M-a-r-i-o-n-e-t-t-e

Summary: The battle ended in a tie. N told her to become his princess. She gave him the finger and told him to get lost. After going home, she came to a realization: Her every move was being controlled by N. She was his puppet, and he was her master. Who will win? N's desire? Or her heart?

~String 2~

I slam my closed fist onto Cheren's door, knocking as loudly as I can; it's almost 9pm, so he should still be awake. Emphasis on the "should."

"Cheren!" I yell. "Open this door, dammit!" I swiftly kick it with my booted foot, and cross my arms in annoyance and impatience.

The door finally creaks open with a groan, and Cheren looks at me with a raised eyebrow through the crack, "What now Touko?" he asks flatly.

I barge inside, dropping my bag on the floor, and run to his living room couch. "Cheren," I say seriously, sitting down and throwing one arm up on the top of the couch. "I think Bianca's gone frickin' bonkers!"

Cheren rubs his temple with a sigh, "I thought we already established that theory?"

I shake my head, "No, Cheren, you don't get it. I'm not joking this time," I say. "I think she's really lost it. She suddenly started acting weird and tried to make me look girly, then before I knew it, she was repeating the same thing and telling me I needed to marry N!" I try to get him to understand my urgency, but he doesn't seem that interested...not that he ever is.

Cheren sits down across from me on the other posh sofa. "Maybe she's having a bad day?" he suggests diplomatically. I should've known he would say something like that...he can never read the mood correctly.

I rub my hands down my face with a groan, feeling stressed, "Noooo Cheren. She thought N was as much of a creep as you and I did. And now she's spouting off shit and I don't know what the fuck to do! Cheren! You and Bianca like each other, right? DO something!"

"Touko, calm down!" Cheren snaps, his voice rising...probably because I said he liked Bianca. "You're overreacting a bit."

"A bit? A bit?!" I shout, my anger flaring as my face contorts into a twisted frown. "I've been fighting Team Plasma for over six months now, and after the toughest battle of my life, my sworn enemy tells me to basically marry him! Then I get home, have a memory spell, and Bianca suddenly goes all 'repeat the same thing' on me! I don't understand any of it!" I throw my hands up in the air before leaning back into the couch and crossing my arms.

Cheren stands stiffly, "Let me get you some tea. Maybe that'll calm you down." He walks into the kitchen and I huff under my breath, reaching up to pull my hat down, then realize I must've left it at Bianca's.

Well shit.

My blue haired friend walks back inside and hands me a cup of chamomile. "Here, I put in a little honey. Don't see why you like it that way though." He pushes up his glasses and crosses his arms.

I shrug slightly, and take the cup before blowing the steam away with a quick puff of air, "Thanks Cheren," I say. "I think I'm gonna stay here for the night, if you don't mind. And I'll stay even if you do mind."

He shrugs, "You can have the guest room," he tells me. "Just don't break anything."

I 'hmph', and sip my tea; what made him think I was gonna break anything? I'm careful! ….Most of the time. "Fine...where are your parents?"

"They are out in Nimbasa," he replies. "Now, I'm going to bed. You have exhausted me beyond what I should have to deal with. If you need anything, just tell me. Don't beat me up." With that, he walks out of the living room and towards the stairs while yawning loudly.

"Tch…" I grumble, and finish off my tea in one big gulp, earning me a burn in the throat department. "Ack! SHIT."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I'm half asleep when I hear something moving around in the kitchen. Sitting up with a yawn, I crawl out of bed; rubbing my dry eyes, I head out of the guest room, and into the hall.

That's when I see Cheren sitting on the sofa, and he doesn't look good….not one bit.

"Cherry?" I ask, inching towards him, holding my hand out. "Are you okay?"

He slowly turns his head, and looks at me blankly, even more blankly than he usually does. "Touko...you should listen to Bianca and your mother." He then mumbles something inaudible.

I frown, my brow furrowing, "Huh? Listen about what? Speak up."

He blinks, "Listen to Bianca and your mother," he repeats dully.

