So long time no update. Sorry about that but I am back now! Yay!
Thanks to everyone's reviews on the last chapter but what are Paul and Dawn up to now? Out on their own, this can't be good can it?
On another note, I am still running my contest so check out my rules on my profile and enter. It is an 'original' contest but don't be scared by it. I'm trying to get people to think outside the clichéd box and write something that you wouldn't expect. Like… a Christmas story where Misty has forgotten to get Ash, her BF, a present which is somewhat original because, in fiction, it's normally guys who forget. Have a play around with ideas and join in! There are three things you could win in!
Disclaimer: I own only my OCs and plot.
Chapter Twenty Five
Dawn shivered as they walked through thick snow. Paul was walking ahead of her with his hands in his pockets, not taking any notice of her. Luxio padded beside Dawn looking increasingly bored and annoyed at the situation.
"How much further?" Dawn asked loudly as she rubbed her arms to warm herself up. Paul glanced over his shoulder at her. He came to a stop and began to take his jacket off. Dawn caught up to him in time for him to throw his jacket over her shoulders. She blushed at him as he straightened it over her shoulders.
"That better?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, "Won't you get cold?"
"No," he said then started walking again. Dawn paused then hurried to walk by his side.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Snowpoint City," Paul told her, "It's the one place my father won't look for me."
"How come?" Dawn asked suddenly curious.
"The Shinju Clan live there," Paul replied, "And the leader of the Shinju doesn't get along with my father much."
"So Arashi won't come here," Dawn said slowly, "What about your uncles?"
"They won't come either," Paul said, "No Akari comes here. Akiko brought me here to train when I was six."
"So Akiko might come here?" Dawn asked. Paul glanced at her to tell her Akiko probably wouldn't think to come here. Dawn merely pouted. "It's cold. Couldn't you think of anywhere warmer to go?"
"Isn't that spiky haired co-ordinator from around here?" Paul asked.
"You mean Zoey," Dawn said, "Yeah, she is. Why do you say that?"
"It will do you good to meet with some old friends," Paul told her, "I'd hate to leave you on your own."
"Why where are you going?" Dawn asked.
"I need to clear my head," Paul replied, "And I don't really want you to witness that."
"Alright," Dawn muttered. They walked in silence for a couple of hours apart from the occasional moan from Dawn and the annoyed barks of Luxio whenever she stepped in a deep patch of snow. Paul didn't let up on his pace until they reached the outskirts of the city. Unlike other cities in the region, Snowpoint was small and quiet, the perfect place to hide. With the mountains of snow and the harsh weather conditions, no wonder Paul had decided to come here. Dawn followed him through the streets until they reached the Pokémon Centre.
"We're going to stay here?" Dawn asked dumbly, figuring it was a stupid question the moment she said it. To say that Paul was in his usual Paul-ish mood, he didn't give her a glare or a sarcastic answer. He looked at her and nodded.
"It's the best place," he said softly, "Unless you know somewhere better where we can stay."
"Sorry it just seems… normal after everything we've gone through," Dawn said blushing. Paul smirked at her and pushed the door open.
"Sometimes normal is the best cover," Paul said, gesturing for her to enter the centre first. Dawn smiled at him as she walked into the nice warmth of inside. Luxio followed, purring a thanks to Paul for holding the door open for her. Paul was the last to enter the centre, letting the door close behind him. "I'll get us a room."
"OK," Dawn said.
"Try to get warm," Paul went on, pointing over to a fireplace in the lounge area of the centre. Luxio nodded and pushed Dawn in the direction of the fireplace. Dawn yelped as she was pushed, wanting to thank Paul before he left her. She didn't get the chance but figured she could do it later. Dawn sat on a comfy foot rest in front of the fire, warming her fingers up. It was cold here, it really was.
"Well, look who it is," a voice taunted, "It's Dee-Dee."
Dawn turned round sharply to look at the person who was talking to her.
"Ursula? What are you doing here?" Dawn said, standing up. Of all the places, why did she have to meet her here? Why couldn't it be Zoey or Kenny or even Barry?
