Note: Phew! Finally done! I put a lot of heart into this chappie so I hope you guys enjoy it! I literally typed this up while I was in the school fair.. I transferred it from my notebook while performing my duty to make use of my excessive time. Go on then and read... This chappie sees to be my second personal fave... I really had fun writing this!
Rose's POV:
Ugh... My head hurts!
Why did I still lose? Why can't I ever win? I did my best now, yet I still lost!
"Woah, there... You might want to stop moving a bit!" a familiar voice seared through my thoughts.
I slowly opened one eye, and then another. We were still in the forest as usual... But I was being carried by... Blade?
I looked down and noticed that he was carrying me, bridal style. I began to glow red.
In a fit of embarrassment, I let out a scream and scrambled out of his hands, falling to the soft soil below. A chain that was wrapped around my right foot was also tethered to his right foot, causing him to fall down too.
"Oomf!" he spat as his face hit the ground, "Why the sudden reaction?"
"Err..." I began, thoughts of embarrassment filling my mind, "Y-you were carrying me..."
"So? I needed to... You were knocked out cold..." he continued, scratching the back of his head while hiding a blush.
"You know you could've waited for me to get up," I flatly told him.
"And let you escape? No way!" Blade continued.
I began to remember that I was his prisoner. A prisoner that is on her way to be sent to prison. Remembering all these, I let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, whatever," I replied, looking away from his face, "If you're going to turn me in, do so quickly."
"But before I can do that, we have to get back to town..." he promptly replied.
We both trudged through the forest some more. I wondered where could Claire, Celsus, or Sandra be as soon as I remembered about them.
"Blade, where are my companions?" I gently asked him.
"They all went off already. The Froslass said that she would find after she got the other two to safety," he replied casually.
There was another silence after he replied. This one lasted until it began to get dark.
As dusk began to come, we both trudged through the path in silence. None of us dared to speak, we just continued walking in the silence. Blade suddenly stopped, making me stop too.
"We should rest here, it's getting dark," Blade finally spoke up. I merely nodded in response.
He took out the sleeping bags and laid them down, apart from each other to my relief. He then unchained my foot.
"Why did you do that?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, I think you'd be uncomfortable sleeping beside... me... So I'm unchain ing you so you can sleep over there," he explained, his face burning up a bit.
"Uh..." I blushed, "I see what you... erm... mean... But aren't you afraid of me escaping?"
"I trust in you..." he smiled, but quickly changed it into a more serious frown.
I remained silent, feeling all tingly when he had said that. I felt weird and all.
"Maybe I wouldn't mind sleeping next to you..." I shyly whispered, silently scolding myself. Why would I say such a thing.
"Uh... Okay," he blushed as he began to lay down.
I lay down next to him, feeling all nervous.
"So," he broke the silence, "I see you've grown... Despite being alone in this world, you've learned to open up."
"Well... Yeah, but that doesn't change anything, right?" I replied.
He chuckled.
"Well... Because of that... While the world sees you as an outlaw, I used to see you as such, but now that you've changed... I see you as a friend even if the world sees you as an outlaw," he sweetly remarked.
I began to blush. I somehow managed to keep up the conversation that night. We talked for some time and I began to see Blade as someone else. Sooner or later though, I began to drift into sleep.
"Well, I think this is another step for our plan," the masculine voice mused.
"Yeah, I still can't help but think of these two as a couple, I mean, look... She may be asleep but she's hugging his arm," the feminine voice sighed.
"Er... Yeah," her companion nervously replied with a smaller voice, "Kind of what I wish for..."
"Wish for what?" the feminine voice giggled.
"Umm... Well, you know... To find someone to-" he cut himself short by coughing.
His companion merely giggled, and I could hear her nuzzling up close to him.
"Um," he nervously shot out immediately, "Cressie! I... um... have to go!"
His voice faded away.
"Cressie?" the feminine voice sighed, "Why, that's a cute pet name..."
I opened my eyes. True enough, I was hugging Blade's arm. He was still asleep though. I let go of his arm despite not wanting to. I opened my bag and left a berry for him to have for breakfast. Afterwards, I sat beside him.
I began to wonder.l. We may be different now, but we both started out similarly. Maybe he sees me as one of him now. I held my hands against the floor, supporting my body, so that I was above him allowing me to look at him from above.
His face looked so serene as he slept. A small smiled crept up to his face, he was also blushing. He must be dreaming about something nice. I longed to know what he was dreaming of.
"A little more to the west," he chuckled in his sleep, "No! Not that,.. Fine, my move... I choose A1, B1, C1. I destroyed something in your side, did I?"
