Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
Red's hands shook as he held Yellow's but his trembling didn't wake her. Laying in her futon, she was as still and cold as ice, something he would never compare her with. He leaned his forehead against her fingers, the sound of Platina's chanting sounding hollow to him. He knew she was doing her best to save Yellow but his instinct was to take her away from who he thought was a selfish human.
"Your negative energy isn't helping," Platina snapped at Red when that thought crossed his mind and she waved her staff at him. "I am trying to help my friend but you don't seem to believe my intention. I cannot concentrate when you're constantly looking over my shoulder. I am the heir of the Berlitz family and I will not be treated like this. Get out!"
"I won't leave Yellow!" Red stood sharply and a cold calm made Platina's shoulder relaxed. There was something ominous in her glare. She tilted a challenge to him and he thought she would attack him. She just walked to the door and slid it open slowly so its creak would echo around them. He didn't know what she was thinking as she gestured for him to leave as if he hadn't protested.
"You can bring a horse to a river but you cannot make it drink. You can tell me to heal Yellow but in the end it is my decision. Similarly, Yellow can beg for you to trust humans other than her but the choice to do so is ultimately yours. You made a choice to give me a chance and I thank you for that. Now let me use that chance. You may sit there until I am finished."
Platina pointed to hall and Red looked back to Yellow in the futon before leaving the room. She didn't slam the door like he thought she would, instead she left it slightly open so he could still see Yellow. He heard a small chuckle from down the hall and saw that it was her light haired samurai approach him. The man's appearance was so sudden that Red didn't have time to transform and hide.
"Platina chewed you out, didn't she? After the way you treated her I can't say you don't deserve it." Pearl gave him a haughty smile. Platina was his friend and he wouldn't allow anyone to insult her. Red was surprised that Pearl wasn't more fascinated by seeing a koro-pok-guru and instead insult tainted his words. "You're lucky she didn't actually use her shakujo on you. My blade on the other hand-"
"I know that neither Platina nor you want to fight," He stopped Pearl from drawing his sword. He knew that Pearl was only trying to defend his friend but there was better ways to challenge him. Red raised a brow when the man gave him one of the trays he was holding. It was fried fish, something his people used to trade with humans and Red wondered if it was meant to mock him.
"We were going to give Missy something to eat but it seems like she's occupied with Yellow. My name's Dia and this is my partner Pearl."
"But why are you giving me this? What do you want in trade?" Red asked to himself as he stared down at the tray Dia handed him. Pearl rolled his eyes but Dia didn't seem to be bothered by Red's words. Pearl knew that he didn't take insults too personally unless it was towards a friend.
"Because I thought you might be hungry," Dia answered. "You're giving us a place to stay on this island and the least I can do is make you something to eat. After the battle we had yesterday, you'll need to regain your strength. I was hoping that Platina would join us to eat but I don't know if I'll be able to convince her since she seems so preoccupied with healing Yellow."
"Thank you," Red said softly as he stared down at the fish. Dia seemed kind enough and though brash, Pearl and Platina seemed friendly as well. It was obvious that the dark haired samurai was what kept the two grounded. They obviously respected her more than a samurai would with a priestess. He wondered what the three went through to make them so loyal to each other.
"I would rather you apologize to her than hear a thanks at the moment. She always pushes herself too hard," Dia whispered to himself as he looked into the room where Platina was. He stared at the food he had prepared for her. He worried about her health and that was what made him knock on the door. He didn't say a word when she noticed them, just lifted the tray slightly.
Red was surprised when she was able to understand Dia's simple gesture. Her chanting trailed off and told them that they could enter the room once more. Red was immediately by Yellow's side and was glad that some of the colour returned to Yellow's cheek. Her hand was warm and when he turned back to thank Platina, he saw that she looked exhausted.
Contrast to the pride she showed before, she allowed Dia to care for her as he placed the on the ground next to them. She opened her mouth slightly as he fed her, able to see that her hold on her shakujo was near limp. They both knew that she had spent a great deal of her energy healing Yellow. Feeling guilty for what he said and how he treated her, Red bowed to her. "I'm sorry!"
"I accept your apology. I understand your distrust but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. Sometimes to have the peace you want, you have to be the one to stop fighting. I look up to Yellow for a reason," Platina nodded to him. "I redirected the excess spiritual energy inside Yellow back into the earth and right now her body is healing itself. She should awaken in an hour."
"Thank you for everything you did for us," Red said again and for the first time after he met Yellow, he felt as if he wouldn't regret the admission. He kept his gaze on Yellow so he didn't see Platina nod and ushered her samurai out of the room. He lay beside her and wondered at how such a small woman could be so strong, strong enough to trust while he still had trouble doing just that.
