It was nearly time. The sigil was inscribed on the ground, the candles were set to be lit, and the offerings were arranged on the altar. Jade eyes turned toward the western horizon, squinting against the fading light of dusk. Soon it would set, and the moon would rise in its place.

"We've waited a long time for this…" the onlooker observed, "Far too long."

She stood, moving to a platform that sat opposite the altar across the glyph and sitting cross-legged upon it. Her eyes closed as she held her hands cupped together. Words of an ancient tongue passed her lips, an incantation to summon her familiar into the circle.

She hated putting him through this. The last time they tried to perform a ritual similar to this, it had ended in disaster. It was years ago, back when she was much more green and far more selfish and cruel. In order to become a full-fledged witch she'd needed to summon a familiar. Most ended up with simple animals, maybe a demon or a small dragon, but she? She had summoned and bound a boy. A boy whose life had been stripped from him within an eye's blink.

And how poorly she had treated him. Like a slave really. She worked him until his fingers bled and he had no choice in the matter. As a familiar he was bound to her will and had to do whatever she commanded of him despite his own objections. She belittled him, she degraded him, she abused him both in private and in public. And he couldn't fight back, because a familiar couldn't hurt their summoner.

The ritual in question that was supposed to be performed should have increased her power ten-fold and that of her familiar as well. She'd studied it for weeks preparing mentally and physically as she gathered everything else she would need. It would need to be done on All Hallow's Eve at the height of the witching hour, when a full blood moon hung in the sky. She had set up her offerings, laid out her glyphs with candles in all the right places, and sat across from it as she did now chanting her summoning spell. Her hands glowed and her familiar was summoned right in the middle of the glyph as a barrier of light rose around its outer edges - the candles lighting with flames. She remembered how beaten down and tired he'd looked, though she couldn't remember the exact circumstances as to why.

But as she began to chant the words she had taken nearly a month alone to memorize, something was wrong. What she failed to realize was that the ritual required a witch to already have established a powerful bond with their familiar. or the consequences would be dire.

But he wasn't like most other summoned creatures, and she lacked any bond with him beyond the soul link any witch shared with their familiar.

As a result the ritual went awry. He was cursed, and her powers were drained to nearly nothing. He transformed into a monster and attacked her in a bid of uncontrolled rage, gravely injuring her though it shouldn't have been possible. She had blacked out not long after the attack, finding herself walking in a dark void. She came upon a bright light and she felt compelled to venture into it, yet when she tried, it burned her. She tried to push through it, but the further in she tried to go, the more it felt as if she were slipping away.

'You cannot go beyond that light,' a voice had told her, 'You who have not earned such a right, who have treated those you would call allies with cruelty and contempt. You do not deserve paradise.'

Her knees gave out as parts of her began to disintegrate and fade. Her body shook, staring up into that bright light as tears formed in her eyes. She was going to fade away into nothing wasn't she? She was going to disappear into the void forever, and no one would remember her. Her face dropped into her hands as large tears fell and a great sorrow gripped her.

'We will offer you one more chance,' the voice continued, causing the young witch to look up in shock, 'You must right the wrongs you have caused. You must lift the curse upon the boy, and set him free. Only then will you be allowed into paradise.'

The next thing she remembered after that was waking up with a weak gasp. The ceiling of a wooden structure had greeted her. Her body felt sluggish and unresponsive, but she was alive. In her peripheral she had spotted a hint of blue. It'd taken every ounce of willpower she possessed just to turn her head in its direction. She spotted the boy sitting in a chair fast asleep. She blinked, hazily remembering that the last time she'd seen him, he'd been anything but what sat in front of her right now.

She remembered trying to say his name, weak though her voice was. He seemed attuned to it, or sensed something had changed, for her opened very tired looking eyes and was by her side in an instant.

"You're alive…" he said, his voice hoarse. Had he been crying?

