THEME SONG: 'My Heart I Can't Say, Your Heart I Want To Know' – Ah! Megami-sama, opening theme


Gary tried his hardest not to flinch as the nails on Mia's white fingers dug deeply into the soft flesh on his hand. She stared straight ahead of her with glassy eyes, latched on to both him and Duplica as the large group moved as a whole down the grimy ship corridor; a protective shell of bodies around the two petrified teenaged girls. Gary stared at the pallid complexion of the girl of Spanish origin beside him – despite her bravado, her raw trepidation was evident.

A sheepish Duplica and Todd seemed to have taken to staying as far apart from each other as was possible, but anxious glances from Todd's brown eyes continuously roamed over to the newly exposed object of his passions. Duplica herself had her bushy turquoise hair loose, and was brushing it continually out of her eyes irritably; but as ever moving as her arm was, her eyes, like Mia's, remained glassy and staring straight ahead.

Nobody spoke, as the sixteen of them crept warily up to the deck, squinting under the tropical sunshine. Tracey blinked, adjusting faster than others. He muttered under his breath, so that only Karlie could hear him properly.

"That's not Valencia Island…"

"Attention!" snapped an official-looking deck-hand. "Now everybody please don't panic, this is merely a safety pre-"

"HOLY CRAP!" Michelle squealed, bluntly, from where she was almost falling overboard by the side railing. Todd sighed, and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to relative safety. She ignored him and pointed with an uncharacteristically shaking finger out at what should have been a sparkling, tropical ocean.

Instead of foamy white tufts adorning the water, there were huge, shiny black splodges, oozing and stretching everywhere. The passengers of the luxury liner gazed in disgust at the scene, but seven hands flew to seven pendants as they twinged in warning. The oil was spreading unnaturally fast, the emissions from the main body reaching out like fingers to devour yet more of the ocean.

"We can't steer the boat through the oil-spill," explained the crew member. "It's no big deal. We're going to just put you in the lifeboats with a member of the crew, and they'll row you to mainland Mandarin."

"MANDARIN?" echoed most of the Valencia-bound crew. The deckhand shrugged.

"This is as far as we can go. You'll be taken to the seaside resort of Kiwi Cove on South-East Mandarin, and hopefully you can get alternative transport there…" The man continued to tell the passengers about the great coach-travel deals that their mainland travel company offered, but a group of anxious people huddled together away from the crowd. Duplica looked fit to pass out at any moment, and was now leaning wearily on Todd.

"I'm not getting off this boat," Mia snapped, fearfully, leaning as far back from the railing as she could manage. She eyed the unloading lifeboats – each a luminescent orange in colour, and able to seat 35 people.

"Mia you can't stay," soothed Sarah, grabbing the older girl's arm comfortingly. "It'll be okay."

"Look at all the people," Ash quipped, gesturing around at the crew, passengers and finally their own little group. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you two."

"Let's split up between boats," suggested Jesse, tossing her plaited hair over her shoulder decisively. "That way more of them will have to sink."

"No," answered back Brock. "If we do that we're endangering the lives of the other people in the lifeboat. I say we wait until there's only one left, and go in it ourselves." Mia and Duplica stared sadly at each other. Brock's face softened. "I know it's scary girls, but we're all be there with you." Duplica managed a weak smile, and Mia conjured up her grin. Erin laughed.

"It feels like we should be doing something corny here, like clasping hands in the middle of the circle or something!" Misty raised her eyebrow at this, and defiantly stuck her hands out, palm down. Everyone rolled their eyes, but a few people went along with it. Gary folded his arms and muttered something unpleasant, and Duplica found herself smiling for real as she began to feel comfortable in the protection of her friends again. Todd was still standing behind her, and he pressed his lips to her cheek as he murmured words of encouragement.

"Need a rower?" the deckhand asked as he helped Jesse hop daintily into the gently rocking lifeboat, which was suspended over the edge of the deck – the last lifeboat containing passengers to leave; the ratio of seats to passengers had been almost double. Brock hesitantly shook his head.

