The Dream Melody
Just like always, it happened abruptly.
Without warning, Jessica's large blue eyes snapped open wide and she gasped, shivering as the tears streamed down her ashen cheeks. Hikaru merely tightened his grip on her waist, refusing to look at her face for fear of seeing her eyes full of the terror and agony he knew would be there. He had seen the girl's petrified expression only once before, the first time she'd awoken in fear, on the same night he'd finally decided to sleep in her room.
He never wanted to see that expression on her face again.
He kept his bony arms locked around her until the shivering subsided, and even after that, for there was nothing more he could do.
"Hikaru... I'm sorry for waking you," she sniffled, slowly lifting her bandaged arm and rubbing her eyes before carefully sitting up. "I apologize."
He didn't respond; nor did he let go.
Merely stared at the wall with lightly glowing eyes.
Jessica slowly turned her head, looking out the window. With all the drama going on, there hadn't been much time to think about it, but ever since she had awoken in the hospital, Jessica had been having a recurring dream that confused and worried her.
Mostly because it made absolutely no sense.
She would hear a young, beautiful voice singing a very haunting melody over and over… it wasn't like anything she'd ever really heard before, and it wasn't actually anything she'd ever choose to listen to presently. It was the type of music that someone might end up hearing at a funeral.
And yet, that reason alone was why she couldn't get the tune out of her mind.
The dream always ended in a flash of violet light that pulsed and seemed to draw her toward it. The luminescence felt like a promise, a beckoning that seemed to tell her that everything would be fine. But there was always this yearning... this frantic desire to save the light that was calling her.
Jessie would stretch her hands out to it, trying to believe it so that she could rescue the light and be happy forever, but when her fingers would finally touch it she would feel an abrupt shock. Every time, she would wake up and freeze with terror, already crying her eyes out. For some reason, though, after she'd woken up, she'd always forgotten what the melody sounded like.
Until now, that is.
And the very memory of it's haunting notes weighed on her heart with an alarming amount of sadness.
"Hikaru," Jessica murmured, slowly setting a hand on his head. "I think I remembered some of the dream this time..."
His arms stiffened and his eyes twitched, but aside from that he didn't move.
'What do you recall?' he inquired.
"A song..." she murmured, shivering somewhat. "A very sad, lonely song. A little girl was singing, I think... I can barely remember it."
She sat there for a very long moment, wondering about the dream song and about the sadness it made her feel.
Then she glanced at her clock and sighed, since it was still only three in the morning. Setting a gentle hand on the Mewtwo's head, she rubbed his fuzzy ears and closed her eyes, feeling grateful for the bond she had with him.
She still didn't understand the current situation, and the strangeness of having him inside her head still caught her off guard sometimes... but even so, he'd made everything easier.
For example... every morning, she awoke with him just like this, holding her tightly. Just having him beside her had become a great comfort. After all, her thoughts and emotions were completely open to his mind, so he knew her desires more than anyone else.
For Jessica, this part of her life was delightful: Hikaru was as real and complex as any person. His personality was straightforward, and at times completely alien... but his actions and thoughts constantly revealed new aspects of his character. For example, he was a truly gentle creature beneath the hard stares and wary expressions, and for all his pessimism... he had a faint flicker of kindness within his eyes.
After another ten minutes of rubbing, his grip loosened and he floated away from her to rest on the floor.
For a long moment, he looked up at her, blue green eyes rippling in the moonlight.
'This song you mentioned...' he telepathically muttered, eyes flashing momentarily, 'what does it sound like?'
"It doesn't have words," she stated simply, swallowing as she thought about it. "It's just a tune... really."
'Show me,' he commanded, making her blink. 'Perhaps the song has meaning. Give me your hand and let me see into your mind.'
"Are you sure?" Jessica asked, looking uncertain for a moment. "I mean, it's just a dream, right?"
'I do not know,' he silently replied, floating up and gently setting his three-fingered digits against her cheek. 'I wish to see for that very reason.'
Thus, he focused his mind and his eyes shone blue.
A vision immediately overtook him.
Jessica sat before him, pale skin glowing under the light of the moon: shafts of violet luminescence streamed through the windows, illuminating her fingers as they flew over the keys of the grand piano—creating an incrediblly haunting melody with seamless grace and eloquence.
