The pain was mind shattering and constant. It never even ebbed a bit, and when she would feel like she was getting used to it a new spasm would rip through her body and cause a new wave of nightmares and pain to erupt. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been down there. Hours, days, weeks, months, years? Time no longer had a meaning for her in the endless pain, nightmares, hunger, and thirst. Every now and then her body would twitch trying to find some semblance to comfort on the stone ground even though she knew she would never feel comfortable again. She kept her mind blank, trying to erase all thought and made sure her mind never strayed to the condition of her body. Thinking of it made her nauseous and even at that little thought made the bile rise in her throat.

A broken hand gently touched the ground. It was too dark for her to see, but her numbed body told her how cold the stone was, and her painful and broken fingers told her the stone was still dry. It was a routine for her at this point, in an attempt to regain her strength. Each day she would painfully and slowly lift her battered, broken, and tortured husk of what used to be a young girl in her cage and slide it across the ground, searching for any water that might be from rains outside or perhaps just plain luck of a river or pond nearby. Maybe even ice, due to the cold. Each day it ended in failure, but she persisted. Today she was able to lift her body just a marginal higher and was even able to sit up, leaning against the stone wall of her prison. She gasped for air, gagging on it as she tried to calm the sudden and shattering spikes of pain running through her body. She raised a hand and let it glide along the wall but it came back dry. She swallowed, feeling how dry her throat was and then a slight reprieve of it when her throat cracked and blood began to drip down it. The inside of her mouth felt even drier then the stone around her and just breathing made her nose and lungs ache with such an intensity that she actually wished she could just stop breathing to make it stop.

Her clothes in tatters, the icy chill that came only at night began to descend upon her. Shivering, she gently placed her head on the wall behind her, trying to let her mangled body relax. She swallowed painfully, wishing the world away. When did this start? Why did this start? She had been just a normal kid, going to normal school, helping her dad with his normal side projects in their garage. Then, out comes this fat green skinned clown and the next thing she knows she is in so much pain she couldn't even function anymore. She tried to lull her mind into sleep, for that sweet release from this world, but it seemed to elude her even more. She shifted slightly, feeling the sickening slide of broken bone in her legs and shoulder as she tried vainly to reach even a marginal comfort that would allow sleep. As a last ditch effort she did something she hadn't done since she was four years old with her mother giggling: She started to count sheep jumping over a fence.

She had gotten to eighty-seven sheep when she began to notice a noise. She craned her ears, feeling a slight rush of fear. Was that snake woman returning to finally end her life? She would actually be greatful if that was true but the gasps she could hear sounded deep. Too deep to be a woman's gasps and they sounded somewhat in… pain? The girl thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when a dim glow appeared, allowing her to make the outline of her cell and the bars that kept her inside. Now she could hear footsteps, heavy and sliding across the ground. The glow moved with each heavy step, once faltering when she heard a thud followed by some rather colorful cursing. The voice was definitely male's, she realized. Slowly, the person finally came into view, hunched over and clutching their stomach, one hand up on the bars and holding a lantern. The light was so bright she cringed and whimpered, pulling what she could closer to her and clamping her eyes shut. She heard all sound cease, and then the sound of something rattling. She peaked out a bit to see the person, a boy, had put the lantern on the ground, off to the side slightly so it wasn't so bright and was now fumbling with the door of the cage. She could open her eyes slightly, but it was hard to make the boy out. His clothes and hair had to be black, but the only thing she could really make out was his pale skin. The door opened and for a moment the girl was able to see his eyes: Two bright red eyes that seemed angry to her, but also in more pain then he was showing. He limped over to her, letting her see his dark clothing with bright gold rims, and finally two teal wings that fluttered gracefully from his back. The girl was somewhat envious but also repulsed by them.

