If you are wondering; yes this is indeed based on the Disturbed song. If you haven't seen the song, then I urge you to give it a look.

Though, I do ask you to look it up after reading this if you hadn't seen the music video yet, since it would spoil parts of this.

"Quickly! Before it Spreads!"

Where am I?

"Blastoise! Don't stop using Hydro Pump!"

Why can't I move?

"Sir, Johnson says he's found one!"

Why am I in...so much pain...

"I've got you! I've got you! You're going to be be OK!"

The moment his eyes could just open, all that he saw was uneventful darkness turning into painful light. Slowly, the blurred shapes that hovered over him formed into the presence of a number of...what is it people? All wearing items in blue, masks covering their mouths and something else covered their hair. They were all focused on him, some seemed to be leaning their arms in towards his face, holding an unidentifiable instrument.

He listened; the sounds of continuous beeping every second, some machine pushing air up and down, the barest noise of movements from the number of characters around him

He felt his body wrapped up in something, due to be laid on his back, and his body refusing to move, he couldn't tell.

"I've got him! But he needs medical attention right away!"

"Get an ambulance over here NOW!"

…

…"I'm on it sir!"...

…

…

…"You're going to be OK...were here for you..."

...

…

"Do you remember your name?"

This was the first thing they asked him when he awoke. His body was rigid and stiff, he only could guess where he was when he remembered what the reason why he is in here in the first place.

"Harold. Harold Greetham" This what he answered with, his mouth hidden by the bandages.

"Thank you."

They told him everything. His house burnt down, with him still inside it at the time. The fireman rescued him, and sent him quickly to the hospital as fast as they could. He's alive, though, he was told he suffered from permanent burns over part of his body. He was told he should be better now, though he doubted how much better really was.

Now he sat in a room, he paid little attention to the room itself, only focusing on the doctor beside him as he sat up, awaiting what will come next.

The doctor asked for little more, as he stated it was time to peel away his bandages. There was no conversation between the two, as the patient refused to move as the doctor did his job, slowly, he took them off him, his own breathing shallow from fearing what to come as he felt his skin sticking to the bandages as they were peeled off.

It felt like eons had passed until the bandages were completely off of him.

The doctor then turned his attention to his arm, also wrapped up. Slowly, as the doctor pulled these away, he could finally see the damage; his left forearm, mainly the top part, was a serious of discolored blotches over the skin, grey and black, almost looking as if filled with liquid, from near his elbow to the back of his hand, overseen with a dark red. If this was what his arm looked like, then his face-

"Mirror please, nurse." The doctor called to the person standing to the side of him, Harold too focused on his own surroundings to not even notice when a nurse had walked in. Slowly he looked up, where handheld mirror was being presented to him. However, the hand of the 'nurse' was not the usual pink-cream of a human, but that of three crimson claws followed by a furred black arm.

The 'nurse' was not a human, but that of a Pokemon of the Zoroark species, looking towards the male with a serious expression on her face. All she wore was a nurse's jacket.

Trying to not focus on her species, he reached his other hand out, one not covered in burns, and grabbed the handle, slowly pulling it up to his face.

He exhaled slowly as his face got into view. A large part of the left side of his face was burnt, badly. His left eye was fine, and he didn't appear to have any abnormalities. The burns went down him, past his neck and onto his chest.

His attention was so much on his reflection he didn't recognize his own breathing becoming deeper and shallow. Immediately the Zoroark saw this and quickly took back the mirror from him. Within a few silent seconds, his breathing returned to normal.

Slowly, the doctor turned away, uttering he is needed elsewhere, leaving only the patient and Pokemon alone.

"How are you feeling?" She spoke in human, her voice obviously female.

"How'd you think." His voice was bitter. She didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Do you have insurance?"

"Yes."

"At least that's one less worry." She spoke rather monotone. "How's the rest of your body feel?"

"...Strained." He answered after a pregnant pause. "My whole body feels stiff. And I can feel myself start to clamp up when I move some parts."

"A bit of training and exercise can help that. Can you move them just fine?"

Slowly he raised up his arm, and despite feeling stiff like he said he didn't seem to have much discomfort from his movement. That's a good sign to her.

"OK good, your doctor will prescribe you do this when you are released-"

"How long?" He interrupted her.

"I'm sorry?"

"How long till I can be released?"

"When your doctor says so, Mr-" She spoke, stopping to turn around, grabbing a file on the table behind her. "Ah, Mr Greetham. When you can be..." She seemed to trail off, when she looked through his file, as if spotting something she didn't understand. She remained silent for a few awkward moments, her eyes not leaving the file.

