Counterparts

by Moi366

"You say that, but you always find a way to get out of the Distortion World altogether." "My dear, I am a renegade being, therefore I never obey the rules."

"Counterparts – some say they're destiny," Arceus pondered thoroughly about this, "Or are they perhaps a necessity, or are they even a curse to our very existence?" She strode carefully down the serene Hall of Origin, her silver streaks of hair following her obediently. Gazing upwards at the ceiling, she sighed in a gruff manner, grasping her hands shakily. "Tell me, someone, why must I be forbidden to roam outside of this prison? Why am I, myself, a goddess of some sort, not allowed to see my creation?"

"Isn't it obvious, my lady?"

Arceus turned suddenly, her pale eyes widening at the sight. Before her stood a deity like herself with jagged, blood-stained wings from previous torments. His hair seemed to be in a dire state of affairs, with a crooked, malicious grin reaching the tips of his face. The eyes of the male seemed to glance darkly in her direction, causing her to be taken aback by this. However, despite his grotesque appearance, she did not fear him like the rest. She knew him better, or at least she thought she did.

The male leaned against a purely white pillar beside him, admiring himself in a curved mirror opposite. "Aren't I a handsome devil, Arceus?" he cackled gleefully, glancing back at the female deity who seemed to be scowling behind her mask of kindness.

"What do you want, Giratina? I have not called on you."

"My dear lady. Do you not remember why you are forced to stay in this very room?"

"O-Of course I do! Why wouldn't I!"

Giratina simply shrugged, smirking deviously. He fetched something from behind him, a pendant of some sort, and began to insanely toss it around the place in his boredom. "We're above the rest, my lady. That is why. If you were to walk out of the Hall of Origin, then the whole of existence may collapse upon itself. It needs to have a strong force forever governing it." He cocked a sly but solemn gaze, "Er... I was referring to you, by the way."

Arceus began to pout knowingly, rolling her elegant eyes as she did. "You say that, but you always find a way to get out of the Distortion World altogether."

"My dear, I am a renegade being. Therefore, I never obey the rules." With that final statement, he dissolved into the darkness before she could make a reply.

She often wondered about Giratina as a whole. After all, he was the one who she had created the very first once she had obtained a conscience. Despite this, she had learnt overtime that he refused to take order from her since he was both her equal and her opposite. Due to this, she winded up making the rest of her creations slightly lower in authority, as if she were their mother. Giratina often mocked her saying that he was their father; however this 'joke' could never be taken seriously by Arceus. Even so, she believed that the others thought that he could be their father, much to her distaste.

What always confused her most about Giratina were the reasons why he always visited her so much. He never gave a purpose. Now and then, excluding the monthly meetings of the deities, he'd wonder over, mock her for a few minutes, and be gone once again. She always thought that Dialga and Palkia would've noticed something, but knowing them they were probably once again sparring against one another to bother noticing anything unusual. The lake trio as well seemed too carefree to be on guard and just spend their days lazily slumping in their caves. Even the lunar duo, Cresselia and Darkrai, seem to not notice anything. "But at least they actually do their job rather than argue consistently like Dialga and Palkia," she thought bluntly.

Without the heart to endure the rest of the day, she weakly retired back to her bed, praying to herself that she will fare better tomorrow.

...

A shadowy figure lingered around the outskirts of the darkness, a large moon keeping track of it in the distance. The stars also seemed to be rather curious at this time of night, flickering anxiously. A single figure gazed softly at the view around him, the wind whistling with caution like a silent alarm.

"I can see you clearly in this dense moonlight, my lord," a cold, deep voice echoed.

Whilst it was difficult to make out, there was a male figure, a deity by the looks of things, adorned with darkening clothing with a bloody scarf obviously looking in need for repairs. In other words, he seemed more like a reaper than a deity. His cold eyes seemed to illuminate parts of the night around him.

The shadow seemed to laugh menacingly at first, before changing it to a lighter and humble tone. A pair of wings seemed to rise upwards, a harsh tint of blood covering them. Another maniacal howl seemed to escape from his lips.

