this is a reupload of a story I wrote back in the end of 2011, so if you possibly feel like you've read this before already, you probably did.
enjoy.
The image that inspired this fic is featured on my profile.
This isn't a song fic, but it's song based. The song is The Scientist by Coldplay. In this fic, you'll see the lines of the song within the story. Here's the whole song for your convenience.
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles; coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science; science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
The lines that are italicized and underlined are what I could not fit into the story.
[Even in the chill of late fall at five years old, he was ordered by his mother to meet with her and apologize, being scolded beforehand. "And don't come back until I hear from her mother that you've done it!"
Hearing the knock at the door, her mother strode to it, looking around for a moment before she realized she needed to look down. "Why hello, little one!" she greeted, patting his head. "I suppose you're looking for White, huh?"
He nodded.
"White, honey, you have a visitor!"
"Is it Cheren or Bia—" The second she saw him, she clung to her mother's leg, hiding behind her. "It's that big meanie! Momma, tell him to go away!"
The woman just chuckled, patting her daughter's head. "Now, now, White. Black has something he wants to tell you, honey. You could at least listen to him. He came all the way out here in the cold on his own just to see you!"
The little girl scowled, but she complied anyway, huffing like a brat.
Now that they were face to face, he said, "I'm sorry."
As he stood there, watching her ponder his apology, there seemed to be a captivating, lovely hidden charm about her, one he could recognize even at such a young age.
Did she even know how lovely she was?
"Mm... alright."she said with a toothy grin, her two front teeth missing from the incident that had transpired that afternoon. "Hey, do you wanna come inside for some hot chocolate? My momma just made some." She extended a hand from behind her mother out to him, that adorable grin still plastered on her face.
With an excitable nod, he grabbed her hand, letting himself be dragged away inside.]
She is at Nimbasa, hugging herself as she walks past tourists and locals, all enjoying the daily festivities of the amusement park in the city.
But her visit is for a completely different reason.
She takes her time as she walks to the Rondez-View wheel, biting her lower lip as she tries to keep herself together.
When she gets there, the operator asks, "How many riders?"
"Just one," she replies quietly, offering a forced, timid smile.
But unbeknownst to her, there are two.
["White, where are you? I need you for something. You'll miss it if you don't come now!"
"You have to find me first!"came a shout from an unidentifiable direction.
The ten year old child sighed and began his search, forced into this game of hide-and-seek.
He found her a few minutes later, hiding inside an Oran berry bush, having trapped herself inside the little niche where she just barely fit.
"Found you,"he said triumphantly as he parted the leaves aside to stare down at her.
She scowled as she stood up, ignoring the scratches and scrapes she earned by doing so. "Lucky guess," she concluded, unwilling to admit defeat. She huffed and crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air.
"It's not a lucky guess when it's the only place you ever hide,"Black replied, rolling his eyes.
Ignoring his more-than-true statement, she asked, "So what did you need me for?"
Remembering what he had originally called her for, he leaned in close, whispering, "I found a wild lillipup just outside of town. It's sleeping right now and if we go right now, we can catch it!"
Instantly, White's bright blue eyes went wide. "Did you tell Cheren and Bianca?" she asked, giddy, whispering just as he had, but not as quietly.
"No. I set you apart from them. I only wanted you to know,"he mumbled mostly to himself under his breath. He glanced off to the side, looking downwards shyly.
"What was that?"
"They don't know. Now come on, before it gets away!"]
"You know, I wouldn't expect a pretty lady like you to be here alone. Did something happen between you and your man?"
"... You could say that." The sad smile she gives him causes the operator to frown.
"Well, you tell him that he better shape up. Pretty ladies shouldn't frown."
"I wish I could." She chuckles dryly, staring off into space solemnly. "There's no way I can talk to him anymore."
The operator feels it is not his place to ask her what she means by that; the look she wears is absolutely heart-wrenching, the emotions heartfelt.
"Well, little miss, enjoy yourself. The view is great tonight with the clear skies. Feel free to stay on as long as you need to."
White finds it a bit comforting when he pats her shoulder before the wheel stops, a car opening in front of her.
"Thank you," she murmurs before she boards, offering him another sad smile. The operator gives her a sympathetic one in return, along with a salute.