"This place shouldn't have any humans here. Are you one of that black goddesses' crew?" He asked. His voice was deep and commanded her attention. She blinked dumbly at his question. Black Goddess? Did he mean that snake-headed woman, Medusa, that locked her in here? He scowled when she didn't answer long enough and finally realized that perhaps she couldn't. He looked down, taking in her pitiful form: So thin he could make out almost every bone in her body, clothes so tattered she may as well not even be wearing any, and her limbs! An involunatary shiver racked his body. He wanted to throw up, but something told him to keep looking, to take in what was obviously an act of cuelty so great even the most evil of gods would have been outraged: hands mangled to the point that one wouldn't recognize them as hands, her fingers broken and nearly devoid of skin. Angry red lines went up her purple and blue arms that were crooked and twisted in such grotesque ways that you had to wonder if there was even any bone in them. Her legs were even more horrific, and the damage so great the boy knew it would be either a miracle, or the act of a god, if she ever walked again. The skin on her legs were the same sickening blue and purple as her arms with the red lines also going through them, but the way they were twisted, the way they were broken… He swallowed hard when he realized the only way these injuries would have come about were if someone were purposefully torturing her into insanity.

"…. Who did this to you?" He asked slowly, trying to keep his voice even and calm but even he could hear the shaking in it. The girl gave him a soft smile as if she were trying to apologise for her own condition. When she opened her mouth a horrible noise that sent chills down his spine came out.

"Don't…! Don't speak….! Have you had… any water lately?" He asked. The blinked again, before moving her head slowly side to side, not really turning it. It honestly looked more like she was just swaying it from left to right in a slow even pace but he got the message. He rummaged through his tunic, pulling out a small water skin he had gained when he first broke through that mirror. He flicked open the lid and took a quick sip of the water before helping her drink some. The greatfullness in her eyes as she drank at the waterskin, and the way she gave this pitiful sound when it ran dry made something twinge inside of him. Putting her out of her misery was certainly his better choice, after all he had his own injury to deal with, but something about this pitiful, mangled, and tortured girl made him rethink it. Finally he sat down next to her, pulling out some bandages he had stashed away in his tunic. His stomach and side were only bruised, but he used some of the bandages to cover up a rather nasty cut he had received from that fight with that puppet copycat. He glanced over at the girl as he worked on his own injury, seeing her wistful expression as she gazed longingly at the empty water skin. If he remembered correctly, there was a fountain with fresh drinkable water just outside this cavern. He made a mental note to get some as soon as he could. Once he had finished with his own injury he decided to try and help the girl out. She gave no resistance as he removed what was left of her ragged clothing, revealing just how extensive the damage was: festered wounds all over her torsoe, she'd been whipped, burned, stabbed, and who knew what else, and the fact she didnt care for modesty in front of him made him shudder again at the implications. He didn't have any reall healing supplies, and he knew the small amount of bandages he had wouldn't cover all of the damages, but he got to work covering up the worst of it, trying to swallow his gags when puss and diseased looking blood would pour onto his hands as he worked. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain she had to be in.

The girl was plenty confused herself. The teal wings looked black, and from history she knew this meant a fallen angel, one who defected from good and was pure chaotic evil, and yet he gave her all his water and was now bandaging her wounds. She knew the amount was to much for him to handle, but she was greatfull that he was at the very least trying. She smiled softly at him, raising a mangled hand and gently tapping his arm in a thank you. She wasn't sure if he got what she meant, but he tried to give her a reassuring look as he kept trying to bandage up the worst of her wounds. She wasn't the least offended by the horror in his eyes and whenever he'd try to surpress his gags at her injuries. She sympathized.

"I under… stand.. if you…. Kill… me…" Her voice sounded painful and shattering even to herself. The kind of voice that would horrify anyone due to how broken and mangled it was. The boy froze for a moment, looking up at her with wide and disbelieving eyes. However, she was able to see that he had once thought of the intent, so she gave him the kindest smile she could.

"It…. Would…be… better…" She said. The boy could see the sense in that, but he shook his head. Now he had a new resolve. He would make sure this girl made a full recovery. He never wanted to hear someone say that again, to see them lose the will to live that badly. He shook his head again, this time more forcefully.

"Never. I wont kill you. I promise I will find a way to heal you." He said, the resolve of his promise filling his voice. The girl blinked at him, her mind working out what he'd said in her mind.

"Then you…. Take… respons…ability….for…" Her voice made a screeching sound and she coughed, the force of it racking her body and opening some scabs that oozed out more blood. The boy gulped.

