So I have not disappeared, I am just very overworked at the minute. I managed to add some stuff to this story to get it started finally!
And so I welcome you to Kage – the Akari sequel. Yay! XD I have no idea when I'm going to be able to work on this but I figured if it's up then I will update it!
I decided to keep off a few of the OCs so they have been slashed but I will be introducing a few familiar faces along the way. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own my OCs and the plot but not Pokémon :(
Chapter One: Yume
The sun shone brightly through the maple trees which were browning with age of the year. Autumn was coming to the streets of Ecruteak and the children were making the most of what little time they had left of the good weather.
Apart from one boy aged around fourteen years old. He was sat on a large log reading a very thick book which was written in Japanese. His light blue hair blew softly in the breeze as his eyes skimmed over the creamy white pages. He had longed since blocked out the noise of the other children, his friends, in the distance as they ran around screaming at each other. They were playing some sort of 'tagging' game with the girls. Apparently it was a very good game where the girls would chase after the boys and attempt to kiss them. If they boys were caught then they were subjected to a kiss wherever the girl could manage to place it. The boy with the highest number of kisses was the loser.
"You're reading?"
The boy grimaced at the soft statement posed at him by his brother's girlfriend. His head shot up and he gave her an icy glare. Stood beside him was a very young and pretty woman with lone honey hair. It hung loose like usual. Her eyes, violet in colour, washed over him with a glint of concern present.
"Yes," he replied, "What of it?"
"Nothing," she said, "Have you fallen out with your friends or something?"
"What's it to you?" he snapped, closing his book sharply and squaring up to her. His eyes narrowed at her. Despite her beauty and her obvious charm, he couldn't stand her. There was something about her that made him distrust her, perhaps it was the fact she was so beautiful (not that he liked to think that) or the fact she never seemed to do anything wrong. Maybe it was because she was a warrior, not just any warrior: A Churitsu warrior.
"Nothing," she replied. She sat down next to him calmly, dusting off her kimono in a rather lady-like manner. "I wish I could play like they are but I'm far too old for it now."
"Yes, you are," he told her. She ignored the rudeness in his tone, instead staring out over the fields where the children were playing. Slowly, a small smile slipped onto her lips. He watched her for a few seconds then reopened his book so he could read more.
"Grr," he growled under his breath after a few minutes, causing the woman to glance at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"This makes no sense at all," he snapped in reply, "If I don't finish the book by tonight then I'll never get to go out and play."
"What does it say?" she asked.
"Iyasu tame no monode wa arimasen kizu ga arimasu," he read aloud grumpily, adding: "I know what it says but I don't know what it means."
"It means that some wounds are not meant to heal," she stated blankly, "Some wounds run so deep that thy can never heal fully or sometimes you should never let them heal."
"But that's stupid," he snapped, "If you don't let a wound heal then you'll bleed to death."
"Not all wounds are physical," she explained calmly, "Some are emotional, intellectual or mental. We all carry emotional scars."
"You may but I don't," he told her, "And neither do my big brothers."
"Arashi has emotional scars," she retorted, "And I bet Etsuo does to."
"And what about me?" he challenged, "Hmm?"
"You're just like the rest of us, Isamu," she replied, this time her tone softer, "To have these scars is to be human. They are what make us stronger and build us as a person. We all have wounds that aren't meant to heal at all. That is dolentiveritas."
"Dolenti veritas?" Isamu asked.
"The painful truth," she replied. There was a short spell of silence between the pair as Isamu glanced down at his book and she stared out at the children playing not too far away.
"Why aren't you playing with them?" she asked suddenly.
"Because father wanted me to read this book," Isamu replied sadly, "He says that I'm not as good as those warriors so I have to work harder. He says that I'm weak and pathetic, I'm no good."
She glanced at him solemnly for a few seconds before she scooted closer to him, resting her hand on his knee. Isamu shot her a look as a way of warning her to leave him alone but she did not withdraw her hand.
"You are a good warrior," she told him shortly, "Don't believe all your father tells you, Isamu. You have your merits and you have your failings but you are not weak."
"Get off me," he growled, jumping up off the log he was sitting on and storming away from her in an angry manner. She sighed loudly as Isamu walked towards another tree and threw himself down in the shade.
"Don't mind him, he's clueless."
"Arashi," she said quietly, "Why does he hate me so much?"
"I have no idea, Kiko," Arashi replied, stepping round Akiko and sitting down next to her, "But I worry about him. Father's too hard on him."
