Nightmare: Chapter Two

By Harmony283

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in ToL, I only own the plot and the OC's that appear in this fanfic, so please don't steal them.

Authors Note: Well here's Chapter two, and yet again, this was just as hard as the last chapter. Unlike last chapter, which started out with Jay and Moses, this one starts with the meeting of the two OC's appearing in this fanfic. Though one of the OC's had to go through a gender change, since that seemed more natural IMO. -cough- now then, on with the chapter…

Warning(s): Language and whatever else was warned in the last chapter.

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Cruise ship off the coast of the Legacy:

The waves lapped roughly against the sides of the cruise ship, the wind caressing its sails as it made its way towards its destination: the Legacy. Thunder rumbled overhead and the clouds darkened in pretense to a storm. As the ship began to rock in the churning waves and the clouds began to pelt the wooden deck with its salty tears, one door opened.

A young woman of about twenty two stepped out onto the slick deck, gripping the railing for support as she made her way to the bow of the ship. Her face was hidden by a large, white cloak, which blew in the wind, whipping at her legs violently. From what could be seen, it appeared that she was wearing some type of blue dress, and her skin was extremely pale.

The woman sighed softly, staring out at the foggy visage of the ships destination, her eyes, which were the only thing visible beneath the shadow of the hood, showed a kind of sadness in their cerulean blue depths. She sighed again, clenching the railing even tighter.

She bowed her head, as if in prayer, "Please, Nerifes let him be here," she choked up, "This is the only place left to look. If he isn't here then…then that really must mean…that they were lying to me…"

The sound of another door opening and closing made her look up. She whirled around at the sound of pounding footsteps on the slick wood of the deck, followed by an audible 'thump' and a loud cry.

The figure of a boy, no older than thirteen, could be seen sliding across the deck floor, flat on his face. He skidded until he reached a particularly thick piece of rope, which lay strewn across the deck obviously moved there by the rocking of the boat, and the wind.

The boy sighed loudly and sat up, rubbing his nose before standing up on shaky legs. He then made his way over to the older woman in a similar fashion, gripping onto the railing and staring down at the raging sea with great dislike apparent on his face.

When he reached her he ran his fingers through his slightly damp, silver hair and grinned awkwardly, "You know, you should have told me you were up." He stated before quickly turning away, his hands momentarily clenching and unclenching the railing in front of him.

The woman sighed, "Well I could have, but you looked like you were enjoying your sleep."

This caused the boy to flush and grip the railing even tighter. He looked away before he spoke, "But it's my job to protect you."

But he didn't sound too confident about saying those particular words.

The woman shook her head, "But you can't protect me if you haven't been getting enough sleep." The woman placed a hand overtop the boy's gloved one, causing him to look up at her, "Besides, you're still young. Your uniform is still big on you."

The boy turned away once more, an annoyed expression now on his face, "B-But I'm proud to wear my Gardoria uniform!" then he looked down, "Even if…I'm in the lowest class…" he sighed softly, leaning his chin on the top of the railing, though quickly straightening up as another boom of thunder crashed somewhere close by.

The woman shook her head, staring out at the ocean, "Yes that may be true. But they have confidence in that you'll do your job well." She turned back to face the boy, smiling sweetly, "And I have confidence in you as well. So don't make me loose that confidence by hearing you talk like that."

The boy blinked, his grey-blue eyes widening as the woman spoke those words. He then smiled, looking up at the darkening grey clouds over head, "Well, if you think I'll do okay, then I guess I will."

A gentle breeze rushed by, ruffling his hair. He closed his eyes, a gentle smile forming on his lips, "The breeze feels nice."

He then opened his eyes, staring once more out at the foggy ocean surrounding them, "but it feels like…it's going to rain…again."

A moment of silence passed between the two, and not too far off the sounds of seagulls could be heard, flying overhead unseen through the ever thickening fog. The waves started churning once again, lapping at the sides of the boat, rocking it back and forth. The smell of both saltwater, and rain filtered through the air.

The woman blinked and looked up at the sky, "Yes…it does feel like it's going to rain."

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As soon as those words left her mouth, a particularly harsh gust of wind rushed at them, causing the hood of her cloak to fall. Her light blond hair, which was placed up in a loose bun, whipped around her face, threatening to come out of the band holding it in place.

The boy groaned, "Yeah…it's going to rain…and it's not going to be pleasant." he turned to face the woman, concern showing on his face, "And you really shouldn't go around without your hood up."

