…I have been reading the wonderful, wonderful manga of Death Note for the past week or so and now, for you veteran readers of this manga, I have reached THAT PART. Chapter 58. That horrible chapter 58. I started crying there. And now, when ever I see Raito/Light, I feel a seething hate for anything he has to say or think. It's 2 o' clock in the morning right now, and I can't sleep, because all I can think about is chapter 58, even though I'm really on chapter 68. I'm really only half-aware of what's going on in that chapter, since my mental state has been ripped to tiny bits.

So, just using this aurthoress' note as a vent…

DAMN YOU RAITO! DAMN YOU TO FRICKEN' HELL! MY GOD, I HOPE YOU GET SHOT 37 TIMES IN THE STOMACH, OR SOME OTHER HORRIBLY SLOW DEATH::beats on compy screen that happens to have Raito's picture on it: DAMN YOU! YOU BLOODY EUNUCH!

:takes in breath: That's… a little better… I guess…

L…

Price for Freedom

Chapter 29

Fury

Arden smirked as his boss's plan sunk in to my mind. They wanted me for bait to get Illauna, Yasille, Kuvai and Kaiyou? But they thought that Illauna was Kaiyou's trainer? I scoffed. "Why would Illauna come? She's not my Lord's trainer. No one is."

Arden's face fell a fraction. "What are you saying, that the information that Illauna was training him on Mount Silver was wrong? We have seven witnesses."

I glared. "She might have been, but she doesn't own him."

He laughed and then said, "Well, the only person who can OWN a Legendary is Giovanni. He even created one."

It was my turn to smirk. "Yeah, a fine job he did controlling it too."

Arden growled. "Quiet. Giovanni may have underestimated Mewtwo, but not anymore. Once we get Illauna's enlistment, Mewtwo will be easy to recapture, even with that band of clones at his side. Your Dark Lord will prove most useful then."

I lunged at him, but he ducked into the Void before my claws could grab him. He reappeared behind me and chuckled. "You have quite a temper, Miss Ayako." I turned towards him and we began to circle. "However, I do thank you for teaching me of the Void. It makes our missions so much easier, and Giovanni is all the happier for it. He's actually trying to create a permanent portal in this very gym so that anyone at any time can access the Void."

I snarled. "How DARE you misuse it like that! That's the home for all Dark pokemon, and you want to use it as an escape route for your thievery? You don't deserve to be an absol, much less a Dark if you betray your species and race like that! You're nothing but a traitorous cockroach who deserves to rot in a cage for the rest of your damn life!"

Arden growled back at me. "I'm only giving back what I was given! This Kaiyou, your Lord, how good of a Lord is he? Does he answer prayers like the other Lords do? If so, where was he when my parents were poached? Where was he when my brother and I were separated by a tauros stampede? Where was he for all Darks who have prayed unanswered prayers? Tell me, Miss Ayako! How good of a Lord has he been to us?"

I snarled back. "He was killed a long time ago by humans, and only recently was he brought back to life by Team Magma! How can you blame all these things on him when he wasn't there? I'm sorry that happened to you, but you can't pin it on Kaiyou!"

"Shut up!" Arden cried. "You don't know anything!" He charged towards me, but I avoided it by side-stepping to the left. He stumbled, then whirled around back towards me. I was about to charge at him again, when Arden's trainer picked me up and threw me into the trunk not too far away. I landed on the grated bottom and before I could escape, the trunk top was shut and the fluorescent lights went on. I shut my eyes against the blinding light. I understood the lights now. They were supposed to eliminate any shadow so I couldn't escape.

I was trapped.

I kicked and struggled against the top of the trunk, but since I couldn't open my eyes -because of the horribly bright lights- I couldn't really tell which way was up. (Help!) I cried out to my teammates. (HELP!)

No answer.

(Kaiyou! Help me! I'm trapped!)

Nothing.

"How do you like your little cage, Miss Ayako?" Arden's muffled voice called from the other side of my prison. "I suppose I could let you have a little air hole…" I heard a small scraping sound and tentatively, I opened my eyes. Though the light was still there, I could see a small hole in front of me. I pressed my left eye to it and could see my surroundings without the blinding lights. Arden stood in front of me, smirking. "Better?"

I was about to hit that damn grin with a thunderbolt, but he would probably close the eyehole, so I repressed the urge with some difficulty. I glared at the traitorous absol in front of me. "When my Lord comes, I hope he tears you in two."

Arden scoffed. "IF he comes." He walked away from me and to his trainer, who gave the absol a meat treat. After a few moments of silence, I heard a door open and shut from the high platform beyond my vision. I gulped as my stomach began to churn. Wasn't that chair on that platform… Giovanni's…?

His booming voice echoed throughout the gym. "Ah, Karson and his absol, you have very well. This is the absol that has been in contact with the new Legendaries, yes?"

The trainer, Karson, nodded in reply. "Yes, sir!" he stated as his body stiffened to attention. "That is the absol, there in that trunk!" Instinctively, I growled as Karson gestured to me. "It seems the lighting system worked."

