-Iris!-

It's too late, and Kyurem knows it. Her blood pressure has already dropped, consciousness now faded and fizzled away. Her senses connecting her to the outside world are cut off, but within, it can feel that she's okay. Slowly, but surely, her blood pressure is returning to normal. Relief rushes through, only to be drowned by a new wave of guilt. Kyurem had known what was coming.

Plenty of vessels had fainted in the past for some reason or another, and as the one residing deep inside them, it is familiar with the sensation. As the one not controlling the body, the one not having to be the surface consciousness, it has the luxury of being able to focus on other things. Physiological changes, for example, can be felt slightly before they reach a vessel's conscious attention.

Then there's the issue of subconscious emotions, the start of the guilt that has given rise to this most recent one. The first day Kyurem and Iris had met, she had reacted like the others. Vessels could do their best to prepare and interrogate their mentor as much as they please, but reality isn't so easily experienced. That's why every time, on a vessel's first day, feelings of surprise, being overwhelmed, stress, pain, and everything in between take root. Of course, these emotions typically wither away as trust and understanding are built.

But before that can even happen, acceptance is necessary. Iris may have accepted Kyurem logically, for there was no denying its existence inside her, but what of her heart? No, not fully, not yet.

That too was expected, and Kyurem can't blame her for it. Unlike its previous vessels, Iris is more isolated. The others could call the Village of Dragons home. It was and still is a tight-knit, loyal community. As long as there were no tourists or other such non-village-related visitors around, vessels were free to talk about Kyurem and exercise their ice powers without fear of being discovered. At most Iris could call it her hometown, but her real home is now with Drayden in Opelucid City. Any overt ice usage would be restricted to times of utmost privacy. Then there was the matter of coping with having an entity like it literally with her at all times, her emotions and thoughts open to its judgement. She'd never be able to talk to friends about it. She'd never be able to talk to her family about it. She'd never be able to talk to any future lovers about it. Sure, there were Shannon and Mizuta, but each letter sent was a risk, and writing and interpreting codes is an awkward way to have an honest conversation. And as much as the two had reassured her, even bringing Kyurem into it, that being a vessel was a choice, that a replacement could be procured if she refused, the truth was not quite that clean.

Theoretically, it could be done. It would just be very difficult to find a comparable vessel. One needs an exceptionally healthy body in order to take on the strain it brings. Then, so that the strain can be mitigated even more, a prodigious talent for bonding with dragons is preferred. These two simple things ensured a decently long life for the vessel, and a decently long hideaway for Kyurem. But the Village of Dragons population has dwindled and much of it left aging. While a person may be fit enough, they might be lacking in bonding ability. Or it could be the other way around. At this point, any replacement vessel would only last a few years.

Iris was, in a way, stuck with it, isolated and with practically no choice to refuse. Then there was all the other baggage that came with its existence such as its murderous past and the sharing of thought and emotion. Kyurem had felt it and listened in during that last dinner. Iris's sinking mood was harrowing. So much responsibility. So much burden. All because of it, because of a broken, empty, pitiful shell! That's why it had decided to hide itself, deep, deep within her mind. It would be like it wasn't even there. She could live a life that was, at least, a little more normal. There would still be the issue of having to vent the excess ice, but she wouldn't have to talk to it, share her feelings, or share her thoughts. Kyurem was sure she would appreciate it.

Even still, Iris tried. Rather than ignoring it like she easily could have, she still tried to engage it. Back during the walk home, and then again in her room. Then there was her plan to hide the keystones. It would mean stealing from a friend and carrying another burden for the rest of her life.

All for its sake.

...Maybe it should—

Kyurem feels Iris stir. It too listens to the strange man (That is what Iris had thought about him, right? It vaguely remembers Iris's feelings of annoyance and something about persistence.), Colress, as he talks about her fainting. He seems kind, lending his lab coat as a pillow and administering first aid. Reassured that she'll be alright, Kyurem starts to retreat again. There's no need to be any more of a disruption than it already has been to her life. What would its concern mean to her? Would she see it as genuine? Or would she view it as it as mere concern for her as a vessel, a container and cringe in disgust? Kyurem's line of thought is interrupted as Iris falls asleep, and…

...someone else enters.

Kyurem focuses on the intruder. It's searching for something. Red, green, and yellow searchlights scan the mindscape, converging swiftly before descending. A recent memory? Rushing forward, Kyurem prepares to intercept and lets itself be pulled in.

