As per usual, I don't own Pokémon, because if I did, I would probably spend my time in an office somewhere in Japan inventing a Pokémon that looks like a bag of rubbish, and not writing random stories for a bunch of people on the internet I don't know when I probably should be studying…

Enjoy anyways!

Xx

Chapter 6- Heartbeat

-Black's POV-

"Black, relax!" Bianca screeched at me, as I pounded frenetically through ChargeStone Cave's rocky tunnels, spinning my head this way and that to examine my blank surroundings. I could feel my blood gushing wildly through my veins and hear all-too-clearly the sound of my erratic heartbeat's thumping ringing in my ears, worsening the already unbearable headache that throbbed agonisingly against the inside of my head.

"Black, we're not going to find her if you don't slow the hell down!" Cheren yelled at me from a few paces behind. I could so easily have turned and screamed at the total moron at the top of my lungs- White was out there somewhere, with N, and he was telling me to slow down? Who the hell did he think he was?

"Shut up!" I screeched back at him, clutching the side of my aching head and stamping forwards, my trainers beating against the ground as I went. White was bound to be around here somewhere, there was no way I was giving up! In my head, I began to roughly piece together a strategy as to what I'd do when I saw N… Firstly, I'd punch him square in the face, then when he was taken off guard, I'd kick him where the sun don't shine till he collapsed on the floor, before finally-

"BLACK!" Bianca shrieked again suddenly, snapping me out of my devious train of thought.

"What?" I yelled back furiously, twisting on my heels to face her. What was their freaking problem? Why couldn't they get in their thick little heads that White could be in serious trouble? Did they even care?

Bianca scowled at me with big, heavy bags sagging beneath her eyes. She sighed, her tone softening, as she rubbed her drooping eyes. "Black, you're going too fast, if you don't slow down, we could miss something…"

I moaned in frustration. "Fine!" I eventually snapped, slowing my pace slightly and inhaling deeply. She had a point, I supposed; at the rate I was going, I could easily overlook something in my haste, like a hidden passageway or a strip of White's clothing that might have torn off as she explored.

A deathly silence hung in the air between the three of us as we passed into the next tunnel; the only sound that of our shoes shuffling against the jagged floor as we moved. I groaned anxiously, frustratedly ripping out a few hairs above the spot of my now crippling headache. Overall, we'd been searching for White for almost 2 hours, yet it was as if she'd never even been here. But she had to be around, somewhere. I refused to believe that I was too late and that asshole N had kidnapped her, stealing her off to some evil castle where he'd keep her trapped forever. I shook off that last thought, focusing entirely on my surroundings, taking in every single detail for any signs that my sister had been here.

It wasn't long before we passed into yet another tunnel, this one much longer and considerably narrower. Unable to stop myself, I sprinted off down the passage, the exasperated groans of Cheren and Bianca becoming distant muffles as I pushed myself forward. But I could do nothing to stop myself- a sudden unyielding urge convinced me that White was near…

I could've killed someone, however, when I noticed the thick, imposing crystal wall at the end of the tunnel, towering several feet above me and blocking me off from advancing further. I cursed loudly, banging my fists in frustration against the crystals furiously, knocking several off and injuring my hands in the process. Over and over again I cursed, as I slowly sank to my knees, a sea of grief and dread washing over me. My excruciating headache pounded against the side of my head as I continued to smash my fists against the wall in pure rage. No, no, no. I couldn't be too late, I just couldn't…

I felt Bianca gingerly place her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay Black…" she whispered, her voice cracking.

I shook my head defiantly, clenching my eyes shut. This just couldn't be happening. "He's got her." I murmured. "He-he's got her. He's freaking got her!"

Cheren and Bianca swapped apprehensive glances. "…Who's got her?" Cheren eventually mumbled, taking an unsteady step forwards. I ground my teeth so hard I thought they would turn to stubs, and painfully pried my sleep-deprived eyes open.

"He has. He's taken her, I just know it!"

"Black, who are you talking about!" Bianca yelled, waving her arms aggravatedly in the air. Drawing in a shaky breath, I slowly ascended to my feet, my legs feeling as though they could crumble to the ground at any second.

"…N…" I spat, the sound of his name causing my stomach to churn in disgust. "…I…I saw him earlier. I should've said something; I should never have let her off on her own! This is my fault!"

They were both speechless as they attempted to wrap their heads around the information, their eyes wide and filled with shock. I continued to wheeze out rasped breaths, clutching the side of my head in pain.

