HI EVERYBODY!1
LONG TIME NO SEE!1
Is anyone still out there...?
I'm SO sorry for not posting anything in like... forever... (Like three years... O.o) A lot has changed and life's been crazy...
I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY NOW AND GO TO AN ACTING SCHOOL. :O
Anyway, I'll keep this short. Hope you like this, it's been filed away from some time...
I LOVE YOU.
Please feel free to leave a comment, review, ANYTHING.
And THANK YOU to anyone who stuck around..
HERE"S ANOTHER CHAPTER OF "FIGHTING FOR SANITY." 3333333333

Chapter Six

Slow moving blades of the windmill turned leisurely. Butterflies fluttered about, their wings flickering rapidly. A hand stretched out; a small butterfly landed momentarily, fluttering off, and returned to her sisters. The grass tickled her skin and swayed in the wind. Leaves quivered on their stems, green shimmered from light to dark. Clouds hugged the edges of the landmass. Lungs inhaling the fresh air and exhaled ease. Birds chirped lightly as they nested in branches. She picked a flower and breathed in its sweet perfume. A heart felt heavy while the windmill continued to rise. She stood at the edge, and gave the flower to the wind; maybe it will find them. It will be a short break, she thought. She will return to them – to him – after a short break. It will only be a short break.

Still, a heart felt heavy. She tried to forget her worries and swung her feet merrily off the verge.

A loud ruckus cut through the serenity. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. And so on. She sat up and looked around. Two large copters zoomed through the clouds and circled her and her island. She backed away cautiously, shielding herself from the vicious winds the propellers produced. Bang, bang, bang. Bullets shot at her. She retreated into the safety of the windmill, lead continuing to chase her. They continued to shoot. Shooting at her, shooting her windmill, shooting her island.

The loud snap of the windmill turbines broke her heart. Snap. Snap! She cowered to herself and held her knees. The chaos grew quiet. Maybe they're gone. She crawled to the door and carefully peered out. The sky was gloomy and gray. The smell of smoke and misery was great. The butterflies disappeared and birds fled; slow moving blades of the windmill turned leisurely.

Swiftly, they reappeared. Circling the island again and again. She shouted at them, her voice muffled by the roar of their propellers. They continued to circle. Their weapons clicked, aiming for the lone girl. And she knew this. She turned and ran again for the windmill; it's roof aflame. Bang, bang, bang! Her heart raced and her mind did too. They dived and continued to shoot. She raced up the stairs of the windmill, bullets penetrating the thick brick wall. Fire spread down the structure; slow moving blades of the windmill turned leisurely.

Her foot broke through a step and she went tumbling down. Her body ached and her mind raced. Smoke rose up and mixed with the gray clouds. They zipped off, their work still unfinished.

Debris broke off, dropping down around her. She sat up and saw the clutter and felt hopeless. Why was this happening?

The fire reached the trees, swallowing whole. She climbed the stairs again, carefully this time, and looked out of the window. The island was colored in red and orange and black. She bit her lip holding down her emotions; slow moving blades of the windmill turned leisurely.

The island started to shift; it's nose tipping down. Pilots watched feeling proud. There goes their crafty work. The island gained speed, plummeting from the atmosphere. The ground shook and trembled making it difficult to keep her ground. She struggled in the doorway, her hands gripping the frame for dear life. She screamed, unable to hear her own voice.

She found her life preserver and strapped it on. Her hands fumbled with the straps. Her footing slipped as the nose of the island crashed into the earth. Her body left the island, freefalling. She scuffled with the cables that wouldn't cooperate. The parachute exploded open, jerking her body violently. The wind carried the chute upward and away from the cavern that the shattered island rested in. The colorless chute blended with the clouds and smoke.

The helicopters came back around admiring their work. To add the finishing touches, they released their bomb into the cavern. The cavern exploded with light. Satisfied, they pilots pulled back.

She cried and screamed, relieved and frightened. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be with her family again – with him – safe and happy. Her body tumbled into the earth just above the fiery cavern. Gravel pierced and tore at her skin. Her body slugged to a halt, pain throbbing through her entire being. She wheezed on her back trying to better her breathing. Her legs and arms crumpled awkwardly. Throaty shrills slurred from her voice. The ground rumbled and growled. A fracture crept down the earth, splitting it in two. An atrocious shadow crawled from the opening, clawing his way out. It apprehended the wounded girl, dragging her into the gap and into the unforgiving wickedness of Hell.

Noodle roused, trying to get comfortable. A thin layer of sweat coated her body as she kicked the covers off herself. She tossed her arm over her forehead and twisted her hips. She tried to fall asleep but the warmth of the room grew too uncomfortable to stand. She sighed, her eyes opened slowly. Her vision blurred at first, adjusting to the dim lighting. Purple curtains, drawn together, hung down motionless with quite a few pictures tapped around it. Several orange containers sat on a shelve that leveled with the bed; one bottle laid on its side with pills scattered around it.

She breathed noisily, taking in the nostalgic scent of butterscotch, and drew her hand down her exposed face wiping off the building perspiration. Her throbbing head hindered her from thinking straight. Breathing short, back sore, mind aching, Noodle sat up. Emotion swelled in her chest while recent events flooded back, hitting her hard. She looked at the ceiling too stubborn to let any threatening tears fall. When did she become so weak? She couldn't protect the one most important person in her life.

