Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
I lost a bet to my best friend and I am forced to write a scene. Can you find which one?
"What happened?" Dia was woken by the shaking of the trailer. He was in his own bed but couldn't remember how he came there. He cracked an eye open to see Missy sleeping at the desk next to his bed. He groaned and raised his hand to his temple, wincing when he touched the gash. It was bandaged yet it still throbbed. He struggle to sit up and grabbed the edge of the lift himself up.
His eye caught something in the waste basket between the table and the bed. They were ripped pieces of paper and he took them out, laying them on his lap. He took the ones with similar texture and laid each one out to see if they created a picture. There was a picture on one side and words written on the other. Curious, he put the picture together first since it would be quickest.
Missy moved next to him and that pulled him away from the note. He set the pieces aside, under his pillow and took his jacket hanging on the bedpost so he could place it over her shoulders. His head still throbbed a little so placed the ripped pieces into the drawer next to her. He could always put it together later, right now his head hurt too much.
He set back on the bed and wondered about the note. He didn't recognize it and he wondered how it came to his trailer. Dia thoughts turned Missy and wondered how long she had slept in that uncomfortable position. He didn't know if he was his place to move her to the bed since it might not be proper is she woke up with him next to her.
She shifted uncomfortably again and that made his choice. He pulled out the chair she was sitting in and she swayed toward him in reaction. He blushed and placed a hand under her knee so he could lift her. She instinctively moved closer to him and he moved quickly to place her on the bed. He threw his blanket over her and sat on the edge.
"Dia?" She opened her eyes slowly but was awake with a start when she saw him leaning over her. It was mostly from seeing the bandages on his head. She sat up and rose so she could sit up. "You've just been hurt! You should be lying down, but don't go back to sleep. Are you feeling dizzy, nausea? Do you hear any ringing? If you were hit in the head, you might have a concussion."
Dia shook his head but she still looked skeptical at him. "What happened in the truck? Can you tell me anything about the masked man?"
"I remember suffocating at first. There was this strange Jack in the Box and I think that it was the candle. I don't know how I got into that box. The last thing I could remember was waking in this room with this large mirror. I don't even know if it was a mirror since I could barely see myself in it. I saw someone in the mirror putting on a mask but his back was turned to me."
"Did you see any detail?" She pushed.
Dia closed his eyes, trying to see that mirror again. He wasn't even sure that it was real since he remembered seeing dancing fairies in the background. Though Missy looked determined and he didn't want to disappoint her and concentrated more on the man. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't see him that clearly."
"That's okay," She told him softly. "Can you promise me that if you do remember anything, tell me first."
Dia heard the underlining words to her question, don't tell anyone else. He couldn't think of why she would want him to do such a thing and knew that he couldn't promise her that despite the desperation in her eyes. He couldn't keep this from Pearl and least of all the other performers when it could help their circus. It hurt him a little that she thought he would do something like that and he wondered what she had to hide.
"I'll tell you first," He told her though. He would tell her first but that wouldn't stop him from talking to Pearl. He really didn't want to think that Missy had an alternative motive and told himself that she wanted to solve the mystery without involving anyone else.
"I don't know why we have to be the one to get all of these fabrics when Ruby's making the costumes. He would be a better person to do so," Black complained, carrying bags and rolls of fabric, as he followed White who held only a list of items they needed to buy. People stared after him since Musha still clung to his head and they had to explain to police men several times that they were part of a circus.
They had traveled quickly the previous night to try to escape the killer. They had checked all the trailers and wagons to make sure that he wasn't stowed away and white felt confident that they outrun him. Now White and Black had drove into town while everyone else stayed behind to practice their act. She left Sapphire in charge.
"I have an eye for these things too," She told him and looked at the next thing on Ruby's very detailed list. He had the exact pattern drawn next to the simple designs he had in mind and even had squares of colours next to the patterns. She had some changes she wanted to make to them as well and was sure ruby wouldn't mind her tweaking some things here and there.
"Now the next item on the list should to get some more stuff for the magic show. Everything gotten old and it would be cheaper to just replace them than to refurnish them," She also wanted to get rid of the old magic stuff because she believed that the masked man might've used them. After asking directions to a local magic shop, she ordered Black to put them back in the car and join her later.
