Author's note: Hello~ If you're reading this, then you're either of the two:
A student of mine
A very generous reader who is willing to provide his/her time for this fanfic
If you are the first, then hello there ^_^ …Quit stalking me xD
If you are the second, then THANK YOU. By opening this fic, you are willing to give my fic a chance, even if this is SO VERY AU(so AU that some characters may be a bit OOC; heck, even my own OC is quite OOC -_-) and comprises of a characterxOC… sorry ^^"
But even if that is so, I would like to clarify that this story is by no means PURELY romance. I aim to tickle your minds (even if this fic was written a long time ago, and was only posted now because I had to use this as teaching material, yowhooo), and if I fail, then… sorry, again.
I just hope you still tell me how you think of this :3
PS: Blue is the boy here, and Green is the girl. And Pink… well, she's my OC ^_^ Now that everyhing's been clarified, please enjoy, DIAGONAL~!
DIAGONAL—
We were confined.
Manipulated by two hands that utilize every skill they could from us, forcing us to move against our will—this was who we were. We were aware, of course, but we never actually cared.
We were trained not to care.
No. We just step forward, anticipating the next move of the opponent, and then move based on that.
I brought the last pawn back to its original place, and then smiled.
Like chess pieces…
"What're you doing?"
Holding the image of the initial chess formation in my head, I slowly raised my eyes to meet her unexpressive ones.
Well, this was a first. Her looking at me with no expression, I mean. Usually, there was this curious aura about her whenever she stares at me, as if she was trying to scrutinize me. Though, right now, I can't seem to read whatever it is she was thinking.
But, then again, when I have really got to know what went on in her mind? She was too enigmatic for all of us.
"Just arranging the chess pieces," I quietly replied. Her upturned eyebrow gave a quick splash of nostalgia, reminding me of that perky little girl from before who was constantly forcing me to teach her the basics of chess. That same girl who eyed me like I was some sort of idiot, but would smile, either way, with this bizarre glint of respect. That girl who made everything seem like a game, where all of us were mere players, and the rules were nothing but guidelines.
She was… that girl whose laughter has always been the sign of hope for all of us.
But she herself was a common chess piece. The girl who used to play the game became one of those who were used to play the game. That girl who, at that time, simply accepted the changes, as if they were the current norm.
And yes, she was that girl whose splendor has now slowly decayed as she let herself be engulfed in this grievous system of ours.
"What's with the face?" she asked, lowering herself on the chair across mine.
"I was born with this face," I retorted. "You've no rights to question it." I gave a short glance at her direction to see if she would quiver up a smile at my hastily-made joke.
She didn't.
"I'm sorry, what?"
My, how vibrancy fades in a short period of time. It's quite upsetting to just watch her stare at me as if all she could hear is static noise.
She used to be so much different…
She still had the presence of a child, yes, but the luster in her eyes has vanished. The magnificence of her long blonde hair seemed to have faded. Her once perfect posture curved down from so many burdens.
Despite knowing that she stayed in this group for the shortest while, she still acted as if she aged the most from any of us.
"I advise you to listen carefully the next time someone speaks," I told her. "Not everyone will repeat everything for you." She stared at me blankly nonetheless, as if she didn't care for what I just said.
"I said, 'Surely, you'd come here for some relevant reason, correct? Or am I just imagining things and, truthfully, you just wanted to see me?'"
She stared at me with an unexpected childish doubt in her face, unaware at that delighted feeling that conjured itself within me for a strange short moment. Goodness only knows how I always anticipate moments like this where I get to read her, even in simple ways.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, picking up a piece from the board. "I only came here to take a break from too much thinking. Stop discerning such weird things, Blue. It makes you sound so out-of-character…"
"Hmm," I mumbled mindlessly, trying hard not point out that she knows for a fact that I stay here during this time every night. That and the fact that she hated spending time alone with me. Says I'm too "boring" for her.
"So, how's the plan coming?"
She suddenly stopped tracing the piece with her finger and stared at me, as if to say that I would not like her answer.
"I have nothing," she droned distastefully, looking down with a guilty-look on her face. Then quickly added: "As of the time being…"
All I did was nod. Normally, I would've shouted at her for tarrying around a certain ground instead of moving on without delay, especially when tasked with something as important as formulating a strategy against a bunch of enemies we know nothing of. Or I simply do it myself.
But, Pink was the strategist here. Nothing I could think of can be better than what she have already trashed, and that's just underestimating her. We had a reason for assigning her the post, so if she can't think of anything, then we may as well just sit down quietly until she does.
Although, looking back now, I do wonder if ever we were putting too much pressure on her….?
"You shouldn't force yourself excessively, you know," I told her while moving a white pawn forward. "After all, all work and no play make the blonde kid a bit more chafing…"
She stared at me uncertainly for just a short while, but either way got what I was trying to get across, and moved her own pawn forward.
