slightly, mud and rocks prickling his skin and aggravating his wound so much that he let out a cry of pain the second he connected to the ground.

The bond between Star and Marco seemed to fade away, leaving Marco not only absolutely physically drained but both mentally and spiritually. He groaned. Had his body been hurting this much the entire time? Or did he just not notice it? Either way, it hurt.

Blinking, Marco regained his focus. He couldn't afford to be distracted now, despite the agonizing pain. He felt his arms being pulled back behind him, something attempting to restrain him. Marco weakly tried to resist but he wasn't in much of a position of power to do so. The ground trembled again and this time, Marco bounced off of the floor, falling straight back to his stomach. The monster's grip was released as whatever it was seemed surprised by the trembles. Marco hissed in pain. He could hear Star struggling in the background, desperately attempting to escape Redturner's monster death-grip. Judging from the sounds, she was clearly failing. Her struggled ceased for a couple of seconds when the ground trembled but she continued mere seconds after, albeit more violently than last time.

Marco rushed to his fist, only for that same monster to grab his arms and kick his knees from underneath him. Marco let out a yelp as he was forced to his knees, his arms thoroughly restrained behind. Marco grunted, trying to pull his arms from the monster's grasp. He let out a sigh of defeat as he allowed himself to be restrained. He couldn't fight back, not yet at least. He felt far too weak to be able to do that. His body ached and just keeping his eyes open was a struggle. His breathing was labored, exhausted from the earlier battles. He lifted his head, scanning the monsters around him. Even if he couldn't move, even if he couldn't fight now, he'd fight eventually and when he did, he wanted to know exactly what he was up against. Counting silently and slightly straining to turn around due to his body restrained, Marco managed to count the monsters around. 12, excluding Redturner and the one behind him.

The shaking had grown extremely violent by the time Marco had managed to finish counting and before he even realized, a towering figure stood behind him. Marco gulped as the shadows blocked out the light. Marco looked up at Star before him who had frozen in place, staring up at the figure behind Marco with a look that could only be described as absolute fear. Marco dreaded turning around. He could feel the dark magic radiating. He blinked, realising he had begun to shake. Luckily, he had his back to whatever monster was behind him and suddenly he felt extremely grateful. Taking a deep breath, Marco forced himself to remain calm. Whoever or whatever was behind him, he'd face. Not that he had a choice in the matter, but he'd face them anyways. With Star by his side, he was sure. He could do anything as long as they were side to side.

Marco's limps protested as he was pulled up, before being spun around and forced back to his knees. He took another deep breath. He had to keep in control. He couldn't afford to lose here. If not for his sake, then for Star. He had to protect her. He forced himself to look up, determination burning in his eyes. Although the determination in his eyes wavered for a second, it came back just as strong. If anything, it became stronger as it was fueled by the absolute fear that struck Marco. His breathing hitched in his throat.

Perhaps he should reconsider his original analysis. He and Star were strong without a doubt, there was no questioning that, but they had never, never experienced something as powerful as this before.

Before him, stood a gigantic red and black monster that had to at least be 50 feet tall. Horrendous seething claws could be seen clearly and the monster had various spikes prodding from its form. Marco's gaze lingered on the monster's terrifying claws for a couple of seconds - they looked like they could claw through a skyscraper with no trouble at all - before his gaze moved to the the black horns sticking from the head. The demonic pitch black eyes with red slits. The slits glowed, giving off an even more demonic impression. Despite the deep shadow upon the monster's body, blocking most of its features from sight, the only thing Marco could see clearly was those demonic eyes.

Marco almost let out a whimper of both and pain and fear before he suppressed it. No way was he going to stoop so low. He may be absolutely terrified, but that didn't mean that he'd given up.

But as the terrifying monster moved its demonic eyes towards him, staring down at them with small regard, as if they were nothing more than insects - which Marco oddly found believable considering their size compared to his - Marco feared for his and Star's life. They had faced various threats before. But none were this dangerous and none were so far away from their level. They were far too outranked here.

"What is this?" The monster bellowed. Marco winced at the air around him vibrated. 'Just his voice is so powerful...' Marco thought in dismay.

"Fighters, my league. They have resisted us so far," Redturner spoke with authority. Marco struggled to turn around, attempting to see Star. She was still frozen in place but it looked like she was just about regaining her senses. Marco snapped forward once more as the monster began reaching down, its giant hand reaching out for him and Star.

I'm sane! I promise I'm sane!

Nope... I lied.

So, there will be no fluff whatsoever next chapter. Unless, you guys somehow manage to - in your complete and utter despair - find a way to change Marco's protectiveness into fluff. Although, I doubt there'll be any of that either. It's a fight for survival in a way. Besides, they can't do much. ;3;

Reviews? :3