His hands, lacking gloves, clasped one of hers. Her eyes followed down his arms, widening slightly when she saw the scars he usually hid. His hands were covered in them. Were they because of her? They had to be. Just how much had she really put him through with everything she'd done to him since they met?

"I'm so sorry…" he apologized, "I-I couldn't…c-couldn't…stop…It just…I couldn't…I c-can't…"

His grip tightened and he bowed his head. He tried to hide his face but she could see new tears following old stains down his cheeks. Guilt wracked him, consumed him, and she knew it was all her fault. Bile rose in her throat as she realized the weight of what she'd done, the curse she'd unknowingly foisted upon him.

"No…" she told him weakly, managing to squeeze his hand just a little, "My fault…and…I will fix it…you have…my word…"

She remembered blacking out again soon after. Healing had taken weeks and she'd been left with permanent scars over her face, chest, and right arm as well as blind in one eye. Her magic had taken even longer to recover, and all the while he would transform every night and be forced to leave her lest the creature try and take its anger out on her that the daylight side hid away. She had so much to fix, and it started with mending their relationship bit by bit. Beyond that, there was only one way she could sever their bond as witch and familiar, for once the connection was made the link was permanent. Only the death of one or the other could cut the cord, and she wouldn't condemn him to such a fate.

She started as soon as she was well enough to walk again on her own. Slowly, because he feared her. He feared disobeying the witch, that she would bring her wrath down upon him as she did in times past. It was hard on both ends, because old habits die hard and she sometimes found herself needing to force herself to stop before she hurt him or said something awful. They both feared judgment, and she feared the wrath of the higher beings that had bequeathed her an undeserved second chance.

She started with little things where she could: doing chores she'd usually assign him, giving him time to roam where he wanted, making meals for him here and there… He always remained wary around her, like she would rescind her promises at any time. She worked further toward mending bridges and trying to build trust: finally giving him his own room to sleep instead of the closet she'd 'allowed' him in the cellar where it was dark and cold, little gifts of things she found out he liked if he was admiring something when he thought he was alone...

The beast was always there lying in wait. Soon as the sun set it would rip itself free and try to attack her before running off. She couldn't control it like she had been able to with the boy and she already knew it could harm her. More than once it'd tried to attack her, and more than once it'd been successful in its attempts at harm. It couldn't be reasoned with nor calmed, and each night was a fight for survival til sunrise if he didn't get far enough away in time.

But she persisted. He began to warm up to her little by little - not in fear but something else. She couldn't be sure if it were friendship, or merely tolerance, but it was a step in the right direction; He didn't immediately tense whenever she entered a room. They began to work together on chores and even have small conversations while they worked. He still shied away from any attempt she made at physical contact or flinched whenever she unintentionally raised her voice, but the frightened stares eventually became a thing of the past.

When her magic had begun to return, it was weak at first. She had been so out of practice since her near-death experience had drained her of nearly all of it that even simple spells were a strain at first. But she practiced, and she studied. She researched the spell she had messed up so badly, and counters for the curse she had wrought upon the boy. Years passed, for the full moon on All Hallow's Eve, let alone a full blood moon, only happened every so often. The boy would be stuck with the beast for a long time before the next opportunity would arise.

She watched him grow, ageless herself yet time changed him each passing year. He grew from a boy into a young man, and she worked ceaselessly to build up the bond they should've had after she'd first bound him. They grew closer as friends and an unexpected result also had the beast become less aggressive toward her. He had gained some semblance of control over it and it had become almost protective of her to a point its aggression turned on would-be intruders or any that posed a threat to the witch.

But the time for a trip down memory lane was over as her spell weaving summoned the young man within the glyph. Her gaze met his, jade meeting emerald and a pang of guilt laced through her heart. She'd stolen so much time from him. His childhood was gone, she'd kept him from any family he'd had, cursed him to a monster's skin at night…

And yet despite such a heavy truth all he did was look at her with that lopsided grin of his that had started to make her heart melt as of late. He knew what the ritual entailed: an attempt to banish the beast from within and right the sin she had committed years ago. What he didn't know was that the counter spell she'd memorized was fatal. It would cure him and break their bond, at the cost of her life.

