They froze, the leader frowning in confusion.

"Who the hell-" A tentacle wrapped itself around his ankle, jerking it out from under him so he was suspended upside down in midair.

Honestly Nightmare was hoping to amuse the child so she wouldn't be scared of who he was. The others backed against the walls, finding themselves to be as trapped as the girl had been with them.

"so... tell me again. what did you want?" Nightmare asked, facing the leader to him and holding him to eye level.

"N-NOTHING SIR!" His voice was quite a few octaves higher out of fear. "D-DON'T KILL ME! P-please.. Don't kill me.."

"i don't kill weaklings like you. leave my sight." He dropped the leader and they ran like dogs with their tails between their legs. He scoffed before turning to the child.

"are you alright?" he said in his more normal tone of voice.

Instead of being terrified like he thought she would be, she looked amazed and awe struck. He could've sworn he saw stars in her eyes.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!!! AND HILARIOUS!!! HOW CAN I THANK YOU?!" Sunny cheerfully cried in happiness.

He was startled by her genuine happiness, and his tentacles curled in on themselves. "um... nothing.. there's no need to thank me.. er.. it's my job as your king." He replied, slightly weirded out, but in a good way?

Sunny wouldn't have it. She had to think of a way to thank him. She then got a mischievous idea. She gestured for him to bend down at her level.

Curious, he did what she asked, taking a knee and leaning in, thinking it was some sort of secret thing or something.

Sunny then went right up to him and gave him a hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. Meanwhile secretly slipping in a juicy red apple in his coat pocket.

He went bright cyan, tensing instinctively. He still wasn't used to his brother's hugs, let alone this child's. And that kiss- His mind felt like it was going to short circuit. She was just a child? Why?!?!?! Tentatively he hugged back, not wanting to just awkwardly sit there.

Sunny giggled harder. "Why are you so tense~? You act like you've never had a girl kiss ya before~." She asked cheekily as she stared at him with her big blue eyes.

He hadn't. A child just took his first kiss. He blushed brighter upon realizing that. "i-i.." Nope. Not going to explain that. "i am merely not used to physical contact is all." He tried to make himself look more professional. He was a king after all.

The child merely looked at him with a smug smile that would put a cat to shame.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Let's go with that. King Cutie." She teased while she winked playfully.

Would she stop? He was going to die a blushing mess! He'd never hear the end of it if Dream saw him like this! "l-let's get you back home.." He stammered, probably due to the pet name he'd been given.

She hesitated for a moment. But she put on her best fake award winning smile. And offered her hand. "Okay!" She "cheerfully" exclaimed as she led him further in the darkness of the alleys.

He could sense the falseness in her tone. "child?" He was a bit confused, but more concerned. She did have a home...right?

Sunny ignored his inquiry and continued to lead him till they were at the Grand Walls. The Walls separated the entire kingdom from the harsh wilderness and possible invading armies. From who? Who knows. But it was there that Nightmare saw other people either camping and trying to huddle for warmth or that people somehow dug huge cave-like structures IN the thick walls. It looked like an odd apartment building of sorts with how many holes there were. It was then that he realized something. This was a neighborhood of Slums.

People often stared at the child dragging their king throughout the place, which in full honesty, never knew existed. She then stopped at a rickety old ladder by the wall. She then let go of his hand and turned around to face him with a closed eye smile. Although fake, it was a smile.

"Well this is my stop! Sorry I took you out this far." She casually said like she was explaining the weather.

Nightmare wouldn't stand for this. These.. Slums. These were people, not wild animals. He would have something, someplace built where these people, the child included, could stay and not have to pay while they got back on their feet. He would be sure of that. "trust me, you will not live here for much longer." He said, mostly to himself, but the child could still hear him.

"Wait! You're not gonna kick me out of here are you?! I mean, it took me almost a month to get my hole!" She panicked.

"no. i will move you to someplace better than a hole." He replied seriously, looking down at her.

She looked surprised but then fearful again. "Y-you're not gonna put me i-in that place are you?"

He had no clue what she was talking about. "i'm going to make a place where you and these others can live while you obtain money for a better living situation." He explained.

