Legal Disclaimer: Nintendo owns Pokemon. Same boring routine. Mystic
Mewtwo owns Ki and the setting of her story I am borrowing, which is not so
boring :D She has my thanks for her permission to use her characters and
universe from "Between Two Worlds" and to play with it myself, with my own
character Sharie from "Of Moonlight Shadows and Echoes Past".
Okay, folks, for three previous parts now I've explained it. I'm not going to again; it's starting to drive me a little crazy. I will, however, mention that it's is rated PG-13 for violence. Enjoy!
Shadowed Reflections By ZeoViolet
****
Sharie continued to stare at Mewtwo unflinchingly, ready to accept her fate.
*You....* Mewtwo fought to keep his voice neutral. *You are related to humans lower than the dust beneath my feet. Your eyes say you know all about me. Is your life so worthless to you you stuck around here?*
*I did the right thing,* said Sharie firmly, still in telepathy. *I accepted my fate when I decided to help you. How could I not? You have a mate, and a family. The Fearow nearly killed you.*
*Oh? And what fate were you picturing?* Mewtwo said, still fighting to keep his tone neutral.
*You nearly killed my uncle and father; though I understand your feelings. They treated you as they never should have. Team Rocket treated you even worse, from the stories that reached my ears. Like an experiment, a toy, a machine. Below them. I know how that feels. Your actions were not unjustified and I think you were entitled to repayment for the anguish you and Ki have suffered.*
*So what?* demanded Ki. *From what you've told me, this is not your fault! You were not directly involved in this mess of our past!*
*Close enough. Now that you both know, my fate is in your hands--it is only right. I knew that from the start, and I accept it. There's few enough that will miss me, trust me.*
Sharie swallowed, resolute.
*I cannot believe she wishes to die,* muttered Mewtwo darkly.
*Are you kidding?* cried Ki angrily. *She is not showing it to you but I saw the fear, and the truth, in her eyes when she told me her story. She has a good, pure heart, Mewtwo! If we do this we have learned nothing, after all we've been through! We'll be no better than Goivanni, just like our actions with the other trainers on New Island would have rendered us no better than him if we had succeeded, too blinded by our anger and desire for revenge to think of the true consequences of our actions. Sharie is innocent!*
*Stop!* cried Sharie. She did not want to listen to any more right now. *I already said I'd not be placed in the middle of something that is going to cause you both to disagree on something. It's the last thing you need. Your hearts are so tight you'd both suffer. Just--just do it!*
*Do you truly wish it?* Mewtwo raised his arm in readiness, just in case. Anger was broiling through him at the resurfacing of some of their more painful memories, for Sharie just being who she was. Just for that; he did not wonder that the girl ought to die. In many ways, besides, she ws tied to the enemy; a danger to him, Ki, and their family. She ought not live if she was such a threat.
Ki flinched, sensing his pain. His anger seeped through her, and she felt her insides quake. She all too clearly recalled the hell their past had been, with everyone threatening to rip them apart, coldly unable to see past their outside appearances. Tears filled her eyes; she bitterly recalled an echo of that damningly desperate desire for revenge. For just a blind moment, she was tempted to simply let Mewtwo's conflicting emotions now bleed all over her until she too was feeling the exact same way.
The way it had happened last time.
Leading to a night of total hell, and how, through unimaginable circumstances, they'd come to realize just how much worse than even Govanni they would have fallen if they had allowed themselves to continue. Their hasty, rash actions, born of anger, pain, and not thinking about long-term consequences, had not become just revenge--they had teetered on pure evil. A black, foul evil deeper than that even Team Rocket stood on.
It had taken untold horrors that night, including outright murder, for the shock of everything to come crashing upon them all, pokemon and trainers alike. The murder of the boy, Ash, and the immediate actions that had followed had jarred everyone's eyes open to the most important things. Ki and Mewtwo had never thought of themselves as evil, but had they not realized it in time, their souls could have been led to the darkest of fates. The shock of how true murder actually felt--self-defense from Team Rocket members did not count--and Misty's actions afterwards had helped jar them to such a reality, and the knowledge that they could not continue.
Ki realized that if they let their emotions get the better of them here, once again they'd be on that same dark path. Sharie was innocent, of that Ki was certain. All it would take was one death, and the death of one who had unselfishly saved them and saw past their outsides to their hearts, no less.
Shaire only stood there, patiently awaiting her fate. Ki could just see the barest glimmer of fear in her eyes, but a stubborn determination as well. It was because she understood so well what they felt that she was willing to accept punishment in her father's place.
Mewtwo felt a small, slender hand on his shoulder, gently urging him to lower his arm. Surprised, he turned to look into Ki's eyes.
*Mewtwo, no,* said Ki. *It'd be murder. We....we shouldn't.*
Her eyes were pleading at him, and were starting to shimmer.
He softened immediately. *I'd never do anything to cause you such distress, Angel,* he promised, relaxing his stance slightly. The shadows of memories in her eyes caused him to remember, too, remember past the pain to what they had both learned. *I remember the hard lesson's we've been forced to learn. Sharie, she is right, it would not be right to kill you. We learned the hard way such a lesson; it's something that is best not repeated.*
He turned to look at her again, holding Ki to him comfortingly. *But then, what must be done with you? You know too much. We cannot just let you walk away.*
*My lips are sealed,* said Sharie quietly, visibly shaking with a mixture of astonishment and relief. This she had not expected out of him; she had to admit to herself she'd underestimated his heart, though she had not underestimated the pain she clearly sensed.
*I am not sure if that is good enough,* he told her darkly, his gaze to her still cold. *I do not know who you truly are. I cannot risk a betrayal. If you do I'd not hesistate in killing you. Erasing your memory is a better idea.*
Sharie looked surprised, then shook her head. *No. I have little notion on where I'd stand with most of your powers, but I do know that you'd never be able to erase *my* memory. You'd never get that far into my head even if I let you. My mental sheilds would rebuff you. I can't even control it; it's all unconscious. My mental defense system is the one area I know I'd be able to easily outstrip you on.*
*Are you bluffing?* he demanded of her.
*Not in the slightest. I hate mental intrusion so much I've trained all my life to keep others out unless I specifically want them in, and that includes others reading my thoughts. My training is so deep it's unconscious now.*
Inadvertenly Sharie put a hand to her forehead. The disgust showed in her eyes. *I loathe people reading my mind or emotions as much as I hate reading the minds of others--especially without their permission. It's one of the few things that really get me riled because it is an invasion of my privacy.*
Mewtwo blinked. Was she so powerful? He remembered her fierce psychic bursts as she drove away the Fearow, and suddenly, he was not sure he disbelieved her. Only a psychic, human or pokemon, capeable of the greatest of control could produce the kind of control over her powers as she had used.
Surely this would make her all the more dangerous.
*So you cannot erase my memory,* she continued mentally. *Mewtwo, I'd never do anything to harm you or your family. I think you're luckier than most. My word to you may not be worth much to you, but it is all I can offer.*
*I am still not very convinced,* he growled at her.
*Believe what you will, then.* Sharie turned around and closed her eyes. *I can offer no more proof of my intents than what I have already done. Either believe that I will let no one know of what transpired here today, except Nurse Joy,* here Sharie turned back to him, her unique green eyes spearing Mewtwo to the core, *or kill me as you wish, if you percieve my threat to you as too great. Of my own free will I place my fate in your hands.*
Ki had heard enough of this. *Sharie, stop talking like that! I believe your worth, which is far more than your relations, certainly. I don't have to read your mind to see enough of your heart to know how different you are from those who've made our lives hell. And, my love,* here she turned to Mewtwo, *I want you to understand that, too. We've had to learn to notice the important things in life, and the hard way. Can we really forgive ourselves if we let go of our lessons so easily? If Sharie's done any wrong to us in the past, however inadvertent, then I've already forgiven her. My love--can't you?*
Ki's hand came up as she began to stroke Mewtwo's cheek gently, her eyes locking with his. Deep within her gaze he saw the love his soul could not live without. So many times he'd nearly lost her; and that black night almost a year ago had been one of them. So much pain! And so much anguish!
And yet, the black path they would have traveled if they had followed their evil course would've had them burning in a hell infinetly worse than what they had suffered that night; that he knew now. As much as they had strove to not be like Giovanni, what they were doing had been even worse.
