A/N- Hallo, peoples! EyeofAmethyst07 here, back with yet another story.

…do I have explaining to do? Yeah. I do.

My school life has kind of eaten up my spare time, so Colligate Life and Monster productions have more or less hit a wall. However, if you took my advice and read my bio, this shouldn't be a shock! Hopefully, this story should get my creative juices going…

Anyway, this story was inspired partly by Requiem for the Living by Saf Dawnheart and the song Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons. I don't own either the story or the song, but I felt like credit should be given to them for inspiration.

This story will mostly revolve around Giratina and Latios, but I couldn't resist throwing in a little Kyurem/Latias. (Weird pairing, I know, but I was kind of sick with all of the Latias/Rayquaza fics).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokémon. I think that's pretty obvious.

So… *Turns off lights, sits in dark corner, shines flashlight under chin.*

Now, then. Shall we begin?

The Price of a Soul: Chapter 1

"Quiet, everyone."

Arceus' voice traveled over the hall somberly, and the nervous chatter that had been going on stopped immediately. All legendaries returned to their council seats and turned their heads to their leader.

Arceus sighed quietly. "I will do away with formalities." he said dully. "You all know why I called us here today." No legend spoke out, which only served as confirmation for the Alpha Pokémon.

"As we all know," he continued. "Just yesterday, Latios, one of our own, passed…" Arceus bowed his head slightly, then brought it back up in determination of sorts. "Screw it." said the Normal-type. "Latios has died."

This blunt comment brought mixed reactions from the legendaries. Darkrai raised an eyebrow at the Alpha's odd word choice, Rayquaza huffed indifferently, Kyogre glared at Groudon, and Latias broke into tears, leaning over to cry on Cresselia's shoulder. Arceus sighed once again.

"This is certainly a dark day for us all." said Arceus. "We can only hope that Latios has found peace."

"You can only hope, is that right?"

Every legend was immediately on high alert. Heads of all shapes and sizes looked frantically around the Hall of Origin, looking for the speaker. Suddenly, at the end of the table opposite to Arceus, A serpentine grey dragon rose from a deep purple portal in the ground. Giratina's golden mask gleamed darkly as her six massive feet landed on the solid marble tile.

"You could just ask nicely." said the Distortion Queen, with a hint of smugness lining her words. As murmurs spread across the table, Arceus lightly tapped the tile with his front leg, asking for silence. "I take it Latios has arrived at Turnback Cave?" he asked formally, locking his emerald eyes with her own wine-colored ones.

Giratina smirked under her mask. "I've yet to check." she said smoothly. "I've been in the Distortion for the past few minutes, listening in on a few… lunar Pokémon." Every head turned towards Darkrai and Cresselia, who were suddenly red-faced and very interestedin the tile floor. Giratina's smirk widened slightly. Mew will never let those two hear the end of this, she thought.

Arceus sighed for the fourth time in as many minutes. "Can you please focus on the problem at hand, Giratina?" he asked. Giratina's smirk faded, and she raised her eyebrow in compensation. "Why?" she asked. "It's not my problem."

Latias broke down at hearing these words. Any legend that wasn't comforting the red eon dragon was glaring at Giratina, who evenly returned the stares. Arceus slammed his leg on the tile this time, bringing order to the council. "Actually," said the Normal-type. "It is."

Giratina's haughty expression faltered. "What?" she asked, slight annoyance evident in her voice. Arceus straightened officially. "I'm making it your problem." he said. "You are hereby confined to Turnback Cave and the Distortion as to watch over Latios and ensure his security in the afterlife."

Giratina snarled, and the threatening noise effectively echoed off the white walls. "What?" she asked again, anger evident in her tone. "You know I'm the dragon of Anti-matter, not death." she said. Arceus raised one of his own eyebrows this time. "Yes, I acknowledge that." he said. "But Turnback is a passage to the deeper parts of the Underworld. You can intercept Latios there."

Giratina growled. "How long are you putting me on babysitting duty?" she asked stiffly. Every head turned to Arceus to hear the verdict.

"Indefinitely. Until otherwise decided."

Giratina kept her composure devoid of any emotion. "As you wish, great Arceus." she spat. With that, Giratina morphed into her Origin Forme and dove headfirst into the ground, disappearing into the nether.

Arceus sighed slightly in relief. "That bring us to another problem." continued the Alpha. "Latias by herself cannot protect the Soul Dew in Alto Mare." Arceus turned to address Rayquaza. "Rayquaza, you will be assigned to guard the Soul Dew until another solution can be found."

Rayquaza nodded slightly, and this drew snickers from some of the more immature legends. Everyone on the council was aware of Rayquaza's feelings of affection towards Latias, except for Latias herself, who remained oblivious.

Arceus caught these reactions. "That's not all." he said. "For better protection, Latias will be housed with another legendary outside of Alto Mare." Rayquaza whipped his head to face the Alpha. "What?" he growled. "Who is she staying with?"

Arceus pointed at a grey legend at the far end of the table. "Kyurem." he said tersely. Murmurs of uneasiness spread across the legends of the council as Kyurem's golden eyes widened. "Come again?" he asked.

