It's been a really long time since I've updated. So sorry to those who were actually waiting on this. For now, please enjoy what I've got to publish! And please, stay awesome!
Enemies Beyond Repair
Chapter 10
Distant Cries
"Hey, Paula."
The pretty blonde girl in a pink dress turned around from her place on a seat. She waved back at him as she greeted him with a sweet, white smile. "Hello, Ness!" She stood up from the seat excitedly, running at the boy's arms. The boy took her in a warm embrace.
"Why did you call me out so late, here?" Paula asked.
It was a dark and cold night. The two children stood in front of a strange building located as an outlier near Onett. The wind blew at Paula's unclothed shins, making her shiver.
"I wanted to show you something cool." Ness smiled, looking down at the girl in his arms.
The blonde smiled once again, one with instilled trust. Ness took her soft hands in his, and led her inside the building. The girl complied automatically. The raven-haired boy pushed in the metal doors, opening the entrance.
It was dimly lit, and looked like a clean facility to reside in. Paula, with one hand still in Ness', looked around strangely.
"Where are we?"
"This is where my dad works."
"Oh," Paula seemed at ease again, "It looks really nice!"
"I know, right?" Ness chuckled.
The building was completely empty as Ness was the only one who knew where to go. He led her from hallway to hallway, then down an elevator. They stepped inside, and Ness clicked at a button, making them go down below the ground. Paula stared interestingly at it, when she remembered something else.
"Hey Ness!" Paula started, "I learned a cool new move today! I've been getting better at controlling it." She unlatched her hands from Ness, so that she could stand right in front of him. She looked proud and happy about it. "Wanna see?"
"Sure," Ness said calmly, and happily. He gave her some space in the elevator.
That was when Paula held out her palm to the boy. Slowly, a small flame grew, and hovered just above her palm. It was a sparkly and crackling flame that grew into the size of a fire-ball. Carefully, the blonde made the crackling fire dance in her hand. She smiled as she saw the amazed reaction Ness gave her.
"That's not all I could make it do," she added. She tossed up the crackling flame into the air like a ball, and then guided the flame itself in mid-air with the tips of her fingers. The sight was so astounding that it made Ness' mouth gape. Bits and pieces of flame crackled off the ball of fire itself, and rained down like fireworks. It kept doing so until the fireball reduced into nothing.
Ness put a hand over his mouth in perplexity. "That was amazing, Paula…" he trailed off. "I wish I could do that!"
She giggled. "Oh, it's nothing." She shuffled her feet, clearly embarrassed. "Besides, I wouldn't have learned it without your help."
That made the raven-haired boy smile. Paula returned one to him, as well. She plodded on over to the boy's side again, where Ness took her hand instinctively.
"Hmm…" Paula pondered aloud, "Why don't you show me your PSI, now?"
"Mine's not really worth your time…" Ness said apprehensively, "I mean, you already know what it does."
"Can you show me it, again, then?" Paula softly brushed her shoulder against Ness' arms. "I always thought your natural PSI to be the best I've seen."
"Eh, okay then," Ness agreed nonchalantly, though flattered. He clung onto Paula's hand tighter as his violet eyes glowed; it showered its brightness in the dimly lit elevator. He gingerly aimed his stare in Paula's direction, receiving an attentive look from the shorter girl.
"So, how am I feeling?" Paula asked, as if she already knew.
"You…" Ness stopped his telepathy PSI, along with the glow that faded away. He casted his eyes downward just a bit shyly, then brought them back up to the girl again.
"I'm what?" A smile snuck onto her face. Her cheeks tinted pink.
"You love me," Ness came out with it. The raven-haired boy followed it up with a small laugh, one that was happy to have received such emotion from the girl.
"...And that's why your PSI's the best," Paula heartwarmingly said. She cuddled up into a hug with the raven-haired boy as Ness took her in his arms once again. He held her tight as the blonde snuggled her face into his chest.
The elevator rung with its arrival on the bottom-most floor. The doors slid open, and the two broke their hug. Still holding hands, they walked out of the elevator, only to be greeted with utter pitch black darkness. Paula was confused, along with Ness. They stood for a good moment, wondering what was going on.
