A/N- Chapter 10, this is getting on pretty far now. Despite the fact that I have few readers, and only 2 reviewers, one of whoem regularly reviews (I also have to say that she's one of the reasons I actually keep on writing this story), I continue on with this story, and I shall do my best to keep the action, and romance going until the very end.
Chapter 10- Faithless
Pitch felt darkness surround him, and was ready to give up his life and be swallowed up by the shadow of death. "I have nothing more that is precious to me in this world, perhaps I can find something in the next." thought Pitch as he felt himself get pulled down deeper into the darkness.
Then suddenly Pitch felt a pair of strong hands grab him form the clutches of darkness and pull him back into the light. Pitch was wavering between life and death, and he felt himself get struck in the chest, and suddenly his eyes shot open, and he spat out the water that he had started to breath in. Pitch tried to move, but his body wouldn't allow him, as his physical injuries were quite extensive. Pitch closed his eyes and after several minutes realized that he was in a boat, but his rescuer had said nothing and Pitch was unable to move and see who it was. Pitch didn't know how much time had passed but he could tell that the boat had stopped, and suddenly he felt a rush of warmth over his body, followed by a small rush of energy. "A healing element?" thought Pitch as he felt some of his minor wounds close up and heal, "But who would heal me? Who would care for me enough to rescue me form drowning and heal me?" Pitch wondered. But even with the healing elements Pitch was still too injured to move. The person was trying to keep Pitch alive until proper care could be given. Pitch then felt darkness overcome him again as he slipped from consciousness.
Pitch awoke some time later and felt what he thought was the boat coming ashore, and surely enough, he felt himself get lifted up, and carried away from the boat. Pitch felt himself get set down on a bed, and weakly opened his eyes, but he couldn't focus on anything, until he heard voices.
"Oh my, what happened here? Did you do this, and now are trying to get rid of your victim?" Said a small female voice, which pitch couldn't identify.
"He looks hurrrt." Said a small yet growlish voice.
"We must attendeth to his wounds." Said a fourth voice, that Pitch swore sounded almost vegetable.
Pitch tried to ask where he was, but he felt a small hand cover his mouth, and the first female voice whisper to him, "Don't try to speak, you need to save all of your energy right now. We'll get you all better in no time."
Pitch weakly nodded, and voices faded away as pitch let his thoughts wander as his rescuer and the owners in the new voices tended to his wounds.
"Why couldn't she tell? Why wasn't Harle able to realize that I'm the real one?" Pitch thought to himself, "Why couldn't anyone realize that I'm the real me?"
"Because you have no proof that you are the real Pitch Black." Said a voice inside of Pitches head. It was Leenas
"He has the shadow abilities and the halberd. Only the real Pitch can use those." said another voice, Kid this time.
"I am Pitch Black. I know I am. I am the one who you all know." Pitch said to the voices in his head.
"Prove it to us, Pitch." Said another voice, this one belonging to Harle. "Prove that you are the man I love."
"I can't. There's no way for me to prove who I am." Pitch said quietly, all of his hopes falling before him.
"Then Die!" Shouted another voice, that pitch recognized as Dark Pitch, and in his minds eyes, Pitch saw Dark Pitch bringing the Noctem Aeternus down.
Pitch awoke in a cold sweat, quickly sitting up, and restraining a scream due to the pain. Pitch knew that he had to fight again. He had to prove that he was the real one, he had to prove that he was the real Pitch Black, or he would die trying. Pitch pushed hismelf to his feet, and stumbled across the floor. Pitch glanced at the dark surroundings and with the faint moonlight pitch could tell that he was in a tree house. Pitch stumbled towards a door, and he looked for a ladder to climb down the tree and quickly found it. Pitch placed his foot on the ladder, but in his weakened state, he couldn't hold himself in the ladder and he fell crashing to the ground, letting out a bloodcurdling scream of pain as he landed, reopening his injuries. Pitch rolled onto his side, and coughed up blood. Suddenly pitch sensed everyone around him, but in his pain he had blocked out all sound, and clenched his eyes. He felt himself get gently picked up and moved back inside. He was being held down in the bed, and he felt several healing elements being used on him. Pitch felt the pain subside, but quickly felt his consciousness once again fade before he could find out who had saved his life.
