Darkness.
It's a lucid dream; I can tell. The only dreams I have these days are lucid anyway.
I am floating calmly when the silhouette of a person appears. I frown.
"I didn't make you."
Of course you didn't. I made myself.
His voice reverberates in my chest.
"Huh," I reply, "What personification of my psyche are you? Greed? Ego?"
I made myself.
"I would guess ego then." I divert my attention away. Dreams are always so listless. I would wake up, but then I wouldn't get enough sleep. And Aspen would worry.
You like her.
"Who?"
Alex.
"That's true."
You love her.
I wave my hand vaguely.
"It's all chemicals," I reply.
You fell in love with her.
"It's possible."
You can't.
"Why not?"
I see a slice of his mouth, his grinning, bone-white teeth.
Because you aren't in the plan.
"What plan?"
I'm bored.
Stay away from her.
"Mm. Go away."
Stay away from her or I'll burn her hands, strip off the flesh, and feed it to her.
"Violent." I look at him. "I would never think like that. Who are you?"
Stay away from her. Steven will be faithful to me. But I don't trust you.
More of his face comes into view. Pale cheeks, a part of a light-blue eye. It's all very familiar.
"Who, Steven Stone? That's strange. Why would you mention him?"
Stay away from her, or I'll turn her Pokémon against her and you'll find them chewing on her lungs.
I bolt upright.
"You said Pokémon. I definitely do not think like that. Nor does anybody I know. Who are you?"
Stay away from her, or I'll make her kill you.
"Who are you?"
I can do it. I can make her kill you. I can make her kill each one of her pathetic Pokémon.
"Who are you?"
Would you like me to tell you my name?
His mouth leans into my ear, whispers a name, then bites down on my jugular.
Ripping pain.
I don't say a word, even when his mouth comes up dripping scarlet.
I'm not lying. Wake up. You'll find the wing of a bird beside you. My sign. Wake up. Don't tell her about our conversation. And stay away from her. Wake up.
I bolt upright, sweating.
But when I see the wing, ligaments still jerking from being ripped from a warm body, I scream.
Aspen screams with me.
"You did what?!" Torrent stared at Skyra, mouth open and eyebrows twisted in anger. "In what world would that ever qualify as being the most logical idea?!"
"Torrent," I said, hand on his shoulder, "calm down."
"Calm down?!" He whirled at me, jabbing a finger at the PEN in my hand, "That's what you're going to have to say to the Manectric when he realizes we're responsible for Lana's death!"
"Our duty is to tell him," Skyra stated.
"Are you fucking-" he paced in a short, tight circle, the frustrated words bubbling out of his mouth, "Our duty is to protect Lexa!"
"So what would you have had me done? Kill him?"
"Yes!" Torrent screamed.
By the time Aiden's fist crashed into Torrent's jaw, Skyra was already at the Numel's throat, her katanas blades mere millimeters away. Likewise, Briar had his fist, sheathed in knuckledusters, lightly held against Aiden's temple.
"YOU GODDAMN FUCKPUDDLE, DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!" Torrent screeched from the ground, cradling his cheek. Briar was doing his best to stifle his laughter with his free hand. "BITCH, YOU'RE LUCKY I WASN'T READY FOR THAT OR I WOULD BEAT THE-"
"No. I don't have a death wish. Because usually, Pieces don't want to die," Aiden angrily pushed the blades away from his throat. "But you're telling me, that you wanted Skyra to kill the Manectric because you are too much of a coward to tell the truth? What's the point of saving me if you kill someone for no reason with the same hand?"
Torrent gritted his teeth and his lips lifted in a snarl. He looked like a wolf then, with his teeth bared. I wondered if they were old instincts, if the same face was used when Pieces trundled along with bears and fought over territory and seeds.
"No hitting, Aiden," I said, holding out a hand for Torrent. "But I think it'll be okay. I mean, I think all of you will be-" I yelped when he yanked me to the ground.