"No, we're fine. James and I will row."

"Aie?" squealed James, but was abruptly silenced when Jesse smacked him with the fan she had magically pulled from somewhere. Mia stepped nervously into the swaying boat, her legs feeling like partially solidified water. She was sweating from the tropical heat, but her entire body shivered with a artic chill, and with a quick glance behind her, she could see that Duplica was in pretty much the same state.

Mia practically threw herself into the centremost seat in the centremost bench, squeezing between Rachel and Trish and latching onto the bench with white knuckles. Whimpering slightly, Duplica was helped into the boat by Todd, and sat on the bench opposite Mia, her legs shaking so much that her knees were visibly knocking one another. Both girls gasped despite themselves as the boat was roughly lowered to one of the only uncovered areas of water. Brock reached for an oar.

"Here we go."

~*~

Author closed her colourless eyes, and twirled a strand of her colourless hair around a finger. Jacqui watched from a metre away, where she leant against the wall watching her counterpart with growing fear and hatred.

"Two little girlies, sittin' in the boat," Author sang sweetly, in Jacqui's voice, startling the girl. "Two little girlies, sittin' in the boat," she repeated, reaching for the biro pen. "But if one of girlies, should accidentally drown…" Her voice stopped mid-verse, and Jacqui pushed herself forwards off the wall, defiantly.

DUPLICA IMITE.

MARIA RENEE RODRIGUEZ.

Jacqui stared at the names on the paper over Author's shoulder.

(I don't want you to do this) she pressed the figure. (Don't do it again, please don't. I don't want that on my conscience.) Author ignored the girl's plea, and stared hungrily at the two names.

"One at a time," she murmured, half to herself and half to Jacqui. Abruptly, she turned to stare at the girl, and Jacqui flinched when she gazed into the surreally familiar eyes. Author lifted herself from the deskchair, and stood up in front of Jacqui, grasping her hand sisterly in her own.

"You chose, Jacqueline," she insisted, earnestly. "Which one is going to survive to see another night?" Jacqui gasped in disgust.

(How dare you ask me something like that?) her soundless voice rang in anger. (There will be no more deaths in my story. Do you hear me? This is MY story.) Author shook her head gently.

"Jacqueline, this is a large responsibility," interrupted Velve, as she walked towards them, with the purple velvet of her robes sliding gracefully over her skin. "You may as well decide, because both will die eventually. It's just the way things are."

Jacqui stared at the names again, tears stinging her eyes as she realised it was true. She sighed, as she decided, but stared up at the other two females with despair in her dark eyes.

(I wish you two would leave me alone), she murmured, before wearily sliding down the wall to the floor, and hanging her throbbing head over her bent upwards knees.

I'd give anything to silence the voices ringing in my head.

~*~

The short journey was about half over – and Brock and James were surprisingly skilled at dodging the large and ever-moving colonies of foreboding black ooze that now adorned so much of the scenery. The small waves ebbing against the boat began to relax Mia. She looked across at Duplica, who was laughing and joking with Todd and Karlie; she was very animated, and gestured widely as she retold a favourite joke.

Good, thought Mia, satisfied. I'm glad Duplica has calmed down, she was worse than a sentry earlier. It's only when you let your guard down that you realise that the whole world's not out to get you. Mia's smiling and half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open in shock at the wording of her thoughts. She opened her mouth to issue a warning to her unsuitably jovial partner, but nothing came out but a strangled cry as Mia felt the bottom of the boat jar far more than it had previously.

The tropical water was as cold as ice, and Mia spluttered as her gaping mouth was filled with a mixture of the unnaturally chill water, and diluted oil. Cries issued from the rest of the group, mainly in shock at the stabbing pain of the freezing water. Mia whirled around, trying her hardest to keep afloat in the water that was thick with oil.

"Where the frell has the boat gone?" she snapped, in panic as various Trainers released various Water Pokémon. Rachel floated around at the sound of Mia's voice, and her mouth twisted into a scream.

