High School Union, Chapter 25
EmeraldDragon1; Okay, everybody, the time has come to read another exciting chapter of High School Union. When last we left-
Giratina; Oh, will you just get on with it?!
EmeraldDragon1; Hey, I don't interrupt you!
Giratina; That's because I would beat you black and blue if you did.
EmeraldDragon1; (growls) How dare you threaten your author? I own you, bitch!
Giratina stalks forward threateningly, bringing out a mace and bashing EmeraldDragon1 over the head with it.
Giratina; Want to say that again?
EmeraldDragon1; (whimpering) N-no, m-m-ma 'me…
Giratina leans on the mace and smiles smugly
Giratina; Yeah, that's what I thought. And while I've got you at my mercy, I don't think we need the disclaimer anymore. The previous chapters should be more than sufficient to get the point across. Got it?
EmeraldDragon1 lies bleeding on the floor, nodding. Giratina picks him up and slams him into his chair, tapping her mace in her hand
Giratina; Now get to work.
EmeraldDragon1 complies and hopes Giratina will let him live.
What I Needed To Hear
So far, the week had been horrible to Giratina. Everyone so far she had told about her predicament had advised that she do it. But she didn't want to now! Why was everyone so keen on getting rid of her?! Even Arceus wasn't talking to her anymore, and all she ever did at her apartment anymore was cry, trying to find a release. She always came to school more red-eyed than usual, and she was buffeting her friends, avoiding their questions.
Palkia was feeling much better, and the doctor told her the casts would be ready to come off in a few weeks. And while that had been good news to Giratina, she couldn't take the joy she would have found in it otherwise. Not even singing was helping anymore, especially because it was her cursed singing that got her into this mess. Oh, why couldn't she have been born tone-deaf?!
It was the weekend, and as had been the case all week, Giratina was lying in the fetal position in the darkest corner of her apartment, which happened to be the closet of her bedroom. She rocked back and forth, unsure how much longer she would be able to stand this. It had gotten to the point where she smashed her poor alarm clock, but she couldn't target her phone, which she was using to replace her mechanical victim, because she still needed it.
Soon she started hitting the back of her head against the wall she was leaning against. Gradually she picked up her speed, and she increased the strength of her hits until she couldn't bear the pain anymore. She fell to her side, feeling something warm running down her neck. She tenderly put a hand to the back of her head, and when she brought it back into view it was covered in her own blood. It wasn't easy to spot through the constant stream of tears that clouded her vision, though.
"Am I making too big a deal out of this," Giratina wondered "or do I have every right to feel this way? All it had been was a proposal to sing, something I used to enjoy doing. But now I've turned it into the bane of my existence. I feel so alienated, especially by Arceus."
Arceus, her own boyfriend, wouldn't talk to her, and that above all else depressed her. Other times, it might have just frustrated her, but in her current state all she felt was the ever-increasing, spiraling depression. If things kept up like this, there was no way she would be able to get the singing part. But she also knew if she stayed in this state it would kill her, and even if it didn't, she would lose everything; her job, her friends, her self-respect…
Well, she had already lost her self-respect, and she was on the verge of losing her friends, too. Nor did she feel so confident about her job. And she felt there was only one person she could rely on, who had always helped her throughout the harder times when her most trusted advisors couldn't. But right now he would barely even look at her.
Why?
That question throbbed at the back of Giratina's skull, hurting her nearly as much as the self-inflicted injury. Why wouldn't he talk to her? Why wouldn't he even look at her?
As much as she wanted to, though, she couldn't hate him. It had been so easy with every other boy before him, to be cold, cutting and unpleasant in general. But he wasn't like all the other boys before him; he was so much more to her, previously a tutor, gradually becoming closer to her. One of the things he said resonated strongly in her mind, something which gave her comfort.
"I understand you may feel uncomfortable being around me without the added companionship of your friends, but rest assured that I am pure of mind and heart. I am only acting as a tutor, nothing more. If needed, however, I may also be trusted as a consulate. Most likely unnecessary to say, but it's out there if you need it."
