Arthur was following behind Vivi and Lewis. He could hear them talking about some mystery novel, but the smiles they exchanged were so warm, so he didn't say anything. He noticed them get a little ahead of him, so he tried to speed up. They seemed to get farther and farther away from him. Arthur tried to keep his calm, but every step he took made him fall more and more behind. He threw out his hand.

"You guys!" She shouted, "Wait up! I can't keep up with you." They didn't even look back. Arthur watched them as a glow seemed to eclipse them and the world around them fall into darkness. He ran and ran as fast as he could, trying desperately to catch up.

"They don't need you…" And eerie voice whispered in his ear. Arthur looked around for who the voice belonged to, but didn't see anyone.

"Who's there?!" He asked, his voice shaking.

"They only need each other Arthur," the voice came again.

"No!" Arthur shouted, "I'm their friend! They need me just like I need them!"

"They don't need you Arthur," The voice continued. "They know how weak you are. They don't need you at all. You need them. You know why Arthur? Because without them you are nothing." The voice started to echo. Arthur looked around frantically, and saw the light of his friends vanishing far away in the distance.

"They said they were my friends!" Arthur shouted.

"And why would you believe them?" The voice asked, "You were just a bridge for them. They met because of you, and now they don't need you anymore. You have no purpose."

"Shut up!" Arthur screamed.

"You're nothing without them," It said again, this time louder. Its voice echoes all around him, steadily getting louder as it repeated the same word. "Nothing…" Arthur covered his ears and tried to tune it all out.

"What do you know?!" He shouted back, he voice barely audible, "You don't know anything!"

The voice stopped.

Arthur looked around for something, anything, when he saw a faint light in the distance. It must be them! He ran it as fast as he could, but soon realized that it was a rectangle, an empty frame.

"I would know everything," the voice said in a low voice.

"Who the hell are you?!" Arthur shouted as he turned his back to the frame and stepped back slowly. "You're nothing! You're just a nobody!" Suddenly, Arthur heard a low, dark laugh erupt from behind him. Arthur turned around slowly to see that the rectangular frame was actually a mirror. He stared back into his own trembling eyes. He noticed that the mirror image had a flesh left arm, but it was a nasty, puke green. He left eye turned black with a white iris, and the reflection smiled.

"You're exactly right," His reflection said darkly. "I am just a nobody. I'm worthless scum."

Arthur sat straight up and let out a long scream. He felt his right arm and legs get held back by restraints, and automatically pulled against them. A loud beeping sound erupted from close beside him, and he heard a few doors come open. He looked to see some men and women dressed in white rush to him, one holding a large needle. Arthur's face paled, when a blue figure slid in between him and them.

"Stop!" Vivi shouted loudly, throwing her hands to her sides. "He just woke up from a nightmare! Leave him alone!" Arthur's frame was shaking tremendously, but the sight of Vivi right there made him calm down. Vivi walked up to him slowly and put her arms around him. "Shhh… Arthur… It's okay… I'm here now…" Vivi's gentle voice made him feel safe once again. He wrapped his flesh arm around her shoulder, realizing a little too late that the metallic one was off. She didn't seem to care, and she hugged him tightly. It felt like a thousand bricks were lifted off of his shoulders, but this came to an end when the doctor came up.

"Son, would you mind to tell me what had happened?" He asked calmly, writing some notes down on his notepad. Arthur looked over nervously at Vivi, then to the doctor. He couldn't tell them the truth, especially not Vivi.

"My van broke down outside of the forest," Arthur said slowly, "I decided to walk the rest of the way to Vivi's house, but I lost my footing and fell down one of the steeper inclines. I realized I had hurt myself pretty badly when I first stood up, but I forced myself to Vivi's house anyway. I knew she would be able to get me help." She had always been there to help him when he needed it the most. Vivi sighed in relief, and Arthur looked at her curiously. Had she come to a different conclusion? What was she thinking?

"My My…" the doctor said slowly, shaking his head, "You are actually very lucky young man. When you fell, you knocked the bearings loose, but because you received care so fast, you only suffered some minor damage. Once you got here, we were able to help you immediately. You then proceeded to sleep for an entire day." The doctor let out a short chuckle. "My guess is that you don't use medicine often. Our simple medications seemed to overpower you."

