Note: I'm back! Sorry for late update, I was away at Hongkong... Anyway, I managed to bring home Kid Icarus: Uprising and Pokemon Rumble Blast in jap and I have been hooked ever since... But, I managed to finish this chapter in time. Well, here, I hope you enjoy!
Rose's POV:
"Don't worry, I never even considered Rose in the first place... Ruse..." I smiled, feeling my mind whispering positive comments, "I suppose if it's okay with you... I would return your feelings..."
Never even considered me, huh? Really? This recording of his memory... It was different from the Blade I know. It was different from the Blade that picked me up. This was different from the Blade that actually made me change, made me show concern for him. This wasn't Blade.
Anger clouded my mind. Had I really been just a toy? A toy that he had used to achieve his cause? An extra hand? An extra pawn to achieve his goals?
No...
I knew better...
Blade never existed. I was deceived by a snake. A snake far more cunning than me. I never felt that the way he had manipulated my emotions... Toying with them as he teamed my shield apart. And here he is, standing before me, acting all concerned and soothing me with kind words.
I knew, that inside his mind... He had thrown me and replaced me with a better pawn. He had probably promoted that pawn... that black pawn... into a queen.
"Rose," he started, "I-"
He suddenly stopped.
I began to speak.
"Blade," I began, my eyes filled with the desire to just crush him for what he had done, "You are a hypocrite!"
There he was, pretending to act all confused and jittery. Why would he care? He could just tell me everything and be over with it! I can't believe I actually fell for his lies. How he had proven to me that this world wasn't the world I had envisioned. He showed me that the world was a place with room for concern. It was a place that I was allowed to survive in. It was a place that I was glad I never wished for its destruction.
Now that I knew he was a hypocrite... Was all of this a lie? Was my weakness showing because of him? Was his main purpose to change me... or to make me expose my weak spot?
"Why?" he suddenly replied, "Why do you say I am a hypocrite?"
Those words stung. He was planning on keeping this up. He was going to break me. Tears slowly poured out of my eyes. His words had stung more than anything I had ever faced so far. Why does he insist on doing this? Must he keep his pawn and queen alive to win this game? Must he?
"You," I heavily breathed out, "you know everything... You're lying... You dare feign ignorance!"
I suddenly gripped his neck in a fit of anger. How dare he do this... to me! Sandra let out a small squeal of anxiety before she began to close her eyes.
"R-rose!" he coughed, struggling to get out of my grasp, "Rose! At least explain everything to me! You said that you would awhile ago!"
I sighed. I couldn't let my emotions take over. Besides, the world needs him... I couldn't believe destiny chose such a hero... I released my grip and stared solemnly at him. Sandra seemed to have had enough, she nervously fluttered back in her room, leaving the two of us alone.
"Blade!" I flared, "I know everything! You... You told Ruse... That I was nothing to you! Nothing? Nothing? Really? You were prepared to just... throw me away?"
I slammed my fist to the wall, I could feel the wooden wall crack a bit. I didn't care. I wanted to destroy something. The only thing that I wanted to destroy was in front of me... Yet I can't because of destiny.
"You... You changed me, Blade," I said his name with distaste, "You taught me... You brought me up... You brought color to this black and white world... And now... You contradict everything by doing that? You... fool! You make it so hard for me to believe you now!"
"But Rose," he pleaded.
"Oh, shut it!" I flared, "Do you deny your actions? What you told Ruse? Really? Do you?"
"I..." he hung his head low, "No, but-"
"No," I turned away in disgust, "Then I guess that is it! Discussion over!"
He rushed towards me but I snapped my fingers to release a blow of Psychic at him. I stamped as I opened the door to the room behind me. Sandra seemed to be silently sitting on the floor, her eyes transfixed on me.
"Uhh... Rose?" she nervously stared, playing with her fingers, "Umm... I heard your... argument with Blade..."
"What about it?" I rudely spat, throwing my entire body onto the bed.
"Well, are you sure you should be so mean to him?" she twisted her fingers, "Well, are you certain of what you are even accusing him off?"
"Yes, he didn't deny it," I quickly dismissed.
"Then why are you so distraught? Blade didn't even seem to finish talking," she nervously twisted her hair.
"He doesn't need to, he probably has Ruse to help him anyway," I spat, punching a hole through the wooden wall.
"You... you must really like him if you are displaying such a fit..." Sandra slowly told me in a soothing voice.
Like him...
My grip on the wall slowly grew weaker. I had denied that fact all along and never took my chance... Not that I had one in the first place...
"Rose?" Sanda broke the short silence, "You there?"
Slowly, tears started to drop down from my eyes. I knew it all along. He had changed me alright. I knew what I felt, it was love. I felt so guilty for denying it all along.. I knew it. I loved him.
"Rose?" Sandra slowly flew over to my side, "Are you okay?"