The exhaustion from the battle finally weighed down on him and tension left his body. He wanted to stay awake in case she woke or if someone attacked but his eyes grew heavy and fell asleep. Unconsciously, he turned in his sleep and pulled Yellow into the protective circle of his arms. He didn't know how long he slept but was woken by a small weight.
Yellow's head was on his chest and he didn't know if he should move her since it might wake her but their nearness would make her embarrass. It wasn't something he was uncomfortable with but knew that it was for her and he had to respect that. He gently placed his hand over hair and pulled it back from her face so he could study the colour of her cheek.
"Red," She mumbled in her sleep and tightened her hand on his shirt. She mumbled something else but he even with his enhanced hearing, he couldn't understand what she was saying. He trusted her before any other human and a part of him wondered why that was exactly. He kissed her temple and whispered into her hair. "I'll tell you the reason after this battle's finish."
"I need to go after her!" Silver insisted even as Green pushed him back into a chair so Blue could continue healing his wing with her water. Green had been the one to catch Silver and bring him back to the tree despite how he argued. He knew that Silver's wings had to be treated first or he might lose his ability to fly.
"I know I'm not as good as Yellow at this but you should be okay now," Blue said in a small voice when the image of Yellow's pale face came to her mind. She knew that no matter how worried she was about Yellow, it couldn't compare to what Red was feeling. At least her brother didn't seem to be too badly injured and she thanked the gods for that.
"I couldn't save her. She'll never trust me if I continue to fail her like this," Silver leaned his head back but his eyes were far away. He could only imagine how scared Lyra was at the moment, even if she had already spent some time in the prison already. She had said that she knew how to capture time but if she did she would've mentioned it to him, wouldn't she?
They were in front of the tree so they would be able to sense if any demon were about to attack them. Without Yellow's spell tags to repel mononoke, they were vulnerable and they agreed that it would be better to stand guard outside. Wally and Tansy were also outside to discuss their next course of action though Silver's mind was on Lyra.
"We'll save her but we can't just rush into it!" Crystal snapped and Silver bit his tongue, knowing that she was just as worried as he was. He knew the dangers the tower held but Crystal's imagination could conjure the worst scenario. "We need a plan. Both Yellow and Gold are both injured right now so… I'm worried too but letting us be blinded by our rage won't help her."
Silver noted that she looked slightly guilty and her words trailed off at the mention of Gold. Her eyes drifted to the window of the room Gold was currently resting in. Silver knew that Gold was strong and trusted that he would heal from his wounds. They had been through so much together and formed a strong bond but didn't know if Crystal experienced the same thing he did.
"At least he doesn't have anywhere else to go," Blue sighed to herself as she stared out the window to where the tower stood unmoving. It seemed that the Masked Demon hadn't been able to break the seal Yellow placed over it so we should be able to invade the tower easily. "We can defeat the Masked Demon and the phoenix but it's that shadow that I'm worried about. None of our attacks worked on it."
"No, yours did." Tansy pointed out and Blue couldn't understand the meaning of her words. Tansy was leaning over a xiangqi board, grass growing between her fingers though she didn't seem to notice as she replayed the previous day's battle in her mind. "She was merely bending her body around your water attacks. She would let other attacks pass through her but not yours."
"Then I'll be the one to fight her," Blue said without hesitation even though she was questioning why her attacks didn't work on the shadow back then. The last time they battled, her attacks went through her so what changed between then and now?
"She said her power grew from mistrust and insecurities," Tansy whispered to herself and opened a blank scroll. Wally saw words appear on them but she didn't seem to be too shocked by it. She gave the passage one passing glance, able to read and understand it quickly. "She must have a human form so we need to find a way to force her into it like Platina did."
"I can attack its mind to draw its human form out like before but it's something I like to use sparingly." Platina stated. It also took a lot of energy to perform the spell and the demon could quickly turn back into shadows so her ability might not be of use to them. Tansy seemed to be able to read Platina's thoughts because her mind was already racing, trying to find a solution.
"She's a baku, a dream eater!" Tansy suddenly realized and pulled out another scroll. "They usually eat people's nightmares and leave dreams but it seems that her powers are reversed. She seems to feed off nightmares and negative feelings. That's why she becomes more powerful by preying on insecurities. Without that, she's powerless beyond the norm of a demon."