Her calf-length red hair was a waterfall of fire that cascaded down her slender shoulders, wove down her back, and hung below the stool she was sitting on to pool on the floor. He recognized this melody... he had heard it before, right before he'd erased her memories.
For some reason, though, Jessica seemed to be growing smaller in his vision... almost like something were pulling her away from him.
Even her voice was becoming hauntingly distant.
Then, with a flash, they were hovering in the sky.
The Pokemon trembled when the air around them turned dark and filled with black storm clouds; below him was the earth, but despite that, rain started flying up from the ground towards the heavy clouds that were swirling above him.
The rain was falling up instead of down...
When an ominous rumble of thunder filled the sky, Jessica's fingers slowly came to a halt and she silently stood up.
For a long moment, the girl said nothing... but then, she slowly turned her head and shot a glance over her shoulder.
He was winded.
Yes, he'd seen that look before... it had been on the faces of the one who'd tormented him in blood and darkness. He'd seen that look being directed at him every single day from the moment he'd been born. There was no way he'd never be able to forget it.
Empty, emotionless, and hollow in every way... she looked as though she'd lost the will to live.
Then her frighteningly cold expression weakened in a way that made him feel ill: her eyes had gone from being dead and cold to the eyes of a little girl who'd been put through too much pain. Tears started streaming down her cheeks when she turned and lifted a hand to him... but then, just as he was about to lift his own hand, she dropped her arm. Her eyes unexpectedly went blank of all feeling... and she smiled at him with an innocent little grin.
A doll's smile.
He remained frozen when she began to come closer.
Barely a foot from him, she faced him with eyes that he couldn't see.
"Help me," she said quietly, lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck. She then buried her face against his furry chest and held him in a frail embrace. "Help me... please, I'm begging... don't leave me here..."
Hikaru's eyes widened when gravity returned to her body; the girl clutched his shoulders and hung limply above the world resting so far below.
Only her grip on him was keeping her from falling to her death.
'Stop...' he silently commanded, feeling his heart hammering harder and harder. 'Do not move...'
"I'm still waiting for someone to come rescue me," the girl whispered brokenly, hands slipping off his body; she fell away from him, arms outstretched and hair billowing around her slender form. Her tears fell up and landed on his face as she grew smaller and smaller. "Help me... Jessie..."
With that, he was falling too... the ground was rushing up to meet him.
Jessica grew closer, and closer... and just as he stretched his arms out, she smiled.
He jolted when her tears rained on his face.
Stretching his arms out, he reached for the girl in front of him... but then he realized something wasn't right.
The girl in front of him wasn't Jessie.
Eyes flashing, he waved his arm and destroyed the illussion. Her appearance shifted with a flash and he saw a dark-skinned girl with large green eyes looking at him, black hair billowing around.
Her entire body was glowing brilliantly with violet light... her crimson dress billowed around violently as she held out her arms. Even so, he snatched her around the middle just before they...
A violent shock swept through his digits, making him jerk away from Jessica almost immediately. The girl blinked at him when he stared at his trembling paws, teal eyes shaken.
He knew where that vision had come from... he had tried to see into her mind, but the majority of what he'd just seen could have been classified as an entirely new dream since his own subconscious had added onto it, using the memories he had stolen from her as a base.
Still, he figured he understood why she was always so upset and afraid every morning now. He had felt the same way after coming to.
"Are you okay?" Jessica finally asked. "Did you hear the song?"
It took him a moment to respond.
'Yes,' he silently confirmed. 'I did. Forgive me, but I must... be alone.'
"Eh?" she asked. "Well, okay... but..."
Tail lashing out, he floated towards the window and zipped outside, presumably heading for the roof. Jessica looked at the floor for a long moment after he was gone... then slowly stood up and walked into the living room, where she curled up on the couch and buried her chin in her knees.
She sat there for a long time, wondering about things.
Simple things.
Complex things.
But mostly about the song.
The song that kept haunting her.
It was around five in the morning when Dawn walked into the room with Pikachu following close behind. When the azure-haired girl flicked on the kitchen light, she was startled to see the redhead sitting on the couch.
The girl didn't even seem to notice.
Letting out a sigh of dismay, Dawn grabbed a bottle of water and jumped over the back of the couch, sitting down next to her with a soft groan.
Pikachu was instantly at her side, looking wary, but not too hostile.
"Hello," Jessica questioningly greeted, glancing at the other girl with a blank expression. "Couldn't sleep, either?"