Black nodded and White waved him away as she made her way to the magic shop, following the direction the man had written on the back of her list. She barely noticed the people around her as she went through the list Ruby gave her. She didn't know what Ruby would want for his act but told herself that she could always call him later.
She entered the small shop, Hocus Pocus, and opened the door causing a bell to ring. Someone called out to her but her attention was still on the list. She put the list back in her bag and looked around the shop for someone to help her. She clicked the little bell at the counter and leaned against it as she waited for someone to come. As she waited she called Ruby and asked him if he needed anything for his act.
White walked around the store as he listed some small miscellaneous things that he needed. She came across a large tome on a stand and curiosity made her stop. It was an old magic book and she lazily turned the musty pages. She came across a trick that allowed the magician to create the illusion of a picture come alive. She closed it and brought it to the counter, wanting to buy the book. If she knew how the masked man did the tricks, she could have a better chance of protecting her circus. Ruby probably knew but she wanted to know for herself.
"Hello?" She called out when still no one came to assist her. She sighed and went in search of the things Ruby would need for his act. She found them all easily and dumped them on the counter but still no one came to help her. She puffed her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips. "Is there even anyone here?"
A thump sounded behind her and she turned but saw that no one was there. She scanned the room and jumped a little when she saw the eyes of a portrait move. She put a hand on her chest and told herself that it was nothing. This was a magic shop and that was probably just another illusion. She moved to the portrait to study it, wanting to figure out how the trick worked.
The portrait was firmly attached to the wall and she could feel any cracks in the painting. The eyes seemed to be paint and couldn't find anything more about it. She rose on her toes to look into the eye, trying to see if there was a spyglass in there. There was a scratching noise behind the wall but that didn't deter her curiosity.
She gasped and jumped back when the point of a dagger was thrust through the portrait's eye, almost blinding her. Her heart beat in her ears and she stood there shocked for a moment. She was about to dart out the door when someone called out to her.
"Young lady," She turned to see a tall man with long green hair stand behind her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Help me? Did you just see that? I was almost blinded!" She turned back and pointed to the painting but saw that the dagger was gone. She stared at it in shock, not knowing what to say or do.
"I am N, is there anything I can help you find?" He asked as if she had just claimed a dagger was thrust through the wall. "Your purchases are on the counter and you want to buy them? Come and I shall do that for you. May, I ask what you are buying these for?"
"No thank you, I don't think I'll need them. Maybe just the magic book." She said quickly, not wanting to spend more time in this shop than need be. He nodded and walked behind the counter. She found herself talking about nothing really to fill the eerie silence in the room. "I'm buying this for my employee. He's a magician and-"
"You own a circus?" He asked suddenly. The sudden flash in his dead eyes made her hesitate before she shook her head yes. She started to explain her craft to the circus and her love for it made her go on despite the disapproval in his eyes. "I just bought it a couple years ago and I love the performance. It's not an easy business but a fun one, seeing all those people smile and have a fun time. The lights, the music, the magic, it'll never become dull to me. Have you ever been in a circle before?"
"Just once," He said through clenched teethes. "Do you have animals in this circus of yours?"
"Of-" She was cut off when someone suddenly pulled her away. She turned to see Black in his usual sweater but the hood was pulled over his head so she could barely see his face. Why would he be trying to hide in face in an already dark shop? "Wait, I need to get my purchases. Black? Black! Stop right now and just wait a minute!"
He didn't stop though and pulled her out the door. He ducked into the closest alley and pulled her against his chest. He looked out slightly to see N walk by leisurely. He sighed and released White. She gave him a questioning glare and knew that there was an onslaught of question his actions brought up.
"What was that?" She demanded. "Why did you pull me away when I was buying some things?"
"He wouldn't be able to help you. He doesn't work there," Black said simply. He didn't want to scare her but knew that there was no other way to explain it without going into too much detail. Shit, how did the man even find him again? There was no way he was going to jail, not when White needed him here.
"I promise, I'll explain everything later but you have to trust me on this." He told her and she reluctantly nodded. He knew that there was more she wanted to ask but pulled her away before she could. That action made her irritated. She wasn't going to be pulled around by a caveman, and she knew that Black was not one so this action confused her.
"You will explain now," She said once they were a safe distance from the crowd and in the car. She crossed her arms as he moved into the driver's seat. He slammed the door and drove away quickly. She turned away from him and looked out the window to see N staring after them. She found herself shrinking into the seat.