This feeling...it is definitely Iris. As one who has visited numerous minds, it slowly developed a sense for it, a person's mental signature. Much like people have their own unique scent or DNA, they have a distinctive mental signature. Iris's was a sunny yellow, warm and shining like a flower of blooming light.

Where was the intruder? Unlike Kyurem, it didn't seem to be within the memory itself. All that could be felt was Iris's signature. Stretching out its senses, Kyurem watches the memory. Just what was their objective? Iris is running late for the bus, but luckily a man intervenes, stalling the vehicle. Ah. That man is Colress. They sit next to each other and introduce themselves. This must be their first meeting. It's quite a friendly meeting, but something about it is...off putting. Like someone trying to mend a torn shirt with floss instead of thread. Kyurem clenches its claws and grits its teeth. Still no sign of the intruder. Even after extending its senses over the ground outside of the bus, all it can feel is the tendrils of Iris's yellow.

Wait.

Tendrils?

Kyurem breathes slowly and concentrates. Yes, it is certainly Iris's signature, but it's warped. Shades of yellow are not fanning out in a spectrum as they should, all mismatched like shoddy patchwork. Some shades hastily added. Their stitching smells faintly of iron. Rays of light have been stretched out and twisted as though someone had been pulling taffy. Looking even closer, past the shine of the light, striations of red, green, and an alien yellow can be seen. They pulsate and branch out like bulging tumorous veins, and Iris's voice takes on a robotic tone. She says its name.

At once, Kyurem strikes, sending a purging ice into the light. The colors buzz angrily and erupt into a blinding flash. The sudden retaliation stings its eyes, forcing them to squeeze shut. It takes a few seconds to shake the pain away. That attack may have hurt, but it did give confirmation. Kyurem tenses and gathers its power. It knows the intruder's signature now, a metallic and amorphous amalgamation.

The intruder flees, pausing only to perform its sterilizing luster over three other memories, but before it can finish Kyurem's frost reaches it. A fine, misty layer covers the strange oblong lights, smothering them. The lights screech and vibrate with a frightening intensity. Flashbangs, strobes, lightening, and supernovas of obscuring brightness burst from every direction. Kyurem scoffs as it swiftly blankets the mindscape in a layer of protective snow. The light show is nothing more than a desperate, pathetic attempt at bombardment, a show of fear rather than a show of power. Frost already there, Kyurem simply wills it inward.

The ice crystals gleam and grow into billions of needles. They pierce through without mercy, all the way to the core of the lights, making a most cruel pincushion. It's packed impossibly tight. Not even a faint glimmer of color is allowed to bleed out. Their absolute cold numbs and snuffs out the fight, the life, the will, the everything.

"Bwah!"

Iris gasps, newly awakened. Kyurem watches through her eyes as they scan her surroundings in confusion. They sweep over Colress and his pokemon, a floating maroon entity with a large bell-shaped head. It has red, green, and yellow digits. Realization hits, ugly and hard.

Kyurem had just wanted to give her a little relief. But that was a mistake, a foolish, horrible mistake! Rather than hiding away like a coward, Kyurem should have been there for her. And now…!

Iris's heart flutters, matching the butterflies in her stomach. Colress is leading her by the hand into the shade of the trees. Thoughts of fawning flit around in her head. Paired with the smug, triumphant smirk that Colress is currently failing to hide, Kyurem feels sick. Did this man seriously alter her memories in order to win her affections?! Kyurem's mind whirls, and it blanches at the revolting implications. As if further rubbing it in, he lets his thumb graze over Iris's fingers. The touch is ghostly light, enough to send shivers down one's spine. And it does for her, paired with a stuttering inhale. Kyurem shivers for another reason entirely. Colress chuckles, revelling in the extra confirmation. Guilt, disgust, shame swirl about again, but even deeper than those is a sense of protectiveness. Wallowing won't accomplish anything! Iris hadn't. Despite the negative emotions and reservations she had about being a vessel, she still put forth the effort. And what kind of legendary dragon would it be if it couldn't protect her!

Kyurem rushes back into the mindscape, looking for the memories that his pokemon had tampered with. The more it knows, the easier it can fix the situation. They don't take long to find. There are four memories in total, but unlike the first memory that pokemon—Beheeyem, Kyurem hastily remembers—altered, the remaining three have static crackling through them. Kyurem enters one and finds itself back in Iris's room, or perhaps in what is the ghostly remains of Iris's room. White static pokes holes into everything. The furniture is barely corporeal. It fears that even a single touch could lead to disintegration. This effect extends to Iris, who is getting ready to train. Her voice and her thoughts are muffled as if they've been smothered with a grater. The noise of the static drones, further obscuring her words.