My eyes widen; is he...falling under the same mental condition Bianca did? "Oh...and what is that?" I ask carefully, my face tightening. "What did they say?" That's when it hits me.

I never told Cheren about my mom; a chill runs down my spine.

"Listen to...Bianca and your mother," he repeats, "and...become N's princess."

I tense up; yes, Cheren has somehow caught the same mental sickness as Bianca. "Of all the-...this is bullshit!" I hiss under my breath before looking back at the boy. "Cheren.." He looks at me. "I left my hat at Bianca's...I'm going to go get it, alright?"

He nods slowly, "Hat...Bianca's house...go...N's princess."

I shudder visibly, and head to the door in three quick steps, shrugging on my black vest, shoving my feet into my shoes, and heading out the door, bag in hand.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, and send out my Braviary when I'm far enough away from Cheren's house. I can't stay in Nuvema town...not after what's happening to all those close to me.

"C'mon, let's go buddy," I tell my pokemon, and I hop on; the large bird rises into the air and flies into the darkness, leaving the lights of my hometown behind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I'm heading towards Floccesy town when I hear it: The noise of something following me. I pretend not to notice, but reach down for Zekrom's Pokeball. What is it? Why is it following me? I swallow thickly. Could it be N? Or maybe it's one of my friends who are under the influence of that creepy mind thing, and they're coming to kill me!?

I facepalm, feeling ridiculous. No...they only said that they wanted me to marry N… Could that mean that they're after me to try and attempt a kidnapping!? That'd be embarrassing...the Hero of Unova kidnapped in the middle of the night! I can see the headlines now! But still….if they are under the influence of that mind-control thing...then...who knows what'll happen!

I bite my nails nervously.

Well...shit, that would mean I'm in a big mess. One filled with lots of mentally messed up people, and one crazy freak who wants to marry me. That's fucking GREAT!

Glancing over my shoulder, I feel my heartbeat getting louder as it tries to become the only thing I can hear. The shadowy thing is getting closer….and closer… I bite my lip, feeling a tiny bit more scared than I was previously. Because what if the shadowy thing isn't any of those things? What if it is something else altogether!?

At the last second, I whip around and throw out my electric dragon. "Fusion Bolt!" I call as the shadowy figure descends. Zekrom lets out a roar, and charges up its attack before blasting a volt of electricity at the shadow, but it dodges easily, and comes at us again.

Gritting my teeth together, I turn around to sit on Braviary backwards so that I can get a better view of our attacker. My heart is hammering and I can almost feel my entire body shuddering. Dark spooky things...I hate those. "Zekrom, keep it at a good enough distance and use-"

"Focus Blast!"

Whirling around, I look behind me just in time to see an Accelgor speeding towards us from the west. Where the hell did that come from!?

"Isn't that-?" I start in utter shock, but the shadowy figure suddenly stops as my pokemon and I get farther away and just….watches.I shiver, eyeing it carefully, waiting for it to follow, but it doesn't. It just sits there….watching me.

Slowly, I turn around and hold onto Braviary's feathers as I follow Accelgor with Zekrom close behind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Landing, I hop off Braviary, and return both my pokemon. "Accelgor?" I ask, walking towards it as we head towards the outskirts of Floccesy. "Aren't you..?"

"Touko!" I hear, and turn to see a familiar face.

"Alder!" I exclaim, running towards him and throwing my arms around his neck. "It's you!"

He looks at me with a kind smile. "When my Bouffalant started acting up, I knew something was wrong," he says, patting my head, "so I sent Accelgor to see what was up."

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling safer now that I'm with the former champion. "Alder, I...need to tell you something," I say. "It's...about N."

He nods, beckoning me towards his house. "Tell me about it inside...whatever was following you might still be out here."

I head inside with Alder, and look over my shoulder once more before the door shuts behind me.

"Alder," I say, "you don't know how happy I am to see you." I smile. "It's been a rough day...and I-" Another shock travels from my heart outward...like...an explosion. I grasp my head as it pounds.

"Irk!" I grunt, and collapse onto the floor.

Ba-dump.

~Misty/Ms. Ketchum