"I'll take care of you. Now shut up and let me work." He said. The girl suddenly relaxed as he worked, sighing contently. He wasn't able to bandage up all of her wounds and he needed to get her more water and some food. She needed help, however. More than what he could give her. He hated the thought of it, but he knew he would need the help of a god to heal her. He racked his brain for perhaps one that would be able to heal her. The god Apollo was known for being the god of medicine, but would be really use his powers on a human mortal? The boy wasn't sure yet. Still, his resolve held. He got unsteadily to his feet and gently grabbed her. He couldn't handle the smell of decay in the cage and he knew she would only get worse if she stayed there. Her wounds needed cleaned, and he needed more bandages. There was a town nearby, but would he be able to carry her all that way? He wasn't sure he'd be able to fly that far with another person. As he lifted her he heard a metal clank and a sickening feeling came over him as he lifted her forward and looked behind the girl, on her back. Two metal contraptions made of something similar to bronze and steel had been horrificly burned and attatched to her shoulderblades. He wasn't sure how he didn't notice these before but he realized now that he might not even be able to carry her out of this dungeon, let alone getting her to a town for more bandages. He swallowed hard, trying to formulate a plan. He tried maneuvering the mechanical wing-like devices so he could lift her without causing more pain. This allowed him to realize that the wings were actually surprisingly light, and perhaps he could carry her. Gently he held her close to him, ignoring the feeling of slick blood on his hands, arms, and tunic, and tried his best to carry her out of the cell and dungeon. It was hard with his own injuries and he had to stop quite a few times before they finally reached open air.

He took her straight to the fountain, filling and refilling the water skin until her thirst was fully sated. Next he carefully picked her up and laid her into the fountain, making sure as much as her body was under the falling water to rinse her off. He used his own hands to dry and wash off as much as the muk, grime, dried blood, and diseased blood as he could. It was horrific to see in the light of day, but he ignored it and cleaned her off. Once he was able to get as much of it off as he could he looked around. He couldn't very well leave her naked, but he would also need a place to stash her until he could come back with food and medical supplies. He noticed a cave nearby and quickly gathered her up. When he reached the cave he noticed that it didn't have any signs of underworld forces, or animals of any kind. In fact, without that puppet copycat he realized there were no underworld forces in the area.

He set her down within the cave, finding the most comfortable area he could. Now he needed to solve the problem of her clothes. She needed something to wear even if she was still wet and the bandages needed changing already. He left her to rest in the cave and searched the surrounding ruins, finally finding some sheets of brown fabric. They didn't look very clean and they looked torn with some hints of blood on them, but they would be better than nothing to shelter her from the cold and defend her modesty while he went out to get healing supplies for her. He made a mental note to also snatch her some new clothing if he could.

When he returned to the cave she was asleep. He wrapped her up in the brown fabric, trying his best not to disturb her. She honestly didn't look like a girl at first, the boy noted. He couldn't use her body as an excuse, since it was so thin and frail, but her face looked so plain, and her dirty brown hair cut so short that he at first wondered if she was a boy. Once he was done wrapping her securely in the fabric he got up, pausing when the girl's eyes opened to gaze up at him. They were a plain brown, but he could see it: A spark of life. The will to live returning.

"I need to get you healing supplies. Tonics, bandages. Maybe a few splints. I also need to get you clothes. Just rest and I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised, placing his hand on her forehead to pull a few strands of hair aside. She felt like she had a fever. Damn! Don't let it be infection. If she got an infection he would have no choice but to take her to a human settlement or plead to a god to heal her. She smiled weakly and sighed, shifting only slightly to be more comfortable. The boy took out his filled water skin and left it where she could gain easy access to it.

Once outside the cave he spread his wings and took flight. She needed healing and he knew where to find a few tonics and elixers to help. As he flew towards the human settlement as fast as he could he suddenly wished he had a god like that puppet copycat. He banished the thought immediately. The human settlement turned out to be closer than he originally thought and it looked deserted. He cursed under his breath, hoping that in the human's haste to flee the town that they might have left the things he needed. He flew straight to the first building that had some plants growning outside. When he landed outside of it he scrunched his nose at the strong smell of herbs and medicine coming from inside. He had no way of knowing if it was indeed empty, so he cautiously entered the building, checking all over the room for any signs of life.