"So basically," Vivi said softly, "Just a child's dose would have been enough." Vivi smiled softly and gently hugged his arm. She then sighed softly. "You spent one day in surgery, and nearly a whole day sleeping. What is your next great endeavor Arthur?" Her words seemed to hit him hard, and took a minute for all of it to sink in. Once the sun set tonight, he only had one more day before Lewis was going to come and finish off the job. Just like that, he was as closer to death now then ever before.

"Also," The doctor interjected, "You're not allowed to put back on the metal arm for a few weeks. The nerves need a chance to heal. I'm sure you can handle yourself." Great. He was going to be literally disarmed. You might as well serve him on a silver platter to Lewis.

Vivi had to bite her tongue as she waiting for the doctors to examine Arthur. She wanted to ask him so many questions. Did he remember Lewis? Did he know Lewis was the ghost? Why was he chasing Arthur in the mansion? Why hadn't he mentioned him before? Above all these, another darker question bounced off the inside of her head. What happened to him? All of these had to wait, since her friend was in a vulnerable state. The doctors said that the shock from all the blood loss could have a permanent effect if he wasn't treated properly. The wanted more than anything to solve this mystery and find a way to put Lewis to rest once and for all, but the living was supposed to be more important than the dead.

But at the same time, her heart ached badly. Something felt completely at loss. She could do nothing but wait as the doctors reexamined Arthur multiple times. It was almost midnight before they finally let him go. Since Arthur was minus one arm, Vivi had to take him home in her little car.

They were both silent.

Arthur was a little zoned out because of the pain killers in his system, and Vivi was afraid that if she spoke, it would turn into an interrogation. She felt anxious. When they finally arrived at his house, Arthur insisted that he would be fine making it up to his room alone.

"But Arthur, I don't want you tripping and falling," She said softly, pleading with him with sweet eyes.

"I'll be fine Vivi," He said slowly, and smiled softly. "Please just let me rest for tonight." Vivi almost felt hurt by his words, but she managed to smile and changed the subject.

"Too bad we missed out on that ghost hunt," She said softly, "I was so sure you were actually going to like this one." Arthur smiled faintly at her, she thought from the medicine going through his veins.

"We'll make up for it somehow," Arthur said softly. He reached into his pocket and found his house key, then looked over to Vivi and waved at her. "I'm going to bed Vivi, so you go home and rest too. You look like you haven't slept in days." Vivi faked a smile, one the drowsy Arthur didn't noticed, and waved as her friend went inside and let Mystery in before closing it firmly. Vivi pulled out the locket and examined it once again, softly feeling the cracks and sighing softly. Why were they both being so difficult this time?

The cave split in front of him, one path going down, and the other path going up. Vivi curiously followed the lower path, with Mystery following right behind her. He walked up the higher path, gently clinging to the shoulders of someone a foot taller than him and twice as strong. He knew who this was. His best friend and protector, Lewis, was leading the way while holding onto a torch. He always admired how brave he was, letting his curiosity lead the way for him. They followed the path up until it formed into a ledge, and peered out over a massive pile of spikes. Arthur was shaking as Lewis shook him off of his shoulders and moved closer, peering over the ledge by himself.

That's when the pain started to hit, starting in his left arm, and a harsh voice seemed to come into his head.

"He's dating the girl of your dreams," It said slowly, every word piercing through his heart, "And now he's on the side of a ledge. What ever should you do?" The pain spread up his arm, and the vision from his left eye vanished. He felt his body come forward, her left arm raising into the air. He tried to shout to Lewis to look out, but his hand pushed him harshly. Lewis screamed and outstretched his arm as he fell straight down. The spikes were right behind him, getting closer. Arthur started to cry. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Arthur sat up straight in bed, crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. Mystery jumped from where he was laying, in a panic, but when he realized what was going on, he jumped back up and snuggled against Arthur's chest. Arthur grabbed onto the dog and cried loudly, the last few moments playing in his head. All he could see was Lewis falling, and he could hear the voice repeat its last line over and over again.

