Error waits until the Rainbow Inks could understand fully his words, before beginning his plans; he got the aid of as many Sanses as he could to babysit seven of the Inks, while he took one away.

For the first time, he just took one to visit Ink's Garden, since no one wanted to call that area a grave and it was a green space with lots of flowers that Dream planted- Error had wanted to surround Ink with his flowers, but liked them for his moon.

Ink's Garden was built in the centre of the Star Council HQ, only a few miles away from the housing estate the members lived. Here he spent an hour with each Ink; Error would just let them draw or paint.

After spending eight hours with them in total, Error still had to go work both jobs, helping with universes grown, fight art blocks, destroy a glitch universe and patching or updating other ones; while his sons were sleeping during the nights.

Of course, the glitch got himself out of the pattern of sleep once again, as he had done in the Anti-Void. And kept this up for a month, before deciding to move a little further, taking them to the city.

Error always took them in this order: Red Ink, Yellow Ink, Pink Ink, Green Ink, Orange Ink, Purple Ink, Blue Ink and Lilac Ink.

Today was the day.

Error was taking the first one out for a whole day, while the others stayed behind.

"*remember what i told you?" Error asks Red Ink, who was holding tightly onto his hand.

"*When Papa calls Red Ink, Papa in talking to Red Ink no one else but Red Ink." Red Ink replies with a bright smile and was happy when that smile was returned.

"*good boy red ink." Error praised pleased that this was already going well. It took five months before they noticed and grasp the change, it seemed that they had a memory of a goldfish...

"*Where is Papa taking Red Ink?" Red Ink asks glancing towards the portal, then gazes over his shoulder to stare at his other selves, who already looked bothered by the fact that they had to remain at Dream and Nightmare's home while he got to spend the whole day with their beloved father.

Error flinches at this, he was pleased that they had learned to recognise their own names -at first, they kept getting mixed up- but he was a more upset that they would address themselves in the third person, instead of using 'me' and 'i', in the end he learnt to deal with it, however, it still made him feel like a little bit of a failure.

"*well. i want different things for different inks." Error told his son, even after all these months, he still found it strange having only one with him, "so i asked a bunch of sanses of put some activities that not art related. you alright with that red ink?"

"*Of course Papa! Red Ink is happy with this!" Red Ink answers with a bright smile, he lets go of his father's hand and wraps his arms around Error's middles, leading his skull of the hip. Error pats the child of the skull.

"*this is the place." Error announced, causing the child to look towards the building, "it's a tennis court. here we will learn how to play tennis."

"*Ten-is? Red Ink does not know what this is." Red Ink told Error, cutely tilting his skull.

"*tennis is a sport's game. we hit a ball across to each other. er. over a net. with a bat... i think." Error explains plainly; truth was, he had never played tennis, he had never played any kind of sports; he would rather curl up with a book or do research on something.

Error frowns in thought, was fighting classed as a sport? He was self-taught if that was the case.

The glitch leads his son over to the main entrance and on walking in, sees the desk to the left and heads over; there was a male bird monster seated behind there, he had bright yellow feathers, along beck and small black beanie eyes.

"*hi." Error asks trying and failing to keep his voice glitch and static-free- there was a corkboard behind the desk, explaining coaching lesson for beginners with the programs they ran. "can we get a quick lesson? for first-timers."

The bird frowns at him, he slowly slid his eyes downward then upwards, then downwards. Those black eyes lingered on Red Ink for a moment, before quickly going back to Error's skull.

A fake smile crosses the bird's beck.

Error did not care, he once remembered Ink saying he looked like a hobo, so he was used to being stared at in universes that did not know him. And he had chosen this universe because they should never have heard of Error.

"Of course sir!" The bird says voice strained, he seemed to be twitching, "you're going to have to wait while our other beginner finishes up! Then the coach who does those lessons will be with you."

"*sure. whatever." Error mumbles, he hated interacting with new monsters. If not for his sons, he could be a recluse, going out only to do his job... like he had done once upon a time.

"Can I get your name?" The bird said quickly before Error could turn towards the lobby's waiting area.

"*error." Error told bluntly, then nods to his son, "this is red ink."

"Redink." The bird said looking at the skeleton child with interest, causing Error to be on alert, he had checked this place beforehand, it was a peaceful universe where monsters had never been trapped, but even these places had their dangers.

"*Red Ink not Redink." Red Ink told the bird unhappily, he did not like this monster.

"Sorry. Red Ink. Are you well today?" The bird monster said, suddenly he spots someone and waves them over, "please Red Ink. Wait for us."

Error took those words as a sign to leave the front desk and sit down.

Error sat closes to the wall, he had thought Red Ink would get his sketchbook out and draw, yet for some reason, he took a seat next to him. And then sat not still and silent. Another alarm bell went off in Error's skull.

Being the paranoid schizophrenic that he was, he glances around, checking where all the exits were. While he would normally fight to the death in any other case, with Red Ink with him, he was not afraid to run. Pride be damned.

Error and Red Ink wait for about ten minutes before a fire monster calls them over, waving them into a room.

Error did not take Red Ink's hand, instead walks in front of him, to shield him from any attacks.

On reaching the door, Error blinks, realizing just how silly he was being. And no doubt scaring Red Ink by his behaviour, in fact, that might be the reason the little skeleton was so silent.

Still, Error walks in through the door and was immediately grabbed by two creatures from both sides- he glitches badly and cries out in static at the sudden contact. Just because he was used to the Rainbow Inks jumping all over him, does not mean he was over his haphephobia.