"My watch alarm just went off, actually," she replied, rubbing her neck with an uncomfortable look on her face. "It's five in the morning."
"Oh," Jessica murmured, turning away and hiding her face with her hair. "Okay."
The two girls sat there in silence, one lost in thought and the other uncomfortable.
"Look… I'm sorry for everything that happened when we first... met," Dawn uneasily stated, giving the redhead a solemn look. "We shouldn't have overreacted like that... I feel bad since we kind of drove you into a corner, and I know Ash feels awful for making you… you know, cry."
"Don't even try it!" Jessica instantly retorted, making her stiffen a bit. "Don't apologize to me... please. In truth, I know deep down that I don't deserve the kindness I'm being given. And after everything I've heard about myself, I'm pretty sure I should be the one apologizing right now, not you! I'm really, really, really sorry! I... I'm just… sorry!"
"It's okay, really!" the blue-haired girl protested, flailing her arms when the redhead drew her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees. "Delia told us that you don't have your memories, right? The way I see it, you're a new person... you have a clean slate, Jessica!"
"That doesn't make what I've done in the past okay," Jessie retorted dejectedly, blue eyes sad; they sat together in silence for several long moments before the redhead lifted her eyes. "The worst part is not knowing how to attone for all the bad things I've done. I mean, will you guys even be able to trust me?"
Dawn didn't know what to say when she bit her lip and waited for an answer.
"You earned some of our trust by proving your genuinity," the girl stated thoughtfully, then added with a grin, "now you just have to be yourself, I guess—which means not hiding in your room all the time with that big, weird pokemon of yours! After today, you'll have an official license and you'll be a real pokemon trainer! Speaking of which, where is that big guy?"
"He went outside to sit on the roof again," Jessie explained, sliding a hand through her long hair and relishing in the cold, satin-like sensation that brushed against her skin. "He does that now and then at night."
"I still can't believe he caught himself and told us off the way he did," Dawn murmured, shaking her head and rubbing Pikachu's ears. "It's kind of incredible when you think about it... most Pokemon are reluctant to be caught."
"I guess so," Jessica murmured. "I'm just glad that he saved me. I would have... d-drowned... if he hadn't."
That statement was met with silence.
"Hey, later on today... after you get your license," Dawn murmured, drinking her water. "Brock is coming back from Pewter City. And he's planning on throwing you a party to celebrate the fact that you've become an official trainer."
"Eh?" Jessica asked, looking at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah... anyway, I'm gonna go back to bed," the girl stated, getting up with a yawn. "G'night."
"Wait!" Jessica squeaked, leaping to her feet. "I have something I want to ask you!"
"Okay, what is it?" she asked, turning with a somewhat curious expression.
"I've... been having some strange dreams recently," Jessie mumbled, awkwardly fidgeting and keeping her eyes averted. "I have a feeling that they might be tied to my past, so... I was wondering if you could sing me some songs that sound sad and haunting?"
Dawn blinked three times in a row and cocked her head.
"Hah?" she scoffed, looking at the redhead in confusion. "I don't know any songs like that. I'm from the Sinnoh region, too... I don't think any of my favorite songs have ever been heard here in Kanto. I mean, if Pokemon from this region are just being discovered in my homeland, other things such as music and pop culture probably haven't traveled between countries, either. I'm actually kind of shocked by all the new Pokemon I've been seeing."
"Oh," Jessie murmured, countenance falling. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be," Dawn chuckled, then sighed and added, "especially since I wouldn't have even come to Kanto if you hadn't been here."
"Eh?" the redhead asked, looking up in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I'd have stayed behind in Sinnoh if Ash hadn't been so worried about Mrs. Ketch'um," she explained, giggling a little. "My mother wanted me to stay, but the news was alarming enough to make me change my mind. So, here I am... seeing new Pokemon all over the place. It's actually REALLY cool."
"I bet," Jessie murmured, eyes lighting up. "It must be wonderful to go out and see the world... I kind of envy you."
"Well, why don't we go out and do some exploring together, then?" Dawn gushed, jumping over with a grin. "It would be a learning experience for both of us! Oh, and you should definitely bring Hikaru along!"
"You know his name?" Jessica asked, blinking in surprise.
"Delia told us," she explained, giving a laugh. "Hey, after you get your license, why don't we head to the next town over and go shopping?"
