People who were confused end of last chapter... it's okay. XD No one knows what the bleep is going on here either.
Sometimes I think I don't know the difference between fiction and fanfiction, rawr. So much plot. Meh.
So... please enjoy. XD
When she saw N, the girl blinked and hugged her photo frame even tighter. She was the exact image of White as she had been at age nine, and N recognized the photo as the one they had taken back in the secret hideout.
"What... what's your name?" N asked softly.
The girl looked up at him with her huge, dreamy eyes. "Name...?" Her voice was the same, too, but it was flat and empty, just like her eyes.
"Your name. What do people call you?"
The little girl looked down at her feet. "I don't have a name... He doesn't talk much."
N frowned. "...'he'?"
"You don't know him. No one knows him. He sleeps alone in a cold, cold place, forgotten by all." The girl whispered. "That's why he needs me. But I left... I was called..."
"Called? By who?" N shook his head. Nothing made sense. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" But this time, the girl said nothing and simply gazed at him somberly.
"Here, dear, let's get you dry first," Fennel grabbed a towel and began drying the little girl's face and hair. "Unfortunately, I don't have any clothes that would fit you, but I can give you some of my old things. They might be a bit big, but at least they'll be dry. Then we can see if you know how to find your parents."
N nodded woodenly and turned to go upstairs again while Fennel fussed over the girl, but another knock on the door made him stop. Hesitantly, he opened the door, finding himself face to face with White's mother.
"Where is she?" Her mom demanded a bit hysterically. "White? I heard she was found unconscious!"
"Upstairs..." N answered, and before he had time to react, she had already dashed upstairs. Slowly, he followed, wondering if White would somehow miraculously wake up if he didn't look at her.
But when he got up, there was still no change in her condition. Her mother was stroking her hair with tears in her eyes, clutching White's hand as if the world would tear them apart. Behind him, he heard Fennel's light footsteps, and he turned as the professor arrived with the young girl.
White's mother looked up drearily, but her eyes widened as she saw the girl, and she stood up slowly in disbelief. "What... what is that thing?"
"She's not a thing," Fennel replied wearily. "She knocked on the door just a few minutes ago, soaking wet and clutching that photograph.
White's mom shook her head and snatched the photo away angrily, despite the little girl's cry of protest. She glared at N and began speaking wiith a shaky voice. "This... this is the picture my daughter took with you in it! Why does this... thing have it? It's all your fault, isn't it? It's your fault that White is in a coma, somehow. I heard you tried to take over the region earlier... You're plain evil! It's all your fault! If you hadn't come to our town at that time... That time, when she went missing at Icirrus... After White came back with you, she was never the same!"
At this point, she was sobbing and screaming hysterically, and Fennel tried to calm her, but she only sunk to her knees and kept crying.
"It's not his fault, honey. Don't worry, we'll have White fixed up sooner than you'll believe. She's a strong girl, stronger than even us adults." Fennel soothed, and White's mom's sobbing subsided just a bit. Quietly, the professor led the woman to another room to rest while N stood frozen.
Silently, the little girl walked up to him and took his hand. He looked down in surprise. "Your hand is freezing cold! Are you alright?" The girl said nothing, and he sighed. "I don't know what you are, but if you're connected to White somehow... Please... tell me she'll be alright..."
"Why?" The girl asked quietly, and N blinked.
"Why...? Why what?"
"Why do you want her to be alright?"
"I... I don't know... Because we're best friends, I guess. Best friends for as long as eternity, even if she doesn't remember." N sighed.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but the little girl's hand became just a bit warmer.
"She will remember," the little girl said quietly. It wasn't a prediction. It was a promise.
"White! It is you! I'm so glad you're alright!" The young boy ran up to the small figure hidden in the half-dark.
The girl turned her head to face him, and her face was the same, but her eyes were somehow blank. "N... Are you here to stay with me?"
"White, we have to go back now! It's the middle if the night, and I bet everyone's worried. Come on!" N tried to take her hand, but a snarl from the depths of the darkness made him withdraw his hand.
She is mine! Do not think of taking her from me, or you will not see the next sunrise!"
Suddenly filled with a primitive, irrational fear that pierced the very core of his being, he scrambled back a few steps. His nerve finally returned, though, and he stepped forward. "She's not yours! She's my best friend! Give her back!"