"Oops, sorry. Forgot I'm heavy." Instead of letting my go, he wrapped his arms around me while I settled in between legs.
"Anyway, I think you'll all be faster. So it doesn't matter much. And - Torrent, stop it-" he stopped nuzzling my neck, "-and if he's terrible, we could always release him or put him into the PC. But we should let him out now than wait too long. It's closure. And you guys would know better than I do about how it feels to be trapped in there."
Skyra shuddered. I threw the PEN past them.
The Manectric emerged, his clothes perfectly unwrinkled, silhouetted against the setting sun. His mouth twisted in a sneer.
"Let's get this over with," he said, flicking some dust off his sleeve. "My name is Dianli. Yes, it's a girly name. Get over it. I'm looking for my younger sister. Her name is Lana. She ran off like the stupid Electrike she is. If you haven't seen her, fantastic. Let me go, or I'll make it hell for you. But since I'm not currently brain-dead, I'm guessing you guys have a shred of decency and will send me on my way. Please and thank you."
"Ah, shit," I heard Torrent mutter behind me, and he pushed me behind him, getting up on one knee. I inhaled slowly, counting seconds to calm my accelerating heart.
"Lana is dead," I said, and didn't flinch when Dianli's lightning gaze zeroed in on me. "When we first caught her, she was unwilling to come, but later, she agreed to stay on the team. She died during training. I know an apology won't remotely make up for your loss, but I'm-" and here, I faltered, my voice breaking. "I'm very sorry."
Silence.
He cocked his head, his eyes still locked with mine. Was that anger I saw boiling under his skin? Sadness?
"Who was training her? You?" he finally asked. I heard a faint crackling.
"That person is dead, too."
"Huh. Pity." He breathed out and looked into the sky idly. When he looked down again, he smiled. "I guess you'll have to do."
The only warning I got was a slight tipping of his head before he lunged at me, electricity snapping in his palm. Tumbling to the left, I barely dodged the first thrust of his palm. The days of sparring practice kicked in, and my leg whipped out on a course for his chin. But before I could strike, Torrent grabbed his arm and Briar pulled me away, curling a protective arm around my waist.
"LET GO OF ME!" Dianli snarled, and the electricity moved to cover his entire body, lashing out like something alive. Skyra moved back with a glare from Briar.
"TORRENT!" I shrieked, struggling in Briar's grasp. Fear ricocheted in my veins.
Please don't let me lose him.
Please don't let me lose him!
"No," Torrent snapped, tightening his grip while the electricity ran up his arm. The Manectric rose from his crouch, the electricity intensifying. At his full height, he was taller than Torrent, taller than Briar, but Torrent stood, unafraid, the lighting burning everything but him.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"You've been trying," Torrent remarked, raising an eyebrow, "and I'm still here."
"GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER!" Dianli howled. Torrent's face softened.
"No. I'm sorry. I can't do that either. Are you going to stop now?"
Dianli merely answered with a punch to Torrent's jaw, loosening his hold. He turned to me again, menacing, fast, but not before Torrent connected heel to face is a perfect spinning kick. A jet of water echoed his movement and crashed into Dianli's stomach.
"Aiden," Torrent called, pinning the Manectric to the ground, "Light's out!"
A jet of flame instantly engulfed both of them, and when it let up, I twisted out of Briar's grasp, grabbed the PEN, and recalled Dianli.
"Torrent! Are you-"
"Stay there!" he held his hands out in warning, and I stopped. "You'll get burned, kitty cat. Stay there."
Steadily, I gripped the PEN in my hand.
"He hurt you," I trembled.
"I'm okay, Lexa. Look at me, I'm fine. I'm a ground-type. I'm just stuck because the ground got gooey from the heat and lightning. Don't want to get you burned. Stay there-"
Aiden jumped in next to Torrent and started to free his feet, with little success.
"Ah, sorry. This might hurt a bit."