"Um, Ness…?" Paula asked, "What were you going to show me, again?"
"..." The raven-haired boy was as confused as she was. He didn't reply.
When suddenly, lights sprung up, and an intricate lab laid before their very own eyes. Scientists in white lab coats circled around the two, as if their arrival was more than expected. Paula inched closer to Ness, feeling threatened by their presence.
Ness was told to take her here, but was unsure why. He stayed close to her as well.
"Bring her to the machine," a sudden voice demanded. Ness whipped his head around to find a man standing a floor above them. It was Wess.
Without a second thought, half the scientists pushed Ness away from Paula, and had began to limit her movements as they dragged her by the arms, towards 1 of 2 cylinder tanks in the middle of the room. The girl squealed out of fear, writhing around as she tried to get out of their grasps.
"PAULA!" Ness called out, about to launch into a run. Before he did, the rest of the scientists held him down. "What're you guys doing?!" Ness bucked and pushed, to no avail. "WESS!"
The old man looked disappointingly at Ness. "I'm so sorry I had to do this to you." He frowned, a guilty kind of frown.
"Do what?!" Ness enraged.
"NESS! Ness..!" Paula cried high-pitched. Ness brought his attention back to her. Her whimpers resonated on the metal walls of the room as Ness watched her body be dragged towards and into a transparent, cylinder glass tank. Unaware of what was going to be done, Ness kicked one man off of him, and bolted, only to be stopped by another person's lock.
"WHAT'RE YOU DOING WITH HER?" Ness' yell echoed across the room. Paula was now in the cylinder, banging her fists on the glass and shouting unbearable shouts. Her face grew worrisome as she was overcome with fear; her legs and arms shook.
Ness stared at her, wanting to get her out. However, he, himself, was forced into the second cylinder tank right next to the girl. He fought for freedom, but ended up being trapped as well. Soon, his curses were unable to be heard from that point.
Ness scowled at Wess, feeling betrayed. His stare then went back to the girl in the other tank, who was already looking at him. She placed both of her hands on the glass in front of her, so scared that tears had begun to build in her eyes. Ness felt tears within himself, too, but held them back.
'Ness...' Paula mouthed to the raven-haired boy, 'I'm scared!'
'I'm so sorry,' Ness replied, shaking his head. His eyes were red.
"Flip the switch," Wess announced, earning a nod from a worker below him. The man flipped a switch on a rectangular power machine, making the tanks light up, and instilled everlasting fear within the girl and boy's minds.
Ness felt nothing, when suddenly a compressed scream from Paula was heard. A beam of light lit up her cylinder, causing her to fall to her knees, crying out so loudly that it could be heard through the thick glass. Slowly, she wore away, making Ness stare, and realizing what is being done to her.
"No—NO!" Ness hit at the glass, hard. His heart raced, and his body felt like it crumbled inwards as he stared at Paula, who was slowly being eaten away.
'Ness...' her mouth formed the name one last time. She leaned against the glass as her body weakened internally, but not visibly. Her blue eyes glimmered with the ending of her life, and the beginning of a death. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered shut, and the hands she pressed to the glass for Ness lost their strength. They dropped to her sides lifelessly, and her body laid like a rag doll on the tank's floor.
Ness, who was constantly crying out her name, fell to his knees at the sight. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his closest friend died in front of his eyes. It was as if time stopped for a moment, as Ness froze, emotionless, and broken. He didn't believe what just happened, and turned his lost gaze to the old man above.
Wess frowned, unable to look the raven-haired boy in the eyes.
Ness couldn't stop the tears from flowing, and made what he thought was his last moments, to be spent on Paula. He looked over her inanimate body. Stone cold.
The same flash of light occurred within Ness' cylinder now. Eyes widened, the young hatted boy looked up. The light seemed to burn a hole onto his right shoulder and that part only as it only took a few seconds to rip Ness of his consciousness.
"I'm so... sorry," Wess apologized silently to Ness. He took in everything in front of him one last time, turned around, then left.
