A.N: Kicks here with another update! :D This update came a little bit earlier than the previous so it's good! Actually just two days earlier than the last,xD I was still a bit busy last week and school has never been nice with me nor with anybody else. School is a joke, ack. Still big thanks to those who reviewed :D
WM: Well who wouldn't like to see a pissed off Dawn at Paul :D and thanks!
QUEENSPELLER67: Actually I'll be making a lot of devils in this story, I think almost all major characters are. And nope, Paul isn't the only one, he's part of the seven hybrid devils :3 and thank you so so much for the support!
LovelyLily13: She sure did find him, or him finding her haha big thanks for the support!
Shadow Rosealine: I finally updated!bwahaha I really did a penguinshipping in the previous chapter and a bit of ikarishipping in this chappy, but no worries Kenny will have his own fair later on haha and yes Paul is half-devil and half-human but he is something else too, you will find out soon :D Thank you so much!
I will never own pokemon and its characters.
Chapter 5
"I'm home!" Dawn's voice rang in her own room. She stepped in. "Hey Paul? Did you eat the eggs I made this morning?" Dawn slowly locked the door behind her. She took off her shoes and placed them on the rack beside her door. She stole a glance at the sofa and saw his resting figure.
She smiled to herself.
She turned off the big fluorescent lights and switched on the incandescent floor lamp beside the sofa. The room soon became dimly illuminated, creating lengthy shadows of the shelves, stands, tables and other furniture. The atmosphere felt like the golden hour she had always adored.
She stretched her arm and rewarded herself a yawn.
She mentally said 'good night' to him and readied herself to bed. She noticed a peculiar scent when she was about to take a bath. She paused by the door frame of her bathroom and tried to locate where the smell came from.
She creased her nose, it wasn't strong, it was subtle but it was there, in her room.
She never smelled something like this before, she couldn't describe it exactly. One thing she was sure of was that she found it very attractive, strangely very attractive.
She paced around trying to locate the smell. And disbelief beached over her when she realized that it came from something beneath the sheets of blanket on her sofa. Well in this case, someone, beneath the sheets of blanket.
She knelt beside him and leaned in closer. She could feel his slow-paced and peaceful breathing underneath the sheets. She breathed in a deep breath. She cursed mentally. It was indeed coming from him.
She thought a lot of things.
'Did he just take a shower? What kind of smell is this? I have never smelled anything like this before.'
If it wasn't for the blanket in between them it would have been one hell of an awkward scenario. She took a sniff for the second time, inching her nose closer and closer.
'Damn he really does smell good! Seriously!'
When Paul slightly shifted movements to his sides, it caught her by surprise that she fell on her back.
She had to cover her own mouth to suppress her squeaking.
She quickly got on her feet and trudged her way towards the bathroom steaming in embarrassment of what she had done.
'I'm such a weirdo! I can't believe I just did that!'
...
Dawn stomped her feet angrily in every step. She hardly heard anything but her own thoughts. She was slightly aware of the strange looks everyone was shooting at her but she wasn't bothered by it. She cursed and cursed and cursed to her heart's content.
She just couldn't believe it.
"How could he just leave like that?!" She thought out loud, earning more unwanted eyes around her.
"And that smell! God, what is up with that?!"
She wondered since when had she started noticing how he smelled. If her memories were correct and still perfectly sane as she hoped they still were, she started to notice his strange aroma the night after their first talk about her not having to do anything for him.
"Ugh, what a jerk."
She brisk walked around the city aimlessly for what it seemed to be like an hour already. And slowly by slowly, she was finally noticing how people have gradually disappeared within the vicinity.
She paused by a closed vegetable stall.
What entertained her now was silence, the eerie kind of silence.
The rows of faulty street lamps ahead of her blinked like series lights. But rather than enjoyment and pleasure, it brought her fear and anxiety.
Something inside her started to well up. A tumor grew in her throat.
She unconsciously placed her hands on her chest, she never felt so small and insignificant in such a huge city. She never felt so open, naked and unguarded.
Dread slowly snaked up to her like inky black arms, down from her black school heels up to her yellow hair clips. Breathing suddenly became a chore.
The silence was deafening and her heartbeat was ringing so loudly that she felt it would pop her ears open. She could feel her pulse race with each breath she took.