"Latias needs to stay with an isolated legend." replied Arceus. "Your home in the Giant Chasm is perfect, because the humans are mortally terrified of you. She will not be disturbed there."

Rayquaza slammed a small green fist on the table, making everyone jump. "That's ridiculous!" he shouted. "Her life will be a living hell with him! Latias needs to be comforted, not shoved into the smallest, coldest corner of the world!"

Kyurem glared at the Sky High Pokémon evenly. "Would it not be the same living with you?" he asked nonchalantly. "If you have a problem with it, we can always settle things after the meeting." Rayquaza opened his thin mouth to snap back, but someone else beat him to the punch.

"Stop."

Both male legends turned to face Latias. "What?" they both said simultaneously. Latias rose from her seat on the council and floated in between the quarrelling legendaries. The remaining eon dragon steadily met the gazes of each and every legend.

"I'm stronger than you guys give me credit for." she said shakily. "I'll stay with Kyurem, because I trust Arceus to make the right choice for us all. If he believes the best thing for me is to stay in Giant Chasm…" Latias bowed her head slightly. "…then that's what I'll do."

Silence dominated the council chamber. Latias was not known for her courage, more for her ability to stay lighthearted no matter the dilemma. Standing up to two of the most powerful council members was something that was expected of Arceus or Giratina, not Latias.

Latias hung her head low and floated towards the exit. "I'll make my way to Giant Chasm." she said somberly. As a few of her friends attempted pursuit, she waved them off. "I know the way to Unova." she told them. "Stay here. You guys probably have a lot more to talk about."

With those words, the red eon dragon floated out of the council chamber, the heavy golden doors closing with a fateful THUMP. All eyes turned to Arceus, who blinked. "Ok." he said simply. "Well, I actually don't have any other life-changing announcements to make. You are all free to go."

As the assembled legends began to disband, he noticed Cresselia and Mespirit rushing towards the door. Arceus teleported himself directly in front of them, blocking the way out. "Do not visit Latias." he said officially. "She needs time to let the impact of this decision sink in." Mespirit flew up to the Alpha's eye level. Anger laced her eyes, an emotion that was usually coupled with her hot-head counterpart Azelf.

"Why are you leaving her with that cold-hearted dragon?" she growled. "Rayquaza was right: she needs comfort and warmth, not indifference and cold." Arceus straightened and looked the Lake legend in the eye. "Latias will be fine." he reassured forcefully. "My decision to leave her with Kyurem was not just for her benefit." Cresselia tilted her head. "You mean Kyurem?" she asked. "How does this help him?"

Arceus smiled kindly and turned to the side, letting the Psychics by. "I believe that my justification will be revealed within its own time." he said wisely. "Just…trust in me, alright?" Both Psychics reluctantly nodded through the doors, following the other departing legends. Arceus returned to his seat just as the last legends closed the door behind themselves. Arceus sighed in relief. Then he cocked his head to the side as if listening for something. "You wish to speak with me, Giratina?" A soft, malicious voice came from behind him and said;

"What do you think?"

Arceus watched with his eyes as the Renegade stomped into his field of vision. Her wine-colored eyes reflected anger, but her expression was the same as always. "Why force me to do this?" she asked. "It has no point. Latios is powerful enough, even in death, to take care of himself." Arceus shook his white head. "That is true when he is of sound mind." he said simply. "But Latios is most likely unaware of his own death at this point. When he discovers that seeing his sister again will be impossible, his mind will near breaking point. I need you there to tip it over to the side of sanity."

Giratina snorted. "And you trust me to keep him sane?" Arceus narrowed his eyes. "Yes." he said. "Now, go. I have no doubt that Latios has reached his destination." A purple portal opened at Giratina's feet, and she began to sink through. Before she went entirely, she left a parting comment.

"He's not in heaven, you know. I'll treat him accordingly."

As the Distortion Queen sank through the floor, Arceus sighed to himself. "I know that, Giratina." he said to nobody. "That's why I'm sending you, not me."

/-\-/-\

White.

That's all he was able to see. A bright, blinding white light. It called to him, oddly enough. Like it wanted him to see what was beyond it. As he hovered closer, he had a thought. What about Latias? Should I bring her? He shook the notion off and continued his forward journey. I told Latias I'll be back, he thought, I'll just take a quick look around, and then I'll go back.

Suddenly, a sharp pain flared through his chest. He looked down at his azure fur, and he noticed it was turning red. What is happening?

Then everything turned black, and Latios slipped into unconsciousness. Or, perhaps more accurately, death.

…

Darkness.

That's all Latios could see now. He turned his head from side to side, trying to identify where he was. It appeared that he was in a dark cavern, in a rough square shape. Thick fog swept over the rocky floor, moving along with a wind that didn't exist. Latios squinted, and he thought he could see three doors, each on a separate cavern wall, except for the one behind him. In the center of the cavern he was in, a massive pillar of grey stone towered over him. At the top, there was a number one. At the base, there was a number 37.

What is this place? thought Latios. How do I get out of here? Latias is probably waiting for me.