Before Torrent could protest, Aiden grabbed his waist and threw him with Strength, which ripped him out of the molten dirt and into safe ground.
"I am just getting beaten up today, huh," Torrent groaned from the ground, a hand on his back. I rushed over to him, and we both held our arms out to each other, an automatic gesture. I folded myself into his hug. "You're going to get your dress dirty."
"You're so stupid! You're so, so stupid," I cried, holding onto his neck. His skin was still sooty and hot from the fire.
"I'm immune to electri-" He stopped when Briar crouched next to him, grabbing a fistful of his hair.
"You're an idiot," the Breloom said, silkily, smiling. Torrent's face turned crimson.
"I'm fucking immune to electricity, is no one listening to me?!"
"You almost died." Briar's hand didn't leave his hair.
"No. I didn't. Let me clear this up for you guys. I'M. IMMUNE. TO. ELECTRICITY. YEAH. YOU KNOW THE IMPRESSIVE ZAPPY-SPARK THING THAT DIANLI DID? I'M FUCKING IMMUNE TO IT, YOU SHITTY MUSHROOM."
"Huh. Well," Briar leaned in and rubbed his forehead against Torrent's, "good job, cupcake."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Torrent yelped, swiping at Briar's face. "You know I fucking like you! Why are you making it harder-"
There was a general sharp intake of breath as I slammed a hand over Torrent's mouth. Every pair of eyes flickered to Briar's green ones.
"Hm?" Briar tilted his head. "I like you, too."
Silence.
"Okay, so I sink like a rock in the water," Aiden said incredulously, his palm firmly planted over his eyes, "and I STILL AM NOT THE FUCKING DENSEST PERSON HERE."
"What?" Briar demanded, confused.
Torrent shook off my hand.
"You guys didn't notice until now?" Torrent demanded, "Don't worry, he's a fucking boulder." Then, so that only I could hear it, he muttered, "That's part of what makes him attractive."
"You guys are assholes," Briar fumed, not understanding.
I didn't say anything, but simply hugged Torrent harder, remembering the day he had cried.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he had to hurt so much.
"I see he grew up on the outside. Less so on the inside," mused a familiar voice behind me. When I whirled around, I saw grey hair and jade eyes.
"Steven?" I stood up, took Torrent's hands, and leaned back with all my weight, pulling him to his feet. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for a convention of some sort," he said, waving his hand vaguely, "but the electricity discharge attracted my attention." He shifted his attention to Briar and Skyra. "I see you two evolved well. And traded tokens. That's a very healthy wingspan, Skyra."
"You're as creepy as always, Steven," she said bluntly.
Abruptly, her eyes widened and she rocketed away from the spot she had been standing, just in time for a figure to crash into the earth with a strength of a small meteorite. Dust blew everywhere, but Steven blocked most of it by stepping in front of me and pulling me to his front. He still smelled like cinnamon.
"Skarmory, the Armor Bird Piece," GLaDOS recited. "Its body and wings are made of steel. People in the past used feathers fallen from Skarmory to make swords and knives. Statistically, you would last a fourth of a millisecond before she ripped your eyes out."
"Oh, my God," Steven breathed through gritted teeth, hands clenched. He strode up to the figure, who was clad in sleek, plated armor and a tapered helmet. "Bastion! How many times do I have to tell you not to crush other flying types?" Slowly, metallic wings unfolded, clicking in smooth succession. Through two slits in the helmet, yellow eyes shone. "One day, one of them isn't going to move fast enough, and you will kill someone." A decidedly feminine laugh came floating out of the cold metal.
"One day," she said, agreeing. "Where is the girl?" She looked around and seeing me, started walking towards me. Torrent and Aiden immediately stood in front of me, protecting. Skyra swooped low, lazy circles in the orange sky, her blades already half-way out of the sheath, while Briar stood to the side, green eyes calculating. "Calm, children. I won't hurt her."
"You just tried to kill Skyra," Briar commented.
"I knew she would move. And now, I need you two to move, or I may hurt you."