"Is it time already, boss?" he asked with a surprisingly chipper note, "And here I was thinking I could eat a nice meal before we were about to begin. I didn't even have time to dress up for the occasion."

She rolled her eyes, a small smile passing her lips. "Your clothing would have ripped anyway," she quipped right back.

"Yeah well, what can I say. I get RIPPED at night," he replied, making a silly pose pretending to show off muscle on his lanky form.

She would miss this. It'd become something they did with one another, these little back and forths. He'd really opened up in the years since, and she found she very much liked him in ways she'd never thought possible. Witches weren't supposed to be able to develop feelings for their familiars, but then, theirs wasn't a normal bond between either party.

"Sonic…" she began, stepping down from her platform and approaching the glyph's light barrier.

He looked at her with confusion, stepping up to the boundary between them. She had to look up to see him now if she weren't floating, as he'd grown much taller than her since they'd first met. He'd grown so handsome, from the azure fur to the tanned muzzle to that cocky grin of his that made her heart skip several beats.

"What is it boss?" he asked cheekily, but when he spotted a growing sadness in her eyes, the tone immediately shifted, "Ames…?"

That pet nickname he'd decided to start using recently in his usual attempts to playfully annoy her… Why did he have to use it now?

"In the…possibility that this should fail, I just…want to apologize. For everything I've ever done to you, for the pain and abuse, for the curse: Everything."

"You've told me all this before you know, right? I've already said I forgive you." He smiled again, trying to get her to do the same. "C'mon, chin up already, okay? Your spell's going to work. The beast'll be gone and then things will go back to how they were yeah? Just, without all the stuff in the beginning when we first met. I like how things are now. When the creature is gone we can just go right back to that and we won't have to worry about it ever again right?"

She didn't answer right away, fighting to hold back tears. It took everything she had to keep them from falling and to force a smile onto her face. "Yeah," she finally agreed, "One last time." One last transformation, one last spell, then her oath would be complete, and he'd be free of her forevermore. "Are you ready?"

As she asked that the sun had finally disappeared beyond the horizon and the pain was setting in. "N-not like I…have a choice right? Heh…"

He tried to put on a brave face for her, but she knew how much it truly hurt him. Through their link she could feel his immense pain, had seen how debilitating it was for him.

She ascended back onto her platform as his body transformed before her, growing in muscle and height even as he sank to his knees. His fur shifted in hue to that of the midnight sky, growing longer and thicker while lethal claws elongated on his fingers and toes - bare as he'd worn nothing this time around - and dagger-like fangs extended within his grimaced mouth.

The moon had begun to rise and she began to chant ancient words linked to the ritual that would heal his curse. The spell was quite complicated, and would take quite awhile to perform. She needed silence in order to concentrate, so he'd agreed to go into a light trance after the change had completed. The following howl signified its end and he felt his body grow heavy, as if he were exhausted. He let himself fall asleep, soon feeling a weightlessness - as if he were disconnected from his body. It left him a lot of time to think.

His thoughts wandered back to when they'd first met. He was just a child when he'd suddenly been whisked away from his home. He remembered how young he'd been, how frightened. To be bound against his will to a witch, and treated like a slave, less than an animal. He couldn't even describe how much she had tormented and mistreated him, and sometimes he still had nightmares over the abuse.

Then the accident happened on Hallow's Eve night and it was as if all of his anger and pain had manifested itself into a terrible beast that had attacked her and nearly taken her life. He'd permanently scarred her, taken the sight from one of her eyes, and she'd nearly died from the attack. He'd been horrified with himself and had taken her somewhere he thought she could heal properly. Immense guilt caused him to stay nearby at all times, even when he had to escape when the night let the beast grow strong enough to rip itself free. It shouldn't have been able to attack her to begin with, but it was an entity that existed outside the rules of being a bound familiar - at least enough that it could hurt the witch.