"The Contest, I presume that's why you're here too, right?" Ursula replied coldly. Dawn shivered as if she was out on the snow fields again. "Where are your loser friends?"
"They're not losers!" Dawn yelled, "And they're not here."
Ursula glanced at Luxio who was sat by Dawn's side not really paying attention to the pink haired girl but rather looking towards the desk where Paul was talking to Nurse Joy.
"A Luxio?" Ursula asked, "When did you get that?"
"Oh… erm… a few days ago," Dawn replied nervously, "I… was given it by a friend."
"It looks pretty cool, I'll give you that but not as cool as my Gabite," Ursula said, flicking her hair over her shoulder, "Of course I'm going to win the contest tomorrow and you are going to lose."
"There's a contest tomorrow?" Paul asked as he stepped into the conversation. He eyed Ursula cautiously. Her features fell in shock as she stared at Paul. Paul ignored her and turned to Dawn. "Maybe you should enter. It'll do you good to relax a bit."
"What are you dong here?" Ursula snapped at Paul. She clamped a hand over her mouth, quickly looking at Dawn. "I mean… erm… There's something big happening at home. What's going on here?"
"I had a fall out with my family," Paul explained, adding a little venom to the word family. Ursula nodded slowly like she understood. Dawn looked between the two teens, heavily confused as to how they knew each other.
"And you picked her up, where?" Ursula asked, pointing her thumb at Dawn.
"I rescued her and ended up being married to her," Paul replied in his usual monotone.
"Say what!" Ursula shrieked, "You two are… are… really?"
"Yeah," Paul stated.
"How do you two know each other?" Dawn asked.
"Ursula is part of the Hakkin Clan, the same clan as my… Sayuri is from," Paul replied, "We've known each other for years."
"Alright," Ursula said, taking a deep breath, "This is awkward."
"Yeah," Dawn agreed, rubbing her head nervously.
"So you two are… you know?" Ursula asked dropping her voice into a whisper, "Then that must mean you are a Niaya."
"She is the last Niaya," Paul replied, "Or was before she became an Akari."
"Weird…" Ursula said more to herself than to anyone else. She sighed and held up her hands like she was shrugging. "What a crazy world."
"Tell me about it," Dawn muttered.
"So you're staying here?" Ursula asked, "Until you go back home to the war."
"I'm not in the war," Paul replied, "Too young to fight, remember."
"Wait," Dawn said, making the other two and Luxio look at her oddly, "Does this mean Ursula is a ninja too?"
"No," Ursula replied, "I am a Maiko soon to be Geisha when I finish my tour round Sinnoh."
Dawn looked at Paul for an explanation but he didn't offer any to her. Clearly he didn't really like the idea of Maiko or Geisha because he was glaring at Ursula like she was a freak of some sort. Ursula glanced at him then threw her nose and chin to the side.
"Of course some people don't understand the grace it takes to become a great Geisha," Ursula said proudly. She began laughing loudly to herself.
"Erm…" Dawn said looking at Paul for support.
"We should go and rest," Paul said, "No doubt we'll see you later."
"Have fun 'resting'," Ursula laughed, quoting resting with her fingers. Dawn looked at Paul since she didn't understand what Ursula meant but Paul merely rolled his eyes and dragged Dawn towards the stairs so they could get some rest before dinner.
Dawn glanced over at Paul's bed to find he wasn't there when she woke up from her nap. She panicked slightly wondering where he had gone until she felt him move behind her. He was stroking her arm ever so tenderly while he thought about his family. Dawn shuffled so she could snuggle into his chest.
"Sorry," he said, "I didn't disturb you did I?"
"No," Dawn muttered, "You're comfy and warm."
"Thanks… I guess," Paul said.
"Did you get any sleep?" Dawn asked. Paul shook his head. "You should."
"I can't switch off my brain," Paul told her, "That's why I ended up over here."
