Author's note: Bonjour! So here's the next chapter! I'm thankful to Wolf'sbreath92 and DoceoPercepto for reviewing, you rock! This took too long to update. Mainly because I haven't been that motivated, it's just like every time I sit down to write there's something to distract me. Ugh.

Marx: Excuses…shame on you!

Dokeshisan: Shut up! You aren't even real! So anyway…Chapter title is totally irrelevant, but from the song Alice sung by vocaloid Miku Hatsune. It's the only vocaloid song I can write to, strangely.

11

You Must Go There Alone

Dee's line of sight was directed downward as our eyes met. She pulled her parasol down to conceal her face, acting like she hadn't seen me and kept walking. I took a couple of steps in the same direction but she continued to ignore me. I then yelled her name a few times, still not conjuring a response. The rain kept beating down on everything, making the only sound. My whole body was soaking wet at this time and I could barely feel anything. I shouted to Dee one last time.

She came to a halt, turning to face me. I shivered and sneezed, hoping to get attention. Dee heaved a sigh before strolling over to where I stood. She wrapped her arm around my quivering body and pulled me underneath her parasol. I snuggled into her, hoping to warm myself, but she turned out to be ice cold as well.

After only a few seconds Dee shoved me slightly so I stood on my own. She seemed to be angry with me, so she must've seen everything that happened with Grill and I. If she did there was no way to tell how she would truly react. Just now, any person would be angry. I would have to wait for a while until the shock wore down, when she could finally realize that the person she loves is horrible on the inside. She would probably hate me for the rest of my life, just like everyone else does. Once she'd come to that decision, I would be alone again. Though this was expected, since I could never hang onto loved ones for very long.

I noticed, after a long time, that we weren't walking anywhere, but standing in the middle of the street. Dee was staring at the sky as if it was on fire, ignoring the thing I'd just noticed and my very presence.

"Dee," I mumbled in a raspy voice, obviously from the laughing just a short time ago, "Dee, are you going to hurt me? If you are, please do it now. I want to be punished." My head felt like it was spinning with pain and regret, and I needed that to end. If I was punished, I figured this would be lifted.

"What are you talking about?" Dee patted my head, acting like nothing happened. She gave me a tight squeeze, pulling me along with her as we finally began to move, "I wouldn't hurt you."

We were quiet for some time as the rain continued to pour down at the same pace, if not more harshly. I peeked at Dee from the corner of my eye as she swayed slightly with her parasol. She appeared to be delighted, though I'm not sure what this feeling's cause could possibly be. If anything, she should've been infuriated or depressed. Why did she insist on being happy? In the end I decided it would be best to stay cautious, just in case her mood suddenly shifted. It was always good to be prepared, so the element of surprise wouldn't affect me. I needed to expect everything.

Dee turned to me and placed her paw gently on my forehead. "Oh Marx," she whispered, stopping, "you have a fever! You really need to learn to take better care of yourself," there was an awkward pause as she studied my whole face. Her brown eyes examined each one of my facial features, being careful not to miss anything. When she was finished, she shifted the parasol so it covered me more than her.

I pouted in response to her actions, but she seemed not to mind. We continued down the street, once again drowning in silence. I noticed the rain was less intense than before, though it could've been my imagination. If it kept up like this, the town may be flooded. No, that was probably the least of my worries.

At last we reached the avenue where Dee's home was situated. It looked much different than earlier now that everything was soaking wet and grey. Puddles were even deeper here and I feared that either Dee or I would fall in one. She glanced at my worried expression and giggled, hugging me with one arm. I twitched at her touch, but kept walking along with her.

"We're home!" Dee shouted as she closed her parasol and began to unlock the door. I fidgeted and took quick glances at our surroundings, not really paying attention to what my eyes saw, as my mind was on other things.

"Marx, did you hear me? We're home," Dee waved her paw in front of my face and I didn't respond, "are you okay? Do you feel sick yet?"

I shook my head violently, making myself dizzy. "No, I'm okay. I just feel sleepy, and hungry too. So um," my body shuddered with the cold still in my bones, "I'd like some hot chocolate."

Dee gave a warm chuckle. "That isn't really food, but okay." She shut the door behind us, heading for the kitchen just after we entered.

I waited on the bed eagerly for her, bouncing up and down a few times. Being with her made me nervous too, and I really didn't want to be here. To tell the truth, I just wanted her to hate me eternally, because that was what I deserved. Having someone love me despite my horrible personality just increased my stress. I felt as if I needed to live up something, even if I didn't need to do that. Even now it was like I didn't belong here with Dee. I wasn't worthy of it.

A sudden warmth hit my right cheek. I turned to see Dee was on the bed next to me with the hot chocolate, blowing the steam off the top. She made a happy expression and inserted a straw into the drink before sticking it in my face. "Here you are, Marxy-Marx! It's vanilla flavour!" she paused, "But then, I think it should be called hot vanilla. I guess that doesn't sound as good though, does it?"