It took Arthur almost an hour to finally stop his sobbing. Mystery leaned up and gently licked at his face, getting rid of the few remaining tears on his face. He let out a long sigh and laid his head against Mystery.

"I didn't see him hit…but I didn't need to…" He said slowly. He knew Mystery wasn't going to answer him, but it felt good knowing the dog would listen. "As soon as that happened, I remember you jumping at me and biting my arm, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was in the hospital, missing an arm. Vivi was crying over me too… She had no memories of Lewis… No one did… Not my parents or hers, and he didn't have any family. It seems like you and I… We're the only ones who know what happened… I don't know how to tell her though… How could I ever tell her…? She doesn't know…but if she did, she would be so depressed… I don't know if she could ever get through it… Her best friend…murdered her boyfriend…" Arthur heaved loudly, trying to keep himself from crying all over again.

Mystery whined loudly and softly bit Arthur's good hand. Arthur sighed softly and crawled out of bed. He found some clothes from his drawers and threw them on. He realized rather quickly that almost all of his clothes were the same. He then grabbed his watch from the nearby table. He'd almost forgotten about it, since it was so odd to wear it on his right arm. He set the alarm on it and, with much difficulty, managed to put it around his wrist. Shrugging gently, he found a Mystery's leash and called the dog to him. He had one day to live his life, so now was the time to start thinking of how to do it. Arthur's mind began to wander as Mystery pulled him along the road. What was he supposed to do? Vivi would be upset, but he knew he couldn't tell her beforehand. He recalled how she threw herself in between him and the attacking Lewis. If Lewis hadn't stopped short…

After walking Mystery, he returned to his house. Arthur left the pictures on the floor, and slowly walked back into his kitchen. Much, much work had to be done. He couldn't risk Vivi coming over and seeing this mess. She would ask him questions, questions he wasn't ready to answer. Not to her anyway. Arthur upturned the dining room table, slowly placed possessions back into drawers, and pulled the pictures out of their busted frames. If he had been wearing his mechanical arm, this would've taken only half the time.

Several hours passed before his house was straightened up. He placed all of the old pictures into an album, momentarily protection them. Now exhausted, Arthur walked into his bedroom and laid face down in the pillow, his joints stiff from all the extra work he had to put in. He heard Mystery jump up beside him and bark softly. Arthur tucked his arm around the furry little dog and smiled softly. Mystery was the only one who knew his dark secret, and having him right there beside him, somehow, made Arthur feel better. If only a little better.

He heard a loud whine as Mystery pawed at his leg. This dog was incredibly smart. He always knew when his thoughts were getting the best of him. Arthur leaned down and gently petted the dog, who in turn licked her arm. An idea seemed to click inside his head. "That's it…" He muttered softly, and got back up. Mystery rushed to keep up with him as he went straight through the house to his workshop in the back room. He slipped into his chair and pulled together some equipment. "If I've only got today left, then I've got to make the most of it. Vivi has been wanting a Ghost Detector for when she goes exploring, and now I have the motivation to make it."

He knew in the past that if he built this for her, it would prompt her to go on even more ghost hunts. That didn't truly matter anymore, since his fate was sealed anyway. Arthur messed with countless wires, bolts, and scrap pieces for a couple of hours. Finally, it was finished. Looking at the new, glistening machine in his hands. He turned it on and tested it out by waving it over Mystery. As he expected, the lights flashed and a small siren blared. "I knew you were a special kind of dog Mystery. No normal dog would've been able to stop me back then…but this is proof." He laughed slowly at Mystery's dog pout, but soon his expression became serious.

It's time to see Vivi.

A short ride in the van passed, though it was difficult to do with one arm, but soon he was knocking on Vivi's door. He heard footsteps scramble from the other side and the blue haired girl opened the door. Her hair was a little messy, her headband missing from its place and her glassed hanging crookedly on her nose. She was wearing her blue skirt a little too high, and her shirt was slightly tucked into it, and her socks were uneven. She only had one shoe on as well. He also noticed that she had a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. "It's not like you to be up late." He tried to stifle a laugh, but he couldn't help it. This was a rare sight indeed. His best friend was always the first to wake and the first to be ready. Usually when he came over, she had breakfast or even lunch ready for him as well. Now, it was the opposite. He was awake and ready, and she was trying to catch up. He'd never seen this side of her before.