"Bastion," Steven warned.
"As if you could kill us," Torrent grinned.
"Ah, such weak, naive children."
The laugh again.
All of them would fight to keep me safe, and then what? Would we win? Against an Ex-Champion of the Piece Keepers? His Pieces far out-leveled my own and if they fought, my entire team, my entire family would die.
So instead, I stepped in front of them.
"No, guys, it's okay."
Bastion held out a hand to me and I took it. She drew me off the ground, gently supporting me in her arms. Slitted eyes studied my face.
"Stavros, look at her eyes," she said and gingerly rested her helmet against my forehead. It felt cool. The yellow disappeared when she closed her eyes.
"I've been looking, woman," a voice said from the trees. I recognized the name and the lean body of the Metagross that swung down, his navy jacket snapping in the wind. At his appearance, Torrent relaxed completely. "Nice to see you again, boy, and in better circumstances, as well."
"Yeah," Torrent smiled, receiving a pat on the head, "Skyra, you remember-"
"-I do," she interrupted, sheathing her katanas and dropping to the ground. "No reason to fight, then. Let's get camp started. It's going to be dark soon." She flew off in a rush of wind. Briar melted into the forest, quickly followed by Torrent. Aiden started finding stones for a fire pit.
I was transferred into Stavros's arms, like a baby, and he spent a long time studying my face.
"Dark eyes stay straight," he murmured, "but light eyes change fate. Look at all the connecting lines, Steven. Can you see the red string?"
Steven sighed heavily.
"Please no metaphors. Not now, Stavros." Steven rubbed his temples, his forehead wrinkling.
"Do you have a headache?"
He looked up at me and came closer when I beckoned. I put a hand on his head.
"Your forehead is hot. Are you sick?"
"Mm, maybe," he brought my fingers to his mouth, the same gesture that Briar had shown Skyra, then to the pulse point of my wrist. I felt vaguely uncomfortable, having all three of them focus their attentions on me.
"I can give her no greater power than she has already," Stavros said, and I could see his lips move underneath his mask, "Don't you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to serve her, and how well she has got through the world, barefooted as she is. She cannot receive any power from me greater than she now has, which-"
"-consists in her own purity and innocence of heart. If she cannot herself obtain the solution to the problems she faces, we can do nothing to help her." Steven finished, smiling drily.
"Isn't that from a story?" I asked, confused. Power? I could barely do a pull-up.
"Yes, an old one, from your world."
I fidgeted in Stavros's arms.
"Steven, you owe me dinner," I reminded him.
"Hm," Steven hummed. Stavros set me on my feet and fixed my bag strap, just as Briar would have done. Then, he and Bastion moved away, gliding into the approaching dark. "Would you like to come to the convention with me? They have an excellent dinner. You'd have to dress up, but we could go shopping before and still make it in time."
"No, she would not like to go to the fucking convention with you," Torrent muttered behind me, dumping firewood in a haphazard pile. Briar set his armful down more neatly.
"Oh, come now, Torrent," Steven said, "I don't get to see her everyday."
"It's because you spend your "everyday" buried in caves, you crazy old man," Stavros drawled.
"Stavros, so help me God, I will release you, you goddamn snarky bastard."
"Are you camping here today?" I questioned.
"Hm? Yes. Why?"
"Can't you Fly back to town and sleep there?"
"Well, yes, I could," Steven smiled, and reached out to brush a palm over my cheek, "but your company seems more inviting."
"A little girl?" Stavros said mockingly, "For shame, Steven."
"We'll kill you," Briar and Skyra said carelessly. Aiden chuckled when Steven raised both his hands in an innocent gesture.
"I don't think we've met," Steven smiled at Aiden.
"Yeah, I'm Aiden. Hey." They shook hands.
"He's a jumper," commented Stavros, off-handedly. Steven's eyes widened and Aiden flinched.
"Hey, back off, Stavros," I growled, making the Metagross turn is scarlet gaze on me. "He's okay now."