"…N?" Bianca eventually mouthed, her anxious malachite eyes widening in shock. I nodded meekly, casting my gaze dejectedly to the ground.

"…I've done this to her, it's all because of me he's kidnapped her…"

"You don't know that…" Cheren stated, rubbing his eyes fiercely in an attempt to keep himself awake.

"What else could've happened?" I snapped, stamping my foot against the ground. There was unbearable silence between us as we stared uneasily towards one another. We'd never been in a situation this serious before; we were just kids, idiotic teens with barely any experience of the real world... How were we supposed to know how to stop evil tyrants from kidnapping sixteen-year-old girls?

It was during this deathly silence, my ears began to suddenly pick up the sound of distant muffled voices whispering inaudibly in the distance. The noises were faint, and could so easily have been overlooked had there been even the slightest bit of sound. In disbelief, we swapped mad glances at one another as we listened intently to the distant voices, as we now recognised them to be.

"I…it's her!" I stammered, adrenaline accumulating inside me as I swiftly turned to the walls around me for any indication of her whereabouts. I moaned in exasperation as I quickly realised unless I was willing to dig my way through what must have been two metres of chunks of wall, there was no way through.

"There must be another way around!" Bianca cried, scanning her surroundings quickly only to fail pretty quickly in discovering any obvious passage-ways.

She could be right- White was most definitely behind this wall, so if we retraced our steps, we were bound to come across the correct tunnel that would lead us to her. Without pausing to deliberate over it further, I darted back up the tunnel we'd just came from, leaving Bianca and Cheren engulfed in a cloud of dust. We were so close, yet so far away. White was practically right in front of me, and if I just pushed myself that little bit harder, I knew I could get her back safe, away from him forever. N had gone too far this time, and when I found him, I'd make him regret being born. Because I'd be damned if I let a deluded freak like him win…

-N's POV-

An hour passed, and then two. In fact, at this point, it must have been nearing three, but I'd stopped bothering about the time ages ago; nothing could disturb me right now in the tranquil state I was in.

White sighed in her sleep, and nestled into me deeper, her breathing coming calm and soft. I had an arm wrapped around her shoulders as she slept, a peaceful smile playing on her lips. I wondered what she was dreaming about- it had to be something good, if it was making her so happy. Curiously, I poked her cheek, and she twitched her nose at my touch, though remained fast asleep. How I wished things could be this way all the time…

But they couldn't be this way all the time, an antagonistic voice in my head boomed. Though the thought made something sink inside me, I knew all too well it was true. Because White didn't want to stay with me, White didn't want to be part of Team Plasma... I clenched my eyes shut, trying and failing, to block out these agonising thoughts. White wanted to stop us…

But why? Why did she want to put herself through this? I exhaled heavily, watching her in her slumber. …When it would be so much easier for her just to give in and join me? She tossed about slightly before burying her face deeper into my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck. I widened my eyes in shock, but didn't shake her off, and slowly found myself relaxing into her awkward pose. I'd never been this close to another human being before, and I had to admit, it felt pretty good. Her embrace was warm and gentle, unlike anything I'd experienced before.

Why are you so unbearably confusing, White? Why do you do this to me? Don't you see that you'd me so much better off if you came with me? Don't you see how special you are to me?

I sighed deeply, knocking my head in unsettling frustration off the side of the wall. This was enough to drive anyone mad…

A strange part of me wondered if she was a distraction to my goal, though I knew that that couldn't be true; if anything, she was only motivating me more! Because when our goal of a world where people and Pokémon lived separate lives finally materialized, she'd see that she was wrong all along and she'd join me instantly, bringing my plans for the New World to completion. At least, that was what I hoped would happen….

But what if she didn't? What if she could never forgive me, and never wanted to see me again? But, if she was to refuse me, what could I do? Would I be forced to live out the rest of my days in loneliness, watching on from my castle as each empty day slowly passed me by and White went on to live her life elsewhere? It was impossible problems like this that drove me crazy, that kept me up at night, because it was as if there was just no answer. White didn't want me to fulfil my destiny and free Pokémon from trainers, and if I did, I worried I'd lose her, my most precious friend, forever. Yet, if I didn't, I knew, then I'd have failed the Pokémon, not to mention that everything in my life up till now would have been for nothing. I was torn.

White twisted in her sleep, and would have smacked against the side of the rocky wall had I not awkwardly caught her and turned her back inwards. She sighed, and snuggled into my chest contently. "…N…" she mumbled sleepily.