"Nurse?" He called to her. This quickly got her out of her stupor. "Oh sorry I was...nevermind." Quickly she put the file back on the table. She looked over him, noticing his gloom expression. "With what I said, you should be free to go soon anyway. The doctor had said to me earlier you should be able to go home soon, with how nicely you wounds have healed."

"Not that I have home to go to now, do I?" He said in distaste.

"My apologies. However, if you'd like, I can see in getting you an apartment in the meantime."

"Actually...yeah, I would like that. If you...wouldn't mind." He said, feeling surprised by her generosity. "Shouldn't my insurance cover the cost?"

"I'll look into it." She said, as she turned away. "The doctor will come back soon." She turned to leave. "I have some...personal stuff I need to look into, for the moment, I will be back shortly. You should rest now." With that she left, leaving the human by himself, for the time being.

With his body relaxing into the bed, all he could think of was:

Well now what?...

Over an hour had passed. He was given a small apartment to set himself up for the time being. So there was that.

To him, it was nothing much than that; a grey-walled apartment, with a white-sheeted bed and a bedside table. A simple cable T.V., personal bathroom with shower and some miscellaneous items to get him through the day. But, only apartment this was to him.

He hated this. The only thing he hated more was staring into his mirror, he hated everything about his face now, he hated the idea of their being a reminder of the fire that took his home, his belongings now was plastered all over his face. He needed to go somewhere...anyway but his new apartment, away from any and all mirrors .

And now he stood in the street, expression blank as he stared at what was once his home standing before him, now burnt and covered in ash, blackened and now unlivable. His head was partially covered by a hoodie; being as he was able to get some clothes to wear in the meantime.

Slowly, he trudged into the ruckage, the door off it's hinges as he wavered in examining the mess.

Barely anything survived the fire, excluding himself. He walked into what was once his living room. Everything was burnt; everything. His sofa, table, chairs...even a portrait of his parents…

"I knew I'd find you here." A female voice spoke, standing in the space between the hallway and living room was the same Zoroark as before; only this time she wasn't wearing any of her nurse clothing, casually leaning on the doorway.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" He questioned, barely turning to see her.

"Technically I don't work at the hospital." She replied, moving off the doorway.

"Oh?"

"No, the doctor, well, physician we both were with was actually my trainer. I'm more like his assitant than an actual nurse."

He didn't say any more, only turn back to the rubble of what was once his house. Slowly, he learnt down and picked up what was once a frame, now just a burnt block of wood. He knew what picture this was, an old one with fond memories of his childhood. Being all innocent back then, going out to a picnic with his family. Now, this was nothing but ash…

He opened his fingers, watching the burnt frame slowly descend away from his fingers to clatter onto the floor.

The Zoroark watched this intently. She walked over to him stopping to stand right beside him.

"What had happened was...quite an unforgivable tragedy to say the least-"

"It was ruled off as nothing but an accident." He said to her, not looking her way. "The police told me it was most likely due to a circuit backfiring. Something to do with the electrics, they said.

It took everything from me, and now...now I have nothing."

"You have hope. Don't let that become a memory."

"Yeah well what do you know!" He unexpectedly shouted at her, stand up and turning around to face her. "What good will hope to do me now? Nothing, that's what! Don't come into my destroyed home and tell me shit you think is best for me! Do you have any idea what it is like for me now? To have nothing left of me but the clothes on my back! To see people giving me the disgusted eye when they see my face as I walk past them? Do you!"

The room fell silent, nothing could be heard but the thick pants of the male. The Zoroark remained still, seemingly unfazed by his outburst, with her expression remaining still.

"Let me show you something." She said calmly, and slowly turned her back to him, lifting away her large mane out the way to show her back where quite plain as day was her a noticeable portion of her back and rear, burnt away. It was just red. It did seem rather old, and although it had been grown over by the fur, the mark was forever there.

"...How?..." He said in shock.

"It was a Charizard." She answered his question, spinning her head around to see him

"But...if it was a Charizard, wouldn't your body just heal normally from the fire like any other attack? I mean, it was a Pokemon, after all."

"Maybe, under normal circumstance. Then again what happened was a bit more different than a simple flamethrower." She replied, not saying anymore about the subject and leaving it cryptic, only to be answered another day.

"Touch it." She suddenly asked.

"I...what?"