"I don't know what 'chafing' means, but I can tell you this: We're of the same age, mind you."
And, unconsciously, a game has begun.
Toc. Toc. Toc.
"You have spoken with Red, I presume?" I asked after demolishing her Rook with my Bishop. Though I've left her now with an astounding decrease in pieces, there's no denying I've presented her with three ways for a checkmate.
Wrong move. I know. But one must have to make the wrong moves to see a wider array of possibilities.
Guess the great and mighty brain who said that.
"I'm in no condition to face him right now," she garbled, moving her fingers around in search of a move. "Otherwise I might lose whatever sanity I still have left and…"
"And preferably stop him and whatever he's planning at all cost? How can you possibly do that?" I mused. She glared at me sharply, but soon drew back, admitting defeat.
"Well, I can't just sit here and continue to do nothing while he go plan his own grave, can I?"
"You can try…"
Again, I received one of her most famous glares, together with a little bit of low growl. Of course she couldn't. If she could, then she would've thrown away all responsibilities of strategizing and let Red do what he wanted…
Even if it could kill him if he tries to fight the enemies on his own… I can tell by the way her eyes tear up that she was anxious for his being. We all were, but there's no denying that she was the most affected.
She loved him so.
But, of course, we were all deep in war, and it's hard to love amidst war. It was too much.
Far, far too much…
"I need to have a plan by daybreak," she suddenly mumbled, unbridling her last knight, only to be eaten by my pawn. Her knuckles suddenly flew near her mouth, and she began biting them.
She was absolutely shaken. Worried. Troubled.
It was pathetic, but I can only understand most.
Shakily, she moved her rook forward, and I took that chance to grab her hand, and enclose it in both of mine.
"Listen," I told her, not letting her gaze leave mine. "Stop trying to pressure yourself with all these…"
"But, Blue, everyone… They…" She bit her lip and looked down, almost forcing out that one word that've been pestering her since she came here. "Red… He…"
"Yes, I know. We depend on you, especially now that we know a life is at stake. But that does not require you to put yourself into torment. We've lost too many, and we're all brought down into a handful of few. We can't afford to lose somebody else…"
I placed my finger under her chin, and lifted her face upward.
"And that includes you…"
She stared at me again, her blue eyes quivering at the intensity of my stare. Red had always said she had pink eyes, and the blue that we can see were only shades from the side. But I never saw that. All I can see were blue.
Pink had a pair of blue eyes, and that was that.
"Blue," she whispered. "You changed."
The statement came as a shock for me, not because it was unexpected, but it was true.
I let her go and moved a chess piece forward. My rook.
"Maybe, I have," I told her, and unhesitatingly added: "All because of this stupid system you're so persistent on protecting."
Her face contorted into a frown. She looked at me like I've mentioned something so foul.
"What is it about this system that makes you say so?" she asked, eyebrows rose.
"Everything about it, Pink. Think about it: We're all moving against our will, waiting for our time of slaughter, sacrificing more than what we have intended to give, and for what? To protect a King who is simply a mere figure head, a King that only moves when he wants his presence to be known. A show, that's all that it does. Don't you see how much of a fraud everything is?"
"We're doing this to protect the people, remember?"
"Since when did 'the people' become our obligation?"
"Since we all agreed to…"
"I don't remember any of us agreeing to anything, Pink. Everything just began to fall into place without us being aware of it."
She didn't reply. She knew I was right.
"Well, that's your opinion," she sighed, staring back at the chessboard. "And you are entitled to your opinion the same way I am entitled to mine…"
She took her Queen, and enclosed it gently into her palm.
"And my opinion is this: I am willing to give more than what I could offer, stake everything I believe in, and simply withdraw myself from living…"
She laid her Queen on the route of my Rook.
"..For the sake of my King."
She rose from her chair, lips pursed into a grim line.
"I'm tired," she announced, facing the direction of the door. "I'm going to bed… Goodnight, Blue."
She walked out of the door, leaving it open.
"Close the door behind you," I called after her. I waited only a few moments before she came back, but only to slam the door dramatically as if to show her remaining reactions to my words.
Immature. Bold, but still immature.
When we will she learn?
Two years… I thought to myself. You'd think she'd learn a thing or two from all those experience. It seems as though the only thing she's gotten was a major character change, nothing more.
I can't help but feel disappointed, seeing that I was somewhat responsible for her growth in this organization. True, she'd shown exemplary performance for the past years, but in the end, she's never far from those who have fallen before her. It's hard to believe we'd actually expected her to join our ideals. She was too simple-minded, as it was.
Her black queen stood there unprotected by her remaining pieces, calling out to whatever for it to be taken whole. Never in our bouts had she ever made a move as stupid and ill-played as this.