"Oh," Dawn muttered. She rubbed her cheek into Paul's chest as Paul pulled her gently into him. They laid in silence for a while until there was a knock at the door. Ursula entered the room with her Gabite not far behind her. They were holding a few trays of food which was apparently dinner. Slowly Paul sat up looking somewhat confused.
"There's some Shinju down stairs," Ursula stated, "If they saw you two then teeth would be flying all over the place, mostly theirs. So I brought you two some food. I figured you might want something to eat."
"Thanks," Paul said. Ursula handed them a tray each then sat herself down on Paul's bed. Quietly they began eating not speaking a word to each other. Dawn kept glancing at Ursula like she was expecting the pink haired girl to do something mean but she didn't. Obviously Ursula was too scared to say anything that may upset Paul, with good reason since Paul was already in a horrible mood.
"I heard Brandon was in the area," Ursula said finally. Paul stopped eating, frozen in place. "He zoomed over here in that ridiculous flying pyramid a day or so ago. I have no idea what for."
"Who's Brandon?" Dawn asked.
"Seriously?" Ursula said. She sighed loudly and began to explain. "Brandon is a scholar who works mostly with the Kanto tribes but is definitely Akari. He's old, like really old, and used to control a lot of politics in the Akari realm until Paul's grandfather took the throne and shooed him out. Since then Brandon's been hovering around the world, doing odd jobs and stuff, mostly he studies history like the beginnings of aura and other boring stuff. He wants to become the most powerful person in the world."
"Once upon a time, Brandon took on my father and my uncles," Paul added, looking at Dawn, "And he wiped the floor with all of them. He's done the same to Kibo and Reggie too."
"Not you?" Dawn asked.
"No," Paul replied, "I haven't faced him yet."
"You should," Dawn said happily.
"Is she insane?" Ursula scoffed, "Brandon is too powerful for anyone, even the strongest warriors fail against him."
"So what?" Dawn said. She turned to face Paul with a smile on her face. "You feel upset so why not take it out on someone who should be able to take it? You may feel better from it, win or lose."
"It's a good idea," Paul agreed, "A bit of training always helped me."
"You're insane," Ursula said, "Brandon totally smashed your brother last time, remember?"
"Yeah," Paul said, "But I'm not Reggie."
"Shinjiiii," Ursula pouted. Dawn giggled slightly at her tone of voice. Ursula looked between Paul and Dawn for a few seconds then let out another sigh. "I can't believe it's come to this."
"Come to what?" Dawn asked.
"You two," Ursula replied, "I mean out of the three youngest Akari I always imagined Shinji to be the one who didn't marry. Your record with girls isn't that good."
"I've never seen Kiboji or Reggie with girls," Dawn said, "Not at the Akari headquarters at least."
"Kibo is flirty and so is Rei when he gets going," Paul told her, "Besides Yoko, I never really got along with girls until you came along."
"Yoko," Dawn mumbled darkly. Paul blinked a few times at her wondering why there was suddenly a dark aura coming off of her. Ursula smirked at the couple.
"Yoko is such a pretty girl and so sophisticated too," Ursula said, "Everyone loves her in one way or another. Lucky for you, Dee-Dee, she's in Ecruteak not here."
"Thanks Ursula," Paul stated, "You know how to make stuff so much worse."
"It's my job so sue me," Ursula replied. She jumped off Paul's bed and stretched. "As much fun as this is, I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow no doubt after I win my ribbon. Good night."
"Night," Paul said. Ursula slipped out of the room with her Gabite behind her. Paul turned to Dawn who seemed to be still fuming over Yoko. He let out a gentle sigh. "I'm sorry how I acted back then."
"Hmm?" Dawn asked, breaking out of her thoughts. She looked up at Paul with wide eyes.
"With Yoko," Paul added.
"Oh…" Dawn muttered. She gripped her tray tightly. Paul saw her reaction and got to his feet. He placed his tray on the table near the door then walked back to Dawn to take hers from her. She grudgingly let go but then went to scrunching her skirt up in her fists. "I don't like Yoko."
