Collector

Chapter 4 – Innocence

It is just a tingle

A grunt

It'll pass, its gotta pass

But it didn't

Inwardly he growls in pain as he clutches his damaged hand feverishly, teeth clenched at the rough scab rather slowly introducing its self to his hand, the previous joy he had shattered.

Damn fragility, how can such pathetic excuses for an existence stand being torn apart by so little!

His emotions played on chaotic, more erratic than they had been recently. That line was so close, Viridian all over again but he couldn't do it, sour.

His victory is torn.

Loki stood guard as his master was in the shadow of thankfully one of the out skirting buildings of Pewter City enough away so John wouldn't see; what kind of expression would that give if your new commander was fawning over badly bruised bone and muscle?

And as his mind hissed in fury, he tried bitterly to keep any noise from slipping past his lips till the pain passed.

Is the human healing system really this slow to react? It's pitiful!

Local people seem ignorant of anything happening due to the incidentally well chosen hiding spot, going about as they would daily; laughing, couples together whispering things to each other, children charging around as they play with fellows and young Pokemon running after the human charges.

Loki's eyes narrow a fraction as he steps out the way of a giggling child. He doesn't like how close some come; invading the circle he had created in his mind as protected. The concept for them to be happy eluded the entity completely, they grinned from play, not from slaughter like his Master gained it.

The fragments were the worst part to get out; they just seemed to encourage fresh liquid to trail from their burrows across palm and finger as they migrated; ignoring the seething anger from the clenched teeth of whose hand they lazily escaped from. Blunt teeth, no claw or tusk was making the task nigh upon impossible.

His focus continued stiffly upon his hand as the last shard was torn from his skin, nuzzling the spot gently in sheer instinct and habit for tending to his ailment.

It is unexpected when a young child approaches him, seemingly ignored by Loki for some reason, her voice is a little shrill but Arthus strangely doesn't snap even when she suddenly announced her arrival.

'Hey mister! Is your hand okay?' the little auburn questions, proudly staring upwards in her little pink frilly dress with her head cocked to the side curiously staring.

'I injured it by accident coming into town, its nothing for you to worry about little one' he replies softly, watching her puzzled, the sparkly expression disturbed him somewhat.

'Mommy is a good nurse, she can help bandage it if you want, pleeeeeeease will you come?' she questions, already tugging gently on his t-shirt to get him to follow, her eyes widened with a smile delicately on her lips.

His mind finds the child confusing, why would she care about a complete stranger and an injury regardless of what profession their parent had? Suspicion was there that this would be a trick of some sort as nothing could possibly be trusted in this city.

'What's your name little one?' he asks suddenly, ignoring the tugging on his shirt, his mind struggling to focus with the nagging pain to use any form of mind sweep to be sure of her intentions or name.

'Natalie… so gonna come or do I have to use mommy's Chansey?' she replies meekly causing her charge to blink a moment, his contact with children had been extremely little outside his aggravating little brother the innocence was so foreign to see something without a trace of deception his entire life has lived by.

'Lead' he answers quietly, flinching at the squeal as his uninjured hand is grabbed and he's dragged away from his hiding spot, eyes trained on the child with up most scepticism.

Loki had moved himself somewhat from guarding; there was no command to tell him to stay in that spot so he failed to see any reason to bother in his now limited psyche. The children intrigued him; so many why's he was unable to form into words to be understood yet so badly he still wanted to know.

For the first time since his capture, the Rukario decided the master could wait.

Arthus was well aware of Hospitals, what they were and such, he had once posed as a worker who mysteriously disappeared when some key devices suddenly when missing … that and after the supposed miracle technique incident spawn from his natural abilities it seemed a good time to go. Thankfully that happened several years ago now in another location so it would be doubtful anybody would recognise him on sight.

Natalie was extremely adamant that her mother was allowed to see this stranger she found injured; she commanded authority a little out the league of such a young child.

And he found it rather amusing.

'Nathalie, what have I told you about telling off co-workers, hmm?' one of the many staff members questioned as the said child charged past countless others to this one, she instantly is a picture of innocence in her presence.

'But mommy, he's hurt his hand bad, wanted to bring him to the best nurse I know!' she protests, still attached to his hand which unusually he didn't seem that bothered about as long as the container stayed out of her reach.

Normally he would have snapped and at least hit somebody for touching him so he wasn't remained of the form he is forced to take because of the majority species present.

'Flattery gets you everywhere' the girl's mother says with a slight roll of her eyes. She does look a lot unlike from the child; she has long blond hair, not short and curly as Nathalie does and causes him to eye her curiously for her completely different look from some nurses he had seen that he remembered.

'Sorry sir… my daughter gets a bit out of hand sometimes, if she found an injured Sandshrew she'd bring it in here without a thought… Now what's wrong with your hand?' Inwardly he growled a little, he had an excuse for formalities with English not being his first tongue… everyone else who did it bothered him to aid his hinted anger about out of control of a situation.