Only when their eyes and hearts had been jarred to what was really happening around them had they truly understood what evil the anger and desire for revenge and war could truly bring, and they had proved themselves able to rise above it. They had been able to let it go; and prove to themselves that their hearts were really pure after all; even if they had been led astray the evil could not stay within them and poison them further; not when they truly understood how much better goodness and purity was, certainly nothing Team Rocket had. They were strong enough to banish the evil from their hearts. That alone had proved their goodness, in the end.
It was all whirling in his head in a maddening confusion.
*I don't--I don't know,* he faltered at last, tears filling his eyes from both the sheer effort and the intense pain of memory . *It all brings back those memories....those nightmares*
*Sh, I know,* she reached up and kissed him softly for a moment. *My love, can you do something for me? I think I know how I can convince you.*
She had changed her telepathy so now only Mewtwo could hear her mental voice. Sharie no longer could.
His tongue stroked hers lightly for a moment; her kisses would always be paradise to him. *How? My love, if you can....I don't truly want to hate, or be unforgiving. She's been good to us, I admit that. She's shown more than most others would have ever bothered with. And yet, who she is and the threat she presents.....*
*A trance, my love. You will see the conversation I had with Sharie, before you woke up. All through my eyes. What I thought, what I saw, and how I felt. Then, I think, you'll understand what I was able to see, even when my heart ached with the pain of memory for us both.*
Mewtwo broke off the kiss, pulling back to look into her eyes' fathomless depths, eyes that allured him as much as the first time he saw her. *You honestly think it would change my opinion?*
*I know you too well, my love. I know it will. You are not the only one who was unsure of what to think for awhile. I do believe in Sharie's honesty and that she understands us far more than most others. She had nothing to do with us until today; we have no real right to hold her blood against her if she doesn't deserve it. Will you do this for me?*
He nodded. *Anything for you, my Angel. If you honestly think it will help me to understand; I don't want to repeat the past, either. We must rise above those hasty actions in the past; they would have made us no better than those we were getting revenge on in the end. We are better than that, I know it.*
*So do I. The blows on our heads did affect our powers, I can sense it. There are some things I can't do right now as a result. But I think I can do this, and you can too. Let me see to Aaryanna, then we'll begin.*
****
Sharie had stood there indecisevely during their silent conversation that excluded her. This time, when she saw them kiss, she did not flinch. Why should she flinch at an obscenity that wasn't there? The first time, for a split second, she'd felt a twinge of disgust, but only for a split second. She was able to see past the old cultural taboos, long ingrained into every person on earth, to what was really in front of her. True love was not disgusting, no matter what the form. Now, as she watched them kiss, she was able to see the true beauty of it.
She put such thoughts aside. It had truly astonished her when Mewtwo eventually declined to kill her. She'd been ready to accept her fate in her father's place. It was only fair to Mewtwo, and to Ki, for all the wrongs inflicted on them. She understood how they were different and suffered for it; she'd suffered, too. Helping to quell their ghosts was not so ghastly, if it would give them peace.
A few moments later, Ki and Mewtwo broke apart. Ki reached down and picked up a whimpering Aaryanna. The little girl had sensed the tension in the air and was giving soft mews of her displeasure.
To Mewtwo's surprise, Ki turned and handed Aaryanna directly to Sharie. He had to clamp his thoughts quickly to avoid protesting; someone so dangerous to him and his family should not be holding his daughter!
He blined in surprise, though, a moment later. Something was immediately apparent to him, something he'd not noticed before when she had handed the baby to him in the first place.
Aaryanna was not crying. She was not even protesting as Sharie held her.
No, indeed. Instead, her soft whimpers became tiny gurgles of contentment as she snuggled against Sharie's breast. Sharie instinctively cradled her carefully. It was a manner that spoke volumes to Mewtwo; this was a person who was not unfamiliar with youngsters, probably either pokemon or human. She seemed to know how to handle babies.
*Would you please watch her for a bit?* Ki was asking. *I am bringing Mewtwo into a trance; I want to show him something. It won't take long. We'll be right here. Watch her while we do?*
Sharie looked surprised, but nodded her head. Privately, she was grateful to Ki for the trust she was showing. It was far more than she'd ever expected; she'd fully expected to be gone by now. She held Aaryanna carefully and asked not a word of what was going to happen.
Ki was glad Sharie was not inclined to ask why, or what for. It did not matter either way--she'd learn later what Ki was going to do.
Sharie did, however, watch them as Ki took Mewtwo's hand and led him off a few paces, where two boulders were sticking up out of the grass around them. Ki sat on one, Mewtwo on the other, while facing each other at close range.
Vaguely, as Ki heightened her own powers in a method borne of long practice; for a few moments she was able to sense the essence of Sharie's mind. As Sharie's own mind became aware of this, Ki sensed a deep shift, of an instinct so deeply buried that when Sharie automatically raised her mental sheilds against the contact, Ki was aware it was indeed just Sharie's nature; her instinctive dislike of mental intrusion of any kind. She had not been lying. For just one instant, Ki sensed the top layers of a mental defense system so powerful she knew not even Mewtwo could penetrate it.
It was deeply shocking; but it also meant that indeed, Mewtwo could never erase Sharie's memory. If he tried to invade her mind without her explicit consent, she'd likely react with violent instinct, unable to help her actions because it all ran so deeply it was all unconscious. She'd most likely mentally use psychic bursts to blast them away from her. Both had heard of this before but nothing so powerful. Even if Sharie did not want to do it; it would likely happen. She was the master of her own mind; and only if she wanted them in could they enter her mind safely, and on her terms. If she said yes, it was safe, though, Ki knew. Only if she truly did not desire it would any danger be involved.
All of these thoughts came and went in a flash. Ki dimly sensed Sharie turning her mind away so she would not intrude on their trance. Sharie turned aside, Aaryanna in her arms, and began rocking her absently.
Ki smiled to herself, relieved. She could do this without worry of further distractions.
She focused all her attention on Mewtwo and allowed herself to proceed. Now she was grateful for Mew's insistent training; it had made her an expert on controlled trances.
Vaguely she was aware of Mewtwo placing himself in this same meditative state. He, too, had decided to trust Sharie alone with their daughter while they did this together.
Both began to feel slightly dizzy as sensations from the world around them began to fade. The feel of the sun, the gentle roar of the nearby ocean waves, the twittering of nearby Pidgey, all of it became dimmer and dimmer, eventually only becoming a static blur that went entirely dead.
Behind her closed eyes, Ki saw a sparkling glow; she felt herself enveloped in a warm, sparkling white light. It surrounded her like a fog until she was nearly blinded, bringing along with it a sense of peace.
In this peaceful place, she sensed the presence of Mewtwo, her one and only love; their souls so tightly connected they seemed as one.
*Baby, are you there?* she heard his gentle inquiry.
*I am, my love,* she sent back immediately. In her mind's eye, she saw the form of Mewtwo come out of the fog, gradually becoming more real. His apparition reached for her. *Are you ready?*
*Yes, I am,* he responded. *Let us go to what you wish me to see.*
*Our minds will almost entirely become one,* she warned him softly. *You will keep your own thoughts and feelings, but you will also see and hear everything I did; know each thought and feeling I felt, and know the concluions that I had drawn. Only your most private thoughts will be your own; there you must decide for yourself; based upon what I was hearing, seeing, thinking, and feeling.*
*I understand, my Angel. Let us go.*
They went.
****
Ki knew exactly which dormant memories in her mind she wished to visit. Already these memories had begun to fade from the foreground of her thoughts to deeper places where they were stored long-term. But at her command, the trance dragged those memories back to the surface, crystal- clear. Every feeling, every detail, was replayed as if it were happening again in real life. One could really not tell the difference.
The instant the scene started to replay, Ki felt her true self go dormant. Her very essence fused with Mewtwo's, and for awhile; her consciousness would be almost entirely suppressed so he could see it all through her eyes. Only the most private core of her would remain aware; to stand at the side and watch as Mewtwo almost entirely became her for himself.
****
Mewtwo found himself in the strangest experience of his life.
Ki had been nursing Aaryanna when Sharie revealed who she truly was. Sharie's revalations had quickly set in Ki a whirling malestrom of confused emotions.
He saw Sharie shudder violently as she revealed a side to the story he had never known before--at least, he thought he hadn't. "My cousin Amber had died. Later they told me they could bring her back to life though cloning. Giovanni got wind of this and offered to do it for them for free instead of them dipping into the family fortunes. In return, he wanted Mewtwo created."