"So they all say-"
Steven took two long strides over to Stavros and yanked his hair back.
"I'm getting tired of your antics, Metagross," he whispered, eyes burning. Stavros's gaze dropped in instant submission.
"Yes, sir," was the immediate response. "Sorry."
Scary.
That was the only thought I had in mind as Steven let go. How did one have that much influence over Pieces? It was never far from my mind that Torrent, even when he was tiny, could have easily killed me.
"It's love," Steven filled in my thoughts when he glanced at my face. "It's faith, that Stavros won't lift me up and smash me into the wall. C-Keys are the Trainers for a reason. There is a reason why humans complete Pieces."
"Ugh," muttered Stavros, rolling his eyes, "I should just pick you up and smash you into a wall."
I woke up quietly later in the night. Vague nightmares had filled my dreams, but not enough to send me into a panic-fueled attack. I saw Steven awake, the embers of the fire glowing on his face, highlighting the bridge of his sharp nose and the stones in his hand. When I shifted, he turned his head to me.
"You're awake," I murmured, wriggling out from under Torrent's arm.
"So are you."
I crawled the short distance over to him and sat next to his warm side, yawning.
"Is it because you don't have a sleeping bag?"
Steven laughed softly.
"I've had to sleep on rocky ground many times in my journeys." He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply and leaning his head back to look at the sky.
I studied the stones on his lap. They didn't look that out of the ordinary, except a couple, which looks like gems embedded in rocks.
"Why do you like stones so much?"
"My father taught me about stones. Mostly the valuable ones. Devon Corporations used to be in mining before we had enough resources to expand into technology. But I just loved them all. Stavaros didn't help." He laughed again. "I remember, when I was young, he tricked me into thinking I could eat rocks, because he could do it. So I tried, and lost a tooth. And he laughed his head off." He quieted. "It's one of the few good qualities of my father. One of the few good memories."
"President Stone seems like a good person."
"He's not," Steven responded shortly, flatly.
"What about your brother?"
"My father's lapdog."
"You seem like the rebellious child."
"Hm." Steven ran his free hand through my hair. "I suppose."
"But you always seem so... like a gentleman? Soft-spoken and stuff. You should have a British accent. It would suit you."
"A gentleman, huh?" Steven seemed to say more to himself than me. "A gentleman wouldn't have such thoughts as I do."
"What do you mean?"
He waved his hand and stubbed out the cigarette. Everything he said was always so confusing.
"Nothing. Are you going to invite me to bed?"
I blushed and hoped that he couldn't see it in the dim firelight.
I snuggled up next to Torrent again, and Steven joined me this time, scooping up my head so that I was using his arm as a pillow. I felt warm, but not hot, as late May was still cool in this world.
"You smell like the ocean," Steven whispered into my hair. His lips brushed my forehead, my cheek. I felt a familiar panic rising in my chest. He hummed against my jaw and placed light kisses down my neck. His free hand shifted to my hip when he lightly bit my collarbones. The panic ballooned and built before I yelped:
"Ash, stop! I don't like it!" He froze. "Steven," I corrected. Something clicked coldly behind me and I looked up to see Torrent's eyes narrowed, the gun pointed at Steven's head.
"You're disgusting." Torrent's voice was frigid. Alarmed, I pushed the muzzle of his gun down.
"No, it's okay Torrent. I just forgot he wasn't Ash. And Ash always stopped, so Steven will, too."
"You don't deserve her."
"I know," Steven answered.
"Guys-"
"She's not your boyfriend, no matter how much you think so."
"I'm trying, Torrent," Steven sighed and the sound was heavy and heart-breaking.
"Torrent, stop," I whimpered. "You're scaring me. What's going on?" Instead of answering, Torrent wrapped an arm around me, securely holding me to the front of his chest. He didn't say anything when Steven buried his head in the crook of my neck.
My heart stopped beating a rapid drum line and I fell asleep.