I stared down at her, expecting to see her wide eyes looking up at me, only to catch sight of unconscious body, sound asleep in my arms. But she'd said my name… was it possible she was dreaming about me?

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around it. But… why would she be dreaming about me? I watched her as a smile slowly crept across her face, and she nestled deeper into me. Whatever it was about, she must have been having a wonderful dream, I figured, as I gently patted her hair.

It was then it began to dawn on me; maybe I did love her. Maybe this emotion I'd been feeling all this time was 'in love', and I just hadn't realized it till now. As I gazed down in confusion at White, her words about love from earlier drifted into my head, and began to register in my mind, suddenly enlightening everything.

Of course I 'in loved' her, I 'in loved' her more than anything. She was like a ray of light in my life, the only other human I'd ever met who was equally kind to Pokémon as I was myself. If only she'd realise that I could give her so much more than her no-good friends ever could, that I could bring her to a place where she'd be truly appreciated. I could make the entire region fall at her feet, if she'd just let me. If she'd only open her eyes to what she could be…

Ironically, it was then that White began to stir, and slowly pry her eyelids open. She blinked several times, focusing her tired eyes to the bright lights of the nearby crystals.

"Oh," I smiled down at her, as her face took on a deep shade of mortified red. "You're awake."

She swiftly pulled herself from my chest and clambered quickly to her previous position a few inches away from me, her gaze avoiding mine as she rubbed her arms anxiously.

"H-how long was I asleep for?" she eventually stammered, her cheeks rapidly burning up. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes, and sat herself up straight.

"About two hours. Well, three, I suppose…" I informed her, pausing momentarily to stretch before allowing myself to slink back against the wall. She blinked in confusion, before staring away embarrassedly, her face redder than a cheri berry.

"Um… s-sorry I leaned on you…"

"That's ok." I assured her, a smile sneaking onto my face. "It was nice having you close- you were sleeping so soundly…"

Her eyes widened and her cheeks darkened to an even deeper scarlet, something I didn't think was physically possible. She avoided my gaze completely; her eyes wandered off examining the scenery around her, meeting with everything but me. I concluded that she must still be a little confused having just woke up- I could see why she'd think this whole random incident was just a dream…

She sighed deeply as she slowly regained her energy, and smiled softly. At least she wasn't too upset to be 'trapped' down here, something that made me feel better for doing all of this to her. It's not like I was kidnapping her or anything, we were just spending time together, that was all. I was a king, after all, and a true king always makes time for those close to him. Anyways, if she was to suddenly become afraid of being trapped here, I could easily get her out… although I didn't quite know how I was possibly going to cover up the fact that I could easily have gotten us out hours ago…

"We've been down her for nearly 4 hours." I informed her, breaking the silence between us. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she bit down awkwardly on her lip.

"Really?" she questioned, a look of concern growing on her face as I nodded in response. "Man… they're gonna eat me alive when we get out of here…"

It was then it struck me- where were her 'friends'? Shouldn't they have been looking for her? Did they even care she was missing?

Of course not… I soon realised, growling slightly under my breath. They don't care about her, they don't even deserve to be in her presence! And if I hadn't been there when the rocks fell, and White had been crushed by a boulder, would they have even noticed she was gone? I understood there was just no way I could let her stay with them after I gained control over Unova- I was going to have to either exile every one of them, or else strongly insist White stayed with me. Frankly, I preferred the latter…

She sat with her legs folded beneath her, playing with the tips of her hair. I could see she was still a little tired, her sparkling blue eyes still drooped a little, but otherwise were as sparkling and bright as ever. Her eyes met mine for a second, before swiftly looking away, a tiny smile on her lips.

As I stared at her in confusion, it dawned on me that this moment was an absolute golden opportunity. She was tired, I noticed, and hopefully feeling forgotten by her friends. I realised that now I could easily win her over to my side, and all it would take was to get her to love me, too.

Yes, this was a perfect idea, and if it worked, together we'd be unstoppable, yet still there was a lingering, worrisome thought playing itself over in my head that made panic rush through me….

What if she didn't love me?

I looked away as the thought reverberated through my mind, enveloping all other thoughts until it was the only one left, echoing perpetually in my ears as it consumed me. What if she just didn't love me like I loved her? What could I do then?

"Are you okay, N?"

The sound of White's soft voice sliced through the maddened prospect, pulling me straight out of my dark thoughts. She stared at me with anxious eyes, a look of confusion growing on her face.