"Y-yes..." I began to cry, "It's true... Sandra... I loved him! I-I can't believe how... how this happened!"
Sandra fell silent but she edged closer to me.
"I thought he was... I knew he was... I felt that he was really the one... The one who changed me," I began to cough, "I can't believe... it was all a lie!"
"There, there," Sandra soothed me as she began to take my hand, "Give him a chance, listen to him at least... Blade doesn't seem like the kind to be a hypocrite, y'know..."
"That's what you think!" I snarled, wiping my tears away and flicking them away in anger, "I know it happened... I just know! Besides, if he changed me, and he's a hypocrite... Then that must mean, he has shown me an illusion of this world... I've changed... for nothing! Who am I, really?"
"You are Rose..." Sandra continued, "You are my rogue-like friend, Rose... You are someone who is pure of heart, despite not wanting to show it..."
I fell silent, was Sandra right? Could she be like Blade? Could she be pointing me in the right direction only to use me? I looked back at Sandra... Her gentle and caring eyes told me the answer.
"Thanks, Sandra..." I smiled, "I won't slip back to my old self, I promise..."
"Great... Why don't you try talking to Blade, at least? At least hear him out once, pretty please?" she pleaded.
"All right," I seriously replied.
With a heavy sigh, I began to walk out of the room. I just had to find Blade, talk to him, walk away, easy as that.
As I walked down, someone suddenly tackled me, bringing me down to the ground.
"Rose," Blade breathed, seemingly trying to hide tears, "Please let me explain this..."
"All right," I rolled my eyes, prepared to get rid of the pathetic fool.
"Rose, I wanted to tell you for a long time now... That I loved you!" he began to blush, much to my surprise, "From that time you teased me in our battle, I had been hoping it was real and that you could return my emotions... But Rose! I need you to know that the Ruse thing was all a misunderstanding!"
I stood up, frozen in place. H-he... loves me? I stared back at him. He has such a pure and innocent face... Maybe I thought wrongly of him.. Or... he's using that to distract me from my real question.
I pushed away for, his embrace.
"Don't touch me!" I snarled, "I don't believe a word you say, so stop pretending to do this to me... I'm not dumb!"
"Rose!" Blade continued,"Ruse had me under the spell of-"
"Your lust," I turned away, suddenly feeling angry at seeing Blade try to cover up for his mistake, "Now shut it! I'm gone for a day and you suddenly go for some other girl?"
"Rose! Let me finish!" Blade pleaded.
"No!" I snarled, "You started your explanation the wrong way too, you fool! I expected better."
"But Rose..." Blade silently began to sit down, tears pouring out of his eyes.
"Stop the drama act," I snarled, "You aren't gonna get to me by using my weaknesses again... You knew my emotions were my weakness... Yet you played with them!"
"He didn't play with them... I did," a voice suddenly interjected.
Ruse had entered the hallway through the stairs. Her eyes held a serious tone to them, as if she had just been to a funeral...
"Oh, it's you..." I growled, feeling my blood suddenly start to boil, "Had enough fun yet, you freak? I swear, if you did anything with Blade... I promise... Once this save the world business is over, I will make your lives an eternal hell!"
"Rose," she started, "I understand your anger towards me, but don't be angry at Blade... He was under my Attract... I just wanted to have a little fun... I never expected it would ruin both of your lives..."
"Ruse, you..." I snarled, jumping out at her.
"Attack me if you wish, but for now, I tell you that I have let go of my selfish desires... This pride I have, it is all for naught if I have some part to play in this XD002 business..." Ruse disclosed as she took my beating.
"You... what?" I stopped.
"Palkia told me I had a part in this XD002 business..." she calmly stated.
I breathed deeply... If there's one thing I want to destroy now, it's fate... How can this idiotic goddess of lust be some sort of hero?
Then how is it, that you, a goddess of greed, must take upon the duty of being a hero?
I sighed... As much of a freak she was, I guess she still has a part to play and that she, too, has a purpose. If Blade had thought me that even someone as low as me has a purpose, Ruse is probably the same.
"Rose, I know you feel angry for everything... And you have a right to be..." she sincerely started, "But just this once, I ask for your forgiveness... I do not care if you do not accept my apology, at least just give it some thought."
"Apology accepted," I muttered, remembering that I, too, was forgiven of my crimes by Blade, "Now... Can you please leave me alone to talk to Blade for awhile?"
"I understand, Rose... Good luck then," she gave a naughty wink.
I sighed, she sure has changed, but not too much... I'll bet Blade must've changed her... I can see that he does seem to be a symbol of hope for my kind. I hid a smile... He could change people and give them meaning... And I'm not the only one... Just what is he?
"Blade?" I slowly shuffled towards him, thinking about what Ruse had told me.
"Y-yes?" he sniffed, tears still streaming down...
"Is it true that Ruse actually had you under Attract..?" I quizzically asked.