A grin crept up to my lips. How childish of him... I never knew a big serious guy like him would dream about such a simple game like that. I stopped when he suddenly opened his eyes. In shock, he kicked away my leg, causing me to fall above him. In the process, my mouth accidentally met his. For a moment, nobody dared to move.
I broke the awkwardness by rolling sideways though...
"Sorry! It was an accident," I blushed.
"W-what were you doing?" Blade blushed.
"I... uh... got you breakfast and was about to wake you up..." I shyly told him.
He saw the berry and smiled. He took it and broke it in half, sharing it with me.
We began to walk as we ate.
"So, you've really changed, Rose," he started, taking a bite.
"Well, yeah... I've learned some stuff..." I replied, taking a bite from my half.
"Then I guess it's safe to say that I can finally relate to you," he returned.
"Really? You know how I feel?" I smiled.
"Yeah," he looked away, "but I still have to turn you in. Don't get me wrong, Rose... I don't want to have you locked up, but rules are rules. If I could change them, I would change them."
"That's okay, I have to be man enough to accept my mistakes, right?" I smiled, no longer caring about my fate.
He looked back at me and smiled back.
"I'm... proud of you, Rose," he grinned at me, "Sadly, we are here now and I believe we must part ways."
I looked up and saw that we had arrived back at Treasure Town. My heart sank. I had wanted to talk to Blade more... I was scared... I was scared that I had found a friend that I would never meet again... Life sure was cruel to me...
"Fine then," I sadly and bitterly spat.
He seemed to have sensed my feelings but he didn't let his emotion betray his duty. He brought me to the one in charge of outlaws, Magnezone.
"ROSE... SPECIES GARDEVOIR... PLEASE STEP IN THE CELL AND RETURN THE ICY FLUTE NOW. GET READY FOR QUESTIONING TOMORROW," Magnezone stated in a cold robotic voice.
I checked under my gown only to notice that my bag was... gone? Impossible!i had it this morning. I looked up and Blade gave me a wink from behind. That thieving rat! He only messed with my feelings to get my stuff... Oh, that pathetic hypocrite! I was about to open my mouth and yell at him but a Magnemite began to speak to the Magnezone after observing me fail at handing over the Icy Flute.
"MASTER," the Magnemite informed the Magnezone, who was busy waiting for me to hand over my stuff, "I CALCULATE THAT THERE IS A PROBABILITY OF 98% THAT THE ICY FLUTE IS NOT IN THE POSSESSION OF THE FEMALE LIFEFORM!"
"WHAT?" Magnezone angrily pressed, "THEN WHERE DID YOU HIDE IT?"
"MASTER, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TIME TO HIDE IT. I CALCULATE A 68% PROBABILITY THAT THE ARTIFACT IS LOST," Magnemite responded.
Magnezone sighed and had me locked in a cell. I sat down in a corner, crying. That freak! He was a hypocrite! Now I had lost my only possession that I held dear to me... My Explorer Kit. He had said that he was alone from the start, but he embraced justice! Why would he steal my stuff?
I began to kick at the wall, allowing tears to stream down my face openly. He was such a liar! He made me desire something so much that time... I desired his life! I wanted to steal it from him!
"Uh... Rose?" a voice whispered, making me turn around to see Blade outside the cell, holding some stuff.
"What?" I spat, turning away from him.
"I think you... uh... misunderstood my actions earlier," he said as he sheepishly handed back my Explorer Kit, "I had to steal it from you because I knew that it would be confiscated... I wanted you to at least have your stuff back so I took it."
I was shocked. Everything was complete as I checked it. I began to smile until a horrifying thought struck me.
"You do know that I hid this under my gown, right?" I spat while showing a face that expressed disgust,
"Err..." he blushed while sheepishly smiling, "I... um... kinda figured that out... Ehehe... Sorry!"
I reached out the bars and slapped him, but I still giggled at him in the end to show that I was just joking, he somehow began to smile as he took out a tray.
"Well, this was supposed to be my dinner, but I figured that you need more nutrition than I do," he smiled as he slipped the tray, a full meal on it, into my cell.
"W-wow, Blade... R-really? This is for me..? I-I think it's too much!" I smiled happily, Blade could really be sweet sometimes.
"Oops!" Blade suddenly shot back, "I'm sorry, I gotta go!"
I smiled until he left. I guess that we're both the same in terms of our past, but we see the world in such different views... Oh well, I began to eat the food Blade had brought me. After the satisfying meal, I smiled thinking that if Blade had given up his dinner for me, then that must mean... something... I soon began to feel dizzy though, causing me to fall down snoring.