She was hopeless. Too hopeless, as a matter of fact. Makes me wonder…
Who exactly are you fighting for? I asked silently, and then thought of that boy she kept mulling about as well. The both of you… what exactly are you trying to gain from all this?
How long shall we play this charade? When shall it be until we reap whatever are the fruits of these so-called efforts? Until when will we continue losing one another?
Ah, such useless inquisitiveness. It was all in futile, after all.
Blankly, I moved my rook forward and devoured her queen, leaving her side of the board as powerless as ever.
The next morning, she called us all for a meeting. All of us four officials, anyway. It bothered me a bit, but I can only expect more from Pink. She never trusted anybody else when it comes to strategies and plans.
I found the room empty when I went in, aside from this one figure lurking beneath the window, absentmindedly watching the sunrise from where he stood. He must've felt me stir, and so he quickly turned, red orbs staring me down from under those raven locks.
"Good morning," he chirped.
"Red," I greeted with a smirk. "Aren't we a bit full of firsts?"
He watched me with a confused look. I don't get it.
"Forget what I said," I shrugged, taking a place next to him. It was far too early anyway. "So, what brings you here this early? Aren't you only second to Green when it comes to latecomers?"
He didn't respond, but only stared intently at the golden ball that slowly and gradually rose up to shine.
"What's on your mind right now, huh?" he suddenly asked me. I smiled.
"I should be asking you that." There was a pang somewhere in my chest, suddenly remembering what Pink had told me last night. "You haven't been talking much since the last time you came home from the last battle… And now that we're up against another one in just a few days or so, I can't help but think you're planning something…"
He chuckled. "You've been talking to Pink, haven't you, Blue?"
I shrugged. No point denying it.
"She's pretty shaken up about you… And the rest of us, of course. Says she can't forego more days without a plan and whatnot, otherwise, you might…"
"Do something reckless?" he suggested. "It's amazing how well she knows me…"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "What are you planning, Red…"
That wasn't a question.
"Nevermind what I'm planning, Blue. Just keep in mind that whatever it is that's running through my mind right now, it's for the best. Trust me…"
"That's almost an impossible task there," I said. "Trusting you and your hare-brained ideas, I meant. You realize that we will never let you, right?"
"Of course you guys wouldn't. That's the hard part of this job."
I stared at him, and he only stared back. Back then I always hated the way he stared back at me like he opted to use it as an answer to all my questions. Right now, I still hate it, but I've gotten used to it. I know it only means he'll still do what he wants.
"What about Pink?" I asked. "How will you tell her?"
"Tell me what?" A voice quipped from behind us. Pink was already standing by the door with Green. They both stared at us with the same curious yet unsuspicious gaze. I tried to give Red the same stare and make him answer, but all he did was walk towards them like those words did not come from his mouth. As if it was all nothing.
"Good morning," he chirped in the same tone he gave to me a while ago, bending over to kiss her on the cheeks. My stomach churned at the way he makes it seem like it's all the same. Pink only stared blankly at him—perhaps even beyond him, answering my last question.
She already knows…
"Hey there, gorgeous," Green suddenly purred from somewhere next to me. I only gave her a rise of my brows before taking my seat.
I'm in no mood to talk to anyone. I was too busy getting even more suspicious of her.
What are you both planning?
"Good. We're all here," Pink halfheartedly greeted, and began opening up papers and what not. She started speaking, but I only half-listened. It was all too predictable, anyway.
But the predictability is quite unpredictable at times, and with these people, I can only be more certain.
"So…" Pink was saying. "We can't really go anywhere if we know nothing about them while they seem to know everything about us. And while it is easy for us to deploy our own troops to gather information about them, I don't think it would be practical considering our current situation…" She eyed me momentarily before going back to whatever she was scribbling. "We are, after all, down to the last few."
I sneered. She didn't bother noticing.
"And what do you propose?" Green asks.
"Simple…" There was a sudden hush. "One of us high-rankers has to do it."
Not much of the reaction a normal person would've expected. We just shifted gazes, silently mulling to whoever it was, and to some extent, if we ourselves are capable enough, if ever.
I guess this was inevitable.
"We will start deploying our own eyes on them. We will discover as much as we can about them while infiltrating as well what they know about us. This mission is very crucial and a mere flaw to any kind of movement will lead to the fall of everything. Understand?"
Of course we did.
"Now, if you would all be so kind enough to check your pokedexes." Four red and black devices were flipped open, and each flashed different maps and instructions. "As we all know, our headquarters is surrounded by a strict security system that cannot be detected by any homing device from the outside world. Green has calculated the pattern of the waves given off by the enemies' searching devices and found a certain point in time wherein they are turned off. We will take advantage of that to momentarily shut off our barrier to let one of us get out…"
"And when is that?" I dared to ask.
Green bit her lip, and looked down.
