The night slipped past me as my life spiraled down a drain. My strength and ability to move grew weaker and weaker with each passing moment. Despite Kyle and Kenzo actively healing my wounds using their Aura, I couldn't hold on for much longer. The damage was too great, and my will too little to stay. As my eyes shut, I wondered about my daughter and Fang. I wish I could have told them goodbye. I wish I could tell Kyle I was sorry. There was no time though. My eyes shut, and I gave in to the darkness I was all too familiar with.
Sis. It's not time yet.
I...I don't know about that.
You still have to protect my Kyle. Go back.
The words echoed in my throbbing head as I returned from the darkness and back to the world of the living. My chest ached, and my body felt too cold as my eyes fluttered open. The first thing to come into view was Nurse Joy who was actively imbibing me with life-giving liquid.
"Stay with us Rose," she begged, as her team of Audinos and Chanseys surrounded me and worked diligently on my medical care. My strength fleeted again as I could feel darkness sucking me back under. My sister's words to me echoed in my head pounding over and over again. Death would have to wait if the threat was real. Struggling through the fog which surrounded my mind, I sat up slowly.
"Rose! Easy! Easy!" the Chansey by my head screamed, trying to stabilize me. My legs trembled violently but I forced them to obey me.
"I'm fine," I rasped out, my throat bone dry. Glancing around, it took only a second before a silver dish of water was procured by Nurse Joy. I lapped up the liquid and glanced around the dark room. I sat on an operating bed, with bright lights focused above me. My vision blurred momentarily as a wave of exhaustion overcame me, but I pushed it down. Looking down, I was stunned to see that the hole which had been in my chest was entirely gone. The skin was flawless, and I could feel my ribcage press against my heart.
"It was a bit of touch and go. Your heart stopped three times, and the third time...we weren't sure we'd be able to start it again. How do you feel?" Nurse Joy spoke. I took in the blue-eyed female and considered my current situation.
"Weak. But alive," I stated quietly. My emotions spiraled out of control. Kyle had almost killed me. The darkness I had feared had come to light, and now I wasn't sure if I could trust myself to be around him.
"Audino. Please go notify the family. Are you well enough for visitors?"
"No," I stated shirking her gaze. I stared at the green cloth beneath my paws. The color reminded me of the person waiting for me. I wasn't ready to face Kyle. Not when I wasn't sure what I thought about how I truly felt.
"Unfortunately, I have to ask this question due to the nature of your injuries. Were you abused by your Trainer?"
"No. He's...it was an accident," I stated, biting my tongue metaphorically. I didn't want to admit or face the fact he had intentionally attempted to end my life. Nor I couldn't say that he was 100% innocent. In those eyes, I had seen a glimpse of the male I knew. He was conscious during his assault and aware of his actions. My only question was if he had truly meant to end my life? Did he really resent me that much?
"Very well. Unfortunately, I cannot let you go just yet. We will need to observe your condition throughout the day. Tomorrow night, you'll be free to go," she said.
Her words brought me up short, and my eyes watered.
Free to go...wherever I want. Should I stay?
The answer scared me more than the question. My heart beat faster, as I listened to my mind warn me against trusting my only friends ever again. Lula had tried to kill me. Kyle had almost succeeded. What was there for me now that I knew I was alone?
A Chansey moved behind my platform and kneeled down to press a button. The bed clicked up several notches. Standing at the head of the bed, she lazily rolled me into an empty patient room. The monitors which were hooked up to my ankles, followed along floating in the air. They beeped nonsense, which I chose to block out. A large window filled the room with sunshine providing me with a view of the outside world. My eyes flitted about before I turned to my attendee.
"Take your time to rest. I'll be back with something to eat," a Chansey notified me.
"Can you please close the windows? Don't bring the food. I...need time to think," I asked, keeping my voice even.
She paused before touching a button next to the light switch. The sunlight faded slowly until I was left alone.
"Thanks," I whispered, keeping my gaze on the sheets.
"It's okay. If you don't mind me saying, you seem like a very strong Pokemon. A little setback like this shouldn't hold you down. Rest well," she said, before shutting the door. My mind immediately started to argue with my heart about my circumstances. The conflict only further agitated my emotions.
