Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters/locations mentioned; that honor goes to Level 5, Studio Ghibli and Bandai. Just putting that out there in case anybody is hunting the site for copyright infringements...

I'm not sure why, but one of the things I wondered while playing through the game was what it felt like for Swaine to fight someone else's nightmare for the first time. I had this idea that there would be a phantom pain, a pain received from an old injury that flairs up in certain conditions. Not sure who is familiar with Lord of the Rings, but I imagined it would be like what Frodo feels when he gets near a Ring-Wraith after being stabbed by the Morgul blade. Anyway, it certainly would have made this episode a lot more interesting if it had been explored. And seriously, Myrtle talked about the darkness and the pain in Denny's heart, but what happened to her while they had their battle? What's more, what do those people who have nightmares have in common that other people don't? I wanted to draw a connection between Denny and Swaine's experiences that could explain it. Lastly, I hate it when people say Swaine was flirting with a 12 year old girl; I really believe that if Denny reminded him of himself, Myrtle reminded him of Oliver, end of story. Anyway, enjoy!

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Sketch 8: Phantom Pains

"Denny! Denny, are you in there? Denny! It's me, Myrtle! Can you hear me?" a young, blonde-haired girl called out worriedly, her forehead creased with concern. She stood before the front door of Denny's house, trying desperately to get her friend's attention. She succeeded. Slowly, by some invisible force, the door creaked open a crack. An eerie purple haze leaked out, causing Mr. Genghis to bark nervously.

Oliver recognized it at once. "Myrtle! Get back!" he warned urgently, grabbing her by the forearm and tugging her away.

"Wh-what is that?" she stammered, pointing at the door. Oliver paused, confused. Wait. She could SEE the haze too? That shouldn't be possible… The expressions of surprise on Esther's and Drippy's faces showed that they were likewise confused by her statement. The only one not focused on Myrtle was Swaine, whose normally half-closed eyes were wide-open and focused on the haze.

Swaine, until the moment the door opened, had been just as worried about the distressed girl if not more. Within moments of meeting Esther's soulmate, he had determined that, despite her strong physical resemblance to the songstress, she was entirely the opposite of his friend in that she was sweet, polite, and innocent. She very much reminded him of Oliver, and perhaps that was the reason he felt the instinct to help and protect her from whatever was worrying her. He was, as he proudly proclaimed to her unhearing ears, a guardian to those "poor kids". All of those intentions took a back seat once they discovered the sinister force at work; the haze could only mean one thing…

He couldn't bear to say the word out loud, but his face displayed pure horror upon recognition. "Not again!" he whispered, unconsciously bracing himself.

No one seemed to notice his panic. "It's another flipping Nightmare!" Drippy announced, flapping his tiny arms. The door now opened all the way, and the boy in question, Denny, limped out, dragging his left foot. He appeared to be a zombie, unresponsive to their words and eyes glazed over. As he moved closer to the group, he clutched his head and grunted in pain.

Swaine understood the overwhelming pain perfectly, as he had felt the same thing before. He was torn between his desire to free the poor kid immediately from this torment and to curl up into a ball in order to somehow protect his aching heart. In the end, he could only stand there frozen and speechless, caught in the grips of shock.

Myrtle acted on Swaine's first instinct. "Denny!" she cried, starting to rush towards him. Oliver put out a protective arm to hold her back. She by all rights shouldn't even be able to see this, but there was certainly no way she would be able to stand up to something as powerful as a nightmare… Before he could decide on his next move, Denny screamed in pain and a wave of darkness exploded from his chest, specifically from the void where his heart was.

Everyone shielded their faces from the force of the blast, and when they were able to look once again, they saw Denny collapsed on the now stony ground, with a ghoulish specter floating over him. They had been pulled into some alternate plane with a murky green sky and floating islands of rock hanging in the air. Oliver, Esther, and Drippy were completely unfazed by the change of scenery, having seen it all before. That left Swaine and Myrtle.

The former victim of brokenheartedness had gone completely pale, trembling and breaking into a cold sweat as he stared up at the phantom before him. The whole experience had left him barely able to support himself on his hands and knees. This thing…this was the same kind of thing that had once taken him over. It was never really explained to him why it had happened to him. After all, not every heartbroken person was possessed by nightmares; both Esther and Marcassin were proof of this. So why him, and why this boy? Before he could come up with some kind of conclusion, the nightmare emitted a high-pitched screech. This sound resonated to his core, and gasping with pain, he clutched his heart and doubled over so his forehead met the pavement. It hurt so much, just like the first time…

From his vantage point, still trying to claw into his chest, he turned to his right and noticed through half-closed eyes the form of the girl lying unresponsive on the ground near him. This otherworldly darkness…it had been too much for her. Seeing her out cold filled him with a new strength. Fighting the agony with all he had, he released his hold on his chest and pushed himself up. Where were the others?

They were busy fighting off the nightmare, seemingly unaware of how he and Myrtle had been affected. Esther commanded her familiars to launch elemental magic at the shade, while Oliver launched arrow after arrow of light. Damn. He was supposed to be helping, not lying around like this! Still, the very aura of this dimension seemed to sap his strength…how could he be at all useful?