"I know," Akiko said darkly, "But why only to Isamu, not you or Etsuo?"
Arashi thought about this for a few minutes before a grin appeared on his face. He turned to smile at Akiko, placing a hand on hers. Akiko eyed the long haired man carefully, expecting him to do something he shouldn't do. Slowly Arashi leant into her so that he could whisper in her ear.
"I'll leave my brother in your charge, Kiko," he whispered gently, "You're the only one I would ever trust with him. And as painful as it is for me to watch, I support you. Just promise me, promise me that you will look after him, Kiko."
"I promise," Akiko muttered back. Arashi leant forwards a little bit more to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. At his action, Akiko jumped back giving him the dead eye. He chuckled.
"Father often says he has greater plans for Isamu," Arashi told her, "But what would that mean?"
"I don't know," Akiko shrugged. Something caught their attention, breaking their conversation instantly. Akiko disappeared into smoke while Arashi threw himself off the log just in time to avoid a large aura attack coming their way.
"Wah," May screamed as she shot up out of her bed. She panted slightly, the shock of being dragged out of her dreamy state made her heart race. She rubbed her forehead finding sweat covering her brow.
And so it began with a dream that May Maple had shortly after her final contest. The dream was nothing special but it made her jolt awake suddenly in the middle of the night. She swung her legs over the side of the bed wondering what had just happened only to find in the short space of time between dreaming and waking up, she had forgotten everything about the dream. She rubbed her head and let out a sigh.
"I guess I'm just over worked," she reasoned. She smiled widely to herself. "That's it."
The door of the small room opened. A small channel of light swept across the carpet as Dawn returned from the downstairs of the Pokémon Centre. She glanced up at May wondering what the brunette was doing wide awake.
"Is everything alright?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah," May replied, "I had a bad dream."
"What was it about?" Dawn quizzed as she walked quietly across to the bunk bed opposite May. Above her Misty was sound asleep which was good. At least one of them was sleeping.
"I can't remember," May sighed, "But it made me jump."
"Well, go back to sleep," Dawn said, snuggling down between the bed sheets and the duvet. May nodded. She moved as though she was going to lie back down but she stopped herself, turning her head towards Dawn.
"What were you doing up, anyway?" May asked. Dawn glanced across at May, smiling.
"Oh, it's nothing," Dawn replied airily, "I just forgot something."
"Alright," May said but she wasn't convinced. Dawn forced a smile onto her face and settled down to sleep. May had a right to be suspicious but Dawn couldn't just come out with 'I thought there was something in the bushes outside so I went to check just in case it was a ninja' could she? As May settled herself back in her covers and fell back to sleep, Dawn reopened her eyes and shuffled around her mattress slightly. Five months to go. It was Paul's birthday in two then hers three after that, then she would return to the Akari.
She smiled at this thought. All through the last year and a half, she had often thought about her new family. She wondered how things were going for Kiboji, who now sat on the Akari throne, as he took charge after the tragic, sudden death of his father Arashi. Dawn missed Arashi dearly, she missed them all but Arashi second of all. She knew she missed him that much because he was dead and she would never see him again. She missed Reggie, the middle Akari and a friend in his own rights. Oh he was so kind to her. Perhaps she didn't miss Sayuri that much and she pleasantly missed Etsuo, the sarcastic brother of Isamu and Arashi, who would often come out what everyone was thinking.
Then, of course, there was the constant bickering of Akiko and Isamu, the married far too long couple. Their moods changed as much as the weather, each reflecting the other in perfect balance. When she was serious, he was goofy. When she was goofy, he would be slightly more serious than usual. Their antics would always brighten up the mood, even at the darkest of times.
As Dawn went about her 'normal' life, she often found herself adding her family into everyday situations in her mind. There were just certain things that her friends did that made Dawn think of what her family would do if they were with her. It was odd but this way she always felt they were near.
There was one person who she could never imagine to be near her. Whenever she thought about Paul she would be pushed to the verge of tears. At the beginning she had tried to imagine how he would curl up to her (unintentionally) at night when they were sleeping but she found it horribly heartbreaking when she woke up the next morning to find he wasn't there. She loved Paul. No one would understand how she felt though. How could they when she couldn't tell them anything about her family? It felt as though she was constantly lying to all of them. It was wrong but what else could she do?
With these dreary thoughts, Dawn closed her eyes and drifted off into a blissful, dreamless sleep.