Leave.
Why?
What do you have to stay for? What do you owe them?
My life. My loyalty.
And what has that gotten you? Betrayed. Kicked about. Almost killed.
Kyle needs me…
He isn't even here right now. Knowing him, do you think he'd let a simple Nurse stop him from visiting? He's not even sorry. You know what we saw that night. Darkness. Much like our kind.
The abject look of horror on Kyle's face, before I had passed out from blood loss, was permanently etched into my brain. Yet I feared that no amount of personal discomfort would stop him from acting out again as he had. My mind spun as I went circles trying to get some sort of purchase on my thoughts. On the one hand, I wanted to leave. My mind screamed that I should run away. However, I knew that Kyle's actions hadn't been entirely his own. He had been experiencing an out-of-body event. There was little he could have done to stop what he was doing.
Time crept by at an agonizingly slow rate. I was left looking inwards as I laid motionless on the mattress. I couldn't help but contemplate what my next move would be. Part of me was scared. The other half thought about Katherine. What would she do in my shoes? I bit my lip anxious about everything.
A hard knock on the door made me spring up in excitement. Despite my internal war, I genuinely missed him. I watched the door slowly open, and Kyle entered. His hair was a mess, and his face was indiscernible, but I couldn't help but feel relieved to know he was okay. As he sat down, I noticed he refused to meet my gaze.
"Kyle! It's-"
"Now do you get it? This is why I wanted to send you away."
His words sent a chill up my spine and froze me in place. I sat down on my haunches slowly and appraised his appearance. His fist was clenched tightly as he trembled violently. Blood dripped onto my mattress. His hair hung over his eyes. Despite being unable to see his emerald orbs, I sensed that he was in great pain. Pain that I had caused unwittingly.
"Kyle?"
"SHUT UP!"
I flinched fearfully and retreated a step on the bed. This was a side of him I had never seen, and it worried me as to what he was thinking. He was so unpredictable, and angry.
"Things have been going to hell. Lula. Emily. You. Kat. Pene and Arren. Everyone I love and care about is constantly being put in harm's way. I've been so selfish and blind. I wanted you around, and yet after I forgave you, Lula and now I tried to kill you. I succeeded three times! THREE TIMES! And what's worse is not that I almost succeeded. It's what I saw during that fight."
What is he talking about? Did he have a premonition? That's not normal for humans.
He hugged himself tighter. I felt the urge to reach out and hold him. Taking several small steps, I reached out, only for him to withdraw away.
"Don't! YOU DON'T GET IT! I'M NOT THE HERO IN THIS STORY. I'M THE MONSTER. I HATE WHAT I'M BECOMING! I...I CAN'T LET YOU GET CLOSE AGAIN. IF I DO AND...NO. YOU NEED TO LEAVE." he howled at me. His eyes met mine, and the hysteria was apparent. Water spilled unendingly down his cheeks, as I faced his sorrow willingly.
"Kyle. What happened, wasn't your fault," I tried, only for him to turn on me.
"NOT MY FAULT? IT WAS ALL MY FAULT! IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT. IF I HADN'T BEEN SO FOCUSED ON KATHERINE'S DEATH...IF I HADN'T GIVEN IN TO MY LOSS, I MIGHT NOT HAVE HURT YOU. DON'T TELL ME THAT IT WASN'T MY FAULT. I SAW AND ACTED. WHAT'S WORSE IS I'M NOT SURE IF I WANTED TO STOP."
I gasped at his words, and took a step back, before shaking my head.
"You don't mean that. You can't mean that Kyle," I whispered, horrified by his sentence. His head hung down in shame, and I found myself speechless. He truly enjoyed the power he had taking someone's life. I had found pleasure in that a long long time ago and had realized how much it took out of you. Part of me screamed to run away. He wasn't sane nor was he safe to be around in this moment. Memories of our small but sweet time together overthrew reason and caution as my heart constricted in response to his declaration.
"You lie," I hissed, rushing forward to pin his arm to his side. His gaze grew fearful, as I forced him to look at me.
"Rose. I-"
"I know you didn't want to go down that road. Time and time again you told me how you regretted being unable to save Katherine. Now I'm supposed to just up and believe that you wanted to end my life without regret?" I shouted. His eyes watered more, as he faced my accusations.
