Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 11: Intertwined Paths
Faye Lin jolted back and shuddered. Her eyes fixated on the mysterious stranger before her. That was it. She was caught. She had nowhere to run. Rapid footsteps closed in from behind, probably the assassin that was after her before. She tightened her arms around beloved starter, and prayed that at least Isis would be saved. Her Fennekin had no more strength to fight and even if she did, would the fire-type even stand a chance? It was hopeless. She closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself for what would come next.
But what did, was nothing she had expected.
Aeron uncoiled his deep blue scarf from under his cloak and wrapped it around the girl's neck, much to Faye Lin's surprise. She flinched and raised her head to face him again, but was immediately dragged behind the boy.
"Hide the Fennekin and don't say a word…" He instructed sternly.
Faye Lin trembled under his strong grip, but mustered enough courage to nod. The boy's hand loosened and the girl pulled her arm closer to herself, stepping back a couple of feet. She withdrew Isis in a panic and stared at the person's cloaked back. There was this almost discernible insignia of a scythe. Faye Lin questioned herself if he was one of them, if he could be trusted, or if she should just run for it. But before she even could decide, the redhead made her appearance in front of the silver-eyed boy.
Leiko panned her surroundings and caught the sight of the blonde hiding behind Aeron. Fear flashed in the aqua blue eyes of the Azril family's heiress. The redhead grinned in satisfaction, having seen her prey cornered. She stepped forward and then with a mischievous smile, she turned to the boy standing between them. "Hey Delibird, if you wanted to join in the fun, you should have asked."
Aeron didn't reply.
Leiko shrugged off the cold shoulder and approached the frightened girl, only to be blocked by the boy's arm. She raised a brow and met Aeron's stern piercing gaze. Looking into his ice-cold silver eyes, she knew he was serious and unwilling to back down. Leiko's Umbreon growled at the interference, but was hushed by its owner, who decided to find out what the boy was up to. She spun her pair of blood-stained charkram in her hands and stepped in front of Aeron. Then without batting an eye, she draped herself over the boy's shoulders and pulled down the black hood, exposing his feathery jet-black locks and stoic face.
Faye Lin moved back further at the sight of the bladed rings, coated in crimson liquid in the redhead's hands. For a moment, she caught the gaze of Leiko's merciless amber eyes, but was quickly cut-off when the assassin grinned and stared back at the boy. She watched nervously as the other girl trailed her fingers in the boy's hair, carefully as to prevent cutting him with the sharp edges of the chakram, still in her hand.
"So tell me, my sweet Delibird, are you planning to stand between us and the job?" Leiko asked, grinning dangerously at both the boy and the girl behind him.
"She is not part of the mission," Aeron replied flatly.
"Oh, how so?" Leiko leaned closer and studied the boy's face.
"She followed me here. She's one of the new recruits that are under me," Aeron lied, but displayed a more believable front to mask it. Whether or not it would fool an experienced assassin was quite the gamble, one he chose to bet on.
"Is that true?" Leiko cocked her head and turned her attention to the blonde girl. The boy may be hard to read, but a newbie would easily be found out with a couple of threats.
Faye Lin kept recalling what the boy said to her, "Don't say a word..."
Leiko flashed her razor-edged rings and waited for a reply, but was interrupted by Aeron who grabbed her wrists and calmly pushed her away from him and the other girl. The redhead grumbled under her breath. She knew the boy was hiding something, but she didn't want her new plaything to hate her. She decided to play along, for now, and maybe let Bellatrix handle the rest. Sure, she would get in trouble herself, but not as much as the boy would be.
"Tell you what, my darling Delibird, I'll let you off for now... If-"
"-If what?" Aeron asked, furrowing his brows slightly.
Leiko grinned seductively and tucked away her pair of chakrams back unto her belt. Then she inched closer to Aeron and placed a hand under his chin, pulling his head up to meet her gaze. "If you give me a kiss…."
Aeron stared back at her in silence. Leiko giggled softly and stroked the boy's cheek, staining his face with a bit of blood as she leaned closer with every moment. But before she could touch his lips, a shadow descended nearby with a long staff in hand. The redhead pulled back and sulked at the person who made her timely appearance.
"Leiko, stop harassing him and find Alice." Bellatrix ordered, positioning the exposed scythe threateningly in front of the blonde girl.