He listened in amazement as she went on, speaking of her family's grief over this "Amber" person's death. So it was a little girl that had been the crux of his creation, was it?
Amber's death, according to Sharie, had severely clouded their thinking; they'd been overwhelmed with grief. "I would not wonder it was why they treated Mewtwo as they did, because they were thinking only of their own pain at the moment."
Ki had noticed the conflicting emotions in Sharie's eyes; what she was saying was not a play for sympathy, it was merely a fact.
Ki had been very surprised when Sharie nearly lost her cool then, raging at others for being so cruel to a living being as if he were some machine or toy.
What was truly astounding was what Ki was thinking when she looked into Sharie's eyes at one particular moment. "I was more than happy for Mewtwo when he escaped, even though I was not sure at the time if the rumors of the so-called 'pervert' who left with him were true."
Ki had realized that the emotion in Sharie's eyes was utter conviction. She had truly been thinking Mewtwo was right in his actions! Mewtwo knew that such a response would have been very hard to fake; if Sharie had been lying her eyes would have betrayed her to someone like Ki, who could read others very well.
Sharie suddenly seemed to explode in a rather violent outburst that strongly contradicted her gentle, complascent nature. "They still had no right to act as if Mewtwo was nothing more than an experiment for the benefit of humans only, or that he was some machine or object for Giovanni's amusement! Gods, it's *wrong*! Don't people think I know that?! I can see how they feel, and I understand! It makes me so mad sometimes, to see humans so blind!"
The shivers of true anger radiating from Sharie had hit Ki's psychic senses squarely. Ki had understood it was completely against Sharie's nature to lose her temper; this was one of the few subjects that could do it.
Her utter conviction, her manner--hell, it was radiating from the depths of her very *soul*, Mewtwo at last was forced to admit to himself, Sharie wasn't lying. Absolutely *no* liar, not even one as powerful as Sharie, could project such a wild false tale without someone like Ki being aware of *some* sign she was lying--and there was none. The only emotion Ki had been sensing instead was a deep honesty.
"That's why," Sharie had whispered next. "That's why I ought to be hated by you both. I am tainted, bound by blood to those Mewtwo loathes the most. You're his mate, surely you've experienced the same emotions and would stand by him on everything."
Mewtwo was stunned. How in the great wide world had Sharie been so astute?
"I knew I had a choice whether to risk helping you, but I would not see you hurt," Sharie went on, controlling herself now. "I accept my fate; at last I have one, odd as it may seem."
After Sharie had lapsed into slience, Ki's thoughts and emotions had really begun to spin. As she had warned him, her first impulse had indeed been to loathe Sharie for all she was. Her story matched what Mewtwo had told her exactly; the few times he'd spoken of it Ki had felt the worst of his deep pain. Sharie was connected, in a way, to that deep, abysmal pain that had caused Mewtwo such suffering. That pain had attacked Ki right in her own heart. Sharie's words had also brought all that painful memory back to the surface.
Ki had voiced this all, more or less. At the end, however, she had used another word, a word that would take her meaning in an entirely different direction.
*But--*
Ki had swallowed.
*I don't understand it,* she had said. *I feel so strange.*
Mewtwo knew this to be true. Ki was forcing herself, quite against her impulsive nature, to really lay aside her emotions and look at the true facts.
*I don't hate you; for some reason, I can't.*
There they were. The words, plain and simple. Ki was realizing that stopping and really looking at what was around her was more important than letting her emotions and her temper get the best of her; as was her nature.
*In my life I've learned some lessons, Sharie, lessons that were learned the hard way and at a terrible price. What can I say? You might be their blood, but if your words are true, you're innocent.*
Ki had looked into Sharie's eyes, and was viviedly remembering those painful, wrenching moments when her heart, and Mewtwo's, was ripped open and they began to truly see what they were doing that fateful night. How could they have lost such perspective, on what was truly important, and what mattered? How was it possible that their thoughts had taken them down such a path? Where was the light within them, and the sense of forgiveness and compassion that truly marked a good person? Had their anger and desire for revenge been so intense it had obliterated such feelings from them, leaving them darker than Giovanni?
They had learned. Ki understood now that they could not follow such impuslively dark feelings ever again. Such a desire for revenge left a person too raw to the forces of evil, and evil to them was too foul. They were good people. Their hearts still had the light within them, and in those moments, the twisted feelings within them had been banished. They had gained some valuable friends, and learned not everyone had a dark, foul heart.
Sharie's eyes were speaking volumes to Ki at that moment; for within them Ki had sensed no foulness. Sharie carried a lot of pain hidden in the shadows of her eyes, but no sense of evil, disgust, or cruelty permeated them. Her feelings were genuinely real. If she truly meant them no harm, Ki was convinced of it, and knew Sharie ought not suffer for it.
This she had told Sharie even going so far as to admit there had been a time when she had wanted to destroy and reshape the world at Mewtwo's side, remaking it into one that accepted them both. But they had learned how wrong it had been to try it, and what a high price could be paid.
She shared this conviction, too, with Sharie. *Not everyone has a foul heart. I've found a few true friends in the most unexpected of places, and circumstances.*
"It can be those you least expect," Sharie had breathed, a noticable blush creeping into her cheeks. "I, too, have learned that."
In that instant the two girls had reached a true bonding; a sense of deep understanding.
Ki went on. *With as much prejudice as we've faced, it's a diffuclt notion to live by. But if we can't forgive and act above those who hurt us, then we are no better, are we? They hurt and act for their own benefit, and it's easy to take on that notion as our own, for revenge. But it means we've changed nothing.*
Again Mewtwo was stunned. Ki continually astonished him with her insights of wisdom at the most odd moments. Underneath her impulsive nature was a true wisdom that, when she put her impulsiveness aside, truly showed itself, as it did now.
One of the few places where Mewtwo was tempted to scoff was when Sharie mentioned quietly that while her uncle and father had come to their senses, it could not change the past. How could men like them ever change? he reflected bitterly.
Ki had swallowed. *I already can see how different you are from those who'd hurt us. Otherwise you would not have taken the actions you have done today. You knew who we were, you did not have to involve yourself, yet you did.*
What she said next splashed mewtwo with a cold sense of reality, and made him look at Sharie in a new light. *We'd be dead, and any risk to your family you might have felt would have been gone forever. But you have a soul; you've treated me as your equal and not condemned me because of my actions, or Mewtwo's.*
Ki's next words rendered Mewtwo completely at a loss for words, but upon reflection, he knew how right Ki was about it.
*I've come to believe strongly in fate and miracles; each time Mewtwo and I have been threatened with seperation, some miracle has happened that kept us together. If this is like those other times,*
Mewtwo sensed any remaining traces of Ki's reservations about Sharie melt away with her next words, *Fate placed you in our path. You ought not suffer for it.*
The smile she had conveyed to Sharie was meant to say that if Sharie had wronged them in any way that needed forgiveness, it was already given.
Sharie had flushed, but her next words voiced her legitimate doubt that Mewtw would share the same way. And even Ki had to admit she wasn't 100% certain.
*It's a deep rage within him,* she asserted. People failing to understand we belong together is a deep rage within both of us; but we've learned to deal with it the best we can. I do not believe you are a threat. I think fate favored us by putting you in our path so you could save our lives. I can still be with him, thanks to you.*
At this, Mewtwo felt his personal response and Ki's become one and the same. Ki was truly right; and her suggestion for this trance had worked; he could at last see what she saw. Ki's next words added to his conviction.
*Besides, if Mewtwo or I have made any grave mistakes in our lives, our children ought not have to pay for them. The same should go for you. Again, that was a hard lesson learned, but it was learned well.*
Mewtwo was much surprised at the sense of gratitude Ki had picked up from Sharie at those words.
"You have no idea how grateful I am to hear those words," she had whispered. For a moment, her eyes had shimmered, giving further clues as to what she was feeling. "And I do hate to admit any weakness, but I am still afraid. Of his reaction. I have no inclinations to hide the truth. There would have been no point. With the name Triesta and my looks, for I look like my father, he would have known eventually anyways."
When Ki had attempted to reassure her that Mewtwo would never do anything she did not want him to do, and if for no other reason than respecting her feelings, Sharie's life would be spared.