"It's tomorrow…" Pink answered for her. Again, another shift of mood—onto a more intensified version of it. The happenings were all too quick for all of us to grasp completely.
"And as soon as that part is out of the way, there will be an approximate five-day interval before we are supposed to receive information and progress report from our emissary. That's where the others will come in. Those who will be left behind must encode the transmitted signals immediately. Of course, we can't let such vital information—especially from the outside world— be left in our systems for more than two seconds. It could cause a security breach, and we all don't want that now, do we?"
"We don't," I answered. She stared at me, surprised at my sudden response. Nobody had ever answered her rhetorical questions before, but I was getting restless. We all were.
We wanted to know.
"So, how're we going to know who the Infiltrator is going to be?" I continued. "Are you going for your usual 'Guess-the-number-I'm-thinking-of' routine of yours, or we do Draw-Lots?"
"Actually," she started, narrowing her eyes at Red, and then at me. "I already chose someone for the job…"
I too, stared at Red. And then back at her.
This was it…
"It's me…"
Green and I stared at her; one with disbelief and other with utter distaste. Red just remained staring intently at whatever it was on the table. I waited for him to protest on the idea, or say something at all, but he didn't. He wouldn't even look at her.
She snapped the pokedex close and crossed her arms in a weary manner.
"Questions?"
"I have," Green rose. "You two planned this shit between each other before telling us, haven't you?"
"I take it you have a better option?" Pink raised a brow at her. "I'm always open for suggestions…"
She stared at Green momentarily before giving out a small smirk. "Thought so…"
"But, Pink…" she tried to continue. "Why does it seem so easy for you? You're throwing away a life here… You're actually okay with that?"
"I'm left with no other alternatives. How many times must I repeat that?"
"Then, why you?!"
"Why, Green? Do you see anybody else here whom the enemies have not yet analyzed completely?" she queried. "Shameful as it is to admit, but it is a mere fact that I am the least exposed among all of us. They more or less know nothing about me. Added to that is my ability to analyze them in my own terms. They cannot know about me, but I can know everything about them."
I watched how Green gave in to the hesitation of her mouth as she internalized what she has said. She can't deny what Pink had reasoned out. None of us can.
"Red," she mumbled, covering her face in frustration. "You have no say in this?"
"I did," he said. "But, I can never argue with her logic… You know that…"
"So, that's how it's all like for you?!" the brunette cried again, louder this time. I could already see tears in her eyes as she glared at both of them. "Some sort of game and whatnot?! Red, it's Pink we're talking about, and you send her off like she was just going to a store for crying out loud!" She clawed on the table in extreme frustration. "At least tell us you're worried for her sake…"
Again, a strange, almost uncertain glint passed through his eyes before he sighed and looked away.
"'Worry' won't get us anywhere in war, Green…" he mumbled. "I'm sorry…"
Green slumped herself back to her seat, mumbling in defeat. Pink just tapped her fingers patiently on her knee as she watched her grimace at the thought. I, too, was quite distressed by his words, but I should've expected as such from someone who pays so much loyalty to this wretched system.
"Anything else the both of you would like to add?" she asked, still with that cavalier look in her pale face. We both just watched her.
"I take it as a no, then." She gingerly stood up while gathering her materials.
"Very well, meeting adjourned."
The next few hours were spent emptily by me. Green proceeded immediately to the control room to instruct the people there, while Pink just went and locked herself in her room. I was supposed to presume Red was doing his own business as well, not until I found him lurking in the hallways in front of Pink's room.
"What're you doing here?" he asked when I came in to view.
"I should be asking you that," I replied. "Shouldn't you be somewhere planning your own death as well?" I stared at the door he's been eyeing at since goodness-knows-when. "Pink's room, huh? Peculiar choice. What? Here to leave your suicide note? Or here to take hers?"
He seemed hurt by what I said.
"That's just foul," he reacted. "You know this is all for the best, right?"
"For the best, huh?" I almost laughed to myself bitterly before grabbing him by the collar and letting my fist meet his face.
"FOR THE BEST MY SHIT, YOU BIG ASSHOLE!"
Red didn't reply. Instead, he tried to sit up from my sudden blow, and tried even to smirk as he wiped the small slit of blood from his lips.
"I take it you have something to tell me too?"
"What is fucking wrong with you?" I growled. "You're… actually agreeing to your girlfriend's ludicrous idea?! You approve of it?! Have you any idea what could happen to her out there?! SHE WILL DIE, Red… Doesn't that bother you at all?"
He didn't answer. He just stared at the ground, rubbing his cheek.
"You say you care about her," I breathed. "And you say you're doing this to protect her, but you can't even bother to say something that could stop her? At least try Red… Or are you too cowardly to prevent her to die?
"And you're affected because…?" he challenged, looking up at me. "Why, Blue?! Do you think it's so easy for me to let her go?! That I am actually that strong enough to watch that remaining person I've devoted most of my love for walk towards her own grave?!"