"I'm not leaving. You can choose to run away from what you did, and from those you love, but you can't choose what I do in this current moment. I forgive you, Kyle Bredeson. Your mother told me you were pure-hearted. That you would never hurt me intentionally. Whatever you think you've become, this isn't you."
He slumped against the wall, pathetically sliding down to the ground in a heap. I rushed to nuzzle his cheek, as he wept and remained motionless.
"What's the point? If I go away, then all those I love won't have to hurt again. They can be mad at me for making the decision but-"
"Do you think leaving would hurt less than what you did?" I asked, placing my forehead to his tenderly. "You didn't finish the job. You came back. Whatever the future holds, I'd rather be with you than face the future alone."
He whimpered and placed both paws on the back of his neck, holding him to my chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so so…"
"I know you are."
We remained close in silence comforting each other. His scent filled me with a happiness I only knew from being with him. His breathing slowed, and I wondered if perhaps he had fallen asleep in my paws. He shattered that reality as he spoke up.
"Rose. What if this is my destiny? What if I was made to hurt the world? Would you still accept me? Would you still stand by me?"
"Yes. Only so I could bring you back from that path. I'm your friend Kyle. Just like my sister," I murmured. He shifted slightly and made me look into his face, with his good hand. As his fingers caressed my skin, I felt my cheeks flush coyly.
"I don't...I don't know what to say," he whispered.
"Say nothing."
We remained in each other's arms, losing track in time. Just being next to my friend, was comforting despite the darkness which lingered around him. I had my answers for all the questions I had answered. I only had to remain true to him and help him overcome this obstacle.
Tapping on the door, drew our attention back to the present day, and to three visitors. The door hissed open allowing the intruders to enter. Kyle stood up, ready to defend me. The act was touching and I couldn't help but soften in response.
"KYLEE!" Bry shouted dashing across the floor. Right on his heels, was Vickie. Both Mother and Son climbed up his legs to come to rest on his shoulders. I remained wary, as Kyle had caused severe damage to the Lucario. If they wanted to hurt him, they wouldn't do so while I stood by idly.
"Hey, there sweetie! Ma darling's doing just fine. His arm is good as new," Vickie gushed with a wink. Lucario walked in stiffly and had a seat on a plastic chair in the corner. His sympathetic gaze fell on Kyle to the extent of all else.
"Hello Kyle," his deep voice reverberated through the air.
"Kenzo. I'm sorry for..."
"You don't have ta apologize honey. As a matter of fact, we're not surprised this happened."
"It's true," the Lucario collaborated, as he stretched his arms high above his head.
"Wh-what? You knew I'd go berserk?"
"Yes," the male responded. I exhaled a sigh of relief, at the declaration.
"Have a seat, Kyle. Lemme explain to ya something. This'll help ya take some of the shame away. Ya are responsible for what happened, and the outcome speaks volumes to who ya are deep down," Vickie said, moving to the bed. We all waited patiently before she launched into a story.
"Kenzo is Korrina's original Lucario. Kenzo told me what happened as he went through Mega Evolution training. He was full of rage. it was uncontrollable. He went berserk and ignored commands. Korrina tried time and time again ta get him ta listen. Aura ain't for the faint of heart. Most of ya kind are afraid to face their inner demons. Face what scares and pains them. Drawing that out can make anyone go insane."
She paused for a moment, glancing at her mate.
"I saw it happen once. It scared the piss outta me. I wasn't sure if I could stick by his side after that. It was a hurdle we both couldn't overcome. The hill was too tall and the summit too dangerous. We agreed to take a break from each other. I promised to abandon him, for my safety. He made me do it much to my disdain. I hated him for it. Ya, hear me mutt?"
"Yes, love," Kenzo replied reverently.
"So...three weeks after that, no answer from him. I'm going stir crazy when he arrives at my nest one night. He tells me the tales about his Mega Evolution and how he overcame his demons. For him, it wasn't fear. It was anger. He was always angry about not reaching the levels his other kind reached with ease. He was angry that he'd never live up to her expectations."
"Korrina's expectations?" Kyle asked, only for Vickie to start giggling.