[*g*! W*at *s up w**h t*** g**!?]

Fragments of annoyance and worry brush over its skin, scarcely larger than grains of sand. Ah, that's right. This is from earlier today. Kyurem closes its eyes and pulls upon its own memory, overlaying it on top of hers. The combination of the two makes it easier to remember. As meager as it is now, Kyurem hopes that her memory can fill in the gaps of its own. If only it hadn't been acting so aloof at the time…

Iris had been complaining about Colress. He was being pushy again.

Again?

Kyurem thinks back to the bus memory. Colress didn't seem like he was being pushy, and it appeared that Iris was enjoying her conversation with him. It violently shakes its head. Trusting the memory at face value would be foolish. Beheeyem had messed with it after all. But the best lies contain kernels of truths. Kyurem just needs to figure out what those are. Iris's mental signature of the memory was manipulated, but barely anything had actually been added. Otherwise it would have been easier to locate Beheeyem's foreign mental signature.

Stepping out of the fuzzy memory, it enters the bus memory once more. This time Kyurem pays rapt attention, focusing on picking out the major truths and the major lies. Iris was nervous, worrying about her upcoming meeting with it. This feeling of nervousness intensified upon meeting Colress, who had started asking for folklore. It notes that the man had no qualms about violating her personal space. These were the truths.

The falsehoods were easy to pick out. The answer she gave to his request stunk of Beheeyem's metal. Obviously, she wouldn't want to talk about a subject that could lead to someone discovering its existence, and she definitely would not give its name. That means she must have refused in reality.

It travels to the other two static-laden memories to try and find more details. They are also from earlier today, one from before and one from after the time in Iris's room. Upon entering, Kyurem curses at itself. These memories sustained greater damage. It only has the leftover fragments to work with since it wasn't present at the time. Any words are swallowed and garbled, undecipherable. The only things left are the pieces of Iris's panic and protectiveness dusting the air. A stab of regret throbs in Kyurem's chest. It wasn't there for these at all. Looks like this is all the information it can get.

Hmmmmm.

The negative emotions regarding Colress in all the memories would explain the need for tampering. Who would be affectionate with someone they dislike? There's something that doesn't quite match up though. Why the rewrite of Iris mentioning its name? It seemed a bit out of place. Wouldn't a normal, pleasant conversation suffice? Perhaps Colress had picked up on the fact that she wouldn't talk about Unova's legendary dragons, so maybe he figured she would avoid him just for being interested. Whatever the reason, Kyurem can use this! Iris will surely realize that there's no way she would act so out of character. All that's needed is to call attention to it.

Kyurem waits as the training wraps up. It stays on the surface levels of consciousness, ready to strike if Colress sends in Beheeyem again. Thankfully, nothing else happens during training and he leaves after a few polite words of farewell. The front door shuts with a 'click,' and the sound of footsteps fade into the distance. Kyurem takes a deep breath. It's time to apologize.


Author's Notes: I am disturbed at how easily I wrote the Colress chapter, compared to this one. Some say to put pieces of yourself in your characters in order to make them easier to write. Honestly, Kyurem, you got my bad habits of a guilt complex and rumination. Writing this chapter should not have taken so long (I made quite a few edits and rewrites) considering the familiar concepts! I don't see any parts of myself in Colress. I think he's just easy to write because his goal never wavers.

There were two main things I wanted to accomplish with this chapter.

I mentioned it during Shannon's POV, but Iris is in a bit of a difficult situation when it comes to being a vessel.

A continuation of Kyurem's guilt. Right now it mainly concerns Iris, but it stems farther and deeper than that…(you do remember that Kyurem was the one who introduced the possibility of vessels, right?)

When you consider those and the state of the Village of Dragons, the future looks pretty uncertain. Can things really continue on like this?

On another note, if anyone is worried (Kyurem is, and I would be if I didn't know any better), Colress sees amorous feelings as a means to an end. He'll do stuff to string someone along, but only for the information gained. An actual relationship and/or carnal desires are of no interest to him. Sorry, I just cannot imagine it, at least not for the Colress I envision in my head.