He spat on the ground before letting his face contort into a scowl he seldom showed us all.
"Give me a break, Blue. I'm not you…"
"What's that?!" I cried, grabbing him up again. He didn't break eye contact despite the obvious connotation of pain in his eyes. He grabbed both of my wrists and spoke:
"Unlike you, I've got a heart, and I'm not afraid to incorporate it, especially right now… Yes, I'm scared for her to die, and no, I am not going to let her give it just for some shit that would only benefit a few. I love her too well, and I know that you know that…" He looked away in pain. "She's the only thing that keeps me willing to live…"
He pulled my hand away from him, and gave a long weary sigh.
"But, you know Pink as well as I do, and we are very aware that her minds and ideas will always be permanent. Nobody can stop her –not me… not Green…" He eyed me intently. "Not even you… "
I watched him with disgusted eyes. That was the most ridiculous I have ever heard anybody say. It was worse than those loads of nonsense Pink and Green had always tried to stab into my head days before.
"I like to see me try," I finally said, reaching out for his hand. "Is she in there?"
He stared at me for a good minute before clicking his tongue as if he wanted to tell me not to bother. But I insisted, and Red can do anything but resist.
"Yeah, she's in there," he finally gave in; grabbing my hand and letting me pull him up, providing me a good look of his eyes again. I've realized that they have changed—for the worse, although. This was an image of someone who has already died.
He died the moment she told him he will.
"But I doubt for long…"
I slammed the door open without any sort of consent from the owner. We were at war here; there was no need for permissions and such.
"Alright, blondie, get your ass up from that seat right now. We're talking."
Pink looked up from the stack of papers she was reading and looked at me sordidly.
"Come in," she scorned. "What can I do for you in this fine evening, Slick?"
"What are those?" I demanded, ignoring her fastidious sarcasm. I didn't like the look on those papers.
"List of our remarkable Juniors back at the Training grounds and some information about them," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize…"
"Why do you have them with you?"
"Trying to look for some promising candidates…"
My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe it.
She was looking for her own replacement…?
"You're crazy…" I breathed. Her eyes widened, almost in a funny manner. As if she was mocking me…
"Don't tell me you came all the way here to tell me that?"
"I came here to stop you…"
She looked at me dubiously for a moment, and then gave out a small, sarcastic giggle.
"Good luck."
"Dear God, Pink, will you listen to yourself?!" I exploded finally. It was all coming out of me at once. The pain… the anger… the Dear-God-Kill-Let-This-Person-Live-Or-So-Help-Me feeling… All these emotions that were bottling up within me since we talked that other night have finally found their way out. And good timing, too. I wouldn't want to waste all these efforts shouting my guts off a wall.
"You're actually planning your death here, and you don't really care at all… I know you said that you're willing to stake everything you own and more for the sake of this crazy system but this is ridiculous! It's stupid, Pink, and you know it…"
She sat there watching me as I drew my breath from that sudden outburst, unshaken by anything I've told her. My shoulders were beginning to fall.
"You sound so much like Green, you know that?" she commented, before going back to her work. Irritated, I walked towards her and tried to grab the papers from her hand but she immediately moved her hand away from my line of grabbing.
"Pink…!"
"Sometimes," she murmured, almost near my ear. "One must make the wrong moves to see a wider array of possibilities…"
I felt the dithering of my own hand in trying to seize her paperwork. There was never a moment before where those words have made much sense to me than now.
"Pink, you…"
"To be honest, I was expecting you to be the one who would fully understand my rationale. I mean, you can still remember everything I have told you last night, as it seems…"
"That hardly counts as a reason…"
"Really?" She tilted her head sideways in an annoying manner. "It seems enough for me…"
"What? To murder yourself?"
"Possibly even more…"
I tried to open my mouth to counter, but it was too pointless. Red was right. Nothing can ever stop this woman, for all the things in the world.
Defeated, I straightened myself up with a weary sigh.
"Fine," I said. "I'm coming with you, then, whether you protest on me or…"
"No you're not," she retorted playfully, wagging her index finger at me. "You're staying here."
"What?!" Is she serious…?
"Come on, Blue, someone has to lead the others…"
"But, Pink…!"
"Let me ask you a question, Blue," she hummed, derisively staring at her nails in the brilliance of her ceiling light. "What's more important to you? Making sure that I live, or the forever destruction of this system that you so longingly lived for?"
She looked at me with that insane smile that always connoted something I will hate in the near future.
"There's a reason why you're in charge, Big Boss…"
The rest is up to you, Big Boss!
I hated it when she called me that. It's like… It was like a mock of some sort. As if she sees me like I was someone far better than her. That I was above her.