'It's Arthus' he grumbled, his mind too fragile to come up with a new name beyond the one he had so recently used, 'I got a little… excited. Hit some rock with my hand; wasn't thinking it would hurt this much.'

The nurse nods sagely before ushering her daughter off him so she could look to his hand which he flinched rather notably as she handled it as well as backing off from her touch as much as he could, thankfully for him she just puts it down to it being sore.

'Seems just to be bruising… Oh I'm Tanya by the way; Tanya Dori and you've already met my daughter I see. Hmm, what profession are you in may I ask, Arthus was it?'

Resisting the desire to snatch his hand away he replies rather cagily, not wanting a human to fawn over his injury, he didn't trust anything medical, as it seemed so primitive from what he had witnessed before.

'Gym Leader' he seethed quietly as he watched her fingers grace over his hand dabbling in his own fresh blood, he hated the feeling, loathed touch; he is out his element.

'Oh?' is her reply, his stiffness notably relaxing as she stops massaging the muscle to clean her hands with a paper towel letting the liquid spread like plague, 'which gym would that be?'

Shit

Now there was a problem, very few didn't know about Viridian's desolation and mentioning it would raise far too many questions but….

'Viridian's Gym, the rumour about the city's destruction is widely exaggerated despite how many people make it so. When somebody shot a horror film there, people saw the props and assumed the place had been destroyed; city hasn't honestly been same since.' He muses with a chuckle. 'People are just overly paranoid these days.'

Tanya eyes for a moment surprised that he had said it but doesn't comment on it.

'Might be for there but maybe not with all these recent murders across Kanto… only two years ago did somebody try to kill the Gym Leader here; killed all her Pokemon they did, never did find out who did it. Might have seen something in the papers, remember seeing her going through here before being taken to Viridian's police'

'…'

That did it, he immediately tensed up again, and his temper had just shot back into visage in a certain burst of flame.

Her

'Hey you all right?' the nurse questions with a worried expression a hand on his arm ignorant to his near outburst brewing inside. With a few breaths, he lets himself chill just enough to respond.

'The thought that somebody would try sickens me' he states rather angrily even though the excuse was the complete opposite of why he was furious 'I know the 'family' well, we haven't spoken in a few years; I've been too tied up with work. In fact, had I not needed to go to Celadon now for business, I would visit them, catch up with old times compare what kinda trainers we've had and like.'

Even being purely human right now, his eyes are slits amongst amber and scarlet, no matter what he looked like to everybody else, there is a strict colour he is to himself and his anger at the lie he is forced to spit out without choking sickened him to the core.

'Mommy, can I go out and see Leon? I promised to help exercise his dad's Gyarados today' Nathalie pleads, ruining the darker mood entirely and shooting down his temper as he looks at her, who would be insane enough to have a Gyarados in these parts….?

'Nathalie, you know I don't like you playing with that thing no matter whose its it, Gyarados are dangerous enough let alone one that size' her mother scolds as she gestures to her little girl, oblivious as she is.

That size and father's? Only one person that could be….

'Nathalie,' he asks quietly causing the girl to look at him curiously either for the question or the act he had addressed her by name, 'who is this Leon?'

A blink but before she can reply, Tanya jumps in.

'Leon's the Gym leader's son… sweet little thing he is even though he always has one arm bandaged up for some reason. Can't do enough for you, always charging around doing errands even at his age and yet still finds time to at least try to keep Nathalie here out of trouble' she muses with her eyes closed before taking a stern tone as she continues.

'Certainly better than I can say for that father of his they're just like complete opposites with him going at anybody who tries to get too close to his wife if they're a guy or refusing to go need a hospital no matter how bad he gets injured from the oddest of things yet can't do enough for her. It's all very weird if you ask me'

And before Arthus can get a word in this time, he's stopped yet again.

'Mommy, Hance isn't that bad, he's really nice! He was showing me what he could do with that sword a few days ago when he practiced, its way better than the cartoons!'

'I don't like you watching him with that thing you might get hurt! Huh who on earth would use a sword in this day and age anyway?' The nurse scolds angrily at her innocent looking daughter.

'My sword he means' he grumbles under his breath… 'Could I ask you a favour of you both?'

Both look to him confused as he holds his easing hand in his free.

'Don't mention to anybody you saw me here ok? I want to surprise the pair when I come back from Celadon and I don't want them worrying because I was here after all. I don't want anybody suspicious I'm in town either, won't be any fun that way will it?' He continues carefully, slight grin on his face, hint of slyness lurking in his returned orbs.

'Sure we can do that for you, isn't a problem' Tanya replies with a grin eyes closed as she turns to Nathalie should be.

'We can do that can- Nathalie!'

The spot was clear; she had since gone to go see Leon in the split second her mother turned away.

'Sorry about that, she's just being plain ru-' Tanya stops in her tracks, blinking.

Arthus had vanished as well, not a trace of him anywhere following suit of the child.

Scowling, the nurse holds the paper towel in her hand looking at it oddly before narrowing her eyes slightly.

That's odd, fresh blood shouldn't be violet…