The woman smiled and nodded her head, pulling the hood up to hide her face once more, "Yes Feral, I know," she looked up at the sky for a final time, before closing her eyes and redoing the clasp that held her hood firmly in place.

"It really does…feel like it's going to rain."

The door to the Hospital swung open, letting in both cold rainwater, and other debris. Senel, Chloe, Norma and Will ran in just as another flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Sitting in a chair near the front door to the hospital was Elsa. She jumped up when she saw them, rushing over and handing them some towels that she had had in her lap.

"Are you okay?" She asked, handing each of them a towel.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." Senel took the towel and quickly dried off his hair, which was yet again matted down to his forehead, causing water to drip in his eyes, "Do you…do you know how Shirley's doing?"

Elsa shook her head, "Father's looking into it now." She looked down at the ground sadly, "I wanted to help, but he said it was too dangerous."

Chloe shook her head, "Then it probably was. He would be devastated if you were to get sick again," she smiled, placing a wet hand on the girls shoulder, "But it's the thought that counts, right?"

Senel smiled and nodded his head, "Yeah, Chloe's right, thanks."

Else flushed at the praise, bowing her head deeply, "Th-thank you…!" she straightened up and looked at each of them, "But I really…really wanted to…do more," she shook her head, "But that's besides the point, right? How are you all feeling?"

Norma shook her head, "How fine can we feel with all this rain? And it's cold…and of course we're sopping wet, how do you think we feel?"

Everyone just stared at her after she said this. And she stared right back.

"What?"

Will walked up so that he was standing right next to her, he lifted his hand, balling it up into a fist, and hit her on the head.

"Ouch! Hey Teach that was mean!" the brunette cried out, waving her arms from side to side, resembling a bird.

"Yes but it was necessary. I think we all know how we feel. But no one said we had to voice it."

"But it's true!"

"Dad's…dad's…right…" a familiar voice stated from the doorway.

Everyone turned around to face the doorway and they gasped, "Harriet?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

Harriet shook her head, fixing her hair pin, "Yeah but I wanna…I wanna see Shirley too…"

"Speaking of which can we even see Shirl?"

"Norma…"

"What? Oh no, don't hit me again Teach…I mean…I'm right again, right?"

Will just bonked her on the head again, shaking his head from side to side, "Watch what you say. Do I even need to tell you that?"

"Well I was just curious! And like C said! Shirl's our friend, and they won't even let us see her now! And after we came all the way here too!" she waved her arms back and forth, resembling a Peepit(sp?) who had lost the ability to fly.

And almost as soon as she had started this act, she stopped.

"Ahem."

Everyone turned to face a woman dressed in white with sun-drenched blond hair and sapphire eyes. She was obviously one of the many nurses that worked in the hospital because of her attire. She wore a white button up blouse, the tradition triangular hat that one in the medical field wore, a stethoscope hung around her neck and a brown clipboard with various papers clipped to it in her hands.

She also had a single ring, a pearl ring, on the ring finger of her right hand. And she looked annoyed. She squeezed the clipboard tighter and walked forward.

"May I ask why you're making so much noise?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, curly locks of blond falling over her shoulder.

"We--" Senel started

"I--" Norma tried to start, but shut her mouth as the womans harsh gaze fell on her.

"This is a hospital you know? Please keep it down. Yes I know it's raining but if there really isn't a reason for you being here, then I suggest you leave. And Elsa," she turned to face the brunette, who hid behind Chloe, "You really shouldn't be up and walking around. Remember what happened the last time you overexerted yourself?"

"I-I know but…"

"Excuse me," Senel stepped forward, "But is there any way we can see Shirley Fennes?"

The nurse blinked confused, she looked down at her clipboard and then back up at the white haired Alliance Marine, "well she is here…but why do you want to see her?"

"We--"

"She isn't taking any visitors now. The doctor's aren't even sure what's wrong with her."

"Wha--" Senel clenched his fists, "What?"

Chloe saw this and stepped forward, "Ah, we're…we're friends of Shirley, is there any way at all that we could see her?"

The woman once more tilted her head to the side, this time in the opposite direction, "I…can't say…for sure, but I can take you to the room she's in."

She turned and walked past them, pausing at the stairs before turning back to look at them. She seemed slightly startled now, "But why would you want to see the Marines?"

"I said before, we're her friends."