Faye Lin froze in fear, unable to see the person standing behind her. All she could do was look at the curved blade glinting near her neck and the two individuals in front of her, a redhead standing defiantly with her hands on her hips, and a silver-eyed boy with an empty gaze.
Leiko sighed in defeat and left, waving a hand as she reentered the metal halls. Aeron watched her leave before placing his full attention on Bellatrix and the blonde girl standing in the line of the assassin's scythe. His hands balled into fists underneath the cover of his cloak as he tried to estimate his chances of fooling the serious-type assassin. It didn't look good.
"I told myself that I'd cut you down, if you proved to be a hindrance in this mission," Bellatrix explained with dark glare, observing the length of defiance the boy was willing to display. So far, his cold demeanor was unwavering. "I'll give you a chance to give me your reason, before I pass judgment on you two... Be wary, I'm not in the mood."
Aeron could tell how dangerous the situation was, but he was confident in himself that he had the chance to save himself, and the girl. He stepped forward and held the dull end of the crescent blade. "As I told senior Leiko, this girl is one of the new members of our Sky Division. She probably followed me here, when news of my sudden disappearance and my involvement with the Black Scythes reached my father."
"I've heard of your circumstances from my master," Bellatrix answered back, keeping a firm hold of the staff and an authoritative air before the younger individuals. "What I want is confirmation that she is indeed not an outsider."
Aeron gestured to the scarf around the blonde girl. "It has the Sky unit's insignia…"
Both girls turned their attention to the sky blue symbol stitched on the end of the midnight blue scarf. Faye Lin realized why the boy gave her the muffler in the first place. It was for that reason. Somehow, it brought a sense of relief. Bellatrix studied the insignia closely and turned her attention back to the girl in question.
"So tell me, how'd you get here? Where's your pokemon partner?" Bellatrix questioned.
Faye Lin felt a dark chill run down her spine. Should she answer? What if she said something wrong? Would she get killed? Would both of them get killed?
"Senior, leave her alone," Aeron demanded in a submissive tone, pulling away the scythe from the girl's neck. For a second, he met the blonde's scared yet hopeful blue eyes before locking gazes with the brunette. "Tonight's been scary enough for her. Don't traumatize her further."
"Hmph…" Bellatrix retracted her scythe with smooth and swift click. Then she pointed the end of the pole directly at Aeron. "I shall report this to Master Tristan. If you are indeed lying, I'll personally hunt you both down."
Aeron stared at her fearlessly, despite knowing all too well of the consequences. His father was already undoubtedly angry at him for acting without his consent. Now, he had more reason to be punished. As for Lord Tristan, he was unsure what kind of things he had to face for doing this.
After another minute of staring each other down, Bellatrix left and rejoined her two companions inside. She had an important development in their mission, one that needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
When it was only the two of them alone, Faye Lin's legs finally gave out and she slumped to the cold metal flooring, releasing all her tears as her whole body trembled with relief in the freezing evening air. She had never felt such fear in all her life. Inside, she wished that she was home with her father, Whim and everyone she cared for, and cared for her in return. But then she kept recalling her goal to find her sister.
"Stand." Aeron looked down on her with a somewhat demanding tone.
Faye Lin wiped her tears but more kept coming. She tried to push herself up, but that too proved futile. She was weak, that much she admitted, even if she forced herself not to be. There was no hiding what kind of person she was; a sheltered heiress who was oblivious to the dark shadows lurking beyond the beautiful world she saw in her books.
"How long do you intend to sit there and cry?" Aeron questioned coldly, quietly observing the girl. "If you don't help yourself, there is nothing more I can do for you."
Faye Lin watched him walk pass her. She gasped inwardly and reached for the end of his cloak. She didn't want to be left alone. "P-Please wait…"
Aeron stopped and glanced back at the girl still shaking on the floor. His expression didn't soften nor did he look annoyed. He merely waited patiently for the blonde girl to gather enough strength to stand on her own, figuratively and physically.
"I-I want t-to thank you… for s-saving my life," Faye Lin stuttered, unable to prevent her voice from cracking or her body from shaking.
"If you want to thank someone, thank him." Aeron gestured to a flapping violet fuzzy bat hovering above them.