The two on him forces him to the ground while he reboots, then pulls his arms behind his back.

While this was going on, someone had grabbed Red Ink and was dragging him away.

The child never uttered a word but was rattling loudly.

It was the intense rattling that made Error's reboot go quicker.

Soon he blinks through the ERROR signs; then was a knee digging into his upper spine...

With a rage Error summons a wave of bones below him, years of battling meant he had trained himself to do this without the use of his hands- in other words, at will.

On standing he roars out in rage, glitching wildly he began his attack. The painful shouts of mercy were not listened to.

DX ~ XD

Error bends over and drank deeply from the water fountain he found of the tennis court's ground- it was cool and refreshing.

On straightening, he looks down at Red Ink- the little skeleton had clung onto his leg and was refusing to let go.

The old skeleton felt bad, not for the dust he caused, but for the fact that Red Ink had seen him dusting monsters. As well as killing humans. Blood was always harder to get out than dust.

Then the glitch gazes around at the damage he caused- the whole building had been half torn down, places even were on fire.

With a heavy sigh, Error bends down again, this time taking hold of Red Ink and bringing him into his arms.

This was not the day out he had planned.

However, he had found out why he had been targetted. That dumb bird had thought he was a hobo who kidnapped Red Ink, so had called the police.

"*let's go home. we'll try again another day." Error spoke up, at last, he had heard police cars, fire engines and helicopters in the distance.

Red Ink nods and wraps his arms around Error's neck.

"*and red ink. don't share ya memories with the other inks. okay?" Error asks as kindly as he could, wanting this to be a request and not a demand.

Red Ink nods again, burying his face into his father's collarbone.

"*and please. don't ever kill again." Error told him firmly, "the choices ya make reflect on me. ya father. so until ya grow up and able to make ya own choices. disarm. don't kill."

"*But they were hurting Papa." Red Ink said, at last, there was angry in his tone, but not towards Error- never towards his beloved father- this angry was directed towards those monsters who caused his strong father to become frozen and to cry out, almost like he was in pain.

"*i know. but promise me. that ya won't do that again." Error asks his voice softening, "i am strong. no matter how many times i am beaten down. i will stand back up. ya only need to wait. i will teach you and ya brothers how to defend yourselves. and when ya all a bit older. to fight. and i'll be more aware of my outward appearances. so this will not happen again. red ink. this will never happen to ya again."

The noises were getting closer, so Error turns away and heads towards some trees, he wanted to be sure Red Ink understood how important this was before heading back home; and if he wanted to say anything else.

"*... but I can not share this with Red Ink's other selves?" Red Ink said with a deep frown, he had not lifted his skull out of Error's collarbone.

"*ya can tell them. with words. but not share ya memories. red ink. those memories belong to you. red ink." Error answers, glancing towards the skies were three helicopters came into view- the wind caused the trees around them to bent.

"*Memories belong to Red Ink." Red Ink mumbles always sadly, "That seems lonely Papa."

"*son. i'm not saying ya never to share ya memories again. or to break off ya link. just a few memories keep for yourself. just red ink." Error explains as best he could, he felt it was time to go.

Opening a portal, Error entered quickly- reminding himself that he could no longer kill off universe just because he did not like it like he used to. The universe itself had nothing wrong with it. Still, he knew this was going to be a place where he would shove his rotten food in from now on.

Error blinks when he came through the portal, staring in shock at the utter shambles Dream and Nightmare's home was.

"*what the hell happened?!" Error shouts loudly, making Red Ink lifts his skull, "we were gone for three hours!"

Turning he sees Dream, shaking a finger in the faces on seven unashamed little skeletons outside the rubble of his house.

Once seeing Error, they disregard whatever Dream was saying to them, rushing over to meet

XD ~ DX

In another universe, a sleeping skeleton's fingers twitch. A slightly frown appears and vanishes as quickly as it came. The skeleton did not like the dream he was having.

And what was more, there was nothing he could do to help. Only watch from the sidelines as his favourite skeleton was manhandled roughly to the ground. An odd sense of rage washed over him, that did not come from his paints.

The fingers twitch again.

And he gains his power to the little skeleton whom eyes he watched through.

One thought in mind: Protect Error.

XD ~ DX

Inks were their names. But Red Ink was his name.

It belonged to him.

Gifted to him by his beloved father.

Red Ink explains through his mind what had happened up to a certain point. And they, in turn, understood why they kept this to themselves. They also understood that their father would be asking this from each other them the next time they would be taken out.

Then with his own words, Red Ink told them everything, not leaving anything out. Red Ink felt the emotions of his others washing over them.

The Inks went on to explain to him with their own words, that they had felt that he and Error had been in danger- that they had a strange power go into them. That was why they began attacking the house, in search of Error.

The Inks could not use portals like their father.

They also knew that it was their 'mother' who had given them the power to do this- while they lost contact with their other parts when going into another universe, they never lose contact with 'mother' no matter where in the multiverse they went- they wondered if their 'mother' would teach this to them how to use portals...

But before that, they will prank Dream for not listening when they told him something was wrong with their father- that stupid adult could have easily gone to check and have saved Error the pain.

Red Ink silently watches his other se- his brothers- he could hear them plotting. The skeleton kept his word to their father. Keeping these memories locked in his own mind- the things that happened, the words his father had told him, he would never forget. And he will learn to fight, to protect.