"Yoko's been my friend since I was a baby," Paul said softly, "Even back then she was a good few years older than me. Over time she looked after me and she became the only person in my childhood I talked to. My-Sayuri always tried to arrange for us to get together in hopes we might make a good match but when I finished my training and I left home, I think the idea went out of her head. In retrospect, perhaps Akiko said something to her."
"But she did love you, Yoko I mean," Dawn prompted. Paul turned to look at Dawn. He nodded once.
"She told me so before I left but I never could return her feelings," Paul replied, "She was too much like a sister to me and although she was upset she realised that I would never feel the same way about her than I do about you."
"ME?" Dawn yelped suddenly going red, "What do you mean?"
Paul smirked at her reaction but didn't say anything else to her. He sat down beside her.
"Get some more rest," he told her, "While you can."
"R-right," Dawn stuttered. Paul laid down on her bed and waited for her to snuggle up to him like she usually did. It didn't take her long to rub her cheek into his chest and close her eyes. Paul put one arm round her then with his free hand he put it behind his head so he could think some more about his messed up family. Did Akiko know where he was? What was his father doing right now? Sending out a search party for both of them? And where was Tatsu in all of this?
Feeling totally exposed to any threat, Paul removed his hand from his head and tapped his belt. His fingers trailed along the leather until he reached a Pokéball. He clicked the button and Shinx appeared in a bright flash of light.
"Shinx?" Shinx asked.
"Get Luxio out of her ball and keep watch for us," Paul stated quietly, "We don't know what may be lurking outside."
"Shinx," Shinx replied. The small blue Pokémon hopped off the bed and went straight to Dawn's bag so he could release Luxio. The larger blue Pokémon didn't seem to be too pleased to be awakened at this time but she didn't complain as both of them curled up near the door. They'd keep watch while Paul rested and Dawn slept.
Shinx stared at his partner for a while until Luxio poked him with her tail. She gave the smaller Pokémon a smirk to tell him everything would be OK. Shinx nodded and closed his eyes. Luxio yawned widely and licked her nose. It had been a weird couple of days…
"GET UP!"
"WAH!" Dawn screamed as she tumbled out of bed. She landed on her face with her bum and legs hanging on the bed. She looked up to see Zoey stood over her with her hands on her hips.
"Zoey?" Dawn asked weakly. The door to the bathroom opened sharply and Paul rushed into the room. He paused when he saw it was only Zoey and not some crazy Kurai warrior, even if it was odd for a ninja to yell get up before attacking. Dawn climbed off the bed and sat on her legs looking up at Zoey. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? Why aren't you getting ready for the contest?" Zoey snapped, "It is in two hours you know, Dawn."
"Oh, the contest," Dawn mumbled. She looked over to Paul who was stood with a towel round his neck in the bathroom door way. He looked highly confused like he was trying to figure out how Zoey got into the room. Slowly Zoey turned to look at Paul. She jumped back in alarm.
"Why is he here?" she asked, pointing at him. Dawn rubbed her head nervously.
"Erm… we're going out," Dawn replied shakily, "And travelling together."
"With him?" Zoey asked loudly, turning back to Dawn and placing her hands on her hips, "Why him?"
"What's wrong with me?" Paul asked folding his arms over his chest and frowning, "And how did you get in here?"
"Oh, I asked Nurse Joy for a key," Zoey replied, "And you are the biggest jerk on the planet!"
"No he's not!" Dawn yelled. She calmed down after her out burst, looking towards Zoey with a small frown on her face. "I'm not going to the contest. I haven't trained for it."
"And why is that?" Zoey barked, looking over her shoulder at Paul again.
"Well…" Dawn struggled to get an answer this time. She sagged her shoulders and looked down in defeat. What could she tell Zoey? Nothing she would believe.
"So it is him," Zoey said. She turned to face Paul again but Paul didn't seem interested. He went back into the bathroom as Zoey opened her mouth to lecture him about the way he treats Dawn. Zoey became enraged as she was brushed aside. She ran up to the bathroom door and hammered on it. "You jerk! You can't treat her this way!"