"Noooo! Whew! He was worried about little ole me. His worries about her were simpler. He didn't want to fail her. Time and time again he did. Now onto ya little mistake. Kenzo and I beat around the bush a bit until we figured it out."
She raised a paw and pointed it at Kyle.
"As we suspected, ya demons were strong. Yer fears were strong. But somethin deep inside ya was far stronger. The good...the light outshone the darkness."
"How could you say that?"
"Because if ya demons were stronger, the little missy wouldn't be here. Neither would you or Kenzo. We'd be having a much different discussion," the Emolga replied, her cheeks crackling with electricity.
The connotation of her statement didn't escape my ears, and I let out a small growl.
"Oh shut up, pinkie," she teased, with a smirk.
"Drop dead," I retorted, tensing up. I had barely gotten up when a soothing hand was placed on my shoulders.
"Easy Rose," Kyle begged. Listening to my friend, I laid back down and curled into a ball. He proceeded to start stroking my fur gently.
"I can't hurt them again. I lost control once and if it happened again, I could kill someone. If I killed Rose, Lula, or anyone in my family, I'd never forgive myself. I couldn't bear-"
"Ya don't listen! I done said, that is what got ya here in the first place!" Vickie berated Kyle. He fell silent as she explained it one more time for his benefit.
"Kyle. Ya need to do some soul searchin. Nobody here's gonna tell ya what bothers ya more than ya can. So take the time. Look inward. I think once ya come back from a little weekend, ya head will sit straighter. Catch ma drift?"
Kyle nodded, watching as Vickie hopped down.
"I-"
"VACATION!" Bry shouted triumphantly. The idea was pleasing to me and I glanced to Kyle. He was troubled by the female's words. He needed a moment of happiness to quell the storm inside him. Her words made sense.
"Kyle."
He snapped out of his trance, looking down to meet my gaze.
"We could use some R and R. You need it, after everything. Something good in your life," I whispered. He nodded firmly and let out a heavy sigh.
"Maybe you're right. But where would we -" he trailed off, mid-sentence. I stared at him inquisitively, as his face lit up with a hidden idea.
"We could go see Eon!"
"Eon? Are you sure, Kyle?" I asked, noticing that his eyes were clearing up. Hope was returning, and it made my heart flutter with happiness.
"I need to get out of my head. Get out of my way. It's time I made amends. It's time I forgave him," Kyle said, his voice filled with angst.
"She was right," I whispered, watching as his confused gaze swept to me. "Your light shines brighter than your darkness."
Kenzo was the last to leave but not before approaching Kyle. As he sat there, the jackal placed an arm on his shoulder.
"We will be waiting. It's okay."
Before Kyle could respond, he chased after his mate swiftly.
With our minds made up, Bry, Kyle, and I decided to head home. As I jumped off of the bed, I was struck with a massive bout of pain. My recovery could continue when we arrived at our destination. We all needed a moment to recover and get some relief from the storm which had no end in sight. Nurse Joy had been relieved to see me recover 100 percent from my injuries. Discharge was quick, and the journey home quicker. When we arrived at the front door, Delilah barred our entry. Her red eyes were furious as she stared at Kyle.
"Rose. Lula. Bryan. Come here," she demanded, jabbing at the space in front of her. I glanced to Lula and Bryan who seemed hesitant to fight against the Gardevoir.
"That's not your place to demand," I stated, keeping my voice even. I didn't want to start a fight with someone I trusted.
"Rose. He almost killed you. Now, you come home with him, as though nothing happened? That's not normal. You don't just forgive someone for almost taking your life!" she said, her tone intense and low.
"I can vouch that-" Bry started, but Delilah silenced him with a firm stare.
"We knew something was coming, and now I think I know what it was," Delilah said, in a pained whisper.
"Don't do this," I begged, lowering my body submissively before her. "Kyle isn't the enemy here."
"Then who is?" she demanded.
"Rose. Let me," Kyle said, patting my head and walking towards Delilah. The Psychic/Fairy type raised a hand, which formed a bright pink sphere. It brimmed with rippling energy which she directed towards Kyle.
"Not a step further. What do you think your mother would say if she saw what you are becoming?" she spoke, in a firm voice.