Well, if ever there had been a time when she needed a consulate, it was definitely now. Giratina moaned in pain, more than just physical, as she stood and wobbled over to the bathroom. She tried looking at herself in the mirror, and what she saw scared her.
Instead of the cool, confident woman she was known for, she saw a broken, pathetic little girl, easily unsettled by a simple proposition to do something she had loved with a passion, believing her friends were trying to get rid of her. Turning her head, she could see the amount of blood that covered her neck and hair, but after her initial panic, she calmed down. One thing Arceus had taught her, although a bit morbid, was telling her that head wounds tend to bleed a lot, and it wasn't necessary to worry about the amount she thought she saw; they should still be treated, but you could afford meticulousness up until you felt fatigued; then you should hurry.
Yeah, she definitely needed help.
She showered, taking extra care with her head. Once she finished, she carefully dried her hair off along with the rest of her, picking out some cleaner clothes. She grabbed her wallet and phone, and she put in Arceus' number and held the device up to her ear, thinking this was her last chance at hope.
"Hello?" Arceus' voice said hesitantly.
"Arceus?" Giratina asked, trying to pull her calm, reserved manner back up. She succeeded somewhat, and she heard Arceus speak on the other line.
"Oh, hello, Giratina. How may I help you?"
Giratina's heart dropped; ever since they hooked up, he hadn't been so formal. He had cut loose, become more easygoing. She tried to swallow her worry and told him
"I needed to talk to you, actually. You told me early when we met that I could trust you as a consulate. Well, I need one, and I can't trust anyone else right now."
There was hesitation on his end, and when he refused to continue Giratina dropped her tough act.
"Please, Arceus," she begged, her voice breaking up now, unable to fully contain her emotion.
There was a resigned sigh on the other end, and he said dully
"Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes."
He hung up the phone, and even though she knew he couldn't hear her, she said
"Thank you."
Then she stood on the front of her porch, waiting for him. When he arrived, she walked up and opened the door. Neither of them said anything, except for Arceus to ask
"Where do you want to go?"
"Somewhere private" Giratina responded. Arceus said nothing further but drove over in the direction of his house. When they arrived, Giratina slowly let herself out and followed him to the living room. He stood nearly in the middle and asked
"So, what do you need to talk about?"
Unable to bear his formality anymore, she fell to her knees and burst into tears, taking him by utter surprise. He walked over to her and helped pick her up. She leaned against him and let her tears run, unable to stop them even if she tried. Arceus rubbed her back, trying to soothe her; this was the most intimate he had been all week, and she desperately needed it. Arceus led her over to the couch and sat down with her, now extremely concerned.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. She took a shallow, shuddering breath and sobbed out
"Everything!"
She broke down again and couldn't speak for a while. When she was finally able to control her shaking, she explained.
"Ever since I told you all about Meloetta's offer, everyone has been telling me I should take it. But I'm not sure I want to go!"
She took another moment to compose herself, then continued.
"And now it feels like everyone wants to get rid of me! And to top it all off, you ignored me all this week! It feels like you don't like me anymore, and all I've been able to do is cry, all the time!"
Arceus' eyes widened, and he cursed silently to himself. Then he faced her and brushed away most of her tears, kissing her lightly on her cheek, causing the sobs erupting from her throat to stop. She looked up at him hopefully and could see a tortured expression in his eyes. He said to her
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you at all, but I was afraid you were going to choose to take the opportunity and leave me behind. So I believed it would be best to separate myself from you to make it easier to us."
Giratina wiped away some more tears and asked
"So, how do you really feel about this?"
He stared at the floor as he asked
"Do you want the truth, or what you think to be the truth?"
Giratina was confused now, but she replied
"What I think to be the truth."
He sighed with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he faced her with a dull expression and told her
"You should take the opportunity. You won't get as far here as you would out there. And although it would be hard, I know you will have a better time."