A glowing eye appeared in the darkness, and it was at least as big as his head. Nonetheless, she is the one of purest light who I have been searching for... I need her for my true awakening, so that not even Fire and Thunder will be able to stop me!
"You can't keep her here!" N cried. "Let her go!"
The monster roared. Who do you think you are, that you wish to command me? I have waited long and patiently for this time! The hero of this era will be mine!
"I won't let you keep her in this cave!" N grabbed White's arm and attempted to drag her out of the cave. Behind him, an ear-splitting howl tore at him, but he kept running, and eventually White snapped out of her daze and also began to run.
True to his word, the Hydreigon was waiting at the entrance, and N quickly helped White get up before mounting himself.
Incredible. You are still alive. the Hydreigon remarked.
"Yeah, I did it," N panted, rather out of breath. "I got White back."
Do not celebrate too soon, young tamer of dragons. The Great One does not let things go so easily. There is a reason you were not mauled to death or blasted with ice. I would suggest that you beware. And besides, if he really wants her back, it would not be difficult to command someone to do so. Even I would have to obey his command if he so ordered.
"I'll keep her safe," the boy promised determinedly. "Definitely."
The dragon gave a snort and shrugged a wing. Do not underestimate the Great One. His heart is made of ice.
"That's not it..." White murmured sleepily from behind them. "He's sad, I think. He wants friends."
The Hydreigon snorted again. Do not be ridiculous. He is unable to feel. Much as the children of Fire and Thunder are, he is unable to feel or reach his full power without a partner.
"He just wants a friend..." White sighed and fell asleep, clinging to N's back as they flew over Unova.
The Hydreigon let them down on a snowy hill near the lodge they were staying at, and N shook the sleeping White gently until she woke up and yawned. They walked quickly to the lodge, where White's mom was standing and pacing, holding a phone. She spotted them and her eyes filled with tears. She began running towards them as she talked into the phone. "Yes, I see them, they're right here, they're back, they're back!" When she reached them, she threw her arms around White, half laughing, half crying.
"Mommy, mommy, we saw a really big Pokemon!"
"Yes, dear, just don't ever do that again!"
"I think he was lonely."
"That's nice, honey." She grabbed White's small, cold hands and led her inside, gesturing at N to follow.
As soon as they got inside, White fell asleep again, and her mother picked her up and carried her to her bed, quietly closing the door.
"You should get some sleep, too," she told N, and he nodded and walked to his room.
The next morning, he woke early and went downstairs to find White. Her mother was already there, though, and she was fussing with soups and towels. White had a thermometer in her mouth, but she waved when she saw N.
"Oh, it's you!" White's mom turned and saw him standing at the doorway. "Make sure she drinks all the soup, okay? She's got a fever and she needs her fluids. I've got to go prepare some things."
N nodded, and White stuck her tongue out at her mom. "No fair! That's cheating!"
"Well, if you don't want your friend to see you behaving like a two-year-old, you should suck it up and just drink your soup like a good girl." Her mother patted her head and went out.
As soon as her mom left the room, though, White sank into her pillow tiredly, and her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"Are you alright?" N asked worriedly.
"Yeah... Just tired... I don't want Mom to worry, though," White told him. "I'll be find after a bit of rest.
"Drink your soup first," N offered, and she shrugged and obeyed.
He sat there, listening to her shallow breathing and the thumps and crashes of her mother working downstairs.
As the hours ticked by, White only seemed to get more tired, and soon she could barely talk above a whisper. She couldn't sit up without collapsing in exhaustion, and she didn't even smile anymore for the energy it took. Her mom came up periodically, and after a while White stopped pretending to be energetic, too.
"Don't worry, you'll get better for sure," N said, but his words sounded empty and hollow even to him.
After a few days, their trip ended, and they began preparing to go back to Nuvema, but White's fever still hadn't subsided, and they drove back in a hurry. Sometimes, N caught White's mother glancing at him oddly, but whenever he did, she looked away in a hurry. One night, back at White's house, he was walking by the living room from White's bedroom when he heard her mom talking to Professor Juniper.
"I know it's terrible of me, but sometimes I just can't help it... I mean, he was the only one there with White when she went missing, and now that she's back, she's got this terrible fever... It's been two weeks and it still isn't gone..."