However, Sharie had protested the thought of herself being an issue for arguement between Ki and Mewtwo. "I already told you I accepted my fate the instant I chose to help you. Besides, I am alone, and it's not like I'd be missed anywhere--"
Mewtwo's personal feelings of astonishment exactly mirrored Ki's. He had no idea Sharie's opinion of herself was that low, especially as powerful as she was. Sharie had practically no sense of self-confidence or self- identity.
*How can you say that about yourself?!* Ki had demanded. *That's not true; I can see it. Nurse Joy said you'd been badly treated but I'd never have imagined this badly. I like you and I tell you, I won't let it happen. No fight between myself or Mewtwo has to take place. We are so close that it would not take much to make him see what I see, and that is what I intend to do.*
With that, the trance began to end.
*Yes,* Mewtwo thought to himself. *Ki, you were right. No fight had to take place. I think I am beginning to understand, now. Angel, you are right, with Sharie, even who she is, we did not have to follow that path.....*
The rest of the world began to come back into focus, and along with it came delicate strains of a sweet song, sung in the pokemon langauge, sung by a gentle, sweet soprano voice that was beautiful enough for an angel.
****
The wind ruffled Sharie's bangs as she stared at Mewtwo and Ki; deep in their trance. She had no idea what was playing in their minds, or what Ki was showing him. She only knew it had something to do with her. She did not know; it could be anything from Ki simply repeating the story Sharie had told her to both of them deciding her fate.
She shivered slightly at the thought, and cradled Aaryanna closer to her heart. The baby noticed her distress and uttered a soft squeak of concern.
"Hm? Oh, it's all right, little one," she assured the infant, rocking her to soothe both her own frazzled nerves and the child's. "Your parents are busy, but they soon will be able to hold you again." Sharie leaned down and kissed the delicate little cheek and continued to rock her to an ancient rhythm instinctive to most women--when a baby needs soothing, human or pokemon, you move.
Aaryanna gurgled for a moment, then became quiet.
Long minutes passed as Mewtwo and Ki did not move. Quietly Sharie continued rocking the infant, but Aaryanna had already slept so long that day, she was not tired.
"Mew." The soft sound startled Sharie out of her own little world. She glanced down at Aaryanna.
"Mew, mew."
"You want me to sing to you again?" Sharie asked, surprised at the baby's request. "Did you like it that much?"
"Mew!"
The overenthusiastic sound made Sharie chuckle. "I don't sing much, and I guess you're the first who's really noticed in a long time. Oh, well, I guess it's nice to have a fan. Okay, Aaryanna."
Sharie closed her eyes, remembering the songs in the pokemon language she had learned over the years from various pokemon. It was a secret yet that Mewtwo was not the first Mew she had ever known; they did not yet know about the three mews that had sometimes popped up when she was younger. Sharie still did not know who they were, but when she was little, they had acted as guardian angels; kept her from falling out of trees and the like, then vanish in a chorus of giggles. As she had gotten older, she saw them less, but once in a while, they would appear and playfully interact with her for a few minutes before vanishing once more.
Sharie dredged up one of these songs now; an old love ballad with it's roots deep within ancient Mew history. Aaryanna should have no trouble understanding the words, even if she was too young to understand the content. All pokemon knew this ancient language from birth, it was a part of them all, no matter what kind.
Sharie opened her mouth and let the sweet melody flow from her lips. She was grateful that Mewtwo and Ki would not notice; their kind of trance shut out worldly distractions like noise. She only rocked Aaryanna and let her sweet voice echo and reverberate across the meadow they were in and flow and bounce back from the nearby ocean waves.
Sharie's eyes were closed, but she sensed Aaryanna give a deep sigh of content and snuggle against her. What she was unaware of was the attention she was getting from a few other pokemon within hearing distance.
Pidgey, curious and enthralled, swooped down from overhead and settled on the grass to listen. A pikachu and a Jigglypuff also came into sight. The Jigglypuff's eyes were shining; she was wishing her song did that to others without putting them to sleep!
Even some nearby ocean creatures heard the song and raised their heads above the water to listen. Two Gyarados, one blue and one an extremely rare red paused to listen, and some Starmie and Dewgong nearby cocked their ears, listening intently.
****
*Looks like she has some talent,* Ki remarked softly to Mewtwo. *She's got a beautiful voice. Wish I could sing like that. I've never tried.*
*Maybe you should try sometime,* he suggested. *Just look at our daughter.*
Aaryanna's eyes were shining so intently they glistened like twin pools of the brightest moonlight known.
Ki smiled. Sharie was so shy about drawing attention to herself that it was a good thing her eyes were closed. Likely it was for Aaryanna's sake she was singing, but she was drawing a small crowd of pokemon. It was obvious that they not only enjoyed the old pokemon love song; they were very surprised that a human was singing it so fluently.
At last the song ended. Ki and Mewtwo saw Sharie open her eyes and immediately turn red. It had not taken her two microseconds to notice the pokemon crowd. Her blushing signaled how embarassed she was!
"Um....thanks for listening, I think," she stammared uncertainly. "But the show's over."
The pidgey twittered happily as they took off, and Sharie could have swore that the Gyarados were laughing at her in a friendly way before they disappeared beneath the waves!
*I think you made them happy,* Ki remarked out of the blue, announcing her presence to Sharie at last.
Sharie gasped softly and turned quickly, her face still red. "Don't tell me you heard all of that," she whispered, mortified.
*Some of it,* Ki admitted. *What are you so embarassed for? You've got a lovely voice. All those pokemon were enjoying what they were hearing.*
"I don't sing. Almost never. I was just doing it to soothe your daughter."
Ki's jaw dropped. *You did not even know your voice sounded so pretty?*
"Well....I knew it wasn't unplesant, but I never really did it before. Only Da and my Uncle Fuji have ever heard me sing, and it's not been more than once or twice in my lifetime. The only other times were rarely enough, to soothe baby pokemon, including Aaryanna here, and I never dwelt on the sound."
Ki laughed as she came over, holding out her arms for Aaryanna. Gently Sharie transferred the precious bundle to her mother. *You really ought to do so more often. You have one beautiful set of pipes there, girlie.*
For the first time, Sharie's smile became a bit impish. "Only if you join me," she said in a way that was almost a challenge. "I've never even heard you *speak* using your, uh, "pipes". If you can actually speak and join me in a duet sometime, then I'll sing again one day."
Ki burst out laughing. "Oh, I can speak with my voice, I just rarely do so," she responded, carefully making herself move her thoughts out of her mouth rather than her head. "When you are surrounded by psychics and are a psychic yourself it's easy to never speak verbally."
"Your voice is clear and light," Sharie responded. "I don't think your voice singing would be that bad."
"Then maybe one day I'll accept your challenge," Ki chuckled. "We'll see, won't we?"
*I'd look forward to that myself, Angel,* put in Mewtwo quietly. He had been listening to the conversation in amusement. *The thought of you in a duet.....I somehow find that appealing.*
Sharie looked at him, startled. It was immediately apparent to her something was different. His posture was unguarded, his arms were at his sides in a nonthreatening manner. No longer did he appear cautious, and when his amethyst eyes met her unique green ones, the most startling difference became visible to her--for his gaze towards her was no longer dark and cold.
****
Sharie barely had two seconds to contemplate this. An awful sense of danger swept up her spine, and she whirled around, gasping, as she looked at the sky.
"No!" she cried out. "Oh, no!"
*What's wrong?* asked Ki, suddenly alarmed by the sudden change in Sharie's mood. It now projected fear.
"Can't you feel it? Danger is approaching!"
Even as she said those words, a dark spot formed in one of the clouds and shot out of it, directly in their path. They were moving so fast it was almost unreal.
Mewtwo felt himself stiffen. In a matter of moments they would all be impaled!
"Fear! Fearooowww!!!"
The flock of fearow, for some reason, had returned, and the sight of the targets below set them into a rage.
Sharie stiffened. As dangerous as Fearow could be, even they should not be acting like this! Only something unnatural could have prodded them into coming back for a second attack....when the first time should have struck the fear of heaven into them.
Before they struck, Sharie indeed sensed something wrong....because the emotional waves the fearow were projecting weren't just of a Fearow alone. Sharie was amazed she had not sensed this before.
No Fearow would have such a psychic essence within them, much less an essence of such macbre evil. The killer glint in their eyes was not their own--somehow, they were being controlled.