Noir chirped and cooed in joy before flying down to the girl's arms. Faye Lin failed to notice that the Togepi egg was no longer in the pokemon's possession. She was too happy to see the Noibat that first saved her from the Umbreon and then guided her outside to where the mysterious boy prevented the assassins from taking her life.
Noir nestled warmly against the girl, screeching like a purring Skitty. It gave the girl much comfort that she stopped trembling and crying. She finally managed to smile and even giggle. Afterwards, the Noibat flew off and perched on the boy's shoulder, with a huge grin still plastered on the playful bat's face.
Faye Lin realized that the Noibat belonged to him. It made her think that underneath that cold front, there was a softer side to him, especially when he had a happy-go-lucky pokemon with him. She took a deep breath and stood up, stumbling a bit but she regained almost half of her lost composure.
"I certainly don't know how I could ever repay you both." Faye Lin smiled with gratitude and bowed her head formally. When she raised her head again, her eyes began to well up with tears. She held them back as much as she could but as expected she was unable to. They flowed down her cheeks before she smiled again. "M-My name is Faye Lin… Faye Lin Azril."
Noir raised a claw in greeting while grinning cheekily on his trainer's shoulder. Aeron hesitated for a moment, but gave in to his partner's friendly mood. "I'm Aeron, and this is my partner, Noir."
"Pleasure to meet you, Noir… Aeron," Faye Lin giggled softly, recalling the dark mysterious heroes in her fairytale books. The boy was a prime example, sort of like a black knight. Usually princesses end up with the heroic princes, but there were time where valiant acts of a dark stranger won the hearts of the main heroine.
"Ooooh! Delibird sweetie!" Leiko's voice echoed through the calm night, shattering the transient peace in one swipe.
Faye Lin flinched and turned around, only to see Aeron's back when he hastily returned to his protective position in front of her. Her heart began to race again, but the previous fear was held back with her gained faith in the boy.
Leiko returned with Bellatrix as well as another girl, seemingly much younger than the two, but equally ruthless, indicated by the innocent grin despite the blood stains on her wavy white hair and youthful face. Alice was already informed by her two companions about the blonde individual. She was not as suspicious of her, unlike the other two, but not being able to clearly read behind the child-like persona she displayed, was unsettling.
Bellatrix eyed the boy and his so-called recruit, and then sighed heavily. "We have a situation," she stated submissively, hating to admit the mistake she and her group made.
"What happened?" Aeron asked, feeling an opportunity to regain the so-called trust between him and the trio of assassins.
"Uhm…" Alice giggled sheepishly while leaning back in forth with her hands behind her. "We sort of went overboard and didn't ask anyone where the parcel was…"
Aeron felt his stomach turn at the realization that everyone else in the ship has been slaughtered. He kept his disgust to himself, but wondered if the girl behind him knew what Alice had just said. But there was no chance to glance back and check. His priority was to keep his focus on the three in front.
"So here's the deal," Bellatrix began, crossing her arms, still refusing to admit that she had no power over the matter. "We want you to find the item, and deliver it to the client."
Aeron figured as much when he heard that they didn't know where the parcel was. It was impossible for Faye Lin to know, obviously, she was a stowaway. Her formal tone and light clothing proved that she really didn't belong in a cargo vessel. With little clues, he had to place himself in the dealer's shoes: A ship heading to Unova with a secret package hidden somewhere in the ship. Where is the least likely place for people to look?
"So are you up for it?" Bellatrix asked sarcastically.
"We'll do what we can," Aeron answered plainly, grabbing Faye Lin's arm and pulling her closely as they passed the trio of assassins. He couldn't leave her behind, though he knew the sights inside were going to be hard to bear.
Faye Lin lowered her head and followed, feeling the piercing glare of the older females behind her. She didn't dare to meet their eyes, nor utter a word before they were out of sight. They went back to the familiar halls and descended down the metal stairways towards the cargo hold, passing many corpses and pools of blood along the way. Shuddering with fear, Faye Lin lost her strength to speak and diverted her faltering composure to the hand that firmly held on to her. At times, it would tighten and draw her attention away from the massacre display.
With Noir's guidance, Aeron maneuvered through the long corridors until they arrived at the room where the various starters of different regions where kept. Having felt that most of the gore and bloody scenes were over, he released the girl and made his way towards the pokemon cages, carefully inspecting each one with great care.