"It's been a while, lord Giratina," the other male bowed in his presence.

"Don't talk to me with that drool! Besides, there is no point in speaking formally just in front of those who're higher than you."

The other deity, taken aback by his words, cleared his throat in a rapid fashion. Stroking his silky silver hair, he sighed in an eventual manner, crossing his arms stubbornly. "So, do you want something, Giratina?"

"Why else would I be here Darkrai!" he growled, his voice breaking the very sound barriers of the night. Noting this, he carefully resumed a quieter posture. "... I wish to talk to you about something."

Darkrai cocked a brow. "Something? It must be of importance if you want to consult about it to me."

There was an eerie silence, with the wind tearing through their souls arrogantly. The reaper-like deity shook his head in a laughable sense, tilting his head impatiently. However, it bothered him why he had come to consult him instead of someone like Arceus. "...After all, you're counterparts."

Another silence ensued, although this one was even more frightening than the last. Giratina drew the deity in black fierce glances. His pupils seemed to dilate for a few seconds before the gazes were once again received.

Eventually, he spoke. "Arceus. I would like to talk to you about Arceus."

"... What did you say just now...?"

...

"Enter," Arceus spoke weakly, rubbing her eyes and attempting to soothe her aching back.

A golden figure strolled carefully along the pristine hall, admiring the magnificent pictures hanging gallantly. The figure was also a deity by the looks of things, her shimmering golden locks dangling loosely from her head. Her spiceberry eyes seemed to twinkle knowingly, with most of her body being enveloped in some sort of peculiar light.

She curtseyed formally, before glancing upwards and sending the goddess a warm smile. Placing her hands in front of her, she nodded. "Miss Arceus."

"Cresselia."

Cresselia adjusted her dress several times, much to the goddess's annoyance. Eventually, she began to speak again in a somewhat chirpy tone. "Why have I been called here, my lady?"

"... I am not feeling all too well, Cresselia." Arceus placed a pale hand onto her thumping forehead, her eyes squinting ever so slightly. She fell to her knees, covering her head into her dress. Cresselia paced over towards Arceus horridly, shocked and concerned for her creator. Wrapping her caring arms around Arceus, she felt a persistent tear drop from her eyes and leap carelessly onto the ground.

"My lady! What is wrong with you!"

"... I do not know, Cresselia. I've been feeling like it ever since this morning."

Placing a hand onto her heart, she noticed how boldly it was beating, how hot her blood had become, how a sudden fire had been lit inside of her. Cresselia took several steps back, before trying to retreat. However, she couldn't. It was simple. There was something vital preventing her from getting help. Or maybe that wasn't the case after all.

"Miss Arceus! Please tell me if you've done anything that could make you feel like this!"

There was a pause. Arceus tilted her head wearily upwards, cringing. "... I've used up a huge mass of my energy lately."

Cresselia frowned deeply. "What on earth have you done to waste so much of your power, my lady?"

Arceus smirked knowingly, her eyes becoming somewhat dark after the spoken statement. "Curiosity," she mumbled simply.

She cocked an innocent brow. "Curiosity? My lady what has gotten into you?"

A sudden expression was etched softly onto her face, before it faded almost suddenly as everything seemed to turn black. Cresselia's eyes began to bulge as she began to cringe at the sight. "S-Someone! Help!"

...

"Curiosity?" a male in dark blue attire mumbled unknowingly. By the looks of things, he seemed to be a deity, with his hair dyed a tasteful blue shade with a shimmering silver pocket watch in hand. He also wore armour that had several dents in the sides. Whenever asked about these, he simply shrugs and laughs it over, however it is obvious that he's simply far too embarrassed to admit the truth.

"Yes," Cresselia replied, frowning in a concerned voice, "That's what she said before she fell unconscious."

"Sounds rather suspicious to me," a female in dark pink clothing emerged from behind the male, a piercing gaze drawn onto her face. She also seemed to be a deity, wearing similar clothes to the man in blue attire, except from various details such as the pearls that have propped themselves onto several parts of her clothing. Her hair is an astonishingly bold shade of hot pink, enough to match her fearsome eye colour.