Her physical healing took months. He had started to fall back into his servile role, but she would tell him no. He would have no choice but to obey, and she would try to do the chores on her own. She started doing things for him: meals, little gifts, time to do whatever he wanted… He thought it was a ploy of some kind, and rightfully had been incredibly wary around her. She still had frightened him and he would flinch and cower whenever she raised her voice.

But…she began to change. She would realize she was raising her voice and force herself to soften it. She would catch herself when she was about to yell at him for his mistakes, and instead would try to gently guide him back onto the correct course. And though he would shy away from her touch, she would never lay another violent hand upon him.

Her magic took longer to recover, and the ritual they needed to undo the curse upon him needed another full blood moon on All Hallow's Eve - an event that wouldn't happen for years. It was hard to live with the nightly form, but as time passed and he grew older, they eventually became friends. She gave him as much freedom as their bond would allow, and she no longer used it to force him to do her bidding. He had a choice, though he couldn't stray far forever as the familiar's bond forced them to seek one another out before long. She couldn't send him home as she had no way to locate his family, though he didn't mind so much anymore. Maybe they could try finding them later, after the whole curse mess was solved.

Somewhere along the way, the two of them had started to become friends. He started to open up to her more and more, showing a more confident and cocky side of him she'd never seen before. Likewise he''d started to see how kind she could actually be. He'd learned of the kind of environment she'd grown up in, one that looked down upon kindness and friendship. She was actively trying to change though, and he knew how sorry she truly was and how much she wanted to fix what she had caused.

Lately though, something within their relationship had shifted. He felt something more for her, and it manifested itself within the beast as well. Instead of trying to attack her, its behavior had shifted to that of protection. It would attack anything that it perceived as a threat and it found itself desiring to be as close to her as possible.

Perhaps though, that would be giving it far too much credit. They were hardly separate entities anymore, for Sonic had learned to better control it. He could speak through it, albeit with struggle, and he could impose his will over most of its instincts. Sometimes they would leak through into the daytime, and he felt an overwhelming urge to be closer to her. He fought it as best he could, though the feelings only grew stronger. They started slipping through more often - a lopsided smile, a playful nickname… It became harder and harder to deny. So maybe, once the whole ritual reversed the curse, they could perhaps spend more time really getting to know one another. Perhaps they could even become something more than just friends.

His thoughts trailed off when he sensed something shift. Perhaps through their bond he could feel it, but it was enough to rouse him from the light trance. The beast's eyes opened and scanned the area to try and figure out what was going on. The light of the glyph was intense and he could feel it enveloping his form. It was gentle and warm, unlike the last time he remembered going through it where it had been cold, grasping, tearing him apart from inside. He approached the edge of the ring of light, a barrier preventing him from advancing further that rose skyward. He squinted through the light trying to find the witch, eventually finding her silhouette floating above her platform.

He smiled to himself thinking he was imagining things, venturing back to the glyph's center to wait and watch the moon rise into position. It was definitely full and quite red. It was strangely relaxing and he closed his eyes to breathe in the night air. He inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents the night had to offer. The grass, the pine needles, the smell of the fall leaves, a herd of deer passing just beyond the treeline out of sight, the stream nearby…

And her…

She smelled like strawberry and rose tonight. No perfume, no make up, just…her. It was his favorite scent, and one so intoxicating. A single whiff was enough to drive his instincts to try and move closer to her. He did his best to ignore them, though it didn't stop a vivid blush rising on his muzzle as he opened his eyes again.