Giratina felt a blow to her heart, but reminded herself there was one more option.
"What about the truth?"
He faced her again and asked seriously
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Giratina nodded and said
"Yes. I have to know how you feel about this."
"Okay. I don't want you to go."
Giratina's breath caught in her throat, unbelieving. He continued.
"You might not get very far here like you would out there, but I don't think you would care about that. And although it's selfish, I would prefer to keep you here with me, no matter the cost. Without you, I would never be the same, and I might even-"
He was cut off as Giratina launched herself over to him, pressing her lips firmly against his, stopping him from talking. He paused for a moment, then relaxed into it.
As Giratina kissed him, she thought about how much weight was lifted off her shoulders. She could practically feel the world being lifted off her back. And as she melted into the kiss further, she could feel the warmth of his body so close to hers, bringing comfort to her where she thought there was none to be had. She broke away from him, both of them blushing from this most recent development in their relationship. Arceus and Giratina were panting, and he asked
"So… does this mean… we're stepping it up?"
Giratina hesitated for a moment, and she said
"I'm not sure; that was just a really tense moment you helped me move past. But now, thanks to you, the way is clearer to me."
"And?" he prompted. She sat up straight and said
"I'm happier here with my friends. Especially with you."
Arceus smiled and held his arms out to her, which she eagerly dove into. He rubbed her back gently, asking
"So I'm still limited?"
Giratina giggled and playfully said
"For now. But who knows; play your cards right and you might make it again."
Arceus chuckled and continued to hold her tightly. They stayed like that for almost a half hour, and Arceus pulled away, kissing her cheek and saying
"I'm sorry for what I put you through. I didn't think that it might affect you that way."
Giratina nuzzled back into him and told him
"It doesn't matter. It's all over and done with, and now I can confidently put it behind me. Now all I have to do is explain to everyone that I'm declining the offer."
Arceus chuckled again and said
"Well, that won't be fun. But I'll be there for you."
Giratina's gratitude toward him grew further, and she suddenly pulled away and said
"Can we visit Palkia? I figure Shaymin will be too shocked to relay the message to her, and I'd rather get her drama out of the way."
Arceus smirked and said
"Sure, just let me change my shirt. It almost looks like I went swimming in it."
Giratina looked down at his gray shirt, and indeed she had done an excellent job of getting it wet. She blushed strongly and meekly said
"Oops. Sorry."
Arceus laughed and waved her apology off, going up to his room to change. In about a minute, he was back with a fresh shirt, this one dark blue. He swiped up his keys and said
"Let's roll."
Giratina smirked and rose, walking by his side out of the house and to the car. They drove to the hospital, now talking quite amiably toward each other. Upon their arrival, they simply were directed straight to Palkia's room. The door was open and she was already talking to Dialga. As soon as Giratina and Arceus stepped into the room, however, Palkia's expression darkened toward Arceus. She sat up straight in her bed and began to rant at him
"Alright, fathead, I heard what you were doing to Giratina, ignoring her! If I wasn't confined to this damn bed, I'd be busy knocking your sorry ass into next month! So, I've decided to convince Dialga here to do it for me; say your prayers, punk!"
Arceus laughed, and Giratina stepped in front of him, growling and telling Dialga
"You make one move at him, and it'll be the last you make!"
Palkia was stunned while Dialga was just stupefied, wondering what the hell he was supposed to be doing at this point. Giratina kept herself from laughing, but just barely. Fortunately, her smile could be mistaken for an evil grin.
"But… Giratina… hasn't that hurt you?" Palkia asked. Giratina chuckled and told her
"Not as much as it did when I believed my friends were trying to get rid of me."
Palkia blanched, and Dialga choked. Then they both started talking at the same time.
"We weren't trying to get rid of you-!"
"-I thought you wanted something like that to happen to you!"
