Introduction: If you clicked on this story hoping to find a love story between Cesselia and Darkrai, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Anyway, this is the third and final part of my Noir Mask Trilogy. Marie's life as Noir Mask may have ended, but both she and Lisa have a lot of healing to do in regards to their relationship. And that's what this story is about. This is actually going to be a little different from stories I've done in the past, but I see it as a challenge.
The title of this story, Half Moon Bay, is also the title of an instrumental piece by musician, Dan Fogelberg. It's a beautiful piano piece that he made to go with his song, When You're Not Near Me.
By the way, this is a Yuri story, and a couple of the later chapters are going to be rather "steamy". So if you don't like reading that kind of stuff, now is the time to turn back.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 1: Bringer of Dreams
The sun shined down on an old dirt road in the Sinnoh Region as Lisa Flare rode over it on her Pokemon, Rapidash. She was not alone on the back of the fiery cream-colored steed. Riding with Lisa was the young woman that was the love of her life, Marie Dantes. Though while Lisa was in love with Marie, she was not sure if the feeling was mutual. Thirteen years before, Marie had been framed for a crime she did not commit by her older cousin Andre and sent to a harsh desert prison. During that time, Marie tried to escape, but Lisa had foolishly listened to Andre and had worked with the police to lure Marie into a trap.
As a result, Marie ended up spending two years in the desert prison known as Scorch Gate, where her only way out was an offer to join the criminal organization, Team Rocket. For over eleven years Marie served in Team Rocket as the elite phantom agent, Noir Mask. And during that time Lisa had encountered Marie a few times, never suspecting who Noir Mask really was. But it was during their last encounter when the truth about everything finally came out. Andre had been brought to justice, and Lisa finally told Marie how she truly felt about her, which was something that Lisa thought she would never get the chance to do.
After that incident, Marie had agreed to go Lisa on her journey. Lisa knew that Marie was still angry with her for what she did all those years ago, but was grateful that Marie was at least willing to give her another chance. Lisa had decided that they should travel around Sinnoh for a while, and the first destination she chose was a little seaside town known as Half Moon Bay. The town was said to be an excellent place to relax, and Lisa thought that Marie could use a great deal of relaxation after all that she had been through. The little town was still two or three days away, but the road to it was certainly a peaceful one.
The sea was to the left of the old dirt road that Lisa and Marie were taking. Though the road was not on the beach, the salty smell of the sea wafted on the breeze. To the couple's right were nothing but rolling hills and meadows. Lisa looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was starting to set.
"I think we should set up camp somewhere for the night." Lisa said to Marie. "See any place you like?"
Marie looked around until her eyes settled on a tall tree on a nearby hill.
"Under that tree looks nice." Marie said, pointing to the location.
"Okay, sounds good." Lisa agreed.
In a few moments Rapidash trotted over to the small hill and stopped near the tree. The couple dismounted and Lisa called Rapidash back to its Pokeball. Marie meanwhile set her bag down and sat against the tree, removing her sunglasses in the process. It was then that Lisa took a good look at Marie. Lisa was troubled how pale her blond companion had become, and also noticed that she was even a little thin. But what troubled Lisa most were Marie's eyes. Marie's violet eyes had a sort of deadness to them. They looked like the eyes of someone who had given up on life.
"So… have you ever been to Sinnoh before?" Lisa asked in an attempt to make conversation, something that there had not been a lot of during the whole trip.
"A couple times on missions." Marie answered somewhat indifferently.
"Oh…" Lisa replied. "What, a… what did you do?"
"I didn't steal any Pokemon if that's what you're asking." Marie answered with a hint of anger in her voice. "Most of my missions were to investigate and if necessary punish other members of Team Rocket or deal with criminals who would try to swindle the organization. It was actually a small comfort to me that I was punishing thieves instead of becoming one."
"Oh Marie, I'm sorry." Lisa said upon realizing the colossal mistake she had just made. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I know how much you hated working for Team Rocket."
Suddenly one of the Pokeballs on Lisa's belt opened up, and out came a long-eared creature that resembled something like a cross between a cat and a fox. It had large black eyes and most of its fur was red. Though its tail was covered in bushy yellow fur, and it also had long yellow fur around its neck and a tuft of yellow fur on its forehead.
"Flare!" the Pokemon cried with a cute smile on its face.
"Oh, your Flareon." Marie observed. "I never really took the time to notice how adorable it is when I saw it in our little battle in Lilycove."
Flareon suddenly noticed Marie and gave her a cautious look.
"Don't be shy little one." Marie said with a warm smile. "I won't hurt you."
After a moment, Flareon went over to Marie and sniffed her hand. Deciding that Marie was not a threat, Flareon got up on Marie's lap. Lisa smiled at the site of Marie petting Flareon. It was good to see that even after all the time that had passed and all the hardships she had endured, Marie was still the same kind and gentle girl that Lisa had always known.
"Glad to see you two hit it off." Lisa told Marie.
"When did you get your little friend here?" Marie asked as she continued to pet Flareon.
"I got her as an egg while I was in Johto." Lisa answered. "I ended up spoiling her right away."