And they were here to keep attacking their targets until they were obliterated.
****
End chapter 4. Chapter 5's coming--how are they all going to get out of this one?
Okay, folks, for three previous parts now I've explained it. I'm not going to again; it's starting to drive me a little crazy. I will, however, mention that it's is rated PG-13 for violence. Enjoy!
Shadowed Reflections By ZeoViolet
****
Sharie continued to stare at Mewtwo unflinchingly, ready to accept her fate.
*You....* Mewtwo fought to keep his voice neutral. *You are related to humans lower than the dust beneath my feet. Your eyes say you know all about me. Is your life so worthless to you you stuck around here?*
*I did the right thing,* said Sharie firmly, still in telepathy. *I accepted my fate when I decided to help you. How could I not? You have a mate, and a family. The Fearow nearly killed you.*
*Oh? And what fate were you picturing?* Mewtwo said, still fighting to keep his tone neutral.
*You nearly killed my uncle and father; though I understand your feelings. They treated you as they never should have. Team Rocket treated you even worse, from the stories that reached my ears. Like an experiment, a toy, a machine. Below them. I know how that feels. Your actions were not unjustified and I think you were entitled to repayment for the anguish you and Ki have suffered.*
*So what?* demanded Ki. *From what you've told me, this is not your fault! You were not directly involved in this mess of our past!*
*Close enough. Now that you both know, my fate is in your hands--it is only right. I knew that from the start, and I accept it. There's few enough that will miss me, trust me.*
Sharie swallowed, resolute.
*I cannot believe she wishes to die,* muttered Mewtwo darkly.
*Are you kidding?* cried Ki angrily. *She is not showing it to you but I saw the fear, and the truth, in her eyes when she told me her story. She has a good, pure heart, Mewtwo! If we do this we have learned nothing, after all we've been through! We'll be no better than Goivanni, just like our actions with the other trainers on New Island would have rendered us no better than him if we had succeeded, too blinded by our anger and desire for revenge to think of the true consequences of our actions. Sharie is innocent!*
*Stop!* cried Sharie. She did not want to listen to any more right now. *I already said I'd not be placed in the middle of something that is going to cause you both to disagree on something. It's the last thing you need. Your hearts are so tight you'd both suffer. Just--just do it!*
*Do you truly wish it?* Mewtwo raised his arm in readiness, just in case. Anger was broiling through him at the resurfacing of some of their more painful memories, for Sharie just being who she was. Just for that; he did not wonder that the girl ought to die. In many ways, besides, she ws tied to the enemy; a danger to him, Ki, and their family. She ought not live if she was such a threat.
Ki flinched, sensing his pain. His anger seeped through her, and she felt her insides quake. She all too clearly recalled the hell their past had been, with everyone threatening to rip them apart, coldly unable to see past their outside appearances. Tears filled her eyes; she bitterly recalled an echo of that damningly desperate desire for revenge. For just a blind moment, she was tempted to simply let Mewtwo's conflicting emotions now bleed all over her until she too was feeling the exact same way.
The way it had happened last time.
Leading to a night of total hell, and how, through unimaginable circumstances, they'd come to realize just how much worse than even Govanni they would have fallen if they had allowed themselves to continue. Their hasty, rash actions, born of anger, pain, and not thinking about long-term consequences, had not become just revenge--they had teetered on pure evil. A black, foul evil deeper than that even Team Rocket stood on.
It had taken untold horrors that night, including outright murder, for the shock of everything to come crashing upon them all, pokemon and trainers alike. The murder of the boy, Ash, and the immediate actions that had followed had jarred everyone's eyes open to the most important things. Ki and Mewtwo had never thought of themselves as evil, but had they not realized it in time, their souls could have been led to the darkest of fates. The shock of how true murder actually felt--self-defense from Team Rocket members did not count--and Misty's actions afterwards had helped jar them to such a reality, and the knowledge that they could not continue.
Ki realized that if they let their emotions get the better of them here, once again they'd be on that same dark path. Sharie was innocent, of that Ki was certain. All it would take was one death, and the death of one who had unselfishly saved them and saw past their outsides to their hearts, no less.
Shaire only stood there, patiently awaiting her fate. Ki could just see the barest glimmer of fear in her eyes, but a stubborn determination as well. It was because she understood so well what they felt that she was willing to accept punishment in her father's place.
Mewtwo felt a small, slender hand on his shoulder, gently urging him to lower his arm. Surprised, he turned to look into Ki's eyes.
*Mewtwo, no,* said Ki. *It'd be murder. We....we shouldn't.*
Her eyes were pleading at him, and were starting to shimmer.
He softened immediately. *I'd never do anything to cause you such distress, Angel,* he promised, relaxing his stance slightly. The shadows of memories in her eyes caused him to remember, too, remember past the pain to what they had both learned. *I remember the hard lesson's we've been forced to learn. Sharie, she is right, it would not be right to kill you. We learned the hard way such a lesson; it's something that is best not repeated.*
He turned to look at her again, holding Ki to him comfortingly. *But then, what must be done with you? You know too much. We cannot just let you walk away.*
*My lips are sealed,* said Sharie quietly, visibly shaking with a mixture of astonishment and relief. This she had not expected out of him; she had to admit to herself she'd underestimated his heart, though she had not underestimated the pain she clearly sensed.
*I am not sure if that is good enough,* he told her darkly, his gaze to her still cold. *I do not know who you truly are. I cannot risk a betrayal. If you do I'd not hesistate in killing you. Erasing your memory is a better idea.*
Sharie looked surprised, then shook her head. *No. I have little notion on where I'd stand with most of your powers, but I do know that you'd never be able to erase *my* memory. You'd never get that far into my head even if I let you. My mental sheilds would rebuff you. I can't even control it; it's all unconscious. My mental defense system is the one area I know I'd be able to easily outstrip you on.*
*Are you bluffing?* he demanded of her.
*Not in the slightest. I hate mental intrusion so much I've trained all my life to keep others out unless I specifically want them in, and that includes others reading my thoughts. My training is so deep it's unconscious now.*
Inadvertenly Sharie put a hand to her forehead. The disgust showed in her eyes. *I loathe people reading my mind or emotions as much as I hate reading the minds of others--especially without their permission. It's one of the few things that really get me riled because it is an invasion of my privacy.*
Mewtwo blinked. Was she so powerful? He remembered her fierce psychic bursts as she drove away the Fearow, and suddenly, he was not sure he disbelieved her. Only a psychic, human or pokemon, capeable of the greatest of control could produce the kind of control over her powers as she had used.
Surely this would make her all the more dangerous.
*So you cannot erase my memory,* she continued mentally. *Mewtwo, I'd never do anything to harm you or your family. I think you're luckier than most. My word to you may not be worth much to you, but it is all I can offer.*
*I am still not very convinced,* he growled at her.
*Believe what you will, then.* Sharie turned around and closed her eyes. *I can offer no more proof of my intents than what I have already done. Either believe that I will let no one know of what transpired here today, except Nurse Joy,* here Sharie turned back to him, her unique green eyes spearing Mewtwo to the core, *or kill me as you wish, if you percieve my threat to you as too great. Of my own free will I place my fate in your hands.*
Ki had heard enough of this. *Sharie, stop talking like that! I believe your worth, which is far more than your relations, certainly. I don't have to read your mind to see enough of your heart to know how different you are from those who've made our lives hell. And, my love,* here she turned to Mewtwo, *I want you to understand that, too. We've had to learn to notice the important things in life, and the hard way. Can we really forgive ourselves if we let go of our lessons so easily? If Sharie's done any wrong to us in the past, however inadvertent, then I've already forgiven her. My love--can't you?*
Ki's hand came up as she began to stroke Mewtwo's cheek gently, her eyes locking with his. Deep within her gaze he saw the love his soul could not live without. So many times he'd nearly lost her; and that black night almost a year ago had been one of them. So much pain! And so much anguish!
And yet, the black path they would have traveled if they had followed their evil course would've had them burning in a hell infinetly worse than what they had suffered that night; that he knew now. As much as they had strove to not be like Giovanni, what they were doing had been even worse.