Au contraire…
Like what was planned, she left at the said date, and the information came as scheduled. As promised we were able to receive everything via the Transfer System, and we had Green encode everything for us. Days were spent collating everything and trying to fit them with one another to create one big idea—hoping that it could all help us when that time comes.
Gradually, the span of time between the present and that Major Battle that will decide our future grew smaller, and all the more have we become restless. I have, anyway, but I can never show it to anybody, especially to them.
They relied on me, like how we relied on her before, and it was hard. Her job was hard, but that was the beauty part of it: I had something to occupy my mind with to deny the truth that's been trying to squeeze itself in all of us.
She never came back.
Her replacement came shortly after we proclaimed of her death. She was the soft and gentle kind, and they entrusted me to train her in a short period of time to prepare for battle. Pink did say she was going to choose the best of them all, so it would probably easy.
And if it wasn't, then I'd still have to agree. That's how it will always be, after all…
We were all confined.
Manipulated by two hands that utilize every skill they could from us, forcing us to move against our will—this was who we were.
Our lives were theirs, even from the beginning. It was never ours. It will never be.
And never in these lives will we be allowed to care.
We were trained not to care.
Maybe we weren't but that's nonsense now. I've done my share of caring, and that's that.
Checkmate.
"Oh, good evening, Mr. Blue."
I looked up from my paperwork and saw her sitting at her usual place, fiddling with a chess piece, as if trying to ask me to play with her. As if she was alive and there with us again…
Vigorously, I shook my head and looked again.
"Yellow," I quietly growled, a bit annoyed at seeing her here, of all places. "Shouldn't you be preparing for tomorrow?"
"I know that, sir," she replied. "And I have. I only came here to pass the time… It's the only place here where you can find some peace, apparently…"
I only came here to take a break from too much thinking…
I stared her down even more, ignoring her response to me. I couldn't help but do that every single time we see each other.
I keep noticing everything about her…
The blond hair… the curious eyes… the small, almost child-like figure…
She looked just like her… The scrupulous image of her…
Her image was always able to make me die a little inside.
Crudely, I laid my gaze down the chess board in front of her just to avoid her face, but only to find that my last game with Pink was still evident. It was never touched since.
Damn it. This place is crawling with memories of her.
"Would you like to play, Mr. Blue?" she asked, a look of interest and something else in her eyes.
"Please," I told her, laying down my own stack of papers and then sitting in my usual place in front of her. "Just call me 'Blue'. You make me sound too old." I began picking the pieces up, but she stopped me.
"What?" I asked, putting them back again.
Her green eyes began to shine a little as she smiled.
"Well… I was actually wondering if… Maybe we could finish this game first?"
I stared at her with disbelief.
"Don't bother… Your side's already lost anyway…"
"Actually," she smiled. "I'm seeing a fair number of possible moves on this one."
Again, I just watched her—that very entity of her—embody itself in Yellow's being, somewhat engulfing her persona and replacing it with that woman's. It was almost too surreal.
"Very well," I said. "It's your turn then…"
She nodded, and moved a piece forward.
Toc.
I don't understand what it is with this girl.
Toc.
What could she possibly do now that her Queen is gone? Her side was already powerless with mere pawns and the like to protect her stupid King..
Toc.
It was like she was the continuation of her being. So very pathetic…
Toc.
"Checkmate, Mr. Blue." She smiled a very innocent smile, but either way I was astonished with her.
Checkmate in four moves…? I couldn't believe it.
"That's not possible," I muttered, looking around for a possible move. Any move. But, there was none.
I've lost…
Unconsciously, I stared at her for some sort of explanation. If she herself was surprised, maybe. But her face was still softly contorted, like a blameless mask of indifference. It's as if she had done nothing.
"Ah, but it is…" Her face softened even more as she straightened herself. "But now that you give the impression that I've now caught your attention wholly, perhaps we can now talk?"
It took me but a few seconds to let it all in, and then regain my bearing. So, she really did come here for a purpose…
"You know, Yellow, if you really wanted to talk to me, you could've just said so. You needn't put us both through all that trouble…"
"Indeed, but if I came on to you at the start, then you would be too busy mulling on how and why it is I look and act so much like your old student…"
That caught me off guard. Can she read my mind as well…?
"I've been speaking with Green and Red just a while ago," she continued. "And, insentience, we somehow swerved into the topic about my predecessor. Ms. Pink, right?"
"What about her?"
"She seems quite important to you—All of you, and the fact that I somehow look like her is making it hard, isn't it?"
I attempted to open my mouth, but she took the words right off my mouth.
"But, I'm nothing like her, am I, Mr. Blue?" she suggested.
"No, I'm afraid," I carefully answered. "But you should rejoice for that. That girl was a crazy bitch…"
"Just because she gave up her own life for the sake of something she cares so largely of? I never knew caring was labeled as a crazy thing to do…"
"It is in this system…" I mumbled, almost to myself. "She should've learned that from before."