"She would be disappointed. Hurt. Angry. Hysterical. You are right. What I did was heinous and I don't deserve forgiveness. I won't make excuses or shirk my role anymore. I'm responsible for hurting those I love I'm sorry for disappointing you. I know you don't want to trust me. To be honest, I don't trust myself either. The ideals that Mom has instilled in me seem to be slipping further and further away out of my hand."
He paused and took another small step towards her. I watched her eyes grow firmer as she increased the power in her attack. The tension grew with each passing second. The wind whistled like some sort of demonic train.
"That's not going to work on me. I don't care about your excuses. I care about them. Making sure they are safe from you."
"I'm desperate, Delilah. I'm losing faith here, just like you. We need...we all need a break. I've hurt you, and I don't want to do this anymore. I just want my family back. I want to make everyone here proud again. I need to prove to you that I am not that monster. Read my thoughts."
Silence filled the gap as Delilah's facade slowly faded away bit by bit. Her hand grabbed her opposing elbow as the energy attacked vanished.
"You're telling the truth," she said, looking into his eyes. "You just want a vacation. You just want...happiness."
"That's my deepest wish," Kyle whispered. I looked up to see the water pouring from his emerald orbs. "I'm just so lost."
"Come. Let's get packed. I will need to deal with your Mother. I told her what happened," Delilah said, making us all stiffen in response. Kyle's actions would bring brimstone down onto his head if she knew what he had done.
"No! She'll disown him! She'll-" Lula wailed, as panic filled our group.
"Don't worry about that. Pack," Delilah urged. "I will abate her fury. Kyle. We love you and only want what's best for you. You know that."
"I love you too Delilah."
"Go. Arren-"
"Is coming with."
From behind the Gardevoir, Arren emerged, with his hands out of his pockets. He appeared relaxed as the door swung open wider. He was fumbling with the Rubix cube, despite the situation.
"I heard everything. I've packed my bags. Where are we going?"
"To Eons," Kyle replied walking past Delilah and approaching his friend.
"Cool. Any reason outside of just a friendly visit?"
"I...I need to let some things go. I've been holding him responsible for everything."
The other male's eyes widened, and I smiled broadly. He looked to me and then back to Kyle before his face melted into an indiscernible mask.
"Kyle. It's great to have you back, man," he said, pulling him into a hug.
"I'm not sure if I'm really back yet," Kyle said, much to my annoyance. I could his mind was still worried about uncertainties concerning his future. His mother obviously would be a situation that he would have to face. As he headed upstairs, I turned to Lula. Her concerned gaze met mine. Motioning towards the back porch, I followed her willingly. As we sat on the wood, Lula spoke her mind freely.
"What made you forgive him?"
Her question came out of the left field. I expected her to ask what happened. To ask how he could have acted so out of character. My mind raced around the question seeking a suitable answer to the question. I was still in shock. My body was still in pain despite the medical care and treatment I had received. Closing my eyes, I looked up towards the night sky.
"I forgave him because my loyalty lies with him. No matter how far he falls, we have to be there to pull him back from the edge. You know that right?" I asked, turning to look into her eyes. The blue orbs were filled with sorrow as she shook her maw.
"There's no pulling him back if he killed one of us. You saw he reacted at him being manipulated by Eon," Lula whispered. "I wanted to believe that he wasn't capable of the kind of anger and jealousy I had felt. Master was always such a kind and sweet soul. Now, he's-he's not what I thought him to be."
"He is still the person we both knew," I growled, making her look at me in shock. "It's like I said before. He keeps falling, and right now we need to help him get back on his feet. Two days of peace and quiet. Time to view what needs to happen. Lula. Are you thinking of running away?"
"What? No! Of course not…"
I sheathed my claws and stroked her arm tenderly. I was growing fonder of the Water/Fairy type daily. It is was painful for me to admit that but she had taken steps to change my opinion of her.
"It's just...I'm scared of what he is becoming Rose."
Her trembling words echoed the rampant thoughts floating around in my mind. I wanted to allay them but I had trouble doing the same to my own fears. My paw started to involuntarily tremble, and as her eyes met mine I knew she could see it written on my face.