Lewis had though.

Arthur's stomach seemed to drop, but he pushed through it and offered Vivi the little device.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked through a muffled voice. It seemed like she was about to drop the toothbrush altogether. Arthur could feel his heart warm up a little. Vivi's presence always seemed to put him at ease, if only for a moment. He gave her the device and she played around with it. Her eyes started to shin with wonder, but Arthur decided to beat her to the punch.

"Let's go ghost hunting today!" He said happily, catching Vivi by surprise. This time, she did drop her toothbrush. Her mouth gaped open, a little tooth paste in her mouth. She blushed when she realized what had happened, and she ran to the bathroom to spit. When she came back, she had straightened her outfit and put in her headband. Her all blue attire someone made her hair and eyes stand out a little more. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his forehead.

"Are you sick?" She felt his cheeks and raised an eyebrow. "You seem a little pail, but you don't have a fever… Since when do YOU want to go on a ghost hunt?" Her bewilderment was expected, but somehow seeing it on her face made him laugh. Vivi tried to regain her composure, but Arthur took the opportunity.

"Last night, after I got home," He began quickly, trying to be sure that she wouldn't be able to stop him. "I decided to kick it into high gear and make the Spector Seeker a little ahead of schedule. I knew you'd want to go ghost hunting, so I just beat you to the punch." He smiled warmly at her, as that familiar sparkle seemed to enter her eyes. She was ready for an adventure. This was the best he could do for her for now, give her one last happy memory before his days were up. "Is there anywhere you want to go?" He looked over at Vivi and managed a sweet smile.

"Well… There's supposed to be a haunted place nearby with a lake," Vivi said slowly, trying to hide the fact that she had already researched it. Arthur was acting weird, and she didn't want to give him a chance at running away. Arthur could tell by her voice, but he didn't read too far into it. "I've heard that it's been haunted by a ghost. I'm sure it's just another fake like what we usually encounter, but now I've got a real Spector Detector to help prove it faster!" She half squealed the last little bit. She squeezed the device in her hands. She looked at me with hopeful eyes and asked sheepishly. "Can I drive us this time?" Now that he thought about it, Arthur had never once let her drive the van. It was because she never asked when… Arthur had to stop his thoughts, before he made himself depressed again. Arthur smiled softly at her, barely managing to keep it together.

"Sure thing, just go easy on the clutch," He said slowly as he handed her the keys, "It's been sticking you know." Vivi let out the happiest squeal and hugged him tightly.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into you today, but I like it!" She half squealed as she dashed off happily towards the van. She didn't like it. She felt bad for lying to him, but if let him figure out that she knew about Lewis, then he would shut off completely. He was hiding something after all, and she knew it was really bad. Arthur felt Mystery paw at him softly, and he looked down at the small dog. He seemed to have a saddened expression.

"Mystery…" He pet the dog softly and smiled softly, "Don't give me that look. Today is a happy occasion. Let's enjoy this." Mystery let out a soft whine, but he seemed to accept what Arthur was saying. Arthur then went outside and jumped into the backseat. "You know what you're doing, right Vivi?" She looked back at him with a nervous smile.

"Of course I do… I just can't believe you let me behind the wheel," Vivi commented happily. She put the keys in the ignition and brought the van to life. He laid down in the back, feeling tired almost instantly.

"You know… I might just take a nap along the way." Arthur said through a few yawns. "Wake me up when we get there V…" Arthur turned his head over and tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he imagined himself from in the cave. The cold, heartless person who shoved his best friend over a cliff to die.

They made it to the campsite in an hour, just before noon. They worked together to pitch the tents and build a fire. This day was filled with lots of laughter. Arthur and Vivi shared memories for hours, Vivi laughing so hard at one point that she began to cry. Arthur couldn't help but smile when she did. She warmed his heart and gave him hope. That's all he wanted, but he hoped that every last moment with her was going to be a good one. Soon, it became nightfall, and Arthur looked at his watch. 9 P.M. The stars were out, and the air was crisp and cool.