To think that it was I who thought her back then… Ridiculous.
"You, Sir Blue, seems to care so much about her, no?" she pointed out. "Does that make you crazy too?"
I was left mum. Did she just call me "crazy"?
She began to laugh quietly.
"Don't worry, Mr. Blue. You love her, so it's okay to be crazy. Surely, that's what Ms. Pink was thinking when she left. She loved all of you so…"
"I don't love her," I quickly denied, and then bit my lip. "I mean, not like that… Besides, she and Red… They…" I shook my head vigorously. What in hell was I thinking?
"You don't have to tell me for me to know, Sir," she said. "It's obvious. You all treat each other like family, and nothing hurts more than to lose even one member of it…"
"Here, here," I inhaled.
"But," she continued. "If there is any possible consolation in the tragedy of losing someone we care very much, then it is the necessary hope that perhaps it was for the best…"
"Hmph, where have I heard that before…?" I remarked monotonously.
"Oh, Sir Blue…" she giggled, rising up from her chair. "Pretty chestnut, is it not? But, I know in my heart that it true…" She walked towards the door, giving me a good-natured touch on my shoulder on her way.
"Goodnight, Mr. Blue. It was a pleasure to have spoken with you…"
I didn't look back. I couldn't look back.
I was too afraid I might see her again at that door, and not Yellow.
"And to you as well…"
"Shall I close the door?"
I thought for a moment. Would I want another person to close their door behind me? Especially after what happened days before.
"Don't," I finally said. I felt her stare at me for a few more minutes, and then heard her steps fade into the dark hallway.
Just like that, I was left all alone.
Again, I stared at the chessboard, trying in vain to find a possible move to counter. There was none of course. It was surely, and without a doubt, checkmate.
Unless…
The thought occurred to me for only a few seconds, and faded away instantly. I had to unearth my subconscious being to remember what it was, and when I did, I actually found myself laughing.
What if…? What if just for one, I stopped playing by the rules?
Perhaps, Yellow was right. I was crazy. I have begun to think beyond my own intellectual understanding and found myself doubting my own thoughts. Maybe it was time I stopped.
Besides, I needed to rest as well.
Tomorrow's the day. The day when the last part of the plan Pink had willfully sacrificed her precious life for be executed. Now, whether the end of it becomes a success or a failure depends on me. My leadership…
…And up until now, I'm questioning her…
There's a reason why you're in charge… You Understand my rationale fully well…
Me understanding her? Since when have I the honors of getting any bit of idea that came out her mouth? She was beyond me—beyond any of us. No matter how hard I try, comprehending her will always be an impossible task for me.
Or maybe I just didn't want to accept anything she has to say?
I mean, I understand that she's willing to smolder everything for this wretched system even if it means preserving that well-known tradition of surrendering more lives for the sake of an imperceptible King they call the "People", but I don't get why…
And if she does love this system so much, then why did she choose to have me in charge given the fact that she knows I, of all people, disagree with her ideals. How in hell does she expect me to protect a King which I have longed to destroy?
Or, maybe this system wasn't her King?
My eyes fell momentarily at the sacrificial piece that led Pink's side to victory, and wondered if, even from back then, she was trying to convey some sort of message to me.
I wonder… What if we had the same "King"? Because if that is so, then her "King" must be…
She loved all of you so…
Now, I know why she always wanted to hear what I have to say. She too shared my unnerving feelings of hatred for this system, not because she was tired of being confined, but was hurting from watching us tremble for our own lives. Like me, she wanted to end this.
And to do so, she took the initiative to go beyond the blocks where she stood and considered the whole board as our battlefield. Now, she's instructing me to go against its rules that confined us into these blocks as well.
If there were no rules, there'd be no game. And if there were no games, there'd be no opponents.
Lifting my hand off, I straightened myself up and went back to the chessboard. She knew how much I wanted to break free from these restraints, but could never find an opportunity to make it happen.
And, now she has provided me with it.
She wanted me to act, and for all its worth, I will act.
Thoughtfully, I took my last rook, moved it diagonally and devoured the piece that had threatened my King for a long, long time, denouncing the rules of this putrid game we have never even wanted to play.
That night, I've left three things on that very chessboard for the others to see: the plans I've formulated for tomorrow's huge event, my Pokedex which symbolized my "loyalty" to this system, and a message that instructed them to dispose of it all for there were no more use for them.
Our goal was now not to paralyze only one side of the board but to destroy it all and let the pieces' will be followed.
And by "our", I meant "my"… They need not be a part of this.
I set out as soon as everything was set, making sure that I covered my tracks as I went. Chances are, if they found out, they'd follow me, and a lot of good that would do to Pink's objective of reducing the number of casualties.
One more life would be plenty…
"Good morning."