"Oh Rose! Yes! I-I'm so sorry!" he broke out into tears, "I swear, she had me under her spell... Please! F-forgive me!"
I raised an eyebrow... If he was making such a fuss about it... Could that he mean that he really cared that much about me? I rubbed my chin... What would I normally think.
Ignore him, he's a rat! Don't be fooled by him and keep up your cold and steely approach, my old self would have said.
Forgive him already! He hasn't even done anything wrong, he was toyed with by Ruse... Yet he bravely chose to tell you the truth! He cares this much for the very Gardevoir he has grown close to, Rose! my much newer way of thinking told me.
I began to decide. Was my old self correct? While my new self could simply be an allusion of Blade's influences... I'm pretty sure that my old self wasn't correct either.
I then smiled when I found the answer.
I held out my hand and helped Blade up.
"We wouldn't want to see our gallant hero crying, would we?" I snickered, pretending that nothing had happened.
"W-what?" Blade sniffed.
"C'mon! You're a grown explorer leading us and here I see you cry in front of me?" I teased, "Where's the shame, Blade?"
He seemed to see that I was teasing and his face immediately adapted into a faint smile.
"Oh, but if I am such a grown explorer, then I'd have no choice but to arrest you now," he tried to smile, wiping off his tears.
"Why?" I suddenly asked, my face turning serious...
"You seem to have broken and entered my heart, much less steal it," he smiled.
"Oh, I think it's the other way around," I blushed, "Shame on you, you explorer... You truly are a Master Thief..."
"In that case, I guess that we both are guilty of the same thing..." he blushed harder as I began to embrace him.
"Which happens to be?" I giggled as I delicately locked him into an embrace.
"Is it a crime to love you?" he smiled.
"No, because I had always loved you!" I openly confessed, just letting my tears flow out as I constricted him.
"So, err... You two do seem to have patched things up, better than how I imagined..." a voice suddenly intervened.
I released Blade from my embrace and whirled around to the speaker. I saw Sandra behind us, seemingly bushing as she hovered above the ground.
"I hope I wasn't barging into something important?" Sandra giggled.
"S-Sandra!" I blushed, "Don't you think I should've had some privacy?"
"Well excuse me for confessing out loud in the hallway! Shouldn't you two have gone somewhere like a room where you two could be alone?" she crossed her arms.
"Umm..." I blushed, "Right..."
"Don't worry," Sandra winked, "I promise not to tell anybody what happened... Besides, looks like Blade is also a victim here..."
Blade blushed in response but remained silent.
"Fine then," I quickly responded, still feeling embarrassed about Sandra being there the whole time during our rather awkward conversation.
I beckoned Blade to a room and closed it behind us.
"So," I started, "Blade... I have one last question... Do you really love me?"
"I do," he replied, "Rose, I sincerely love you for who you are..."
I immediately locked him into another embrace.
"Thank... you..." I smiled, "Thanks for everything!"
Soon enough, the big news got me tired, I began to drift to sleep, still clutching Blade's strong and protective arm.
"So... Rose!" a small cheery voice called out.
"What!" I snarled.
Jirachi appeared out of nowhere before me...
"I apparently have something to tell you... Since the wish I had granted you wasn't complete, I could give you the choice of choosing whether or not you would wish to end this world," Jirachi smirked.
I sensed something fishy.
"Jirachi?" I raised an eyebrow, "Why would I want this world to end, when it has meaning and purpose?"
"What? But I thought that you thought that Blade guy was a hypocrite! Won't that mean hat everything he had shown you was a lie?" Jirachi suddenly snarled.
I didn't respond, instead... I quickly responded with a Thunderbolt.
Jirachi didn't seem to take any damage... Instead, he rose above lifelessly.
"Hmm... Too bad, Rose... You hatred would've supported my power to end this world," he suddenly smirked with a deeper voice.
Slowly, his figure began to dissolve into a round sphere with a red core at the center, surrounded by strings of numbers. The entire place began to change into a more digitalized plane.
"XD002!" I snarled, "You tricked me!"
"Too bad you didn't fall for it... I guess I have no choice now..." the program monotonously chimed, "I will adapt to Plan Beta... I shall destroy this world by using your body as my host! But first, I must eradicate your consciousness!"
At that exact moment, a huge ring of symbols and numbers covered the two of us.
"Come and try me!" I snarled as I charged forward.
XD002 merely floated above.
"Attack Command 01!" it monotonously stated, causing a huge arrow of flame to pierce down on me.
"Just come and see how long you can survive," the thing began to glow, "Rose..."
And then it exploded, covering everything in white.
Note: Good for Rose! She has finally achieved her dream AND is trapped in a dream now... Good for her! Meh, whaddya think about this chapter anyway? I put a lotta effort... Leave a review, will ya? Anyway, gotta get back to Kid Icarus: Uprising!