Only when their eyes and hearts had been jarred to what was really happening around them had they truly understood what evil the anger and desire for revenge and war could truly bring, and they had proved themselves able to rise above it. They had been able to let it go; and prove to themselves that their hearts were really pure after all; even if they had been led astray the evil could not stay within them and poison them further; not when they truly understood how much better goodness and purity was, certainly nothing Team Rocket had. They were strong enough to banish the evil from their hearts. That alone had proved their goodness, in the end.
It was all whirling in his head in a maddening confusion.
*I don't--I don't know,* he faltered at last, tears filling his eyes from both the sheer effort and the intense pain of memory . *It all brings back those memories....those nightmares*
*Sh, I know,* she reached up and kissed him softly for a moment. *My love, can you do something for me? I think I know how I can convince you.*
She had changed her telepathy so now only Mewtwo could hear her mental voice. Sharie no longer could.
His tongue stroked hers lightly for a moment; her kisses would always be paradise to him. *How? My love, if you can....I don't truly want to hate, or be unforgiving. She's been good to us, I admit that. She's shown more than most others would have ever bothered with. And yet, who she is and the threat she presents.....*
*A trance, my love. You will see the conversation I had with Sharie, before you woke up. All through my eyes. What I thought, what I saw, and how I felt. Then, I think, you'll understand what I was able to see, even when my heart ached with the pain of memory for us both.*
Mewtwo broke off the kiss, pulling back to look into her eyes' fathomless depths, eyes that allured him as much as the first time he saw her. *You honestly think it would change my opinion?*
*I know you too well, my love. I know it will. You are not the only one who was unsure of what to think for awhile. I do believe in Sharie's honesty and that she understands us far more than most others. She had nothing to do with us until today; we have no real right to hold her blood against her if she doesn't deserve it. Will you do this for me?*
He nodded. *Anything for you, my Angel. If you honestly think it will help me to understand; I don't want to repeat the past, either. We must rise above those hasty actions in the past; they would have made us no better than those we were getting revenge on in the end. We are better than that, I know it.*
*So do I. The blows on our heads did affect our powers, I can sense it. There are some things I can't do right now as a result. But I think I can do this, and you can too. Let me see to Aaryanna, then we'll begin.*
****
Sharie had stood there indecisevely during their silent conversation that excluded her. This time, when she saw them kiss, she did not flinch. Why should she flinch at an obscenity that wasn't there? The first time, for a split second, she'd felt a twinge of disgust, but only for a split second. She was able to see past the old cultural taboos, long ingrained into every person on earth, to what was really in front of her. True love was not disgusting, no matter what the form. Now, as she watched them kiss, she was able to see the true beauty of it.
She put such thoughts aside. It had truly astonished her when Mewtwo eventually declined to kill her. She'd been ready to accept her fate in her father's place. It was only fair to Mewtwo, and to Ki, for all the wrongs inflicted on them. She understood how they were different and suffered for it; she'd suffered, too. Helping to quell their ghosts was not so ghastly, if it would give them peace.
A few moments later, Ki and Mewtwo broke apart. Ki reached down and picked up a whimpering Aaryanna. The little girl had sensed the tension in the air and was giving soft mews of her displeasure.
To Mewtwo's surprise, Ki turned and handed Aaryanna directly to Sharie. He had to clamp his thoughts quickly to avoid protesting; someone so dangerous to him and his family should not be holding his daughter!
He blined in surprise, though, a moment later. Something was immediately apparent to him, something he'd not noticed before when she had handed the baby to him in the first place.
Aaryanna was not crying. She was not even protesting as Sharie held her.
No, indeed. Instead, her soft whimpers became tiny gurgles of contentment as she snuggled against Sharie's breast. Sharie instinctively cradled her carefully. It was a manner that spoke volumes to Mewtwo; this was a person who was not unfamiliar with youngsters, probably either pokemon or human. She seemed to know how to handle babies.
*Would you please watch her for a bit?* Ki was asking. *I am bringing Mewtwo into a trance; I want to show him something. It won't take long. We'll be right here. Watch her while we do?*
Sharie looked surprised, but nodded her head. Privately, she was grateful to Ki for the trust she was showing. It was far more than she'd ever expected; she'd fully expected to be gone by now. She held Aaryanna carefully and asked not a word of what was going to happen.
Ki was glad Sharie was not inclined to ask why, or what for. It did not matter either way--she'd learn later what Ki was going to do.
Sharie did, however, watch them as Ki took Mewtwo's hand and led him off a few paces, where two boulders were sticking up out of the grass around them. Ki sat on one, Mewtwo on the other, while facing each other at close range.
Vaguely, as Ki heightened her own powers in a method borne of long practice; for a few moments she was able to sense the essence of Sharie's mind. As Sharie's own mind became aware of this, Ki sensed a deep shift, of an instinct so deeply buried that when Sharie automatically raised her mental sheilds against the contact, Ki was aware it was indeed just Sharie's nature; her instinctive dislike of mental intrusion of any kind. She had not been lying. For just one instant, Ki sensed the top layers of a mental defense system so powerful she knew not even Mewtwo could penetrate it.
It was deeply shocking; but it also meant that indeed, Mewtwo could never erase Sharie's memory. If he tried to invade her mind without her explicit consent, she'd likely react with violent instinct, unable to help her actions because it all ran so deeply it was all unconscious. She'd most likely mentally use psychic bursts to blast them away from her. Both had heard of this before but nothing so powerful. Even if Sharie did not want to do it; it would likely happen. She was the master of her own mind; and only if she wanted them in could they enter her mind safely, and on her terms. If she said yes, it was safe, though, Ki knew. Only if she truly did not desire it would any danger be involved.
All of these thoughts came and went in a flash. Ki dimly sensed Sharie turning her mind away so she would not intrude on their trance. Sharie turned aside, Aaryanna in her arms, and began rocking her absently.
Ki smiled to herself, relieved. She could do this without worry of further distractions.
She focused all her attention on Mewtwo and allowed herself to proceed. Now she was grateful for Mew's insistent training; it had made her an expert on controlled trances.
Vaguely she was aware of Mewtwo placing himself in this same meditative state. He, too, had decided to trust Sharie alone with their daughter while they did this together.
Both began to feel slightly dizzy as sensations from the world around them began to fade. The feel of the sun, the gentle roar of the nearby ocean waves, the twittering of nearby Pidgey, all of it became dimmer and dimmer, eventually only becoming a static blur that went entirely dead.
Behind her closed eyes, Ki saw a sparkling glow; she felt herself enveloped in a warm, sparkling white light. It surrounded her like a fog until she was nearly blinded, bringing along with it a sense of peace.
In this peaceful place, she sensed the presence of Mewtwo, her one and only love; their souls so tightly connected they seemed as one.
*Baby, are you there?* she heard his gentle inquiry.
*I am, my love,* she sent back immediately. In her mind's eye, she saw the form of Mewtwo come out of the fog, gradually becoming more real. His apparition reached for her. *Are you ready?*
*Yes, I am,* he responded. *Let us go to what you wish me to see.*
*Our minds will almost entirely become one,* she warned him softly. *You will keep your own thoughts and feelings, but you will also see and hear everything I did; know each thought and feeling I felt, and know the concluions that I had drawn. Only your most private thoughts will be your own; there you must decide for yourself; based upon what I was hearing, seeing, thinking, and feeling.*
*I understand, my Angel. Let us go.*
They went.
****
Ki knew exactly which dormant memories in her mind she wished to visit. Already these memories had begun to fade from the foreground of her thoughts to deeper places where they were stored long-term. But at her command, the trance dragged those memories back to the surface, crystal- clear. Every feeling, every detail, was replayed as if it were happening again in real life. One could really not tell the difference.
The instant the scene started to replay, Ki felt her true self go dormant. Her very essence fused with Mewtwo's, and for awhile; her consciousness would be almost entirely suppressed so he could see it all through her eyes. Only the most private core of her would remain aware; to stand at the side and watch as Mewtwo almost entirely became her for himself.
****
Mewtwo found himself in the strangest experience of his life.
Ki had been nursing Aaryanna when Sharie revealed who she truly was. Sharie's revalations had quickly set in Ki a whirling malestrom of confused emotions.
He saw Sharie shudder violently as she revealed a side to the story he had never known before--at least, he thought he hadn't. "My cousin Amber had died. Later they told me they could bring her back to life though cloning. Giovanni got wind of this and offered to do it for them for free instead of them dipping into the family fortunes. In return, he wanted Mewtwo created."