But the Monster was quick.

So?

She should have been quicker. She knew the demon was sill lurking around – still stalking and haunting her. She should've kept her guard up but she foolishly let it down.

But it was just for a moment.

All it took was a moment and now… 2D was dead.

Her tears spilled over, streaming down her fair skin. Quiet whimpers escaped her lips and her breathing became short. When did she become so weak?

"Noodle? Wot's wrong!"

The girl jumped. Beneath her matted hair and blurred vision, Noodle could make out a blurry blotch of blue. Hastily, she wiped her eyes clear.

He knelt beside the bed. His brows pulled together in a worried frown and the dark rings beneath his eyes were darker. His shaking fingers clutched the tail end of the shirt he now wore.

When the girl calmed some, he tried asking again. "Noodle, wot's wr–"

Before he could finish, Noodle stretched out her arms, scrambling off the bed, and threw herself at him; her body colliding with his. He choked on his breath as he rocked backwards, his head hitting the floor.

She cried words of relief in her foreign tongue and nuzzled her head into his neck. "2D," she uttered softly.

2D hesitantly wrapped his arms around the frantic girl, patting her back comfortingly. He sat up awkwardly; Noodle still clinging onto his torso.

"It's awlright, Noodle. It's okay."

Suddenly, she pulled away. On her hands and knees, she rounded 2D, forced him to hunch over, and yanked up his shirt. His back was smooth and wound-free. Running her hand across his shoulder blades and down his spine, she tried to find any trace of lacerations. Nothing.

"N-Noodle?" Wot are you doin'?" That tickles," 2D giggled arching his back away from her touch.

Noodle eased herself back, staring speechlessly at 2D's bare back. The singer fixed his clothing and rested himself against the bed, avoiding Noodle's face. The silences the two band mates seemed to endure all lot recently fell upon them once again. The creaking of the underwater room grew immense. So much in fact, 2D grew anxious and tense. Noodle's bewildered gawking didn't ease him either.

"Noodle, are yew o–"

"What happened last night?"

"W-Wot…?"

"Last night! What happened?!"

2D flinched slightly, carful to keep avoiding eye contact. He thought carefully before speaking. Picking up his newly bandaged hand, he flexed it wincing some at the stinging pain. "I'm not really sure. Yew were 'elpin' me wif my 'and n' then…" The singer's voice trailed off as he recalled the series of events that played afterwards: the rush of his heart as Noodle's chest pressed against his, how warm her breath felt against his skin – how sweet it smelt, and how close their lips came to touching. He figured, under the current circumstances, it would be better if he left those particular details out. "Then you started ta spazz out."

"S-Spazz out?"

"Yeah. Your eyes rolled back n' ya passed out. I freaked! Wosn't sure wot to do. I panicked!" 2D looked around nervously, trying to find an object of interest to keep his attention. "So I carried ya 'ere n' then you just stopped. Like you fell asleep. So I just let you sleep. I fought maybe you collapsed from a lack of sleep."

Noodle's head swirled as she tried to make sense of everything. 2D wasn't dead, or hurt. The monster didn't kill him. He didn't kill her. She had only collapsed? And fell asleep? It was a dream? A dream. But the pain she felt, the smell of 2D's blood – the color, and the coldness of his lifeless body, all if it felt too real.

"So 'ow you feelin'?"

Noodle shrugged, still trying to comprehend what was going on. However, for the moment being, she was relieved and comforted in knowing 2D was fine. 2D's leg shook impatiently as he struggled to keep from looking at Noodle. His sight jumped from object to object all around his room, of which he realized as a complete mess. He shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. Noodle watched him, noticing his mouth lock and unlock.

"2D?"

His head perked up, breaking the longwinded endeavor of avoiding eye contact. A bit too quickly, he jerked his head to the side staring at a pile of growing dirty laundry.

"2D-sama, what is it? What's wrong?"

"'Ere," 2D said sheepishly reaching around his back and retrieving Noodle's mask. Handing it to her, he kept his head ducked down. "It came off when ya was ya collapsed."

"O-Oh," Noodle sighed pitifully, taking back her belonging. "I'm sorry you had to see my face in this condition."

"Wot? No, it's not that!" 2D rushed out, realizing his intentions were misinterpreted. "You didn' want me ta see your face before so I figured I shouldn' take the advantage of seeing it now. If you don' want me to that is."

Noodle securely tied the mask around her head feeling a bit fluttered. The cool porcelain inside of the mask felt nice on her warm face.

"Can I ask ya sumfink? I neva fought you to be someone so worried about what otha people fought of you."

Noodle folded her hands neatly on her lap. "It was easier. To wear the mask that is."

2D sat up straight, cocking his head in puzzlement.

"I did not care what other people thought at first but after a while it became a burden. People would stare and snicker. It wore on me after a while so covering my face up lifted the burden a little. Then, the more I wore it, the more of a safety blanket it became."

Sorrow washed over 2D. She had endured so much and she had to endure it alone. If only he could take it all away and wear her burdens himself.

Of course he couldn't. Instead, he just sat there. Wordlessly. Unable to do fix anything, like usual, at all.