I heard Giovanni chuckle. "Good, we wouldn't want our bait escaping. Our prizes and new trainer should be arriving any minute. Karson, make sure that this room is filled with soldiers. I would hate to have our guests and new help feel unwelcome." Another deep-throated laugh, and then the sound of him sitting down. Karson saluted Giovanni, and ran off to a dark corridor, then disappeared. Arden lay down on the cold cement.

"Having fun in there?" he asked coolly.

I glared. "I'll have fun when I watch Kaiyou rip you and this whole gym apart."

He scoffed and put his head on his paws. Despite his indifferent answer to my threat, I could smell a twinge of fear in his scent. It was my turn to smirk. Looks like the little rat's getting scared, my mind declared.

Suddenly, a different Rocket Grunt burst into the room, sweat and fear dripping from his body. "Sir! Sir, they're here!" We tried to fend them off but… but…"

Anger filled Giovanni's voice. "Incompetent! They're only pokemon; catch them!"

The grunt was about to reply when the thirty-foot gym doors swung open violently to reveal ten silhouettes against the bright light of the afternoon sun. I instantly recognized my Lord, in his true form, his fur bristled and mouth snarling angrily. Beside him was Kuvai, in his pale human form, strangely calm and collected. Behind Kuvai were Yasille, also in her human form, who looked a bit frightened, and Shayla. Illauna was in front of Kuvai by a bit, and behind them were Gruzog, Kazu, Amburna, Shoko, and Tai. My Lord slowly walked into the gym with Kuvai close to his side. Kaiyou's anger flooded out my own emotions and for a second, the hate almost suffocated me. However, it retracted slowly and I could breathe once more.

"My Lord!" I called. I looked to him, but he didn't turn to me. Instead, he turned his grand ebony head towards Arden, whose eyes were as big as saucers and was cowering like a small pup, and his snarl grew. (YOU…)

Kuvai placed a calm, pale hand on Kaiyou's canine foreleg. "Mind your anger, Kaiyou."

Giovanni, from what I could tell, stood from his throne and bellowed, "Good to see you all! I have been expecting you! Now, Illauna, in return for the safe return of this absol, I wish that you would enlist into Team Rocket. You would automatically rise to the rank of Top Administrator under my command! You and your… intriguing new pokemon would be forever known to all people! You-"

"Shut the hell up," Illauna said tersely. "You know that I'd rather die than join you and your pitiful organization. Just give us the absol and I promise that you won't die."

Giovanni's angry silence penetrated the room, and then, "I'm sorry to hear that. However, I can't leave you to roam around in opposition to our noble cause!" He snapped his fingers and hundreds of Team Rocket trainers flooded into the already crowded room. I saw Kuvai give them all a glare of contempt before Giovanni began to speak again. "Now, my servants! Catch them!"

In a flash of lavender, crimson, and black, all of the poke balls, filled and empty, stopped in midair and were flung back to the arm that threw them. Kazu, Kuvai and Kaiyou were all glowing from the mystical power of their psychic attacks. Kazu ran towards one flank of Rockets, Amburna, Shayla, Tai and Shoko with him. Yasille transformed into her true form and attacked another rear flank, Illauna and Gruzog charged the upper left flank, and my Lord and Kuvai remained in the same place. Kaiyou's fur gave a shudder, and then electricity bounced off of him. I thought it would hit Kuvai, but strangely enough, the blue electricity avoided him.

The thunder built and was released into the bottom part of Giovanni's platform, which crumpled and collapsed. Unfortunately, Giovanni escaped the collapse, and, panting, ran from the scene. I was about to try my luck with the trunk, but a yellow face startled me.

"You okay in there?" Tai asked over the raging sound of battle.

"Yeah, I guess so," was my weak reply. I didn't really want to face the jolteon right now…

I heard a few clicks, scratches and quiet curses as he fumbled with the lock. Eventually, he succeeded and threw the lid open, which caused the fluorescent lights to flicker and die. I jumped out and blinked rapidly to try and adjust my eyes. As I shook myself, I glanced around the already destroyed battlefield. Everyone on our side was winning with ease, and the Rockets were retreating. I glanced to my Lord, still with Kuvai beside him, who was slowly walking to Arden. The absol didn't dare move as Kaiyou approached. The fear and horror was reeking from him, and as I began to walk closer, Tai stopped me.

"What's he going to do?" he asked softly. "Kaiyou, I mean."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really seen him like this before…"

I turned back to the traitor and watched as my Lord snarled down at him. I heard Kuvai say something inaudible to my ears, and for a moment, Kaiyou's fur went back down a fraction. Still, I could tell that Kaiyou wanted to tear Arden apart. With great effort, he returned to his human form. His shoulders were stiff and his fists were clenched, but still, he refrained from doing anything to Arden.