The raven-haired boy sprung up from bed. His eyes took a moment to focus, then realized everything around him. A generic room.
His whole body hurt.
The boy brought a hand up to his pained head, suffering a bad, dizzy headache. His body felt on fire, and when he checked, it actually was. The blankets scorched mildly underneath his care. It's been awhile since Ness had remembered that one day, as well as involuntarily using his fire PSI. Ness groaned at the stinging pain and stress it was putting upon him. He breathed out breaths of smoke; he conjured small beads of sweat.
His vision was blurred out, but the burning sensation was slowly being overcome by another. It was getting cold in the middle of the night. Chills went down Ness' arms and back.
That was when he remembered Lucas. The raven-haired boy hesitated before flipping the blanket off of himself and heading out of Johnny's room. He trailed down the hallway feeling the way where temperatures dropped significantly. He was led to Spur's room, where Lucas had spent the night in. The room door from the outside was already thickened with ice, and a cold, unturning doorknob. Ness grew a flame in his right hand as he melted the doorknob slowly for it to turn and open the door.
As it skidded open, a burst of frosty winter air blew at Ness' entire body, making the raven-haired boy recoil painfully. His PSI sparked up even more as he entered the dangerously cold room.
Ness' eyes widened at Spur's room, which wasn't a room anymore. It was an ice cave; Ness stood on top of the frozen wooden floor sock-footed. He glowed red and radiated warmth as he found a way to slowly walk towards the the bed the blond was upon.
Standing next to the bed, Ness' teeth clattered as even the tips of his hair started to grow a bit of icy flakes. He hugged himself as he stared at Lucas, who was asleep.
The blond slept straight on top of his back, completely still other than his chest moving up and down from breathing. His face was blue with ice, and small tear drops that've been frozen along with it stuck to the blond's eyelids and cheeks. He exhaled white, snowy air.
His PSI had went out of control in his sleep.
Lucas' shivers were no longer there as his PSI spread from his body as he slept. It ended up freezing the boy along with it. Ness looked upset at him, having to actively keep his fire PSI moving or else he'd freeze to death within this iceland.
Ness touched the blanket Lucas was snug underneath; it was frozen. The raven-haired boy heated up his hands and started there, melting the ice on the blanket that failed to bring Lucas warmth. The blond winced as Ness slid the blanket off of him, revealing his upper half-body. Lucas' striped shirt was cold to the touch.
"L-Lucas, Lucas!" Ness called out, twice. He hesitantly brought a hand over and laid it cautiously on the blond's clothed shoulder. The raven-haired boy's hand felt a stinging pain at the contact, but still fought through it to shake the blond awake.
"S-Stop..." Lucas muttered, his eyelids only tightening even more closed. His hands balled into fists at his sides. Ness could tell the boy was still in slumber.
"Get up…!" Ness persistently shook that same shoulder. The longer he remained in the room, the more he felt he was going to die of the merciless cold. His fire PSI could not put up with the ice for a long period of time.
Right then and there, after shaking Lucas for a bit, the blond boy actively trembled. His arms moved first, aiming to hug himself as if the low temperature only seemed to have registered into the blond at this point. Lucas whimpered at the body-numbing cold, letting out tears in his sleep. Through those closed eyelids, the tears flowed out incessantly, freezing as soon as it hit the outside of his closed eyes. The water droplets slipped down onto the bed he laid upon.
A few moments later, the blond's eyes slowly cracked open. He looked up at the ceiling first, then to Ness with those dulled out cerulean eyes of his. At first glance, Lucas stared at the raven-haired boy with surprise, and fear. He was now drawn to the environment around him; his icy palace of his own creation.
"W-W-Wh-" Lucas stammered, unable to form words because he started to get cold from his own PSI. It was hard to move his body, but he did slowly; he sat up and kicked the rest of the blanket off of him with his sock-covered feet. He held an expression of fear and shame, as well as confusion as to why the raven-haired boy was in this blizzard of a room.
"N-Ness, you'll f-freeze," Lucas managed to say, "g-get out b-before y-you get h-hurt."