After about a minute of their babbling, Giratina held up her hand, stopping them. Then she aimed her next words at Palkia.
"You know, when we first got here, before I met Arceus, I would have jumped on an opportunity like that. But after making all the friends that I have, if I can still call them that, I have a very different view of the world. Now there's so much more for me here. Besides, the last week has caused me nothing but misery, and considering it all concerned my singing, I don't know if I want to sing anymore."
Palkia nearly jumped out of her bed, but Dialga held her down. Struggle though she might, she couldn't break his grip. When she gave up to catch her breath, she looked at Arceus and panted to him
"Slap some sense into her, would you?"
Arceus chuckled, but Palkia gave him a serious expression. Then he stared at her incredulously, asking
"You're not serious, are you?"
Palkia shook her head in disappointment. Then she looked up at Giratina and seriously told her
"Give up on the opportunity if you feel like it, but don't you dare stop singing. A voice like that comes around once in a lifetime, so don't give it up."
Giratina smirked and replied
"Fine. I can just be a regular girl from a small town with a good voice."
Palkia hesitated slightly, then nodded. She motioned to two other chairs next to the wall which Arceus retrieved. When they were seated, Dialga looked over to Palkia in confusion and asked
"Wait, so I'm not killing Arceus?"
Palkia snickered and shook her head. Dialga hung his and he dully said
"There goes my carefully planned schedule."
They all started to laugh, and the mood felt so much lighter in the small room. Dialga reclaimed his seat and Palkia started speaking with a new pep in her voice.
"So, anything new happen?"
Giratina grinned at Arceus, who grinned back. Then Giratina faced Palkia and said
"Well, if you must know, I met Arceus' parents last week."
Palkia's eyes resembled dinner plates as her jaw dropped and she whispered
"No… way…"
Giratina giggled and said
"Way. At first I didn't get along with his mother, but eventually we saw eye-to-eye. Now his parents approve of me like mine do with him."
"Hot damn!" Palkia exclaimed, thrusting a victory fist into the air, making everybody laugh again.
"So, anything else of note?"
Arceus placed a hand to his chin in thought, then asked Palkia
"When did the doctors say your casts can come off?"
Palkia raised an eyebrow at him but responded
"In about two, two and a half weeks. Why?"
Arceus went over something in his head, then told her
"Well, by that time you should be ready to take a little trip."
Now confused, everyone asked him
"What trip?"
Arceus chuckled and replied
"Well, I asked my parents if I could take my friends with me up to our mountain condo for about a week during Christmas vacation, and they said yes."
The three began to cheer loudly, prompting a nurse to stick her head in the door and tell them to kindly SHUT UP!
Then they lapsed into silent giggles and fits, and when that subsided Palkia asked
"What's there to do up there?"
Arceus waved a hand in front of him and replied
"All sorts. We can hike, have fun in the snow, watch the sunrises and sets, and we even have a hot tub."
"Ooh, I think someone's planning a little far ahead" Palkia teased, causing him and Giratina to blush. Then she laughed it off and said
"That sounds like a lot of fun. When are we going?"
Arceus collected himself and replied
"Well, depending on whether or not you have your casts off, I hope to be able to take off the day after school ends for the semester. It's a few hours' drive, and I plan for us to carpool. Although given that your car was totaled…"
Palkia waved the comment off and said
"That's what insurance is for! I was completely covered since I was paying attention to the law."
"For once" Giratina muttered under her breath.
"Hey!"
After the laughter subsided again, Arceus said
"Okay, then, the only thing left to worry about is getting the rest to tag along."
The conversation then delved into how they might go about it, and for the time Giratina felt like she back in her rightful position.
Okay, gonna stop there for now. I bet everybody's eager to see what happens at the condo, huh? Some fun, maybe a lemon? GTFO! No, no lemons, I promise you that. Nevertheless, it's going to be a fun time, I can guarantee you that. But, like always, you'll just have to wait for that part. In the meantime, review me your thoughts, please!