"Yes, and I'm sure you evolved her into a Flareon the first chance you got." Marie assumed.
"You know how much I like Fire Pokemon." Lisa pointed out. "Why don't I go fix us all something to eat while you two get better acquainted?"
"Not a bad idea." Marie agreed.
With that, Lisa grabbed a few things from her bag and went to go prepare their small dinner. As Lisa prepared the food, she kept cursing to herself about her mistake of asking Marie about what she did during her time as Noir Mask. It even made Lisa remember the first time she encountered Marie as her alter ego, and of some of the terrible things she said to her and thought about her. After a few moments Lisa finished preparing a bowl of Pokemon food and some sandwiches for both herself and Marie. As Lisa began walking back over to the tree with the food in hand, she was a little startled to see that two other Pokemon had joined Marie and Flareon.
One was a bipedal fox-like creature that stood at about five feet tall. Its fur was mostly grey and it had a pointed snout and ears. Thick black fur covered its upper torso, and atop its head was a thick mass of red fur that was tied back in a ponytail by a large teal orb. Lisa knew this creature as one of Marie's most loyal Pokemon, Zoroark. The other Pokemon hovered in the air, and its body was black and tattered and had an almost hourglass shape. Atop its head the shadowy Pokemon had white hair that resembled a billowing flame and revealed only a single light-blue eye. Around its neck was a red growth that resembled a beaded necklace. Lisa knew this creature as Maire's other most loyal Pokemon, the legendary Darkrai.
"Is dinner ready?" Marie asked upon noticing Lisa standing there with the food.
"Uh, yeah." Lisa answered after getting over her initial surprise. "I hope sandwiches are okay."
"You don't have to be afraid." Marie told her, realizing what had startled Lisa. "Zoroark and Darkrai are very nice. They're just misunderstood."
Suddenly Zoroark went over to Lisa and looked her in the eye. After a few moments Zoroark licked Lisa in the face a few times.
"See? He likes you." Marie told her.
"That's good to know." Lisa said with a nervous smile. "Let's eat!"
A few hours later, night had fallen and Lisa woke up to find that Marie was not in her sleeping bag. Concerned that something might have happened, Lisa quickly got up to look for her. It did not take Lisa long to find Marie standing and looking out over the ocean.
"Hey." Lisa called as she went over, getting Marie's attention. "Can't sleep?"
"No, and it's not the first time." Marie sighed. "I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a long time. I do sleep, it's just that I usually have bad dreams and wake up a lot."
"…Is it because of Darkrai?" Lisa asked in a tone of concern.
"At first it was." Marie answered. "Though Darkrai didn't mean it. Contrary to what a lot of people think, Darkrai doesn't cause nightmares on purpose. It can't fully control its powers. Anyway, after I had accidentally caught Darkrai, its powers became more contained I guess. I still have nightmare, but I think all those are because of fear, fear of being sent back to Scorch Gate or something else. But whatever the reason, I don't really sleep anymore."
"So… you haven't had a decent sleep in thirteen years?" Lisa asked with a mixture of worry and surprise.
"Yeah. And I have to admit that I really am tired." Marie confirmed.
Just as Lisa was about to put her hand on Marie's shoulder, they suddenly both noticed a light zooming over the ocean. The light suddenly stopped and zoomed towards them. In moments, hovering before the couple was a swan-like creature with blue body and a gold face and underside. On the sides of it head were two golden ornaments that looked like crescent moons. Its glowing pink wings resembled the rings of a planet, having two on its sides and a third on its back that was probably meant to serve as a form of propulsion.
"What is it?" Lisa asked in a whisper.
"I think… that's Cresselia." Marie said in awe. "From what I've read, she's said to be the opposite of Darkrai."
Cresselia looked at Lisa for a moment and then looked at Marie. Marie stared at the lunar Pokemon deeply, and Cresselia looked back. After what seemed like several minutes, Marie gasped and fell to her knees. Cresselia quickly zoomed away over the water after that.
"Are you okay?" Lisa asked with a very concerned expression.
"I'm fine." Marie answered. "It felt like… something washed over me for a second."
"Did Cresselia do something to you?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know, but… I'm actually feeling very sleepy right now." Marie told her.
"C'mon then, let's get you to bed." Lisa said before leading Marie back to the campsite.
As soon as they got back to camp, Lisa suddenly grabbed Marie's sleeping bag. She then started to zip the bag to her own.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Marie asked.
"Oh, well I thought you might sleep better if… you had someone next to you." Lisa said nervously. "But if you don't want to…"
"No, no, that… that might just work." Marie said with a blush. "I mean it's worth a try, right?"
"Yeah, right." Lisa agreed, glad that she had come up with a good excuse to justify her actions.
Lisa finished putting the bags together and the two girls got in. Marie was quite nervous, especially when Lisa suddenly cuddled up next to her. But before Marie knew it, both she and Lisa drifted off into a deep sleep.
Author's Note: Not a bad start off I don't think. I think most of the story was a little too much of a recap, but other than that I'm happy with how it turned out. Cresselia will appear again later on in the story, by the way.
Please review and let me know what you think.