"Is that a problem?" Senel cut in, stepping towards the nurse.

"Ah, no, it's…not…it's…come, it's up these stairs…" She turned around quickly and made her way up the stairs, seeming almost nervous.

Everyone watched her climb a few steps before following her. The last two to follow were Will and Norma.

"Jeez…it looks like someone has some issues."

Will shook his head, "But you do realize it's mostly your fault, right Norma?"

Norma shook her head, "Yeah well, she didn't have to go all uppity on us, besides, no one's stayin' here besides C, Ellie, and Arnie, she's just over reacting."

Will shook his head, "And how would you know if anyone else stayed here?"

"You mean I can just ignore all the empty rooms in this place like they didn't exist? Now let's hurry up! We're gonna miss seein' Shirl' if we hang around here too long…and sorry I won't help an old man up the stairs."

And she was soundly conked on the head again.

"I am not an old man. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Norma groaned, "Whatever Teach."

They then walked up the stairs towards were the main hospital rooms were.

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"But Jay!" Moses called out, chasing after the younger teen through the pelting rain. A minutes later, and Moses was left, panting, his hands on his knees, keeled over. He looked back up long enough to see a blur of purple ahead. He shook his head, pushing his wet bangs out of his only good eye, calling out, "Jay…slow down!"

He watched helplessly as the purple clad boy ran farther and farther away from him, "Dammit," he clenched his fist, "Maybe I was a lil' too forward…"

FLASHBACK (20 minutes ago)

The candle flickered in the lone room, dangerously close to going out due to the howling wind outside--close to leave the two teen's in utter darkness. The rain picked up, pelting down on the roof of the small cottage, the only sound between the two males was gentle breathing.

Until, of course, Jay shivered.

Moses looked down at him, smiling gently, "Are ya still cold Jay?" he asked, squeezing the boy tighter, causing him to gasp.

"I--yes, I suppose I am." Jay muttered, looking away from the redhead.

"Well then this," Moses gently tugged at one of the saturated sleeves of the ex-assassins outfit, "should come off."

Jay glared up at him, a hint of annoyance in his tired violet eyes, "And I said no." His voice was cold and he pulled away from the beast-tamers embrace, "Besides, I don't see how taking off my clothes would make me feel any warmer…or better." He crossed his arms over his chest, shivering once more.

Moses grinned, "A'course it'll help! Especially since you won't feel much better keepin' them on." He looked over at the beds, "And it's not like we ain't got nothin' warm to sleep in."

Jay flushed, "'we'?"

Moses nodded his head, his grin widening, "Yup! The best way to keep warm is to sleep together an' share body heat!"

Jay's face flushed even more, "There is no way I would sleep with you."

The redhead's face soured, "Aww c'mon Jay! You can't hate me that much…can you?" he added the last part with a bit of uncertainty, eyeing the boy to see what his reaction would be.

The only reaction he received, though, was a very loud sigh, "I can try can't I?" Jay stated, shaking his head from side to side.

Moses' face fell, but he perked up immediately, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Fine then, I'll just have tat show you how warm you'll be!"

Before Jay could even form a single word--or even make a noise of protest against the older male's actions--Moses had gripped him by his shoulders and proceeded to push him down on the nearest bed.

"AH! Moses what the--w-what are you…?" he blushed and watched helplessly as Moses crawled over him, tugging his shirt up, causing some water to seep out onto his already wet skin.

The bandit made quick work of the golden neck-brace, tossing it somewhere off to the side, making a clanking sound as it hit the floor. He then pushed the hem of the purple, quite large, shirt up even more, grinning as Jay's face reddened at the action.

"See you're warmer already." Moses stated, placing a hand on the pale boy's cheek, feeling the warmth of the blush there, a soft smile on his lips.

"B-but Moses…" Jay tried, looking away even more forcefully than he had a few seconds ago.

The bandit studied the boy's pose for a second, examining his clothing closely, watching how it stuck to his body.

"Hmm."

Jay turned to face him a confused look on his face, "Wh-what…?"

"Life your head."

Jay's eyes widened, "WHAT?"

Moses shook his head, "I can't get your shirt off." He said, making a point to tug at the hem of the strategist's shirt.

Jay's eyes widened as he realized exactly what Moses was trying to do. He started to struggle, "H-Hey! Stop! No!"

He brought his knee up; hitting the bandit where he knew it would hurt.

And it worked.

Moses quickly jumped off the bed, staggering backwards and glaring at the younger boy.