"No," I murmured, taking a small sip through the straw. It tasted more like a sweeter version of milk than hot chocolate, it didn't even taste of vanilla. Somehow it still managed to have an excellent flavour, however.

"Do you like it?" Dee asked. She sounded so hopeful, but there was something else in her voice as well.

I looked into my cup, then smiled at her. "Yes, it's amazing," a silence followed my statement and I sighed heavily. Dee nudged my side so I looked at her happy expression, "What is it?"

"Um," she waved her arms around, flustered as usual. I waited patiently for her continuation, "love is like an orange! It's bland on the outside, but when you peel it you see it's actually sweet! Er, it's sour sometimes too so…" her voiced trailed off after this sentence.

"What?"

Dee shook her head with a horrified expression on her face. "Oh no! I just hear things like that in the anime I watch sometimes…no wait!" she took a deep breath to calm herself, "alright, I'm sorry for sounding strange. I just want to make you feel happy because you look really sad."

My face softened and a small giggle escaped my throat. "That's very kind," I whispered, taking another sip of hot chocolate. Dee was still studying me carefully, causing me to feel self conscious. As soon as I finished my drink, she took it into the kitchen for me, returning with a napkin. She hesitated, then wiped my mouth with it as gently as she possibly could.

"Done," she announced as she finished, throwing away the napkin. Her paws reached under the bed (which was almost virtually impossible) and pulled out a book. She sat down on the bed next to me, holding the book in front of herself.

I studied the beaten, dusty cover for some time before realizing Dee wished for me to say something. "What is this?" I questioned.

"My favourite book of all time," she explained, turning to the first page. The letters written inside were almost illegible, "my mother read it to me before she died, and my aunt did too. Dad refused to for some reason, probably because it reminded him of mom."

"Your mother died," I whispered in a voice I doubt many could hear, "I didn't know that. Was this book…hers?"

Dee waved her paw in my face. "Don't sound all sorry! This belonged to my great-great-great-great grandmother. I think it's the only one in existence and I want to share it with you." She held it above her head, acting as if it was the most holy item in the world.

"Okay," I agreed, pausing to process this, "wait so, is there a reason why you're doing this now?"

She stared at the book as if it would answer these questions for her. Eventually she looked up at me. "I just want to show you something that makes me happy! It has a sad ending, but it's a very nice story! If you ever have free time, it's going to be here on the nightstand." She placed it on said nightstand, then slumped back down onto the bed.

I bit my lip, desperately trying to clear my anxiety. I felt as if I should say something, though had no clue what that could possibly be. Something comforting, maybe? But why should Dee need comforting if my soul was the one more damage had been given? She shouldn't, so I scowled at her in an attempt to show my emotions. Dee gave me a puzzled expression which soon transformed into one of affection.

"Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" she asked as if she didn't know. Of course she understood my feelings, seeing that voice she possessed earlier. Her feelings toward me were obviously negative.

"No," I replied, surprising myself with how frightened I sounded, "no, nothing is your fault, Dee. In fact I think you're perfect, and I'm sure everyone else does too." I directed my gaze to my shoes. The spite I injected into my voice was meant to offend her, even if it was only in a subtle way. By the look on her face it seemed that I succeeded.

She attempted to object twice, but in the end she was looking at her feet as well. Her paws made a few gestures towards me, almost as if she was trying to give me hug, though nothing came of this either.

I stared into her face, hoping for a reaction. Dee didn't respond to my actions, instead continuing her solemn stare at the floor, as I was doing earlier. She released a sigh though did nothing else, much to my dismay.

"Dee," I whined, feeling perplexed, "have you ever noticed that your name is really unoriginal?" as that sentence escaped my mouth I punished myself mentally. That wasn't what I meant to say at all.

"Unoriginal?" Dee pondered this for a second before giggling, "it's a good thing that isn't my real name then! My full name is Deandra, but I tell everyone to call me Dee! After saying that for years I guess no one knows my true name, except my father and aunt. And you, of course."

That was something to latch onto. "Oh, that's interesting. I never imagined that your name was something else! So I guess you can call 'Dee' a nick name, right?" I smiled hopefully. If I could just change the subject, everything would be great. She wouldn't try to make me happy anymore, as that would just lead to her asking what happened today with Grill.

"Yeah, I suppose," Dee sighed while placing a paw on my forehead, "Marx." She stated my name for seemingly no reason.

I sat there like an idiot for a moment, then realized she was expecting my reply. "Yep, that's my real name! I don't think you can shorten it any more than that!" the cheerful tone in my voice sounded forced and it was far too obvious that I was trying to please her.

"No, that isn't what I want to say," she shook her paw in my face, as she usually did, "I wanted to ask what you were doing in the rain with Grill. It looked like she was crying."