"I want you to touch it." He tone was very serious, belaying any kind of joke. "Trust me."

Raising up his hand he slowly reached over, and ever-so-gently, touched the area with his fingers. She didn't make a response to his touch as he trailed over the mark, brushing up against her fur as he trailed around it, feeling her skin and hair. Slowly he lifted his hand back away.

"How do you think I felt when you touched me?" She suddenly asked.

"I...I don't know, you've never responded to my touch." He tried to answer.

"Nothing." She stated, turning around to face him. "Which is exactly how you should feel." Her expression softened. "Look I didn't come here to tell you how to feel. That is your job. I'm not gonna pretend to know how you are feeling right now, as if I do know exactly how you feel, cause I don't. However, I do want you to understand that I came here to get yourself to understand how to feel. I you wanna cry, then cry. If you wanna yell, then yell. Just...know that I'm here to help you, if you ever want to talk to me, then talk."

"Thanks." He said feebly, unable to look her in the eye. "I guess I forgot that people might just want to help me out because they feel bad for me. I think maybe I'm just not used to that much sympathy."

Softly, she moved forward, bringing the human into a soft hug, wrapping her arms gently around him, as he stood there, letting her. She could hear him breathe; very calm. "Do you want to cry?" Her question was sincere. "No, no I...I'm fine." A few moments passed before she pulled away, noticing him wiping away his eyes with his sleeve.

She smiled, turning away to the doorway she earlier has rested on. She seemed to grab something from behind it, before quickly throwing the item at him, telling him to catch it.

He grabbed the item quickly out of the air, immediately inspecting it. It was some plastic wrapped clothing, the bag keeping the inside clean it seemed. The question was why.

"Do you know where the Maple Leaf Cafe is?" She asked him. He satred back up at her.

"Uhh...yeah why."

"Would you mind putting on those clothes and meeting me there in 20 minutes? There's some...things I want to discuss with you. About your previous medical problems, that is."

"...Ok sure." He wasn't entirely sure what she was going on with, but he did not have any real reason to say no. Besides, she did say she wanted to help him so-

"Good, see you then." She spoke with enthusiasm, leaving him alone as she darted away out of his site.

He turned to the bag he was holding, questioning what she meant. Still he did promise her just then.

Well he has time…

This felt...oddly different.

As he was now walking to his destination, he was wearing some new clothes; a plaid yellow and orange undershirt, black jeans and a dark blue overcoat. They seemed new too, as if they had never been used before as of yet.

He tried not to let the other people stare's affect him as he kept to his path, turning the corner and immediately seeing the sight of the cafe, where, low and behold sat an one of the table of the outside of the cafe sat the Zoroark in question, sipping calmly her cup of tea.

She looked up from her cup, seeing the human, and placed her cup back down, waving to him. He quickly sat down on the other chair, where the Zoroark smiled at him.

"Thanks." He was the first one to start the conversation. "For the clothing. It feels nice."

"Well, seeing as all yours burnt down. I thought it would be nice for you to have some brand spanking new ones as opposed to some you'd buy from the charity shop."

"..You, didn't have to go the trouble."

"No trouble at all. Just thought it would be nice is all." She said, pointing to the empty cup on his side of the table. In the middle between the two was a teapot. "It's Jasmine." He poured some into his cup, pouring a bit of milk into it as well and stirred the hot drink.

"I've been meaning to ask...uhh..."

"Ziriya." She answered, giving him her name.

"Yes, Ziriya, sorry, I've been meaning to ask you, about from earlier; if you are a Zoroark, why don't you use your illusion ability to just make your burnt marks vanish. Didn't you get some looks if anyone saw it, I'm assuming?" She slowly put down her tea.

"What a random thing to suddenly say." She said stoically.

"Sorry I just...didn't know the best way to start this off." He nervously drank some of his drink as the Zoroark stared at him with sharp eyes.

"As you already know, it wasn't easy." She began, her voice serious. "After the burn healed, I felt scared if other people saw. Even with it's position on my back, I felt they'd feel disgusted if they ever saw it, so I hid away when I could.

It wasn't until my trainer said something to me." Her tone softened. "He told me that now matter whether it was burns, cut wounds or surgical scars they are not a thing to be feared. If anything, they should be celebrated. They are permanent parts of our body that remind us that we have survived through an ordeal and became stronger afterwards.