Her body started to tremble badly.
She looked left and right frantically. No one. She tried calling for help but her voice was caged within the clawed hands of fear gripping her neck.
"Ke-Kenny..." Dawn's voice cracked. Few tears ran across her cheek. "Don't...leave me...all alone.."
Dawn stifled a sob.
...
"Hey! Are you here? Come out already!" A seven year old bluenette wandered throughout the forest of the outskirts of Twinleaf Town.
"I'm sorry already! Okay?" Dawn yelled. "I didn't mean to do it-" She tripped over a root and squeaked in pain. She rolled over and embraced her injured knee. "Ouch..." She whimpered.
The skin around her wound turned pale and purple. Dawn gasped in pain.
She looked up when a droplet of water fell on her cheek.
"Rain..?"
She flinched at the boom of thunder afar. A few more droplets and it was already drizzling. Dawn's pink one piece dress was slowly getting darker and darker with each drop.
Panic gradually welled up in her.
Nobody else was around her, except for giant trees that made her feel like a limbless insect. She heard rustling behind bushes, and growls and hoots of different animals she couldn't even imagine what they looked like. But for one thing, she knew they would never help her. And with her current state, hoping that they would all leave her alone was her only prayer.
She was so helpless that all she could do was hope and pray.
It was crazy how she couldn't imagine how such creatures would look like but she could only imagine their fangs, jagged teeth and claws, and how deep it would puncture her young and delicate skin.
"Somebody help.." Dawn cried as she curled up in a ball. "I'm scared.."
Lightning flashed the skies and Dawn closed her eyes in anticipation for the thunder. She clasped her hands against her ears too hard but she didn't mind the pain it caused. Thunder boomed for the second time as drizzle became torrential rain.
"Mom.." She cried as rain slowly messed her blue ponytail. "Somebody.."
The forest was too wide for a little girl like her. The trees loomed over her terrifyingly, she didn't know what monsters the bushes around her concealed, she was far away from home, there was no one that could help her and no one would even hear her plead for help. And the thing she feared the most, no one would even dare to find her and she would soon be forgotten.
She closed her eyes and wailed. The rustling of leaves and the crashing of rain against them mocked her cry.
Every time she would try to scream for help, the rain would fall harder. Everything around was conspiring against her, masking her cry for help.
No one was really going to save her.
Suddenly, rain drops stopped falling on her and she recognized someone's shadow. She looked up and saw the boy she was looking for earlier.
"Are you okay?" The brunet asked. He leaned the banana leaf over her closer, guarding the two of them from the heavy rain.
"Barr-" Dawn paused and blinked tears from her eyes. "Kenny!" She embraced him and cried harder. "I'm sorry I broke your favorite toy this morning! I'm sorry I got mad! I'm sorry for making you ran away. I'm sorry for hurting you." She clung on to him.
Kenny wrapped his free arm around her tiny waist. He bit his lip disdainfully.
"It's okay, I forgive you. Let's go home." He hesitated before continuing. "..Dawn."
"What happened to your clothes? They are all torn. You are full of injuries. Are you okay?"
"Yes... I am okay." He forced a smile at her.
...
"Kenny!" Dawn screamed with a shaky voice. She dropped down on her knees and clamped her ears with her hands. The ringing in her ears were so loud that it was unbearable. She looked up and saw how buildings were unusually taller than she recognized. She could hardly see the top without snapping her neck looking up. Her only light source were the dysfunctional streetlamps, sparking off and on every now and then in a horrific fashion. Even the moon was nowhere to be seen among the thick cluster of clouds.
Fear was painfully gnawing her skin off.
"Help!" She cried again. But not even an echo came back to her. She was left alone and dead silence closed in on her making her feel ironically claustrophobic at such an open area. She couldn't dare move an inch. She sensed dread lurking from dark alleys all around her. Eyeing her, observing and watching how helplessly she called for help.
Her breathing became hoarse and came in deep breaths.
It was happening all over again – the panic attack she experienced ten years ago.
"I don't want to die... I don't want to die. Am I going to die? I don't want to die. Someone help me please. Please. I don't want to die."
At the littlest of sound, Dawn whipped her head left and right. Her paranoia was making her senses sharper than the usual.