Jay sat up, grabbing his neck-brace from off the floor and slipping it on, straightening his shirt before jumping off the side of the bed. He ran over to the door and opened it, causing rainwater and wind to come into the small room.

Moses watched as the raven-haired boy ran out into the rain, wincing as he tried to stand, "Jay!" he cried out helplessly flinching as the sound of thunder resonated through the room and the air outdoors.

A particularly strong gust if wind swept through the room, picking up the sheets of one of the bed, and rattling the old set of chairs in one corner of the room.

The candle went out.

FLASHBACK END

Moses sighed dejectedly, "Yeah, I think I did go a lil' fast for 'im…"

Meanwhile Jay continued running, his raven hair flying behind him, the rain blurring his vision. But he had to wonder…was it really rain?

Or was it tears?

Jay slowed down, breathing hard, he then looked up at the sky, letting the rain fall down on him, soaking through his still saturated clothing even more. He touched his cheek with a shaking hand.

'So I really am crying.' He thought to himself, feeling the warm tear slide down his cheek.

"B-But why?" he whispered, "Why?"

He fell to his knees, not caring that he was cold, not caring that a monster could possibly attack him…

A crunching sound could be heard from not too far off, the ground quaked as an unseen monster made it's way towards the unsuspecting Jay. Though the boy did suspect it, or at least he had felt the tremor beneath his feet, looking up and in the direction of where the monster was coming from.

And there, standing not too far off, was a Lion Giet.

Jay just stared until the monster moved towards him, the ground quaking underneath with each massive step it took. It was like Jay to be scared, but for some reason he couldn't move, and his hand was still bleeding from earlier. That, of course, meant he couldn't fight with his dominant hand. But that didn't mean he was completely incapable of protecting himself.

'And there's no way that stupid bandit could catch up to me…not that I want his help or anything.' Jay thought, shaking his head from side to side, 'He's the last person I'd ask help from…and yet…and yet he's always the first to ask if I need help…'

Jay shook his head violently, moving plastered wet hair away from his cheek; 'Just because he's the first to offer doesn't mean anything.'

He glanced up warily at the monster. It didn't appear to be moving, but whether or not that was a good thing, Jay couldn't tell. He examined it as best he could from his position on the ground, trying to find a wound that could be impairing its movements.

But he didn't find one.

He sighed softly to himself then, deciding that it was best to try and move instead of look like dead or wounded prey. He tried to stand but fell back onto the ground. The monster took another step forward, seemingly grinning at Jay's show of weakness. Soon it was right in front of him, and Jay still couldn't move. He watched in silent horror as the monster roared, wishing he could cover his ears. The monster turned its attention back to him, and seemed to smirk. It opened its mouth, taking in a big gulp of air…

'This isn't good…it's going to attack me, and I doubt I can last long…especially since I can't even move.'

Suddenly, a few seconds before the monster was to release its attack, a spear came flying through the air. It hit the monster; square in the head, sticking there with the pointy end halfway imbedded in the monster's skin. It cried out in agony, lashing about while Jay tried to stand for the third time.

He was about to fall again, when he felt an arm wrap around his waist, catching him and steadying him.

"You okay, lil' bro?" Moses asked, his voice gentle.

Jay turned away, "How can you call me that after what you just did?" he asked, his face tinted red. It would seem almost selfish to ask that, because honestly he could be making a big deal over nothing…but this was Moses. And if Jay knew anything about Moses…he was right in saying those few words…right in knowing that the bandit had wanted to do something less-than-appropriate to him.

All the while Moses just blinked. His eyes then softened and he cupped the boy's cheek in a callused hand, turning it so that they were facing each other. He then ran his thumb over the boy's bottom lip.

Jay's eyes widened at this and he finally complied, turning his gaze towards the redhead. His eyes moved over him, trying to read his expression. Moses smiled as he did this, not saying a word.

"What…what do you…want from me?" Jay managed to stutter out, confusion, and yet knowingness written on his face, showing in his eyes.

His face reddened as the space between them lessened.

"One thing," Now Moses was mere centimeters away from Jay, he leaned down, placing Jay on his knees, watching as the boy's plum colored eyes widened. He leaned in, whispering in his ear, "A kiss."

Jay wanted to move, to tell Moses no. But he couldn't speak, and his leg's felt cemented to the ground beneath him. All he could do was sit there, on his knees, fisting the ends of his sleeves all while leaning against the bandits arm for support.

