Scarlet Stained

They had fought.

Squirtel's eyes stared down into the glassy surface of the water below as she recalled each thing they'd screamed at each other. As a tear rolled down her cheek, and her tongue instinctively lapped up the salty water, she reflected that this wasn't their worse fight, but neither had it been a pleasant bicker. This time it was of their son, Twilight, who had been called to DW's home in her own realm, having been placed under a hypnotism spell so strong, not even LT could break it.

Flash argued that Squirtel was too forgiving. She argued back that he was their son, flesh and blood, no matter what he had done to scar the family. However, Flash's hurt from his son's unwilling betrayal was still too fresh and strong to be placated so easily.

He had never hit her. Not once. But words hurt more than fists, and after he commented rudely that he had wished they had never had children, that he hadn't given into her needs and desires at the time, she had been force to flee the house to somewhere she could feel safer from the cruelty of the world around her.

Another tear rolled smoothly down her cheek and dropped into the level topped pool of water, sending little ripples out. Her eyes were red, sore, and tired from her sobbing and she began to drift off into the enjoyable void of sleep. But before her mind could settle down, a shadow fell across her. It was almost too dark for there to be a shadow, and Squirtel had not noticed. She felt a presence near her though, and stirred slightly, but as her eyes started to open into thin, sleepy slits, a strong arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her backwards against himself, choking the breath from her.

She squirmed frantically, panicking instantly, but his grip was very strong; he was able to even hold her while she frantically twisted and turned after seeing the blaring glint of the knife he had carefully pulled from within his shell. Beginning to lose hope of escape, she twisted around to instead get a look at her assassin, but he detained her still. Rather than letting her see, he would let her hear.

Poising the knife against her neck gently, carefully, he placed his mouth close to the side of her head and whispered in a venomously sick tone, "I never loved you." With realization of who this male Squirtle was, her eyes went wide with shock, and in the instant those words and facts sunk into her mind, the knife made a quick movement and sliced cleanly in her neck. The male dropped her to the ground, and paced around her so she could see him now.

As the blood quickly began to gush forth from the fatal wound, all she could do was stare back into the cold eyes of her killer. The area of her vision getting darker, she let that gaze burn itself, imprint the horrible picture, into her mind and with her very last dying thought, the word "why" echoed over and over in her mind, until death left her in silence.

The murderous Squirtle stared a moment longer, then started to walk away, back home, purposely walking through the puddle of blood so his feet were soaked. He only got a few steps away when a flash appeared behind him, and he whirled around in surprise of this unexpected calculation.

LT stood before him, released from her bodily prison after her beloved counterpart departed this world as a spirit. She was free, but would soon follow after to return home. However, she still had her duty here, even though whom she was sent to protect was deceased, she had to at least get word to everyone else.

"Why did you do it?" she asked coldly, giving the killer a glare of utmost justice. "Don't lie. You did love her, even if you don't now. Why?"

The assassin glared a moment, before bringing the still dripping knife up.

"I never loved her."

LT had expected him to be quick, and was prepared to dodge and counterattack, but this Squirtle was faster than what she had remembered. It was almost as if he had gained godly speed, for in the time it took her heart to beat, the dark Squirtle had pierced it with his knife, then turned and ran away.

As LT lay on the ground, bleeding, and cursing her inability to warn the others, she could only remain here until her immortal spirit left to leave and return to its home.

So she waited.

It was only hours later, not even as much, that Angel and Sunray stood staring out the windows into the deep darkness of night. Neither was able to sleep without their sweet mothers to tuck them in at dark.

"I want Mommy back," Sunray sighed, glancing back over his shoulder at Squirt who was coming to claim his daughter and help soothe Sunray from his parents' fight.

"She needs some time alone," Squirt explained as he picked his tiny daughter up. "Flash and Squirtel are very sad, and when they get sad, they need some alone time." Angel's face made an adorable scowl at her father as she clung to him and whined further.

"But I want Mommy too, and my mommy is with his mommy," she whimpered. Squirt sighed, having also wished that LT hadn't made the split second decision to follow Squirtel and offer her own emotional support from within. He hesitated in his decision on what to do.

"If I can't have my mommy, I want Angel's mommy to tuck me in," Sunray demanded. Angel grinned at her supporter and fluttered her eyelashes at her father, trying to work all her charm on him. It succeeded.