"Green, will you help me fight her? I'll need your help." Blue asked Green quietly and he was shocked that she admitted that she needed him for anything. It was the first time she asked him for anything and he felt something warm settle in his chest. Of course she had to smile slyly, "Someone as cocky as you don't have any insecurity for her to prey on."
"We'll need to draw her away from the tower or else she'll be able to help the Masked Demon escape." Tansy pointed out. It was second nature for her to think of the battle field like her xiangqi board and plan out a strategy in her mind. "By that logic we also need to immobilize the phoenix as well or he'll escape through the sky."
Tansy's voice became low at the thought and she tightened her hand on the scroll she held. "If Blue is already fighting the shadow, the next best person to fight him would be Gold since all of our attacks are weak against fire except his. Without them, it should be easier to defeat the Masked Demon and save Lyra. That's a very rough plan so I need a layout of the tower to make a more detailed one."
"I can draw it!" Wally offered and was glad to be of help. Tansy nodded, not noticing how he stared in awe at how she was able to analyze and create a plan so quickly. He took out a seed from him kimono and placed a spell over it. "If someone can plant this seed close to the tower, I can use my power to see through it and see the tower's layout."
"I'll plant it." Silver volunteered quickly and took the seed before Blue could protest. The sliding of a door cut off her protest and Crystal's jaw dropped at the sight of Gold walking outside the tree. He was still healing from his wounds and she could see that it was a struggle for him to even stand. "You should be healing Gold."
"I'll go with you." Gold didn't meet Crystal's eyes. He didn't know if she cared enough about his condition and a part of him didn't want to know the answer, already accepting that it was most likely distrust. Gold grinned at Silver since both knew there was no stopping him from helping. "You'll need me to watch your back when you do something stupid."
"You still need to heal!" Crystal grabbed the sleeve of his kimono and tried to pull him back but he was much stronger than her. She bit her lip when his kimono fell over his shoulder slightly and she could see his bandages. Why was the demon so determined to kill himself by running into battle recklessly? Why was she even bothering herself with the life of a demon?
"I'll go ahead to make sure that there's no demons watching the tower. I'll meet you at the shrine," Silver knew that Gold would need a moment alone so turned to leave. He placed a red mask over his face and transformed into his yokai form. Icy wind ripped the air around them as he took the form of a giant crow. His large wings caused a powerful wind as he lifted himself into the sky and flew away.
The others left as well but Gold kept his eyes on Crystal who still held onto his sleeve. He didn't follow Silver immediately, wanting to leave so he didn't have to transform in front of Crystal.
"I can heal myself in my yokai form," Gold told her and she let go of him as if his words had burned her. Hurt crossed his eyes for a moment before he started to leave. She would only hate him more if he did. "You don't need to worry about your sister, I'll save her."
"That's not the issue at the moment!" Crystal yelled, making him stop.
Gold turned back to her and placed a hand over his shoulder that was still throbbing. There was a fire in her eyes. He didn't know why she was so worried about her and he doubted she knew either. He was a demon and she a human so no matter how much he wanted her to trust him. She couldn't because it was a human's based nature. He thought that she would insist on going with him but she didn't.
"I know that if I go with you it'll draw too much attention. I also know that you're not meant to save my sister on this journey but I-" She wanted to fight with Gold, a demon. Her fist shook since the thought was against everything she was taught as a ninja. "You better come back alive!"
"Don't you trust me to do even that?" Gold meant to say it good naturedly but there was something bitter in his eyes. There were still questions in her eyes and thinking about the conflict they created in her was more than he could bear. It was as if her pain was his and he didn't know if anything he could say would ease her fears.
"Humans have short memories but demons remember everything, no matter how much they try to bury it." He didn't have the strength to stand any longer and sat on ground. His eyes were far away when she sat next to him, "I knew this island long before it became Mononoke Island, before you humans changed it with your distrust. I was born here and lived here for centuries, it was my home.
"I left it behind to travel the world and knew freedom. I ate human food and laughed with the demons that stayed on the mainland. It was… nice. I told you that I don't have that tragic life you envisioned for me and it's true. Nothing tragic brought me to the island. When the emperor declared that demons were to be imprisoned on this island, all my human friends turned on me but it was nothing less than I expected.
"I love this island because it was my home but I loved freedom just as much. I couldn't return home to where my mother was and I couldn't live free when humans were intent to trap me here. The humans friend I thought I had thought I would hurt them unless they were kind to me. The Island was the best way to tame me. So I ran. I ran until I found something that I wanted to stay for."
"Aibo…" Gold didn't know how she was able to read his mind but nodded.