"Poor dear. I hope she'll be alright." He watches as her car ascends, harboring a great concern for her.
[At twelve years old, the two of them could never be seen apart. There was almost never a day that went by where one didn't sleep over at the other's house.
Currently, they were in White's room, with her window open, a cool breeze blowing into the room, a lovely summer evening's breeze. The pair had set up their own little tent with her blankets next to her bed, a flashlight pointed at the ceiling between them.
Both of them were bundled in their sleeping bags, whispering to each other as if they had some great secrets to tell.
Which brought on the idea of a game.
"Hey Black. Wanna play a game?"She grinned widely at him, a devious glint in her eyes.
"... I don't like where this is going. You're scaring me, White."
She waved off his concern, taking the flashlight and holding it under her chin, like the villains on TV would do. She made her best maniacal laugh; Black was unable to take it seriously, so he keeled over with his own laughter.
"Oh hush."She punched his arm and when he sat up again, he scowled, rubbing where she hit him as he complained incoherently. He narrowed his brown eyes at her, vowing to himself to get her back for it soon.
"Anyway, let's start. Tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine. Here, I'll go first. Ask me some of your questions."
Black raised an eyebrow at her with interest, unsure of what to ask. "Uhm... what's the worst thing you've done so far that you could get in trouble for?"
Her lips made a tight line, not expecting a question like that... but then again, she didsay to ask questions about secrets.
"I... I tore a page... out of a book."She paused. "That wasn't mine."
He gasped sharply, his eyes wide with shock. "White!"
"It was a pretty picture, okay? I couldn't help it. And I'm not giving it back either."She folded her arms over her chest with a huff, showing she meant business.
He shook his head as he tutted.
"See how it works? Now let's go back to the start. I get to ask you a question now."
Again, Black was unsettled by her grin, but he complied with her demand.
Their game went on for a while, sharing "hidden," hardly grave secrets, murmuring back and forth as if someone was trying to listen in on them.
"Okay, okay, last one."White stared directly at him now, a seriousness that he never thought possible settling on her face.
It was even more unsettling than the two grins she had made earlier.
"Black... do you... have a crush on anyone?"
He sat there, bowled over, bewildered, befuddled. Did she really just ask that sort of question? How would he answer? How couldhe answer... when the answer was her?
He hesitated a moment, having to think over how he would reply to her question. Her eyes were boring into his soul, getting in deeper as he waited, contemplating.
"N...no,"he answered at last, squeezing his eyes shut tight and peeking at her out of one eye to gauge her reaction.
She seemed a little...
Disappointed.
"O-oh... really? I-I mean, Cheren told me that you liked someone, so I thought it would be interesting to know who it was... but since it's no one... Alright, new game!"
Though she disguised it, he could still tell she was hurt in some way.
But why would she be offended?
Girls were just too hard to understand.]
As the Ferris wheel ascends, she feels dizzy, clutching her forehead as she closes her eyes. She lets out her litwick since night is approaching and the light inside the car is not nearly as bright as she needs it. "Goodness, I feel like I've been running in circles," she mutters with a groan. Everything about her had been coming in tails and she could not stand it.
"Well, nobody said this was easy," White says to herself, sighing heavily.
It was always a shame to part from a friend in the way she had. It was never easy; anyone who would say otherwise was a damned liar.
"But no one ever said it would be so hard either," she adds, feeling tears prick her eyes. "It's too hard." The pain is unbearable, filled with guilt, hurt, self-beration.
"And it's all my fault. Please, anyone, just take us back to the start. Before this. Before I was a murderer."
["What the hell do you see in that guy? He's a freak!"
"Just shut up, Black. You wouldn't understand his charm."
The pair of sixteen year olds were walking around Nimbasa, just after White had gotten off the Ferris wheel with that mysterious green-haired fellow. Hearing about what they did made him furious, though all they did was talk.
He was jealous that that creephad taken her on her first trip on the Rondez-View, something that hewanted to have the honor of doing.
Rather than shouting at her, he clenched his jaw, trying not to spontaneously combust. That always seemed to worsen their arguments. "If you're so infatuated with him, why didn't you just follow him? You seemed to be so enamored by his 'charm'." Though he tried not to, his voice rose slightly, only able to set aside some of his irritation. "Some pretty boy comes walking along and then you're suddenly gaga over him, almost ready to jump his bones. Do I even matter to you anymore?"