I inhaled sharply, meeting her eyes for a single moment. "White…" I began, twisting my words inside my head to try to come up with a decent sentence. It didn't matter anyways- I'd spent forever working out how I was going tell her I was King of Team Plasma, and that didn't exactly work out… I realised now that I shouldn't think about what I was going to say- I had to just say it. "…I was thinking a lot while you were asleep…"

Her cerulean eyes widened more, and she opened and closed her mouth in slight confusion. "…Oh?" she mouthed. "About what?"

I nodded in response. "Well, that stuff you said," I muttered. "About… 'in love'…" I noticed her cheeks glow pink at my words, as she avoided my gaze for several moments, opting instead to hide her expression by staring at the floor. "Oh?" she eventually whispered in confusion, clearing her throat casually. "Did you figure any other common customs out..?"

I nodded again. "And I was thinking about me. And you. And us." Her face was now a bright crimson, and her eyes were wide and panicked at my sudden words. I could feel my own heartbeat escalating inside me as I gazed at her, unsure of what exactly was coming out of my mouth.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" I began, now but one, single thought wedged forever into my mind. Edging forwards slightly, I gingerly held the side of her face in my hand. "I think I've gone to 'in love' with you, White…"

White froze, a look of pure bewilderment on her face, her body tense and unmoving. Her mouth flapped open and shut several times as she wrapped her brain around my confession, and her crystal-blue eyes were the size of moons. "…Love…m-me? Are you mad or something?" she stuttered, blinking quickly several times.

"Yes." I stated, smiling as I watched her shocked expression. Instantly, I felt a sudden impulse take over me, and before I knew what I was doing, I was leaning down towards her, and our lips were touching. I didn't know what I was doing, but on a 'television programme', (something I'd eventually come to the conclusion was fictional, like books), I'd seen on the 'television' (a device I still couldn't quite wrap my brain around) a character did this to another character they said they were in loved with. She kissed me back, I realised, which I figured meant she was in loved with me too, something that made my entire being pulse with excitement and bliss as the reality of what I'd just done sank in. Maybe I'd finally accomplished what I'd been aiming for… Maybe, after all this time, White was finally mine…

-Black's POV-

"I-I can't do this anymore, Black…" Bianca wheezed, clutching her side and panting heavily as she finally succumbed to her exhaustion and allowed herself to sink back against the rock wall. "Please, guys, slow down!"

"We're almost there!" I practically screeched, marching forward a few paces down the tunnel and gesturing for her to follow me. I couldn't believe that she was acting like such a kid when we were so close- I could almost sense that White was somewhere close by.

Cheren paused for a few moments behind me, groggily wiping beads of sweat off his forehead as he lagged behind with Bianca. "Yeah, yeah, we know! Just give us a few seconds to rest- we've been running for ages!"

I huffed in annoyance and crossed my arms impatiently, tapping my toe as I glared daggers across at the exasperated pair. Did they even care about her? Were they even bothered that she could be trapped underneath a boulder or something, her grasp on life slowly withering away?

I bit down on my lip violently, worsening the scar that was already forming having gnawed on it so much over the last few hours. My head still throbbed agonizingly, numbing my senses to the point where it hurt to even move, but I knew, for my sister's sake, that I had to keep going, I had to find her before it was too late. But that was going to be very difficult if these two didn't get a move on, pronto!

Bianca and Cheren moaned in synchronisation, Bianca doubled over in exhaustion and wheezing in pain with Cheren leaning with his back to the wall and his eyes clenched shut, his breathing coming heavy and rushed.

Sissies… I criticized silently, rolling my eyes. "Are you two ready yet!" I spat vulgarly, turning my back to them and preparing to leave. I knew I was being horribly rude to them, my best friends, but manners weren't very high on my list of concerns right now, especially knowing there was quite possibly a deluded king chasing after my sister somewhere in these caves.

Bianca pushed herself to her feet and turned to me in a violent rage. "Listen here you!" she shrieked, stomping her foot violently against the floor. "You've been dragging us through these caves for forever, and now you're acting like all this is our fault!"

"What are you trying to say?" I screamed back, swinging around to face her fully. I towered almost a foot above her, but that didn't stop the fuming teen from landing me a fierce whack in the chest.

"It's means you're her brother!" she snapped, her wrathful emerald eyes flaming with fury. "You should have been looking out for her!"