"Zoey, it's not like that it's… it's different," Dawn said weakly. The bathroom door opened sharply again and Paul brushed past Zoey so he could go and collect his jacket from the bed. He put it on smoothly.
"Shinx!" he called, "Luxio!"
"Who is he calling?" Zoey asked dumbly. Paul looked at Zoey, frowning at her.
"I'll get you breakfast," Paul said to Dawn, "Stay here with Luxio until I get back. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, no problem," Dawn said, "It'll give me time to catch up with Zoey."
"Anything else you want while I'm downstairs?" Paul asked, opening the room door and letting Luxio in. Shinx stayed outside eyeing Zoey cautiously. Dawn shook her head. "I'll be about ten minutes."
"'K" Dawn said with a small wave. Paul left the two girls to talk, safe in the knowledge that Luxio would look after her. Dawn looked at Zoey. "I don't want to do contests at the minute. Things have got a bit too much and I can't deal with them."
"Why is he making you stay here?" Zoey snapped, "Earth to Dawn, he's bad for you. Can't you see he's taken control of your life?"
"Just stop it," Dawn sighed, defeated. Zoey put her hands on her hips as she waited for Dawn to explain what was going on. Dawn paused for a few seconds, wondering how she could tell Zoey what had happened without telling her everything. If she knew about the Akari and the others, Zoey would definitely flip out. "Well… I met Paul at this Shrine where my father used to work and I got so mad at Brock and Ash for not understanding why I wanted to go there that I left them."
"You left them?" Zoey asked, frowning at Dawn.
"Yeah…" she replied, "I sort of stormed off into the forest, promptly got lost-"
"Why can I believe that," Zoey muttered.
"And then I was chased by three Ursaring," Dawn added, ignoring what Zoey had just said, "But thankfully, Paul happened to be passing by and he helped me."
"Then what?" Zoey demanded.
"I followed him to the next city," Dawn replied quickly, "Because he didn't want to walk with me but when we got into the city we met his uncle… Ianto…"
"His uncle?" Zoey asked, quite interested now. Dawn nodded slowly.
"Yeah and his uncle dragged both of us to this family reunion, assuming that we were travelling together…" Dawn went on. Now she was stuck for what to say next but when she looked across at Zoey she saw that Zoey was nodding like she understood what happened. "So I played along and then it was so nice that we decided not to stop then he fell out with his father and here we are now."
"Lux lux," Luxio pitched in, nodding with a knowing expression on her face. Zoey seemed to be convinced by the story too.
"That explains it," Zoey said, "But that doesn't stop him from being a jerk."
"I suppose not," Dawn agreed with a giggle, "Sometimes he's a little hard to understand but I don't care anymore. He's not so bad now he's got used to me. I think that now he knows me and I know him that… we've moved on. I know he can be a jerk but I also know he is one of the kindest guys I've ever met."
"Luxio lux lux luxio," Luxio agreed. Dawn moved her hand so she could stroke Luxio's head.
"I see," Zoey said slowly, "But this isn't the end of this until I know what he's thinking."
"Please, don't, Zoey!" Dawn yelled as Zoey stormed over to the door. She happened to swing it open as Paul returned back from the dinning hall. He was holding two trays of food in his hands. He looked between Zoey and Dawn before slipping back into the room.
"I want a word with you," Zoey told him.
"Zoey," Dawn moaned.
"What do you want to know?" Paul asked, almost pleasant sounding.
"What are you planning?" Zoey asked.
"For today? Tomorrow? Or just in general?" Paul asked for clarification.
"For Dawn," Zoey snapped.
"I plan for her to have breakfast," Paul replied, passing Dawn a tray with a plate filled with pancakes on it. Dawn's eyes lit up at the sight of the pancakes with a healthy dollop of syrup on the top of them.
"That's not what I meant," Zoey barked.
"I know exactly what you meant," Paul replied, "And apart from the day to day travelling I don't have anything planned for Dawn at the minute. I want her to be happy and safe and I plan to keep her that way. If you have a problem with that then don't complain to me."