She looked confused but slightly relieved. "S-so. You're not going to put me in that place that beats naughty kids? Like me? A foster home?" She said the last part quietly but he still heard as he stared at her clutching "discreetly" at her torso.

"beat? naughty? foster home?" He growled. "one you are not naughty, you are a good kid trying to survive. two where'd you hear that? three were you harmed?" He went to check.

On her torso there were several gash marks, faded bruises, and on her left hip he could faintly make out a branding marking that said, "Property of...." He couldn't see the rest because she pulled away abruptly. Shame on her features. Eyes pricking with tears.

He was pissed. Beyond pissed, but for now, all he showed was compassion and concern. He had questions and he WOULD find the answers, but first he'd tend to this child at the brink of tears. He pulled her into a hug and pet her hair whispering quiet "it's ok"s and "you're alright now"s.

Nightmare's Pov:

After she cried herself to sleep, he didn't know what to do next till a kind looking elderly lady came up to him.

"Excuse me sir? Is that Sunny by any chance?" She asked tentatively.

"is that her name?" He asked, feigning calmness, though he was still upset about the marks of abuse.

The kind lady smiled sadly. "You saw her marks?" She asked carefully.

Was it that obvious on his face? "i did. what happened if i may ask?"

"Well, first introductions are in order. I'm Miss Anita Brown. I've been living here since I was evicted from my rental house two years ago. Didn't have a steady income and my husband has long since passed. I used to be neighbors with the foster home she used to live at." She informed him.

"my condolences, miss anita. i am king nightmare." He introduced himself with a formal bow. "mind sharing more?"

She looked uneasy as she looked all around her as if she was being watched.

"I tried all I could've thought of, I even offered to adopt her. But that man...! He kept her like she was his PET!" She growled out with venom in her tone. "He went as far as to brand her...!" She choked out bitterly. "I tried so hard to tell the authorities this. But since that man was upper class and had a "good reputation" in the neighborhood, they chalked it up as me going crazy. He never treated the other children this way... just her... For some reason he had this sick fixation on her. About a month ago or two she finally escaped from that place and made her way here. As to if he is still looking for her or if he's given up and chosen a new victim..." Nightmare could tell that she didn't want to think about it.

"just one more question, if you don't mind." He waited to give her the ok to ask or not, in case she was too uncomfortable.

She looked unsure but nodded regardless.

"what is his name?"

She flinched under his tone but answered regardless.

"H-his name is M-mr. Ramos. Conan Ramos. Head of Elms Street Foster care." She said shakily but still held her stance of courage.

He felt bad for scaring the poor old woman and offered the child to her. "i promise that this conan ramos will not get away with this any longer. i will personally see to that."

The woman was slowly relieved that he was going to do something and that he was somewhat keeping his composure.

"Thank you sir. I can take her now. My tent is right beside where she sleeps. You can see for yourself. I managed to get a heater and some blankets for myself and whoever I need to help out." She offers with a gentle smile as she escorts him to her large tent.

He followed, taking a couple of breaths to further calm himself. Maybe he could sick Horror on Ramos later. That'd be humorous.

The tent was fairly large and looked well kept for being a tent. And as she said, she had blankets and pillows galore along with a solar powered heater that someone generously donated to her and the others to use. "What do you think? Will it be suitable for her for now?"

"indeed. this will be suitable until i get new dwellings built for you all.. i will have someone come here tomorrow with adoption papers for you and sunny. you seem like a great caretaker for her." Nightmare focused once more on Anita, much calmer than before.

She beamed with happiness. "Thank you sir! Thank you!" She gazed at Sunny in his arms curled up against his chest and chuckled. "No wonder she's developed such a crush on you! You certainly know how to take care of a lady." She complimented.

He went cyan in the face. "crus- what? no,no.. uh.. she's only a child and i'm only looking after my people.." He went all bashful and embarrassed again.

"Oohhohoho~ now don't try to pull this one over an old gal like myself~ I know when I see a child head over heels for another~"

She cooed teasingly.

As she stared at the child, Sunny mumbled, "...mine..." and the old woman smiled and looked at Nightmare with a knowing look a mother would give to tease their child.

He blushed again, looking down at her. "i see.." He paused for a moment. "if she still feels this way when she is older, i will come back for her. for now, i must take my leave. i have things to prepare for tomorrow." He passed her over to Anita.