"Y-You ended up r-ruining this room, t-too," Ness scolded softly.
Lucas' eyes widened, then at that moment, his eyes turned red. He didn't know how to react so suddenly to that. He was so kind to him, but Ness was still being so unaccepting.
"Keep your feelings in check…" the last words Ness told him before he went to sleep echoed in his mind, "faggot."
That word hurt. When he slammed the door in Lucas' face, it hurt. Lucas stared at Ness who was by the side of his bed, and had quickly began to shed his tears right in front of the other. Ness was forced aback by the sudden action.
I'm not gay… Lucas told himself as he looked Ness in his daring violet eyes. He then thought as if he was speaking to him, I don't know, you're just… I'm so sorry. Maybe I am the wrong one. Even if I don't know what I did... Maybe I'm a little aware of what my feelings are for you.
Even more ice PSI leaked from Lucas' cold body and to the bed. It contributed to the non-melting icy room around him, but didn't make such a big difference.
Ness grimaced at the sight of the blond. He made a small, guilt rung sound as he said, "Stop... You're just going to make things worse. You'll freeze yourself." He was referring to Lucas' tears.
However, that isn't quite what the boy wanted to hear. Not a tinge of acceptance flowed through those words that Lucas desperately needed. It seemed that the raven-haired boy wasn't getting the hint though, as that only made Lucas cry a bit more. More ice flowed from his veins and onto the snowy bed.
"Ugh…" Ness sounded. He was unwilling to help, but it felt obligatory to. Hesitantly, the raven-haired boy brought his arms around the freezing blond.
"Scoot over, d-dammit."
Lucas heard Ness' words and looked at him, shocked. He shakily scooted to make room for the other boy on the bed. Ness readied himself, increasing his fire PSI. Before getting on the bed, he took his hands and touched the icy cold mattress, and instilled heat into its entirety. Lucas felt a surge of relief from the slowly increasing warmth.
Cautiously, Ness got on the bed afterwards, lying down next to the blond, who gawked at his actions. The raven-haired boy grimaced heavily while exhaling a small hiss at the cold bed. He dealt with it and proceeded to lie on his side. He furrowed his brows angrily at Lucas. The blond just pursed his lips together.
An awkward silence ensued, until the raven-haired boy held out his arms.
"Come here, now," Ness demanded, one eye twitching from what he's forcing himself to do.
"B-But," Lucas contradicted, "you're not wearing your jacket."
Ness was clothed in his simple striped tee and shorts at the moment, along with his high knee socks. His arms and legs were both exposed to potential frosty touches from Lucas.
"I'll just have to put up with it." Ness bit the inside of his cheek, thinking twice about his actions, but is still going through with it anyways.
Why is he doing this? Lucas looked worriedly at the raven-haired boy.
"Besides," Ness started, "I'm warm, just let me help when I offer it, damn."
Lucas flinched, then nodded slowly. He inched his way across the master bed, only stopping when he had barely gotten in touch with the raven-haired boy. Ness noticed this, and annoyingly finished it off by wrapping his arms around the blond in one go..
They laid together facing each other, with the raven-haired boy's arms wrapped around Lucas possessively. The skin on their arms made contact, and stayed in contact. Ness was the fire PSI user, but right now, he was the one trembling. Their skins together gave Ness a burning sensation, as if the frost of Lucas' entity ate at his very body. Yet, Ness closed his eyes and brought Lucas even closer and tighter in his embrace. The ice bit at him, and ice flakes started to grow as Lucas thought it would, again.
"N-Ness!" Lucas was starting to resist the hug, now.
"Be q-quiet," Ness forced, "I have this handled."
It was hard, but Ness skyrocketed his body heat like he had done at the river. The ice flakes slowly dissipated, as Ness tried his hardest to fight off the cold Lucas was giving off. The blond stopped his resistance, growing a bit of faith in the other boy.
Before Lucas knew it, his own uncontrollable ice PSI was being evened out by Ness. The blond's shivers died down, and the hug became more comfortable and comfortable as time passed. Ness exhaled, relieved, as he constantly focused his PSI to stay at its current temperature; he lowered it as the ice started to melt around him.