"I was being chase by some humans when I came across him. His family had been killed by ninjas and he I couldn't just leave him there. I'm sure he's too young to actually remember so he doesn't hate humans. The humans were close and I knew that I couldn't outrun them so I tried to find shelter.
"I knew a human in the village, I thought I could trust him, so went to him. Told that I wouldn't hurt him but of course a human like him couldn't trust me back. He sent a message to Yellow that night, telling her to take me to the island."
Crystal couldn't see Yellow forcing Gold to the island when he was only trying to protect Aibo. She didn't ask him though, since he still went on. "She gave me an option. She said that I could continue to run or I could go to Mononoke Island with her. Apparently there were many demons orphaned by a battle and she needed someone to run the orphanage she set up on the island."
"Do you regret your choice?" Crystal whispered and he shrugged. She framed his face in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "Why did you help me even though that human betrayed you?"
"I knew he would most like send for Yellow so I wasn't surprised when he did. I guess I just wanted to buy some time so Aibo wouldn't get hurt." He placed his hand over hers but didn't force her to pull away. "Humans don't trust demons and it was naive of me to think differently…"
"Gold, your wounds!" Crystal almost panicked when he started to become limp in her arms. It was only for a moment before he started to stand. He was still hurt from their previous battle. She hugged him and he was shocked when she ordered. "Transform. You'll heal if you're in your yokai form."
"I don't look human when I transform. It'll only make you hate me more if I transform…" Gold whispered his fears to her for the first time. The wounds made his resolve weak and he pulled her closer, pressing her face into his shoulder so she wouldn't see his transformation. "It's stupid of me to worry about that, isn't it?"
Gold gathered fire around him and it burned his hair and tail white but she didn't feel its burn. She tightened her arms around him and closed her eyes as she opened her heart. She felt fur beneath her hands and loosened her grip. She leaned back so she could look up at him and bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything, afraid to break the quiet between them.
She knew that Gold was a kitsune but it never felt more real than now as he stood before her in his yokai form. There was no trace of humanity in the large white fox before her, almost the size of a horse. Strips of his fur were charred gold and made a design over his tail. His eyes were the same familiar tawny colour and she hesitantly reached out to touch his fur.
Her hand stopped shaking when she could feel his heat beneath his fur. She took a step closer to him and he tilted his head down to her, wondering what she would do. She didn't look scared but he couldn't place the expression her eyes held. She stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead which shocked him. She stepped back and didn't say a word as she nodded to him.
He nodded back to her and turned to leave.
Crystal wasn't one to wait while there was a battle around her so she tried to help in any way she could. She fought many demons so knew many of their weaknesses and discussed them with Tansy who was still developing her plan. There were only three demons that could be considered dangerous: the phoenix, the shadow and the Masked Demon.
"We need to get those three as far from the tower as possible to be able to free Lyra without worrying about involving her in a battle," Crystal pointed out and Tansy's eyes darted over the texts littered around her. "We know who is best to battle who so now we need to find a way to lure them away."
"They're at the tower," Wally, who had been silent beside them, suddenly spoke. He had been concentrating on the grass around them so he could know when Silver and Gold planted the seed. He opened a scroll to draw the layout he could see through the seed. Before he could place ink on the paper, Tansy touched it without much thought and an image began to draw itself.
"That was quick," Tansy didn't seem to question the image suddenly appearing on the page and placed it among her many scrolls. "They should be keeping Lyra in this room underground since it would be difficult for her to escape. Wally's ability will be best to help her escape."
"What about Silver?" Wally suggested and Crystal was silent at that, thinking over the demon. He was obviously worried about Lyra but he also worked for the Masked Demon and she didn't want to risk Lyra's safety. "He was able to save her once so he should be able to save her again."
"The Masked Demon must know that we will try to save her again so he'll make precautions to stop Silver." Tansy pointed out. "It will be much easier if you and I save her. If the others are successful in distracting the Masked Demons and his followers, we don't have to worry about any dangerous demons to fight. I'm sure you want to come with us and that's for the best since Wally and I aren't fighters."
Wally smiled to himself and when she asked him what caused it, he blushed and awkwardly scratch his cheek. "I didn't think the shy little girl that begged me to train her would turn out to be such a great strategist. I'm glad that we met and that you agreed to stay even after the phoenix was defeated."
"Thank you," Tansy blushed and turned back to the xiangqi board that her friend had taught her to use so long ago. The simple game brought more than revenge could and she silently thanked her the same time she apologized that she didn't save her that day. Turning back to the pair, she told them. "Lyra and I think that he can reverse time if he can control both the phoenix and the moon spirit. They create the sunrise."
