Author's Note: You want some Dusknoir? You want some angst? Good, because here's some Dusknoir angst! Really, I figured I should write this out sooner or later, considering how big of an impact Madeline's death had on him and Missy (who is probably very young here, incidentally).


Loss of Light

It happened in a blur, and he had trouble recalling exactly how it went down until later.

He'd always been decent at managing in their world. He would've liked to see how things were before, of course, but the darkness in and of itself didn't bother him. Maybe it was just because he was a Ghost-Type, and it was typical of most ghosts to enjoy the shadows.

Of course, there was one other reason, too. Most of the other Pokémon he'd encountered had always talked about how hopeless the world felt. Even if they couldn't figure out why, they'd all mentioned a lingering sense of confusion over the constant darkness. But not him; he'd never felt that way.

He had Madeline, and her eternal cheeriness gave him something to look forward to. And then their egg had hatched, and he had a daughter. Having a family was so much better than he'd expected, and taking care of them gave him a reason to care. It truly made him feel like there was something worthwhile in the world.

But then all of that changed.

It had started out simply. Madeline had suggested they go out on a small trip together, which he'd happily agreed to. Missy was still very small, and she had blinked in response. She hadn't gotten to do much traveling—maybe she didn't see the appeal of it yet. Eventually, though, she nodded; going out with her parents was something she understood well enough, and that was fine for now.

Then, they passed by an old ruin. He'd been on guard, but Madeline had been oddly excited about it. She was eager to see what the inside looked like, despite his warning to be careful. And then she'd gotten ahead of him and Missy.

Sighing, he looked to see if the young Misdreavus was still close to him. Then, he cautiously floated through the entrance to the ruins. Madeline couldn't have gotten too far… Hopefully he'd catch up soon enough.

Then, there was a high-pitched scream from around the corner of the next hallway. His eye widened; that was Madeline's voice. He frantically rounded the corner, noting the wild Pokémon scrambling away from the area. None of them were stopping to help. Why weren't any of them worried about what happened? Why didn't they care?

Madeline was on the floor in the middle of the chamber. Blood was splattered across her midsection, and she was breathing in ragged gasps. A Metang was floating over her, his claws bloody and poised to strike again.

"You're with the trespasser?" the Steel-Type hissed. "Get out! Get out!"

Something deep and primal came over him, and he didn't entirely register his pained roar or his wild flurry of punches and Shadow Balls. The next thing he was really aware of was Metang clanging against the wall and falling to the ground. Then, he was crouching over Madeline, shaking bringing a hand to her face.

"You—you're fine," he said shakily. "You'll be fine, and we'll get you out of here, and—"

"No I'm not." She laughed weakly, coughing as more blood dripped from her wounds. "You don't have to lie to me. I-I won't…"

"Yes, you will," he insisted, his voice almost pathetically desperate by now. "We have to keep going. We'll just—"

"Just…take care of Missy for me. Please. This was…my idea. It's my fault…this happened. So don't…blame yourself. Smile…for me…Domi—"

Madeline's voice faded, and her eyes were wide and unfocused. Her body was still. He silently stared at her and refused to believe what was painfully obvious. Madeline wasn't dead; she couldn't be dead. They'd just gone out for a trip together, and she'd been so excited about it, and—

"M-mom? Where's Mom?"

And then there was Missy's voice from behind him. She'd just made her way down the hallway, and her eyes fell on her mother's prone form. And, once she started wailing, it finally sank in.

Madeline was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. She hadn't even finished saying his name, and that miserable thought just topped the whole thing off. He couldn't even bear to think of his name at the moment, as pitiful as that was.

Somehow, Dusknoir managed to lift her up and carry her out of the ruins, and the next thing he knew he was staring blankly at the spot he'd buried her. He was worthless; he couldn't even protect his mate. There was no point to anything; not anymore.

But then his eye fell on Missy. He had to keep living, even if it was just for her. There were still flashes of pain; the sight of Madeline's body, the outrage that no one had stepped between her and the Metang, the unfairness of it all. Maybe the world really was hopeless, after all. But…Missy couldn't lose both her parents.

That would be the most unfair thing of all, Dusknoir bitterly mused. He'd keep going, if only for her. He could at least protect her—keep her from suffering the same fate as Madeline.

And maybe that was good enough for now.