"Kenny! Are you there?!" She quickly stood on her feet and followed where the sound came from. The rustling of movements directed her in an alley that seemed veiled in the city. For someone who lived in Hearthome for three years already, she hardly even recognize the place.
Beyond the zone of darkness, Dawn could vaguely identify three persons standing next to each other.
"Kenny..?" Dawn approached carefully when a flash of red light momentarily blinded her. She staggered and took a step back.
"Shit!" A rough voice, which Dawn didn't recognize, growled. "That girl saw us!"
"Oh man, oh man, we are done for!" Another man of middle age followed panicky. "What are we gonna do? We're not supposed to be seen!"
Dawn was still dazed by that flash, she still couldn't see even with her eyes open. She wandered her arms around aimlessly hoping she could grab on to anything. She leaned on the wall.
"How about we scourge her too?" The former voice suggested. "So we could leave with no evidence."
"Are you insane? We can't do 's impossible!"
'Scourge?' Dawn's hazy vision slowly got back to normal. 'They're dangerous! I should get away from here!' Dawn panicked. Her instinct kicked in and she ran away before even fully regaining her vision.
Dawn exited the alley as fast as she could. She didn't understand a word they were talking about, but she was aware of the danger. And she swore there were three people she saw, but after that flash of red light, only two were left.
Dawn came to a halt when the same guy she saw earlier suddenly popped out of nowhere in front of her.
"Where do you think you're going missy?" The guy around late 20's snickered. He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt with ripped jeans. His ragged blond hair swayed with the cold wind of the night. His two irises glowed red with hunger and threat.
Dawn gasped.
Dawn heard shuffling behind her. She looked back and saw another guy with the same age as the one in front of her in plain white shirt and jeans. "After what you've just seen, I don't think we would just let you get away." His eyes glowing red as well.
The streetlamp beside Dawn sparked and went off.
"I swear I didn't see anything.." Her voice broke. She gripped her skirt and her breathing came in heavy pants. "I swear... Don't come any closer please."
The two men closed in on her.
"Don't worry. We'll make this quick!" The one in front roared and pounced at her with his unusually pointed nails. Dawn embraced herself and closed her eyes in anticipation. "Kenny. Mom. Somebody help me, please."
"Urgh! Ack!"
A loud thud startled Dawn. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the man who charged at her earlier was now spread out lifelessly in front of her.
His eyes were white, his hair turned gray and he thinned unbelievably like a mummy. Something drained him dry of life.
Her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened at the quick murder she just missed.
A peculiar aroma drifted by her.
The one she was looking for was now right here.
Relief and fear battled inside her.
She whipped her head to the left and saw a hooded silhouette. His dark figure was foreboding against the silence and emptiness of the area. He was standing still bathed by the darkness of the shadow of a tall building behind him. With his right iris glowing red, Dawn could feel her skin crawl at the sight.
Her heart froze and her skin turned pale. Paul was displaying his chillingly inhuman qualities once again.
Paul mechanically turned his head to the other guy behind Dawn.
The guy fell on his back. He was shaking with fear.
"Thi-this c-can't be..." His voice cracked and trembled. He slowly crawled backwards in fear. "Yo-you ca-can't po-pos-possibly be re-real!"
Dawn cupped her mouth in deep apprehension.
I told you we should have never adopted that child! Look at his right eye! It's red! It's a manifestation of a devil! A monster!
No blood, no injuries, their mouths are foaming and their eyes, it's all white. This is too bizarre, like something overwhelmed them to death.
Why am I assigned to this kid? Subject7 is the most dangerous of the seven! He could kill us in an instant!
"You are nothing but myth-" He choked and gasped for air. He rolled over to his side as foams formed in his mouth. He writhed in pain like a fish out of water. His eyes bulged and almost came out of their sockets. And Dawn could hear all his bone snap like crackers.
Dawn's expression mortified how he was even unable to scream for help in so much pain.
The man died shortly after a few seconds of struggling on the cold pavement.
Dawn swallowed hard.
She turned her head towards Paul.
Paul's dark silhouette slowly walked to her.
"Are you okay?" He asked her calmly. He took off the hood over his head and offer his hand.