"Lyra would never tell him how to control time but even so, we should have someone watch other her shrine." Wally pointed out and Tansy sighed knowing that they needed more help. They would be spreading themselves throughout the island to fight separate battles and that could weaken them as much as it did their enemies.
Lyra didn't say a word as she felt the air around her grow colder. The Masked Demon had thrown her into a different cell than the one he had before. From the tiny window she was given, she knew that she was underground since she could see the base of trees. Her hands were bound to the ground but the chains still were long enough that she could walk slightly.
The sudden coldness around her was eerily familiar but she continued to scratch at bolts keeping her chained to the ground and it gave way the same moment her cell door open. She tried to keep her breathing even and assured herself with the thoughts of the jumpuffs outside. She sat over the bolts to hide the fact that they were free.
"It seems like you know your place," He observed and she bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything to the man. She refused to be scared of a demon like him and tightened her hands over the chains. "Will you tell me how to capture time? If you try to fight me, I'll return to that tree and burn everyone in it."
That made her hesitate for a moment and she took a deep breath. Her sister was also in that tree as were other demons and humans. They were powerful but she saw how they struggled to fight the phoenix before. It was apparent to her that even if she told him, he would hurt the people she loved. She needed time to gather her courage so asked, "Why do you want to turn back time?"
"I doubt that a human like you would understand," He yelled with more anger than she ever heard him use before. He always had a cold anger about him and it suddenly turned red. "You humans are the cause of all my pain. All you do is destroy but the moment I try to create a new life, you brand me the villain. Turning back time will not hurt you or any other."
"You're hurting people right now!" Lyra snapped at him. "You hurt Blue by capturing her. You hurt Yellow in that battle. You hurt the phoenix by taking away from will. You hurt Silver and made him doubt himself! What could humans ever do to you such that you felt hurting them was justified? They did nothing to you and neither did I. So why are you hurting us like this?"
"It's just like a human to refuse any blame. I do not wish to cause genocide like other humans do. I merely wish to save one life: my wife. I don't care who I have to hurt if I get to see her again! You humans invaded our home and killed her. I only want to go back in time so I protect her like I failed to do before but you won't even let me do that!"
"I'm truly sorry for what happened to your wife but it's still no reason to hurt others." Lyra kept her voice soft to keep him from becoming angrier. His brow twitched at that and she knew that he was going attack her again. Her hands began to shake and fear gripped her the same moment she felt a chill rushed through her. It wasn't the Masked Demon that caused it though.
Lyra shook harder when she saw the shadow materialized next to the Masked Demon. He smiled at her coldly and a rock settled in her stomach, hating to think what caused it. She tightened her hold on the chain when he started to raise his hand at her. "It seems like I have no use for you anymore. My friend was able to look into your memories so we know how to capture time."
"No!" Lyra knew that if she didn't stop him he could cause more harm than good if he changed the past. She used the chains as a whip and lashed out at the Masked Demon. She wasn't a fighter so her attack was awkward and she only had her instincts to lead her. Even with her limited experience, she was able to hurt him since he wasn't expecting her to attack him.
The chains hit his temple and made his mask become askew. The shadow rushed forward to attack her but Lyra was already running around them. They had left the door behind them open and in their shock, she was able to escape. She knew she wasn't safe though and they could easily capture her again if she was still in the tower.
She didn't know how to escape so ran blindly down the cold hall. It was only by a miracle that she was able to evade the ice shards the Masked Demon sent toward her. She was able to sense his attack by the intense cold they created but what worried her was the shadow. She didn't have time to study its attacks and didn't know how to dodge them.
Her heart raced when she saw a stair case and ran harder towards it. The passage was narrow so it was more difficult for her to dodge them and a stray shard hit her shoulder. She almost reached the top when the stairs became ice beneath her feet and she began to fall. Using the knife Silver helped her create, she stopped herself from sliding down the stairs completely.
She almost gave up when the cold crept around her again. Her resolve strengthened when she saw a window some distance from her. Freedom. Pushing herself to forget the throbbing legs, she scrambled up the last few steps to the window. She ran across the hall but barely opened it before she felt another attack pierced her and she fell through the window.
I was originally going to have Black as a demon in this but couldn't find a way to fit the Agencyshipping plotline in. His Munna is actually based on a Japanese demon, the Baku, and I was going to have him be one as a reference to that. But alas, I just couldn't fit it in. I still liked the idea of a darker version of a baku so made it one of the villains when planning out the story.
Just one more chapter ^-^