Lucas' eyes became half-lidded as the warmth began to dizzy him in a good way again. He connected his blue cerulean eyes with Ness' violet ones that stared alluringly back at him. Lucas breathed out a puff of icy breath, but it was weak. His body felt limp.
The room melted off and so did the blond. Lucas charmingly made a sound of pure bliss. He still looked at the boy in front of him.
Without notice, Ness found himself slightly enticed by the boy in his arms. Lucas still felt like an ice cube, but when the blond leaned his head in forward to snug himself into his shoulders, he didn't complain. His soft, recently washed blond hair was close to Ness' face, which the raven-haired boy acknowledged. It was sweet, silky, and fresh—familiar to a certain someone the boy used to know. Ness closed his eyes and laid his face comfortably atop Lucas' hair.
Lucas' calm heartbeats escalated. Ness held him close, and the raven-haired boy, himself, could feel the other boy's heart beat.
Everything was warm and everything was fine. To Ness' surprise, Lucas was no longer cold to the touch; he could deactivate his fire PSI and still be able to remain in contact with him. Lucas' heart was calm, and at peace.
Happy… Content… Ness read Lucas' emotions again. Love.
Ness' arms secured around Lucas even more. He's unable to forget the one girl he used to love, but this boy laid here and reminded him a bit of her. Those luminous blue eyes, silken blond hair, and how she ended up.
Lucas was still going to die.
What am I doing… Ness cringed, now hugging Lucas for his own comfort. Ness didn't understand why he was doing this. He despised Lucas, he was jealous of his powers; but why…
"Lucas…" Ness softly cooed into the other's ear. By that sweet resonating sound, the blond responded with the tilt of his head up. Lucas stared innocently; drowsy, but still attentive.
"Y-Yeah…?" the blond drawled out captivatingly. That was when Ness took control of the whole situation, and slid his arm up to caress the side of Lucas' cheek. Ness traced his thumb on Lucas' light, silky cheek. It was softer than it looked. Lucas was surprised by this, but let Ness do what he wanted, finding himself hypnotized by every move he made. Lucas let out heavy breaths as his heart beat like crazy.
"N-Ness," Lucas began, "I-I don't understand what's going on…" He was being completely honest. His body trembled for as long as he was in that hug with Ness. He was a shaky mess.
The raven-haired boy responded by sliding his hand off the other boy's cheek, and down to his chin. There, he cupped it in his fingers and tilted the boy's head upwards. Lucas shyly looked away, but then back to Ness. The blond couldn't help but clutch onto Ness' baggy tee that hung outwards in front of him.
Crazy in love… Ness read with a small glow of his eyes.
Lucas blushed with his persistent look of confusion; his pink lips appeared gentle and plush to the other boy as Ness slowly dove in closer to the blond's face. Their lips were an inch apart, with Ness' face hovering above Lucas'. Lucas immediately shut his eyes, but did not fight back.
"I…" Ness' warm breaths heavenly puffed out onto Lucas' lips. "I don't understand… either…"
Carried away, Ness gently laid his lips upon Lucas'. The blond froze in place, but kept his eyes shut. The touch of their lips were soft and warm. Lucas' heart fluttered and his body shook from passion, and as the kiss prolonged, Ness, too, started to experience the same kind of feeling. The raven-haired boy's emotions, reckless and stubborn, had only been broken through at this very moment.
Ness separated from the kiss, looked at Lucas, then winced painfully. He made an expression to Lucas, that displayed the perfect depiction of making a mistake. The blond stared back worriedly, and only clutched onto Ness' shirt tighter. Lucas knew how he felt now, after the raven-haired boy made him experience it first hand. However, Ness was ashamed, and by the way he backed out of the hug and the bed only proved to make the negativity of the situation. Lucas' hands were torn away from the boy's shirt.
"T-That was wrong of me… to do," Ness immediately said apprehensively. He looked depressed, then angry all over again. He balled his hands into fists at his side. His actions confused the blond, especially when Ness was the one to kiss him first.