The clouds slowly dispersed behind him revealing a big and yellow moon. His monstrous and murderous silhouette vanished too, revealing an average boy with his signature scowl.
His wonderful aroma gently wrapped around her.
His right iris was still pulsating crimson.
Dawn looked at him in awe that she couldn't explain. She tried to process everything that happened, but she couldn't. She blinked twice. Paul had saved her from those people. And she was pretty much sure they were devils and they just killed someone back at the alley.
'Devils really do exist..'
And a devil, a devil was scared of Paul. And what Dawn got horrified even more was how Paul killed two guys without even doing anything.
Paul looked at her with his usual bored look. His red eye gradually turning back to a beautiful lilac. He sighed.
"I leave you for one moment and you almost got yourself killed." He dejectedly felt his head. "And still in your school uniform." He added, unamused. "Are you really supposed to be this troublesome?"
The moment she grabbed his hand she thought if the same thing would happen to her, dying in such a painful way. But he had saved her, she owed him her life. She thought that maybe she wouldn't mind dying if he killed her right off the bat.
'Hey Dawn. What do you really think about Paul?'
"What are you really?" She asked, trying not to show that her knees were still trembling.
"You're welcome." He rolled his eyes. "A monster, apparently. Isn't it obvious?" He added monotonously.
"Sorry..." Was all Dawn could muttered. She was still shaking from her panic attack and tried her best to straighten up. Paul looked back at her and sighed. He went back to her and carried her by his shoulder. "Did they hurt you?" He asked without looking at her. He took a small step forward and Dawn followed, shifting most of her weight on him. She never noticed it before but his body was more firm than she recognized.
"No." She replied, trying hard not to show her reddening face.
"You're not afraid of me?" Paul asked right away as they started walking slowly.
Dawn could only shook her head.
"You are more stupid than I thought." Paul replied.
"Paul. This might be a stupid thing to say, but.." Dawn breathed in deeply, not bothering to look at him. "You don't have anywhere to stay right now, right?"
"You're saying that I should stay with you?" Paul replied immediately. "Is that it? Despite what you just saw? Are you serious?"
Dawn nodded.
"It's the least I can do to you for saving me."
...
As Paul and Dawn disappeared by a corner. Kenny gripped his shirt in extreme anger and frustration.
He had been hiding and observing the whole thing by a far corner. He is supposed to be the one to save her, the one aiding her right now, the one supposed to be right beside her.
But no, he got terrified. His body froze right on the spot when he saw them circle around Dawn. Their claws and fangs scared him like a gradeschooler.
He didn't admit it to himself but he felt relieved Paul arrived and saved her. But at the same time his heart ached with so much pain of regret and hatred toward himself.
He cursed a lot.
"After promising I would protect her, I got scared like shit!" He punched the wall beside him. His knuckles bruised and bled. "I was ready to jump in and protect her but my legs wouldn't damn move!" He repeatedly punch the wall in anguish hoping he could feel anything else other than the pain in his chest.
"I'm such a freaking wuss!"
His legs finally gave way to his weight and to the weight of the feeling in his chest. He knelt on the concrete pavement and dug his face on his own hands. He howled silently. His tears flowed rampantly.
"Why can't I protect her?! Why am I so weak?!" He kept on pounding the wall as the pain in his knuckles all gradually went numb.
He hung his shoulder.
"Was there even anything I could do? How could I even save her? I'm just nothing..I'm no one. I couldn't possibly save her."
He leaned his back against the wall and slid down.
'Live, for me, no matter what. And I'll see you again. Definitely.'
For some odd reason, the pain he felt wasn't so foreign, which made it all the more worse – the pain of repeated failure.
He clutched his chest in burning agony.
Chapter 5 End: The Harbinger of Death
A.N: A little side note, devils are a little bit more physically powerful than humans, and faster too. And I've finally decided what to call that ability devils use to erase and replace humans, scourge or scourging. By scourging, devils can erase and replace (only to a certain degree) a person's existence in the world without any trace/evidences, even memories about him in other people and written records of him. It's the reason why Dawn would never remember Barry, and how Kenny sort of replaced Barry's presence in the world. But for scourging to work no other human must witness the process or else the scourged individual would just end up missing, rather than erased. More infos will be revealed. Please read and review :3 and good day!
Kicks!