The moon was in position overhead now and the light of the glyph and its barrier had dimmed somewhat and turned the same crimson color. He could see the witch through the barrier now, much clearer as the same light outlined her like an aura. He felt the curse beginning to weaken its hold on him, already dulling his beastial senses. Before long the rest of it would recede, and he'd be able to greet her as a man that wouldn't pose a threat to her safety again. He found himself very much looking forward to it.

But something was wrong. An immense pain not his own gripped him. He doubled over, dry heaving as his legs threatened to collapse from beneath him. What was going on? Why was she in so much pain? She shouldn't be in this much pain and his rapidly growing worry had him venture to the barrier's edge agan. He put his clawed hands to it, noticing the claws were beginning to recede in length.

"Ames?" he called out in a rather deep gruff voice, "Ames…what's going on? Why…why are you hurting?"

He saw her just beyond the barrier floating above her platform. He could make out better details now that the light wasn't so bright. He tried to get a better look to see what was happening only to hear her involuntarily scream. The pain he sensed through their link grew stronger and it was enough to make his knees buckle. He fell to all fours, panting slightly as his eyes turned upon her again.

"Ames?!" he called more frantically, "What's…what's going on? Answer me…please!"

He felt his fangs beginning to shorten along with his fur, but his attention was wholly on her and her well-being. He squinted harder, finally getting a good look at her. She was incredibly pale now, her form looking gaunt and hollow.

"Amy! Tell me…what's going on!" he demanded.

Her eyes looked upon him, a broken smile lifting her lips as tears slid down her cheeks. "I suppose…there's no point hiding it anymore…I'm dying."

"What?!" he exclaimed, "How can you…be dying?! The spell didn't…do that last time!"

"Because this counterspell demands life in payment," she confessed, "The spell will release you - from the curse, and from me. Once I die, the connection forged when I first bound you…will break. Your life will finally be your own again…"

"You're going to…to die?!" he repeated, "No! No I…I don't want that!"

She laughed sadly as another wave of intense pain shot through her, turning her even more pale than it already had. It wouldn't be long before she passed on. "That's…that's the connection talking," she said, "I'm sure you'd love to be free again…"

"But you…can't control the beast!" he argued, tears starting to brim in his eyes as his voice began to lose that feral tone, "It attacked you…half-blinded you! Familiars…can't hurt their summoners! But it did…I did! This isn't because….not because of the bond! I don't…I don't want you to go! We were supposed to…supposed to…after…I wanted to…to…"

"I'm…sorry Sonic…this is the way…it must be…"

She hadn't the energy to speak anymore. She could feel herself slipping away, her listless eyes beginning to go blank even as the smile remained on her face. Almost there. Almost time… She'd fulfill her oath as promised, he'd be free, and her spirit wouldn't fade into oblivion.

"No!" he roared, "I…I won't accept it!"

He could feel her dying. Could feel her slipping away. He didn't want this! He wanted her to stay! He didn't want her to die! He didn't want the ritual to complete! He wanted her around! He wanted to see her smile again, laugh, cry, and everything in between!

He started banging on the barrier with all his might. It burned when he attacked it but he didn't care! His incredible strength was fading and he nearly doubled over again as things began shifting back into place where they belonged in his daylight face.

"Let me out damn it!"

He threw himself at the barrier with all his might. He clung to the edges of the curse with every ounce of will he had. If driving it out was what was killing her, then he wouldn't let it complete! He'd live with it for the rest of eternity if he had to! He wasn't going to let the Fates take her away from him!

He dropped to all fours, sweat dripping down his face. It matted his fur and mixed with the tears in his eyes, stinging them. He panted from the exertion, but the beast wasn't gone yet. He was hanging onto it for dear life, calling upon all the strength it had left. He threw himself at the barrier again and again, but it just wouldn't budge!

But the glyphs! If he messed them up it would mess up the spell! He took to smashing the ground up, breaking up the glyphs she had so pain-stakingly carved into the earth. He shouldn't be able to interrupt the flow, but the beast was another entity entirely. Neither of them knew everything it was capable of, but he'd found out its capacity for messing up glyphs by accident one day when she had been practicing with them for the day the banishing ritual would be performed. The form wasn't gone yet! He could still stop this!