"No," Lucas contradicted, getting up from the bed, afraid that the boy would leave the room, "I-I didn't mind at all." He shyly looked away, then back.
…
The raven-haired boy stared at the blond, shocked. A huge blush appeared on his cheeks for even Lucas to see. His lips hung open slightly, only to be pressed closed again. Lucas stared, flustered at Ness' unnatural reaction to what he said.
For some reason, Ness couldn't figure out why it was hard to talk, now. He felt like Lucas grabbed him by the heart, and held it tightly in his hands. He was completely and utterly nervous. However, though that may be, Ness didn't want to get lost in his confused emotions again; he could not forget what he came here for and what he's supposed to do. Harvest Lucas' powers.
The raven-haired boy face palmed, clutching his messy bangs in the process. This wasn't right, even though Lucas didn't mind it. The blond was just a vessel for PSI powers capable of two people. Ness didn't want to admit that over the time of getting Lucas to trust him, he, himself, ended up developing a bond with him.
His teeth clattered as he replied, "Lucas."
The blond fidgeted, but nodded to tell that he was listening carefully.
"We're going to forget that ever happened," Ness finalized seriously.
"...But how can—" Lucas saw the look in the raven-haired boy's eyes. From that stare only, he shut himself up. He grew tense and upset at Ness' decision for the whole thing; he also still didn't get it. Why did the boy do that so suddenly, even after ending the night on such a bad note? Though Lucas was forced to shut up, he couldn't do so forever.
"Why did you do that, then?!" Lucas said regardless. He didn't want to get upset all over again, but he did and let it happen. He thought Ness didn't have any right to kiss him and then say, 'Oh, nothing happened.' It pissed him off. He always did this to him: constantly reel him in and then throw him out over and over again.
Ness sighed as he clenched his teeth. He didn't say anything, nor was he retaining the same emotions Lucas was. It was surprising how he didn't get mad at Lucas' demand for the truth. He clicked his tongue in distress, then finally came up with multiple reasons that were astray from the actual reason.
"I'm just confused," Ness half-lied, "don't take such a little kiss to heart. It meant nothing."
Lucas bit the inside of his cheek. But it felt like something. And I know you felt it, too.
Before he knew it, Ness, himself, started to lose control of his emotions. Like Lucas, his fire PSI scorched the wood below him involuntarily, making the room smell of a campfire. His breaths, too, began to become hot and smoky. However, he retained an excellent mask.
"Besides, we don't mix well." Ness shut his eyes tightly, then opened them. "Fire doesn't go with ice, nor do two boys go with each other," he said stone cold. He couldn't bear to look at Lucas in the eyes.
Lucas stood dismayed by the reasons the raven-haired boy stood by. He became frustrated, now starting to really hate Ness. It was a different hate for the boy. This time, it was real. Forget the autism that the blond engraved into his head about Ness; this was just too much to make a mistake on. Lucas put both of his hands to his face and covered it, slowly sinking back down onto the bed behind him. He was truly troubled.
From that look, Ness already knew the blond wouldn't reply any time soon. He looked equally as stressed, but knew he had no right to. He backed up a step, making Lucas take his hands off of his face, and eye the raven-haired boy sadly. Ness frowned one more time, but it seemed to be directed more at himself than at Lucas. From there, he hesitantly took his steps out of the room. Feet hitting the wood and fire searing was all that made a sound. Clearly, he was taking his leave from Lucas.
However, the blond wouldn't let him get away with just that.
"Hey," Lucas said, strongly. Ness only turned around his neck to look back. The blond looked terribly displeased and angry; more so than Ness had ever put on himself.
"Make sure you keep your feelings in check," the blond spat Ness' words back at him. He didn't dare add the missing curse word. He didn't want to.
Ness winced, and Lucas knew that his words gave him the taste of his own medicine. The raven-haired boy didn't choose to fight back verbally even if he wanted to. He only walked out of the room silently, leaving the wooden floor scorched with his every footstep. For once, in 3 years, his fire PSI had leaked out without permission.
His emotions had gone astray, and how he wished he had left Lucas to freeze himself.