Japanese Title: End My Life; I've Nothing Left-Over! Or Can He?!
Translation: Hateru Mai Raifu; Watasi Aru Nasshingu Amaru! Aruiha Yoroshii Kare?!
By: Pro_V
Co-Authored By: rainflower
"What?" Lance looked at Jason blankly, "I mean, could you repeat that? I could have sworn you just asked me to kill you."
"I did," Jason just sat, watching the flames of the campfire roar around.
"No, no, no. Come on, Jason. Now, what'd you really say?" Lance smiled a sad attempt for a grin.
"You heard me," Jason laid back and sprawled out, "Stomp on me or something. Just end my misery now, please."
"What brought this on?" Luri jumped and stood over him, looking down, "Is this fresh air eating away at your smog-filled lungs and causing you brain to fry or something?"
"Yeah. You're just not used to this fresh air anymore," Morty nodded while Lisle just let her mouth hang open.
"That's not the problem," Jason was talking as if he was already dead, "There's just no one left to live for. Just kill me already before I do it myself."
"Jason," Eevy stood over him and crossed her arms, "Suicide and having someone murder you is not the solution to your problems."
"Then what is?! Huh?!" he sat up in one swift movement before flopping back down again, "I just want to die now and get it over with instead of suffering more. What's wrong with that? I'm just decreasing the surplus population and I thought that was a good thing."
"Only according to Dickens and Scrooge," Mizu snapped, "Laying there and begging to die isn't going to get Medira back and y-"
"She's not coming back! All right?! Just screw it! See if I give a damn!" he sprang up again and growled violently with his eyes roaring emerald green, "Life was too damn good to be true when she was around and I should have known she'd leave me. It was too perfect to last."
"That's not true, Jason!" Will barked, "You're being an idiot! What happened to make you think such things?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he rolled over onto his stomach and crossed his arms under his chin, "I just want to die."
"You will talk about it because I say so," Eevy's eyes narrowed, "Unless you'd rather I pry it out of you on my own."
"You stay out of my head!" he spat as he looked towards her, "I'm keeping my thoughts to myself, and I'll thank you to leave them that way."
"Why won't you tell us what's going on?" Lisle asked slowly, "Maybe we could help."
"You can't help, OK? There's no point in even trying. I saw something I should have known was coming and I just want to wilt and blow away."
"What, Jason? What did you see?" Eevy sat down next to him, "I'm just as worried about her as you are and-"
"I'm not worried any more. I don't need to," he rolled over on his back and sprawled out again, "She's got Peter to protect her."
Eevy made a stiff face and a choking noise, "Oh, come on, Jason! Don't be a dope!"
"Really! Are you stoned or something?" Lance's face tweaked, "That's how you're acting!"
"Just shut up! All of you! Keep your mouths shut!" Jason didn't sit up, just growled from the ground, "I don't care if most of you are higher than me! Just, shut up!"
The group leaned away; excepting Eevy, "Tell me, or I'll pull through your head like a pickax through stone."
"You wouldn't," he scowled.
"Care to try me?" she laid her hand on his forehead, "I will do it, Jason. I kid you not."
He huffed a bit and sat up, "While I was walking I saw them. Peter and Medira. They were all over each other. She didn't even try to stop him. It sickened me and it still does," he looked away and suddenly sprang back, eyes watering, "Kill me, will you?!"
"Killing you isn't really a solution to your problems," Lisle muttered, "It's a way to escape them so you'll never have to face them."
"Running is the baby's way out," Mizu nodded, "All you're doing by running is telling Peter you're a chicken."
"If that's really what you want, go ahead and do it," Morty mumbled, "But don't expect us to give in too."
"You're being a coward, Jason," Eusine crossed his arms, "You're letting Peter take the one person most important to you."
"You can't let him get above you," Luri agreed, "You're basically letting him play dominant. Like a pack of dogs."
"That's not what you really want," Will paused, "And I'm not going into your head at all. I swear to you."
"What you really want is what's best for Medira," Lance stood up, "Peter is definitely not best. Worst, maybe, but not best."
"You told me before that there were only two people you ever wanted to live for," Eevy sat down next to Jason as he sat up, "Then you said you found a third. Now you're telling me that there's not one thing to bother with anymore. Jason, Medira is still alive, just a little mixed up right now. There's no reason you should literally ask to be dead. She still loves you, Jason," she noticed him sort of slouch at that, "She's just got a lot of stuff going on right now. The last thing she needs is for you to give up on her. If it was someone else with Peter and she was here, would she let you quit and go home? No, she wouldn't. She may not be here, but don't let her down."
"But what's the point?" he shrugged and sighed, "She's not here, so why bother trying to please her?"
"She will be here, Jason," Lance nodded slowly, "We're going to get her back. One way or another. But to do that," he got on one knee and stared him directly in the eye, "We're going to need you."
Jason stared into the fire, seeing nothing but what he saw with Medira and Peter. He stayed silent for a bit, giving everyone around him an uneasy feeling, not knowing what he'd come out with next. He shook his hair up with his hands a bit and swallowed hard while thinking this through. All he kept asking was 'Why did she go to him? Why not me?' And the only answer he ever gave himself was 'Because.' He closed his eyes and sighed once, turning to Eevy.
"You know," he started and snickered lightly, "You guys are really stubborn."
"Yeah," Eevy snickered in return, "That's our job."
"You know something else?" he stood up and brushed off, "I'm going to be stubborn too. I refuse to die before Peter Rubeus! And I refuse to take no for an answer!"
"Now that's the munchkin I remember," Will snuck up behind him and messed up his hair, "You go, Jason."
"We're not going to let Rubeus take her like this," Morty huffed, "That guy is definitely going down."
"And Medira will come back, Jason," Eevy nodded stiffly, "I promise you that."
*^~^**^~^*
Medira again sat beside the fire, staring into it, "Why did I let him kiss me?" she questioned herself silently, "Why did I let them kiss me? Which one is it that I'm really meant for? Peter and I are so much alike, yet Jason just feels right."
Peter tilted his head at the way she was staring at the flames, "You don't look so good. Are you all right?"
"Yeah!" she smiled and looked up, "I'm just fine! Just thinking."
"Are you sure?" he stood and sat down against her right side, "You can't be sick and expect to train too."
"Train?" she cocked her eyebrow, "More target practice?" she gave him a short scowl.
"What?" he leaned away, "What's that all about?"
"Nothing," she shook her head and looked away, "Just babbling."
He looked overly confused, "What's up with you all of a sudden? Ever since we got back here all you do is sit and stare at the fire. Did something happen when I wasn't here? Is that why you came looking for me?" his eyes narrowed, "Was someone here?"
She continued facing away and closed her eyes, "It was nothing. Really. Just Peruwa."
"Peruwa?" he growled, "What was he doing here? Did you bring him here?" he shot to his feet.
"No! I don't know how he got here! I was just sitting here and all of a sudden he was standing over me!" she shrieked and jumped up while stepping away, "I swear!"
He stopped dead in his tracks at the way she was shaking. She was scared of him. But why? His face slowly softened and his shoulders loosened. He noticed her hands were starting to flare and jumped and pushed them from their shaking positions by her face. The flames roared out to the sides and basically baked a few trees.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I am so sorry!" she panted and tried to wriggle her wrists free.
"It's fine," he put his right hand through her hair, "Right there tells me your problem."
"It does?" she whimpered and swallowed.
"Yes, it does," he put his arm around her shoulders and walked towards the right, "Come with me."
*^~^**^~^*
"Once I find that joker," Jason snorted, "I'll bite his head off."
"That ought to be tasty," Lance hacked, "Where were they, anyway?"
"That's funny," Jason looked around the tree, "She was right here when I was talking to her."
"Do you think they walked off somewhere?" Luri looked side to side, searching for any sign of movement.
"I don't sense him anywhere close," Will looked up into the trees, "Maybe they went away to practice."
"Practice what is the question," Morty gagged, "Gross visual!"
"Oh, man!" Mizu heaved, "Stop that!"
"Yes, please do," Eusine shivered, "Where are they?!"
"It is kind of creepy," Lisle's eyes flailed left to right repeatedly, "But look at these trees. Blackened and burnt."
"I'll bet they were here," Eevy muttered, "Either that or a really smart Fire-type is camping out here."
The buzzer of Eevy's Poke'Gear started going, "Hey, Eevy! What's going on?"
"Nothing, Ash," she answered and picked it up, "We've found signs of the missing persons, but not of the people themselves."
"That's too bad," he slouched.
"Psy-y-y!"
"Psyduck! Go away!"
"Go take care of that," Eevy hung up with a slight laugh, "Let's go, guys. Maybe they didn't leave that long ago."
*^~^**^~^*
"If you know my problem, what is it?" Medira cocked her head as Peter walked her along.
"You'll see," he answered her, causing her head to fall to the side again, "OK, now stand here," he stood her straight and waited for her to get a bit distracted by where they were and from nowhere started tickling her.
She shrieked an annoyed laugh and fell backwards, flames bursting from where she landed, "What'd you do that for?!" she barked as she stood up and brushed off, "You know stuff like that sets me off. Literally!"
"You're distracted too easily," he answered and stepped away, "Fire has to constantly move to stay lit and alive, so it has to be harnessed all the time; even when you're distracted. Unlike Sedna's powers of Ice and Water, which remain even when still, it has to be watched every step of the way and every second of the day."
She stood staring blankly at him for a minute before it finally processed in her head, "Oh! OK. I get it now."
"Uh huh," he knew she still wasn't totally clear on it, "But anyway, you have to learn to suppress your power when you're not using it, even when you're distracted."
"Yeah. OK," she watched him as he walked around behind her, "So…What?"
"So you have to learn to hold the note that you have Fire running through you no matter what it is you're going through. Say I…" he stopped behind her and faced her, "did this!" he reached around and again began tormenting her.
"Hey come on!" she shouted, "Cut it out! Knock it off!" she tipped backwards on top of him, giving him an awkward weight to hold up.
He leaned back, holding her waist and tipping over backwards. He continued with his tickle fit even as he fell over backwards. He landed flat on his back, her on top, as the fire roared forward and up through the trees. Luri spotted it and looked off into the distance.
"Uh, either there's a sudden geyser of fire out here, or I'd say Medira and Peter are playing pyro," she crossed her arms and watched the fire fly, "Let's go!"
"Stop, stop, stop it!" Medira kicked, "Come on and quit that!" she pushed his hands off, "I'll bake something!"
"You've got to learn control," he shoved her off and sat up as she did the same next to him, "That's your problem. When you're not focused on the power, you completely ignore it. You have to remember it's there. You can't forget it; not even for a second. Whether you're upset, scared, sick or laughing. You just can't let it go."
"I think I can do that," she blew a pesky strand of hair from her face, "OK, yeah. I can do that."
"We'll see," he smirked evilly.
"No! No don't!" she started to jump up, but he snatched her legs and pushed her down, "Don't do it!" she begged into the grass.
"Remember the fire!" he began with his annoyances yet again as he pinned her down.
"No! Don't! Stop it!" she kicked and tried to push him off.
"Don't stop it?" he put two of her pleas together, "OK! I won't!"
"Ah! Stop!" she stopped dead as she realized there was no heat coming from her hands, causing him to pause as well, "Cool. Try that again," he did as he was asked and still nothing came, even as her eyes watered in her laughter, "Hey cool! I did it!" she pushed him off and rolled on top of him, "I did it!"
"You did," he nodded but quickly frowned as a thought struck him, "Now that she can control her power, she'll leave. She'll go back to Rainbow Mansion. She'll leave me for good. As soon as they get to her, she'll never want to see me again. No! I can't lose her," he grabbed her elbows and attracted her attention, "Stay with me. For good. Hell, marry me even."
She leaned away and choked, "Are you nuts or just stoned?" she asked, dead seriously, "I can't marry you. I can't stay."
"Why not?" something inside him snapped and made him sick.
"M-My friends. All my friends. You did what I asked you to. I-I-I can't. I'd love to, but I just…can't."
"After everything I've done?" he nearly wilted, "After all the help I've given you?"
"They're still my friends, Peter," she sat up.
"What about me? I'm not your friend? After everything I did to help you and I'm not even a friend? God, and here I thought I was more than that."
"More?" she looked frozen in surprise and sat down next to him on the grass.
"Stay here with me, Medira. Help me get my place as Champion back," he took her hand, "Help me get rid of them."
He sat up and had to give a little force to kiss her. She returned it slowly, letting him push her back. At his hands moving down her sides, she brought her knee up and shoved him back. He let out a slight shout as he flopped onto his back with her jumping to stand. He felt the urge to throw a good-sized flame at her for rejecting him, but contained himself.
"This is what you wanted all along, isn't it?" she shook her head slowly and stepped back, "You wanted a play-thing and then I came along."
"No!" he jumped up, "No! I swear that isn't true!"
"Why do I not believe you?" she crossed her arms and huffed.
"I don't know, but you have to. Medira, please," he stepped towards her but she started walking away.
"I'm going to find my friends," her voice cracked but she kept going.
"Stop, Medira. Please," he jumped in front of her, "Please, Medira. What I want isn't anything like that. What I want is you. A partner. A friend. A lover."
"Let me ask you something," she swallowed and calmed, "If one of your other friends asked you to kill another of your friends, would you do it? Would you honestly do what you just asked me to?"
He swallowed and looked to the side, "I have no friends."
She could tell by the tone he was dead serious, "Y-You have me," she slowly put her arms around his neck, "Would you kill me if someone asked you to?"
He stared at her nervously, "No," he said flatly, "No, I wouldn't."
He pulled her closer and held her tightly as she laid her head on his shoulder, "You've got to believe me, Peter. If they weren't there for me, for any reason, you would be the one I went to first. They're still my friends, Peter, and no matter what you do, you still will be too. I just can't forget about them."
He froze solid at what she said. He stood in total disbelief that anyone would ever get this close to him, and that someone was actually, remotely, in love with him. It was actually amazing him that he was able to feel this kind of a love, a connection, with another person. He held her so tightly and so close that his arms were around her, yet his hands were at her sides. She stood straight and nodded once and turned to leave. He bit his bottom lip as she walked away. A stinging line fell down his face as an actual tear burned his fire-covered skin. He turned to face away from her and started walking. They both just kept going; neither looking back or slowing down.
*^~^**^~^*
"We searched all last night and all morning," Luri mumbled and hit her head on the table, "Not one sighting of her. Anywhere."
"There was plenty of evidence she was there, but not even one glance of her," Lisle sighed, "I hope she's still all right."
"I'm sure she is," Morty lied through his teeth, "Like Eevy said, she's just worked up."
"She did have a hefty work load," Sooney looked to the floor, "But I still wish she was here."
"If we feel this rotten," Brock muttered, "how do you think Jason and Eevy feel?"
"I don't want to know," Eusine slouched, "They must both be heart broken."
"Where are they anyway?" Yuu-Yuu flicked a fuzz ball from her pants.
"Out on the front porch," Ash examined his Croconaw's Lure Ball, "Sitting."
*^~^**^~^*
"I'm sorry I almost hit you before," Jason snickered nervously, "I should watch where I swing."
"I survived it," Eevy kicked at the rail of the porch, "I'm sorry I got so angry with you before. I should have left you alone."
"I survived it," he repeated her, "Besides, you were right. It is your job to annoy us. You're our boss. That makes pestering your number one occupation."
"My number one occupation should be watching out for my friends. I blew that one, didn't I?"
"It's not your fault she left. Peter did have a surprisingly good point. Even if that does sound kind of odd."
"Yes, Peter makes good points, but you guys make better food," both Eevy and Jason went soaring into the rafters at the surprise voice from the side of the porch.
"M-Medira?" Eevy nearly keeled over.
"Medira," Jason breathed slowly, "You came back."
"Yes, I came back. I said I would," she nodded and walked up the steps, "And I did. I've learned to control my powers now, and I'm back."
"Thank heavens," Eevy threw her arms around her, "My friend," she squeezed her, "I missed you so much."
"I miss breathing!" Medira dry heaved as Eevy let go and stepped away, "Come on. I expect a welcome home dinner."
"And you shall have it!" Eevy dragged her behind with Jason blank faced behind.
*^~^**^~^*
The twittering lasted nearly all night long. After about three desserts apiece, most everyone filed out to sleep off the sugar high. Jason snatched Medira's arm as she started to walk out and Eevy ushered Beth and Rachel out as they attempted to stop and listen.
"Medira," he looked her directly in the eyes and stood up, "I missed you," he held her tighter than Peter had, "God, I missed you so much."
She gagged until he let up, "Jason, after all I've done, you say you still love me. I've been with Peter all this time, yet you still say you care about me. Why?"
"I don't really know why either," he held her hands, "But I accept the fact that you thought he could help you more. I also accept that he did help you more," he suddenly turned cross, "But what I don't accept is that you actually slept with that…thing!"
"What?" she stepped away while he still held her hands, "But I didn't," she looked to her side and out the dining room window.
"You didn't?" he loosened up and stepped towards her, turning her chin with his hand, "Honestly?"
"Honestly," she nodded, "He tried, but I wouldn't. I swear."
He stood stunned for a moment before putting both hands through her hair and shaking his head slowly, "Go ahead and burn me," he pulled her closer.
At least this kiss was true. She stood there, kind of frozen for a minute, before remembering what she had to do to hold her powers. She wrapped her arms up around his neck and returned the kiss. He moved his hands from her hair to her elbows and pulled her arms away. He moved them to his waist and left them there while moving his own to her shoulders. She gave an odd smile while kissing him when moving her hands into his pockets. He pulled back slowly and looked right to left nervously.
"Hey," he smirked a bit, "I'm not char broiled!"
"I told you I harnessed it," she gave a sad smile, "Thanks to Peter."
"And I believe that," he nodded slowly, "Thank you for coming back. I love you, Medira. I really, really do."
She was silent for a few seconds that felt like hours, "I love you too, Jason."
*^~^**^~^*
Eevy swung on the front porch swing with Lance sitting next to her. She swung forward but he hooked his foot on the porch railing, stopping the swing. She smacked his stomach with an annoyed laugh, but he inched over and leaned her closer, leaving his arm around her shoulder. She ran her hand up and down his leg, tempting him a little more each time. He pushed her chin up with his other hand and laid a slow kiss on her lips. A small wind blew and a clattering noise caused them to pull away. They looked between them, spotting a bright silver shine falling to the seat between them. They nervously looked to each other out of the corners of their eyes, then back to the shine again. The glow hit the swing and stopped, bursting with bright silver sparks. There sat the Crystal Bell. In the distance, three familiar Pokemon cries roared through the slow night breeze. The Beasts first instincts had been confirmed and Eevy and Lance nodded to each other before smiling wide and walking inside.
*^~^**^~^*
A darker than dark shadow slowly slipped along the main hall of Rainbow Mansion. Lights were out for the night and he had no trouble sneaking in. The thing was that he wasn't there for trouble. Nope, not at all. He slid down the hall and up two flights of stairs. Slipping under the door was the last step. He straightened and formed more, creating a 3D figure. He stood with crossed arms as he watched the blonde with the deep violet eyes sleeping calmly. Peter swallowed hard and stepped towards the bed. Leaning down carefully, he whispered three words never to be heard from him again.
Stopping about an inch from her, he whispered, "I love you," and closed the gap between them with a careful and light kiss.
She stirred and rolled a bit, "Peter?" she moaned lightly.
It surprised him enough that he answered, "Yes, Medira," then slapping his hand over his mouth and flying into shadow form and zipping out her door, down the stairs and out the front, heading for the woods.
The Next Chronicle:
Bold Red R