He listened in amazement as she went on, speaking of her family's grief over this "Amber" person's death. So it was a little girl that had been the crux of his creation, was it?
Amber's death, according to Sharie, had severely clouded their thinking; they'd been overwhelmed with grief. "I would not wonder it was why they treated Mewtwo as they did, because they were thinking only of their own pain at the moment."
Ki had noticed the conflicting emotions in Sharie's eyes; what she was saying was not a play for sympathy, it was merely a fact.
Ki had been very surprised when Sharie nearly lost her cool then, raging at others for being so cruel to a living being as if he were some machine or toy.
What was truly astounding was what Ki was thinking when she looked into Sharie's eyes at one particular moment. "I was more than happy for Mewtwo when he escaped, even though I was not sure at the time if the rumors of the so-called 'pervert' who left with him were true."
Ki had realized that the emotion in Sharie's eyes was utter conviction. She had truly been thinking Mewtwo was right in his actions! Mewtwo knew that such a response would have been very hard to fake; if Sharie had been lying her eyes would have betrayed her to someone like Ki, who could read others very well.
Sharie suddenly seemed to explode in a rather violent outburst that strongly contradicted her gentle, complascent nature. "They still had no right to act as if Mewtwo was nothing more than an experiment for the benefit of humans only, or that he was some machine or object for Giovanni's amusement! Gods, it's *wrong*! Don't people think I know that?! I can see how they feel, and I understand! It makes me so mad sometimes, to see humans so blind!"
The shivers of true anger radiating from Sharie had hit Ki's psychic senses squarely. Ki had understood it was completely against Sharie's nature to lose her temper; this was one of the few subjects that could do it.
Her utter conviction, her manner--hell, it was radiating from the depths of her very *soul*, Mewtwo at last was forced to admit to himself, Sharie wasn't lying. Absolutely *no* liar, not even one as powerful as Sharie, could project such a wild false tale without someone like Ki being aware of *some* sign she was lying--and there was none. The only emotion Ki had been sensing instead was a deep honesty.
"That's why," Sharie had whispered next. "That's why I ought to be hated by you both. I am tainted, bound by blood to those Mewtwo loathes the most. You're his mate, surely you've experienced the same emotions and would stand by him on everything."
Mewtwo was stunned. How in the great wide world had Sharie been so astute?
"I knew I had a choice whether to risk helping you, but I would not see you hurt," Sharie went on, controlling herself now. "I accept my fate; at last I have one, odd as it may seem."
After Sharie had lapsed into slience, Ki's thoughts and emotions had really begun to spin. As she had warned him, her first impulse had indeed been to loathe Sharie for all she was. Her story matched what Mewtwo had told her exactly; the few times he'd spoken of it Ki had felt the worst of his deep pain. Sharie was connected, in a way, to that deep, abysmal pain that had caused Mewtwo such suffering. That pain had attacked Ki right in her own heart. Sharie's words had also brought all that painful memory back to the surface.
Ki had voiced this all, more or less. At the end, however, she had used another word, a word that would take her meaning in an entirely different direction.
*But--*
Ki had swallowed.
*I don't understand it,* she had said. *I feel so strange.*
Mewtwo knew this to be true. Ki was forcing herself, quite against her impulsive nature, to really lay aside her emotions and look at the true facts.
*I don't hate you; for some reason, I can't.*
There they were. The words, plain and simple. Ki was realizing that stopping and really looking at what was around her was more important than letting her emotions and her temper get the best of her; as was her nature.
*In my life I've learned some lessons, Sharie, lessons that were learned the hard way and at a terrible price. What can I say? You might be their blood, but if your words are true, you're innocent.*
Ki had looked into Sharie's eyes, and was viviedly remembering those painful, wrenching moments when her heart, and Mewtwo's, was ripped open and they began to truly see what they were doing that fateful night. How could they have lost such perspective, on what was truly important, and what mattered? How was it possible that their thoughts had taken them down such a path? Where was the light within them, and the sense of forgiveness and compassion that truly marked a good person? Had their anger and desire for revenge been so intense it had obliterated such feelings from them, leaving them darker than Giovanni?
They had learned. Ki understood now that they could not follow such impuslively dark feelings ever again. Such a desire for revenge left a person too raw to the forces of evil, and evil to them was too foul. They were good people. Their hearts still had the light within them, and in those moments, the twisted feelings within them had been banished. They had gained some valuable friends, and learned not everyone had a dark, foul heart.
Sharie's eyes were speaking volumes to Ki at that moment; for within them Ki had sensed no foulness. Sharie carried a lot of pain hidden in the shadows of her eyes, but no sense of evil, disgust, or cruelty permeated them. Her feelings were genuinely real. If she truly meant them no harm, Ki was convinced of it, and knew Sharie ought not suffer for it.
This she had told Sharie even going so far as to admit there had been a time when she had wanted to destroy and reshape the world at Mewtwo's side, remaking it into one that accepted them both. But they had learned how wrong it had been to try it, and what a high price could be paid.
She shared this conviction, too, with Sharie. *Not everyone has a foul heart. I've found a few true friends in the most unexpected of places, and circumstances.*
"It can be those you least expect," Sharie had breathed, a noticable blush creeping into her cheeks. "I, too, have learned that."
In that instant the two girls had reached a true bonding; a sense of deep understanding.
Ki went on. *With as much prejudice as we've faced, it's a diffuclt notion to live by. But if we can't forgive and act above those who hurt us, then we are no better, are we? They hurt and act for their own benefit, and it's easy to take on that notion as our own, for revenge. But it means we've changed nothing.*
Again Mewtwo was stunned. Ki continually astonished him with her insights of wisdom at the most odd moments. Underneath her impulsive nature was a true wisdom that, when she put her impulsiveness aside, truly showed itself, as it did now.
One of the few places where Mewtwo was tempted to scoff was when Sharie mentioned quietly that while her uncle and father had come to their senses, it could not change the past. How could men like them ever change? he reflected bitterly.
Ki had swallowed. *I already can see how different you are from those who'd hurt us. Otherwise you would not have taken the actions you have done today. You knew who we were, you did not have to involve yourself, yet you did.*
What she said next splashed mewtwo with a cold sense of reality, and made him look at Sharie in a new light. *We'd be dead, and any risk to your family you might have felt would have been gone forever. But you have a soul; you've treated me as your equal and not condemned me because of my actions, or Mewtwo's.*
Ki's next words rendered Mewtwo completely at a loss for words, but upon reflection, he knew how right Ki was about it.
*I've come to believe strongly in fate and miracles; each time Mewtwo and I have been threatened with seperation, some miracle has happened that kept us together. If this is like those other times,*
Mewtwo sensed any remaining traces of Ki's reservations about Sharie melt away with her next words, *Fate placed you in our path. You ought not suffer for it.*
The smile she had conveyed to Sharie was meant to say that if Sharie had wronged them in any way that needed forgiveness, it was already given.
Sharie had flushed, but her next words voiced her legitimate doubt that Mewtw would share the same way. And even Ki had to admit she wasn't 100% certain.
*It's a deep rage within him,* she asserted. People failing to understand we belong together is a deep rage within both of us; but we've learned to deal with it the best we can. I do not believe you are a threat. I think fate favored us by putting you in our path so you could save our lives. I can still be with him, thanks to you.*
At this, Mewtwo felt his personal response and Ki's become one and the same. Ki was truly right; and her suggestion for this trance had worked; he could at last see what she saw. Ki's next words added to his conviction.
*Besides, if Mewtwo or I have made any grave mistakes in our lives, our children ought not have to pay for them. The same should go for you. Again, that was a hard lesson learned, but it was learned well.*
Mewtwo was much surprised at the sense of gratitude Ki had picked up from Sharie at those words.
"You have no idea how grateful I am to hear those words," she had whispered. For a moment, her eyes had shimmered, giving further clues as to what she was feeling. "And I do hate to admit any weakness, but I am still afraid. Of his reaction. I have no inclinations to hide the truth. There would have been no point. With the name Triesta and my looks, for I look like my father, he would have known eventually anyways."
When Ki had attempted to reassure her that Mewtwo would never do anything she did not want him to do, and if for no other reason than respecting her feelings, Sharie's life would be spared.