Rough fingers made their way under his chin, tilting his face upwards, causing Jay to take in a sharp breath. He closed his eyes, as if trying to shut out what was about to happen…how his body was reacting.

But with the closing of his eyes, another image appeared; this one of a similar situation…except for with a different person…and a different time…

An eleven-year-old Jay ran through a darkened hallway, fear evident on his face. His clothing was wet and torn in places, and various scratches, some still bleeding, littered his face and hands.

He suddenly stopped; backing up as a figure made it's way towards him. It was a man…it was Solon.

'Oh my, Jay, how obedient of you, running home right after training,' his eyes scanned the boy's figure, 'I see it must not have been a good training session, neh?'

Jay shook his head, 'No…sir…it was…okay. These are from running through the woods.'

Solon smirked, 'Ah, I see. Hmm, that's good,' he moved to where he was standing right in front of the boy, he quickly turned and shoved him into the wall, 'I would be worried if the training was too rough.' He cupped the boy's face in his equally as pale hands.

'M-Master…? What are you…?'

'Shh, Jay, don't worry, I won't hurt you…' the man brought his face closer, his grin never leaving, 'And I do love it when you call me Master…'

'Ma--mmph!'

Solon's lips fell on the younger boy's own, pressing him even harder into the wall. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, but when Solon pulled away, Jay was shaking, breathing hard.

'Now Jay…come with me.' Solon turned away from the raven-haired boy, walking a few feet down the way he had come.

'M-Master…why…?'

Solon looked over his shoulder at the boy, 'Hmm, I wonder as well. A boy like you doesn't know a thing about love,' He smirked, 'But I'm willing to give you some…now come, and don't ask anymore questions.'

Jay shuddered as the memory passed, but he kept his eyes closed. He was worried though, about the sudden memories flooding back. Those memories that he had sworn to tuck away, to forget even though he knew it was impossible.

'But why is Moses…why am I thinking of Solon so much now? I got away from him just fine…I really did. Why can't I just stop thinking about him? Especially around Moses…'

He felt Moses hesitate, and almost scowled. Moses really did know, in a certain way or another, how to make someone annoyed. The fact that he had initiated this and yet seemed to not know what to do…

'Who am I kidding, I know more than he does…probably even more about what to do now than he does. But I'm sure he…doesn't want to hurt me…'

Jay paused in his thought, mentally slapping himself, 'Wait, what am I saying? I don't want this! He can just stop whenever he wants to! It's not like I have a say-so in this kind of situation anyway!'

Fortunately for Jay this 'situation' didn't get to last much longer. A particularly loud cry from the monster in fromt of them made that painfully clear. Both Moses and Jay turned away from each other, as if now realizing what they were about to do…or at least Moses had just realized what he had almost done.

Jay had already known what he had been trying to do.

"Crap, an' here I thought I had gone an' killed 'em." The redhead muttered, drawing a spear and standing in front of Jay.

"I can fight too, you know." The raven haired boy stated, glaring at the bandit's back, his face screwed up in annoyance. He hated being treated like he was a weakling, like he needed to be protected…even if he really did need to be protected.

And the fact that the bandit was the one who was treating him like this made him even more annoyed.

Moses turned his head to his side, looking back over his shoulder, "Can ya even stand?" Jay blinked, surprised by the sound of his voice. He actually sounded serious.

"Of course I can stand—" Jay did just that, though his legs were shaking badly.

"Sit back down Jay an' let your big brother take care o' this." Moses threw yet another spear at the massive monster's head, causing it to fall to the ground. Moses then turned to face Jay, who was still standing, but was breathing hard. His hands were crossed over his chest.

Moses grinned, "So? I told ya I could take care o' it!"

"Hmm…you did a well enough job…"

'But you definitely have gotten better.' He thought to himself, 'Not that I'd ever say that to his face though…'

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And there's the end of Chapter Two. Okay, yeah, I said that this chapter was hard. But the hardest part about it was figuring out where to cut it off. I got so wrapped up in writing it, that before I realized it I had written 21 pages. So this one's 10-11 pages, and the next chapter'll be a little shorter (since nothing ever turns out as long when you type it on a computer). Also thank you VERY MUCH to those who reviewed! It makes me really happy that someone likes what I wrote! Like I said in the last chapter, CC's welcome, Reviews are loved, and they equal faster updates--so R&R please!