"I can't blame you for worrying, but you really can't blame the child! He's only twelve! What do you expect that he did, voodoo curse her or something? Children get sick when they're out in the cold, simple as that."
"I know, I know," White's mother shook her head. "But, he's so strange... I think he talks to Pokemon... We know nothing about his parents... For heaven's sake, look at the color of his hair! He says it's natural!"
"Sweetie, you're letting your fear of things you don't know cloud your rational thought." Juniper said firmly, gripping the other woman's shoulders. "It is ridiculous to blame a twelve-year-old for a fever, and being able to talk to Pokemon is a wonderful thing; I'd say that it would only make him a better person. Relax. White's a strong girl, she'll make it. I know she will. Even with the fever, she's showing all signs of vitality and strength. She's just tired."
White mother sighed and shook her head, and Juniper stood up and began walking out. N quickly dived into the shadows until she left, and then retreated to his house silently.
The rain outside began to pour harder, beating on the fragile windows with the force of a raging dragon. Soon, the rain turned to hail, and Fennel decided to close the drapes. N was still sitting next to White, and the mysterious little girl sat next to him quietly.
"I wonder if it is my fault," N murmured. "If I had been faster that day, if I had fought the Cryogonal... would she have been safe now? It's probably because I was so slow that she became like that after we got back..."
"It's not your fault." The little girl's voice was faint, but it seemed somehow full of truth and feeling. "She's grateful." Simple words, but they touched his heart.
"I hope so..."
Suddenly, N jumped up, his eyes wide. "The dream machine... I had a sudden feeling... Maybe now..." In a sudden rush, he unlocked the panels and shifted the machine until it was in place, then turned it on.
The screen fizzes for a moment before blinking on, although all it showed was an endlessness of black, with a few specks of white like stars in an empty galaxy. When he looked closely, he could see, in the distance, the figure of a girl sitting alone.
"White!" He called, knowing that she wouldn't respond in her dream.
To his surprise, though, she lifted her head and looked in his direction. With some effort, she smiled weakly and waved, and N zoomed the screen in. "White, are you okay? What happened?"
"N! I thought you left?"
"I did, but I heard you were in trouble, so I came back. What happened?"
White smiled again. "That's sweet of you." She paused and sighed, shaking her head. "I don't remember what happened, though. I went to Lacunosa to investigate something, and then I went into the forest... and everything went dark..." She shivered and curled up. "It's cold here, and dark. Something's pushing me away from my body. I feel like I've been split apart or something..."
"Don't worry, we'll definitely figure something out soon." He hesitated for a moment. "Do you remember... what happened seven years ago? When you were nine?"
White paused. "No... I don't remember anything from that year for some reason... I guess I was just too young." She gave him an odd look. "Why do you ask?"
"A really large Pokemon... and a Cryogonal... Does that ring a bell?" N persisted.
"A large..." Her eyes unfocused. "I might remember... It was lonely..." She shook her head. "No, it's gone now. I thought I remembered something, but it's gone. But why do you know that?" She asked curiously.
N only shrugged and sighed. "We'll definitely fix this mess," he promised.
"I believe in you. You're a hero, after all." White's fingers reached for him, and he pressed his fingers against the screen, but they met nothing but cold glass. He sighed.
"Don't go, White..."
"I wish we could just stay like this forever," she whispered. "Sometimes, I feel so lonely..."
"I-" N started, but the screen had already faded. He pressed the button furiously, but the machine remained asleep.
He sighed and sat back, waiting and staring at the curtains, listening to the hail as it tore at the glass windows. The room was dimly lit, and he lost himself in his thoughts. Sometime during his brooding, the mysterious little girl had slipped her hand in his, and he felt a sudden surge of loneliness.
Fennel came in suddenly, and she spotted the dream machine. "Oh! Did it work?"
N blinked and looked up. "Oh. Yeah, it worked... but then it faded..." he said, then described the strange dream, as well as how White had somehow heard him speak.
Fennel pursed her lips. "That's very strange indeed... I might have a theory about that..."
"What? Really?" N perked up.
"Well, it's still very tentative, but there are some similarities between what you described and the phenomenon of the Kanto psychic-type Abra. You see, Abra spends all of its time sleeping, but it is still extremely aware of its surroundings because its consciousness is separate from its 'will.' Do you see?"