Faye Lin trailed behind, unsure if she could give any form of assistance. Aeron did say 'We' so if it was within her power, she wanted to help. She walked up to him as he was eyeing a group of Squirtles, some hiding in their shell, others were at the corner, scared, while the rest gathered the courage to approach him and say hi.
"May I ask what it is we are looking for?" Faye Lin asked quietly.
"I don't know," Aeron replied. It was a pessimistic response but his tone merely stated his honest point of view. The boy pondered for a bit and then turned his attention to the girl. "Do you know which pokemon starters belong to the Unova region?"
Faye Lin was caught off guard, but her face lit up at the notion she had the means to find the answer that Aeron was seeking. She eagerly pulled out her pokedex and looked up the trio belonging to the Unova region: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. She showed him each pokemon's picture and hoped that it was enough.
Aeron nodded in acknowledgement and made his way around the vast chamber of crates and cages. Faye Lin tagged along, feeling more secured whenever he was around compared to standing by herself in a massive shadowy room where the assassin girls could come out of nowhere.
There were dim light bulbs on the wall, but they didn't provide enough light. Most of the areas were dark, but Aeron's Noibat was especially suited to that kind of environment. With its perfect night vision, Noir lead the two to where the Unova trios were caged.
First up were the Tepigs, little fire pigs, primarily orange with little embers shooting out of their snouts. Aeron bent down and observed each of them as well as the cage itself. Faye Lin joined him and petted a couple of the Unova fire-types.
"Aren't they cute?" She was reminded of her Fennekin and the joy she felt when she received her partner. She wondered if Aeron ever felt that way when he got his Noibat. Looking at the two, they seemed very close, even if their personalities were polar opposites. Faye Lin titled her head towards him and asked, "May I ask how you and Noir met?"
Aeron didn't respond or even look at her. His cold demeanor raised a barrier telling people that he refused any small talk. Faye Lin got the message and shrank back to her spot. She understood that he had a job to do and that was his first priority.
Up next were the Oshawotts. They were little otter-like pokemon with white round heads, sky blue bodies with a yellow seashell attached on its belly. Most of them were wading in a built in basin with water while the rest came up to see the two. As usual, Faye Lin was enjoying herself by stroking the water-type's finely furry head. One Oshawott walked up to Aeron, but the boy didn't give much attention to it unlike Faye Lin. The young heiress sighed at his disinterest at seeing new pokemon especially starters from other regions. Not many were fortunate to meet them in one place.
After another detailed assessment, Aeron stood up and went to the final cage with little green reptilian grass-types called Snivys. His eyes shifted from one corner to the next, judging each one with utmost focus. Faye Lin knew that it was the last of the trio so there has to be some sort of clue. Otherwise, they were barking up the wrong tree from the start.
With a semi-optimistic smile, she walked over, only to be surprised that Aeron stood up and motioned his Noibat to the end of his extended arm. Noir complied and stretched out a glowing white wing. Like a blade, Aeron sliced an opening in the cage with his Noibat's Steel Wing. The group of grass snake pokemon retreated to the far end of the cage in fear.
Faye Lin came over and tried to calm them down. With a gentle coaxing, most of the Snivys came over. Only one remained at the dark corner of the cage, curled up nervously in a ball. It was the one that Aeron kept on looking at. The girl couldn't tell what was special about that one, other than it seemed more timid than the rest. Faye Lin tried to call for it, but it was no use.
Aeron reached inside the cage and grabbed the odd one out. It struggled and whimpered while hiding something in its arms and tail. Faye Lin stood up and attempted to calm it down. She collected the trembling little grass snake in her arms, and stroked its slender body.
"We got it. Let's go back…" Aeron declared and began to walk away.
With the now calmed Snivy in her arms, Faye Lin sighed again and watched Aeron walk off. Her eyes fixated on the Black Scythe insignia flickering under the faint glow of the light on the walls. She questioned herself about who he was—what he was, as well as what he meant by the Sky Unit. She clutched the deep blue scarf around her neck and stared momentarily at the wing-shaped pattern stitched at the end, before catching up with Aeron.
End of Chapter 11
Was I fast? Lol.
I'm a little stuck at the battle scene in Return to you so I'm working on this.
Anyway, I'll try to finish that too as soon as I think of a good battle.
I'm planning to redraw Aeron and possibly do the others. :)