I trotted a bit closer to them and heard Kuvai say, "You do realize, you do anything to him, you feel it as well." Kaiyou didn't answer him; he just stared down at the mutinous absol at his feet. Without warning, my Lord picked Arden up by the scruff of the neck and hurled the betrayer into the adjacent wall, which was about twelve feet away. Arden hit it so hard that he made a dent in the concrete and fell limply to the floor. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the now deserted gym, and I turned back to Kaiyou, expecting him to be hurting from the pain.

If he was in pain, he didn't show it. He was glaring ferociously at Arden's form, whom was now trying to get back up, and turned to walk towards the door. His golden eyes stopped on me for but a moment, then turned back to the door. I sighed regretfully at his receding back. He was still angry…?

Kuvai's footsteps neared me, and when he stopped in front of me, he whispered, "He's not mad at you. Not anymore, at least." I allowed a half smile to lighten my face, when Tai stepped forward.

"Why did you stay beside him that whole time? You could have gone and defeated some Rockets or something." Kuvai glanced down at the jolteon -who flinched- and replied, "Because if I hadn't, Kaiyou would have killed that absol, an action I know he would later regret. I was merely making sure he didn't do anything too stupid. Though, he will be feeling that throw he inflicted sometime soon." The undead creature sauntered to Yasille, who was apologizing to an unconscious Rocket for attacking him. Tai walked past me towards the doors and stated flatly, "We should go. Shayla's gonna want to see you."

I blinked, then trudged after him. I felt terrible. He must have been so mad at me… This entire mess was completely my fault. If only I hadn't been so stubborn… I looked to the cracked concrete floor in shame. If only I hadn't been so stupid…

At that moment, Tai kicked me in the head. As I was about to tear him a new one, he stated somewhat cockily, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You look really stupid when you do."

I studied his face, which held something resembling a smirk, and I deemed it suitable to reply, "'Stupid?' What do you mean by that?"

His face grew coy and light. It was good to see that stupid smirk on him again. "You're face gets all droopy and you walk funny." At that moment, he contorted his face into an exaggerated frown: brow down, and eyes towards the ceiling. I chuckled. He looked like a Neanderthal. Then he began to walk around, dragging one foot at a time, and cried, "Oh, boo hoo! I'm so sad! Oh, waa waa!"

I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him off of his feet playfully. "Jerk!" I cried, "Now I really WILL go and cry!" I pretended to bawl, and then he tackled me. I pushed him off with my back paws and the war was on.

"Children," Amburna called from the doorway, "Please, we've all had a trying day. We need to get back to Evergrand so we won't be late for the next match."

Tai and I -who were tangled together at the moment- pouted and resumed our trek to the door. As I was about to reach it, I heard the echo of a stone falling to the ground. I turned to see Arden trying to stand in the little pile of pebbles he had created. He looked up at me, a strange, unidentifiable expression on his black face. I paused, and Tai paused beside me.

I could tell the jolteon was nervous; in my perrifial vision, I could see his chocolate eyes darting frantically from me to the other absol. But I didn't mind. He didn't have anything to be frantic about. I turned from the door and made my way back to Arden when Tai jumped in my way.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tai half-shouted. "He's-"

"I know," I replied whilst effectively cutting him off in the process. "I just… want to ask him something before we go." At Tai's unsure look, I sighed and gave him a small nuzzle on the cheek. "You have nothing to worry about."

The jolteon now in stunned silence, I closed the gap between Arden and me. The other absol glared up at me, but I didn't care. "You deserve it, you know," I said. "You betrayed not only me, but your Lord, and therefore, your entire race." I let a little air in my words so to let my statement sink in. "However, I… want you to do something for me. Well, for all of us."

Arden's gaze narrowed again. "And what is that?"

I pushed my face centimeters from his. "Never use the Void again. If I ever see your bloody carcass in there one more time, I will hunt you down like the damn bastard you are and finish what Kaiyou couldn't do. He may feel your pain, but I sure as hell don't. And destroy whatever pitiful attempts Giovanni's got for that 'permanent portal' you told me about. Got me?"

Arden's eyes studied my face for a moment, and surprisingly, it fell into a defeated, mellow grin. "It seems I crossed the wrong absol."

Tai's distant voice cried, "Damn straight!" I turned to glare at him, but Arden began to speak again. "Yes, Miss Ayako, I will comply. I… I will try and redeem myself." He looked back up at me with that charismatic smirk I had once fallen for, but it held no effect now. I wanted to see that grin on only one pokemon, and it sure as hell wasn't him. I backed away, my face full of contempt.

"See that you do," I muttered. I turned and headed back towards the door and Tai. As I passed the jolteon, I said happily, "We can go now."

He grinned and trotted along beside me, giving Arden raspberries when he thought I wasn't looking. We reached the threshold and hopped into the portal that would lead us back to Evergrand and the Hoenn League. And as Tai and I passed through the Void, I couldn't help but giggle as he tried to be calm when he was near to pissing all over himself from fear. It was good to be home.

………………

Yay! I wrote this in two days! Doesn't it delight you?

Oh yes, and an explanation for the earlier authoress note: Raito is a eunuch. He really is. Go back through the manga with that in mind and everything about him will make sense.

Ja!