"No," N admitted.
"I don't really get it either," Fennel sighed, flicking her pen and scribbling on her clipboard. "I'll have to wait a bit to get any definite data." And with that, she picked up her clipboard and walked away absentmindedly.
"Her fever's broken!" Professor Juniper said excitedly. "I think she'll be back to normal soon."
"Thank goodness," White's mom sighed in relief. "I was so worried."
"See? All of your ridiculous fears were useless," Juniper laughed with a meaningful glance at N.
White's mother sighed and shrugged as well. "Yeah, I suppose." But she gave N one last anxious look before shrugging.
On her bed, White yawned hugely and sat up. "I'm tired," she complained.
Her mother smiled and patted her head. "Of course you would be, you've just been sick for three weeks," she told her. "Just rest a while, dear."
"Okay," White said obediently, snuggling into the covers. Her mother got up and walked out, along with Professor Juniper. N stayed behind.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
White shrugged. "I don't know... I feel really lonely... It's cold..."
N felt a chill run down his spine. "What do you mean...?" He asked with a sudden dread.
"I don't know," White repeated and sighed before closing her eyes again.
He waited until she fell asleep before slipping out into the night and walking slowly back to his own house. The lights were still on, and he slowly opened the door.
"How was White, master N?" Anthea asked absentmindedly as she scrubbed the dishes.
"They said her fever's gone," he told her as he walked up the stairs to his room.
"That's wonderful! Oh, by the way, Concordia changed the curtains in your room... again. She's so fussy."
N smiled. "It's okay. She likes pretty things."
"Yes... Well, your father seems to have calmed down now. He says he wants to see you," Anthea said slowly.
N froze, his foot on the fifth step. "How much longer do I have?"
"Still a bit," the older woman assured him. "A month or two, probably. Don't worry about it for now."
The twelve-year old nodded and began walking again, his steps heavy.
White lay in her room with her eyes closed, her breathing slow. She half-opened her heavy eyelids and glanced at the window - it was morning already. With some effort, she managed to struggle to her feet and walk out the door. The sun filtered through the trees onto her skin, but she still shivered from a cold that pierced her very bones.
"White, are you feeling better?" N had spotted her from his window and was waving at her. He disappeared and reappeared at the front door.
"Yeah." One short response, and she didn't even bother to smile at his hurry. She felt heavy, and a thick fog still covered her mind. She couldn't feel anything except for the cold and a burning, aching loneliness.
"What do you want to do today?" N asked eagerly, his eyes shining.
"...nothing," she answered dully.
"Oh..." His face fell, then lit up again. "You're still tired, I bet? Then let's go on a picnic!"
White didn't answer, and N hurried back into his house. Moments later, he pushed the door open again, a large basket on one arm. White tried to help him with the unwieldy basket, but he pushed her away, insisting, "I should carry it! You've been sick!"
Despite herself, White felt the corners of her mouth pull upwards, and the thick fog in her head parted just a little. Suddenly, inexplicably, a surge of happiness filled her entire being, and she laughed, following the tall boy as he stumbled along the grass.
It was the middle of the night, and darkness covered the entire room like a heavy blanket of wool. A rustling sound woke N, and he realized that he had fallen asleep on the chair he was sitting on. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced around to find the rustling, and it took him a while to realize that it was actually coming from White's bed.
"White, you're awake!" He said, jumping up in astonishment and racing over to her. "Are you tired? How are you feeling?"
She didn't respond or even move but merely sat there, staring at the window, simply a black shadow in the sparse moonlight that made it's way through the thick curtains.
After a deafening silence, she turned her head ever so slightly, and her lips parted as if to speak, but she said nothing. Then she lowered her head and sighed before closing her eyes.
In that moment, N felt a chill run down his spine, and the air seemed to tingle with an icy vibrance. A feeling of foreboding clung to his stomach just as Fennel burst in, her hair still messy and her glasses askew.
"I-It's awoken! Kyurem has awoken!"
Rawr, White's mommy got mad. Idk what possessed me to write her like that, but let's just add to N's emotional trauma... whee...
Hm. I reached this part earlier than I thought I would. I had thought it would take me at least 3 chapters until here, but whatever. XD
So... please review. XD Hope you enjoyed.
