A/N: Directly after Cursed Butterflies. Shai lost consciousness shortly after arriving on the Surface, and now he is waking up. I don't own anything. ENJOY!

"Wh…where am I?"

Shai looked around slowly, not recognizing anything thing he saw. He wasn't in his room, that's for sure, and he wasn't in anybody's house in Skyloft. Had he stumbled into the Academy? No… No the academy wouldn't be filled with such… gruesome weapons. And it reeked terribly…

Turning his head away from the a bloodstained piece of machinery to his left, he sat up and looked around once again, sliding out of bed and hoping to find anyone who could help him find out where he was. He stepped out into a long, dark hall, hesitantly making his way towards the large door at the end.

"H…Hello? Hello? Can anyone help me?"

His voice echoed down the hall, bouncing from wall to wall with an eerie whisper for a response. He swallowed hard and started walking towards a lit doorway, his footsteps hesitant.

"Hello?"

He rounded a corner and froze, jumping back and grasping the wood panel as a body fell before him, an ebony blade through its chest. It dissolved into black ash and lavender smoke, and Shai's eyes slowly travelled upwards, meeting fierce black ones lined with violet make-up.

"Master Ghirahim?" he squeaked out, sliding back away from the door and into the closest corner he could find.

"Now, now, don't run. I'm not going to hurt you."

Shai covered his eyes, somehow thinking if he couldn't see Ghirahim, Ghirahim couldn't see him. Slender fingers grasped his wrists and pulled his hands away slowly, pulling him to his feet. He kept his eyes squeezed shut and ducked his head.

"Skychild, you know I can still see you, right?"

Shai slowly lifted his head and forced his eyes open, meeting the even gaze of Demon Lord Ghirahim. He bit his lip, pushing himself back into the corner even further. "Yeah, I know…"

Ghirahim chuckled softly. "What's a little human like you doing up so late, hmm? Didn't I put you to bed?"

Shai glanced down the hall at the still open door to the room where he had woken up. Then he looked at Ghirahim, stating plainly, "It's scary."

"Scary? Why, it's just a few guillotines, knives, swords, whips, and the occasional corpse. It's nothing at all to worry about."

"C…corpse?"

"A dead body."

Shai screamed, jumping away and covering his head. "There are dead bodies in there?"

Ghirahim frowned, picking him up by the arm and starting down the hall. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little decomposition. They're not alive. They can't hurt you."

"No, no, no! I don't wanna go back there! Please don't make me! You can't make me!"

Ghirahim laughed, entering the room and putting Shai on the bed and holding him there. "I can make you do whatever I want. I own you now, skychild, don't forget that."

Shai thrashed and screamed, fully intending to get his way through sheer volume if he had to.

"Knock it off and sleep!" Ghirahim ordered, getting off of the bed and starting for the door, only to have Shai run past him in an escape attempt. "Get back in there!"

Shai hacked as the collar of his nightshirt was grabbed and he was tossed back into the chamber, the door slamming as Ghirahim left.

Gathering himself up from the floor, he ran over to the oak door and beat his fists against it screaming as loudly and as high-pitched as he could.

"Let me out, let me out! I don't want to be in here! I don't want to go to bed! It's scary! LET ME OUT!"

He heard another door slam in the distance and figured it was Ghirahim going to bed. Oh no. There would be none of that. This room was terrifying, the stench was terrible, and Shai did not want to spend the night here. He was scared of Ghirahim, yes, but he was even more scared of the eyeless sockets staring at him from the wall.

"MASTER GHIRAHIM! LET ME OUT! I WANT OUT!"

At that point, there were no more words. Shai focused only on screaming and wailing and even shrieking. Anything at all to get the demon's attention. The darkness seemed to be closing it around him, and he was certain he heard the skeletons start to move. Clacking bones and visions of ghosts, the wind whistling through the windowless room. It was awful.

Finally, he realized his master was not going to help him, and retreated to a corner, crumpling to the floor and covering his head as the twisted creatures approached.

"M…Mommy! Daddy! Help me, please, help me!"

The worst part was not having parents. They were miles away, and they couldn't hear his screams. Even if they were here, he wouldn't want them to be around the monsters. What if they got hurt?

The door to the room flew open, and Shai screamed louder, tears and snot streaming down his face. Strong hands grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him from the ground and tossed back onto his bed.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you're worth the trouble, boy!"

Shai felt two hands pushing him into the mattress as he flailed and thrashed in the sheets, subconsciously aware it was getting harder to breath.

"Go to sleep!"

The hands left, and Shai heard footsteps. Seizing the opportunity, he jumped up and ran past Ghirahim, barely making the cut, but managing to get far ahead of Master and into a bedroom down the corridor. It was much less bloody, and even though it wasn't homey, it felt safer.

He threw himself onto the bed, crawling under the sheets and covering his head again out of instinct.

"I'm sleepin' in here!"

Ghirahim growled, walking over and whipping the sheets off. "You are not sleeping here, this is my bed. You have your own room, skychild, and you will stay in there."

"But it's scary. You put bodies in it!" He started to cry harder and wiped his eyes and nose on his arms, only to have them grabbed and pulled until he was off of the bed.

"Shai, go to your room and go to sleep. Now."

Shai shook his head and took a fistful of sheets in each hand, sitting on the floor and leaning his head against the box spring. "I want to sleep with you."

Ghirahim growled, snapping his fingers. Shai gasped as a long sword appeared in Ghirahim's hand. Slowly, his hands fell to his sides, and under Ghirahim's oppressive gaze, he made his way back to his bedroom, stepping inside and closing the door. He choked on a sob, crawling into his bed and sliding down under the covers, closing his eyes and sobbing softly.

I'm so scared… I want to go home… please… please let me go home…

Silence permeated the room, and after a few moments, Shai realized nothing was going to change. He was always going to sleep in this room, and he was always going to end up crying himself to sleep, and Ghirahim would always win.

He covered his eyes and curled up tighter, once again hearing the carcasses move and groan. Then suddenly, a soft creaking above the sounds in his mind. It was a real sound.

Shai's heart pounded in his chest, and he hiccoughed through his tears, shaking violently. The sheets were moved away, and two strong arms lifted him into the air, holding him close as his carrier made its way down the hall and into a room. Shai slowly opened his eyes and saw white hair dangling in front of his eyes.

"M…Master?"

Ghirahim placed him in the bed and sat down next to him, handing him a tissue. Shai blew his nose, and Ghirahim threw the paper in the trash, pulling back the bedsheets and motioning for Shai to get in. Grinning widely, he scurried under, enveloped in warmth almost instantly. Ghirahim stepped into the bathroom for a moment and returned later wearing only his undergarments. He slipped into the bed beside Shai and let out a grunt as he eased down into the blankets.

"You little whelp. You won this time."

Shai giggled, giving Ghirahim a face not even the darkest of souls could resist. Ghirahim growled at him and reached over, turning the light off.

Shai gasped at the sudden darkness, having always slept with a nightlight, and for a moment he panicked. But then his hand made contact with Ghirahim's chest, and he let out a sigh of relief, moving closer until he was pressed firmly against the demon, who was surprisingly warm.

"Did I give you permission to snuggle?"

Shai whimpered softly, pulling away, but Ghirahim pulled him back.

"I… I didn't say you couldn't. I just asked if I gave you permission."

Shai smiled, closing his eyes, laughing as he heard Ghirahim mumble, "Twice in one night! Unbelievable!"

Maybe living with Master Ghirahim would not be so bad…