"Shopping?" the redhead murmured in confusion. "I don't have any money though..."
"That's okay! I got ya covered this time around if ya want," Dawn exclaimed, giving a coy salute; Pikachu's ears twitched right around that moment and he turned his head, looking at the half-hidden hall entrance. "Think of it as an exclusive bonding trip."
"Okay," Jessica finally conceded. "In all honesty, it sounds like fun... but I really don't need much."
"Great!" Dawn laughed, giving her a wave. "I'm gonna go back to sleep for a few more hours. Night Jess."
Then she was gone.
After the girl was gone, the redhead sighed sadly and lay down on one of the cushions before staring blankly up at the ceiling: she didn't think she would ever be able to sleep. The song was weighing heavily on her heart and mind... and for whatever reason, it was stuck in her head now.
So, with nothing better to do, she decided to sing it.
Opening her mouth, the first few notes came floating out of her mouth, bringing tears to her eyes inexplicably.
She was just about to stop singing when a glass teacup shattered on the ground. Jumping upright and whirling around, Jessica saw that Delia was staring straight at her with wide eyes and a pale hand clamped over her mouth. Her brown eyes were huge and she appeared to be completely stunned.
Struggling to stay calm, Delia knelt down to grab the shattered fragments of her cup and turned around.
"That song… I haven't heard it in quite a long time," Mrs. Ketch'um stated quietly. "Still, of all the things could have remembered, why was it that? It's... alarming. Very alarming, but so... so very, very sad. You... you must have had a... very sorrowful history... to know that song, Jessica. I'm so sorry."
The girl blinked when the woman turned around.
Her eyes widened in horror since tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Stepping forward, Delia sat down beside her and gently pulled her into an embrace, rocking her back and forth.
"M-Mrs. Ketch'um?" Jessica asked. "What's wrong?"
"I hope, for your sake," the woman whispered, cradling her tightly, "that you never remember your past. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."
Jessica instantly froze and turned to look at her.
"Why?" she whispered. "I mean, I know I was a bad person and all, but why are you wording it like that?"
"Listen… I don't know what happened to you, or even why you became a criminal," Delia stated, rubbing her eyes, "but the the fact that you know that song, even if it's only on a subconscious whim, speaks volumes to me... Jessica, do you even know what that song represents?"
"No, why?" she stammered, feeling suddenly afraid; something large and dark was looming within her. "What does it stand for?"
Delia turned her eyes away and wiped her nose with a tissue.
"It's a song that dates back generations, a song created by Pokemon," the brunette explained. "It's called the Medley of Mourning... it originated in Lavender town, over a hundred years ago, after a huge rockslide killed a group of Cubone's parents. The Legend says that their surviving babies gathered there and cried... that their wailing formed the very song we know today."
Jessica shivered violently in horrified awe.
"That's awful," she whispered, hugging herself with shaky limbs. "Those poor babies..."
"That alone is why the song itself is only taught to... to..." Delia trailed off and sniffles. "I can't... I'm so sorry, Jessica..."
"What? Tell me," she pleaded, clutching the woman's arm. "Please?"
"No, it's best that you not know," she sniffed, giving her one final hug before standing up. "Go get some rest now. You don't want to be tired for your big day. Oh, and... please... don't sing that song anymore. There's no need."
Delia left before she could respond.
After a few moments of huddling on the couch, the redhead headed down the hall.
Her footfalls were nearly silent on the floor, and when she came to her room, she gently knocked and waited for an answer. There was no reply, so the girl merely let herself in and leaned against the door, rubbing her streaming eyes and sniffling. Hikaru was lying on the bed with his eyes closed and his tail curled around him.
He looked as exhausted as Jessica felt.
Shivering violently, the redhead slowly moved forward and slid onto the mattress beside him, snuggling under the covers and pressing her back against his broad, furry chest: warmth immediately engulfed her being and she instantly felt relaxed.
In an instant, his bony arms extended and wrapped around her, holding her close. Her muscles slowly began to feel heavy and her tired eyes slid closed: in the end, she'd felt safest beside Hikaru... why or how, she didn't know, but she needed him. Hopefully, things would get better... but her heart was weak.
She didn't have much hope.
But the hope she did have was strengthened simply because Hikaru, her Pokemon, was right there to hold her when she needed it the most. And because of that, she loved him.
She truly did.