She cradled the child in her arms and took her in the tent and settled her in. By the time the woman looked back, he was gone.

Sunny's POV:

"And that's what happened." Sunny said as she relayed the rest of the story that her dear Grandma Anita told her.

"Apparently after the next day, construction workers and the authorities came by to escort us and the rest of the slums to the shelter that was practically built overnight. Ever since then, my life has gotten considerably better. Especially since I saved up enough to buy back Anita's old diner that she and her husband lost when they went out of business. And so here I stand today and after all this time.... I still love him." She shakily told Meredith as her eyes pricked with tears.

Meredith's eyes were wide as plates. She'd never heard of that side of Nightmare, but Sunny was never one to lie to her. "Do you think he'll come..?" She asked in a whisper.

Sunny chuckled bitterly. "I don't know. He hadn't shown up for the last 12 years while I was staying there. He must've forgotten about me..." Sunny shook her head and slapped her cheeks to focus.

"But that's not important. What IS, is that they want me to steal for them. And from him no less! And something that's so important and that he treasures. This deal could make or break a nation Merry!" She said fearfully.

"Now I see the problem.." This would be tough. But did it matter if the guy couldn't even remember the promise to return? Then yet.. It could make or break the kingdom.. The Venom Fist's weren't friendly people.. She groaned. "Yeah.. definitely see the dilemma now.."

A few minutes rolled by until Sunny sat up abruptly. "I'm gonna do it..." she said with finality.

She gave a small smile. "If you're sure... but we aren't ACTUALLY gonna give the Venom Fist's something THAT powerful.. Are we?" She asked with uncertainty.

Sunny smirked at her. "Oh Hell no! I'M gonna steal it so that they don't send someone that has less sympathy than me. I'm gonna keep it for a few days then send an "anonymous" message to Nightmare and then we can team up to see if we can take them down! But not without sending a message that the mission didn't go as planned to the snake heads~." she mischievously laughed.

"That makes an odd amount of sense." Meredith hummed, rubbing her chin in thought. "You sneaky girl. This is why we are besties!"

Sunny laughed. "Well duh! Now! Let's get ready. We HAVE to be prepared for everything if this is gonna go smoothly. You ready to hack some security systems~?" She asked with a sly smile.

She made a show of cracking her knuckles and neck. "I gotcha girl." Her grin was equally sly and mischievous. She went off to fetch her laptop and came back, not only with the laptop, but a couple of tootsie pops. "Want one?"

"Oooohhhh!!! Yes please~!!!" She swiped one from her hands.

Sunny went into the back and gestured for her to do the same. They both got dressed in ambiguous clothing so that they couldn't be easily identified.

Sunny was dressed in a dark forest green clad outfit that resembled a Robin Hood and a desert mix of style. Both cool looking and functional. While Meredith dressed in full black sweatshirt and sweatpants.

They loaded everything in their big black van that had blacked out windows and fake license plates. And as Meredith drove to a secluded but accessible area in the forest, Sunny jumped out and loaded everything in her pockets and bags. Making sure her cloak and plain black and white mask fit snugly on.

Meredith made sure the comms were in working order before she got to do any hacking. "Heya Sun, hear me fine?" She asked.

Sunny responded with a two finger salute.

Meredith laughed. Sunny truly was the best. "Ok, I'll start my thing." With that the hacking began. "Put that on loop. Cat videos are in order here.." She joked.

Sunny gave her a "Really?" stance. Hands on hips and everything.

"You know I'm kidding. You're free to head out now, they're all on loop. Just warning you, patrols come in 5 minute intervals, so you're on a bit of a time crunch."

Sunny gave her a thumbs up. When she was in her thief persona, she didn't speak. Only through expressions and ASL.

"Tell me where to go and where the guards are coming, ok?" She signed.

"Gottie. Your first turn will be a left in 20 feet. Once you get through security at the back. Hide and wait for the patrol to pass you, you'll have about 30 seconds. After, the door inside will be to your right. It's a service entrance and there will be a guard posted there."

Sunny gave a thumbs up and started to quickly and quietly move through the forest like it was nothing to her. She soon saw the back entrance and saw the number of guards.