Zoey eyed him for a few seconds before she smirked. Dawn could tell she wasn't convinced fully yet but at least she seemed to be on the way to being convinced. Paul rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed.
"So what are you doing today?" Zoey asked.
"Paul's going to battle Brandon," Dawn replied, "So I'm going for morale support."
"So you're blowing off a contest for a battle?" Zoey asked, glancing at Paul. Paul paid no attention. He was now eating a full English breakfast as if the girls were in a completely different room. Even Shinx and Luxio ignored the girls, too interested in the extra strips of bacon Paul had brought for them for them to pay attention to the conversation.
"I suggested he go battle Brandon today," Dawn replied, pouting, "Paul told me to enter the contest but I didn't want to."
"Shin shin shinx," Shinx said to Luxio with a smirk. Luxio gave Shinx a dead glare then whacked him over the head with her tail.
"Lux," she told him.
"Shiiiinx," Shinx moaned, shaking his head quickly.
"You should really watch what you're saying," Paul told his Shinx, "She is bigger than you."
"Shin shin shin shinx," Shinx retorted.
"Oh yeah?" Paul asked, frowning, "I'd like to see that."
"Lux luxio," Luxio agreed. Shinx looked between Paul and Luxio, growing more tearful with each passing second. Suddenly he jumped to his feet and rushed over to Dawn, pawing her legs in an obscenely cute way. Dawn paused then put her tray on the bed so she could pick Shinx up.
"Shin shin shin shiiinx!" Shinx told her sounding rather upset. Dawn sighed, patting him on the head.
"There, there," she told him.
"Wuss," she heard Paul mutter at the same time as Luxio said her name. She gathered they had shared the same sentiment and ignored them.
"That aside," Zoey said, "You should be free to do what you want."
"I am doing what I want," Dawn replied, "It's you who keeps telling me to do things I don't want."
"You're blaming me?" Zoey snapped.
"No, I'm just saying I'm happy doing what I'm doing now," Dawn replied, flashing her friend a comforting smile, "I'm only sixteen, I've got plenty of time to become the best Co-ordinator in the world so why rush it? I'd rather work on this for now because this makes me happy."
"And Paul?" Zoey asked, looking at him.
"He's decided to do what he used to do so he can be closer to me," Dawn replied, "But in the future we can always do what we wanted to do now."
"All this because you suddenly like each other?" Zoey asked, seemingly annoyed.
"Lux lux luxio," Luxio replied before Paul or Dawn could speak. The large blue Pokémon padded across the Zoey, staring at her with a determined expression on her face. "Lux lux luxio, lux lux luxio."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoey asked.
"She says that you don't understand what it's like to be in the middle of something big and that you should trust your friend in her decision because she's the one who has to live with it," Paul translated.
"Lux lux lux," Luxio continued, "Luxio luxio Luxlux, luxio."
"Everything will alright for Dawn because if I mess up then Luxio will kill me," Paul concluded. Zoey nodded once then smirked.
"I'll hold you to that, Luxio," she said.
"Lux."
"I think that means deal," Dawn said suddenly. Paul nodded. He stood up suddenly and began to get his gear together. Dawn took this as a signal that they were going to find Brandon soon so began getting her bag ready too. She left the half eaten pancakes on the tray so she could have her hands free to hug Zoey.
"I'll be fine," Dawn told Zoey, "No need to worry."
"That's when I worry the most," Zoey sighed.
"Good luck," Dawn giggled as she pulled away from her friend, "I'm rooting for you."
"Thanks," Zoey said. She turned to Paul. "You better look after her."
"I will," he promised, "Always."
"Let's go, Luxio," Dawn said to her new faithful companion, "We're going to give Paul all our support."
"Luxio," Luxio said with a nod.
"The next time I see you Dawn," Zoey said, "You'd better be as happy as you are now."
Dawn stared at Zoey for a second before a large smile took over her face and she nodded.
"Promise."
Yup, I am leading up to something rather bad/big in the next chapter. I should be updating on Fridays again (if I have time this week) so I shall see you then!
Please review!
RSx