~K~
"Shinji," Master Toma said as a purple haired teen stuffed some clothes into a bag.The teen stopped instantly, and turned to see what his master wanted from him. The greying teacher was wearing his usual silver and grey robes with his hair up in a top knot. His eyes dropped slightly on his wrinkled and bearded face. "I see you were not joking when you said you were leaving."
"I'm not one to joke," Paul replied politely. Master Toma let out a long sigh.
"It has been far too long since your mother did the exact same thing," he said, "Akiko and you are very similar."
"I get that a lot," Paul said, "When it comes to our fighting ability, of course."
"You've got a lot of Ibuki in you too," Toma went on, "I see her in you as well."
"You mean my grandmother?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow, "I've never met her."
"That is rather unlucky for you," Toma chuckled, "I bet she's the only person to make Akiko run for her money."
"I'd pay to see that," Paul remarked darkly making his master chuckle even louder. Toma was an aging man, ancient in fact, but he was still the best person to train Paul. Toma often took responsibility for Akiko's training and, since he already had experience in how to down play bad press, Etsuo had spent very little time in sending Paul to train with the Churitsu master. Despite being far too old to count, Toma was a bundle of energy with a great sense of humour and humbleness that Paul rarely saw.
So many nights had passed when Toma and a few of the other masters had invited the apprentices round for a round of drinks and cards. It always dissolved into Toma telling stories from his past, all his narrow escapes and great escapades. Then usually came the stories about Akari and Akiko, how Arashi and Akiko were seen as the golden couple and how Isamu had tried a number of times to get Akiko lost.
"Will you miss me?" Toma asked suddenly, his thin eyebrows almost disappearing into his hair. Paul turned round and gave Toma a pointed look which stated 'no'. Paul did not miss anyone, apart from her. "Well, it's nice to know I'm wanted."
"Yes, Sensei," Paul humoured the old man. To this, Toma sighed loudly.
"You're too much like Ibuki," he moaned, "You don't have the same fire as Akiko to make smart ass comments back to me."
"I don't lack the fire to make smart ass comments," Paul replied, "I'm just smart enough to know that I shouldn't tick you off."
"You've got your father's good sense then," Toma commented, "So where will you find this beautiful young lady you've been pining over since the first day you came here?"
"I have no idea," Paul replied honestly, ignoring the pining comment simply because he knew he couldn't deny it. He really had missed Dawn. "That's why I'm setting off now."
"Be sure to let me meet her one day," Toma instructed the young boy, "I would dearly love it."
"Yes, Sensei," Paul said, "I'm sure you'll love her."
"Well, I've put up with Akiko, Arashi, Isamu -" there was a long grumbling speech after Isamu's name. Paul had come to realise that Toma was not a fan of Isamu one bit because he had 'corrupted' his finest student. Paul never asked for more details figuring it was safer that way. "- then Mamoru… Man was he a drag."
"Mamoru?" Paul asked sharply, recognising the name, "Niaya?"
"The one in the same," Toma replied, "Why? He was one of Isamu's friends back in the day. A lovely man but a bit of an airhead and had a nose for getting into trouble."
Paul smirked at this: "That's where she gets it from, is it?"
"Who?" Toma hummed softly.
"Nothing," Paul replied. He closed his bag tightly by yanking the drawstring sharply. He picked up the bag and casually slung it over his shoulder, turning to face his teacher fully. "I'll be going now."
"Good luck my lad," Toma said with a sad smile, "Arceus knows I will miss your grumpy face."
"You have no idea how often I get that," Paul remarked then disappeared into black smoke, leaving Toma chuckling in the empty room.
When he looked round, Paul saw he was in the fresh air of Olivine City. It was a bright day with a soft salty breeze hanging in the air, in other words perfect. He paused for a moment to take in the sight of the ocean then he turned to see if he could spot the local Pokémon centre. It wasn't hard to find since it was only a hundred yards to his right.
"Figures," Paul muttered to himself. He was just about to walk towards the centre when he felt something round his neck burn. Quickly he reached down the neck of his black turtle neck top and pulled out a teal stone on a simple black cord chain. It was really a gimmick that his clan used but it was useful, none-the-less, for staying out of trouble aboveground.
Trouble in sector fourteen, the stone said in engraved writing. The message only lingered for a few seconds but that's all it took for Paul to make plans.
"Well," he muttered, "It's a place to start."
So it begins. Our characters are on their journeys ^_^ I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you're a little confused by the flashback at the beginning then I apologise but it will make sense later :P
Also the title of this story means 'shadow' and the reason for this should become clear in a few chapters, although I bet you'll work it out before then.
Please review!
RSx