"I told you I can't explain!" He insisted and pressed harder on the gas than he usually would. She clutched the chair at the speed they were going at she didn't know if they would be able to stop. She turned to him and they were something angry in his eyes. He wasn't an angry person so wondered what brought this out to him.
He breathed out sharply and Musha on his head allowed him to sort out his thoughts. She didn't deserve his rage. She also deserved the truth. He kept his eyes on the road, not able to look at White. He felt her gaze on him but ignored it, not being able to fully block her out as he did with his past.
"I'm sorry Prez," He started. "I just want to protect you. Just trust me on this, okay?"
How can I trust you when I don't know everything? She opened the window and looked up, letting the breeze cool her anger. Have I ever known you?
Ruby rubbed the fabric between his fingers, feeling the texture. It was smooth silk and if he closed his eyes, he could believe that it was Sapphire's cheek beneath his fingers. He set the fabric down on her bed and picked up one of the other materials spread across Sapphire's bed. He had already finished most of the designs for the other performers, wanting to leave Sapphire's for last so he could put more attention into it.
Though, this design wasn't coming to him as quickly as it had in the past. In the years since he met her, any design he made was inspired by her beauty. This should be the same, so why was it so hard? He tapped his pencil on the sketch pad, trying to force an image into his head. This was very much an art to him, a visual medium he could expressed himself through.
Hitting another wall where Sapphire was concerned, he threw the pad back onto the bed. He leaned back against the bed post and turned slightly to see the array of framed photos on her dressing table. He smiled when he saw that the artificial rose he gave her yesterday was placed in the mirror. It must mean that she still had some feelings for him if she kept the rose.
He took one of the photos, hoping that it would give him some inspiration. It was a picture of when she was young, maybe five in age next to her father and twin, May. He recognized her instantly as the little girl on the left with her wide grin despite the fact the two little girls looked exactly the same. He picked up another frame, this time it was an article about the circus. He didn't read the text, just more interested in the group photo of the circus.
He didn't hear the door open so the pillow hitting his temple took him by surprise. He looked up to see an enraged Sapphire stand over him, still armed with the pillow and a deadly intent in her eyes. Her chestnut hair was wet from her shower and a towel covering her body. She pulled it over her body tighter and looked frantically over the room for some clothes.
Ruby was blushing a little as well and he shrugged of his sweater and passed it to her. She took it, still holding the towel to herself and glared at him, her eyes telling him to turn away. He held up his hand in defence and turned. She quickly put on his sweater and searched her dresser for some leggings. When she was dressed, she turned to Ruby still on her bed and yelled.
"What are ya doing in my trailer?"
Ruby just shrugged, "You still leave your key in that little hiding spot. I wanted to get started in your costume but you were still practising so just thought to wait in your trailer. I don't see anything wrong in waiting. I used to do it all the time, remember?"
She flushed, with anger or embarrassment he didn't know but the blush showed that she did remember all their late night escapades. Despite her embarrassment, she yelled: "Ya broke into my trailer while I was in the shower and ya don't find anything creepy about that? What would make this creepier is if you already knew my measurements."
Ruby grinned at her and she threw her hands into the air. "I still have them from the first outfit I made you. Now what colour would you like to wear? You can't go out wearing leaves anymore. I'm thinking a nice electric blue, just enough to bring out your eyes. I know your stage name is the Jungle Girl but we can still have you wear some blue or change the name."
"People won't be able to see my eyes when I ten feet above the ground," she pointed out the obvious detail he had probably forgotten. "I don't want anything too fancy, so no bows, ribbons or any of that. I have to be able to move during my trapeze act and can't do that with so much weight on my body."
"Of course," He had already made notes of that but still wanted to make her something special. He had speared out several fabrics on her bed so she could pick one that she liked. She ran her hand over them and he moved next to her.
"Please, don't try anything." She moved away from him so that there was more distance between them. He sighed and didn't move closer to her despite his body telling him to gather him in his arms. How did he fall in love with the most stubborn woman in the world? How could he woo her when she constantly pushed him?
Her brushed hair from her temple and knew that no matter what, he would win her back. She pulled away and started going through his sketch book. He noticed the she kicked something further beneath her bed and wondered what it could be. He sat at her dressing table and absentmindedly ran his hand under the table.