The magic began to flicker the more he destroyed. The barrier lost its strength and he was able to destroy the candles that helped hold it strong. It dissolved, the light faded, and the witch dropped onto the platform with a thud. He raced to her side, renewed pain in his body lacing through it as the beast's form returned in full. He fought through it to get to her side, lifting her fragile body as gently as he could into his arms.

"Ames…please…" he begged, tears streaming down his cheeks, "Come back…"

But she didn't open her eyes. Her body was limp, no pulse thrummed in her chest, no breath came from her lungs. Her body was cold, face pale as death. She was gone.

"No! NO! GIVE…GIVE HER BACK TO ME!" he roared to the heavens, "SHE'S MINE! GIVE HER BACK!" His head dropped as he hugged her close. "Give her back…please…"

In the void the witch found herself approaching that same light as she had years ago. She approached it, warily taking a step within. This time, it didn't burn, but it felt as if something barred her from going forward. She tried to push against it, but it refused to budge. Why would it not let her continue? She'd kept her oath and freed the boy, was that not enough?

'He is not free,' the voice she remembered so clearly spoke into the void, 'You did not fulfill your promise.'

But how? That wasn't possible. She'd followed the ritual for the countercurse dutifully. She had forged a true friendship with him and helped him to open up again. She had given her life to free him from both the curse and her! Was that not enough? What more could she possibly do?!

'He broke free. The curse yet lives within him,' the voice continued, 'Though you have forged a bond of friendship and trust, you enacted an even greater cruelty unto him, unaware as you may've been.'

The omnipotent being allowed the voice of the boy through. Anguish like none she'd heard gripped her heart. She'd never heard such melancholy from him before. The sorrow clawed deep into her soul, enough to draw tears from her incorporeal being. She fell to her hands and knees, shaking. How could she not have seen it? In all the time they'd spent together, how could she not have noticed he was falling for her? It should've been so obvious, from the beast wanting to be close to the pet names to his subtle attempts at flirting with her. She'd been so focused on making things right for him that she hadn't even noticed the shift in their relationship, hadn't even tried to consider whether this was something he truly wanted. And now it was too late.

'We are willing to grant you one last grace, for you to fix your mistake. Do not make us regret it.'

She hadn't a chance to even consider the words before she suddenly felt herself falling. Before she realized what happened, the witch inhaled a sharp gasp followed by several shallow breaths. The beast loosened his grip, enough to allow him to cradle her in one massive arm.

"A-Ames…?" he asked hesitantly.

Though she smiled weakly, the color was already returning to her cheeks. A choked sob came from his chest and he hugged her against him.

"Don't ever…ever do that to me again…" he said.

"But the curse…" she whispered, causing him to pull away just enough to look at her, "You…could've been free, from it…from me…"

"Not…if it means you die…" he replied, furrowing his brow, "I'd rather live my life…stuck with it than without you…"

"But, if you lose control…"

"To hell with it…" he replied, "We'll…we'll figure things out. But…without anyone having to die… I want you around…I like you being around…Please don't…don't ever leave like that again…"

She might've been about to say something but whatever the words were they caught in her throat when he suddenly kissed her. A deep scarlet rose on her cheeks and she didn't know how to react, yet she didn't pull away either. She shouldn't be allowing this - beyond the fact they were summoner and familiar, she would outlive him and never age. They couldn't, shouldn't, be together beyond friends.

Yet, she allowed herself to indulge and return it. Right now, she didn't care. He was right, they'd figure things out, but for the moment, she wanted to see if she returned the feelings he harbored for her. If the rapid beating of her heart and the heat of her cheeks told her anything, it was that yes, she felt something for him too, and she wanted to be there with him for as long as the fates would allow.