"MIA!" Mia struggled to turn around in the thick water, and screamed herself at the rapidly approaching wave of oil. Without thinking, she and the few people who were near her dived under the surface.

With her heart and head pounding, Duplica breast-stroked through the water as fast as she could. All of her senses told her this was wrong – oil does not chase you underwater. Up ahead she could see Mia and Ash, but the rest were too far in front that the murky water shaded all but their rough outlines. Her lungs protested at their lack of oxygen, and frantically she headed for the surface, feeling her thick hair weighing against her.

Mia's head broke the surface of the water at the same time Duplica's did, and both the girls took long, gulping breaths of air. Instantly, they swan the few short strokes to each other, and rotated around in the water.

"The boat's down there," Mia croaked, her fright even more obvious now that she knew their boat had sunk for no apparent reason.

"We've got worse problems," cried Duplica, bursting into frantic tears, despite herself. Mia swore under her breath as she swiveled around to take in her full surroundings. They were enclosed; a circle of grease was purposefully forming itself around them. Duplica ducked back under the water, but the wall of oil reached further down than they could ever hope to survive without air.

"We've got, we've got, t-to swim straight through the oil," Mia stammered, determinedly. Duplica set her jaw, knowing full well there was no time for complaints now. "Okay?" Mia asked, pausing just about to dive, and speaking in an uncharacteristically high voice. Duplica nodded, fearfully. "Hey, Ditz…" Mia murmured softly, and Duplica looked at her inquisitively. "I'm… sorry I guess." Duplica nodded, understanding. "And goodbye. Just in case."

"Just in case," Duplica echoed, before the teenagers shared a resolute smile, and dived.

I can't…

I can't breathe.

I can't move.

She panicked – her legs thrashed around futilely in the thick water. Panic arose in her as she reached blindly for a surface that, for her, would never come…

~*~

The two bodies were dragged up onto the sand, and instantly they crowded around the motionless Mia and Duplica. Todd made a strangled sound in his throat, and supported Duplica's limp head as Trish quickly checked her pulse. Her fingers remained at the girls neck for almost a minute – she could feel it, but it kept fading away.

Mia stared upwards at the concerned faces above her. She was alive. She was out of the water. But she still couldn't breathe properly. Weakly, she turned her head and saw the dying Duplica lying next to her, and she pinched her eyes shut in anger and pain. What is the point anymore.

Mia opened her eyes feebly once more as she felt someone begin to stroke her hair. A young girl with dark hair and eyes was kneeling by her head smiling softly. Mia felt like she was about to burst into the tears she had run out of – Jacqui… did this mean she was going to live or die? There was still an immense crushing pain in her lungs.

"They'll give their auras, strength revealed

And your fallen ones shall come reborn..."

Mia blinked, and somewhere in her foggy brain made a note to remember what she assumed to be the second half of Rachel's verse. She stared up at Jacqui, unable to say anything to her or her worried friends. Why is it so hard to breathe?

Breathe. Breathe. In. Out. She could hear it now. Rasping as she breathed in. Wet as she breathed out. Breathe. Breathe.

Jacqui stood up gracefully, and stood above Duplica's unmoving form. She emitted a sad sigh.

I am truly sorry.

Mia watched as the girl faded away into nothing but small flecks of a black dust, which landed undetected onto Duplica's face.

Hot pain seared through Mia's body, racing through every vein and passage and concentrating in her chest. The force was so much that her back arched straight upwards, and a intense dark green light burst from her pendant, thin at its origin, and thickening as it grew taller. Mia opened her mouth to scream from the unbearable pain, but no sound came out; only what seemed to the spectators to be gallons and gallons of black liquid, pouring out of Mia's lungs.

Mia finally fell back, exhausted and in tears as the light sucked backwards into her pendant, and Trish dropped her fingers, starting to cry as she realised there wasn't, and never would be any pulse in Duplica's body to sense again.

Breathe. Breathe. Mia repeated her mantra. Breathe. Because you can.