"Alright you two, I'll go get LT to come home and then you two have to go to bed," he offered. "Agreed?" The two toddlers nodded and smiled. Squirt hugged his daughter goodbye, and walked outside, contemplating on how much of a pushover he'd become since his starting days of being a father.

While in mid-thought, and mid-stride, he nearly forgot to look at the trail ahead of him, until milky white skin, caught brightly by the moonlight, struck his gaze and he saw his beloved mate fallen to the ground, and her beauty tainted by blood. His heart froze its beating and he rushed forward with a startled cry and kneeled next to his wife.

"Light Tide, speak to me!"

She did not reply, and Squirt quickly took note of what her injuries were. A stab to the heart, a fatal one, was all he could find, but was enough in itself. Still clinging to some unknown hope that her life was still salvageable, he plucked the knife from her chest, keeping it for later purposes, and scooped her up to run back home. Before he turned, he gazed forward, and saw the limp, blue and crimson form of Squirtel lying peacefully in demise. He did not have the strength to carry both, nor the wits to teleport them in his stupor of what was transpiring. Instead, he ran home with his mate.

Angel's eyes were sparkling in glee when the door was thrust open, but became deep with horror as she saw her mother in her father's arms, drenched in her own blood. Immediately she began to cry, feeling something torn within her, and Sunray, who had been staring in awe, wrapped his arms around her and tried in vain to shush her.

Angel's cries had arisen the sleep curiosity of Ann, Izzy, and Pikachu. The three of them poked their heads out from Ann's bedroom, and then stared on in shock as Squirt laid the pale body of LT on the floor.

"No!" screamed Ann, as she rushed foreword and kneeled next to them. Pikachu was right by her side, tears already forming, and Izzy just stood in his place, staring hard and without emotion. "This can't be… What happened?"

"I don't know," cried Squirt. "I found her like this." Ann poured her energy into trying to find any life left in the body, and was completely stunned to discover she was, indeed, still alive.

"There's still a chance," she gasped, picking up LT carefully. "Mew! Mewtwo! Come here, please! Hurry!" Mew and Mewtwo teleported instantly at their daughter's plea, and gasped at LT in her arms, looking quite dead. "She's still alive, please heal her!" Mew nodded and the two of them teleported with LT to do some very tedious healing work. Squirt's eyes were still pouring of tears as he sputtered out that he had found Squirtel in the same place, but in worse looking condition. Ann dashed outside with Pikachu bounding at her heels and Squirt pacing from behind.

"Where?" Ann asked, looking around in the darkness. Squirt's keen eyes picked up the trail he had been taking and he pointed down it. Ann resumed her flight and soon came across the still corpse of Squirtel. She tried again to find a life force.

"Well?" Pikachu asked tensely. Ann paused then, shaking in grief, shook her head. Squirt began to wail harder, and Ann and Pikachu joined him in a short moment of crying. Unwillingly, Ann picked up Squirtel's body and made her way home, more slowly now. She had no idea how she was to break this to Sunray and Flash. She paused at the doorway, and requested to Pikachu that he escort the children to Izzy's room. They had seen enough fatality for the night. Pikachu nodded, entered the room, and began to urgently push the two children into Izzy's room. Izzy still stood where he had before, and glanced at Pikachu inquiringly. Pikachu merely shook his head, and Izzy balled his fist up in rage at whatever had done this to the closely knit family.

Ann received Pikachu's signal and walked in slowly, still quivering, and placed the cadaver on the floor, looking for some sort of pillow or blanket to serve as a makeshift pedestal. Squirt walked down the hall to another room to fetch Flash and inform him of the deadly happening.

Flash sat hunched in a corner, staring at his own shadow and lost in a deep thought. He turned his gaze back and glanced at Squirt as he walked into the room.

"Flash… Something has happened… Squirtel…"

Flash cut him off and jumped up, still feeling remorse for the pointless fight they had had and eager to apologize. He walked past the quiet Squirtle and into the living room, stopping short after seeing his mate placed on the back of her shell on a pillow. The cut in her throat where the knife had severed it was obvious, and gaping slightly enough to see the freshness at which it had been made. He was speechless, and stunned. Here lay his wife, mate, love of his life; motionless as stone and pale as a sheet in her death.

"Oh God, Squirtel… No…"