He told me they I should not fear other people seeing them because they might turn away, but instead admire them for when the people who dare care to listen would see you as the fascinating person you are, for the brave, better person you had become." She finished, bring the cup up to her mouth as the male stood in front of him look agape at her. A few seconds past before her went on drinking his tea. "I may be a natural illusionist, but that doesn't mean I have to hide behind one." He nodded his head in agreement.

She suddenly laughed a little. "Was that really the first question you wanted to ask me."

He shrugged a little. "You were the one who invited me."

"That is true."

"You said that there was something you'd want to discuss with me, actually."

"Yes there was, actually. It's to do with your previous history at the hospital." He listened intently to her. "According to what your file said you suffered a small concussion from an accident and got sent in. That, by itself, meant little to me. What did catch me eye, however, was where it was said to take place. It took place at 5th bridgeside avenue. Now, I know I heard that place before somewhere, so I went to check it up, and what did I find that confirmed my suspicions:

It was a soup kitchen. A soup kitchen you volunteered in." He was uncomfortably silent, just watching and listening to her with passive eyes. "So I invited you hear to ask you this..."

"Go on." He said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Just tell me, why did you stop going? It was over a year ago that you stopped, apparently. What...had happened?"

"Because I thought that me going there was ultimately useless." His reply was strong. "The longer I stayed volunteering the longer I realized what I was doing was meaningless. I thought the people would get better, managed to find some work or something, and get back on their feet.

But no. The two years I helped there nothing ever changed the same people came back. More people came for food, some I'm not sure were even homeless and just came through a free meal. The only time people really stopped coming was when I'm sure they died. No one ever thanked us for what we had done. What's the point in the end? No one got better."

Ziriya finished her tea as she listened intently. She finally spoke after putting the empty cup down.

"Does because you were not thanked doesn't mean they were ungrateful. You didn't volunteer to be thanked, did you? You volunteered to help those in need. Even with you telling me this, I still strongly don't believe that was the reason you stopped. Putting your own free time and energy into helping the least fortunate is one of the most selfless things you could ever do. I believe someone like you won't just give up for some this reason."

The human sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I do regret that I no stopped going. It's not as if can just go back...can I? I mean, I guess I can, but I don't know how they would feel to see me again. Would they be happy, angry..."

Ziriya smiled at him. He caught on to her staring. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing." She replied. "Just thinking about how those traits of yours is what attracted me in the first place." He coughed at her response, almost dropping his drink.

"Wh...what?" He spluttered.

"Did I forget to tell you this was a date in the end?" She leaned into her hand, which rested its elbow on the table. "Because I see this as a date."

"You...want to date me?" He was bewildered by this.

"Are you...disgusted by a Pokemon wanting you?" Her expression fell a little.

"No. I mean- not exactly- I just, wondered why me?"

"Because you're something special. There's something inside you, you're genuine selfless attitude and caring disposition. Even if you don't realize it yourself, I see it. I see the spark of an amazing and beautiful human being who I loved to settle down with." He fidgeted a little in his seat. Sure, he had been on dates before, but none were as...honest and incredibly wantful of him as she was. "I've spent my time waiting for that special someone, and I think I've found him."

She leaned away from her elbow. "Could you ever return my feelings?"

He was taken back by such a question. "I'm...not even sure. I'm not sure how to respond to this."

"I think I know a way." She grinned.

"Oh really? How?"

She suddenly leaned her body forward, moving herself so her head was side by side to his own. "My place." Her tone was sultry and low, her response was as subtle as a charging Rhyhorn. She stood up.

"I've paid for the pot in advance, let's go." She grasped his arm lightly when walked by him, leading him away as he followed behind. "I think the sun's going down soon. Seems like a perfect time." Her voice laden was obviousness as Harold could only be silent in wonder at her.

He didn't know if he could, but it certainly seemed like he would.

He saw nothing wrong with this.

Back at her house.

The moment they both entered, as the Zoroark locked up the front door and the human commented on how nice her house seemed. (With Ziriya replying that it's actually owned by her trainer, though he won't be back till late), the Pokemon was all over him, immediately laying a big kiss over his mouth, her muzzle turning to the side to accommodate their mouth difference as she pushed him into a tight hug.

The human responded the same pushing back with his own force, intertwining their lips as they both let their passions flow.

Within moments they both released their grasps, breathing deeply.

"Wanna take this upstairs?" She said through pants.

"Definitely." He breathed back, taking off his overcoat and resting on a nearby door hang, taking off his trainers straight after.