Aside from plants that were strewn about and a few left over tonics and elixers there was nothing. He saw a bag nearby and grabbed it. When he felt that it weighed more that it should he peered inside and saw that some rolled up bandages and a few simple tonics had been stashed inside. Obviously a medical kit in emergencies. He guessed the owner hadn't been able to retrieve it when the evacuation started. The owner's loss was his gain, however, as he started filling the bag with every healing tonic, elixir, and plant he could find along with any other rolled up bandages as well. His bag was half full by the time he'd scoured the whole place and he left feeling more confident about helping the girl. Next he needed to make sure he got her something to eat. Something soft or that can easily be grounded or boiled down. He wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle solids. The fountain back at the ruins was soiled by her blood, but there had been a clean river nearby. He walked down the streets, ducking into homes and rummaging through them for food and perhaps something that might fit her. He succeeded in finding some bruised fruits that looked like they'd be rotting soon, but if he mashed them up he was sure she wouldn't mind. During his search he was also able to find some soft materialed shorts and a white tunic. They looked like boy's clothes, but they'd be better than nothing for her. Besides, she'd need loose clothing so he could change her bandages on a steady basis.

He shoved everything into the bag, hoping it would be enough and took flight. He didn't see any underworld forces or humans as he flew back to the ruins. Once he was there he checked the water skin and found it half empty. The girl was sleeping rather peacefully, so he chose instead to quickly go refill the water skin. As the cool water filled the water skin he thought a bit on his current condition. He was still hurt, but he didn't even notice the pain anymore. He still needed to sort things out for himself, such as where he should go next and what he should do, and despite that he still took in a girl that chances are would die within a few hours. He shook his head. He couldn't leave her there. He might not like the thought of being like that puppet copycat, but still. He couldn't just leave that girl there to die. It was too cruel, no matter how one looked at it.

But why take responsibility for her? He thought for a moment on that. He would take responsibility for her until she was healed and could go off on her own. Even with those horrific metal wings seared onto her back, she could still possibly make a living in a human settlement. But with injuries like those, he'd be caring for her for a while. On his way back he noticed some planks of wood sticking out of the ground. Her arms and legs needed splinting, so he grabbed them as well. When he reached the cave he noted that she was still asleep. Figuring she needed all the sleep she could use, he first went to sorting out all of the things he had grabbed for her. He made separate piles for each thing: One for food, one for bandages, one for tonics, one for elixers. He set the water skin in her easy reach and then went to breaking up the planks of wood into usable splinting material. He had just finished making the third splint when he heard her shuffle and a light whimper. He glanced behind him to see her opening her eyes and then uneasily grabbing the water skin, fumbling with it for a few seconds before she got it open and took small sips. She looked over at him, her eyes studying him. He held up a piece of wood.

"Splints for your arms and legs." He said, getting back to work. He didn't see if she responded or not. Once he was finished with the forth splint he gathered them all up and walked over to her. She was still looking at him, watching his every move. He wondered for a moment if she really trusted that he'd help her. He disbanded the thought and got to work on her legs. He held one gently, the feeling of the moving bone sickening him. Realizing he still needed to treat the obvious infection that she had, he quickly went and got the tonics and elixers. He used the first one he could identify that helped infection and smeared it on her legs. Once he was done he did a quick bandaging job of them and then worked to get the splints in the right place when he noticed that carrying her would be near impossible unless he could bend her knees. He broke the two splints in two and then wrapped two pieces around her lower leg and then two pieces around her upper leg. He repeated the process for her other leg and then went to work on her arms, copying the same process so he could still bend her arms. He pulled away the rest of the fabric she was wearing and removed the bandages, realizing she'd need more cleaning before he applied the tonics and bandages. He grumbled slightly, taking the water skin and going to the river to refill it. He poured more over her and then repeated it until she was clean of the muck. He used more of the tonic on her skin, noting that it did help with the angry red on her skin. She made a light whimpering noise as he applied the bandages, so he looked up at her questioningly. She looked like she was in pain again, so he turned to the elixers. He grabbed a few and looked the over to see if any would relieve pain. Finally he found one and held it to her lips.

"Drink. It'll help." He said. She eyed him curiously but opened her mouth, letting him pour some of the liquid into it. She drank it easily, but he could tell from the way she cringed that it must have tasted terrible. Still, she didn't complain and once she drank enough of it he went back to work tending to her injuries. He was glad that he had enough to wrap up all of her wounds this time, and he actually snickered a bit when he realized that with all the bandages she looked a bit like a mummy. She blinked at him curiosly, so he nodded down to her body.