"No one told you to interfere, Palkia!" the male shouted through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Shut up Dialga you miserable old git!" she retorted, scrunching her eyes infuriatingly.

Cresselia groaned at the twosome before her, whacking her head several times over. Why had she called upon the deities of time and space when all they do is bicker all day to one another? The lake trio seemed to float quietly past the steaming arguers before gliding over to Cresselia somewhat cheerfully. In appearance, all three of them seemed to be very childlike. Suitably, their personalities matched.

"Hi Cress," the light pink one grinned widely, her rosy cheeks like mimicking tomatoes.

"Mesprit, Azelf and I overheard the news. We came as soon as we-"

"Don't butt in, Uxie!" Mesprit cried literally, watery tears running down her face, "You never allowed Azelf to say hello to Cresselia. You're SO mean!"

"Will you two please be quiet?" Azelf drew fierce glances at the other two, "We came here to check on our goddess, NOT to cause an argument over something like this." He turned to Cresselia and grinned happily and innocently, handing her a colourful package in vibrant pink, blue and yellow tones. "It's not very much," he said rather bashfully, "But we think that Miss Arceus would like it."

"Thank you. I'm certain that she will adore it," Cresselia warmly smiled at the threesome.

She glanced upwards, noticing that Dialga and Palkia were still having a heated argument on some sort of ridiculous topic. Rolling her moonlit eyes at them, she waved off the trio as she watched them descend into the distance.

A sudden chill entered the atmosphere, Cresselia becoming wide-eyed and cautious. She turned hurriedly and stepped cautiously about the area. Simultaneously cursing and overjoyed, she spoke a name, "Darkrai...?"

The raggedy reaper-like deity faded into vision, his mouth covered up by his tattered, deathly red scarf. Even though his icy complexion seemed to cover the truth of the male, he still preferred to use his scarf as a mask. However, since he tended to show as little emotion as possible, you could say that the scarf is unneeded.

"Cresselia. It has been a while to say the least," he spoke in a chilly tone.

"... Why on earth are you here?" Cresselia breathed, her eyes widening from shock.

Darkrai cocked a knowing gaze, before turning his head slightly away. "I presume you're wondering why Miss Arceus is feeling weak, am I not mistaken?"

She shuffled back somewhat violently, which was even enough to get the attention of the abysmal warring of Dialga and Palkia. "What! D-Do you know something, Darkrai!"

"Yes." Despite how blunt his words were, the outcry that burst out from the lips of Palkia from behind was immense. Thankfully, Dialga was in the way to prevent her from arguing with yet another male. Unfortunately, this broke out into another sparring contest between the twosome, much to Darkrai's and Cresselia's dismay.

Darkrai rolled his silent eyes, before continuing. "She told you that the reason she was feeling weak was due to 'curiosity'."

"Indeed. There is nothing special about something like that."

"Say whatever you want. But, do you not find it peculiar as to why she said that? Isn't there something rather odd with her reasoning?"

She frowned lightly, shifting frantically from various corners of the room. Halting almost suddenly, she turned somewhat slowly, tilting her innocent face in disbelief. Darkrai grinned, nodding in her direction.

"... I-I had no idea, Darkrai."

"No reason that you would have known. Lord Giratina told me everything."

"I see... it makes perfect sense." Cresselia started to wonder away from the inside of the Hall of Origin she was currently in. "If that is the case, then we should best make our leave. Right, Darkrai?"

Darkrai limped backwards due to the shock of Cresselia calling his name. Recovering a calm stature quickly, he solemnly nodded as the two counterparts made their exit.

"Hm? Why on earth are they leaving?" Dialga pondered curiously.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me on purpose, you steely ass!" Palkia roared.

"Shut it, you watery bitch!" he growled irritably, "Let's take our bickering outside! I couldn't stand to see the Hall of Origin look like a mess because of us!"

"Us! Who said that we're together!"

"We're counterparts. It makes perfect sense that it would be 'us'."