Immediately, I flinched and stiffly turned to my back to see who it was.
Surprise, surprise… It was Yellow.
"Yellow…!" I hissed. "What in hell…? H-how'd you follow me?"
"I didn't," she replied. "I was here before you were…"
"Wh-?"
"I've expected as such," she smiled, walking towards me. "I knew you were planning something beyond your usual train of thought, but was just denying it since you could be stubborn like that. At least, that what she used to tell me…"
"'She'?" I mumbled.
Again, I was doused with Yellow's mind-wrecking giggles. "Sir Blue isn't as enigmatic nor quick-to-grasp like Ms. Pink was, hm?"
She began reaching for something in her bag.
"I've found your message as soon as you left it at the lounge, and did exactly as it said, except, of course, for this…" She handed me a piece of paper. It was the strategies I've prepared from Pink's data.
"Look, Yellow. I appreciate your efforts and all, but I suggest you just come back to your room, and pretend you didn't see anything. And please throw that away while you're at it. I've no intention of going against those who've been attacking us, but…"
"You're up against this system?" Yellow suggested. "Come now, Mr. Blue, surely you wouldn't think Ms. Pink would make such an effort gathering information if she knew it would all be in vain in the end? You've already figured things this far, why not go on and continue?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even from the start, you and Ms. Pink have always referred to a common enemy, and that," she gestured to the paper in my hand. "That could be a key in defeating it…"
It took me seconds to grasp whatever it was she spouted, and when I did, all I could think of was:
"Why do you know so much?"
She smiled again—that pure smile that always put me off guard, and made her think she was just some girl.
"How shall I put this?" she mused. "I've been exposed to her ideas and way of thinking for quite a while since I first entered the Subordinate System under her. That was long before she was promoted as the official strategist of the Pokedex Holders. Somehow, it pays to make an effort to understand her…"
"Yellow…"
"I miss her too, Sir Blue. Even if she was most of the time mean to me, she was like a sister, and this system had taken her away from me, therefore I hate it too. We share the same feelings… We all do…"
"We?" I repeated. "Don't tell me…"
"I've also told Red and Green about me and why Ms. Pink chose me to replace her, and talked them into persuading you to bring all of us." She gestured at me as if to nudge me to say something. "Well, Sir Blue? How about it?"
I didn't answer. Again, I was left mum. Pink had never ceased to amaze and impress me. She thought of everything through and did not miss any detail. Everything has been set for us.
She may have been gone in this world, but she has left so much… So very much…
Thank you, Pink.
"Well, you're all here…" I finally said. "It's not like I could stop you, can I?" I lay my hand over her small, blonde head and felt pangs of nostalgia pour all over me, reminding me of that girl I used to run with… She was probably happy wherever she was.
"Has anyone ever told you you could be so stubborn just like her?"
"Don't worry, Sir, it's just for show…" she laughed. "As soon as this all ends, I'd be back to that soft girl you met the first time I came here…"
I smiled.
"Let's go round up the other two," I told her.
"Indeed…"
I let her stay ahead of me and tried to memorize her exactly as she is: like Pink. Small, and happy, and loving; blond hair reflecting the young rays of the early sunrise like a light of some sort… A beacon of hope all good things to come…
…Of better days waiting for all of us beyond all those darkness that once ate us whole…
Of hope.
-FIN-
Red: *finishes reading the fic* I… I sound HORRIBLE HERE QAQ
Blue: *shrugs* Sad…
Green: *enters* Hey, what're you guys doing? And why are YOU crying, Red?
Red: Blue made me look like a bad guy! QAQ *points at the screen* He made me let my "girlfriend" die for a stupid system T^T
Green: wha…?
Blue: Fanfic…
Green: Ah… *stares at Blue* You made a fanfic?
Blue: Wasn't really mine. Just found it half-written and unsaved in Red's PC. I don't know… I just found it interesting since it was written in MY POV
Red: how many times must I tell you? That's not my PC! Mine got broken down after Crystal and Gold came over and things began to get… ugly…
Green: Then who's PC is this then?
Red: I dunno… But whoever owns this must have a SERIOUS case of the crazies to have brought it all the way to my house… And start a fanfic that makes me sound so horrible! QAQ
Green: *ignores Red* Can I read it? :D
Blue: Whatever… *faces Red* Look, man, if you're so upset, then why don't you make your own version of it?
Red: You can't just—wait, MY version?
Blue: Yeah. Rewrite it in your own point of view. Justify yourself if you have to…
Red: Know what…? I think I just might!
A/N: Yep, that's right ^_^ I'mma make a sequel to this shit, except it'll only be like a restatement of Diagonal in Red's POV. Hope that the next story will somehow shd some light to your questions. But if you DO have one, please feel free to PM me, or possible review T^T Please review T^T Me likey when you review T^T
Thanks for reading :D
LoveLots~