Pitch slowly awoke, and he sat up and glanced around, he was still in the tree house but there was no sign of anyone else around. Pitch realized that all of his wounds had been bandaged. And the spear wound in his stomach had been heavily rebandaged, after having reopened it after falling the night before. Pitch slowly moved to get up, but in an instant he was face to face, with a small face who was sternly glaring at him, "Don't even think about it mister. You could have killed yourself in that stunt you pulled last night." She said, and Pitch realized that she was the female voice he had heard, and that she was a fairy.
"I'm sorry. I just can't let it continue. I have to stop him." Pitch said as he slowly looked away.
"New friend wake-um up now?" Said a young girl with long curly blond hair who walked in. Pitch saw her and went wide-eyed. She looked like she had come straight from the Stone Age; she was a flat out cave girl.
Pitch was about to ask where he was, until he saw two more strange creatures enter the small room. One of them, was a small baby dragon that flapped its small wings furiously to keep in the air, and floating beside it was a small gray creature, with a bubble over its head.
"Frrriend is all betterrr?" Asked the baby dragon, landing on the end of the bed and looking at Pitch expectantly.
Pitch then looked at the small group in the room, and then turned to the fairy, "Where am I, and what are all of you?"
The fairy smiled sweetly at him, "You are on Hermits Hideaway, this is where all of us live. My name is Razzly, as you can easily tell, I am a fairy, tee-hee." She then pointed to the others, "That is Leah, she cam from Gaias Navel. Draggy there is a baby dragon. Serge hatched him when he was still in Lynx's body."
"What the one wearing a fishbowl on its head?" Pitch said pointing at Starky who continued to stare at him.
"Starky, he's an alien. He's actually rather kind once you get to know him." Razzly said softly.
"Are yoou a new friend? Are yoou going to live here?" Said the alien in a rather strange dialect.
"No, I have to get back to Marbule. I have to stop him." Pitch said pushing himself to his feet, despite Razzly trying to push him back down.
"Stop who? If he's the one who gave you those injuries, he'll probably kill you if you fight him in this condition. You're lucky lynx saved you, or you would have drowned." Razzly said, her words managing to stop Pitch dead in his tracks.
"Lynx saved me? Why, he had no reason to save me, but then he didn't know what happened after he left." Pitch said leaning against the wall for support.
"Actually, I saw everything." Said Lynx who was now standing in the doorway. "And I could tell that you weren't evil. Believe me Pitch, evil knows evil."
"Hath the young warrior healed his wounds yet?" Said a strange voice that Pitch recognized from the other night, and a small humanoid vegetable walked around form behind Lynx and stared up at Pitch, who was staring slack jawed at the strange creature.
"It's a living vegetable. What the hell is going on here?" Pitch said as he slowly moved back towards the bed.
"My name is Turnip, young man. And I am no vegetable, I am a noble warrior." Said Turnip who gave a small bow, and then questioned Pitch, "But please, Young sir, tell us what hath happened to give one such grave injuries as you hath suffered."
Pitch then fell back onto the bed and related the whole about the black orb, and the dark version of him showing up and the subsequent mob-like attack. When he finished he looked at the all wondering if they would believe him, or if he would be rushed off the island.
"Well, that is an interesting story, but I sense that you are telling the truth. But no matter what you have to heal first, before you try to fight again." Razzly said placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"I need to speak with Pitch in private." Lynx said, and Razzly nodded, ushering everybody else out, and lynx waited until they were all out, to start talking. "What do you plan to do, Pitch? Surely you don't think you can defeat Dark Pitch?" Lynx said looking at Pitch expectantly, but before Pitch could respond Lynx continued, "You'll waltz right up, demand to fight him, and face another savage beating. He has your abilities Pitch. He is stronger faster, and more deadly then you. What do you need to fight for anyway. Harle chose him. Those you called friends, allied with him. You have nothing left Pitch, nothing left to fight for, and nothing left to hope for."