Palkia seemed to settle down after his explanation, and as they exchanged warm smiles, they power-walked boldly after Cresselia and Darkrai.

...

"Rise and shine, my dear," a voice spoke in a mischievous tone, although you could also say that there was a tint of kindness hidden somewhere within.

A pair of pure, tired eyes glanced upwards at the ceiling before them, a hand weakly rubbing the dusty layers from them. "Giratina?" a voice croaked in reply.

"So you've finally woken up, Arceus."

He glanced dully at his counterpart as she rose upwards like that of a graceful swan out of the bed she was laying on. She refused to get out completely, so she just knelt on it somewhat lazily. This somewhat surprised Giratina, as he did not expect her to have this sloth trait. "... I knew you weren't perfect, dear Arceus," he smirked humorously to himself in his mind.

Arceus glared at Giratina somewhat blankly, much to his own amusement. "Why are you here, Giratina?" she cocked an unknowing gaze at the demon-like man, whose wings seemed to stretch out wildly as soon as she finished speaking. Specks of blood could be seen oozing out of them, but Arceus shrugged it over; after all, she's seen it far too many times before.

He raised his hands, shaking his head. "Dear Arceus. Surely you know the answer to that."

"I do not know what you're on about," she replied, oblivious to what he was saying.

A single laugh managed to escape from his mouth, before he quickly placed a solemn finger over it to calm the laughter. "Are you sure? Because let me tell you one thing – I know that you know." Her expression told him everything he needed to know, so he simply continued talking. "Curiosity is why you had become weak. Did you not think about what you were saying beforehand? Because, Arceus, that one word has given away what your intentions truly were."

Arceus frowned lightly at his words. Tilting his head, he went on. "Did you think that I didn't know what you were up to? Honestly, just because you have a mass of power does not mean you can use it to spy on people."

Arceus's eyes began to bulge slightly, as if he had struck a nerve from within her body. Smirking knowingly, he once again continued. "I knew all of this time that you were looking from afar. Of course, I suppose that is what a goddess is meant to do. However, to spy on someone who happens to be a deity - that is at a completely different level, wouldn't you agree?"

Arceus remained speechless. "You are not very talkative today are you, Arceus?" Giratina mocked, "No matter. But you should've thought twice before trying to outsmart a deity. You know better than anyone how powerful our kind are compared to the ordinary citizens we watch over."

To his surprise, she actually decided to reply to this, "Wait a moment. Did you just say 'we'? Since when did you watch over the creations?"

A wide grin slid across his face. "Don't you remember anything? Do you not recall the time when we first spoke to one another? I told you that I am their father."

The goddess seemed to hear a tint of sadness in his voice, although she decided to dismiss it for now. "But you said it yourself – you're a renegade being. You never obey the rules."

"Exactly." He paused for a few seconds, before he softly strode closer towards her bedside. "But that also means that I can do what I want, when I want."

Arceus frowned deeply in his direction. "... Giratina. Why are you really here?"

"My dear, I am stopping by here because I can."

"No!"

Giratina cocked a confusing brow. "Excuse me? Do you mind repeating that?"

"I do not believe you! There is something else, isn't there!"

Turning away from her, he glanced down at his hands. She glared in disgust as she realised he was about to fade back into the darkness again. "Giratina!"

"I've been here for long enough."

"Wait!" she shouted after him, a loose tear flinging itself from her eye, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for spying!"

He paused, and wondered nearer to her. "So you no longer deny it?"

"Yes. I'm telling you that I did do what you said." She looked up at him thoughtfully, "Now please tell me, if not anything else, Lord Giratina, why do you really come to visit me like you do?"

The fact that she addressed him as a lord made the dark deity feel extremely patronised. However, if he thought it over more, it seemed to have a magnificent ring to it. Giratina glanced downwards at his palms, flexing them several times. "...I..."

He didn't speak another word, as he wrapped his protective body around her, and his lips came crashing down deeply. "I love you."

In Arceus's eyes, that was all that needed to be said, as the wall that tore them apart came shattering down as they made a heavenly embrace.