The moment following Dee's statement was one of the worst I'd experienced in my whole life. It was like time slowed and I was suspended in the air by a breaking string. With one word, after time went back to normal, everything would come to an end. I would be alone again, with no one to care for me and nothing to love ever again. I would have nothing in this world to live for anymore. My life would be an empty pit and people would probably resort to teasing me for it, as they did in the past.

Everything was going to be normal once again. These months with Dee were a treat and soon my living hell would commence. That was just how it was and would always be.

I took a deep breath, facing Dee with a look of determination. As my mouth began to open, my mental stability snapped and I fell apart. I couldn't deal with this, let alone talk about it or object. There was no way I could allow Dee to leave me.

"Please don't go away. I don't wanna be alone again," I mumbled as if saying this would help, "You're going to hate me forever! I can't tell you the truth!" I let myself slip off the bed and to the floor. It would be easier if I didn't look at her, if she was truly going to leave.

Dee was quiet, obviously wondering what the best thing to do would be. Finally I felt her presence slide next to me, wrapping her arm around my body.

"No, it's okay if you don't want to tell me yet," she whispered gently, "I won't leave you all alone. I know that's what you're afraid of, right? So, um, what do you want for supper?"

I peeked at Dee. She was staring back me expectantly, awaiting an answer. What she just said, it meant she didn't care. She would love me no matter what, something no one else had ever done. I was so used to being alone now that this moment seemed like a dream. It couldn't possibly be real that someone loved me to this degree, I wasn't worth it. I mean, I knew she had affection for me, but not like this.

"Spaghetti," I smiled a true smile. I wasn't trying to manipulate her or hide my emotions; for once I wasn't lying about my happiness, "and let's have ice cream as dessert! Do we have banana?"

Dee pulled away from me slightly. "Banana? I don't know if we can even buy that in Dreamland. How about vanilla?" she stood and placed a paw on my head with relatively strong force, "I'll go make spaghetti now."

I sat back on the bed as Dee headed for the kitchen. She always picked me up if I fell down, but I never truly trusted her. Until now, I didn't trust anyone. I always stayed detached from reality, which included people who cared about me. If they didn't accept this I deemed them unworthy to be my friend, weeding out a lot of people. In the end I was alone as even my parents gave up with me.

However, Dee opened something inside of my soul, allowing me to pour out my feelings to her. A bit of the ice inside of me melted, and I felt hopeful that I could even make other friends. From here my life was just beginning and no amount of hatred would destroy me. As long as there was one person loved me unconditionally I would be happy forever.

"We really need another bed," Dee announced as she readied her own for sleep. She removed one of the blankets and produced a pillow from seemingly nowhere, "use these for now, Marx."

I shook my head violently. "No! I'm tired of sleeping on the floor! I wanna sleep in the bed tonight…but I don't want you to sleep on the floor either." I tilted my head to the side, a puzzled look crossing my face.

Dee sighed. "Stop acting like a little kid. It's endearing but…" she was silent, probably thinking of how she could object to my immature behaviour, "just sleep on the floor for tonight. I'll try to save enough money to buy another bed soon."

After this Dee dropped the blanket and pillow on the floor, making no effort to help me create a makeshift bed. Instead she climbed into her own, turning off the bedside lamp.

I stared blankly at the two objects in front of me. They were barely visible in the dark and, to tell the truth, I couldn't be bothered enough to arrange them in the appropriate manner. That would take far too long for my liking, even if it seemed like an easy task to most people. For me, having no arms, the difficulty was enhanced. I was too tired from today to face the challenge anyway.

Dee wasn't facing me when I looked up at her. I guess she was asleep, probably having nice dreams (something I lacked recently). She wouldn't mind if I slept beside her, would she?

"It's worth a try," I murmured under my breath before snuggling under the covers next to Dee. She shuddered once, though made no attempt to push me to the floor. I let out a sigh of relief. I could finally relax and get some sleep, maybe even have a few pleasant dreams. Yes, tonight I could get proper rest.

"Marx," Dee rolled over and nudged my cheek, making me jump, "you're really annoying."

There was complete silence, if not for the wind outside. Annoying really was how she saw me, I suppose. There was only one way to counter this, and I knew exactly how. This strategic plan was fool proof and I doubt even someone like Dee could beat me. Utilising this idea, I could easily defeat anyone who teased me. It's a pity I didn't invent it, but it was still free to use. In fact, I feel like these words should be engraved on my tomb stone.

"I know, but I'm not changing."

Author's note: Yay! Finally finished! I'm sorry if this was boring and mainly focusing on Marx and Dee's relationship, but there's nothing I can do about it. Again, I'm sorry for the wait. For some reason I just wasn't motivated enough, though I don't know what that could be.

Well anyway, I hope to update again soon! Please don't flame, because I don't appreciate that sort of thing. Maybe my writing isn't great compared to others' (or your own) writing, but I'm trying my hardest! I promise! ^^

I would also like to promote DoceoPercepto's story "There are Worlds Beyond This One." It's amazingly written and a definite favourite of mine! You should read it if you already haven't! :3