Short: AU, Ikarishipping with other mainstream shippings as well, and also some less mainstream shipping such as Penguinshipping and ShootsDownShipping. Or maybe it is mainstream and I just don't know about it, or whatever. Characters are OOC. I don't own pokemon and hope you enjoy reading :3
CRIMSON HEROES
Summary
Paul Blackwell, an aloof and cold seventeen year old orphan teen ran away from his foster home where he had stayed all his life. He had no family and knew barely anything about them. All he knew was they all died when he was still young. Three succeeding families that tried to adopt him ended with the same fate. Is family something that he was never meant to have? The series of tragic unfortunate events led him to a dark, hidden and mysterious past of a world where malignant creatures used to roam. How he was part of the seven destructive product of an ancient war between two different races. But he was something even more.
Prologue
"Johanna…."
"Johanna wake up.."
It was in the middle of the night, a familiar voice woke Johanna up. She flung her eyes open after recognizing the voice.
The voice was ragged, hoarse and full of dread. And the fact that it came from someone who died made it all the more worse.
"Zarathas!" Johanna hissed. She sat up and gathered her blanket around her defensively, trying to locate where the sound came from.
"You're supposed to be dead years ago!"
"A devil emperor doesn't perish completely." The eerie voice replied, resounding throughout Johanna's darkened room. "But basically I'm dead. I can't do anything more than just talk to you. This is just my last remaining essence."
"Last remaining essence?" The baffled bluenette questioned.
"Don't mind it for now."
The hairs on Johanna's skin stood up as she felt something creeping up close to her, a cold eerie gust brushed past her.
"Listen." Zarathas continued. "The children, save them, please. Jhon is planning to dispose them by morning."
"WHAT?!"
"Ssshh…" Zarathas cut her off. "I've seen you take care of them and I know just how close they are to you. Please."
"But I believe father wouldn't do such a thing!" Johanna retorted. "I..I mean he may have done some nasty things to them, but he would never kill them!"
"Your father have gone crazy! Those experiments, have you even seen them yourself? If you call my ways devilish and inhuman then I wonder what does that make your father."
Johanna casted down her sapphire eyes at the memories of her father bringing the children to their isolated chambers where their cries would haunt the castle all day.
She bit the insides of her cheek.
For a voice that was coming from the king of all devils, worry and concern was glued in the echoes of his voice. Even such ruthless creatures were capable of worrying and concern.
"I've seen demons and humans in all shapes and sizes for years, and your father is one of the worst of your kind."
Johanna stood up from her bed and slipped her feet inside her slippers. With her night gown, she wrapped her favorite red scarf around her neck as she rushed outside of her room towards the basement floor of the castle where the seven children were kept.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked as she made her way downstairs with a lamp on her right hand.
"Gather them up and bring them outside."
She nodded as she heaved open the heavy steel doors of each room of the seven kids – four boys and three girls, the ten year old half-devil septuplets.
She then gathered all of them by the stairs. She put aside her lamp, dimly illuminating their surroundings. Even with little lighting, Johanna could still see the bruises, scars and stitch marks embedded all over their bodies – the aftermath of five excruciating years of experimentation.
She tried her best not to cry at the sight before her.
With the darkness around them, seven individual bright red irises glowed.
They all yawned together.
"Mother?" One asked. "Why are you here?"
"You're supposed to be resting."
"Grandpa sure will get mad at you."
Even though at their state, they were more concerned at her.
What kind of evil creature would worry about others? They were all adorable, selfless, obedient and good children.
She knelt down and hugged them tightly.
"Let's get all of you outside first okay?" She broke the hug and wiped a tear from her eyes.
They all nodded as they started climbing up the stairs.
Johanna and the children all gasped for air once they were outside of the castle. She nudged one that she piggy-backed because he was still sleeping. She then put him down as soon as he stretched his arms.
"You idiot! You shouldn't let mother carry you! You're not a baby anymore!" A girl reprimanded.
"Hah, I know it! You're just jealous." He yawned as he stuck out his tongue at her.
Johanna suppressed her laughter, they were really kids after all. Their eyes, the left one which was normal and the right one which was red, scanned the surroundings curiously.
Ever since the children were aware of how their eyes looked, they have despised mirrors. Because it just made them realize how much of a monster they all were. All of Jhon's, Johanna's father, workers found distraught and intimidation in the eyes of the children. But to Johanna, the children's eyes were the most beautiful thing she have ever seen.
Johanna's right hand suddenly glowed bright and a silver dagger with a peculiar scent materialized.
'This weapon is my last remaining essence, use this to stab the children so they may be free from their physical bodies. They won't die I assure you. I'll gather each of their spiritual essence and scatter them throughout the region so they may be reborn again. Each of them will have different families, and hopefully they will forget everything that happened to them here. And hopefully, they will lose their destructive powers as well. This is my last wish and you know this is what your sister would have wanted for them, as our beloved children.'
Johanna gripped the dagger tightly. She then stabbed the children one by one, no blood dripped and there were no wounds. Instead, orbs of different colors came out from their bodies and floated around her. Even though she didn't say anything to them, each of them seem to understand what she just did. They danced around her, laughing and giggling.
It made her remember when they were still five years old, way back before they were experimented. They were really sad back then because of how their eyes looked, that they weren't normal, that they were devils meant for killing and destruction and they were responsible for the deaths of a lot of people in the castle. They came to fear and hate the color red. But Johanna told them that the color red was also the color of a hero, that the color red was a sign of beauty. She told them that they weren't devils at all, they were little super heroes with beautiful gems. She told them that what they have wasn't a curse, but super powers.
And they would laugh and giggle pretending to be little heroes.
The sight was so overwhelming that Johanna broke down and cried.
For someone who cared deeply for them, all she wished was nothing but happiness and comfort to each and everyone of them. They had suffered and cried more than they ever had smiled or laughed.
"Why are you crying mother?" A purple orb floated near her asked. "It didn't hurt me at all!"
"In fact, it made all my hurt disappear!" One answered.
"Yes, it wasn't painful!"
Johanna didn't answer and she just continued bawling.
When she looked up, she saw that the orbs were slowly gathering above her. The laughter and giggles stopped, as if they got tired of it and decided to sleep. It was in the middle of the night after all.
She wiped her tears away and waved her hand goodbye as they sprinted out flying in opposite directions.
"Thank you Johanna, I could never be grateful enough for what you just did for me." The devil emperor's voice rang around her.
"I did it for the children." She replied. "And for my sister."
"I still thank you nonetheless."
"I'm going to miss them. I hope they'll forget every bitter and painful things they went through here once they'll be born again." She answered and stared up at the starry night sky.
"Before I'll disappear completely, as my thanks I'm going to give you a gift. This will be for the future."
A mystical glow formed and seeped inside Johanna before vanishing in a second. She felt dizzy and light-headed for the duration and took her a minute to compose herself.
As the cold wind howled around her, she could no longer feel the devil's presence. The cold wind swayed her short midnight blue locks. By the far horizon on the sea, the sun was slowly rising up.
She removed her red scarf and stared at the rising sun.
"I hope I was able to be a good mother to them." She whispered to herself as she gripped on the red piece of clothing.
"Please stay as loving as you all were to your new mothers."
A.N: Anyone familiar with Kangerou Project? Yes this story is inspired from that amazing piece! Hopefully I can update as soon as I can though. Please do leave a review, I would really appreciate it! :3