"Mummy." He said. She looked down at herself and then he heard a strangled sound. He looked over at her in alarm to see her smiling. He smiled to when he realized she was just giggling at his joke. He got the clothes he had gotten her and unbundled them. He walked over to her and held them out for her to see. She stared at them and then he got to work dressing her. She didn't struggle or make any complaints about the clothing, the way they fit, or the fact that he dressed her. He was glad for that, since he didn't like the thought of trying to force her into them.

"Hungry? I got food to." He said. The way her eyes lit up made him feel actually a little happy. He had brought some light back into her life, and despite his first apprehension, it made him glad for that. Then he realized she probably hadn't eaten in days, perhaps weeks. That made him feel sorry for her. He grabbed some of the mushy fruit and a bowl he had grabbed in town. He mashed up a few of the fruits until it sort of resembled a mush soup. He licked his fingers and thought it tasted ok, and then grabbed a spoon he had also grabbed and took it over to her. He fed her, one bite at a time, until she had eaten everything in the bowl. She smiled at them, a look of contentment in her eyes before she drifted off to sleep again. He felt her forhead for a fever, a shock of alarm going through him when he realized she was still feverish and most likely very ill. He needed to get her medicine. He went through the tonics and elixers, trying to find one that might help with illness and/or fevers, but he found none that he could identify as such. He looked through the herbs he had grabbed when he noticed he HAD grabbed some herbs that were good for fevers. He grabbed the bowl and washed it out at the river, filling it to the brim with water. He grabbed more wood and once he was back at the cave he started a small fire. He put the bowl over the fire and placed the herbs in the water, letting it boil until it became a tea to drink. He looked over at the girl. He needed to get her to drink it, but he also hated the thought of waking her up. He got the feeling she hadn't slept well in a while. Still, she needed to get better.

He let the tea cool down and then gently nudged her shoulder until she opened her eyes, giving a mangled noise of complaint. She looked at him with irritation until she smelt the tea. Her nose cringed at the smell, and he smirked.

"Yeah, it doesn't smell great but it'll make you feel better." He said. She looked at him for a moment.

"Trust…." She said. He blinked as she let him give her the tea, drinking it until only the left over herbs were left. He let her drift back to sleep and then he settled down to rest himself. She had spoken again, and this time her voice sounded stronger. It didn't sound as horrible as before, so he figured that her throat at least was healing nicely.

Trust.

The one word she had said. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. She trusted him, but did he deserve it really? He supposed he hadn't given her any reason not to, but he wasn't even really sure what he planned to do with her.

Trust.

How can one word spoken by a girl he didn't even know the name of make him feel both prideful, and apprehensive at the same time?

He decided finally that he would never give her a reason to not trust him. She gave him her trust, and he realized that having that actually felt really good. Someone to trust. He realized that at that moment, there was not one person, be they god, human, or underworld creature, that he really believed he could trust.

He looked over at the girl. He couldn't keep calling her 'girl'. He needed a name for her. Perhaps when she woke up she'd tell him. But then, she'd ask for his name, wouldn't he? Would he call himself 'Pit'? that was that puppet copycat's name. It was also the only name he really knew. What else could he possibly call himself? Exhaustion finally hit him, and he decided that it was time to sleep himself. He looked over at the pitiful girl again. She looked better now then when he found her. She was a long way from fully healed, but some healthy colors had returned to her cheeks and some of the angry red had left the skin on her body that wasn't covered by clothes or bandages. He realized she didn't have any shoes yet, and he made a mental not to find some on his next flight out.

He saw the metal contraptions on her back again, metal wings. He wondered how they were placed there and if she could fly with them. The way they seemed to be burned to her skin and back made it seem like they must be incredibly painful. Perhaps when she was well enough she'd tell him about those as well. They certainly looked more advanced then any sort of machinery he had seen. Expect for, perhaps, the star ships in space he had heard of. But even they didn't look like they could be as complicated as these metal wings.

He stopped thinking of them, letting sleep wash over him. Tomarrow, he'd have to run out to get more bandages. Then, he'd ask her for her name.

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Things wont get anymore pleasant from here on out.

I wrote this Pre-Release of Uprising, but I had a few details at the time.

Feel free to speculate. I need a nap, then I'll get to work on the next chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW!