Stranger past Bedtime {4} -- Reality
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surzy . mikari
++--- PG13-A (mature/blood) ---++
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"It's not possible." Ash said in a grieving tone. "Her father was too strong a man to refuse battle, and die."
Sashura placed a hand on Ash's back, and soothingly whispered, "Duplica is not dead. This trance she's in, it will make her into a rock... and this rock... this will be the only sign of the war.. She will be the remaining piece of what humanity we've left behind."
Brock transfixed his eyes on the 'dead' woman sprawled on the floor next to him. Crusted blood formed the inside and outsides of her mouth, her eyes were open with shock as tears and blood had stood there. The insides of her body had been severely penetrated and crushed... Though to know she was a Disfiguration master, scared the wits out of Brock. She could be alive soon... Sashura could heal her out of pity - maybe. The hair on her head slowly turned black. Her original colour, and the smell of blood was infused in her mouth with some sort of fire. It had truly begun.
The eyes of this 'dead' person, turned red, as did the once-bloody lips. Her outfit became a long dark gown made of leather. Laughter of children were heard from every corner of the room; it was like a chorus of children were prancing in the very room. A smile flew upon the dead one's face.
"I will watch..." she said slowly as some blood sloshed out of her dried mouth. This transformation took only seconds, but her trance would take years. "But that doesn't mean I cannot do anything." Her smirk stayed on her mouth as she roamed around the room, and turned the room to blood red walls with black jewels encased in the stone.
Sashura not willing to explain quickly said, "I told you she has not died." Sashura's hand burst with light as she encased Duplica in a bubble of protective light. Keeping anything from opening or exiting. Duplica gritted her teeth.
Like a bubbled fish she said beneath the barrier, "This won't hold!" Her smirk grew.
"My dear Disfiguration master, my elements outwit your faking abilities. Try what you must. This wall will keep you in for centuries - if the war lasts that long." A chilling smile crept upon Sashura's face, while Ash backed away from the room covered in red. Duplica's eyes opened wide and her mouth gaped.
"NO! Don't do this to me Sashura!" her red eyes cried droplets of blood. But for some awkward reason, there was some falsity to her voice, her face, everything... Sashura only winced. This was once her best friend in the day of yore, and now... She didn't want to think about 'now'.
Ash stood there, his messy crop of black hair sprawled over his face as he thought.
Anger, he thought. Madness, he thought. Destruction, he thought. Everything now seemed to be the fault of Duplica. Everything revolved around her. She was the upbringer of this all, and the giver of chaos. He gave her a glance that spelt hate in capitals, but she simply stared away, giving off this witty presence that shook even Brock's hard hand.
"You know you can't cage me here forever, don't you?" As if she were talking to some wall, she stared aimlessly and began to pace in the bubble, feeling like she had to escape. "You can't expect a master like me to be this weak; I've defeated my own father, and I even managed to send several of your rivals to the emergency rooms, Ash. Why do you think it was so easy for you to climb the levels of the tournament? Easy answer. Me. Always been me."
"I don't care if it was you or not. You lied to me. You lied to everyone. Is that why, the day after the tournament, you were alone? You always said your father had joined some circus.. I should've known you, of all people, would do something as stupid as that." Ash breathed heavily as his chest rised to the inhaling gasps he took. Forgetting all about Misty's disturbing transformation, he stood there, face-to-face with Duplica.
"I got you where you are today, Ashy-boy." She taunted.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?" Yelling back, complete with animosity, Ash rammed his fist of crackling blue thunder into the light bubble, sending circuits of electricity, voltage much too high, through the casing -- Duplica's prison.
There was no sign of screeching, or fear, or pain on her face though. Duplica only grimaced.
As if an automatic answering machine, Misty stood with a lopsided, unearthly smirk. Something that wasn't hers, was on her face, and was grinning the transifguration master down. "You're purpose will come." She smiled so broadly that her teeth seemed suddenly crooked and yellowed, as if aged by the salt water. With a tilt to her scary smile, she pivoted on her foot and headed straight for the door.
Running, Ash tightly grabbed Misty by the arm and flung her around, staring deeply into the spaces of her now-empty eyes. They weren't hers anymore, he thought. "Wait. Where are you going?"
"To fulfill the destinies." She chimed, automatic, preordained and robotically. "To fulfill our destinies." For a moment, Ash thought that the second line she spoke, was actually Misty, fighting her way to the surface of humanity. Something in the sadness of her voice seemed to tell Ash that Misty was still inside, fighting for her place inside that body which was rightfully hers.
Still tightly grasping her arm, he pulled her closer and took a deeper stare into the blue spaces that were her irises. "You're in there arent you Misty? You can find your way back... don't let it take you..."
"Ash." A voice complied.
"You can fight it all, and you can just forget this whole thing -- forget Tishnova, the sirens, the prophecies and whatever! Everything can be so perfect if you just let it all go Misty.... You don't need to fulfill our destinies. We can leave that to the stupid elders who made those stone tablets in the isles." This time, he held both of her hands, lightly pressing them with fear.
"ASH." The voice complied once more.
The blue spaces, he thought, had to be a sea of someone else's thoughts and needs, taking over Misty's real personality. As much as he hated to admit it, Misty was strong. If there was something she could do, it'd be warding off the darkness.... that emptiness that was the space in her eyes. "Ash..." Her monotonous voice crackled for a second, as if she almost pried through the crusty surface. But it seemed too soon to hope. "I must fulfill everything I am made to fulfill."
With that, she wrenched her arm, mechanically, from Ash's grip and slowly pushed her way out of the door, stepping past the spot that once had the huge overflowing puddle. The puddle made by Sashura's wave... The puddle that saved them from the maiden. From the green-haired, crazy-toothed, freaky maiden. Following her, was her even quieter Starmie.
"ASH." He heard the voice this time and spun. "Ash, you've got to understand." He heard Sashura's voice cripple him piece by piece as he realized that he couldn't stop anything unless he used force. "This new era... you can't expect to fight it with hope and emotion. You can't do that."
"What makes you so sure? Hope - determination - all of that, it makes everyone strong enough to win. I can take this DESTINY on without using my fist. All I need is Pikachu, isn't that right?" Nodding at his crackling pokemon, Ash gave a half-hearted grin of approval.
"Ash, you can't expect to win if you think that way. There are other ways of stopping the bullet, than taking it full on in the chest." Brock grumbled. "Would you, for once, listen? I know you've climbed the pokemon trainer status, but that doesn't make you any better than the rest of us."
Ash looked shocked, and turned to face his best friend, and only replied with a dirty grimace. "There's no big deal in what your saying -- we can end this without killing Misty. You know it."
Brock gave a slight smile, but only proved Ash wrong once more.
"You're sister said it, and I don't feel like I have to. In Tishnova, a man without force, has no means of stopping anything." Brock gave a lilted sigh. "Perhaps we can save Misty without .. But... don't you realize how hard that would be? If you killed Veradien for the sake of the world, you're killing Misty from the inside. It's a curse all twins must bear."
Duplica stood there, listening intently as she licked off the crusty pieces of blood on her lips.
"You know Ashy-boy, this is precisely the reason why you both have to die. Prophecies are great, aren't they?" Sweetly, she smiled as she smacked her lips in delicious delight. The only way to have the world come together in full peace, is to kill the link, the problem, and the solution..." Sing-songy, she sang more tidbits of random prophecy.
"Shut up." Brock ordered. Duplica did so, but had that giant grin still on her face.
"I don't want you to get hurt Ash. Please listen." Sashura pleaded. Her eyes seemed so tense, but sincere... How could she be so cold, yet so warm at the same time? Was she as torn as Ash felt? "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"You don't want to see me get hurt?" Ash echoed. She reminded him so much of their mother... They were so alike in so many ways. They were both mysterious and had horribly hidden pasts; they were both so reticent and enigmatic; they were both FEMALES.
Ash shook his head.
"If you don't want to see me get hurt, let me save Misty on my own." With those words, he stormed out the door, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and Sashura sighing with great disbelief.
In the midst of the black-red-and-crackling-with-electricity bubble of protection, Duplica sat on her floor, still licking the crusty blood with delight. But amongst the dark clouds that seemed to hang over her, one tear ran solemnly and solely down her tear.
And for some odd reason, there was no sadistic smile, but a truly disturbing frown.
___________________________
surzy . mikari
++--- PG13-A (mature/blood) ---++
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's not possible." Ash said in a grieving tone. "Her father was too strong a man to refuse battle, and die."
Sashura placed a hand on Ash's back, and soothingly whispered, "Duplica is not dead. This trance she's in, it will make her into a rock... and this rock... this will be the only sign of the war.. She will be the remaining piece of what humanity we've left behind."
Brock transfixed his eyes on the 'dead' woman sprawled on the floor next to him. Crusted blood formed the inside and outsides of her mouth, her eyes were open with shock as tears and blood had stood there. The insides of her body had been severely penetrated and crushed... Though to know she was a Disfiguration master, scared the wits out of Brock. She could be alive soon... Sashura could heal her out of pity - maybe. The hair on her head slowly turned black. Her original colour, and the smell of blood was infused in her mouth with some sort of fire. It had truly begun.
The eyes of this 'dead' person, turned red, as did the once-bloody lips. Her outfit became a long dark gown made of leather. Laughter of children were heard from every corner of the room; it was like a chorus of children were prancing in the very room. A smile flew upon the dead one's face.
"I will watch..." she said slowly as some blood sloshed out of her dried mouth. This transformation took only seconds, but her trance would take years. "But that doesn't mean I cannot do anything." Her smirk stayed on her mouth as she roamed around the room, and turned the room to blood red walls with black jewels encased in the stone.
Sashura not willing to explain quickly said, "I told you she has not died." Sashura's hand burst with light as she encased Duplica in a bubble of protective light. Keeping anything from opening or exiting. Duplica gritted her teeth.
Like a bubbled fish she said beneath the barrier, "This won't hold!" Her smirk grew.
"My dear Disfiguration master, my elements outwit your faking abilities. Try what you must. This wall will keep you in for centuries - if the war lasts that long." A chilling smile crept upon Sashura's face, while Ash backed away from the room covered in red. Duplica's eyes opened wide and her mouth gaped.
"NO! Don't do this to me Sashura!" her red eyes cried droplets of blood. But for some awkward reason, there was some falsity to her voice, her face, everything... Sashura only winced. This was once her best friend in the day of yore, and now... She didn't want to think about 'now'.
Ash stood there, his messy crop of black hair sprawled over his face as he thought.
Anger, he thought. Madness, he thought. Destruction, he thought. Everything now seemed to be the fault of Duplica. Everything revolved around her. She was the upbringer of this all, and the giver of chaos. He gave her a glance that spelt hate in capitals, but she simply stared away, giving off this witty presence that shook even Brock's hard hand.
"You know you can't cage me here forever, don't you?" As if she were talking to some wall, she stared aimlessly and began to pace in the bubble, feeling like she had to escape. "You can't expect a master like me to be this weak; I've defeated my own father, and I even managed to send several of your rivals to the emergency rooms, Ash. Why do you think it was so easy for you to climb the levels of the tournament? Easy answer. Me. Always been me."
"I don't care if it was you or not. You lied to me. You lied to everyone. Is that why, the day after the tournament, you were alone? You always said your father had joined some circus.. I should've known you, of all people, would do something as stupid as that." Ash breathed heavily as his chest rised to the inhaling gasps he took. Forgetting all about Misty's disturbing transformation, he stood there, face-to-face with Duplica.
"I got you where you are today, Ashy-boy." She taunted.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?" Yelling back, complete with animosity, Ash rammed his fist of crackling blue thunder into the light bubble, sending circuits of electricity, voltage much too high, through the casing -- Duplica's prison.
There was no sign of screeching, or fear, or pain on her face though. Duplica only grimaced.
As if an automatic answering machine, Misty stood with a lopsided, unearthly smirk. Something that wasn't hers, was on her face, and was grinning the transifguration master down. "You're purpose will come." She smiled so broadly that her teeth seemed suddenly crooked and yellowed, as if aged by the salt water. With a tilt to her scary smile, she pivoted on her foot and headed straight for the door.
Running, Ash tightly grabbed Misty by the arm and flung her around, staring deeply into the spaces of her now-empty eyes. They weren't hers anymore, he thought. "Wait. Where are you going?"
"To fulfill the destinies." She chimed, automatic, preordained and robotically. "To fulfill our destinies." For a moment, Ash thought that the second line she spoke, was actually Misty, fighting her way to the surface of humanity. Something in the sadness of her voice seemed to tell Ash that Misty was still inside, fighting for her place inside that body which was rightfully hers.
Still tightly grasping her arm, he pulled her closer and took a deeper stare into the blue spaces that were her irises. "You're in there arent you Misty? You can find your way back... don't let it take you..."
"Ash." A voice complied.
"You can fight it all, and you can just forget this whole thing -- forget Tishnova, the sirens, the prophecies and whatever! Everything can be so perfect if you just let it all go Misty.... You don't need to fulfill our destinies. We can leave that to the stupid elders who made those stone tablets in the isles." This time, he held both of her hands, lightly pressing them with fear.
"ASH." The voice complied once more.
The blue spaces, he thought, had to be a sea of someone else's thoughts and needs, taking over Misty's real personality. As much as he hated to admit it, Misty was strong. If there was something she could do, it'd be warding off the darkness.... that emptiness that was the space in her eyes. "Ash..." Her monotonous voice crackled for a second, as if she almost pried through the crusty surface. But it seemed too soon to hope. "I must fulfill everything I am made to fulfill."
With that, she wrenched her arm, mechanically, from Ash's grip and slowly pushed her way out of the door, stepping past the spot that once had the huge overflowing puddle. The puddle made by Sashura's wave... The puddle that saved them from the maiden. From the green-haired, crazy-toothed, freaky maiden. Following her, was her even quieter Starmie.
"ASH." He heard the voice this time and spun. "Ash, you've got to understand." He heard Sashura's voice cripple him piece by piece as he realized that he couldn't stop anything unless he used force. "This new era... you can't expect to fight it with hope and emotion. You can't do that."
"What makes you so sure? Hope - determination - all of that, it makes everyone strong enough to win. I can take this DESTINY on without using my fist. All I need is Pikachu, isn't that right?" Nodding at his crackling pokemon, Ash gave a half-hearted grin of approval.
"Ash, you can't expect to win if you think that way. There are other ways of stopping the bullet, than taking it full on in the chest." Brock grumbled. "Would you, for once, listen? I know you've climbed the pokemon trainer status, but that doesn't make you any better than the rest of us."
Ash looked shocked, and turned to face his best friend, and only replied with a dirty grimace. "There's no big deal in what your saying -- we can end this without killing Misty. You know it."
Brock gave a slight smile, but only proved Ash wrong once more.
"You're sister said it, and I don't feel like I have to. In Tishnova, a man without force, has no means of stopping anything." Brock gave a lilted sigh. "Perhaps we can save Misty without .. But... don't you realize how hard that would be? If you killed Veradien for the sake of the world, you're killing Misty from the inside. It's a curse all twins must bear."
Duplica stood there, listening intently as she licked off the crusty pieces of blood on her lips.
"You know Ashy-boy, this is precisely the reason why you both have to die. Prophecies are great, aren't they?" Sweetly, she smiled as she smacked her lips in delicious delight. The only way to have the world come together in full peace, is to kill the link, the problem, and the solution..." Sing-songy, she sang more tidbits of random prophecy.
"Shut up." Brock ordered. Duplica did so, but had that giant grin still on her face.
"I don't want you to get hurt Ash. Please listen." Sashura pleaded. Her eyes seemed so tense, but sincere... How could she be so cold, yet so warm at the same time? Was she as torn as Ash felt? "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"You don't want to see me get hurt?" Ash echoed. She reminded him so much of their mother... They were so alike in so many ways. They were both mysterious and had horribly hidden pasts; they were both so reticent and enigmatic; they were both FEMALES.
Ash shook his head.
"If you don't want to see me get hurt, let me save Misty on my own." With those words, he stormed out the door, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and Sashura sighing with great disbelief.
In the midst of the black-red-and-crackling-with-electricity bubble of protection, Duplica sat on her floor, still licking the crusty blood with delight. But amongst the dark clouds that seemed to hang over her, one tear ran solemnly and solely down her tear.
And for some odd reason, there was no sadistic smile, but a truly disturbing frown.