White stood there in shock, feeling as though she had been slapped. "You're one to talk! Don't think I haven't seen the way you looked at those girls in Castelia! Ogling them as if I weren't even there!"Unlike him, she did not bother to restrain her anger in the slightest.
By this time, they had already caused a scene, the people of Nimbasa staring as the two teenagers fought, now face to face as they continued their argument.
"Why does this even matter to you? We're not even together. You do your thing and I'll do mine! We shouldn't have even traveled together in the first place!"
It was Black's turn to stare at her as if she had hit him, his complexion growing red with anger. "Fine! If this is how we're going to end our friendship, over something so petty like this, then so be it!"
After she stormed off, Black was left to his thoughts, left to think about what he had done... what theyhad done. He sat on a nearby bench, his anger quickly wearing off, leaning over as he put his face in his hands, groaning.
Where did he go wrong?
He guessed at numbers: how many times had he gotten jealous and overprotective of her? how many times had she accused him of looking at another girl? how many times had they fought like this?; and at figures: why was she so fixated with this N character? why were those Team Plasma lackeys so ready to whisk her away? what was it about her that got his heart racing and made him so enraged whenever another man made a pass at her?
Pulling his puzzle apart just caused the pieces to scatter and he only made less and less sense of it.
He let her be for a few hours, failing in his attempts to enjoy the tourist trap that was Nimbasa; its loud amusement park music, shrieking children, and smell of delicious, overpriced food did nothing to deter his thoughts from his troubles.
Sighing heavily, Black speed-dialed her on his C-Gear.
And was greeted quite harshly.
"What?" she hissed, loathing and disgust in her eyes. "You'd better have a damn good reason for calling me right now."
"I-I do, I promise. Just... meet me at the Ferris wheel in ten minutes."He hung up before she could object.
He raced to the Rondez-View, tripping over his feet a few times, narrowly avoiding running into others.
When she arrived, he was panting, doubled over with his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "G-Good... you came." he said breathlessly, giving her his widest grin.
Her look of annoyance was replaced with a curious look, her eyebrow raised ever so slightly.
They waited in line for a few minutes, neither saying a world to the other until they boarded a car, sitting on opposite sides.
"So, what am I here for?"White snapped, folding her arms under her chest and crossing her legs.
Every time she sat like that, he had to stare at everything but her to keep his focus.
Clearing his throat, he folded his hands in his lap before he began. "I know we argue a lot over the littlest things and that's just how were are, but sometimes, we get a little out of hand. Both of us are guilty of instigating these fights, so neither one of us can claim to be innocent. And—ah, let me finish, and sometimes, these out-of-hand arguments are over petty, ridiculous things, with no explanation as to why. But this time, I know the reason why I started this argument."
She watched him carefully, skeptically, unable to figure out where this was going.
"You've told me why... why you found N to be so interesting."After she had gotten off of the Ferris wheel, she told him about what the king of Team Plasma was like. She told him that, though he came off a bit strong and he was rather cold, he spoke cryptically, his questions of science and nature intriguing to the mind... and her interests. "I know he's probably 'everything you've ever dreamed of and more', but his talk of science and progress..." Black stood up, walking the two strides over to her before pulling her up by her arm, his arm around her waist once she was standing, looking straight into her eyes."Those words do not speak as loud as my heart."
Just as her mouth opened to ask him what the hellhe was talking about, he leaned forward, trapping her in a kiss. The feelings put into it were raw, both parties releasing latent tensions, frustrations, that they had held onto for far too long.]
She grins brokenly at the memory, staring out of the window of the car, lost in the past before the incident, before they were separated. "Tell me you love me again," she murmurs, her tears spilling over as she begins to sniffle. The words come back and haunt her, the flood of blissful memories with him causing a waterfall of tears. "I'm a murderer!" she screams, slamming a fist into the door. "A murderer! I killed you!"
[The couple was standing near the edge of the platform, chatting and fooling around as they waited for the subway train to get there. The LCD screen on the pillar counted down the wait time until it appeared, the numbers decreasing rather quickly.