Suddenly, the nightmare vanished into thin air, causing the team to scan the area frantically and the man to panic. Where was it going to reappear? The question was answered seconds later, as it materialized a mere feet from where he was, over the unconscious form of Myrtle. An easy target, the bloody coward! It reached a ghostly hand towards the girl… No! If he caused that girl to feel the same pain he was feeling… No, never! The pain was suddenly numbed by a burst of adrenaline as he leapt to his feet and lunged. He didn't have time to think about how he could fight the phantom, his only instinct was to protect the kid. He fell over her and shielded her with his body, bearing the brunt of the lashings. He didn't make a sound, but gritted his teeth as he took the blows. He was already in so much pain anyhow, what was a bit more if it could spare her?

"Swaine! Myrtle!" It felt like an eternity, but it wasn't actually very long before he heard the nightmare hiss in pain. When he risked a look, he saw that another arrow of light had found its mark. Oliver and Esther had finally relocated their target! Scooping Myrtle up, he staggered away from the distracted monster and left the area open for more attacks from his friends. Once far enough away, he collapsed to his knees once more, laying her down before he himself met the ground. It wasn't fun to admit, but he would have to trust them to handle this without his help.

There he remained, nursing his wounds with the potions he kept on his person, and keeping an eye on the battle in case he would need to protect Myrtle again. Once in a while, a ball of miasma would edge too close for comfort and he would vaporize it with a well-placed bullet, but the ghoul was never able to get close to them again. Soon, it wailed in agony as it melted into the floor, releasing a final cloud of purple fog. His friends had finished it off.

The blinding light that followed made them all squint just as much as the blast of darkness had, and somehow they awoke back in Motorville, all standing on their own two feet as if nothing had happened. Even Myrtle was wide awake, though looking thoroughly agitated and perplexed.

"Denny! Oliver! Oh, Oliver! Everything went dark! So dark... It was Denny's heart...I felt it. It was...crying out! He was in so much pain..." she tried to explain, words broken by her own disbelief.

Oliver turned to Drippy, eyes filled with concern. "Do you think she saw the nightmare?" he murmured under his breath.

"I don't know, do I? But it seemed like she could hear me a bit didn't it? Maybe she's more sensitive to these things than most..."

While they were having their side conversation, Swaine and Esther looked on as the invisible third party. Esther's brow was furrowed as she watched her soul mate trying to come to terms with what had happened. Swaine felt the same. "Dammit. It's hard to see her so upset and not be able to do anything about it..." He began to tap his foot as he always did when he was stressed.

Esther turned to look at him. He was genuinely upset, and after all he had done to keep Myrtle safe, there was no denying he was more than just talk. "Yes…but you've already done so much for her that she will never realize." She paused, embarrassed. "I'm pretty embarrassed that I didn't even realize what kind of danger she was in while we were busy fighting that nightmare. The last time this happened no one was near us when…" She stopped, eyes widening in understanding. Slowly, she turned her gaze to the man beside her. "Swaine…" she whispered. "How could I have forgotten…the last time we fought a nightmare…it was yours!"

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about that. Now I know what a pain it must have been for you…"

"That's not what I mean! I mean, that just now, that must have been so hard on you! Why didn't we notice?" She bit her lip.

Worried Esther was not something he enjoyed, right up there with worried Oliver, worried Marcassin, or even worried Myrtle. "Don't sweat it, Esther. You had your hands full. It's my problem to deal with on my own, anyways."

She frowned stubbornly. "It is not your problem to deal with alone. NO ONE should have to deal with that on their own. Now that I think about it, you were pretty much collapsed on the ground. It must have been so painful for you to get pulled back into a nightmare!"

He looked down. "I must admit, it wasn't a picnic…" He laid his hand over his heart. "But it's fine now. Promise."

She shook her head. "Doesn't change anything. I'm sorry. And I know once we get this sorted out and Oliver has a moment to think, he'll be sorry too."

"Spare me." He rolled his eyes. "Let's just fix this kid up and get back to business. I'm guessing we need to find a piece of his heart to put him back to normal."

Their conversation was interrupted by an angry outburst from Denny. "What do you know about my heart? I didn't make the cut. It's that simple. And now, with my injury...I don't deserve to run. They'll all overtake me... They'll all leave me behind... And there's nothing you or I can do about it!" His eyes were still clouded fuchsia, and glared angrily at the people before him, but at the same time they threatened to spill tears that had built up inside of him.

Upon hearing these words, the ex-prince's stomach flipped. He remembered wondering through the fog of pain why he and this boy had been plagued by the nightmares while others were left alone. Those words….they were different from his own, but at the same time they struck a chord with him. Don't deserve it…they'll all overtake me…there's nothing I can do about it… Those statements told of the worthlessness, inferiority, and hopelessness buried inside no matter the collected demeanor presented on the outside. He and this boy knew a great pain beyond what a simple broken heart provided, even if it hadn't shown when they were "normal". That extra, inherent pain must be what attracted those monsters to their hearts!

Swaine swallowed hard past the lump in his throat and clenched his fists. "We need to find his confidence. Now. If we can take care of that much, I know Myrtle will help with the rest." Esther followed his resolute gaze towards Denny, and slowly she understood.

She nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. I promise, we will fix him."