His hand caught on something and his brows drew together when his fingers caught on something. It was so small that others would look over. He tried not to react too much to it and moved away from it. Sapphire, who was lying on the bed, jumped back a little when Ruby sudden came above her, and he placed his hands besides her head, trapping her beneath him. She blushed and began to push at his chest but he placed his lips next to her ear and whispered, "There's some spy gear in your trailer. Don't react to it."
Ruby's voice was angry but tried to hold it back. How dare someone try to spy on his gem? He wanted to find the masked man and wring his neck. Who knew how much that man saw of her? He couldn't let his anger take over him and cloud his common sense. Did the killer do this for others? He hadn't checked his own trailer yet so didn't know if there were any.
If he reacted, the killer would know that Ruby knew about the spy gear, something that a regular magician wouldn't know. He had to keep his façade to solve this mystery and Sapphire would hate him for deceiving her.
"He's watching us?" Her breath brushed against his cheek and his mind went blank for a moment. The familiar heat of her body beneath him distracted him for a moment.
"It's probably him," He nodded and whispered so that the killer wouldn't be able to hear them. "I'll get rid of all of the bugs so don't worry about that. We can't let him know that we suspect anything though. So let put on a show for him. I want you to slap me across the face and run out."
"Why would I-" she was but of when he suddenly kissed her. She was so shocked that she didn't react at first. His warm lips on hers sent her emotions into a spiral. She should've pushed him away right away but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She thought that she wouldn't be able to feel this again when he left and this brought back so many bittersweet memories.
How many times had she fallen under his spell just by a touch? His kissed was passionate, trying to bring forth the reaction he wanted and she found herself followed him. His kissed became gentle and raised his hand to her cheek. There was something odd in this kiss, it was a sorry. A sorry for their past or present, she didn't know.
All too suddenly, he broke the kiss. His eyes, intense with emotions, he stared down at her, "slap me."
Her heart broke a little but slapped him hard across the face, probably a little harder than she would need to. She pushed him off her and ran out of her own trailer. She stumbled out and her eyes caught Wally's sympathetic ones. She could take any more pity from her friends and ran behind her trailer. She pressed a hand to her chest and tried to keep her tears from spilling over.
His kiss wasn't a sorry, it was just a performance to trick the killer if he were watching. It was nothing more than another illusion.
Ruby cursed at himself. He let his body lead and kissed her when all she needed to do was yell and slap him. He took it too far by kissing her, something he knew she didn't want. But once he started, he couldn't stop himself. As if that one kiss would be able to fix every lie they told each other. He held a hand to his cheek, it stung but he could barely feel it with all of the emotions he was trying to sort out.
He forced himself not to think about that and went to her dresser. He couldn't let himself scramble to rage but it seemed that in the end he always ran from his problems. He couldn't do either now, he had to stay and help Sapphire. He also had a job to do, taking down a killer. What he would do after he won Sapphire back and bring the killer to justice, he did know.
He went to work, debugging her room. He didn't want the killer to be watching Sapphire for more than just the fact that they were going to speak about the killer but it was an invasion of her privacy. He sighed when he was finished with debugging her room. He sat at her dressing table and began to scribe a note to apologize. He didn't know if she would speak to him after that kiss but wanted to have his words.
There was a knock on Saph's door and went to answer it. To his surprise, and disappointment, it wasn't Sapphire but Black. The other man didn't give Ruby time to react before he pushed his way in. He looked around and saw that Sapphire wasn't there. He didn't seem to question why Ruby was in her room either.
"I know you're an undercover detective," Black stated as soon as ruby closed the door. "And if you don't help me then I'll tell everyone the truth."
Ruby felt as if he was slapped. Black's face was very serious and knew that he meant the words. Ruby didn't know how he found out about his occupation but knew that Sapphire wouldn't forgive him for this deception. But first he needed to know how this man found out so he could stop others from finding out as well.
"How did you find out about me?" Ruby demanded though he wasn't in any position to do so.
"I'm not stupid and if you hit something hard enough, it'll break. I need someone to help me so I looked into your past. I found that you used to be a police from the other performers and after some more research I found that you specialize in undercover from Wally. You said you were retired but from your reaction, I must say that you're not."
Ruby cursed himself for reacting too quickly and the loose tongues of the other performers. Black crossed his arms. "So are you going to help me?"
"Have you given much choice?"
Did you find it? :P Review if you liked.