"Get out." Pitch choked out, through held back sobs, "Just get the hell out of here Lynx." He said, not wanting to show his frailty in front of Lynx. Lynx shrugged and left, leaving pitch to his won thoughts. Once Lynx had left, Pitch stopped holding back. He was right, Pitch had nothing left. He had no reason left to live. Pitch, was ready to let himself die.
"I wish I didn't have to say that, Pitch." Lynx said as he stepped off the ladder that le dup to the tree house. "But hopefully," he said glancing up, "You'll realize that you are now the most dangerous person in this world. And no matter what, you're the only one who can kill Dark Pitch."
Pitch found a small dagger near the bed, and decided that since he had nothing left, he was going to end it himself. "Better to die on my own terms than at the whim of somebody else." He said as he placed the blade against his wrist. He was about to bring the blade across but something made him pull the blade away. Pitch shook his head and placed the blade against his throat, and sighed, "May whatever higher power there is, welcome damned soul into eternity." Pitch said softly, tears streaming down his face.
"Coward!" Shouted a voice from the doorway, causing Pitch to drop the blade, and look to see Lynx, standing in the doorway, furious. "Go ahead and kill yourself. Take the coward's way out. No one will miss you." Lynx growled and then walked over and grabbed the dagger and held it out for pitch to take. "But I can't believe you missed what I was saying."
"You told me that I had no reason left to live. So, I want to die on my own terms." Shouted Pitch, his sadness giving rise to fury.
"I said nothing of the sort. I told you that you are now the most dangerous man alive." Lynx said softly, and when pitch looked at him confused, he continued. "Since you have nothing left to lose, you won't care what happens in a fight." Lynx said and small smile playing across his face, "A man becomes most dangerous when he has nothing left to lose."
"I'll be fighting only to kill him, not caring about what may happen to me." Pitch said softly.
"And he will, be trying to kill you, but also save himself in the process. There is little chance that you could prove your innocence, but wouldn't you rather die, knowing that you killed the evil one."
"But why didn't you just out and say that in the first place?" Pitch said glaring at Lynx.
"You should have realized it yourself, and when you didn't come out trying to kill me, or agreeing that you have nothing left to lose, I figured that you misinterpreted what I had said, so I had to see what happened." Lynx said his voice holding as hint of anger, "But I never thought you would have tried to kill yourself."
"That doesn't matter now." Pitch said, as he forced himself to his feet. "Right now, I have to focus on getting stronger and preparing to fight Dark Pitch in a rematch. Will you help me?" Pitch said, any signs of sadness or pain having faded to cold uncaring hatred.
"How far are you willing to go? How much pain are you willing to endure?" Lynx asked before answering.
"I will whatever it takes, even if it means going straight to Hell, if it will help me defeat him." Pitch said flatly.
"Then I shall help you. But in order to defeat darkness, you must unleash your own darkness." Lynx said, a sinister smile spreading across his face, "He may have drained your overlying darkness, but within you, you have an unimaginable dark power, you need only to release it. I can show you how." Lynx said and Pitch nodded.
"I shall do whatever it takes to destroy him." Pitch thought, "I may have nothing left when I am done, but I will kill him. He will understand, that though I may not have any faith, and none have faith in me, that I am the most deadly warrior in existence, and that no matter where he hides, I shall find him. I am now the hunter, and he is my prey."
A/N-Okay, a few things here. I think I got all the "speaking" correct for all the creatures on Hermits Hideaway. And Pitch may seem a bit weird, changing so rapidly at the end, from depressed, to furious. But, it's not that uncommon for sadness to leave way for hatred. And if you're wondering how Pitch is able to move at the end despite his injuries, well, that is due to just not caring about what may happen to him. I hope this chapter was as good as the others, thought it is a bit short. Until Chapter 11, fare thee well.