"I've been scared before Lula. What I saw when he attacked me, was so unlike him. He wasn't there no matter how hard I tried to wake him." My throat grew tight and my tongue dry as I recalled the fight with him that night.
"Underneath all of that though, I saw something. I saw myself. Back before I met him, I saw the cruel unfeeling creature I used to be. I thought that I was saving others by pushing them out of my life. How many days did I waste away from Kat all because I was too stubborn to let my past be just that?"
Lula let out a small whimper.
"If I got the chance at redemption, after all, I've done, why not Kyle? He deserves it more than any of us do. That's...what I hope," I finished, shoving my fears down. I knew they were just pretty words but it was truly what I believed. We sat there for a minute before we were interrupted by another person.
"Rose."
I turned around to see Delilah had joined us.
"Hi," I replied in a cold tone. I was upset that she had betrayed Kyle by turning him into his mother before things had been confirmed. I knew his actions had been despicable but he hadn't even been given the chance to defend what he had done. While his actions certainly weren't defensible but, he hadn't been entirely in control.
"Lula. I have to ask you, girls, a question. If it had been Emily he had attacked, would you both be able to hold what I did against me?"
I took a moment to digest her question fully. It was unthinkable that Kyle would attack his little sister. Chris would have fought valiantly to protect her. That being said Kyle had been out of control that night. To think that a Gym Leader's Lucario had been taken down so easily. Something strange was going on with Kyle's physique and I could not put my thumb on what it was. My mind finally came back to the question.
"No," I stated, glancing up at her.
"Your lives matter to me, and his comfort is a moot point here," she said matter of factly.
"Wrong," I growled, glancing to Lula. She appeared shocked that I would argue against the Gardevoir. "If we all turn on him, he will be really lost. He needs to know that there is still hope. He's lost it time and time again. Now as he's been forgiven by the thing he hurt most, you take the rug out from underneath his feet. Imagine what his Mother is going to say. I can already see it. She could kick him out. Disown him. Prevent him from having us around. Deny him the chance to attend Ranger Academy. What do you think he'd do if you took away his support. He loves Lula as much as Emily. Take her away, and he could end up hanging himself," I replied harshly. She started to open her mouth, but her head hung sadly.
"I-I didn't think about it that way."
"You know I'm telling the truth," I whispered, looking back at the few stars which twinkled above.
"I-" Delilah tried to speak, but I shook my head.
"Just...do what you can. He needs to know his Mother still loves him at the end of the day."
"I know she does," he spoke up.
My eyes widened as I whirled around to come face to face with Kyle and Arren. Kyle's eyes watered as he stared at me.
"You knew I was considering suicide?" he asked.
"I suspected it when we were talking in the hospital," I said in a small voice.
"I didn't think it was that obvious," he replied, shifting uncomfortably.
"Kat wouldn't have wanted that, Master. Neither would I!" Lula cried out.
"I know. I just feel like I'm spiraling out of control," Kyle said. Before he could speak any further, Delilah pulled him into her arms and squeezed him tightly.
"Please, don't ever think that! Don't! Your mother and I would never forgive ourselves if we lost you fully. It's not our desire to lose you. We just want you to turn away from that path willingly. To come back home as the person we love."
Kyle whimpered, and I decided to speak my mind one more time.
"It's getting late already. Let's postpone the trip until tomorrow. I doubt Eon would appreciate us arriving at 1 in the morning. Besides, we should eat something and rest up."
Unable to hold it in, I yawned loudly exposing my sharp canines to everyone.
"You have a point," Arren said, giving a courteous nod in my direction.
"I'll make us dinner! Lula, can you watch over him?" Delilah said, releasing the boy. She kissed his forehead and returned to the house. To his credit, he laid down in Lula's lap. His head rested tenderly on her stomach as she stroked his hair. Tears streamed down his face, and I realized the road to recovery would be a long one. Moving to his side, until he could see me, I leaned down until we were eye to eye.
"That's not the way. I'm here to protect you. We both are. Hold on Kyle. I promise things will get better," I uttered, as I curled up next to him. His bitter tears soaked into my fur, as I tried to keep our spirits up. I didn't know what the future held, but we needed to get ready for it.