Then, the fog began to swirl around Latios, and he could hear eerie hissing noises. If he looked hard enough, he could make out shadows moving through the fog. "Who's there?" he asked, preparing to attack if whatever was hiding was hostile. "Show yourself, before I have to!"

A sharp, choppy noise made its way to Latios' ears: only later would he realize that this was a chuckle. A wedge of uneasiness settled into Latios' chest. Suddenly, voices whispered to him from the depths of the fog.

"Another fallen god." they whispered amongst themselves. "We should bring him to the master."

"No." said another voice. "This one is not ready to see him yet. He has yet to realize his own predicament."

"Show yourselves!" demanded Latios. "What is my predicament?" The voices chuckled amongst themselves. "The master will not want us to show ourselves." said a voice.

"We will be brief." said the second. "It will not bring harm to us if we simply tell him." Latios' chest panged with something that felt like fear. "Tell me what?" he snapped at the fog. Suddenly, like someone had turned on a giant fan, the fog dispersed, leaving only two Pokémon standing in front of Latios. One was a massive Raticate, bigger than any he'd ever seen before. The other was a graceful Volcarona, its four orange wings beating gently. Then Latios noticed something odd, and he felt his body go cold.

They're see through.

Both Pokémon that stood before him were a translucent grey, with only hints of their true colors showing. The fog seemed to roll straight through their spectral forms, and they flickered oddly from time to time. Latios hovered backwards uneasily. "What are you?" he asked, the smallest sliver of fear working its way into his voice. The Raticate chuckled coldly. "I am simply a Raticate, and she only a Volcarona." Before Latios could say anything the Volcarona spoke.

"We are remnants." she said. "Fragments of times and memories past." Latios narrowed his eyes. "Where am I?" he asked. The Volcarona was opening its mouth to answer, but her Raticate companion beat her to it. "We are in Turnback Cave." said the Raticate quickly. "And you are dead." Latios hovered backwards until he hit the dark rocky wall. Dead? he thought worriedly. How is that possible? Then a thought crossed his mind, and the thick fist of fear wrapped around his throat.

Will I ever get to see Latias again? he thought. How can I live without her? "That's impossible." he said aloud. "How am I still here talking to you?" The Raticate laughed while the Volcarona flared its wings.

"I apologize for my companion's bluntness." she said stiffly, like this was common. "But I cannot deny the truth in his words. You have passed, Latios, from the world above." Latios pushed against the rock behind him with more force. "What?" he sputtered weakly. "I can't—then that means—but I-."

"Have you left someone?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to face the Raticate, who had apparently finished his laughing fit. "What? asked Latios again. "Have you left someone behind in the upper world?" asked the Raticate somberly, as If he could somehow share in Latios' pain. "Yes." he said reluctantly. "My sister."

Both spirits nodded slowly, and they shared a meaningful look. The Volcarona nodded, and the Raticate sighed in response. "We know of your pain." said the Raticate. "We both perished in battle, and by doing so, left behind our trainers…"

Latios' fear of abandonment was partially replaced by curiosity. "You both died while battling?" he asked. The Raticate nodded slowly, while the Volcarona simply hung her head low. "Yes." said the Raticate. "My trainer and I battled a particularly tough opponent. At the battle's end, my wounds were too great, and… we did not reach the Pokémon Center in time." the Raticate trailed off, apparently lost in memory. Latios couldn't fathom what he'd been told. He had heard of Pokémon fainting at the ends of battles, but… never dying. Is the world really that cruel? he wondered. The one thing Pokémon can do, and it kills us?

Then the Raticate let out a hoarse chuckle. "It's slightly ironic, as well." he said bitterly. "The opposing trainer went on to be the Champion eventually." The Volcarona gave a single, short chuckle. "My ending was not near as dramatic as that." she said. "I was poisoned in an intense battle, and when I was given Pecha berries to eat, the poison worsened." The Volcaronaturned her head sideways. "I died in my trainer's arms." she said hoarsely. "After all we had been through together: ever since my hatching as a Larvesta, our journey was to end simply because I was not strong enough."

Latios let the stories sink in. Is that going to be me in a few months? he wondered. A wandering soul who mourns his past? Latios remembered something suddenly. "Can I see your master?" he asked. Both spirits glanced at each other briefly, and a thought flashed through Latios' mind. What else have those two gone through? he wondered. They look close to one another.

"I suppose that would be the best thing to do." said the Volcarona softly. "He will probably want to see you." Latios was about to ask for directions before he noticed a towering shadow forming behind the two spirits. A vicious voice filled the chamber.

"Why do I get the feeling that when you say 'master'," said Giratina coldly. "You're not talking about me?"

E/N- Dun, dun, dun! And a wild Giratina appeared! I hope this was a good start to the fic! The Raticate and Volcarona are important to the story and will come back. And if anyone can leave a review telling me who their trainers were… I'll be very impressed to say the least!

Also, I feel like I need to say something. Although I leave a standard "warning" at the end of all my stories, that's no reason not to leave a review. Believe it or not, I NEED THE ADVICE! Tell me how I'm doing, please! So, with that in mind…

Favorite, Follow, and Review… AT YOUR OWN RISK! :) :) :)

EyeofAmethyst07