Vivi offered out a hand to Arthur, helping him to his feet. Since the surgery, he wasn't allowed to put back on the metallic arm. Instead, he had to compromise and work without it. Vivi was happy to help him, and once they were prepared, Vivi lead him down a well beaten path. They walked for thirty minutes before Vivi turned to him.

"Do you know about this place?" She asked suddenly, raising an eyebrow.

"You said it was some sort of haunted lake?" I asked, not entirely sure where it was anyway.

"Well, it's true there is a lake nearby," She said softly, "But that's not the haunted part. Actually, we're going to go explore a cave today." Arthur's heart sank. He looked pass Vivi and saw the one place he had only envisioned in nightmares. The cave had an eerie green glow coming from it, and a sign held a skull and cross bones on it. Arthur was bewildered by the sight, but Vivi seemed excited. This was for her after all. She took his flesh arm and slowly pulled him into the entrance, and they followed a series of paths. He knew where they were going to end up, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"This place feels evil…" Arthur said bitterly. This was the last place he wanted to be, the last place on earth he wanted to go with Vivi. He looked over at Vivi, who was paying attention to the small device in her hand. She looked up and met Arthur's eyes.

"Is there something wrong Arthur?" she asked suddenly. Arthur felt daggers stab into his heart as he tried his best to smile.

"Nothing's wrong Vivi," He whispered gently. He sounded hallow, and he knew his friend could hear it.

"Is there something you want to tell me Arthur?" Vivi asked. Arthur looked at her and clenched his fist gently. He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want her last memory of him to be so horrible. He wanted her to be happy, but she was pressing him so hard. Vivi was trying to hide her frustration from him. She knew he was hiding something, but she didn't want to ask him directly. She knew he'd run away. Arthur always ran away when he was scared, and he was obviously scared of telling her.

"I don't have anything," Arthur said softly. Vivi wanted to punch him, but she resisted it with all her might. How would she be able to approach the subject when he still thought she didn't remember? Just then, Vivi looked ahead at their path and froze.

The tunnels parted ways.

"I'll go left," Arthur said quickly, and almost ran up the long path. He came out across a ledge and stood there, not daring to look down.

"Arthur!" He heard her voice shout, echoing off the walls, "Just tell me the truth! I can handle it Arthur! Please! I just want to know!" He took a deep breath, waiting to hear Vivi scream down below, but the nerves were overwhelming him. He couldn't take another second of it.

"I-I killed Lewis!" He shouted loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. He knew she would hear it somehow. "I know you don't remember him Vivi, but he was an amazing guy! You two were going out before we came her the first time! He loved you Vivi! He loved you and I was jealous! I was also scared that you'd leave me behind! I knew I was nothing without the two of you! I knew! I was just so scared Vivi!"

"We never would've left you behind!" he heard her shout. Arthur's heart pounded in his chest, aching deeply.

"But I wasn't so scared that I wanted him dead! I wasn't! There was something evil in the cave Vivi! It took all my bottled up emotions and made me push him! I was saved by Mystery ripping off my arm!" Arthur heaved loudly, deep sobs starting to cloud his voice. "Even though that happened, it's my fault! I bottled up everything! I kept all my feelings from you guys! You were my friends! You were the ones I should've trusted! It's all my fault that Lewis is a ghost and can't move on! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Arthur!" He heard her shout echo from down below, "Quit saying that! It's not your fault! You didn't kill Lewis!" Arthur smiled bitterly.

"He's going to kill me when today is over Vivi," Arthur said softly, barely above a whisper. "He deserves to get revenge, and I'm not going to stop him. If there's one last thing I can do, it's to be killed by him and let him move on." Arthur hung his head as an alarm sounded on his watch. He looked at the time and saw that it was midnight. As if on cue, he felt an intense heat come from behind him. He turned around to see the skeleton standing right in front of him. It stared at him from under its hair, as if it was scowling. Arthur smiled faintly and put his hand up in the air. "Do your worse."

Just then, the ledge cracked underneath him and he fell.

"ARTHUR!"