Quickly she pulled him upstairs, rushing to get to her bedroom. As soon as she pulled him in, falling on top of her bed on her back as the male pushed down onto her their kissing resumed, this time more forceful than before as they tasted each other's lips, licking around the other's mouths.

Grasping his chest once again she started to pull him back with her, the human following her movements, slowly traversing herself across the bed until her head hit a pillow, and with her hands still on his chest starting to pull his shirt up, moving up until it hit his head, where she couldn't pull it off no more.

He immediately got her idea and straightened his back up, looking down at her as he almost too fast pulled his shirt, exposing his bare chest to her. He seemed to be well built, the Zoroark observed.

As quick as a whip he pushed himself back down and onto her lips once again, this time he grabbed the hem of his pants and pulled them downwards, exposing his shaft as he quickly took them off and threw the clothes onto the floor, along with his socks both wanting the passion of the ecstasy to start as soon as it could.

He moved his whole body back, near to her legs as he left her body wanting him to return.

"Are you ready?" He spoke calmly.

"Definitely." She replied back, as the human took her by surprised as he pressed his tongue over her lower lips now, licking over her vulva as her body shook from the pleasure, soaking her pussy with his saliva as he dared to dart it in, her mind and body going numb with the erotic feeling of him claiming her pussy as his own.

"Nghh...ohh...please...put it in already I can't wait!" She almost shouted to him, the desire too much to bare. With this he pushed his body over her, his erection now ready for her to see. She liked the result.

He leaned his body down, aiming for his mark as he wrapped his arms around her legs, then hilted himself fully in, the Zoroark moaning deeply in response, her claws digging into the sheets of the bed.

Harold built up the rhythm he needed quickly going at a fast pace of thrusting inside her as Ziriya laid her body down and let him take her. The sounds of their moans echoed around the room.

As the hit her cavern she managed to seep out: "My mouth...is still awaiting you… you know." Getting the idea he pushed his body towards her, not stopping his thrusts as he claimed her lips once again, her body moving with him meaning her back and legs were pulled upwards over him, arching up as she laid beneath him.

Despite the awkward position this seemed to give her even more pleasure, as he pushed his body downwards onto her.

She enjoyed her time with him, taking it at his own pace, and not before too long did she feel her release start to bare, knowing that his own quickened pacing signalized his own impending release as well.

She parted with his as she called out "I...I feel it coming."

He pushed his lips back to her just an instant before he started to cum inside her, releasing his sperm into her honeypot.

While she expected him to cum there, she didn't expect him to drape his fingers over her lips just before she came as well, seeming to speed up her release as he teased her lips, the feeling too much as she felt her lower body explode from the touch, cumming on him as her orgasmed subsided, her body tensed then fell limp to him, just registering her human moving away, where he rested by the side of her, waiting for her to regain herself.

"How are you?" He asked when her panting stopped.

"Much better, thank you." She replied in earnest, giving him a calm smile, and looking at his orange tinted face.

...She moved her body up, looking through the window that hung above her window, and as she expected, it was now dusk, the orange of the sun colouring the sky as her window faced the west.

He followed suit, staring at the darkening sky before him, not saying anything as he watched the natural beauty.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She spoke without facing him. He grinned a little.

"And if you something as corny as 'not as beautiful as you' I'm throwing you off the bed." She deadpanned, almost making him laugh.

"Jokes on you I was gonna say 'Not as beautiful as me'." He quipped with a grin. Seconds later she threw him off the bed and onto the floor with an undignified 'umph'.

"Owww." He slowly let, her annoyed expression turned to worry as she rushed to the end of the bed, about to ask if he was all right before she felt him grab her own body and pulled her down to his own level on the floor, the human quickly get up and sat by the edge, sticking his tongue out at her.

In an instant she stood up and threw herself on top of him, laying over him with an angry expression.

Then her expression relaxed.

Then she laughed at him, cuddling him to the human as said human chortled back, not having had a good laugh like that in a good while.

"Thanks." He suddenly said, getting to face him again.

"For what?"

"For being you." He replied in earnest, as they both were in contempt, just laying there and rubbing across each others body slowly, both mainly rubbing on their significant others old burns, draping their digits along the skin and hair/fur and thinking about each other's history.

It was too early for sleep, so all they did was lay naked over each other, letting themselves stay there for each until they felt too tired to continue, sleeping in each other's arms, with a warm smiled drafted on their faces.

She truly was the light that saved him from his darkness.

The song (and the accompanying music video along with it) is called The Light by, like I said, Disturbed.

Hope you enjoyed.