It was two AM in the Battle Subway. There were only a few other souls there besides the two twenty year olds.
The brown-eyed boy had started feeling playful, as he always did when he was around her. To most people, she she seemed brash and harsh, but with him, her heart could not be more tender.
She had tried swatting him off, but he was persistent, just as he she had expected. Giving up, she played along with his game, swatting his hands away with laughter now and taking a step back each time he moved forward.
Her laughter was cut short, her grin quickly turning into a look of puzzlement as she lost her footing, time slowing as she saw her friend grow distant, absolute terror plastered all over his face.
She hit the tracks with a thud, the back of her head slamming against the sturdy metal, hard enough to knock her unconscious.
Not a second later, Black jumped off of the platform to her, being careful where he placed his steps, scrambling to help White up.
The train was arriving in three minutes.
"White! White! Wake up!"He shook her violently, his shout alerting the scarce few that were on the same platform. Observing the scene, the aura of tragedy was among them praying for the couples' souls. They could do nothing, as the slightest misstep would electrify them.
Her lids flitting, the boy was finally able to see her eyes, groaning as she came to. "What the hell...?" She sat up and saw where they were as she rubbed the back of her head. She stared in shock as she realized she had fallen off of the platform.
"No time for questions! Get up!"
Two minutes left.
As she was attempting to get to her feet, her vest snagged, holding her in place. "Dammit!" she swore loudly, yanking at it. He grabbed at the clothing, finding that it would not budge. "Just take it off! I'll buy you another one!" he barked, watching as she meticulously tried to pull it loose, the tension making her careless.
One minute left.
Shedding the layer, she looked down to watch every step she took, distressed as she concentrating on her footing. Those at the edge of the platform reached for her, White grabbing their hands as soon as she was close enough to touch them. Once she was lifted, she immediately turned around, her hand outstretched to her beloved.
He moved carefully, most of his worries gone now that she was safe.
Black focused on her as he walked, watching as she turned her head back and forth between him and the LCD.
The blood from her face drained when the screen read "NOW."
"Black! Black, hurry! Be a little reckless! There's not—!"
The sound of wheels clicking along a track reached their ears, the blinding light shining through the dark of the tunnel.
No longer did she glance back and forth. All her attention was on her friend, her love.
"C'mon, you're almost here! Just a few more inches! Oh please, Black, hurry!"Their hands were mere centimeters apart, the boy just steps from the platform.
His fingers gently brushed hers, only the tips making contact right before the train arrived.
"White, I love you."
"What are you—! ?"
There was a short moment of stunned silence before a blood-curdling scream could be heard, piercing surrounding ears, the vocal sound decibels louder than the noise the train was making. All the strangers could do was watch as she fell to her knees, staring in disbelief at the event that had taken place right before their eyes, replaying repeatedly in their minds.
Once the train came to a stop, she shakily got to her feet, rushing to the start of the train, screaming at the conductor as she slammed on the window with her fist, her shouts barely coherent. "He can't be dead! He was just there! He almost came back to me! He was trying to save me! Please, get him out from under this thing! Save him! SAVE HIM!"]
White curls up against the corner of the car as her head rests on the window, sobs wracking her body. "Forgive me, Black. I shouldn't have been so careless and you shouldn't have saved me. I should have died in your place. I don't deserve to live. It's all my fault." Her litwick tries his best to console her, but her pain is too great to be fixed by just an embrace.
"Your guilt always ran in circles, didn't it?" Black murmurs with a chuckle, putting his head against the window on the other side of where she sits. "Just like a lillipup chasing its tail." He kisses the pane where her head lies, as if he were kissing the top of her head.
"Don't say those things, White. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. I died saving you, saving the one I hold dear. There's no higher honor." He sighs as she sobs harder, pleading with someone, anyone, to bring in him back.
"I wish you could hear me. Ah, well." As he floats there, murmuring words of comfort he knows she cannot hear, a small, but bright, light shines in his peripheral vision, not too far off from where he is. He nods once, knowing what this means. "Sorry, White. Looks like it's time for me to go. Don't cry anymore, alright? I hate seeing you like this.
"And remember. I love you. I always have."
author's notes
usual disclaimers apply.