However, Sharie had protested the thought of herself being an issue for arguement between Ki and Mewtwo. "I already told you I accepted my fate the instant I chose to help you. Besides, I am alone, and it's not like I'd be missed anywhere--"
Mewtwo's personal feelings of astonishment exactly mirrored Ki's. He had no idea Sharie's opinion of herself was that low, especially as powerful as she was. Sharie had practically no sense of self-confidence or self- identity.
*How can you say that about yourself?!* Ki had demanded. *That's not true; I can see it. Nurse Joy said you'd been badly treated but I'd never have imagined this badly. I like you and I tell you, I won't let it happen. No fight between myself or Mewtwo has to take place. We are so close that it would not take much to make him see what I see, and that is what I intend to do.*
With that, the trance began to end.
*Yes,* Mewtwo thought to himself. *Ki, you were right. No fight had to take place. I think I am beginning to understand, now. Angel, you are right, with Sharie, even who she is, we did not have to follow that path.....*
The rest of the world began to come back into focus, and along with it came delicate strains of a sweet song, sung in the pokemon langauge, sung by a gentle, sweet soprano voice that was beautiful enough for an angel.
****
The wind ruffled Sharie's bangs as she stared at Mewtwo and Ki; deep in their trance. She had no idea what was playing in their minds, or what Ki was showing him. She only knew it had something to do with her. She did not know; it could be anything from Ki simply repeating the story Sharie had told her to both of them deciding her fate.
She shivered slightly at the thought, and cradled Aaryanna closer to her heart. The baby noticed her distress and uttered a soft squeak of concern.
"Hm? Oh, it's all right, little one," she assured the infant, rocking her to soothe both her own frazzled nerves and the child's. "Your parents are busy, but they soon will be able to hold you again." Sharie leaned down and kissed the delicate little cheek and continued to rock her to an ancient rhythm instinctive to most women--when a baby needs soothing, human or pokemon, you move.
Aaryanna gurgled for a moment, then became quiet.
Long minutes passed as Mewtwo and Ki did not move. Quietly Sharie continued rocking the infant, but Aaryanna had already slept so long that day, she was not tired.
"Mew." The soft sound startled Sharie out of her own little world. She glanced down at Aaryanna.
"Mew, mew."
"You want me to sing to you again?" Sharie asked, surprised at the baby's request. "Did you like it that much?"
"Mew!"
The overenthusiastic sound made Sharie chuckle. "I don't sing much, and I guess you're the first who's really noticed in a long time. Oh, well, I guess it's nice to have a fan. Okay, Aaryanna."
Sharie closed her eyes, remembering the songs in the pokemon language she had learned over the years from various pokemon. It was a secret yet that Mewtwo was not the first Mew she had ever known; they did not yet know about the three mews that had sometimes popped up when she was younger. Sharie still did not know who they were, but when she was little, they had acted as guardian angels; kept her from falling out of trees and the like, then vanish in a chorus of giggles. As she had gotten older, she saw them less, but once in a while, they would appear and playfully interact with her for a few minutes before vanishing once more.
Sharie dredged up one of these songs now; an old love ballad with it's roots deep within ancient Mew history. Aaryanna should have no trouble understanding the words, even if she was too young to understand the content. All pokemon knew this ancient language from birth, it was a part of them all, no matter what kind.
Sharie opened her mouth and let the sweet melody flow from her lips. She was grateful that Mewtwo and Ki would not notice; their kind of trance shut out worldly distractions like noise. She only rocked Aaryanna and let her sweet voice echo and reverberate across the meadow they were in and flow and bounce back from the nearby ocean waves.
Sharie's eyes were closed, but she sensed Aaryanna give a deep sigh of content and snuggle against her. What she was unaware of was the attention she was getting from a few other pokemon within hearing distance.
Pidgey, curious and enthralled, swooped down from overhead and settled on the grass to listen. A pikachu and a Jigglypuff also came into sight. The Jigglypuff's eyes were shining; she was wishing her song did that to others without putting them to sleep!
Even some nearby ocean creatures heard the song and raised their heads above the water to listen. Two Gyarados, one blue and one an extremely rare red paused to listen, and some Starmie and Dewgong nearby cocked their ears, listening intently.
****
*Looks like she has some talent,* Ki remarked softly to Mewtwo. *She's got a beautiful voice. Wish I could sing like that. I've never tried.*
*Maybe you should try sometime,* he suggested. *Just look at our daughter.*
Aaryanna's eyes were shining so intently they glistened like twin pools of the brightest moonlight known.
Ki smiled. Sharie was so shy about drawing attention to herself that it was a good thing her eyes were closed. Likely it was for Aaryanna's sake she was singing, but she was drawing a small crowd of pokemon. It was obvious that they not only enjoyed the old pokemon love song; they were very surprised that a human was singing it so fluently.
At last the song ended. Ki and Mewtwo saw Sharie open her eyes and immediately turn red. It had not taken her two microseconds to notice the pokemon crowd. Her blushing signaled how embarassed she was!
"Um....thanks for listening, I think," she stammared uncertainly. "But the show's over."
The pidgey twittered happily as they took off, and Sharie could have swore that the Gyarados were laughing at her in a friendly way before they disappeared beneath the waves!
*I think you made them happy,* Ki remarked out of the blue, announcing her presence to Sharie at last.
Sharie gasped softly and turned quickly, her face still red. "Don't tell me you heard all of that," she whispered, mortified.
*Some of it,* Ki admitted. *What are you so embarassed for? You've got a lovely voice. All those pokemon were enjoying what they were hearing.*
"I don't sing. Almost never. I was just doing it to soothe your daughter."
Ki's jaw dropped. *You did not even know your voice sounded so pretty?*
"Well....I knew it wasn't unplesant, but I never really did it before. Only Da and my Uncle Fuji have ever heard me sing, and it's not been more than once or twice in my lifetime. The only other times were rarely enough, to soothe baby pokemon, including Aaryanna here, and I never dwelt on the sound."
Ki laughed as she came over, holding out her arms for Aaryanna. Gently Sharie transferred the precious bundle to her mother. *You really ought to do so more often. You have one beautiful set of pipes there, girlie.*
For the first time, Sharie's smile became a bit impish. "Only if you join me," she said in a way that was almost a challenge. "I've never even heard you *speak* using your, uh, "pipes". If you can actually speak and join me in a duet sometime, then I'll sing again one day."
Ki burst out laughing. "Oh, I can speak with my voice, I just rarely do so," she responded, carefully making herself move her thoughts out of her mouth rather than her head. "When you are surrounded by psychics and are a psychic yourself it's easy to never speak verbally."
"Your voice is clear and light," Sharie responded. "I don't think your voice singing would be that bad."
"Then maybe one day I'll accept your challenge," Ki chuckled. "We'll see, won't we?"
*I'd look forward to that myself, Angel,* put in Mewtwo quietly. He had been listening to the conversation in amusement. *The thought of you in a duet.....I somehow find that appealing.*
Sharie looked at him, startled. It was immediately apparent to her something was different. His posture was unguarded, his arms were at his sides in a nonthreatening manner. No longer did he appear cautious, and when his amethyst eyes met her unique green ones, the most startling difference became visible to her--for his gaze towards her was no longer dark and cold.
****
Sharie barely had two seconds to contemplate this. An awful sense of danger swept up her spine, and she whirled around, gasping, as she looked at the sky.
"No!" she cried out. "Oh, no!"
*What's wrong?* asked Ki, suddenly alarmed by the sudden change in Sharie's mood. It now projected fear.
"Can't you feel it? Danger is approaching!"
Even as she said those words, a dark spot formed in one of the clouds and shot out of it, directly in their path. They were moving so fast it was almost unreal.
Mewtwo felt himself stiffen. In a matter of moments they would all be impaled!
"Fear! Fearooowww!!!"
The flock of fearow, for some reason, had returned, and the sight of the targets below set them into a rage.
Sharie stiffened. As dangerous as Fearow could be, even they should not be acting like this! Only something unnatural could have prodded them into coming back for a second attack....when the first time should have struck the fear of heaven into them.
Before they struck, Sharie indeed sensed something wrong....because the emotional waves the fearow were projecting weren't just of a Fearow alone. Sharie was amazed she had not sensed this before.
No Fearow would have such a psychic essence within them, much less an essence of such macbre evil. The killer glint in their eyes was not their own--somehow, they were being controlled.
And they were here to keep attacking their targets until they were obliterated.
****
End chapter 4. Chapter 5's coming--how are they all going to get out of this one?