I opened my eyes. It took some time to digest where I was. I was in a foggy place. Fog covered the floor while numerous stars dotted the black sky above me. It was a beautiful sight.
"Rose?" a familiar voice called out.
"Blade!" I smiled, upon learning that he was also there. I began to walk towards him.
A sudden thought struck me... I thought I was in a cell? Now why am I in some... place that looks like I'm in outer space or something? I stared as a comet passed by.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Blade smiled.
"Yeah," I smiled, but I began to frown, "Hey Blade... There's something wro-"
Everything began to shake as the fog eroded away. The fog disappeared to reveal that the floor Blade and I were stepping on to be a huge gear suspended or floating in a night sky. The grooves on the ground appeared to be several images of the moons different phases.
"O hero chosen by destiny," the feminine voice rang out.
"O hero chosen by fate," the masculine voice echoed.
Blade and I began to look around in caution.
"Fear not, for you two are but in a dream..." the feminine voice echoed.
"However, both of you are here for a common reason..." the masculine voice continued.
A flash of light blinded my eyes. Two figures now stood before me. One was a black beast with pristine blue eyes, while the other one wad a cream-colored swanlike creature with beautiful crescent-like wings.
"I am Cresselia," the cream one introduced herself.
"And I am Darkrai," the second one responded.
They both began to dance around each other as they continued to recite their prophecy or whatever-it's-called.
"We are here to test you," Cresselia started.
Darkrai continued, "To see if you two are truly the one destined to save us all."
"Now, if this is the will you choose," Cresselia gracefully cried.
"Use your combination, show us that you can best ours! Show us! Show is if you two truly walk the path of the hero! Now it begins!" Darkrai ended.
Blade looked at me and nodded.
"So these were the true meaning behind my dreams," Blade mused as he dodged an Ice Beam from Cresselia.
"You get these dreams too?" I asked as I jumped in time to avoid a Dark Pulse from Darkrai.
We both tried to keep dodging their moves, but Darkrai and Cresselia worked in such perfect coordination that their attacks seemed to push us into traps for the other one to execute an attack.
"I think I can't take any more!" I whispered to Blade, holding my waist which had been hit by Dark Pulse.
"Stay strong, Rose! I'll take care of Darkrai but please cover me from Cresselia!" he cheered me on!
I nodded, "I won't let you down!"
Cresselia began to use Psychic while Blade began to charge at Darkrai with Close Combat. I jumped to take the hit so that Blade's attack would go uninterrupted.
"Ack!" Darkrai gasped as he was hit, he countered it with Dark Void, sending Blade to sleep.
I dodged another Ice Beam from Cresselia, making it hit Darkrai in the process.
"Oops, sorry," Cresselia apologized, leaving her open to be struck by a Thunderbolt from me.
Blade was getting weakened though, thanks to Darkrai's Bad Dreams ability.
"Blade, wake up!" I called out as I hit Cresselia with Thunderbolt again.
Blade woke up in time and struck out at Darkrai, who was still frozen, with Close Combat, knocking him out.
"Nice work, Blade," I grinned, only to be hit by an Ice Beam from Cresselia.
"Never let your guard down!" Cresselia chimed in as she Slashed at me, dealing sufficient damage to me.
"Now, Darkrai! It's your turn!" Cresselia yelled as she did Lunar Dance, knocking herself out but reviving Darkrai in the process.
"Cressie! Don't harm yourself for my mistakes!" Darkrai scolded her in a concerned voice.
He began to lob a Dark Pulse towards Blade, blade merely dodged and struck at him with Close Combat.
Although that was a solid hit, Blade's defenses were pretty low now, probably why Darkrai isn't afraid to strike with Dark Pulse.
"Blade! Finish him!" I yelled as I took the super effective hit for him and got knocked out. Blade managed to win it for us with one last Close Combat though, so I guess that was worth it.
"We did it! Blade!" I joyously screamed.
He smiled, "Uh... Yeah!"
"It's too soon to celebrate," Darkrai, who had regained consciousness and was floating beside Cresselia, stated.
"Heroes! You have passed the first test! Now you must proceed to the second test!" Cresselia continued, "I wish you both the best of luck!"
We both began to get pushed off the gear. We then began to fall... Fall through the never ending darkness.
Note: I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did when I was writing it. How did you find the batle? I've got more surprises waiting so stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can help by reviewing! Please people! Send me your opinions, good or bad, let me hear it! Every opinion counts, remember that. Seeya then~