"Don't you dare pass this off like it's all down to me! I didn't hear you telling her not to go either!" Who the hell did she think she was, passing blame on anyone but herself? This was as much her fault as it was mine, and it was about time she realised it!

Bianca gnashed her teeth together and glared into me resentfully. She was about to open her mouth to retaliate, but was cut short by Cheren, who took a placatory step forwards to come between us, a very unamused and exasperated expression plastered across his sleep-deprived face.

"Oh, for the love of Rayquaza, cop the hell on! White is missing and all the two of you can do is bicker! Well, I hate to break it to you, but we're not going to find her by doing that!"

I leered grudgingly at the pair, before swiftly turning and striding off deeper into the caves, picking up pace as I made my way through the tunnel. As much as I hated to admit that Cheren was right, I knew his words made sense, and that I'd been getting worked up over nothing, while my sister was possibly trapped in some evil castle with the prince of darkness himself, his royal majesty, King N. The thought made my stomach churn in disgust, and only motivated me more to keep going until I had her back safe, where I'd make sure he would never so much as come within a ten-mile radius of her again…

Bianca and Cheren kept a few paces behind me as we moved, me charging forwards in a heated rush as I listened intently for any sign of White. I could tell the exhaustion was beginning to get to them, the sound of their feet dragging against the uneven floor now echoing across the caverns as they lagged behind in a fatigued slump. Defiant to the lingering feeling of pure exhaustion that was beginning to wash over me, I dashed onwards, my eyelids growing heavier with every stride.

It continued on this way for several minutes, as I began to panic that we were too late to save her. As the feeling engulfed me, I was about to sink into a defeated heap, when all of a sudden, Bianca let out a sudden yelp.

Both Cheren and I stopped in our tracks to stare at the frozen Bianca, who was stood quivering in her boots and pointing hysterically into another tunnel in the distance. She began hopping from foot to foot excitedly, and covered her mouth with both her hands while frantically trying to piece together random mumbles of speech.

"What is it?" I practically snapped, becoming incredibly irritable, though a part of me was strangely relieved something interesting had finally happened.

"I-I heard…" Bianca squeaked, taking a few giddy steps forward and waving her hands about in a confused state. "I-I mean, I think I heard, I…"

"Justin Bieber's new song playing inside your head? Seriously, Bianca, you need to get a life…"

"Leave my baby alone, Cheren!" she wailed, before drawing in a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself, before finally shaking her head in failure of hoping to get us to listen, instead running forward impatiently a few paces, beckoning frantically for us to follow. "Just come! I heard someone talking and it could be her!"

Those words were all it took for me to take off in mad dash down the tunnel, leaving the other two in a puzzled state behind me. The only sounds that rang in my ears were that of my jagged, rough breath and the clinking of my sneakers pounding against the floor. My splitting headache panged excruciatingly with every stride, but I ignored the crippling pain that, combined with the pure exhaustion, was beginning to take over me, and trekked on through the cave.

The cries from Cheren and Bianca seemed to blend into oblivion and the streaks of black and blue stone surrounding me appeared as nothing more than a blurry haze as I ran, with only one, clear thought etched into my brain. The only thing I was capable of thinking about now was not the aching pain in the side of my head, nor the utter drowsiness that threatened to completely conquer me, but a picture of my little sister in my mind's eye, accompanied by the sheer determination I now had to protect her, as she clearly couldn't protect herself.

"Down there!" Bianca shouted from behind me, pointing at a passageway to my left. Without thinking twice, I darted down the tunnel, almost stumbling over an erratic rock that jutted out from the ground, which, after all, turned out to be a very disgruntled Ferroseed. It was then I caught sight of a gigantic wall of thick boulders looming in the distance, blocking any creatures from going any further. I instantly skidded to a halt, and soon realised exactly what had happened, as I noticed a pink shoulder bag lying open on the rocky floor, covered in a cloud of dust.

"WHITE!" Bianca screeched, clutching the stitch in her side, as the other two finally caught up with me. Her eyes were wide with fret as we listened intently for a response from the other side of the rock wall. Agonizing moments passed before the sound of White's voice reached us, filling me with sweet relief.

"IN HERE!" she screamed, the sound of shuffling to be heard. For a moment, I was so overcome with relief that N hadn't kidnapped her, that the current problem completely surpassed me. How the hell were we supposed to get her out?

"WHITE!" I shouted madly, banging my fist roughly against a boulder in the hope it might budge. "Are you okay!"